Bruins respond to Horton cheap shot

Well, at least it's a series. Using extra incentive, the Bruins routed the Canucks 8-1 in Game Three at TD Garden last night. The eruption didn't get started until 11 seconds into the second when an Andrew Ference shot snuck past Roberto Luongo. Vancouver's Vezina candidate had previously been stellar in backstopping his club to a 2-0 series lead, permitting only two goals. However, it wasn't his night nor any other Canuck as they were badly outplayed by a determined bunch of Bruins, hell bent on sending a message following what happened in British Columbia.

As if it weren't enough that Max Lapierre mocked bite victim Patrice Bergeron during Game 2, the B's had even more reason to respond when Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome delivered a late hit on an unsuspecting Nathan Horton, who laid motionless for several minutes. Horton had already released the puck a good second when Rome came from the blindside with a shoulder right to the jaw. The stunning cheap shot silenced a sellout crowd as Horton looked skyward. That it came so early was startling. Rome isn't a dirty player. Something Bobby Ryan noted today via Twitter. Unfortunately, he erred in judgment with the kind of late hit the league is looking to rid of. Not surprisingly, he was suspended four games, which if it went the distance, would mean the rest of the series. In the event it ends early, he'd serve out the rest next season.

The appropriate call was made with Rome ejected for a five minute interference major, which was installed last year. Down a man, the Bruins couldn't take advantage as their power play fizzled thanks to superb penalty killing and some timely stops from Luongo, who was sharp initially. He took away the low part of the net and had solid rebound control. Boston also overpassed, which allowed an already good Vancouver special teams to get the job done and build momentum. In fact, they took the play to the B's the last half of the first, forcing Tim Thomas to come up with a few sparklers, including a kickout and cat-like glove.

Following his team's eruption that saw them score four apiece in the second and third, Claude Julien noted that he didn't say anything different than usual to his desperate team at intermission. The veteran coach felt his club was lacking emotion and inserted popular enforcer Shawn Thornton for rookie Tyler Seguin. The move worked with the 14-year vet sparking the B's with solid work over nine shifts (5:50), delivering a crunching hit and even drawing a penalty when he forced Luongo to deny a bid. Naturally, with all the bad blood, once Boston put it away it turned nasty and Thornton was there to protect teammates.

If Vancouver did everything right the first two in holding serve, that team was nowhere to be found, often leaving Luongo to fend for himself. The best D in the game didn't show and lost focus in a penalty marred game that included five game misconducts with the teams combining for 125 PIM with most of it in garbage time. It even saw the tame Daniel Sedin assessed a misconduct following a wild scrum involving Bite Gate extraordinaire Alex Burrows, who went to the ice a little too easy from a shove following a slash, infuriating Milan Lucic, who challenged him. Of course, the Game 2 hero chickened out hiding behind the stripes. Lucic also lost his cool waving his finger right into Lapierre's mug during another scrum that saw the antagonist tossed. He was chastised by Julien along wiht 43 year-old vet Mark Recchi for shenanigans and later critiqued himself for sinking to Lapierre's level. During the chaos, Ryan Kesler took on Dennis Seidenberg following some cheap stuff, which saw both gone.

Speaking of Recchi, the ageless warrior who just ended a scoring drought, was again involved- tallying twice to eclipse his three round total (2) in just three games of the chippy Stanley Cup Final. On the 25 Year Anniversary of the Cam Neely trade, who the Canucks ironically gave up on, the Bruins turned back the clock to whip the President's Trophy winners. Once Ference broke through, the black and gold seized control with Recchi centering a pass off Ryan Kesler's stick for a power play goal, marking the second consecutive game Boston's power play scored. Before the onslaught, Lucic took his second undisciplined minor giving Vancouver a chance to get back in it. Instead, an unbelievable individual effort from rookie Brad Marchand resulted in the goal of the series. Stealing the puck at his own blueline, the speedy penalty killer slipped around three Canucks and then completely undressed Luongo, deking and going forehand top shelf for an unassisted goal that blew off the roof.

