Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings are the two best teams in the league and the most exciting to watch. There will not be an underdog nameless team that got to the finals because of a hot goaltender and lucky bounces. This finals will feature a titanic match up between some of the most skilled players in the world. Game One of the Stanley Cup finals will be the first time these two teams have played each other this season. This series has all the making as an instant classic and a cant miss present. The last time these two powerhouses faced off against each other was way back in October of 2006. Detroit won that game 2-0. I highly doubt only two goals per game will be scored in this series. Especially with all of the offensive firepower each team displays.

Why I Like Pittsburgh

The Penguins are loaded with young players who are already stars in the league. Sidney Crosby, with all do respect to Alexander Ovechkin, is the best player in the league at the ripe age of 20. With all of the comparisons to Wayne Gretzky as being the “Next One”, this is Crosby’s ultimate stage to shine. Currently he is tied for the playoff lead with 21 points and if the Pens win, Crosby just may be the Conn Smyth winner.

We all know about Crosby and Evgeni Malkin being bonafide young superstars and Marian Hossa boosting superstar credentials but almost lost amongst the stardom is Pittsburgh’s third line center Jorda Staal. Only 19 years old, Staal has played a vital role in the Penguins offence. Four goals in the Philadelphia series, plays important minutes on the PK, and is a major factor of why the Pens have only lost two games en route to the Cup finals. With Detroit being know for being a very deep team,  Staal playing on the third line, will negate that Detroit advantage offensively.

Why I Like Detroit

Perhaps the biggest edge that the Wings hold over the Pens is in their group of defensemen. Nicklas Lindstrom is the best in the game and may be the smartest player in all of sports. Fellow Swede Nicklas Kronwall is one of the best hitters in hockey. Chris Chelios and Bryan Rafalski each are former all stars and Cup winners. Any one of those d-men would be number ones on any other team. All four are minute eaters and able to play both on the powerplay and penalty kill.

As talented as the Penguins are on offense, Detroit can match up to them better than any other team. The main contributors on offense for the Wings are all-stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. These two are dangerous every time they touch the puck. However, as good as these two are, neither lead the Wings in post season goals. That accomplishment belongs to Johan Franzen who has recorded 12 goals thus far in the playoffs. With a balanced attacked and the resurgence of the Wings’ “Grind Line”, this could be a more complete team than any of their other past Cup winning teams. Forgive me Steve Yzerman for saying that.

Prediction- Picking the winner of this series is like picking your favorite Olsen twin back in the Uncle Jesse days. Both are talented but you know one will eventually wind up a loser. I love the exceptional talent that these two teams have up front. Detroit has the advantage of a better defensive corps and experience to boot. Marc Andre Fluery is a better option than Chris Osgood but Osgood has been there before and has won. The influx of many offensive weapons and young legs will prove to be a difference for the Pens but the depth of the Wings defensively and offensively will be the ultimate difference in the series.  I know the sexy pick is to take the Penguins and all their young super stars but you have to lose before you win. The Wings have paid their dues and the Pens have yet to reach their full mark. Detroit in 7.

Former Bruins

Brad Stuart, Detroit Red Wings
Hal Gill, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh Penguins

Future Bruins???

Marian Hossa, Pittsburgh Penguins- This soon to be free agent is the prize of the free agent and speculation around the league is that the Bruins are going hard after him once free agency hits.

Ryan Malone, Pittsburgh Penguins- Malone is another Penguins free agent once the season ends and he is the type of player that Bruins fans love. If the Bruins lose out in the Hossa sweepstakes they may just pursue Malone. This will be a hard target to get because he is a native of Pittsburgh and will most likely sign back with them.

Local Ties

More reasons to root for the Pens. Pittsburgh has five former Hockey East players on their roster. Hall Gill of Providence. Ryan Whitney of Boston University. Ty Conklin of UNH. Rob Scuderi and Brooks Orpik of Boston College. Whitney is also a Boston native, him and Hal Gill are the lone New England natives playing for the Cup.

