Tag Archives: Brian Boucher

May 4 2011

Goaltending Helps Boston Prevail against Philadelphia

Tim Thomas has been terrific and a major reason for Boston's playoff success, especially against Philadelphia!

By Dan Libon

Goaltending: it’s what this series is all about.

On one end of the ice is Tim Thomas, who has been playing out of his mind all year for Boston, while on the other side is the game of musical chairs known as the “Philadelphia Flyers goaltending.” It is a group that has featured mid-game changes in all 10 of their playoff affairs this past year. Philadelphia’s goalies are incredibly slow and as Bruins head coach Claude Julien would say, “they’re flat,” especially with a save percentage of [.904] and a playoff worse [.875], so it’s hard to think that the Bruins would indeed repeat what happened last May, especially with these gaudy numbers.

Although, while this particular series is all about goaltending, that’s not the only reason why the Bruins are up three games to none.

With the sudden awakening of the teams first line, the Bruins are showing production from their top players. The second goal of Wednesday’s game, which was recorded by David Krejci is one of those goals that shows how productive a line can be. Throwing the puck down to Milan Lucic, Krejci got it back for a great shot in front of the goal during the first period, which made it, 2-0.

In the second period, the Bruins scored two more times, as Gregory Campbell hit Daniel Paille in stride for Boston’s third goal, which was followed up by Nathan Horton scoring the teams fourth goal and completing the Gordie Howe hat trick. Philadelphia was then forced to take Brian Boucher out of the game and replace him with one of their back up goalies, Sergei Bobrovsky.

The final period was capped off by watching Boston score their first power play goal of the playoffs, as Zedeno Chara scored with a two man advantage for the Bruins to secure their third of the series.

Overall, I don’t expect the Bruins to self destruct, again. With the exception of Game 2, this series hasn’t been close. The Bruins look like they are peaking at the right time and with the first line awakening, along with productivity from lines 2 and 3, Boston looks like they are in good shape to potentially wrap up the series on Friday night at the TD Garden.

May 4 2011

Boston Wins Game 3, Beats Philadelphia, 5-1

Chara's two goals helped Boston prevail, 5-1 against the Flyers in Game 3!

By Matt Noonan 

The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at the TD Garden and now, the question remains, can the men dressed in Black and Gold win one more game? That’s right, can they actually end this series on Friday and move onto the Eastern Conference Finals?

Friends, I am going to say, yes, the Boston Bruins will indeed win Game 4 and put any remaining nightmares from last May to rest.

So, what exactly happened in Game 3? How did the Bruins win and Flyers lose?

Well, the Bruins dominated and scored at least one goal in each period. Zdeno Chara was responsible for two scores, while Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Daniel Paile took care of the rest.

Tim Thomas saved 37-of-38 shots between the pipes and finally, Boston earned their first power play goal of the playoffs, when Chara scored on a 5-on-3 in the closing minutes of the third period.

Yes, they are 1-for-31, but now the monkey is off their back and they can officially say, “we scored on the power play.”

As for the Flyers, well, this wasn’t exactly a perfect game. Both Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher split time defending the cage, while their offense and defense played incredibly timid.

Sure, the Flyers displayed their true grit and toughness, which resulted in five penalties. Andrej Meszaros scored Philadelphia’s only goal of the game, but again, the Flyers appeared un-attentive, which certainly was a major reason for them losing their third game in a row.

Although, while Game 3 was an exciting 5-1 victory, it’s time to turn the page and get ready for yet another “knock-out” game. Boston is [1-0] in the playoffs this year when their opponent is “on the ropes,” so I do wonder if Philadelphia will give it their all on Friday or pack it in for another year?

I believe they can beat the Flyers, but let’s be honest; Philadelphia won’t go down without a fight.

Against the Buffalo Sabres in the opening round, Philadelphia lost Game 5, but battled back to win Games 6 and 7, as well as punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, but against Boston, no one expected the Flyers to play this bad.

Before the puck was dropped at the Garden for Game 3, Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette told the media that he was determined that his team would win this series. Although, he’s probably somewhat worried now, especially how his team is starring a 0-3 deficit.

So, I do have to pose the question, which is will the Flyers do what they did last year and win four games in a row or actually let the Bruins win Game 4?

Hockey is a game of momentum and while the Bruins indeed hold the series lead, one goal can really change a series. If Philadelphia wants to play another game on their home ice, as well as sport their ugly Orange Crush uniforms, then they’ll have to win Game 4, as well as steal all the momentum away from Boston.

Who knows what will happen next, but in the meantime, Boston can definitely celebrate the fact that they are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

May 3 2011

Noonan: Possible 2010 Playoff Repeat with the Bruins and Celtics?

Remember what happened when the Bruins took a 2-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers?

By Matt Noonan 

The Boston Bruins and Celtics had their chances in 2010, but blew it.

If the Bruins had beaten the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, most likely they would have beaten Montreal in round three and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals to meet another original six squad, the Chicago Blackhawks, but that didn’t happen.

