Five Things to Watch in Game Six

by Joe Ballway

Editorial. Photos by AP News

The Bruins return home to the Garden tonight with high expectations following their Game 5 setback in Buffalo on Friday night. The Sabres cut Boston’s series lead to 3-2 with a convincing 4-1 victory, but the Bruins still have two more cracks at upsetting the Northeast Division champions and moving on to a matchup with either Pittsburgh or
Philadelphia, depending on the outcome of the Capitals-Canadiens series.

Here’s 5 things to consider as we gear up for Game 6:

1.    Is Thomas Vanek his old self?

While possibilities of Marc Savard’s return by the end of the series are the hottest rumors around town these days–some are speculating that he’ll swing down from the Jumbotron James Bond-style in time for the opening faceoff, while others swear they’ve already seen Boston’s best offensive player using the alias “Ryder” a few games back–he likely won’t be available until next round, should the Bruins advance. 

On the other hand, Vanek’s return is much more imminent; coach Lindy Ruff even stated that his Austrian sniper can return “whenever he feels ready.” Which could mean trouble for the Bruins.

But in regards to Ruff’s comment, how the hell could a player nearing health not be ready for an NHL playoff game if given clearance to make the decision himself? Did Thomas ever see Jack O’Callahan in Miracle? 

I don’t see how he could live with himself if he sits out with a borderline injury and the Sabres lose–unless, of course, he’s a pussy. Which wouldn’t surprise me, considering the incredibly whiny players, coaches and fans that surround the Buffalo organization. Somebody call a wahhhmbulance.

2.    Can the Bruins PLEASE score the first goal?


Here’s a startling series of facts:


-the Sabres have struck first in every game so far.


-the Sabres have scored a goal within the first seven minutes of every game.


-the Bruins have held a lead for 19:40 of the entire series.

19:40? That’s less than one period! The Bruins can’t realistically expect to come out of the series alive if they can’t start taking some leads–playing catch-up has clearly taken its toll as, much to our dismay, they pretty much rolled over and died once Buffalo took the lead in Game 5. With Ryan Miller rounding into peak form, the Bruins desperately need to establish their offensive presence early and cut the shit with their sick infatuation for falling behind and attempting to stage dramatic comebacks.

3.    Is “Tuukka Time” running a few minutes slow?


Rask has been a godsend for the Bruins all series–I don’t mean to take anything away from his value to the team. But the fact remains that he seems a bit, well, out of it at the beginning of each game. 

Most of the goals he has allowed early on have been relatively stoppable, but he appears rusty at the outset of the first period and seems to be victimized by lapses in concentration. It’s almost as if there’s a snooze button inside his mask that he uses for the first seven minutes of the game–then he decides to wake up and start flashing the pads.

The bottom line is that if Tuukka can start Game 6 with the same brilliant play he’s been finishing with, he could steal some momentum for the home crowd and provide the players in front of him with a great boost of confidence.

4.    Could Zdeno Chara be our Scott Walker?


Buffalo fans across Buffalo were up in arms when Chara’s suspension for bare-knuckle-bashing three different midget Sabres forwards at the end of Game 5 was rescinded by the league. The NHL rulebook clearly states that any player in offense of the instigator rule with under 5 minutes to play shall be suspended for the next game; Chara, of course, was slapped with an instigating minor for his role in the melee. 

Upon further review, however, the league came to their senses and realized that Paul Gaustad had indeed slashed Chara on the leg unprovoked to set off the fireworks–fireworks that could spill over into tonight’s game.

Which leads me to an interesting theory: Chara, like Walker in last year’s Aaron Ward sucker-punch incident, is probably Public Enemy #1 for the opponent after getting off  scot-free for what the other team believed to be blatant grounds for suspension. 

Wouldn’t it be sorta awesome (and redeeming) if Chara completed the “Scott Walker” and came back to score the overtime winner in Game 7 in Buffalo? I’d obviously prefer this series didn’t reach a Game 7, and I don’t think I could even survive a Game 7 overtime, but if there is one, that’s the exact scenario I’m shooting for.

5.    Marco…Polo?

Aside from Game 5, it’s hard to nitpick with too many of the Bruins’ forwards, considering that the ones we ragged on all season (Ryder, Wheeler, Satan) have seemingly redeemed themselves of past ills with excellent performances in the playoffs so far.

But Sturm hasn’t been part of Boston’s sudden resurgence on the frontlines. He’s pointless in all five games and has mustered few scoring opportunities, prolonging a slump from the end of the regular season that saw him score just once over the final month. He still finished as the Bruins’ leading goal scorer, and they’ll need him to contribute if they hope to make more noise from here on out. 

He’s my choice for a rebound performance tonight, since he’s shown himself capable of clutch performances in the past. I’m hoping for something like this. . . or this.