Thursday's "I still have my razor ready" Bruins...

[the mugs]

Down 3-1...Backs to the wall...There's no tomorrow...All the cliches are flying...Seriously, this should be it tonight.

BOSTON BRUINS at NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Continental Airlines Arena; E. Rutherford NJ
7:00 PM (ET) - Gametime

Tonight?s Game
The Bruins visit the Devils tonight in the fifth game of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series. The Devils lead the series, three games to one.

2003 Eastern Conference Quarter-Final Series
Game One: Wednesday, April 9 at New Jersey
The Devils took game one of this series by a 2-1 score. Jamie Langenbrunner scored both New Jersey goals with one in each of the first two periods, while Bryan Berard tallied for Boston with a third period goal. Martin Brodeur took the win in net for New Jersey facing 27 shots and Steve Shields earned the loss in goal for Boston facing 28 shots.

Game Two: Friday, April 11 at New Jersey
The Devils won the second game of this series by a 4-2 score. The Bruins struck first on a Glen Murray goal and then the Devils scored the next two on goals by Jeff Friesen and Brian Rafalski. Boston evened the score with a Dan McGillis tally, but the Devils scored twice in the third period (Jamie Langenbrunner and Joe Nieuwendyk) for the 4-2 final. Martin Brodeur took the win in net for New Jersey facing 26 shots and Steve Shields earned the loss in goal for Boston facing 30 shots.

Game Three: Sunday, April 13 at Boston
The Devils took game three of this series by a 3-0 score with New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur making 29 saves for the shutout. Scott Stevens and Jay Pandolfo staked the Devils to a 2-0 lead before John Madden closed the scoring with an empty net goal. Jeff Hackett faced 22 shots in goal for Boston.

Game Four: Tuesday, April 15 at Boston
The Bruins won their first game of this series with a 5-1 victory. Boston went out to a 3-0 lead after two periods behind goals from Joe Thornton and two from Dan McGillis. The teams then combined for three goals in a two-minute span early in the third period, with New Jersey's Scott Niedermayer scoring at 1:37 and Boston's Martin Lapointe and Marty McInnis scoring at 1:45 and 3:37 for the 5-1 final. Jeff Hackett earned the win in net for Boston while facing 25 shots, while New Jersey's Martin Brodeur took the loss in goal with five goals against on 24 shots in 43:37 of play before being replaced by Corey Schwab, who stopped all six shots he faced.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins and Devils are meeting for the fourth time in post-season play with the Devils holding a two-to-one series lead, a 14-8 edge in playoff games played and a 65-60 scoring edge in those 22 post-season games. The Bruins won the first series between these teams with a four games to three victory in the 1988 Prince of Wales Conference Championship series. The Devils won the next two series with a four games to two victory in the 1994 Eastern Conference Semi-Final series and a four games to one win in the 1995 Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series. The Devils currently lead this series, three games to one.

Bruins Regular Season Recap
The Bruins finished the regular season with a 36-31-11-4 record, 23-11-5-2 at home and 13-20-6-2 on the road. The Bruins were 9-9-1-1 vs. Northeast Division opponents and were 27-22-9-2 overall vs. Eastern Conference opponents. They outscored opponents by a 245-237 margin while outshooting opponents, 2636-2322, on the season. They finished the season taking points out of six of their last eight games (3-2-0-3) and 12 of their last 17 contests (8-5-3-1). The Bruins were 3-3-3-0 in the nine games since Mike O'Connell replaced Robbie Ftorek behind the bench on Mar. 21.

Recent Devils Games
The Devils finished the regular season with a 46-20-10-6 record, 25-11-3-2 at home and 21-9-7-4 on the road. The Devils were 13-2-5-0 vs. Atlantic Division opponents and were 33-15-10-2 overall vs. Eastern Conference opponents. They outscored opponents by a 216-166 margin on the season. They finished the season taking points out of their last 11 straight games at 6-0-4-1.

Upcoming Series Schedule
If necessary, game six :lol: in Boston on Saturday, April 19 (time and television TBA; WBZ Radio) with game seven :lol2 in New Jersey on Monday, April 21 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio).

