Tyler Seguin scored and Jaromir Jagr still struggles to find his niche in the playoffs. (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Through the first twenty minutes both teams came out prepared to bring their best foot forward. Both brought a strong physical presence and their best defensive game yet, keeping the score deadlocked at 0 through the periods’ duration.  The Bruins came out strong, disallowing the Rangers to get a shot on net until almost seven minutes into the frame, but were unable to light the lamp on any of their 12 chances.

Right off the back the Bruins found themselves on a power play as Kris Newbury went to the box for goaltender interference. With a little help from Brad Marchand and David Krejci, Nathan Horton was able to blast a wrist shot towards Henrik Lundqvist that found its’ way over the line and into the back of the net for a 1-0 Bruins lead early on in the middle frame. Just three minutes later Torey Krug blasted a one-timers from just inside the blue line that had eyes for the red light as it sailed high over the shoulder of Lundqvist for a quick 2-0 lead. To no surprise (okay a little), the Rangers didn’t back down as they netted a goal of their own just under a minute later to cut the lead to a single goal.  The goal came as somewhat of a fluke as Tuukka Rask went to move from side-to-side and his skate caught a rivet in the ice, causing him to be out of position. The two teams continued to battle it out for the remainder of the period, the Bruins littering Lundqvist with shots as the buzzer sounded. Despite holding a one-goal lead the Bruins had a lot of preserving and pushing to do if they planned on being the first team to advance to the Conference Finals.

As the puck hit the ice to commence the third period, the Rangers fought back. At the 1:15 mark Derek Stepan showed up Zdeno Chara, sneaking in behind him as he tried to wrap the puck around to clear it, Stepan being able to get his stick on it and beat Rask easily to tie the game. The goal seemed to put some extra pizzazz in the fans at MSG, but gave the Bruins the extra shove they needed to kick it into high(er) gear. As Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton began to cycle the puck around in the offensive end, the momentum began to swing. Hamilton got the puck across the front of the net to Seguin where he snapped an initial shot on Henrik and then banked in his own rebound pounding his fist in glory on the glass in celebration. His goal came at the 8:06 mark and snapped a scoreless postseason drought for the young superstar.  Unfortunately, the Bruins lead was short-lived once again as Brian Boyle snapped a scoreless Rangers’ power play with Tyler Seguin serving a ‘too many men’ penalty for the team. The score would remain tied at 3, forcing an additional overtime period. Tuukka Rask needed to up his game if the Bruins stood a chance at owning the game and series.

With overtime underway for the second time of the series, the Rangers came out prepared, littering Tuukka with shots from the get-go. Fortunately he was able to keep his stick and body on the puck and keep the game tied early on. As the clock winded down, the Bruins and Rangers exchanged shots, the Bruins having a nice cycling play, but Chris Kreider would be the man of the night as he raced up ice with Rick Nash and beat Rask with ease, forcing game 5 and keeping his team alive.

As the Bruins head back home to Boston, they need to regroup and refocus, treating Saturday’s game as if it were for the Stanley Cup. They need to come out strong, battle hard and leave everything they have out on the ice. Tyler Seguin made some game-changing efforts tonight, now it’s time for Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly to step up and make themselves known. With the three of them able to produce paired with Marchand finding the back of the net, Jagr being less puck possessive and the defense staying as dominant with Rask at the core, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to skate away with game 5 in the bag. Faceoff is at 5:30PM and will be aired on NBC Sports Network.

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Will Johnny B continue his hot streak? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Sealing the Sweep:
The Bruins have all the right pieces to end this series tonight if all goes the way it should. Tuukka Rask has been solid in net, the rookie defensemen have stepped up as necessary, and the PK has shut down the Rangers power play every chance (which is many). The only thing missing is the offense scoring. Most of the goals this series for the Bruins have been scored by the defense which is great but if the team wants to go for the cup, all of the offensive lines need to produce goals. And once again I’m looking at the third line when I say this. The Bruins lineup will most likely remain the same as the only injured player that is seemingly making a comeback is Dennis Seidenberg but there is no official word that he’ll be 100% ready for tonight. If I was Coach Julien, I would rest Seidenberg for the (hopefully) next series because he will be a valuable asset in the rest of the playoffs.

