Sunday, April 13, 2008

Game #1-2: Bruins Dome

Watching the Bruins and finding players to applaud has been a difficult change fro me, but in the interest of pretend journalism...


Dome hockey team
They're going into the last minute with these 6 against the Montreal Canadiens (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Marc Savard
– That pass, that pass. Savard played a much better game than Game 1, but if he hadn't done anything else, he earned his money and place in the lineup with his pass across the crease on the PP. Any other Bruin forward would have taken a shot from a decent angle on Price. Alas, that's why any other Bruin has point totals in the 30s or lower and Marc Savard is a consistent point-per-game player. Julien must thank his lucky stars that the Bruins GM sprung the funds to sign a centre with some real skill a couple of summers ago

Marco Sturm
– Like Game 1, Marco Sturm offered a legitimate scoring threat for the Bruins. It's easy to see why he, and not another Bruin, was the goalscoring leader this year. His greatest asset seems to be very quick acceleration teamed with good anticipation – it allowed him his second breakaway in as many games

David Krejci
– Considering it was his second ever playoff game, I thought David Krejci did an admirable job. His goal was nothing extra-special, since the pass was so perfect, but he nonetheless got himself into nice positions over the evening

Defencemen

Zdeno Chara
- Chara played a very solid game on the whole. His long reach and stick play a big part in taking the Canadiens forwards away from their rhythm. His ability to relaunch the attack also makes him a valuable part of the Bruins counterattack (probably the most valuable part)

Mark Stuart
- Mark Stuart epitomised the Bruins for me on this evening. He didn't play particularly well up front or at the back, it was more that he successfully tested the limits of the referees throughout the game. At the beginning of the game, he was checking a bit harder, holding a little bit more. By mid-game, he was crosschecking Habs in clear view of the referee. But don't blame Stuart for this transgression. it is his job to push his abilities to the limit of legal play. And legal play means legal play on that night. The fact that he was breaking the letter of the NHL rules is irrelevant from his point of view, if the whistle is not blown

Goaltender

Tim Thomas
- Let's face it, Vancouver wouldn't even start Auld when Cloutier was the alternative. Thomas has to be back in the dome. Tim played a decent game, he played to the level of an NHL goaltender, if not a star. he made all the straightforward stops and let in the complicated ones. You can hope for a goalie to save those complicated ones, but a team should not expect it. What's more, that Kovalev shot in OT was a pinpoint shot moving really fast. I'm not holding that against Tim

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