GAME 5
With the series tied at two apiece, the Bruins had some hope to cause the upset. But the Pens came out hungry on home ice and scored an early goal at 03:09 to get the crowd going. Martin Erat, who had an impressive 42 goals for the Pens during the regular season, was the one putting them 1-0 up. But before the game was over, he had recorded a hat-trick in the 5-2 win. The game was closer than that thought as the Bruins had an impressive second period in which they outshot the Pens 11-4 while scoring two goals by Rick Nash and Dominic Moore. But at the end of the day penalties killed the Bruins who gave up nine power play opportunities on which the Pens went 3-for-9. With the score close, the Bruins pulled Mathieu Garon with just over a minute to play. But with Mike Commodore in the penalty box, the Bruins weren't able to put much pressure on the Pens who could add not one, but two empty netters for the final score of 5-2. The Pens outshot the Bruins 28-24.
GAME 6
In this must-win situtation, the Bruins put their top line of Patrice Bergeron-Zach Parise-Rick Nash back together and also doubleshifted them on the third line to try and put pressure on the Pens D. But after the game 5 win, the Pens had their defensive game all set after only dressing 5 d'men to give their top defensive guys more ice-time. The Bruins were able to outshot the Pens on this day by 31-24, but Jonas Hiller was able to get the shutout after playing his best game of the series. Antti Miettinen grabbed the first two goals of the game while Simon Gagne finished the Bruins off late in the third to make it 3-0, which also was the final score.
SERIES OVER
All in all, the Bruins exceeded expectations just making it to the playoffs when considering the team was around the bottom 5 in the league before pulling off the Zach Parise blockbuster deal. We're a proud organization and making the playoffs is great for our fans. The Pens were too strong though and we never had any illusions, we knew we didn't have a team to compete for a long Cup run, but it was fun while it lasted.
Here's a look at some playoff numbers for the Bruins:
Most Points: Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash (6)
Most Goals: Patrice Bergeron and Logan Couture (3)
Most Assists: Rick Nash (4)
Playoff Team MVP: Patrice Bergeron (3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points, 17.6 Sh% and 68.6 FO%)
And here's a look at some regular season numbers:
Most Points: Rick Nash (107)
Most Goals: Zach Parise (53)
Most Assists: Patrice Bergeron (70)
Top Goaltender: Andrew Raycroft (32 GP, 15-12-5, 2.67 GAA, .921 Sv%, 2 SO)
Regular Season MVP: Rick Nash (43 goals, 64 assists, 107 points, +34, 9PP, 2SH, 7GW)
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Bruins Won't Go Away Just Yet
GAME 3
After splitting the first two road games at Pittsburgh, the Bruins had some momentum going into their own building. But the Penguins brought their A game in their defensive zone and only allowed the Bruins 20 shots at Jonas Hiller while putting 29 on Mathieu Garon. The Bruins kept it close though as the score was tied 1-1 after two periods. Simon Gagne, netting his second goal of the series, made it 1-0 for the Pens before Andrej Meszaros tied it up with just 17 seconds to go in the second. But on this day the Pens wore down the Bruins and eventually got the game winner a little over three minutes into the third period after Garon gave the puck away behind the net to Brad Richards who made no mistake with the empty net. Final score 2-1 Pens.
CHANGING THINGS UP... AGAIN
After not getting enough offense in game 3, the Bruins decided to mix things up, splitting the top line to try and get more lines and players involved. Zach Parise was moved to the second line which was centered by Logan Couture and with Justin Williams on the right wing, who was moved up from the third line. Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash stayed on the top line, but got Shane Doan on the left side to give them a bit more space with Doan going to the net more. The defense was kept intact from the previous game.
GAME 4
The Bruins got the result they were seeking with the line juggling, getting a 5-3 win to pull even at 2-2 in the series with the Pens. The Bruins went up 3-1 early in the second period after goals by the big three - Bergeron, Nash and Parise. But the Pens wouldn't go away that easily after goals by Antti Miettinen (with his second of the game) and Simon Gagne tied it to make it 3-3 midway through the second period.
With the Pens on the power play with Justin Williams in the penalty box, the Pens looked for the go ahead goal for the first time in the game. Instead Nash and Bergeron came 2-on-1 and after some nice passing, that saw Chris Pronger loose his footing, Bergeron slammed the puck into the net for the shorthanded goal and eventual game winner. With just over five-and-a-half minutes to go in the third, Logan Couture put the game away with his third of the series on the power play. With two power play goals and one shorthanded, the Bruins had elevated their special teams at the right time. Outshooting the Pens 30-22 was evidence enough that the Bruins were on top of their game. Bergeron, Parise and Nash all had three points each to lead the way.
After splitting the first two road games at Pittsburgh, the Bruins had some momentum going into their own building. But the Penguins brought their A game in their defensive zone and only allowed the Bruins 20 shots at Jonas Hiller while putting 29 on Mathieu Garon. The Bruins kept it close though as the score was tied 1-1 after two periods. Simon Gagne, netting his second goal of the series, made it 1-0 for the Pens before Andrej Meszaros tied it up with just 17 seconds to go in the second. But on this day the Pens wore down the Bruins and eventually got the game winner a little over three minutes into the third period after Garon gave the puck away behind the net to Brad Richards who made no mistake with the empty net. Final score 2-1 Pens.