New York Needs a Win:
I’m not sure of any other way to phrase but if the Rangers want to stay alive in the playoffs then they NEED a win tonight. They currently have a three-game hole they need to climb out of and they’ll need to do it without one of their top d-men Anton Stralman who was hurt late in the second period of Game Three. He was not at the Rangers optional practice yesterday. However a few of their injured guys could be making a return tonight but that’ll be determined come warmups tonight. If New York wants to win they need Henrik Lundqvist to be the king of goalies that he normally is and they’ll need to cover him as I noticed a big part of the B’s goals was the lack of defense around the NY net.

Who’s Hot?
Defenseman Johnny Boychuk has had goals in back-to-back games and has scored four in the 10 playoffs games the Bruins have played in thus far. Boychuk is the first d-man since Ray Bourque to score four in the first 10 in 1991. And considering Boychuk only had one goal in 44 games in the regular season , I would say he came well prepared for the playoffs.

Puck drops tonight at 7 and you can check it out on NBCSN!
For the Rangers side of things check out Black and Blueshirts!!

BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

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Daniel Paille scored the game-winning goal for the Bruins tonight. (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Jaromir Jagr started things off, placing himself in the penalty box within the first five minutes of the opening frame for hooking. Thankfully for the Bruins, the Rangers perform a power kill rather than a power play, resulting in their ninth man advantage in a row this series that they were unable to capitalize on.  Unfortunately, that was the most interesting piece of the first twenty minutes as the beginning of game 3 looked eerily similar to that of game 1.  Both teams to no surprise came out ready to play solid, defensive hockey and contain the key scorers.Perhaps the biggest play from Boston through the first twenty came from Chris Kelly and a surging Rich Peverley who tried to get one past Lundqvist using their speed, but came up short. Still, it was a welcomed play from an otherwise non-existent line through the nine postseason games thus far.  Heading into the locker rooms the Rangers held a slight advantage in shots 11 to the Bruins 9, both teams still looking for a goal.

3:53 into the middle frame as Nathan Horton came out of the penalty box, Ryan McDonagh was able to place the Rangers on the board first for the first time in the entire series for a 1-0 Rangers lead. The goal injected energy into an otherwise silent crowd and put some extra pep in their steps as the clock ticked away the seconds. The goal was later changed to former Phoenix Coyote’ Taylor Pyatt as it appeared he got a piece of the re-direct past Rask, earning him his first goal of the playoffs. The Bruins finally began to pick up the pace in the final five minutes of the frame, Torey Krug getting the momentum going for the team as he created numerous opportunities each shift, using his speed to set things up, despite being a blueliner. He helped put the Rangers defense to the test, in turn making them look close to flawless. Through forty minutes of play the Bruins upped their scoring opportunities and contained the Rangers to a mere five shots on net, for a final tally of 23-16 in their favor.  In order to stand a chance at earning a 3-0 series advantage, the Bruins needed to come out roaring for the third period and find a way to break through the brick wall that is Henrik Lundqvist.

Third period, the Boston blueliners did just that, Gregory Campbell got the puck from behind the net to Johnny Boychuk at the blue line where he unleashed a bomb that found its way behind Lundqvist to light the lamp and tie the game early on in the third period. Off of the face off Brad Marchand and Dorsett exchanged pleasantries, as they had been all night. Marchand had none of it and the Bruins sent out enforcer Shawn Thornton to send the message to Dorsett. While the refs wouldn’t let anything happen, the message was clear and understood. Minutes later Tyler Seguin attempted to break through the neutral zone only to get caught with a high stick from Steve Emminger with no call made. Immediately following, Eminger used his stick once again, this time going visor to visor with Bergeron, cuting above the right eye. By far, the third period had been the most enjoyable and entertaining through the opening five minutes than the previous two periods combined, at least for Boston fans as blood, sweat and goals occurred.

