After protecting home ice for a 2-0 series lead, then taking care of business on Monday in Montreal to go up 3-0, the Bruins have a chance to complete the sweep of the Habs tonight, and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. It has been a very balanced attack this series for the B's, with 8 different players scoring goals (led by Phil Kessel's 3) and 17 different players registering at least 1 point (led by Kessel and Marc Savard with 5 apeice). Look for Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi to add their names to the goal scorers list tonight and the B's to wrap this one up in front of the classless Canadiens fans who dare to boo during the American national anthem. Let's go Bruins!
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135 comments:
I'm not trying to complain since we are on a roll, but there were only 2 Bruins who played the entire season with a negative +/- and only 2 in the playoffs. PJ Axelsson is on both lists. Why does Julien keep giving him so much ice time?
Keep in mind that PJ is always out there on the penalty kill and very rarely (hopefully) on the power play...He can frustrate me just as much as the next guy but he does the little things that don't show up on the score sheet...He is a very solid defensive forward and a great guy to offset Savard and Kessel...Stop looking for negatives DK!!!
OK I now have the proper photo to assure victory.
+/- is not effected while Short Handed, unless the SH team scores, in which case players on the ice get a + and the PP team gets a -
If the team on the PP scores, they are not awarded +, and the SH team is not awarded a -
Also Gator, Wheeler and Krejci are key in the penalty kill as well, yet they are at the opposite end of the +/- rating.
I don't think +/- is a perfect rating, but over the course of a season it is a pretty good indication when comparing guys from the same team.
+/- was invented before computers and is somewhat of a crude measurement, but until somebody comes up with something better, I am sticking with it.
I agree with DK. Get PJ off the first line and let's get Wheeler going offensively. After watching Bitz play the other night I wouldn't argue with sticking him and there on the 4th line and giving PJ the night off.
AL, will you still be a Canadiens fan when Celine Dion buys the team?
Jack Edwards is basically wearing a B's uniform tonight (black suit, yellow tie). Love it!
If Celine Dione buys the team will she sing the national anthem? And if so, will the boo her?
Going to boo the anthem tonight? They emphasized the word "respect" in "respect the singing".
Love the playoff beards starting to come out. Great tradition.
Rene rancourt could kick that guys ass
All those towels in the stands should help dry their tears after they get swept out of the playoffs tonight.
Habs score! Guess who got caught in the offensive end trying to catch a puck 5 feet over his head? PJ you say? Yes. I'm just sayin.....
1-0 less than a minute into the game.
Great shift for Thornton/Yelle
Good stop by Wideman, would have been 2-0.
It is ALL Canadiens so far....
I thought my Recchi prediction was coming true there...
Hate giving the PP away on a lame stick penalty like that (Ryder)
Montreal is always a tough place to play. If you can maintain your composure in the first ten minutes of the game and get past the enery from the crowd you have a chance.
I expect to see more out of the B's in the second half of the period, but it has been all Canadians so far.
Agreed, DK. Wasn't happy Ryder gave away our man advantage.
Montreal has been crashing the net and talking crap to Thomas all night. They're definitely trying to get in his head.
A little over 8 minutes in the period an we get a face off in Montreal's end after an icing call and the Canadians promptly bring the puck back into Boston's zone.
Are the Canadian's fans taunting Thomas?
ALMOST!
Yes, they're chanting "Tho-mas" all night.
Lapierre is a douche bag
The Canadians could have been called for about three penalities there, but the refs get them for one. B's going on the PP.
I think the bull crew needs to scrape Hnidy off the glass. He got boarded bid time. Don't know how they didn't get that one as well.
Brick backs me up on that!
I posted it before: "Kennel the Doodle!"
Savard with a blast that hits the post!
No shots on the PP? Not good.
This is where Ax should stay: 4th line
How is that not delay of game by Georges?
I take that back...way to check Yelle PJ!
YES! 1-1
NICE!!!!! B's tie it!!
Blast by Ryder (more than makes up for the penalty) all created by DDK's hard work. Awesome!
Nice play by Kreji to stay with the puck and then tap it back to Ryder for the blast!
Great hip check Savvy!
NICE AGAIN!!!
What a give and go!!!!!
DDK & Ryder combine to make it 2-1!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That has to deflate them a bit.
Krejci, Ryder, Lucic line is hot. What a play!!!
Whooo! Chara just saved a goal.
Chara with a sweet cross check in front and then a nice dive save. Good work!
Scary thirty seconds at the end, but you have to feel good about a 2-1 lead after they way that started.
2-1 after the 1st.
Dynamite David Krejci the player of the period for sure (runner up: Ryder).
Lucic deserves a lot of credit also for that second goal. He banked a pass off the boards and took a hit to open up the play.
Definitly, those are your two stars so far. Plenty of game left.
Any intermission trivia from WJ?
Totally agree, 2-1 is nice but considering the way the way the game started it is VERY nice. You were right about withstanding that first 10.
I'll do an intermission trivia in WJ's honor....
Since he is such a big fan of +/-, what is the B's all-time starting 5 based on best career +/- with Boston
C -
LW-
RW-
D -
D -
Boy, that's a great question. How far back does the +/- stat go?
Ray Bourque has to be on there. .
Gerry Cheevers in goal.
Orr at the other D.
Phil Esposito at C.
Cam Neely at wing. .
Rick Middleton?
Middleton was a C, my bad. But he's my choice if it's not Espo.
Anyhow, some great back and forth 4 on 4 action this period!
