The What If's Of Round One

For teams like the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils, it's another year of disappointing first round exits. For the Sharks and Flyers, it was a step back in their movement towards a Stanley Cup when considering their playoff success last year. Then you have teams such as the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues it was a step in the right direction, as their years of development and trips in last place are seeming to pay off as they found themselves in the playoffs. However, for the losers, they can't help but ask "What if...?"

Eastern Conference

David Putty may be on the New Jersey Devils side, but for the second year in a row, Marty and company were sent packing in the 1st round. What if right winger Jamie Langenbrunner didn't miss 3 crucial games of the series with a lower body injury? The Captain posted 3 points in 4 games, despite the Devils only winning 1 of the 4 games he played in. What if the Devils powerplay played up to their potential and did better than the pathetic 3-25 they ended with?

The Philadelphia Flyers may believe they have the "toughest fans in hockey" (they even make t-shirt's that say it) but it couldn't stop them from losing their series to the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice in 6 games. The biggest what if for the Flyers has to be what if leading goal scorer Jeff Carter actually showed up? Carter had just 1 goal with a -1 in the 6 game series, compare that to his 46 goals in the regular season. What if Captain Mike Richards wasn't playing through 2 injured shoulders? Despite his injury, the 24 year old Richards put up 5 points, making us wonder what he could have done if he were at 100%.

John Tortorella was the driving force behind the re-emergence of the New York Rangers, but one bottle throwing incident later the Rangers were sent home on a disgusting Sergei Federov wrist-shot. As Ranger fans pack up their rally towels into their closet along with their Mark Messier jersey, they have a few questions they should ponder. What if Henrik Lundqivst played less than 70 games during the regular season, would he have been better? That argument could be easily shut down as he's played over 70 games in 3 straight Regardless of Henrik, what if John Tortorella didn't throw the bottle at the crowd that was heckling him? The Rangers coach was suspended for Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, a game they could have arguably won had they had their head coach behind the bench. The fact that Sean Avery showed everyone else on the Rangers roster up with his high level of intensity in his play after being benched is a knock to the entire Rangers rosters heart.

What a 100th year celebration for the Montreal Canadiens, in case you didn't know, it was their 100th season. It was rarely talked about (note the sarcasm.). In fact, it was actually their 99th season for those who are curious, but that's a discussion for another day. What if the Montreal Canadiens had a healthy Andrei Markov? In my opinion, that still wouldn't have mattered. The Bruins went 4-0-1 against Montreal with Markov in the line-up. The biggest what if in my opinion was, what if Carey Price was as good as everyone billed him as? The simple answer is, he's just not that good. He's looking a lot more like the next Andrew Raycroft rather than the next Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy with his head-case like attitude and inconsistency.

Western Conference

Yet another year where the San Jose Sharks come into the NHL Playoffs as favorites in the West, and yet another year of disappointment. The team added Anaheim Ducks forward Travis Moen, who went pointless in the 6 game series with a -4 as he got ousted by his former team. What if Joe Thornton decided to show up for more than just Game 5? Excluding Game 5, Jumbo Joe had 0 goals and just 2 assists in the other 5 games, continuing to gain his reputation of being a playoff choke artist. Also, what if the Anaheim Ducks had gone with J.S Giguere as their goaltender? Jonas Hiller absolutely stole the series, the 27 year old Swiss goaltender went 4-1-1 with a 1.65 GAA and 2 shut-outs in the 1st round.

How is Mike Keenan still the coach of the Calgary Flames? The team sputtered in Game 6 against Nikolai Khabibulin and the Chicago Blackhawks and found themselves out in the 1st round for the 4th year in a row. Rumor has it that Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has a bit of a "problem", whether that's drugs or alcohol isn't really talked about, but at the same time, you can't blame his struggles on a drug rumor. However, what if Kipper didn't play in 76 of the Flames games this season? I don't care if you're Patrick freakin' Roy, that's an absurd amount of games to play and still be effective in the playoffs. It was clear that Miikka was spent, his play spoke for itself as he finished the series with a 3.52 GAA. Also, what if the Flames didn't trade for Olli Jokinen? Jokinen played well in the series, but it's a very possible theory that the Flames lost more depth than they gained when they traded for Olli.