Finally with some breathing room, the B's didn't sit back with David Krejci adding to it when he took a Michael Ryder backdoor feed and beat Luongo in front. The four-goal explosion left questions as to whether Luongo would return for the third. Surprisingly, he did. It only got worse as Boston wasn't done, putting another four spot on the helpless Canadian hero in the second part of the third. With his team on another power play, Daniel Paille powered past ex-Isle Jeff Tambellini and beat Luongo thru the wickets for 5-zip with 8:22 left. Tambellini had a brutal game, also in the box when Recchi notched his first of the night.

Though Jannik Hansen broke up Thomas' shutout after slashing Krejci and then burying a Raffi Torres feed, even in a blowout the Vezina frontrunner was outstanding, finishing with 40 saves. Vancouver certainly got scoring chances but the athletic 37 year-old vet wouldn't allow them to think comeback. As a matter of fact, Thomas has allowed four goals on 108 shots thus far. Given his brilliant play throughout the postseason, you can make the argument that win or lose, he's the leading Conn Smythe candidate. We'll see how it plays out.

After Recchi finished off his second off a great pass from Marchand, it escalated with Ference and Kevin Bieksa trading barbs before getting the final couple of minutes off. With what was left of the Canuck bench going through the motions, Chris Kelly and Ryder added insult to injury to mercifully conclude the scoring. Even Tomas Kaberle got on the score sheet.

The madness certainly was entertaining but I doubt a seven-goal rout was what Versus had in mind following a much lower rated Game 2 that went to sudden death. I guess scheduling even on NBC for a June Saturday was a mistake. Be that as it may, this is a very fun series with plenty of intensity. These teams don't like each other and it should only intensify when they take the ice for Game 4 tomorrow night in Beantown.

As for the Rome suspension, I've seen some fans argue that it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't necessarily call it blatant. But he did cross the line, which is why rules on late hits are in place. This isn't a repeat offender. Just a kid who made a mistake and probably feels badly for Horton, who luckily was moving all extremenities as he was carried off the ice and rushed to the hospital. We sure hope the ex-Panther will be okay. For Alain Vigneault, he can dig into reserve and reinsert vet Keith Ballard, who might be an upgrade. The Canucks are without Dan Hamhuis, which hurts strong blueline that still features Christian Ehrhoff, Alex Edler, Bieksa and Sami Salo. However, they're already using ex-Bruin Andrew Alberts. So, Ballard could prove vital if he gets in. Meanwhile, figure Seguin to take the place of Horton leaving Thornton in as an energizer.

It all sets up a pivotal Game 4. Don't miss it!

Game 3 SCF Preview: On D Day Bruins try to make it a series

Today is a historic day for not just our country but for democracy and freedom. It was 67 years ago on June 6, 1944 that our soldiers helped achieve the greatest win in World War II history. D Day is a special day of Remembrance of all those lives sacrificed in the Battle of Normandy along the coastline of Belgium that finally ended the war. It's a day to reflect and thank those before us who fought for our independence.

Perhaps on 6/6/11, the American team involved in the Stanley Cup will actually make it a series tonight in Beantown. For the Boston Bruins, that requires a maximum effort against the faster and more talented Vancouver Canucks, who by sweeping the first two at home, are two steps closer to the franchise's first Cup. Yes. Both Games 1 and 2 were competitive but only due to outstanding play from certain Vezina selection Tim Thomas, who stood on his head giving his team a chance to steal home ice. If not for a couple of key breakdowns, it would've been enough. Instead, thanks to Raffi Torres' heroics, Daniel Sedin and Public Enemy No.1 Alex Burrows, who took the 'bite' right out of Claude Julien's guys a jaw dropping 11 seconds into sudden death, the B's find themselves in a huge hole as they return to TD Garden.

They'll have to have short memories if they want to make it interesting over the next 72 hours. In the NBA, the expression is a series doesn't start until the road team wins. Using that philosophy, all the Bruins have to do is hold serve and get it to a pivotal Game 5 even. If they can, anything could happen like it did in '09 when the Penguins became only the second team to rally from an 0-2 deficit to win Lord Stanley. Of course, they still lost Game 5 before winning a third straight at home and then finally becoming the lone road team to win in a dramatic Game 7 that's still fresh in Pens' fans memory banks. Marc-Andre Fleury stacking the pads to deny Nick Lidstrom's last second bid.

