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Expect Hamilton as a scratch if veteran Bruins return to the lineup.

Andrew Thompson — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:17:04 +0000

May 16, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) celebrates with teammates Zdeno Chara (33) and Dougie Hamilton (27) after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the New York Rangers in game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michal Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

Bruins coach Claude Julien told the media yesterday that there is a possibility the Bruins might be able to start some of the defensemen who were injured. At the moment, the Black and Gold have been without Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference and Wade Redden. All three of them missed game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals due to unspecified injuries. “It’s a little early to say,” Julien said of his injured defensemen. “It is two days [of rest] and two days in the playoffs makes a big difference as far as getting guys back. So, there’s a possibility, that much I can say. Whether it will or not, too early to say right now.”

It’s kind of disappointing for me to be honest. All three of our “rookie” defensemen (Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, and Matt Bartkowski) have done right by the team and the Nation in game one. I know our best chance for victory will be with some of the veterans back in the line up, but those three young players put it all on the line for game one. It was Hamilton’s feed to Krug that got the game tied in the third period.

In regards to Hamilton, he knows that with the return of some of the veteran blueliners, it will likely mean a trip back up to the press box. “It’s been more busy than trying because being a scratch every once and a while shouldn’t be trying for him,” Julien said. “He knew that coming in that that would happen. He was more than open to those kinds of suggestions, knowing that it was going to make him a better player down the road. If anything, it’s been a busy season for him.”

That is true. He did play in the U20 World Juniors and play in the OHL while the rest of the Bruins were in lockout mode. Even though that Hamilton will see more scratches (and Krug will be sent back to Providence), that in now way diminishes the respect the coach has for Dougie.

“If anything, he’s played extremely well for us this year,” Julien said. “We’ve got to remember that he’s 19 years old. What he’s done for us this year is brought a good sized defenseman to our team that moves the puck extremely well and sees the ice well. He’s made some unbelievable plays on some goals; we saw that early when he came in and we seemed in awe of that. Playoffs is another step and he’s taken that step extremely well, to me. Last night, again, making good decisions, he played with Zee sometimes against their top line. To be able to be put out there against the other team’s top line shows that we do have confidence in him.”

Causeway Crowd’s Three Stars of the Series (Bruins-Maple Leafs)

Andrew Thompson — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:42:23 +0000

May 13, 2013; Boston, MA USA; The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins shake hands after the Bruins defeated the Leafs in overtime in game seven of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The series between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs was an absolute nail-biter. We all sat back and had those moments where we would cheer like maniacs with a goal, and cringe with a goal scored against us. Game five made us worry. Game six made us scared. Game seven was a psychologist’s dream come true. We went through the ringer emotionally with that game. In the end, last minute goals by Horton, Lucic, and some guy name Bergeron getting us the tie, and then overtime win got us past the Leafs and won the series.

I asked the staff here at Causeway Crowd to come up with who they thought the three stars of the series were. There was discussion, some disagreement, and at one point a casual conversation that may have required pistols at dawn to mediate properly. So after much discussion and commentary, we the staff at Causeway Crowd would like to offer you the Three Stars of the Series between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Honorable Mention: Patrice Bergeron. The only reason he didn’t end up in the three stars was the series. Sure, he won the series for us. However, he only had a single goal in the first six games, and the second line had not produced much for the team. Bergeron is still our best two-way player on the team, and he has once again be nominated for the Selke. I’m sure this won’t hurt his feelings too badly. He will probably not have to pay for a meal in Boston for the remainder of the post season and well beyond. (Aidan)”Mr. Clutch with the game tying and eventual game winning goal. He’s the kind of guy that never gives up and was just an all around force in those final minutes.”

Third Star: Tuukka Rask – (From Matt)-”Tuukka started in all seven games of this series and was fantastic throughout. He recorded a 2.39 GAA and had a save percentage of .923. Prior to this season, he hasn’t had a whole lot of playoff experience and fans were wondering if he could bring the same level of play that he did in the regular season. I believe he did. His biggest save of the series was in the third period of Game 7. The Bruins were down three goals at the time and he stopped a breakaway right before the comeback started. The Bruins will need another outstanding performance against the Rangers if they want a chance at advancing.” (From Aidan)- “Even though he gave up 4 really bad goals through out the game, the defense should have been helping him out. He was a major factor in the series and played unbelievable through out it. His accomplishments can not go unnoticed because of the 4 goals he let in. He was dominating in net the whole series, and especially in the closing moments of the third.” Tuukka Rask saved our bacon on several occasions. He was a bulwark that prevented leads from getting out of hand, and he always made a serious effort to work as hard as possible to keep the Bruins in the game.