Great scoring chances by both teams.
Gotta love Shawn Thorton.
What a break after a long rebound by Thomas. Canadian D not paying attention.
Milt Schmidt
John Bucyk
Cam Neely
Ray Bourque
Bobby Orr
Gerry Cheevers
Kessel makes it 3-1!!!!
Kessek...phil kessel, what?
Does yelle always shoot it right at the goalie or is it just me?
And just like that it's 4-1!!
Is jack edwards drunk?
Maybe, but he's entertaining.
Mock cheer and mock response by price...wow
Montador got decked.
It's go time! And Lucic drops his Kimarisek with one punch.
Wish that went longer. That guy needed to feel the pain train.
Intermission trivia duffman..what nhl player is the lovely kathryn tappen engagd to?
4-1 at the end of the second.
I was making/eating dinner while I was watching the 2nd...but what a period!
4-1 Bruins after 2. Love it!
The answer to the +/- question:
C - Esposito
LW- Cashman
RW- Hodge
D - Orr
D - Bourque
(no +/- for goalies...first year of the stat was 1967-68)
Just saw the replay of kessels goal. He was off sides by at least a foot. Not really close. We'll take it.
I always forget how thick Krejci's accent is.
WJ, is it PJ Axelsson?
I think that's why you don't like him.
I just watched that in slow-mo...not even close. WAY offsides! As you say, we'll take it.
Speaking of +/-....
Who was the last Bruin to win the +/- title before DDK did this year?
Didn't think there was a +/- for goalies, but wasn't sure if you had done some exhaustive research. Good question, though.
DK, is was it Marcus Cherkowski?
I know orr has the all time single season record will have to go with him
Jim Nill? BTW, I enjoyed the birthday mention the human punching bag on your site the other day.
Nesn picking up on the off sides. Montreal playing with no heart
I'd love to see the stands start to empty with 10 minutes left.
Orr is the answer.
His record (+124) may never be broken. Krejci led with +37 this year and nobody has gotten half of Orr's total since 1988 (Gretzky, +70)
Kostytsin is the king of no heart. If I were Gainey I'd waive him after the game.
Any RBSFs growing beards for the playoffs?
Great hit Hnidy!
D'Agostini looked good in Game 1 and I haven't noticed him once since.
It wasn't Marcus Czerkowski? That guy was gold!
Krejci has great balance.
Czerkawski = career -54
They just showed the Canadians free agents. How old is Mathieu Schneider? I swear he started his career in the 80s.
Kobasew has definitely grown on me.
Duffman it was Marius, but hilarious reference none the less. Probably the least likely to win the plus minus
Schneider began in 1987-88. He turns 40 on June 12. Still younger than Mark Recchi who turned 41 on February 1...but Schneider began a year earlier.
I knew I was going to butcher his name, but it was worth a metion. he a one good three game span in his career though.
Jim Nill always a good trivia answer to the question: who was the throw in to the Barry Peterson for Cam Neely deal?
Getting rid of the red line was a great move by the NHL
Schnider is better than Montador, but I wouldn't run out and sign him.
...and what else did the B's get in that deal?
Two line pass was definitely one of the worst rules in hockey.
Refs have money on the bruins tonight. Once again I think the habs have given up. Also, what a dumb mascot.
A roll of gauze?
There are 785 skaters in Bruins history....who has the worst career +/- for the B's? (negative 49)
The trap was definitly choking off the flow of play in hockey and with it fan interest. The league needed to get rid of the two line pass to help open things up and get some offense back into the game.
Actually there are only 255 that actually have a +/- (others played prior to 1968).
205 have a positive
39 have 0
211 have a negative
Was Komisarek trying to fight or did he just want to get tossed?
WJ, I think you're right: Jack Edwards might be drunk.
Komasarek = loser
Komisarek want to show how tough he is for whatever junior league team signs him next year. That was some WWF crap.
Gator wants to see him on the B's
As a wise man I know once said about another Habs coach, "I'd love to hit that Bob Gainey with a stocking full of shit"
DK, regarding your +/- question. Didn't you saw Czerkowski had a -54? Isn't that the answer? If not, I'm going to guess PJ Axelsson.
Hat trick would have been sweet for Ryder
Czerkawski was -54 for his career but only -13 with the Bruins.
Axelsson is -26, 8th worst.
Canadiens fans suck. What a bunch of classless aholes
10 worst +/- in Bruins history:
1. Rob DiMaio -49
2. Steve Kasper -43
3. Stephen Leach -31
3. Steve Staios -31
5. Shawn Bates -29
5. Darren Van Impe -29
7. Brad Stuart -28
8. PJ Axelsson -26
8. Dean Malkoc -26
8. Tim Taylor -26
Only 44 seconds to go........
Could not agree more about their fans, but that's not exactly a news flash
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!
Gotta love the sweep!
I'm loving it!
Did Gainey fire Julien?
Canadians fans are the type that would cheer for an opposing player getting hurt. They definitely suck!
They might be "the most knowledgable fans in hockey", but they have no class.
Hilarious. I think you're right about Gainey firing Julien.
Now it's sit back and wait. Nice blogging guys!
Looking back at your list I'm surprised to see Steve Kasper so high on there. How many times did he win the best defensive forward award? Maybe +/- isn't the best metric for evaluating a player.
By the way....
3 Stars
1-Krejci
2-Ryder
3-Kessel
What was the official RBSF stars of the series?
It is amazing that Thomas let in 6 goals in 4 games and I don't feel like he played that great.
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