Boston Bruins

The Bruins were just a few minutes away from being eliminated in a Game 7 in the first round against a Toronto team they had handled pretty easily over the years. Not only that, the B’s had seen a 3-1 series lead evaporate, and they were about to lose the deciding game at home. Despite a Stanley Cup banner just two years old hanging from the TD Garden rafters, there was reason to believe that some pretty big changes might have been coming in the following days and weeks. Of course, the B’s staged an improbable comeback, scoring three goals in the final 11 minutes to tie the game before winning it in overtime. A week later, Boston is just two wins from reaching the Eastern Conference finals. That has obviously eased any bubbling tension that may be ready to boil over had the Bruins made a quick exit out of the playoffs. However, Bruins president Cam Neely says that the relationship between himself, general manager Peter Chiarelli and head coach Claude Julien remains effective, despite what anyone else might say. Any perceived rifts between any of those organizational layers, Neely says, might be overstated. “But let’s be honest, I don’t care what relationship you’re in, you’re going to have disagreements,” Neely said on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Tuesday afternoon. “That happens. I think that’s healthy. I don’t think anyone would want all three of us to feel the exact same way about Bruins hockey. We have our discussions, we have our disagreements, but overall, we all feel the same way about how we want our club to play and the expectations of our club.” Neely acknowledged the difficulties the team faced in a short season, but was quick to add that any issues don’t fall solely on Chiarelli or Julien. “It can’t just be put on coaches and managers,” Neely said. “It’s easy to say we have to get rid of this guy, but sometimes finding a replacement isn’t as easy as one thinks.” Obviously, as long as the regime and team remain the same, so, too, will the organization’s No. 1 goal. “Right now, I’m not going into specifics, but I feel like we have a good group that is pulling in the same direction and ultimately we all want the same thing; to continue to win championships,” Neely added. “We have a staff in place that worked really well together and are very committed to do just that and continue to try and bring championships to Boston.” Listen to the entire interview by clicking here.

Hello. I sat down exchanged emails yesterday with Kevin Power of Blueshirt Banter and we talked a bit about how the series was going and expectations for the rest of the series. Here's what he had to say: 1. Henrik Lundqvist gave up 5 goals against boston for the first time ever. His previous high was 3. He hasn't given up 5 goals in a game in a long, long time. He mentioned he had to get his shoulder looked at after Sunday's game. How bad would it be for the Rangers if he's hurt? If Lundqvist were hurt in any way that prevented him from starting then the Rangers are done. Hank has let in a couple of softies, at least in my opinion, this series but his defense has been porous at best. I wouldn't be shocked if he's got something nagging him that requires some off season surgery. 2. Ryan Callahan made Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton and Tuukka Rask all look silly on Sunday with his goal. If he were playing for Team USA, would they have beaten Switzerland in the World Championships semifinals? Ah, Captain America. If he were playing for Team USA they would've beaten the Swiss, claimed Gold and find a way to run the Large Hadron Collider without destroying the universe. Although, I think its better that he's playing for a silver cup and not a gold medal. 3. The Rangers are down 2-0 but they say you're not really in trouble until you lose at home. Do you think Torts turns things around with last change? Unless Torts has some magical potion that fixes Marc Staal's vision and whatever it is that's afflicting Ryane Clowe (10 to 1 odds say its a concussion), then no, I don't think things will "turn around". The defense and Lundqvist will play better and the Power Play will still be a worse viewing experience than M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening but the Rangers 5 on 5 offense has been pretty good thus far so that should get them at least a split at home. Thanks again to Kevin for taking the time to answer my questions!

