“They want to protect the goalies, and I think that’s the right thing to do,” Wolves defenseman Taylor Chorney said of last night’s heartbreaking end-of-game power-play, which ultimately led to a 2-1 loss to Grand Rapids. “What really stinks is just the timing of the whole thing, two minutes left in the game … it was a great hockey game.”
It really was. Both teams came out strong, with particularly solid defense played by the Wolves all game. An early first period goal from the Griffins, thanks to a smart series of passes from Tomas Jurco and Alexey Marchenko to Calle Jarnkrok, put the Wolves at a deficit that Grand Rapids held on to for much of the game. But the early goal wasn’t representative of play on the ice. Moments when Grand Rapids controlled the game were hard-earned and short-lived.
“We came out flat in the first five minutes, and then I thought we controlled the game,” said Wolves head coach John Anderson. The Wolves certainly played like they had something to prove. Defensively, the Wolves played a solid and consistent game; offensively, they struggled to follow through on multiple opportunities. But I’m not sure that these were the kinds of misses that you can blame on skill or bad hockey sense–mostly it seems like the Wolves are plagued with bad luck. Though the offensive plays occasionally got messy and flustered, that’s better attributed to the energy of the game and determination of both teams than to the play itself.
“To be honest, we don’t put a ton of thought into it,” Chorney said after the game when asked about whether the game’s low score concerned him. “We’ve just got to keep focusing on playing the right way, and when we’re taking care of the puck and skating, goals are going to come. The last couple of games, maybe not, but at the same time, it’s a good league. When you’ve got two teams coming together, it’s not going to be a 6-5 game.”
Chorney has a point. The scoring opportunities earned by the Wolves were, by and large, earned. The handful of “almosts,” that the Wolves couldn’t quite capitalize on were the result of smart, tough play. Of course, “almosts” don’t win hockey games, but they do make them fun to watch. In fact, most of the Wolves early shots were due to beautiful breakaways or clever stickwork, not messy scrums in front of the net. Though they were outshot 6-3 in the first period, they more than made up for it over the next two periods, when Grand Rapids was barely able to get more than a few shots off.
“That goes back to taking care of the puck,” said Chorney. “When we’re not forcing pucks through the middle and putting it in the right areas, that really helps us out, and it showed on the shot clock tonight.”
It seemed like the teams matched each other throughout the game. When one team got a little sloppy, the other team followed suit; when the level of gameplay picked back up, it did so onboth sides. With just one minute left of play in the second period, that kind of smart hockey payed off for right winger Shane Harper, who earned the Wolves only goal for the night after the puck ricocheted of the post (and Griffins goalie Petr Mrazek) into the back of the net.
The third period went the way of the first and second. Anderson noted the game’s physicality, saying, “We try and finish all our checks. We’re not a big, strong team but we’re capable of getting in people’s way.” There were certainly more than a few points where gameplay got mean, more so as the clock ticked down.
photo courtesy of 8e888e.tumblr.com
(I maintain that the penalty box would be more effective–and more hilarious–if we made players draw their feelings in crayon while they sat.)
Goalie Matt Climie showed firm composure and made some great saves. There were moments when his team asked a lot of him, and he was able to deliver, holding off the Griffins until that last fateful minute when an ill-timed power-play handed the game to Grand Rapids. Griffins forward Patrick Eaves scored the game-winner with assists from Jurco and Mitch Callahan.
The Wolves will face the Iowa Wild at home on Wednesday, November 27 at 7 p.m.
With all of the home games in November, Winter was nice enough to let me cover yesterday afternoon’s game between the Bruins and the Hurricanes. I’m used to covering games in the AHL where the press areas are much smaller and the outfits are much more casual. A usual game day outfit for me consists of skinny jeans (or colored pants) and a sweater. There are usually only a couple of us there and it’s unusual to get someone dressed up.
Of course, the NHL is entirely different. They have a whole level dedicated to media, scouts, and other personnel. The dress code is a little different too. You can’t show up in jeans and a sweater to call it a day. One rule is the same, though. Don’t wear the colors of the opposing team. I was lucky enough to cover a game last season as well and through a series of events, that game ended up being against the Lightning. I had planned the perfect outfit but the problem? It was blue and royal blue. So, I had to come up with a different outfit and save that outfit for a later day. This time, against the Carolina Hurricanes, there was no issue of colors.