CHANGING THINGS UP... AGAIN
After not getting enough offense in game 3, the Bruins decided to mix things up, splitting the top line to try and get more lines and players involved. Zach Parise was moved to the second line which was centered by Logan Couture and with Justin Williams on the right wing, who was moved up from the third line. Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash stayed on the top line, but got Shane Doan on the left side to give them a bit more space with Doan going to the net more. The defense was kept intact from the previous game.
GAME 4
The Bruins got the result they were seeking with the line juggling, getting a 5-3 win to pull even at 2-2 in the series with the Pens. The Bruins went up 3-1 early in the second period after goals by the big three - Bergeron, Nash and Parise. But the Pens wouldn't go away that easily after goals by Antti Miettinen (with his second of the game) and Simon Gagne tied it to make it 3-3 midway through the second period.
With the Pens on the power play with Justin Williams in the penalty box, the Pens looked for the go ahead goal for the first time in the game. Instead Nash and Bergeron came 2-on-1 and after some nice passing, that saw Chris Pronger loose his footing, Bergeron slammed the puck into the net for the shorthanded goal and eventual game winner. With just over five-and-a-half minutes to go in the third, Logan Couture put the game away with his third of the series on the power play. With two power play goals and one shorthanded, the Bruins had elevated their special teams at the right time. Outshooting the Pens 30-22 was evidence enough that the Bruins were on top of their game. Bergeron, Parise and Nash all had three points each to lead the way.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Bruins Split First Two Away Games
GAME 1
The Bruins entered the first round of the AHL playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins with hopes to give the Penguins a hard fought series. But in game 1 the Penguins showed why they were the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference by quickly making it 1-0 on a Marc Methot wrister from the point that hit Bruin d'man Rostislav Klesla before finding the back of the net 03:11 into the first period. The Penguins outshot the Bruins 14-8 in the first period and added two late goals from Antti Miettinen and Martin Erat to make it 3-0.
The Bruins got a tough break even before the 2nd period began as Eric Nystrom was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 00:00. Exactly what happened wasn't caught by cameras, but it's believed that Nystrom "accidentally" took one of the refs whistles. Troy Brouwer and Antti Miettinen, with his second goal of the game, made it 5-0 even before the half way mark of the second period. The Bruins were a beaten team, but did outshoot the Penguins in the last two periods by 23-15 and won the 3rd period with the lone goal scored by Logan Couture who was skating on the 4th line in this game.
CHANGES AHEAD
With Andrej Meszaros and Rostislav Klesla posting a -4 for the Bruins while Chris Pronger and Brad Stuart had +4 for the Penguins in game 1, the Bruins made a couple of changes for the second game of the series. First of all Meszaros was paired with Mike Commodore, while Klesla was paired with Matt Carle. An extra player was dressed for game 2 as John Carlson was brought in to give the Bruins a bit more speed and puck movement at the back end for the Power Play. And finally Logan Couture, who was one of the best Bruins in game 1, was moved up to the 2nd line while Justin Williams moved down to the 3rd line.
GAME 2
The result was the same as in game 1 though as the Penguins came out flying and went 2-0 up just 02:35 into the game with Simon Gagne and Martin Erat putting the puck past Mathieu Garon. The Bruins called a time-out after this and started to get under the skin of a number of Pens. But it wasn't until 01:58 of the second period when Eric Nystrom crashed the net and deflected a Justin Williams shot-pass past Jonas Hiller in the Pens net that we had a game on our hands. Before the period was over the Bruins had scored a total of four unanswered goals with Patrice Bergeron, Shane Doan and Zach Parise getting the last three.
The Bruins had been outshot 16-9 in the second period, but Garon played his best period so far in the playoff stopping all 16 shots. The Bruins were ahead 4-2 heading into the third period. David Legwand cut the lead to just one when he scored 01:20 into the third. But just over a minute later, Logan Couture once again got the last goal, this time in a winning effort as the Bruins were able to hold on to win 5-3 in a crucial game for the Bruins. The Pens outshot the Bruins by 37-22, in large part due to having four more power plays. Giving up too many power plays won't help the Bruins chances, but the penalty kill has been perfect so far with 10 straight kills.
The Bruins entered the first round of the AHL playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins with hopes to give the Penguins a hard fought series. But in game 1 the Penguins showed why they were the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference by quickly making it 1-0 on a Marc Methot wrister from the point that hit Bruin d'man Rostislav Klesla before finding the back of the net 03:11 into the first period. The Penguins outshot the Bruins 14-8 in the first period and added two late goals from Antti Miettinen and Martin Erat to make it 3-0.
The Bruins got a tough break even before the 2nd period began as Eric Nystrom was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 00:00. Exactly what happened wasn't caught by cameras, but it's believed that Nystrom "accidentally" took one of the refs whistles. Troy Brouwer and Antti Miettinen, with his second goal of the game, made it 5-0 even before the half way mark of the second period. The Bruins were a beaten team, but did outshoot the Penguins in the last two periods by 23-15 and won the 3rd period with the lone goal scored by Logan Couture who was skating on the 4th line in this game.
