MNF Pick ‘Em – Week 14

Posted on December 12, 2011 by davecouture

Monday, December 12, 2011

Rams @ Seahawks 8:30 PM

Tonight the Rams head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. This seems to be the norm for the prime-time schedule this year; two underachieving teams. This certainly won’t live up to the shootout that was on prime time last night when the Giants came from behind to beat the Cowboys. The Seahawks come off a long week after their impressive stomping of the Eagles last Thursday night, and like I said last week, I would not want to be a team that is fighting for a playoff spot that has to face the Seahawks. They have gotten it together later this season and I expect it to continue. It looks like Kellen Clemens will be making the start for the injury depleted Rams and that certainly doesn’t look to fare well for their chances of leaving with a victory.

Prediction: Seahawks 24 Rams 10

B’s Unable to Tame Panthers

Posted on December 9, 2011 by jtulz07

The Panthers aggravate me. I mean is there even ice in Florida? Anyways, I guess all good things come to an end. The Bruin’s went into last night’s game hoping to brush off their first loss (with no points) in over a month by snagging a W against the Panthers. Unfortunately things didn’t fall their way. The Panthers broke a scoreless tie with 2:32 left in the game and put in an empty netter just to add insult to injury. Thomas and Jose Theodore were both solid in net, as Thomas stopped 28 of 29 shots, and Theodore let none of the 40 put against him. Not too much you can do. The opportunities were there, but the offense just couldn’t find the back of the net. I mean they hit the post like 3 or 4 times in the first period alone. Rough. But not to worry. I hear people saying the B’s are on a 2 game losing streak, blah blah blah. Already being counted out. Remember, they’re still sitting atop the Northeast Division and aren’t going to give up that easily. After such an incredible winning streak, the past two games means a lot to the team. They haven’t been used to losing so even such a small skid will be an eye opener. Expect the boys to come out ready to play Saturday, returning home from Columbus with another tally in the win column.

B’s Jet Lagged

Posted on December 7, 2011 by jtulz07

Well it was a good run. After getting points in 15 straight games throughout the month of November and into early December, the Bruins finally met their match. The Jets. Aggravating when you think about it, but look at it this way. The pressure’s off now. We all knew the streak couldn’t last forever. We only lost 2-1, a close game and we didn’t have Seguin. Earlier in the day he had missed a team breakfast, presumably unintentionally, but still had to suffer the consequences. “Honest mistake,” Chiarelli said. “But we have team rules. He has to abide by them.” Regardless, the B’s can now feel a bit more relaxed without the bright spotlight of keeping the point streak alive. I expect them to have another strong month to cap off the year.

New NHL Layout (worth reading)

Posted on December 6, 2011 by christoph131

The NHL is changing their ways completely over the next few years, turning two conferences into 4. There will be two conferences with 7 teams and two with 8 teams. The Bruins consist of themselves, Canadiens, Panthers, Lightning, Leafs, Sabres, and Senators. Each of these teams we will play 3 times at home, and 3 times away. For every other team, we will play them once at home, and once away. This can be both good and bad:

Good:

Every team gets to play everyone at least once with home ice advantage.
There will be less traveling for west coast teams (which doesn’t really matter for us at all)
Games played in different time zones will be earlier so we won’t have to be up till 1 AM watching us smoke the Canucks and the Sedin sisters again this season
Only have to play the Caps and Penguins twice

Bad:

We will only see the Flyers twice, and that is usually one of the best games to watch during the regular season
It will be confusing as hell once playoff time comes..

Playoffs will consist of 4 teams from each conference going to the tourney (yes math geniuses, that’s 16 teams) Each conference will play within itself to find a winner. After that winner is found, the final 4 teams will be determined by total points. So there is no rhyme or reason telling us which conference we will play until right before it happens. We could play Vancouver in the semi’s now and play a team right in our back yard like the Islanders or Devils (if they both didn’t suck) in the finals.

It’s all still being voted on but it passed through the league and looks to be the final layout so get used to it. But until then, Go B’s!

