Boston Bruins
Tim Thomas Starting Again Among Early Surprises of Bruins-Capitals Battle
The Bruins are looking good through the first period of Saturday’s game, thanks in large part to the play of Tim Thomas. That’s not a very unusual thing to say about the Bruins, but it did surprise NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette a little bit to see Thomas for a second straight day. Maybe coach Claude Julien had a hunch about this one. Or maybe Tim Thomas has been watching Hoosiers. Join NESN Nation: In-game home page | Twitter | Facebook
Pens outhit and outscore the Bruins
Game two of a four game road trip took the Pens to the TD Garden in Boston, to take on the big, bad Bruins. The defending champs have a reputation for physicality that equals there strong play. The Pens more than matched the Bruins in both those aspects en route to Saturday’s 2-1 victory.
Scoring chances were at a premium during most of the first period. The game had a very similar flow to Wednesday’s game against the Maple Leafs. Neither team was willing to take a chance if it left them vulnerable on the back end. Early on the Bruins tested Marc-Andre Fleury, but he kept the game scoreless. The Pens would draw the only power play of the period when Rich Peverley took a late slashing penalty on Evgeni Malkin. About 30 seconds later Geno would give the Pens a lead with less than ten seconds remaining in the period.
The second period brought the physicality that the Bruins love, but it was usually the Penguins on the delivering end. While the period was full of hits, there were really two that stood out. Brooks Orpik helped Daniel Paille become famous for this attempt at mid air planking. The hit itself wasn’t particularly brutal, but the angle the hit was delivered made it look spectacular. The other notable hit was Chris Kunitz chopping down Zdeno Chara behind the Bruins net. Chara was apparently under the impression that he wasn’t allowed to be checked and took exception to a clean hit. Mid way through the period Pascal Dupuis took a high sticking double minor. The Bruins controlled the puck in the Pens zone for the majority of the four minutes, but the penalty killers kept the puck on the perimeter and when necessary Fleury came up huge.
The third period would begin 1-0 in favor of the Pens and it wouldn’t take long for them to extend it to 2-0. The line of Matt Cooke, Dustin Jeffrey, and Dupuis crashed the net hard and eventually Matt Cooke was able to get the puck behind Tim Thomas. Boston wouldn’t go away without a fight; minutes later Joe Corvo would end Fleury’s shutout bid on a floater from the point. Far from a highlight reel goal but it counts the same. The Bruins wouldn’t get any closer as the Pens tightened up defensively and Fleury continued his spectacular play earning the clear first star.
Next up is a trip to the Jersey Shore to take on the Devils who will be finishing up a back to back as well. On Saturday they scored six unanswered goals through two periods against the Flyers only to give up four unanswered in the third.
Bruins Will Have to Face Alex Ovechkin on This Visit to Washington As Boston Tries to Snap Out of Slump
The Bruins have lost back-to-back games for the first time in nearly two months. On Sunday, they’ll try to prevent suffering three straight defeats for the first time since October. They’ll have to get through a Capitals team with star Alex Ovechkin back in the lineup to do that. Ovechkin returned Saturday but did not factor in any of Washington’s goals in a 3-0 win at Montreal. Ovechkin had sat out the previous three games after being suspended for a hit to the head. The first game of that ban was against the Bruins, but Washington still managed to post…
Game 51 Preview: Bruins at Washington — Time to right the ship
The Bruins have lost back-to-back games and have lost three of their last four games. It’s the first back-to-back losses since early-December. Last time the Bruins lost three in a row was the end of October, just before the Bruins insane November.Today they visit the Washington Capitals for an early 12:30 game. They lost to the Caps last time and that was with out Oviechicken. Who knows what him in the line-up will actually mean.Here’s the current Easten Conference standings. Bruins still sitting at second place but they need to play better:Thankfully the Bruins are on before the Super Bowl.
bWo t-shirtsYes we still have some available. Yes you want one (or fourteen)
Projected LinesMilan Lucic – David Krejci – Rich PeverleyBrad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Tyler SeguinBeniot Pouliot – Chris Kelly – Dorothy HamillDan Paille – Greg Campbell – Shawn ThorntonZdeno Chara – Johnny BoychukDennis Seidenberg – Joe “Did he really get a point” CorvoAdam McQuaid – A…
How Important Is Nathan Horton to the Bruins’ Success?