The team did not disclose contract details.

Kobasew had career highs of 22 goals, 17 assists and 39 points in 73 games this past season. He finished second on the team in goals to Marco Sturm , who had 27.

Kobasew missed the playoffs with a fractured left leg. The Bruins were eliminated in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games. He was drafted with the 14th overall pick in 2001 by Calgary, which traded him to Boston on Feb. 10, 2007.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Financially the Bruins can give Hossa what he wants. Word is that Hossa could get as much as $8 million per season for a five-year deal, or more. With the $4.1 million salary of ex-Bruin Alexei Zhamnov ending, and the NHL salary cap expected to rise $4 million to $5 million, the B’s would have nearly $10 million available to spend. The Bruins have almost $39 million committed for the 2008-09 season and the NHL’s salary cap is expecting to rise to approximately $53 million.  Boston could free up even more money if they dumped Glen Murray and his $4.15 million cap hit.

Speculation that Hossa could become an unrestricted free agent this summer was risen by a report claiming the Penguins won’t try very hard to re-sign him. This is not shocking considering that Pittsburgh is loaded with home grown youthful super stars who will be taking the Hossa dollars away from Pittsburgh. It’s believed Penguins management will put more priority into retaining young stars Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal.

The Penguins acquired Hossa at the trade deadline to bolster their roster for a run at the Stanley Cup and while he’s paid strong dividends so far. Through 12 games in the playoffs, Hossa has 8 goals, 7 assists, and is a plus 6. With Pittsburgh about to play in the Stanley Cup finals the trade has been well worth it.

To say that the Bruins will be the only team making a strong push for Hossa’s services is borderline insanity, with the Rangers and Canadiens already proclaiming high interest. However, rumors around the league say that the Bruin’s are the front runners in the Hossa sweepstakes.

Reports out of Boston since the end of the regular season suggest Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli could make a serious push to sign Hossa. Chiarelli was assistant GM with the Ottawa Senators during Hossa’s final seasons with that club, plus Hossa’s friend and former Senators teammate Zdeno Chara is captain of the Bruins. Chara’s relationship with Hossa may be Boston’s best chance in landing the free agent to be.

Both Hossa and Chara are Slovakian and have played in numerous games together representing their country. They also were teamates with the Ottawa Senators, minor hockey in Slovakia and in the WHL. These two have remained close and are “Best friends” for over the past 10 years. Their relationship goes even deeper when Hossa was Chara’s best man when he got married this past summer. Chara was also Hossa’s best man at his wedding.

As Hossa continues to dazzle in the playoffs and help Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup, the rest of the league will be developing a game plan on how to land his services. When the bidding war begins, its essentially up to Hossa to decide. As long as Chiarelli offers him a reasonable deal, then Chara’s friendship may just be the piece that puts Boston over the top as Hossa’s new destination.

B’s Send five To Worlds

Despite a game seven loss to the Canadiens some of the Bruins are not finished playing hockey for the season. Boston sent five of its members to the 2008 IIHF World Championships. Although not playing, the championship game will be played in Patrice Bergeron’s home town of Quebec City. Representing USA, are Phil Kessel, Mark Stuart, and Tim Thomas while David Krejci skates for Czech Republic and Marco Sturm for Germany.

Phil Kessel, United States

Inconsistency has been the knock on Kessel thus far in his early career but in the Worlds, this Bruins sniper started out strong. Kessel recorded a hat trick in USA’s second game against Slovenia. Kessel is making his third straight IIHF World Championship appearance for Team USA.

Tim Thomas, United States

Thomas has played well in the tournament posting a shutout in his first game. He has only given up one Slovenia goal. Thomas, buoyed by strong defense in front, faced only 12 shots against Slovenia. The Bruins’ backstopper posts a 97.22 save percentage and a stellar .50 goals against average.

Mark Stuart, United States

Stuart, who had been named alternate captain, has played well. Stuart is a +1 and is averaging about 15 minutes of ice time for USA. Stuart is one of the backbones for USA who has only given up 1 goal thus far in the tournament.

