Stamkos/By S. Bradley
Tampa Bay superstar forward Steven Stamkos became just the sixth player in NHL history to record more than one 50-goal season before his 23rd birthday tonight, as he found the back of the net to reach the magic 5-0.
Victor Hedman added one goal and one assist, and Brian Lee registered two assists in a 6-1 rout in Tampa against a team that reportedly was the Bruins. You’d be forgiven if you didn’t believe those reports.
The Lightning won the shot battle 10-2 in the first and took a 4-0 lead to the first intermission. That forced a goaltender carousel by the would-be Bruins, who started with Marty Turco and then finished with Turco with a little Tim Thomas mixed in the middle.
Jordan Caron scored the Bruins’ lone goal. Tyler Seguin and Andrew Ference were both minus-4.
The Bruins’ lead on Ottawa for the Northeast Division lead is just two points with only one game in hand now. What was once a forgone conclusion — the division title and No. 2 seed in the East — has turned into something the Bruins are going to have to battle for over the season’s final 13 games.
Our pleasure. We have Gauthier at the helm so we might as well win as many as possible. He’ll screw up a high draft pick anyway.
Anyways, I know how you Bruins fans refer to Habs as smurfs so I figured you’d get a laugh out of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoxjOpqNnZQ
Personally, I don’t care if he’s small. I’m proud to have David Desharnais as a Hab.
So can we get a thank you to the Habs for keeping the wolves (Senators) at bay for at least one more game. It’s really hard to believe the Bruins could end up as the 7 seed (or worse?) going into the playoffs. As a Red Sox fan as well this is starting to feel very familiar…
The first two periods of Tuesday night’s Bruins game was one of the worst performances by a hockey team that I have ever seen – be it NHL, AHL, junior, peewee or mites.
There is nothing that the B’s are doing right. Julien might as well bench the whole team for tonight’s tilt at Florida; at least they won’t get banged up that way and there isn’t much shame in empty-net goals.
Forgot about Tuukka! We definitely need Rask healthy for the playoffs.
We need some healthy bodies back in the lineup. This will hopefully be the same team that was tearing ass earlier in the season (provided Horts and Pevs can get fit), some patience is in order. Boston’s play has been repugnant at times, but this team knows each other, they know what it takes to win in the postseason, and I’m confident they can turn things around.
On a positive note, it’s nice to see a little sustained productivity from Caron. Baby steps, very early, but it looks like he could eventually fit quite nicely on that third line.
The only thing in my mind that could go any worse would be Thomas going down for the playoffs and Tukka not being able to come back. PCL is right, this is downright embarrassing. If they were coming out and playing a hard 60 and losing to the better team, so be it. But for god sakes, put some damn effort into it. They aren’t even showing any urgency with Ottawa litteraly grabbing their jersey.
The first goal was a bit of a disgrace in my eyes and more in line with how things are going for us. My feeling is that call gets a no goal called 7/10 times straight up. If it’s called no goal on the ice and reviewed, more like 8 or 9/10 times. I mean really, where is the line on that? The first part of the slow motion reply on nhl.com was a giveaway in my eyes for the no goal.
Again tho, that was absolutely no reason for the game to go that way. I felt like screaming like Joey in the North End while watching.
BigJim…well this twice now that i am going to agree with you. Embarrassed I am not. Frustrated and in disbelief I am. But perhaps my lack of shame comes from me being surrounded by Habs fans and… well… the really stink.
i think the term embarrassed is ridiculous. can the team be embarrassed? sure. should they be? perhaps. should the fans be embarrassed? nope. the team in no way reflects on your life. your performance sitting on your couch watching the game has nothing to do with their losing. are you susceptible to public ridicule after the bruins performance? why be ashamed?
after two decades of mediocrity (at best) you’re now embarrassed of a team you “love” because they’ve been bad for two months. you must have been hiding your embarrassment your whole life as a bruins fan. put it in perspective is all.
They still lead their division by 2-points and when, not if, Ottawa catches and passes them, because the way that both teams are playing that is inevitable, they’ll be in the 7th spot.
They still lead their division, yes, but it’s a division that this year rivals the Southleast for ineptitude.
Bottom line, I love this team, and yes they’re the defending champs, but for those reasons is why I’m embarrassed right now. The effort is not there, the execution is not there, the grit is not there. All in all the big bad black and gold, which we’ve come to expect, respect, and love is not there and hasn’t been for a long while.
pcl,
i did think it was kicked a bit. even if it wasn’t the goal you describe shouldn’t be allowed either; i don’t like that rule. call me old school if you like.
it still seems a bit extreme to me to be embarrassed of the defending champs who still lead their division after 2 bad months plagued with injury. one can be disappointed all one likes but being embarrassed of the team is a bit exaggerated.
turco was not good but the team in front of him was awful too. one goal a breakaway, one goal kicked, second goal was terrible.
Sad to say, the only thing I could really get all that worked up about last night was for CJ to even bother playing Thomas when it was clear the team is in a death spiral.
PCL, I agree about first goal. And Jack Edwards really needed to let it go. Not that egregious to me, though since they called it no goal initially I thought it would have been more correct to simply confirm the call than overturn it.
I can’t really blame injuries. But clearly the “depth” that was recently signed is pretty shallow after all. Yikes.
Hey BigJim, is embarrassment warranted now? As you didn’t think it was after this weekend’s display. I couldn’t even watch past 1/2 way through the second and couldn’t even muster any enough ill will or energy to get upset about it as I don’t have much faith in the team right now.
For what it’s worth, I had NO problem with the first goal and I said so after the first replay. He angled his skate to defect the puck and in no way used a kicking motion to propel the puck forward/towards the net. I thought that was pretty clear…
Just when I thought I could not beat up on this team anymore wow, is this some kind of early April fools joke. Good thing Jack Edwards reminded me to put away sharp objects at the first commercial break. Five goal first period, goalies pulled, and TWO shots on Tampa wa hoo!!!! Marty Turco have you ever seen a goalie loose his stick as many times as he does and really for no reason? TO big Jim Scaloppini I think Corvo has some new competition. I think this team from P C down are a floating ship to no where. Rolston, Zannon, Motteu, Turco waste of money good try just send them down as soon as we get some bodies back or go find Sherriff Shayne and bring him back. I will not hide behind our injury’s many of those guys have been out for a while and there has been plenty of time to adjust. I feel like our guys just want to get to the golf course we will have to wait another 39 years for the cup return. But I will keep watching cause maybee between now and the end of this season when ever that is we might score a first goal, or hit some one, or kill a penalty, or score on a power play and oh yes make a save. this is ROCK bottom has to be.
March 2011: Bruins win just 7 of 15 games. No shalackings like tonight’s game though.
I realize that it didn’t matter in the end, but how was that first goal allowed? Seemed like a pretty clear kick to me…
But overall pathetic effort today. Turco was abysmal.
Can someone explain why the Bruins swagger has been sporadic at best since the game in Dallas? How could they not be ready to play tonight after the debacle in Pittsburgh?