About Boston Bruins

3/4/15: Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien had some great coach-speak last week in response to questions about his job security and the Bruins being in a free fall lately. Julien invoked the popular "that's his opinion and he has a right to it" defense, coupled with the "that's all part of the job so it does not bother me" chaser. At the same time, not many coaches are going to say that the team's struggles probably mean I will be fired and I curl up in a dark closet to make the bad thoughts go away every night. The reality is that the Bruins may well be looking for a new coach in a few weeks if Boston cannot turn it around and make the playoffs.

2/25/15: The Boston Bruins have been in a free fall in recent weeks and desperately need points to stay in the playoff hunt. They have leaned heavily on goaltender Tukka Rask, who clearly needs a break. The Bruins made the questionable decision to start Rask over rookie Malcolm Subban in Edmonton, and lost. They then gave Subban the start in St. Louis, who chased the rookie in his NHL debut with three goals on six shots. Rask was put into the game, making it the 25th of 26 games that he has played in dating back to December 19th. If Boston is going to make the playoffs, they need wins and a break for Rask.

2/18/15: For the few weeks surrounding the All Star Break, the Boston Bruins were as hot as any team in the NHL. Unfortunately for them, they have cooled off significantly in the last two weeks and are watching other teams break ahead of them in the standings. They currently hold the second wild card spot, though Florida is only four points behind. They can improve on their mediocre road record (11-11-3) this week as they are playing at Edmonton on Wednesday, St. Louis on Friday and Chicago on Sunday. They finally come home next Tuesday to host another Western Conference team, the Vancouver Canucks.

2/11/15: Boston fell on the road to the New York Rangers last Friday, but overall, they have been one of the hotter teams in the NHL. With a 7-2-1 record over their last 10 games, the Bruins have moved from mediocre to playoff team and currently hold the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have been strong at home, but only are 11-10-3 on the road. So of course that means they have a west coast road trip coming up. They are in Vancouver on Friday and Calgary on Monday. Those are two good teams that are likely to make the playoffs, so they cannot be taken lightly.

2/5/15: Teams, in recent years, have taken up the practice of sending their number two goalie to the minors rather than keep him on the bench as a backup. This is not true in all or even most cases, but is true when there is a clear cut number one and the team leans heavily on him. So the stint in the minors is not a demotion, it is to get the number two goalie some ice time. Boston did that as they are riding Tuuka Rask. As a result, rookie Niklas Svedberg (who has played very well this season but only in 12 games) is now down in AHL Providence and the team called up their top goalie prospect, Malcom Subban. Subban, incidentally, is the brother of P.K. Subban of the rival Montreal Canadiens.

1/28/15: Give the Boston Bruins credit. They were called out by their owner a few weeks ago and responded more than adequately - going 6-1-3 in their last 10 games. That is good enough to get them into the eighth and final playoff spot, and only four points behind the Montreal Canadiens for a guaranteed spot. Speaking of the rival Canadiens, the NHL announced that Boston would host Montreal in the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium on New Year's Day next year. It is the Boston's second Winter Classic and should be a great Original Six matchup.

1/21/15: Congratulations, David Pasternak. You are now in the big show. The Bruins announced last week that they would not be sending the rookie/prospect back down to the AHL. He is here to stay in Boston. He has had quite a week. He is allowed nine games at the pro level before his rookie contract kicks in, but the Bruins seem at peace with burning a year of that contract so he can help them now. He had four goals in his first three games since rejoining the team after the World Junior Championships and now his professional career can really begin.

1/14/15: The Bruins have high hopes for 18 year old rookie David Pastrnak, and they are now seeing what exactly he can bring to the game. He scored the first two goals of his career last Saturday against Philadelphia as the Bruins went on to win 3-1. Boston has played well enough of late to get into the conversation of the playoffs, and trail the Detroit Red Wings only by three points for third place in the Atlantic Division. Boston will host the red-hot New York Rangers on Thursday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday before taking a road trip to the Western Conference.

1/7/15: Perhaps it was the near century of the Boston Red Sox falling short of the World Series that led Bostonians to develop their complex about being on the wrong side of bad calls, or it may be something else entirely. In any case, that mindset seems to be infiltrating the Boston Bruins these days. Head coach Claude Julien believes that the Bruins are not getting the 'benefit of the doubt' from referees these days. He may have a point. The Bruins have the least amount of power plays in the league by a large margin, yet they are among the league leaders in penalties so far. Boston could use more man-advantages as they try to catch Toronto and the New York Rangers in the standings so they can get to the playoffs.

