Hurricanes 3, Bruins 0

It's official. The Bruins are in their mid-season doldrums.

For the first time in the history of the Whalers/Hurricanes, they have swept their season series with the Boston Bruins. And that's unfortunate for the Bruins because the Canes are 14-25-9 against the rest of the NHL and 4-0 against the Bruins.

The B's have allowed 3+ goals in five straight games. They're not doing the little things. And their success is based on their ability to excel at the little things.

They're not playing physical. And I don't mean big hits and fights. I mean going into the corner for a puck and physically earning it from your opponent.

And when they do win battles, there's no puck support. Carolina's 2nd goal was scored after Marchand won a battle in the offensive zone. But it was a Hurricane that got to the loose puck and triggered a breakaway. Ference fumbling around for the puck didn't help much either.

The Bruins are in a 4-4-1 stretch and it's because of basic fundamentals. Turning the puck over. Winning battles. Puck support. Clearing the puck out of the zone. A team with less talent might be 2-7 in this stretch. But by the same token, the Bruins aren't talented enough to just show up and win. They need to execute the fundamentals, do the little things, and physically outmatch their opponents.

They haven't been doing that since that Vancouver game.

Bruins host the Penguins Saturday afternoon.

-The Commodore

Hurricanes @ Bruins Preview

There are very few teams in the NHL that can say they "own" the Bruins, Carolina is one of those few. The Hurricanes are 3-0 against the Bruins this year, but Carolina is going to have to hope that stays true, because the rest of the stats point to a Bruins win.

Boston is 5-2-2 on home ice since the end of October, while the Hurricanes have dropped 17 of 20 on the road since a 4-1 victory over Boston on Oct. 18. Carolina also right now is the worst team in the Eastern Conference, while the Bruins are just 3 points out of 1st.

I do think this game will be close though. Rask will most likely be in net, which I actually think could be a good thing (Rask is 8-0-2 with a 1.46 GAA in 10 home starts since losing to the Hurricanes on Oct. 18), because Thomas hasn't been playing up to his high standards lately. Also, the Bruins in general haven't been as good consistently. It was bound to happen, you can just streak all season. Still, they should come out angry tonight after going 0-3 vs this team, so I expect them to win the game. Plus, having Ference back can't hurt.

Bruins win 3-1
Player of the Game: Rask (if he plays), if not then Marchand
Game starts at 7pm

Bruins Start Their Southern Road Trip

The Bruins have dominated most of the Eastern Conference this season, going 11-2-0 within the Northeast Division, and 6-1-0 against the Atlantic. But the Southeast has given them problems. The B's were 4-4-0 against that division before starting this trip.

The Hurricanes have been the most troublesome, even though they're struggling to stay in the playoff picture. They beat the Bruins twice earlier in the year, and completed the hat-trick on Saturday night.

The Canes are fast. The Bruins struggle against such speed. It's not that they can't keep up, it's that they underestimate how quickly these fast opponents can close passing lanes, get to loose pucks, and make plays.

On Saturday, for instance, Gregory Campbell thought he had all the time and space in the world to skate with the puck in his own defensive zone. A fast Hurricane caught up to him, took the puck, and eventually the puck found its way into the net.

In that same game, the B's frequently panicked in their own zone and flicked the puck into space. That's rarely a good thing to do, and it's even worse when facing a speedy opponent who will inevitably get to that loose puck first and make a play.

Ultimately, the Hurricanes outworked the Bruins. The B's were a bit too comfortable, a bit too complacent, and Carolina didn't ease up and let them come back and win it in the 3rd.

The Bruins rarely lose a 3rd period, but they did Saturday night in Raleigh. So I expected to see them come out firing in the 1st last night. They didn't disappoint. Bergeron scored 80 seconds after the puck dropped.

Then more bad habits reappeared kept the game interesting. The Bruins struggled with their entry, frequently losing possession at their offensive blue-line. If not for Rask bailing them out, this game could have been ugly.

Krejci, Seguin, and Bergeron eventually gave the Bruins a lead on a 5-on-3. Krejci won a puck battle, then Seguin circumnavigated the entire zone. It was refreshing to see the Bruins moving bodies on the Power Play, not just playing connect the dots by standing still and passing the puck around. Seguin's shot/pass was adeptly tipped in by Bergeron, who was unnoticed lurking in the slot while the Panthers were mesmerized by Seguin's orbit.

But the lead was short-lived. Florida scored on a post-PP breakaway. And if it weren't for Rask, the Bruins might have lost this game in the 3rd.

Rask kept them in the game with 38 stops. Krejci eventually scored the shootout winner. So while officially his point-streak is over, he still won the game by shooting the puck into the net. Odd how that works out.

