Postgame Recap: November 20 - Goalie be Nimble. Goalie be Quick.

Yeah, I know this post is a bit late. But faced with either breaking my vow to blog each game I go to or posting a week late, I'm going to fulfill my obligation to myself and you, the home reader.

So without further delay....

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #18, home game #9
• Boston Bruins (11-5-0-1) vs. Los Angeles Kings (12-6-0-0)
• First game vs. Los Angeles (Bruins are 1-1 vs. Western Conf. teams)

John Blue Plate Special

I was at an engagement party in Salem earlier in the afternoon. So when it came time to drive into town, I had a couple of options: Drive back to Peabody and hop on 128 or head into Revere on 107.  Fighting mall traffic in Peabody didn't seem like the way to go, so I went the other route.

That was a mistake.  A commute that should have taken 30 minutes took well over an hour. Consequently, I got to the Fours a bit late. Fortunately, Heather and Pete (with a major assist from Ian behind the bar) were able to save me a seat on the Brady shirt side of the bar.

Having stuffed myself at the party earlier (they had a tre-mendous spread!) I wasn't all that hungry.  However, when I took a look at the daily specials on the menu, I know I had to scrounge up some sort of appetite.

Pulled Pork Sliders.

Oh man, they were good.  Now they weren't 'pulled pork', per se.  Rather than the traditional shredded pork shoulder, these featured thin slices of juicy pork loin covered in tangy barbecue sauce and cheese served on a warm and chewy dinner roll.

I really hope they appear on the menu again soon.

The Couture Corner

The Kings are one of those teams that have sported a variety of looks throughout their history. The original Jack Kent Cooke purple and gold, the Gretzky era black and silver and the modern day purple, silver and black.

In addition, LA is a team that traditionally gathers a number of visiting fans to Boston as their top minor league affiliate is based in Manchester, NH.  In the past, sections of the garden have been awash in the garish purple of the Monarchs sweaters. For whatever reason, there weren't a lot of Monarchs jerseys in the house.

That said, there were plenty of Kings sweaters to go around.  We've already seen a renaissance of sorts with the vintage purple and gold look at the Garden for non-kings games, so I fully expected a decent showing on this night.  And I was not dissapointed.

Let's take a look:



Late 80's/Early 90's Marty McSorley

McSorley made his name as Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard who was traded to LA with the Great One in 1987.  Eventually, he made his way to Boston for the 1999-2000 season. He played 27 games for the Bruins, his final one on on February 11, 2000 against Vancouver. The Bruins lost 5-2. But this game will be remembered for something else. It was in this game that McSorley whacked Brashear upside the head with his stick with 3 seconds to go, rendering the Cannuck enforcer unconscious.

So, to recap, this guy is wearing the shirt of a guy on the other team who was also pariah on on the Bruins.

This one is easy:



No good.

Then we have this guy:



Yeah, I know it's hard to see, but focus on the guy standing up in the second row to the left of the LA bench.

Mid 80's Luc Robitaille.

Robitaille was one of the all time great wingers who had three separate tours of duty with the Kings en route to a Hall of Fame career.

The word from the off ice official?



Good!


The Row 12 Rundown

Slow night in 307.  Heather brought Pete and Chis and Lauren represented the Kaspers.  Patty brought Eric and Paula was there too.  And don't forget the Barrys.  But Charla, Kathi and the kids weren't there.

Doosh of the Day

First, let's announce the runner-up.

With around 30 seconds left in overtime, Linesman Steve Miller took a puck to the head that rang his bell pretty good.  He was down for a while and when he got up, he looked incredibly unbalanced and woozy.  As he made his way back to the locker room with help from his fellow officials, the crowd gave him an encouraging cheer, as respectful fans are wont to do.

Except one guy.  The one who loudly booed him off the ice.

Classless. Completely classless.

But he wasn't the doosh of the day.  No, that dishonor is reserved for someone with a more egregious display of boorishness.

Before the game, the Bruins offered up a short photo montage honoring the memory of former coach Pat Burns who passed away at the tender age of 58 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

At the end of the display, fans were asked observe a moment of silence.  And the vast majority of the crowd did.  Except one guy.  The jerk who screamed at the top of his lungs ZDENO CHARA!!!

Seriously, that was incredibly poor.  If that guy was in 307, he would have had his ass handed to him by a number of people.  That is no way to honor a man who was a great coach and an even better person.