As the clock winded down to the final five minutes, Daniel Paille and his line helped the Bruins get on the board once again as he attempted a wrap around attempt and then was able to chip in the puck up over the pad of Lundqvist for the first lead of the game for Boston. With Paille’s second goal of the playoffs, the Bruins outscored the Rangers 5 to 1 in the third period. 2-1 would be the final score, providing the Bruins with a dominating 3-0 series advantage over the Rangers. However, we’ve all seen how the Bruins react when they have a dominant lead, so Thursday, it’s still anyone’s game. One thing is for sure, this is yet another game you are not going to want to miss. Face off is at 7:00PM on NBCSN, the Bruins looking for a series sweep.

For the opposition, be sure to check out Black and Blueshirts!

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Will Krug have another big game? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Both teams started off today with an optional skate, with most of the Bruins taking part in the skate. Claude Julien had some time with the media this am and let it be known that though Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg have been skating with the team, they will not be in the lineup tonight. Seidenberg, on a positive note, seems like he’ll be ready to go soon enough.

Be Better Bruins (well some of you):
As we know there have been some stars of this series thus far cough cough Torey Krug, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask cough cough. But there’s been a few that just haven’t shined so bright and I’m looking at you Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, and Tyler Seguin when I say that. The third line struggles seems to be a common theme this season for the Bruins but the playoffs are not the time for that.

On his line, Kelly said:

“We want to stay positive and stay up; obviously it’d be nice to contribute”  (Via Bruins Twitter)

Both Kelly and Peverley have continued to be great faceoff wise but are losing ice time due to every line being a little bit better. And then there’s Seguin. Seggy has had a lot of chances to score during these playoffs but has yet to hit the back of the net. A little more push from this line and I think we’ll see some scoring.

Digging out the Rangers:
When you’re down two games, the only way to go is up right? At least that’s what Coach John Tortorella thinks about his team. He notes that though they lost on Sunday, that they played a lot better from Game One. This is the second series in a row that the Rangers have gone down two. But they came from behind in the last series to beat the Washington Capitals so I expect us to see a new team tonight in New York.

Goalie Showdown:
Though he’s not a Vezina finalist, Rask has been the star for the Bruins thus far. While the team gave up turnover after turnover, Rask stood strong in his net stopping puck after puck. The reason the Bruins were able to hold onto to their lead is due to the tremendous effort in net from Rask. On the other side IS a Vezina finalist who’s finding himself in a strange position. Sunday was the first time in 151 games that Henrik Lundqvist gave up five goals. He also appeared to  have injured his shoulder but in the playoffs everyone gets bumped up. Lundqvist is a goalie goal there’s no disputing that so expect him to shake off Game Two and be back in fighting shape for tonight.

Rookies Rookies Rookies:
The odds are that once again the rookies will be getting the start for Game Three for the Bruins. But this is no longer something to be concerned about as these three rookies are outshining some of the vets. Krug as I mentioned before has scored two goals in two goals, and the only current B’s player to have done that in his rookie year was Seguin. Then there’s Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton. All three defensemen have contributed to scoring in some way in this series and as they get more comfortable on the playoff ice, so does their confidence.

Puck drops tonight at 7:30 and you can check out the action on NBCSN!
For the New York side of things check out Black and Blueshirts!

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Torey Krug had another big game for the Bruins today! (Credit: Flickr/ Steph Vail)

5:28 into the first, the Bruins would get on the board. Torey Krug would score his second playoff goal in his second playoff game for the B’s. Krug is the 4th Bruins to score goals in first two playoffs goals among the ranks of Cooney Weiland, Don Gallinger, and current Bruins Tyler Seguin. At 8:01 Ryan Callahan would tie up the game on a beautiful deke off a Bruins turnover. There’s no one to blame for that goal but that turnover. The Rangers would get two chances on the power play in the first but they weren’t able to use the man advantage. And here I am thinking the Bruins have the worst power play unit.

