NHL Analyst Boucher Gives Insights Into Stanley Cup Final on LIVE
NHL Analyst Boucher Gives Insights Into Stanley Cup Final on LIVE
Boucher, a Woonsocket native and Mount Saint Charles alumni, joined Nagle at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln on Saturday — and talked about the history of the rivalry dating back to the 1970s, when the Bruins and Blues squared off in the Stanley Cup.
Bruins Host the Blues Monday Night at 8 PM
“The Stanley Cup Finals were set up a little bit differently — those were expansion teams, and all the expansion teams played in the west and I guess you could argue that playing against all other expansion teams during that time it was probably a little easier to make it to the finals,” said Boucher. “It’s a lot different landscape here today, the Bruins were obviously a very good team back then led by Bobby Orr — the first of two cups there I believe in the ‘70s."
“This is a different time with so much parity in the league. It should be a great series and both these teams match up very well….I think one of the things the Bruins might have as an advantage over the Blues, I think [the Bruins] are a little bit faster team and I think that might play out to be something important,” said Boucher. “There’s no doubt this Blues team, they’re a physical bunch. They can defend well, their top 4 D, they’re right there with the Bruins top 4 D — they’re riding momentum right now, which is important this time of year. They’re feeling good about themselves, they’ve got a rookie goaltender that I’ve got question marks about. He’s been very good so far, [but] when the finals come, you know that’s a whole different animal.”
Boucher spoke to how he sees Bruins’ goalkeeper Tuukka Rask performing in the final.
“The one thing I’m concerned about for Rask — and he’s been fantastic, this is best hockey I’ve seen Tuukka Rask play for a stretch, for a period this long in his career, he’s played well at times in his career but I don’t think for this long and this consistently — but the time off, the ten days off to me is hard as a goaltender, to keep up the timing. And also the pressure of the games, and the fact you play every other day, you’re in the groove, the practices, the games — these are what you want for a goaltender because you don’t think about things, you just go out there and you play, you prepare for the next day,” said Boucher. “So [now] you practice as hard as you can, they had the scrimmage the other night, they’re trying to simulate game-type situations but that pressure that you play with — it’s not there, so that’s a question mark for me, and we’ll find out in game one…but there’s no doubt [Rask] is the better of the two goaltenders.”