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Hello ladies and gentlemen, it is so good to be writing this after quite the hectic weekend. No one, for the most part, cares about the personal stuff though, so lets get right to the hockey shall me?
2/6/2010 - Vancouver Canucks @ Boston Bruins
Vancouver traveled into Boston as the Bruins have lost 9 games in a row and looked to get back on track. I was at this game, so my thoughts about it may be a little hazy. In the first period, the Bruins played very well, but it is something that we're used to. The book on these guys goes a little something like this:
- 1st Period: The team plays very well and will potentially get a one or two goal lead. During this first period, the Bruins play with emotion, fire and depression as they scratch and claw their way towards a win.
- 2nd Period: In the second period, the team comes out a little flat and emotionless but is able to hold the opposition off for awhile. Eventually though, there will be a defensive breakdown and the opposition will score, heading into the second intermission either tied or down by one goal.
- 3rd Period: This is where the team will once again come out playing flat an emotionless, but begin to make mistakes such as taking bad penalties or allowing numerous odd-man rushes. It is during this period where the opposition will score either one or two goals, potentially putting the Bruins away.
- Possible OT/Shootout: It is during this time that the Bruins will "play for the point" and not make the mistakes needed to lose a game. Once the game goes into a shootout however, they will lose due to making zero moves on a goalie.
So the game against the Canucks went like this, as did the two previous games before this one against Montreal and Washington. The Bruins ended up losing 3-2 in a shootout. Roberto Luongo was masterful in net after the first period and ended up stopping 41 of 43 shots. Tuukka Rask was just as good, stopping 29 of 31 shots.
2/7/2010 - Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens
The Bruins looked to end a 10 game losing skid in Montreal and Claude Julien started Tuukka Rask, a move that surprised many. After the game, there was a lot of speculation regarding the trade status of Tim Thomas, but we won't comment on that until there is some sort of official word.
The Bruins took a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to Adam McQuaid's first NHL goal/point and Marco Sturm's seventeenth goal. While Bruins fans have seen this before, what they haven't witnessed in awhile is a team that can keep a lead, and that's exactly what Boston did.
Tuukka Rask was downright phenomenal in net for Boston, stopping all 36 shots that came his way, including a few odd man rushes and breakaway attempts by Montreal.
Boston ended up winning 3-0, thanks to Sturm's 18th goal of the season and the Bruins FINALLY snapped their losing streak.
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