Stanley Cup of Chowder - Bruins vs. Islanders Complete Coverage: Pile on the Isle?David Pastrnak is legend.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/11233/stanley-fave.jpg2013-02-26T23:18:58-05:00http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/rss/stream/37966212013-02-26T23:18:58-05:002013-02-26T23:18:58-05:00Bruins vs. Isles Recap: Consider the Isle Piled On
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SlfMe8YVPM0oc0FmuhT0Ex5sTgY=/0x117:4000x2784/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8786379/162778749.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Bruins Beat Islanders 4-1: That's four wins in a row, for those counting at home!</p> <p>And thus endeth the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Bruins</a>' 5 game road swing, their longest of the season, in which they took 8 out of a possible 10 points. BOOM.</p>
<p>Not only that, but they managed to win the last two games by a three goal margin, which is a notable in that it's the FIRST TIME this season they've held more than a 2 goal lead. Are the Bruins rediscovering their scoring touch? Possibly, though certain players (Bergeron, Seguin) are still due for an uptick while others (looking at you, Marchand!) are cruising along with a delightful but entirely unsustainable shooting percentage.</p>
<p>With this win, the B's move within one point of the Habs, and still have three games in hand (Sunday's game should be REAL interesting (<span>Michael Ryder</span>)). Good trip, solid play tonight - I'm pretty happy, I can't lie.</p>
<h3><b>The Breakdown</b></h3>
<h5>The Good:</h5>
<p>+ My personal first star goes to Tuukka "Don't Eff With Me" Rask. He was stellar, stopping 36 of 37 shots and denying those pesky Isles every which way. In the third period, especially, he played a big part in keeping that two goal lead.</p>
<p>+ GOALS. I love goals. Three different lines chipped in, <span>Adam McQuaid</span> got his first of the year, and Marchand brought his (ridic) total up to 10, tying him with the likes of <span>Patrick Kane</span>, <span>Jeff Carter</span>, and <span>Matt Moulson</span>. Krejci's goal was gorgeous, on top of a stellar passing by Chara, Horton, and Lucic. Campbell had an empty netter. Everything was great.</p>
<p>+ Not to belabor the obvious, but the penalty kill is basically the greatest thing since sliced bread. The B's were 3 for 3 on the kill, which brings them to 95.1% on the season, and they have now killed 24 in a row. That's good, in case you were wondering. Also: faceoffs. They have won 57% of faceoffs this season (best in the league) and added to that tonight with Krejci, Kelly, Bergeron, and Peverley all rocking and rolling at the dot.</p>
<p>+ So John Tavares is really good at hockey, and the combination of Rask and good defensive play held him off the scoresheet entirely. He did have 4 shots on goal, but any time you can keep that kid from scoring, you're definitely doing something right.</p>
<h5>The Not-As-Good:</h5>
<p>- The power play, which had actually been picking up a bit of steam, went 0 for 4. I might be in the minority on this, but I thought a couple of the pps didn't look that bad - there was some good puck movement and a few quality chances - but overall, still the weakest part of the Bruins' game.</p>
<p>- <span>Tyler Seguin</span> had two assists, bringing his point total up to 12, and he's a plus-13. He's also on a 5-game point streak. And yet. That shooting % is just hanging out at around 6%, so it's probably going to go up at some point. Right? Right. </p>
<p>- Seems like the team is still have a liiiitle bit of trouble keeping up the pace for the whole game. Unlike in some other game situations, this one didn't end in a bunch of goals scored against, but the tendency to coast for part of the game is still there. Got to watch that, especially given the schedule over the next month.</p>
<p>Next up: back in Boston to face the Ottawa Senators aka the team that simply will not play like a team decimated by injury. Neat!</p>
https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/2/26/4034408/bruins-beat-islanders-recap-february-26ecozens2013-02-26T21:13:01-05:002013-02-26T21:13:01-05:00Public Skate: Bruins vs. Islanders, period 3
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jwmuyayn40L1Xtvo7DxD5d_AglM=/0x117:4000x2784/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8781371/162778749.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It's 3-1 after 2. Goals by Krejci, McQuaid, and Marchand.</p> <p>Marchand now leads the team with 10 goals. Tuukka Rask has made 21 saves so far. Comment like we're gonna make quota tonight.</p>
<p>Aw look at Horton's smiley face I wish I could see it in HD</p>
<p>That power play.....woof. I take back the nice things I said in the period 2 gamethread</p>
https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/2/26/4034168/bruins-vs-islanders-public-skate-period-3sarahconnors2013-02-26T20:18:38-05:002013-02-26T20:18:38-05:00Public Skate: Bruins vs. Islanders, period 2
<figure>
<img alt="we're not winning? INCONCEIVABLE " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8lDULCjFBXqhwrWAinutz1GodbE=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8779399/162531370.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>we're not winning? INCONCEIVABLE | Joel Auerbach</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It's 1-1 after 1; the two goals were scored by McQuaid and Cizikas.</p> <p>Despite the failed power play in the first period, though, the Bruins are now 24th in the league on the man advantage! (video gratuitously borrowed from @colea77 on twitter.)</p>
