Game 21: Red Wings 3, Bruins 2

I'm going to keep this brief, seeing as it's Friday night and I've got other stuff to do.

The Good

• These two should meet more often It's a shame that the B's and Wings don't play more often. Rumor has it that Detroit may be moving to the Eastern Conference in the near future, and that'd be great news for Bruins (and Wings) fans. This was a game filled with great end-to-end action, sublime displays of skill, and solid goaltending. Let's see it more often, OK NHL?
• D and Z It's always great to see Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg live, as they're two of the more skilled players in the league. Zetterberg made a terrific pass on the Wings' first goal, and Datsyuk was thrilling (as always) in the shootout. You could serve dinner on Datsyuk's saucer passes. Truly a treat to see those two play.
• Sitting down low Usually, I sit up in the balcony when I go to hockey games, up in the 300s with the commoners (I'm a commoner too, it's not an insult). Today, I got to sit down in the loge, five rows from the ice, right next to the Bruins' tunnel. It's always a treat to see the game from that close: the speed, size, skill, and sound are all on display. For example, sitting down there today, I was able to hear and see Angry Tuukka first hand when he skated off the ice after the loss. Pretty cool experience.

The Bad

• Bad moves Dennis Seidenberg and Rich Peverley had questionable days, with Seidenberg kneeing Corey Emmerton and Peverley slashing Jonathan Ericsson in the, um..."pucks." Certainly won't help the B's villainous image.
• Still nothing from Krejci David Krejci remains lost in a haze. It may be time to give someone else some reps between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton while Krejci finds his game.
• Red Wing gift-wrap Truthfully, this game could've very easily ended 2-0 Wings had they not had two egregious turnovers. The Wings didn't do a very good job of taking care of the puck today, but they still found a way to win, as good teams usually do.
  

What went wrong:
Too many missed opportunities. The B's had plenty of chances to put the puck in the net today, but passes skittered away or shots went wide. Zdeno Chara missed the net on a golden chance late in OT, Horton whiffed on a perfect one-timer, Patrice Bergeron passed up a golden shooting chance to instead make an ill-advised drop pass. In Bergeron's defense, he was angry on the bench, yelling at the d-man for calling for the pass when he wasn't open. In short, the B's had their chances, but they couldn't cash in. That's the way the puck bounces some time.



Attaboy: Pavel Datsyuk, just because it's very, VERY fun to watch him play.

Providence Shuttle: Krejci. This loss was far from his fault, but Claude's gotta be growing impatient with his lack of production.

Game 19: Bruins 1, Canadiens 0

The Good

• Tim Thomas As he did many times last year, Tim Thomas, to paraphrase Jack Edwards, saved the Bruins' bacon last night. Thomas was spectacular, and looked as good as he had at any point last season. He made a number of stellar stops, including a post-to-post stoning of Erik Cole and a juggling save towards the end of the third period. Thomas now has back-to-back shutouts, and appears to be heating up. Good news for the B's.
• Cole looked strong I was one of the people scoffing when the Habs signed Erik Cole to a four-year deal worth $4.5 million per season over the summer. I thought it was a lot of money for a guy who wouldn't put up the numbers. However, aside from Tim Thomas, Cole was probably the best player on the ice last night. Cole was able to use his size and speed to beat the B's defense on more than one occasion, and had what was probably the best Montreal scoring chance of the night. If he can keep playing like that, then the Habs will certainly be getting their money's worth.
• Playoff feel Last night's game certainly had a lot of anxiety and a lot of edge-of-the-seat action. Though it's November, that game felt like it was being played in April or May. Maybe it was because the B's were on such a great streak, or maybe it was because they hadn't beaten the Habs yet this season. Or maybe it's just because it was in Montreal, and the atmosphere is good. Who knows. But whatever the reason was, it sure was fun to watch.
• A physical Russian? You don't say! The Habs may have a good one on their hands in Alexei Emelin, the 25-year-old rookie Russian defenseman. Emelin comes in at 6'2" and 223 pounds, and seems to love using his size. He threw a number of big hits last night, giving Montreal someone who isn't afraid to throw some hits back at the Bruins. His defense may need some work, but he does bring an element of physicality to the Montreal game.

