Sunday, February 28, 2010

Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Canada OH MAMA DON'T YOU CRY

Today's preview is brought to you in youtube form, because who doesn't mail in a preview of a matinee game?

First, a word from our dirty communist neighbors to the north:


Next up, and far more important:


And here's hoping we see more of this:


We've seen these teams play before, a week ago. Huge game. Team USA is officially the home team, so they should be using last shift to their advantage as much as possible.

Go out there and take it.
USA! USA! USA!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Semifinals: USA vs. Finland LET'S BE FRIENDS TOMORROW

(nice hat, brah!)
Men's Olympic Semi-final Game
3pm ET, 2pm CT, 1pm MT, 12pm PT
Team USA vs. Finland

By the time you see this they could be playing already. Here's both teams in pictures. Click on the pictures for really really big (desktop-size!) versions:

The finns are a pretty good team. They knocked this guy out of the tournament:


Watch out for this trio:
I'm afraid of a lot of this:








But it could be ok, because we have this handsome fellow:


They're playing here:
Or maybe here, I just like arena photographs:

So hope for lots of this:


And a finish like this:
USA! USA! USA!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Game 1: USA vs. Switzerland NBC ISN'T THE ONLY BROADCASTER THAT COULD FUCK IT UP, BUT THEY SURE ARE GOOD AT IT

(click for really big - desktop size)
Game 1.
Victory.

3-1 win, and a "Miller Shutout."
USA! USA! USA!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Game 59: Bruins at Tampa Bay WHO WANTS TO BE STAMMER'S SWEETHEART?

Game 59
7:40 PM February 11, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
@ Tampa Bay Lighting (26-21-11)

Seen Stamkos? Yeah, goalies have been. Or maybe they haven't, and that's the problem. He's been scoring like crazy - 5th in the league with 33 goals on the season. He's scoring at 0.57 Goals/Game, 6th in the league. For comparison, Kovalchuk is at 0.58. Ovechkin is at 0.81. (Ovechkin is this year's MVP easily, by the way.) Where do those goals come from? A league-leading 14 goals come on the powerplay. Of course, he's no slouch at even strength, scoring 18 there. Hmmm...let's see, 18+14=32 goals, and he has 33. Where could that be? Why, at 8:44 of the second period of the November 11th Minnesota at Tampa Bay game, when he scored a short-handed goal.

So yeah, the kid is pretty good.

The other big story about the Lightning is that they just got bought by Boston money manager Jeff Vinik. Which means that this page is now out of date. I think they're the only team in the league that has "Owners" listed above things people care about like "Rosters" and "In the System" and such. Whatever. The Lightning still have some silly advertising options, like the "Stammer's Sweetheart" package:
Look at how excited little Stevie is to be posing with his Grandma!

Who doesn't want a romantic valentine's day hockey date punctuated by a visit from Thunderbug?

This team also advertises a "Fan Club Battle" where you can join Zanon Konopka's or Matt Smaby's fan club by....drum roll....buying a special ticket pack!

Seriously, though, sometimes I wish I didn't live in Boston or other established hockey market so the pre-game stuff amounted to more than occasionally having the same awful cover band play in one half of the player's lot.

Also their season tickets are a great deal. Basically, if you're reading this, living in Tampa, and like hockey...go to a bunch of Lightning games.

Stats!
The Lightning have a bottom-third PK.
A streak of 2 is nice. A streak of 3 would be nicer. A non-shutout regulation win would be somewhere in there too, just to prove we can. Nothing wrong with the other team getting shut out, though.
GO BRUINS!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Game 58 Preview: Bruins at Buffalo THE OILERS ARE OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS

Game 58
7PM, February 9, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
at Buffalo Sabres (32-18-7)

This might be the first time in a long time that the Bruins are playing a team with a better penalty kill and worse powerplay. The Sabres have lost their last 4, but still lead the division. The Bruins won their first game in a while on Sunday, breaking their much-celebrated, almost-record-setting slump.

Rask is in net tonight. I'm assuming he faces Miller.

The Bruins start next season in Prague, playing the Coyotes. Phoenix is a sister city to Prague, so I'm pretty sure they're considered the "home" team. Krejci and Sobotka ought to be happy playing there, and the rest of them probably won't like the jetlag, etc. However it's on a weekend so....ROAD TRIP!