<p><object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FHDwRECFL8M?hl=en_US&version=3">
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FHDwRECFL8M?hl=en_US&version=3" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FHDwRECFL8M?hl=en_US&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> </p>
<p>PS, be on the lookout for a horse head on the broadcast - it's our very own mybruinsoface, sitting near the glass.</p>
https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/2/26/4033942/bruins-vs-islanders-public-skate-period-2sarahconnors2013-02-26T18:18:06-05:002013-02-26T18:18:06-05:00Public Skate: Bruins at Islanders, 7:30 PM EST
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7MonTNp5SMOc3aKyf5c4TtbHkRQ=/0x178:517x523/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8773971/131744257.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Elsa</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Let's start by crying about Michael Ryder and continue by watching the Bruins hopefully win tonight.</p> <p>Michael Ryder just got traded to the Canadiens. oh man. This is the worst. Cross him off your list, people who were hoping for him to replace Bourque on the third line.</p>
<p>Geez, everything sucks. Let's hope this game is good.</p>
<p>What's on tap?</p>
https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/2/26/4033602/public-skate-bruins-at-islanders-7-30-pm-estsarahconnors2013-02-26T14:00:08-05:002013-02-26T14:00:08-05:00Inquire on the Isle: 3 Qs With Lighthouse Hockey
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Lu06xSznzCqKhmt0p-CLIP7WTJ0=/0x20:990x680/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8742677/127831256.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In preparation for today's game, I sat down (exchanged emails) with <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Dominik" target="_blank">Dominik</a> of <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com" target="_blank">Lighthouse Hockey</a>, our <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a> SBNation brethren. They've done some quite funny pieces so please do check them out. <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/2/26/4030868/ny-islanders-vs-boston-bruins-3-questions-preview" target="_blank">I answered some questions for them as well</a>. lets get to it:</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="pullquote">I'm a "wake me up when they've made it" guy.</div>
<p>1. Looks like you had someone get up in <span>Ryan Miller's</span> grille and he went all crybaby on you guys. Isn't that just the greatest? Boy, do I ever hate Buffalo. Remember when they put out those "NY State Champs 2007" t-shirts? Peak of the franchise, in my opinion. What's your least favorite thing about the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/">Sabres</a>? (You can also just go on about how great Johnny Tavares is, I understand)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Yeah, <a href="http://youtu.be/Ku80t410zSQ">the clip of Nabokov gliding the length of the ice to Miller's crease is classic</a>. But they don't get my hair up. Other than obvious (I would think) absolute disdain for the dirtbags who dress as <span>Patrick Kaleta</span> and <span>Steve Ott</span> each night, the Sabres fill me with ennui. I still see them as the team that, if someone had to take Pat LaFontaine from us, at least had the decency to send us Turgeon, Hogue and Krupp in return.</p>
<p>But yes, <span>John Tavares</span> is okay. He's 22 years old and is 30th all-time on the franchise points leaderboard and will be 25th by, I think, next week. This is a franchise that has had its share of prolific stars, too.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>2. Let's talk about Real American Hero goalies, like Ryan Miller, <span>Tim Thomas</span>, and <span>Rick DiPietro</span>. Actually, let's not. Let's instead talk about how the Islanders' affiliate, the mythical beast "Bridgeport Sound Tigers," had a You Can Play night last weekend. That was a pretty cool thing, I thought. Did you get a chance to attend? Is it cool to know that something like that can happen in your organization?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You know, I have to say this about DiPietro: Laugh, mock, cry, chortle, Wang it up as you like (we certainly do), but the guy signed a deal anyone would sign, *then* went on the kind of epic string of injuries that nightmares are made of. Even his *surgeries* needed surgeries. Goethe wrote "Faust" about him, I'm sure of it.</p>
<p>But yes, the You Can Play thing sounded great. I didn't go, as I live a thousand miles away. But it made a lot of fans proud (and yes, it's sort of ironic that the first night DiPietro was on the Bridgeport roster was a "You Can Play" night). This ownership has never been shy about doing its own thing and whatever Wang believes in, so I hope it's a consideration to try it at the NHL level too. I have no information on that possibility, however. And judging by the comments the Islanders Facebook page gets on even benign posts, maybe that would only draw out people that remind me how horrible humans can be.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>3. It looks like the Islanders are making their way down the tubes for another season. At this point are you hoping for the team to turn it around and anything can happen? Or are you checking in on draft-age prospects more?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Well, honestly something near NHL ".500" would be progress, and is achievable. Their depth is starting to move up through the pipeline, and their possession numbers reflect a team capable of hanging around the playoff bubble. They're taking an extreme, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.nucksmisconduct.com/">Canucks</a>-like approach by loading the Tavares line up in the O-zone as much as possible, and now they have some other forwards who can play all three zones. However, they have the farthest thing from Canucks goaltending, and I suspect the coaching staff doesn't have a sophisticated approach for the other three lines.</p>
