I was so excited for Game 1 of the Final! I spent the entire evening fighting off sleep and sure enough, the clock struck 2am and I was still up. Hockey Night In Canada tune ... anthems ... puck drop. So exciting, even more so than the previous games!
[Bruins-Nucks] 0-1. Intense game. Not exactly because of gameplay, but just because of what is at stake and both teams really wanting to win but obviously getting frustrated as time went on and no goals were scored ...
♦ But it started off with a barrage of shots by the Nucks in the first few minutes. Timmie had to show up early and in the first two minutes alone made about 5 saves, but at least the Bruins made it through the first minute without allowing a goal. If you have been following them these Playoffs, you will know it is not uncommon to happen
♦ It took the Bruins a bit longer to get the first shot on goal, well into the third minute but Luongo managed to deflect the puck with his skate. Would have been an easy tap in otherwise
♦ D. Sedin then performed some nasty high sticking on Chara giving the Bruins their first powerplay, all 4 minutes of it. The Bruins moved the puck around pretty well, but it was not really offensive and the Nucks had a very effective PK. Rather tame four minutes actually, instantly livened up by Sedin's return to the ice ... Timmie had some blistering saving to do straight away. What followed were a lot of intense moments and quite a lot of PPs
♦ The game settled in the last few minutes though, only to be livened up by a skermish right after the whistle was blown. Bergeron and Burrows got into it and I just read that Burrows bit Bergeron. What?!
♦ This period was the busiest in terms of SOG: 17 Bruins, 12 Nucks
♦ Onto the second period. This one started with a rush again. But the Nucks were - in my opinion - even less disciplined this period and soon the Bruins found themselves on a two man advantage once more. Unfortunately, again the special teams failed to monetise
♦ This period brought us the best hit of the game: Lucic got flipped over by Hamhuis (perfectly legally), but in the process Hamhuis managed to get himself hurt and he did not return to the ice once he finally skated off. Krejci did also crosscheck him as a bit of retaliation, but that was pretty gentle, so yeah, I am going with a self inflicted injury due to lifting a taller and heavier opponent. Still. Awesome hit, see for yourself (courtesy of NHL.com)
♦ Halfway through the period the Nucks to me looked just a bit more feisty, but the Bruins just grunted and beared it. Thinking back, Kesler had the biggest chance of this period shortly after that hit on Lucic
♦ The hit also served as a bit of a catalyst for the Bruins. They already had their share of penalties in the first period but seemed to have calmed down significantly, but the bear was loose again. Marchand wanted to retaliate a bit I suppose and made a great hit on Raymond, another flip. Seidenberg saw an opportunity to break away and did so but not without some kneeing first and was sent to the penalty box. Seconds later Peverley followed for hooking, giving the Nucks a 5-on-3 advantage. You would think that the Nucks would finally get a PP goal now, instead pesky Burrows got a penalty for tripping Timmie, making it a 4-on-3. Not nearly as exciting. This penalty seemed a bit unfair though, but Burrows had been a nuisance throughout the game, there had to be payback at some time. The game got very gritty
♦ But eventually things settled down a bit and we entered a much quieter part of the game, although by no means boring. Both teams were hunting for that first goal. What struck me towards the end of the second period is that neither team had a strong grip on strategy. Both Bruins and Nucks seemed to have a haphazard approach towards offence. Maybe it was the unsettling amount of PPS on which neither team managed to capatilise. End of second period and still no goals scored. Both teams had 9 shots on goal
♦ Third period, much of the same and the first big chance was generated by Hansen, who broke loose and went full speed ahead towards the Bruins net, but Timmie performed yet another awesome save. As we went to the final 10 mins of regulation, the Nucks picked up speed for a good five minutes, generating a few chances, but nothing paid off. Once again things settled down for the remainder of the third period and I think everyone had accepted the idea that the game would go to OT, but then Torres struck. 1-0 Nucks. Great goal too, but then it would take something special to beat any of the goalies this night
♦ The final period saw 10 shots on goal by the Bruins and 14 by the Nucks
♦ Funny moment 1: Thomas turning his back on the skermish at the end of the fist period and hitting imaginary posts (embedded via NHL.com):
♦ Funny moment 2: After the hit on Lucic and subsequent crosscheck on Hamhuis by Krejci, they replayed a barrage of crosschecks of Seids on Burrows I think it was (sorry, was too lazy to rewind during the game to ascertain) ... but no penalty awarded there. Could not find footage of this, but take my word for it, it was amusing
Final words. Not sure what to make of this game really. Great goaltending, that is a certainty. Both Timmie and Lu played an awesome game. The Nucks were a bit feistier. But the Bruins were steady and did not allow for much space. Both teams had 6 PPs and failed to score. For the Bruins this was expected, but for the Nucks less so. In the end I think the game was pretty even and either team could have/should have won. The Nucks got it this time, hopefully the next one will be for the Bruins. But both teams will have to work on some elements of their game and I want to see a bit more fireworks next time. Not talking about the goalies here, like I said, they were splendid!
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