Heading into Saturday’s much anticipated season opener at the TD Garden, there a few things I feel fans should take note of.
By Tyler W. Leahy
1.
Expect an intense atmosphere
With two Original 6 teams matching up in the very hockey-hungry city
of Boston, expect a very loud, energetic TD Garden. Just this past
Tuesday, the loyal Boston fans filled the TD Garden to capacity with
their full force of 17,565 to watch the Black & Gold game, a
scrimmage between the Bruins and their AHL counterparts from Providence.
Fans are eager for the first puck drop of this lockout-shortened
season, and they’ll be in for a treat with two of the premiere Eastern
Conference teams battling for sixty minutes of hard-nosed hockey.
2.
Expect the Rangers to be aggressive early
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Newly-acquired Rangers forward Rick Nash
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On paper, the New York Rangers have perhaps the most dynamic offense
in the NHL. Scoring threats Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards
and newly-acquired Rick Nash combined for 255 points in the 2011-12
season. If that isn’t difficult enough for opposing defenses to swallow,
22-year-old center Derek Stepan pitched in another 51 points. Expect
the top two lines of this powerhouse offense to get a high volume of
shifts early in the game. The high-flying Rangers will exhibit their
speed early and often; Nash will be determined to make some noise in his
Rangers debut.
3.
Expect a balanced Bruins approach
For the Bruins to win this hockey game, they will need an
attentiveness to detail. With the up-front star power of the Rangers, it
will be important for the B’s to limit turnovers and mistakes. Loose
pucks, board play, face-offs—they’ll all be pertinent to Boston’s
success in this one. I anticipate the Bruins to play the scrappy brand
of hockey that they play so well, and I expect them to make an early
statement as the more physical team. I also expect head coach Claude
Julien to utilize the team’s depth, employing short but energetic shifts
from all lines, both offensively and defensively. In Tuesday’s Black
& Gold scrimmage, the line of Chris Bourque, Chris Kelly and Rich
Peverley was most impressive. It will be exciting to see the chemistry
of this likely third line in game action. Fans can also look forward to
the debut of touted rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton and the
long-awaited return of sharp-shooting forward Nathan Horton.
Anticipation is also high for the play of forward Tyler Seguin following
success in European play.
4.
Expect a sloppy game
With such a hurried training camp, it would be wrong to expect a
clean, polished debut to this shortened NHL season. Many players are
exhibiting fitness that is suspect at best. The Bruins and Rangers have
proven to be relatively healthy thus far, but the first regular season
game will prove which legs are ready to go—and which aren’t. Whichever
team can minimize the likes of bad line changes and odd-man rushes is
likely to come out the victor. Also, tired legs cause sloppy penalties.
Could we see some exhaustion in the second and third periods of this
game?
5.
Expect the most important player to be Tuuka Rask
Tuuka Rask takes over as starting goaltender this season in the wake
of Tim Thomas’ absence. While Rask is a proven NHL goaltender and has
the faith of his coaches, teammates and fans, there is still a looming
question: is he ready to go? While he was faced with a few unfortunate
bounces on Tuesday night, Rask still surrendered six goals to an AHL
squad. He looked downright sloppy, and causes worries for some fans
heading into Saturday night’s game. If he plays like his usual self,
there could be a goaltending battle between himself and stonewall-esque
Rangers net-minder Henrik Lundqvist. If Rask appears to be unprepared as
he did earlier this week, expect the outcome of the game to ultimately
rest on his shoulders.
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| Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask allows a goal to Max Suave in Tuesday’s scrimmage |
Prediction: In an intense but mistake-ridden game, the Bruins ride their home ice support to a 5-4 victory.
