Tag: Boston Bruins

Patrice Bergeron hugs all his Bruins teammates, salutes fans as retirement talk swirls

Could this be the end of the Bruins’ captain’s career?

Patrice Bergeron has been a staple of consistency for the Boston Bruins for 19 years since the franchise draft him in he second round of the 2003 NHL Draft.

But after the five-time Selke-winning center and his squad were eliminated from the playoffs by the Florida Panthers on Sunday night, he took a moment to say what could be goodbye as he contemplates retirement.

He hugged his Bruins teammates as they came off the ice — including a big one for Brad Marchand — before saluting the crowd for a second as he skated off to the locker room.

We’ll see if that’s indeed his last moment as Bruins player in front of fans:

Bruins announcer compares Boston’s playoff loss after unreal season to the Hindenburg

This is a little much.

Boston Bruins play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards has been known for some rants on air and some controversial calls.

This time, with the Bruins losing Game 7 in the first round to the Florida Panthers and getting eliminated after a record-breaking regular season? I guess I’d call this one a bit hyperbolic: “And this joyride ends in a Hindenburg-like ending! Bruins are the second record-setting team in a row to drop the series in the first round.”

A disaster for a team expected to be the favorites to win it all? Sure. Comparing it to a zeppelin disaster that killed some passengers and crew members? A little much.

NHL fans believed the Boston Bruins got struck by the Presidents’ Trophy curse after Game 7 loss

The Presidents’ Trophy Curse has struck again. This time, it hits the Boston Bruins.

The Boston Bruins are officially eliminated from the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Falling victim to the dreaded Presidents’ Trophy curse, Boston lost to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 on Sunday night, 4-3.

The loss came after a last-minute goal from Florida in the third period that sent the game into overtime, where Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe scored the game winner to send the Bruins packing. 

Boston was the clear favorite to contend for the Stanley Cup this year after its dominant regular season, but taking home the Presidents’ Trophy has tripped up plenty of hockey teams in the past.

It’s been since 2013 when the Chicago Blackhawks took home the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup that a team has been able to win both.

The TNT scorebug predicted the Panthers-Bruins game-tying goal right before it happened

The TNT scorebug for Bruins-Panthers predicted a game-tying goal before it even happened.

During Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers, the TNT scorebug predicted a major moment right before it happened.

As Boston led Florida at home with just a minute and a half to go, the TNT scorebug announced that the Panthers had scored a goal even though Florida was still down by a point.

Well, about half a minute later, Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour knocked in the dramatic equalizer to send the game into overtime.

In what was just likely a technical glitch, the TNT scorebug actually spoiled the seismic game-tying goal before it even happened.

The TNT scorebug really called it. The 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs have had plenty of intrigue so far, but it’s going to be fascinating to see all the reasoning for what exactly the scorebug knew that we didn’t.

All we’re saying is that the next time a scorebug predicts a score before it happens, we really need to keep score at home.

Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark nearly fought Matthew Tkachuk and NHL fans were so on board

LET THEM FIGHT!

The referees absolutely should have let Linus Ullmark and Matthew Tkachuk go at it here.

On Sunday, the Boston Bruins took a 3-1 series lead in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, putting the Florida Panthers one loss away from elimination in the first round. While early on in the third period, it looked like the Panthers were set to make Game 4 a close one, the Bruins scored three straight to put the game away 6-2 as the series pivots back to Boston.

Before the final buzzer sounded, however, tensions boiled over in a full on line scuffle between the two teams on the ice with a few minutes to play. And during the pandemonium, Bruins goaltender Ullmark threw down his gloves to tango with notorious Panthers pest Tkachuk!

Unfortunately, the referees stopped the pair from engaging in fisticuffs, but the moment was still awesome regardless.

Between this and the referees stopping a goaltender fight between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington not too long ago, hockey fans have truly been robbed of goalie brawls. Even still, NHL fans were so here for Ullmark wanting to throw down with Tkachuk in the heat of the moment.

Tyler Bertuzzi tried to break Nick Cousins’ hockey stick as petty revenge for being shoved during Bruins-Panthers

The petty levels were OFF THE CHARTS between Tyler Bertuzzi and Nick Cousins during Bruins-Panthers.

Boston Bruins forward Tyler Bertuzzi didn’t hide his frustration during an encounter with Florida Panthers center Nick Cousins during Monday night’s kickoff to the 2023 NHL playoffs.

As Cousins got a little shove on Bertuzzi during the contest as the latter was heading to the bench, Bertuzzi stole Cousins’ hockey stick and tried to break it once he got off the ice.