Despite losing half of their salary cap to injuries, the St. Louis Blues salvaged their way into the 6th seed in the Western Conference led by head-coach Andy Murray. The biggest what if of course is, what if the St. Louis Blues were a healthy team? They were without top defensemen Erik Johnson before the season even began and lost LW Paul Kariya in the 1st month of the regular season. Another question Blues fan could ask was, what if the Blues stayed in the 8th seed and faced San Jose? Roberto Luongo proved to be impossible to beat for the Canucks, but if the Blues had drawn San Jose in the 1st round, one could make the argument that the Blues could have pushed the Sharks to 6 or 7 games, and win.

Perhaps there was no team happier to be in the playoffs than the Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite their spectacular season anchored by rookie goaltender Steve Mason, the Jackets fell in 4 games to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Nobody really expected them to take the series, but their lack of a hard-fought 6-7 game series was somewhat of a letdown. However, what if Rick Nash scored more than 1 goal in the 4 game sweep? Nash's only goal came in Game 4's 6-5 loss, certainly a disappointing series for the Columbus Captain. Despite their loss, all is not lost for the Blue Jackets. Steve Mason is a Vezina finalist at just 20 years old and the future is definitely bright for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Brashear Suspended For Six Games

The cliche goes, you can't teach an old dogs new tricks. Although over-used and beaten to death, the expression still rings true. In sports, this is especially the case and undoubtedly applies to every player's tendencies, reputation and skills. This can especially be said about Washington Capitals forward and enforcer Donald Brashear.

Yesterday, Brashear was at it again. During the pre-game skate before Game 6 between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, Brashear attempted to make his presence be known to the Rangers roster. While Brash's teammates skated around, the Caps tough-guy attempted to get into the head of Rangers enforcer Colton Orr. Brashear and Orr, who were involved in matching roughings during a scrum in Game 3 appeared to be mouthing off to one another back and forth when Brashear gave an apparent push to Colton Orr.

However, that wasn't the end of Brashear's normal goon-like-actions. Midway through the first period, Ryan Callahan delivered a check to the back of Brashear. Brashear, turned around looking for retaliation on Callahan, but as Callahan skated over the boards and onto the Rangers bench, Brash had to find a new target. Insert Blair Betts. As Blair Betts turned to dump the puck into the Capitals zone, Brashear leveled him with a devastating shoulder to head hit. As Betts crumbled to the ice, the Madison Square Garden crowd erupted in a disgusted uproar.

Betts, as you can see from the video, was clearly not expecting the hit from Brashear as he dropped to the ice holding his head. The 29 year old Betts, was unable to get to his feet under his own power and was helped to the dressing room. During the hit, Betts sustained a broken orbital bone in his face. The orbital bone as Bruins fans know, is a sensitive part of the face and does not heal easily, as Michael Ryder missed two weeks of the regular season due to the injury. The loss of Betts hits at a bad time for the Rangers, as Betts is considered the Rangers best penalty-killer and heading into Game 7, the Rangers have allowed just 6 powerplay goals on 31 powerplay opportunities for the Caps.

My thoughts on the Brashear hit was that it was exactly what the NHL doesn't need. Brashear, a player who's been suspended a total of 6 games since the NHL lock-out isn't exactly a player NHL VP Colin Campbell doesn't know very well. He's accumulated over 2,500 minutes of penalties in his NHL career, and he's the chief punk (like that 'Slap Shot' reference?) of the Southeast Division. I believe the suspension of 6 games is very justifiable as Brashear, could have ended the career of Blair Betts had he hit him closer to the temple. As much as I have given harsh criticism to NHL VP Colin Campbell, for a guy who's preaching about cutting down on dangerous and malicious hits I believe his punishment of Brashear fits the bill. As Betts isn't playing anytime in the near future, possibly not for the rest of the playoffs, it's only fitting that Donald Brashear watches his team from the press box, the same place the man he injured will be tomorrow night at the Verizon Center.

Laughable: Lucic Suspended?

According to NHL.com, the NHL has suspended Boston Bruins LW Milan Lucic indefinitely following his cross check to Maxim Lapierre in the 3rd period of Saturday's 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Following a blown whistle, a what has been annoying Maxim Lapierre came charging at Lucic to step between his scrum with defensemen Mathieu Schneider. As Lapierre came charging at Lucic, Lucic raised his stick and gave an apparent cross-check to the face of Maxim Lapierre.

