Bruins Sitting Pretty on Turkey Day

Falling just short of a third of the way into the season, “American Thanksgiving” is a time when teams can really start to get a feel for where they stand in their division and in the league as a whole.

By this time, many storylines have started to play out and patterns are starting to emerge. Offseason acquisitions have had time to gel with their new linemates (or defensive partners) and have had exposure to their new team’s system.  I figured now would be a good time to take a look at the Bruins season so far.

The obvious place to start is to take a look at how the Bruins’ biggest offeason moves (arguably the biggest offseason move in the league) are panning out.  Moving Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars, along with Rich Peverley, was a move that certainly made waves across the Boston sports community.  In return, the Bruins received Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith, as well as two other players who are currently playing (and playing quite well) in Providence, Joe Morrow and Matt Fraser.

Eriksson and Smith seem to be coming into their own on their respective lines, providing the effort and depth that the Bruin’s hoped to acquire through this trade.  Sporting a recent six-game point streak and hands like this, Eriksson will no doubt continue to make the Bruins better at both ends of the ice. With the addition of a more defensive-minded player to his line, Patrice Bergeron has been able to focus a bit more on his offense.  Though he has not been finding the net lately, that will undoubtedly change and the line of Eriksson, Bergeron and Brad Marchand will contribute immensely to the success of this Boston team moving forward.

The second biggest move the Bruins made coming into this season, was the highly publicized addition of Jarome Iginla, just a half-season after he snubbed the Bruins to go play with those two whiny stars in Pittsburgh (click that link, it’s a good one).  While, fans were understandably hostile when news of this acquisition first broke, at this point of the season, Iginla has won the majority of them over.  Stepping in to fill the vacant winger spot left by Nathan Horton on the Milan Lucic-David Krejci line, Iginla has been everything fans could have hoped for.  He’s brought both physicality and the ability to score along with the passion Bruins fans love to see in their guys.  

The third line features two players who have made a much bigger impact than expected.  Flanking Chris Kelly on the third line this year are Smith and Carl Söderberg.  Smith, coming over in the Seguin deal, has been a pleasant surprise almost doubling his point total last year as a Star, just 24 games into the season.

Söderberg is not exactly a newcomer to the Bruins as he got some playing time late in the season in the playoffs after coming over to from Linköpings HC of the Swedish Hockey League.  Söderberg has really come into his game so far this year, dropping the timid, finesse, Euro game for a more physical, aggressive style while still showcasing his soft hands and strong shot.  Of course, any kind of production from the third line is a step up from last year’s line, which was invisible for the majority of the season.

Depth on the blue line has also contributed to the Bruins success so far this season and is a major factor in their current position atop of the Eastern Conference.  With injuries to veteran D-men like Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid, the Bruins haven't missed a beat.  Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton have all continued to improve and show that they can be trusted to step up and not only eat up minutes, but contribute on the score sheet as well.  Kevan Miller has also stepped up as of late, playing some solid D against some top teams.

The biggest problem I see with the Bruins right now is their goalie situation.  While there’s no question that Tuukka Rask is one of the best goalies in the NHL, Chad Johnson makes me nervous.  I wouldn't call Johnson a sieve, but he is a rebound machine keeping the defense on their toes.  In the recent past, the Bruins have had solid goaltending from both their number one and two guys, whether it was Rask backing up Tim Thomas (and vice-versa) or more recently, Anton Khudobin backing up Rask.  There may come a time this season where the Bruins will have to consider taking a closer look at Niklas Svedberg (in Providence) as a backup.  Let’s just hope Rask doesn't go down because that could prove catastrophic for a Bruins team looking to make another deep playoff run.

All in all, if you're a Bruins fan, you have to be really excited about where the team is
right now and the kind of talent they have on their roster.  It’s still early in the season and hockey is an unpredictable game.  Teams can get red hot, other teams can completely fall apart and injuries can change the entire course of a season.  While it’s way too early for any kind of prediction, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Bruins are currently among the league’s elite teams.  Here’s to hoping they stay that way.

The great thing is after this many games last year, the season was already half over.

The even better thing is, we still have that two-week break in February for Olympic Hockey!

Back to the Show

Sorry for the delay, everyone.

A lot has happened since my last post.  Three if by Strike has added a new writer, Jordan "Doc" Coulombe, who I've known for five years now but who's name I still have a tremendous amount of trouble spelling.  The Bruins made a storybook Stanley Cup Playoff run only to fall two games shy in the Finals, leaving me in a tailspin for the better part of two weeks.

Aaron Hernandez killed a guy!

The Celtics ousted Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and head coach Doc Rivers, but signed 36-year-old Brad Stevens to head up a new-look Boston team and drafted seven-footer out of Gonzaga Kelly Olynyk.  And all the while, the Sox have been the hottest team in the American League, creeping up to 20 games over .500 in early July.