The Outfit:
Black button sweater – Target
Black ribbed long sleeve – Target
Royal blue pencil skirt – Macy’s
Black tights – Target
Black ankle booties – DSW
I can’t remember the pricing, but since most of it comes from Target I would assume it was not that expensive. Another tip for press level (at least in Boston): bring a sweater! Seriously, it’s cold up there even though you’re so far from the ice. Make sure you layer.
Welcome back, Pink Puck-ers! It is my most sincere pleasure to bring you this week’s topic and our distinguished guest–The Net and all things net along with Manchester Monarch’s Jordan Weal backing us up with some hockey terms. To start us off here’s a picture of an NHL official regulated goal diagram, you can find more information on the nets and goal posts here.
Learning the game so far has brought you, the team positions, the rink, the puck, and now the net. So, using the awesome A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms by Tim Moshansky yet again, we’ll start with the our first term:
The Net-Otherwise known as the mesh, the twine, or the goal.
Bulge the Twine– This is when a player scores a goal that hits the back of the net and essentially pushes on the net to “bulge” out.
Cage-The cage is what it sounds like, it’s the metal frame that has the net attached to it. It can also be referred to as the goal cage, the pipes, or iron.
Cut Down the Angle– When this happens, a goalie comes out of their crease toward a player with the puck, this causes the player to see less of the net behind the goalie.
Drive-There are two different definitions for this, one of them being when a player lets a hard shot go on the net and the second being when a player skates hard at the net.
Empty Net Goal– As it sounds, an empty net goal is when a goaltender is removed from the ice so the team can have an extra player. Something Moshanky notes is that this counts as a goal, but does not reflect on a goalie’s average. It’s also called an “open net”.
Five-hole– Essentially, this refers to the five areas a goal can be scored specifically between the goalie’s legs, the top two corners of the net, and the bottom two corners of the net.
Goal– When the goal-line is crossed and the puck enters the net.
Goal Post-These are the two four-foot red posts on the front of the net.
Going Upstairs-Another term with two meanings, this refers to when a player shoots into the top part of the net, it can also be called “roofing”, “top shelf”, “water bottle”, “top shelf”, or even “Where Grandma Keeps the Cookies”. The other reason is when a goal judge needs to review a goal with video help and “goes upstairs” to do so.
Netting– This is the material that prevents the puck from flying into the stands and hurting someone.
Net-cam– The net-cam is a camera which is attached to the net. According to Moshansky, the first one was used in the 1994 Olympics and shortly after, the NHL began using them.
Paddle Down– I hadn’t heard of this one before, but it is when a goalie is on his knees with his stick flat on the ice to prevent shots from entering the net.
Postage Stamp– This is when a player scores on the extremely small area on the top right corner of the net.
Ripple the Mesh– When the puck hits the net and fans can see it ripple outwards is referred to as “rippling the mesh”.
Scrum– A term borrowed from rugby, this is when a group of players are surrounding the net or the puck.
Short Side– This is the side of the net closest to a player as he approaches the net to shoot.
Shot on Net– It’s pretty obvious what this one is! When a player shoots the puck at the other team’s net.
Sniper– A sniper is a player who can choose any net corner and most of the time, score.
Stoner– This is a goalie who is very good at preventing pucks from entering the net and therefore scoring.
Tuck it in– When a player shoots the puck into a small corner of the net it is called “tucking it in”.
Wraparound– This happens when a player has the puck, skates behind the net to try and get the puck into the net before the goalie can be there to save it.
Yawning Cage– A net that is mostly or completely empty.
And drum roll, please! Now for the Manchester Monarch’s Jordan Weal and his definitions of interference, a one timer, a wrist shot, and a tip in. Will you be surprised what his favorite shot is? You will find out in the video below.
Thank you, Jordan Weal and the Manchester Monarch’s for your help with our Learning the game segment! And thank you to our wonderful Pink Puck fans, without you, we’d be a bunch of girls lost in cyber-space loving hockey (Oh, wait…haha). Anyway, get pumped for next week because we have Monarch’s Andrew Andreoff and in his honor we’ll have a special term topic!
