titanium2 867 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Are the Boston Bruins for real? I haven't really paid much attention to them but apparently they are the 2nd best in the league. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
imisssergei 0 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Are the Boston Bruins for real? I haven't really paid much attention to them but apparently they are the 2nd best in the league. They play in the East which is so wide open. I don't consider any team in the East a top 5 NHL club. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DyingAlive 27 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Yes they are for real. They beat us in dominating fashion 4-1 on November 29th. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Yes they are for real. They beat us in dominating fashion 4-1 on November 29th. That doesn't prove anything. I'm sure Columbus has beaten us 4-1 or 5-1 in the past. I've barely followed them this year. They're definately an improved club, but no, I don't think they're going to stay the best in the East, and if they do, it won't mean much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 That doesn't prove anything. I'm sure Columbus has beaten us 4-1 or 5-1 in the past. Columbus is for real, son. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 They play in the East which is so wide open. I don't consider any team in the East a top 5 NHL club. There are not five West teams better than Boston or the Rangers. Who....the Flames? Ducks? Canucks? Blackhawks? No. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zion 93 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Agreed. They're for real, but can they beat the Wings/Sharks in a 7-game series? Only if their goaltending continues to be stellar. It's a long season. That said, I can't stand Boston fans. Unbelievable jerks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pockets 9 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Id say San Jose, Detroit and Chicago are above the bruins at this point San Jose i dont really need to make a case for them we all know what they are doing Detroit starting to find their groove played well first 30 games finally seeming to get back to their style of play Chicago really flying under the radar posting very similar off and def stats to San Jose only thing that could end up hurting these guys is their youth theres alot of games to play and until Stanley is won we wont know who the best is Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Id say San Jose, Detroit and Chicago are above the bruins at this point San Jose i dont really need to make a case for them we all know what they are doing Detroit starting to find their groove played well first 30 games finally seeming to get back to their style of play Chicago really flying under the radar posting very similar off and def stats to San Jose only thing that could end up hurting these guys is their youth theres alot of games to play and until Stanley is won we wont know who the best is There isnt a snowballs chance in hell that Chicago is better than Boston, and I wouldn't even say Detroit is better than Boston either. They are most definitely for real. Easily the best team in the East - bar none. I would put them right up there with San Jose. They're basically a team that is maturing at the right time. You name it, they have it. Awesome offense, energy, defense, goaltending, great system, a coach that works for them - they're that well-oiled machine that spells playoff success. If it weren't for them being such a young, inexperienced team playoff-wise, I'd say they have a better chance than Detroit does to win the Cup this year. They remind me a LOT of the Pens last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 They play in the East which is so wide open. I don't consider any team in the East a top 5 NHL club. I take it you're not very familiar with the East this year. The only reason the East doesn't have 70% of the top 10 teams is because at least 3 - maybe 4 - great teams play in the same conference. Philly, Pittsburgh, the Rags, and even a Brodeur-less Devils team are awesome this year. I'd put any of Philly, Pitts, or NYR even or ahead of Chicago in terms of dominance - and thats the West's 3rd best team for all intents and purposes...which is not even including Boston and Montreal. If you look at the West, its 3 teams deep. If you look at the East, its 5-7 teams deep depending on how much leeway you give to the Devils and Caps given their inverse positions in the standings. The fact that Boston is doing well in a division that is better than ours (top to bottom) says a lot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DatsyukownzU13 1 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 (edited) I take it you're not very familiar with the East this year. The only reason the East doesn't have 70% of the top 10 teams is because at least 3 - maybe 4 - great teams play in the same conference. Philly, Pittsburgh, the Rags, and even a Brodeur-less Devils team are awesome this year. I'd put any of Philly, Pitts, or NYR even or ahead of Chicago in terms of dominance - and thats the West's 3rd best team for all intents and purposes...which is not even including Boston and Montreal. If you look at the West, its 3 teams deep. If you look at the East, its 5-7 teams deep depending on how much leeway you give to the Devils and Caps given their inverse positions in the standings. The fact that Boston is doing well in a division that is better than ours (top to bottom) says a lot. Definitely a no on the Rangers. They are easily the most overrated team in the NHL right now. As for the OP, Boston has a great mixture of skill, size and grit. Mix that with great goaltending and you have an elite team. The real question is does Tim Thomas ever end up reverting back to his