The Bad

• How do you say "high horse" in French? My French studies in high school tell me that it's "haut cheval," but I could be wrong. Montreal fans are frequently deriding the B's and their fans for being bullies and goons, while they're bastions of class and integrity. This video says otherwise:
  

• I'm not sure who was fighting who, or if this was Hab fan on Hab fan violence. But it just goes to show that there are goons in every fanbase; Montreal is no different.
• Lucic and Krejci were awful It appears that Milan Lucic's hot streak has come to an end, and David Krejci is still lost in the woods. Lucic made what seemed like a dozen turnovers at the defensive blueline last night. It seemed like he turned the puck over every single time he tried to move it out of the zone. Krejci, on the other hand, seemed like he was trying too hard and being too fancy. On more than one occasion, he tried to make the slick play instead of the simple one; the resulting turnover led to a Montreal scoring chance. Both of them were pretty terrible last night, and need to step it up. Lucic should be ready on Wednesday because he knows he'll be engaged physically by the angry Sabres; let's hope Krejci follows suit.
• Bad Benny Poor Benoit Pouliot. Just a few games after he was embraced by the B's fanbase for scoring the game-winner against New Jersey, he was benched for the entire third period and will probably not play tomorrow. Benny giveth, Benny taketh away. Pouliot took two bad penalties last night: one was retaliatory and dumb, the other was just careless. All told, Pouliot had 8:07 TOI last night; he had 6:00 in penalties. Not a good ratio. Just when it seemed like he was starting to get going, he falls back on bad habits. He'd better snap out of it, and soon: with Jordan Caron in the press box, Pouliot will find himself out of a job before long if this keeps up.

What went right:

• A smart play by Andrew Ference led to the only goal of the night. With a delayed penalty on the Habs coming up, Ference was able to join the rush without fear of getting caught in an odd-man situation. After all, if one of the Habs touched the puck, the play would've been blown dead. Barring a wacky bounce on a drop pass going into the vacant net, there's really no risk. So Ference did the smart thing and jumped into the play. Rich Peverley found him with a great pass, and Ference didn't miss. It looks easy, but it was really a great heads up play by Ference, and a great example of ice awareness.

Attaboy: Tim Thomas and his wonderful mustache get the accolades.

Providence Shuttle: Sorry Benny. I'm your biggest supporter, but you really did a lot of damage to your Bruin cause last night.

Game 17: Bruins 2, Blue Jackets 1

The Good

• Goalie duel Tuukka Rask and Curtis Sanford both played very solid games, making the big saves when called upon. Sanford was making his first NHL start in over two years, but didn't look a bit rusty. Truthfully, Rask was just one save better than Sanford, and that was the difference between winning and losing. But with Steve Mason suffering from mammoth confidence issues, it looks like Sanford may be ready to lend a steadying hand between the Columbus pipes. Rask was excellent as well, making a huge stop on Jeff Carter late in the game and stoning Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette in the shootout. Tim Thomas will probably be back between the pipes tomorrow, but Rask has been playing very well as of late.
• Good bout for Thornton Shawn Thornton and Jared Boll exchanged a flurry of punches in what was probably Thornton's best fight of the year so far. Boll has tangled with the B's before, and apparently this time his hit on Steven Kampfer prompted Thornton to come calling. The fight didn't look like a momentum starter; Thornton looked legitimately angry, so retribution for Kampfer would make sense. In any case, a good fight.
  

The Bad

• Everything else While Tuesday's win over the Devils could be called a solid, grind-it-out win (though I would call it a sloppy, somewhat lucky win), last night's game was just ugly. If there was a way that the game could end without either team getting a point, that would've been the best option last night. Scoring chances were few and far between, passes were muffed, turnovers were aplenty...ugly. I hope it was just a case of the B's playing down to their opponents, and not a sign of a slide to come.

What went right

• Excellent analysis from Andy Brickley on David Krejci's shootout winner. As an ex-player, Brickley often points out things I don't notice, but last night's was particularly cool: on the replay, he showed how Krejci, who was thinking "shot" all the way, waited until he saw Sanford's hand twitch to start a poke-check attempt, then he fired the puck past him. Great poise from Krejci, and great analysis by Brickley.

Attaboy: Rask (and Sanford, because he played pretty well too).

Providence Shuttle: Everyone else. Then again, I don't want to torture Providence with that kind of ugly hockey. Send them to Montreal instead, that's a worse punishment.