Bruins Injuries
Bryan Berard: Shoulder injury suffered Apr. 13 vs. New Jersey; day-to-day.
Sean O'Donnell: Foot injury suffered Apr. 3 in New Jersey; day-to-day.
Krzysztof Oliwa: Back strain suffered Apr. 1 in Ottawa; day-to-day.

Bruins April Transactions
Apr. 3: Andy Hilbert recalled from Providence/AHL.
Apr. 5: Andy Hilbert and Andrew Raycroft returned to Providence/AHL.
Apr. 12: Tim Thomas returned to Providence/AHL.

 

[the mugs]

Injuries

Injuries

BRUINS WEBSITE HAS BERARD AS A DAY TO DAY

Boston Injuries
Krzysztof Oliwa LW Back day-to-day
Sean O'Donnell D Foot day-to-day
Richard Brennan D Ankle Out indefinitely

New Jersey Injuries
Ken Daneyko D Ribs day-to-day
Sergei Brylin C Wrist Early May
Mike Danton F Suspension Out indefinitely

 

[the mugs]

Recent Meetings

Recent Meetings

Date Home Away Line ATS
4/15/2003 Bos. 5 NJ 1 1.5,-240/4.5 Bos./O (PLAYOFFS)
4/13/2003 Bos. 0 NJ 3 1.5,-300/5 NJ/U
4/11/2003 NJ 4 Bos. 2 -1.5,150/5 NJ/O
4/9/2003 NJ 2 Bos. 1 -1.5,140/5 Bos./U

4/3/2003 NJ 1 Bos. 1 -0.5,-200/5 Bos./U (02-03)
3/13/2003 Bos. 4 NJ 3 0.5,-145/5 Bos./O
2/21/2003 NJ 3 Bos. 2 -0.5,-150/5 NJ/P
12/30/2002 Bos. 0 NJ 1 -0.5,105/5 NJ/U

4/7/2002 NJ 3 Bos. 2 0,-155/5 NJ/P (01-02)
11/15/2001 Bos. 5 NJ 4 0,110/5 Bos./O

 

[the mugs]

Recent Trends

Recent Trends

BOS is 4-2 ATS in the last six meetings.
The under is 6-2 in BOS's last eight road games.
BOS is averaging 2g/gm in their last four.
The Devils are 12-2 ATS at home following a loss.
The under is 5-2 in NJ's last seven overall.
NJ is 1-3 ATS in their last four home games.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Globe 4-17-03

Boston Globe 4-17-03

Samsonov game enough to play

But workouts out of the question

WILMINGTON -- Arms crossed, a slight bulge obvious where surgeons mended his right wrist, Sergei Samsonov said yesterday he won't practice again this season, but added that the wrist was ''manageable'' enough for him to suit up for the Bruins' remaining playoff game(s).

''This is a good schedule to be on,'' said Samsonov, who had a bone graft to fix his cracked wrist Dec. 24. ''With a day off [between games] I can rest it.''

When Samsonov skipped practice Saturday, following Game 2 of the series against the Devils, it triggered some alarms among the media. Avid about his conditioning, it was odd that the 24-year-old left wing took the day off the ice, especially after missing weeks and months to his wrist injury this season. General manager/coach Mike O'Connell over the weekend made it sound routine that Samsonov skipped the practice, but it has become clear that Samsonov is sitting out because of the pain and soreness related to his recovery from surgery.

''During the game, on the ice you forget about it,'' said Samsonov, who has picked up two assists in four playoff games. ''The place you feel it a little bit is the grinding, the play around the boards, using your hands to battle for the puck.''

Samsonov has been skating most of the time with Jozef Stumpel and Marty McInnis during the playoffs. He also has spent time on the No. 1 line, with Joe Thornton and Glen Murray. One of the NHL's elite performers, Samsonov's diminished offense has not helped the Bruins maintain a sustained attack. It's never easy to crack the Devils' defense, but Samsonov, fully healthy, would pose a greater threat.

