Archive for April, 2008
Posted in Playoffs, Screw the Habs April 21st, 2008
Wow.
So this is it. After blowing ten straight regular and post-season games to the Habs this season, the Bruins now find themselves going to Montreal for game seven.
Let’s say that again. THE BRUINS NOW FIND THEMSELVES GOING TO MONTREAL FOR GAME SEVEN.
Our Bruins. The ones who the experts said wouldn’t make the playoffs. The one who people wrote off as easy pickings when they DID make the playoffs, especially the Bruins ineptitude against the Canadiens during the regular season. The team that seemed headed towards that predestined path after losing the first two in Montreal. And now this. I guess not many people counted on this team to play their balls off when it counted (sorry Phil). And Boston karma (who said that?).
At this point, the Bruins have won no matter the outcome of Monday’s game. If they win, they exorcise their demons (annual and perennial) in the Canadiens and stand a chance against anyone. If they lose, they showed the world that they weren’t going to simply roll over and submit to their archenemy, one that particularly had their number this year. All of this battling is fantastic experience to build on for the kids, and especially for Phil Kessel who’s seen himself go from goat to hero in the course of one series. One could argue that that’s a transition Joe Thornton was never able to accomplish while he was in Boston.
Lets see, we have a serious underdog who has a shot at upsetting the heavy favorite. A Rocky analogy is usually pretty tired in this scenario…especially since Rocky lost in the end…but don’t forget Rocky II when Rocky beat the dreaded powerhouse who traditionally wore red, white & blue.
And, especially, don’t forget the trunks that Rocky wore.
Posted in Playoffs April 12th, 2008
Well, so much for the Karma train. It apparently got derailed two minutes in and by the time they cleaned up the mess the game was over. There was even some similarly-named Kostopoulos guy who scored as well as some dude named Smolinski who looks like he may have had some talent in the early nineties.
So what have we learned here today? Kostitsyn + Kostitsyn + Kostopoulos ≠ Karma
One concern I have about all this is Tim Thomas. Many of you out there are firm Thomas backers. Some, like myself, are skeptical. I have no doubt that he’s a damn good goalie and is one of the main reasons the Bruins are in the playoffs. However, be it for reasons of age and/or the fact that he was a late bloomer, Bruins management has never been sold on him as “The Answer” and have habitually tried to bring in (or groom) other goalies in their quest to find that person (Hannu Toivonen, Tuukka Rask, and Manny Fernandez). Now that he’s in the playoffs, Thomas needs to prove to the doubters…especially those in management who are deciding his future…that he can carry this team in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, starting off his NHL playoff career by giving up two goals in just over two minutes to the hated Canadiens isn’t going to impress anyone.
Let’s hope for a better performance on Saturday.
Posted in Playoffs April 9th, 2008
I guess if you’re looking at ideal matchups, this is the ONE team the Bruins didn’t want to face in the first round. Eight regular season tilts, eight losses. At least they managed to lose in OT the last time out, but the Canadiens probably got bored and let their guard down. The Penguins, the Devils and the ‘83-’84 Oilers would all be better matchups at this point.
However, I’m not a matchup guy. Here’s my take: You play to win it all. If you can’t beat everyone, you’re not the best team…period. So bring on Montreal. If the Bruins can beat Montreal in the first round, they can beat anyone.
That being said, here’s the reasons why we should think positively about this.
- Savard is due back soon. Even Bergeron has a chance of playing in the postseason. If anything, this team has gelled in the last couple of weeks without their offensive anchors. The young guys are proving their worth. Bring that to the 1st round and get Savard back sometime in the 1st few games and this team has a damn good chance.
- Tim Thomas has been hot, giving up no more than two goals in any of his last seven starts.
- The Canadiens can’t win EVERY game against the Bruins, can they? If the Bruins can win a game, preferably Game One, then they might get the monkey off of their back.
- Boston karma. Assuming Celtics playoff success this year, the Bruins are the last of the Boston teams to turn their franchises around.
And finally, the longtime underdog status. Habs-Bruins are the Yanks-Red Sox of the NHL. Historically, the Habs have had their number. This year, the Habs are the 1-seed in the conference and the Bruins are the 8. Few people expected the Bruins to make the playoffs and even fewer expect the Bruins to make it past the first round. An upset in this series could mean the Bruins start riding the karma express.
We’ve got the bastards right where we want ‘em.
LET’S GET IT ON!!!
Posted in Spoked B Airlines April 5th, 2008
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Good morning and welcome to Spoked B Airlines, official home of the Bruins playoffs hopes and…holy crap, folks…for the first time since 2004, we made it!
A hard fought battle in Ottawa cinched it last night and there’s still one more stopover in Buffalo to determine where our next playoff destination is. Your humble pilot is up for any city but, frankly, I’d love to avoid Montreal where, recently, we’ve had power problems with the plane. I mean, honestly, you know how you hear those stories about when a UFO flies over someone’s car and all their power goes out? It’s been like that over Montreal recently. Freaky.
(bing)
Posted in Spoked B Airlines April 4th, 2008
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Good evening folks, and welcome again to Spoked B Airlines, your official airline of the Boston Bruins playoff hopes.
Sorry for the turbulence back there. We were able to pick up some speed going through Toronto and Ottawa before bouncing around a bit over Buffalo and Newark, all that despite taking some heavy damage to our right wing which is going to take several weeks to repair. That and, despite losing one of our engines earlier this year due to being unnecessarily slammed around in Philadelphia, our highest performance engine also appears to have also conked out. We hope to have that one up and running pretty soon but in the meantime we’ve been pretty damn impressed with this neat-o Czech “Krejci” model engine that we’ve been using as a fill-in.
Still, while we’re on course, it’s going to take some more muscle to make it to the playoffs. Due up next are stops in Ottawa and Buffalo. Fortunately, it looks like Ottawa has lost some weaponry over in the Alfredsson section of the city so we have a better chance of making it through unscathed.
So hang on tight, we’ve got a damn good chance of making it to the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. Remember, the air bags are directly in front of you. If the choppy ride doesn’t get to you, the painfully contrived metaphors will.
