According to the Boston Bruins the following will happen: Phil Kessel will have shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator and labram and will not be ready for training camp in September. David Krecji will undergo surgery hip surgery and will not be ready for training camp in September. Andrew Ference will undergo groin surgery. Mark Recchi had surgery for a kidney stone between games 6 & 7.  Chuck Kobasew had two broken ribs injured in game one.  M*A*S*H -Diehard

Year Number 37 Loss! 

As we all sit here waiting for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings to start the Western Conference Finals Sunday afternoon, we can’t help but think about the Boston Bruins and the loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7.Lets face it Bruins fans, after re-watching that series, it was evident that the ‘Canes were better than the Bruins. Not a lot, but yes they were better and faster than Boston. The Carolina forwards were all over the Bruins in five of the seven games, forechecking the B’s into many turnovers, most in their own end. A lot of people say that the Bruins are a better team. Well, in the regular season, sure, they were better than anyone in the East. But once the playoffs start you are supposed to step up and be even better, dogged, hard-nosed, determined. Well I didn’t see that in the second round of the playoffs. The Bruins took two games almost completely and several periods in the other games. Yes, they didn’t have two of their better defensemen in Matt Hunwick and Andrew Ference, but all that did was expose Dennis Wideman and Shane Hnidy as not the best alternatives in defense. Zdeno Chara was effective but only so much as he like the others were stymied in their own end and center ice.As good as he was in the series against his former team, Michael Ryder was a no show in the second round. Marc Savard was just short of great as was Milan Lucic showing maturity in the playoffs far beyond his 20 years on the planet. Phil Kessel, mixed bag in the playoff and still too many giveaways especially when forechecked. David Kreci had a really nice playoff and will be a real star in the NHL. The head coach, who did a brilliant job during the season, did not make the necessary adjustments to try and beat the ‘Canes forecheck or maybe he just didn’t have the horses that could get away from them with said adjustments.What it came down to is what former Caps coach Gary Green loves to say. “Your best players have to be your best players.” There wasn’t enough of that as the Bruins best player the entire series was Tim Thomas. And if you are leaving Thomas to be your best player, you aren’t doing your job in front of him. A lot of time during this 7 game series, the Bruins defense and forwards were not doing their jobs. So here we are again….a long time since 1972 when Wayne Cashman and company were literally dancing on Madison Square Garden ice as they were beating the Rangers in game 6 and winning their second cup in three years. When will this drought end?  86 years?While leaving the garden Thursday after the game, there were several young fans highly emotional screaming at no one in particular, about how this could happen and really in such pain as they had expended so much energy and passion in their team. I was walking to the T and had a wry smile on my face and said to myself of all his pain, ‘you have no idea’!Go Blackhawks! 

-Diehard

It’s obvious the Bruins can compete with any team in the playoffs. But as I’ve said before, they can’t take nights off. Especially in the playoffs. Last night was what they had been doing for most of the season. Allowing Carolina just 19 shots on net, they finished every check and intimidated the Hurricanes all game long to a 4-0 win that gives them another day of life in the NHL Playoffs. Once down 3-games to one, the Boston Bruins have never comeback to win the series. Can they do it in the next three days?  That remains to be seen but they must continue this kind of play otherwise it ain’t gonna happen. Now they must go back to North Carolina and fight off elimination and the hostile crowd one more time. Win, and game seven at the Garden.  Sounds easy doesn’t it! It was good to see the Bruins come out with energy and led by Milan Lucic in the hitting department not give their opponent an inch of extra room. It was everything that they had in game one and lost it for three straight games. Tim Thomas was sharp in recording his first ever NHL Playoff shutoutIt will be interesting to see if they come out just like that in Raleigh. Aaron Ward did travel with the team and Chara seems none the worse for wear after both took hard cheap shots from the Hurricanes. Go B’s! 

-Diehard

I guess we’ll see what they are made of.  Today is Bobby Orr Day and the Boston Bruins are at a place we’ve seen so many times. On home ice in the playoffs and one loss from another disappointing end to a promising season. We’ve seen it all before and the history lessons for the B’s in this spot are not good. 14-39 record when down 3-1 does not bode well for the Bruins.And it’s the way they got here that’s troubling for us fans.  Defense, moving the puck up and out of the zone, forechecking, the power play and good goaltending. These things have been non-existent in the last three games..all losses. Despite the fact game 3 went into overtime, Boston didn’t really deserve to be in that game. Well against the Carolina Hurricanes, who look to put the Bruins in the wake tonight at the garden, they haven’t shown the fight, discipline, or the ability to beat Cam Ward.What will they bring to the ice tonight. Will they fight back and hopefully get a win and live to play another day or will the 37 year tradition continue.  This is hard to gauge. All I know is that they need to get back to playing the way that made them number one in the east. Was the regular season a big ruse? Were we lulled into a false sense of security?  I don’t think so, but after dispatching the Candiens, a really bad team, maybe they thought this would be easy and that they would roll over the ‘Canes. Well tonight it’s time to put up or shut up and melt the ice.  Go B’s!  Happy Birthday Coop! 

