Maple Leafs 2, Bruins 1 (Series tied 3-3)

That 4-1 pounding in Game 1 seems like ages ago.

This Bruins team really pisses me off. They no longer hold leads. Not in games, not in series. It was once a trademark of this team under Julien, that when they were up 2, they'd win. And once again, they've blown a 3-1 lead.

James Reimer has gained all the confidence in the world. And why not? He has all of southern Ontario behind him, and the Bruins have allowed his success. The B's forwards have not been able to consistently get body position in front of the net in order to take advantage of the rebounds Reimer allows. Is Marck Recchi available tonight?

Some Bruins have improved in this series over their regular season form. Milan Lucic, for instance. Nathan Horton as well, although in Game 6 in the box score claims he played 17:38 and I didn't notice him on the ice at all.

Other Bruins, such as Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin, have played worse than their regular season form. Neither have scored. Marchand has 2 assists and is -1. Seguin has no assists and is even. In the regular season these two combined for 34 goals and were the top 2 goal-scorers on the team. No THREE Bruins could combine for that many goals. Marchand and Seguin scored 27% of the Bruins goals in the regular season. So that's one fourth of the offense not producing in this series.

I also think the Bruins aren't as talented as we thought they were. I think this team essentially has two fourth lines. The third line has been meaningless in these games. Kelly and Peverley are both -3. So not only are they not scoring, they're getting scored on. Which goes against the Claude Julien system.

This team has scored 17 goals in the series. The Krejci line has 9 of those. Defensemen have 5. So only 3 goals have been scored by lines 2 through 4. Three goals from 9 forwards.

Horton and Lucic are each +8 in this series. Krejci is +7. The Bergeron line is -1. The Peverley line is -3. The Campbell line is even. Only one line is scoring. The second line can't score. The third line isn't scoring, and is allowing goals. The fourth line is doing what it does with its minimal ice-time. Only two lines are doing their jobs. The Bergeron line is capable of doing better. I don't think the Peverley line is.

This Game 7 tonight is an important game for the direction of this team. With a win, then things are fine. With a loss, then there needs to be a serious reevaluation of the coach, the staff, and the roster.

-The Captain

Maple Leafs @ Bruins Game 5 Preview

Game 4 was probably the best hockey game I have seen this year. Not that the Bruins played awesome, but in terms of excitement it was off the charts. One thing that has bothered me is that I keep hearing these whispers of not liking Rask. I thought he played unreal in that game. Yea, he let up 3 goals, but he also made some incredible saves and kept them in it while the Bruins played a lot of flat footed hockey.

The Bruins don't like to make things easy on themselves, which has been worried about tonight. Logic would say that going home after beating them in overtime on their ice, that the Bruins should roll over them. Yet, it's just as likely that the Bruins play uninspired hockey, and get blown out.

So, why am I picking the Bruins. Well because Seguin is do for a big game, and I think it's happening tonight. He has been flat out terrible in my eyes in this series, but I have faith in him. I think he comes through big tonight (2 goals), and the Bruins win.

Bruins win 4-1
Player of the Game: Seguin
Game starts at 7pm

Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT) - Bruins lead series 3-1

There were four main reasons the Bruins won Game 4 (by scoring 4 goals and winning in the 4th period).

#1: Tuukka Rask
He was unreal. He was clutch. He stopped 45 of 48 shots. He was the Bruins' best penalty-killer. And his toughest saves came when the game could have dramatically changed. This was quite possibly the best playoff performance of his career. He was aggressive, but his play was less chaotic than it's been in previous games in this series.

#2: David Krejci
I'm not the biggest Krejci fan. But he knows how to bring it in big games. He's like the Rajon Rondo of the Bruins. When the spotlight is on him, he digs deep and finds another level of play. His hat-trick last night gives him 5 goals, which leads all players in the playoffs. So do his 10 points.

One thing that I think helps him is when Horton and Lucic show up and do work every night. Then he can do his thing, they do theirs, and the whole line functions the way it's supposed to.

#3: Special Teams
The Bruins scored 2 power play goals. They killed all 4 Toronto power plays. Their +2 margin in special teams play was literally the difference between winning and losing. In hard fought, closely contested playoff games like this one, special teams often decides the victor. Having a solid PK and a power play unit that can score timely goals is such a tremendous asset in a playoff series.

And I loved Krejci's PP goal in the 2nd. He moved without the puck into a scoring area. A good pass, a good shot, a great goal. The easiest way to get the puck to scoring areas is for a player without the puck to get there first, then wait for the puck to find him.

#4 Zdeno Chara
Perhaps overshadowed Rask's 45 saves and Krejci's hat-trick is Chara's 4 point night. He assisted on each goal. Not bad for a guy who also played 47 shifts for over 33 minutes.

During the regular season Chara didn't have the offensive output we've seen from him in years past. Especially on the power play (only 4 PP points). Last night he reminded us that not only is he a dominant defensive force, he has the offensive skills too.

