The Boston Bruins took to the TD Garden ice this Saturday, and took care of the Detroit Red Wings. It was the final game before the brief three day holiday break. Typically, the Bruins are known for dumping a steamer during a Saturday Matinee.
This Saturday they almost succeeded in doing so. But, it’s like they say, good teams find ways to win games.
The first period started, and the Bruins came out of the gate hot. All four lines were generating offensive zone pressure. This lead to the Wings taking two boneheaded penalties back to back. On the ensuing 5 on 3 power play Brad Marchand ripped a snap shot over Jimmy Howard’s glove hand. The play was all made possible by a slick cross crease feed from David Backes. The B’s were up 1, and had over a minute still left on a 5 on 4 power play.
Instead of adding to their lead, the B’s decided to dick around in their own end. A series of poor passes, and dudes falling lead to a Frans Nielsen short handed goal less than a minute after the Bruins opened up the scoring.
The two teams played in a stalemate from that point on. The Red Wings generated more chances than the Bruins, and out-shot them 20-10, after the Bruins Out-shot them 10-2 in the first. Still, $7 million dollar man Tuukka Rask stood tall. Rask shut the door, after giving up a soft five hole goal earlier in the game. Tuukka stopped 30 of 31 Red Wing shot attempts when it was all said and done.
In the third period the Bruins tightened up in their own end, and finally, Brad Marchand found Patrice Bergeron in the High slot for the go-ahead goal. Perfect Patrice would go to score the empty netter sealing the game. The Bruins head into the Christmas break on a 4 game win streak. They’ve also managed to jump over the Toronto Maple Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division. Let’s hope the Rangers can pull off a win tonight over the Leafs as well.
Overall, not the best showing from the Bruins. They struggled to get going offensively at times, and were caught making boneheaded decisions with the puck in their own end. It was definitely a game in which they stooped to their opponents level. Still, they found a way to get it done. In years past, they would’ve wilted. The end years of Julien saw his team play like dog shit on home ice, especially in matinee’s.
The Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron line continues to show they are the best line in hockey.
You can change that to 19 after today’s win as well. It all starts with Bergy. I will fight and die on the, “Patrice Bergeron is the best two way player in the NHL” hill. He’s simply disgusting at every single facet of the game. He is an elite face-off guy, he can dangle through you, he possess a lethal wrist/snap shot, he can make a slick pass, and he plays incredible defense. Brad Marchand possess more of the “wow” factor than Bergy. Marchand’s motor is always going. He is an elite offensive talent which many of us know by now, but his constant hounding of puck carriers make him underrated defensively. These two beauties give David Pastrnak a lot of room to do his thing. Pasta is not very good defensively at all, but Marchand and Bergeron are just too fucking good it does not even matter. This line is clicking, and the offensive numbers aren’t necessarily wowing to this point.
The Bruins will have the next three days off for the Holiday, and they take on the woeful Ottawa Senators next Wednesday. The Bruins lost all regular season matchups with Ottawa last season, as they never found an answer for Guy Boucher’s 1-3-1 neutral zone trap. They did however, beat the Senators twice in their best of seven Playoff series last April.
One last thing before I go:
Let’s go Bruins!
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