Game 7 Preview: Boston vs Washington; Winner Take All

The Bruins celebrate Tyler Seguin's overtime goal in Game 6. The win forced a Game 7 that is to be played tonight at 7:30 here in Boston

So I know a lot of you guys saw that the game is on at 1:00 today. I don't know who came up with that, but they are by far the dumbest person I've ever heard of. Don't worry Bruins fans, the game is tonight at 7:30. I'd go into detail explaining why they'd never do an afternoon game during the week, but that'd just bore the living hell out of you, so I'll spare you all so you don't stop reading.

Anyways, the Bruins forced Game 7 Sunday afternoon, after somewhat breaking out of the matinee slump. That overtime goal by Seguin was downright filthy. And when all the bandwagon fans are talking about how great the goal was, you know it was filthy.

A lot of you are nervous, and rightfully so, I am a little bit too. It's Game 7, do or die. But the Bruins have experience in Game 7 situations. I know, I know, they're 3-3 in the past years, but they've got Kelly and Seguin who have both come up big in overtime, Andrew Ference who's probably one of the smartest defensemen in the league, and an offense that seems ready to just explode. Last year the Bruins were 3-0 in Game 7 situations, defeating Montreal in overtime of Game 7 of the ECQF last year, Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the ECF last year, and who could forget the 4-0 defeat of Vancouver in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Another reason I have complete confidence in the Bruins tonight is that Tim Thomas has yet to have an absolutely stellar game, and last year he had at least one of those per series. The man is due, and I fully expect him to stop giving up softies and to close his legs off the faceoff and be the goalie that won the Conn Smythe Trophy last season.

Also, Braden Holtby has just been average for the most part this series. In Games 2 and 4 he stood on his frigging head, but Game 1 the Bruins didn't exactly play well offensively, Game 3 he looked like an AHL goalie, and last game he looked like an AHL goalie as well. Yes, he played a good game in Game 5, but it definitely wasn't his best. The Bruins seem like they may have solved him, which means they've finally realized that if you go to the net you're going to get a rebound, 'cause Holtby has been giving up some really juicy rebounds all series long, and the Bruins seemed like they finally figured it out after the Andrew Ference goal.

Finally, the power play, while it's been pretty shitty, has started to come around just a little bit. They've actually scored power play goals this series, unlike last season, where it took a 5 on 3 power play for Zdeno Chara to finally break through and score in the second round against Philadelphia. Seeing as they've actually broken through a few times this series, I feel like their overdue and they man advantage units are going to have a break out game.

Remember to take your heart medication, check your blood pressure, take Bayer, do something to prevent heart attacks and make sure you don't have a conniption. This is bound to be a tight, stressful game, so be ready to throw things at your TV out of frustration.

Remember to use my hash tags on Twitter. #IAMABRUIN #Believe #BelieveInBoston

Bring On Game 7



Bruins forward Tyler Seguin celebrates with teammates David Krejci and Brad Marchand after scoring the game winning goal in overtime this afternoon in Washington, forcing a Game 7 for the series.

"The Garden's gonna be rockin'."

Those were the words of 19 year old Tyler Seguin when asked about what's going through his mind about Game 7 on Wednesday night. The sophomore forward, who was the Bruins' leading scorer in the regular season with 28 goals, had been snake bitten all series. There were many opportunities for Seguin, but not once this series was he able to convert. But damn it, he picked a really great time to put one home. Just 3:17 into overtime, Washington center did what no player should ever do in overtime: he got too cute with the puck. After a long pass from Backstrom was picked off by David Krejci, the puck was immediately put into the hands of Milan Lucic, who found Seguin streaking down the middle. Seguin scored what was perhaps the prettiest goal of the series, faking out Washington netminder Braden Holtby and putting the puck home, winning the game 4-3 for the Bruins in overtime, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 7 back in Boston.

"This series I've had a lot of chances and opportunities and I haven't been finishing them off," Seguin said. "It's just really nice to get that feeling of finding the back of the net."

The game was a see saw most of the time. Just when you thought one team had the momentum, the other would steal it right back. It was a true nail biter all the way until the end.

The Bruins struck first, just 5:57 into the first when Rich Peverley tipped in an Andrew Ference shot from the blue line, giving the Bruins a lead that didn't last very long, as the Capitals came back strong when Mike Green faked a shot, showing great patience as he waited for Bruins forward Greg Campbell to slide past him on the attempted block shot, and ripped one from just above the circle, deflecting the puck off of Greg Zanon's leg and past Tim Thomas. After a David Krejci power play goal put the B's on top 2-1, Jason Chimera capitalized on a interference non call that was likely embellished by Brad Marchand and scored late in the second period off a feed from Nicklas Backstrom. The two teams traded goals, with Andrew Ference and Alex Ovechkin each scoring for their respctive teams, making it a 3-3 contest heading into overtime.

The post game comments from Washington players showed a level of respect for the Bruins. Matt Hendricks said after the game, "[They were] Stanley Cup champs last year - they're not gonna die die easy."

Comments from Washington defenseman Karl Alzner echoed what Hendricks had already said. "It's the Boston Bruins. They're not going to go down easy."

