HOCKEY GODS MAY BE LOOKING DOWN ON BRUINS; KRUG CONFIDENT ON ICE

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BY KEVIN HARRIMAN

BOSTON SPORTS DESK PUBLISHER

BOSTON – Call it lucky if you will. You might even call it the hockey gods evening out score.

But, however you look at it, the Boston Bruins are headed to Madison Square Garden with a 2-0 series lead in their Eastern Conference Semi-Final series with the New York Rangers despite major questions coming into the series.

Here is what the Bruins were  facing prior to Game 1 of this series:

1) Defensemen Andrew Ference, Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg all come up lame and can not play in the  first two games of the Rangers series.

2) Jaromir Jagr,   acquired at the trade deadline ( and who may cost you a first-round draft pick) gave you nothing in the Toronto series and looks like he has lost six steps.

3) Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundquist was proclaimed the best goalie on the planet by the majority of the experts critiquing the series.

4) Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic did very little offensively in Round 1…

And here is what the Bruins have received from the Hockey Gods in the first two games at TD Garden…

1) Rookie defencemen Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton step in for Ference, Redden and Seidenberg and perform better than anyone could have expected. Krug plays a vital role offensively scoring a goal in each game.

2) Bartkowski , who was originally traded to Calgary for Jerome Iginla at the trade deadline and then not traded to Calgary when Iginla veto’d the deal so he could go to Pittsburgh, may have been Boston’s best trade deadline deal. Jagr, who was acquired at the deadline, has been a bust for Boston. Jagr scored a goal in his first game  in Boston when the puck bounced off his skate. Now he  couldn’t find the net with a road map. Thank the Hockey Gods for Bartkowski who has shown he belongs in the Boston line-up. Bartkowski has been steady and has earned quality minutes on ice from Claude Julien.

3) Lundqvist has been a disaster in net for the Rangers. The proclaimed best goaltender on the  planet looks like his mind is  on another planet. In Game 1, Lundqvist gave up two soft goals in a 4-3 loss. In Game 2, Lundquist gives up a season-high 5 goals. Tuukka Rask on the other hand has been steady in both games, limiting second chance opportunities. Lunqdvist is clearly not playing at his best. But is it the Bruins finally attacking the net or Lundqvist being over-rated ?

4) Marchand and Lucic are back on their games. Marchand is back to scoring  goals and being a pest. Lucic is hitting people and scoring goals. It was Lucic who keyed the Game-7 comeback over the Leafs. He has carried that play into Games 1 and 2.

What appeared to be a sinking ship a week ago during the third period of Game-7 against the Leafs is  now a ship that is being guided by the Hockey Gods.

How else do you explain the results after 2 games in this series ?

 

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN  TOREY KRUG  
On what happened with the puck when it was hooking through his legs…
Yeah, that’s a skill that sometimes you work on it after practice. You don’t have to work on it too much. It’s just a couple extra reps here or there at the end, picking up pucks with your feet. So, it’s just something that I try to do, and I was lucky enough that it bounced my way.

On the other play at the blueline…
Yeah, it’s the same thing. All that comes with confidence and being calm. If you’re freaking out, out there because the pucks not exactly where it is, you’re going to get yourself in trouble.

On if during that play he should be freaking out given the situation…
Maybe I should. I don’t know, but for me if I do that I’m going to get myself in trouble, like I said. I was just trying to go out there, not fear anything, don’t be scared to make mistakes and I was fortunate enough to help the team again today.

On how much playing in Providence has helped him adapt since it is somewhat similar…
Yeah, it’s been unbelievable, for my development it’s been very key. There were times when I struggled down there defending bigger bodies, now I’m up here in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against Boyle, who’s a huge guy and it’s really helped me learn how to defend and offensively I’ve grown to make plays at faster speeds as well.

On if it forces him to be sharper…
Yeah, absolutely. The stakes are a lot higher. The desperation level is the same. So, it does force you to be sharper.

