Live blog time!
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning starts tonight at 8ET. For some reason, I’ve been given clearance to liveblog the game. As I often say when making terrible calls in Euchre: “Let’s see how this goes.”
Game 7: it’s what separates the highly-paid men who will continue playing from the other highly-paid men who will retire to their deluxe mansions.
The Bruins could’ve put this series away twice already, squandering a series-commanding lead in game 4 and a series-clinching one in game 6. The two have see-sawed back and forth in the series, with the Lightning winning game 1, 4 and 6, and the Bruins 2, 3, and 5. Home teams are 8-4 in NHL game 7’s since 1982, and six of the past seven game 7 conference finals winners have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. The winner will play the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals starting on June 2nd. I haven’t shaved since Monday just in case this series went to a game 7, just so I could have an epic playoff beard.
Go!
7:58 – I carbo-loaded this evening so I’m ready to go for game 7. We didn’t have any pasta, so I went with waffles and maple syrup for dinner. That still counts, right?
8:02 – Doc Emrick is the best play-by-play guy in sports. If he and Gus Johnson could have a baby, I would devote my life to holding his microphone.
8:03 – Zdeno Chara looks completely terrifying. His beard? Incredible. His uniform? Perfect. His size? Nightmare-inducing.
8:06 – Don Cherry looking dapper in a suit that appears to be made of mustard velour.
8:09 – Teams taking the ice. Dwayne Roloson looks good in warmups. Stark contrast to how he’s looked in, you know, the last few games.
8:13 – Rancourt singing anthem as he always does, breathlessly. His hair looks great, though. Also, Stanley Cup finals will have Star Spangled Banner and O Canada. Damn Canucks.
8:14 – Bruins control the faceoff. Somewhere, a very degenerate gambler just won $10.
8:16 – First big hit, Seidenberg on St. Louis. Don’t skate with your heads down, kids.
8:17 – First big chance to the Lightning, snuck a 2 on 1 but Thomas makes the save.
8:18 – Both teams back and forth, doing a good job of holding the offensive zones.
8:21 – Tampa Bay taking the initiative, Stamkos with a great chance but put it over the net.
8:24 – Bruin forecheck is bothering Lightning. Lightning defensemen not nearly as good on the puck as Bruins’ are.
8:26 – Wicked bounce off the boards puts puck in front of Lightning’s net, but no Bruin there to capitalize.
8:28 – Guy behind Lightning bench says “YO, YOU SEE CHAHRAH? HE’S WICKED TAHLL AND WICKED GOOD. NAWT YOU NAWT YOU NAWT YOU.”
8:31 – Both goalies looking comfortable. Probably because both are so old they think this is practice.
8:34 – Chara just annihilated half the Lightning forwards in approximately 5 seconds.
8:38 – Lucic on a breakaway stonewalled by Roloson. Tried to elevate the puck but couldn’t get it up.
8:41 – Lightning forechecking aggressively, but Bruins caught them out on odd-man rushes twice. Lucic probably mad that he didn’t score. Wide open high and put it into Rolly’s pads.
8:45 – Lightning struggling to get the puck out of their zone. They finally got out for a change, then iced the puck bringing it all the way back down.
8:46 – First mini-scrum. Thank god, these teams were being entirely too respectful.
8:48 – No penalties in first period, and no obvious ones missed. For all the things I like about game sevens, the lack of stupid penalties/fights is a total drag.
8:51 – “I am Number Four, huh? Is that a movie about Bobby Orr?” Someone’s dad, somewhere.
8:53 – Don Cherry, in his Bruins’ suit with the Winnie the Pooh tie, says he likes when teams beat each other senseless with no penalties. SHOCKED.
8:57 – They referenced Gagne during intermission. “Kanye?” Katie asks. Sigh.
9:03 – An Edgar suit would make a terrible Halloween costume
(I flipped over to Men in Black during intermission)
9:05 – Tight games can open up in the second period. Long changes make all the difference.
9:07 – Great chance by Horton. Tampa looks flat coming out in the 2nd.
9:09 – Ice Hockey seats different from baseball/football. Seats on the glass make it impossible to see in the corners. 10 rows up much, much better. #servicey
9:11 – First noticeable no-call, as Hedman clearly interfered with Seguin in mid-ice but no call.
9:13 – Stamkos catches a slapshot in the visor, which hits his nose and puts him in a bad way. If he weren’t wearing a visor, that could’ve been very, very bad.
9:14 – Why the NHL hasn’t mandated visors I’m not quite sure. Anything that hits mouth/nose will hurt but be okay. That Stamkos slapshot hitting somone’s eye could blind or much worse.
9:16 – 26 minutes in and still no penalties. Only the one obvious no-call to this point. Both teams playing smart.
9:18 – Katie asks to switch back to Men in Black during commercials. I politely decline.
9:20 – In a game with so many good chances, waiting for the first goal to be a garbage lucky bounce.
9:22 – It must put Tampa fans in a weird spot to watch an ice hockey game inside then walk the dog during intermission in 85 degree heat.
9:23 – Gagne with Tampa’s best chance so far. Point blank in front of the net but couldn’t get his stick on it.
9:25 – Stamkos back with a full face cage. His nose appears to be intact but missing an outer layer of skin. NBD.
9:28 – Long changes affecting Tampa. Can’t get back on defense.
9:30 – Claude Julien furious that Tampa wasn’t given a penalty. Honestly didn’t look like much.
9:33 – Over halfway through regulation – still no penalties or goals. 41 goals in six previous games in the series.