CHANGES AHEAD
With Andrej Meszaros and Rostislav Klesla posting a -4 for the Bruins while Chris Pronger and Brad Stuart had +4 for the Penguins in game 1, the Bruins made a couple of changes for the second game of the series. First of all Meszaros was paired with Mike Commodore, while Klesla was paired with Matt Carle. An extra player was dressed for game 2 as John Carlson was brought in to give the Bruins a bit more speed and puck movement at the back end for the Power Play. And finally Logan Couture, who was one of the best Bruins in game 1, was moved up to the 2nd line while Justin Williams moved down to the 3rd line.
GAME 2
The result was the same as in game 1 though as the Penguins came out flying and went 2-0 up just 02:35 into the game with Simon Gagne and Martin Erat putting the puck past Mathieu Garon. The Bruins called a time-out after this and started to get under the skin of a number of Pens. But it wasn't until 01:58 of the second period when Eric Nystrom crashed the net and deflected a Justin Williams shot-pass past Jonas Hiller in the Pens net that we had a game on our hands. Before the period was over the Bruins had scored a total of four unanswered goals with Patrice Bergeron, Shane Doan and Zach Parise getting the last three.
The Bruins had been outshot 16-9 in the second period, but Garon played his best period so far in the playoff stopping all 16 shots. The Bruins were ahead 4-2 heading into the third period. David Legwand cut the lead to just one when he scored 01:20 into the third. But just over a minute later, Logan Couture once again got the last goal, this time in a winning effort as the Bruins were able to hold on to win 5-3 in a crucial game for the Bruins. The Pens outshot the Bruins by 37-22, in large part due to having four more power plays. Giving up too many power plays won't help the Bruins chances, but the penalty kill has been perfect so far with 10 straight kills.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
End of Regular Season and Start of Playoffs
The Bruins had a tough and difficult time at the end of regular season. This had a lot to do with the fact the Bruins couldn't skate all their best players due to league restrictions. Not being able to use our best players we found ourselves in a major slump which meant we had to fight for a playoff spot to the end. At a point during the second half of the season we had our sights set at the #3 spot (which was held by division rivals Montreal Canadiens). But with new GM Ricky Maillee joining the league right after the trade deadline, the Canadiens cruised away and held on to the #3 spot.
The Bruins were able to finish with a three game winning streak with two of the wins versus the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, the #6 and #8 seed in the Eastern Conference. With this, the Bruins ended up as the #7 seed, a spot we had at the trade deadline. So even with a tough last quarter or so of the season the Bruins were able to hold their ground and get into the postseason.
vs. 
In the first round the Bruins will face #2 seed the Pittsburgh Penguins which we all know will be a difficult task. GM Don Brooks has a very compact team with a league leading defense that impressed with 15 less goals allowed than the second best defensive team in the league. However, the Bruins did have a better offense during the regular season, scoring 29 more goals than the Penguins. This was in large part thanks to the top line of Bergeron-Parise-Nash that carried much of the workload for the Bruins.
A look at some of the offensive numbers for our Bruins reveals that Captain Rick Nash lead the way with 107 points (43+64) good for 7th spot in the scoring race. Zach Parise was 8th in goals and lead the Bruins with 53 (while adding 42 assists for 95 points). Patrice Bergeron was 7th in assists with 70 (and added 22 goals for 92 points). All three categories were won by Sidney Crosby of the Calgary Flames who had a "sick season" where he put up an amazing 179 points (81+98).
We were happy with our secondary scoring from our 2nd line by Shane Doan (27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points), Dominic Moore (20+39 for 59 points) and Justin Williams (20+36 for 56 points) all getting over twenty goals. And rookie Logan Couture had an impressive 18 goals in just 38 games. At defense, Matt Carle, acquired with Parise during the season, lead all defensemen with 8 goals and 25 assists for a respectable 33 points. Andrej Meszaros had 5+19 for 24 points while Rusty Klesla (3+13 for 16 points) and rookie John Carlson (5+10 for 15 points) had solid numbers in limited number of games playing in just 39 and 33 games respectively.
The Bruins were able to finish with a three game winning streak with two of the wins versus the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils, the #6 and #8 seed in the Eastern Conference. With this, the Bruins ended up as the #7 seed, a spot we had at the trade deadline. So even with a tough last quarter or so of the season the Bruins were able to hold their ground and get into the postseason.
vs. In the first round the Bruins will face #2 seed the Pittsburgh Penguins which we all know will be a difficult task. GM Don Brooks has a very compact team with a league leading defense that impressed with 15 less goals allowed than the second best defensive team in the league. However, the Bruins did have a better offense during the regular season, scoring 29 more goals than the Penguins. This was in large part thanks to the top line of Bergeron-Parise-Nash that carried much of the workload for the Bruins.