This was obviously a huge win for the Bruins. It's so much different to come home up 3-1 compared to tied at 2-2. Being at 2-2 would have felt like being behind in this series. Reimer must be swimming in doubt. And his teammates can't feel too confident in him. That could lead to players like Kessel pushing too hard to score goals, and making big mistakes.

It's time to finish this team. They're demoralized. They're facing elimination. They're on the edge of the proverbial cliff. Time to give them a push.

Finish them.

Here's a GIF of a Mortal Kombat character dressed in black and gold killing a character dressed in Maple Leaf Blue.

Game 5 Friday night.

-The Captain

Reason 5234 Why Hockey Fans Are Classless

So during last nights game some Psy looking douche bag held up a Toronto Stronger sign obviously making light of the tragic events that happened during the Boston Marathon. This is just another example how hockey fans are the most classless fans in all of sports, when they aren't calling black people the N word or throwing Bananas at black players they are making fun of terrorist attacks. Hockey fans are turning into the sport wide like Philly fans, just awful people, that do awful things.

I know that hockey fans like to relate themselves to rugged, blue collar people, but over the last couple of years they have been embarrassing themselves with this type of nonsense. I know this asshole isn't what ALL hockey fans are like, however, they haven't given me a ton to work with the past couple of years. I wonder what security would do if some Bruins fan went up and punched this fucker, would they allow it? Would they side with this douche? I don't know.

Either way, let's hope the Bruins can finish this up and Tuuka can lead them to the Cup.

Bruins 5, Maple Leafs 2 (Bruins lead series 2-1)

As a Bruins fan there was a lot to love about this game. With a side dish of stuff to hate. Let's start with the love and work our way to the hate.

The Krejci line looked like a #1 line. Lucic was skating hard, which led to physical play, which led to rhythm, which led to goals. Horton's goal in the 2nd was exactly the kind of play that line is capable of putting together. Krejci made a good play on a loose puck in the defensive zone, Lucic used his strength to drive the puck up the ice, and Horton used his hands to beat Reimer. The timing of the goal was perfect, just 50 seconds after Toronto made it a 2-1 game.

Patrice Bergeron had a very Bergeronian game, not standing out on the box score, but he stood out on the ice. He won 60% of his faceoffs. At desperate times in the defensive zone he moved back in front of the net and played as a 3rd defenseman.

Despite being the road team, the Bruins won 45 of 75 faceoffs (60%). Peverley won 10 of 11 and Kelly won 12 of 15.

Each line contributed something. The Krejci line generated 3 goals. The Bergeron line played great defense. The third line contributed with a goal created by Jagr and Peverley forechecking. And the fourth line played smart yet physical hockey in the 3rd, especially Thornton. Not to mention the shorthanded goal scored by Paille.

I could go down the whole Bruins roster and find something positive to say about every player. Except one. Tyler Seguin.

Seguin had a golden opportunity to score in the 1st. Actually, it was a platinum opportunity, encrusted in jewels and diamonds. And he didn't finish.

Seguin isn't a smasher. He's not a penalty killer. He's not a grinder. He's supposed to be a scorer. And he's not scoring. Only 16 goals and 32 points in the regular season (pace for 27 goals and 55 points in an 82 game season). Zero goals and zero assists in this series. Meanwhile Phil Kessel has 2 goals already. In the regular season Seguin usually does well against Toronto, and Kessel struggles against the Bruins. Three games into this series and their roles have been reversed.

In this series the Bruins have allowed 4 shorthanded goals already. That's inexcusable for what is supposed to be a strength of this team. The PK unit looks chaotic, disorganized, frantic. They're being too aggressive playing the puck-carrier. It's okay to give some space and allow shots when shorthanded. Let the goalie do his job and stop them. It's better to allow a predictable shot then over-commit to coverage and allow room for someone away from the puck to take a surprising shot.

Speaking of goaltending, Rask has, overall, been very good. He does have an annoying tendency, though, in those frantic and chaotic moments to over-commit himself. He gets a few yards away from the net then things get crazy in front. This type of melee was how Kessel scored in the 3rd. Tim Thomas was equally aggressive, venturing far from his net. But at his peak Thomas was much faster in recovering and getting back home. Rask goes out, leans away from the net, and takes an eternity to return. I'd prefer it if he stayed at home more, since it takes him so long to get back.

And the B's need to stop passing to empty space, unless it's a corner. That's a regular season thing to do. It's dangerous in the post-season because that space doesn't exist. Passing to space is essentially passing to the opposition.

The Bruins need to maintain the good habits we saw last night and limit the bad in Game 4, which is Wednesday night in Toronto.

-The Captain

Bruins @ Maple Leafs Game 3 Preview

The Bruins were tough to watch in Game 3. They were flat footed, and other than some small flashes really didn't do anything right, which was their problem during the end of the season they are just too inconsistent.

