Game Highlights - Game #5 SCF: Boston Bruins Vs Chicago Blackhawks. June...

KANE SCORES 2 GOALS; HAWKS TAKE 3-2 SERIES EDGE

GOAL SCORERS

BOS:   Z. Chara (03:40 - 3rd)

CHI:   P. Kane (17:27 - 1st) , P. Kane (05:13 - 2nd) , D. Bolland (EN, 19:46 - 3rd)

GOALIES

BOS: T. Rask (L)

 CHI: C. Crawford (W)

         Last night in Chicago, the Blackhawks were looking to take advantage of home ice so they could take a 3-2 series lead back to Boston. 2 minutes in, Toews had a great chance in front but he hit the post, blocker side on Rask. With under 6 to play in the first, Sharp had a chance to make it 1-0 but Rask went post to post and robbed him with the blocker. 2 minutes later, Oduya's shot was stopped but Kane was there to stuff home the rebound to make it 1-0 Hawks after 1. The shots in the the first were 11-8 Boston. Early in the second, Bergeron pulled something in his lower-body range and he left the game and didn't return."As far as we're concerned, he's just getting evaluated right now," coach Claude Julien said. "Not much I can say on his situation."

     5 minutes into the second, Bickell centred the puck to Kane and he scored to make it 2-0 Blackhawks after 2. The shots in the second were 11-5 Chicago.  3:40 into the third, Chara's point shot beat Crawford to cut the lead to 1. Johnathan Toews sat the entire third period on the bench with a upper-body injury, he asked for a shift but was denied. Bolland would add an empty net goal as the Hawks win 3-1 and take a 3-2 series lead going back to Boston. In the win, Crawford made 24 saves. In the loss, Rask made 29 saves."This is what you work for all year, all summer, when you're training throughout the year, at training camp, whatever it may be," Kane said.

      "This is what you work for, this opportunity. We've got to seize the moment and take advantage of it." The last time the Hawks won the cup (2010) they won in 6 games in Philadelphia... Will it be another 6 game series? Only time will tell.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Game Highlights - Game #4 SCF: Chicago Blackhawks Vs Boston Bruins. June...

SEABROOK SCORES OT WINNER! BLACKHAWKS TIE THE SERIES AT 2-2

GOAL SCORERS

CHI:   M. Handzus (SHG, 06:48 - 1st) , J. Toews (06:33 - 2nd) , P. Kane (08:41 - 2nd) , M. Kruger (15:32 - 2nd) , P. Sharp (PPG, 11:19 - 3rd) , B. Seabrook (09:51 - OT)

BOS:   R. Peverley (PPG, 14:43 - 1st) , M. Lucic (14:43 - 2nd) , P. Bergeron (PPG, 17:22 - 2nd) , P. Bergeron (02:05 - 3rd) , J. Boychuk (12:14 - 3rd)

GOALIES

CHI: C. Crawford (W)

 BOS: T. Rask (L)

      Last night in Boston, it was Game 4 on the 2013 Stanley Cup finals between the Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bruins were on home ice and looking to take a 3-1 stranglehold on this series, but the Hawks had other plans. 7 minutes in with the Hawks shorthanded, Saad came in on a 2 on 1 and he played the puck to Handzus and he scored to make it 1-0 Chicago. That was the first goal that the Blackhawks scored in 120 minutes. Late in the period with the Bruins on another powerplay, Saad tries to clear the puck and it goes right to Peverley and he ripped a shot past Crawford to tie the game. The shots were 12-9 in favor of Chicago after 1.

        Coming into this game, Toews hadn't scored in 10 games thats his longest playoff drought in his career. But 6 minutes into the second that drought would come to an end as Toews deflects a Rozsivals shot past Rask to give the Hawks the lead. 2 minutes later, Bickell's shot was stopped, but Kane was there to put home the rebound to make it 3-1. But the Bruins don't give up. With over 5 minutes to play in the second, Lucic would cut the lead to 1. The Hawks would respond in a hurry, 50 seconds later, Frolik centred the puck to Kruger he went to his backhand and was robbed by Rask, but he found the puck and stuffed it in to make it 4-2.

       Late in the second with the Bruins on a powerplay,  Chara's shot went wide and it bounced off the glass in behind the net and back in front right to Bergeron who had an east tap in to cut the lead to 1 again. The Bruins never seem to quit. The shots in the second were 13-11 Chicago. 2 minutes into the third, Jagr played the puck to Bergeron (at the top of the right circle) and he one timed a shot into the back of the net to tie the game again. At the half way point of the third, Chicago was on a powerplay. Hossa's shot from the point was stopped, but Sharp put home the rebound to make it 5-4. 55 seconds later, Boychuk slapped a shot past Crawford from the point to tie the game at 5-5.  We will need overtime. The shots in the third were 16-8 Chicago.

