Don't Poke The Bear

After the tough loss during game 2 on Saturday, the Bruins needed to step up their play going into the Maple Leaf’s home ice to lead the series. The Bruins needed to come out in game three the same way they did in game one with lots of confidence and intensity. With Andrew Ference back in the line up, the Bruins had their defensive experience and another team player on the ice. Ference has always been a very valuable player to the team because of his leadership skills and his ability to stabilize the defense when it comes to the right pair of defenders.

Source : http://3.cdn.nhle.com/mapleleafs/images/upload/gallery/2013/03/164428408_slide.jpg

As the hype of the Maple Leaf’s fans overwhelmed the arena, the Bruins didn’t let the crowd deter them from their excellent win. The team played very physically, scored timely goals, and got plenty of help from Rask in the net. The Bruins were up 2-0 in the second with goals scored by Mcquaid and Peverley, but the Leaf’s answered to make the game 2-1 and the crowd went wild. You would assume that this would be a turning point of the game, although 50 seconds later Horton scored a huge goal with a brilliant assist by Lucic.  The Bruins added two additional goals to the scoreboard later in the game to get the 5-2 win.  

In the end, the Bruins didn’t let the crowd get to their heads, instead they used it to their advantage of taking in the atmosphere and enjoying it. The Thornton, Campbell and Paille line has been a great attribute to the Bruins success. The line brings Paille’s speed with Campbell’s puck protection and Thornton’s toughness. The Bruins need to prepare themselves for the tough game they play tonight at the Leaf’s home arena. If game four is another W, then the team will lead the series 3-1. I can’t wait to watch this game to see how Toronto reacts to the Bruin’s high intensity play in game three. Will the Leaf’s poke the bear in game 4? 

Source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_404h/2010-2019/Wires/Online/2013-05-07/AP/Images/Bruins%20Maple%20Leafs%20Hockey.JPEG-01a75.jpg

It’s that time of year when the exciting Stanley Cup Playoffs are here! In the first round of the playoffs the Bruins are up against the Toronto Maple Leaf’s, which should be no challenge for the Bruins. These two teams haven’t met in the postseason since 1974. The Maple Leaf’s lost four of their last six regular season games, which isn’t good going into the playoffs against a team with a better record.

Throughout the whole game the Bruins had 40 shots on goal, as oppose to the Maple Leaf’s 20 shots. The Maple Leaf’s started out strong by putting a goal on the board early in the first period. The Bruins responded back by getting two goals by the end of the first period. The first goal was scored by Redden and the second was a tip by Horton. The fans and refs were on their feet when determining if Horton’s stick stayed below the crossbar to be a goal and give the Bruin’s the lead.

Source : http://3.cdn.nhle.com/mapleleafs/images/upload/gallery/2013/03/163308234_slide.jpg

During the second period the Bruins added two more goals to make the score 4-1. Every player of the Bruins was playing very hard: skating, forechecking, backchecking, and driving to the net. They were playing their best hockey because they were playing as a team. The Campbell, Paille, and Thornton line created tons of energy and delivered plenty of physical play. The final score to game one was 4-1 and this was a great way for the Bruins to start the series. The next matchup against the Maple Leaf’s is on Saturday at 7pm in the Garden. The Bruins will be playing without defenseman Andrew Ference because of his one game suspension for an illegal check to the head. Will the Leaf’s poke the bear in game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals?

Source : http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/192x/60/20/37/60203793bc4ed98cbdc401f15b62ac8a.jpg

After being outshot 30-24 against Tampa Bay, the Bruins came out on top with a shutout 2-0. Both of the Bruins goals were scored during the second period by Seidenberg and Paille. This game was full of penalty minutes, although both teams couldn’t generate a powerplay goal. One of the highlights of the game was the fight between Ference and Pouliot because Ference rarely fights and Pouliot played for the Bruins last season.  Tuukka Rask played an excellent game, while recording his fifth shutout of the season. The Lightening have two of the leading scorers in the NHL, St. Louis and Stamkos, which neither of them could put a puck past Rask. Milan Lucic finally stepped up and generated some scoring chances. The Bruins need Lucic playing at his best just in time for the playoffs, as he also got into a fight. The Bruins need to carry the momentum from this game into the playoffs.

The Bruins have two games remaining in this 48 game season. They are tied in the Northeast Division with the Canadiens and hold the second spot in the Eastern Conference. The last two games are back to back, with one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. The game on Saturday is against the Washington Capitals at 7pm at the Verizon Center in Washington. There is a possibility Jagr will miss this game due to the all-star battling with the flu. The Bruins need to keep this momentum rolling to bring the Stanley Cup to Boston. Will the Capitals poke the bear?

Source : http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/4/25/4267132/public-skate-bruins-vs-lightning-7-30-pm-et

Due to the explosions that took place in Boston, the Bruins had not played since their loss Saturday to the Hurricane’s. This game was the first sporting event since the Marathon Tragedy, as sadness and pain still filled the atmosphere in the garden. But this was a time where Boston could all come together to make everyone stronger. Before the puck was dropped, Rene Rancourt came on to sing the National Anthem and after a couple words he let the garden take over. Here is a video of the overwhelming emotion that took place in the building. 

