Tag Archives: NHL Eastern Conference

Apr 25 2012

Sideline Observations: Washington Capitals 2, Boston 1 (OT)

By Matt Noonan 

There’ll be a new Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup champion this year, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins in Game No. 7 at the TD Garden on Wednesday, 2-1 in overtime.

How the game was won: Washington’s Joel Ward recorded his first playoff goal at 2:57 in the extra session, which lifted the Capitals past the Bruins.

Washington will advance to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year in a row. They’ll most likely face New York, but that could change pending an Ottawa victory on Thursday.

No Home Cooking for Boston: Entering the seventh game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Boston believed their crowd would provide the necessary assistance.

However, after a rather lackluster and up and down first frame, the noise and excitement disappeared, but returned once Tyler Seguin slid past Braden Holtby for the Bruins only strike of the contest at 14:27 in the second period.

In the third period, Boston’s crowd attempted to play the role of ‘the sixth man’ with various chants, but the Bruins didn’t deliver.

Boston’s Power Play: Once again, the Bruins power play was a major issue.

In the third period, Boston had a golden opportunity when Washington’s Jason Chimera was sent to the penalty box for holding at 17:34, but the Bruins failed to capitalize on their third power play of the contest.

Boston concluded their first round series with Washington going 2-for-23 on the power play.

Boston-Washington Make History: Boston and Washington set an NHL record with seven games being decided by one point. They also experienced four games that needed at least one extra session to decide the outcome, too.

Finally, if you’re a Boston Bruins fan who needs a pick-me-up, please click PLAY on the YouTube video we’ve provided below! 

Mar 30 2012

Daily Noontime – March 30, 2012

Brooks Laich netted the game winning goal on Thursday, which helped Washington escape Causeway Street, 3-2! (Photo Credit: Boston Globe/Barry Chin)

By NoontimeSports.com 

It’s Friday, and while we don’t need to break out into song and dance, let’s instead dish out some headlines and news from the Hub!

* Despite rallying to tie the game, Washington’s Brooks Laich netted the game winning shootout goal, which helped the Capitals defeat the Boston Bruins on Thursday, 3-2. Tim Thomas recorded 21 saves between the pipes, and held Washington scoreless for the first two frames. Had Boston won, they would have clinched a playoff spot, but luckily, the Black and Gold will return to the ice on Saturday when they travel to Long Island to face the New York Islanders.

* Bobby Valentine told the media on Thursday that he’s expecting Carl Crawford to begin the season on a rehab assignment. The left fielder underwent wrist surgery this past offseason, and has taken part in bunting drills with the team. However, Valentine doesn’t believe he’ll be able to face living pitching until he possibly experiences “50 at-bats somewhere.”

* The Boston Celtics will return to the hardwood on Friday when they travel to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00pm.

* Celtics President Danny Ainge made his weekly appearance on Boston sports radio WEEI on Thursday, and told The Big Show that he’s not planning on forcing Mickael Pietrus to get back on the court. He’s expected to return to the lineup soon, but according to reports, the Celtics should have more information on his concussion he sustained last week in Philadelphia.

Mar 28 2012

Daily Noontime – March 28, 2012

Tim Thomas saved 16 of 18 shots between the pipes on Tuesday, as Boston defeated Tampa Bay, 5-2! (Photo Credit: WBUR.org)

By NoontimeSports.com 

Happy “hump day” to everyone, and welcome into another grand edition of the Daily Noontime! Let’s get this day started with some headlines and news from the “Hub.”

* The Boston Bruins earned their third consecutive victory on Tuesday at the TD Garden, as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2. The win avenges a previous loss, which saw the Lightning destroy the Bruins, 6-1. Five different Bruins netted one goal, while Tim Thomas recorded 16 saves between the pipes. Boston will return to the ice on Thursday when they host the Washington Capitals.

* With the win on Tuesday, Boston has padded their lead in the Northeast standings. The Bruins have won six more games than Ottawa currently, and are also locked in the second seed in the Eastern Conference, too. A few more wins would most likely secure the Black and Gold a playoff spot, and a division championship.

* The UMass men’s basketball team fell short against Stanford on Tuesday, as the Cardinals defeated the Minutemen, 74-64 in the NIT Final Four.

* The Boston Celtics will look to earn their third consecutive victory on Wednesday, as they’ll host the Utah Jazz at 7:30pm. A win against a Western Conference playoff team would be a huge boost for the Green and White, who remains a half a game behind Philadelphia in the Atlantic standings.

* Finally, the Boston Red Sox announced on Tuesday that Jose Iglesias was sent down to Pawtucket, which is most likely where he’ll begin the 2012 season.