On how comfortable he seems to be with not allowing situations to get bigger and playing like it is just another game…
Yeah, well I’ve said it time and time again, I come into this locker room, very comfortable, calm. I get to watch some of the best professionals in the world prepare for games like this, as if it’s any other game. So, I have a lot of guys to lean on and they all give me confidence back. So, it’s unbelievable.

On if his confidence with the puck is something he has always had…
Yeah, well I’m a player. I’m 5’9’’, I’m not very big, I have to play with the puck to be an impact player. So, for me you’ve got to be confident with the puck. If I’m not making plays, I’m not going to be effective and guys are going to go out there and they’re just going to find a 6’2 guy that can do the same thing without the puck. So, you just got to be confident and play with the puck.

 

 

BRUINS SOMEHOW ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND……

BY KEVIN HARRIMAN

BOSTON SPORTS DESK PUBLISHER

BOSTON – Bizarre !  That would be the word I would use if we were playing word association and the word was Bruins.

In what might have been the biggest comeback in the history of  a Boston playoff game, the Bruins rallied from a 4-1 deficit with under 11 minutes to go in the third period and came back for a 5-4 overtime win.  Bizarre !

The Bruins – Toronto series is hard to explain. After jumping out to a 3-1 series lead, Boston saw Toronto storm back, win two straight and force a game 7 at The Garden.

Boston (Matt Bartkowski ) scores first goal of Game-7 and the crowd goes ballistic…..then the Bruins watch the Maple Leafs score the next 4 goals…the last of which seemingly  put a dagger in the Bruins’ season….Bizarre !

The soap opera that is the Bruins then ramps its up and sends the crowd home happy with 4 unanswered goals, the last of which was delivered by Patrice Bergeron, 6 minutes into overtime……You can’t make this stuff up ! As Bizarre as the game was, the ending couldn’t have been choreographed better.

The Bergeron Line had done nothing in the first six games (Brad Marchand did remind me following the game that their line did have a goal earlier in the series)….so it seemed about right that Bergeron scores the game-winner (his second of the night) with the assists going to Marchand and Tyler Seguin. The Seguin assist was his first point in this seven game series….Bizarre, right ?

Prior to Game-7, I wondered if the Bruins understood what was at stake with a loss Monday night. Two straight years of 1 and done in the first round of the playoffs means the  loss of jobs, the blowing up of the core group of this team and a change in the coaching of this team.

Milan Lucic summed it up perfectly when asked what a loss meant tonight. “You guys know what it’s been like here the last two years ever since we won, ” reflected Lucic. “It’s kind of been, like Claude [Julien] said, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of team, and he said that after yesterday’s game, and it was no different in today’s game and I think it’s a special group and we don’t want it to change and everyone has a lot of fun coming to the rink here and being around each other and playing for each other and I think we need to keep stepping it up and hopefully push for another good run here because the Rangers are going to be just as hard or even better.’

Ok, Lucic gets it. Then you have to ask the question…..why, with jobs on the line, does Boston allow Toronto to get up by 3 goals with less than 11 minutes left in regulation on their home ice no less ? Bizarre !

Although Boston will now advance to the next round of the playoffs this week against the New York Rangers (Thursday night) the Bruins themselves, the coaches and the fans have to be wondering which Boston team will show up.

Lucic thinks this game can give the Bruins a positive feeling going into Thursday’s Game-1 against the Rangers. “I think it builds momentum and there’s lots to look forward to. It’s kind of the same thing as what happened two years ago (the Montreal series). We always talked about it. The first round is the hardest one to get through and you just want to build off it and it’s just one round and you’ve got to look forward to the next step here” said Lucic.

We will see if he’s right….

 

 

 

 

 

BRUINS UP IN THE AIR….SO TO SPEAK…..

The Bruins issued the following statement from general manager Peter Chiarelli.

“Late during [Sunday's] game we were made aware that there was a malfunction with our airplane. As a result we are staying in Toronto on Sunday night and the team will travel to Boston on Monday morning.”

The Bruins will not have a morning skate but instead have select players available to the media at 4:30 p.m. with coach Claude Julien speaking to reporters about an hour later.