Stats!
Holy crap, the Bruins' powerplay is in the top half of the league all of a sudden.

Anything is possible.
GO BRUINS!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Game 57 Preview: Bruins @ Habs FOOTBAAAAUUUUUUUU

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Game 57
3 PM February 7, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs Habs (28-25-6)

Welp, losing this game would push the Bruins to tying their longest losing streak ever, set in the historic first season of the Bruins in 1924-25. They played in what is now Northeastern's Matthews Arena back then. Here's how that season went:

That year, the Habs won the Stanley Cup Finals by forfeit. That's right, one of their 24 or whatever cups was just handed to them because the players on the Hamilton Tigers went on strike. Probably reasonable for them to do, but it sure does help Habs fans get smug about total cups. Whatever. The Bruins went 6-24-0 that year, which isn't the worst first season ever for all teams, but it's pretty bad. Oh well.

I wanted the Bruins to break some records and end up with a lottery pick, but I didn't mean for it to happen like this.

Stats!
Go Saints.
GO BRUINS!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Game 56 Preview: Bruins vs. Canucks THIS IS IT

Game 56
1PM February 6, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs. Vancouver Canucks (34-20-2)

It's early. Here are the basics:

Canucks have the Sedin twins:
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Who play with Alex Burrows:
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Who did this:


With Ryan Kesler:
A Bruins loss today would get that last W out of the last-ten stat for us. Woof. That's really really bad. Like, edmonton-bad. We'd be sellers at the deadline probably, though I'm sure Chiarelli would rather first-round-exit than go for 2 lottery picks. Both are acceptable to me (or will be by the time the draft rolls around) but I'd rather not split the difference and end up with a shit season that isn't quite shitty enough. That's how the Maple Leafs got to where they are today.

RIP Brendan Burke. My heart goes out to both the Burkes as well as everyone else involved in the hockey program at Miami.

Stats!
GO BRUINS!

Friday, February 5, 2010

It's on.


Get to this video. Worth every second.
GO BRUINS!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Game 55 Preview: Bruins vs. Habs THE QUEST FOR ONE CONTINUES

Game 55
7 PM, February 4, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs. Habs (26-25-6)


The Montreal powerplay is humming along at a brisk %25.15, second only to Washington right now. And their PK is 8th with %83.48. The Bruins have the 2nd-best PK with 86.67, but our PP is still a dreadful 19th at %17.68. Basically, a man up OR a man down isn't ideal. Then again, neither is 5-on-5 really. Hmmm.

The Bruins haven't won at the Gahden since last year, they're on a losing streak not seen since the 50s, and generally things are pretty low. I don't think Ilya Kovalchuk's walking through that door, either. At least, not without trading Lucic or something.

Halak and Rask in net, in the battle of backups playing better than their anointed starters.

Mike Komisarek and Paul Martin are both out for the Olympics, so you no longer have to cheer for a villain. Tim Gleason and Ryan Whitney are taking their place. USA! USA! USA!

Welp, here's hoping they don't lose another one. Sigh...

Stats!
Haha, we have the same winning percentage. But 3 games in hand. Hmmm. Still pretty grim.

But wait, there's this little picture from the official Bruins twitter:
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Mustache in effect.
I've got a good feeling all of a sudden.

Hope Springs Eternal.
GO BRUINS!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Game 54 Preview: Bruins vs. Capitals WE'RE GOING STREAKING

Game 54
7 PM, February 2nd, 2010
NESN, 98.5 FM
vs Washington Capitals (37-12-6)
Welp.

The Capitals are on a 10-game winning streak. The Bruins are on a 7-game losing streak. Something's gotta give. Right? RIGHT?

Thomas in net. Stuart's out until after the Olympics. Mike Green is suspended. Meetup behind section 308 at intermission for group therapy session.

And now, local media personality Joe Haggerty with an uplifting message:One of the four guys who have played every game for the Bruins turned 42 yesterday. It looks as bleak as a post-apocalyptic wasteland. So lock and load.
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We're hunting Wussians.

Stats!
(high point: this is a trap game)
Hope springs eternal!
WE CAN DO THIS!
GO BRUINS!