Bruins Git 'Er Done in the Dirty South
Greetings from Omaha!
As I head out on the road for a week of work in America’s Heartland, it is important to not turn your eye away from the final push for the NHL playoffs. The Bruins picked up a crucial win in Raleigh last night, downing the Hurricanes, 5-2. With that win, the B’s picked up two important points in the Eastern Conference, pulling away from the New York Rangers by three points with 13 games left in the regular season. The Bruins actually benefited from a Montreal win last night, as the Habs beat the Rangers, 3-1, in NYC to help the Black and Gold extend their lead.
Does this win have me clearing my schedule from any unwarranted trips to Home Depot or my special ladyfriend’s parents? No. Does it help ensure us loyal Bruins fans have a good shot at a few playoff games? I think so.
This game had loss written all over it. It was the final game of a seven-game roadie where the B’s had gone 2-3-1 and seen their first-line center knocked into next season by one of the NHL’s top-notch scumbags. That same scumbag was awaiting the team at the Garden Thursday night. It was not far-fetched to believe the Bruins would look past the ‘Canes to tomorrow’s blood-match with Pittsburgh and watch as the Hurricanes (who were 6-2-1 in their previous nine games before last night) take a win on home ice.
Instead, the Bruins did something they have not done often this season. They made this hockey krishna proud. What was there not to like about this win? I found five good things about the 5-2 victory. Good for me, then, that I have a column that requires five points…
- The fans in Raleigh hadn’t even had a chance to wash down their Budweiser and grits before the Bruins were on the board. Patrice Bergeron continued to lead the B’s by example, scoring his 16th of the season just 23 seconds into the game. He initiated the play with a nice forecheck, allowing greybeard Mark Recchi to funnel the puck back to golden boy Dennis Seidenberg. The newcomer’s shot was redirected by the longest-tenured Bruin, giving the Bruins an early lead. It was a well-executed shift to start the game, something the Bruins haven’t done much of this season. When you are struggling and your opposition is at home and on a roll, first goal is of utmost importance. That set the tone for the Bruins.
- The Bruins kept up the attack. All too often this season, the Bruins have gone up by a goal and looked to coast on the normally sound defense to a win. In Carolina, the Bruins continued the offensive push in the first period, outshooting Carolina by an 18-7 margin in the first 20 minutes. Now, if we are picking nits, one would mention the lack of production on a 5-on-3 in the middle of the period. However, you try scoring on a power play missing its key ingredient and with its big missile (Zdeno Chara) a shell of his former self. I am taking the lack of shorthanded goals scored against as a win on the PP at the moment. Anyways, the B’s kept the attack going, not content to ride the one goal. Finally, Johnny Boychuk scored at 8:27 of the second to double the Bruins’ lead. Best part of that goal was that Johnny B finished off a rush featuring him and defense partner Matt Hunwick. The Bruins have been clamoring for defensemen to join the rush all year. Here, Hunwick caused the turnover and initiated the rush which Boychuk finished off. Sounds like something the Bruins could use for the next few years.
- How great was it to see Recchi continue to not let this season waste away from him? The oldest player on the team, Recchi refuses to give in. With the Bruins ahead by only one, he capped off a two-goal swing with a veteran goal. After Rask made a big stop and David Krejci cleared the trash from the crease, Recchi waltzed out of the penalty box to walk in alone and watch his shot flutter past Manny Legace. How many times have we watched the Bruins get victimized by such a situation? To recap: the player with the most experience on the team took a holding penalty while the Bruins were on the power play late in the second period. Early in the third, a certified Bruin killer (Jussi Jokinen) was stoned by Tuukka Rask. Krejci, looking to just clear the zone and regroup the Bruins, watched his pass hit Recchi leaving the box to sneak in alone. Big momentum changer for THE Bruins.
- That good feeling was short-lived as Erik Cole scored again 1:08 later to again make it a one-goal game. However, the Bruins refused to wilt again, turning to the most enigmatic player on the team and giving him a chance to do what he does best – but not often enough according to Bruins fans. Michael Ryder gave his team a lift, picking up a careless giveaway by Brian Pothier in the high slot and ripping a wrister to the back of the net. Watching Ryder unleash the fury like he can has to leave Bruins fans feeling like a teenage boy interacting with that cute girl all dressed up for the sophomore semi-formal – sure it looks real nice every once in a while, but damn do you wish it was ALWAYS that pretty. Alas, it looks like Michael Ryder may be the Bruins version of Topanga – infrequently gorgeous and often a tease of what might be.
- Claude Julien beginning to make the tough decisions on who gets to play. For the second or third time this season, Shawn Thornton took a seat as a healthy scratch. That has to be tough for Julien. There is no questioning Thornton’s willingness to do whatever it takes for the team to win. However, at the same time there is no questioning that there are some talents Thornton just doesn’t have. Right now, this team needs to do whatever it takes to score goals. Thornton brings a lot to the table, but deft hands and a silky touch around the net are not part of his repertoire. If Julien thinks Vladimir Sobotka or Brad Marchand are playing inspired hockey and have a better chance of lighting a lamp than Thornton, he needs to play them. Thorny is a veteran and he has been through this before. If anything, he seems to be more inspired when he gets out of the press box. Julien has made similar decisions with Tim Thomas of late, riding Rask when he is hot and keeping the leash short on Timmy when he does get in a game. There isn’t anyone on this version of the Bruins who had earned anything and Julien needs to keep treating his players that way.
With the win in the books, the B’s can turn to Thursday’s date with the Penguins and Matt Cooke. It is hard to predict if any vigilante justice will be dished out by a Bruin after the NHL failed to discipline Cooke for his cheap shot on Marc Savard last weekend. The Bruins need wins and points and can’t afford to watch any of their own players get shelved via suspension or injury from a fracas. However, this organization prides itself on taking care of each other and sticking together. It will be extremely hard for any current Bruin to look his boss – Cam Neely – or any of the 1970s legends gathered tomorrow night in the eye if Matt Cooke is able to skate away unscathed.
Whether it is a big hit from Milan Lucic or Mark Stuart or challenge from those two or Thornton, something needs to happen. It should happen early. And my contention is that is should come from Zdeno Chara. He is the captain of this team. He is the one who holds the men in the B’s dressing room accountable. He needs to do the same to someone who causes harm to a player who calls that dressing room home. If Cooke is the honorable player he claims he is, he will honor the code and pay his penalty. The understanding is that he has to have a go in order to atone for his behavior. If he mans up and faces whoever challenges him, things should pass. If he goes the Claude Lemieux or Ulf Samuelsson route and turtles, then things will get out of hand.
The hit from earlier in the season most likened to the Cooke one on Savard was Philly’s Mike Richards laying out Florida’s David Booth. In the next meeting between the two teams, there was a bunch of fights, including one involving Richards. In a meeting two weeks ago, Booth was back in action finally after the hit and wanted to have a tilt with Richards. Philly’s captain answered the bell, the scrapped a bit and by all accounts it is over. As strange as it sounds to the outside world, there is a code to these things in hockey. It is up to the Bruins and Cooke to handle this appropriately, because the NHL didn’t.
2 Responses to “Bruins Git 'Er Done in the Dirty South”
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i couldnt agree more with the final statement…someone needs to deck this guy…and we got plenty of bodies to do so….i was saying since the hit…lucic should put this guy thru the glass…or chara should pick this guy up and throw him down like that holographic game in Star Wars
Exactly Mr. Bovino. I am not wishing injury on Cooke, but he needs to not be allowed to get away with what he did. The Bruins have been at their best when they play for each other. A return to that is needed these final three weeks.