Game Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins

After playing five of their first games on the road, the Bruins come home tomorrow to face the Toronto Maple Leafs. I have a burgeoning soft spot for these guys, so I'm particularly looking forward to this game. So, what do we expect from the blue and white? Well, I'll tell you. The Leafs have sort of...overthrown themselves the past few seasons. Think of us, after the Joe Thornton trade. They lost their Captain, as well as a few (read: all) of their core players. They're kind of going through a transitional phase right now, but they're still a very dangerous team. Let's go over their leaders, shall we?

Offensive Leader: Nik Antropov (2008-09 totals: 3G-2A-5P, 2007-08 totals: 26G-30A-56P)
Defensive Leader: Tomas Kaberle (2008-09 totals: 1G-1A-2P, 2007-08 totals: 8G-45A-53P)
Goaltending Leader: Vesa Toskala (2008-09: 5 games played, 1W-1L-3OTL 64 games played 33W-25L-6OTL)

The Leafs are commonly a tragically underestimated team. They've sort of been sleepers so far this season, but they're capable of offensive outburtsts (read: the 8-2 game we lost to them last season) and every team has a few surprises up their sleeves. Don't underestimate the Maple Leafs, folks, or else you'll live to regret it. The goal for the Bruins tonight will be to play a full 60 minutes like we did against Ottawa, and AVOID overtime unless they absolutely have to get there. Bring all three aspects of their game, like we all know they're capable of doing, and we should be able to at least grab another point from this one.

Soapbox stand time.

I'm ignoring the second consecutive shootout loss entirely, because I really just don't want to talk about it. So, abandoning that in favor of a soapbox stand. That's right, I have my ranty stick and I'm preparing my authoritative voice. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The topic of choice? Dennis Wideman. Well, not so much Dennis as the way people speak of him.

Because what are Bruins fans if they don't have something, or someone, to gripe about?

In this case, we're griping about someone who has been our top defenseman so far this season. Forget the penalty on whatshisface Kostitsyn in the Montreal game. Dennis Wideman's game has grown since we got him two seasons ago. He's become one of the (if not the) top defensemen on our team. When we traded Brad Boyes for him, we were just looking for someone to fill a defensive hole. We seriously didn't think we had a top four defenseman here, just someone to kind of be there and fill in spaces, but over the past one-and-a-half seasons, he's developed into one of our stalwarts. He produces offensively, without allowing it to take much (if any) from his defensive game.

Yeah, there have been times where he's gone in and out of the doghouse. But seriously, what player in the NHL hasn't? Shall we recap the top three things he's done for us? Just off the top of my head? Because there are definitely more than just that.

03: The 18,000th goal in Bruins history. We were in an epic scoring draught around that time, if you recall. We were shut out for four and a half periods in a row and he scored, and it happened to be the 18,000th in Bruins history.
02: The tying goal in the Pens game when we came back from 0-4 down. An opportune goal at an opportune moment, which, maybe didn't lead to the result we'd wished for? But it definitely helped.
01: The pass that lead to the OT winner in game 3 against the Habs last season. Because without that beautiful behind the back pass he made, Marc Savard wouldn't have been able to score that goal.

Remember that, guys?

I have so much more to say, but really...he's a great player. And I think a lot of the reason why people like to scapegoat him is because, well, Bruins fans always need something...or, should I say someone to complain about. Get over it, guys. Because a lot of the time? You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. And I'd really not like it if that were the case this time.

Last night and tonight...

Okay, so...the home opener? The way everyone stood and cheered for Patrice Bergeron warmed my heart right to the center. I wish I'd been there, because you would have been able to hear me screaming all the way in China.

Welcome home, boys.

Last night...was a solid 60 minute effort. But if figures that one of those, our best game of the season so far, would be solved in the penalty shot contest known as a shoot out. Shootouts are pretty much the devil, I'd like to think. Seriously, though? The only criticism I can pull from last night's game is...we need to capitalize on those power play chances. We had eight power plays, and one power play goal. Speaking of which...Phil Kessel is pretty much the king right now. But that's beside the point.

