Out of Hibernation

It's time to start thinking hockey again...three weeks of mourning was about enough...I think...

In the past few days the Bruins signed Thornton and Seidenberg to extensions.  Their respective cap hits are $812,500 and $3.25M.  Thornton for two years and Seidenberg for four.  The pricetag for a fourth liner is a little high (he made $550K last season), but Thornton has earned it by being good at his role since he came here and being one of the few Bruins that were actually "big and bad" during the lackluster regular season.  He stands up for his teammates which is more than we can say for a number of Bruins. I like the signing.

Seidenberg going to be here for years to come (photo from Boston.com)

The Seidenberg deal is a good one if he plays anything like he did in his short time here before getting injured. They likely got him at a discount compared to what he would have commanded in free agency (this blogger guesses at least $3.75M per). The fact that they got this deal done, however, makes me despise the Ference extension even more than I already did. In a perfect world, I would have liked to see both Stuart and Boychuk back in the fold (Stuart moreso to be honest: grit and leadership - Johnny is a little too metrosexual for my liking even though he provided us with one of the greatest hits I've witnessed against Buffalo). This signing means someone is gone. Perhaps Chiarelli will be able to pull off some sort of salary dump trade and offload Wideman or Ference, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that. Instead, I'm afraid Johnny or Stuart will walk and I think it will be Johnny because he will probably command more money with his solid play in the postseason, and money is very tight for the B's at this point.  Please keep Stuey around Chia!

So here's my priority list among the remaining free agents:

1. Do not sign Wheeler (Aggressive Wheeler-Hater Guy in Row 10 is completely right to rank on this guy)
2. Re-sign Mark Stuart
3. Sign Vladdy Sobotka - he's ready to take over the Yelle/Begin role for this team and will be a good guy to have around should one of the three centers miss time (which they certainly will).  Could his play in the first round before he hurt himself give him some value on the trade market?  Remember how good he was?  It's hard to think back past the Flyers debacle, but he was great until he tweaked his shoulder.
4. Bring Recchi back if he wants to play another year

Random crap:

• David Krejci is a stud and is an incredible bargain at $3.75M
• Patrice turns 25 in July...25!
• Lucic and Chara were fighting injuries all last season and will be better in 2010-11
• The Bruins will end up with Taylor Hall one way or another - the media posturing by Tambellini and Chiarelli is fun to follow (Chia: Seguin can play the wing.  Tambellini: Hall can play center.)
• Tim Thomas - I don't know what to think about this one.  I think Timmy wants to play so he might approve a trade, but who's going to take that 35+ contract with 3 years left on it.  Also, look at the Cup Finals this year: Niemi vs. Leighton.  Are teams going to want to sink that kind of commitment into a goaltender when Chicago and Philly had success with low-rent goaltenders?  The Bruins could REALLY use that cap space.  They could bring in some high-priced talent to make a run at the Cup a la Chicago this year.  Things are going to change this time next year when Chara and Bergeron's contracts are up.
• Michael Ryder is in a contract year in 2010-11.  Will that motivate him?  No.

This Blows

The loss of David Krejci is very discouraging.  This is the first huge negative in a playoff run that has been full of positives.  Arguably, the only components more valuable than Krejci to this team would be Rask, Chara, and Bergeron.  Vladdy played brilliantly in Round 1 in an increased role with Savard still out and he will have to be brilliant again.  But, even if he is, Vladdy is just not going to fill Krejci's skates offensively.  The Bruins best offensive line (Krejci/Lootch/Satan) has lost its catalyst.  Also, McQuaid is "very doubtful" for Game 4 as well.  This is obviously not a huge loss, but the injury bug needs to go away.  The Ference/McQuaid D pair was of course on the ice for Philly's only goal last night.  Conversely, the Bruins have been feasting on Philly's third pair of Parent/Krajicek.  This has been the primary difference in the series aside from goaltending - the Bruins offensive depth has been able to take advantage of the third pair while the Flyers have not been able to do the same.  Unfortunately, losing Sturm and now Krejci does significant harm to that depth on offense.

Let's hope they can step it up and continue this though.  They still have a guy by the name of Rask that basically won that game for them last night.  Listening to the radio this morning, there are apparently people out there who think Tim Thomas should see some action in this series.  These people should be deported from New England - please stop calling the radio and go see a NASCAR race or something.

If the B's can finish this off by Game 5 at the latest, they will have some time to rest and hopefully get Mark Stuart back on the blueline which will be a nice boost for the top four D who have been logging a lot of minutes.  It will also give Tuukka a rest and keep him fresh which is what these Thomas idiots think he needs anyways.

Go Habs Go - Make it a long series and go right ahead and win it if you'd like.

