266.Best yet to come from Bruins, Kaberle
The drama that enveloped the first round of the playoffs has been largely replaced by its polar opposite in the second; a sweeping vacuum of lopsidedness and foregone conclusions - not that fans of the winning teams mind that in the least. nfl jerseys from china
For the most part, the winners have succeeded because they consolidated their powers within and answered questions that lingered; San Jose is getting monster play from Joe Thornton and stability in net from Antti Niemi, while Tampas terrific trio of Sean Bergenheim, Steve Downie and Dominic Moore gave the Bolts unforeseen depth up front.
But theres one team that hasnt peaked yet and I would posit that as a harbinger of goodness to come. The Boston Bruins are on the precipice of sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers and have now gone two rounds without any semblance of an effective power play. In fact, of the 16 teams that made the post-season, only Pittsburgh had a worse percentage on the man advantage, converting once in 35 tries (2.9 percent) and giving up a shorthanded goal in the process. Boston has scored once in 32 attempts (3.1 percent) and also surrendered a shortie. cheap nfl jerseys from china
So in essence, an opponent could take a penalty against the Bruins with the knowledge they were just as likely to score in the ensuing two minutes as the Boston attackers who outnumbered them.
Speaking of room for improvement, another burr in the sides of Bs fans has been blueliner Tomas Kaberle. Since coming over in a much-ballyhooed trade from Toronto, the stoic Czech has underwhelmed. That same Boston power play floundered under his influence, which is strange, since that was so much of his game with the Maple Leafs. But dont complain, Bruins faithful. Kaberle may not have been remarkable so far in the playoffs, but he too has room for improvement and his ceiling is higher than any of the other options. Think about it: you have a No. 1 defenseman playing the fifth-most minutes (18:06 per game) among Boston blueliners. If he can up his game, all of a sudden the pressure is alleviated from minute-munchers Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, both of whom are dangerously close to playing 29 minutes per contest.
As for the price Kaberle came at - specifically big prospect center Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick, plus a conditional pick - it will all be worth it if Boston wins the Stanley Cup. Yes, Colborne is starting to round into form as a dangerous pivot in the Toronto organization, but the Bruins arent starved for young talent (Brad Marchand being the latest breakout star). Plus, that draft pick will be in the No. 27-30 range thanks to the Bruins march to the conference final and potentially beyond.
Ending nearly 40 years of Stanley Cup starvation is worth paying a high price for. Kaberle is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but if his presence in any way helps the Bruins lift the chalice, Boston can say see ya on July 1 with a clear conscience.