The Celtics made it to Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June, but faltered during the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, which allowed Los Angles to rally and win their sixteenth league championship. Had the Celtics retired, possibly their modern day “Big-Three” would have retired and head coach Doc Rivers would have left the Hub for good.

Although with ’10 in the rearview mirror, I have to ask this simple question, which is are we watching a replay of last year’s playoffs?

Allow me to explain.

Thoughts on the Bruins:

In May of 2010, the Boston Bruins had come off an exciting opening round series against the Buffalo Sabres and then won the first three games against the Flyers during the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Yet, the Bruins never won a single game afterward, as they allowed Philly to comeback and stun the Black and Gold fan faithful during the four remaining games of the series. Philadelphia continued their quest for the cup, but eventually lost to the Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Currently, Boston holds a 2-0 series lead, which again has some parallels to the ’10 postseason, but then I wonder, could the Bruins falter, again?

Will the Black and Gold fans exit the TD Garden whimpering or weeping on Wednesday or Friday?

Is it possible that the Flyers could rally from 0-2 to win the series?

Indeed, it’s certainly possible, but again, let’s try to forget what happened and focus on their most recent dramatic overtime win on Monday.

Boston is a completely different team than last year. They have players like Nathan Horton, Brad Marchand and Chris Kelly, as well as a veteran goaltender, Tim Thomas, who has practically stood on his head the past few weeks. The Bruins have also won four overtime games this year, but have yet to have a successful power play, so hopefully that will change too.

As for the Flyers, well, it’s easy to say that they’re not as strong as they were last season. Sure, they have the usual cast of characters, such as Chris Pronger and goaltender Brian Boucher, but again, they are not the same as they were last year.

So, could the Flyers comeback and win this series? It could indeed happen, but only if the Bruins play horrendous hockey the next two games.

Boston will welcome Philadelphia back to the TD Garden for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday, a place where Philadelphia went [2-2] last year.

Prediction: I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Boston take control of this series, but Game 3 will truly help all fans understand if this series will be won in four or seven games. Everyone imagined that this series would last at least six or seven games, but if Boston is victorious on Wednesday, then consider the Bruins a lock to move onto the Eastern Conference Finals, as well as officially end the ’10 Game 7 nightmare.

Is this finally the year that LeBron James beats the Boston Celtics

Thoughts on the Celtics:

It’s official, this series is the “old men” vs. “young men,” but didn’t we already know that?

Boston played horrendous against the Miami Heat in Game 1, but just like last season the Celtics did not win Games 1 or 2 in Cleveland, so if they lose Tuesday, don’t panic.

Unlike last season, the Celtics have made some changes for the worse, as they went straight from being a favorite to an underdog. I’m not going to sit here and say that trading away Kendrick Perkins or Nate Robinson was the wrong thing to do because Boston needs to start the “Big-Three” transition.

So, why not start it now, right?

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are old, tired and ready to retire, but their desire to earn one more championship in Celtic green and white is what keeps them going. Although, against Miami’s “Big-Three,” Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James, one has to wonder, can these guys actually run with the young guns?

In fact, consider this series the equivalent to a bunch of old, retired and out of shape men against a Division III varsity basketball squad. Who’d you expect to win this particular matchup?

Boston beat Miami three times during the regular season, but as anyone would tell you, the regular season doesn’t dictate how good one team is compared to the other. So, if the Celtics lose Game 2, then it’s quite possible the ’10 trend will continue, but then, Boston would have to win four games in a row, yet, are they capable of doing that this year?

Against the New York Knicks the Celtics won games, but they weren’t pretty. Boston needs to resort to playing team basketball and focus on their defense. Also, they need to not just guard James because unlike last year, Miami has key role players that Cleveland never had.

Prediction: As much as it pains me to say this, I certainly feel that Boston has seen better days. Sure, losing to their rival last season in Game 7 of the NBA Finals is heartbreaking, but wouldn’t fans rather the team lose to Miami and reload for the 2011-12 season?

Who knows if there will even be a season due to the leagues CBA issues, but again, if the Celtics can’t defend Wade, Bosh, James, as well as James Jones, then consider the team from South Beach the winner of this particular series.

May 2 2011

Krejci’s Game Winner Gives Boston 2-0 Series Lead

The Bruins will head back to Boston with a 2-0 series lead, which is either a good or bad thing!

By Brian Willwerth 

In the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Boston Bruins have this whole sudden-death overtime thing down to a science.

On Monday night, the offensive hero was David Krejci, whose goal at 14:01 of the extra period gave the Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, and a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Bruins have played four overtime games in this year’s postseason, and won all four.

But the bigger reason is Tim Thomas. That’s because he’s playing like, well, Tim Thomas. 52 saves speaks for itself.

It didn’t take long for the Flyers to get on the board. James van Riemsdyk scored his sixth goal of the playoffs just 29 seconds into the contest. Nine minutes later, it was van Riemsdyk again, this time on the power play, to give Philadelphia a 2-0 advantage. It would be the last time the puck would get behind Thomas.

The Bruins would answer later in the period. Chris Kelly got Boston on the board at the 12:50 mark. 85-seconds later, Brad Marchand pulled the Bruins even. It was the fourth goal of the playoffs for both Kelly and Marchand.  The teams combined for 30 shots in the opening 20 minutes of play.

