Boston Bruins

Michael Ivins – USA TODAY Sports That’s a better way to start the first two games of a Boston Bruins playoff series where they have home ice right off the jump, isn’t it? A 3-2 overtime win followed by a huge 5-2 victory that was the first of its kind in the better part of half a decade means Boston is now heading into another garden, this one Madison Square, with a 2-0 series lead. Of course, the New York Rangers were down 2-0 in their quarterfinal series and we all know how that ended, but the thing is that the Bruins are radically different from the Washington Capitals. This doesn’t mean the home team won’t be hungry to put up a win or two in their home barn, perhaps prodded on to do so by their Grumpy Cat of a head coach, though. This means the Bruins will, in turn, need to shore up parts of their own game. (Considering that coach Claude Julien literally said it doesn’t matter what the other team will bring, only what Boston brings, that’s the focus here.) One potential part that could need changing soon: the defensive corps. Dennis Seidenberg was out skating today before everyone else came on, but then got the all-clear to stay out and took part in some drills with his teammates. It’s been a week now since he was hurt in that miraculous game seven against Toronto–yes, it has been a full week since that happened! But now that things look a lot brighter on this Monday than they did the Monday previous, there is a question on the blueline. Both Seidenberg and Wade Redden are at least making the trip with the Bruins, so could one or both of them come back into the lineup tomorrow? If so, who of the three wunderkind defensemen should take a seat? It shouldn’t be Torey Krug, that’s for sure, not after he’s already managed to stack up three points in his first two playoff games.Though both Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski have two points apiece in the postseason so far, to me the choice is clear: let Hamilton take a night off and see the game from high above the ice. He didn’t have a great time of it last game and part of that can be attributed to growing pains, but if we presume that just one older d-man is coming back, Hamilton needs to sit. A strange piece of news that came out today regarding what could happen if this series needs a fifth game. It would be at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday. Now, I’ve been to ECHL games that start at some weird times, including ones at 1:15 and 12:30 p.m., but 5:30 is really out of the ordinary for the NHL. See how game three of this series unfolds tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network. Previous chapters: Chapter One

Already ahead 3-2 going into the third period, the Boston Bruins wasted little time displaying a killer instinct. Just 24 seconds into the final stanza, Brad Marchand put the B’s ahead 4-2 with his second of the playoffs. Milan Lucic delivered the dagger in late in the third period, as Boston put a 5-spot on Henrik Lundqvist. That third period was a lot more than the two goals from Marchand and Lucic. It was about keeping the foot on the gas pedal and putting the New York Rangers in a hole. That’s exactly what they did. “We talked about it in the third period, and we just wanted to make sure that we played to win,” head coach Claude Julien said following Sunday’s 5-2 victory. “I didn’t want our guys playing on their heels, and you hear me say that a lot. I don’t like our team when we play on our heels and we’re just trying to protect a one-goal lead. We’ve got to extend the lead and extend it even more before we even think about protecting it. “But our guys are smart. They put pucks at the net, they went to the net hard, we won battles for loose pucks and we found a way to score those goals. Those little details are what gave us the opportunity to win those important games.” Now that they are ahead 2-0 in the best of seven, the Black and Gold need to finish the job and not give the Blueshirts any hope as the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 tomorrow night. It’s no secret that the Bruins have had some problems displaying that killer instinct. Just look at their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where they were forced to play a seventh and decisive game despite having a 3-1 series lead. This script was written before, however. After Nathan Horton’s winner against the Montreal Canadiens two years ago in Game 7 – a day after the Habs forced a seventh game – the Bruins faced a Philadelphia Flyers team that was vulnerable due to injuries and shaky goaltending. Smelling blood, Julien’s squad swept the series in the second round just 12 months after their historic collapse against the Broad Street Bullies. Like the Flyers in 2011, the Rangers have their share of issues that they need to address. Despite his goal in Game 2, Rick Nash is still trying to get going offensively, while former Stanley Cup Playoff MVP Brad Richards is now relegated to fourth line status. Their defense, especially Michael Del Zotto and Dan Giardi (who were a combined minus-7 in Game 2), is letting Lundqvist hung out to dry. The Rangers also trailed 2-0 against the Capitals and found a way to win their first round series in seven games. That’s something the Bruins want to avoid at all costs and it can all start with a Game 3 victory. “They were down 2-0 in their last series and we know we can’t take them lightly,” Marchand said. “We got to make sure we go to New York very hungry and ready to go out hard.” Complacency is always a trait that a team wants to avoid. Having learned this from the Leafs series, the Bruins know they have to get another 60-minute effort Tuesday night in order to take a three games to none lead and put the Rangers on the brink. “You can’t take anything for granted right now. It’s [the] playoffs. Anything can happen, and sometimes a team can play better in front of their hometown and we don’t expect them to lay down,” said defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who scored the go-ahead goal at 12:08 of the second period in Game 2. “We expect it to be very physical and demanding next game, and we know that they’re going to be ready.” The post Bruins need to keep killer instinct mentality in Game 3 appeared first on Bruins Daily.

