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| Boston Bruins (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Katie Carrera, Washington Post --- The Bruins – or if you prefer, the big, bad Bruins – have a reputation for toughness. Their brand of hockey comes with physicality and snarl. They like to push teams around between whistles and get under opponents’ skin afterward.The TD North Garden is a tough play for visiting team to play on any given day. Pierre LeBrun from ESPN looked at the five toughest arenas to play in druing the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
While fighting isn’t really common in the playoffs, one doesn’t need to drop the gloves to be tough to play against and physically dominate a contest or series. Boston’s knack for such things precedes it, but the Capitals believe they can hold their own.
“I think we’re alright,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can throw the body around, too. We’re not a team like them where we come out and always do that, but we do that when we need to — and we’re going to need to in this series.”
4. Boston Bruins Well, I guess you can ask the Vancouver Canucks to vouch for whether playing in Boston is any fun. The Canucks were destroyed in three games in Beantown during the 2011 Cup finals, which reinforced what a tough place it is to play in especially come playoff time. The Bruins are the NHL's toughest, most rugged team and that meshes well with a New England crowd that likes its hockey that way. All of which makes for an electric, and intimidating, atmosphere.Former NHL Official Kerry Fraser is concerned about inconsistency in today’s NHL Refs. Well that makes two of us. I thought the officiating in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs was bad, but could have been worse. I hope we don’t have anyone biting anyone this year.
As the NHL playoffs kick off this week, Kerry Fraser says he’s concerned about inconsistency in today’s refereeing.The "media" is still concerned about Timmy Thomas missing the White House event. Can we just play hockey? I could care less if Thomas takes a stand on his personal Facebook page or has a political message on the back of his goalie mask. The last time I checked Thomas was an American Citizen and is afforded the right to free speech. [Boston Globe]
“Right now, the game is very fast and it’s hard for young officials without the experience to keep up with the pace,” said Fraser, who retired a year ago as the most senior referee in the National Hockey League.
During the playoffs last year, too many refs were inconsistent when it came to major infractions, said Fraser, who officiated for 30 years. And the supplementary discipline doled out by the league hasn’t helped.
“There were head shots when players were sometimes suspended and sometimes not.
“The referees became confused seeing what was happening upstairs with suspensions or lack of, and it created inconsistent officiating,” Fraser said.
Reporter: "Given the setting, that's it's in D.C., is there any concern on your part about the White House stuff getting kicked up and all that stuff …"The Washington Capital have issues in net right now. [Boston Globe]
Thomas: "Thanks guys, we finally got somebody to get me out early."
Assuming Tomas Vokoun (groin) and Michal Neuvirth (leg) won’t be ready for Game 1, 22-year-old Braden Holtby will get the call to start the playoffs between the pipes. Holtby has never appeared in an NHL playoff game.Stanley Cup playoffs 2012: Alex Ovechkin vs. Zdeno Chara matchup could affect Capitals-Bruins outcome ...
Holtby will be backed up by Dany Sabourin. The Capitals recalled the ex-Bruin from Hershey today.
Dan Steinberg, Washington Post --- NHL.com doesn’t provide game predictions, but all seven of the site’s writers say the Bruins will win the series.
The NHL Network’s Craig Button agrees, although his colleague E.J. Hradek took the Caps. (Two out of four NHL.com international writers also took the Caps, for what that’s worth.)
Both of CBS Sports’s “Eye On Hockey” writers take the Bruins. TSN’s Scott Cullen says Bruins in six. Yahoo’s Nick Cotsonika says Bruins in six. The Toronto Sun’s Chris Stevenson says Bruins in six. Sporting News’s Jesse Spector says Bruins in five. Canadian site SportsNet says Bruins in five. And four of five Pro Hockey Talk writers say Bruins in 5, with the fifth, Ryan Dadoun, taking the Caps in 7.
This is the proper response for someone that hits one of your fellow players in the head, this is called sticking up for your fellow players, instead of waiting for the refs to make the call. Nothing pleases me more than watching Adam McQuaid work Raffi Torres like a punching bag.It's about time this gutless puke pays for his act of transgression on the ice. You can hit someone hard and make a good body check without having to hit a opponent in the head. Nice to see that Brendan Shanahan has gotten it right twice in the same week. Some Day Torres is also going to get what he has coming to him, you would have thought he would have learned his lesson when Adam McQuaid beat the tar out of him.