The Clothes Line

I saw some decent Bruins sweaters, but nothing spectacular.  I did see one guy wearing a Brad Stuart sweater.  That was bit of a head scratcher.  Unfortunately, my phone died and I was unable to grab any decent photos.

As for what I wore?  I wanted to get back to something that was working and that meant a return to the opening night attire - the Milan Lucic alternate. Alas, it didn't work.

The Lobel Prize

The Kings are one of the few NHL teams that do not have a Bruins alum on their roster.  So no harm, no foul on this night.

The Home End

The Bruins started out sluggish yet again and it nearly bit them in the ass as they found themselves down 3-0 before they struck back for 3 unanswered goals to tie it up.  After a scoreless overtime, the Bruins sent five skaters against Kings goalie Jonathan Quick in the shootout.  And not a single one of them was able to get the puck past him.  The Kings capitalized on their final shot and took the extra point.

Postgame Recap: November 13 - Lowered Expect(or)ations

Yeah, I know this post is a bit late. But faced with either breaking my vow to blog each game I go to or posting a week late, I'm going to fulfill my obligation to myself and you, the home reader.

So without further delay....

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #14, home game #6
• Boston Bruins (8-4-0-1) vs. Ottawa Senators (8-7-1-0)
• Second of 6 meetings against Ottawa (Bruins won first game 4-0)

John Blue Plate Special

Got to the Fours a bit late, which can be a bit of a death sentence when it comes to trying to land a seat at the bar on a Saturday night during college football season.  Downstairs was jammed, so I ran upstairs to scope out the seats up there.  As luck would have it, the Flutie seat was open, so I had Mike grab it.  Heather arrived shortly thereafter and we set up shop for the evening.

Given that the Bruins were in somewhat of a funk, we tried coming up with an order that would change things up.  We were really hungry, so an appetizer was in order.  The boneless fingers with two sauces wasn't doing the job, nor were the potato skins.  So we went with the fingers with just barbeque sauce and split a teriyaki Orr.

The Couture Corner

The early Senators sweaters were beautiful in their simplicity. However, for whatever reason, their uniforms went through a metamorphosis, including a revamping of their logo to that of a cartoonish gladiator.  So, my expectations for this game were decidely low.  I would have been happy to see an old Daniel Alfredsson late 90's shirt, but alas, there were none to be had.

So I had to dig deep.  And this was the haul:



2010 Patrice Bergeron Canada Olympic sweater. Très agréable!

Even better was this guy:



1944-8 Milt Schmidt.

I have no idea where this guy got this sweater, but I SO want one!

I've seen special one-offs done for ceremonies and stuff, but I've never seen a fan wear one.  The sweaters from this period were great, with the played number adorning both the front and the back.  The now familiar spoked-B logo would not appear on the front until the 1948-9 season.
Me likee!

The word from the off ice official?



Good!

The Row 12 Rundown


After missing the tilt against Montreal earlier in the week, Heather returned to 307 after a short rehab stint at home.  However even her return was no enough to inspire the team on this night.

Doosh of the Day

Forget Doosh of the Day, we have the leader in the clubhouse for Doosh of the Year.

I've seen some pretty despicable acts from people at games throughout the years: Parents encouraging their kids to swear and throw stuff at fans, people tossing beers at innocent bystanders, fans booing (legitimately) injured players, fights, you name it.

But I've never seen what I saw this night.

Some drunk idiot in row 9 got into it with someone in row 10 and it rapidly devolved into him being restrained by his friend as he tried to get at the other guy.  Fortunately, the usher stationed at the bottom of the section was quick to alert security. As security was making their way into the row to forcefully remove this miscreant, he spat at the other guy.

Seriously.

How utterly disgusting.  Despicable. Subhuman.

This is as low as one gets.  There are few gestures more gross and less disrespectful than that.

I certainly hope the cop who took him away took the kid gloves off in dealing with him.

The Clothes Line

Nothing,and I mean nothing, caught my eye on this night. Not even something along the lines of PJ Axelsson or Byron Dafoe.

As for what I wore?  I kept it simple and went with the 1990 Neely.  The same sweater he wore when went spin-o-rama on Sens goalie Darrin Madeley on October 28, 1993.

The Lobel Prize

The Sens have only one Bruins alum on their roster - All star defenseman Sergei Gonchar.

