Bs Ride Tuukka, Third Period Facial To Sweet 3-1 Win In Stripperville
Aesthetically, last night’s tilt in Montreal certainly wasn’t the best game of the year for the Bruins. But for the psyche of the team (and perhaps its franchise goalie), it most certainly was.
Red-hot Tuukka Rask was a monster against the Habs for the first two periods until his mates could finally get their ass in gear and score three times in less than six minutes in the third to snag a huge 3-1 win against the hated rivals. The offensive outburst abruptly turned what was looking like “here we go again” into a morale-boosting two points. The Bs went down 1-0 in the first when an airborne puck sailed from the corner over Rask before hitting Zach Trotman and dropping into the net. And the Bs weren’t exactly making things easy for him at times but he held the fort as they were outshot 26-14 over the first two, making several big saves in the process that kept it a one-goal game.
While we’re used to (read: scarred by) Montreal power plays in Montreal positively impacting Montreal, Loui Eriksson turned the tables after Zdeno Chara’s Sadaharu Oh impression sent him off to the races and he beat local lad Mike Condon through the wickets for the shortie and tie game. Just 42 seconds later, Landon Ferraro’s third as a Bruin gave them the lead when he converted a nice Ryan Spooner feed. And just five minutes after that, Patrice Bergeron, who had a monster game per usual, added an insurance tally to continue his torrid pace this year (9-17–26 in 27 games).
The win gives the Bs a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games. Two points in Montreal is always huge so hopefully the victory can be a springboard to a nice winning streak. They’ll attempt to make it two in a row with a Dreaded Saturday Matinee vs. the nipping-at-their-heels Florida Panthers.
A few more buds for your bowl…
*It’d be nice if the team showed up with more fire in the first. It’s the fucking Canadiens, fer chrissakes. They always seem to get up for these games, no reason the Bruins shouldn’t match the intensity.
*Nice to see Claude mix up the lines to get things going. With Matt Beleskey moved to the Bergeron/Brad Marchand duo, the team essentially put the game out of reach. Beleskey has been a little snake-bitten but is still doing a lot of things the right way out there.
*Ferraro has been a pretty nice, cost-effective ($600,000) pick-up thus far. He’s already tripled his career goal total in just seven games with the Bs. His speed has been a plus and he was killing penalties with Max Talbot last night. This could be a savvy, Dan Paille-type acquisition by the Sons of Harry.
*David Krejci left the game for a stretch after taking a hit from Lars Eller in the second, causing much local agita. He did return but it’s likely something got dinged up. Given the angle he was hit, it could be any number of things in the upper body.
*This also happened in the second period. Count the Bruins. Unreal the refs missed it…in Montreal of all places. Thanks to distinguished Barstool alum Chisholm for the heads-up.
*Frank Vatrano shoots more than Hanzee Dent.
*Man, some of those D to D plays look like they taste like A to M.
*The feeling every game is that, at some point, the D is gonna break down and it’s gonna end up in the net. A top-four vet is sorely needed. I’m guessing that the front office is just treading water until it gets closer to the deadline when deals start to happen (and most of this season’s salary is paid). Like Harry Sinden said in the Globe last week, there are just no big trades this time of year anymore because of the cap. But even despite their defensive deficiencies, the Bs are still in a pretty decent spot. And with Price out for awhile, a run at first place is hardly out the question.
*Best wishes to Dan Hamhuis, who lost some teeth and likely broke his jaw when he took a Dan Boyle rocket to the mug last night. Hate to see that happen, even to a Canuck. Unless it’s Alex Burrows.
And some non-Bruins buds…
*If you haven’t been watching “You’re The Worst” for the last two seasons, you’re missing arguably the funniest show on TV right now. Last night’s finale was pretty much perfection, like being put through a comedic ringer because of the strong feelings you’ve already developed for the very real characters. Just a great way to leave things until Season Three. The show started off with a fun premise and has really developed into something special. It has a relatability and it’s nice to actually see normal-looking people on TV and not a bunch of fake tits and hair plugs.
*Can’t wait for the “Fargo” season finale. This has been one of the best seasons in recent TV memory. Better than “True Detective” (S1 obviously, duh). I thought the UFO has been the perfect Coens touch all season and it was hammered home in Monday’s ep. Still so many ways this could end up and the only thing we know is that one guy will survive.
*The must see for “Rocky” aficionados, “Creed”, was an highly entertaining, emotional, character-driven crowd-pleaser centered around, but by no means overwhelmed by, boxing. So, it was like…”Rocky” (though “Rocky” was much more of a love story). And I mean that in the best way possible. Director Ryan Coogler more than exceeded my expectations for what is a sixth sequel after all. Michael B. Jordan, who proved his big screen chops in the excellent and heartbreaking “Fruitvale Station”, puts himself on the A-list in this star-making performance as Apollo Creed’s kid from a goomah, Adonis Johnson. He has great chemistry with his love interest, the Lisa Bonet lookalike Tessa Thompson (whose stock rose after her great performance in the sharp satire “Dear White People”). The film his plenty of familiar beats but rather than feeling tired, the new version of them imbues them with a freshness (listen hard for “C’mon, Creed!”). But the heart of the movie is, of course, Sylvester Stallone. He delivers with heart and subtlety as he takes over the father figure role in Johnson’s life. His older and wiser Rocky is still funny if not a bit world-weary after losing a lot in his life. And the Oscar talk for Sly is legit. A Best Supporting nom should be in the cards and would make for a nice bookend with the original (though ‘bookend’ is probably being presumptuous with Stallone involved). Great flick. A-.
*The Bruins family said goodbye to one of New England’s most-beloved rink rats this week when 72-year-old Tommy Fitzgerald of Billerica and Charlestown passed away. A familiar face in rinks from Providence to Portland, Tom was a season ticket holder in the balcony and the father of Bruins Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Fitzgerald. Whether you knew him as ‘Fitta’, ‘Tommy’, or ‘Mr. Fitz’, he always had a warm smile and greeting for you if you scored 600 NHL goals or just got done bar-backing for the night. And, like many New England parents, he dedicated a large part of his life to making sure not only his kids could grow up playing hockey the right way, but that every other kid in the neighborhood, be it a gritty enclave or a leafy suburb, could as well. Tommy Fitz was a great guy and will be tremendously missed. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
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