Hey, did you know that there was a hockey game on Saturday night? It involved the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, too! There were goals, a loud horn, and
Milan Lucic wanted to kill Carolina defensemen
Bryan Allen. All in all, it was a normal night of hockey between these (somehow bitter) Eastern Conference foes. I'll admit, I watched the midnight rebroadcast of the game -- half-heartedly -- because Saturday night was all about the National Football League.
(Seriously, how nuts was that 49ers vs. Saints game? Unreal! And that offensive effort put forth by the Patriots? Goodness, Rob Gronkowski may just be the most beastly athlete in the league -- strike that, sports.)
Normally I'd be shocked by how the Hurricanes, a team with just 39 points through 47 games, have given the Bruins fits. Yet, I'm not. While the Bruins are a disappointing 0-3-0 against the 'Canes this year -- and 29-9-1 against the rest of the league -- it's no secret that the B's have their issues when it comes to getting 'amped' if you will against teams that are less than mediocre.
Against the bottom-six of the Eastern Conference, the Bruins are a tame 10-6-0, with 52 goals for and 34 goals against. Sure, calling a winning record and plus-18 goal differential 'tame' may be a bit of a slight to the Bruins, you'll see that it's anything but when compared to their record against the upper echelon of the East.
Despite playing a grand total of zero contests against fellow East-beasts New York and Washington (How is that even possible?), the Bruins enter the second half of the year with a 11-2-0 record against the top nine teams in the East, with an otherworldly plus-41 goal differential. In other words, the Bruins know how to play the teams that matter in the grand scheme of things.
Currently paced for a 114-point campaign, which would be seven points better than the Caps' 107-point year of a year ago and three points fewer than the Presidents Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks, make no mistake about it; These Bruins are insanely good.
The Artist Formerly Known as Joe Corvo...
There wasn't much to hate about the
Joe Corvo trade when it happened. Fresh off losing
Tomas Kaberle (if you really wanna call it a loss) to the Hurricanes, Bruins GM
Peter Chiarelli was quick to pull the trigger with the 'Canes to obtain fellow offensive-defensemen with the acquisition of Corvo.
Parting with a fourth rounder to get Corvo in Black-and-Gold, the move for the 34-year-old has left little to be celebrated through half a season. Corvo, a blue-liner who's noted for his heavy-shot, has just two goals this year. Two. And they came in the same game! Currently with the 14th most shots among NHL defensemen by way of 101 blasts on net, Corvo's putrid .020 shooting percentage is currently set to be the worst of the Illinois-born veteran's career.
However, the ineffectiveness of Corvo has gone virtually unnoticed. Something that's likely more than welcomed for the slumping d-man. Unlike Kaberle, completely unlike Kaberle in fact, No. 14 came to Boston with considerably low expectations. He wasn't going to be the savior of the Boston power-play, which by all means was probably the worst man-advantage to ever win a Cup, and his veteran know-how would simply bridge the gap until
Dougie Hamilton was set to make the jump to the NHL. 40 points?
Hey, that'd be cool, but B's fans weren't holding their breath.
At the end of the day, there's honestly not much to complain about in regards to Corvo's play. A true testament to the play of
Dennis Seidenberg. Now in his second full season with the B's, the German-born blue-liner has continued to be Boston's rock on the point, all while playing the role of masker for Corvo's lapses.
Boston's biggest rival...
It seemed as if everyone was in unison when the Canucks came back to Boston earlier this month. The Canucks, separated by over 3,000 miles and a conference away, are the the Bruins' biggest rivals. No, no, and no. One seven game series does not constitute a team as being rivals forever, and one game in the entire year is not enough of a match-up to establish any substantial talk of a rivalry between the two sides.
Especially when you consider the fact that the B's and 'Nucks won't play again until
at least October. That, of course, is barring a rematch of last year's Cup. That's seven months between match-up's. What are they, boxing rivals?
Somewhere
Kevin Bieksa is shaking his head and telling us media-folk that hockey isn't boxing in regards to why the 'Nucks are better than the Bruins...
So, if it's not the Canucks, just who holds the title of dirty rotten rival for the 2011-12 Bruins? It's not the Habs, who are a shell of their former selves this year. Nor is it the Flyers, especially with the villainous
Chris Pronger done for the year. Buffalo? Are they even in the playoff picture yet? Toronto? Doesn't the other team have to win a game to be considered a rival?
Spoiler alert: It's going to be the New York Rangers. These are two teams that are too similar in style to be considered anything but rivals, and should combine for four absolutely maddening contests this year. You have noted Bruin-killer
Henrik Lundqvist against the duo of
Tuukka Rask and
Tim Thomas, and two forward cores that play a relentless game that's won based on 60-minute efforts and a strong forecheck. Yeah, that'll be sweet.
You may hate P.K Subban, but you'd take him on your team
Following his questionable elbow to the head of
David Krejci on Thursday, it didn't take long for people to message me with their thoughts of
P.K Subban. Due to the language many chose to use, opting to compare Subban to a feline, I can only share a few.
[Subban] is a disgrace to hockey. He dives, cheap-shot's, and never fights. Pathetic.
I could never cheer for a guy like him. I just don't respect the way he goes about his business.
Thank god the B's don't have a player like that, I don't know how Habs fans deal with that.
Stop. No matter how much you deny it, you and I both know that you'd love if Subban was a Bruin or a [insert favorite team here].
Absolutely loaded with talent, and with the confidence of a seasoned vet at just 22, Subban embodies everything that a fan loves when it comes to rooting for their team. However, it just so happens that Subban is a Hab, a team loathed by most, so naturally the hate is there.
But make no mistake about it, you'd love him if he was on your team. See:
Brad Marchand.
Second half predictions
Pretty simple, so here we go.
Toronto, currently sitting in 9th in the Eastern Conference? Yeah, they make the playoffs and face the Bruins in round one. Who falls out? The surprising but not steady enough Florida Panthers.
It's golf season for the Lightning and Sabres, whose shortcomings shouldn't come as a surprise to many, especially when you look at their off-season additions -- or lack thereof. Here's to you, number-one-center-not-to-be
Ville Leino and Gandalf the Grey -- I mean,
Dwayne Roloson.
The biggest name you'll hear in regards to the Bruins and trade deadline targets? Literally, it'll be the 6-foot-7
Hal Gill. Playing on a seemingly hopeless Habs squad, Gill, a free-agent at year's end, becomes an ideal target for many clubs seeking defensive depth. Something that's right up the B's alley considering an injury forces either
Matt Bartkowski or
Steve Kampfer into the line-up on a regular basis.
Philadelphia's
Ilya Bryzgalov realizes how big the universe is, but knows that the legion of Flyers fans that want his head is bigger, and gets his mind right for the Black-and-Orange.
Out West, it'll come down to Detroit and Vancouver. In the East? B's and Caps.
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