KEVIN HARRIMAN

BRUINS PRESS BOX NOTEBOOK….PENGUINS

BRUINS 26-11-5 (57 pts) PENGUINS 33-10-0 (66 pts)

Pregame: 12:03 p.m. – BOS vs. PIT

BRUINS WEAR POLICE CAPS FOR WARMUPS: To show their support for the heroic efforts of the all the Law Enforcement over the past week, the Bruins wore Police caps for pregame warmups.
STARTING GOALTENDERS: Rask (17-8-4, 1.99 GAA, .929 Save %) vs. Vokoun (11-4-0, 2.58 GAA, .912 Save %).  Rask is 1-3-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .909 Save % in four career games against Pittsburgh.  Vokoun is 8-10-3 with a 2.54 GAA and .929 Save % with two shutouts in 23 career games against Boston.

B’S/PENS JERSEYS TO BE AUCTIONED: The Boston Bruins announced Thursday, April 18, that the Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins will auction off their game-worn jerseys, adorned with unique patches, from their game on Saturday, April 20, to support those affected by the recent tragedy at the Boston Marathon. For the full release, visit http://www.bostonbruins.com.

B’S ANNOUNCE CARLTON AWARD WINNERS: The Boston Bruins will honor Natasha Rachlin of Noble and Greenough School and Ryan Fitzgerald of Malden Catholic High School and Valley Jr. Warriors (Eastern Jr. Hockey League) with the 2013 John Carlton Award on Saturday, April 20 during their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Named after the late Bruins scout and administrator who passed away in 1982, the John Carlton Award is given annually by the Boston Bruins to an outstanding male and female student-athlete. For details, contact Erika Wentzell (ewentzell@bostonbruins.com).

BRUINS ON NESNPLUS: With the Bruins and Red Sox playing simultaneously today, the game between the Bruins and Penguins will be aired on NESNplus.

BRUINS VS PENGUINS LIFETIME: The Bruins and Penguins will meet for the 189th time tonight with the B’s holding a 103-59-21-5 record with a 725-584 scoring advantage in those games.  Boston is 62-21-6-3 in 92 games at home against the Penguins with a 387-258 scoring edge.  In their last five games on home ice, Boston is 0-4-1 against the Penguins, with their last home win coming in a 3-0 decision on November 10, 2009. Boston’s current 0-4-1 home stretch versus Pittsburgh is the longest such winless streak in the lifetime series between the Penguins and Bruins.

BRUINS PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE 4/22: Tickets for the club’s first three home playoff games of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs will go on sale on Monday, April 22 at 11:00 a.m. ET.  Tickets will be available for purchase at the TD Garden Box Office, on http://www.BostonBruins.com and via phone by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000. The 2013 Boston Bruins playoffs are presented by Hallmark Health System.

MILESTONES APPROACHING: Nathan Horton needs two more goals to reach his 200th NHL goal… Jay Pandolfo’s next appearance will be his 900th NHL game.

150 AND COUNTING: The Bruins have sold out 149 consecutive regular season and expect their 150th sellout with today’s game against the Penguins.  Their last non-sellout was on Dec. 2, 2009 when they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning and drew 16,553.

PENGUINS NOTEBOOK: Jarome Iginla became the 58th player in NHL history to record 1,100 career points when he scored a power play goal against Montreal on Wednesday, April 17…Pascal Dupuis enters tonight riding a season-high six-game point streak (3-7=10). Dupuis also enters tonight sixth in the NHL in goals (20)… Chris Kunitz comes into tonight one point shy of his 400th NHL point…Defenseman Paul Martin needs just two assists for his 200th NHL assist…Douglas Murray scored his first goal as a Penguin on April 17 against Montreal…

SPECIAL TEAMS: Bruins power play: 16-for-108 (14.8%, 25th NHL), Bruins penalty kill: 126-for-142 (88.7%, 1st NHL)… Penguins power play: 36-for-150 (24.0%, 2nd NHL), Penguins penalty kill: 119-for-150 (79.3%, 25th NHL).

