It was Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs who, during this season’s lockout, embodied and represented the stubborn ownership group that pushed, fought with, and belittled the players union. Conversely, the Pittsburgh Penguins ownership group, led by Ron Burkle, made creative attempts to successfully negotiate with the players, including Penguins representative Sidney Crosby.
And so when the Bruins and Penguins were among the highest bidders for playoff reinforcements, most marched with the Penguins. In fact, both were in contention for veteran winger Jarome Iginla who ultimately chose the Penguins with a chance to play alongside Crosby, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal.
On the night he was moved, reports erroneously came out claiming that it was Boston that acquired Iginla. The Bruins were apparently on his list of preferred organizations.
Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli eventually settled on former Penguin Jaromir Jagr, while Pittsburgh stacked their already loaded roster with Douglas Murray, Brendan Morrow, and Jussi Jokinen.
As it stands now, the Penguins look like a team that has found top gear, improving with each round, while the Bruins stumbled past Toronto and rolled over a crumbling New York Rangers squad.
Jagr has largely been ineffective, recording only 4 assists in 12 games and accumulating a -2 rating. Twenty-one years ago, Jagr was involved in the last playoff matchup between these two clubs, finishing fourth in postseason scoring.
Iginla, meanwhile, sits in seventh in playoff scoring with 12 points including 4 goals.
Depth the Key
Both teams have been lauded for their depth, each being able to play all four lines with confidence. Boston’s depth has been productive offensively and was particularly instrumental in eliminating the Rangers.
Pittsburgh’s depth has allowed them to cycle through their roster, scratching at times Brendan Morrow, Jussi Jokinen, and Joe Vitale—all of whom have been quite valuable when on the ice.
Jokinen, in fact, scored 11 points in 10 regular season games after his trade and still has been scratched for five postseason games.
“When you win and you’re in the locker room and you’re not sweaty, you’re just as happy as the guys who are,” said Vitale as reported on TSN.ca.
This will be a contest between a seemingly unstoppable offense and power play in the Penguins and a defensively minded Bruins team.
Some of the key questions to answer include: Will Patrice Bergeron be able to smother Crosby? Can Tuukka Rask be the Bruins’ best penalty-killer? Will Tomas Vokoun continue to be steady in goal? And what will it take to see Marc-Andre Fleury return to the crease? Vokoun and Fleury each saw time against Boston.
Pittsburgh won all three games against Boston this year, each by one goal.
Bruins coach Claude Julien does not see that as a concern. “We’re certainly not hanging our hats on the fact that our record wasn’t good against them this year,” he said on TSN.ca.
Boston will be tempted to go outside of their comfort zone, against the high-flying Penguins and their ability to score in bunches. Tyler Seguin and his linemates must find a way to contribute, having only scored one goal himself so far.
This is the skater who tore up the Swiss league during the lockout and has yet to reproduce the same results in the NHL. If Seguin can find his game, he adds another much-needed attacking element to this highly defensive Bruins squad.
Again, this is Pittsburgh’s series to lose. Both teams are facing their toughest competition in this year’s playoffs and it will likely be the team who is best able to use their depth that will be victorious.
Boston attempted to land some of the same players at the trade deadline and one can only wonder if Boston’s ownership has affected their attractiveness as an organization. Though it seems long ago that the lockout took place, viewers may feel that undercurrent become apparent on and off the ice.
Joe Pack has written for TheHockeyWriters.com, is a member of the Society for International Hockey Research and has his own blog at www.upperbodyinquiry.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoePack.
