It's one thing to dislike a player (Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas). It's quite another to hate them and then watch them play outstanding hockey. THAT is infuriating.
Capt. Sparrow was right; Boston has a wicked good forecheck. The Bruins are obviously well-coached, and the players believe in their system. Kind of makes me wonder if Bob Gainey is regretting his decision to fire Julien in favor of a glorified captain whose idea of good coaching is playing mad scientist with line combinations. If Claude Julien doesn't win coach of the year, there is no justice in the universe.
In any case, what had me impressed the most last night was Chara's improvement. In all fairness, Chara should have been a forward, as he has a great nose for the net, hits well, and has a great shot. What Julien has done has been to turn Chara into a competent DEFENSEman, as he can now also make defensive plays, and doesn't cause heart attacks for Bruins fans every time he handles the puck in his own end. He dominated last night, in both ends.
What can I say about Tim Thomas? With his face on the ice, he reached up in the air and made a glove save that sealed the Boston win. He makes saves he has no business making. In all honesty I hate him for it, but I can understand why fans find it exciting. As long as he continues to make those ridiculous saves, he deserves to be considered one of the league's best goaltenders.
As I predicted, the power play was a major factor last night. Boston executed, Montreal did not, and that was the game. I do ask this in all fairness though: was Aaron Ward REALLY hurt by that hit? Andrei Kostitsyn hits about as hard as a lukewarm cup of tea, and the hit wasn't completely from behind. I refuse to blame the loss on that penalty though. Hamrlik was stupid to take the ensuing cross-checking penalty, and Montreal's penalty kill did not do its job.
So Boston has won the last three games against Montreal, and are TWELVE points ahead of them in the Northeast. That's only a six game difference, so the disparity isn't quite as wide as it would seem. But, Boston keeps rolling, and the days of Montreal's domination over the Bruins are over. I really do like it when traditional teams do well, and it's even more palatable that I don't actually have to be in Boston for it.
Sorry about all the backhanded compliments to the Bruins. They really are playing great hockey right now.
1 comment:
Speaking as an actual Bruins fan, I will tell you this: it's even more frustrating to be a B's fan, hate Tim Thomas, and watch him succeed. Honestly, if they recalled Tuuka tomorrow, I would still be ecstatic because there was a chance we'd get to see a great young goalie who's supposed to be good perform on a big stage. Course, we'd probably lose a hell of a lot of games though and we'd lose the joy of seeing the Tim Thomas I Can't Believe I'm Doing This Well Face he makes after flopping on his side and accidently kicking the puck over the top of the net.
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