As mayhem ensued as it does with any Montreal vs. Boston game, Habs 'tough-guy' Mike Komisarek joined the chaos and ripped Lucic's helmet off. Following a 3 minute delay of play, Lucic was given a 5 minute game misconduct for the cross-check and was sent to the dressing room. However, the bigger news didn't come out until after the game.

As many Bruins fans got home and onto their computers, they soon found out that Lucic had received a match penalty and will be suspended until a disciplinary hearing was held. Of course, the hearing is pending but in all seriousness, has can the NHL honestly give Lucic a suspension for this?

Just two days ago, in the final seconds of Boston's 4-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 1 an incident occurred in the Bruins corner. Tom Kostopoulos made a clear as day intent to injure elbow to the head of Matt Hunwick.

Now, you can't watch that and try to seriously say that Kosto wasn't going for the TKO on Matt Hunwick's head. Now for a league who's current aim is to reduce injuries to the heads of their players, to let such an action go without any punishment is laughable. However, the cross check to the helmet of Lapierre is worth a suspension? What about Cammelleri's punch to Havlat's head? Thank you Colin Campbell, thank you for proving your inconsistency yet again.

Matt Hunwick Hospitalized

It's been a rough week for Matt Hunwick. After getting his eye-gouged by Mike Komisarek, news broke this morning of the Bruins rookie being taken to a Boston area hospital. Following a team meeting at the Bruins practice rink in Wilmington, it's said that Hunwick "didn't feel right". From there the trainers called an ambulance, and Hunwick was taken.

"It's related to his spleen, and that's all I can tell you right now" a concerned Claude Julien said to the media. He followed that up by saying there was no prior knowledge that something was wrong. "He was fine," said Julien. "When he entered this morning he was still feeling fine.". At the moment, little information is available to anyone, even the Bruins as everything happened so fast. When asked if Hunwick lost consciousness Julien told the media "Not to my knowledge".

For many NHL fans, this story seems very familiar to one that happened during last years NHL playoffs. New York Rangers LW Sean Avery suffered a lacerated spleen during last year's playoffs. For Avery, the injury was sustained in a collision during an Eastern Conference Semi-Finals game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although it's unknown if Matt's injury is as severe as the injury that ended Sean Avery's 2007 post-season, the history of spleen injuries and the playoffs are not promising. Dating back to as far as 2001, Peter Forsberg suffered stomach pains, upon further tests it was revealed that the Avalanche star had a ruptured spleen, forcing him to miss the next 2 rounds of the NHL Playoffs.

As for the next question of who'll fill in for Hunwick, it's not hard to realize that Shane Hnidy will probably be playing in the Bruins line-up tonight. The 33 year old Hnidy played in 65 games for the Boston Bruins, scoring 12 points (3 G 9 A) and finishing with a +6. He often found himself in the press box at seasons end due to the arrival of Steve Montador and consistently strong play of Matt Hunwick. However, Hnidy will have no problem shaking off any rust he may have as he played in the Bruins final 3 games of the regular season.

Model of Inconsistency: Colin Campbell

It's safe to say NHL VP and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell has already had a busy playoffs. He's already suspended Flyers enforcer Daniel Carcillo for 1 game following his face-off punch to the head of Penguins forward Maxime Talbot. He followed this up by not suspending Flames forward Michael Cammalleri for his in my opinion, far more vicious punch to the head of Martin Havlat. Following last night's battle in Boston, Colin's work is just beginning.

Following Phil Kessel's empty net goal that secured a Bruins victory in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal agitator Maxim Lapierre took a run at Kessel. Following a scrum in the corner of the ice (and Alex Kovalev losing his stick to a fan reaching through the glass) play resumed with just a few seconds left. The Bruins won the face off and took the puck into their own zone when Montreal "tough guys" Tom Kostopoulos and Mike Komisarek decided to take a run at Bruins players.

