Tag: Brad Marchand

Noontime Commentary, Professional Sports News

Commentary: Momentum Is On The Boston Bruins’ Side
Craig Smith’s game-winning goal on Wednesday provided the Boston Bruins with a 2-1 series lead against the Washington Capitals. (PHOTO COURTESY: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

By Matt Noonan

It’s hard to not think about round two of the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, especially after an exciting (and thrilling) 3-2 double-overtime win last night by the Boston Bruins.

Yes, they need to win two more games against the Washington Capitals before advancing further in the postseason, but Wednesday’s hard-fought victory has provided the Black and Gold with all the momentum heading into the fourth game of their opening-round series.

Game four is tomorrow evening at the TD Garden — it is a tremendous opportunity for the Bruins to position themselves for a series-clinching win on Sunday in Washington.

At times, it appeared as if the Bruins had nothing left in the tank last night — to be honest, I was worried that Nic Dowd‘s goal at 18:15 in the second period would wind up being the eventual game-winner, but somehow the Bruins found a way to even the score at 2-2 with a much-needed (and important) power-play goal by Brad Marchand in the third period before Craig Smith sealed the win in the second overtime period.

Smith’s goal will certainly provide the Bruins with a spark tomorrow evening — I wouldn’t be surprised if Friday’s outing results in a non-overtime win by the Black and Gold. Yet, the way this series has gone thus far, a one-goal victory should be expected.

Game four is an important one for both teams, but especially the Capitals — this is a must-win for the Red, White, and Blue. A loss to Boston would present a serious challenge for coach Peter Laviolette‘s squad as they would have to win games five, six, and seven to clinch the series.

Sure, Peter Laviolette has prior experience leading a team past Boston — does anyone remember 2010? — but I don’t think this Washington squad is equipped to win three-straight contests.

As expected, Boston Bruins playoff hockey has been fun, but also nerve-racking at the same time. Sometimes, I just wish most of their shots would sail into the Washington net, so we would not have to play overtime hockey. But after last night’s one-goal victory, I am thinking optimistically about tomorrow’s contest — in fact, I believe we’re going to win.

Let the countdown for Friday’s early evening affair commence — I hope the hometown fans are ready to do their part in helping the Bruins win their third-straight contest so we can possibly celebrate a series-clinching win late Sunday evening.

Daily Noontime

Daily Noontime: Monday, August 3, 2020

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By Matt Noonan 

Welcome to Monday, everyone!

And welcome to the first Monday in August – yay, we made it!

Let’s kick-start the week with a brand new Daily Noontime – as usual, please continue to stay safe and well, and remember to smile, too.

Noontime’s Headlines for Monday, August 3, 2020 

  • Our beloved Boston Red Sox have not played great these past few days.

    Against the New York Yankees, both this weekend and last night, the Red Sox struggled – sure, they almost scored an important win last night, but could not contain Aaron Judge.

  • As of today, the Boston Red Sox have won three of ten matchups, which is not good. They currently reside in the basement in the American League East and will visit the Tampa Bay Rays for two games this week on Tuesday (August 4) and Wednesday (August 5) before returning home to host the Toronto Blue Jays.
  • Let’s switch gears to hockey where the Philadelphia Flyers rolled past the Boston Bruins in the first game of the round-robin yesterday.

    Boston, which entered the round-robin as the top seed, did not look good, but the Flyers – whoa, they looked VERY good.

    Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak did not play well against the Flyers, but will certainly be needed when Boston faces-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

  • Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown powered the Boston Celtics to a much-needed win yesterday over the Portland Trailblazers in the Orlando Bubble – hopefully, this particular victory will translate to even more success (🤞).
  • Finally, Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots is not happy with the NFL‘s decision to extend the opt-out deadline to Wednesday, August 5.

Finally – yes, we know this a plug for our podcast! – but make sure to subscribe (and listen) to our Noontime Sports Podcast, which can be found on a slew of platforms these days, including Apple Podcast and Spotify. 

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Noontime’s All-Decade Boston Bruins Team (2010-19)

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Members of both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 Boston Bruins players pose in front of the team’s last Stanley Cup Banner. (PHOTO COURTESY: Matt Noonan/NoontimeSports.com)

By NoontimeSports.com | @NoontimeNation 

It’s time to kick-off a brand new week here at Noontime Sports (and NoontimeSports.com) – we are calling it the “All-Decade Week” where we will be producing content about various sports teams from the past ten years, beginning with our very own Boston Bruins squad from 2010 to 2019.

We’re excited for a fun week of content on the past decade of both Boston and New England sports – we hope you are as well – so again, enjoy our very first team of the week, which highlights some key members of the Black and Gold, including skaters from the 2011 Stanley Cup squad.