Seguin, B’s Hit No. 1

Posted on December 5, 2011 by jtulz07

The NHL Power Rankings came out this morning on CBS, and to no surprise, the Bruins are posted up at the top of the ladder. With their incredibly successful month of November rolling over into the early days of December, the B’s moved from the No. 2 spot last week to No. 1 in Week 10 at 16-7-1, for 33 pts. The Bruins are currently ranked 1^st in goals against, allowing a mere 2.1 goals against per game and 2^nd in goals per game with an average of 3.4 pucks netted each time they hit the ice. Much of this success can be attributed to the depth of their team. I mean each line poses a threat. Going into tonight’s game vs. the Penguins, the B’s have four players in the top four spots for Plus/Minus Ratings. Yes, I said four in the top four, meaning the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th slots are occupied by Bruins. Atop the slate is the young stud Tyler Seguin. Following a competitive year where he struggled for playing time, the youngster spent the off season planning his coming out party. The early 2011-12 season is showing every sign of being his breakout year, as Seguin continues to establish a name for himself among the NHL’s best. Chara, Marchand, and Kelly polish off the other Plus/Minus spots, in that order as the B’s look to brush off Crosby and the Penguins tonight in Pitt in hopes of replicating November’s success.

Weekend Recap

Posted on December 5, 2011 by jtulz07

No complaints this weekend. Although a semi quiet stretch, Boston fans can start the week off on a good note. Both the Pats and Bruins continued to show dominance in their leagues, pushing themselves further ahead of the pack at the top of their division standings. After what seemed to be a complete blowout through 3 quarters, covering the 21 pt spread was denied as the Pats seemed to let up a bit entering the 4^th quarter. Whatever though, a win is a win. And besides, it was the Colts. We felt bad. The Bruins on the other hand had no remorse for Toronto, as they swept the Leafs in their back to back games this past week and all four on the season. An AFC East leader and a Northeast Division leader. These weekend recaps are starting to seem repetitive, but who’s going to complain? Happy Monday folks.

Boston is a Hockey Town

Posted on November 30, 2011 by jtulz07

It’s been four days since a CBA agreement has “tentatively” been reached, less than a month from a possible opening day (nearly 2 months behind schedule), and already the NHL has been put on the back burner. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up playing basketball but come from a hockey family, so I try to be as impartial as possible. A few days off and it feels like everyone has forgotten about the Bruins. Maybe it’s just the excitement of the NBA’s sudden rise from the grave, but we can’t forget where the Bruin’s stand. The B’s look to cap off an incredible month of November (11-1) tonight against the Leafs. A win will help them secure first place in the Northeast Division, pushing ahead of Toronto. The B’s have already won twice against the Leafs in the early season, so you can expect them to come out swinging. I’m confident this will be a game the Bruins won’t allow themselves to lose. Not only is first place on the line, but the B’s want to continue to prove that Boston is still a hockey town.

The Bear Hunt

Posted on November 16, 2011 by jtulz07

Now it’s only natural for teams across the league to be gunning for the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, but after a 3-7 start you can assume that desire began to dwindle. The B’s were looking more like the Nets of the NHL than a team eager to defend their title. As of late, things have begun to turn around. November has been a solid month so far for the reigning Stanley Cup champions (much better than for the NBA). The Bruins knocked off the New Jersey Devils last night to improve their November winning streak to six games. Back on the successful track, you can put money on the fact that the flame to take down the champs has once again been fully ignited. Aside from the win streak, the B’s have been physically dominating teams, incurring a few controversial headlines (cough Lucic) along the way. You best believe that teams are itching to get their shot at the Bruin’s now, especially come November 23rd when the B’s step on the ice in Buffalo.

B’s Back on Track – Thanks Tyler

Posted on November 14, 2011 by jtulz07

A bottle of blue Gatorade and some Advil on the nightstand was all it took, as the B’s quickly cured their Cup hangover and are again thirsty for victory. The young Tyler Seguin has stepped up his play immensely this season, leading the team in both overall points and goals while claiming the NHL’s first Star of the Week today. Last season he ended the year with 11 goals and 11 assists. Not bad for a Rookie who also contributed to bringing home Lord Stanley’s most prized possession. This year, only 15 games in, he has already racked up 11 goals and 9 assists for 20 points, 1 figure more than his age. Begs the question: What am I doing with my life?

Thursday Breakdown

Posted on November 10, 2011 by jtulz07

Well when you’re right, you’re right. The Bruins are back on track with a three game winning streak and the lockout still hasn’t ended. I guess anyone could have predicted the latter, but nonetheless I’ll give myself a pat on the back.

Elsewhere, not much has been able to shine through the ongoing story over at Penn State. Now, I don’t have too much insight about the situation, but you got to feel for old Joe. I would never stick up for the horrible actions that occurred there, but I mean over six decades of service and overwhelming success for the school and not one of the board of trustees would step up for the guy at all. Kind of sad when you think about. On the other hand that Sandusky guy deserves everything he’s got coming to him. Not enough room in this world for pathetic people like him.

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