Savvy Back For 2nd Round

Marc Savard is going to be available for Round 2, but Mark Stuart is not.  What does this mean for the lineup?  It means that one of the forwards becomes a healthy scratch.  It has to be Thornton.  Begin and Paille are your #1 PK unit and that PK unit was the difference in the series against the Sabres.  For the same reason, Wheeler gets the edge over Thornton because he also logs a lot of PK time.  It has to be between those two.

It's very disappointing that Stuart won't be back.  The Ference/McQuaid D pair of doom is already showing signs of breaking down and would be especially vulnerable against Jordan Staal and Pittsburgh.  Claude will do his best to have the top 4 out there for Malkin and Crosby, but Jordan Staal is no slouch and could be a difference maker in a series against them when he gets to pick on Ference/McQuaid.

Does Vladdy get demoted to 4th line duty and less than 10 minutes of TOI per night?  Let's hope not.  The kid is made for the playoffs and it would be sad not to see him with a regular shift.  Perhaps they'll ease Savard into things by giving Sobotka occasional shifts in the top 9 at even strength to spot Savvy.  Bergeron is one of the best two-way centers in the league so he's not moving to wing.  Krejci and Savard are not moving to wing either.  That means Vladdy either centers the 4th line, gets spot duty or plays wing with one of the big three.  The primary candidate for demotion from the top 9 is of course Wheeler.  We'll see what Claude comes up with.  Don't bother believing anything they run in practice.  This might be one of those things they don't want to tip to their opposition before the puck drops in Game 1.

Game Time

Well, it's here. The third consecutive trip to the postseason for the Bruins kicks off tonight in Buffalo. The question marks are the battered D Corps and Tuukka's debut in the NHL Playoffs.

Andrew "Glass Groin" Ference is going to return to the lineup tonight and Mark Stuart, Dennis Seidenberg, and Marc Savard are all out for the entire series, but Stuey and Savvy are both possibilities for Round 2 if they can find a way to win.

Tim Connolly returns to the lineup for Buffalo and Jochen Hecht will miss the entire series.

The focus is on the present now, but Tuesday's results in the draft lottery were great for the future. After a lackluster at best regular season, expectations are low for the postseason and hopefully that means the Bruins will play a little looser when they get back in front of us on Monday night for Game 3. If home ice is a disadvantage like it was all season, the Bruins are in trouble in this series.

NHL Playoff Preview

Even though I'm historically horrible at predicting these things, I'm going to use the down day in between the final day of the regular season and the tomorrow's draft lottery for my playoff preview. Back in my home country (Minnesota), it's opening day for the Twins against the Sox which is a pretty big deal with the new outdoor stadium and all, but I haven't transitioned to baseball yet. It's all hockey all the time for me still so here's how I see the playoffs shaping up...

Go here for the complete TV schedule of the first round.

For us Bruins fans - here's the quick reference of the first round sched - first home game on Marathon Monday - can you say shitshow? How many people are going to make a long drunken day of Patriot's Day this year before showing up at the Garden?

Thursday, April 15 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 17 at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m.
Monday, April 19 at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 21 at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
*Friday, April 23 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
*Monday, April 26 at Boston, 7:00 p.m.
*Wednesday, April 28 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.

Eastern Conference
#1 Washington vs. #8 Montreal
The Habs really blew it down the stretch and now have to face the Caps. After playing incredibly since the Olympics, Halak has really slowed down in his last few starts and if he continues to falter, this one will be over in 4 games.

#2 New Jersey vs. #7 Philadelphia
Martin Brodeur versus Brian Boucher. New Jersey advances.

#3 Buffalo vs. #6 Boston
I'm going with the homer pick because I'm biased - simple as that. If I looked at this one objectively, I'd say it's a toss-up. Buffalo kind of coasted to the finish line this year while the Bruins have really upped their intensity down the stretch. The Bruins weakness will be the injuries on defense and leaning on guys a little too heavily. If there end up being some overtime games, which is highly possible with how these teams play, the Bruins run the risk of getting worn down on the back end.
The good news is, according to the Globe, Ference is likely back for Game 1. The bad news is Ference's papier mache groin could land him right back in the press after Game 1 and Mark Stuart may miss the entire series and at least the first two games.
Still, this series will be so close that a couple bounces either way could decide it. In a season that the Bruins seemingly haven't received any bounces, maybe they will start receiving them in the postseason. They should be rested too as half the guys were coasting through much of the season (burn).

#4 Pittsburgh vs. #5 Ottawa
Pittsburgh doesn't have the D corps they did last year so I'm trying to figure out if they get ousted in the 1st round or the 2nd. I'm going to give them the edge in this series because of the goaltending and home ice advantage.

Western Conference
#1 San Jose vs. #8 Colorado
Colorado is just happy to be there so the Sharks will actually win a round this year before flaming out in round 2. Jumbo Joe will once again prove that the Bruins were better off without him. He just hasn't proved that he has the intensity to make it happen when it counts in April and May.