Let's not kid ourselves, Raffi Torres is notorious for racing all over the ice, taking unneeded runs at guys, many times Torres hits players with dirty hits like this hit on Brent Seabrook last spring during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAs a Boston Bruins fans I must admit that I have been critical of Claude Julien in the past... I think with his teams efforts on the ice this spring I believe he has vindicated himself with advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vancouver Canucks, there were rumblings that if Claude Julien's team didn't get out of the second round Claude might get relieved of his coaching duties.Chad Finn --- Boston Globe ---- If there was a concern among fans that that Roloson's ability to keep the Bruins off the board would lead to Tampa Bay stealing it on a fluky goal, it might have been justified. But the Bruins themselves never thought that way, maintaining their resolve even when frustration could have seeped in.
The evidence that the Bruins always kept their faith even as Roloson stymied them time and again became clear to Julien in the second intermission.
"When I walked into the locker room before the third period, I didn't have much to say," said Julien. "When I was outside, I could hear the points they were making, and they were bang-on. The attitude was that eventually we will get rewarded. And that's exactly what happened. I couldn't be prouder of the approach we took all throughout this game. We never let up once."
The victory also was a vindication of sorts for the coach, who as recently as the first-round series with Montreal -- in which the Bruins lost the first two games before winning in seven -- was perceived to be coaching for his job in some corners. Julien said that talk never gets to him.
"I say this all the time, but I don't care what anyone says. It doesn't bother me, and I don't really hear it," he said. "What matters to me is what happens in that dressing room. And as much as I'm getting criticism from some people, I'm getting pats on the back from others."
After the Bruins victory tonight, Julien can expect many more of the latter.
Image via WikipediaI just love the stuff that comes out of former NHL star Jeremy Roenick's mouth, he is always good for a one liner or a zinger, he could probably write a book full of zingers. I couldn't agree more, Tomas Kaberle has been an utter disappointment and a passenger during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it's a shame that they gave up a first round draft pick to get this guy. WEEI ---- Roenick said that he was sticking with his prediction, made before the Eastern Conference finals, that the Bruins would advance to the Stanley Cup finals in seven games. That said, he noted a couple of players whom he believes need to elevate their games in order for that outcome to reach fruition.
Roenick suggested that having Tomas Kaberle (who has no goals and 8 assists in the playoffs) anchoring the power play was a mistake, in part because he's not a threat to get the puck on net.
"He’s got a stick made of Jell-O. Kaberle doesn’t have a very good shot. He’s a playmaker and a very good playmaker. He shouldn’t be at the top putting shots on net," said Roenick. "You should have Dennis Seidenberg up at the top pounding the puck on net, Kaberle on the side positioning the puck to the net. I think Kaberle played his best game maybe of the playoffs his last game. But I don’t think he’s been very good in the playoffs at all, not to mention since he came over from Toronto. He’s got to up his game another level.
"He’s one of those guys who can make the difference if he just makes the simple play, the right play, like he has for many years, which has made him so good."
Here's what Umberger said:This is what the Montreal Canadians basically did the last three games. They got good goaltending and score when they had to. The Canadians also capitalized on power play and made the Capitals pay for taking stupid penalties. Lastly, you can not go 1/33 and win a playoff series. That is about three percent on the power play.
“I don’t think any team in the West would be over matched by them,” Umberger said. “They play the wrong way. They want to be moving all the time. They float around in their zone, looking for breakaways and odd-man rushes.
“A good defensive team is going to beat them (in the playoffs). If you eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play, they’re going to get frustrated because they’re in their zone a lot.” [Puck Rakers Blog]
Conn Smythe Trophy winnerWell, the Sharks aren't the Rangers, and offered up an embarrassing effort on home ice in Game 6. There wasn't any desperation, nobody stepped up, and we saw a performance that only reinforced San Jose's reputation as playoff chumps, lacking heart and determination. Sure, there were spurts of effort. Michalek would flash through the neutral zone or Clowe would press the forecheck at times, but there wasn't any sustained pressure, and nothing close to a flurry down the stretch. I can only remember two quality scoring chances, Grier's empty net and Bernier's breakaway. I think that says it all, the fact San Jose's two best chances came from a third-line penalty-killing grinder and a young fourth-line winger. Forwards on San Jose's top two lines combined for only 7 shots, while the bottom two lines had 18. That's just not right.
I've received several frustrated e-mails tonight calling for heads to roll, and Patrick Marleau is getting the most blame, with Joe Thornton close behind. Marleau went six consecutive games without a point, finishing the series -5. What happened to him?? The captain is the go-to guy for everything, and if he's the worst player on the ice it takes everyone else off the hook. They don't have anything to build on, no example to live up to. It's unfortunate the past 10 days will have a permanent effect on Marleau's career, adding to the pressure and doubt he'll have to overcome next season.
Thornton didn't have a single shot on goal, didn't record a hit, won only 38% of his faceoffs, and finished the night -2. What happened?? Clearly he's one of the most talented players in the world, but if that's the performance you get with the season on the line maybe that $6.66 million salary could be put to better use somewhere else. I'm just throwing it out there.