What has to happen for the Bruins to turn the tables starting tonight on the Canucks?

1.Get a 2-goal lead- they say the 3-goal lead is the worst in hockey and Julien's club are proof. However, they've yet to build a cushion and put the pressure on Vancouver. How will they react if it happens? Against the Blackhawks early on, we saw what happened when Chicago was ahead, digging out of a 3-0 hole to force a seventh game that required overtime where the all too familiar Burrows clinched it.


2.Don't sit back- one of the fundamental flaws with Julien's Lemaire-esque system is they often try to hold on instead of pushing for more. Throw out the perfect regular season record. At this point, that doesn't matter. Especially against an opportunistic club like Vancouver, who only needs a few chances to cash to turn a game. We saw it the other night when they predictably tied it up with over 10 minutes left and then took it to OT where the B's never recovered.


3.Chara Time- simply put, Zdeno Chara is a beast on the ice who logs a ton of minutes in every situation. While the Boston captain did set up Mark Recchi's go-ahead tally, he also was caught out for Sedin's equalizer and didn't recover to stop Burrows from skating around Thomas and stuffing a wraparound for the stunning winner. Chara must be better along with Julien, who got duped by Alain Vigneault's on the fly change that caught Andrew Ference instead of reliable partner Dennis Seidenberg. With the last change on home ice, that can't happen.


4.The Horton Affect- when Nathan Horton scores, good things happen for the black and gold. The big man has been instrumental during their run, scoring big overtime goals while setting up teammates. When the going got tough against Tampa, the ex-Panther shined brightest with two goals and two assists over the last three games including the series clincher. He'll need to be a factor in front of Roberto Luongo, who hasn't dealt with much chaos compared to his busier counterpart.


5.Shoot The Puck- there were opportunities to shoot the puck when it was tied late in regulation that the B's mysteriously passed up. One such chance saw a streaking Johnny Boychuk passing up an open shot from the right circle, instead overpassing to a covered teammate. Vancouver's D is too stingy. They take away that East/West option, which hardly works during this time of year. The Bruins must pepper Luongo from every angle. He's good at making the first save but will let out juicy rebounds, which the B's must be in position to pounce. Fire away and score in the dirty areas.


6.Special Teams- the B's have been brutal on the power play but finally connected when ultimate warrior Recchi parked himself in front of Luongo and neatly deflected a Chara blast that steered them ahead. Vancouver has a dangerous PK that comes right at you. Their tendency is to overcommit. So, crafty playmakers like David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron must distribute the puck quickly. Short, concise passes can trap Canuck attackers high, giving them a decided edge down low. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Vancouver boasts the best PP with many weapons ranging from the Sedins to Ryan Kesler, Burrows plus sharp shooters Christian Ehrhoff, Sami Salo and Alex Edler. The advice is simple. Stay out of the box, which requires not targeting Burrows or knucklehead Max Lapierre.

On paper, it sounds like they'll have to play a perfect game just to give themselves a chance. However, these are all winning qualities good teams execute during a primetime series such as this. It's not won early but late. All depending on how you adjust. We'll see if Boston can use the crowd to their advantage. They'll be loud. The B's haven't won the Cup since 1972 when Bobby Orr skated the fancy chalice in front of Dad after beating the Rangers. They've failed five times since then including back in 1990 to Mark Messier's Oilers, who won the last of their six Cups. Starting tonight on Versus, we get to see what they're made of.

Let the fun begin

Now that we're finally back and better than ever with our new more reader friendly design, already the fun has just begun. We're 48 hours away from Friday night's much anticipated first round. What will Edmonton do? Is it Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin or do they trade with Florida down for No.'s 3 and 15 and select Cam Fowler and possibly sliding Russian Vladimir Tarashenko. Whatever they decide, it'll be under the leadership of familiar face Tom Renney, who replaces Pat Quinn behind the bench this Fall. The former Ranger coach will get to work with more talent with Calder hopeful Jordan Eberle on the way and possibly Hall or Seguin, etc which should significantly improve the Oilers.