Kostopoulos took a run at Matt Hunwick, going for a vicious elbow attempt to the Bruins rookie's head. The attempt was soon followed by mayhem. Komisarek then went at Hunwick and looked to be going for Hunwick's eyes with his fingers (Eye poking? Really Montreal, really?), as if that wasn't enough to get you miffed, they did this of course without Zdeno Chara or Milan Lucic on the ice.

Surely as a bloody eyed Matt Hunwick left the ice you would think some repercussions would be taken against the sore sportsmanlike conduct of the Canadiens. Following Carcillo's late game punch, Campbell went on a rant about the non-toleration of "message sending" in games that were decided. How was this any different? Going at a players eye when the game is out of reach and in it's final seconds isn't Montreal's feeble attempt at sending a message to Boston?

Fact is, Montreal was frustrated. They dressed Laraque, they even put the guy on the top line and they still couldn't beat Boston. They tried playing Boston's style of play, and still lost. They're without Markov, still. In a game where the Bruins played like garbage for almost two whole periods the Habs still could not pull off the upset. So what happened? Quite simply, Montreal lost it. What's your thoughts on their actions Mr.Campbell?

"You've got to let the games unfold. You've got to let hockey be hockey, playoffs be playoffs. You've got to let the energy flow. And then, when they cross that line, you do what you have to do." a somewhat-comical Campbell said about the incident in Boston. So what will he do when that said line was crossed? Nothing.

Eye-gauging and eye-poking is nothing new to Colin Campbell. In March 2009, Campbell suspended Dallas Stars pest and Boston nemesis Steve Ott following an attempted eye gauge of Ducks forward Travis Moen. Ott's suspension was for one game. However by Campbell's standards, a bloody Hunwick leaving the ice doesn't prove to be enough to send a message to the cowards of Montreal. Colin Campbell once again proves himself as the model of inconsistency in the NHL.

Big Georges Laraque Talks Big About Series

One can argue this is the series that Bob Gainey signed him for. Him, is of course "Big" Georges Laraque, the oft-named best enforcer in the NHL. When the Montreal Canadiens signed the 32 year old enforcer to a 3 year contract that payed him 1.5 million dollars a year the reason was evident: to try and match the Boston Bruins physical style of play. Gainey gave a quite simple explanation to the media for the signing on July 3rd, 2008 stating "We reached the point last season where our players got better and they attracted more attention from the opposition, we thought it would be good if we could sign a robust, physical player like Georges.".

Although the signing seemed like a plus at the time, it's safe to say things haven't really worked out the way Georges expected. When Georges wasn't hampered by a groin injury, he often found himself in the Press Box. In fact, Laraque suited up in just 33 games for the Habs, his lowest total since his rookie 1997-98 season. Even in those 33 games, Laraque found a dance partner just 9 times, posting a 6-2-1 record according to HockeyFights.com. One of those losses came against Bruins tough-guy Shawn Thornton, but even in Laraque's worst season of his career, he's still finding time to mouth to the press.

Today during an interview with KCAC in Montreal, "BGL" went on to say that Shawn Thornton was "not in his league" and was too small to compete with Georges. Really Laraque? Have you noticed this from your seat in the 9th level of the TD Banknorth Garden? How about all 2 of the games you've played against Boston, was Thornton too afraid to fight you? Oh, you have an answer..great! "A few of his teammates told me that he was scared of me before the October 15th game in Montreal". Really, so let me get this right, Shawn Thornton's teammates told you they're afraid of you? I have an incredibly hard time believing that.

Laraque wasn't done just yet as he went on to further talk about Thornton, "If he wants to step up to me, especially in Boston, I'll be more than happy to go with him because I'll shut up the fans at the Garden.". Wow Georges, those are pretty tough words for a guy who has averaged just over 7 minutes a game, when he actually plays. To quote UConn basketball Coach Jim Calhoun "My best advice to you? Shut up."

Fact is Georgy, your goon hockey doesn't happen in the playoffs. So yeah, go ahead and go after Thornton, I'd love to see Bob "Oscar The Grouch look-a-like" Gainey suit you up for Game 1 because in order to do that, he'd have to take an actual hockey player out of the line-up. As for "shutting the fans at the Garden up", it's going to be pretty hard to shut us up when you're in the box for interference as the Bruins are on the powerplay.

