From NEHJ: The Bruins road to the Stanley Cup
OCTOBER (6-2-0)
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Bruins goalie Tim Thomas shakes hands with Habs d-man P.K. Subban after Game 7 of the conference quarterfinals. (Getty) |
After dropping their season opener in Prague, the Bruins won six
of their next seven games in the remainder of the first month of
the season, propelled by out-of-this-world goaltending from Tim
Thomas. Thomas went a perfect 6-0-0 in October, a run that included
back-to-back victories over Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. At
month’s end, the veteran goaltender allowed just three goals,
had three shutouts and was named the NHL’s second star of the
month.
Highlight game: In the Bruins’ 2-0
victory over the Maple Leafs on Oct. 28, Tyler Seguin tallied
against the team from which Boston acquired his draft rights. After
his goal, Phil Kessel — sent to Toronto for the pick used on
Seguin — was resoundingly jeered with a “Thank you,
Kessel!” chant from the Garden faithful.
NOVEMBER (6-6-2)
The Bruins had an up-and-down month in November, perpetuated by
struggles in their own building as they went just 2-3-2 on home
ice, a funk that included a lackluster 3-0 loss in the team’s
annual post-Thanksgiving matinee to the Hurricanes. The month also
saw Boston lose center David Krejci for seven games due to a
concussion, the trading of defenseman Matt Hunwick to the Avalanche
and a hat trick by Milan Lucic against the Panthers.
Highlight game: Trailing 4-2 in Pittsburgh
after two periods on Nov. 10, the Bruins busted out in the third
with five goals — including the game-winner by Shawn Thornton
— as they came roaring back for a thrilling 7-4 win.
DECEMBER (8-3-2)
The Bruins racked up 18 points in the final calendar month of 2010, a stretch that included five games that ended in either overtime or the shootout. Marc Savard returned to action Dec. 2 in an 8-1 win over the Lightning at the Garden, as he appeared in his first game since suffering from a recurrence of post-concussion syndrome. On Dec. 14, longtime Bruin Marco Sturm was traded to the Kings for future considerations.
Highlight game: After a disheartening 3-0
loss to the Ducks, the Bruins made sure they went into the
Christmas break on a high note with an emotional 4-1 win over the
Thrashers on Dec. 23. A full-fledged brawl broke out in the third,
as the two teams combined for 120 penalty minutes in what proved a
real bonding experience for the Black and Gold.
JANUARY (8-4-2)
Boston scored six or more goals on five occasions in January, a
month that featured the first hat tricks of both Zdeno
Chara’s and Patrice Bergeron’s NHL careers. Bergeron
was later named First Star of the Month by the NHL. All that joy,
however, was offset by the loss of Marc Savard, who suffered
another concussion Jan. 22 in Colorado and was eventually ruled out
for the remainder of the season.
Highlight game: The Flyers and Bruins
produced a thrilling back-and-forth affair Jan. 13 at the Garden in
a game that featured a combined seven goals in the final period.
Steve Kampfer buried the winning goal with just 1:14 left in
regulation as the Bruins prevailed, 7-5.
FEBRUARY (8-4-0)
The Bruins began February by bouncing from one end of the
spectrum to the other, following up every emotional win with a
flat-out dud. GM Peter Chiarelli finally shook things up and
acquired the pieces to a championship puzzle he had long desired.
Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, prospect Joe Colborne and multiple
draft picks were shipped out as the Bruins reeled in Chris Kelly
from Ottawa, Rich Peverley from Atlanta and Tomas Kaberle from
Toronto.
Highlight game: In what will go down as one
of the most riveting regular-season games in team history, the
Bruins and Canadiens combined for 14 goals and 182 penalty minutes
in a bloodbath Feb. 9, one that featured a bevy of brawls including
a fight between goalies Tim Thomas and Carey Price. The Bruins won,
8-6.
MARCH (7-4-4)
After finishing up a 6-0-0 road trip, the Bruins embarked on a
skid that saw them lose six of the next seven games. Luckily David
Krejci got hot down the stretch and Nathan Horton rediscovered his
scoring touch, as the two forwards combined for 25 points in the
month to help keep the Bruins afloat atop the Northeast Division.
The biggest story in the month was Zdeno Chara’s hit on Max
Pacioretty at the Bell Centre, a crushing check into a stanchion
that forced the Canadiens winger to miss the rest of the
season.
Highlight game: Heading into their March 24
clash with the Canadiens, the Bruins needed a win for a major
confidence boost in the event the two historic rivals met up in the
first round of the playoffs. The Bruins annihilated the Canadiens,
7-0, chasing Carey Price in the third period as the first line
combined for eight points in the victory.