Nathan Horton made progress recently on his road back to recovery after sustaining a concussion against the Philadelphia Flyers. According to Bruins coach Claude Julien, Horton is able to now ride an exercise bike without any ill effects, an important step as he works his way back into the lineup. Horton has missed the last four games for the Bruins and without him on the ice, the Bruins have not looked quite the same. They’ve gone 1-3 during that stretch and the offense has noticeably sputtered. The team went 119 minutes and 36 seconds without a goal before Joe Corvo…
Video: Orpik check sends Paille into orbit
On Saturday, Boston Bruins forward Daniel Paille experienced what it feels like to be on the moon. After a center ice hit from Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik, Paille flew a good ten feet (25 according to the announcer) and forgot to pull his ripcord. Time and the law of gravity appeared to stop for a second as Paille seemed to hover over the ice.The hit was clean and everyone came away uninjured. Well played all around – Orpik cleanly lit up a guy skating with his head down through center ice. Paille didn’t run down Orpik to retaliate. The referees correctly swallowed their whistles. Old fashioned hockey at its finest. Now, had this been Sidney Crosby getting lit up…
Video: Orpik crushes Paille
This afternoon, Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik laid out Bruins forward Daniel Paille with this hit at center ice. The Penguins won the game, 2-1.
David Krejci Was Bruins First Pick in 2004 NHL Draft
After Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin were taken with the top two picks in the 2004 NHL draft, the Bruins had to find their next key piece. So who did the B’s take with their first pick in that year’s draft? Well, Boston did not have a first round pick in 2004. Instead, they had to wait until the second round to use the 63rd overall pick on center David Krejci. After being selected, Kerjci did not join the Bruins until 2007. In the years to follow, Krejci had an unusual string of injuries, including a dislocated wrist and a…
Joe Corvo Finally Ends Drought With Bruins’ Lone Goal, Now Must Build on Effort to Turn His Season Around
BOSTON -– Joe Corvo’s first season in Boston hasn’t gone the way he had envisioned it after being traded to the reigning Cup champs last summer. Acquired from Carolina to add some offense from the blue line and help spark the Bruins’ power play, Corvo has struggled most of the season to produce his customary numbers. After reaching double digits in goals in four of the previous six seasons, Corvo had just two goals this season going into Saturday’s clash with Pittsburgh. Both of those tallies came in the same game in Columbus back on Dec. 10. Those strikes ended…
Dennis Seidenberg Celebrates Son’s Birth With Goal in Comeback Victory Over Senators (Video)
Dennis Seidenberg had a day to remember on Jan. 31, when he celebrated the birth of his son with the winning goal in the Bruins’ come-from-behind victory over Ottawa. Seidenberg’s slap shot at the 7:09 mark of the third period gave the Bruins a much-needed victory in a week in which they faltered, and it also gave Seidenberg an unforgettable memory as the Ketel One Honorable Moment. Check out Seidenberg’s goal in the video above.
Penguins stay hot, beat Bruins
Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves, and Evgeni Malkin had a power-play goal to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Boston Bruins 2-1 Saturday, their ninth win in 10 games.
Matt Cooke had the other goal for the Penguins, who rebounded from a 1-0 loss at Toronto on Wednesday that ended a season-high eight-game winning streak.
Joe Corvo scored Boston’s goal, and Tim Thomas stopped 26 shots. The Bruins hadn’t lost consecutive games since early December and two in a row at home since Oct. 22nd and 27th.
Boston was blanked by Carolina 3-0 on Thursday. The Bruins have lost six of 10.
Fleury was back in net after getting the night off in Wednesday’s loss. Before that, he played in 23 straight.
The Penguins grabbed a 1-0 lead on Malkin’s power play goal with 9 seconds left in the opening period. James Neal fired a shot from the point, and Chris Kunitz, positioned in front, jammed at the rebound before it slid over to Malkin, who fired it past Thomas.