-Diehard

Well, we certaintly didn’t think they were gonna win ‘em all. But it was the way they lost that is of concern. For all the good things that Bruins have done so far this playoff year, Sunday nights 3-0 loss to the Hurricane was a bunch of bad things. Mostly turnovers and not taking care of the puck. A shorthanded goal and a breakaway that should have been a goal despite the powers that be in the “War Room” in Toronto saying otherwise. And mostly just a second period that was just awful by Bruin standards. They looked like they were out for a shinny game. Maybe its what they needed. But not in round two of the playoffs.  Did they think that the Hurricanes were gonna keep that New Jersey hangover? Well it’s a series now and with losing the home ice advantage, they must get one down in Raleigh. No I’m not jumping off the bandwagon cuz we’ve seen the coach put these guys right back on track and away they go. Lets just hope this was an aberration, an anomaly, a brain fart and the next 60 minutes will produce the good solid stuff that we’ve come to expect.They have to know that you can’t take periods or even a shift off in the playoffs otherwise you lose, despite playing a great third period, you already were down two and should have been three. The B’s have had a problem on the powerplay and haven’t scored on the man-advantage since game two of round one. Of course former Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward had an awful lot to say about that. He was tremendous in the third period when Boston was besieging the Hurricanes with 15 shots on net and Ward stopped ‘em all including two spectacular saves late in the game.Wednesday & Friday games in Raleigh, NC before returning to Boston on Sunday, Mother’s Day. May 10. 39 years since Bobby Orr Day.  You youngsters, go look it up! Go B’s -Diehard

A little rust in the beginning but the Bruins brushed it all off and took a quick one nothing lead at 1:34 into the game and were never headed. David Krecji tipped an Aaron Ward shot past Cam Ward for the lead. Carolina maybe a bit of a hangover from their improbable win over New Jersey Tuesday did manage to tie the game on wrister from Jussi Jokanen that slipped through Tim Thomas pads. But this was classic 2009 Bruins. Doing the same things that got them in this position. Hard working opportunistic and getting scoring from their first line as well as their second and third line. Tim Thomas was as solid as ever in goal and you never got the feeling that the Hurricanes were a threat to come back in this game and put any fear into the Bruins or the fans. It was just what a team with a ten day layoff needed to do to get back in the swing of things. Michael Ryder didn’t show much rust as he intercepted a clearing pass just outside the blue line and turned it into his 5^th goal of the playoff year.  But it was Marc Savard that really came to play as he scored twice and was his outstanding passing self. I guess it would be hard to say that these teams are rivals despite the fact that 10 years ago it was as Carolina was Hartford.  And although the rivalry was pretty one-sided as the Bruins really never lost a playoff series to the Whale, there was some hatred there. So it will take a few games of nastiness to bring any kind of contempt between the two. One win down and three to go. Bruins need not get cocky as this is how it started for Carolina in the first round, but this is how it started for the Bruins as well. Hockey in the second round and the Bruins are involved. Doncha just love it. 

-Diehard

It’s been 10 days since the Bruins eliminated the Canadiens and for the most part, Diehard was thinking that Rangers or Pittsburgh would be invading the garden as the next opponent. But as usual, a funny thing happened on the way to the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Carolina forged their way to the second round on the strength of great goaltending from Cam Ward and a lot of hard work and will in that seventh game in which they beat the best goalie ever with two quick goals in the last minute and a half to eliminate New Jersey.So this Eastern Conference Semifinal will not even remotely look like what we witnessed in the first round. The Road to the Cup will always get harder and harder as you move along. And we don’t know what this layoff of the Bruins will do to them. Will they be rusty? And if they are, how long before that rust wears off and will Carolina take full advantage of them. The answer to this and many more questions begin at 7:40pm Friday and it will be the first time Bruins fans can say hello to their first round winners!  

-Diehard

Bell Centre Montreal, Quebec

And no time to change a thing as no team is done until they begin throwing the dirt over them. Boston needs to just continue what they been doing and make sure you don’t give one breath of life to Montreal. As we all know, anything can happen up here and sometime anything does happen. So lets leave Montreal tonight with a first round victory in their pockets and lots of rest for the weary.The lineup shouldn’t change much although with Milan Lucic back from his one game suspension, someone will sit out. For Montreal, nothing changed in their line up either, Mathieu Schneider, Andre Markov, are out and Alex Tanguay is a game time decision. And yes, no change in goal. Carey Price will be back between the pipes in hopes of staving off Series Eliminatoires De La Coupe Stanley.  