play of last season? I guess they have Fernandez if that were to happen, but I just don't see the goalie stats keeping up at their current rate forever. With the emergence of Krejci, Kessel and Wheeler (and re-emergence of Ryder), they have so many skilled forwards that it's hard to look past them. Edited December 25, 2008 by DatsyukownzU13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tane 17 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 Boston Is for Real... It starts Between the Pipes, Both Goalies have Been playing out of their minds So far...I think one is in the top 3 in GAA and the other is in the top 3 for SPCT. their Defence is Solid, led By One of the Most Dominant Defenders - Zdeno chara, Cut from the Same Cloth as Pronger, Phaneuf and Scott Stevens....Not to Mention Denis Wideman's been playing Superb for them. Their Offence is Clicking like no one else, With Phil Kessel emerging as the Scoring Prodigy that he was projected to be. Marc Savard Is quietly on his way to another 90 point season, Blake Wheeler, their rookie is coming on, Lucic is a poor man's Cam Neely, Krejic's been On fire for the past 2 weeks, and they've got the character plyers like PJ Axelsson, Scott thornton, Chick Kobasew and Stephan Yelle. Yes, the Bruins are for real, they do not lack in any area right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedisappearer 291 Report post Posted December 25, 2008 There isnt a snowballs chance in hell that Chicago is better than Boston, and I wouldn't even say Detroit is better than Boston either. ... They remind me a LOT of the Pens last year. So... they aren't better than Detroit, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 When was the last time they made it out of the 1st round? As far as I'm concerned, they're not for real until they prove it in the playoffs. Same goes for Montreal and San Jose. These teams don't have enough playoff success to be feared as opponents. Philly and Pittsburgh are the best playoff teams in the East they way I see it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SouthernWingsFan 854 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 Are the Boston Bruins for real? I haven't really paid much attention to them but apparently they are the 2nd best in the league. One of only 3 teams right now with 50+ points, for now they definitely are. However we've definitely had our fair share of teams that finish high in the standings in the regular season and flake out earlier than expected in the playoffs as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrossoverThrash 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 They play in the East... that pretty much answers your question... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedisappearer 291 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 When was the last time they made it out of the 1st round? As far as I'm concerned, they're not for real until they prove it in the playoffs. Same goes for Montreal and San Jose. These teams don't have enough playoff success to be feared as opponents. Philly and Pittsburgh are the best playoff teams in the East they way I see it. I agree with you, and that wants to make me feel dirty but it's Christmas, so Imma run with it. They are good. So are a bunch of teams that never make the conference finals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finalfilppula 2 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 rangers have some very inflated stats, what with the amount of games they've played already. no one is "furreal" until they prove it in april. see you then. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Mule 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 Boston, Philadelphia, and Montreal (in that order) are the three best teams in the Eastern Conference. Those three teams will each win their respective decisions and will all do well in the playoffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
betterREDthandead 58 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 Boston, Philadelphia, and Montreal (in that order) are the three best teams in the Eastern Conference. Those three teams will each win their respective decisions and will all do well in the playoffs. That would be a neat trick. Boston and Montreal are in the same division. They play in the East... that pretty much answers your question... So in other words, the answer is "yes".....because the perception that the West is soooooo much better than the East is outdated and completely false. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrossoverThrash 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 So in other words, the answer is "yes".....because the perception that the West is soooooo much better than the East is outdated and completely false. No Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Never_Retire_Steve 35 Report post Posted December 26, 2008 If you have watched many Boston games you would have to be impressed with their play. They seem to score at will right now and Thomas is playing unreal in goal. They are leading the league in scoring and GAA I think. How can you argue with those numbers. The real question is can they keep up their play. I for one don't think they can as most of their players are big time overachieving. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
babygorilla 1 Report post Posted December 27, 2008 Good team. Great goaltending. Boring as hell to watch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Never_Retire_Steve 35 Report post Posted December 27, 2008 Good team. Great goaltending. Boring as hell to watch. Wow, I disagree completely. They are scoring 8 goals a game it seems and Thomas is making ridiculous saves. You also have guys like Lucic running around hitting people and fighting. What is boring about their team? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
