Boston Bruins Off Season Preview

The Boston Bruins lost game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi finals to the Florida Panthers and have been eliminated from the playoffs.  It was a hell of a season for the Bruins.  They finished second in the division and had 109 points on the season.  They beat their old foe, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the first round, costing the Leaf’s coach his job, and put up a fight against the division winning Florida Panthers.  Let’s look at where the Bs stand as their season comes to an end.  

The Phoenix Mercury Open the 2024 Season

The Phoenix Mercury played their opening game of the season tonight as they took on the Defending Champion Las Vegas Aces in Sin City.  There is a lot to look forward to this season for the Team from the Valley and their over hauled roster.  I don’t think I will be doing a game review for every game like I have done in the past.  It’s hard because they are a west coast team that tends to play late night games and I don’t always watch them live.  But seeing as this is the opener I figured I would break down what I saw.  This will also double nicely as a season preview. 

Update from Yankee Land

I feel it is time for another Update from Yankee Land.  Since the last time we looked in on the Bronx Bombers they have gone 8-5 and now stand 11 games over .500.  They are currently on a 4-game winning streak heading into today’s action but have fallen to one game behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East.  They seem to be righting the ship in a lot of areas as they recover from their late April slump.  Let’s look at where things stand 37 games into the season. 

Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers Preview

The Boston Bruins have made it to the second round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime of game 7 of their first-round match up.  The Bruins let a 3 to1 game lead slip away before finishing off the Red Sox to their Yankees with a beautiful goal by should be Hart Trophy winner David Pastrnak.  Now they take on the division winning Florida Panthers.  Let’s take a look at how the Bruins got here and what needs to happen for them to advance to the next round. 

This and That

It’s the first day of May and time for another episode of my world famous This and That column.  There is a lot to get into, so without further ado, let’s jump right in.

Down on the Farm

One of the very many things I love about Baseball, and one of the few things Manfred can’t get rid of, is that they have a farm system.  A true minor league.  Basketball has the G League but it’s only one level and only 2 or 3 guys on the team are actually on the NBA clubs’ teams.  The NHL has the AHL but again, it’s only one level and the best prospects play Major Junior hockey until they are 20 years old.  With baseball, as soon as you are drafted and sign with the team (rather than go to college) you enter their minor league system.  I love seeing who the Yankees have coming up through their system.  I love following prospects and figuring out who is good and who isn’t.   Sometimes I am better at it than Cashman is.  I remember begging them to call up Severino when he was dominating the minors.  Or looking forward to the big kid Judge who keeps mashing long balls on every level.  I usually follow the top prospects but I love finding guys who come out of nowhere.  Like when I was clamoring for Rob Refsnyder to get called up and looking forward to Garrett Whitlock getting the call.  They are both productive players for the Red Sox now.  So, here we are.  Another season of Prospect watching.  I have to preface this by pointing out that I am doing this mostly through stats and I don’t get to see these guys actually play.  I always say the best way to tell if a player in any sport is good or not is to watch them play day in and day out.  I just have no way of doing that so I have to rely on stats.  So here we go…

Update From Yankee Land

It’s time for an Update from Yankee Land.  After their hot start, the Yankees have come down to earth a bit.  Now tied  for first place in the loss column (the only column that matters) with Baltimore for the AL East, the Yankees have some issues that need to be solved.  Lets look at what’s been going well for the Bronx Bombers and what needs to get better if they want to stay atop the standings. 

The Boston Bruins vs. The Toronto Maple Leafs

The Boston Bruins will begin their quest for the Cup against a very familiar foe, the Toronto Maple Leafs.  This first round match-up will be the 17th time these Original 6 teams have met in the post-season.  In the regular season, the Bruins won all 4 games against the Leafs.  Let’s look at could decide if that trend continues. 

Boston Celtics Play-Off Preview

The NBA regular season has come to an end and the play-offs are set to begin.  The Play In tournament is set to begin Tuesday.  The Celtics had a hell of a regular season and have reached the end pretty damn healthy and ready to make a run at Banner 18.  They finished the season with a 64-18 record.  Tops in the East by a hefty 14 games.  They lead the league by 7 games.  They were second in the league in points per game and were 5th in opponents points per game.  They lead the league with a +11 scoring differential which was 4 points higher than the second place team.   They had three guys, Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis, all average over 20 a game with Tatum leading the way at 26.9 per.  Their other two starters averaged 15 and 12.5.  Their 8 man rotation was rounded out by Pritchard, Houser and Horford who averaged 9.6, 9.0, and 8.6 respectfully.  They had more 30 point leads than they had 10 point deficits.  This team is good.  Very good.

This and That

Welcome bact to an all new edition of my world famous “This and That” column.  There is a lot to get into and some breaking news, so let’s jump right in.