The Bruins have received plenty of good contributions from a trio of rookie defensemen in Games 1 and 2, but some veteran blue liners are starting to get healthy. Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden both returned to practice Monday morning for the Bruins, and both players will travel with the team to New York for Game 3 against the Rangers on Tuesday. However, it’s uncertain whether or not either or both will be in the lineup for Game 3. “ [Seidenberg]‘s getting closer,” Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters after practice. “Whether it’s next game or not, we’ll see how he feels [Tuesday]. “As far as players in and out, it’s cut and dry with us. I need the OK from the medical staff, which is the doctors and the trainers. And after they’ve given me the okay, then it becomes my decision. There’s no gray area when it comes to that stuff.” Where the grey area is, however, is what Julien would do if Seidenberg and/or Redden are healthy enough to return in Game 3. The B’s have gotten great contributions from Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski in Games 1 and 2, two wins for Boston. Those three combined for two goals and four assists and were a combined plus-3 in the first two games of the series. Unsurprisingly, Julien wasn’t willing to discuss any possible changes until he knows more about the health of Seidenberg and Redden. “Well, the best thing to do is to cross that bridge when you get to it,” Julien said. “To procrastinate about it right now is a lot of wasted time where it could be putting it on different areas of our game. When that time comes, whether it’s [Tuesday] morning or whatever, I’ll be ready to make the decision. That’s what they want me to do as a coach, and that’s what I keep doing whether it’s right or wrong.” Seidenberg, who had logged at least 21:32 of ice time in Games 1-6 of the first-round series against Toronto, played just 37 seconds in Game 7 before suffering an injury. He hasn’t played since then. Redden, meanwhile, hasn’t seen action since Game 5 of the Toronto series.

Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden will travel with the Bruins to New York after practicing with the team today. Their status for tomorrow’s Game 2 against the New York Rangers, however, is still unknown.Redden (upper body injury) practiced with the Bruins for the second time this week, but hasn’t played in a game since the Bruins’ Game 6 loss to Toronto in their opening round playoff series. Seidenberg had a limited practice with the Bruins today. It was the defenseman’s first practice since suffering a lower-body injury against Toronto in Game 7.

Heading into this series against the New York Rangers, all the chatter was about how good a goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was and how the Bruins would have difficulty in scoring off him. Well, the B’s have lit the lamp eight times in two games against the “King” while Tuukka Rask has outplayed him in the first two games of this series. Head Coach Claude Julien talked about Rask’s performance and the confidence he and the team has in him. “Well we’ve got a lot of confidence in Tuukka,” Julien said. “And if you compare both goalies, there’s no doubt that Henrik Lundqvist has more experience than Tuukka does, but that doesn’t change anything. Our guys have done a great job in front of him and what he showed in the second period-like I said it could have been a totally different game had he not stood tall for us in the second period. So, he allowed us to recover and play a much better period in the third. He’s been good for us all year and our guys have lots of confidence in him so it’s about having confidence in your goaltender and finding ways to get through the other one.” Rask is 2-0 against the Rangers in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs compiling 68 saves while allowing only four goals. He looks steady and locked in as the B’s head to New York for Game 3. “My confidence is always high,” Rask said. “That’s just how I try to be. No matter what happens, I try to stay calm and even keeled. Confidence can’t go any lower or higher, I think.” Rask deflected the question about this series being about the goalie matchup, but focused on the team aspect of this series. “Yeah, I mean it’s a good challenge obviously,” Rask said. “I know I can’t let in any lead goals most nights because he is who he is. But, then again it’s a team game and we’re more focused on the Rangers than any individual.” Not only has he been rock solid against the Rangers, but he has been phenomenal during the entire playoffs for the Black and Gold. Rask is 6-3 with a .928 save percentage. His goals against average sits at 2.32 while he has played in 569 minutes (ranked 2nd in playoffs). Even Brad Marchand chimed in (shocking) on Tuukka Rask’s performance thus far in the playoffs. “He’s incredible,” Marchand said. “You got to give him a lot of credit. He made a few really, really big saves in the second period that gave us an opportunity to come back and take the lead again. We definitely wouldn’t be where we are right now if it wasn’t for him.” New York defenseman Dan Girardi was even talking about the play of Rask in their locker room after the game on Sunday afternoon. “He was really big for them,” Girardi said. “He made some big saves when pucks got turned over. I think Steps (Derek Stepan) hit a post there. We had a really good second and we just couldn’t get that extra one by him there. I thought it was a pretty good game.” Rask continues to silence the critics who doubted he could be a number one goalie or a big time goalie in the playoffs. Right now, he is one of the hottest goaltenders in the league while his play is making B’s fans forget about Tim Thomas. It looks like “King Lundqvist” has misplaced his crown and Rask is wearing it through the first two games of the series. It may be a different story when Rask heads to Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, but nothing is fazing him right now as he is outplaying one of the best goaltenders on the planet. The post Tuukka Rask shining bright in Round 2 vs. Rangers appeared first on Bruins Daily.

