Ok, so I didn't end up posting this one over Thanksgiving, so it's a bit late. But let me get it out here so I can get writing and posting the next one, if my laptop battery holds...
I sit here at the end of a weekend spent back home in Worcester, and it seemed as good a time as any to recap the last couple Bruins games, including the Black Friday matinee that I had the pleasure to attend. I'm really thinking I should change the name of the blog now, but I have to see about customizations options and try and design a catchy logo before I get around to doing that. First things first.
Anyway, the Bruins see November come to a close with their record for the month standing at 11-1-1, with a loss on Wednesday to the Sabres and an overtime loss to the Rangers being the only blemishes on what was one of the most fun months of hockey I can remember seeing. I keep searching for something that distresses me about the team so I can bring myself back down to Earth a bit, but with days like today, that's becoming difficult to do.
Like Bob Ryan said in today's Globe, you might as well get used to the idea: the Bruins are a good hockey team. I've been clamoring for most of the fall for Boston to embrace the Black and Gold, and it finally seems like the casual Boston sports fan is doing just that. The Garden is full, Causeway Street is buzzing again, and the team isn't giving the doubters much to work with. The goaltending is between solid and outstanding, the defense has been the rock upon which the team has built its success, and all four lines are clicking to the point where it seems that a different guy steps up with a clutch goal. Except Kessel, that is. He seems to score every period.
Anyway, the Bruins opened up a quick homestand against the Islanders, with the annual Black Friday noon game, during which the B's debuted their new third jerseys. The Bruins, as you'll recall, don't have the best track record with third jerseys, being responsible for unleashing the gold Pooh Bear abominations upon the NHL in 1995. I haven't quite made up my mind about the new thirds, but they're certainly growing on me. Especially if the Bruins continue to play in them like they have the last two nights.
Friday, the Bruins looked sluggish and disinterested, as former Providence Bruins captian Nate Thompson scored on the Islanders' frist shot of the affair, and I was afraid that I'd brought my brother to a trap game. The Islanders retained the lead after one, and the Bruins did a great job of missing the net with their shots and letting the Islanders goalie off the hook.
During the first intermission, I am convinced that Julien kicked their ass (my brother guessed that his speech entailed walking into the locker room, saying 'Guys...what the fuck?' and then leaving). The came out a different team in the second, and eeked out a 2-1 lead that they took into the third, on goals by the resurgent Chuck Kobasew and Michael Ryder.
With help from Kessel, Wideman, Krejci and Blake Wheeler, the Bruins turned a close game into a blowout, and gave the Garden crowd (and me and my brother) something to really cheer about. There were also two fights, which rounded out an entertaining afternoon. Lucic fucked up another victim, and Shane Hnidy held his own against a superior foe as the crowd chanted his name to keep him on his feet.
Of course I'm really itching to talk about the game tonight. Yesterday's match was of course entertaining, and it was good to see the Bruins come from behind and then break the game open, but it was, after all, a game they Bruins were fully expected to win. Not so much tonight.
The Red Wings remain the model franchise for the NHL, a team that went from very good before the Lockout to great after it. They have a well of talent that is enough to make other teams drool, and with their addition of Marian Hossa this past offseason, it was a textbook example of the rich getting richer. The Sharks are giving them a run for their money as best team in the West, but they're still the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and you have to give them their due. The Bruins had a big test against the Rangers earlier this month and failed, coughing up a 2-0 third period lead, so going up against the Red Wings had me nervous. I wasn't sure how much stock to put in their hot start, and now, I think I do. See, the Bruins didn't just beat the Red Wings. They beat them convincingly.
I Really don't have three downs, so here's just Three UP:
UP
1. David Krejci. The forgotten Bruins youngster. With all the talk about Kessel and Lucic and now Blake Wheeler, Krejci hasn't been talked about a lot, and maybe that's for the best. This guy can sneak up on you, and he has a magnificent talent for slowing a play down and finding just the right guy to pass to to make something happen. Don't look now, but he has 7 goals, and he's proving to be a valuable cog in the Bruins machine. Julien said that he put Ryder on the Krejci line because whoever Krejci plays with, he makes them better. High praise, and the kid is earning it so far.
2. Manny Fernandez. Again, I've always been more of a Thomas guy, but Manny is turning some heads with his play of late, and apart from a first-shot goal against the Islanders, it was a good weekend for him. He;s beginning to make the case that the Bruins now have two #1 goalies. That's awesome.
3. Phil Kessel. Looks like I might be praising this kid a lot through the upcoming season. He scored AGAIN, his 13th, and though he's taking away a spot from Kobasew, Bergeron, and everyone else who had a hand int he victory, but Kessel is deserving it. Should be fun to watch, and I'm hoping he wears the spoked B for years and years to come.
Anyway, I should get this wrapped up, but more to follow, as the Bruins have some time off in the meantime. I'm really wondering what I'm going to end up doing with myself until they're in Tampa on Thursday...
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