Record: 38-20-9 (1st in division, 3rd in conference)
Be careful what you wish for! I wanted there to be some response to the Chara hit (and for that matter, the Cooke hit, the Talbot hit, the Clutterbuck hit, etc, etc, etc) and it looks like I may have gotten one. If last night's game is any sign of what the Bruins are going to face for the rest of the season in response to the uproar all around the league, I take it back. I don't remember a more one sided officiated NHL game. Every Bruin that breathed on a Sabre was given two minutes, while Buffalo seemed free to abuse Boston at every pass of the puck. The most ridiculous call being the embattled Chara getting two minutes for boarding five feet from the boards.
Chara made a reckless play, not the Boston Bruins. Chara should have been suspended, not the Boston Bruins. I'm not sure why the team gets punished by the officials because of the act of one player. Putting the B's at a disadvantage for most of the game doesn't fix or address the situation. And I know it seems a little presumptuous that all the Bruins penalties had anything to do with the Chara hit, but the calls were so absurd and it feels a little too much of a coincidence that it happened in the wake of this controversy.
The Bruins out played the Sabres and deserved to win last night's game, but they had no shot with the ref's playing as a 7th Buffalo player. It is a very hard loss to take. The Bruins play a chippy style of hockey, but most times that style is totally legal. Yes, the Pialle hit that led to suspension was reckless. Yes, the Chara hit was reckless. But these incidents shouldn't prevent the Bruins from playing the totally legal chippy style that makes them so successful. Give Chara a suspension and let the Bruins play hockey. It's not hard Mr. Bettman.
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