Note: Hey guys, since I’m just learning, if you think I’ve missed something give me a shout out! Or, if you want to know more term information and think I should write an article about it–let me know. I’ve provided a way to get in contact with me above and would love to hear from you. Thanks so much for your support.
References:
Moshansky, T. (2010). A to z guide to hockey terms (2nd ed.). Vancouver, BC: First Wave Publishing.
The first thing you notice about the Clay Witt when he gets out on the ice before a game is the centrally located orange of the Florida “vanity” license plate with his last name, WITT, on the chin guard of his mask. And yes, Witt was indeed born in Florida – Brandon, Florida to be precise. Brandon, for those who are geographically challenged when it comes to those southern states, is just to the east of Tampa in Hillsborough County.
Redshirted last season after playing only one game against Providence, his stellar performance between the pipes this year—he was 5-3-0 with a save percentage of .927 before Saturday’s shut out in the second game of a home-and-home with the Merrimack College Warriors this weekend—had some wondering if perhaps Northeastern Huskies’ Head Coach, Jim Madigan had found his top goalie for the remainder of the season. Madigan’s response during the post-game presser was that he was just going to take things “game to game,” pointing out that all three of his goalies were battlers and that both Witt and Derek Roy had been playing well. Also mentioned was Brian Mountain, who has not seen game action yet this season, but who Madigan stated was working hard in practice.
Witt faced 38 shots in the game on Saturday night at Matthews Arena, and stopped every one of them, some with more finesse than others. At one point just 8:53 into the first period, after allowing a big rebound from a shot by the Warriors’ Rhett Bly, Witt made an impressive soccer goalie type dive to his left to block the shot thrown back on net by Merrimack’s junior left wing, Kyle Singleton.
When asked about his acrobatic save on Singleton, in typical hockey humbleness, Witt responded with a grin, “It hit me right in the head. It hit me right in the face.” He shrugged and chuckled, continuing, “I would have liked for it to be a nice glove save, but it hit me in the face.”
“It hit me in the face.” — Clay Witt
Regardless of how he stopped it, he managed to keep the Warriors from notching a goal there and then about a minute and a half later, the Huskies’ Torin Snydeman put Northeastern on the board with the first goal of the game, assisted by Zach Aston-Reese (who was originally credited with the goal) and Colton Saucerman.
Approximately six minutes later, while on the power play, Aston-Reese would score the second and only other goal of the evening, assisted by Dalen Hedges and Adam Reid.
Despite the lack of goal scoring for the remainder of the game, the pace overall was quick and Northeastern had a couple of excellent power play opportunities in which they spent quality time in the offensive zone. Though in actuality the Huskies spent a lot more time on the penalty kill again on Saturday—at one point calling on Witt and the penalty killing lines to kill a full two-minute five-on-three. With seven penalties called on the Huskies, Coach Madigan stated that the team would be addressing this loss of control, and unacceptable response by his team on Monday at practice. He called the upperclassmen especially who should have known better
Perhaps the most surprising omission of the first period was the lack of play by Northeastern sophomore and Lac-Beauport, Québec native, Kevin Roy—NU’s top scorer going into the game. The Twitterverse noticed his lack of shifts and speculation ran high as to why he was dressed, sitting on the bench and listed on the top line, when he wasn’t taking any shifts. When asked later about this, Coach Madigan said that Roy’s benching for the first period was a “coach’s decision.” Sounds like perhaps Roy may have been in Madigan’s doghouse for something though originally there was concern that perhaps Roy was struggling with some undisclosed injury.
In the end, the Huskies prevailed, sweeping the weekend and claiming four points against a Hockey East school—points that the team was in serious need of, given their lack of production against the other Hockey East schools it had faced so far this season in the important division games.
Not surprising, Witt received the first star of the game with his teammates Aston-Reese being honored with the second star and center and freshman, Hedges receiving the third star. And while Hedges may not have received any assists on the goals on Saturday, his proficiency in the faceoff dot was off the charts good, as he won 14 of the 15 faceoffs he took.
The currently hungry players on the Northeastern men’s hockey team are beginning to believe in their abilities. As the confidence grows so too will their on-ice abilities.
