It's really hard to write about this year's Boston Bruins without referencing the Senators.
The Bruins' GM, Peter Chiarelli, was a associate of John Muckler, followed in Muck's footsteps by building the 2000-01 Senators... in Boston... in 2005-06.
Zdeno Chara, Peter Schaefer, and Brendan Bochenski? I suppose it's a start for the Bruins, who have been struggling to remain respectable since Joe Thornton left. They put up a good fight on Saturday night at Scotiabank Place, but the Senators managed to pull out a win thanks to some grind from Mike Fisher and some style from Dany Heatley.
What a shot from Heatley, and what a game from Fisher. Both players doing exactly what those expensive, long-term contracts are telling them to do.
Why are the Sens fans booing Chara? The man left through free agency. Of course, he left for more money, but players do that all the time. There's no hard feelings from me towards the Z-Tree - that guy was awesome in Ottawa, and I wish the Sens kept him. Are the fans booing because the Sens chose to keep Redden instead?
The rematch goes tonight. Watch this one to see if the close game on Saturday was the result of Tim Thomas standing on his head, or if the Sens just couldn't finish their plays.