Three weeks ago in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series with the Washington Capitals the Rangers dropped the first two games of the series in Washington before heading home to New York where they were victorious in Game 3 and Game 4. With the next two games in New York, the Bruins hope to avoid mimicking the Capitals. The Capitals took Game 5 back at home before the Rangers won in Game 6 and Game 7 showing the league that the Rangers are at their best when their backs are up against a wall. History though is on the Bruins side, as no team has ever won back-to-back series when trailing two games to none in each series, the Bruins will try and make sure history is not made. Because they’ve been here before, the Rangers know exactly what it takes to get themselves back in the series and avoid failing into a 3-0 hole. “Listen, we don’t want to lose two games here. No one does” said Rangers head coach John Tortorella after his team’s Game 2 loss. “But there’s no give in the team. There will be no give in this team. Again, we need to go win a game. Not look anywhere else, just try to win our first home game this series.” If the Rangers need any sort of a boost in the series, playing in front of their home fans in Madison Square Garden will surely give them one. The Rangers are 3-0 at home this postseason after going an impressive 16-6-2 on home ice during the regular season. “I’m very optimistic as far as where we’re going as a team,” said Tortorella after Monday’s practice. “I’m looking forward to Game 3.” In order for the Rangers to  get themselves a victory in Game 3, they have to go back to Game 3 against the Capitals and find whatever it was that worked for them on the night. Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan thinks being in this situation just a round ago will help the Rangers climb out of a 2-0 hole once again. “Yeah I think it does. It lets us know that it’s still a series” said Callahan. ”We’ve got to win one game at home and we’re right back at it here. This is, like you said, we’ve been here before so now it’s just going to take care of business at home.” The Rangers know that just because they’ve done it once, they’re got guaranteed to do it again. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist knows winning the next two at home won’t be so easy this time. “We have to look at it that way; we’ve done it before. But I think we are playing a better team now so it’s going to be tough to do it” said Lundqvist who carries a 2.10 goals-against average into Game 3. “They’re a solid team and you can’t give them too much. They work hard and they pay attention to all the details in the game and that’s why they have been so successful so far in these two games.” The majority of the Bruins taking the ice for Game 3 tonight are very familiar with erasing a 2-0 series deficit as they did it twice in 2011 en route to their Stanley Cup championship. The Bruins know they can’t take the Rangers lightly, something the Canadiens and Canucks may have done to the Bruins in 2011. “They were down 2-0 in their last series and we know we can’t take them lightly,” said Bruins forward Brad Marchand. “We got to make sure we go to New York very hungry and ready to go out hard.” Madison Square Garden will be rocking Tuesday night. The Bruins know that, and the Rangers know that. If the Bruins can get a quick lead to silence the crowd and strike fear into the hearts of the Rangers faithful it could be a difference in the game. The Rangers will come out buzzing, that’s for the sure. The Bruins hope to match the intensity the Rangers will bring. “It’s about realizing the series is not over until you win that fourth game. We know that,” said Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron. “We know (Tuesday) is going to be a huge game. They’re going to try to bounce back, and we’re expecting them to come out really hard. We need to make sure we match that.” The post Rangers enter Game 3 in familiar territory appeared first on Br

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff The Bruins are not planning on making any lineup changes for Game 3. Claude Julien said he would be surprised if Dennis Seidenberg played tonight. Seidenberg was one of the last four players on the...

May 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk (55), defenseman Matt Bartkowski (43), center Patrice Bergeron (37) and center Brad Marchand (63) on the ice before the start of game two 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 With the news that Boston Bruins defensemen Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden are set to miss their 3rd straight game of the B’s 2nd round series versus the New York Rangers, it appears as though the Bruins roster will look exactly like it did in games one and two. The trio of injured d-men for the Bruins make a tough task even tougher for the B’s and the way this team has rallied is incredible. With the emergence of three rookie blue-liners in Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug, the B’s have hopped out to a 2-0 series lead and shown the type of organizational depth it takes to be a Stanley Cup contender every year. Certainly goaltender Tuukka Rask and captain Zdeno Chara have also picked up a good amount of the slack along with Johnny Boychuk and the 12 forwards, but the contributions these kids are making on defense are doing more than just raising an eyebrow or two. Krug has been a revelation and now has goals in back-to-back games, his first two career playoff games for that matter and has shown the kind of puck handling and skating skills that the B’s have long since coveted for their blue-line corps. Bartkowski scored in the Bruins thrilling comeback game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and has just been solid in all three zones. Hamilton has thrown his weight around and hasn’t been as solid as the other two, but he’s 19-years old and has held his own. [ LINK: Bruins' Young Defensemen Make Case To Stay In Lineup Once Veterans Heal ] Tonight however will be one of their toughest challenges yet, for tonight they head into New York City to play in one of the oldest and greatest sport arenas in North America, Madison Square Garden. It will no doubt be a hostile environment, nothing like the support and cheers the kids received the last two games while playing in front of the hometown crowd. The crowd will be even louder than normal tonight in NYC as their Rangers are down 0-2 and cannot afford to go down 0-3 to the Bruins. The crowd will be doing all it can to help their boys in Blue and if the B’s want any chance of coming out with a “W” tonight they’ll need their rookie d-men once again to act like grizzled veterans instead of the fresh faced kids they are. So far they haven’t showed us they can’t handle the pressure of the NHL playoffs, so far they’ve excelled in it and will once again be asked to answer the call. They haven’t disappointed yet, they also haven’t played under the bright-lights of Madison Square Garden and in front of a crowd like only New York can produce (I mean that in the kindest way possible). Hopefully they just heed the advice that Bruins head coach Claude Julien afforded Krug after his emergency call-up last week, “Don’t be afraid”.

