All good things.....

As the saying goes,all good things must come to an end. And the B's winning streak did just that on Saturday. Personally, I'm not that upset about it. It's not like they were going to go undefeated the rest of the way or something. So it HAD to happen eventually. And let's be honest...as much as I dislike Buffalo, at least it wasn't Montreal that beat them. And actually, after watching the game again, I'm even less concerned with the loss. Yes, they played very sloppy in their own end. But they did have a ton of good scoring chances that they either just missed, or Miller robbed them. That happens, and I can live with that. I'd rather see that than them not even getting any chances. The fourth line had one of their best games in a long time too, just not enough to carry the team. Great shot by Thornton on his goal too, love seeing guys like him score from time to time. The only negative, in the offensive end, I saw was the B's unwillingness to just throw pucks at the net. When things aren't clicking, just chip anything and everything you can at the net. They have a ton of skill, so sometimes they seem to rely on it too much. Obviously, for the most part it works for them. But they have to be able to get those "ugly" goals in games like Saturday's too. Again, I'm far from worried though. I didn't see a lack of effort really, just one of those games. The good news is, the B's will have a chance to get back on track against a struggling Minnesota club on Tuesday. The Wild, while still among the elite in goals against, have a real hard time scoring their own, having potted just 96 on the season (compared to Boston's 143). Not having Marion Gaborik in their lineup for at least ten more weeks won't help matters. As a result, I expect them to play their usual defensive style and try to get some of those "ugly" goals. Look for them to follow the buffalo blue-print and forecheck hard and get lots of traffic around the Boston net. The Wild offense (what there is of it) is led by Mikko Koivu (cool, we can practice booing a Koivu in advance of next Tuesday's match with the Habs), with a whopping 11 goals. Andrew Brunette is the only other Wild player with double digit goals (the B's have six, including Kessel with 24). One thing the Wild can, and most assuredly will bring to the table is toughness. Derek Boogaard leads the way in that department. The 6'8", 270LB Boogaard is known as one the very toughest "enforcers" in the game. He leads the team with 7 fighting majors, all against "legit tough guys". He only has 7 bouts because most guys want no part of tangling with him. As is often the case, I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to lure Lucic into a confrontation. It's a good trade off for the Wild, and I'm sure "The Boogie Man" has heard all about the tough kid in Boston. Wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to see what the kid has. Terrible match-up for the B's though. So, if he tries to start anything, I expect Thornton to fall on his sword and challenge Boogaard. Not saying Thornton can't take him, just saying it will be a REAL tough bout for him....as it is for anyone in the game. Much to my surprise, I noticed that Owen Nolan is playing for the Wild. If I'm not mistaken, Nolan is 87 years old and has been in the NHL since Ireland was one nation. Seriously.....doesn't it seem like he's been around FOREVER? Even more amazingly, he's got 4 goals in his last 3 games. Bizarre. Predictions: At this point, and I hate doing predictions a day in advance...so this may change, I'm saying Bruins win 3-2. Ryder, Lucic and Savard are your scorers. Boogaard goes with Thornton in a decent bout. And, Lucic drops the gloves with big defenseman Craig Weller (6'4", 220lbs). With the B's coming off a loss and Minny needing to be physical to compete, I can see this one getting fairly chippy. Off topic- I'm not sure if NESN hit an all-time high or an all-time low by using Kool Moe Dee's "wild wild west" as the music for their highlight package of the last meeting between the Wild and Bruins. I mean really....old school rap over a hockey montage? I was oddly amused by it. I think I need a shower. Go B's-Kynch