A look at some of the offensive numbers for our Bruins reveals that Captain Rick Nash lead the way with 107 points (43+64) good for 7th spot in the scoring race. Zach Parise was 8th in goals and lead the Bruins with 53 (while adding 42 assists for 95 points). Patrice Bergeron was 7th in assists with 70 (and added 22 goals for 92 points). All three categories were won by Sidney Crosby of the Calgary Flames who had a "sick season" where he put up an amazing 179 points (81+98).
We were happy with our secondary scoring from our 2nd line by Shane Doan (27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points), Dominic Moore (20+39 for 59 points) and Justin Williams (20+36 for 56 points) all getting over twenty goals. And rookie Logan Couture had an impressive 18 goals in just 38 games. At defense, Matt Carle, acquired with Parise during the season, lead all defensemen with 8 goals and 25 assists for a respectable 33 points. Andrej Meszaros had 5+19 for 24 points while Rusty Klesla (3+13 for 16 points) and rookie John Carlson (5+10 for 15 points) had solid numbers in limited number of games playing in just 39 and 33 games respectively.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Trade Deadline
The deadline has passed and it was mostly quiet on the trade front. Something that has been evident is how difficult it is to get a deal done. This has to do with a number of reasons, one being that not all GM's in the league are willing or active enough to get a deal done. While many of the GM's that are active look for the same things the other GM's look for, or they just like the same players.
To EDM: Jaroslav Spacek
To BOS: Edm's 1st round pick
The Bruins were able to get two deals done at the deadline. Long time Bruin Jaroslav Spacek, joining the club in Season 4, was dealt to one of the Cup contenders, the Edmonton Oilers, for a 1st round rookie pick. Even though the pick is going to be late in the first round, management still feels this was a good way to continue our rebuild process. We were sad to part ways with appreciated Jara Spacek who had been a steady contributer ever since joining the Bruins. Spacek admitted he was somewhat surprised with the move, but knew he was among the veterans that could be dealt if the right deal came along. He wished the Bruins the best of luck and didn't rule out a return to the club in the future as he said he had the best time of his playing career playing for the Bruins.
Bruins management weren't really shopping him actively as there were other players we wanted to move more. But when the offer came along, it felt like the right thing to do. The deal came after long trade talks had been held with Edmonton GM Chris Wolter where a different deal was in place but was held up due to another deal that was almost done collapsed at the very end of negotiating. However, since the 1st round pick was the main target all along, the story ended well after all. Spacek gets a chance to play for a contender and will surely add a boost to a good Oilers team. And the Bruins add a 1st round pick after trading their own in the Zach Parise blockbuster earlier in the season.
To ANA: Bos' 3rd round pick
To BOS: Brent Sopel
Right after dealing Spacek, a void was left at the back end for this season. This was due to the fact that several of the d'men at the club had few games left to play. A couple of offers were sent offering our 3rd round pick and in the end Brent Sopel was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks. Sopel was a spare part for the Ducks so it was a no brainer for Ducks GM John Hondronikolis. While Sopel won't be able to replace Spacek, he's still a solid d'man with a lot of experience who will help the club short term.
Here are some team news regarding who the Bruins were in contact with regarding potential deadline deals.
- Before the Sopel deal was completed, the Bruins and Ducks were close to a three-way deal with the Sharks but the deal never materialized.
- No real trade talks as the Thrashers had just acquired Daniel Alfredsson and wasn't looking to make more moves at the time.
- An offer was made by Bruins management for a forward offering two players that were offered to the Bruins in another deal. Sabres GM Cam McCurdy was however reluctant to move his player at this point and so the Bruins turned down the other offer they had on the table as they weren't really interested in the two players.
- Two separate trades were discussed. One minor and one bigger deal. With the bigger deal the Bruins would've had to give up one of their better players. And even though the offer was good, we didn't feel it was enough. However, one or two offers were made with the players offered to us for something we liked better, but neither resulted in anything.
- Again, two separate deals were discussed where the Bruins inquired about a forward and a d'man, but in the end no real trade talks evolved as Carolina GM Matt Bahm didn't feel the need to trade his two players.
- No trade talks were held with Chicago GM Brad Utterstrom at the deadline. The main reason being we have a hard time making deals as we most often like the same kind of players. Another reason was the Blackhawk GM not being available during the deadline.
- There were no trade talks between the clubs at the deadline. However, the Bruins did inquire about the availability of three players earlier in the season but came to a dead end.
- The Bruins had their sights set on one of the forwards on the Blue Jackets, but Columbus GM Brett Springinotic turned down offer after offer. The simple reason was the Bruins couldn't offer or get what the GM wanted even though many attempts were made. Had a deal been made for this player, the Bruins would've traded one of their veteran forwards in another deal which was set to be confirmed.
- A good offer was made by the Dallas GM, but Bruins management weren't interested in the players offered and thus tried to ship the offered players for something they liked more, without any success.
- No trade talks between the clubs at the trade deadline. Boston did however inquire for one of the d'men on the Red Wings roster. Even though a possibility for a deal was there, the asking price kept the Bruins from negotiations.
- Apart from the Spacek deal, another deal was set to be confirmed pending another deal getting the green light. In the end, the Spacek deal was constructed from the original deal leaving out other pieces.
