Islanders

           Am I the only person who can't wait for the playoffs to begin?  With 3 games remaining in the regular season (thank god) the Bruins as of late seem to be " Coasting ", their games as of late have been boring.  I mean the Rangers game was kind of exciting in the 1st period but then got really boring I thought.
             Here are some stats before tonight's game.  Tim Thomas is 4-1-1 in the last 6 games with a G.A.A of 1.48 and a save percentage of .947.  Zdeno Chara in the last 10 games has 2 goals, 5 assists, and is a +10.  These 2 players have been IRON as of late and the Bruins will go as far as these 2 players can take them.  I realize it's not fair to put so much pressure on just 2 players but it's the truth.  If Thomas plays as well as he has been playing ALL season long they have a GREAT chance at winning the cup.  If Chara continues to be the shut down defenseman that he is and does what he does best which is stop opposing superstars from being superstars than we will win the cup. That's just my opinion.
               Now to tonight's game versus the New York Islanders,  In kind of a redemption game for the Bruins, after losing a 3 goal lead on Monday night to the Rangers, the B's I would think would of liked to come out tonight and play with a little more heart and effort.  They came out strong tonight in the offensive zone and neutral zone with some good passing and quality shots on net, and in the defensive end the Islanders seemed to be also moving the puck cleanly and beating the D-men to pucks in the corners and if not for the great goaltending of Thomas the Bruins would of been down early. Rick DiPietro also made some nice stops tonight keeping the Islanders close all game long.  With .08 seconds left in the first period Shawn Thornton in his 1st game back since he got a " skate to the forehead " game scored on a rebound. Thomas with 15 saves and DiPietro with 14 saves in the first both had strong periods keeping their teams in it.
                 Second period was again all about the offense on both side of the ice.  Michael Grabner got the Islanders on the board with a power play goal 3 minutes into the period to tie the game at 1. About 6 minutes later the Bruins scored 2 goals in a minute and 30 seconds, first was by Seidenberg on a shot from the point that went five hole on DiPietro, and the second was the Bruins FIRST 4 on 4 goal of the season scored on a nice play by Campbell.  It seems that the B's power play of old is back allowing Grabner to score a shorthand goal with 5 minutes left in the 2nd to make it a 1 goal game.  The power play went 0-3 tonight including a 5-3 in the first period.  It looked like the power play missed Tyler Seguin tonight, not getting anything going.
                  Third period was back and forth hockey with not many shot on net, the Islanders had 4 shots this period and the Bruins with 8.  The B's did come out strong with most of their shots coming early but nothing getting past DiPietro.  It's worth saying that tonight's best line was the 4th line of Thornton, Campbell, Paille scoring 2 out of the 3 goals tonight, and playing extremely well keeping the puck in the offensive zone getting chance after chance and beating out the Islander is every which way.

Quote of the night by Jack Edwards after a great save by Thomas.  " It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the Vezina trophy winner " I love it...

3rd Star = Greg Campbell
2nd Star = Tim Thomas
1st Star  = Shawn Thornton

Disappointment = First line of Lucic, Horton & Krejci and also the Power Play

Till Next Time,