Bruins 5, Flyers 1

No need for anxiety. No need for panic. The Bruins took care of business Friday night and let all their fans relax a little bit.

A few weeks ago, I stressed the importance of improvement in the playoffs. From game to game, from series to series. And the reason the Bruins are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992 is because they've improved.

Remember those painful turnovers in Games 1 and 2 of the Canadiens series? Remember Marchand and Horton playing with the jitters?

The turnovers stopped. Marchand and Horton were the Bruins' best forwards in the Philly series. The Power Play actually scored a 5-on-4 goal (eventually). Chara's fully hydrated. And Lucic scored twice in Game 4, ending a long drought.

It was a sweep, but it wasn't utter domination. Thomas stole Game 2. Game 4 was a nail-biter until the late stages. And in those tight games, the Bruins showed some character. They fought the tough battles, won most of them, and that's why they are where they are.

And it's nice sweeping, not just because it's easy on the nerves. Thomas gets a few extra days to rest. Chara and Seidenberg will be worked like mules, and they could use some time to recuperate. Unfortunately, there's not enough time for Bergeron to recover from a concussion. That's a huge loss.

Bergeron is the best defensive forward, best penalty killing forward, best faceoff taker, and he's become an offensive playmaker with Marchand and Recchi.

And against the Lightning, a defensive forward would have been nice to put on the ice against Stamkos. That will be an interesting series. Tampa Bay has some of the most talented forwards in the NHL. The Bruins have some of the best defensemen and the best goalie.

The series will start when the two Western series are decided.

-The Commodore

Flyers @ Bruins: Game 4 Preview

Oh noooooo, it's happening again!!!!!

That's what you will start hearing if the Bruins lose tonight, but this is a new year, with no injuries, with a new team, and the biggest part... TIM THOMAS.

The Flyers have showed me nothing in this series that makes me think they are going to turn it around. Pronger has a herniated disk, and they don't have one goalie on their roster that makes me think the Bruins will score any less then 5 goals.

With that being said I think Philly as too much talent to just get blown out again, and as good as Thomas has been I think he is going to let up some goals tonight. At the end of the day though he will make the key saves to win this series, and end it tonight.

If Boston can go up quick, I think this game will be over quickly, but I expect Philly to play a lot better in the beginning of the game, because well... they have to. Like I said I see the Bruins scoring at least 5 goals, and the difference will be at the end of the game Tim Thomas will make the key saves to win the game.

Actually fuck it, the Bruins are going to win and win big. Philly has given up.

Bruins win 7-1
Players of the Game: Tim Thomas/Mark Recchi
Game starts at 8pm

Flyers @ Bruins: Game 3 Preview

Hockey is a funny sport, it seems to be the only sport where "coming home" might be a bad thing. The Bruins have struggled at their home rink basically all season, so you have to be a little nervous going into this game.

One thing you can say about the Bruins is they have been clutch. They have won 4 games in overtime in the playoffs already, which is great to see since the Bruins don't have a lot of standout scorers. Saying that, the Bruins would've been blowout last game if it wasn't for Tim Thomas and his 50+ saves. He is going to need to keep playing at that level if the Bruins are going to go anywhere, because the Flyers have the advantage on offense, and they are just too good not to get a bunch of shots every game.

Still, all you need is a hot goalie, and the Bruins have the best goalie in the NHL. Up and down the roster (excluding goalie) the Flyers are the better team, but how many time have we seen this scenario and usually it comes down to the goalie.

I think the Bruins are playing confident hockey, and that they are going to get over their "home struggles". The defense needs to play better tonight, as they were terrible last game, but if Boston can withstand the early pressure that is going to come from a desperate Flyers team I think they will win this game.

Bruins win 5-3
Players of the Game: Thomas/Horton
Game starts at 7:00pm

Bruins 3, Flyers 2 (OT)

#46 may have scored the game-winner, but it was the 46 straight saves made by Tim Thomas that truly won this game for the Bruins. The Flyers dominated the 3rd period and the Overtime, outshooting the Bruins 32-12 in that span. But Thomas was impenetrable. Finally, a miscue by Kimmo Timonen, plus plenty of open ice because half of each team was changing, gives Krejci the chance to win the game. And it was a perfectly placed shot.

Krejci and Thomas were obviously the stars of the game, but let's not forget Dennis Seidenberg. He was a well deserved +3, on the ice for all three of the Bruins' goals. In Game 1, he made an impact on offense. Last night, he made an impact on defense. So many big clears, poke checks, hits, battles won. He's +7 in this series, and there's a reason for that.

Krejci has been producing. As are the 2nd and 3rd lines, which each provided a goal last night. Horton's been an OT hero. Now, if only we could find Milan Lucic. Where is he? It's been 9 playoff games without a goal. And he ended the regular season riding a 10 game scoreless streak. 6 assists in his last 18 games. And it's not as if he's focusing on his physical game, either. He's just a ghost on the ice. He was out there for 24 minutes. I noticed him for maybe 24 seconds.

And the Power Play is just sad to watch. Marchand scored his goal because he moved around, opening a passing lane for Bergeron to find. The Bruins' forwards need to move around, not just shift within their little zones of operation. Especially since the Flyers are focused on taking away the points. Sending Recchi or Bergeron up to the high slot might not be a bad idea, either. It'd either create room for the forwards down low or the defensemen on the blue-line.

I know, I know, I'm being negative. The B's just took 2 games from Philly in Philly. They've won 6 of 7. But I've seen this team go 2-0 up on the Flyers before.

