Causeway Crowd’s Three Stars of the Game.

Jan 19, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Rangers right wing

(24) and Boston Bruins defenseman

(21) fight for a rebound in front of Boston Bruins goaltender

(40) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

Hi guys, we here at Causeway Crowd believe we have just as much right as the rest of you to put up who we believe were the three stars of every game. Sometimes they will be lock and step in line with the official verdicts, and sometimes they won’t even be close. Let’s take a look at the Bruins first game of the season and see if we match up with the officials.

January 19th, 2013 – New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins: (Boston @ Home)

Final Score: Boston Bruins 3, New York Rangers 1

Three Stars of the Game: 3rd: Patrice Bergeron 2nd: Tuukka Rask 1st: Zdeno Chara.

Causeway Crowd All Stars:

 3rd: Zdeno Chara. No offense guys, but I don’t think Big Z deserved first star on opening night. Yes, the big guy let the Rangers know that no one was safe on the ice. He was aggressive and made good defensive plays for the Bruins.  Granted, everyone and their brother was getting called for interference last night, but his two-minuted hooking call set the Rangers up for a 5-on-3 power play. If it wasn’t for some outstanding defensive work by Rask and the Bruins on the ice, the game could have easily gone south for the B’s. We were further helped out by Rick Nash‘s hooking penalty ninety seconds later.

2nd: Johnny Boychuk. Again, no offense meant to the Bruins faithful. Bergeron took a puck on the chin early in the game and was back out on the ice in three minutes. Boychuk took a tumble and went from limping to playing in the same amount of time. Boychuck was hitting and winning battles on both sides of the line.  Boychuk was also able to get one of those signature ‘Johnny Rocket’ goals to put the game out of reach for the Rangers. He put up three shots, and got one goal. He put up thirty shifts, spent twenty plus minutes on the ice, and walked away with a +2 for the night.

1st: Tuukka Rask. Yes, Bruins Nation it is officially Tuukka Time, make sure your watches are set to Boston and Helsinki time! Tuukka went 20 for 21 last night (.952 save % is an outstanding way to start the season.) He made some excellent saves, and shook off the rust that plagued him in the scrimmage against Providence. His defensive work on the 5-on-3 kept the Rangers away and guarenteed the Bruins their first win of the season, and their first home opening win since they beat the Colorado Avalanche in the opening game of the 2008-2009 season.

We at Causeway Crowd want to hear your opinion. Agree with us. disagree with us, use inventive metaphors to describe our opinions, whatever works for you. I personally can be reached on Twitter at @Godwentwhoops and I am always willing to hear what an idiot I am.