Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 3 rewind

Another thrilling night of hockey saw three teams bounce back in big ways to even their series. While home teams went 1-3 on day 1, they rebounded to a flawless 4-0 mark last night. We had one overtime game, so that’s where we’ll start.

Montreal 3 Ottawa 2 (OT)

  

For the second night in a row, the Ottawa Senators jumped out to an early lead in enemy territory. Clarke MacArthur let go a heavy wrist shot that snuck by Carey Price’s glove and under the bar in the waning minutes of the first period, and the Sens once again entered the first intermission up 1-0. However, much the same story as game 1, the Canadiens bounced back in the second. Max Pacioretty struck on the power play to tie the game at 1. Later, PK Subban unleashed his trademark clap bomb, and Hammond had no shot. In the third period, resilient Ottawa refused to go away. A tying goal by Patrick Wiercioch sent the game into overtime, and the Sens had a chance to steal one before heading back to Ottawa. But it was not meant to be, thanks to a brutal giveaway in the defensive zone. Alex Galchenyuk slid one through the five hole of Hammond, one the hamburglar would definitely like to have back. The Senators are down 2-0, but the good news is they have been competitive in both games in Montreal. If they can hold serve in Ottawa, we’ll have a whole new series on our hands.

Washington 4 New York Islanders 3

  

After a pathetic game 1 performance in front of their home fans, game 2 was looking like more of the same. Braden Holtby was out with a mysterious illness, replaced by rookie Philipp Grubauer, making his second ever NHL appearance. And a rookie he played like early on. Goals from Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Strome gave the Isles a 2-0 lead early in the second period, with a chance to take a 2 game series lead on the road. Karl Alzner struck halfway through the second to give the Caps life, but Kyle Okposo answered minutes later to up the lead to 3-1. Alex Ovechkin finally made his presence felt with a massive goal to cut the lead to 3-2 after two. Playing their most important period of the season, the Caps answered in a big way. Nicklaus Backstrom and Jason Chimera each put a biscuit in the basket to help Washington salvage a split at home. They need to bring this energy to the Island if they want to continue to compete. The return of Holtby wouldn’t hurt either.

Nashville 6 Chicago 2

  

The big news going into game two was the sudden goalie controversy at the hands of Blackhawks coach Joel Quennville. After yanking Corey Crawford in game 1, replacement Scott Darling was 42/42 on save opportunities, willing the Hawks back to a huge victory. However, Q decided to go back to the starting goalie all year, Crawford. To say this decision backfired is an understatement. Crawford proved once again why his glove hand is the biggest Achilles heel on the entire Hawks roster, beaten to that side most of the night. The Hawks were down all night, but actually tied it at 2-2 thanks to a goal from Patrick Kane. However, Nashville exploded in the third and never looked back. An absolutely massive response from a team that suffered a heartbreaker two nights earlier. With the series going back to Chicago, Quennville’s job only gets harder, with more and more people calling for Darling.

Vancouver 4 Calgary 1

  

Vancouver dominated from start to finish, helped by goals from Daniel Sedin, Chris Higgins, Ronalds Kenins and an empty netter from Radim Vrbata. This broke a home playoff losing streak going all the way back to game 5 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final against your very own Boston Bruins. But the score was not the talk of this game. Instead, it was the chippiness throughout, including a brawl late in the third once the outcome was no longer in doubt. Even Johnny Hockey got in on the action. An absolute must win for Vancouver, who now must travel into Calgary, which has suddenly turned into one of the toughest places to play.

As always, another full night of action on tap today and tonight. If you miss it, Beard will have you all caught up tomorrow.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 1 rewind

Throughout the playoffs, Beard and I will be recapping the past night’s action. Last night was day one, and with four games on the schedule, it did not disappoint.

Montreal 4 Ottawa 3

A matchup of two of the hottest teams in the league with locked in goalies got off to a disastrous start for the home Canadiens. A puck bounced off defenseman Andrei Markov and past Carey Price to silence the raucous Belle Centre crowd. However, goals by Torrey Mitchell and Tomas Plekanec 15 seconds apart gave Montreal a 2-1 lead. These goals were part of a wild second period flurry that saw five goals scored in a matter of few minutes to leave the score at 3-3. Late in the second period, the unlikeliest of heroes emerged. Brian Flynn, not a noted goal scorer, slid one past the hamburglar to put Montreal on top 4-3, a lead they never relinquished on their way to a game 1 win. However, the most talked about play had nothing to do with any of the seven goals scored. The Habs’ PK Subban decided to treat Mark Stone’s wrist like it was a hanging curveball, taking a baseball swing at the rookie in front of the net. This earned Subban a 5 minute major as well as a game misconduct, but not a suspension. Just the latest incident for a guy among the dirtiest and least accountable in all the NHL. You know if the roles were reversed, Habs fans would be calling 911 on Stone, and that’s not even a slight exaggeration. I can’t wait to see retaliation from Ottawa over what I hope to be a long series. Sure to be a bloodbath.