- No deadline trade talks, but some talks had been held prior to the deadline without ever being close to start negotiating.
- Bruins management tried to pry away a forward from the Kings, but Los Angeles GM Paul Jubinville was not looking to deal the specific player. As both clubs were looking for pretty much the same thing, no real trade talks were held.
- No talks were held at the deadline. However, the Bruins and Wild did make a deal earlier in the season.
- Our biggest rival was without a GM at the deadline so no talks could be held even though we would've been interested in a couple of their players.
- Some minor trade talks, but nothing that went into negotiating.
- No trade talks were held at the deadline.
- A last minute offer was made by the Bruins to acquire a forward from the Islanders. But again nothing went to negotiations.
- The Bruins made an offer for two players on the Rangers roster, but as GM Johan Kallum liked his players better, there was nothing to work on.
- No trade talk at the deadline, but offers had been made for two Senators earlier without success.
- No GM at the deadline so no possibility to make offers.
- After the big Zach Parise blockbuster, no trade talks had been held between the two clubs.
- No trade talks at the deadline, but some talk had taken place earlier without leading anywhere.
- A three-way deal with the Sharks and Ducks was almost completed, but it just didn't work out in the end even with several hours of negotiation.
- Blues GM Shawn Cane had his sights on one of the Bruins and came with a very temtping offer. This deal was close to being completed, but the Bruins wanted to acquire a replacement before agreeing to the deal. Unfortunately that, and this, deadline deal never happened.
- No trade talks between the clubs at the deadline.
- Inquiries were made prior to the deadline by Bruins management regarding a couple of d'men of interest, but with no trade talks.
- The Bruins made offers and inquired about a couple of players on the Canucks roster prior to the deadline, but GM Daniel Jeanson was reluctant of letting his players go as he surely looks for a rebound season next season.
- Because GM was on leave at deadline, no offers could be made.
To EDM: Jaroslav Spacek
To BOS: Edm's 1st round pick
The Bruins were able to get two deals done at the deadline. Long time Bruin Jaroslav Spacek, joining the club in Season 4, was dealt to one of the Cup contenders, the Edmonton Oilers, for a 1st round rookie pick. Even though the pick is going to be late in the first round, management still feels this was a good way to continue our rebuild process. We were sad to part ways with appreciated Jara Spacek who had been a steady contributer ever since joining the Bruins. Spacek admitted he was somewhat surprised with the move, but knew he was among the veterans that could be dealt if the right deal came along. He wished the Bruins the best of luck and didn't rule out a return to the club in the future as he said he had the best time of his playing career playing for the Bruins.
Bruins management weren't really shopping him actively as there were other players we wanted to move more. But when the offer came along, it felt like the right thing to do. The deal came after long trade talks had been held with Edmonton GM Chris Wolter where a different deal was in place but was held up due to another deal that was almost done collapsed at the very end of negotiating. However, since the 1st round pick was the main target all along, the story ended well after all. Spacek gets a chance to play for a contender and will surely add a boost to a good Oilers team. And the Bruins add a 1st round pick after trading their own in the Zach Parise blockbuster earlier in the season.
To ANA: Bos' 3rd round pick
To BOS: Brent Sopel
Right after dealing Spacek, a void was left at the back end for this season. This was due to the fact that several of the d'men at the club had few games left to play. A couple of offers were sent offering our 3rd round pick and in the end Brent Sopel was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks. Sopel was a spare part for the Ducks so it was a no brainer for Ducks GM John Hondronikolis. While Sopel won't be able to replace Spacek, he's still a solid d'man with a lot of experience who will help the club short term.
Here are some team news regarding who the Bruins were in contact with regarding potential deadline deals.
- Before the Sopel deal was completed, the Bruins and Ducks were close to a three-way deal with the Sharks but the deal never materialized.
- No real trade talks as the Thrashers had just acquired Daniel Alfredsson and wasn't looking to make more moves at the time.
- An offer was made by Bruins management for a forward offering two players that were offered to the Bruins in another deal. Sabres GM Cam McCurdy was however reluctant to move his player at this point and so the Bruins turned down the other offer they had on the table as they weren't really interested in the two players.
- Two separate trades were discussed. One minor and one bigger deal. With the bigger deal the Bruins would've had to give up one of their better players. And even though the offer was good, we didn't feel it was enough. However, one or two offers were made with the players offered to us for something we liked better, but neither resulted in anything.
- Again, two separate deals were discussed where the Bruins inquired about a forward and a d'man, but in the end no real trade talks evolved as Carolina GM Matt Bahm didn't feel the need to trade his two players.
- No trade talks were held with Chicago GM Brad Utterstrom at the deadline. The main reason being we have a hard time making deals as we most often like the same kind of players. Another reason was the Blackhawk GM not being available during the deadline.
- There were no trade talks between the clubs at the deadline. However, the Bruins did inquire about the availability of three players earlier in the season but came to a dead end.
- The Bruins had their sights set on one of the forwards on the Blue Jackets, but Columbus GM Brett Springinotic turned down offer after offer. The simple reason was the Bruins couldn't offer or get what the GM wanted even though many attempts were made. Had a deal been made for this player, the Bruins would've traded one of their veteran forwards in another deal which was set to be confirmed.