While the draft gets going in two nights, tonight is the NHL Awards out in Vegas a second consecutive year. Can Ovie three-peat or will Henrik Sedin steal Alex and Sid's thunder? With that in mind, here's a quick glance at my picks:

Hart-H. Sedin
Pearson-Crosby
Norris-Keith
Vezina-Bryzgalov
Calder-Howard
Selke-Datsyuk
Byng-Datsyuk
Adams-Tippett
Masterton-Ortmeyer
Leadership-Miller
Foundation-Brown

My heart says Jed for Comeback Player but head says Kurt Foster. I just can't go against Ort. I went with Bryz over Miller for the Vezina due to his team. Keith over Doughty though I wouldn't be shocked if the super LA soph takes it. For me, Sedin was the best player and stepped it up when twin bro Daniel was out. Giving it to Crosby or Ovechkin is too easy. Henrik's most deserving. I happen to love all three Selke candidates. Huge fan of both Kes and J. Staal. But Datsyuk's remarkable in every facet. So, he probably wins again. Best of luck to all.

Now, for some moves. I'll just post and make a quick comment.

1.Flyers acquire rights to D Dan Hamhuis + '11 conditional seventh from Preds for rights to D Ryan Parent.

Genius move by Holmgren if they get Hamhuis signed. This was rumored back at the deadline. Imagine a Flyer front four of Pronger, Timonen, Hamhuis and Carle with Coburn on the third pair? Ugh. As for Nash, it's obvious they're dumping salary. Better hope Parent turns it around back in Music City.

2.Devils reacquire C Jason Arnott from Preds for F Matt Halischuk + '11 second rounder.

As Hasan already noted, remember when Lou had the infamous M&M reunion post-lockout? Only difference is '00 Cup hero Arnott's still got something left and fills a void. Arnott and Elias reunited. When's Sykora coming back? Couldn't resist. The pluses are nice but what does it mean for Kovalchuk and Martin? Arnott makes $4.5 M. For Nash, guess they're content to revamp with the most underappreciated coach in the biz. The Czar!

3.Panthers acquire D Dennis Wideman, Bruins' No.1 (15th) + '11 3rd for F Nathan Horton and F Greg Campbell.

On one hand, you ask what are the Panthers doing? They already lack offense. Though adding Wideman ain't a bad pickup for a solid blueline even if he's an adventure. However, Horton makes $4 M and has not come close to fulfilling his power forward potential. Maybe a change of scenery playing with Savard and Krejci helps. Campbell is a solid citizen who provides energy. For Florida, it's a win if they can parlay their 3 and the 15 into either Hall or Seguin.

4.Thrashers acquire F Dustin Byfuglien, F Ben Eager, D Brent Sopel and F Akim Aliu (try saying that 10 times in a row) from Blackhawks for F Marty Reasoner, F Jeremy Morin and the rights to NJD '10 No.'s 1 (24th) & 2 (54th).

Credit everyone's favorite Eklund for nailing this trade. Seri---ous---ly. Kudos to Bob McKenzie giving props. Well, we all knew the Hawks had to dump salary, breaking up their newly minted Stanley Cup roster. It sucks. But such is cap life even with it going to a reported $59.4 M. There was no way they could keep everyone. I guess when push came to shove, they just decided to maximize Big Buff's value after a Conn Smythe-esque performance. No doubt Chicago will miss him. But they saved nearly $4 million even if it had to break Sopel's heart. It was not only his day with the Cup but also his first day on Twitter. Ouch. Give the vet credit for this very strong perspective on today's events. Eager was also a solid citizen but the Hawks are plenty tough. Great deal for Atlanta even if it meant moving the picks they got from the Devs for Kovalchuk. Now, they traded him and Salmella, Morin for Bergfors, Big Buff, Patrice Cormier, Reasoner and Sopel. Wacky. The deal works for both sides with Chi-town doing well getting good value back in the picks and a decent prospect drafted last year. It should be a fun deal to track.