Within the opening minutes of the second period, Gregory Campbell would get the Merlot line on the board for his first of the playoffs. Krug would get the assist on that goal and I think it’s safe to say this kid is legit. But just 56 seconds after the B’s goal, the Rangers would fire back. Rick Nash would notch his first of the playoffs and we’d have a tied game once again. With 7:52 left on a 4-on-4, Johnny Boychuk would give the Bruins the lead once again with a rocket shot high-glove on Lundqvist. After all the shots on net Boychuk had during Game One, it’s good to see him score. This is Boychuks third goal in postseason and once again is proving how HUGE the B’s defense has been in scoring thus far. As the second period came to an end, the Rangers lead the Bruins with shots on net 27-21. However, it’s the Bruins leading the game 3-2.

In just 26 seconds, the Bruins managed to open the third period with a goal. Brad Marchand would make it a 4-2 off yet another perfect pass from Patrice Bergeron. These two should always be on the same line, ALWAYS! Marchy now has four points this season (2g, 2a). The goal also marks the first time in 32-career games VS Boston that Lundqvist has allowed more than 3 goals in a game. Milan Lucic would make it a 5-2 game with 7:21 off a David Krejci shot. It looked like Krejci would get the rebound off of Looch pass, but number 17 would get the rebound. The Rangers wouldn’t come back from the 5-2 deficit and the Bruins would take Game Two.

The Bruins are now two games away from the Eastern Conference Finals. All three rookies registered points for the Bruins today and Coach Julien will have some decision making to make once the injured veterans come back. But for now we can celebrate another win for the Bruins.

Game Three is Tuesday night in New York.
BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

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Tyler Seguin and Jaromir Jagr still struggle to find their niche in the playoffs. (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Today the Boston Bruins host a matinee game against the New York Rangers for the second game of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Currently the Bruins hold a 1-0 series advantage after going into overtime for game 1.  Despite making 45 saves in net, Henrik Lundqvist gave up the one shot that mattered the most, allowing Boston to skate away with a 3-2 victory.

Today the Bruins are embarking on victory number two, only this time, they want to do so in regulation.  In order to do so, they’re going to have to come out of the locker rooms ready to ‘bear down’ (<see what I did there) and skate hard. While it is no question both teams play strong defensively and physically, they need to bring a hard forecheck and get the offensive plays generating from the get-go.

We can expect to see former Ranger Wade Redden back in the line up today, likely meaning rookie d-man Dougie Hamilton will reinsert himself into the stands with the likes of his injured mates Denis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference who remain injured. With Redden potentially back in, the Bruins gain veteran presence and a liable shot producer. Redden’s presence on the special teams unit have been one of the deciding factors of the Bruins advancing and should help against a struggling New York power play, or as the opposition calls it, power kill. Dennis Seidenberg is recovering, skating prior to the team practice Saturday morning.  According to Claude Julien:

“With [Dennis] Seidenberg, obviously doing better. I don’t anticipate him being ready for tomorrow, but with the injury he’s got, you never know. (via Bruins Official Website)

In the event of playoff hockey, a lot of players play through their injuries and focus more about rehabilitation and recovery during the postseason.

“Everybody wants to be out there, but it’s got to be the right way…If you go out there and you’re not able to do what you need to do you’re only hurting the team.”-Wade Redden on being a game-time decision.

The trio of rookies along with the likes of Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk stepping up has seemingly helped the Bruins squad and should they still be in tact for today’s game, will likely continue to do so. However, the possibility of all three veterans still sitting out is borderline likely at this point.

Offensive lines looked the same as Jaromir Jagr was paired alongside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, with Seguin taking strides with Kelly and Peverley. Both forwards have struggled to find their niche in the postseason, registering no more than assists. Each man in his own has made improvements, but still tackles the obstacle of finding the back of the net.