David Krejci, Czech Republic

Krecji has yet to record a point in his first two games and is only averaging 11 minutes of ice time. His plus/minus is even as the Czech Republic stands with a record of 1-1.

Marco Sturm, Germany

Sturm recorded a goal in a win against Slovakia last game. He has one goal in two games and is a minus 1. Sturm is a veteran leader for a 1-1 Germany team.

Team USA USA is 2-0 with a 4-0 win over Latvia and a 5-1 win over Slovenia. They now prepare for their pivotal contest against Canada on Tuesday. With all Canadian teams now eliminated from the NHL playoffs, there should be significant interest in this game.

Baby B’s Push For The Calder Cup

In case you haven’t heard the Providence Bruins, Boston’s AHL affiliate, is currently the top seed in the AHL playoffs and is in a 2-2 series tie with the Portland Pirates. Providence finish with the AHL’s best record at 55-18-3-4. The Bruin’s future prize goalie Tuukka Rask is backstopping the Baby B’s in hopes to pull off a Carey Price and win the Calder Cup and then lead a NHL team into the playoffs the following year. The first step of that goal looks promising for the netminder. Rask is posting a 1.68 goals against average and is 6-2 in the playoffs.

Pascal Pelletier leads Providence with 9 playoff points. Pelletier also lead the P. Bruins in the regular season with 75 points (37 goals, 38 assist). Former UNH star Jason Krog lead the AHL in scoring with 112 points (39 goals, 73 assist). Boston Bruins’ 2007 first round draft pick, Zach Hamill recorded his first playoffs goal in a 3-2 OT lost to the Portland Pirates. Petteri Nokelainen and Vladimir Sobotka, who saw significant time in the NHL playoffs, are now helping out the Providence Bruins and their playoff run.

Assist To Boston

The Philadelphia Flyers did what Boston failed to do and beat the top seeded Montreal Canadiens, as well as the refs. I’ll give credit to the Flyers for beating the Habs, because I had thought the Canadiens had the edge in goal. However, Flyers fans should be sending the Bruins thank you cards for developing a formula on how to beat Montreal. Philadelphia went 0-4 and was out scored 15-6 during the regular season, then went on to beat Montreal 4 games to one in the playoffs. Philadelphia played to the same game plan that Boston displayed vs. the Habs. The only difference was that the Flyers can put the puck in the net. Philadelphia hit Montreal skaters at every opportunity, focused on shutting down Alexei Kovalev, and kept the Habs’ potent powerplay in check. Sound familiar? It should. That is the exact formula that Boston had success with in playing Montreal.

The Quest For The Cup Continues

If you followed my predictions about the last round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I sincerely apologize. After going 8-8 in the opening round, I went 0-4 in the second round. With Pittsburg’s and Detroit’s dominence over my Stanley Cup finals predicted teams (New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche), I wouldn’t pick against them this round.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Too many things need to happen for Philadelphia to pull off a series upset. Pittsburgh is rolling on all cylinders. The Penguins have the best young talent in the game and are now proving it in the playoffs. They are almost unstoppable on the powerplay. Philadelphia needs to stay out of the box. The line of Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa, and Pascal Dupruis are finally playing with great chemistry after the trade that brought Hossa and Dupruis to Pittsburgh. And Oh yeah, Pittsburgh still has the Evegni Malkin line playing its best hockey. Crosby and Malkin have combined for 28 points in nine playoff games. This illustrates the enormous task the Flyers will face in trying to shut down both lines.

Prediction-Penguins in five, and I reluctantly give the Flyers one game.