Back in the day, the Bruins management had a stigma that they would never make a deadline deal to help the team for the playoffs because they didn't want to spend the money.

However, in late 2004, they made a deal with the Washington Capitals to acquire Gonchar for Shaone Morrisonn and a pair of draft picks to bolster the defense and add a bit of offense from the blueline.

Gonchar contributes a 4-5-9 line in 15 regular season games with the B's and chipped in with 1-4-5 totals in the playoffs.  Unfortunately, despite his addition to the roster the Bruins were bounced in the playoffs in the first round, losing to the hated Habs in an epic 7 game series.

The NHL went into the lockout the next season and when the NHL returned, Gonchar signed with the Penguins for way more money than the Bruins were going to offer him.

So, how did he do against the B's in this game?  3 shots and a +1.  Not too much damage, thankfully.

The Home End

After taking one on the chin to the rival Canadiens in the previous game, the Bruins were looking to bounce back against the Sens, a team they had shutout 4-0 earlier in the year.  Unfortunately, the Bruins simply did not show up for this game.  Always a step behind, they looked sluggish and uninterested.  Frustrating, given that they had had the day off leading into the game. This was easily the most boring game of the year to this point.

Postgame Recap: November 11 - Bleu Blank et Lose

Boston. Montreal.

Bruins. Canadiens.

The Black and Gold. Le Bleu Blanc et Rouge.

Two Original Six teams, longtime rivals, matching up for the first tine this season. Montreal comes into the game with a 2 point lead in the division, but the second place Bruins have 3 games in hand.

Normally, I am juiced about these games.  It's comparable to Sox - Yanks, but in a much more intimate setting and with a lot more fans (percentage-wise) supporting the other team.

However, in recent years, the fan experience has been somewhat disappointing. It seems there a lot of fans who care more about mixing it up with Montreal fans that what actually transpires on the ice. Yes, the Habs fans can be a bit boisterous, breaking out into the "ole" chant, waving Candian flags and overly celbratory.  But the Bruins fans answers to that have been decidely assinine.  Turning "Ole" into "You're Gay" is just plain childish and shows a complete lack of creativity.  Throwing beer and food at the Habs fans (or any fans for that matter) is outright wrong.

But the one thing that goes on that really annoys me is when the home fans break out into a "USA" chant.  I've gone off on tirades about this in other forums before, but let me summarize my stance for you:

These are NHL games, not IIHF ones.  The Boston representative versus the Montreal one.  Not USA versus Canada.  Just because Hab fans bring Canadian flags to game doesn't mean that you have to have a jingoistic overraction and turn what should be a great rivalry into something that has no bearing on the situation at hand.

Canadiens are not necessarily Canadians, and vice versa.  Case in point:

Scott Gomez, USA Hockey (born in Anchorage, Alaska)	Scott Gomez, Montreal Canadien
Patrice Bergeron, Team Canada (born in L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec)	Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruin

It's idiotic to turn these games into misguided displays of nationalistic pride.  I love my country, but this is an NHL game.  That's why we have events such as the Olympics or the World Cup.  They are the proper outlets.  I've been to both the World Cup (Germany 2006) and the Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City 2002), decked out in patriotic gear and American flags rooting on the Red, White and Blue. I didn't go to games there wearing a Bruins sweater or a New England Revolution shirt.  It just wasn't the right venue.

All I'm asking is for fans to enjoy the game for what it is, a matchup of fierce rivals, one from Boston and one from Montreal.  That the Habs are based in Canada only means that Rene Rancourt is going to sign O Canada in English and the bartenders at the Fours are going to get stiffed on tips from the visiting fans.

That's all I'm saying.

With this game falling on Veteran's Day, I had a fear that the jingoism would be over the top for this game.  And you know what, to my surprise, it wasn't.  So props to the fans on that one.  Even better was the "8-spoked Salute", where the Bruins honor a military veteran during a stoppage in play.  Last night featured a retired 92-year old Marine who fought in World War II.  The crowd gave him a much deserved and prolonged ovation.  It was pretty cool.

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #14, home game #5
• Boston Bruins (8-3-0-1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (9-5-1-0)
• First of 6 meetings against their longtime rival

John Blue Plate Special

Got to the Fours around 6:10 and the bar was packed.  Made my way around to the left side of the bar near theYvan Cournoyer #12 Montreal shirt.  That was a bad sign. In the past, the staff has been known to cover this over with a black trash bag on game days when the Habs are in town.  Last night, it was out there in plain sight.