Then again, we didn't have Tim Thomas before. Goaltending, by itself, cannot win an entire series. But it can steal a game. Thomas stole one last night. Thankfully it wasn't played in Quebec, or the Montreal PD would be after him.

Playoff series are frequently won by the slimmest of margins. Think about where Boston would be if they didn't score 3 OT goals against Montreal. Think about one OT shot by P.K. Subban bouncing off a skate and past Thomas. The Bruins would be golfing.

This series will be determined by something like goaltending (which favors Boston) or special teams (which favors Philadelphia). At the moment, however, Tim Thomas is the difference between these two teams.

Game 3 Wednesday night in Boston.

-The Commodore

Bruins @ Flyers: Game 2 Preview

Game 1 was a breeze for the Bruins, but don't think for a second it's going to be this easy for the entire series, as the Flyers have a hell of a team. The big question, as it always seem to be for Philly is what kind of goaltending are they going to get. They have elected to keep Brian Boucher in net tonight, which I think is a mistake.

No matter who is in net the Flyers aren't going to do a damn thing if they don't play a lot better defense. Sure Boucher was bad, but the Fylers were letting the Bruins get very easy roads to the front of the net, and even the most inept offenses are going to score when you do that.

Tonight I think there are once again going to be a lot of goals scored, and I actually think Boston will win. I just don't like Boucher and don't trust him at all, and until they changed him I'm not going to pick the Flyers to win a game. Look for guys like Lucic to really get going tonight and charge that net, because unless the Flyers start playing some defense it's easy to do.

Bruins win 5-3
Player of the Game: Lucic
Game starts at 7:30pm

Bruins 7, Flyers 3

You have to be happy, as a Bruins fan. This team does have some differences from last year's. Tim Thomas, for instance. He made a huge stop early in the 3rd to keep it 1-1. If Philly takes a lead there, who knows how momentum swings. Krejci missed the last 4 games of the series last year, he had 2 goals and 2 assists. Seidenberg was also hurt, and he had a monstrous game, pinching in on offense.

Then there's newcomers like Horton, Campbell, and Marchand. Marchand looks better and better with each playoff game he plays.

But we went up 1-0 last year. The Flyers are not pushovers. They stay even-keeled, and they're already over this loss. These are not the Canadiens. The Canadiens could be affected by a 3 goal deficit, or an unfortunate sequence of events. The Flyers don't care.

The Bruins' Power Play is still painful to watch. Is there a rule that allows teams to decline a Power Play, I think the Bruins should do that. They struggle with entry, and when they do take the zone, they stand still.

I'm happy with this result. But it has to already be put in the past for the Bruins.

Game 2 tonight.

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Roundup: Day 2

The remaining 3 series kicked off last night. There was some exciting, close hockey.

MONTREAL CANADIENS 2, BOSTON BRUINS 0
Montreal leads series 1-0

Turnovers by the Bruins, quality goaltending by the Habs. The only good thing about Montreal winning is I get to post pictures of their female fans.

BUFFALO SABRES 1, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 0
Buffalo leads series 1-0

The Philadelphia media gave James van Riemsdyk the #1 star of the game. Yeah right. Ryan Miller was the star, stopping 35 shots. Patrick Kaleta scored the lone goal of the game, off a rebound. Buffalo is not to be underestimated. But I still feel like Philly will wake up by Game 3.

I went to bed before the conclusion of the Kings/Sharks game. Sorry.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Lightning @ Penguins (Pittsburgh leads series 1-0)
7:30 PM - Rangers @ Capitals (Washington leads series 1-0) - Versus
10:00 PM - Blackhawks @ Canucks (Vancouver leads series 1-0) - Versus
10:30 PM - Predators @ Ducks (Nashville leads series 1-0)

-The Commodore

Stanley Cup Playoffs: East Preview

The most exciting postseason in pro sports begins Wednesday. Here's a preview of the first round Eastern Conference matchups:

#1 WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. #8 NEW YORK RANGERS
Ovechkin had an atypical year, only scoring 32 goals and 53 assists. The Capitals found some defensive discipline, and guys like Semin and Knuble contributed on offense. The Rangers won the season series, thanks in no small part to Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed 4 goals in 3 games against Washington. If guys like Marian Gaborik wake up for New York, it might be another early exit for Washington. I'm picking the Rangers in 7.

#2 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs. #7 BUFFALO SABRES
The Flyers limped down the stretch, having clinched their division long ago. They boast some serious playoff experience, and a number of dangerous forwards. Buffalo also have some weapons. Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford each surpassed 30 goals. And an ex-Vezina winner in net always helps. I think Buffalo takes an early lead in this series, then the Flyers wake up and win in 6.

#3 BOSTON BRUINS vs. #6 MONTREAL CANADIENS
Strength vs. speed. I'm not very optimistic about the Bruins in the postseason, but I think they'll be able to instill fear in the Canadiens. Montreal doesn't have the high flying offense they once had, and Tim Thomas will help shutdown the Habs' power play. Bruins in 6.

#4 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. #5 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
No Crosby, no Malkin, no problem. The Penguins have been playing playoff calibre hockey for months now. They grind out every battle, turn every inch of the ice into a war zone, and make opponents pay for everything. Tampa Bay falls down too easily, their offense is too reliant on the power play (less penalties are called in the playoffs), and Pittsburgh's goaltending is far superior. Penguins in 5.

I actually think Pittsburgh will win the East. We'll preview the Western Conference tomorrow.

-The Commodore