Game 16: Bruins 4, Devils 3

The Good

• Pouliot earns his stripes Notice that I didn't call him "New Ryder." Yes, Benoit Pouliot has finally earned his name, and he'll no longer be known as New Ryder. Pouliot's game-winner last night should take some pressure off of him, as he's finally got a good Bruin moment to call his own. I haven't had a problem with Pouliot's play so far this year. I think he's been playing physical and has been making good decisions, but the pucks haven't been going in. Let's see if this goal is the confidence boost that gets him rolling.
• Pretty play from the grinders Shawn Thornton's goal in the third period was one of the nicest Bruin goals of the young season, so I guess it's only fitting that it came from the gritty fourth line. Funny how that works, huh? All three forwards had a hand in that goal: Gregory Campbell making the pass to Jordan Caron, Caron throwing it to the net, and Thornton burying it. To be honest, I'm pretty sure Caron didn't know Thornton was there; that looked like a redirect attempt, not a pass. But hey, the result sure was pretty.
• Mooooooooooooose Despite the loss, Johan Hedberg (known as "The Moose") was pretty solid in net for the Devils. He robbed Nathan Horton in the third, stoned Brad Marchand in the first, and played an all-around solid game. With Marty Brodeur struggling this year, steady performances from Hedberg could make or break the Devils. If he keeps playing like he did last night, they should be in pretty good shape.

The Bad

• Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy I caught most of the first period and all of the third, and what I saw was some of the sloppiest play of the year so far. It seemed like each team was determined to "out turnover" the other. There was a sequence in the third when the Devils turned it over at their defensive blue line, and the B's got a scoring chance but couldn't cash in. The Devils brought the puck up ice, the B's took it back, and subsequently turned it over, leading to a Jersey chance. It was like watching hand grenade hockey out there: "You take it!" "No, no, YOU take it!" "I don't want it, you take it!"
• No more Kampf-chuk A few seasons back, a friend of mine derisively referred to the Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick defense pairing as the "H & W Comedy Hour" due to the duo's propensity for often comically bad turnovers. Last night saw the return of the Comedy Hour, this time starring Johnny Boychuk and Steven Kampfer. Boychuk's ill-advised pass back to his own blueline led to Kampfer getting turnstiled by David Henrique, which led to Jersey's third goal. It was awful. I like both players, but not together. I'd rather see Kampfer play with someone responsible like Zdeno Chara or Dennis Seidenberg, someone who can cover for Kampfer's inevitable youthful misadventures. Kampfer's a good player, but his lapses in his own zone concern me.

What went right

• Good things happen when players go to the net, and that's how three Bruin goals got scored last night: Chris Kelly drove to the net and pounced on a loose puck; Thornton and Caron both got to the front of the goal on Thornton's marker; and Pouliot and Kelly were both right in front of Hedberg on Pouliot's game-winner. Good things happen when players drive to the net and there's lots of traffic in front, as was evident three different times last night for the Bruins.

Attaboy: Gotta be Benny. NO LONGER A CHUMP, right Jack?

Providence shuttle: Kampfer. He looked downright silly on Jersey's third goal.

Game 13: Bruins 6, Islanders 2

The Good

• Finally, top-flight production Let's be honest: so far this season, the B's first line has been pretty awful, David Krejci and Nathan Horton in particular. Well they're starting to wake up, and it's no coincidence that the team is starting to win. Lucic has been playing well ever since the Montreal games, and Horton is showing signs of life. If Krejci can get going, that line will get back to being the formidable trio they were during the playoffs. In any case, it was great to see Lucic keep up his hot streak and Horton get going last night. Krejci also now has two multi-point games in a row. Is this the return of the HuLK line? Let's hope so...
• Best. Field Trip. EVER. On Twitter, I've tried to name the Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin trio "the field trip line," mainly because Patrice Bergeron is Saint Patrice, a responsible citizen, and is stuck riding with the two crazy kids on the team. Since they've come together as a triumvirate, they've been by far the most exciting line to watch. In fact, I'd say that they're currently the most exciting Bruin line I've seen since the lockout, with only the Lucic-Savard-Kessel line even coming close (though Boyes-Bergeron-Sturm was good too). The scary part? They might not have hit their peak yet. Seguin is starting to know where to go when his linemates have the puck, as was made quite clear by his goal last night. But there were still a few errant drop passes and a few miscommunications. It's awesomely frightening to think that this line might even get better. It's like one of those non-educational field trips to Canobie Lake Park or something. SO MUCH FUN!
• One in the bag for Rask Poor Tuukka Rask. He was probably starting to wonder if he's teammates really liked him. As was the case (for whatever reason) last year, Rask hadn't been getting much help from his black and gold buddies this season. He deserved a better fate in some of his starts, but was winless coming into last night. Finally, the team gave him some offense, and he held down the fort for his first win of 2011-2012. Rask played a pretty solid game, making a couple of big stops. The two goals he allowed were on a great tip by Matt Moulson and a wicked wrister by Michael Grabner, neither being Rask's fault. Hopefully Claude Julien gives him another start on Thursday and let's him get on a bit of a roll.

