Game 23 Recap: BRUINS 7 ISLANDERS 2 BLACK FRIDAY

This was an awesome game. It was sold out, the crowd was all in their seats by the first puck drop, just a fantastic game.

Let's start ourselves a post-thanksgiving recap.

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First off, Nate Thompson comes back to the team that put him on waivers and - oops! - scores one 1:46 in to the game.  It was a nice corner shot.  One of those goals where you wonder, "Is it going to be one of THOSE nights?"

0-1.  The guys next to you try to start a "put in thomas" chant, but you saw this in the Buffalo game.

Lucic absolutely pastes Jackman into the boards.  Jackman doesn't get up for a minute.  But he skates off the ice, and plays later in the game, so I guess he's ok.

The Bruins come out flat.  And by flat, I mean Utah salt flats before they flooded flat.

So Head Coach Claude Julien talks to the team:

The Bruins respond.

Second Period.

We go on the PP, the whole bench crashes the net.  Seriously.  Axelsson-Kobasew-RW-Axelsson-MacDonald-Kobasew-NET.  GOAL.

1-1.  That's more like it.

Then Krejci gets it down low behind the net, but Hilbert gets it away from him.  He dumps...into the waiting hands of Michael Ryder.  High glove side. GOAL.

2-1.  Solid.

During the second intermission, the Islanders look down and realize they're the islanders.

Bill Guerin gets the breakaway, but Manny hasn't let any goals in yet and doesn't see a reason to start now.

2-1.  Solid save by Manny.

On the rebound from that save, they work it out of the zone, Krejci gets going on a 2-on-1 with Wheeler.  You know how this goes.  Krejci-Wheeler-Net.  GOAL.

3-1.  How about that.

Krejci decides that that looked like fun, so 10 seconds later, well...

He brings it in, fakes the pass, stuffs it in like Thanksgiving dinner.

4-1. You start to feel better about the game.  Joey Macdonald gets to watch the rest of the game

A couple minutes later, Wideman fires it in, it bounces all the way around to Hunwick, who passes it to Kessel.  Kessel gets it across to Wideman, who wrists it high short side.  GOAL.

5-1. Well, I think that will....

Oh, look at that, Lucic and Witt decide it's fightin' time.  Hockeyfights.com has the video, and votes Lucic the winner.

22 seconds of game-time later, Shane Hnidy and Tim Jackman - who Lucic had flattened in the first - fight as well.  Hockeyfights calls it a draw, leaning towards Jackman.

But fights don't win games.  Goals do.  Richard Park understands that, and the Islanders get on the Power Play, and he looks like he's going to work it up the boards, but turns around and wrists one home.

5-2.  

Ryder sits at the other blue line, gets the pass from Wideman and wrists it into the net.  GOAL.

6-2.  Second goal from Ryder.  Sick.

Then with 2:40 left in the game, Lucic picks up the puck in the Bruins end.  He skates it up, drops it to Savard.  Savard gives it back to Lucic, and the both go wide to pull apart the defense.  Let's see, who else is on that line?  Oh yeah...  KESSEL!  Lucic gives it to him, Kessel buries it.  From the clip: MacDonald is ANGRY.

7-2.  Watch that one again.  Seriously, look at how two guys go with Savard, two go with Lucic, and the point-man D just gets burned by Kessel.  What a pretty play.

Thirty seconds left, they try to give Ryder the hat trick, but he has to settle for just 2 goals on the night.

Just a wonderful game to watch.  Especially the last 40 minutes.

Pretty much the only thing missing is another Hunwick goal.

Record: 15-4-4

L10: 8-1-1

In November: 10-1-1

Home: 8-1-1

Streak: W1

GO BRUINS!