2009 NHL Playoffs: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Predictions

In the Eastern Conference, it was the year of the Bruins. Bruins stood atop of almost every offensive and goaltending catergory in the NHL and even Coach Claude Julien is considered the odds on favorite to win the Jack Adams Award. This year in the East also gave fans of teams like the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens severe heart attacks as their teams fell in and out of the playoff race as the season went on, but all three find themselves in the dance. It was also a year of disappointment as the Florida Panthers became so close to capturing their first playoff berth in 8 years, only to be denied by a Montreal overtime loss.

(1) Boston Bruins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens - Seriously, what would the NHL Playoffs be without a Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens showdown? The Bruins come in as the East's top seed, led by Norris-favorite Zdeno Chara and the best offense in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Habs late season push has to be credited to the revival of the powerplay in Montreal. However, the Habs are without leader of the powerplay Andrei Markov, who's sidelined with a knee injury and Mathieu Schneider is playing through what was at one point considered a season ending shoulder injury. With Montreal putting their three best offensive players on the same line (Tanguay-Koivu-Kovalev) their offense will surely lack depth and the inconsistent goaltending of Carey Price will ultimately make them unable to get the job done. Prediction: Bruins win in 5.

(2) Washington Capitals vs. (7) New York Rangers - Perhaps one of the most intriguing series in the NHL Playoffs is the battle between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. The Rangers have proved to be a worthy adversary for every team they face since the trading deadline. For Washington, the juggernaut that is Alexander Ovechkin is coming off yet another MVP-like season and has one of the NHL's best supporting casts with Niklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Alexander Semin skating alongside him. The biggest question mark for the Capitals will be in net, Jose Theodore. Theodore has lacked the consistency he had throughout his tenure in Colorado and is by far less superior to Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Prediction: Rangers win in 7.

(3) New Jersey Devils vs. (6) Carolina Hurricanes - Is this not the most boring series in the entire playoffs? Combine the Devils sleep-inducing defensive trap style of play and the over all bland team that is Carolina Hurricanes and what do you have? This series. The mystery for the New Jersey Devils is which Martin Brodeur will show up? Will it be the Marty of old Devils fans know and love or the Marty who's struggled since returning from his bicep injury. The Hurricanes have been on a tear since acquiring Erik Cole from the Oilers, and Cole has responded well to his return to Raleigh, posting 15 points in 17 games with the 'Canes. Prediction: Hurricanes win in 6.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers - The interstate rivals meet again in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals. There's no doubting that these two teams hate one another, as the battle for Pennsylvania continues in the 1st round. The Penguins are on fire since the hiring of Dan Bylsma behind the bench while Sidney Crosby has found his stride just in time for the playoffs. With the offensive additions of Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, and add in Russian sensation Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins have surely regained the offensive strength they had during last years Playoff run. Meanwhile, across the state in Philly, the Flyers late seasons struggles due to lack of strong goaltending left them in the fifth seed and without home ice advantage, something they fought for all season long. Prediction: Penguins win in 7.

2009 NHL Playoffs: Western Conference Quarterfinals Predictions

The Western Conference, a conference known for it's immense parity since the 2005-06 NHL season. This year, the West was dominated by Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks who were the true best of the West, and NHL as they captured their first Presidents Trophy in team history. This year also marked the fall of the Dallas Stars, who failed to make the playoffs for the first team since the NHL Lockout due to inconsistency and one disastrous Sean Avery signing. Now with just 8 teams left, it's time to get down to 4.

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Anaheim Ducks - Despite sputtering towards the end of the season, going just 5-4-1 in their final 10 games of the regular season the Sharks come into the 2009 NHL Playoffs as the top dog. The 2008-09 President Trophy winning Sharks are now up to health with the return of captain and 38-goal scorer Patrick Marleau along with capable winger Ryan Clowe to the line-up. In their way, are Jonas Hiller and the Anaheim Ducks. Hiller, a 27 year old Swiss goaltender has emerged as the superior starter to J.S Giguere. Hiller, has gone 1-3-0 against the Sharks with a 2.00 GAA. The stats for Hiller against the Sharks aren't too promising but keep in mind in two of those losses that the Ducks were shut-out. However, with the Sharks back to 100%, expect the battle of California to go to the Sharks. Prediction: Sharks win in 5.