Tonight, we're in Buffalo. All we need to do is bring the same effort we brought last night, and we have a huge chance to win this one.

Ah, they didn't let me down.

Kessel, Phil Kessel, whut...

I love it when they listen to me. Last night was a solid 60 minutes of effort, and I really have nothing to complain about. Manny Fernandez wasn't tested too often, but all but a couple of times, he came up big, which is important to the future of the team, at least this season. I'm only hoping that he can keep it up. Oh. And Marc Savard and Michael Ryder? Do I need to say it again? In case I do...YEAR OF THE SAVARD! Just in case you forgot. 9 points in 4 games. Oh, Marc.

PJ Axelsson was out last night, but you 'trade talkers,' this does not mean he's on the trading block. He had muscle spasms, folks. Claude said it himself. He'll be back tomorrow, and helping us out, just like he always does. I'd love, someday, for him to get the recognition he deserves. But that's probably not going to happen.

We come back to the Garden 2-1-1. All in all, a pretty good start to what I perceive to be a pretty good season. Tomorrow, we play the Pens, which will, no doubt, be a challenge. But I have a feeling that if we put together an effort like we did against the Sens last night, we'll be okay.

Reason 9,000 why I love Michael Ryder...

For those of you unfamiliar with the shirt, it has a Canadiens logo and the word 'sucks' beneath it.

Well, if I hadn't already loved him before, I would have started, upon seeing that. That boy makes himself easy to adore, that's for sure.

On a less 'haha Habs' note, Senators tonight. And...if you ask Aaron Ward:

Over the last two seasons our group seems to play well in Ottawa. Hopefully that continues and, with a bit of luck, we can also get the young guys into a situation where they feel the same, feeling comfortable, and looking forward to playing Ottawa, too.

We do have a relatively decent record against Ottawa, but we really shouldn't let that go to our heads. This is a different season. We can't start thinking about the fact that we can beat these guys, though we can, we just need to focus on playing good, Bruins hockey. If we do that for a full 60 minutes, I definitely think we can come out on top here.

Bish says...

12:49 p.m.
News from the North: Manny Fernandez was the first goalie off the ice this morning at Scotiabank Place. That should indicate that he will be the starter for Boston this evening.

Ottawa had an optional this morning after their game against Phoenix (a 6-3 win over the Coyotes).

It looks like old friend Alex Auld will go for the Sens. Should be interesting...

So, it's the battle of the backups? We don't know how well we can do against Alex Auld. He's big, tall and strong, so we just need to work on getting him out of position. We can do this. I've got a good feeling boys. Don't make me a liar.

Let's give them something to talk about...

One last thing before we go. Seems as though the chemistry between Michael Ryder and Marc Savard has people talking. Which is good. It's about time people started talking positively about Marc and Mike.

Wilmington, MA – On Thursday, dressed in the guise of mild mannered athletes, Bruins forwards Marc Savard and Michael Ryder attended practice at the Ristuccia Memorial Arena.

Unbeknownst to the casual observer, these two men have accounted for over half of the Black & Gold's goals and almost a third of the club's points during the first three games of the 2008-09 season.

Humorous image of Marc and Mike in tights aside...I say they keep up the trend tonight, what about you? Let's go Bruins!

Why start a new trend...

...when the old one is working so well? Yeah, we'll go with that. I made a bullet list of things to talk about from last night's game, so...shall we begin? We'll start with the good things.

When you're hot, you're hot.

Marc Savard. What can I say that I haven't already said? Five goals in three games? Talk about starting the season with a streak. His first goal was a thing of beauty. Absolute beauty. But the second? A lucky bounce in Montreal...going our way? That's an insane concept and I'm wondering what in the world happened there. Maybe the ghosts are colorblind and thought that the black and gold jerseys were suddenly bleu, blanc et rouge. Either way, mess up of a ghost or just a genuine lucky bounce in our favor? I quite like it. And when you're hot, the bounces go in your favor, right?

Tough calls beget tough goals.

