Claude Ties Art Ross For Most Regular Season Wins In Team History As Bruins Post Impressive 4-2 Win Over Chicago
Can we start appreciating Claude Julien a little more around here for the job he’s done so far this year? Given a roster that had more new faces than Arya Stark’s day job and the looming threat of a fan/media revolt at any time after the team let him dangle after last season, the NHL’s longest-tenured bench boss has guided his charges to within striking distance of the #2 seed and should garner serious consideration for the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year.
So maybe tying the legendary Art Ross in regular season wins for a 92-year-old franchise will help shine a brighter media light on the job he’s done so far not only this year but since he arrived in Boston nine years ago. But what he’s done this season has been one of his best performances. He’s gotten the team through a handful of bumpy situations while juggling a D-corps that rivals the first season of SNL when it comes to not-ready-for-prime-time-players. He lost one of his most trusted, valuable forwards when Chris Kelly broke his leg yet again. And he kept a steady hand in the season’s dark early days when things could’ve gone off the rails quick.
Maybe it’s his low-key demeanor or deflective personality when it comes to taking credit that keeps him from having a higher profile in this town. But soon enough Claude will be the best coach in Boston Bruins history both statistically and anecdotally. He ought to be recognized and saluted for it. Even if he doesn’t want it.
Last night at the Garden, his team got him win #387 when they beat the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 in a spirited tussle on Causeway Street. It was one of the better efforts of the year not only because they notched a win against league iron but they also played a solid game on both sides of the puck as they stifled the soon-to-be Hart Trophy winner Pat Kane. Kane was held to just two shots, finished a -3, and was hardly his usual waterbug self. The Bs were outplayed in the third when the strategy was apparently to sit on the 4-2 lead and it worked as Tuukka Rask turned aside all 11 Chicago shots to secure the big two points.
With the Hawks playing the night before in Detroit, the Bruins were intent on getting an early jump on them and did just that when Patrice Bergeron scored his 25th goal of the season to stake his squad to a 1-0 lead just 1:18 into the game. Jonathan Toews knotted things up with a PPG but Brad Marchand picked a corner from the top of the left circle late in the first to re-establish the one-goal cushion.
2:31 into the second, Ryan Spooner’s power play slapper past a screened Scott Darling made it 3-1. About 13 minutes later new Bruin John-Michael Liles sent a sweet centering pass to a driving Loui Eriksson who batted the puck past Darling for a 4-1 lead. Tomas Fleischmann’s tally with 50 seconds left in the second kept it close for the Hawks but that’s as close as they’d get. The Hawks pressed hard in the third but couldn’t solve Rask again.
The Bs did a good job in transition, quickly getting the puck out of the zone and up to the forwards to start the rush. They were also pretty solid with their gaps all night which contributed to Chicago’s inability to manufacture the offense we typically see from them. New acquisitions Lee Stempniak and Liles have fit right in so far and combined for three assists last night (2 for Stempniak, 1 for Liles).
Though neither is a game breaker, each guy certainly enhances the line-up and the Bruins are better today than they were Monday as a result of the trades. Liles has provided a steady veteran presence that has been lacking all year in addition to the ability to move the puck up the ice. Stempniak has been an improvement over the young but inconsistent Brett Connolly on Patrice Bergeron’s line and looks to have found some early chemistry with Bergy and Brad Marchand. His presence also made the bottom two lines stronger overall.
Fans can nitpick all they want about the last two wins (and they will). But the bottom line is the Bruins got the two points in each and that’s all that matters. They can only play who is on the schedule or in the opposing net. Last night’s win gives them 78 points, putting them two points behind 2nd place Florida and 1st place Tampa Bay who both have a game in hand on the Bs.
The win also gives them a nine point cushion between themselves and the #9 team in East. But the division and #2 seed is right there for the taking. Winning the Atlantic ensures they won’t see Washington until the conference final. Last night was a big win against a tough opponent and it doesn’t get easier when the Caps drop in tomorrow night.
The feeling around this team is better than it was just a few days ago. Wins like last night only help the team’s confidence and cohesion going forward. And they have more than enough time to overtake the Sunshine State squads ahead of them in the standings.
letitbleedrearad@gmail.com