Noontime’s All-Decade Boston Bruins Team (Starting Line-Up)

Offense (Forward): Brad Marchand (2018-19): Marchand was a player to watch last season as he tallied a career-highs in assists (64) and points (100) while netting 36 goals (he was three markers shy of matching a career-best of 39 goals from 2017). He tallied additional career-bests last season in power-play goals (10), game-winning goals (nine), even strength assists (36) and four power-play assists. In the postseason, he recorded a career-high 23 points in 24 contests, including a pair of game-winning goals.

Offense (Center): Patrice Bergeron (2013-2014): A four-time Frank J. Selke Trophy Winner, Bergeron has been a key member for the Bruins, both this current season and since he arrived in Boston for his initial campaign with the Black and Gold in 2003. The tenured center claimed his third Selke award during the 2014-15 season after producing 62 points in 80 regular-season contests. He scored seven game-winning goals, which matched his mark from the 2016-17 season while tallying 243 shots on goal. He averaged close to 18 minutes of ice time and was considered for the Hart Memorial Trophy (placed fifth) and Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (placed 13th).

Offense (Center): David Krejci (2013-14): A nominee for both the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy and Frank J. Selke Trophy, Krejci concluded the 2013-14 season with 69 points on 19 goals and 50 assists. He netted 16 even-strength goals, which is just five less than his career-best of 21 from the 2011-12 season while also recording three power-play goals and six game-winning markers. Finally, he concluded the season with a career-high of 16 power-play assists.

Defense: Zdeno Chara (2011-12): One year after captaining the Bruins to its sixth Stanley Cup Championship, Chara turned in an impressive 2011-12 season which saw the defender record career-highs in assists (40) and points (52), as well as be considered for the Hart Memorial Trophy and James Norris Memorial Trophy for the top defensemen. Chara concluded the regular season with eight power-play goals, 10 power-play assists, and 224 shots on goal.

Defense: Torey Krug (2013-14): A nominee for the Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year), Krug concluded his team’s 2013-14 campaign with 40 points on 26 assists and 14 goals to go along with 77 blocks, 50 hits, and 24 takeaways. He tallied eight even-strength goals and two game-winning tallies while tallying 183 shots on goal. In 12 postseason contests, Krug produced 10 points on eight assists and two goals while recording 13 blocks, eight hits, and four takeaways.

Goalie: Tim Thomas (2010-11): A winner of both the Conn Smythe Trophy and Vezina Trophy, Thomas backstopped the Bruins to their sixth Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history by yielding 1.98 goals per game in the postseason. He concluded the regular season with a career-best 2.00 goals allowed average and .938 save percentage. He won 35 games – he started 55 contests – and recorded 1,699 saves. He won 16 postseason contests and posted career-highs in shots against (849), saves (798), and save percentage (.940). He also registered four shutouts in the 2011 postseason.

Daily Noontime

Daily Noontime: February 11th, 2019

The Daily Noontime

By NoontimeSports.com | @NoontimeSports 

The Daily Noontime has returned from a short break with some news and links to kick-start your day!

As always, make sure to stay connected with us on social media – find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Links, Links & More Links 

Song of the Day: “Catchy Song” by Dillon Francis, T-Pain, That Girl Lay Lay  (the song is from Lego Movie 2, which we saw this weekend and it was … AWESOME!)

 

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Bruins Top Maple Leafs In Dramatic Game Seven, Advance To Tampa Bay

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Jake DeBrusk recorded two goals in Boston’s Game 7 win over Toronto on Wednesday evening at the TD Garden. (PHOTO CREDIT: Sporting News)

By NoontimeSports.com (@NoontimeSports) 

Jake DeBrusk netted a pair of goals, including the go-ahead strike early in the third period as the Boston Bruins erased a one-goal deficit to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-4, in the final game of their opening round playoff series.

With the win, Boston advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals where they will face the Tampa Bay Lighting, which won its opening round series against the New Jersey Devils in five games.

Boston and Tampa Bay last met in the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, which the Bruins won in seven games. Boston would then advance to the Stanley Cup and defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

Boston trailed Toronto, 4-3, after two periods, but evened the game 70 seconds into the final session with a goal from Torey Krug. Boston would push ahead minutes later with a goal from DeBrusk before David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand sealed the win by netting the Bruins’ sixth and seventh goals, respectively.

Pastrnak’s goal halfway through the final session helped the Bruins clinch the series and halt a two-game postseason losing streak. The Bruins led the best-of-seven game series, 3-1, but fell to Toronto in back-to-back games, including Game 5, which occurred last weekend at the T.D. Garden.

Both teams swapped goals throughout the opening frame before Patrice Bergeron provided the hosts with a 3-2 advantage heading into the first intermission. Toronto erased the deficit in the second period and pushed ahead with back-to-back goals from Travis Dermott and Kasperi Kapanen to secure a 4-3 lead after two periods.

Boston and Tampa Bay met four times this season with the Bruins winning three meetings, including two games last month.

The second round series between the two teams is scheduled to commence on Saturday, April 28th at 3 p.m. in Tampa Bay, Florida.