JULIEN NOT HAPPY WITH DEFENSIVE EFFORT

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH CLAUDE JULIEN POSTGAME 
On overlooking the amount of shots allowed because the Bruins scored six goals…
One thing we wanted was more offense, so obviously we got that tonight. I thought, in the offensive zone, we did a pretty good job. Now it’s a matter of combining both, probably better defensive play, I didn’t think we were very good in that area. We were not at our best defensively, but this is a team that will expose you even more with their aggressive forecheck from all five guys, sitting right on top of you. It exposed us a little bit tonight, no doubt about that. But we’ve got to get better in that area. Tuukka [Rask] really played a solid game for us tonight, and probably covered a lot of the mistakes and the damage that could have been done.

On what the Bruins need to improve on defensively…
Well we’ve got to manage the puck better. Our breakouts, when they’re good, we’re a better defensive team, because we don’t spend as much time in our own end. The types of passes we’re giving each other kind of give our problems to the next guy, and the next guy’s doing the same thing. We’ve just got to manage the puck a little bit better, and make some better decisions. That first goal against, no need to force that up the middle. It’s a play that we use every once in a while, but it’s a turnover, comes back in our own end, and it’s a goal against. Those are things that are uncharacteristic. I often use that word of our team defensively, and that’s where we’ve got to be a little bit better.

On getting production from the new line combinations…
I guess the scoring was spread out, so no doubt that it was better than what it has been, just relying on one line.

On if it helps to get fluky goals when the team is struggling offensively…
We’ve had those go against us lately, so it’s good to have them go on your side. It’s part of the game, some nights you get the bounces going your way, and some other nights you don’t. Again, I thought once we got into our own end and got into the offensive zone, we still did a lot of good things that the guys deserve credit for.

On if he expected the Marchand-Campbell-Jagr line to come together so quickly…
Like I said, the scoring was spread out, but who would’ve thought that [Rich] Peverley, [Jordan] Caron and [Shawn] Thornton would’ve had two goals, I think it was two goals, it was nice to see that line produce as well. But there was some good chemistry there between those guys. We need that. For us, it was carrying the momentum from line-to-line offensively, and that happened tonight.

On if Gregory Campbell provides more lineup versatility than he gets credit for…
We’ve always felt that way about him, he’s a very versatile player that you can move up and down. His style is not fancy, it’s about straightforward, it’s about hard work, it’s about getting pucks to the net and getting his nose dirty in all the areas. He was a decent centerman for those guys who like to move the puck around. He made room for those guys and he opened up some passing lanes.

On how he would like to see the team play over the final ten games…
There’s no doubt, we need to see that urgency to get ourselves better. Tonight, although defensively we weren’t very good, it was a step in the right direction, as far as being a little bit better offensively. We’ve got to carry that into the next game, where it’s going to be even tougher, against a Devils team that doesn’t give much. But at the same time, hopefully we’re better defensively as well.

On if he was happy with how the goals were scored…
Well that’s how we’re going to score goals.  Any team that’s going to score goals is going to score them that way.  Same thing happened to Carolina tonight, bounce off a couple people, same thing with the disallowed goal, yeah the one that went off a player so you got to get your nose dirty at the net and you got to get the pucks there in order to get your nose dirty.

On if he is impressed with Jaromir Jagr’s moves…
Well there’s no doubt he creates a lot offensively.  He’s one of those guys that finds the passing lanes, even on the power play he made a couple of passes to David Krejci and those passes are through so that the guy can shoot the puck but he decided he wasn’t.  He had a shot off that, it’s a scoring opportunity, he’s finding seems, he’s curling back, he makes his plays so quick, he knows what’s around him and what’s coming.  The plays to the net, I think [Brad] Marchand was actually pretty good tonight, being ready for those passes and those plays.

On if Brad Marchand needs to cut back on passing to Jaromir Jagr…
The one time he shot it and he could have passed it so that was nice to feel, but tonight I think it was more Jags [Jaromir Jagr] trying to feed him, force the pass to him trying to give him his hat trick.  Eventually those guys will get use to playing with each other.  They are going to encourage each other to take the shot when it’s there, I know I will tell those guys to shoot when they should be shooting versus forcing the pass.  Those things happen when a new guy and what he represents when he comes into the locker room.

