The Picture Says It All

In my game preview yesterday I said that a win or a loss really wouldn't prove anything for either team. And I'm not going to change my opinion on that, now that the Bruins won. However, the game did confirm a few things, which I'll break down quickly.
1)We received confirmation that Zdeno Chara is playing like a Norris Trophy candidate. Shut down defense, huge physical presence and oh yeah, he also scored two goals for his under manned team. That spells Norris, but it also spells CAPTAIN. A role he has grown into nicely.

2)We were also shown proof that Tim Thomas is at the very least, ONE OF, the elite goalies in the world today. Without some incredible stops last night, it could have been a much different game. He's been doing it all year, but coming up big in a rivalry game (a team he hasn't always had his best nights against) is yet another huge confidence boost for himself and his teammates.)

3)Julien's faith in PJ Axelsson is not misplaced. Everyone, myself included, tends to bemoan the fact that PJ sees so much time on the top PP unit. But that is just another example of the trust Julien has in him. And last night, PJ had one of his best games of the year. Good decisions with and without the puck, as usual. Seemed to have some jump in his step and was generally involved in a good way all night.

4)Shane Hnidy may be the most under rated player on the team (and around the NHL). Once again, the veteran had a nice steady, no panic game. Seemed like every time the Habs started flying around and applying pressure, the puck would end up on Hnidy's stick and he'd calmly clear the zone. Nothing fancy, just effective. Although he looked awkward wearing a visor, he showed no hesitation in playing his usual rugged style, willing to mix it up a bit and block shots as usual.

5)This bruins team is the most "unified" team they've had in many years. When Ashley (or was it Mary-Kate?) Kostitsyn boarded Ward, the first person to respond was Timmy Thomas. He was quickly joined by everyone else n the ice, as we've come to expect.

So those are five things that we already knew about the Bruins. But what, if anything, did we get confirmation on from the Canadien side? Glad you asked.
1) We, as expected, were proven to be right that Mike Komisarek is a complete and total pansy and cheap shot artist. His next hit on an opponent that sees him coming will be his first. How many times can you "low-bridge" opponents before you seriously injure someone? This hit has apparently become his bread and butter, at least against the B's. And just to remain consistent, he was his classic pushing, shoving and chirping after the whistle (while safely separated by the refs) self. The fact that Lucic wasn't in the line-up, and Komi was taking advantage of it was glaring.

2)A. Kostitsyn, is in fact, a woman. This is a player with a history of dirty hits, who has yet to stand up for his actions. While his hit on Ward wasn't the worst I've ever seen, it was clearly avoidable. Ward had his back to him for a long time, but this little weasel targeted him anyway. Absolutely no reason to hit a player in that position. Of course, as soon as the Bruins responded, he hiked up his skirt and practically ran to the safety of the penalty box. I'm not saying every player in the league has to fight. But I AM saying, if you're going to CONSISTENTLY make dangerous hits, you should be willing to stand up for your actions. You're risking people's careers, you should at least be willing to put your nose on the line and take the beating you have coming to you.

3)Canadien fans are still delusional. FIRST comment I saw today from a Habs fan (this means you, Rocket) was that the game was won by the officials. Really? So, the hit on Ward was legal? And the follow up cross check by Hamerlick should have just been ignored? You know, for a city that constantly anoints itself as the center of the hockey universe, some "all knowing bastion of hockey purity", the amount of nonsense and homerism that comes from that Province is dumbfounding. It cracks me up to no end to read such ignorant comments. Oh, and it's not just the constant whining about the refs that is so amusing. SO many of the comments I've seen today are about how "Thomas is lucky" and "we make him look like an All-Star" or "Thomas can't keep being so lucky, and he won't play well in the playoffs". HYSTERICAL. Just what, exactly, do Habs fans need for "proof" that Tim Thomas, IS in fact, an All-Star caliber goalie? Forget the fact that most Habs fans are discounting the loss because of all their injuries, I expected that. Of course, they also don't want to acknowledge that the Bruins were missing as many, if not more, key pieces. But hey, if Habs fans want to make excuses and still claim to be the superior team, despite all the evidence to the contrary, I won't be the one to rain on their parade (Just their Stanley Cup parade, which I'm sure they have all planned already).

Bottom line from last night is this: It was a pretty entertaining game, but not nearly what some Bruins-Canadien games have been. With the number of AHL players involved, I'm not surprised. But nice to see that "our kids" are better than "their kids", at least for one night.
Go B's, and F*ck the Habs-Kynch