And the fact that Dennis Wideman cross checked whichever Kostitsyn brother that was, isn't a question, no. But when a ref calls a retaliation? They have to call the initial penalty, too. I don't know what kind of gunk the ref had in his eyes, but...did he miss when Kostitsyn scissor tripped Wideman to the ground? I have a slight Wideman bias, I'll admit, but...I'd feel the same way if roles had been reversed, so...I really think they need to find refs who won't bias either way. That may not exist but it's worth a try, because the refs always seem to have a bias toward the Canadiens when we play them.

The boo birds were flying high last night, as is standard with a Boston/Montreal tilt. Poor Michael Ryder...that must have been rough on him, going back to his old haunt and being pretty much booed to the point of a screw up each time he touched the puck. He did, however, notch an assist, so it was sort of a 'I can still do this' thing for him. Which is good.

Also, what was Tim Thomas thinking?! I don't know whether it was at the end of the third or at some point in OT, but...when he went chasing after the puck like he was walking a dog? Oh Timmy, I love you right to bits, but please don't ever do that again.

No comment on the shootout. It was rough. But we could have had two points if not for that momentary collapse. Keep that in mind next time, boys.

I love the smell of a Habs game in the morning...

Well, in the evening, but you know what I mean. This is the Canadiens' centennial season, so no doubt they'll pretty much be out to prove that they're still the same evil team who's always vexed us in the past. Good thing I was already pretty sure of that fact.

Montreal has won 11 straight regular-season meetings, the Canadiens' longest active winning streak against any team. Boston's last victory at the Bell Centre took place on Dec. 4, 2006 (6-5).

Um...I'm thinking it's time for that streak to end tonight. Eleven regular season meetings in a row is just embarrassing for any team. Let alone us. People are starting to expect losses when it comes to Habs games, and we need to feed off that and make ourselves better. Just like we did last season.

It's always a party when Boston plays Montreal.

Aaron Ward blogged about how he feels about the game:

I feel like I can close my eyes and replay every shift, every moment of every game we played against Montreal last year, so I think it’s comforting to know that there’s shouldn’t be a whole lot of surprises coming at you.

He has a very good point. On Saturday, we played a team we're not familiar with at all. Not that it makes it okay to go down 4-1 over the course of five minutes, but with familiarity comes recognition of tendencies and with that comes a better ability to shut down plays. If there's anyone we're familiar with, it's the Canadiens. Fifteen games against them last season? Yeah, I think we know them well enough.

I think that knowing that this is a big game -- a rivalry game -- we should have learned a lot from last year, from our mistakes, considering we put ourselves behind the eight ball many times with penalties.

Okay, we recognize the problem. That's a start. Recognition is only half the battle, however. 'Don't get behind the eight ball with penalties.' Meaning don't take stupid, lazy penalties that are going to cost you. Meaning no hooking, no holding, and for the love of god when you clear the puck, please try and keep it low to the ground so it doesn't go over the glass. Stay out of the box, because if that game against the Maple Leafs is any proof, they're still just as lethal on the PP.

It’s the score at the end of the game that matters. That’s the one that will be remembered, not if you took a guy’s head off or evened a score from a previous game.

Nothing else relevant – it’s the two points in the standings and the team’s outcome that matters. So I think it’s key that we draw upon our most recent experiences: patience, composure, discipline, because we’ve got to know if you give them an inch, they’re going to take a mile.

Aaron Ward is a wise, wise man. We have every chance to win this game tonight. We're just as talented as they are, and we have almost all the same components to our team that we had when we beat them a couple times in the playoffs last season, remember that guys? Now, we have the added component of Michael Ryder, who will be challenged tonight in playing his old team. But I think he can do it.

I think we can do this. Let's not make my hoping and faith in vain, all right?

Trades of favorites are not fun things.

I had a clever writeup about Saturday's game in my head and the fact that Marc Savard tried to singlehandedly bring us back from a 4-1 deficit to win (by the way, I believe I mentioned that this year was the year of the Savard. I wasn't joking). I was going to throw it together, but then I saw this.

Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has traded defenseman Andrew Alberts to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Ned Lukacevic and a fourth round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Well if that's not the most fun way to start the day. Hearing one of your favorite players has traded...to the team that's the very reason he's being traded is...not a fun thing.

