Bruins Need Spark Plug

I'm sure in countless hockey rinks, football fields, and baseball diamonds across the country, parents tell their children that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's whether or not you put in the effort and have fun. Play your best, your hardest, but it's okay if you don't win. Because you did your best, your threw it all out there.

For the past three games of this road trip, Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien has seemingly practiced this methodology. Unfortunately for Claude and his Bruins, this method need not apply to the National Hockey League. Yes, there was the December to Remember. However, it is now late February, heading closer and closer to the playoffs and nobody remembers December. They remember a 1-3-1 road trip on the back of back-to-back home losses. 1-4-2 in their last seven.

Play hard boys, but it's okay if you don't win.

The 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay certainly wasn't for lack of effort. The Bruins relentlessly peppered Karri Ramo with shot after shot, 43 (paired with 41 aganst Florida) of them in all and were rewarded with three goals for those efforts. However, some untimely turnovers, poor defending and Manny Fernandez-quality goaltending, he gave up the 4 goals on just 18 shots, ouch.

Yes, the Bruins showed passion and intensity along with terrific energy. Shawn Thornton and Mark Stuart were both involved in fisticuffs with a pair of thrilling duels that energized the team. When PhiKessel netted his early goal things looked great, but then Tampa scored two in fifteen seconds and the energy changed. The Bruins fought back from behind twice, but still fell.

Now, 43 shots on goal are fantastic, but how many of those were bonafide chances? Along with the shots, the intensity of play seemed to wane until after Tampa had gone ahead with 1:33 to play.

Where has Boston's complacency come from? Jumping out to a huge lead in the Eastern Conference? Taking bottom of the conference teams like Tampa for granted?

Maybe it's the coach settling for effort and not results.

Patrice Bergeron still finds himself on the point on the top power play line. He looks timid and uncomfortable along the blue line and rightly so. He's a winger. Put him there already, please. Chara and Ward at the point on the top line did well, they were rewarded with it. Bergeron excelled on the second unit playing along the wall and putting his body in front of the net. Patrice's confidence wasn't raised as highly as Julien may have thought with that erm... empty net goal.

How badly do the B's need a sniper? I brought up the fact that the B's won't be where they need to be unless they find a sniper, and a friend responded; "Our sniper is injured." I laughed. Michael Ryder, as nice a goal scoring option as he is, does not a sniper make. The Bruins need someone who can score 35-40 goals in a season. Kessel is nice, Ryder is nice, having five guys who can net 20+ goals and a dozen who can net 10+ is nice, but you need someone that strikes fear into opposition goalies. Chara can do that, sure, but where's that full time offensive presence? The Sykora, Kovalchuk, Kovalev winger who can score from anywhere inside the zone?

No, the Bruins probably aren't able to get a player of their calibre. Especially with names like Keith Tkachuk and Erik Cole being bandied about. To think I know a couple of people excited about the prospect of Cole being a Bruin, but he's a fraud of a goalscorer. Not nearly the player he was in Carolina and not likely to ever be. Tkachuk? While it'd be nice to see the Massachusetts native play for the B's, he's basically washed up and wouldn't add enough to the team. In the end the fact is that they need a proven out and out scorer. The Bruins have players who can score goals, but they're very, very streaky. Consistency would do wonders for this team.

With the Caps inching ever closer to the B's, they could lose grip on the East's top spot. The Bruins are in a precarious position right now, despite what many may think.

It's already been proven that effort alone isn't enough to do the job.

Headlines For 3/12/08

It seems as if the headlines post from yesterday was a hit and as promised I will continue to put up a few headlines from each day and give the witty commentary that you've all come to know from me.

So let's get right into it:

Oilers' Cogliano Scores 3rd OT Game Winner In A Row

It's times like this that I realize why I love sports in the first place. Andrew Cogliano set an NHL record last night. Did you know this record even existed before I just told you? Unless you're the Schwab, I don't think you did.

I'm actually very impressed with this, but if you're the Blues and you know that the kid has struck in overtime in each of the previous two games, how do you let him get open in the slot like he did last night?



Edmonton's recent streak keeps them in a playoff fight, though their chances are pretty slim of getting in. They are currently seven points out with 12 games to play.

Price Blanks Devils 4-0

OK, some of you may recall my rant on the Habs for trading away Cristobal Huet and going with Carey Price who's only 20. I am beginning to think I may have been a bit hasty.

His recent play is mirroring how well he played earlier this season when I picked him up for the first time in my fantasy league. However, I will not fully retract the rant until I see how he does in the playoffs. He has all the tools and makings of being an absolute stud in the NHL, but careers are made and broken in the playoffs.

Crosby, Talbot Out Against Buffalo, Sykora Questionable

This is basically going to be an AHL battle between two teams that have been plagued by injuries.

The Sabres lost two defensemen most likely for the year over the weekend in Jaroslav Spacek and Dmitri Kalinin. Spacek is out indefinitely with a chest injury and Kalinin could be out a couple weeks with a shoulder problem.

Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters has been suspended for one game which he will serve tonight against the Penguins. Peters' suspension stems from the team's last game against the Rangers and an altercation with Colton Orr.

The Pens will be without Sidney Crosby and Maxime Talbot tonight and Petr Sykora is listed as questionable. Crosby expects to play in the team's next game against the Flyers where Marian Hossa is expected to return as well.

Stars' Ott Suspended For 3 Games

The NHL has suspended Steve Ott for three games after a vicious hit on Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold.

I'm glad the NHL is taking action like this. This was another hit to the head incident. The concussions in the league are bad enough already (just ask Simon Gagne who's suffered three this season alone) without guys going at each other's heads. There is no place in the game for hits like this at all.

Heatley's Hat Trick Sinks Bruins

I'm approaching this from my fantasy match-up standpoint. I have Daniel Alfredsson who normally plays with Dany Heatley. Alfie has sat out the last few games with back spasms, including last night. Seeing Heatley go nuts last night was bad enough knowing that I missed out on some points that will no doubt come back to haunt me later in the week.

As if it couldn't get any worse, the guy I'm playing in the first round of the playoffs has Heatley. This was the final kick to the groin that left me whimpering last night and Gopher gloating like he actually won the championship already despite being on bye this week.

Congrats Heatley on the hat trick...you better get Afie his due when he comes back this week to make up for last night.