Game 50: Penguins 2, Bruins 1

The Good

• Field Trip fun Despite not scoring a goal (though Joe Corvo's goal did come with the trio on the ice) the "Field Trip Line" of Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin, and Brad Marchand was the most dangerous line on the ice today. The group had a number of top-notch scoring chances: Seguin's one-timer and breakaway, and Marchand's backhander late were just a few of the good looks this line had. True, none of the three put one in the back of the net; however, they were applying pressure and making plays, something that can't really be said for the rest of the team.
• Geno! I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Evgeni Malkin might be my favorite player to watch this season. The guy's a physical presence, a wizard with the puck, and just seems to know how to put it in the back of the net. His goal today came from a fortuitous bounce, but those bounces usually come from being in the right spot. At this point, Malkin should be a lock for the MVP award this year.
• MAF! Marc-Andre Fleury basically did to the Bruins what Tim Thomas did to the Penguins in Pittsburgh a couple of months ago: made the stops, and was stellar when he needed to be. Fleury came up huge late, stopping Seguin's mini-breakaway and Marchand's backhander in the game's final ten minutes to preserve the lead. Fleury is often left out of the discussion of the league's top netminders, but he's young, has a Stanley Cup ring, and, oh yeah, is pretty good too.
• Hitting is OK Glad to see no one on the Bruins go after Brooks Orpik after he sent Daniel Paille into orbit in the third period. Truthfully, Orpik didn't even look like he was trying to hit Paille; rather they were both going for the puck, and the bigger Orpik get the best of Paille. Paille got right up, and play continued. Too often in today's NHL, throwers of big, but clean, hits are forced to "answer the bell." It was good to see that this was viewed as just a good, clean collision by both sides.  

The Bad

• Clear the puck! Both goals the Penguins scored today came off of plays where the puck either went through a Bruin or off of a Bruins' stick. On Malkin's goal, the puck skidded through Dennis Seidenberg's legs; on Matt Cooke's goal, Joe Corvo attempted to clear a puck at the top of the crease and kind of fanned on it, instead sending it bouncing off of the body of a Penguin and onto Cooke's stick for the tap-in. You can't give a talented team like the Penguins second chances through bounces and misplays. They'll make you pay dearly more often than not.
• Really? Matt Cooke ended up with the game-winning goal. Come on, hockey gods. That's a low blow.
• Not tops The "first line" was invisible this afternoon, and it may be time for Claude Julien to do something about it. Rich Peverley is filling Nathan Horton's spot, but the line isn't clicking at all. When healthy and going, the line of David Krejci, Nathan Horton, and Milan Lucic is a force to be reckoned with; lately, with the absence of Horton, the line has been pretty much useless.
• Slow start Another game, another deficit for the Bruins. It seems like it's been forever since the B's consistently jumped out to leads, and as the overused saying goes, "catch-up hockey is losing hockey." Another game, another lack of a "full-60" effort for the B's. 

What went wrong 

• Cooke's goal was pretty much comedy of errors. Things got started when Tim Thomas, facing a bad-angle shot, failed to control the rebound. Instead of directing it into the corner or back at the shooter, the rebound kicked right into the crease. Beleaguered Joe Corvo tried to whack it out of there, but flubbed the bouncing puck right into the body of a Penguin. It landed on the ice and onto the stick of an uncovered Matt Cooke, as Zach Hamill failed to put so much as a stick on the most-hated Penguin of them all. From there, Cooke had a tap-in into the empty cage. Just an ugly, ugly series for the B's, as a number of breakdowns and gaffes lead to the game-winning goal for Pittsburgh. 

Attaboy: Evgeni Malkin, because he rules.
Providence Shuttle: I should give it to pretty much the entire Boston team, but Matt Cooke was in this game, so he gets it for being Matt Cooke.

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.