The Bruins play the Lightning tonight. Tampa Bay are dead last in the Southeast and have allowed more goals than any team in the NHL.

-The Commodore

2 Points The Hard Way

The Sens looked good for the win, but they coughed up a 2-0 lead late in the third, before ultimately getting the W in a shootout via Jason Spezza's hot stick. This was the Sens first win in Raleigh in 4 years, a place we typically play very poorly in, so it was nice to see a total team effort tonight in the 3-2 shootout win. It was Ottawa's first road win of the year and our 3rd win in a row total, bringing our season record to a very respectable 4-5.

Other thoughts from the game:

• Anderson was pretty solid, except when he didn't play the puck on the first goal, but came through in the shootout.
• Speaking of that first goal, what the hell were Cowen and Gonchar thinking by not playing the puck there?
• Speaking of Gonchar, he looked better again tonight and had 2 assists and has 4 points in last 2 games.
• I thought Kaspars Daugavins had a very nice game tonight. I wouldn't mind him staying a few more to see what he can do.
• Da Costa was invisible, again. I'm not sure why he seems above being sent down to Bingo.
• Speaking of being sent to Bingo, tonight was Mika's 9th game so the team has a decision to make. Stay in Ottawa or back to Sweden. I say he stays here. He had a couple of excellent defensive plays tonight.
• A very nice shot and goal by 4th line guy Zenon Konopka tonight. Won some key faceoffs too.
• I thought Rundblad has begun to be a lot better. Perhaps signs he will live up to his potential this season still.
• Speaking of Rundblad, what a horrible call by the refs against him with just 2:37 left. Truly brutal.
• Jason Spezza is on fire!
• I continue to be impressed by Colin Greening's power forward potential. Condra, not so much.
• EK65 was very quiet for him tonight.
• Only a little over 12k in Raleigh tonight.

Tweet of the night:

Really Allen? If getting paid to travel and watch hockey is too boring or hard for you, why don't you quit.

Picture of the night:

The Sens celebrate the shootout win in Carolina, their 3rd in a row.

            With the Sens' 2nd goal of the game and the shootout winner, Jason Spezza wins the night.


Post game thoughts?

GDP #9: Sens @ Carolina

The Senators are back at it again tonight, looking for their 3rd win in a row, after beating Winnipeg and Columbus in the previous two games, as they take on Carolina in Raleigh tonight. I have a busy day today so the GDP is a bit quick, my apologies.

There are a few big stories heading into tonight's game. The first is Alfie will be sitting out with a hip flexor, so Kaspars Daugavins takes him place after being called up from Binghamton yesterday.

The other BIG BIG news is that tonight will be Mika Zibanejad's 9th NHL game, and his audition will come to an end. It will be up to the Sens brass to decide to keep him here for the year, or to send him back to Sweden. My gut says they will keep him here to develop on the NHL, and thus burn a year off his ELC.

Local Flavor: Former Sen Tim Gleason patrols the Carolina blueline.

Prediction: The Sens are riding a 2 game win streak, but they always seem to struggle in Carolina. Plus let's be honest, beating Winnipeg and Columbus is nothing to brag about. As always it depends on the goalie play we get and if he can manage to put away our chances. I say the Sens play ok but lose a close one 4-3, but Mika Zibanejad scores his first NHL goal.

Record this season: 5-3 with no exact scores predicted


Pre game thoughts?

Daugavins Gets The Call

Fan favorite Kaspars Daugavins has been re-called to the big team and will play tomorrow night in Carolina. The move was made because Alfie has a hip flexor and will be sitting out the game. The injury is not serious and he should be back in no time, likely just missing the one game. Congrats to Kaspars on the promotion.

Binghamton To Face Charlotte

Our farm team has done surprisingly well this AHL Playoffs, winning 2 rounds already and will now take on the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL's Eastern Conference Finals. Many of the players on their roster are names you'd recognize from playing in Ottawa this season. Charlotte are the Carolina Hurricanes farm team if you were wondering. For those of you wanting to attend, here's the schedule:

Game 1 – Thu., May 12 – Binghamton at Charlotte, 7:05 p.m.


Game 2 – Fri., May 13 – Binghamton at Charlotte, 7:05 p.m.

Game 3 – Tue., May 17 – Charlotte at Binghamton, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Wed., May 18 – Charlotte at Binghamton, 7:05 p.m.

Game 5 – Sat., May 21 – Charlotte at Binghamton, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 6 – Mon., May 23 – Binghamton at Charlotte, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 7 – Tue., May 24 – Binghamton at Charlotte, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)