There are few phrases the draw the fire of chowderheads as easily as "this is their Stanley Cup’, and with good reason! It’s an excuse to take the blame away from an underperforming team losing to a non-contender, for reasons like "resting" or "not needing to send a message". The users of the phrase say. If our team is going to make the playoffs, why should we worry about dropping a few games to Buffalo? Because the playoffs are a different beast altogether. Just on the first round, we’ve been on both sides of underestimating an opponent- failing in games five and six to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving them confidence- and eventually- a 4-1 lead halfway through the third period of game 7. Toronto was playing the better Hockey, and it was their Stanley cup. Then the Bruins got confident. Three straight goals, by Horton, Lucic , and then Bergeron sent the game to overtime. The bear had finally woken up. We’ve seen the flashes throughout the season, but something was different this time- the bear stayed awake, winning the game in overtime. The first game against New York was just as promising, despite the, again, close score. Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski stepped up. Game two was a 5-2 dissection of Henrick Lundqvist. Game three is tonight, and this is where we’ll find out if the team is ready to roll over and keep hibernating, or become the beast of the east once again, and step on the throat of the Rangers, and every other team we will have to play. Choke the Breath out of them and keep rolling. This isn’t about this game, or this series. This is our Stanley Cup. There are few phrases the draw the fire of chowderheads as easily as "this is their Stanley Cup’, and with good reason! It’s an excuse to take the blame away from an underperforming team losing to a non-contender, for reasons like "resting" or "not needing to send a message". The users of the phrase say. If our team is going to make the playoffs, why should we worry about dropping a few games to Buffalo? Because the playoffs are a different beast altogether. Just on the first round, we’ve been on both sides of underestimating an opponent- failing in games five and six to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving them confidence- and eventually- a 4-1 lead halfway through the third period of game 7. Toronto was playing the better Hockey, and it was their Stanley cup. Then the Bruins got confident. Three straight goals, by Horton, Lucic , and then Bergeron sent the game to overtime. The bear had finally woken up. We’ve seen the flashes throughout the season, but something was different this time- the bear stayed awake, winning the game in overtime. The first game against New York was just as promising, despite the, again, close score. Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski stepped up. Game two was a 5-2 dissection of Henrick Lundqvist. Game three is tonight, and this is where we’ll find out if the team is ready to roll over and keep hibernating, or become the beast of the east once again, and step on the throat of the Rangers, and every other team we will have to play. Choke the Breath out of them and keep rolling. This isn’t about this game, or this series. This is our Stanley Cup.

The Boston Bruins face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden tonight at 7:30pm In praise of Claude Julien and his coaching. [WEEI] Counterpoint- Testy John Tortorella is... testy. [BostonHerald] Five issues that led to one big overtime problem for the Rangers. [TheScore] The Bruins have discovered the way around the Rangers' shot blocking. [MetroWestDailyNews] Secondary scoring has been key for a Bruins team that has taken pride in its depth. [SportsMedia101] It is "pedal to the metal" time, as the Bruins will need to be relentless. [BruinsDaily] It isn't Freddy Krug giving Henrik Lundqvist nightmares. Every Bruins line is chipping in. Tuukka Rask is maintaining an even keel. Dismal Rangers power play is dismal. [HockeyBuzz] Might there be more lineup changes tonight? [CausewayCrowd] Dennis Seidenberg is not likely in for tonight. [NHLBruins^CS] Sorry for my late posting, if you missed yesterday's Jack Edwards chat, the transcript is here: [Boston.Com] Dunkin Donuts' Bruins doughnut seems not quite right, somehow. [BostInno] Former Boston College Eagle Brian Boyle, now a Ranger, has had a tough season. [BostonGlobe] Yet more stunning insight from the Masters of the Universe about the relative value of certain teams meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals. [WallStreetJournal] A bit of potourri... Are these the OT Playoffs, the Bad Ref playoffs, the Delay-of-Game Playoffs, or the Unsung Hero Playoffs? What about Raffi Torres, and the fines his employers were levied? [GuardianUK] You need this for your bathroom Throne of Games. [PuckDaddy] Michael J. Fox has a witty quip and picture of each Stanley Cupcake he has devoured as NHL teams are eliminated from the playoffs. Here's the one dearest to our hearts, and do check his gallery of the others. [@realmikefox]

