Rask looks to keep his six-game unbeaten streak going as the Bruins head out on a tough road stint
As week 15 concluded in the National Hockey League, there was quite the contrast in the play of the NHL’s top teams from my week 15 power rankings. The NHL’s top teams, the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers all suffered upset losses from cellar-dwelling teams. Fans also saw the Chicago Blackhawks get back on track after losing three straight, the Washington Capitals take over first place in the Southeast Division and the Ottawa Senators continued dominance, winning all three games this week.
Following the loss at home against the gutless Canucks, the Bruins welcomed the Winnipeg Jets into the Hub on Tuesday night. For most of the tilt, the black and gold looked flat, but continued to battle throughout the game. Trailing by a goal heading into the third period, the Bruins shifted into fifth gear, tallying three goals in the opening 6:41 of the period. Bruins fans saw the returned dominance of playoff hero Nathan Horton, the Bruins first star, scoring his 13th and 14th goals on the season. Tuukka Rask remained unbeaten in his last six games, turning aside 29 shots in the victory.
Coming off a victory against the Jets, hockey fans were spoiled as the Montreal Canadiens strolled into Causeway Street Thursday night. Coming off a Stanley Cup rematch five days before, many thought this could be a trap game, and a chance for Les Habitants to turn their season around.
Without the opening fluke goal by Jordan Caron, the Bruins looked relatively uninspired for most of the game. The one thing that’s great about this Bruins team, whether or not they come out flat, the outcome ultimately, comes down to goaltending. For the second straight season in a row, teams are having issues solving Tim Thomas, and his unorthodox style of play. Heading into the third period, with the Canadiens trading Mike Cammalleri in-between periods, the B’s expanded their lead when Milan Lucic cashed in at the 3:43 mark of the final period, giving the B’s a two-goal cushion. Midway through the third, the Canadiens finally got on the board, via a rocket from utility player, Yannick Weber. However, that was all the offense the Canadiens would muster, as Thomas was spectacular once again, turning aside 33 shots in the victory. Quick Note: In all my years of watching NHL Hockey, I can not recall one single instance of a player being dealt during a game.
Many fans believe the suspension of Brad Marchand, and the absence of his energy, is the reason for the Boston Bruins losing a not-so-close one in Carolina, 4-2, on Saturday night. Believe it or not New Englanders, the Bruins played some hockey on Saturday night as they got dominated from the opening faceoff by the Carolina Hurricanes.
As the NHL’s 13th ranked Eastern Conference team, many thought, as did I, that not only would the Bruins beat Carolina, but do so with offensive fireworks. For whatever reason, the Hurricanes own the black and gold this season, winning all three contests this season. Starting a four game road trip by losing to one of the NHL’s bottom teams is not exactly how you want to begin. In a game with few bright spots, David Krejci extended his point streak to 11 games, the longest such streak by any NHL player this season.
When NHL schedules for the 2011-2012 season were first released in June, many believed the Bruins had one of the toughest travel schedules. It’s amazing how quickly people forget, based on the Bruins’ stellar play halfway into the season. This week will be a brash reminder for B’s fans, as the Bruins face their toughest stretch in the schedule. This week, the Bruins play five (that’s right five games) in seven days and two more games without the services of Marchand. This part of the schedule is not for the faint of heart, as four-out-of-five games this week are against teams the B’s could face in the playoffs, with the rights to first place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs on Saturday. I believe Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli will make his assessment on where the team stands after this week, and if necessary, will make a trade after the All-Star break. You can’t tell me Steven Kampfer should be the guy logging big minutes if a Bruins defenseman goes down with an injury.
The following is the B’s schedule for the upcoming week:
Monday: @ Florida (Seventh in the Eastern Conference)
Tuesday: @ Tampa Bay (15th in Eastern Conference)
Thursday: @ New Jersey (Sixth in Eastern Conference)
Saturday: VS New York Rangers (First in Eastern Conference)
Sunday: @ Philadelphia (Fourth in Eastern Conference)
If you’re going to steal their name at least add Bruins Life, Celtics Life, and Red Sox Life to your blog roll. Nice original name. Or were you trying to use it to trick people?
Steal whose name? Completely confused by the comment, but all ears for your response.
[...] In December, playing six games and one less than Thomas, NHL teams dreaded seeing the Finnish goalkeeper tend the pipes. Rask was exceptional, posting a record of 5-1, with 2 shutouts, an NHL best Goals Against Average of 0.75, and a Save Percentage of .975%. Overall, Rask is 11-4-1 with a 1.61 GAA and .946 SV%, also tops in the NHL. I doubt the Bruins will trade Rask this year, like some tend to believe, due to their brutal road schedule. [...]