The second period featured no scoring, but a change in net for the Flyers. Starting goaltender Brian Boucher left the game with an injury, and was replaced by Sergei Bobrovski. Boucher would return to action in the third period.

On the Bruins’ end, not surprisingly, Tim Thomas played the whole game.  He was outstanding throughout, but especially in the final period. He faced 22 shots, and stopped them all. And many of them weren’t just ordinary shots; they were point-blank opportunities. In the closing seconds, he caught a break when Danny Briere couldn’t control a bouncing puck with an empty net starting him in the face. The game remained tied after 60 minutes of play.

In overtime, the Flyers continued to keep the pressure on Thomas, with 10 more shots on goal. But in the end, it was the Bruins who got the last hurrah. Krejci took a pass from Nathan Horton and slapped it past Boucher for the game-winner, or so the Bruins thought. It was originally ruled no-goal. But replays clearly showed the puck hitting the top of the inside of the net. The referee reviewed it, the goal counted, and the Bruins’ celebration spilled on to the ice.

The Bruins would be wise not to think about recent history right now. For the second year in a row, they’ve won the first two games of a playoff series against the Flyers. We know how that turned out. In the first series against Montreal, the Canadiens won the first two games on the road. We know how that turned out.

And then there’s the Bruins’ power play:  0-for-28 in the postseason.

But the bottom line is this: they are two wins away from the conference finals.  Game 3 is Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Apr 30 2011

Boston Beats Up Philadelphia in Game 1, 7-3

Tim Thomas played yet another exceptional playoff game and kept the Bruins in contention to beat Philadelphia on Saturday!

By Matt Noonan

It was one of those performances where fans walked away baffled by what they had witnessed. For those wearing black and gold, they were definitely content, but the ones sporting the orange and white were not happy one bit.

The Boston Bruins not only beat the to the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3 on Saturday, but also made Brian Boucher look incredibly vulnerable in net. The Bruins sent five pucks passed Boucher before he was pulled in the second period for Sergei Bobrovsky who allowed two goals himself. Both goaltenders seemed incredibly out of sync and saved 26 shots combined.

Although, would Philadelphia consider their goaltending a weak part of their team, especially after allowing seven goals to Boston? Absolutely, but the blame should also be shared by the Flyers defense for allowing the Bruins into their zone quite frequently.

Boston got on the board early, as David Krejci recorded his first of two goals at 1:52 in the first period. Boston celebrated their first point of the day, but those cheers were silenced 10 minutes later after Danny Briere recorded scored and tied the game, 1-1.

The Bruins though rebounded during the final minute of the opening period when Nathan Horton beat Boucher to give Boston a 2-1 advantage prior to the first intermission.

The Black and Gold never relinquished their lead during the second or third periods, as Krejci, Mark Recchi, Brad Marchand and Gregory Campbell goals helped keep Boston’s lead safe and secure.

“I don’t think there was ever any doubt before we started the series that we couldn’t skate with them,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien said to the media via NHL.com.

“I don’t think that was an issue and the bottom line is this is a big strong, physical team that really does a pretty good job once they get in your own in end. They do a pretty good job of finding ways to score goals, so we just had to be strong, we had to be smart and skating and fore-checking was part of our game plan and I thought our guys did a pretty good job”

Philadelphia scored during both the second and third periods, as James van Riemsdyk and Mike Richards prompted somewhat of a comeback that was certainly short lived.

Tim Thomas played tremendous and saved 31-of-34 shots between the pipes, but also, Boston struggled on the power play again and finished the game 0-for-5. Will the power play unit bounce back in Game 2 on Monday? We’ll see, but for the second year in a row, Boston came away victorious in Game 1 against Philadelphia.

Apr 27 2011

NHL Playoffs: Two Down, Two to Go!

By Brian Willwerth 

Two Game 7′s down, two more to go.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks are moving on to the conference semifinals. Two more teams will do the same tonight.

In Philadelphia — The Flyers scored first, and never looked back. They beat the Buffalo Sabres, 5-2. After starting three different goalies in seven games, Philadelphia had no such trouble on this night. Brian Boucher made 25 saves. On the other side, it was Buffalo who had goaltending issues. Ryan Miller was yanked in the third period after the Flyers had built a 4-0 lead and essentially put the game out of reach. The Flyers don’t know who their next opponent will be; it depends on the outcomes of Wednesday’s games.

There was plenty of drama In Vancouver. The Canucks were on the brink of an epic collapse against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, having blown a 3-0 lead in the series. The decisive game went into overtime. But Alex Burrows stole the puck in the Chicago end, and slapped one past Corey Crawford to give the Canucks a 2-1 victory. Chicago was trying to become the fourth team in NHL history to win a series after dropping the first three games. The Canucks will face the Nashville Predators in the second round. The Preds eliminated the Anaheim Ducks for their first ever series win.

The winner-take-all action continues Wednesday evening. The Bruins host the Canadiens at TD Garden, while the Penguins host the Lightning at CONSOL Energy Center.