I really don't think the Maple Leafs are that good. They have some good offensive players, but the Bruins have a good enough defensive team to shut them down. They question with the Bruins seems to be energy. They go through these lulls that ruin them. I agree with Rob, it's starts with Lucic. When he is hitting and player hard, the Bruins are a much better team. When he disappears, I feel it kills that line and makes life a lot harder.

I think the Bruins bounce back tonight. They are going to need to get through the first 5 minutes, as I think the Maple Leafs will come out with a lot of energy.

Bruins win 3-1
Player of the Game: Rask
Game starts at 7pm

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 2

The Bruins dominated Toronto in Game 1. And that doesn't mean a thing. Whether you win 8-0 or 4-1 or 1-0 in quintuple OT, it only counts as 1 playoff win. In Game 2 the Bruins eased up their intensity, while the Maple Leafs not only brought their own intensity, they were poised as well. The Leafs made fewer mistakes, and they won. It's not a complex formula.

James Reimer was a rusty colander in Game 1. In Game 2 he tightened up. Meanwhile Tuukka Rask had some rebound issues and allowed at least one goal that he should not have. Give the goaltending edge to Toronto there.

The Bruins, who had one of the best Penalty Kill units in the NHL during the regular season, allowed a power play goal. And the B's also managed to commit a few silly penalties such as Rich Peverley's delay of game. The Bruins only had 9 seconds of Power Play time. Power plays are typically the product of strong play in the offensive zone (desperate defending teams are more likely to commit hooking and slashing penalties). I think the refs called a good game, and the lack of Bruins PP time was because the Bruins didn't play a good game.

They had spurts. They had moments. They had sporadic instances of good play. But it's a 60 minute game. And once again this team's inconsistencies cost them.

Now they've given a young goalie confidence, instead of adding to his doubts. They've also now given a streaky scorer like Phil Kessel confidence. If he gets on a hot streak, that could decide the series. And now the Bruins have given a rabid and starving fanbase in Toronto a 1-1 series, and the Leafs now have home ice advantage.

Thankfully, Ference will return for Game 3. That helps Chara and Seidenberg more than anything. Seidenberg is a fantastic #2 defenseman. He's only a decent #1 defenseman. Putting Seidenberg on the ice with Chara is like putting Pippen with Jordan. It helps both of them, Seidenberg more than Chara, and significantly helps the team.

Nevertheless, the Bruins need to pick up their game. I haven't been impressed with Milan Lucic. He disappears for several shifts at a time. I haven't been impressed with Rask. I haven't been impressed with the Bruins' PK.

This is the First Round, they're playing the 5th seed, it's time to step up and play 60 full minutes. Or more. It's the friggin' Playoffs.

Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 1

In all our worry about how the Bruins would play in this series, I think we all forgot an important fact: James Reimer is a 25-year old with no playoff experience. And he was solid, at best, in the regular season. He was an absolute sieve last night. More holes than a mini-golf course.

On the other end of the ice, Tuukka Rask was a key to this big win. He only had to make 19 saves, but in the 1st period he made timely saves. Shortly after he made a big save, the Bruins took the lead. If Toronto scores that shorthanded goal, who knows what happens to the momentum and flow of the game.

The B's pressured a mediocre goalie. And when they took a lead they didn't make the kind of defensive miscues and turnovers that would allow Toronto to easily make a comeback.

There was some nastiness toward the end of this game. I think Toronto will be very motivated in Game 2. It's important for the Bruins to start strong in that game. Consistency has been an issue with this team all season long, from shift to shift, period to period, game to game. The Leafs will be hungry, the Bruins can't give them any easy snacks.

And who would have thought that Wade Redden would be the Second Star in a playoff game? That's the type of unexpected playoff performance that can make the difference between winning and losing a series.

Phil Kessel's stats from last night:
1 shot on goal in 21 shifts and 13:51 of ice-time.

-The Captain

Maple Leafs @ Bruins Game 1 Preview

The NHL playoffs are finally here. Yet, I think you'll notice that most Bruins fans are pretty nervous. The Bruins haven't been playing well. They are just 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, and really haven't looked sharp in awhile.

Peverley and Hamilton are expected to be scratched for tonight. I get Hamilton getting scratched, but I am shocked with Peverley. I know he had a tough year, but he was their leading scorer in last year's playoffs.

Anyways, it will be interesting to see if the Bruins can play a complete game. Also, it'll be interesting to see how Jagr plays since he is said to be really sick. The Bruins have had very good luck against the Maple Leafs winning 11 of their last 13 at TD Garden, but Boston has to find a way to put the puck in the net. They have scored just 8 in their last nine games.

I don't believe in Toronto at all, and I think the Bruins will play inspired hockey now that the playoffs are finally here.

Bruins win 4-2
Player of the Game: Seguin
Game starts at 7pm