Series MVP-Its hard to go against Crosby or Malkin but I’ll say Marian Hossa proves his worth.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) Dallas Stars

This series will be a lot closer than you might expect. The Wings rolled through Colorado in a four game sweep, looking like the team posting the NHL’s best record. The “in your face” style that the Avalanche was supposed to display never materialized. Combine that with the disappearance of Jose Theodore and the Red Wings’ Johan Franzen being a red hot scoring machine (11 goals in the playoffs), and the result was Detroit making quick work in eliminating the Avs. That wont happen with the Stars. Dallas may be the only team that is deeper down the middle than the Red Wings with Mike Modano occupying the third line center role. The “in your face” style that Colorado was missing, is something that the Stars have been doing all playoffs and doing it well. I like the way they have been playing. They never seem to be out of games and enjoy playing in close quarters. Stars goalie, Marty Turco, has been phenomenal between the pipes. Detroit will need to match Dallas’ intensity to win this series. That will be a difficult task in that there isn’t a single team that works harder than the Stars.

Prediction- Its hard to pick against the Stars again but I will cautiously take the Red Wings in seven.

Series MVP- Nicklas Lindstrom because he is always Detroit’s MVP.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche

This heated rivalry is renewed. Reliving the battles of the late 90’s and 2000’s, this will be a sight to see. The Avs brought back some of their key contributors to the rivalry in Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg, while things welcomed Darren McCarty back to Motown.  Lots of old faces back in the mix but don’t expected the same blood bath that your custom to seeing between these two in the playoffs. Detroit is a great puck possession team loaded with skill. While the Avs do have some agitators, the series will be less physical and more strategic than a normal AvsWings match-up. The Red Wings come in with a highly skilled and deep team, while the Avalanche do have many big names on their team, Detroit’s depth will be hard to handle.

Series Difference- Goaltending vs. Depth. In net the Avs have the early Conn Smyth winner in Jose Theodore. Theodore is playing like he did in his early days as the Habs netminder, us Bruins fans know all about that. If Theodore can keep up his impressive play then Colorado can get this series to seven. Detroit’s platooning of Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek may be the Wings achilles heel. Not real confident in either of the two is why this series will be close.  Each team has its share of stars but Detroit is the deepest team in the league and in a seven game series that usually ends up playing a major factor.

Prediction- I’ll take the Avs in seven. Its tough to match up against Detroit’s depth but too many big time playoff players from the Avs including Ryan Smyth, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and the biggest factor in the series in Theodore.

Series MVP- Jose Theadore, Colorado Avalanche… Leaving haunting memories of him in a Habs sweater

Bruins Connection- Former center piece in the Joe Thornton deal, Brad Stuart is playing for the Red Wings. Also take note to watch Theodore and see if he can relive the magic he displayed against the Bruins in the playoffs. Keep a watchful eye on Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles, who happens to be a free agent after the year. Liles is the type of puck moving D-man that the B’s definitely need.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars

This is a classic series of will versus skill. The Sharks may have the best roster left in the playoffs. They have size, speed, and can put the puck in the net. When they want to play they cant be beat. The Stars have been one the hardest working teams in the NHL all season long. The out willed the defending champs last series. Dallas won the regular season series against the Sharks but dropped the last two. This series of divisional foes will be hard hitting and tight. Both teams will play in-your-face hockey.

Series Difference- Joe Thornton. I have a feeling this will be Jumbo Joe’s playoff break through. No longer will he have to be matched up shift for shift against Robyn Regehr and Dion Phanuef of the Flames. He has the ability to take over games. Too much skill to be a playoff bust his whole career. I don’t really see anyone on Dallas who can match up against his size and skill. I expect the Stars to role out Stephane Robidas and/or Trevor Daley to log most of the  time when Thornton’s line is on the ice.  The challenge facing the Stars will be to how to take away Thornton’s space and trying to stay out of the box. Thornton is a powerplay whiz. 

Prediction-I have to go with the Sharks in six. I like the way Dallas plays and they are very deep down the middle with the addition of Brad Richards. However, too may weapons on the Sharks not to win the series. With Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov being a wash. The series will come down to the Sharks matching the Stars effort.

Series MVP-Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins…. whoops!! I’m mean San Jose Sharks

Bruins Connection- Look no further than Jumbo Joe. Seven points in seven games vs. Calgary last series, Thornton will make us all sick and be a force in this series. And somewhere Mike O’Connell will be punching himself in the nuts. Brian Campbell of the Sharks is also a free agent and will look great with a spoked B on his chest next season.