The Bruins have a chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead and potentially put a stake in the hearts of the Rangers. The thing we can't forget here is that the Rangers have been down 0-2 in a series this year and then came back to win 4 out of the last 5. Also, Boston has lost a 3-0 series lead before. And I'm pretty sure that Henrik Lundqvist isn't going to play as horribly has he has the past two games. I just can't fathom it. I can't picture him being horrible for an entire series. He's to good to do that. I expect the Rangers to come out and play with some desperation tonight. Losing tonight, at home, and playing another poor game of hockey will probably crush this team. A lot of people are speculating that they're tuning out Tortorella because he's a fucking child with a mustache. Seriously. Who goes on national television and tells the media that a guy stinks because he's too jittery? Because he's god damn jitterbug. Who says that? What's that supposed to do? Fire the guy up? I'm sure Torts doesn't verbally abuse his players all season (but I'm probably wrong) and I'm sure he saves his dickish stuff for the media, but at some point his players are going to tune him out right? In Game 2 the Rangers looked like they weren't even trying. They didn't look like they were into the game at all, especially in the third period. That was Bruins-esque in terms of not caring. I hope that Boston takes care of business tonight. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out and played terribly, because the Bruins will do Bruins things like that from time to time. I mean, I know Game 2 was great, but they still had 16 turnovers. Dougie Hamilton was horrible on both Ranger goals, especially the first one. I think Seidenberg is going to be in the lineup tonight, which should solve the Hamilton issue. He's just not playoff ready. It will come with time. While Seidenberg may come back, the search for Tyler Seguin and Jaromir Jagr continues. I'm done predicting that either of these guys will do anything, because it's obvious it's not going to happen. Jagr can't stay on the ice for more than 30 seconds at a time towards the end of a period. Tyler Seguin can't fucking deke around someone without losing the puck. Seguin is playing with two corpses. Seriously, it's fucking Corpses on Ice out there. Chris Kelly, outside of taking faceoffs, has been rendered utterly useless. 0-0-0 -5 in the playoffs so far. Nine games and nothing. Rich Peverley: 1-0-1 -3 in 8 games. Tyler Seguin: 0-1-1. -2 in 9 games. Pathetic. They're fucking pathetic! And Seguin leads the team in shots with 35. I hope the Bruins buy out Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley when the time comes. They have two amnesty clauses and it's obvious that neither guy deserves the contract that they were given. Yes given, not earned. I'll get more into this in the offseason when I do my "What Should The Bruins Do Now" type of post, but buying these two guys out give the Bruins $6M in cap space on top of the $6M they will already have and the possible $4M from Savard's contract should they long term injury reserve him again. (click the image for a larger res) I mean, come on man. Still - Seguin and the rest of the Walking Dead on the third line need to wake up. After the jump, the rest of the preview... Bruins' Projected Lines Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Tyler Seguin Rich Peverley - Chris Kelly - Jaromir Jagr Shawn Thornton - Greg Campbell - Dan Paille Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg Johnny Boychuk - Matt Bartkowski Adam McQuaid - Torey Krug Tuukka Rask Anton Khudobin Media TV: NBCSN, RDS, TSN Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub Online Feeds: HERE DOY Flying Bear T-Shirt YO DUDES

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff NEW YORK ? Good morning from Madison Square Garden, where the Bruins will look to grab a 3-0 series lead tonight over the Rangers. Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden are with the team. Both defensemen...

Just the Facts Game Time: 7:30 PM, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY. TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Network, TSN, RDS. Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub. Record: Bruins 2, Rangers 0. The Other Side's SB Nation Site: Blueshirt Banter Get Tickets here: Boston Bruins Tickets Rangers projected lines Hagelin - Stepan - Callahan Zuccarello - Brassard - Nash Dorsett - Boyle - Pyatt Kreider - Richards - Asham Girardi - McDonaghStralman - Del ZottoMoore - Eminger Lundqvist Bruins projected lines: Lucic - Krejci - Horton Marchand - Bergeron - JagrPeverley - Kelly - SeguinPaille - Campbell - Thornton Chara - SeidenbergKrug - BoychukBartkowski - McQuaid Rask Preview: It's likely Dougie Hamilton will be riding the pine in the press box tonight, as Dennis Seidenberg has recovered enough from Game 7 to draw back into the lineup. Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug have played their way into the NHL, and will likely remain there. (Man, next year is going to be reeeeeally interesting when it comes time to make decisions about this lineup. But that is then, and this is now.) On the Rangers' side, it seems that dapper goaltender Henrik Lundqvist may be battling a shoulder injury. He should still be in net tonight (playoffs, man) but look for the Bruins to try to exploit that weakness. The Rangers are a hot mess on D right now, and a goalie not playing up to par behind that level of garbage fire could mean good things for the Bruins. As in games 1 and 2, it's important for the Bruins to focus on neutralizing Rick Nash and the Callahan line. As long as the team keeps carrying out the game plan from games 1 and 2, they should be alright -- especially with the boost on D from having Seidenberg back.