The Boston Bruins appear to have hit their stride, shifting into the higher gear that had been sought all season. On to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, the Bruins now lead the series 2-0: The Boston Bruins 5-2 matinee win over the New York Rangers yesterday made a decisive statement. [BostonHerald] Here's the game in a nutshell. [NewEnglandHockeyJournal] In praise of Johnny Boychuk, who has taken a beating this series, he tops the NHL is blocked shots... [MassLive] ...and Boychuk netted the game winning goal on a Patrice Bergeron screen, not that he wants to get cocky or "go into New York and lay an egg." [BostonHerald] Jaromir Jagr was working out alone after the win, putting in extra ice time. [NESN] Gregory Campbell was wearing the Army Rangers jacket after his goal on a nifty skill pass from Torey Krug and after having dropped the gloves with Derek Dorsett. [Bruins.NHL] Barry Pederson thinks the vaunted shot blocking of the Rangers may not actually be helping Henrik Lundqvist, Adam McQuaid had a solid game, and what may happen with the rookies as Wade Redden, Dennis Seidenberg, and Andrew Ference return. [WEEI] Lundqvist has appeared surprisingly human, and Rask has been "quietly solid" in the series so far. [WEEI] Peter Chiarelli spoke with Jack Edwards about the rookie defensemen, Tuukka Rask, and said Zdeno Chara was "a monster" and he could "not say enough" about him. [NESN] So Zdeno Chara is not a good captain? We at Stanley Cup of Chowder beg to differ. [StanleyCupofChowder] Jimmy Murphy has courteously acknowledged our dissenting opinion. [@MurphysLaw74] Torey Krug had a goal and assist, and showed fancy footwork. David Krejci is in the Conn Smyth Watch. [PuckDaddy] And Krug is an NHL Star. [NHL] C'mon, do we NEED 40 reasons to love Tuukka Rask? [JurassicWars] Jack Edwards will participate in a live chat at noon today! [Boston.com] Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden were on ice for team practice this morning, only Andrew Ference was absent. [@NHLBruins^CS] Say goodbye to the Leafs, and hello Rangers. And bye for now, "agreeably hysterical" Jack Edwards. [PuckBuddys] C'Mon, Ref! tackles the "puck over the glass' rule. [TSN] Plucky Mikhail Grabovski spoke about the Leafs postseason (and biting Max Pacioretty.) Sore losers never win against officials. Why the Rangers may wish to learn to defend the Bergeron/Marchand play that has resulted in two goals so far. [PuckDaddy]

