Jun 17, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) shoots and scores a goal while defended by Chicago Blackhawks right wing Ben Smith (28) during the second period in game three of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

In the last two days, we’ve heard a lot of buzz about the improvised third line. That line was forged out of necessity due to injury. (Merlot Man Gregory Campbell) Bruins coach Claude Julien later claimed the line configuration was based on a ‘hunch’. Call it whatever you want Bruins Nation, that hunch turned out to be a moment of genius for the Black and Gold.  The Bruins have put up three of their last four goals (including the game winner in OT for game two) due to the hard-charging attitude of this new line.

Credit has to be given to the Bruins organization. They had the smarts to bring on Claude Julien back in 2007, and they have been rewarded with a post season appearance every year since. The adaptability of Julien’s system allows any forward or defensemen to interchange with little need for re-acclimation. Any player could have pulled to make that third line, but the three in particular make the line seem that much more inspired.

Tyler Seguin was last year’s scoring leader with sixty seven points (twenty nine goals). During the lockout, Tyler was one of the Bruins that went overseas to play in Europe. He ended up in the Swiss A League playing for EHC Biel-Bienne. He proceeded to dominate over there with help from a certain Blackhawks winger, Patrick Kane. Then he came back home, and just couldn’t seem to put it together for the first half of the season. While he did end up tied for third overall in scoring in the regular season (thirty two points, sixteen goals), a lot of people felt was underperforming.

Chris Kelly has had the unenviable task of being the center for the only one of the Bruins lines that just didn’t seem to click in the regular season. The other three Bruins lines had their identities and a pretty solid configuration. This season however, the third line seemed to be the never ending way station for Bruins players coming in from Providence, or moving up and down as performance dictated.  Some configurations worked in the short term, but overall the third line seemed to get hit with the lions’ share of bad nights on the ice.  Kelly one had nine points (three goals) and a -8 at the end of the regular season.

Daniel Paille has suddenly turned into the breakout star for the Boston Bruins. At the beginning of the season, hearing Jack Edwards scream “and here’s a breakaway by Daniel Paille!” would have made some of us look at the TV sort of funny. He was the left wing of the Merlot Men, and did a good job as a fourth liner. His speed was an excellent asset to the tougher Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton, and over the last few years, they were acknowledged by other clubs as being the best fourth line in the NHL. As the injuries started to accumulate in the season, Daniel Paille found himself moving up the lines as needed, where he met or exceeded the coach’s expectations.

I call them the ‘Full Meal’ line. Seguin brings the firepower to this line. He leads the team with sixty seven shots in the post season. He’s not just firing on the net blindly. His shots are usually good chances, it’s just a pity he has only gotten one goal in so far going into game four of the finals. (Since Seguin is popular with the ladies, I’ve dubbed him the ‘meat’ element.) Kelly is an excellent center who (in my opinion) needed to great wingers to make the magic happen for him. He’s steady, has an excellent work ethic and has just been that beast on the penalty kill in the post-season. (He’s the ‘potato’ element.) Paille brings speed to match Seguin, and a great ability to break up counter attacks in the neutral zone. He’s suddenly become the poster boy of the Bruins and it’s totally deserved.

I don’t even want to get started on how much I think Daniel Paille got robbed of this year’s 7th Player Award. No offense meant Dougie Hamilton. You’re a great player, but you didn’t have the season Paizy did.

No guesses on whether or not the third line will remain intact going into the ’13-’14 season.  I hope the Bruins take a serious look at this line, and make a point of trying to keep it together. Maybe Thornton and Campbell can teach Jordan Caron or Kaspers Daugavins how to throw down in the off season.

Jun 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille (20) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the overtime period in game two of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final at the United Center. The Bruins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

If last night was just a one period game, the Chicago Blackhawks would have devastated us. They were everywhere that first period. The Blackhawks put on a shooting exhibition as they  outshot the Bruins, 19-4. They had 30 shot attempts to the Bruins’ five (one of the Bruins’ shots was from the neutral zone.) Thankfully, we had Tuukka Rask guarding the house for us. “It looked like they had more guys out there than we did,” Rask said after the game. “They were pouncing on every single puck in front of net, had a lot of chances. We definitely played pretty bad. But, you know, it was good that we were only down by one and regrouped after that.”

“We had the perfect start to the game, then we stopped doing what made us successful,” said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. “We stood around. They countered.”