=====

O'Connell didn't skate with the downsized crew that chose to skate and shoot. The practice was left in the hands of Gerry Cheevers, Wayne Cashman, and Sullivan...

The Bruins won a beefy 69 percent of Game 4 faceoffs. O'Connell put down the edge to determination. Some of it could be Sullivan, who was a faceoff specialist in his NHL playing days...

The Bruins have eight goals in the series -- four from defensemen, four from forwards. The Bruins scored 18 times in six postseason games last season with the Montreal Canadiens. Nick Boynton had the lone goal among the Boston backliners last spring...

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Of the 30 series the Bruins have lost after falling into a 2-0 deficit, a dozen of those series have ended in five games...

The seven times that they have gone 0-3 in a best-of-seven series, they have never extended the series beyond a fifth game. They were swept four times, and three times were KO'd in Game 5.

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Bruins wing Krzysztof Oliwa has been a DNP all series because of what has been described as a back strain. But Oliwa, who has New York ties with both the Rangers and the Devils, said he is fine and is just waiting for a chance to play.

 

[the mugs]

Globe 4-17

Globe 4-17

Bruins remain realistic

They know uphill climb tough despite first step

WILMINGTON - For now, they remain the boys of winter or early spring, not summer, which would have meant that their season was over and it was time to concentrate on other pursuits.

That schedule was created Tuesday night with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Because of that victory there will be a Game 5 tonight in New Jersey as the Bruins try to change the description of victory in this series from impossible to improbable.

The Bruins know the odds of overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs are on the lines of winning the lottery. But they saw signs in Tuesday's game that the Devils, and particularly goalie Martin Brodeur, are vulnerable and even beatable, traits not evident in the first three games.

''Hey, it proves that [Brodeur] is human,'' said Bruins left wing Sergei Samsonov, who knows that if Brodeur is to be kept from regaining superhuman status, the Bruins will have to do what they did in Game 4 - grab an early lead. ''What you don't want to do is fall behind, 1-0 or 2-0, against a team like that.''

Getting the lead is crucial to the Bruins, and they know it. ''I know that getting up, 2-0, definitely changed the way we played and changed the way they played,'' said Bruins general manager/coach Mike O'Connell.

The Bruins still recognize that the climb they have is steep and while the pressure is intense, there is also a relaxed attitude that is very close to ''What will be, will be.''

''In one sense, we don't have anything to lose,'' said right wing Lee Goren. ''The way we look at it is that we're in four one-game series. If we win one game, we go on to the next series, and play as long as we can.''

The one thing the Bruins aren't expecting is another open season on Brodeur, who was pulled a little more than three minutes into the third period Tuesday after the Devils fell behind, 5-1. ''You expect he's going to be very good again [tonight],'' said O'Connell.

'' [The players] know they can beat him now,'' he said. ''They have scored goals on him before. I would think they have more confidence now.''

O'Connell reiterated the importance of the Bruins getting off to a quick start and said his team's mind-set will be apparent quickly.

''We'll know right off the bat,'' he said. ''If we're sharp in certain areas, sharp passing, puck gets deep, you can tell. There are certain areas that you can tell right away.''

One of the areas is winning faceoffs. In Sunday's 3-0 loss, the Bruins were a split-second slow. On Tuesday night, they were a split-second quicker. ''The players made a decision to win it,'' said O'Connell, making it sound so simple.

The other key area, obviously, will be in goal, where Bruin Jeff Hackett is coming off only his third playoff win in nine games over a 14-year NHL career.

Hackett said he understands the pressures of not only playing with a 3-1 deficit, but also playing in a game where scoring the first goal is so important.

''Sure, you're aware of it,'' he said. ''They're a difficult team to deal with because of the style they play, where if they get up a goal, it makes it so much harder.''

The Bruins say they will do what they can to help Hackett and also put the pressure on Brodeur by dumping pucks in front of the net and hoping something good happens.

They did it Tuesday night, and hope they can do it again tonight.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Herald 4-17-03

Boston Herald 4-17-03

First things first: Odds better for Bruins if they net opening goal

WILMINGTON - An easily overlooked number may be the most significant and revealing statistic this season about the New Jersey Devils: record when scoring the first goal of a game.