Finally landed a seat around 6:25, but I wasn't startving.  So took a cue from Pete and went with the cup of Chilli.  It was fantastic!  Thick and hearty, loaded with meat and beans, capped off with melted cheddar and studded with totilla chip, it hit the spot.

The Couture Corner

As much as I hate the Canadiens, you have to admit that their uniforms have a certain timeless, classic look to them.  Some of the greatest players in the game have donned those colors: the Richards, Cournoyer, Harvey, LaFleur, Robinson, Roy.

Then there's this one:



Michael Ryder?

He had a couple of good seasons before he ended up in the coach's doghouse up there.  Of all of the players to choose from, you waste you money on this?

The call?

No good!

But then there was this guy:



1975-76 Bobby Orr

In 1976, the local teams wore commemorative patches for the Massachusetts Bicentennial.  They all were the same design, but rendered in team specific colors.  I own a 1975 Mitchell & Ness Carlton Fisk away jersey that has this same patch on the shoulders.

I've seen many Bobby Orr replica sweaters.  I own 2 different ones myself.  As I mentioned in my previous blog post, many times these are created with good intentions, but the execution leaves much to be desired.  In the case of this guy, he gets major kudos as he's the first one I've seen with commemorative patches done right.

The word from the off ice official?



Good!

The Row 12 Rundown

For the first time all year, seat 9 was not occupied by Heather.  I think she had wickid saahs or something. Despite valliant efforts to medicate and/or rest up, she could not answer the 7:00 bell and so we went to the bench and called in everyone's favorite Boston.com blogger, Mr. Garrett Quinn.


Doosh of the Day

Far too often, Garden security is lacking.  I've been to many different hockey arenas, and at every single one (other than the Garden), the ushers stop people from either going to or leaving their seat while the puck is in play. 'Wait for the whistle' is the mantra.

However, at the Garden, ushers enforce this haphazardly at best. Ushers are staffed at the bottom of our section only part of the time and rarely, if ever, do we have the same person for more than one game.  When they are there, many times they fail to stop people from moving while the game is going on, despite the large signs stationed at each entrance telling people to wait for a stoppage in play.

Sadly, we, as season ticket holders who show up for game after game, have to take this into our own hands at times.  We try to be as polite as possible, but when people talk back to us or pay no heed to our requests, we might get a bit more demanding.  It certainly doesn't help that I have a short temper, but common courtesy is woefully lacking in today's society and I'll be damned if the actions of a few take away from the enjoyment of the majority of us.  Nothing is worse than missing a goal because someone was standing up in front of you at an inappropriate time (and yes, there are definitely times where standing up is ok).

Now as far as last night was concerned, I got into shouting match with the people in the row in front of me.  I was backed up by others in the section, especially Chris Kasper.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.  Yet, when the girls got up, their male companions defended them with the age old excuse: "it's their first time here".

That's BS. That's no excuse.  Common sense would dictate that you don't do it.

Despite all this, I am not nominating the row 11 crew or the ushers for Doosh of the Day.

Rather, I'm splitting the award between the scumbag who narc'ed on me to the Garden security and the guy who owns those 6 seats in row 11.

When the security guard approached me to issue a warning, I simply told her that if they did their jobs, there would be no reason for them to have to come up to the seats.

As for Mr. Season ticket owner, not once has this guy ever shown up to sit in his seats.  He simply buys them to resell.  And more often than not, the people he sells them to are jerks.

The Clothes Line

From afar, I noticed a couple of regulars that I see at the games - Andy Brickley guy and Vladimir Rusicka guy.  Unfortunately, I was unable to snap pictures of their sweaters.

But I would be remiss not to give you, dear reader, something to work with, so please allow me to introduce you to this guy:



No, not Garrett.  The guy next him.  Andy Moog.

Great goalie, one of my favorites growing up as he led the B's to 2 Stanley Cup finals, losing to the juggernaut Edmonton Oilers both times.

As for what I wore - well, it was an original 6 game aginst our most hated rival.  How could I not wear the 1991-2 75th anniversary Neely?

The Lobel Prize

Fortunately, the Candiens feature only one ex-Bruin.  Unfortunately, it's Hall Gill.

