The Morning Skate: 6/08/13

The Boston Bruins now have time to relax and go golfing, only until they find out who they play in the Stanley Cup Finals though. Ok, so they probably won’t be relaxing and golfing, they will be hard at work preparing for either the Blackhawks or the Kings. The Penguins on the other hand really do have the time to relax and golf before off-season training begins.

Jun 7, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; The Boston Bruins pose with the Prince of Whales trophy after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 in game four and winning the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

I have to admit, I thought that the Bruins wouldn’t be able to close out the series. I was wrong, I will always admit when I am wrong. The Bruins now have the honors of playing for the Stanley Cup after sweeping the Penguins, read more about the series from Causeway Crowd of Fansided.

The Bruins will be eagerly watching the TV tonight to see if Chicago pulls out another win at the United Center, to punch the final ticket to the Cup Final. I am sure the Kings will have something to say about that first though.

Jun 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) makes a save during the second period in game four of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

I was hoping that the game last night was either going to be a hard fought game, with someone winning in overtime. Or another blowout, and watching the Penguins fully crumble. I think I saw a little bit of both.

Adam McQuaid scored the lone goal for the Bruins, he riffled a slap shot over the right shoulder of Tomas Vokoun in the third period. Tuukka Rask played another great game, and was by far the MVP of the series for the Bruins. Check out NHL.com’s full series analysis.

Tonight the Blackhawks and the Kings face off at the United Center with game time set for 8:00 PM for game five. The Hawks will have Duncan Keith back and will be anxious to close out the series. Here are two articles to check out before tonight’s game: “Blackhawks taking nothing for granted for Game 5”  and “Back-to-the-wall Kings expect big effort in Game 5“. [NHL.com]

Charging Through The Headlines:

• Kings Mike Richards “doubtful” for game five. [NHL.com]
• USA Today reports that “Stars acquire Sergei Gonchar‘s rights” from Ottawa.
• The Canucks have been keeping busy in their search for their next head coach, read up on who they have been interviewing at TSN.ca.
• Union and Blue welcomes a new writer, Peter Dewar. Be on the look out for his first article.

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