The ‘B’ stands for bright future

Posted by Chris Collins April 21, 2008 at 10:09 pm

After watching championship contender after championship contender, the big bad Boston Bruins have been anything but — a laughing stock in the City of Champions. This season, so uninspiring until the post season, where suddenly there is reason for hope.

Suddenly the young guns who will hopefully provide a bright future showed their worth. The passion that Cam Neely had demonstrated in the executive box showed up on the ice in the form of Kessel and Lucic.

Is hockey back in Boston?

Well, a win tonight certainly would have brought the arrival of the Black and Gold back at a great rate, but now with the loss and the season ending in the first round (but let’s be honest, about three games later than most expected), we could have just witnessed the start of a fourth championship caliber team in Boston.

The ending was disappointing - but certainly encouraging as well.

No no no hockey is not back in Boston, but after this run by the B’s it now has a pulse.

One Period in the Books

Posted by Mike Giardi April 21, 2008 at 7:56 pm

You wonder how many times the Bruins can put themselves in a hole and then climb out? They’ve done it again tonight, trailing Game 7 in Montreal, 1-0 after one period. The lone goal comes off the stick of Mike Komisarek…or should I say, Petteri Nokelianen. A sloppy defensive exchange by your two bests defensive players - Zdeno Chara and P.J. Axelsson - created a shooting lane for Komisarek. He teed one up, but it was headed glove side on Tim Thomas before being re-routed by Nokelainen. Not the spot to be in for Nokelainen, who needed to get his body in the way or get the heck out of the way.

At the other end, the B’s had a slew of chances. Glen Murray should have buried at least one of his two, poking the second just wide of the net. It was on that play that he tumbled ackwardly into the boards - neck first. Not pretty, and he’s lucky he got up from that. Whether he plays from here on out has yet to be determined.

A couple of the kids also generating bids. Phil Kessel continues to blossom on the big stage, and you can see his confidence grow. David Krejci also stood on the doorstep, but rookie Carey Price is soooo quick. He snuffed it with the pads and the puck skidded across the crease and was cleared away. If the B’s keep attacking like this, they will score at least a few tonight. But will that be enough?

You’d like to see Tim Thomas be a little more sound in his own end. He looked shaky on Begin’s breakaway, and got lucky that puck didn’t end up in the net. He also had to jump to knock a shot down with his shoulder. Unorthodox, but I suppose it got the job done.

All in all, plenty to work with heading into period 2. Take the body more, keep driving to the net and we’ll be set up for a great final 20…and perhaps more.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Mike Giardi April 19, 2008 at 10:40 pm

There will be a Game 7 in Montreal Monday night. Holy mackerel! Twice in this series I thought the Bruins were D-O-N-E, DONE! But the grit that was evident even in defeat has unnerved the favored Habs.

Tremendous leadership from the veterans, but its those kids, oh man, those kid who are opening eyes! Phil Kessel with a pair of goals. He’s 20 years old. Milan Lucic got one. He’s 19. Vladimir Sobotka pops in his second is as many games. He’s 20. Then you throw in some more 20-somethings in Nokelainen, Krejci and Wideman and - as I wrote earlier this week - the core for this hockey team is in place. But who knew that core could play this well this soon, especially when they have trailed by two games twice in this series? It speaks to their character, and to the work Head Coach Claude Julien has done keeping his team in the moment, skating shift to shift, and not worrying about what happened the last time they were on the ice, or the last play that happened. Even if this ride ends Monday in Montreal, its been exciting, and who knows? Maybe Tuesday we’re looking ahead the Bruins and Penguins series. Now wouldn’t that be something?

Kid Shows Courage

Posted by Mike Giardi April 18, 2008 at 9:52 am

We finally saw Phil Kessel become an NHL player last night. After nearly two seasons of floating across the Garden ice doing his best Dmitri Kvartalnov impression (the mere typing of his name made me curse), Kessel finally manned up, playing with emotion, grit and a touch of courage sprinkled in there. Who knew it would take getting benched in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the light to finally go on in Kessel’s head?

His second period goal locked the B’s in a 1-1 tie with Montreal and set the stages for perhaps the Black and Gold’s single best stanza of the season, a four-goal eruption in the game’s final 20 minutes. Just a couple hours after looking like golf season was here, the Bruins now have a chance - slim - but a chance nonetheless, down 3-2 in their series with the top-seeded Habs.

Kessel has the requisite skill set to be a big-time player in this league. I mean, when you see him in space, he really does have the ability to make your jaw hit the floor. But in the NHL, 4-on-4 hockey is only saved for overtime, and shootouts don’t separate the men from the boys.

Kessel may have learned that lesson as lesser talents like Sobotka and Nokelainen and Schaeffer showed up for this postseason while Phil got to watch from the 9th floor. Not exactly becoming of a top-5 draft pick, now is it? Makes you understand why the B’s were shopping him at the trade deadline, while saying publicly that they weren’t. Kessel’s bosses were wondering if he would ever show the want - the desire -to take the next step in his development. Quite frankly, its been hard to tell when watching the 20-year old, be it in practice or come game-time. But for one night, at least, Kessel has answered those questions, and now has the B’s looking forward to a Game 6 back here in Boston Saturday night.

Canadiens Escape

Posted by Mike Giardi April 15, 2008 at 9:36 pm

That, my friends, was a killer for the Boston Bruins. They had chances, especially early in this hockey game. But whether it was Glen Murray not being able to pick a corner, or Marco Sturm misfiring on a breakaway, or the inability to bury any of a number of loose pucks in front of the net - the B’s get blanked by the Canadiens, losing Game 4, 1-0, and falling behind 3 games to 1 in the series.

I shouldn’t be totally surprised. The Black and Gold are a bruising bunch, but there isn’t a sniper in the bunch, especially now that Murray’s game has deteriorated over the past couple of seasons. Phil Kessel may one day be that guy, but he’s been a healthy scratch the last 3 games because of his - well, let’s just call it a lack of grit.

Now its back to Montreal. The Canadiens won’t lose two of the next three there. It just won’t happen. And I know, recent history with Boston sports teams tells us anything is possible, but not now, not for this bunch.

Quick Hitters

Posted by Mike Giardi April 12, 2008 at 8:17 pm

If Notre Dame continues to carry the physical play to Boston College, the Eagles will skate away from a third straight title game without the hardware. Its imperative for the Fightin’ Irish to slow BC’s speedy, skilled forwards. Give them space, and they’ll kill you. Not a lot of space for the favorites in that first period.

No sooner do I type this, than Nathan Gerbe nets the ice-breaker for BC. His 34th…and the Eagles lead 1-0. Gerbe leads the entire country in goals scored, and would have been a heck of a selection for the Hobey Baker. He’ll take a team title first anyway.

Gutsy move by Bruins coach Claude Julien to scratch Phil Kessel. The kid has a ton of skill, but sometimes not enough courage. That won’t do in the playoffs, and Julien put him - and everyone else - on notice. No Dennis Wideman tonight either. Wideman wasn’t very good in Game One. Then again, no one else was either. Still, a much better opening period tonight, although somewhat negated by that late goal by Roman Hamrlik, assisted by Smolinski. The ex-Bruin killing them in this series so far.

David Ortiz is currently 3-for-42. Wow! That’s stunning for a hitter who’s as gifted as Big Papi is. And today against the Yankees, Ortiz showing no signs of coming out of it. He hit into a double play in the first, and it was just feeble. Thoose are two words I never thought I’d use in a sentence: “Ortiz” and “feeble.”