Although Paille and Kelly both had a goal and an assist during the game the bruins ended up losing in a shootout 3-2. The Bruins outshot the Sabres 43-32 and they won 64% of the faceoffs taken. It was great to have Marchand and Bergeron back in the lineup, even though they both got penalties. Due to the one point that the Bruins received from going into a shootout in this game, they were able to clinch a playoff spot. They also tied the Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Northeast Division. The Bruins played a decent game but just didn’t get any bounces their way. But the most important part of the game was that the Bruins were able to start the healing process for the city from the shocking events that took place on Monday. The Bruins next game is Friday at 7pm, home against the Penguins. The Bruins need to step up their play as it comes closer to playoffs and show that they want the cup. Will the Penguins Poke the Bear?

Source : http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?t=1406527

Source : http://longshotsblues.wordpress.com/tag/boston-bruins-fans-singing-national-anthem/

After taking first place in the Division and second in the Conference on Wednesday when the Bruins played at New Jersey against the Devils, the Bruins suffered a tough loss the next day against the Islanders. Due to the very tight fourty-eight game season, sometimes the bruins have a game two days in a row. This happened on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The game on Wednesday ended with a 5-4 win and the Thursday game added a loss to the Bruins record with a score of 2-1 at home. The Bruins loss against New York wasn’t too exciting of a game, with the Bruins getting out shot 36 to 31. As the Bruins were down 1-0 after one period, Seguin scored with an assist from Campbell and Jagr to tie up the game. Seguin scored his 13th goal of the season and of course Jagr got an assist added to his stats. Jagr is really standing out on the Bruins and is a great contribution to the first line. Jagr is stepping up the young player’s game with his experience in the NHL. The Bruins made a real smart move by picking up such a smart and effective player who is a master at the game. They played without Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron due to both of these hard workers suffering from concussions. This was Bergeron’s fifth game missing in the line-up and it’s really effecting the Bruins faceoff percentage. Hopefully both of these clutch players can make it back in the lineup for the bruins game on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes at 7pm. Will the Cane’s poke the Bear?

This photo below is of Jagr and Ference assisting Brad Marchand off the ice after he suffered his mild concussion

Source : http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Third_Party_Photo/2013/04/11/041113_marchand609__1365662921_0660.jpg

Source : http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nhl/gallery/im:urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,photo,f11814ce-e95a-399b-8be8-281754e5d45e-l:1#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Clego%3A19780928%3Atop%2Cphoto%2Cf11814ce-e95a-399b-8be8-281754e5d45e-l%3A1

Last night the Bruins played a very high intensity game against the Ottawa Senators, which they ended up winning with a score of 3-2. Tyler Seguin who has been very hot lately played a great game and scored the second goal of the game for the Bruins. Both goalies, Lehner for the Senators and Khudobin for the Bruins played an excellent game. Lehner faced 50 shots and Khudobin faced 47, which is a very high amount of shots for a three period hockey game. This game had many scoring chances, hits, and power plays for each team. The only aspect missing in this game was a fight.

The Bruins and Boston fans are pumped about the aquired forward Jaromir Jagr, which took place on April second. Jagr is going to wear jersey number 68 and should be playing in the Bruins next game on Thursday. Jagr is a huge name in the NHL at 41 years old. The Bruins are hoping Jagr will add to the teams 24th ranked man advantage. Jaromir has already scored six of his fourteen goal on the powerplay this season for the Dallas Stars. Jagr has a great shot and is a very smart player who may be looked up upon by younger Bruins players. I can’t wait to see what Jagr does in his first game as a Bruin in their matchup Thursday at home against the New Jersey Devils. Puck drops at 7pm. Will the Devils poke the bear?

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This rivalry matchup was one you could not miss. This game was full of big hits, fights, and great goal scoring. The Bruins were down by two goals, 2:53 into the second period and they really needed to step up the intensity of their play.  The Bruins responded with four straight goals and were showing that they deserve to be in first place in their division. As the third period started the Bruins were up 4-2 and were playing great hockey.  Ryder scored his second goal of the game for Montreal early in the third to keep the score close. But later in the period Seguin scored with a brilliant goal using his backhand. Montreal quickly answered to Seguin’s goal and the score was 5-4. Within the last minute of the game I was on my feet hoping the Bruins could pull off the win against the first place team. The Canadien’s pulled their goalie and ended up tieing the game 5-5 which forced an overtime. After there was no score in overtime, it was time for a shootout. The shootout went to six exciting rounds. Gallagher ended up scoring and winning the game for the Canadien’s. Tuuka Rask was so pissed when he let in the shootout goal and he ended up breaking his stick as he smashed it against the boards. Rask was not on top of his game and let in many soft goals that should have never got past him. The Bruins may have ended up winning the game with Khudobin in net. The Bruins need to be able to win in these situations where they are up by two goals going into the third period. The goal scoring is there for the Bruins, but they need to work on their defensive play in their own zone. The bruins next matchup is away against the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow at 1pm. Will the Flyers poke the bear?

Source: http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297395360307_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x&stmp=1364443275915

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