  

New York Islanders 4 Washington 1

What seemed like one of the most interesting series going in got off to a pretty horrendous start, by far the least entertaining of the four games last night. For the Capitals, a team playing their first playoff game in two years, the energy was nowhere near the level it should’ve been, and the same goes for their fans. The arena sounded like a morgue. The Islanders got off to a hot start, with Brock Nelson scoring 6 minutes in, but the Capitals answered in the final minute to send the game to the first intermission at 1-1. However, the Islanders took firm control of the game in the second, with goals from Ryan Strome and Josh Bailey. Jaroslav Halak shut the door the rest of the way, and Nelson added an empty netter to cap off the scoring. If the Caps don’t bring a higher compete level tomorrow night, this series will be history. But you can never count any team out with #8. Last I checked he likes to score every now and then.

  

Chicago 4 Nashville 3 (2OT)

This series might be over just as soon as it started. There’s just no way you can come back from such a devastating loss on home ice the way Nashville suffered last night. The game got off to a perfect start for the Preds, as goals from Colin Wilson(x2) and Viktor Stalberg gave Nashville a 3-0 lead after one. It was here that Hawks coach Joel Quennville decided to yank the white Drake, Corey Crawford, in favor of Scott Darling. 

  

The former UMaine Blackbear made all the difference in this game. Chicago roared back for 3 in the second to tie the game 3-3. Both the third period and first overtime were scoreless, and it was not until Duncan Kieth’s blast halfway through the second OT that the game was finally resolved. Darling was the undisputed first star of this game, stopping all 42 shots he faced In relief of Crawford, creating a healthy goalie controversy. As far as Nashville goes, if this was a heavyweight bout, they’d be on the ground at a bout a 5 count. Devastating loss, no other way to word it.

Calgary 2 Vancouver 1

Overshadowed by the game in Nashville, another great battle was going on on the Canadian west coast. Calgary, a team no one expected to be here, stuck with Vancouver the entire way, and was trailing only 1-0 entering the third. As they have done all seas one, the Flames roared back in the third, tying it on a David Jones goal with 12 minutes left. With 30 seconds left, it looked like we were once again heading to overtime, until a Kris Russell blast managed to slip by Eddie Lack. The Rogers Arena crowd was stunned, and Calgary pulled off the opening round shocker. For Vancouver, more of the same in the playoffs.

  

The playoffs are always like Christmas morning for me, and last night didn’t disappoint. Three games were up in the air until the final whistle, and home teams went only 1-3. If the next two months are anything like last night, we’re in for a wild ride.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference First Round Previews

Apologies to March Madness, but the best tournament in sports is upon us. In a little over 24 hours, the puck will be dropped on the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, and we are sure to be in for two months of non-stop action. Now, even though our beloved Bruins didn’t make it, there’s still plenty of great hockey to be played, especially out in the wild, wild West. The defending champion LA Kings missed the cut, so the title is wide open. All four matchups bring something special to the table, here’s what to look for in each.

C2 Nashville vs. C3 Chicago

Game 1: Wednesday 8:30 (Eastern), NBCSN

   

 

In a classic battle of offense vs. defense, the Chicago Blackhawks take the short trip South to visit the Nashville Predators.  The big news out of the Windy City is the return of maybe the best pure scorer in the league, Patrick Kane. After missing weeks with a broken clavicle, Kane has been cleared for full contact and expects to play game 1. This is obviously a huge deal for the Hawks, anytime you get your best scorer back in your lineup that makes a huge difference. Nashville has the home ice due to an incredible start to the season, but have somewhat faded down the stretch. Nashville is one of the best defensive teams in the league, and has a very strong core led by Seth Jones and Shea Weber. The Preds have the distinct advantage in the net, as Pekka Rinne is capable of being the best goalie in the league, while Corey Crawford has holes in his game including the weakest glove in the NHL. However, Crawford is the only really weakness the Hawks have. They boast two of the best players in the game in Kane and Jonathan Toews, and also have a strong defensive unit led by Duncan Keith. Nashville is very tough at home, which is why I think they hang on for a few games, but eventually the better team prevails.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 6

P2 Vancouver vs. P3 Calgary

Game 1 Wednesday 10:00 USA

   

 

In maybe the most intriguing matchup of the first round, two teams who missed out on the playoffs a year ago will do battle in the Canadian Northwest. For Vancouver, they are looking to get back to where they were a few years ago, 2011 cup finalists. The shine of the franchise has worn off, but the Sedin twins remain, always dangerous.  On the other side, the Flames are making their first postseason appearance since the 2009 season, ignited by an amazing rookie season by last year’s Hobey Baker winner and this year’s Calder favorite Johnny Gaudreau. What makes this team so special is their resiliency. They don’t have a very talented roster, but you can never count them out. On top of the tendency of Vancouver to under perform, I am picking the upset.