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Ah yes. The series we love to hate. Those bleeping Canadiens vs. the team the sent Patrice Bergeron into la la land for the remainder of the season. Is it possible for both teams to lose? Bruins fans wont watch this series and if they do they wont like it. This series shows the hottest player in league in Daniel Briere who already has 6 goals and 11 points in the playoffs matched up against the well balanced score attack of Montreal. Look to see a lot of goals and lead changes in this series. Both teams can score, especially on the powerplay.

Series Difference-Refs and Price. The Habs benefited with a lot of questionable calls against the B’s in the first round. For some reason the Canadiensalways seem to get these calls and with the number one powerplay in the league, they will score. The Bruins exploited the Canadiens weaknesses but just couldn’t take advantage of it. They shut down their powerplay, limited Alexei Kovalev, and were extremely physical. Montreal is a great skating team but they used their quickness to avoid hits. This is a good match up for the Flyers because they too are a good skating but a more physical team. They will be able to exploit those same weaknesses and unlike the Bruins, they can score. Carey Price was good against Boston, he will have to be great against the Flyers because I’m not sold on the Canadiens as a good team. Without that 17-4 down the stretch or an 8-0 regular season mark against the B’s, they are just a mediocre 5th or 6th seed.

Prediction-I’ll say that they both knock each other out and the winner of the Pittsburg New York series plays for the cup. Cant do that? Darn. I’ll reluctantly pick the Habs in six. I don’t quit hate Carey Price yet and i’ll take him over Flyers’ goalie Martin Biron. Philadelphia just gives up too many goals to trust them. You cant out score teams in the playoffs. At some point you need to keep the puck out of your own net. Besides not only will Philadelphia have to play the Canadiens, the Flyerswill have to deal with th refs.

Series MVP-The referees…… OK OK you get it.  Carey Price (only because I don’t quit hate him yet)

Bruins Connection-If you don’t see a connection between Boston and these two teams then you aren’t a Bruins fan. The Canadiens are hockey’s Yankees, nuff said. Speaking of baseball. The Boston Red Sox and NESN are the reason why Bergeron got hurt. If they hadn’t move the Bruins game to earlier in the day because of the Sox playoff game, Bergeron would have been playing. Different time and different circumstances, I’m just saying. Oh yeah and the real reason why Bergeron was out, Randy Jones, who will be playing for the Flyers. Also see former Bruins Mike Knuble (Phi) and Bryan Smolinski (Mtl).

(2) Pittsburg Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers

This should prove to be the most exciting playoff series. The Rangers may be the lower seed but the blue shirts are 5-3 vs. the Pens in the regular season withthree of the wins coming in March alone. The Stanley Cup winner just may come out of this match-up. This series showcases the stars of today/yesterday withthe stars of the today/tomorrow. The Rangers have worlds of experience up front, with prime time playoffs performers. New acquisitions Chris Drury and Scott Gomez were signed to help the Rangers in these types of games. Bothhave won the cup. Add them with previous Cup winners Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shannahan, now you have plenty of playoff experience to go around. The Penguins are blessed with young, emerging talent like Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Ryan Malone, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby may just be the best player in the game and he is getting healthier. Having miss significant time due to injury will help Crosby in this series as he is fresher than any other player. This series could go either way both teams have a lot of fire power.

Series Difference- Goaltending. This series features Henrik Lundqvist against Marc Andre Fleury. Lundqvist is a proven big game winner after winning the Gold for team Sweden in the Olympics, but has yet to bring that success in a Stanley Cup finals. Fleury was a high draft pick and has yet to live up to the expectations. He did play well in the first round and this will be a true test on just how far he has developed. Each goalie has the capability of stealing this series. Bothteams can score and will score. The two powerhouses have good but not a shut down defense. There is too much talent up front on both sides and this series will come down to which goalie plays better. 

