GDT: 3/29/18 - 7:00PM EDT - Tampa Bay @ Boston

[T REX]

LOL. We haven't had a lead on them at all. Not once. That's pretty pathetic. You don't think our guys realize this? They were talking about it on NHL overtime. Boston is the best team in the East according to them. TB has fizzled out for whatever reason. Limping into the playoffs.

Boston is doing it without stars. What's our excuse?

 

[T REX]

I don't know. Why? Do those minutes carry over into the playoffs?

Honest question, are we playing like Stanley Cup Contenders?

Is Boston?

 

[Sky04]

Sorry guys, I had faith in this one. Won't do it again until the switch is flipped.

 

[The Macho King]

#FireBowness

 

[HogTown06]

Translation from Toronto (English version): The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided they would rather play Tampa than Boston and as such all league rulings will be 100% certified pure crap, so suck it Tampa fans.

I don't think we would prefer to play TB over Boston, the Leafs' speed always creates a bad matchup for the Bruins, if I'm not mistaken we're 3-1 against them this year.

Leafs vs Bolts would make for a very entertaining series though (hopefully) I'll give you that.

 

[Stammertime91]

Coming in late on this one...

Gonna make it quick...we matched up well with their play style in the 2nd and I thought we out played them. 3rd was a wash. It came to the usual dickery from the Bruins and the refs. We have ourselves to blame in a lot of games, and even at times in this game, but this was not a 4-2 drubbing or blow out. There were a ton, I mean a ton, of missed calls and garbage after the okay that's just gets the juices flowing in the Garden from the Bruins. How you can rip JT Miller's helmet off for skating by the net, Rask hitting Conacher and Gionta hitting Cirelli from behind while coming out shorthanded once in those three instances - and getting a PP when your ugly ass Sasquatch goalie starts hitting people with a blocker another time - and no majors or ejections - is beyond me. Its laughable how obvious it is at times.

A good indicator of goalie interference is how the goalie reacts. Rask was pissed the puck went in, not because Cirelli interfered. Yet, no goal? K. No extra penalties on all the post whistle garbage but in all the other games against teams not called the Boston Bruins, it gets called.

It's funny hearing their fans moan and complain about "egregious" hits last night against the Jets when Morrissey gave them a taste of their own medicine. 24 hours later - back to being dirty - back to being ok being a Bruins fan. Their hypocrisy is astounding.

Tampa needs to win out. Playing the leafs is no easy task, and then playing Boston the next round (If there is a 2nd round) is a best of 7 against the gong show (Hi Gongshow) we saw tonight.

 

[Todd1a]

I am going to the game on Tuesday at home vs Boston. Hoping for a better result.

Good luck I had to watch the coyotes kick our butts in person there

 

[Todd1a]

I guarantee a win.

I just won’t say which team.

Don't let this distract you from the truth, back in 1966 Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk city high school panthers in the 1966 city championship game versus Andrew Johnson high school, including the game winning touchdown in the final seconds against his old nemesis, "spare tire " Dixon. Al went on to a successful career selling women's shoes.

 

[Bolt 45]

Honest question, are we playing like Stanley Cup Contenders?

Is Boston?

Put some money on Boston if you really think that makes any kind of difference. We've been Boston's carrot for months. Now they're ours.

 

[Fenway]

Bruins feed



Lightning feed



This race is far from over.

 

[God King Fudge]

If we've resorted to actually blaming losses on the refs, then things are worse than I thought. Every single team gets bad breaks, missed calls, phantom calls, posts, missed open nets, etc.

Some teams overcome it, some don't.

The effort level was improved, and I thought we were the better team in periods 2 and 3, but that didn't matter much.

The concerning thing to me is that Boston has had a relatively easy time with TB of late without really key pieces. Think it's not going to get even easier when they have Chara and McAvoy back?

I'd be absolutely terrified to see Boston anywhere in the playoffs, because that's likely where their run ends. Handle TOR or whoever and pray to Jobu for an upset.

 

[FinnLightning26]

We need to get some wins in the last five games. Can't be ice cold going into the playoffs. So much of the success in the playoffs is about getting hot at the right time and we're trending in the opposite direction.

 

[Stammertime91]

If we've resorted to actually blaming losses on the refs, then things are worse than I thought. Every single team gets bad breaks, missed calls, phantom calls, posts, missed open nets, etc.

Some teams overcome it, some don't.

The effort level was improved, and I thought we were the better team in periods 2 and 3, but that didn't matter much.

The concerning thing to me is that Boston has had a relatively easy time with TB of late without really key pieces. Think it's not going to get even easier when they have Chara and McAvoy back?

I'd be absolutely terrified to see Boston anywhere in the playoffs, because that's likely where their run ends. Handle TOR or whoever and pray to Jobu for an upset.