For those who don't know, Gill is a 6'7" defenseman who played 8 seasons for the Bruins, scoring 20 goals and 77 assists along with 588 penalty minutes.  Sadly, for someone with that size, he played not nearly as physical as he should have, far too often relying on his long reach rather than checking.  His complete lack of speed rendered him nothing short of a traffic cone, especially against speedy waterbugs like Brian Gionta and Saku Koivu.

After his stint with the Bruins, he moved on to the Leafs and then the Penguins where he somehow won a Stanley Cup. He signed with Montreal last year and now he's an assistant captain. Sacre Bleu!

Despite the fact that the B's lost, I can take solace knowing that Gill only had 2 shots in 12:40 of ice time and did not factor into the scoring.

The Home End

Just like last week, the Bruins were playing their second game in as many nights, coming off a huge 7-4 comeback victory over the Penguins.  Given the fact that they were going all out on Wednesday night, it came as no surprise that they didn't have the legs to match the Habs' speed.  Combine that with the penalty killers yielding a pair of power play goals and the result is not unexpected.

Next up is a Saturday night tilt against the other Canadian divisional opponent, the Ottawa Senators.

Postgame Recap: November 6 - I Guess That's Why They Call Them the Blues

"Why can't we get players like that?" - Longtime WBZ Sports Anchor Bob Lobel

This old addage never fails to deliver.  It's inevitable - a former Bruin will return with another team and inflict harm on the Black & Gold.  Goals scored by ex-B's always hurt more.  Game winning scores are the ultimate insult.

So, with that in mind, I'm intoducing a new segment to this blog, the Lobel Prize. This is where I give a rundown of the eligible candidates (Bruins alumni) on the other team and what they did to claim a stake (or drive a stake) in the award for the evening.

So, let's take a look back on this past Saturday night.

Just the facts, Jack (Edwards)

• Regular Season game #12, home game #4
• Boston Bruins (7-3-0) vs. St. Louis Blues (7-1-2)
• First meeting against a Central Division opponent

John Blue Plate Special

Got to the Fours around 4:30 and was able to procure spots for me, Heather and Pete at the downstairs bar near the Louis Tiant/Carlton Fisk picture.

Seeing that the last time we had the Larry Bird in a wrap with bacon was a resounding success (2-0 shutout over the Leafs), we went with the "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." route and ordered it again.

However, we did order up a plate of potato skins beforehand.  While they were delicious in and of themselves, I don't think we'll be doing that again anytime soon based on the game result.

As a quick aside, one of the regulars at the Fours who I've had a few drinks with in the past said that his friend John Carter was with him.  I asked him if it was the same John Carter who played for the Bruins in the late 80s.  He flashed a John Carter hockey card and sure enough it was.

Now John Carter was not an extraordinary player by any means, but he was another local boy done good, a Winchester native who donned the spoked B.

What makes him stand out in my mind was that when I was at my third Bruins game at the old Boston Garden with a youth group, I bought a game program, one of those old Goal magazines.  And at this particular game, the PA announcer, Joel Perlmutter, made an announcement that if John Carter signed your program, you won a gift certificate.

I flipped to the proper page and sure enough there it was - John Carter's autograph!  I went with a chaperone down to the customer service office and got a gift certificate.  I think it was $50 to the Scotch and Sirloin on Causeway Street across from the Garden.  But I was like 12 years old and I thought it was so cool that I won something and got a player's autograph to boot.

I relayed this story to John.  I think he honestly appreciated it.

The Couture Corner

St. Louis used to have one of the better sweater sets in the league until Reebok came along with thier horrendous "Edge" system. Now they look like crap, including the cutout areas on the napes of their necks used to showcase the Reebok logo.

So when I ran into this guy on the way out of the building after the game, I had a bit of a smile on my face:



Pavol Demitra. Prolific scorer. Had his best years in a Blues uniform.

The call?

Good!

But then there was this guy:



On the surface, this looks like a 1973-4 Bobby Orr sweater.

But take a closer look.  Name on the back.  Lace-up collar. Sleeve stripes way too wide.

Not saying they are fake, per se, but they don't come close to what they should be.  The Bruins switched to a v-neck collar for 1973, they did not have names on their backs at this point and the gold stripes should be much narrower.