-Diehard

A few thoughts while in my hotel room and its rainy windy and raw in Montreal!In the playoffs all time, the Canadiens have beaten the Boston Bruins 99 times. Should the Canadiens get swept Wednesday night at Les Cathedral Bell Centre, their 100^th season will go up in flames. Sacre Bleu!I said this when the Canadiens and my friend Todd was trynig to foist Carey Price on the hockey world as the next Patrick Roy, ‘He has no glove, he is down on his knees too much and when he down there, anything on the ice is fine…anything not on the ice better hit him because he ain’t stopping it. And when he gives up those rebounds off those pads like he did Monday night, he is out of position and bang, goal. And a lot of the people up here are saying the first goal by Phil Kessel was flukey. I say an emphatic NO! Top goalies, which he is not, make that save in a big playoff game.Are the Canadiens in hockey shape at all?  If you look at each of the first three games and Montreal has come out to skate fast and hit the Bruins and try to intimidate them. Of course the Bruins would have none of it. But after 10 minutes of the first, and the Bruins brush them away like fleas, the Habs crawl back into their shell and are just not into the physical stuff.Remember when the Bruins signed Michael Ryder in the off season. Then he was off to a real slow start and everyone is saying why did they sign him.  Well, he only has two game winners against the team that kept him in the doghouse last season and was a healthy scratch for 8 of the Canadiens 12 playoff games last season. Ryder was quite humble after the game saying that “so far, nothing has been accomplished, but it is nice to come back into this building and score a big goal.”If you check a few weeks ago, Diehard made his pick for the Georges Vezina Trophy as top goalie for the season. Tim Thomas has done nothing in this playoff to dispel that notion. As I said, he has been solid to great all season and continues to be just fantastic in three games. Making the saves that top goalies in the playoffs make.Last year, Phil Kessel had not yet laced up his skates for a playoff game in the NHL. Since he finally dressed in game 4 of last season’s playoff against these same Canadiens, his totals are seven games played, six goals, three assists and a plus three. Just imagine if he wasn’t a healthy scratch in those first three games last year. And finally, Diehard hasn’t been a huge fan of Dennis Wideman since the trade that sent Brad Boyes to St. Louis. But he has really turned my head around. Dave Corso, a guy I play hockey with regularly has been shouting how great Wideman is but I chalk that up as everyone has someone they really like. I called Dave last night after the second period and told him that Wideman was having a hell of a game and it turned out that I wasn’t the only one that recognized that fact. Pat Hickey, Habs beat writer for the Montreal Gazette, picked the three stars of the game. Number three star was Yannick Weber with a goal and an assist. Number two star was Phil Kessel. And the number one star was Dennis Wideman.Outstanding!!! 

-Diehard

It all started with the Anthems.  Once again the Frauds who are supposed to be nice people boooed the Star-Spangled Banner. And cheer loudly for O’Canada. Nice people these French Frauds! Fandom is one thing, disrespect is despicable and vile.Then their Habs got going and at 11:52 Chris Higgins gave the Canadiens their first lead of the series as he wristed a hard shot under the left arm of Tim Thomas and Montreal had their one goal lead.  And they are still buzzing the Bruin net.But all that would change when Phil Kessel too the puck from behind his own net and with that Kessel speed, made his way through a host of Canadien stick checkers and was broken up on the goal line…..but Mike Komisarek turned the puck over at the blue line and Dennis Wideman blasted it back toward the net where it was going wide, but Kessel never gave up on the play and tipped it home by the catching glove of Carey Price with just over a minute left in the first. After the initial buzz, the Bruins were tied and looking just fine!Boston has begun their usual hard work and fourth liners combine for the lead when Byron Bitz beats a Canadien defender behind the net and feeds Thornton for his first and it’s a 2-1 Boston.  Short lived  as Yannick Weber put a shot off the face off through Thomas’ legs and in the words of Hall of Famer Bob Wilson, It’s all brand new and shiny.But if you’ve been with us from the beginning of the year, you’ve seen it before. The Bruins keep coming at you and Michael Ryder capped off a flurry of shots and huge rebounds off Carey Price’s pad and finally put in rebound in the open corner stick side and the Bruins had their one goal lead through two periods. Third period was no different as Boston solidified their stranglehold on the Habs and go down three games to love as Chuck Kobasew salted it with an open net goal.What is comes down to is Coach Claude Julien’s system which he never lets them get away from along with good old fashion hard work. The Bruins keep doing whatever it takes to get loose puck and with Montreal turning over the puck, Boston has been right there to take advantage of it every time.

As Tim Thomas said after the game, “they are not dead yet. We have to keep stepping on them until we’ve won four.” Game four is Wednesday night, I’d be happy coming home from Montreal with round 1 in their pocket but we all know how this works. One game at a time.

-Diehard