(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (7) Columbus Blue Jackets - The biggest concern for the Detroit Red Wings is who's going to show up in-between the pipes. The Wings have stated that Chris Osgood will be the starting goalie for the playoffs, but how much faith can the Wings put in Chris Osgood if he drops Game 1 or 2 before they turn to Ty Conklin? In Columbus, there is no goaltending competition as Steve Mason is looking to steal the series for the Jackets. With the recent awakening of the Red Wings offense, not even Steve Mason can pull this one off. Prediction: Red Wings win in 5.

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) St. Louis Blues - Incredible. That's the one word that can be used to describe the turn-around of the St. Louis Blues season. Just when the team seem destined for last place due to the loss of LW Paul Kariya and D Erik Johnson, the Blues have powered themselves into the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Now with the return of Paul Kariya to the line-up for the 1st round, they'll look for the upset against the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately for them, the Canucks are just too strong of an offensive team with the recent hot streaks of the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and the veteran poise of Mats Sundin. One can't forget the man between the iron, the captain and 4 time All-Star Roberto Luongo. Prediction: Canucks win in 6.

(4) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (5) Calgary Flames - Was the Olli Jokinen trade good for the Calgary Flames? One could make the case by looking at his point total that yes, it was a good trade but the overall record of the team has struggled since Olli's arrival. In Chicago, the Blackhawks have gone over the 100 point mark for the first time since the 1992-93 season. This will be a true test to the character of Olli Jokinen as this is his 1st playoff series in his entire career. In the end, I believe the strong defense of Chicago will extinguish the Flames. Prediction: Blackhawks win in 7.

Return of the Bergeron

Concussions have ruined the career of many of great hockey players, such as Pat LaFontaine and Eric Lindros. One player however, is determined to not let concussions ruin his career: Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins 23 year old center from Quebec. After suffering a Grade 3 Concussion thanks to a questionable Randy Jones hit on October 27th, 2007 Bergeron struggled to regain his scoring touch in the early parts of the 2008-09 season. Some were saying he wasn't playing with the same tenacity, aggressiveness and consistency that made him so successful. Then, one of the worst fears of any Bruin fan became a reality; On December 20th against the Carolina Hurricanes, Bergeron was the recipient of a shoulder to head hit by Dennis Seidenberg and was down.

Bergeron suffered yet another concussion. Although not as severe as the initial one sustained in 2007, this was Bergeron's second concussion in 14 months and the concern came with good reason. One concussion could ruin a career, but yet another one just over a year later? As the doubts of Bergeron's future grew into the minds of Bruins fans around the world their worries were put to rest on January 27th. Hours before a showdown between the Capitals and Bruins it was announced that Patrice Bergeron would be making his return to the Bruins line-up.

In the game, Bergeron had an assist on a beautiful save to keep the puck in the attacking zone on the powerplay. From that point on, it's been said that Bergeron is making the right steps to becoming the 37 Bruins fans were used to. Now, with the playoffs just on the horizon Bergeron is finding his stride for the first time since the 2006-07 season. The addition of Mark Recchi has ultimately been the biggest help to Patrice, in the 17 games since acquiring the 41 year old winger, Bergeron has scored 1 goal and 11 assists with a +3. Recchi's veteran know-how, Kobasew's raw style of play and Bergeron's resurgence has undoubtedly made the Bruins 3rd line one of the strongest 3rd line's in the NHL.

With two essentially meaningless games left in the Boston Bruins regular season, Bergeron's picked the perfect time to get things going on all levels. There's no debate that last night was by far Bergeron's best game of the 2008-09 season. In the Bruins 5-4 overtime thrilling win over the arch-rival Montreal Canadiens, Bergeron was a major force on the ice. After scoring the first goal of the game on a tic-tac-toe play on a feed from Matt Hunwick, Bergeron was on the board with a goal for just the 8th time this season. He followed this up with an assist on a Bruins powerplay goal, but then the injury bug almost nailed Patrice yet again.