- A good offer was made by the Dallas GM, but Bruins management weren't interested in the players offered and thus tried to ship the offered players for something they liked more, without any success.
- No trade talks between the clubs at the trade deadline. Boston did however inquire for one of the d'men on the Red Wings roster. Even though a possibility for a deal was there, the asking price kept the Bruins from negotiations.
- Apart from the Spacek deal, another deal was set to be confirmed pending another deal getting the green light. In the end, the Spacek deal was constructed from the original deal leaving out other pieces.
- No deadline trade talks, but some talks had been held prior to the deadline without ever being close to start negotiating.
- Bruins management tried to pry away a forward from the Kings, but Los Angeles GM Paul Jubinville was not looking to deal the specific player. As both clubs were looking for pretty much the same thing, no real trade talks were held.
- No talks were held at the deadline. However, the Bruins and Wild did make a deal earlier in the season.
- Our biggest rival was without a GM at the deadline so no talks could be held even though we would've been interested in a couple of their players.
- Some minor trade talks, but nothing that went into negotiating.
- No trade talks were held at the deadline.
- A last minute offer was made by the Bruins to acquire a forward from the Islanders. But again nothing went to negotiations.
- The Bruins made an offer for two players on the Rangers roster, but as GM Johan Kallum liked his players better, there was nothing to work on.
- No trade talk at the deadline, but offers had been made for two Senators earlier without success.
- No GM at the deadline so no possibility to make offers.
- After the big Zach Parise blockbuster, no trade talks had been held between the two clubs.
- No trade talks at the deadline, but some talk had taken place earlier without leading anywhere.
- A three-way deal with the Sharks and Ducks was almost completed, but it just didn't work out in the end even with several hours of negotiation.
- Blues GM Shawn Cane had his sights on one of the Bruins and came with a very temtping offer. This deal was close to being completed, but the Bruins wanted to acquire a replacement before agreeing to the deal. Unfortunately that, and this, deadline deal never happened.
- No trade talks between the clubs at the deadline.
- Inquiries were made prior to the deadline by Bruins management regarding a couple of d'men of interest, but with no trade talks.
- The Bruins made offers and inquired about a couple of players on the Canucks roster prior to the deadline, but GM Daniel Jeanson was reluctant of letting his players go as he surely looks for a rebound season next season.
- Because GM was on leave at deadline, no offers could be made.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Bruin of the Day - Brent Sopel
STATUS: Solid spare defenseman
VALUE: 7th defenseman
JERSEY #: 5
ACQUIRED: Trade (Season 8) from Anaheim for Bos' 3rd round pick (Justin Braun)
FUTURE: Brought in to add depth and will be depended on playing a solid defensive game with some physical aspects to his game.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Update on Bruins Playoff Race and Trades
A month ago we wrote about how things looked for our Bruins after the blockbuster deal. At that point the Bruins had climbed to 9th in the Eastern Conference and had four points up to a playoff spot as well as the Division lead and 3rd spot in the Conference. Now the difference is eight points after an impressive run by the Montreal Canadiens, including going 9-1-0 in their last ten. Interestingly enough, the only loss in that span was vs our Bruins in a 7-2 game which showed the Bruins mean business. But while we've lost some ground for the Division lead, we've moved into a playoff spot with a current 7th position and a five point advantage over the 9th team in the Conference, going 7-2-1 in our last ten.
During the latest month we've felt more comfortable getting a couple of wins in a row instead of just winning one and losing one. The club has also gone three games over .500 for the first time this season. One of the main reasons for the stability of our play has been the goaltending of Andrew Raycroft who really has thrived with the competition with acquired Mathieu Garon. While Garon had a hot start after joining the Bruins, Raycroft has impressed just as much when Garon started to cool off.
Bruins management has been active trying to get something done in the trade market having contacted several GM's to ask the availability for some targeted players. But things have been pretty quiet since then as many GM's are reluctant to make deals at this point. Since the Bruins aren't a contender, giving up prospects for veteran leadership is out of the question. And getting youth is always difficult, especially from non-contenders who look for good picks. Part of the problem is that management is happy with many of the players the club currently has, but several pieces of the puzzle are still missing and therefore the Bruins will try and get a deal or two done before the deadline. Another problem are some of the restrictions and requirements in the league which makes it that much more difficult to make a deal. Nothing is impossible, but it all depends on what you're looking for and the trading chips you possess.
On a related note the Bruins have been looking at the possibility at trading some earlier unavailable players in order to see what could be had in return. It mainly concerns some older players that still have a role to play for our club even after this season, but that might be of more value to a contender while we can get something of use to continue to move in the right direction next season. These players should be available as we move closer to the trade deadline which occurs after Day 139.
During the latest month we've felt more comfortable getting a couple of wins in a row instead of just winning one and losing one. The club has also gone three games over .500 for the first time this season. One of the main reasons for the stability of our play has been the goaltending of Andrew Raycroft who really has thrived with the competition with acquired Mathieu Garon. While Garon had a hot start after joining the Bruins, Raycroft has impressed just as much when Garon started to cool off.