Game 7 is set for Wednesday night at what should be an absolute rockin' house at the TD Garden. Hopefully this time Tyler Seguin won't have to shoot for Braden Holtby's head as he told NBC's Pierre McGuire he was doing after the game. Now that both Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin have scored, we should expect to see a different level of comfort from the two, and hopefully a major surge to help lift the Bruins past the Caps and into the second round.

Mark your calendars everyone, and make sure you take your heart medication as well. We don't want to see anyone dying from heart attacks brought on by the stress of a Bruins playoff game.

Remember to use my hashtags on Twitter. #IAMABRUIN #IBELIEVEINBOSTON #BELIEVE

Game Four Preview: Boston vs Washington; Bruins Lead 2-1

Monday night was a special occasion for this Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Series. It didn't go to overtime! I know, I was just as shocked as all of you. Washington struck first but, shockingly enough, they choked and puked all over themselves a couple times and lost 4-3.

The series is finally starting to get a little bit of hate in it now. Especially with all the nastiness that's been escalating every game after the whistles. Guys are going after each other, and now it's gotten to the point where we can expect a nasty Game 4.

One advantage we can hope to see the Bruins capitalize on is the absence of stud center Nicklas Backstrom, who was suspended by the NHL for Game 4 after cross checking Rich Peverley in the face. As much as I didn't think Backstrom should be suspended, Brendan Shanahan thought otherwise, which is shocking in itself due to the fact that he's shown on many occassions that he has some sort of grudge against the Bruins, and now the Caps are left to rely on Alex Ovechkin and the always inconsistent Alex Semin, who has the misfortune of being named after sperm (must be why he's so shaky,guys probably shit on him every game). While Ovechkin is extremely lethal offensively, Dennis Seidenberg, who has made a strong case for the Conn Smythe Trophy thus far, has done a tremendous job shutting him down. Everywhere Ovechkin goes, Seidenberg has been right there with him, and the two have gotten into it physically quite a bit throughout the series, as shown by Ovechkin's cross check to Seidenberg's face which seemed to be an act of pure frustration from the Washington captain.

Something the Bruins should take note of is the fact that this Capitals team does not appear to be the strongest mentally. If the Bruins are able to either strike first and maintain the lead or mount another comeback win, the Caps likely will roll over and come as close to packing it in as a hockey team can get. If the Bruins can return to Boston leading the series 3-1, not only will Washington feel the pressure, but they will surely get a major case of the playoff jitters when they come out into the tunnel and hear the TD Garden crowd rocking the building, or, as NESN play by play announcer Jack Edwards so famously put it in the 2008 playoffs against Montreal, screaming so loud that the building will be vibrating. Intimidate this team and the Bruins will certainly grab a chokehold on this series as they head back to Boston.

The Bruins clearly have the upper hand in terms of intimidation, and they need to use that to their advantage. If Boston can continue to be physical and force the Caps into taking stupid penalties like the Backstrom cross check, they will give themselves a very good chance at winning.

With Backstrom's absence though, one thought that creeps into the mind of some Bruins fans is the team's tendency throughout the regular season to play down to the competition, meaning they would play far below their skill level and allow teams that are much worse than them to gain confidence and sometimes win games they had no business winning. The playoffs are a different story, with the pressure to perform and play up to and sometimes beyond expectations so high, it is doubtful that the Bruins would sink to this. But, it is always a possibility. The other issue that could result from the Backstrom suspension is Washington's play. Caps coach Dale Hunter did a very good job in Games 1 and 2 getting the team to play extremely well defensively and turn on the offense when it was needed. The problem with that play though is that it is similar to what the Bruins were doing early last year, when fans were calling for Claude Julien's head, that team President Cam Neely described it as "trying to win games one to nothing", a style of play which can only get a team so far and likely results in an exit within the first two rounds of the postseason, assuming the system has gotten the team that far to begin with. If Hunter does decide to play this way, the Bruins need to be ready to come out and fire on all cylinders as the Caps offense will not fight back until the third period. If the Bruins can strike quickly tonight, regardless of how the Capitals play, they will cause doubt to creep into their minds and quickly take control of the game.

Stay glued to your TV tonight fans, this game will be a good one.

Remember to use my hashtags on Twitter. #TheQuestContinues #DefendLordStanley #CapsSuck

Washington Fans Plan to Troll Thomas With Obama Heads

Yes, I posted Obama smiling as the title picutre. Sue me.

Apparently Washington fans are preparing to troll Timmy with Obama heads, this according to the Washington Post which cites numerous sources (aka a bunch of asshole Caps fans who run blogs that are even worse than mine) urging fans to pring out copies of their "Obama Masks" and wear them behind Thomas during warmups.

Are these guys serious?

This has got to be the absolute dumbest trolling idea ever. Hell, I do a better job trolling after Vancouver games than these guys are going to do. They deserve an award for shittiest troll in the history of hockey. Like honestly, what is the matter with these clowns?

This is playoff hockey, not the D.C. zoo where you can sit there and laugh at yourself cause you're teasing the lion behind the glass. In all fairness though, they don't know what it's like to move past the second round, so they don't really know any better.