On the penalty kill during the 2nd period, Bergeron took a slapshot right off the foot of the skate. A wobbling Bergeron was assisted back to the bench and down the run-way. The initial reaction of Bruins fans was, well some not so friendly words to share. However, the resilient Bruin wasn't about to sit the remainder of this one out. He returned shortly and made his presence known, just ask Maxim Lapierre. In the overtime, as the Canadiens attempted to go on the attack, Bergeron hit Lapierre with a hip check, freeing the puck, and as Bergeron skated up towards Habs goalie Carey Price he hit Recchi with a pass to put one by Price and win the game for the Bruins.

Bergeron will likely sit out the next two games for the Bruins as they travel to Buffalo and Long Island to finish the season, allowing him more time to rest his foot before the playoffs. In the larger picture, 530 days since the Randy Jones hit, it's safe to say Bergeron is back.

Bruins vs. Canadiens: Is It Fate?

Hatred. That's the one word and emotion most Bruins fans become consumed with when analyzing the Boston vs. Montreal rivlary. There is no debate, the Bruins vs. Canadiens rivlary is the head-liner of the NHL. These two teams have played head to head against eachother more than any other pair of teams in NHL history, and their 32 all-time playoff matchups is an NHL post-season record. Now, with just five days remaining in the NHL season, could the Bruins and Canadiens be set for playoff match-up number 33?

The Bruins and Habs rivalry has been signified by one thing: Montreal dominance. In the 32 playoff showdowns, Boston has left the series as the victor just 7 times. In fact, the sheer win and loss tallies aren't even kind to the Bruins as in these 32 match-ups the Habs are 90-64. The most thrilling series in recent memory is of course the 2008 1st round match-up between the two Northeast Division rivals where a Bergeron-less Bruins took the Habs to a seventh game after what's considered the greatest hockey game played in the TD Banknorth Garden's history only to be dismantled easily by Carey Price and the Canadiens in Game 7.

Boston's longest and perhaps only stretch of success against the Montreal Canadiens came in the early 90's when Ray Bourque and the Boston Bruins beat Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens in four consecutive years in the playoffs. This success was short lived however as in the proceeding three series, Montreal has won all of them and in two of the three series the Bruins have entered as the higher seed with home ice advantage.

Boston hasn't always been the victim, especially not this season. The Bruins have simply made the Canadiens look foolish this season, going 4-0-1 against les Habitants in their centennial season. Boston's emergence as the Eastern Conference's top team and Montreal's incredibly disappointing season has surely felt as if the tables have turned between the two franchises. With the Canadiens fighting for their playoff lives and the teams set to due battle tomorrow at the TD Banknorth Garden, is fate about to take a favorable turn for the Boston Bruins?

The rollercoaster that has been the Montreal Canadiens season will take yet another turn tomorrow night in Boston. The Habs are coming into Boston hanging onto the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference by a single point over the New York Rangers and three points away from falling into the 9th seed and out of the playoff picture. If the Bruins were to win tomorrow night and beat the Canadiens for the 5th time out of the 6 meetings between the arch-rivals the Canadiens will surely be in a spot to slip into the 8th seed, and possibly even the 9th seed.

If the Habs are to fall into the 8th seed, we'd be seeing yet another Boston vs. Montreal series. As much as the history tortures the Bruins from a concussed Rocket Richard putting one by and beating Sugar Jim Henry to Carey Price's 5-0 shutout in Game 7 last year the idea that Montreal is in Boston's head was been made clear and sometimes overpowering. However, heading into the 2009 playoffs there's no doubting the advantage is in the Bruins corner.

The Canadiens have lost leading scorer Andrei Markov for atleast three weeks with a knee injury while Mathieu Schneider's season is over due to a shoulder injury. Without their top defensive pairing and powerplay weapons, the Habs are a significantly weaker team. Take into account the Bruins high powered offense and the inconsistency of Carey Price and this only adds to the Bruins advantage. That being said, a win tomorrow in Boston for Montreal could be a momentum boost for the Habs if they were to head into the playoffs against Boston. Like previously stated, without Markov and Schneider on defense the Habs are a much weaker defensive team and with Tim Thomas expected to be between the pipes tomorrow night and B's coming off a frustrating loss against Ottawa, don't bank on the Habs locking up the 7th seed just yet.

No Rest For Peter Chiarelli

Oh, the life of an NHL General Manager. From the hectic scrambling of draft day to the grueling talks and attempts at luring free agents to their respective cities the job of a General Manager never seems to stop. For the Boston Bruins, the job truly never ends for Harvard alum Peter Chiarelli.