Bruins management has been active trying to get something done in the trade market having contacted several GM's to ask the availability for some targeted players. But things have been pretty quiet since then as many GM's are reluctant to make deals at this point. Since the Bruins aren't a contender, giving up prospects for veteran leadership is out of the question. And getting youth is always difficult, especially from non-contenders who look for good picks. Part of the problem is that management is happy with many of the players the club currently has, but several pieces of the puzzle are still missing and therefore the Bruins will try and get a deal or two done before the deadline. Another problem are some of the restrictions and requirements in the league which makes it that much more difficult to make a deal. Nothing is impossible, but it all depends on what you're looking for and the trading chips you possess.
On a related note the Bruins have been looking at the possibility at trading some earlier unavailable players in order to see what could be had in return. It mainly concerns some older players that still have a role to play for our club even after this season, but that might be of more value to a contender while we can get something of use to continue to move in the right direction next season. These players should be available as we move closer to the trade deadline which occurs after Day 139.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
A Look At How Things Look
Things have changed since the Bruins acquired Zach Parise and three other players almost a month ago. The team was at the bottom of the standings with little hope of having something to cheer about. A lot of fans and people around the club started to think about the potential high draft pick the club could be getting. This was something management took into account while talking to the GM of the Phoenix Coyotes. Was it worth giving up a potential top 5 pick to get Zach Parise ? Well, both yes and no. Getting a top scorer like Zach Parise was an opportunity we didn't want to miss. At the same time you want to have the chance to get one of the top prospects in the game.
The deal was somewhat of a gamble as we felt that A) we are better than to be a bottom team which wouldn't give us such a high pick in the end, B) we should improve in the long run with Parise on our team as long as he stays healthy and C) we just didn't see Jakub Voracek as a top line player for the future. Looking at the deal now we still feel we made the right decision as the results have improved greatly, but there are also a number of factors that still worries us.
Zach Parise has been a steady contributor since joining our club and has worked well on the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash, as expected. That wasn't a worry. How he'll perform when he comes back from injury is still a question mark, but we're hopeful he'll have success and continue to be a vital part of our team for many seasons to come.
The fact that Voracek has been performing better doesn't come as a big surprise and in a perfect world we would've been able to keep him and the 1st round pick as well as getting Parise, but we can't have it all. Voracek will surely have a nice career and we wish him all the best. The main thing will however be what the 1st round pick turns into.
What pleases us is that we after the deal are fighting for a playoff spot which has us playing for something this season. Having traded the 1st rounder we really don't want to struggle at the bottom of the pack and feel we made the wrong decision. In the end it comes down to what we wanted to do with our rebuild. Keeping the pick and not getting Parise would have meant more seasons struggling. We decided that we wanted to be competitive sooner and with Parise we felt our chances were better.
The additions of Matt Carle and Mathieu Garon has also helped the club be more successful even though we'd still like to be more consistent. We've had trouble against stronger teams which shows us that we've still got work to do, but at the same time we've had a good record against our main competition fighting for a playoff spot. At the moment the team is 9th in the Conference and we're confident we'll be able to fight for a playoff spot and hopefully making it into the postseason. Interestingly enough, we're just four points from making the playoffs, as well as being at the top of our Division and 3rd place in the Conference. So anything can still happen.
We're still looking to make moves to help us get better, as does every GM in the league. There are a couple of things we're looking at and we have some ideas as to what we'd like to do. But that doesn't mean we'll be making deals just for the sake of it. It has to make sense for what we want to do here. Mainly we're looking at bringing in help at the back end where we feel we could do with a bit more toughness.
The deal was somewhat of a gamble as we felt that A) we are better than to be a bottom team which wouldn't give us such a high pick in the end, B) we should improve in the long run with Parise on our team as long as he stays healthy and C) we just didn't see Jakub Voracek as a top line player for the future. Looking at the deal now we still feel we made the right decision as the results have improved greatly, but there are also a number of factors that still worries us.
Zach Parise has been a steady contributor since joining our club and has worked well on the top line with Patrice Bergeron and Rick Nash, as expected. That wasn't a worry. How he'll perform when he comes back from injury is still a question mark, but we're hopeful he'll have success and continue to be a vital part of our team for many seasons to come.
The fact that Voracek has been performing better doesn't come as a big surprise and in a perfect world we would've been able to keep him and the 1st round pick as well as getting Parise, but we can't have it all. Voracek will surely have a nice career and we wish him all the best. The main thing will however be what the 1st round pick turns into.
What pleases us is that we after the deal are fighting for a playoff spot which has us playing for something this season. Having traded the 1st rounder we really don't want to struggle at the bottom of the pack and feel we made the wrong decision. In the end it comes down to what we wanted to do with our rebuild. Keeping the pick and not getting Parise would have meant more seasons struggling. We decided that we wanted to be competitive sooner and with Parise we felt our chances were better.