<p>Given that I never had playoff hopes for 2013, I of course would love Seth Jones or whatever hyped teenager Pierre McGuire is salivating over at the moment. And for the last four-plus years, Isles fans have always eyed the draft -- especially since they know Mike Milbury isn't around anymore to torch a 20-year-old prospect and deal him for parts because he had the nerve to not arrive NHL-ready. On that note though -- and I guess this is blogging taboo -- I really hate the draft. I hate following prospects, I hate the histrionic arguments that erupt over projections of 17- and 18-year-olds, and as a lifelong NHL fan I've never found watching lower-tier hockey that enjoyable. So I'm a "wake me up when they've made it" guy. (I guess I do like the draft phrase, "already plays with men" though. That one gets me every time.)</p>
<p>Anyway, rather than free fall again, it's probably important for the Isles to make some baby steps and then identify what else they need outside of "hope our prospects turn out." To me that includes a coach that is able to instill a possession game rather than what looks to me like, "Work hahd, play smaht, then chip, chip, chip, and change for Johnny."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thanks again to Dominik for being a good sport about this. Of course, if you've been covering the Islanders for as long as he has, you sort of have to by now.</p>
https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/2/26/4031510/inquire-on-the-isle-3-questions-with-lighthouse-hockeyCornelius Hardenbergh2013-02-26T11:02:27-05:002013-02-26T11:02:27-05:00Bruins vs. Islanders Preview: Pile on the Isle?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9B2QYY1o4s9ntp5aslQm3SdPJs8=/0x46:911x653/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8748201/127834105.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is the only time the Bruins visit Long Island this year. This is one of the last opportunities to Pile on the Isle, and it's the middle of the week. How lame.</p> <h4>Just the Facts:</h4>
<p><b>Game Time</b>: 7:30 PM, Nassau Veterans Memorial <strike>Mausoleum</strike> Coliseum. TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Network (sorry, guys.) Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub</p>
<p><b>The Other Side's SB Nation Site</b>: <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Lighthouse Hockey</a> (Preview <a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/2/26/4030788/new-york-islanders-vs-boston-bruins-tim-thomas-not" target="_blank">here</a>)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/"></a> <b>Records</b>: Bruins (11-2-2, 4th in the East) vs. Islanders (8-10-1, 13th in the East)</p>
<p><b>Get tickets here</b>: <a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/tiqiq/singleevent.aspx?brandid=tiqiqhomepage&eventid=6504611001&publisherid=51113" target="_blank">Boston Bruins Tickets</a></p>
<p><b>Projected Islanders lines:</b></p>
<p>Boyes - Tavares - Moulson<br>Bailey - Nielsen - Okposo<br>Ullstrom - Reasoner - Grabner<br>MacDonald - Cizikas - Martin</p>
<p>Hamonic - McDonald<br>Streit - Martinek<br>Visnovsky - Hickey</p>
<p>Nabokov<br>Poulin</p>
<p><b>Projected Bruins lines:</b></p>
<p>Lucic - Krejci - Horton<br>Marchand - Bergeron - Seguin<br>Bourque - Kelly - Peverley<br>Paille - Campbell - Thornton</p>
<p>Chara - Boychuk<br>Seidenberg - Hamilton<br>Ference - McQuaid</p>
<p>Rask<br>Khudobin</p>
<h4>Preview:</h4>
<p>Wow, the Islanders. They've played ten games at home so far this season and their record in their own building is 2-8-0. That's pretty sad. Coach Jack Capuano has intelligently benched the only guy to look stellar against the Bruins this year (Waltham's own Keith Aucoin!) in favor of David Ullstrom, so that's good for our side. In net, we no longer have Rick DiPietro to torture, as he's now one of the two goalies on the Islanders' roster occupying 8.5 million dollars in cap space who likely won't play another game this season....hello, Tim Thomas.</p>
<p>Up front, the Isles have made a few changes to their forward lines for tonight's game; the second and third lines have been shuffled from their last game. Old pal Brad Boyes is playing left wing to their only real star player, John Tavares, at center; on their left is (Mighty) Matt Moulson.</p>
<p>On the Bruins' side - well, they're coming off a stellar Florida sweep that we all enjoyed immensely. They've killed 21 straight penalties, scoring as many goals as they've allowed on the PK, and their road power play has actually begun to show signs of life. Remember for a while the Islanders were the only other team not to allow a goal on the PK? Since then, they've dropped to 8th best in the league, having killed 84% of penalties. It's no 94%, but hey, we can't all be perfect. </p>
<p>Evgeni Nabokov gets the start in net tonight; he is 4-4-1 all time against the Bruins. Opposite him in net will likely be Tuukka Rask. Game time is 7:30. Let's do this.</p>
<h4>Never Forget:</h4>
<p>let's go old-school with this one.</p>
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ch5OHA55fXA" frameborder="0"></iframe> <br id="1361894427967"></p>
https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2013/2/26/4031722/bruins-vs-islanders-preview-pile-on-the-islesarahconnors