I, for one, will miss you like crazy.

Well that sucks royally. We couldn't have, you know, kept him and traded Manny Fernandez (who, by the way, is pretty much the entire reason we couldn't manage to win that game on Saturday)? That would have made more sense than this. Even Claude seems baffled:

"There was a time where after he made a few mistakes, that would push him out for the rest of the game," Julien said. "I thought he'd been doing a great job of bouncing back and finishing strong. That was a positive."

*sighs deeply* Oh, and wait, the good news just keeps a'coming. Get this:

Claude Julien said Chuck Kobasew would be sidelined for three weeks, dating back to last Thursday's game when he suffered a fractured right ankle.

No word on whether Kobasew has been placed on long-term injured reserve. To be eligible for LTIR, a player must be unfit to play for 10 games and 24 calendar days. If the Bruins placed Kobasew on LTIR, the earliest he'd be eligible to play would be Nov. 1 against Dallas.

Oh Chuck. You seriously can never catch a break as far as injury goes, can you? If it's not one thing, it's another. I'm just glad that PC has a pretty decent tolerance for injured players. At least I thought he did. I say again, oh Chuck. This is a relatively depressing post. So, I won't even get into the 4-3 loss against the Wild, other than to say that Marc Savard rocks, Michael Ryder owns my soul, PJ Axelsson remains an underrated leader, Manny Fernandez sucks, Phil Kessel is great and and Patrice Bergeron is back to full form.

Before I close this, however, I have a little tidbit from another Bruins blogger that I'd like to share (WickedBruinsFan, if you'd like me to take this down, just ask and I'd be more than happy to).

"At the end of practice I saw Dennis Wideman go over to the door and get the attention of the equipment manager. He talked to him for a minute, returned to the ice skating alone at center and shot a puck, then grabbed his extra stick and was the first one to leave the ice. Wideman is never first to leave after practices. That was the point I knew Alberts was traded or at least something had happened. Wideman and Alberts are close, often riding to practices together."

That kills me. Just slays me. If I hadn't been broken up about this before, that would have done it. I'll definitely miss him.

What a way to open the season!

A 5-4 win, decided in the final five minutes of play? I'm thinking I love it. Blake Wheeler's first NHL goal, a whole bunch of multiple point games and Tim Thomas looked about as solid as a door made of plutonium. That, my friends in the blogosphere, is what this life long Bruins fan would like to call cause for excitement. Let us go through the finer points, shall we? Phil Kessel started it off by proving my theory that Claude Julien knows what he's talking about. His goal was a thing of beauty, and not just that but it notched Bergy's first assist of the season. Two guys who kind of needed to strike early to avoid being criticized too much, and they did just that. Which was good. Patrice Bergeron was a man on a mission last night, out to prove that he wasn't affected too badly by his season away, and Phil Kessel was out to prove that his lesson was learned when Claude Julien benched him last season. Well, good. Now keep it up. Now, onto my next point.

The kid's got promise, I'd like to think.

FIRST GAME and he scores a beauty of a goal. Welcome to the Bruins, kiddo, because you're gonna be here for a very, very long time.

David Krejci. What on Earth can I say about David Krejci? The boy is amazing. People who thought his impressiveness last season was flukey are going to be proven terribly wrong. A goal and an assist and a whole plethora of chances. What a kid.

Michael Ryder also notched his 100th career goal and his first as a Bruin, which makes me very happy, because I'm one of the few who actually support the decision to grab him up from the UFA list. He's going to flourish on a line with Savard and Axelsson. The three of them line up well together. PJ has the defensive aspect, which lets Marc and Michael go and do their scoring thing. Mark my words: that line's gonna make a splash.

Speaking of Marc Savard...well, here, I'll let this picture do the talking:

Don't hate, guys, you might be as cool as Savvy someday.

A goal and an assist? Yeah, this is the season of the Savard, I can already tell. This pleases me, for sure.