Hey, I love the fact that people flock to buy Bobby Orr sweaters and that stores are carrying them.  But if you're going to do it, do it right or don't do it at all.  I've seen a bunch of these around lately (3 at this game alone).  Most people have no idea that these are supposed to be from a specific season, 1973-4, when the Bruins were celebrating their 50th anniversary, as evidenced by the shoulder patches.

What say the powers that be?



No good!

As for what I wore, well, let's just say that you know a game is special when the fans break out their Bobby Orr sweaters.  And there were plenty to be seen, including mine.

The Row 12 Rundown

Not much to report from the cheap seats for this one.  Being a Saturday night, Bill & Carol were not there. As mentioned earlier, Pete was seat 11 du jour.  John Barry was there, but he was in the second Kasper seat alongside Chris.

Doosh of the Day

Some nights it's just going to be hard to find a Doosh of the Day.  Saturday night was one of them.

But after thinking long and hard, I'm going to nominate the vast majority of Row 11.  Seems that these people (10 plus of them) were out for the night together and they just so happened to go to  bruins game as their means of socializing.  It was readily apparent when they showed up with 10 minutes gone in teh first period and kept getting up and leaving via the wrong way.  And the concept of waiting for the whistle? Whatever.

Numbers are not hard to understand.  Your ticket gives you a section number, a row number and a seat number.  All you have o do is look up on the wall at the really big numbers to find your section.  Then you go up the stairs to your assigned row.  If you can't find you row, hey you might actually resort to, I don't know, counting.  Then you can count the seats to find your particular one.

The tricky part is figuring out which aisle to enter the row from.  If the row has 20 seats and your seat is between 1 and 10, go in from the low number side and vice versa.

Sadly, most people apparently do not have this cognitive skill.

The Clothes Line

For the first time all year, I was stumped.  I looked all around, walked the concourses before, after and during the game and not once did I see any sweaters of distinction. Even against a low profile opponent, I had a greater expectation.

As for what I wore - well, if you owned a replica of what the greatest player in Bruins history wore when he scored the most famous goal ever scored in the history of the NHL and it just so happened to be against the Blues, well wouldn't you wear it?

The Lobel Prize

And here it is, the first installment of this new feature.  So let's meet the nominees:

• Brad Boyes, Forward 2005-06 to 2006-07, 144 games played, 39 goals, 64 assists, 103 points, 55 PIM
• Vladimir Sobotka, F, 2007-08 to 2009-10, 134 GP, 6 G, 16 A, 22 P, 64 PIM

Sobotka, traded to the Blues in the offseason for the rights to Boston University defenseman David Warsofsky, scored the first goal of the game at 16:40 of the first period, had 2 shots on net and was a +1 for the game.

Boyes, traded to the Blues for the immortal Dennis Wideman, fired 3 shots on goal and finished a -1 for the game.  But it was his goal in the 3rd round of the shootout that gave the Blues the victory and extra point in the standings.

So who gets the award?  I'm going with Sobotka.  Boyes is known to have the ability to score, but Sobotka's meal ticket was his overall pluckiness, not his scoring prowess.  But netting the goal, he gave the Blues a lead that would last well into the third period.  It looked like it would stand as the game winner, save for some inspired play by he Bruins 4th line to tie it up late.

The Home End

The Bruins were playing their second game in as many nights, having lost to the Washington Capitals on the road the night before.  After being down 3-0, they managed to pull even with some inspired play in the 3rd period before Newton native John Carlsson gave the Caps the lead for good en route to a 5-3 victory.  Tim Thomas saw his GAA soar above 1.00 (1.05 to be exact) before he was replaced by Tuuka Rask.

With back to back games, it was assumed that Tuuka was going to play one of the two games.  Timmy started Friday night, so it was Tuuka time on Saturday.

On the other end of the ice, Jaroslav Halak was in net for the Blues.  The goalie who I thought Montreal should have kept (over Carey Price) had been stellar so far this year, matching Thomas with 3 shutouts thus far and backing St. Louis to a five game winning streak.

The Bruins were completely out-hustled for most of the game facing a one goal deficit before the grinders evened the score courtesy of a Greg Campbell goal.  Both teams had chances skating 4 on 4 in overtime, but I don't think anyone in the building had much confidence in Tuuka winning the shootout having had a good amount of rust and St. Louis featuring a good number of scorers.  It also didn't help that David Krejci was rendered hors de combat after a T.J. Oshie check sent him into the boards headfirst and gave him a concussion on the way down.