9:36 – Boston fans now drunkenly fighting one another Mickey Ward style in the concourse out of sheer boredom.
9:38 – Tampa wins defensive zone faceoff, then promptly ices the puck. #notwinning
9:39 – Aggressive forecheck leads to puck perfectly on Seguin’s stick in the slot, but he shoots it about 17 meters over the net (for our Canadian CTers)
9:42 – Roloson makes three incredible saves within 10 seconds, the third of which actually broke a strap it hit his mask so hard.
9:44 – Chara shot from the high slot deflects off a stick and just misses the net. Roloson lost the puck and glanced behind him thinking it might’ve beat him.
9:46 – Again looked for all the world like Bruins would get the breakthrough goal, but Roloson and Tampa defense stoic. Fatigue a factor in third period?
9:48 – I look over and Katie’s on christianlouboutin.com. Liveblogging is expensive.
9:52 – One of the coolest traditions in sports will happen at the end of tonight’s game – the conference championship trophy won’t be as much as touched by the winners. It’s the big trophy they’re after.
9:57 – Will Smith is pretty badass, but if giant cockroaches took over Earth I think we’d all be kinda screwed.
10:01 – Officially suffering from carb crash. Maybe waffles for dinner not the best choice?
10:03 – First five minutes of third period are huge in scoreless game.
10:04 – Puck goes through Roloson’s empty crease with no one there to put it home. Amazing that Boston hasn’t scored yet.
10:05 – Roloson makes another incredible save on a Marchand shot from a tough angle.
10:07 – Boston fans chanting “We want the cup!” presumably in regards to some limited edition Sam Adams mug.
10:10 – Still no score or penalties. I’ve watched a whole lot of hockey but can never remember a game so far into the third period with nothing on the official record.
10:12 – Don Cherry just punched a kid for jumping him in the beer line. He was heard telling the child to go back to his “pinko commie parents.”
10:13 – Fashion note – yellow molded mouthgards will not score you points with the ladies watching at home.
10:15 – What appears to be a 110 year old woman sitting in first row behind Bruins’ bench. Meanwhile, somewhere, my grandmother is painting a rose on some really nice stationery.
10:17 – Back-to-back good chances for the Lightning denied by Thomas. On the other end, Marchand completely undresses Lightning defense but is stoned by Roloson.
10:19 – Sneaky, sneaky play by Lucic, shoots directly off of faceoff. Roloson there.
10:21 – 51 minutes in, lots of chances and shots but no goals. Both coaches have now used their timeouts. Have to be really careful about icing the puck from now on with no ability to make a line change afterwards.
10:24 – Even on tired legs, Lightning still forechecking with 2 aggressively. Earlier, with 3 high up the ice, Boston had some 3 on 2 chances.
10:26 – Being on the ice while big guys are hitting you with a stick would not appear to be fun, even in pads.
10:27 – GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!111one!
Almost immediately after saying the the Lightning were being less aggressive on the forecheck, they push up and Boston counters perfectly. Boston ends up with a 2 on 1 and Horton deflects puck past Roloson.
Boston 1-0
10:29 – Boston generates another chance right after scoring and Bergeron nearly makes it 2-0.
10:31 – People in Tampa now immediately start looking up AL East standings and when the Rays are at home next.
10:32 – Game’s opened up tremendously since the goal. Lightning not bothering with plays just firing puck.
10:33 – Bruins could put the game away again with 2 on 1, but Roloson makes his best save of the game to keep it 1-0.
10:34 – Back and forth with chances for each team. Great play gets St. Louis with clear shot on goal, but he fires high. Boston defense looks tired.
10:36 – Just saw replay of last Roloson save – was by far best of the game for either team.
10:38 – 2 minutes left, Boston now in full defense mode, trying to hang on.
10:39 – Roloson trying to get to the bench for the extra skater, but Tampa can’t get possession.
10:40 – Terrible mistake – Tampa gets Roloson off, but are offside coming into the zone. Roloson back in the net, and less time with the extra skater.
10:41 – Huge faceoff win for Boston, kills another 15 seconds.
10:42 – FINAL Boston 1-0 Tampa
Hectic end to the game, but Tampa couldn’t maintain puck possession long enough to take advantage of an extra skater. Credit to both teams. 1-0 will look like a boring scoreline but it was a breathless game throughout.
10:43 – The handshake line after the deciding series game is one of the coolest traditions in sports.
10:44 – Lots of friends and teammates college and national on opposite sides of the line. Nothing but respect for the other guys after 540 minutes.
10:46 – Conference trophy out, now let’s see if Chara even acknowledges it.
10:47 – They gather around for a picture, but no one touches it. Amazing that something you’ve fought to win for three series is unacknowledged by the winning team.
10:48 – Just saw replay – two incredible passes led to the goal. Stamkos, who had his nose taken off earlier, couldn’t quite get back.
10:50 – Interviewing Tim Thomas about college teammate Martin St. Louis. Amazed at the manlove in this interview. I would watch a buddy hockey comedy with these two guys.
10:53 – Should be a great Finals between Bruins and Canucks. Also, would be a great night to be a bar owner in Boston. Think there’ll be a few beers poured in that city tonight?
10:57 – Don Cherry slurping Nathan Horton ala Madden/Favre. His shiny Bruins jacket looks even brighter after the winner. He just composed a verbal love letter to tonight’s officials for calling no penalties.
That’s all I wrote folks, but this has been exceedingly fun. Thanks for playing along and commenting/watching with me!
(photo)
