Bruins game six preview: What it will take for the Bruins to force game seven

Desperation. One word to summarize every single one the Bruins coaches roster members and fans will be speaking tonight. One kind of motivation the Hawks will look to cancel out tonight. But one word the Bruins have become amazingly familiar with. In the 3 years, 9 different series and a total of 52 playoff games, the Bruins have played a total 7 elimination games yet they have lost just one. Nevertheless, the Bruins will be playing only their 2nd elimination game of the playoffs tonight and when you think about it they came just 52 seconds away from losing that first elimination game of the playoffs to a team without a doubt inferior to the Hawks. Winning tonight will be no easy task for the Bruins but regardless of that, if Boston falls short for a 3rd straight game, there will be no next game. If the Boston Bruins loose tonight the Toronto comeback, the Lunquvist dismantling and the Pittsburgh sweep will all be for not, if the Boston Bruins loose tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks will be Stanley Cup Champions again. Here's how they can keep the Hawks from doing that. 

1) Tuukka Rask needs to steal the game  

It seems crazy to ask Rask to do anything more for this team but regardless of that he will need to play one of the best games of these playoffs for the Bruins to win as when you think about it, it might take yet another shutout for the B's to win this one. 

2) Patrice Bergeron must be healthy enough to make an impact 

There's no arguing, Chara may be the captain but Patrice Bergeron is the rock that drives this entire Bruins team. Yet he went down midway through the second period of game 5 the Bruins seemed to lose the will to win. As crazy as it seems, tonight's game might be as simple as this: if Patrice Bergeron plays, the Bruins might win, if Patrice Bergeron sits out, the Bruins might lose. 

3)  Bruins defense needs to limit Chicago's shots to the perimeter

It’s a fact, the Bruins cannot will not win game six if they allowed more than 2 goals and it’s a fact, Tuukka Rask will not allow more than 2 goals if Chicago cannot get bodies of the front of the net. So with that in mind the Bruins defense's role is simple. Do not worry about scoring goals, simply hit Chicago and own the blue line. Don't let them get behind you and most importantly if anyone gets in front of Tuukka Rask, chuck that Blackhawk to the ice. 

4) Bruins must limit neutral zone turnovers 

It has been a presence all series long. Bruins taking the puck up the ice give the puck up to the Hawks who take it up the ice and punch the puck past Rask. You see at best, Tuukka Rask can stop 2 thirds of the breakaways the Hawks manage and when you think about it if they snatch up 4 or 5 in Game Six which really isn't that far-fetched that would be around 2 goals right there. The Bruins must eliminate those neutral zone turnovers. 

5) Jaromir Jagr, Brad Marchand or Tyler Seguin needs to have a good game

It’s that simple, the Bruins under preforming stars must score. Nothing more nothing less; put the puck in the back of the net. 

Read More

Bruins Blackhawks game 5 recap: Chara scores but Bruins fall 3-1 off 2 goals by Patrick Kane

For the first 2 periods of last nights game 5 with Chicago, the Blackhawks dominated yet in the blink of an eye they went from ripping apart the Bruins to fighting for their life with just a 1 goal lead.

The Bruins fell 2-1 to the Hawks last night (not including an empty netter late in the 3rd) yet for the entire first period, the Bruins were literally doing everything that they hadn't done in game 4. Fore-checking, back-checking, really every kind of checking and you know what it was working. 11-8 in shots in favor of Boston, hit after hit against Chicago and once again quite a few vital saves for Tuukka Rask were all glorious facets of a pretty acceptable first period for Boston, that is until Patrick Kane did what he does best.

With 2:34 left in the first, Johnney Oduya of the Hawks caught Kane riding towards the front of the Boston net. Looking for a rebound, Oduya blasted the shot on nets right as Dennis Sidenberg for the Bruins dove in front looking to block the shot. Not getting all of it, Sidenberg only slowed it down fooling Rask and preventing him from freezing the puck all with Kane literally breathing down his neck. With just 2:33 left in the first, the Blackhawks were up by one, but nevertheless while Chicago did have the lead, anyone who has watched this series so far couldn't help but think, "yeah the Bruins could come back."