Tampa outplayed them in the 2nd and it was pretty even in the third. The McDonagh giveaway and Killorn penalty did us in at the end of the first. You can't just write off officiating as if it has no bearing. There's complaining about the refs just to complain about something and then there's complaining about the refs because it's actually justified. This is one of the latter. A disallowed goal which even Rask didn't even argue is called back. Ripping Miller's helmet off - no call. Rask hitting Conacher, resulting in a 4v4 - go to the faceoff - suddenly turn around and they get a powerplay? After starting the entire thing? You get a penalty for crossing the other half of the ice but you can hit somebody with your blocker to the head repeatedly (not get ejected like the RULEBOOK says) and get only two minutes? I know I'm not the only Lightning fan that knew immediately when Stamkos was talking to the ref and looking pissed that we were getting the short end of the stick. You skate over the red line = 2 minutes. You hit a player in the head and start a scrum when your own defenseman runs him into you = 2 minutes. LOL.

The officiating in this game wasn't something to just say, "ah, let's not complain, we could've done better." We played pretty damn good. Other than two late first period gaffes, we deserved that one. We got a goal removed and got screwed put of 4v4 and 5v4 situations in our favor. I'm totally with you in regards to them having to play even better and moaning about refs, but tonight was warranted.

The biggest problem is, that's how a playoff series will be against them. Miller, Schaller and whoever else constantly ripping helmets off and Raskquatch teeing off on somebody while the refs turn a blind eye. And of course we get away with stuff but these were big moments in the game where we constantly get shafted.

 

[God King Fudge]

Yeah, there were some bad calls and no calls, but I'm not going to say we lost because of the refs. That's an excuse that doesn't hold weight with me.

I'd point to a 6 shot first period and a implosion at the end if the first before I'd point to the refs. I'm not saying they were fair, or good calls or any of that. I've just literally seen people say list strictly because of the refs or that we were playing against the refs.

That's just silly. IMO.

 

[Stammertime91]

Same in the end. Reffing sucked but the implosion with a minute to go deflated us. I liked our game later on but taking stretches of an entire period off or getting shell shocked has been costing us. That McDonagh turnover is burned into my memory and the Killorn call was instant sadness.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

If I was a Toronto fan I'd be in full panic mode after watching Tampa Bay and Boston go at it.

 

[Fabiobest]

Where is the game misconduct penalty?
Fu* the Bruins!!!

 

[CupsOverCash]

Im not going to sit here and say we should have won that game because we probably shouldnt have. Two goals stand out to me that were bad and we need to be better than that. Ironically both were on McDonagh but he will be better than this. However I wont sit here and say that we couldnt beat them in a 7 game series. I think we can. Last night proved it to me. I think overall we outplayed them and they got some nice bounces and the refs certainly didnt help us either but thats not my point. I think we just need to play a little smarter and need to take advantage of our opportunities because we had many. I thought we limited their chances for the most part but they took advantage of theirs. We didnt for ours and it cost us the game. This is why I dont believe we deserve to win that game but gives me great hope going forward against them. Remember guys the playoffs are bit different. If we can outskate them like we did last night in a 7 game series I like our chances.

 

[CupsOverCash]

The refs officiated the game like a playoff game. You are in for a rude awakening come playoff time because the refs tend to keep the whistles in their pockets.

But it wasnt a playoff game. So why would he hope that a playoff game would be different from a regular season game or vice versa?

 

[T REX]

Put some money on Boston if you really think that makes any kind of difference. We've been Boston's carrot for months. Now they're ours.

Why would any lightning fan pick anyone else? You think I like having to say another team is better than us after that start we had? I'm an honest fan. Nothing more.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

THIS WAS SOME f***ING BULLSHIT

I EXPECTED THE BRUINS TO BEAT US NOT THE REFS

HOLY f*** WHAT WAS THAT OFFICIATING

 

[CupsOverCash]

THIS WAS SOME ****ING BULL****

I EXPECTED THE BRUINS TO BEAT US NOT THE REFS

HOLY **** WHAT WAS THAT OFFICIATING

I think after being a lightning fan for a long time, Ive accepted that we will get shitty calls against these original 6 teams. We just have to be better.

 

[JoVel]

Didn't catch this one... What is this ref complaining about? I saw the Killorn disallowed goal but don't know about anything else.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

I think after being a lightning fan for a long time, Ive accepted that we will get ****ty calls against these original 6 teams. We just have to be better.

I saw 3 blown penalty calls in the first 10 minutes alone. After that I stopped counting. The Killorn no goal was bullshit. And Rask should have gotten a match penalty for punching Conacher with his blocker. Instead Boston gets a power play out of it? Lmao

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Didn't catch this one... What is this ref complaining about? I saw the Killorn disallowed goal but don't know about anything else.

A shit ton of blown penalty calls. In the first ten minutes alone they missed a Backes interference on Cirelli, a Backes trip on Kucherov, and a K Miller cross check on JT Miller. Also at one point Gionta only got 2 minutes for a dangerous boarding to Cirelli. And the whole Rask thing.