Game 32: Bruins 3, Canadiens 2

The Good

• Fantastic goaltending This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but last night's game was a terrific goaltending duel. Carey Price and Tim Thomas are two of the NHL's premier netminders, and both were on top of their games last night. One could argue that all five goals were either a bit fluky or that there was nothing either goalie could do. Both Thomas and Price made their fair share of highlight-reel stops as well. It's because of a goalie like Price that one can never count the Habs out: a talented goalie can get hot and steal a playoff series.
• My boy Benny Benoit Pouliot continues to endear himself to B's fans, scoring against his former team for the first time last night. Pouliot now has six goals, four of which are game-winners. I'm of the opinion that Pouliot has been getting better and better as his time with the B's has gone on. He's starting to show flashes of that top-five draft pick talent. Let's hope he keeps it up.
• Tough Soup Gregory Campbell returned to action last night, despite still having a broken bone in his foot. He played well, logging one shot in eleven minutes in TOI, including 1:24 in shorthanded TOI. Campbell also made a stellar play on the PK (as usual), diving to clear a loose puck to prevent a Montreal scoring chance.
• Zach attack I still think Zach Hamill has played extremely well since coming up from Providence. He's likely going back as soon as today (with Daniel Paille, Campbell, Rich Peverley, and Milan Lucic all returning, there's not really a spot for him), but I think this latest stint has revivified Hamill's prospect status. If he does go, he'll be back soon.
  

The Bad

• Zzzzzz... For a game that featured a desperate Habs team, this one was a bit of a snoozer. Sure, it was still fun to watch, but there were no fireworks. I think I counted the post-whistle scrums and shoving matches on one hand, strange for a B's-Habs game.
  
• Why no Emelin? A bit of a curious decision by the Habs coaching staff in scratching Alexei Emelin, Montreal's Russian defender. As far as I know, Emelin was a healthy scratch, with Chris Campoli playing in his place. Strange, because Emelin is pretty much the Habs' best physical weapon. He was a force against the B's earlier this year at the Bell Centre, and the B's play even more physically when at home. All of that combines to make that decision a bit of a head-scratcher, unless he was hurt.
• Powerless play Yes, the Bruins' power play woes have returned (for one night, at least). The B's failed to score on the man advantage last night, including coming up empty on a four-minute penalty to Louis Leblanc. Hey, I hear that Kaberle guy on the other team can help a power play...
  

What went right:

• Oftentimes, goals come off of pressure. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Last night's game-winner was no exception. Brad Marchand was in on the forecheck on Tomas Kaberle, who actually managed to get off a decent pass. However, Patrice Bergeron applied another layer of pressure, stealing the puck from Travis Moen. Because of his forechecking tenacity, Marchand was all alone in front to accept Tyler Seguin's feed. All of this resulted from putting pressure on the Canadiens, making them make decisions just a little bit quicker. It usually pays off, and last night the B's hit the jackpot.
  

Attaboy: I'll give it to my boy Benny, because I think he's starting to find his groove.

Providence shuttle: No fireworks. Zzzz...

Game 25: Bruins 3, Penguins 1

The Good

• Timmy Saves Tim Thomas hasn't had to steal many games for the Bruins this year, and I'm not so sure he "stole" last night's either. However, he was on top of his game, as he has been for about a month now. Thomas has now won his last ten starts in a row, a remarkable personal streak. He's got three shutouts in that span, and his save percentage is 0.946. Timmy's on fire.
• #MyBoyBenny I could tell from the beginning of the game that Benoit Pouliot had a lot of jump last night, and he proved me right with that second period goal. Pouliot was moving his feet and was physically engaged. That wrister he scored on was a thing of beauty, remarkably similar to his shootout-winner in Buffalo.
  
• Soup for you A great night for Gregory Campbell, including the first goal and a dandy of a fight with Joe Vitale. I've been mildly disappointed with the B's fourth line at times this season, but when they're on, they can wreak havoc on opposing teams. Last night, the grinders were hitting and were very involved, keeping the momentum going for their teammates. Campbell's defense of Thomas was admirable as well.
• Geno! Crosby gets the lion's share of the attention, but Evgeni Malkin is a joy to watch. I've liked him since I first saw him play back in the Turin Olympics, and last night was no exception. A very fun player.
  

The Bad

• Nastiness Two bits of "I don't like seeing that" from last night: Brad Marchand's slew-foot of Matt Niskanen is something that has no place in the game. It's only going to lead to injuries. I'm glad Marchand fought Niskanen, which to me was a bit of a "mea culpa," but I hope he doesn't do it again. Also, Joe Vitale tainted his fine bout with Gregory Campbell by throwing his last punch, the one that knocked Campbell to the ice (though it was more of a fall by Campbell) with a gloved hand, something reprehensible in hockey fights. Bad move by Vitale.
• Oops Orpik I thought Brooks Orpik, usually one of Pittsburgh's more dependable defensemen, was pretty terrible last night. His awful giveaway led directly to Pouliot's goal, and he wasn't really much of a physical presence either. An off night for Brooks.
• Matt Cooke scoring Come on. Really? It had to be him?
  

What went right:

• While Tim Thomas made the important saves, the biggest one of the night may have belonged to Dennis Seidenberg. During one of Pittsburgh's 5-on-3's, Steve Sullivan had a puck sliding his way with a wide-open net to shoot at. Seidenberg whipped his stick around and was able to deflect the puck away before Sullivan could get the shot off, saving a sure goal. The B's were up 2-0 at the time, and a goal there would've changed the entire complexion of the game (obviously). The B's PK came up huge in this one, as it's not often a team is forced to kill off two extended 5-on-3's. Seidenberg's stickwork was just one part of those PKs, but it was a big one.
  

Attaboy: Gregory Campbell. Scored a goal, stuck up for his teammate with a great fight. Good night for Soup.

Providence Shuttle: Matt Cooke. Because he's Matt Cooke.

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 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.