I actually hope you Washington "fans" read this, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on my post. That way I can laugh at all your horrible chirps and continue to harass Washington fans via Twitter.

When asked about this "trolling" dilemma, homas said "I don't really care, it doesn't bother me. I don't even know the President's name to be honest, I just think he does a shotty job running the country." Obviously Thomas never said that, and I don't think anyone has eve asked him about it, but regardless that would've been a pretty funny quote.

I actually think the only idea worse than this is getting President Obama to go to the game and sit right behind Thomas. I don't think that Timmy would be too affected by that. He's 37 years old, an experienced NHL and professional goalie (don't forget about his time toiling in the Finnish professional leagues), a two time Vezina Trophy winner, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and a Stanley Cup Champion. I think he's got a pretty damn good focus on his game.

Do these idiots expect Timmy to constantly be looking over his shoulder out or nervousness and fear during the game? I mean come on, it's not like he's going to turn around and start chirping the fans during the game, nevermind at all. The dude gets a serious case of tunnel vision during playoff games, he's not going to be phased at all by this horrible idea.

To put my own spin on some stupid Capitals blog quote, "I urge you - nay! - charge you in your duty as a Bruins fan to that those ol' Caps fans see this masterpiece I have written so we can all surround them as the series moves forth and chirp them as hard as you possibly can!" (Seriously, some idiot thought it would be a good idea to write that in Shakesperean English. The blog is called "Sick, Unbelievable". I'm not sure how that ties in to the Capitals though...)

Seriously though, show this wonderful post to every Caps fan you can find. I want them to see this. I want them to realize how unbelievably idiotic they are about to act. On second thought, nah, I want them to see it so I get chriped on Twitter, that way I can retweet everything they say and make a complete mockery of them.

Remember to use my hashtags on Tiwtter. #TheQuestContinues #DefendLordStanley #CapsSuck

UPDATE: Bruins Drop Game 2, Capitals Officially Make Boston's Shit List

Well, that game sucked.

The Bruins decided to come out and not even try to solve the likely simple riddle that is little rookie goaltender Braden Holtby. Seriously, the third and fourth line played with energy and passion, but the Bergeron line played brutal, with the exception of Bergeron who had some rarely seen nastiness in his game today, and the first line I don't think even played. Oh, they did? Damn, got me. I never knew they were on the ice.

Seriously, are those guys hurt? If Krejci is affected by that pane if glass I may have to put a bounty of Shanahan for not suspending him. I wonder if Peverley's knee is affecting him. And Lucic, where the hell have you been bud? They do realize this is the playoffs, right? Can someone tell me if they do? You know, like someone who has more access to the players than I do (which is virtually none).

Bergeron seemed pretty pissed off today though. Seriously, I thought he was gonna drop the gloves and kick the ever living hell out Perrault. Marchand? He was a dick after the horn every period, but other than that he played like shit. Meanwhile Tyler Seguin looks nothing like a second overall pick so far. Hell, he doesn't even look like a guy that had 28 goals in the regular season.

The third line was on fire though. Christ, Pouliot looked 50 times better than anyone on the first line did. And when a third line guy who looked like a bust of a fourth overall pick for the longest time plays better than you you know there's something wrong.




Although I have to say, that goal was flat out filthy. I know a lot of you morons out there will say to me "But he didn't do anything special, he just skated to the net." That's exactly what I'm talking about. in the playoffs, a filthy goal isn't going to be Ovechkin falling on his back and doing some crazy ass behind the head shot into an open net (although that was a sick goal). The filthy goals in the playoffs are going to be ones that are scored because of second, third, and fourth efforts. And sometimes end with an acrobatic backflip over Braden Holtby. That does always add a nice touch to it.

Chris Kelly too, he needs to be locked up the second the re-sign period begins. The guy has been stellar the whole season and he hasn't let up in the playoffs. I think someone played him a clip of what Felger said about him after he was acquired last year. He looks like he's out to prove someone, if not everyone, wrong. Brian Rolston too. This third line needs to be kept intact next season. Rolston has played out of his mind. They Bruins are a team that needs a veteran presence like Rolston around. He can be the new Mark Recchi, just without the medical degree.

Also, I'm beginning to hate the Capitals more and more, especially under Dale Hunter. The good news is they aren't playing the way Dale Hunter played, which would really get me pissed. Like throwing large objects at my TV pissed. And if you want to know how Dale Hunter played, look no further than this. Or at the following.










Yeah, Hunter was a douche.

While the Caps aren't playing like that, they're still playing similar to Vancouver. Minus the diving thankfully. But they're doing a lot of that behind the play, after the whistle small cheap shots that really piss both players and fans off. It's pretty much why everyone hates Vancouver. And Montreal at that. The good news is that they're poking the bear. The bad news is the bear hasn't woken up yet. And if the bear doesn't wake up soon, the B's are in some deep doo doo.

Anyways, I'll just leave you with this for fond memories.



Remember to use my hashtags on Twitter. Or else. #TheQuestContinues #DefendLordStanley #CapsSuck