But back to the Bruins.  It took seven games to beat the Maple Leafs, but then nine to beat the Rangers and Penguins combined.  Then the Cup... You know what, let's just stop there.  Andrew Ference, Nathan Horton, Jaromir Jagr, Rich Peverley, Anton Khudobin and Tyler Seguin are gone.  I'm going to blame my long absence from blogging for not being able to come up with an appropriate wording for how I feel about that.

And speaking of feelings, getting a pretty good one about the Sox this season.  It's tough to not like this team, and hey - don't think I've forgotten what this blog says just below the blog name at the top, there. John Lackey has gone from complete lackey back to John Lackey this season, and it seems like everyone, from Jose Iglesias to Shane Victorino to Koji Uehara has stepped up when this team has needed them to.

Bills looks okay, but we'll talk about that later.

Does this mean the blog is back in full force?  That's up to you guys.  Your support for this blog has been tremendous thus far, and even just writing this rambly recap piece, I remember how fun it is to have a blog.  So if Three if by Strike puts up some numbers, then your summer just got a little bit hotter.

Sox Win 6-5, Send Alfredo Aceves Down to Triple-A

The Red Sox got a big win on the field Wednesday, beating the Oakland A's 6-5.  But it was Sox fans who got the bigger win when they heard the news of Alfredo Aceves' departure from Boston to Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Red Sox bats lifted Jon Lester to a 6-5 win, matching the A's three-run fourth inning and following it up with a three-run fifth.  The other two runs for Oakland were split between Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara.  To wrap the game up, Andrew Bailey struck out the side in the ninth giving the Sox their 14th victory on the season.

Lester has already earned his fourth win in 2013.  It took until June 16 of last season for him to notch four.

As for another Red Sox starter, Aceves will not be given a chance to earn a win anytime soon for Boston as he was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket following Wednesday's game.  The team has given him a 72-hour window to report to the minor league affiliate, but some signs are pointing towards a potential deal in the works.

Aceves got smacked around by the A's on Tuesday night, giving up seven earned runs in 3.1 innings -- the shortest of his career -- and placed the blame on the weather conditions and a hole dug in the mound by opposing starter Bartolo Colon.

"It's hard to figure out what you're going to get out of Alfredo on a given day," manager John Farrell said following the rough outing.  The Red Sox will call up Ryan Lavarnway to fill the roster spot until John Lackey returns from the strained bicep his pitching arm;

Red Sox Prove 2013 is a 'Whole New Ballgame,' Beat Yankees 8-2 in Season Opener

The Red Sox are 1-0 on the 2013 season, beating the New York Yankees 8-2 in Yankee Stadium on Opening Day.

The Red Sox drew eight walks and smacked 13 hits, while Jon Lester and the Sox bullpen held the ailing Yankees to two runs on six hits. Lester went five innings, striking out seven while giving up both runs along with five hits. 

The relief corps combined for four innings of one-hit baseball, with Koji Uehara, Andrew Miller, Andrew Bailey, Junichi Tazawa and Joel Hanrahan taking the hill.  Uehara needed just five pitches to get three outs in the sixth, and Bailey, Tazawa, Miller and Hanrahan hit 95, 96, 97 and 98 miles per hour on the radar gun respectively to shut down the Bronx Bombers.

The Sox hit .333 with runners in scoring position on the day, with stellar performances by Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Jose Iglesias.  Ellsbury went 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBI and Victorino added a couple knocks with three of his ribbies coming while there were two outs in the inning.  All three of Iglesias' hits stayed in the infield, but they'll look like line drives in the box score.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia managed to work three walks against Yankees' pitching, and crossed the plate twice as a result.  The much anticipated debut of Jackie Bradley Jr. saw the 22-year-old follow Saltalamacchia's lead, drawing three walks and knocking home a run as he grounded out to Robinson Cano.  Bradley made his first Major League start in left field Monday, a position he has never played until roughly a week ago in Spring Training, and made a circus grab tracking down a Cano blast just shy of the left field wall.

The Yankees didn't have too many bright spots in their first game of the new campaign, with one of the few coming when Francisco Cervelli slapped a two-run single off Lester in the fourth inning.  C.C. Sabathia gave up four runs on eight hits, but managed to strike out five.

The two teams will play again Wednesday night, and my confidence in this club is growing every day.  The offense looks like they're having fun and the pitching staff has taken on a whole new mentality.  Despite Monday's Yankees not being the team they will be at midseason due to injuries, it always feels good to beat them.  The Red Sox lost their final eight games of 2012, and are off to what looks like a hot start in 2013, crushing a Yankees pitching staff and excelling in all areas of the game.

Go Sox.

