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Nights like Thursday remind you why Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien has been at the helm of the B’s long enough to tie Art Ross on the team’s all-time wins list. Which is exactly what the nine-year bench boss in Boston’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
“It really is humbling because this guy here – I said that before he’s an icon, he’s a legend. I don’t have a trophy named after me,… Julien said of Ross. “Those are all things that there’s a big difference between Art Ross and myself, and the fact that I’ve avoided being fired for the last nine years helps get that many wins here. So, just feel fortunate and most of all obviously humbled by that achievement.…
Led by a consistent and balanced attack through 40 minutes, the Bruins took advantage of a tired Blackhawks group that played the night before in Detroit with goals from Patrice Bergeron 1:18 into the game, Brad Marchand at 19:38 of the first, a power-play goal from Ryan Spooner just 2:31 into the second, and a Loui Eriksson goal just 12:53 after that.
The Bruins struck early, and they struck late. And with Chicago’s lone response coming with a power-play goal from Jonathan Toews 14:14 into the first period and Tomas Fleischmann at the 19:10 mark of the second, the Bruins were simply too much.
“They were playing with speed and they were playing physically and we couldn’t quite keep possession of the puck long enough to get anything going,… Toews said after the loss. “They checked us well and you know we didn’t use our bodies. We didn’t keep plays alive and I think if we let them dictate the game physically like that they’ll get more chances. They obviously got a lead on us and it’s a tough one to come back from, especially when they’re working really well.…
Chicago did have their chance to get back into this one in a third period that favored the ‘Hawks 11-to-2 in shots, including an impressive stretch in the B’s end with Scott Darling pulled with under three minutes left in the third, but Tuukka Rask stood tall behind a 25-of-27 night in net.
“We’ve done a great job the past couple at least in our own zone. And you know our defense can play breaking out and then just keeping their head up when the other team has the puck and taking the guy on the side of the net who’s usually the most dangerous guy,… Rask said after the win, the B’s eighth in their last 12 games. “We’ve been kind of taking a step back and kind of just taking it easy and really not doing too much so that’s been working for us. And you know also blocking a lot of shots, which has been great. So yeah we really tightened up on defense and you know obviously the result is wins.…
Both the B’s power play and penalty kill finished the night with 1-for-2 marks.
Random thoughts and notes
- What a win for the Black and Gold. If only they could play every team’s backup goaltender on the second leg of a back-to-back with travel. OK, so I didn’t mean to put a damper on what the Bruins did in this game, but it’s certainly worth noting that the Blackhawks were a tired bunch and got absolutely zero help from Darling in the loss. In fact, Joel Quenneville noted such after the defeat.
“He wasn’t very good tonight,… Quenneville admitted of Darling. “We expect more than that.…
Still, you take a win over the Blackhawks and build off it no matter the circumstances.
“I thought that it’s obviously a big game for us playing a team like Chicago, so deep and such an obviously dominant team,… B’s captain Zdeno Chara said after the victory. “It was a big game for us to challenge ourselves and we took 20 minutes at a time. After the first 20 we were really focused on the next 20 and after that just finishing strong, and I thought we had some strong plays throughout the whole 60-minute game. We made some big kills. We had those guys block some big shots towards the end. We were able to score some goals and play strong in all three zones.…
- This was a game where a guy like David Pastrnak’s speed really seemed to give Chicago fits.
Although No. 88 finished the night without a point, the 19-year-old winger put three shots on goal in 15:51 of time on ice, routinely found his linemates or defensemen with passes through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone, and was a forechecking menace around the Chicago end.
“You would expect your group to mature from the beginning of the year till now and again you look at David Pastrnak – he was there right till almost the very end there with about three minutes left because he was playing well enough,… Julien noted. “He’s really maturing into being a player that you can utilize for the most part late in games and when they had that last three minutes when they pulled their goalie you go with your experienced guys there that have done the job in the past.…
- It took two games, but both John-Michael Liles (one assist) and Lee Stempniak (two assists) are on the board with their first points in a Bruins sweater. While Stempniak picked up two secondary helpers, it was Liles’ assist on the Eriksson goal, the ultimate putaway tally, that stuck out.
With Noel Acciari set to come out of the box, Liles activated on up into the offensive zone with the puck along the wall, and dished a pretty saucer-pass right towards Eriksson for his 24th of the year.
“I saw Loui driving the net and just trying to get a puck to him and he made a great play with a tip into the top corner,… Liles, paired with Adam McQuaid once again, said. “Just trying to join the rush when, you know, the forwards up top made a great play causing a turnover and add to the rush.
“I don’t know if you feel pressure, but you’d like to contribute and, you know, it’s a good group of guys, a really talented group, so for me it makes it easier. You just try and make your reads and get the puck to the guys as quick as possible, and if there’s a chance to join you join, and that’s really my focus. I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself. This is a great group of guys in this room and I think we’ve got a really nice team.…
The Podcast to be Named Later with Andy Merritt and Ty Anderson
Up next
The Bruins will end this four-game homestand with a Saturday night visit from the Washington Capitals. It’s just the second of what should be a month of tough tasks for the Black and Gold, too, as Washington comes to Boston with 98 points through 63 games this season -- and a comfortable 18-point lead on first place in the Eastern Conference -- and 21 wins in 30 road games. Luckily for the Bruins, this will be the season-series finale with the Caps, who have taken both prior games.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.