“Rancourts Ready, it’s time to take to the ice so tie down the jersey ‘cause it could get ugly tonight.” -Dropkick Murphys
Marc Savard lies on a stretcher after Matt Cooke's hit in the last matchup against Pittsburgh (Photo courtesy of Getty Images).
So here we are. 11 days later. It’s the game everybody’s been looking forward to and it’s finally here. The eyes of the National Hockey League will be on Boston tonight.
Fans want to see a blood bath; commentators, analysts and writers around the league want to see character and dignity out of the Bruins; and coaches, management and players of the team just want to gain some respect back.
The reality of it is that the bigger picture lies ahead; bigger than a fight. Actually winning the game is at hand and the Bruins put themselves in the situation where tonight’s two points are prime, bigger than sacrificing the game.
Yes, tensions will be high. They should be. There will probably be a fight or two – as there needs to be, but in no way can the Bruins let this game out of hand.
Throughout the league, whenever analysts from NHL Network, Versus, NESN and ESPN discuss the matter at hand, the lingering questions remains whether or not the Bruins will retaliate against Sydney Crosby tonight, creating a ‘eye for an eye’ situation. In all likelihood, that likely will not happen. Crosby is the greatest player in the game and if the Bruins do retaliate in some way they are degrading the historic team they are representing.
The Bruins shouldn’t retaliate illegally, but they need to come out hard tonight, making clean and solid body contact against the number two team in the East.
What the Bruins need to do is what they did last season. On Nov. 1, 2008, the Bruins played Dallas and beat them both on the scoreboard and on the ice. During this game the team showed ultimate unity, sticking up for one another in every way possible. That needs to happen tonight. The most memorable moment of that game was probably the biggest hit of the season, Andrew Ferrence cleanly in open ice – shoulder into chest – on Steve Ott. Plays like that need to happen constantly tonight in order to prove a point: send a message and gain some respect back.
Zdeno Chara is someone who the Bruins need to have step up tonight both physically and in the offensive zone. Chara has tried to control the tempo of the game this season by not fighting, and by not getting as many penalties because he knows he is much more vital to the team on the blue line rather than in the box. But tonight should be an exception to that and Chara should step up early in the game, drop the gloves and demonstrate that the captain of the Bruins wont roll over and let his star player go down untouched.
NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell will be at tonight’s game in order to make sure there are no retaliations. Campbell, who made the decision not to suspend Matt Cooke, will be interviewed by Mike Milbury before the game on NESN. Campbell will also be speaking to both teams’ coaching staffs and general managers, according to NESN.com
The Penguins are vulnerable right now, coming off of a loss last night to New Jersey. The Bruins are just the opposite, after getting two points in Carolina on Tuesday, the team is finally coming home after a weary seven game road trip.
When focusing toward the actual hockey at hand, there are several players to keep an eye on during the game. Blake Wheeler has 4 goals and an assist over the past eight games and is one of the few Bruins who has consistently been causing some damage, but he is a game-time decision due to an illness that is running through the locker room. Dennis Wideman and Steve Begin are also a game-time decision due to the same locker room bug.
Mark Recchi has 3 goals and 7 points in the last eight games, and David Krejci has 3 goals and 9 points in his last eight games.
Click here for a video from NESN.com as they explain what they think the Bruins will do tonight.
Tags: blake wheeler, Bruins, Colin Campbell, Matt Cooke, nesn, nhl