Bruins Mount a Comeback But Fall in Shootout Despite Jack Edwards' Going Bananas

The Bruins fell short in Tuesday's contest with the Rangers at home, losing 4-3 in a shootout.  This was the third time the teams have met, and despite a loss, they have managed to get five out of six points against the Blueshirts.

That point tonight was an absolute steal.  The B's just could not get their offense going, again trudging out sluggish power play units against reigning Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist.  The game was pretty much a snoozer for Boston fans until late in the final period.  With a 3-0 lead, the Rangers were looking poised for a great team win.  David Krejci potted a goal just under 9 minutes into the final frame, and gave the Black & Gold that spark they needed.

Waiting until the last minute and half, the Bruins starting pouring on the pressure.  With Tuukka Rask pulled and the extra attacker out, Nathan Horton found a rebound land on his stick and slid the puck across the ice to bring it within one.  Not to be outdone, the team's leading scorer Brad Marchand fired one over Lundqvist's right shoulder with 43 seconds remaining in regulation to knot it up at 3. 

Bruins play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards was just as excited as any fan in the TD Garden, jumping up and down while making the game-tying call.  Eventually the Bruins fell after a heart-pounding overtime.

Marquette Battles UConn, Big East Schedule Off to a Bang

UConn trailed by 10 points on two different occasions Tuesday night, but stellar guard play form Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright -- a theme so far for the 10-3 Huskies -- kept them in the game, even taking a three-point lead with under six seconds on the clock.

Napier had a game-high 29 points, including four three-pointers and eight rebounds, really coming to life whenever the game seemed to get away from the Huskies.  While UConn showed a lot of heart and hustle, the game was theirs to win in the final minutes.  Early on, the battle was all Marquette, getting outstanding minutes from their bench players like Davante Gardner, who added 18 points -- going 10-for-10 at the free throw line -- with 6 rebounds.  But even as the game raged on, Marquette had little trouble staying in the thick of it, eventually taking the game 82-76.

UConn is not a team with great size, getting out-rebounded again, 39-29, and 11-5 on the offensive glass.  What they lack in size, they make up for in great speed.  Marquette assistant coach Brad Autry echoed head coach Buzz Williams' (serving a one-game suspension) sentiment that if the Golden Eagles "turned the game into a track meet," they would get run out of the building.

Marquette was able to get a lot of good open looks, passing the ball around well to get inside the three-point arc and ran UConn ragged in the first half.  But UConn played very aggressively, taking big transition three's and other risks that luckily paid off.

Marquette benefited from 41 attempts at the free throw line, sinking 30 of them, while UConn only had 25 chances and hit 17.  Senior guard Junior Cadougan, who played a team-high 35 minutes hit the team's first three pointer on their 17th attempt as time ran out in the second half.  The Golden Eagles outscored the Huskies 13-7 in overtime, giving them their first win in conference play, and evening their overall record with UConn at 10-3.

Pop Danthology 2012 - Pretty Sweet, Actually

I'll admit right now to liking music that I know I shouldn't.  That being said, there are artists like Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, LMFAO and whoever the hell sung "Rack City" that I cannot stand and have no business making music.

Apparently I was completely out of the loop until a few days ago on these videos, that take a bunch of popular songs from that year and mash them all together into one mega-hit.  From what I gather, this have been going on for three years, but its news to me.  Either way, despite it showcasing how similar every pop song is nowadays and how the music scene is falling in the gutter, when you can combine Justin Bieber, Psy, One Direction and Owl City, yeah, I'll listen.

Side note, music videos these days, right?  The amount of nonsense you see watching this video is nothing short of baffling, and you mostly have Rihanna and Ke$ha to thank for that.

Red Sox Win, Earth Stops Spinning for 3 Minutes

The Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins, 2-1, to get their second win in the past 10 days.  Lordy lordy, hallelujah!

Game ball goes to Kelly Shoppach, who went 2-4 with an RBI and scored the other run himself.  Second star goes to Clay Buchholz.  I still can't really figure out how he has seven wins with an ERA still over five, but hey, whatever works, I guess.

The Sox are still two games under .500.  Its still early in th-- Wait a minute.  Its June.  Enough is enough.  There's way too much talent on this team to be under .500 this late.  Adrian Gonzalez is under-performing, to say the least, with 5 home runs and 49 strikeouts for a .260 average.  Only four players on the Sox are hitting over .300, with just as many players hitting under .260.

The lowest ERA of our starters is Josh Beckett, with 4.14.  Awful.  And power pitching is out the window, considering only two have over 60 strikeouts.

Saving graces of the Red Sox?  Scott Atchison and Will Middlebrooks.  Taking the bronze medal would be Cody Ross, and this .GIF above will show up a lot more once he's back in the line-up.  Losing outfielders every day is becoming demoralizing, but eventually you would think the team would say enough is enough and step up.  Sox play tomorrow night, with Felix Doubront facing Ricky Nolasco.

Go Sox.