Cousins got another shove on Bertuzzi after he took the stick, which prompted the attempted petty destruction of hockey property.

To be fair to Bertuzzi, both he and Cousins look silly for the shoving-and-stealing squabble, and they’re lucky they didn’t send their teams to a 4-on-4 situation by dual penalties.

It’s hard to declare a winner here, as Cousins got his stick snatched away from him for shoving someone and Bertuzzi failed to actually break said stick in retaliation to the shoving.

There is clearly no love lost between these two teams in what’s sure to be a physical playoff series between the Eastern Conference contenders.

It’d be Bertuzzi who’d get the last laugh, as Boston topped Florida 3-1 to open the series.

Early 2023 NHL playoff betting odds favor Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche

Vegas really likes the Boston Bruins’ odds to win a Stanley Cup.

With the 2023 NHL playoffs right around the corner, Vegas thinks the Boston Bruins have the best odds of any team to hoist the Stanley Cup.

As of Friday, Bet MGM has Boston with +350 odds to win the NHL title this year, with the Colorado Avalanche (+700), Edmonton Oilers (+900) and Toronto Maple Leafs (+900) right behind the Bruins.

Boston sits atop the NHL with 135 points and a 65-12-5 record heading into the playoffs, the team positioned as a buzzsaw on its way to a Stanley Cup.

Vegas likes Boston much more than the team in its backyard, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Sportsbooks puts the Golden Knights with +1200 odds to win a title.

A Boston/Colorado Stanley Cup series would put a 2022-23 powerhouse against a recent title winner, and Vegas thinks it’d be the Bruins who would take the cake in that heated matchup.

No matter which way you slice it, Boston is veering toward another Stanley Cup. If you’re going to put down odds on an underdog, now’s the time.

Who is more under pressure to win a title this season: the Boston Celtics or the Bruins?

With excellence comes expectations, and the weight of such expectations can be a bit heavy at times.

While the citizens of New England are more accustomed to the region’s pro sports titles being won by the NFL’s New England Patriots or MLB’s Boston Red Sox, lately the Boston Celtics and the NHL’s Bruins have appeared in better position to win it all in their respective leagues.

But with excellence comes expectations, and the weight of such expectations can be a bit heavy. When it comes to Boston’s two title hopefuls, who is under more pressure to win a title this season: the Celtics or the Bruins?

Recently, Phil Perry and Marc Bertrand joined Trenni Casey on Arbella Early Edition to talk it over.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Connor McDavid had the most hockey player answer ever about scoring 50 goals

You couldn’t tell if this was Goal 50 or Goal No. 1.

A two-time Hart Trophy winner, you would’ve thought Connor McDavid had done it all in the regular season already. But the best player in the game achieved a notable mark for the first time on Monday night: scoring 50 goals.

Yes, despite all the accolades and prolific scoring from his career to this point, the incredible McDavid had not yet potted 50 goals in a season. And as he steamrolls his way to a third career Hart Trophy, it’s worth noting McDavid did this in 61 games.

Even in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins, it’s still something to see the Edmonton Oilers center outdo his own on-ice magic:

McDavid’s first time reaching the half-century mark for goals (along with at least 65 assists) in 61 games is also among the fastest in league history. It puts him in the company of some real legends:

But McDavid is a professional hockey player, and pro hockey players are known for focusing on keeping their noses to the ground whenever they can. So when the Oilers star was asked about what it meant to reach 50 goals, his answer was hilariously on brand:

I think I’ll speak for McDavid on this one: 50 goals is decidedly not just a number. It’s the latest hallowed accomplishment in a young career that is seemingly only growing in scope by the year.

Oddsmakers were so wrong about the Bruins, who are about to shatter their preseason points projection

The Bruins are absolutely cruising.

The Boston Bruins are having an incredible season.

They lead the NHL with a 45-8-5 record entering Monday, nine points ahead of the next-best team. They have a +95 scoring margin, which is 44 points better than the next closest team. And they’re still getting better, making a pre-trade deadline move to add depth — with more moves potentially on the way.

Heck, even their goalies are scoring these days.

It’s led to an incredible 95 points in the standings through 58 games, which far outpaces their preseason points total of 96.5. They can eclipse that number Monday against the Edmonton Oilers with 23 games left to spare. BetMGM likes them to do just that, favoring the Bruins to win at -140 odds.

Oddsmakers couldn’t have been more wrong about the Bruins, who they didn’t expect to be bad but weren’t exactly the highest on either.

After last year’s first-round playoff exit, Boston had the the 12th best title odds entering this season at +2800. Today, they’re the consensus favorite, holding +450 odds at BetMGM.

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