Yesterday it was announced that the club had signed 20 year-old RW sensation Yannick Riendeau to an entry level contract. Riendeau posted phenomenal stats for Drummondville of the QJMHL (Quebec Junior Major Hockey League) where he scored 58 goals and 68 assists in just 64 games. He led the QJMHL in goals, assists and points. So far in Drummondville's 4 playoff games, Riendeau has scored 9 goals and 10 assists in just 4 games. The only known knock on Riendeau's ability to be a capable NHLer is that he's undersized, even in this new smaller-player-friendly NHL. It's probably too early to tell whether the Quebec native is NHL ready without going through the AHL first but he's definitely a player to keep an eye on heading into the 2009-10 season.


However, the bigger news coming out of Boston was the re-signing of Bruins goalie and mentioned Vezina favorite Tim Thomas to a new contract. The signing, which has yet to be announced by Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is estimated to be around 5.2 million over the next 3 years. The pay is comparable to Martin Brodeur's contract with the New Jersey Devils and surely spells the end for Manny Fernandez's tenure as a Boston Bruin. Then again, who didn't see that one coming?


Although Thomas' pay is debatable as to whether the Bruins over-payed for a 34 year old goalie the move makes sense for a few reasons. Thomas turns 35 on April 15th, meaning that if by some chance the Bruins want to buy out Thomas' contract only 1/3 of his pay will count against the salary cap. An example of this is the Bruins being unable to delete Glen Murray's contract off the salary cap even though his contract was bought out because of when his contract was signed. This pricey contract also addresses Boston's situation in between the pipes going forward into the future as both Thomas and Fernandez's contracts were up at seasons end.


The signing also takes the pressure off Boston during their already busy schedule of re-signing players. It's unsure how the Bruins would of come out if they were to get into a bidding war against some of the teams looking for a starting goaltender come July 1st such as the Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche and perhaps even the Detroit Red Wings. However, the current freeze on the NHL salary cap does create some problems for the Bruins.


First off, they need to re-sign restricted free agents David Krejci, Phil Kessel, Matt Hunwick and Byron Bitz. After David Krejci's breakout season as the number 2 center on the Boston offense, one would assume he'd receive a handsome raise. I believe somewhere along the lines of 3-3.5 million for 3 years is a safe bet for the 23 year old Czech. Then there's Phil Kessel, the undisputed number one scoring threat for the Boston Bruins, I'd say 3 years at 4 million a season is enough money to make a decision for Kessel, who missed his chance at 40 goals this season due to minor injuries.


Easier decisions certainly come when it boils down to re-signing Matt Hunwick and Byron Bitz. Both currently make 800,000 dollars and shouldn't see too much of a raise or anything different except for the possibility of their contracts becoming 1-way contracts rather than 2-way contracts, meaning in order to get sent down to Providence they'd need to go through the waiver wire. But still, with the raises for Kessel and Krejci along with Thomas' new contract, the Bruins are certainly over the cap. Putting the Bruins in the situation where they need to make deals.


When it comes to down, the two obvious trade baits the Bruins possess wear numbers 37 and 16. Marco Sturm, who currently makes 3.5 million and has missed much of the season due to knee surgery is no longer needed as the supreme scoring threat on the Bruins roster. As the Bruins have continued to succeed even without him and the emergence of Blake Wheeler and continued development of Milan Lucic, his role on this team is no longer essential to the teams offense. Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins alternate captain since the 2006-07 season, has battled through some serious injuries over the past year and a half. However, Bergeron's tenure as a Bruin may be over when this season concludes.


As much as it pains most Bruins fans to realize this, it's time to look at the facts. Bergeron's a 3rd line center on this team. Marc Savard's effectiveness as the Northeast's best set-up man and David Krejci's emergence as a dangerous scoring threat puts the 23 year old Quebec native on the 3rd line. Bergeron is the 3rd highest paid Bruin, making 4,750,000 a season but at that pay, he's perhaps the most expensive 3rd line center in the NHL. If Bergeron and Sturm are both moved, one could make the argument that the Bruins do not lose nearly as much of their offense compared to if they were to let Kessel or Krejci walk.