Prediction: Flames in 7

C1 St. Louis vs W1 Minnesota

Game 1 Thursday 9:30, NBCSN

   

 

The St. Louis Blues have had one of the league’s most stacked rosters for a few years now. From Paul Stastny to Vladimir Tarasenko to American hero TJ Oshie to David Backes, the Blues have the horses to compete for the whole thing. Each of the last two years, they have run into buzzsaws known as the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks. With that not the case this year, the Blues hope to get off the schnide and make some noise in the tournament. The Minnesota Wild were floundering for most of the season. A playoff team from a year ago was in danger of missing out, until the immortal Devan Dubnyk stepped on the scene. The journeyman goaltender has had by far the best year of his career, posting a 1.78 GAA and .936 SV% in 39 games. Dubnyk gives the Wild a chance, but in the end the Blues have too many weapons for Minnesota to compete.

Prediction: Blues in 6

P1 Anaheim vs W2 Winnipeg

Game 1 Thursday 10:30, CNBC

   

 

Like the Blues, the Ducks have a complete roster, but have not made a deep playoff run in the last few seasons. However, there is a different look to this team this season. Adversity was thrown their way with the mumps outbreak early in the season, but they overcame everything to grab the top seed in the West and almost the Presidents’ Trophy. It is time for Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to prove why they belong on a list of the best players in the league. Anything short of the cup finals is a disappointment. Their opponent is the Winnipeg Jets, a team that snuck into the playoffs over the defending champion Kings. This team relies on the rabid atmosphere of their home barn in the Peg, a city that hasn’t seen playoff hockey since 1996, during the original incarnation of the Jets. It will be wild games 3 and 4 which might be enough to level the ice a little bit. Dustin Byfuglien is a major presence for the Jets, and needs to be his usual physical presence in order for Winnipeg to have a chance. I think they put up a good fight, but the Ducks live to see another round.

Prediction: Ducks in 7

Western Conference Final Prediction: Blues over Ducks in 7

Buzz WCF predictions

Nick: Vancouver over Chicago in 6

Tock: Chicago over Calgary in 5

Westy: Chicago over Anaheim in 6

Meaves: Chicago over Anaheim in 5

Keep on the lookout for Meaves’ Eastern Conference preview tomorrow

  

Peter and Claude have to go

    

Much has been made about the failures of the 2015 Boston Bruins. A franchise that had been to the cup final twice in four seasons, and the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners are now going to be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs from their couches for the first time in eight seasons. In a market like Boston, that is not going to pass without someone paying the price. In my opinion, it’s time for a fresh start in at least two places.

The first culprit of the disaster that was the 2014-2015 Boston Bruins is the general manager, Peter Chiarelli. For the first half decade of his tenure, Chiarelli built the organization back up from the cellar of the NHL, and ultimately helped win the team’s first Cup since 1972. However, in the four years since the championship, Chiarelli has been anything but impressive. First of all, the drafting has simply not been good at all. Since his first draft in 2007, Chiarelli has drafted a total of four (!!) players who ended up playing 50 or more games in the NHL, and only one, Dougie Hamilton, remains in the organization.  Chiarelli’ most notable draft failure was his first selection with the Bruins, Zach Hamill 8th overall. Hamill’s career stats? 0-4-4. Later selections have not been much better, but 2014 first round pick David Pastrnak has turned into a diamond in the rough. Too little, too late for Peter if you ask me.  Chiarelli’s chronic inability to find cheap young talent leads to his second fatal flaw as a GM…

 

…Overvaluing his own players.  Throughout the years, Chiarelli has often times had too strong of a commitment to the guys on his roster. For example, Chris Kelly, a third liner at absolute best, was on the books for 3.5 million this year, just an absurd amount. A contract like this makes Kelly virtually immovable, because his skill set can be easily found and replaced. Contracts like this, along with commitment to bottom of the lineup “glue guys” such as Dan Paille and Greg Campbell, has put the Bruins in severe cap jail.  Almost every deadline, the Bruins are in need of some major piece, and nearly every year, Chiarelli doesn’t deliver, instead acquiring a “puck moving defenseman” who will most likely end up on the third defense pair (see: Tomas Kaberle, Andrej Mezsaros).  