As with other wins in other levels of the professional, amateur and collegiate levels o hockey—the team can revel in their win for perhaps a few hours, but on Monday they will be back, bard at work during practice so they are prepared for the tournament games they will participate in during the Thanksgiving holiday against Western Michigan and Notre Dame/Alabama-Huntsville to take place on Friday and Saturday of the upcoming week.
The Boston Bruins hosted the Carolina Hurricanes in a matinee Saturday game. This is the second time the teams have met this season, with the first game being less than a week ago. The Bruins visited the Hurricanes on November 18th and skated to an easy 4-1 victory. Reilly Smith, Carl Soderberg, and Milan Lucic all had two point games, each registering a goal and an assist. The teams will meet one final time this season, on March 15th in Boston. Coincidentally that’s also an afternoon game.
Chad Johnson made only his fourth start of the season as Tuukka Rask has been on a roll for the Bruins. He faced off against Cam Ward for the Hurricanes. The Bruins put the pressure on early, but Ward stood tall and the Bruins seemed to have trouble capitalizing on their chances. The third and fourth lines were showing strength early on. Before even getting on the board, just 3:12 in, Hurricanes defenseman Andrej Sekera blocked a shot with his foot and was slow to get up. The Bruins were the first to head to the penalty kill as Soberberg goes off for hooking at 4:47. While the Hurricanes finally got their first shot during the power play, the real turn came when they struck first. Sekera fired a shot from the point with assists to Brett Skinner and Eric Staal.
At 12:03, the Bruins headed to their first power play when Manny Malhotra went off for high sticking double minor. During the first half of the penalty, the Bruins struggled to stay set up with Jordan Staal even getting a little bit of shorthanded attempt. But the Bruins would answer with a power play goal of their own, 45 seconds into the second minor. Torey Krug made an impressive redirection to Milan Lucic. Lucic took the initial shot and Zdeno Chara was there at the corner to drive the puck home. By the time the teams went to the first intermission, the ice had clearly tilted back in favor of the Bruins who had more than doubled up on shots, despite the score being tied at 1.
“I think we’re producing the chances we’re just not finishing them, and because of that we had a 1-1 game at the end of the first period,” Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien said.
The Bruins went on their second power play early on in the second and had a great attempt set up by Soderberg, but were unable to convert. All of the Bruins lines seemed to be generating some good chances but were having trouble finishing even as Ward gave up some good rebounds. Brad Marchand had a shot all alone and Ward came up with a huge save, sprawling out to keep the game tied. Tuomo Ruutu had a big shot for Carolina, but ended up crashing into the net as Johnson made the save.
At 13:31 of the second, the Bruins took their first lead of the game as Reilly Smith slid one past Ward. With the traffic in front of the net, Smith was able to capitalize. The assists went to Soderberg and Matt Bartkowski. The ice seemed to be tilted in favor of the Bruins, who took 12 shots during the second frame to the Hurricanes 4. Chad Johnson did not have to make many saves but some that he did make were really big ones. With less than a minute remaining in the middle frame, tensions boiled over slightly as Kevan Miller appeared to get cross checked into his own goalie, Johnson. There was pushing and shoving but no penalties resulted.
“[Kelly] was tied up in front so he kind of set up a good pick, I didn’t want to force it right through and I thought I might have a little more net going to my backhand. Cam [Ward] still almost had it so I was kind of lucky that it snuck through,” Smith said of his goal.
The Bruins came out strong at the start of the third. With a lot of bodies in front of Ward, he went down. Jerome Iginla had a great shot at a wide open net, but rang it off the post. The Hurricanes quickly tried to change the tables, registering 5 shots in less than the first five minute of the third but Johnson stood tall and came up big for the Bruins.
Carolina got called for too many men, but the Bruins once again struggle to get set up. Instead, 45 seconds into the penalty at 11:10, Patrick Dwyer broke away short handed and fired one past Johnson. The third period saw a definite increase in shots as well. Carolina had 10 through the first two periods, but registered 14 in the third. After looking dominate through the game, Carolina and Boston had to head to extra time for a decision. The Hurricanes have dropped their last three and it showed in the third as they were looking hungry to get at least a point out of this game.