In other news, the Sharks have decided Evgeni Nabokov is done in San Jose. No real surprise here. I expect him to land in D.C. where they'll soon be renamed the Washington Russians. Who replaces Nabby? Turco or Mason? German backup Thomas Greiss performed respectably but he's not ready to carry the load. There also was a Tim Thomas rumor but eh. Why would they do that? He couldn't deliver in Beantown and is getting up there. Not to mention his $5 M tag. I'd pass.

Happy trails to Scott Niedermayer, who finally called it a career at a nice gathering at Honda Center yesterday. Kudos to NHL Network for picking up the coverage. The classy defenseman who won three Cups with the Devils and then captained the Ducks teaming alongside little bro Rob for a fourth Cup thanked everyone from coaches, teammates to fans. What an outstanding career the guy the Devils turned Tom Kurvers into back in 1991 had. Among the highlights were winning Olympic gold for Canada twice including close to home in Vancouver at this year's Olympics. Plus a Norris on his way out of the Garden State. What a tremendous player, who also handled himself with class on and off the ice. Just the latest player we lose from our era growing up. Sure is sad. Nieds will be missed.

One other note to pass. The Habs re-signed C Tomas Plekanec to a six-year $30 M contract. The terms are about right for their do everything player. But the length is a bit steep. Still, love the loyalty and good on Les Habitants keeping him.

A big boo to Toronto for not including Pat Burns or taking either Doug Gilmour or Eric Lindros over Dino Ciccarelli for this year's HHOF class which also includes very deserving Cammi Granato, Angela James and Jim Devellano plus Darryl "Doc" Seaman. It is utterly ridiculous that Burns isn't in. What are they waiting for? The poor man has cancer and dying. As for Ciccarelli, while I respect the production (608 goals, 1,200 points), he was never really a dominant player. A superb finisher but he couldn't take over games a la Gilmour or The Big E, who's being unfairly treated for how his career ended. Taking it one step further, why isn't Pavel Bure considered? At the end of the day, it is what it is. Hopefully, some great players will eventually get recognized.

The NHL also released the 2010-11 schedule. And already, it didn't take me long to predict the Rangers' first loss when they open the season at our Buffalo contingent. Can you say midseason form or what?!?!?!?!?!

It's nice to be back!

Fla-NYR Preview: Panthers visit Garden tonight

In half an hour, the Rangers will skate against the Panthers in what amounts to an important swing game. Florida's been hot lately winning four of five to launch into the eighth spot with 39 points- two ahead of the ninth Blueshirts. After sweeping a three-game road trip against the Islanders, Flyers and Canes, it should be a good measuring stick to see where they are. Especially in a topsy turvy East that changes daily. Indeed, every point counts. Winning's the thing. Can they get it together on home ice where their 7-9-1 mark is second worst in the league. That remains to be seen. Florida isn't a bad road team going 10-9-2 thus far, including a 3-2 win at MSG on Nov.21. The Rangers did take the second one in the gimmick four days later. This is the third of four meetings with the final one coming in Sunrise April 3.

Florida has some good forwards with speed that can make life difficult. Stephen Weiss is following up his best season with an even better one. Though nobody talks about him for Team Canada, which is already stacked to the decks. Weiss has company in Nathan Horton, who finally is shooting the puck and seeing results. He's always had power forward potential but has never been consistent. Is this the year it comes together? A good cast includes second-year Czech Michael Frolik, Rotislav Olesz and savvy vet Steve Reinprecht. Scary aspect is Cory Stillman has been out a month and David Booth has missed almost the whole season due to a concussion.

The Cats also boast an underrated blueline that features Team USA hopeful Keith Ballard, who does a lot of things well. There's also Bryan McCabe to watch on the power play. Dennis Seidenberg has been solid and Russian freshman Dmitry Kulikov is a future star. Tomas Vokoun is healthy again in net and will likely oppose Henrik Lundqvist, who's been much better lately permitting two-or-fewer in eight of his last nine starts. So, it figures to be a good test for the Big Ticket and Co. Brian Boyle returns. Erik Christensen and Aaron Voros are the scratches. Hopefully, these are the lines:

Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Avery-Anisimov-Callahan
Higgins-Drury-Lisin
Brashear-Boyle-Kotalik

Staal-Rozsival
Del Zotto-Girardi
Redden-Gilroy