The Malkin-Neal-Kunitz line has been carrying the Penguins for nearly two months, scoring 35 of the team’s 67 goals.
Cooke scored at 1:53 into the third when Thomas attempted to clear the rebound but mishandled the puck in the crease. Cooke was booed briefly – like he nearly always is by the TD Garden crowd.
Cooke’s hit on Marc Savard in March 2010 sidelined the center with a concussion. Savard missed most of last season and has been out all this year with post-concussion symptoms.
Boston cut it to 2-1 on Corvo’s goal 6:45 into the third, his first goal since Dec. 10 and just his third of the season. He fired a shot from the point that Fleury didn’t appear to see, snapping the Bruins’ scoreless stretch at 119 minutes, 36 seconds.
After Corvo’s goal, the Bruins controlled play but had limited chances. Tyler Seguin did split the defensemen and get a short wrist shot on Fleury with 2 minutes left.
The Bruins had a four-minute power play after Pascal Dupuis’ high-stick cut Brad Marchand in the second period. Boston was limited to five shots on goal, with its best chance coming when Seguin sent a cross-ice pass to Corvo. But Fleury slid across to make the save.
Marchand also had a decent bid earlier in the period on a backhander from in close.
Neither team had much offense in the opening period, with the Bruins owning a 10-6 shot advantage – though many were low quality scoring chances.
NOTES: Pittsburgh C Sidney Crosby, out since early December, was with the team and skated in the morning. … F Cal O’Reilly, claimed off waivers from Phoenix on Wednesday, made his Penguins debut. … Bruins F Nathan Horton missed his fourth straight with a mild concussion. … Bruins LW Daniel Paille went flying through the air and his stick went as well after a mid-ice collision with Pittsburgh D Brooks Orpik. … The Bruins play eight of their next 10 on the road.
Brooks Orpik Launches Daniel Paielle Airborne With Awesome Hockey Hit (Video)
In Saturday’s NHL game in Boston, Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik launched Boston Bruins forward Daniel Paille airborne at center ice with an awesome high-speed check.
Paille lost his stick and went flying through the air a good 10 feet, landing on his side. However, to Paille’s credit, he got right back up, found his stick, and controlled the puck seconds later.
Penguins commentators gave Orkin the “Subway Sandwich of the Game” award for the vicious, but perfectly clean hit. The Penguins beat the Bruins 2-1.
Video via Sports Grid. H/T Sports Grid.
Holdout Sports is now a member of the Yardbarker Network. Visit us at holdoutsports.com.
Tyler Seguin Bright Spot in Bruins’ ‘Saturday Slide’ Loss to Penguins
The Bruins seem to be having some trouble on Saturdays this year. Boston is winless in 2012 during Saturday games and have lost three of their last four overall. Tyler Seguin played great against the Penguins, but was ultimately stymied by Marc-Andre Fleury and Pittsburgh escaped with a 2-1 victory. NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is still giving Seguin our “Saturday Slide” player of the game award, since we cna’t keep encouraging goalies to have good games against the Bruins. Who is your player of the game? Vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts on the game in the…
Zdeno Chara Stands Post as Bruins Hard-Hitting Defense Forces Turnover (Video)
After Claude Julien put the Bruins through a fundamentals-based practice, the hard work paid off quickly in their first period against the Penguins on Saturday. The B’s finished their checks and held position, forcing the Pens to turn the puck over without doing damage and giving Boston a chance to break out down the other end. Check out more from the Amica Coverage Cam in the video above.
Jordan Caron Recalled from Providence, But Will Not Be in Lineup for Bruins Against Penguins
BOSTON –- The Bruins will look to bounce back from Thursday’s loss to Carolina as they close out a three-game homestand by welcoming Pittsburgh to the Garden on Saturday afternoon. Boston recalled Jordan Caron from Providence on Saturday morning, but coach Claude Julien stated that Caron would not be in the lineup against the Penguins. “He just got called up and he’s not playing today,” Julien said. “But we don’t have any extra forwards. He’s been playing well in Providence from what I hear. [Bruins general manager] Peter [Chiarelli] saw him play last night and really liked his game.” With…