On his thoughts regarding Jordan Caron’s work ethic…
It’s pretty good, because I liked his game tonight.  I thought he was a pretty good player, strong along the walls and he was moving pretty good, you know for a guy who has been in and out, comes in there and gives you that kind of a game, I was pretty happy with that.

On if Chris Kelly’s return is what got Jordan Caron back in the line up…
Yeah absolutely, yeah exactly you know I mean with Kells [Chris Kelly] in it gave us another penalty killer, it gave Jordan the opportunity to get back in there.

On what he liked about the defense playing offensively…
Yeah you know to clarify things in our own end it’s not just the defense it’s the five men so I’m certainly not criticizing the defense.  For us it’s always been about supporting the attack and we want some good offense.  The guys that seem to be doing it pretty good has been [Dougie] Hamilton and even [Matt] Bartkowski’s come up and [Andrew] Ference is there a lot of times, but tonight we had everybody, which was good.  Whenever the opportunity was there Zee [Zdeno Chara] jumped in and had an opportunity in the slot area.  So it was nice to see everybody contributing in regards to that, because if you are going to score and get better offensively you need some support on the attack and the D’s are the guys that can give you that.

On where he sees the physical aspect of the team’s game right now…
I don’t know.  There are some guys that could probably finish their checks more, no doubt.  You just have to look at the sheet, but at the same time the sheets not always accurate.  I think as much as we stand here and we, not demand, but question how could our game be and all that, I’m going to tell you again, like a lot of teams, those players aren’t robots.  The schedule has been as tough as it could ever be on an athlete. We got to be careful of how hard we push those guys, because they are tired, they are tired.  I don’t know if anybody’s been through that schedule before of every second day including traveling, and plane, and the expectations of coaches, and you guys, and fans.  That’s not an easy situation.  So it’s easy for us to criticize, and I say us I include ourselves as coaches, but you have to take the time and analyze what’s really going on here. It’s been a real tough schedule and those athletes are put through a grind that they’re not normally put through in a regular season.  A regular reason was the first two months that was a regular schedule.  You saw how well we played and what our record was so you have to look at what the schedule has been in the last two months, or last month plus this one and understand that has an effect on our game there’s no ifs and buts about it.

MILAN LUCIC FIRST PERIOD STATS

MILAN LUCIC:

6 SHIFTS

4:11 TIME ON ICE

1 SHOTS

0 HITS

Lucic’s stat line was pretty much in line with how the team played overall. Lucic is paid to score goals and hit people. He has done neither of late. The Bruins were out-hit 11-9 by Toronto.
This is unacceptable when playing at home. The shake-up by Claude Julien had no effect in the first period either way.

 

KEVIN HARRIMAN

CLAUDE JULIEN MORNING PRESS CONFERENCE: WASHINGTON

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2156653/031613_pregame_presser_Julien.mp3

BRUINS NEED SOME TYPE OF A SPARK

Is it the  schedule ? Is it  that success has come to quickly and to fast ?

Whatever the case, the Bruins have played uninspired hockey in three of the last four periods played dating back to Ottawa last Thursday night.

The first period this afternoon has been brutal. No emotion. No speed.  Getting beat to the puck and worst of all, the Bruins strength, their penalty killing, has given up two goals so far in the first period in three chances.

Lets first start with the premise that Milan Lucic needs to stop taking dumb penalties. Lucic just got his second two minutes with 8 seconds left in the period. That gives him four  minutes over the first 20 minutes of play. TB scored the game’s first goal with Lucic in the box.

The four minutes in the box gives him a team-high 50 minutes this season in 17 games.

There is no excuse for not playing with emotion. This team  is at it’s best when they are flying around the ice hitting people and taking the body along the boards. That has been lacking.

Against Ottawa, Boston needed and overtime goal to pull out two points. The B’s and Senators slept-walked through 2 1/2 periods Thursday night but still got a win.

