BOSTON — Obviously Richard Dent Jersey , the Boston Bruins, having won the opener of the second-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, were greedy and wanted to also win Game 2 and come home in command of the series.
But the Lightning, clearly having shaken the rust of their layoff before Game 1, had other ideas, evening the series.
Still, the Bruins left Tampa having captured the home-ice advantage they lost by playing poorly down the stretch of the regular season to finish a point behind the Lightning in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
Now, it’s a best of five with three set at TD Garden, the first of those Wednesday night in Game 3 of the conference semifinal.
“It’s 1-1. We’re in the playoffs, you’re not gonna walk through teams,” Brad Marchand said after the Game 2 loss. “We have home-ice advantage now, we’ll go home. This game’s over, it’s done with http://www.chicagobearsteamonline.com/tarik-cohen-jersey , and we’ll move on.”
The Bruins weren’t thrilled with the officiating Monday night, but they also know they have to play better.
The Lightning knew they had to be better than they were in the opener.
“We talked about trying to turn the page, that’s what we had to do,” said Tyler Johnson. “We had to realize that it was only one game. We can come back and we expect better from ourselves. I thought tonight we had a really good game as a line. I thought Point and Pally played outstanding, and if we continue to do that, we’ll be good.”
They also know they have to be better with the series changing venues.
“I’ve been in that situation before, it’s a hostile environment,” defenseman Victor Hedman said Tuesday. “But these are fun games. This is what you want to play for and want to go through. We are playing a tough team. It’s a tough building to play in, but so is ours. So we are ready to play our game, play good road games and hopefully (get) two wins.”
The officials were roundly criticized for their work in Game 2, none louder than NBCSN’s Jeremy Roenick.
“We hate to harp on the refs sometimes,” Roenick said. “But tonight they deserve to get harped on because of the rinky-dink, ticky-tack calls like they called in the first period. … It’s unacceptable Nick Perry Jersey , it’s got to be better, it’s too inconsistent.”
Said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy: “They impacted the game and that’s where it’s frustrating.”
The Bruins won both home games against Tampa Bay in the season series and have won three straight and four of the last five — and are 17-4-0 over the Lightning at TD Garden over the last seven years. If you want to stretch it out, the franchise has just nine wins in 54 games in Boston, including playoffs.
But while Boston was 28-8-5 at home this season, the Lightning were a more-than-respectable 25-13-3 on the road.
While the Bruins went 3-1 at home in defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in Round 1, Tampa Bay was 1-1 in New Jersey and dispatched the upstart Devils in five.
The Bruins scored 22 goals in their four home games against Toronto.
But this is Tampa Bay.
“You don’t want to feed this team’s transition,” said rookie Charlie McAvoy. “They’re a good transition team. We pride ourselves on that. That first goal for us was a good transition. Their second goal they had was a quick transition. … That’s the way the game is going, the best teams can take advantage of opportunities there like they were able to.”
The Oakland Raiders finished the NFL draft by taking another risk, although this one could come with an extremely high payoff.
The Raiders traded up in the fifth round on Saturday to take talented Michigan pass rusher Maurice Hurst, who fell from a projected first-round pick to off some draft boards because of concerns from a heart condition that got him sent home from the combine.
”It’s money,” Hurst said. ”Just upset and disappointed in teams that decided not to pick me. But one got a great player for very little. So I’m very excited to be part of the Raiders organization.”
The Raiders traded the 159th and 185th picks to Indianapolis for the 140th pick on Saturday and used it to take a player who might have gone in the first round had he not had health concerns.
But he got sent home from the combine after a heart issue was detected. Hurst said it was something he has dealt with for a long time and hadn’t impacted him on the field. He said he has been cleared by doctors at Harvard and Michigan but that didn’t prevent his fall.
”It’s tough just going into it thinking that you’re one of the top players in the draft and having good tape and everything like that,” he said. ”Just having to wait and see guys that you believe that you’re better than go ahead of you, I mean it’s tough. But I’m just happy to be in the right place and part of a great organization.”
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said the team had no concerns about Hurst’s ability to get on the field and said he expected him to take part in rookie minicamp next week. The team will keep monitoring him but he currently has no limitations.
”The fact is that he does have a heart condition but it’s a situation where he’ll get checked every year but right now he’s good http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/lance-kendricks-jersey ,” McKenzie said.
Hurst was an All-American and one of the most productive defensive players in the country last season. He had 5 sacks as an interior rusher and led all nose tackles and defensive tackles with 49 total quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
”The one thing he can do is work the edge of the offensive linemen,” McKenzie said. ”He does a good job of maneuvering around that blocking and getting up field.”
The move for Hurst was one of several this weekend when the Raiders made high-risk, high-reward moves. They dealt a third-round pick to Pittsburgh on Thursday for talented receiver Martavis Bryant, who has been suspended twice for substance abuse issues.
Oakland then traded up in the third round Friday to take LSU pass rusher Arden Key, who was viewed as a first-round talent but spent time in drug rehabilitation in college.
The Raiders also used two picks on Friday for FCS players whom they believe have the upside to thrive in the NFL in defensive lineman P.J. Hall from Sam Houston State and offensive tackle Brandon Parker of North Carolina A&T.
Here are some other takeaways from draft weekend:
CORNER HELP
The Raiders started the day Saturday by taking Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson with the 110th overall pick. Nelson spent his first two seasons at Hawaii before transferring. He has no career interceptions but did have 21 passes defensed last season. He allowed just 37 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and might have been taken higher if not for a knee injury during a pre-draft workout with Detroit.
JUST FOR KICKS
After cutting punter Marquette King last month, the Raiders found his potential replacement in the fifth round Saturday. They took Florida’s Johnny Townsend 173rd overall and as the third punter in the fifth round. Townsend is the all-time leading punter for the Gators and averaged 46.2 yards per kick in his career and is known for his skill as a directional punter. This marks the fourth time the Raiders have drafted a punter with Ray Guy making the Hall of Fame and Shane Lechler going to seven Pro Bowls.
SEEING RED
McKenzie had mixed emotions when his son, Kahlil, was drafted in the sixth round by the rival Kansas City Chiefs.
”I got a text from Charles Woodson. He said, `Your son has to retire. There’s no way he’s going to put that red helmet on his head,”’ McKenzie said. ”Part of me felt that way but in all seriousness http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/aaron-jones-jersey , it’s a good opportunity for him.”
TRADING POST
The Raiders were wheeling and dealing during the draft, making seven trades in all, including the one to acquire Bryant. They moved down in the first round and again in the second, before using some of those extra picks to move up for both of their third-round picks. Oakland then traded up again for Hurst, as only four of the nine players taken came with picks the Raiders had entering the draft.
The Raiders then made a player swap late in the day Saturday, sending disappointing 2016 second-round defensive tackle Jihad Ward to Dallas for receiver Ryan Switzer, a fourth-round pick last year who excelled as a returner as a rookie.
STILL NEED
The Raiders went into the draft with needs at inside linebacker and didn’t address it until the sixth round when they took Washington’s Azeem Victor with the 216th overall pick. Victor was suspended for a DUI charge last season. McKenzie said he has not ruled out bringing back last year’s starter NaVorro Bowman, who is still on the free agent market looking for a deal next year.
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