12/3/14: The Boston Bruins are not having a terrible season - through November they had 29 points and sole possession of fourth place in the Atlantic Division, good enough for a playoff spot if the season was just two months long. However, they have not been a dominant team. For all the talk about the NHL transforming into a more finesse league, it is the bigger and more physical teams that are generally winning on a regular basis. The Bruins seem to realize this and are looking to add some size to their roster. To an outside ear, that sounds like the Bruins are scouting the league in an effort to make a deal at some point.

11/19/14: The Boston Bruins need to toughen up and not play so 'soft'. At least that is what journalist Joe Haggerty is writing these days. Whether that is true or perceived is a matter of opinion, but the Bruins have delivered only 389 hits in 18 games while absorbing 443, which is in the bottom tier of hit percentage. Even Milan Lucic believes the team could be more intense. At the same time, the Bruins are 10-8, even after consecutive defeats. It is not like they are the Carolina Hurricanes or anything. Big games this week as Montreal visits on Saturday and the Penguins visit on Monday.

Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Finals Tickets

And much like the Stanley Cup Finals run that the team made a couple of years ago, this Bruins team is strong as ever. Every other NHL Playoff team knows that nothing will even come easy against one of the biggest, toughest, and most relentless rosters in the game. Add in dashes of speed and scoring touch, and the Boston Bruins will always be a strong contender in the NHL Playoffs. This year is no different; however, Boston is not an overwhelming force that's capable of simply wiping their opponents away, either. As their first round series versus the Toronto Maple Leafs is showing, the Bruins team that was incapable of closing out the Montreal Canadiens for a division title in the last week of the season can be vulnerable, as well. Following the Leafs, a matchup with the New York Rangers or Washington Capitals is on the horizon. As they journey toward the Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins will hope to show far more strong, winning performances than those late seasons cracks that could ruin their chance of a second title in three years.

Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Finals Championship

Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Finals Highlights

11/12/14: The Atlantic Division is shaping up to be the class of the Eastern Conference. As an example, the Toronto Maple Leafs are 7-5-2 and sit sixth. The Bruins are 9-6-0 after 15 games and tied for third with Detroit (the Red Wings have played one fewer game). But Boston looks to be in a good position. They are only scoring 2.9 goals per game, but have allowed only 2.3 goals per game. That is some pretty solid defense on an average night. Boston has a difficult road trip this week, at Toronto and Montreal, before coming home to host the Hurricanes and Blues.

11/5/14: Every team will have losses - it is simply impossible to not lose in an 82 game season. But you cannot lose to the lowly Sabres. The Bruins avoided that fate with a lucky bounce when Loui Eriksson's shot deflected off of Brad Marchand's glove and into the net. That tied the game at 2, and the Bruins would go on to win 3-2. The assist was Eriksson's 400th point of his career. He joined Marian Hossa (1,000 career points) and Evgeni Malkin (400 career assists) in reaching personal milestones last week. Boston is home to Edmonton on Thursday and the New Jersey Devils on Monday.

10/29/14: The schedule makers gave the Boston Bruins a difficult start to the season, with nine games in the first few weeks - far more than other teams who may be enjoying three and four day breaks between games. The Bruins certainly have not played to their potential in that span, going only 4-5. They now have another obstacle to overcome as stalwart defenseman Zdeno Chara tore his PCL and will be out four to six weeks. Boston called up Zach Trottman and Joe Morrow from the AHL, but that is a tough man to replace on the blue line.

10/22/14: For a team that is supposed to be among the elite in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire NHL, the Boston Bruins are doing a poor job of living up to those expectations so far this season. Boston won only one of their first five games, and that was in overtime with the Detroit Red Wings. The 6-4 road loss to the rival Montreal Canadiens was especially painful. Not only was the defensive effort lacking, but Milan Lucic was fined $5,000 for a vulgar gesture to the Montreal fans. That will certainly be brought back up later in the year when the teams play again. But this is just a momentary slump. Expect the Bruins to bounce back well in the near future.

10/15/14: The Boston Bruins opened up the season with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The win was good, especially against a conference rival, but young defenseman Dougie Hamilton was not pleased with his own play. The Bruins are going to be depending on the young blueliner, a former ninth overall draft pick. The team traded defenseman Johnny Boychuck to the Islanders (and he is doing well there) and also wants to limite 37 year old Zdeno Chara's minutes so he is fresh for the postseason. That is a tall order, but Hamilton seems to have the make up to take on that responsibility.