Well hockey fans, the first phase of OPERATION: RESCUE THE CUP begins. The Boston Bruins have just released their 2012-2013 pre-season schduele. The pre-season looks like its going to be rather interesting. A mix of old and new rivalries to test the 2011 Stanley Cup Champions. Let’s take a quick look at the opponents and how the pre-season will shape up for the Bruins.
The first team the Bruins will be facing is the Washington Capitals. The Bruins will be playing them twice in the preseason. The B’s will be on the road on September 25th, and they’ll be home on October 3rd. Last year, the Bruins went 1-2-1 against the Capitals. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what happened the last time the Bruins and the Capitals squared off against each other. It will be an important test for goalie Tuukka Rask as this will be his chance to again show off his skills as the Bruins’ #1 goalie.
The second team on the B’s preseason run will be against the Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins will play them two nights in a row; September 29th(in Saskatoon), and September 30th(in Winnipeg). The Bruins split their four games with the Jets. Coach Claude Julien will no doubt be testing his line organizations and seeing if players like Dougie Hamilton are ready to give it a go at the NHL level of play.
Next on the list is Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins play them in New York on Sept. 26, and come home to battle it out on October 5th. Of all the pre-season action, I can say I am looking forward to those two games. The Bruins went 4-1-1 against the Sabres, with three of the games being decided by shoot-out. (Bruins won 2 out of 3). I have a lot of great memories from the Boston-Buffalo games last season, and I can honestly say that the Sabres fans are probably the nicest bunch of people you can disagree on hockey with.
Finally, the Boston Bruins travel back to Canada to have a contest with another member of the original six. The Bruins will be facing the Montreal Canadiens on October 6th. The Bruins had also done well against the Canadiens last year, winning four out of six games. If all goes well, the team will gotten some needed expierence and made the proper line connections to propel the Boston Bruins to a successful season.
Well, Bruins Nation, break out the face paint, dry clean those jerseys and bring your best cheer. Let’s remind the other fans in the National Hockey League that Boston is the town of champions. Operation RESCUE THE CUP begins!