Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry Renewed Thursday Night

The Boston Bruins will cross over into the Great White North Thursday night to take on their arch rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.

It will be the first match-up of the year for these two, and for both teams, it is a must-win game.  While the Bruins remain top dog in the Atlantic division, the Habs have gone 8-1-1 over their last 10, and have won three in a row coming into a three-game homestand.  The B's have 38 points on the season with a 18-7-2 record, but the hated Habs are hot on their heels with 37 points from a 17-9-3.

So what can we expect from this game?

Both, to the crowd's delight and coaches' dismay, will look to get their physical games going early, which will inevitably lead to some odd-man rushes, but barring a complete defensive meltdown, don't expect too many goals to get by Carey Price or Tuukka Rask.  The two netminders are third and fourth in the entire league for save percentage (.937, .935) and sixth and fifth in the league for their goals against average (2.00, 1.90) respectively.

Offensively, both teams average under three goals scored per game, Boston with 2.74 and Montreal with 2.69, and are the top two in North America with 1.96 and 2.03 goals allowed per game figures.  Both teams have an .824 winning percentage when scoring first.  So where do these teams differ?

Montreal makes their money is with the play of their specialty units.  When the Habs power play takes the ice, they are scoring nearly a quarter of the time, and their penalty kill has been stalwart with an 86 percent success rate.  They look to the play of their young guns, namely linemates Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk who have combined for 15 goals on the season and this weird pumpkin carving contest.

The Bruins sport a plus-20 goal differential and have overcome several injuries that have forced players to miss time like Loui Eriksson, Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg.  They are just as hot as the Canadiens, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 and winning two straight.

Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell said several times throughout his team's World Series run that there were some games and situations that looked bleak, but his team stuck to their motto and rallying cry of: "find a way."  And that is what the Bruins have done this season.  Through injuries and bad bounces, this team has refused to stay down.  They were trounced by the Detroit Red Wings 6-1, dragged themselves to practice the next day (on Thanksgiving, no less), and two days later led a spirited comeback against the New York Rangers.

They don't rely on one player or one line.  Boston can roll four lines, and get production from the blazing one-timers by Jarome Iginla or the sneaky wristers launched by Shawn Thornton. They struggled early, but have found ways to complete a 60 minute game, and could be deadly if Montreal gets caught on long shifts.

Puck drops at 7:30.  To get your mind right for the game, check out the rivalry game of the century in the video above.  Hard to believe that was almost three years ago.

New DMB Single - Mercy

New Dave Matthews Band CD, "Away From the World," will release on Tuesday.  The CD's single, "Mercy," was released a few weeks ago, accompanied by a music video featuring pictures and videos submitted by 14, 334 fans.

Pretty cool concept.  I'm not much for music videos anyway, but I dig it.  As for the song, it seems as though Dave Matthews is going a different direction with his music these days.  This song sounds quasi-political, much like "Funny The Way It Is."  Both are good songs, but the songs seem to rely heavier on the lyrics than they do on the music.

The song builds nicely, and its always awesome to hear Carter Beauford's signature style on percussion, so I'll take it.  New album comes out Tuesday, I got in pre-ordered on iTunes, so I'll be reviewing it soon.

NHL 13 Will Be The Greatest Sports Game to Date

Right after NHL Hitz 20-02 that is, but that's in a completely different league.

The NHL 13 demo was released yesterday for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  With its new physics-based skating and improved AI and character models, even with 20 days before its official release, it is being labeled a front runner for Sports Game of the Year.

The NHL franchise has evolved drastically over the past several years.  I started playing the franchise back in 2008, back when Eric Staal graced the cover, and have bought the newest version every year (with the exception of 2011) since.  This year's edition seems to have maximized all of the efforts made for a more realistic and challenging game, while still having that fun, replayability (not a word, but it is now) that brings gamers back.

Certain presentation aspects have not changed much like the crowd and the sometimes ridiculous announcing by Gary Thorne and color commentator Bill Clement.  Luckily, it doesn't detract from the game.  Playing the game is almost a completely different experience from last year outside of mere presentation flaws.  The in-game animations and the character models have vastly improved from last year -- where Brad Marchand had a Jay Leno-sized chin with light brown hair.

The skating is the best part of the game for a few reasons.  It makes you really think about every inch of ice you cover when you skate, whether you're sprinting, gliding or attempting to change directions.  Turning will cause you to slow down, gliding will allow you to turn a little quicker, and sprinting will allow you to blow past defenders, but at the risky of sloppier puck-handling.

From playing the demo, the AI works pretty well, although the computer seemed to dump and chase every other possession.  Other modes, such as NHL Moments Live, will allow you to re-live historic hockey moments, such as the Kings Western Conference clinching game against the Coyotes.  And GM Connected boasts the ability to connect 750 players in an online league.  You can play as one team, join up to five other players on a completely user-controlled team, or watch from the bench and set your teams AI to your play style.

From the demo, I would give NHL 13 a solid 9.  Well, probably a 9.5 considering the varied game modes, added Winter Classic stadium and Zombie Nation being in the playlist. Go download the demo now.

Kings vs Devils - NHL 12

PS3 Games - E3 2012 - NHL 12

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup starts tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. I have a plate of crab rangoon riding on the Devils in the series. Not that I necessarily want them, but I will never back down from a bet of goons.

 This simulation done by G4 TV on NHL 12 shows that the Los Angeles Kings will take the series four game to the New Jersey Devils' two. Doubtful, if you ask me. I know many people may not care about the NHL as it is, but this series is going to be one of the more interesting match-ups. 

Last year, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks collided for an epic series, but this year has already been stuffed to the rafters with good hockey and that promises to continue.  Both goaltenders, Jonathan Quick and Martin Brodeur, have been absolutely stellar thus far.  This has been a post-season in which 3 goals seems like it will win the game, and with Quick carrying a 1.54 GAA versus Brodeur's 2.04, that seems like it should be the case.

Will the offenses be ready for this match-up?  Both teams are strong defensively, and play with speed to make the best of their scoring chances.  I think the Devils will win this one in six games.  A few skirmishes may break out early in the series, but I think cooler heads will prevail and this brand of hockey will be pretty damn exciting.