The Bad

• Paille's face Yikes. The picture of the inside of Daniel Paille's helmet was pretty troubling, but it was good to hear that he was walking around the locker room. If Lucic can joke about Paille's nose looking like his now, chances are he's not in any serious danger. But that play served as a gruesome reminder of how dangerous this sport can be.
• Turnovers... Last night, I made a purposely bad joke about the Bruins being able to open up their own bakery with the number of turnovers they were making last night (WAKKA WAKKA!), but it's true: they were pretty careless with the puck. There were a few times last night where the B's made mistake after mistake in their own zone, allowing the Isles to put on sustained pressure. If not for a bounce here and there and some key stops by Rask, the game likely would've been much closer. Those turnovers might slip by against a young team like the Islanders, but a better team will make them pay.

What went right:

• Milan Lucic is the engine that powers the B's: he's gotten going, and the wins are starting to come. When he plays with power, strength, and a bit of a snarl, he's hard to stop. Last night's goal was a perfect example: he simply out-willed Steve Staios, beating him to the puck, refusing to have his stick lifted, and putting the puck in the net.

Attaboy: The first line. I've piled on them in the past, so I have to give them credit when they do well, right? Right. They're coming around, and if they keep it up, the B's will be hard to stop.

Providence shuttle: Evgeni Nabokov didn't do much to help the Isles win. He probably should have dropped down to the butterfly on the first goal, and after that couldn't buy a save. Three goals on 12 shots in just under 15 minutes? Yikes.

Game 11: Bruins 5, Senators 3

The Good

• Puck movement=goals I've already said that I think the B's scoring problems this year are coming from the back end, not the front, and last night only furthered that point. Of the five Bruin goals, three weren't "special" goals (i.e. a power play goal and a breakaway). Of those three, two were the direct results of clean, crisp breakouts from the defensive zone. On Patrice Bergeron's goal, Brad Marchand won a puck battle in support of his d-men along the wall, and made a pass to Tyler Seguin. Seguin lugged the puck into space, hit Bergeron with a pass, and the puck was in the net. Boom: won battle, one pass, two passes, goal. The Kelly goal was similar, with Chara making a good outlet pass to Rich Peverley. True, finishing has been a problem, but it's hard to finish when rushes don't ever start. Last night was a marked improvement in that area.
• Pretty Filipin' good Get it? Because his name is Filip? Never mind. Filip Kuba played a hell of a game for the Sens last night, and if it wasn't for him, this one could've been pretty lopsided. The 34-year-old was a +1 and led all skaters with 26:52 TOI. He also blocked 4 shots, including a couple of point-blank defensive plays that prevented goals.
• Fourth line shows up Their struggles have gone unnoticed, either because they're usually so dependable or because everyone else has been bad as well. Prior to last night, the trio had just one point between them: a Daniel Paille goal in the second game of the year. They were also a combined minus-7, and had really not done much at all. That all changed last night, as the fourth line combined for three points, a plus-3 rating, two fights, and four shots on goal. The B's fourth line has, in recent years, been one of the best in the NHL. They'll need their grinders to play better if they want to keep winning, and last night was a step in the right direction.
  

The Bad

• Krejci and Horton are still missing I might just rename this section the "David Krejci and Nathan Horton Memorial Bad." They've been terrible. Horton wasn't as bad last night, coming a lucky bounce or two away from one or two goals. But Krejci has been downright terrible. He's got one point and is a minus-6 in eight games this year, and has really contributed nothing positive at all. One can't help but wonder if his core/abdomen injury from a couple of weeks back is still bothering him, because he's been awful. Milan Lucic has shown signs of waking up from his early-season slumber, but his two linemates are still snoozing the season away. ZZzzzzzz......
  

What went right

• Everything is easier when the puck is moved out of the defensive zone smoothly. When breakout passes connect, rushes develop. Rushes turn into scoring chances, scoring chances turn into goals. It might be a bit of an overstatement to say that everything on offense depends on the breakout, but it's also true. If the B's can combine breakouts like they had last night with the solid defensive effort they put forth, they'll be fine going forward.
  

Attaboy: The fourth line. The grinders finally put one in, and it's not a coincidence that the B's won the game.

Providence Shuttle: Horton and Krejci. Obviously a demotion would be absurd, but each of these two could benefit from a healthy scratch right now. Sleepwalking through the season.