Gallos' Musings about the 18th Game: Boston Bruins

No rant tonight folks.  Sorry.  The game hinged on a Cam Atkinson vs Milan Lucic match-up.  Lucic won it.  This is not a shock.  I love Cam, don't get me wrong, but I bet on Lucic in that match-up.  Cam tried to make a play, and I celebrate that. Heck, Anisimov ended up on the fourth line tonight cause he didn't take a shot from the high slot with no one in front of him and a clear shot at the goal but passed to a covered Gaborik on the wing instead which was really dumb, shoot the puck Arty!  So I understand where Cam was coming from.  The boys played well tonight, but lost to the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Overtime.  It is a typical Boston finish.  It's what they do, and it's why they are a good team.  If you want to beat them, you need to rise above this, but we join a long list of other teams that they have done this to, so give credit where it is due.

OK.  We are last in the Metro.  I figure I should be upset about that, but I'm not.  With the exception of the Rangers game, I have seen them beaten by good teams.  Not to dis the Rangers, its just we didn't play that game, and neither did they.  We made the Bruins play their game.  We played our game pretty effectively.  The Bruins game consists of sticking the dagger in your heart late, and they played that to a 'T'.  The Bruins play a very mature game, the CBJ's game is growing.  That said, we took them out of their game several times with hard offensive pressure,tonight in a good effort, but in the end....meh.  It's what it is right now.

This was a rich game for Ryan Murray.  Not that he didn't play well enough, but he was getting stretched.  Cool to watch him handling that.  Hey folks, there will be days when it don't work for him, but by and large he's already one of our best defensemen.  If he stays healthy, he may be a special player.  If so, there is nothing to do but enjoy his growth process at this point.  Some days it won't work.  That's what growth is.  So far though, he seems to avoid it not working.

Same with Johansen.  You can see these guys growing, day by day.  It is fun to watch.

I felt that the team got a big lift by the return of Nick Foligno.  He played well tonight, scoring a goal.  By the time the second period rolled around, Todd Richards was taking advantage of the flexibility having Foligno gave him.  During that period he ultimately had Umberger and Anisimov on Boll's line, because other people were outplaying them.  Funny how their play picked up as the game went on.

As I wandered past her between periods, sighing that the CBJ were in last in the Metro, Mrs. Gallos observed 'That's when they do some of their best work'.  She's got a point.  This season won't end early on these guys this year, and reinforcements are on the way.  Jenner, Calvert, and Horton are all moving on to the near term horizon.  Chipping away point by point at this juncture doesn't bury us.

So win at home tomorrow, eh?

Game haiku:

Cam versus Lucic

The game is on his stick, shot!

Block, rebound, goal, game.

Beat the Habs tomorrow!

GO JACKETS!!