Oh, and let's not forget Tim Thomas. He was all over the place last night. He made those classic Tim Thomas saves that you look at and say HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE DO THAT? He's got skill, yeah, but half the time you wonder what spirit is sitting on his shoulder saying YOU WILL GET THIS PUCK! I love my goalie like you wouldn't believe.

Hard work + team effort = win.

All in all, it was a very impressive effort, with a couple slip ups here and there, but that's to be expected of the first game of the season. It certainly gives us something to look forward to for the rest of the season, doesn't it?

So, what's on the menu today?

Welcome to Eat Like a Bruin. I'm Lizi and I'll be your waitress today. Our specials today are the Confident Coach Souffle, the Blogging Defenseman Gumbo and a tall glass of Reunited Minors Kid and His Coach. Okay, so that might have just been the most pathetic introductory sentence ever, but yes, that's what's going on in the world of the Boston Bruins today.

Claude Julien spoke to Bruins reporter John Bishop today, and, as always, he had a lot to say. Here are something that jumped out at me.

Now down to 23 men, Julien wished that number were higher.

“I would have liked to have kept some of the other guys as well, because, no matter what, they were deserving of being here,” said Julien. “At the same time, on the selfish end of it, the guys that have to clear waivers, you hope that they clear them, because that means they give you depth and you can see those guys back in your lineup.

“If they get picked up, you’ve just lost probably a player that you would’ve loved to keep in your organization."

My impression here is that he was referring to Jeremy Reich. Reicher was nothing if not solid for us when he came up. Probably not the first person you'd think of when looking for offense, no, but he always brought something to the table, whether it be scoring touch (because he did score a few for us last season) or his innate capability to kick rump and take names, Jeremy Reich is a solid asset to any team. Good fourth liners who both know how to fight and how to score are few and far between. You usually end up with one or the other, but never both, so any team who manages to nab him is lucky beyond all sense of reason. So, yeah, Claude and I are both wishing that the number was higher. Maybe something like 26, so we could have kept Reicher and kept Vladimir Sobotka and Petteri Nokelainen in the big club. But sadly, that's not in the cards, I suppose. Just bear in mind (heh...bear) that whoever ends up with this gem of a player will be happier than a pig in a garbage dump...gross pun aside.



And now onto our next item. The most dangerous thing that our web guy has done was probably to give Aaron Ward a blog. But I sense fun times in the future with this. His first entry was about the business of hockey, and he really impressed me with his insight into the mind of our management staff. Will we see Aaron Ward as a GM or Assistant GM when his career ends? Well, I'd like to wittness it, at least. Let's see what he had to say, shall we?

The game is essentially a business. There’s a part of it that’s played on the ice, but behind the scenes, you have to really separate yourself from the emotional attachment to your teammates, the relationships you have, ‘cause it’s ever-changing.

As someone who attaches herself to players (it's impossible to avoid, really. You see these people on your TV screen every other day for the majority of fall, winter and spring), I think this really struck a chord with me. Wardo gets our attachment, and that was kind of his way of reminding us that stuff happens. You may not want it to, and you may not like it when it does, but it's more or less an inevitability. This team is the epitome of that, I think. We've essentially gone through a wholesale change over the course of three seasons (remember the days of Glen, Joe and Sammy as the top line? I remember them fondly...), and it takes a lot to find a group of guys that gels together. We're just managing to find that after two seasons of flopworthy attempts. Good thinking, Wardo.

I think I’m just preparing myself for the fact that the season is upon us. As much as it’s the same game of hockey, to go from pre-season to regular season, you really have to turn that key in your mind.

Aaron Ward: defenseman, blogger...philosopher? Seriously, could this guy get any brighter? Because, once again, he's reminding us of a crucial fact. The preseason? Just that. Before the season. Statistically in the past, the Bruins may have flopped in the preseason, but then they came around and made people take notice in the regular season. Think of it this way. Your team when you're playing preseason games is not the team you're going to play with when the regular season starts. You have a bunch of guys who aren't going to be ready yet. Trim them aside and you have exactly what the Bruins are putting forth here: a group of NHL caliber guys who know what they're going for. Good on Aaron Ward again for pointing it out to us.