May 27 2011

Daily Noontime – May 27, 2011

The Heat are headed back to the NBA Finals, but this time, can they win it?

Happy Friday to everyone! A brand new weekend is upon us, so sit back, relax and enjoy today’s headlines! Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone! 

Headlines: 

* The Miami Heat did it! They beat the Sixers, Celtics and Bulls and now, they’ll advance to the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

* Apparently, some believe that LeBron James displayed his acting skills against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, but who knows? He is headed back to the NBA Finals for the second time in his career and one has to wonder, will he win it?

* Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals is on Friday and now the only question remains, who will win? Boston or Tampa Bay?

* As for the Tampa Bay Lightning, they hope they’ll be able to score early and often, as well as beat Tim Thomas.

* According to sources, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is likely out for the rest of the season.

* The NFL needs to have a new CBA by July 4, otherwise, don’t expect a professional football season this fall.

Games to Watch: 

* Boston at Detroit (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* Philadelphia at New York Mets (MLB) – 7:10pm eastern

* Cleveland at Tampa Bay (MLB) – 7:10pm eastern

* Tampa Bay at Boston (NHL Playoffs) – 8:00pm eastern

Video of the Day: 

It’s Game 7 at the TD Garden and yes, we are excited! 

May 22 2011

Lightning Storm Back to Beat Boston, 5-3

Simon Gagne secured an important win for the Lightning on Saturday, as Tampa Bay tied the series with their Game 4 win.

By Dan Rubin 

It was a game that felt like a two-for-one.

In the first game, the Boston Bruins dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning, chasing goalie Dwayne Roloson from his crease as they outpointed the hosts with a three-goal, lightning-strike (no pun intended) lead.

Then came the denouement. Changing goalies to Michael Smith and Tampa Bay stormed back. They took Game 4 on home ice by a 5-3 count, evening the series at two games apiece in the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. The series now shifts back to Boston for a best of three for the Prince of Wales Trophy.

Patrice Bergeron scored twice in the first period as Boston jumped out to an early lead. Michael Ryder added another as his stellar playoffs continued, and the Bruins threatened to end the game before it really got started. Bergeron got his first strike unassisted in the 12th minute before Ryder added his a few minutes later. Less than a minute after Ryder, Bergeron pushed a soft shot by Roloson to give the Bruins command of the game.

But after that, the Bruins seemingly started skating in quicksand. The kicker came after the final buzzer of the period, as Rich Peverley dropped the gloves with Tampa Bay’s Marc-Andre Bergeron.  In the ensuing scrum, Zdeno Chara got caught up with instigator Steve Downie. Downie and Bergeron put up enough of a fight to give Tampa Bay energy into the locker room, which they capitalized on in the second period.

With their backs to the wall, the Tampa offense did what it’s done so many times in the past – scored fast goals to put a team on its heels. Teddy Purcell notched his first in the seventh minute of the frame, adding a second less than a minute later. The first goal was relatively soft to get by Tim Thomas, and Thomas laughed it off in light of the multi-goal lead. But the second goal quieted his smile when the Lightning faithful roared their approval of what was developing.  And two minutes after Purcell’s second tally, Sean Bergenheim tied the game off a feed from Dom Moore.

Bruins killer Simon Gagne announced his arrival into the fourth game when he scored the game-winner in the third period.  Martin St. Louis would add an empty-netter, as Tampa Bay made this a whole new series while sending it back to the TD Garden.

The Bruins had plenty to be happy about in earning a split in Tampa Bay.  On paper, it allowed them to regain home-ice advantage in a series where the Boston faithful have been louder than in recent memory.  But the two Boston losses were punctuated by bad skating and a lack of effort down the stretch.  The Lightning’s ability to score quick goals seemingly deflated the Bruins in both Games 1 and 4, and it caused Boston to work slow and heavy as opposed to fast and fleet.  It’s not necessarily true that the Lightning have truly beaten Boston; they’ve done enough of the little things to take the wind out of the Black and Gold sails.

It remains to be seen if head coach Guy Boucher will go with Roloson to start Game 5.  Roloson has been chased from the previous two games, a fate endured by Brian Boucher in the Bruins’ series with Philadelphia. But where Peter Laviolette refused to bench Boucher, the Tampa edition might not stick with Roloson after two solid performances turned in by Smith.  The Tampa netminder turned back 13 Bruins shots, as Boston failed to notch a goal after the first period output.

As for Boston, it’s back to the drawing board.  They’ve proven they can beat this Lightning team, but at the same time, they’ve proven they are just as beatable. A trip home to the Original Six market might prove enough of a shot in the arm for a pivotal Game 5.  The winner of that game moves within one game of the Prince of Wales Trophy and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 5 is slated for Monday night at 8 PM.

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.