May 16, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (47) celebrates a goal during the third period in game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports Rookie Boston Bruins defenseman, Torey Krug, has taken Boston and the NHL playoffs by storm. Krug, who hasn’t played a game in the big leagues in over a year, now has his first two career NHL goals in his fist two career playoff appearances. He is the first player to score his first career goals in back-to-back playoff games since Justin Abdelkader did it back in 2009 for the Detroit Red Wings. Krug is still considered a rookie because he only played in two games last season for the Bruins before being sent back down to Providence. He was an emergency call-up last week when a trio of Bruins defensemen went down with injuries and many around Boston thought the B’s were a sinking ship. With Krug dressed it meant the B’s now had three, yes three, rookie defensemen dressed to take on a Rangers squad that features Rick Nash on offense and thats a daunting task even when the B’s are healthy on the blue-line. But the youngsters haven’t stumbled in the bright lights of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they’ve excelled and Krug is leading the way. Many say the B’s need to get younger on defense, I’d say we’re getting a good look at the future right now with Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski. Not only have Krug’s goals and one assist been timely, but a couple of them have been of the spectacular variety. So, its easy to see why B’s fans would be excited about Krug, who was an undrafted free-agent out of Michigan State before signing with Boston last year. He is playing with confidence and its showing at both ends of the ice. The offensive side of his game is there, but at 5’9″, its hard not to wonder if Krug can hold his own in the defensive end against some pretty big bodies that play in the NHL. It hasn’t been a problem yet and in fact its been quite the opposite, many of the Rangers bigger forwards have found themselves chasing Krug around because he is a solid skater with slick stick skills. While its all well and good to be excited about Krug’s success and his potential, we should take a step back and remember this is a 22-year old kid. He wouldn’t be the first person to make a big splash in the NHL and then have a few bumps in the near future. Plenty of other rookies have had playoff success or just early career success before stumbling or not panning out. Heck, just look at the Rangers’ Chris Kreider who was a beast last year in the playoffs for the Rangers but has since struggled and even got sent down to the minors for a stretch this season before returning to the Rangers. Maybe the lockout hurt him, but whatever the reason, Kreider hasn’t looked like the player that he did last year. However, instead of being negative or pessimistic about Krug, lets just enjoy the kids recent success and hope he can continue to help out the B’s on their quest for a 2nd Stanley Cup championship in 3 seasons. So far, so good.

Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden were on the ice for practice Monday.

BOSTON — The nerve-wracking nature of the Stanley Cup playoffs can be too much for some players. Conversely, there are also those who rise to the occasion when the lights shine brightest. Through the first two postseason games of his career, Torey Krug appears to belong in the latter group. If playing your game — and succeeding at playing your game — are the true barometers for comfort in sports, then it would appear the Bruins rookie defenseman is more than comfortable right now. With injuries taking their toll on the Boston blue line, Krug, along with Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton, have been called on to play some big minutes in the club’s second-round series with the Rangers. All have been impressive in a variety of ways, but none of them have contributed on the stat sheet through two games against New York like Krug has. The Michigan State product scored his first career goal in Game 1, and he followed that up with a goal and an assist in Game 2. It’s not just the points Krug is putting up but also the way that he’s doing it that has been so impressive. Krug’s undeniable offensive skill was on display Sunday in Game 2 on both of the goals he was involved in. He scored the team’s first goal in the first period, when he sprinted up to join the rush before jumping into the offensive zone to take a pass from Nathan Horton. Krug’s speed put him a little ahead of the puck, but he was able to tip the puck to slow it down before putting it through his legs, steadying it and then firing one through Henrik Lundqvist. Krug did it again in the second period, when he used his right skate to kick a pass from Adam McQuaid to his stick before putting it at the net. The puck deflected off New York defenseman Dan Girardi‘s skate right to Gregory Campbell in the slot, and the Boston center roofed one under the crossbar by Lundqvist. “Yeah, that’s a skill that sometimes you work on it after practice,” Krug stated simply about the nifty footwork. “You don’t have to work on it too much. It’s just a couple extra reps here or there at the end, picking up pucks with your feet. So, it’s just something that I try to do, and I was lucky enough that it bounced my way.” Krug’s contributions weren’t all quantifiable by numbers, though. He also logged some power play and penalty kill time, and he looked incredibly poised and comfortable with the puck on his stick. At one point in the second period, with the Bruins on the power play, Krug skated the puck (backwards, mind you) across the point before setting up a scoring chance on the man-advantage. Paired with Hamilton at the point on the second power play unit, Krug gave the Bruins and their fans a look that they could be seeing quite a lot of in the coming years. “The last thing you want to do is get those guys to play on their heels or play afraid to make a mistake,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Confidence goes a long way in this game. When coaches are able to give players confidence, it shows, because it makes a big difference.” Despite the impressive performance, Krug only ended up logging 12:56 of ice time, which was the lowest of any Bruins defenseman. That’s all part of the balancing act that Julien must master in order to make sure that Krug’s talent and skill set are fully utilized, but not to the point that he becomes exposed and hurts the club during the most important time of the year. But so far, Julien and the Bruins are pushing the right buttons when it comes to the rookie D-men, especially Krug. His confidence — judging by both his play and his words — is high right now, which is of utmost importance for success at this time of year. “Yeah, well, I’m a player,” Krug said. “I’m [5-foot-9], I’m not very big, I have to play with the puck to be an impact player. So, for me you’ve got to be confident with the puck. If I’m n

Thanks to dafoomie for putting these together, they are great!