      9:51 into O.t,  Seabrook had the puck at the point and he fired a bullet past Rask to win the game and tie the series at 2-2 going back to Chicago. "It [was] time to put all those other games behind us -- the games where we struggled to score, forget about it, just find a way to do what you do," Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. "It was fun to see the puck go in as often as it did tonight. We know we can be better defensively. But we'll use that confidence and try our best to pounce on them in [Game 5]."In the loss, Rask made 41 saves. "It is not fun. We battled back many times, didn't make it easy on ourselves," said Rask.. "At the end of the day, it is a one-goal game and they get it. We just made it too tough on ourselves. Not our best night."In the win, Crawford made 28 saves.

       "It's exciting," Seabrook said. "Everybody worked so hard tonight, everybody's worked so hard through the playoffs, we're all contributing. It doesn't matter if I score, or anybody else scores; it's nice to get the win and move on to the next day. I think it's definitely exciting to score in an overtime game, an overtime goal. But at the end of the day it's just a win and we still need two more, so..."The Hawks deserved to win this game along with a few other games in this series, but the main problem was they couldn't score on Rask. But it looks like the either solved him or he had a little bit of an off night, only time will tell. You can read about the remainder of this series right here on this blog. Game 5 is Saturday night in Chicago.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Game Highlights - Game #3 SCF: Chicago Blackhawks Vs Boston Bruins. June...

NHL Stanley Cup Finals 2013 - Chicago Blackhawks vs Boston Bruins | Game 2

NHL Stanley Cup Finals 2013 - Chicago Blackhawks vs Boston Bruins | Game 1

STANLEY CUP FINAL - GAME SUMMARY SCHEDULE

I will be writting about the following games during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final:
GAME 1 (DONE)
GAME 4
GAME 5 
GAME 6
GAME 7

- Andrew Di Pardo

HAWKS WIN IN 4-3 IN TRIPLE O.T TO TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD

GOAL SCORERS

BOS:   M. Lucic (13:11 - 1st) , M. Lucic (00:51 - 2nd) , P. Bergeron (PPG, 06:09 - 3rd)

CHI:   B. Saad (03:08 - 2nd) , D. Bolland (08:00 - 3rd) , J. Oduya (12:14 - 3rd) , A. Shaw (12:08 - 3rd OT)

GOALIES

BOS: T. Rask

 CHI: C. Crawford

        
          Earlier tonight in Chicago, it was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins. This is the first time in NHL history that these two teams will meet in the Cup Finals. Early on in the game, the Blackhawks came out hitting like the Bruins. But their strategy wouldn’t work as Boston would get on the board first with a goal from Lucic. The Bruins lead 1-0 after 1 and outshot the Hawks 11 to 8. 51 seconds into the second, Krejci came up the left wing and centred the puck to Lucic and he one timed a shot past Crawford for his second of the night to make it 2-0 Boston. Chicago dominated the rest of the period from there. As just 2 minutes later, Hossa centred the puck to Saad and he scored his first career playoff goal to cut the lead to 1.

The shots in the second were 16 to 6 in favour of the Hawks but once again the defence of the Bruins and goaltender Rask were just too good. 6 minutes into the third with the Bruins on a powerplay, Bergeron one timed a shot into the back of the net to make it 3-1. 2 minutes later, Krug threw the puck up the middle, Shaw intercepted it and centred the puck to Bolland and he scored to cut the lead to 1. 3 minutes later, Oduya’s shot from the point was deflected off the skate of Ference and in to tie the game. So were off to overtime. The shots in the third were 15 to 8 in favor of Chicago.

        There was no score in the first o.t and the Bruins dominated, outshooting the Hawks 11 to 8. The closes the Bruins got to ending the game was when Horton hit the post. No one could find the back of the net until late in the 3rd overtime when, Rozival took a shot from the point and it was tipped in by Shaw and the Hawks take a 1-0 series lead. In the win, Crawford made 51 saves. In the loss, Rask made 59 saves. Now both of these teams will get a much needed two days off before Game 2 on Saturday night.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

2013 STANLEY CUP FINAL PREVIEW: Blackhawks Vs Bruins

Bruins: 28-14-6, (62 points), 4th in Eastern Conference
Blackhawks: 36-7-5, (77 points), 1st in Western Conference
 SEASON SERIES:  Did not play each other.  

Players to watch:  J. Toews (CHI), M. Lucic (BOS), P. Kane (CHI), B. Marchand (BOS), D. Keith (CHI), D. Krecji (BOS), M. Hossa (CHI), T. Rask (BOS).

               It that time again, its the Stanley Cup Final, a little bit later than usual do to the lockout. But it will be a great original 6 match up between the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks. At the begging of the playoffs everyone (including me) expected a Chicago vs Pittsburgh match-up, but it seemed that Rask and the Bruins were too tough to stop as they have surprised everyone by returning to the cup final. Lets jump back to how it all began for Boston back in round 1 of the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins were the dominating force through the first 4 games of the series and were in control with a 3-1 series edge. But Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer was not willing to give up. He made spectacular saves in game 5 to force a game 6. Game 6 was another 30 plus save performance for Reimer that lead to a game 7.