David Krecji would be the hero to keep the game out of a shootout though and win it in overtime for Boston. Krecji was on a five game stretch without a point. The goal could not have come at a better time. He easily put the puck in the top corner. It was just what the Bruins needed in their second straight game to go to extra time. The Bruins opted for 3 forwards and one defenseman in the overtime four on four hockey, which clearly paid off.
“Sometimes that patience pays off and it paid off on that winning goal, no doubt. He didn’t panic with it and sometimes you wish that he’d have less patience and make things happen a little quicker,” Julien said of Krecji. “But he slows the game down to his pace a lot of times and when he’s on top of his game it really throws the other team off.”
The Bruins are back at it tomorrow, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. The two teams are at the top of their respective divisions, battling for the lead in the conference. It is sure to be a good match up.
Keith Olbermann, notorious TV talking head, used his position with ESPN–the “sports” network that usually mentions hockey only during playoffs– to bash a recent fundraising effort by the Chicago Blackhawks.
The team sold $99 vials of melted “home ice” from the 2013 Stanley Cup season with 100 percent to benefit Chicago Blackhawks Charities.
The glass tubes, 2,013 of them in total, enclosed in genuine puck rubber and displayed in a leather box with the Blackhawks logo. The vials are etched– Home Ice, 2013 Stanley Cup Champions, with the signature of owner Rocky Wirtz. They come with a certificate of authenticity.
“Melted Stanley Cup championship ice,” Olbermann blasted in his “Worst Person In The Sports World” segment on his ESPN2 show. “Water! You’re charging fans 99 bucks for bottled water! How much more for the bottled water Patrick Kane skated on?”
The public must not have agreed, because the vials sold out in no time at all.
And the proceeds of more than $200,000 went to the tornado relief efforts following Illinois’ worst November storms in history last Sunday — when 16 tornadoes hit the state.
“Illinois is our home, and when one of our communities suffers a loss as tragically as the people of Washington did, we want to do all that we can to help them,” Rocky Wirtz said. “After seeing the devastation and speaking with Governor Quinn, we realized just how much this donation can help those families get back on their feet again.”
Sure, the vials of “ice” are different, but so were Andrew Shaw’s stitches. So are game-worn, sweaty, sweaters. What does it matter if it makes the buyer happy and simultaneously helps those in need?
Meanwhile, ESPN, consider revising “Worst Person In The Sports World” from the name of a segment to the title of Olbermann’s show, until he forces a lawsuit and your network ditches him like the others.
And while you’re at it, ESPN, just leave hockey alone. We’re better off without you.
Everyone else, if you’re interested in helping Illinois tornado relief efforts, here is some helpful information.
As the Blackhawks continue their seven-game road trip, the “Circus Trip,” tonight in Vancouver, they’ll be without a top performer.
Notably missing from tonight’s game will be Marian Hossa, who flew back to Chicago today for a “family matter.”
“I think it’s okay but I don’t know yet,” was all Coach Joel Quenneville could share with the media.
With Hossa’s young family in mind, thoughts, prayers, and general good vibrations are with him in the Windy City.
And, for the team’s sake, we hope he’s back soon.
Hossa is an integral part of the Hawks’ performance. He had a goal and an assist Thursday after returning from three games missed due to injury; and 10 goals and 7 assists already this season despite injuries. Bryan Bickell and Michal Handzus are also both out with injuries.
Kris Versteeg is expected to step up to the top line tonight against the Canucks.
The Hawks lost 5-1 to the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday night on the road with a lackluster performance, then regained their composure with a 6-3 win Thursday in Winnipeg.
Crawford will start in net against the Canucks, who won their last game against Columbus after losing the previous five.
The Lightning are returning home from their western road trip with one point on four games. For all the postives on this trip, they were not able to bring that into the game. Each game saw a landmark for a member of the team.
JT Brown got his first NHL goal in Phoenix.
Ben Bishop celebrated his birthday in San Jose
As all NHL fans now know, Marty St. Louis had is 1,000th career NHL game in Los Angeles.