Prediction- I’m torn on this one. I think it will go the distance with the Ranger coming out on top. There is just too much experience on the Rangers’ roster and Lundqvist gets the edge over Fleury. Although the Pens have extraordinary young talent, I’ll still think they are a year away from winning it all. At this point of the season I’ll take the experience over youth, but not by much. Perhaps my biggest reason why I’ll take the Rangers is the persistence of Mike Collette and love for the Rangers. It would break his heart if I picked otherwise.

Series MVP- Chris Drury, New York Rangers… He’s good for at least a couple overtime winners

Bruins Connection-Hal Gill still plays? He’s on the Penguins blue-line, as a trade deadline deal rescued him from the dismal Toronto Maple Leafs. Gill’s importance in this series is major, as he will be looked upon to shut down Rangers’ star Jaromir Jagr. Gill had a lot of success in doing that when he was here in Boston. Two other  defensemen who had a brief cup of coffee in Boston will be playing, Paul Mara of the Rangers and Sergei Gonchar of the Pens. Bobby wasn’t the only Orr who wore the B’s sweater. Colton Orr spent a brief part of his early career here. Don’t know how much he’ll play but he definitely has a great last name. And last but not least, keep your eye on Marian Hossa. This soon to be free agent would look great in a B’s uniform. Look for Boston to pursue him in the off season.

So there you have it. I have given Bruins fans a few reason to watch after the heart breaker against the Habs. I even threw in some predictions. I could be way off with my picks. I may not even come close. But that’s that beauty of the Stanley Cup playoffs, is its unpredictability. Any series will be fun to watch. These teams are so evenly match that sheer will, a hot goalie, or a lucky bounce could win or lose the series. So from the words of TO, “get your popcorn ready” and enjoy the rest of the playoffs.

Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Stats- goals (17), assists (34) and points (51), plus-minus (+14)

Big Z has been everything the Bruins paid for this season. He has had his best statistical year as a pro. Ranked third among NHL players in average ice time per game (26:50) He led the Bruins and ranked eighth in the League with 223 hits . A major asset to Boston’s amazing turn around.

Prediction- Its hard to go against the season the Chara has had. Its been a great turn around from a season ago. Unfortunately, Lindstrom has been a bit better. Chara will receive a major look, due to the fact that Lindstrom has won the award and Boston’s brief success in the playoffs. I see a second place finish.

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

Stats- goals (10), assists (60) and points (70), plus-minus (+40)

Argument- Another phenomenal year for the Wings’ blue-liner. Lidstrom is a favorite for this award every year. He has won the award five times and this is his ninth Norris nomination in the past 10 seasons. Lidstrom has to be the smartest player in the NHL. He helped the Red Wings post the NHL’s best defensive record with a League-low 2.16 goals per game. In 76 games, Lidstrom led all NHL defensemen in scoring.

Prediction- This his Lindstrom award to win every year and this year is no different. He is the only candidate remaining in the playoffs and is a major reason why Detriot is so good. Seems to never make a bad decision. He wins the award.

Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames

Stats- goals (17), assists (43) and points (60), plus-minus (+12)

Argument-The 23-year-old is a long shot considering the numbers. He has less points than Lindstrom and less hits than Chara. However, unlike Chara and Lindstrom, Phaneuf played in all 82 games. In doing that he also led the Flames in average ice time per game (26:25) and hits (194). He also ranked second on the club in shots (263) and third in power-play goals (10).

Prediction- He will finish third in this vote due to the fact of the seasons that Lindstrom and Chara had. Only 23 years old, this wont be the last time you hear Phanuef’s name on the ballot.

For an instant the Bruins were the toast of the town. They were headlining sport talk shows. There was chatter all over New England when they forced a game seven. There was more hype surrounding the Bruins than there had been in quite some time. A team that was down and out  was about to pull off a Red Sox sized comeback.  It was a young likable team with a ticker the size of the ice they played on. An irrelevant team was relevant again. It was fun to be a Bruins’ fan for the moment. The streets outside the the Garden were filled with black and gold. The Garden itself was electric. City bars were at capacity with puck heads. But like all good things it came to an end.