After what looked like one of the Bruins’ worst periods in this year’s post season Coach Claude Julien mixed up his third and fourth lines, putting together Daniel Paille, Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly.  Coach Julien claimed later that it was a “hunch from a coach.” The improvised ‘full meal line’ (Seguin’s the meat, Kelly’s the potato, and Paille brings the Merlot.) went out there and began to click on all cylinders. (Another testament to the player’s comfort playing at any line, and the flexibility of the Bruins’ system.)

The meal tied it up in the second. Paille threw in a shot on Chicago’s crease policeman Corey Crawford, and the rebound bounced over to Kelly, who put it in the net. ”Just because he doesn’t see himself as a goal-scorer doesn’t mean he has to continue to have a goose egg on his stats,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. ”Sometimes that stuff, whether you like it or not, will weigh on you. When you get a night like that, it certainly takes a lot of weight off your shoulders and creates some positive thinking and some positive energy moving forward.” That energy continued for the Bruins through the rest of the game.

As the teams were yet again at an impasse at the end of regulation, the game had to be decided in overtime. The ‘meal line’ came through for Boston and their fans. Three quarters of the way into overtime, Seguin sent the shot across the ice to Daniel Paille, who sent in the wrister that went just under Crawford’s glove to give the Bruins the 2-1 win.

The series is tied one all, with game three coming back home to Boston on Monday. I wonder if Coach will keep this new line as the new ‘third’ line for the rest of the series?

Mar 21, 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin (35) stretches during a break in play in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

What can I say? I bleed black and gold, but you got to give it to the Senators. That team once again forced the Bruins to dig down really deep to come up with a literal last minute goal to get them over the hump. In a measure of pure talent, the Bruins have it all over the Senators. The Senators have us dead to rights in the heart department though. They were making life interesting the entire game for Boston. Robin Lehner did an excellent job stopping the B’s best shots on net.

The only things that caused a dip in my respect for the Senators were these: First, the entire Ottawa line starts pounding on a hurt player. Kaspers Daugavins got a two minute penalty for roughing, but (in my opinion) there should have been an unsportsmanlike conduct tossed in there somewhere. Second, did anyone see Lehner’s tantrum after the Seidenberg goal? It doesn’t speak well for your team’s character when your goalie implodes after a goal.

In the end, the Bruins pulled it out with a 2-1 win, earning their twentieth victory of the year. They remain two points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the hunt for the top of the Northeast Division. Their next game will be tomorrow night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

March 21, 2013

Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators (Bruins @ Scotiabank Place)

Final Score: Boston Bruins 2 – Ottawa Senators 1

Three Stars of the Game:

Third: Robin Lehner (OTT) , Second: Anton Khudobin , First: Patrice Bergeron

Causeway Crowd’s Three Stars of the Game:

Third Star: (TIE)The Merlot Men. It’s a first for us at Causeway Crowd. A three way tie for a star. Everyone chimed in on how it wasn’t just a Paille goal that got the Bruins on the board, but a consistant and aggressive effort by the fourth line. (At this point, we might as well make Merlot the new jersey for the third line.) Paille had a goal(his sixth of the year), a +1 , seventeen shifts and fourteen minutes of ice time. Shawn Thornton put in thirteen and a half minutes on the ice, and added two more penalty minutes for his disagreement with Ottawa’s Guillame Latendresse. Gregory Campbell had an assist on the Paille goal, put another +1 in his column, and skated fifteen and a half minutes. The Merlot Men dragged this team back into the game at the end of the second period, and it was that momentum that got the Bruins those two points last night.

Second Star: Dennis Seidenberg. Seidenberg, known by a lot of the faithful as the German Hammer, put in his first goal of the season last night. #44 is not known for high scoring, but for being one of those defenseman you would rather avoid at all costs. (From Matt)”What a time for Seidenberg to score his first goal of the season.  After a sloppy game by the Bruins, his shot with just over a minute left in the third period gave the Bruins the lead and they were able to salvage the two points.”

First Star: Anton Khudobin. Dobby does it again for us, netting his sixth win and further cementing his position in the Bruins organization. He’s 6-2-0, with a .925 save percentage(a hair’s breath away from Rask’s .928). He’s rocking a respectable 2.14 goals against average, and shut the door on the Ottawa after the Daugavins goal. (From Matt)”Khudobin definitely made a case as why he should get more starts for the Bruins.  He made two timely saves at the end of the first and second period to prevent the Bruins from going into both intermissions giving up a late goal.  He was great all night stopping 27 of 28 shots and once again proved to be a solid goaltender in the NHL. ”