“For me personally, it’s not the first time it’s happened to me, so you have to work hard,” said Jagr. “Most of the time, it’s about confidence, too. It doesn’t really matter how many goals you score, the confidence comes with any play. Any good play can give you the confidence, any good pass to score a goal can turn things around. You just have to work hard and go through it; I’m not going to give up. Of course I would like to help this team more than I do right now, but there’s nothing I can do about that – just work hard.” (via Bruins Official Site)

Tuukka Rask is earning his contract extension through the postseason, and has rightfully done so through the first 8 games. He has managed to stop 249 shots out of the 269 he has faced, earning him a .926 save percentage and 2.36 goals against average.  Meanwhile, at the opposing end of the rink, Henrik Lundqvist has made 259 saves out of 274 for a .945 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average.

The puck drops at 3PM, be sure to tune in to see who takes the cake for game 2. For the opponent’s side of things you can check out Black and Blueshirts, feel free to give us each a follow on Twitter too! (@ACupABruin and @BlknBlueshirts)

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Torey Krug during warm-ups in his first time with the Bruins (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Heading into tonight’s game, we knew it was going to be a close race. However, we didn’t expect a snooze fest through the first forty minutes of play. The game started around the halfway point of the third period and the Bruins soared from there. Torey Krug gave them the confidence they needed as he tied the game three minutes in and kept it alive. Through the added minutes the Bruins outplayed the Rangers and with the help of Bergeron, Brad Marchand celebrated his first goal of the playoffs and put the Bruins up 3-2 for a 1-0 series advantage.

As the puck dropped commencing the first period it appeared as though both teams thought it was a charity game instead of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The battles were fairly non-existent and came down to a ‘battle’ of defense. Chara did exactly what he needed to do in containing Rick Nash and keeping him off of the score sheet, meanwhile the rookie d-men proved themselves. Matt Bartkowski and Torey Krug showed their aggressiveness and confidence as they kept the Rangers out of the zone. Through the first twenty, the Bruins did a decent job playing physical and in the final seconds found their momentum as Jaromir Jagr tried to jam one past Henrik Lundqvist at the buzzer.

As the second period got underway, the Bruins found themselves quickly on the power ply, or as our opposition calls it, the power kill (a power play that is so atrocious it turns into a penalty kill). Per usual, the Bruins were unable to convert and the score remained at zero. It wouldn’t be until 12:23 that Zdeno Chara unleashed a bomb at Lundqvist that he initially saved, but as he collapsed backwards with Nathan HOrton racing at him, knocked the puck over the line and into the back of the net for a 1-0 Bruins lead.  However, much like the Bruins, the Rangers didn’t back own and kept the pressure. With 1.3 remaining in the second the Rangers capitalized off of a weak play by Tyler Seguin with Ryan McDonagh blasting a shot from the blue line that sailed over the shoulder of Rask to tie the game at a goal a piece.  Brad Marchand seemingly had his best period of hockey as he stepped up his game through the second frame, using his speed and skill set to beat the Rangers through the neutral zone and create numerous offensive opportunities for the Bruins. Through forty the Bruins held the advantage in hits with 33 and were at a stale mate in shots 21-20 in slight favor to the Rangers.

In much of the same fashion as they ended the second, the Rangers skated right into Bruins territory and snapped a shot past Rask for the go-ahead goal from Derek Stepan. Thankfully, the Bruins held onto their ‘never give up’ attitude and Torey Krug showed exactly why he was the right man for the job in the absence of Seidenberg, Redden and Ference. As the Bruins found themselves on the power play, Krug blasted a shot that beat Lundqvist to tie the game at 2 with 17:05 remaining.  As the period dwindled on and the seconds ticked off, the intensity level finally began to rise out of both sides. With 3:35 on the clock, Patrice Bergeron took a hooking call for Boston putting the Rangers on the power play for all but the last minute of the game. Fortunately for Boston, they’re only 7% effective on the man-advantage and decided to take a penalty of their own as they took an interference call that would put Boston on the advantage through the remainder of the third after 25 seconds of 4-on-4.  Johnny Boychuk blasted shots at Lundqvist right off the faceoff, but was unable to get through.  As Seguin threw the puck over to Chara, he blasted one and Lundqvist kick-saved and Dan Girardi dove in front of the follow-up shot keeping the game tied. Johnny Boychuk released a bomb and it pinged off the goal post as the green light came on ending the third period with Horton diving to try and bank it in.

