Well, this isn't good. Having taken in my first bonus Bruins game last night (not one of the 12 games I have the same seats for) I don't know if I can find too many positives out of what was one of the most lack-luster hockey efforts I've seen in a while.
Which is odd, since the Bruins tripped a bit out of the gate, but found their feet and were up 2-0 at the end of the first period, scoring both goals in a matter of 31 seconds. At the time, I said "There's blood in the water! Go in for the kill!" and thought that it'd soon be 3 or 4-0. After all, the Leafs were in last place during the young season, and had lost 5 in a row. To open the game, they looked lost and nervous, and our guys could do no wrong. Patrice scored his first of the season, which was great to see, and there were some other things to like going into the locker room after 20. And then the wheels came off.
But first:
Three UP and Three DOWN:
UP
1. Patrice Bergeron. How could it not go to him? After all the guy has been through, it looked like he really did have his feet back this year, and he gets off to a good start with a lot of shots, some assists, and a shit-ton of ice time. All he was looking for was his first goal to say "It's OK guys, I'm fine", and here it was. A nice little tip in that sent the Garden going crazy, it was fantastic to see in person. Regardless of how the season ends up, I'll remember that.
2. PJ Axelsson. "Perpetual PJ", as the Globe called him today, got on the ice after missing a couple of games with back spasms, and had a busy busy night. As a key component of the B's penalty kill, he had his hands full with seven (7!) Maple Leafs power plays, and he did a good job of breaking up plays and killing them off. Of course, he *did* miss an open net shot late in the game, but I'll be a Swedish apologist for a minute and say that he's not here to score goals (but it would have been nice if he hadn't totally flubbed the shot).
3. Milan Lucic. For no other reason than the fact that he checked a Leaf through the protective glass along the boards. Yes, some fans got cut up something awful and had to leave, but they're OK and that was awesome. It seems like the momentum might have shifted in Toronto's favor after that, but that's hardly due to the hit. I've never seen that happen before, and Looch needs to throw his weight aroung a bit more as the season goes forward.
DOWN
1. Passing. Total and complete crap. Not crisp at all, and the Bruins had a hard time maintaining pressure in the offensive zone, even when on the power play. Toronto did a good job of clogging lanes and being general nusances, but some of the passes last night were just terrible. If you don't control the puck when it comes your way, you ain't gonna score.
2. Marco Sturm. I can't quite put my finger on it, but everyone's favorite German just didn't have it last night. He was guilty of bad passes and bad shots, and passing up several legitimate chances as the night went along. You, sir, are no Joe Thornton, and while it's unfair to compare you to him, you need to do a better job of finishing those chances. Sometimes you don't have to be fancy to be effective.
3. Referees. Yes, I know only a sore loser blames the refs, but honestly? I don't even know what constitutes hooking anymore. Or holding. Or interference. There was one call on Ryder late in the game that was especially complete crap, no two ways about it. But there was a sense all night that the refs weren't going to just let the guys play. Broke up a lot of the action, and made it hard for the Bruins to build up any kind of real momentum (that is, after they decided to call it a night and sit on the 2-0 lead)
After the game, Julien looked PISSED. I had a mental image of him making the Bruins line up for suicides until the Garden lights turned off (like in "Miracle"), and the friend I was with suggested the egg-passing drill from "The Mighty Ducks". Both would have been legit, as the Bruins coach was just about as mad and frustrated during his post-game as I can remember. And why wouldn't he be? The Bruins played well below their ability last night to a team I fully expected them to beat.
If they have a lot of trouble with Atlanta tomorrow, then I'll be worried. Not jump-off-the-Zakim-Bridge worried, but I'm-not-going-to-sugar-coat-all-the-teams-flaws-like-a-sheep worried. You heard it here first.
M
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