Its hard to dissect why they eventually lost this series. They out skated, hit, and played the Canadiens throughout every game, with the exception of the first game. I know that in a seven game series the better team usually win. And obviously coming in, the Habs were the top seed and the better team. However the team that deserves it the most is now out. I hope the Canadiens get swept in the next round and embarrassed. In my mind they got lucky in this series. They got the majority of the calls, questionable ones at that. They flopped and fell like a bunch of sissies and drew penalties. I’m not saying there is a conspiracy to look into here but the Canadiens are notorious for getting those calls. The Bruins did an excellent job of killing off penalties but when you give the number one powerplay in the league gift chances, it affects the game.

The truth is that Boston shouldn’t have even been in a game seven. They shouldn’t have been in the playoffs. Much has been written about the B’s story this season. How they were slated to finish as the NHL door mat, they lost Bergeron, Fernandez, Alberts, and Kobasew, for extended periods of time, 490 man games lost to injuries, too many young kids with limited NHL experience, and a new coach, all contributed for reasons why this team should have been out a long time ago. To see how they put it all together and fight through all the adversity was something to watch. To see this season as a failure because of their inability to yet again make it out of the first round is nearsighted and wrong. Boston forced a game seven with the top seeded Montreal Canadiens as an eighth seed. They were a bounce or a call, here or there from moving on.

The Bruins are a team now on the rise rather than still trying to figure the “New NHL” out. They put the definition back to what a Bruin is. Boston’s young players grew and gained experience. The experience in playing in and losing a seventh game of a playoff series is only going to help their growth. Hats off to their resiliency making a city recognize their names. The youthful exuberance that this team displayed was a pleasure to watch and I look forward to next season with much anticipation. Congratulations to the Boston Bruins for a successful building year.

The Bruins skated past the Canadiens with a 5-1 victory in Montreal last night. The win saves the B’s season and brings this relentless bunch back to Boston to try and tie the best-of-seven series at three games apiece. Boston, who had only score a total of five goals in the previous four games, lit the lamp up for five in Thursday’s playoff battle.

A major component to the Bruins success was the return of Phil Kessel, who scored the Bruins’ first goal and tied the game at one. Kessel had been a healthy scratch for the last three games of this series. Call it being unfairly singled out for the lack-luster play of the Bruins in game one. But it was a coaches decision for the benching. It seemed that Claude Julien wanted to get a tougher bunch against the Habs. It wasn’t only Kessel that seemed outmatched in that opening game. The entire Bruins team looked terrible. However, with hardly any playoff experience the B’s sub-par play was somewhat expected. I liked the move of changing things up and getting Vladimir Sobotka in the line up but Julien took out the wrong guy in my opinion. Sobotka deserves to play, but not at the expense of Kessel. Julien should have sat out Jeremy Riech or Shawn Thornton in those three games. Both guys are exactly the same type of players. If these two are playing a lot, your team is not scoring. The two players are grinders at best. You need offense and whether it shows up on the score sheet or not, Kessel’s speed and creatability opens the ice for Boston’s offence, especially with no red line.

Much to the dismay of the few who watched Boston over the last month, this team can score goals. They just forgot where the net is. Even I forgot. For awhile I thought the opposing goal was in the corner. All it seemed this team would do is cycle the puck in the corner for an hour and eventually throw it away. Goals don’t happen from the corner and having your smaller forwards battle big defensemen behind the net is insanity. Of couse your forwards will get pushed around throughout the course of the game but to make the job easier for the opposing blueliners is stupidity. When Boston went through its scoring slump, they cycled too much. They didn’t attack the net. Wasting a whole shift in the corner without a shot on goal is not a successful shift unless you’re the fourth line. Goals are score out front in the slot not though two 6′5″ 240 pound monsters then through a goalie from an off angle. Boston College’s hockey team found that out real fast and they won the National Championship with small forwards who go to the net. Rather than exert all their energy battling bigger defensemen in the corners, they used their speed and created plays in the slot. The Bruins, at least for one game, figured their offense out, and low and behold they had a convincing victory.