In 1,000 games St. Louis, the little engine that could has 933 points, 913 in a Lightning uniform, including 348 goals and 585 assists. On top of those 585 assists, he had sixty-eight in one season tying him with Brad Richards in the 2010-2011 season when the Lightning made their way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
He is the 27th active player to skate in 1,000 or more NHL games (not including Chris Pronger) and the 45th college player in NHL history to accomplish the feat. St. Louis also becomes just the 16th undrafted NHLer to reach the 1,000 game plateau since the inception of the universal draft in 1969.
The Lightning will honour St. Louis’ achievements before their next home game on Monday, November 25 when they host the New York Rangers at 1930 hrs at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Before Monday night’s puck drop, St. Louis will be honored with a pregame presentation, commemorating his milestone.
Fans can purchase All-You-Can-Eat tickets in the terrace level for Monday’s game starting at $39 which includes unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, soda and water. Additionally, there will be 500 Coke Zero tickets available for the game for a low cost of $12 each which also includes a free 12 ounce Coke Zero beverage.
The Manchester Monarchs seem to be proving that they want to win no matter what. They have been plagued first by call ups to the Kings and then by injuries to the players who had been stepping up in the absence. But, they showed again that they are a strong team last night when they topped division rivals, the Worcester Sharks.
It was the Monarchs who struck first. Working seamlessly with Scott Sabourin and new addition Cameron Burt, Sean Backman found himself behind the Sharks defensemen. He made a really nice move to put the puck past Sharks goalie Harri Sateri. Burt, who got the secondary assist, had been with the Monarchs in camp but was released prior to the season starting. Although he is a defenseman, the Monarchs skated him at forward as in preseason.
After the 6 minute mark, the Sharks still had not taken any shots but would not be kept off the board for much longer. At 7:22, Riley Brace dug the puck out of the corner and fed it to Curt Gogol who beat JF Berube to even the score at 1. Through the rest of the first, there was a lot of hitting but not many good chances. Both teams had trouble setting up in the offensive zones. At almost the end of the period, the Sharks rung one off the post, but the teams went to the intermission tied.
Once again, Manchester opened the period with a goal of their own. At 1:46 of the second, Mike Ullrich came in from the corner, passed to himself off the boards behind the net, and then beat Sateri for his first AHL goal in his first AHL game. Manchester signed him to a PTO last week and Ullrich joined the team leaving a road trip in the middle. He has the benefit of playing now in Manchester with Hunter Bishop who he played with in juniors and has played with in the ECHL.
After the Monarchs took the 2-1 lead, the Sharks really seemed to be struggling with their passes. But, both teams had already doubled their shots just over six minutes into the game. Less than halfway through the second, tensions finally seemed to boil over a bit between the two fierce division rivals. There was a lot of pushing and shoving with possibly a punch or two through. But the result was just a pair of roughing penalties and four on four hockey for 2 minutes. Still before the halfway mark, a fight broke out. Manchester’s Hunter Bishop and Worcester’s Dylan Demelo exchanged a few punches while squared off before Bishop threw Demelo down.
Harri Sateri, who has been struggling to get back to form early this season, made some impressive saves during the second to really keep the Sharks in the game. At 16:46, the Sharks looked like they could even the score. Bracken Kearns was pulled down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Kearns skated in and stopped just in front of Berube but shot low and Berube had no problem saving it. At the end of the second, the Sharks were part way through a four minute power play after Monarchs’ Nick Deslauriers went to the box for a double minor for high sticking.
At the start of the third period, the Sharks still had the power play. But, Manchester was able to kill it off without much of a serious effort by the Sharks. The only real and serious chance came with about 10 seconds when Sebastian Stalberg fired one. Although the Sharks were outshooting the Monarchs, Manchester was making their shots count. Sateri came up with a big save as the Monarchs slid the puck across his crease. At 7:21, the Monarchs increased their lead to 3-1. Rookie Scott Sabourin, who Manchester head coach Mark Morris described as having his best game so far, skated in and beat Sateri.
About halfway through the final period, there seemed to be another fight. Manchester’s Andy Andreoff and Worcester’s Curt Gogol seemed to square off. There were a couple shots exchanged before Gogol went down and brought Andreoff with him. Despite that, the pair only got roughing penalties with Andreoff getting an extra two for unsportsmanlike conduct. Manchester was able to kill off the extra penalty with the Sharks ringing another one off the post. With the final minutes winding down, Manchester added one more. Brandon Kozun, who has been heating up with all the call ups, beat Sateri with the assist to Nick Deslauriers. The final score was 4-1.