        In the third period of game 7 with 10 minutes to play, the Leafs were in control with a 4-1 lead. Horton scored to cut the lead to two. Things were still looking good for Toronto as they had a 4-2 lead with under two minutes to play. The Bruins pulled the goalie and Lucic scored with 1:22 to go. Then 30 seconds later, Bergeron tied the game. Then he won it in overtime as Boston eliminated Toronto and are the first team in NHL history to come back down 4-1 in a Game 7. As for Chicago they got through a beaten up Minnesota Wild team in 5 games. Onto round 2, Boston eliminated the Rangers easily in 5 games. As for the Blackhawks, they were up 3-1 in a series against the Detroit Red Wings, but thanks to Goalie Jimmy Howard the series went to 7 games. The game was tied at 1-1 late in the third when, Hjalmarsson scored over the glove of Howard, but the goal was waved off due to 2 players being in a wrestling match near the Red Wings bench. Seabrook scored to win the game in overtime.

      Round 3, The Bruins battled with the heavily Favorited Penguins. Boston swept the series and held Pittsburgh's stars, Crosby and Malkin to 0 points. They won the series mainly thanks to Rask as he made 40 saves every-game in the series and his highlighted game was Game 3 when he made 53 saves in a double O.t win. As in the Western Conference, Patrick Kane had a hat-trick game to lead Chicago to a 4-3 double O.t win win in Game 5 against the Stanley cup champs to advance to the finals against Boston.

          Now onto the matchup between the Hawks and Bruins. I no doubt believe that Boston has no chance at winning this series, the only reason they are where they are is due to outstanding goaltending from Rask and clutch goals from Bergeron and Horton. The only way Boston will win this series is if Rask stands on his head. As for Chicago, due to their "Video game" type skill I think they win the series in 5 games. They will be lead by Crawford in goal and their captain Johnathan Toews will step up and becoming once again a terrific goal scorer and passer.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

2013 STANLEY CUP FINAL
SERIES O	TIME (ET)	#1 vs. #4	Networks
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013	8 p.m.	BOSTON AT CHICAGO	NBC, CBC, RDS
SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2013	8 p.m.	BOSTON AT CHICAGO	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2013	8 p.m.	CHICAGO AT BOSTON	NBCSN, CBC, RDS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013	8 p.m.	CHICAGO AT BOSTON	NBC, CBC, RDS
*SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2013	8 p.m.	BOSTON AT CHICAGO	NBC, CBC, RDS
*MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2013	8 p.m.	CHICAGO AT BOSTON	NBC, CBC, RDS
*WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013	8 p.m.	BOSTON AT CHICAGO	NBC, CBC, RDS

* If necessary

Bruins-Leafs Game 7 2013 NESN Highlights 5/13/13

BRUINS COME BACK DOWN 4-1 TO BEAT THE LEAFS & WIN THE SERIES

GOAL SCORERS

TOR:   C. Franson (PPG, 09:35 - 1st) , C. Franson (05:48 - 2nd) , P. Kessel (02:09 - 3rd) , N. Kadri (05:29 - 3rd)

BOS:   M. Bartkowski (05:39 - 1st) , N. Horton (09:18 - 3rd) , M. Lucic (18:38 - 3rd) , P. Bergeron (19:09 - 3rd) , P. Bergeron (06:05 - OT)

GOALIES

TOR: J. Reimer (L)

 BOS: T. Rask (W)

       Last night in Boston, it was Game 7 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Bruins. Earlier in the series, the Leafs trailed 3-1 and thanks to Reimer they tied the series at 3-3 and now they were looking to take the series. 5 minutes in, Franson gave the puck away to Bartowski and he ripped a shot past Reimer to make it 1-0 Boston. 4 minutes later with Toronto on a powerplay, van Riemsdyk's shot was stopped and Franson was there to tap home the rebound and the game is tied. The shots in the first were 12-7 Toronto. 5 minutes into the second, the Leafs took the lead on a shot from Franson from the point. They would take that lead into the third. The shots in the second were 8-6 Toronto.

      2 minutes into the third, Van Riemsdyks shot was stopped and the rebound went to Kadri and he hit the post, but Kessel tapped it home to give the Leafs a 3-1 lead. "He Scores! Thank you Kessel," says the Leafs broadcaster on Am640. Just 3 minutes later, Kadri scored to make it 4-1. Game over right? At the 10 minute mark, Lucic centred the puck to Horton and he scored to cut the lead to 2. Then with 3 minutes to play, Fratton had a breakaway and he missed the net. A few minutes later, Chara's point shot was stopped and Lucic put home the rebound to cut the lead to 1. With under a minute to play, Bergerons shot from the point beat Reimer to tie the game at 4-4. We would need overtime.

         6 minutes into O.T, Seguin fires a shot and it was stopped but the rebound went right to Bergeron and he scored to complete the comeback as the Bruins advance and the Leafs get eliminated. This was the first time in NHL history that a team has comeback down 3 goals in a Game 7 to win."We stayed resilient—I guess that's what I can say," said Bergeron, who had just one goal in the first six games. "We found a way. Not necessarily the way we would've liked to play the whole game, but like I said, we showed some character coming back in the game and we found a way in overtime. We had the momentum, I thought, and our legs were back. It felt good." In the loss, Reimer made 30 saves. In the win, Rask made 24 saves.

The Bruins will now play the New York Rangers in Round 2 of the playoffs.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

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