We knew it would be an interesting game being that the two hadn’t met in the playoffs since the 1970′s, naturally it would result in overtime for game 1 for the first time since 1958, thanks to Torey Krug tying things up. Despite some arena difficulties and choppy ice, the Bruins did their best to contain the Rangers.  As Peverley tried to bring the puck up ice, Dorsett took a run at him landing himself in the penalty box for a man-advantage opportunity two minutes into the extra period. Through the first minutes the Bruins held control of the puck and littered Lundqvist with shots. As the clock hit 16:01 and 22 seconds remained on the power play Lundqvist was able to hold onto it to freeze the clock off of a Seguin blast. As the penalty expired the Bruins still held onto possession with Horton diving to keep the play alive. Once again the post robbed Johnny Boychuk of the go-ahead, game-winning goal and the clock ticked on. In the final five minutes of the extra period Patrice Bergeron brought the puck up the right-hand side of the ice timing a perfect pass over to Brad Marchand that he placed perfectly between the legs of Lundqvist to give the Bruins a 1-0 series advantage.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@ACupABruin) and take a look at what the opposition had to say about tonight’s game.

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Will Barkowski have another huge game tonight? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Now we’re in the semifinals facing off against the New York Rangers in what is sure to be another spectacular series. With the Bruins having the higher seed in standings, they once again have home ice advantage and with that the fans of the TD Garden. Tonight is Game 1 in Boston.

It’s expected that it will be Tuukka Rask versus Henrik Lundqvist in net. Yes that means the B’s will have to get back Vezina winner and goalie god Lundqvist but it’s doable. King Henrik has a career 1.67 goals against average and .943 save percentage in 30 career games against the Bruins. Six of those games have been shutouts. He is also currently on a series shutout streak of 120 minutes because in the Rangers last series against the Washington Capitals he didn’t allow goals in either Game 6 or 7.

Noticeably absent from Bruins scoring during the first series was both Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin but it’s not for lack of shots on net. Out of all players in the NHL, Seguin had one of the most shots on net during round one. Unfortunately none of them were able to register for goals. If Seguin wants to score he’ll need to figure out how to get past defenders not relying on just speed because obviously he’s fast. For Marchy, he needs to get back to his “nose faced killah” agitator ways. In regular season the pair scored 34 goals in 48 games. Marchand left the ice this am with what looked like an injury but is expected to be in the lineup tonight.

The Bruins will be relying on younger d-men to carry to team thanks to slew of injuries to the veteran players. Dougie Hamilton and Matt Barkowski were huge in the Game 7 win, with Barkowski even scoring his first NHL goal. They will need to continue to bring that impact with this new series. New to the lineup is Torey Krug who is expected to play tonight. Krug has been a star for the Providence Bruins and tonight has the chance to prove himself in the NHL ranks.

This series isn’t going to be easy for either team. Both clubs are gritty and play a similiar style of hockey aka aggressive so needless to say I wouldn’t be surprised if it came down to a game 7.

With tonight being the first game, a tone will be set and at the end of 60 minutes (ideally) one team will have a game advantage. Puck drops tonight at 7:30 and you can check it out on NBCSN! Unfortunately this means no more commentary from the great Jack Edwards but you can follow his twitter for all his thoughts on the game (which are sure to be hilarious/amazing).

BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

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CONGRATS QUAIDER!

1: Bruins/ Rangers Schedule:
Now that the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals are over, the B’s are moving onto the semis against the New York Rangers. Here’s the schedule for you to plan your life around.
Game One: Thursday May 16, 7:30pm Rangers @Bruins
Game Two: Sunday May 19, 3pm Rangers @Bruins
Game Three: Tuesday May 21, 7:30pm Bruins @Rangers
Game Four: Thursday May 23, 7pm Bruins @Rangers
Game Five: Saturday May 25, TBD Rangers @Bruins
Game Six: Monday May 27, TBD Bruins @Rangers
Game Seven: Wednesday May 29, TBD Rangers @Bruins

2: Quaider Masterton Finalist
Today the finalist for the Masterton award were announced and Adam McQuaid was one of the three. The finalists are selected by the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association (PHWA). The Masterton Trophy is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. For Bruins fans it should come as no surprise that McQuaid got the nod considering how his 2013 season went.