The Devils hardly were a high-scoring team during the regular season, yet 48 times they claimed a 1-0 lead in a game and twice more in the playoff series against the Bruins. Their record after taking the first lead is 36-6-7-1. During the season when they did not open the scoring, they were 12-17-3-2.

The Bruins demonstrated in their 5-1 Game 4 victory Tuesday night what happens when they claim an early lead. The Devils can't lay back in their ultra-cautious, smothering team defense, but must open up and try to attack. The result in Game 4 was plenty of skating room for the Bruins to pass, shoot, hit, get to the net - all the attributes that make them a strong offensive club.

So there's not much question about what matters most tonight at Continental Airlines Arena as the Bruins, trailing the Devils 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, try to stay alive in Game 5. They must get the lead and make the Devils play catch-up.

``In a perfect world, we would always like to lead against that team,'' Bruins winger Sergei Samsonov said after yesterday's sparsely attended optional skate. ``That's what we'll try to do in the first period. That's the key.

``You've got to start off well. We want to get the lead and make them worry about catching up to us.''

In the big picture, the Devils don't have much to worry about.

Only two NHL teams have come back from 3-0 deficits and won a seven-game series. If the Bruins can survive tonight, Game 6 will be back at the FleetCenter on Saturday.

The Bruins, who have been hard-pressed to win on the road since they opened the season 8-2-2-1 - going 5-20-4-1 since early December - are not looking past tonight's difficult test.

``We've dug ourselves a pretty big hole,'' Samsonov said. ``We've won a game and we feel pretty good about ourselves. But we've got to take one game at a time. We can't look too far ahead.''

Though outplayed early in Game 4 and forced to rely on goaltender Jeff Hackett for 14 first-period saves, the B's scored first - Joe Thornton giving them just their second lead of the series. And as the B's stretched the lead to 2-0 and 3-0, the Devils suddenly looked like a far different opponent than they were in Games 1-3.

``They're definitely a different team when they're playing from behind,'' Samsonov said. ``Scoring late in the first period was huge and then we added another goal. After that, their team opened up. You kind of have to when you're down 2-0. You've got to try to create chances and it opens things up a lot. That's our game. We were getting some chances off the rush and we were able to get into the zone without just dumping it in. We were able to carry it in.''

Bruins coach Mike O'Connell expects tonight's game to start as each game in the series has - except Game 4 - with the B's getting widely outplayed for the first dozen minutes or so.

``We've been ready every game, with the exception of (Tuesday),'' O'Connell said. ``But we got the saves. It makes a difference.

``And then getting the lead, up 2-zip, it definitely changes the way they play. It changes the way we play and the way they play. If we're up two goals, they've got to score three to win.''

What should O'Connell and every Bruins fan look for in the game's opening minutes tonight?

``We'll know right off the bat,'' O'Connell said. ``You can tell if you're sharp in certain areas, sharp passes, the defensemen get up, the pucks get deep, you're taking the body, all those kind of things. I would expect the same as we've had.''

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Bruins notes

Samsonov, still experiencing considerable pain in his right wrist after games, said he will no longer practice on off days.

``It's a good schedule for me, where I can play and then have a day in between to rest it,'' he said. ``I'm pretty sore the next day.'' . . .

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Defensemen Sean O'Donnell (bruised foot) and Bryan Berard (shoulder separation) were again not on the ice. There was no official confirmation, but neither is anywhere near ready to play.

``It's the same thing,'' O'Donnell said. ``Every day I come in and give it a quick test to see how it's going. I think until you see me skate on it once or twice, I'm not even close to playing.''

=====

And Berard could be sidelined another 10 days, though it wouldn't be surprising if he tried to talk his way back into the lineup for Game 6 if there is one.

 

[ddubs]

Doesn't look favorable for the B's, mugsy, but at least you're not a Kings fan. We're outta the playoffs, and I'm still pissed at the Bourque trade 20 yrs ago

Good luck tonite!