Tuukka Rask got the nod from coach Julien late this morning to start in nets for the Halloween matinee at the Garden against the Edmonton Oilers. Based on the Bruins history this season, Stevie Wonder could of gotten the nod in net as today would be a scheduled win in theory of course with this win one ,lose one season so far.
The Bruins peppered veteran goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin in the closing seconds of the second period andVladimir Sabotka popped what would of been his first goal of the season but it was just after the buzzer sounded to keep the game scoreless after two. Blake Wheeler finally breaks the 0-0 tie with his fourth goal of the season from Sabotka , just under 3 minutes into the final period. Wheeler then returned the favor to Sabotka as this time he did score his first goal of the season.
Rookie Bruins net minder Rask plays a solid 60 minutes to earn his 2nd career shut out this afternoon winning 2-0. This was also a milestone for Coach Julien as this was his 100th win behind the Bruins bench.
The up and down Bruins travel to MSG tomorrow to face conference rival, the New York Rangers. Lets hope the somewhat predictable B’s break this foolish .500 pattern and put a couple together this weekend.
With two minutes left in tonight’s Bruins/Ottawa game, I thought the pattern was finally over as the B’s trailed by two goals and then it happened….life after death for the good guys.
Coach Julien calls a time out and pulls goaltender Tim Thomas with just under 2 mins left in regulation and Mark Recci playing in his 1500th career NHL game, pops one in at the 18:32 mark of the third. Just over a minute later, Krejic finally scores his first of the season as he tips in the game tying goal. After a scoreless overtime frame, Bergeron scores the only goal in the shootout.
Tim Thomas was nothing short of spectacular tonight, coming up huge with a highlight reel save in the third and shut down Kovalev, Alfredsson and Spezza in the shootout to solidify what looked to be a loss that turned into a win for the Bruins. Three games in four nights and the B’s come out of it with 5 out of a possible 6 points. Not bad for a team that is missing the entire number one line from a year ago. The Bruins get a much deserved rest as their next game is not until Thursday night.
Usually the Garden fares well for the Bruins where they lost just 6 games in the 2008-09 season. So far the B’s haven’t tasted that home cooking with 3 loses in five games already this season. Although their 5 points are just one less than last season after five games, it has been an up and down battle. The Bruins hit the road tonight for the first time in the 2010 run at the Stanley Cup hoping to bond as a team on this short 2 game trip.
Early on we have seen a lot on inconsistency with this years squad and Tim Thomas has not looked like the Vezina trophy winner of 2009 having a .868 save percentage. We have seen this team go from looking like a Junior “C” team to the Stanley Cup contenders they were just one year ago. The loss of P J Axelson on the penalty kill has also hurt the Bruins as they have given up 8 goals on 26 times short handed and the power play has been non-existent ranked 25th in the League.
So what do the Bruins need to do tonight in Dallas against the undefeated Stars? They need to play a physical game from start to finish, for the exception of the Carolina game, we have not seen a solid 60 minute effort yet. The B’s also need to protect Tim Thomas in front of the net, Dallas has averaged 4 goals per game so far with the Bruins only averaging 3 goals for and 3.8 against.
Claude Julien has shaken the lines up tonight to try to spark the offense. The new combination’s might have Marc Savard centering Marco Sturm and Michael Ryder, and David Krejci in the middle of Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler.
(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
The tough part about being a hockey ref would be that I miss a lot of the Bruins action when I am on the ice and although that happened last night, it wasn’t a total loss as I was home just in time for the best part of last night’s action.
If you thought after Thursday night’s performance of the B’s was a preview of the season and maybe the “Big Bad” Bruins were no more, just ask Carolina’s Jay Harrison as he received a bloody beating from Milan Lucic late in the second period. When it was all said and done, 46 minutes in penalties were handed out in the last 40 seconds of the second period.
Coach Julien guaranteed that we would not see the team that showed up ( or not showed up) against the Washington Capitals Thursday night and he was right, the B’s showed up and played for 60 hard minutes and walked all over the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season. Not only did they play physical, the offense showed up as well having more than double the shots on net (42) that they had on Thursday(20) that lead to 7 goals by 7 different players which included 4 power play tallies.
If you remember a couple of days ago, I told you when the Bruins play physical…they win , enough said.
The Boston Bruins are offering a free Coaching Symposium on Saturday October 10,2009. This is a first for the Bruins as they will covering a number or topics including : Developing team strategy, offensive zone, defensive zone, special teams, game-day preparation, strength and conditioning and USA Hockey’s American Development Model.
This is a great opportunity for youth hockey coaches to learn from the best. Space is limited and you can register here.
Featured Speakers:
*General Manager Peter Chiarelli
* Head Coach Claude Julien and Staff
* USA Hockey’s New England American Development Model Manager Roger Grill
The Boston Bruins open their quest for Lord Stanley with a very disappointing loss last night. It has been 4 months since the last puck was dropped at the Gah-den and with a packed house we were all set to forget that devastating comeback the Carolina Hurricanes pulled on us last May.
What upsets me about Bruins fans it that they are all crying about the trade of Phil Kessel. I feel that the trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs was a must for the Bruins. Phil didn’t want to play here, he’s a health risk in a contract year demanding huge money. Let it go people. I am more upset about the loss of P.J Axelsson, he was one of the top penalty killers in the league and the Bruins had and they failed to replace him in the off season. That theory proved right last night as the Bruins gave up 2 short handed goals, one of which was a too many men call.
The B’s lacked more than scoring last night. When did the NHL become a church league, we have size with Chara, Lucic and Bitz but yet they let Ovenchkin have his way with them. The only signs of life the Bruins had was in the third period when Patrice Bergeron finally broke Jose Theodore’s shut out. Less than 2 minutes later Bruin’s Shawn Thorton dropped the gloves with Washington’s John Erskin. There is a very solid pattern with the Bruins…..when they play physical, they win and that 5 minute stretch of the third period, they looked like winners.
Tim Thomas looked solid , and a good thing as this one could of been a lot worse. Don’t expect the Bruins to repeat this performance Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, coach Claude Julien will have them more prepared. Fans, it was game one of a long, hard season, so what…they lost.
