I’m not sure if it’s because all the Carolina fans are jumping off the ledge, and any that haven’t jumped yet are thinking about it now that Cam Ward is hurt, but I see a lot of Bruins fans coming in off the ledge. I wrote earlier in the week about what they need to get done. Saturday night, they did 2 of the three things. Amazing what happens when the Power Play is working, and playing with a truculent attitude eh? Looks like the blue print for success moving forward.
While it wasn’t exactly a knock down, drag em out affair, it was markedly more physical of a game last night. Shawn Thornton had 2 fights, and Mark Stuart had enough of net crashing late in the third. Unfortunately for Jochen Hecht, he was the target of Stuart’s frustration. Stuart has been physical all year, and I love his ability to fight. He is a very tough kid, and the rest of the league should take notice. If you are going to take liberties on the ice, you may have to deal with Mark Stuart.
Stuart’s fight was very one sided, as was the fight Thornton had with former Bruin Steve Step Brother Montador. Has anyone ever seen Steve Montador, and Will Ferrell in the same room? Anyway, I did not see what started the Thornton and Paul Gaustad fight, but to say Thornton was heated after the tilt is a gross understatement. He was yelling at him louder and with more animation than the bartender of the Makaha after refusing me service on my 6th Mai Tai and my subsequent refusal to go quietly into the night a couple of years ago. The point being, Boston was not pushed around last night, and when they play that way they are tough to beat.
Another good sign was the two PP goals scored by the Black and Gold. Mark Recchi got the party started in typical Wrecking Ball fashion with a trademark tip in while parked in front of the net goal in the first period. Later, Zdeno Chara got off the snide with a blast from the point that went in off a Buffalo defender. It was kind of a greasy goal, but it’s the kind of goal the Bruins weren’t getting a week ago. The bounces just weren’t going their way, and after last night’s game, it appears their luck may have changed.
I’ll give you the fact Buffalo played a goaltender that was making his NHL debut and was giving up rebounds bigger than he should have been, but it’s the fact Boston was putting themselves in the position to exploit said goaltender, and rebounds. Not two weeks ago, they made Yann Danis look like Terry fucking Sawchuk, and they put 98% of the shots on Carey Price the other night in the stupid CH logo on his butt smoking chest. After not giving up Thursday, and playing the kind of Bruins hockey that has made them successful last night, I am ready to say they may have turned the corner on the season, and are pointed in the right direction. With defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh in town Tuesday (riding a 2 game losing streak in which they have given up 10 goals while scoring 2) and playing in Pittsburgh next Saturday, we Bruins fans should get a good reading on where exactly this team stands. In the meantime, Carolina fans, there is plenty of room out on the ledge. I’ll leave the window open.
May get crowded on that ledge if the B’s don’t kick it up a notch !!