#2 Chicago vs. #7 Nashville
I have to pick at least a couple upsets because there always are a couple. I'm going with one here. I think the injuries to Brian Campbell and Kim Johnsson have really hurt this team on the blueline and Nashville counters with one of the best 1-2 punches in the league in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Pekka Rinne versus Niemi/Huet - advantage Rinne. Maybe this will be this year's big surprise just like last year's Anaheim over San Jose (which didn't surprise me - see above).

#3 Vancouver vs. #6 Los Angeles
This may be my most anticipated matchup outside of the B's for the first round. I enjoy watching both of these teams. Drew Doughty may be my favorite young player in the league and the Sedin twins have taken their game to a whole new level this year. Vancouver is my pick to hoist Lord Stanley's cup in June so I am obviously taking them in this matchup.

#4 Phoenix vs. #5 Detroit
Poor Phoenix. They did not catch a break with this draw in the first round. I have to pick Detroit. They have generally the same group, many of whom are rested due to injury AND they have better goaltending than they've had the past two seasons. They're also the best team in the NHL since the Olympics.

Eastern Semis
#1 Washington defeats #6 Boston
Those Caps just have too many weapons on offense and overwhelm Tuukka. Two, maybe three goals per night just doesn't get it done against this team and the Bruins bow out, but give us some great playoff entertainment along the way.

#2 New Jersey defeats #4 Pittsburgh
The Devils and Jamie Langenbrunner owned Pittsburgh during the regular season and it continues in the playoffs as they knock them out.

Western Semis
#7 Nashville defeats #1 San Jose
Until they prove otherwise, I give the Sharks zero respect. This makes Nashville this year's version of Carolina.

#3 Vancouver defeats #5 Detroit
With their depth on defense and two solid scoring lines, the Canucks manage to knock off the red-hot Wings. It also helps to have Roberto Luongo over the 26-year-old "rookie" Jimmy Howard.

Eastern Finals
#1 Washington over #2 New Jersey
Washington guns their way through the Devils with big contributions from some of the role players.

Western Finals
#3 Vancouver over #7 Nashville
Much like Carolina last year, Nashville is just wiped out by the time they get here and get smoked by the Canucks.

Cup Finals
Vancouver defeats Washington
Goaltending finally catches up with the Caps in this series and they fall just short in an incredibly entertaining finals.

Andrew Ference Signs 3-year Extension

According to Darren Dreger and now Matt Kalman, who might just be quoting Dreger, the deal carries with it a cap hit of $2.25M per year. This seems high to me and the commenters are out in full force on the Globe's blog post. He had previously only carried a cap hit of $1.4M and hasn't exactly proven to be durable. He played in 59 games in '07-'08, just 47 last year and he has already missed 22 games this year. Now, the surprising statistic here is the Bruins are just 5-12-5 in those 22 games meaning they are 28-15-7 when he is in the lineup. He first got injured in the Ottawa game shortly after the Winter Classic where the Bruins played very well. The next game was against Chicago where Savard exited on the first shift. Ference then missed the next 14 games and the Bruins went 1-9-4 in that span. He returned just in time for the 4-game winning streak prior to the Olympics. Maybe something can be said for this, but the Bruins were missing Savard and Bergeron for much of that stretch as well.

I just don't think he is worth that much for what he brings to the table (8 assists in 50 games and questionable durability). Right now, the Bruins are committed to four defenseman for next year (with cap hit in parentheses): Chara ($7.5M), Wideman ($3.875M), Ference ($2.25M), and Hunwick ($1.45M). Stuart and Boychuk are RFA's and Seidenberg is a UFA after this season. Wideman and Hunwick have been MIA this season.

It makes you wonder what Chiarelli has in store for the offseason. I still think Peter wants Tomas Kaberle (who will be in the final year of his contract and will no longer have the no-trade clause this summer). This signing has me worried that Mark Stuart might go the other way for Kaberle. Mark Stuart fits the Brian Burke mold and would give Burke the salary relief he needs on his back end.

Read Bob's Blog Post

Bob McKenzie posted a good piece about the hit Mark Stuart gave Anze Kopitar the other night.  A recommended read.

It Only Gets Harder

In this space with 12 games before the olympic break I said the Bruins needed to manage 12 points to survive. Then with 9 games to go I revised that to 10 after they got 0 in the 3 games between.

As it stands today, the Bruins have collected 1 of those 12 pre-olympic points I wanted 5 games ago. And now WAS and VAN are coming to town with the struggling Canadiens in between who will likely be without Cammalerri. Washington and Vancouver could not be hotter right now and it's almost unfair to the Bruins who appear ready to break out of the doldrums they are in.