APRIL (3-2-0)
With a 3-2 win over old friends Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart and
the Thrashers on April 2, the Bruins officially clinched the
Northeast Division. Coach Claude Julien wasn’t overly
thrilled by his team’s lack of effort over the final week of
the season, but he made sure to get some of his key cogs rest
before the grueling grind of the playoffs got under way. Prior to
their win over Atlanta, Brad Marchand was named winner of the 7th
Player Award.
Highlight game: While the Bruins spot in the
top three in Eastern Conference already was secure, their 3-1 win
over the Senators in the last home game of the season April 9 was
mighty meaningful. With 29 stops on 30 shots, Tim Thomas’
performance in his final start of the campaign guaranteed
he’d finish with the best save percentage (.938) in a single
season in NHL history, besting his idol Dominik Hasek’s
previous record of .937.
FIRST ROUND
Series: Bruins defeated Canadiens, 4 games
to 3
As if dropping the first two games of the series wasn’t bad
enough, the Bruins had to head to Montreal — a place
they’ve struggled for nearly a century — in an 0-2
hole. The Bruins managed to steal both games at the Bell Centre to
tie the series. After winning Game 5 back home, only to miss a
chance to clinch back in Montreal in Game 6, the longtime rivals
went to overtime in Game 7. Nathan Horton beat Carey Price with a
shot from the top of the circle at the 5:43 mark of the extra
session, pushing the Bruins into the second round.
Highlight game: Although Game 7 decided the
series, the Bruins’ 2-1 win in Game 5 at the Garden featured
many magical moments. Habs captain Brian Gionta thought he had the
game-winner on his stick on a 2-on-1 in double overtime, only for
Tim Thomas to spring from right to left, flash his pad and make a
jaw-dropping stop. Just a few minutes later, Horton collected a
rebound in front and buried it to give the Bruins a 3-2 series
lead.
SECOND ROUND
Series: Bruins swept Flyers, 4-0
With all the talk heading into the series revolving around their
historic collapse against Philadelphia last spring, the Bruins
seemed to be up against it both mentally and physically, as the
Flyers possessed a tough, talented squad. So much for that. After
two wins on the road, including a 7-3 victory in the opener, the
Bruins routed Philly, 5-1, in each of the two games at the Garden
to earn the sweep and avenge last year’s meltdown.
Highlight game: Were it not for the heroics
of Tim Thomas in Game 2, the complexion of this series may have
been vastly different. The Bruins had no business taking a 2-0 lead
as the Flyers controlled the second game in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately for Philly, Thomas stood on his head and made a
season-high 52 saves, keeping the game tied before David Krejci
tallied in overtime to give the Bruins a 3-2 win.
CONFERENCE FINALS
Series: Bruins defeated Lightning, 4-3
After dropping Game 1, the Bruins looked to be in trouble without
Patrice Bergeron, who was felled by a concussion late in Game 4 of
the Philly series. Bergeron’s replacement in the lineup,
Tyler Seguin, made a huge impact in his absence. The rookie’s
four-point period in Game 2 helped the Bruins tie the series. The
B’s won two of the next three games to jump ahead, 3-2, only
to miss out on yet another chance to clinch in a Game 6 on the
road. But the Bruins took care of business at home again in Game 7,
as Nathan Horton scored the only goal of the game in the third to
send the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1990.
Highlight game: The Bruins’ 1-0
victory in Game 7 may have been the most perfect game they played
all postseason, and it sure was a tightly contested one.
Tampa’s star forwards were held in check, as the Bruins
stingy defense allowed just 24 shots. Dwayne Roloson was
undoubtedly the tough-luck loser for Tampa with 37 saves, but the
Bruins diligently created traffic, were highly physical and simply
earned their big break when Horton tipped in a pass from David
Krejci for what proved to be the series-clinching tally.
STANLEY CUP FINALS
Series: Bruins defeated Canucks, 4-3
After two winnable games went by the wayside, the Bruins returned
home from Vancouver down two games to none against the Canucks,
forced to win four of the next five games in order to complete
their quest for the Cup. That suddenly went from doubtful to
probable, as the Bruins bowled over Vancouver, 12-1 combined in
Games 3 and 4. But, in their return trip to Rogers Arena, the
Bruins lost by one goal for the third time in the series. The
Bruins staved off elimination with another lopsided victory, this
time 5-2, setting up a decisive seventh game. Tim Thomas closed out
his spectacular playoff run with a shutout as the Bruins scored
four goals to win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
Highlight game: Going into Game 7, home teams held a perfect 6-0 record in the series. The Bruins managed to change that in convincing fashion and finally figured out how to get to Roberto Luongo on the road. An all-out effort was given by every player in Black and Gold from start to finish, as they completed a 107-game journey to become the last team standing for the first time in 39 years.
This article originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of New England Hockey Journal.