The additions of Matt Carle and Mathieu Garon has also helped the club be more successful even though we'd still like to be more consistent. We've had trouble against stronger teams which shows us that we've still got work to do, but at the same time we've had a good record against our main competition fighting for a playoff spot. At the moment the team is 9th in the Conference and we're confident we'll be able to fight for a playoff spot and hopefully making it into the postseason. Interestingly enough, we're just four points from making the playoffs, as well as being at the top of our Division and 3rd place in the Conference. So anything can still happen.
We're still looking to make moves to help us get better, as does every GM in the league. There are a couple of things we're looking at and we have some ideas as to what we'd like to do. But that doesn't mean we'll be making deals just for the sake of it. It has to make sense for what we want to do here. Mainly we're looking at bringing in help at the back end where we feel we could do with a bit more toughness.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Bruin of the Day - Zach Parise
STATUS: 1st line winger
VALUE: Star
JERSEY #: 11
ACQUIRED: Trade (Season 8) from Phx with Torrey Mitchell, Matt Carle, Mathieu Garon and Phx' 3rd round pick (Steven Kampfer, picked by Phi) for Jakub Voracek, Rostislav Olesz, Chris Mason and Bos' 1st round pick (David Desharnais)
FUTURE: A heart and soul player who fits in perfectly with his high paced game and goalscoring touch. Has all the tools to become a fan favorite and should be a star for the club for many years to come.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Bruin of the Day - Torrey Mitchell
VALUE: 4th line forward
JERSEY #: 17
ACQUIRED: Trade (Season 8) from Phoenix with Zach Parise, Matt Carle, Mathieu Garon and Phx' 3rd round rookie pick for Jakub Voracek, Rostislav Olesz, Chris Mason and Bos' 1st round rookie pick
FUTURE: With his speed and energy he adds an up tempo game to the checking line and has some potential due to him still being fairly young.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Bruin of the Day - Mathieu Garon
STATUS: 3rd goalie
VALUE: Fill-in goalie
JERSEY #: 32
ACQUIRED: Trade (Season 9) from XFA for Mike Commodore
FUTURE: Garon was brought in to fill the hole for a couple of games and be a potential playoff goalie for the club.
Bruins Play Big in Fresh Start
In their first game after the blockbuster trade that saw Zach Parise join the Bruins, it was all smiles during the post-game interviews. The Bruins looked like a totally different team when they thrashed the talented Islanders 6-0. And it was a dominant performance where the Bruins outshot their opponents 41-19, including 34-8 (!) after 2 periods.
After less than five minutes #9 Zach Parise introduced himself to his new hometown fans when he finished off a great passing play with Jaroslav Spacek and Justin Williams getting the assists. The fans were off their feet and stayed there for most of the game. Captain and first star Rick Nash, obviously extra motivated with the new playmates, recorded a hat-trick with a goal in each period. Eric Nystrom notched his first goal of the campaign, while rookie Logan Couture added another to make it the perfect night for the Bruins. Adding to that a shutout for second star Mathieu Garon who faced 19 shots, 11 in the 3rd, and we couldn't ask for more.
"Wow, what a tremendous atmosphere and what a feeling to be a Bruin. We knew we were facing a good team with a winning record, but you could just feel the energy before the game and we were able to carry that into the game. To get that first goal out of the way was great, but even more important was to get the win. And what can you say about Nasher ? It's a treat to play with him and Bergy. We sure had a lot of fun out there tonight", said third star Parise.
Garon, who looks to earn the starting job in Boston, made some important saves early in the first period on a 3-on-4 with good chances by Dustin Penner and Jarome Iginla. Even Alex Ovechkin was clearly frustrated and broke two sticks during the game after Garon made it look easy. "The guys did a tremendous job in front of me tonight and it was an inspirational win for sure. We know it's just one game so we got to work just as hard if we want to turn things around. We sure are on the right track", said Garon.
After less than five minutes #9 Zach Parise introduced himself to his new hometown fans when he finished off a great passing play with Jaroslav Spacek and Justin Williams getting the assists. The fans were off their feet and stayed there for most of the game. Captain and first star Rick Nash, obviously extra motivated with the new playmates, recorded a hat-trick with a goal in each period. Eric Nystrom notched his first goal of the campaign, while rookie Logan Couture added another to make it the perfect night for the Bruins. Adding to that a shutout for second star Mathieu Garon who faced 19 shots, 11 in the 3rd, and we couldn't ask for more.
"Wow, what a tremendous atmosphere and what a feeling to be a Bruin. We knew we were facing a good team with a winning record, but you could just feel the energy before the game and we were able to carry that into the game. To get that first goal out of the way was great, but even more important was to get the win. And what can you say about Nasher ? It's a treat to play with him and Bergy. We sure had a lot of fun out there tonight", said third star Parise.
Garon, who looks to earn the starting job in Boston, made some important saves early in the first period on a 3-on-4 with good chances by Dustin Penner and Jarome Iginla. Even Alex Ovechkin was clearly frustrated and broke two sticks during the game after Garon made it look easy. "The guys did a tremendous job in front of me tonight and it was an inspirational win for sure. We know it's just one game so we got to work just as hard if we want to turn things around. We sure are on the right track", said Garon.
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