But regardless of that, just 5 minutes into the following 2nd period, that deficit that the Bruins would have to erase would end up getting doubled by yet another Patrick Kane dart. With 5:13 elapsed in the 2nd frame, and the Bruins pressing for an equalizing goal, a marginal 3 on 2 developed up ice all as Nathan Horton fought to get back into position. Brian Bickell delivered the shot pass right to the stick of Johnathon Toews who's ensuing shot was padded away by Rask. Rotating around the back of the net, Toews slid it back to the front of the net where mighty Kane smacked it home for his second of the game and 3rd goal in 2 games. 

Nevertheless, the Bruins had crawled out of 2 goal holes before, (they did it twice in Game 4 to send it to OT) so like the attitude at the conclusion of the first period, when Chicago got out of the second frame still up by two, Bruins fans watching last nights game neglected to let go of their hollow insistence of "yeah the bruins can STILL come back."

Nevertheless, when it was pointed out by Piere McGuire that Patrice Bergeron had not played since a very short shift in the second period, your heart sank. The Bruins were now without Mr Money himself yet as has been true all playoff long when the star goes down all that does is showcase Boston's insane

depth offensively.

With the game clock reading 16:27 to go in the third period, and with Zdeno Chara working the blue line the rebound of a great shot by the Bruin captain was picked up and played by David Krejci via a mighty saucer pass back to Chara who easily wristed in under the crossbar of the Chicago net.

The Bruins had scored and as time winded down an aura of pressure began to radiate out of Boston's beloved hockey team yet as they rifled shot after shot on Crawford and none went in you could since that the Bruins were beginning to panic. Regardless, the Bruins came just inches away from tying the game with mere minutes left on the clock. After an easy takeaway at center, Brad Marchand of the Bruins forcefully took control of the blue line an accelerated his line into a threatening 3 on 3 rush on Crawford. With Jager on his right Marchand slid the puck to the 41 year old future hall of famer who fired the shot on goal only to be blocked by a diving Brandon Saud. 2:33 left in the game and with the puck dribbling back towards the Chicago goal, Danial Pallie, scorer of 2 game winning goals already in this series, swung frantically at the puck only to have his potential tying goal blocked by the right pad of Cory Crawford.

In the span of just 2 games the Bruins went from harboring a chance to take a 3-1 series lead to, after two consecutive losses finding themselves now just 1 loss away from being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Finals.

In just over a day, the Bruins and Blackhawks will begin game six each team harboring one simple intention. For Chicago: win the game therefor winning the cup. For the Bruins: don't let that happen.

Read More

Soderberg to skate on 4th line: The issues holding Soderberg back

In July of 2007, Carl Soderberg was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Hannu Tonivonen, a Bruins goalie who played a total of 38 games for the big club over two seasons. A little less than 6 years later, secured a multi-year deal to officially bring Soderburg onto their roster. 2 days after that, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association blocked the deal basically saying "HE'S MINE!". In the immediate wake of that, Soderburg came right back refusing to play for any Swedish team therefore forcing the SIHF to allow the trade to go through. 

So after all that why did we fight so hard for this guy? After a total of 5 seasons as a Swedish Elite League player, Soderburgh was widely regarded as the Sidney Crosby of Swedish Hockey. 143 goals, to compliment a career points total of 382. Yet once he crossed oceans something changed. In the 6 games he played for the Bruins this year, Soderburg did basically nothing save for 2 meager assists in games against 2 teams that failed to make the playoffs this year (Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers). Through those six games, Soderberg managed just 6 shots on goal and was a minus three in the  +/-  category. What up with that? 

Well here you go. Reason number one: goalies and defenders are better in the NHL then they are in the SEL, it’s just a  fact you go from a seemingly amateur league where it's champion could easily be beaten by the Calgary Flames to a league where those same Flames went 19-25-4 last year there is going to be a drop-off  No argument there.  

Reason number two: rink size. With a width of 100 feet and a length of 200 feet, the SEL's 20,000 square feet of ice, is almost 3,000 square feet larger than that of the NHL's rinks. With those boards now closer together, things were completely thrown off for poor Soderberg as the puck bounces faster, players are on you faster and really everything is faster.  

In his first 6 games as an NHL'er, his adopted league has not treated Soderberg well. Regardless when the line combinations for tonight's game five of the Cup Finals came out it was Soderberg that was in and in a surprising move it was Jager that would be sitting out. In just a few hours, Carl Soderberg will be inserted into the game of his life, playing on the 4th line of a Boston Bruins team that will be playing for a win that would put them just 1 win away from a Stanley Cup Championship. How bout that for nerves?

Go Bruins #Burythebrid 

Read More