Second Star: Milan Lucic – (Matt)”In my opinion, the old Lucic everyone knows and loves is back. He was a totally different player this series. He was a game changer. He scored goals, created opportunities and threw his body around. Lucic had two goals and seven assists in the series. His second goal started the comeback in Game 7 and he was a big presence throughout the game. It was good to see Milan back to his old ways.” Indeed, welcome back Milan Lucic. He performed below expectations in the regular season, and came back with a vengeance in the post season. His nine points in the series put him in the top five of all players in the league. (Aidan)” If it wasn’t for Lucic crashing the net and taking the team on his back in the final 10 minutes none of this ever would have happened. Despite all the criticism he’s gotten over the last few months, he showed he can handle himself under pressure especially in Game 7′s.”

First Star: David Krejci – (Matt)Krejci was unbelievable against Toronto. He had the most points out of any player in the first round of the playoffs with 13 (five goals and eight assists). His hat-trick in Game 4 helped Boston take a 3-1 series lead and as always was creating scoring chances for him and his teammates. He recorded a point in every game this series except Game 6.

Matt sums up everything I have to say here. The Krejci line was there in its entirety. Lucic being a fully offensive force, and Horton stealing the pucks and making great plays. David Krejci has always been undervalued by other teams in the league and it cost Toronto huge this time. It’s not that he’s invisible, he’s just not as physical presence compared to the other two. Krejci’s hard work and dedication have been fantastic, and he was a key part of our success in that series.

Agree? Disagree? Think we require medication? Tell us how you feel. We can be found here at www.causewaycrowd.com , or you can find us on Twitter at @Causeway_Crowd , or look us up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CausewayCrowd.

Marchand brings in the OT winner for Boston. Bruins lead Rangers 1-0.

Andrew Thompson — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:43:32 +0000

May 16, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center Brad Marchand (63) celebrates after scoring the winning goal in overtime on New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) in game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

There were concerns about the Bruins going into tonight’s game. Would the momentum from that incredible game seven win translate over into the second series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? With three veteran defensemen down, could the new blood with a whole five games experience between them be able to handle such a hard hitting team like the Rangers? Would Brad Marchand shake off the zero goals in the Toronto series and make good for Boston? The answers we found out were yes, yes, and darn skippy yes.

The Bruins seem to like their dramatic flourishes to their games these days. Zdeno Chara was on the ice for 38:02 tonight. He scored the opening goal for Boston 12:23 into the second, getting assists from David Krejci and Nathan Horton. Big Z was everywhere we needed him to be, and made very few mistakes on the ice.

The Rangers weren’t going to be counted out though. A literal last second score by Ryan McDonaugh tied it up at the end of the second. Fourteen seconds into the third Derek Stepan gave the Rangers the first lead of the night at 2-1.

That’s where our rookie defenseman rose to the challenge and came back swinging. Being on the power play for a Steve Eminger holding call, the Bruins surged up the ice. Brad Marchand approached down the right side. He couldn’t get a clean shot in, so he sent the puck back to the center of the offensive zone to Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton, being in the same boat as Marchand sent the puck up to Torey Krug. Krug stabilized the puck, and sent it in to traffic. The screen was effective enough to blind Henrik Lundqvist and it went through the crease to tie things up at two all. Great shot Torey, and congratulations on your first NHL goal.

The game remained a goalie duel as Tuukka Rask and Henrik Lundqvist did all they could in the last minutes of the third period to stave off a regulation loss. The game almost went Boston’s way as Johnny Boychuk who had gotten drilled into the boards early in the game by Taylor Pyatt, fired a monster shot that just dinged off the post with one second left in regulation. After a very tough sixty minutes, this game headed into overtime.

Overtime was all Boston. In the words of Rangers head coach John Tortorella: ”I thought it was pretty even going into the overtime, but we got spanked going into overtime.” The Bruins were firing on all cylinders, and firing with all available sticks. The Bruins maintained constant pressure on the Rangers with very few defensive breakdowns or poor turnovers. The end came three quarters through overtime when Patrice Bergeron (at this point we have to assume any awesome play will have him in it.) sailed down the right side towards the net with the puck. Brad Marchand began a short pass in front of net mimicking Bergy’s maneuver. Bergeron sent the pass to Marchand, and JACKPOT!

(As a fan who got to watch a majority of their games, my co-workers and friends got subjected to an odd high-pitch voice I make when the Bergeron line plays.. It usually comes down to squeaks of ‘Marchy’ ‘Bergy’ ‘Segy’ and an odd roar when they score. It annoys the ones I love, but it felt great to squeak out the winning call again.)

The Bruins lead the series 1-0, and play again on Sunday at 3pm. It will be airing on the NBC networks. (Seriously, how many of you would rather hear Jack Edwards comment on the game than Pierre McGuire though? Had he said ‘Todd March-and’ one more time I would have gone to Boston to throttle him.)