As an attendee of last night's game, let me just say it was a beautiful one to watch. The Bruins came out on top 3-1 in regulation which improved their record to 18-7-2 and keeps them at the top of the conference by a point.
The Bruins played a solid game for most of the 60 minutes. We absolutely dominated puck possession and shots, ending with a whopping 36 shots on goal. We got some crazy looks and obviously found ways to capitalize on them. We played the good old physical Bruins hockey and that helped us win puck battles in the corners and keep the puck in the offensive zone. Overall, there isn't much to be said on what the Bruins did wrong.
The Bruins played a solid game for most of the 60 minutes. We absolutely dominated puck possession and shots, ending with a whopping 36 shots on goal. We got some crazy looks and obviously found ways to capitalize on them. We played the good old physical Bruins hockey and that helped us win puck battles in the corners and keep the puck in the offensive zone. Overall, there isn't much to be said on what the Bruins did wrong.
One of the only faults I saw was in the third when our defense started to slip up a bit. Chara had been struggling all game with keeping his eyes on the puck and being where he needed to be. Krug and Hamilton were having some problems keeping the puck on their sticks and keeping it in the zone. We ended up giving up a goal due to these minor slip ups, which took the shut out from Johnson, but overall it wasn't a huge problem.
Although in the end it didn't matter much, I also wasn't a fan of how many missed opportunities I saw throughout the game. We saw a lot of centering passes fly through the crease because no one was there to push them through. Rebounds were also a problem because again, no one was there to push them through. There were also a lot of shot sequences that could and should have resulted in goals but didn't partly because of McElhinney but mostly because we weren't lifting the puck and we kept firing into his chest or his pads.
There isn't much to say about Johnson. Even he acknowledges the fact that he had a relatively easy game. Only facing 14 shots, Johnson had time to sit back, relax and watch his team fight its way to victory. He came out of that game with a record of 4-1-0, a SV% of .918 and a GAA of 1.97. These kinds of stats are definitely what we want to see in our back up goalie, but he hasn't really faced any truly challenging games yet. So that will be the true test of his skill.
Although in the end it didn't matter much, I also wasn't a fan of how many missed opportunities I saw throughout the game. We saw a lot of centering passes fly through the crease because no one was there to push them through. Rebounds were also a problem because again, no one was there to push them through. There were also a lot of shot sequences that could and should have resulted in goals but didn't partly because of McElhinney but mostly because we weren't lifting the puck and we kept firing into his chest or his pads.
There isn't much to say about Johnson. Even he acknowledges the fact that he had a relatively easy game. Only facing 14 shots, Johnson had time to sit back, relax and watch his team fight its way to victory. He came out of that game with a record of 4-1-0, a SV% of .918 and a GAA of 1.97. These kinds of stats are definitely what we want to see in our back up goalie, but he hasn't really faced any truly challenging games yet. So that will be the true test of his skill.
Overall though, the game was very well executed, by the Bruins anyways. The Blue Jackets basically shot themselves in the foot the whole game by taking a ridiculous nine penalties. Luckily for them, the Bruins only capitalized on one of them but it's still absurd how much they just couldn't hold themselves together. Constantly having four players on the ice is not conducive to goal scoring. It didn't help that their offense and defense were totally lost all game. They couldn't clear the zone, they had a pathetic 14 shots on goal and were just really sloppy all game.
But let's talk about Milan Lucic. He was an absolute force last night and he knew it. Let's relive it, shall we?
1. Power Play Goal in the First: Lucic set himself up perfectly for this goal. After a bomb from the blue line by Torey Krug, Lucic was right there to knock it into the net for his 10th goal of the season.
2. Slapshot in the Third: After barreling his way through the neutral zone, Lucic takes a shot from center ice that lasers through McElhinney's stick side for his 11th goal of the season and what turned out to be the GWG.
3. Fight with Dalton Prout: Lucic got angry and got angry real fast. He turned into the Hulk during that fight. Granted, no one fell to the ice in clear victory, but it's obvious Lucic had that one by a mile. He landed a good number of punches while Prout tried but could barely stand himself straight up. Prout also looked kind of dazed skating to the penalty box. Lucic is a beast, plain and simple.
All of this puts Lucic at number two on the team with 20 points and a +10 rating. Outside of his 11 goals he's got 9 assists. There is no denying it now: Looch is back and back with a venegance.
1. Power Play Goal in the First: Lucic set himself up perfectly for this goal. After a bomb from the blue line by Torey Krug, Lucic was right there to knock it into the net for his 10th goal of the season.
2. Slapshot in the Third: After barreling his way through the neutral zone, Lucic takes a shot from center ice that lasers through McElhinney's stick side for his 11th goal of the season and what turned out to be the GWG.
3. Fight with Dalton Prout: Lucic got angry and got angry real fast. He turned into the Hulk during that fight. Granted, no one fell to the ice in clear victory, but it's obvious Lucic had that one by a mile. He landed a good number of punches while Prout tried but could barely stand himself straight up. Prout also looked kind of dazed skating to the penalty box. Lucic is a beast, plain and simple.
All of this puts Lucic at number two on the team with 20 points and a +10 rating. Outside of his 11 goals he's got 9 assists. There is no denying it now: Looch is back and back with a venegance.
We can''t forget our other goal scorer though. After a shot on goal from Eriksson, Patrice Bergeron reclaimed the puck, and passes to Marchy (who of course is totally lost). Bergeron swings in, takes the puck from him and takes the wrist shot from just outside the circle and buries it. This was Bergeron's 8th goal this season and it was a beaut.
The Bruins win streak has now been extended to two and they are now on a 4 day break before taking on the Habs on December 5th. This could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how the Bruins use their time and if they can keep the momentum we've had over the last few games going for the Habs game. Only time will tell.
So until next time,
Keep calm and Bergeron!
The Bruins win streak has now been extended to two and they are now on a 4 day break before taking on the Habs on December 5th. This could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how the Bruins use their time and if they can keep the momentum we've had over the last few games going for the Habs game. Only time will tell.
So until next time,
Keep calm and Bergeron!