The teams each play home games tonight before meeting again in Worcester on Sunday afternoon. The division rivals meet 12 times over the course of the season and Sunday’s meeting will be the third. The struggling Sharks look to build off of last weekend’s success in St. John’s while the Monarchs look to keep things rolling.
It was throwback hockey on Thursday night when the well-rounded St. Louis Blues hit the ice in Boston. What made it a throwback? Number 4, Bobby Orr dropped the ceremonial puck in dedication to the always rugged 1970’s. For those unaware, the Bruins are celebrating their 90th season. With a hockey legend dropping the puck, it was game on. The tilt was a well fought and equally matched game, resembling a playoff feel.
“Yeah they’re very similar in a lot of ways. I don’t know what you guys thought about the game but I thought it was a real fun game to watch,” said Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien. “There was a lot of opportunities and great plays and great body checks; everything that you wanted to see in this game was there. In overtime and some chances also in overtime. Everything from my end except for that extra point that I thought we should have had.”
The playoff style of hockey was a notion respected by both teams.
“Yeah it was a playoff game, exactly. It was very disciplined,” said Blues Head Coach Ken Hitchcock. “I think both teams really respected each other, but it was really a hard game. It was physical in a way – not running over each other – but it was physical in a way where there was a lot of weight and heavy play out there. I think for a lot of guys this was very demanding.”
Boston got on the board first at 18:20 of the opening period, Gregory Campbell (1) Wrist shot – ASST: Torey Krug (7), Daniel Paille (2). A disciplined game for both teams, many were quick to point out that it may have had a different outcome if the Bruins hadn’t suffered an unfortunate goal at the glove and blocker of goaltender Tuukka Rask. Shortly following Campbell’s goal, Blues Jaden Schwartz (4) Deflected shot – ASST: Derek Roy (8), Barret Jackman (3) evened the score at 18:51 of the first.
“We played a great game I thought,” said Bruin’s Rask. “I gave up that worst goal of my career probably there, and it brought them back in the game, and we got back two-two, played a hell of a third too, and then we just couldn’t score that winning goal and then in the shootout I couldn’t stop their pucks.”
The second period found St. Louis kicking off the scoring at 16:04, David Backes (9) Tip-in – ASST: Kevin Shattenkirk (14). Boston battled back at 18:41 in part to a solid effort from Carl Soderberg (3) Snap shot – ASST: Reilly Smith (11), Chris Kelly (4). With both the third period and overtime going scoreless, the teams found themselves facing the shootout.
Some of the numbers indicate that the game was more in the Bruins favor, ever so slightly of course. Boston had a 31-26 advantage in shots, a 32-31 edge in hits, a 13-6 lead in takeaways and a 34-29 edge in faceoffs. But ultimately, the stats just wouldn’t matter. Patrice Bergeron in similar fashion to games past, was the lone shootout scorer for Boston. In terms of the opposition, both Alexander Steen and Derek Roy scored for St. Louis, effectively giving their Blues a 3-2 win.
“I mean at the end of our road trip, grinding it out against a good hard fought team and we know they place real strong at home, they like to come out real physical,” lamented Blues’ Derek Roy. “And we weathered that storm right away, then responded on their goal. I thought all around we did a good job.”
However the point that it wasn’t simply St. Louis who excelled at the game, can not be driven home enough. With a long list of similarities, both teams were quick to commend the others efforts — while making mention of their own flaws. Only in hockey, right?
“They’re a consistent team, I think we’ve played up to their level like we did tonight, but we know every single night the Boston Bruins are going to be on their game,” said Blues’ David Backes. “We have lapses still where we’re not quite on our game and we’re working on the consistency night in night out, week to week, month to month, year to year and they’ve been able to do that for four or five years straight now and that’s the sort of competitive attitude and consistency we’re looking for.”
Boston will look to rebound against Carolina and their army of Staal’s tomorrow for a 1 pm start. The Blues will play host to the Dallas Stars at 8 pm.
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