To make things worse, Mark Stuart has a broken finger and will be out until after the break. He has been out there trying to do what he did to Anze Kopitar for a few games now - trying to wake this team up and I think he did on Saturday, but the Bruins were playing a very good team that is playing very good hockey right now (and they only lost in the skills competition). Ask the Devils, they held a 2-1 third period lead themselves yesterday and blew it in REGULATION to lose 3-2 to the up and coming Kings.

Mark Stuart is a caveman and a pit bull and if Chiarelli doesn't lock him up I will lose faith in this management team.  The Bruins cannot be trotting McQuaid out there with their playoff lives on the line.  Look for Chiarelli to make a move for a blueliner pre-break.

Geez, What's it Gonna Take to get a Win?

Tonight, I developed a headache at the game because my jaw was clenched, and I almost ground my teeth down into dust. I have to say, the Bruins did put forth a better, more lively effort than in recent games. But they still lost, in OT, against the Kings, 3-2. Goals by Recchi and Sturm. They still look lost out there, and can't seem to skate out of their own zone. But at least they played with an NHL lineup (Bitz, Sturm, Begin are back). So many missed chances, hit a few crossbars/posts, players looking the wrong way, etc. We just can't get the lucky bounce.
random crap

• Nice check by Mark Stuart on Anze Kopitar, which led to a fight between Stuart and Simmonds. Simmonds got 4 minute instigator, 5 minute roughing, and 10 minute misconduct. Kopitar had his head down, and Stuart just stood there and let Kopitar skate into him. Good stuff. Minnesota jumped to his feet and applauded in approval. Of course, after the fight, what do they play? "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" - Elton John version - a song which really strikes fear into the heart of the opponent. It should have been something like a Slayer tune or something. Regardless, the highlight of the night.
  
• Whenever the jumbotron shows "black 'n blue hockey", check out the Bruins bench - every player watches "black 'n blue hockey".
• I think we need to call this guy to exorcise the Curse of the Winter Classic:
• Fight in section 306 it looked like. It seems that it was mostly verbal and possibly between 2 chicks.
• Row 10 Wheeler-hater left early, during the shootout. He was pretty quiet and showed no hate for Wheeler tonight.
• Apparently on T&R on Thursday, Shawn Thornton made a comment about the absence of P.J. Axelsson in the locker room, how the team really misses him.
• Nice to see Savard out there, he made about 3 or 4 sick passes. Too bad he plays with guys who can't finish.
• Toronto blew another lead, lost to Vancouver, 5-3. And Carolina won again, beating Chicago, 4-2.
• Right now, I'd take Cam Fowler over Taylor Hall, but that's just me. I can't wait for the Derek Morris era to end.
  

B's Let One Slip Away

Pretty important game this afternoon - was the San Jose game an anomaly, or had the B's turned the corner and learned to play a tough, 60-minute game?
Well, almost. The B's played pretty well in the 1st 2 periods, but started to fall apart as the Kings tied the game at 3, only to then win it in the shootout.
Goals by Ryder, Wheeler, Satan.
Considering our prediction for this road trip was 0-3-0 and they went 1-1-1, getting 3 out of 6 points, I guess it's not the worst result. Supposedly, Bergeron comes back Monday against the Senators.
random crap

• The Ryder/Wheeler/Krejci line showed some flashes of last year's brilliance. Several shifts featured cycling along the boards, lots of puck possession and guys getting good looks.
• McQuaid fought Segal, Thornton fought Ivanans. McQuaid got a quick punch in to start, but that devolved into a wrestling match. Ivanans hit Thornton a few times, but that also didn't amount to much.
• Jack & Brick spent a few moments pimping the Kindle. Stealth marketing?
• Separated at birth: Ryan Smyth and Les Claypool?
• Claude Lemieux was shown getting honored before a Devils/Nordilanche game. The guy is a huge piece of shit, I've had indigestion since K-Tap & Barry showed the clip.
• 2 Bruins have returned from injury: Stuart (broken sternum) and Krejci (yeast infection). Stuart almost fought Stoll. I'm just waiting for Stuart to destroy someone in a fight.
  
• LA taking liberties the whole night, and getting all of the calls...I don't even remember a Bruins power play. I spent a good portion of the game screaming with my face 3 inches from the TV screen and my fists clenched.
  
• I'll start the buzz now - Paille for 7th player award. Today, he took a shotgun blast to the thigh and kept playing.
  

Stuart Hurt; "Minnesota" Inconsolable

Bruins iron-man and personal favorite of the contributor known as "Minnesota" Mark Stuart has been felled by a broken breastbone, suffered during the Bruins' loss to Philly the other night. Apparently, Stuart will be out 4-6 weeks. He had previously played some 214 consecutive games.
Boychuk, McQuad, and Wozniewski to the rescue. I guess.