This afternoon, the Bruins find themselves trailing 2-0 after twenty minutes. Boston took six penalties in the period, and are lucky to only be trailing by 2 goals. TB had 5 Shots on goal, scoring twice on the PP.

Boston and TB were each credited with 7 hits in the period. The Bruins need to step that number up, Douggie Hamilton and Johnny Boychuk led the team with two hits each.

It’s time to wake up !

KEVIN HARRIMAN

CHARA POST GAME: OTTAWA

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN ZDENO CHARA
On how they got through the last few minutes of the game…
We just tried to focus on every shift, especially going into the third. It was a tight game, and there were weird bounces on the ice throughout the whole game. [We weren’t] waiting for some bad luck or something unusual to happen. We stayed with it and we made those big kills when we needed it, especially in overtime. Again, it’s just kind of a simple goal for us, putting the puck through the traffic. We had a good screen in front, and the guys battled hard for the puck. That won the game for us.

On if the team expected a defensive battle…
They’re playing extremely well, especially in Ottawa, and without some key players they’re missing out of the lineup. There’s a reason for it. They play really structure-wise, they work extremely hard, they skate well. There’s no surprise that coming into tonight’s game, I think, they’ve won their last five games in a row.

On the Bruins starting the season 13-2-2 …
We just try to focus on the next game, not to be looking at the big picture. Every game is a big motivation for us to prove ourselves again, over and over, that we are the team that wants to play our best every night and beat every team. We know it’s kind of impossible to do throughout the long season, but we want to do our best to accomplish that.

On the penalty kill streak being snapped…
They found a little hole on the breakout, they got a breakaway, and then a fluky one. It was just in the crease, and it was just hitting everything, and then it ended up in our net. Those things will happen, but when we need to come up with some big kills, we did.

On the timing of Milan Lucic’s penalty at the end of regulation…
It doesn’t matter, right? The referees have to call it no matter what. They can’t be looking at it if it’s overtime or if it’s the first minute of the game. The guy made the right call, and if that was the right call, then we have to respect that. Personally, I didn’t see it, but probably it was. Any time you have a hand on top of the puck, that’s an automatic two minutes, I think. I didn’t see it.

On getting this win as they enter their congested upcoming schedule…
It’s important. Every game is important, especially with a short season like this.

On preparing for a stretch like this, where you essentially play every other night…
Take as much rest as possible. Be smart about your rest. Obviously, nutrition is a huge part. Play smart.

On how this low-scoring game tested the team…
You’re not always going to see a game with pretty goals. It was a hard-fought game. They played extremely well. You have to give them a lot of credit. They work hard and they don’t give you much. They play a very patient game. It was just a hard-fought game.

On winning the first game back from a long road trip…
We didn’t have our best game tonight. We stick with it and battle through some not perfect situations for us, but that’s going to happen. It’s not always going to be the night where you have great legs, or maybe not feel great. You just have to find a way to win the game, and that’s what we did.

JOHN TAVARES TALKS TO THE BOSTON MEDIA

NEW YORK ISLANDERS FORWARD JOHN TAVARES
On the keys when facing the Bruins…
We want to come out hard. This is a big game for us, we haven’t played well at home, we have to start playing better at home. I think it’s just having the intensity and the attention to the little things in the game for a full 60 minutes. We’ve got to be ready to play right from the drop of the puck, these guys come hard; they’re physical, they skate well, they’re well-structured and play a good system. They’re one of the toughest teams to play against and we have to be ready and match that intensity and try to be a little better.

On the Bruins tough defensive system…
Yeah, you can’t try and do too much and you can’t do it by yourself. So, I think it’s just not forcing things. I think we still have to be aggressive, we have to come with speed, we have to try to get pucks in deep and we have to forecheck, try to make those parts of the game really tough on them and create some opportunities.

On why they haven’t played well at home…
I wish I could. If we knew what was wrong I don’t think we’d be in this situation. Obviously, we haven’t played the way we’d like to. I think it’s just that we haven’t played good, full 60 minute games and played well throughout all three periods. We’ve had really good stretches where we dominated some parts of games, we just haven’t put it all together and those lapses have cost us.