Quaider came back to the ice after facing potentially life-threatening blood clots, that stem from a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Most athletes miss an entire season but McQuaid overcame that and throw perseverance he returned to the team in time for the start of the season.

McQuaid appeared in 32 games where he notched one goal and three assists with 60 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating. He has skated in all seven Bruins postseason games so far, where he has recorded one goal with a plus-three rating, which is second among B’s defensemen.

3: Bergeron Selke Finalist
For the second year in a row Patrice Bergeron has been nominated for the Frank J. Selke Award. Given how Game 7 went Monday night, this nomination is a given. He won last year and this year could make it two-for-two.

Bergeron finished the 2013 regular season leading all NHL players in faceoff percentage. winning puck drops at a 62.1% (549/884) rate. In general, Bergeron is an ideal player to have on any team and the Bruins are very lucky to have him. He finished the regular season with 32 points in 42 games. His 22 assists rank second on the team.

4: Krug Called Up
Torey Krug of the Providence Bruins was recalled and is expected to join the lineup in Game 1 on Thursday night. The young defenseman will have big shoes to fill as many veteran d-men are currently day-to-day with injuries.

Krug skated in 63 regular season games with Providence this season and registered 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points with 37 penalty minutes. He led the defensemen in all of the above stats. This isn’t Krugs first time with Boston but it’s his first playoff wise.

On the playoffs Krug Said:

“This is going to be amazing; looking forward to whatever I can do to help the team” (Via Bruins Twitter).

And that’s all the news we have! Check back tomorrow for a Game 1 preview for the Bruins/Rangers series.
BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

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“That hockey game will haunt me until the day I die…” -Joffrey Lupul via Twitter

Photo Credit: dougthethughamilton/Tumblr

As Nazem Kadri scored the fourth goal in 5:29 into the third period to put the Leafs ahead by three, an unsettling silence settled through the TD Garden. People rose from their seats to the exit thinking the Bruins had blown it again, they had failed to meet the expectation set in front of them and it was pointless to watch them flounder around. However, as the seats emptied Nathan Horton injected a ray of hope as he snapped a rebound shot up and over the shoulder of James Reimer with just over half of the period remaining. As the period dwindled on, so did the faith from the fans. With under two minutes remaining the Bruins decided to pull out all the stops.

“After Krech’s [David Krejci's] line got that first one for us, it started the climb back. We could see the emotion on the bench and guys starting to believe. That’s what we needed.”- Brad Marchand(via Bruins.com)

As the seconds ticked away, nearing the end of their season, the Krejci line teamed up once again in a push to inch closer. As the clock struck 1:22, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton camped out in front of the goal and were able to once again bank in a rebound shot to pull the team within one. Thirty seconds later the Bruins cycled the puck around and as Zdeno Chara set a screen in front of Reimer with his seven-foot self, Patrice Bergeron released a bomb from inside the blue line the found the back of the net to tie the game and force overtime. It had never been done in the history of the NHL to have a team down by three and make such a substantial comeback in such a short amount of time.

As the puck dropped commencing the extra period the Bruins knew they needed to bring their momentum to the next level and continue on the push they were on. It took all of 6:05 as the Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin line redeemed their absence of the series and crashed the net to get the go-ahead goal and advance the Bruins to the second round of the playoffs.

“We stayed resilient—I guess that’s what I can say…We found a way.” – Patrice Bergeron

Now the Bruins look to keep the momentum in their favor as they take on a team that has posed a problem to them all season long, the New York Rangers. The first game of the second round is set for Thursday night at the Garden with the puck dropping at 7:30PM.

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