Mar 27, 2013; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Tyler Seguin (19) is congratulated by center Brad Marchand (63) and center Patrice Bergeron (37) after a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
It took me a whole day to look at this one and as be as deliberate as possible. (Believe me, the first three copies had a few colorful adjectives that would have certain Habs players attempting things that are anatomically impossible.) One version of this had the linesmen getting the Third Star of the Game. Yes, Tuukka gave up some soft goals. We had some defensive breakdowns early in the game that ended up costing us. In the end, the referees missed several blatant calls. I was there, and was at ground zero for the Johnson ‘delay of game’ penalty.
This just isn’t about a case of taking a loss and bouncing back. For me, it’s a situation where the game was given away not just by the Bruins but the referees. If any of you watched the game, there were blatant hits by Montreal that were ignored by the linesmen. The ‘delay of game’ penalty was borderline criminal. In the end, we got to watch Tuukka flip out and fall down at the end of the game. It was the stamp on the game.
The bright side of this whole mess, is that we got to see why the Bruins have the best second line in the NHL. The Bergeron line put up another nine points and demonstrated why they are young, dangerous, and worthy of the respect of the entire league.
March 27, 2013
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens (Boston @ TD Garden)
Final Score: Montreal Canadiens 6 – Boston Bruins 5 (SO)
Three Stars of the Game:
Third: Tyler Seguin , Second: Patrice Bergeron, First: Michael Ryder
Causeway Crowd’s Three Stars of the Game:
Third Star: Brad Marchand. The Little Ball of Hate once again did his job against the Montreal Canadiens. He put up the second goal, and got an assist on the fifth. He racked up an additional +3, and did his job keeping the Habs honest. My ‘Bruins brother’ suggested of all the players he’d like to see get mic’d up for the game, he’d love to hear what Marchy’s saying to the other team. (They’ll probably need to put the seven second delay on him though.) Marchand’s still in the top twenty in the NHL for shot percentage (23.3%), and he’s still leads the team in goals (14).
Second Star: Tyler Seguin. The second line’s other winger did even better against the Habs. He garnered assists on the first two Bruins goals, and scored on the fifth one. He also put in a +3, and its great to see Seguin play physical hockey. He’s working hard to battle and it’s great to see him be a bigger physical presence.
First Star: Patrice Bergeron. Is there anything in the game that Patrice Bergeron can’t do? Bergy racked up a four point game. Bergeron’s goal was one of our rare power play goals, and it was the third of the second period and the game. He had three assists, and put another +3 up on the board for the Bruins. He leads the team in overall scoring with thirty one points, and is everywhere on the ice. He’s essentially the captain of special teams work, and I have to wonder if the “C” might not look to bad on him.