And now for our final line of business today. Nate Thompson is playing under his coach from Providence again. He was plucked off waivers by the Islanders and guess where former Providence Bruins coach Scott 'Flash' Gordon ended up? It's really kind of cute, I think. Much like the Michael Ryder and Claude Julien story, only reversed. Earlier this year, when Flash was hired by the Islanders, Nate had this to say:

"Flash is a very, very good coach, as you see through his record and what he's done. For me, in my first couple years of pro, he molded me into the player that I am now -- what I am as a player and what I'm supposed to do out there. He and Rob Murray stressed consistency, bringing it game in and game out. I learned that from them. He's developed a lot of guys that came from Providence. [Patrice] Bergeron, [David] Krejci, they've done really well. It's a big credit to Flash and Murray down there. I would not be surprised at all if he got an NHL job anytime soon. I would say he's ready."

I, for one, think the two of them will flourish over there. Nate has always fit Flash's play style, and it'll be good for him to play under a coach he's familiar with. Best of luck to both of them.

That's all for now, kids. Tomorrow's opening night! So, expect to see exactly how things are going to go down in this blog!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my little blogging space. I'm Lizi (yes, that is a girl's name, however, the fact that I'm a girl and a hockey fan does not preclude me from actually knowing about the sport), I'm 24 and I'm from Canada's neighbor, Maine. I was pretty much born into black and gold loving blood--my mother was a born and bred Bruins fan and my childhood best friend was the only Bruins fan in a fan full of Canadiens fans. I've been there through the good and bad times, the horrid and amazing times...and finally, after years of disappointment after disappointment (I'm really not jaded, I swear), it looks as though things are finally starting to pay off for us.

So, how exactly do I start off here? Well, I suppose I should begin my saying what my game plan is here. My intention, seeing as how I don't usually miss a game, is to write up post-game recaps and thoughts, things I'd like to see more and less of from the team.

There will likely be a lot of raving about this fellow to the left, mostly because I'm convinced that he's the future of the Boston Bruins, and our captain someday. Coming back from adversity like he has and showing us exactly how capable he is of being a leader of this team and doing it with both dignity and poise, he'll be a staple in our lineup for a long time. So, yes, expect to hear the name 'Patrice Bergeron' associated with positive thoughts quite often.

If you came here looking for love for the Montreal Canadiens, you're likely in the very, very wrong place. As a matter of fact, you probably want to run away, screaming into the night, because...fact of the matter is, there is no love lost between the Canadiens and I. Too many heartbreaks caused, and I'm sure any hockey fan can understand that. I sort of have burgeoning soft spots for the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals, so I'm sure there will be love for them as well, every now and again, too.

And now, down to business. Today, a couple of final preseason cuts were announced. Peter Schaefer is now waived (and I can hardly contain my joy), as well as Jeremy Reich, which is rather unfortunate. Where Jeremy Reich had grit, determination and heart, Schaefer brought a lack of speed, inconsistency and just all around blah to our lineup. I maintain the position on Peter Schaefer that I had when we got him: worst pickup in offseason history. If we hadn't taken him, chances were good that we could have kept Glen Murray. But that's a story for another day. What it all boils down to is, despite losing a heart-and-soul guy like Jeremy Reich, the Bruins have managed to put together a pretty decent starting lineup for the coming season, to the tune of:

Forwards:
PJ Axelsson/Marc Savard/Michael Ryder
Marco Sturm/Patrice Bergeron/Phil Kessel
Blake Wheeler/David Krejci/Chuck Kobasew
Milan Lucic/Stephane Yelle/Shawn Thornton
Defensemen:
Zdeno Chara/Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart/Aaron Ward
Andrew Ference/Andrew Alberts
Goaltenders:
Tim Thomas
Manny Fernandez

with Petteri Nokelainen, Vladimir Sobotka and Shane Hnidy as healthy scratches. Meaning even if we have a couple early ding-ups, we'll still be pretty well set. For the first time in a long, long time, it's pretty good to be a Bruins fan. I'm looking forward for the season to come. And I'm sure you'll be hearing from me a lot. So, welcome to the blog and hope to see you around.