Hockey 2010-2011

[smc]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Is hockey any fun?

Originally Posted by transjen

Too watch or play?

the answer is a solid HELL YES on both

Flyersfan Jen

I'm with Jen on this, of course.

[k.sucks.you]

Sharks have won five straight and have been on fire since the All Star break. Eager and Wellwood are fitting in nicely. They have no injuries.

They are currently on a swing through the East to pick up some points. They shutout the Bs and the Caps. NJ is next.

Couture got the game winner in DC to pass Ovi for the most Game-winning-goals this year and to set the NHL record for most GWG by a rookie. He leads all offensive rookie stats in the league and is the clear favorite for the Calder trophy.

On the other hand, the entire Pacific division might make the playoffs. Detroit, Nashville, and Vancouver are the others at this point. It's insane how tight it is out west so anything can happen. 14 teams have a pretty reasonable shot at it. I just want to avoid overtime games to keep the points down.

-k

[smc]

Bruins 8, Canadiens 6! What a game last night.

Besides being a game with serious implications in the division (the Bruins now have a 4-point lead and a game in hand), it was simply epic. There were eight goals in the second period (evenly split between the Bs and the Habs). Seven of them came in 6:19! And there was enough fighting that Tim Thomas and Carey Price were even involved.

I'm sorry I missed a few minutes just walking home from the pub, where I was watching, before the second period was over. This was the kind of game where you don't even get up to use the bathroom!

[jdawg]

Its time we got somebody who would make the Bruins and Flyers think twice about starting shit on the ice with the Habs. We got absolutely embarrassed last night on national TV, on both freaking sides of the border, and I hope this pushes Gauthier to make some moves. I was pretty pissed off with losing the game, but watching us get beatdown only made the loss worse.

[smc]

Originally Posted by jdawg

Its time we got somebody who would make the Bruins and Flyers think twice about starting shit on the ice with the Habs. We got absolutely embarrassed last night on national TV, on both freaking sides of the border, and I hope this pushes Gauthier to make some moves. I was pretty pissed off with losing the game, but watching us get beatdown only made the loss worse.

Your first sentence is unclear. Are you suggesting that the Bruins are bullying? It seems to me that the Habs players are very happy to start fights, but not so keen on seeing them through by taking off their gloves.

[jdawg]

Originally Posted by smc

Your first sentence is unclear. Are you suggesting that the Bruins are bullying? It seems to me that the Habs players are very happy to start fights, but not so keen on seeing them through by taking off their gloves.

Of course the Flyers and Bruins have been giving us a physical game this year. I'm not whining about that, what I'm more concerned about is that we really don't have an enforcer yo do anything about it.

[dauls]

Kovalchuk, 1 goal, 1 assist.

...only 12pts behind 8th in the East.

[dauls]

Originally Posted by smc

Bruins 8, Canadiens 6! What a game last night.
...
And there was enough fighting that Tim Thomas and Carey Price were even involved.

The Thomas-Price incident looked more like a friendly attempt at a mid-game shirt exchange, not a fight. They looked a bit lost out there in centre ice.

A total of 180+ penalty minutes...insane.

[smc]

Thomas vs. Price Highlights Crazy Game

It was another kind of goaltender duel on Wednesday

Thursday, 02.10.2011 / 8:38 AM / Features

By John Bishop - BostonBruins.com

BOSTON -- It certainly wasn't the fight of the century or even the fight of the game, but Boston goalie Tim Thomas' wrestling match with Montreal netminder Carey Price will certainly be remembered as a highlight of one of the most memorable match-ups between the Bruins and Canadiens in some time.

"I?ve been playing a long time and it?s just never a situation where it?s worked out like that, but tonight it did," said Thomas of his decision to cross the redline and confront Price during a would-be line brawl during the second period of Boston's wild 8-6 victory over Montreal Wednesday night in TD Garden.

"He was jumping in," explained Thomas. "I went off the blue line and he backed into his crease.

"Then he went in again and you just can?t let it be an outnumbered situation and so that?s what I was thinking when I went down there.

"He was more than willing to fight," he said.

Thomas gave the fisticuffs some forethought.

"I had this big old plan," he said. "I was going to grab his right and I was going to throw lefts, because I know he?s bigger and taller and has a reach on me.

"When I went to grab he got a good hold on my right arm and I got nothing. So then I was like, 'Oh, now what do I do?'

"So I tried to switch arms and get my right free and I grabbed him by the back of the shirt and when he threw the right...I was trying to pull him off-balance and his shirt came off his head and then I fell.

"Actually, as I was falling my left arm came free, but then it was over. He fought with the fighter?s manners as far as not hitting when you?re down," said Thomas.

In truth, it wasn't much of a fight, but Thomas' dalliance with Price was very entertaining to his teammates who were torn between wanting to see it continue or never wanting to see the backstop boxing ever happen at all.

"It?s funny, because Timmy is a real intense guy, he is a real competitor and I just love to see his character come out," said Milan Lucic with a chuckle. "But unfortunately he fell early.

"You never know," continued the B's power forward. "You don?t want him to break a hand or like in [New York Islander goaltender Rick] DiPietro?s case break an orbital bone by catching a huge punch, but you know it?s good that no one got hurt.

"Timmy has been so good for us," said Lucic.

Boston Bruins Head Coach was diplomatic, but made his feelings clear.

"Well, it?s not something you like to see," said Julien. "You never like to see your goaltenders get into those kinds of things, but I'm certainly not sitting here and condemning him for doing that [in] the heat of the game.

"They were both willing combatants and you live with that."

Similar to his experience last month in Raleigh, where Thomas fell during the All-Star SuperSkills fastest skater competition, Thomas smiled widely after the somewhat awkward experience.

However, going forward, the NHL's top goalie didn't sound like he would make pugilism a habit.

"I found out early in my career that if I get into [teammate's] fights it throws me off my game," said Thomas. "I get that adrenaline rush and then I get the crash.

"So actually most of the time when my guys are fighting -- of course I?m rooting for them to win -- but I?m doing it from a distance, trying to keep my focus.

"That was the biggest adrenaline [rush]," explained Thomas of his own dalliance with the sweet science. "There?s a rebound from adrenaline.

"Now I really feel for the guys that fight., especially the ones that fight two times in one game. The rebound effect...drains you.

"But winning a game like that, that had to be entertaining for the fans," added Thomas. "It was a weird one to be in.

"I didn?t expect it. I don?t think anybody saw that coming."

[dauls]

Kovalchuk scores again after 4:36 of OT to help Lemaire claim his 600th win - but as we all know an OT win isn't a real win.

...only 13pts behind 8th in the East.