What Kessel brought back to the Bruins was that attack the net mentality. Using his speed, he brought the puck to the net all night long. It seemed that the rest of the Bruins’ squad followed suit. They finally tested the young Carey Price. Previously, Price seemed unbeatable because the B’s didn’t have too many quality shots in the first four games. That all changed in game five, for the first time in the series the Bruins have rattled the young net minder. All because they went to the net and not the corner. Now when Boston got a lucky bounce it was near the goal and not in the corner.

Although Montreal has the commanding lead, Boston deserves its due, especially amongst the locals. There is no way in hell that anyone watching at home should hear the Montreal “BOOs” when Zdeno Chara touches the puck in the Garden. And there definitely shouldn’t be any Oh-laay Oh-lay Oh-lay Oh-laay ringing throughout the hub. Kudos to the B’s fans who went out to support the team and did their best to drown out the red shirts.

I understand that Habs fans travel well and hockey is all they got up there but are we that spoiled in Boston where we can’t come out and support hockey’s most surprising team, who happens to be in the playoffs. Yes their run into the playoffs was next to impossible, and beating the Canadiens seemed impossible. Even still, this over achieving bunch of no names deserved our home support and we couldn’t deliver. To have that many Habs fans in our home arena was embarrassing. You wouldn’t have a sea of pinstripes at Fenway or a J-E-T-S chant at Gillette, so why would you let it happen to the B’s.

Regardless what happens up in Montreal, when the Bruins come home they deserve a heroes welcome. If it was ten years ago, before all of the championship parades came to Boston, they just might receive that. Gone are the days of appreciating the underdogs in this town. Unless you have a star-studded roster with championship aspirations, you are an after thought. It’s not too long ago where we took pride in the over achieving Patriots and Red Sox. We loved their guts and the way they played the game hard. Now the Pats and Sox are tops of their leagues. The Bruins are in the same position that those two franchises once were.

We have never been front runner fans, we’re better than that. Let’s leave that stereotype to the New Yorkers. To really appreciate the season the Bruins are having, just watch their next game. They play hard and play for each other even though they out manned and vastly overmatch. Support your local hockey team and if they can get the series back here to Boston, show up.

Steve Rushin once said, “By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series.” Although game one didn’t live up to that hype, games two, three, and four did. All three games held a high entertainment value, shame on you if you haven’t watched. The B’s have played the last three games of this series like a war. Playoffs are a battle, especially in a Montreal Boston series. The reality is that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the most entertaining playoffs of all the major sports. Boston and Montreal have been long time hated rivals. In this series they are as evenly matched as any other series in the league. And oh yeah, Boston is the eighth seed.

You have to admire the Bruins’ drive. Out matched in every facet of the game, the B’s have made the Habs work for every puck. “You can have all the talent in the world, but if the pumper’s not there, it doesn’t matter.”(Glen Sather). The Bruins have shown the heart necessary for playoff hockey. A couple of bounces here or there and Boston could be up 3-1. The B’s deserved to win the last three games, but that’s playoff hockey. The team that deserves to win most sometimes doesn’t always come away with the victory.

The Bruins haven’t won a playoff series since 1999, losing three straight. Two of those three times they lost to Montreal. Losing all eight regular-season match ups to the Habs, Boston didn’t have the lead in a single game, for a single second.  Up until Milan Lucic’s first period goal, Boston has either trailed or have been tied with Montreal in every moment of every game in the 2007-2008 season, including playoffs.

This win changes the whole complexion of the series. Montreal still leads two games to one, but it could easily be the Bruins with the series lead or Montreal with a commanding 3-0 lead. After being dominated by the Habs in the first game, Boston has outplayed Montreal in the last two. If it wasn’t for some questionable calls in Montreal late in game two, the B’s would be looking for a  3-1 when the series resumes on Tuesday.