Immediately after the Bruins snagged their glorious Game Two OT win, the NHL website ran an article entitled "The life of Pai". After last night’s game, that 4 word title would still be valid.
For 60 minutes last night the Bruins dominated, yet on both sides of the ice the story commenced long before first puck drop. For Boston they had about three minutes remaining in the warm-ups when 6 foot 9 D-man Zedeno Chara appeared to lose an edge all before precariously sliding into the backside of fellow teammate Milan Lucic. After seeing Lucic literally fall ON his face, Chara left the ice striking fear through Bruins fans as he returned to the dressing room for repairs on his bleeding face.
Yet while Chara would return to the ice for puck drop, Chicago's pregame fatality would not. Immediately after his team hit the ice prime Chicago forward Marian Hossa appeared to injure himself on a seemingly harmless slap shot. Almost immediately, the 7 goal scorer fled the ice with what appeared to be an upper body injury. "He was hit with a puck in the chest a couple days ago" Hawks head coach Joel Quenville said when asked about the injury "Hopefully he'll be read to play on Wednesday"
Nevertheless, while Quenville may hope all he wants, with Hossa gone, the Blackhawks needed a replacement. So naturally, they call a kid in Ben Smith who, coming into last night had played one previous NHL game, into game 3 of the STANLEY CUP FINALS!
The Blackhawks were stuck in between a rock and a hard place, and even then they hadn't even started the game yet. Regardless, there still was a game to play and for both teams it was a huge one. After a triple OT Chicago win in game one, the Bruins came storming back in game two to pull out a come from behind win off a Dainal Pallie goal last in the first OT. Then as if to complicate it all, all three of Chicago's most recent games going into last night had gone into OT as they had played the equivalent to 5 games but were only credited with playing 3.
On the Chicago side of things fatigue was definitely a factor yet on the Bruins bench their driving force was momentum. Through the first period, the Bruins out-shot Chicago 11 to 10 but it was never that close. By the second period, things were getting even worse for Chicago as the Bruins dominated in the face-off circle, piled on hit after hit, and continued to out-chance their windy city opponents by unthinkable margins. Nonetheless, no facet of that brutal 2nd period stung more for Chicago than a continuation of the Danial Pallie show just over 2 minutes into the period.
With the Bruins going for a change, a quick dump into the Chicago zone was easily paddled away by Crawford. Peeling off towards the puck, Blackhawk, Jonathon Toews seemed to think he had more time than he did as he was promptly hammered off the puck by a crashing Andrew Ference. Puck now to the far boards where Pallie proceeded to pick it up and slide the pass over to teammate Tyler Seguin all before he forcefully powered to the opposite hash marks. Seguin the shot, Kelley the follow up and finally, Pallie the take away and ensuing goal: one nothing Boston.
"He plays the game the way it should be played" Bruin Chris Kelley who was credited with an assist on Pallie's goal said post game " [Pallie] skates well, finishes his checks, capitalizes on his chances"
Nevertheless while that Pallie dart made you smile, Boston's second goal later in that same period made you jump for joy. With 6 minutes an five seconds left in the period, and Boston riding a brief 5 on 3 power play, Tyler Seguin for the Bruins, takes the puck at the Chicago blue line before putting it softly over to fellow point man Chara. Literally right as the first penalty expired, Chara put the puck on to Jaromir Jager who was positioned wide open on the goal line. With the recently released from the penalty box Dave Bolland charging into the play from center ice, Jager ripped a beauty of a pass right through the top of the crease over to a calm and patient Patrice Bergeron. Sticks flying past the crease and as Bergeron settles the shot Crawford is out of position. As the Hawks goalie tries in vain to work back across the goal mouth, Bergeron shoots and puts in his second power play goal of this Cup Final: Boston was now firmly in command.
Fatigue, lack of will, whatever you call it, the Bruins smoked Chicago last night, a truth that the games 2 - 0 score really did not do justice. Tuukka gets his 3rd shutout of the playoffs, the saga of Danial Pallie continues and above all the Boston Bruins have a 2-1 lead in this year's Stanley Cup finals. Nothing more need be said.
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