   

 

The last, and most prevalent issue in the minds of most Bruins fans, is Chiarelli’s history of trades. Two main examples stick out in my mind. One would obviously be Tyler Seguin. Seguin, at the time of the trade, was 21 years old, and had all the potential in the world. For reasons that might not have had to do with Chiarelli (I’ll get to that later), Peter was in a position to move him. My issue with Julien is the return he got back. Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith are nice players at times, but only ponies compared to the horse that Seguin is capable of becoming.  The second move that had a bigger impact than people realize was the Johnny Boychuk trade to the island.  On the eve of the season, JB was dealt to New York for two second round picks, a fatality of cap jail. Not only was Boychuk a top pair defenseman on the ice, but truly one of the real leaders in the room. With the departure of Boychuk and aging enforcer Shawn Thornton, the Bruins lost the heart and soul of the last five years.  This move, along with failing to replace 30 goal scorer Jarome Iginla at RW was the first nail in the coffin of the black and gold this season.

While Chiarelli had done a horrific job building the organization in the last few years, the team still had a decent amount of talent. A core including defending Vezina winner Tuukka Rask, as well as perennial Selke nominee Patrice Bergeron was still in place. The roster was that of a middle of the road playoff team, which should’ve been competing for home ice advantage in the first round. Instead, they finished barely ahead of the Florida Panthers for 9th in the East. At some point, an underperforming roster falls on the coach, and this year falls on Julien to some degree. Over his tenure, Julien has been blessed with two of the greatest scorers in the game, Seguin as well as Phil Kessel before him. However, neither fit Julien’s sacred “system”, and were both chased out of town. The trademark of Julien’s regime is a defensive oriented, hard nosed team. While that’s all great, at some point we all must realize the game is changed. Look at the successful teams in the league, most have great speed. On top of this, many teams have one player (Patrick Kane in Chicago) who isn’t particularly skilled defensively, but can give you goals on a consistent basis. Julien is unwilling to accept this change. Also, Julien has a strange fear of change, particularly with his lines. Late in the year, Milan Lucic, David Pastrnak, and Ryan Spooner found amazing success on a line together. But Claude wanted the lines back to their original construction, when the three were separate. On the biggest night of the year, against Washington with points absolutely necessary, he decided to split the one line having success, and return to the lines that had struggled all year. The black and gold scored precisely zero goals that night. Claude had a good run, that’s not up for debate, but his message has gone stale and it’s time to move on.

In December, with the Bruins on the edge of the playoff picture, Charlie Jacobs declared that missing the playoffs would be unnaceptable. Well, it happened. Time for Jacobs to stick to his guns and move in a fresh, new direction.

  

Boston University Hockey Season Recap

So unless you live under rock, you know that the NCAA Frozen Four was this past weekend at the Garden. All three games were top-notch, and in the end, the Providence Friars pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, defeating my beloved Boston University Terriers 4-3 in the Championship game.

However, I want to make it clear that this blog is not focusing on that game. I don’t want to. I really don’t. I honestly don’t want to hear the name Matt O’Connor for a few more weeks.

Instead, we might as well focus on how much of a turnaround this season was after last year’s debacle. Last year the Terriers won ten games. TEN. This year we had ten wins before December rolled around.

We catapulted from ninth in the Hockey East standings to first. We destroyed the Hockey East tournament, winning each game by like 32 goals. We also won the Beanpot for the first time since 2009, finally knocking off BC.

We also had arguably one of the best college hockey players ever, my good friend Jack. This kid from Chelmsford, Ma. routinely made defenders look stupid, as he totaled 71 points for the year, leading the nation. He won the Hobey Baker award no contest and made the First Team East All-American squad along with Captain Grzelcyk. He had one of the best freshman seasons in college and I can’t wait to see him wearing a Bruins jersey. Don’t cry because it’s over, Jack, smile because it happened.

My good pal Jack wasn’t even the only really great player. The scoring trio of Eichel, Rodrigues and O’Regan was as lethal as a scoring trio can be. Grzelcyk dominated on defense with help from Hickey, Fortunato, and MacLeod. Oksanen and Hohmann also were dangerous when they had the puck. This team was an absolute joy to watch, and will continue to be so next year. We will miss Hohmann, Rodrigues, Carrabino, and Eichel, but we’ll absolutely be right back in the mix next year. If you disagree, you’re either stupid or a BC fan (not that there’s much of a difference anyway).

Should we have won the National Championship? Yes. We were in position to. Even if the game went into overtime, we had Jack Eichel and the other team did not. But sometimes, the Sports Gods have other things in mind, and the game takes an unexpected turn. Whatever. The Terriers still had an incredible turnaround from last year, as BU won 18 games more than last season. Helluva year.

To quote BU coach David Quinn at the postgame interview on Saturday, “We’ll be back.”