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Four Questions Boston needs to answer in order to win against the Maple Leafs

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Four Questions Boston needs to answer in order to win against the Maple Leafs


Oh Toronto. Our old friend. Our erstwhile foe.

How I love to hate you. How I hate to see you and your absolutely apoplectic fanbase that cannot fathom hockey being something their team being willing participants in. How I enjoy watching you fail and refuse to learn the lessons over and over and over.

So I guess I enjoy watching the Bruins play them. Weird how that works.

The Bruins and the Leafs matchup once again to potentially end each other’s season for the 4th time over the past two decades, and the B’s have triumphed every time so far. It’s been a war, however; Game 7 seems inevitable at this point; no matter how dominantly either side wins Game 1. Further, in spite of the records, the Bruins are about as mortal as any team who threatened to win the division this year can be, and the Leafs decided they were going to play some of their best hockey in the 2nd half of the year. So what do they have to do to get past these Blue and White Bloviators? How can they break their wills once again?

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Simple; they just have to answer some questions about themselves, and their opponent.

Is Quality over Quantity going to work again?

I think I’ve made it abundantly clear over our check-ins that the Boston Bruins are, to put it lightly, picking their spots. That said, it seems like this year is more of an exaggeration than years past in that regard; the loss of their centers etc. etc. you know this bit by now. They don’t shoot a lot but they make those shots count. This is backed up by the math. They’re down in the bottom half of the league in shots attempts taken and unblocked shot attempts taken per 60 and are middle to slightly above average of the pack in quality. That isn’t news. It also shouldn’t shock you to learn that the Leafs have been better at that than Boston for most of the year.

If there’s any solace you can take from the regular season matchup between these two teams, it’s that Boston seems to find a way to hard counter the Leafs. Sure, the Leafs since January have been numerically a bit better than the Bruins (by the counts, anyway), but that was always kind of…true no matter what series they were in? 2018 was probably your year to beat them and then the Bruins just kinda…pulled it out there, Toronto. You sure on paper you’re actually all that and a bag of all-dressed?

This time, while the B’s are unquestionably going to be fighting uphill no matter what when it comes to offense, they’re facing a large but ultimately pretty weak defense that their forward corps can take advantage of if they’re willing to attack the middle of the ice and do what they did an awful lot of during the regular season; force Woll/Samsonov to make saves in tight.

Can you get the power play working again?

The Bruins power play has been kind of grim for a little over a month now. If there’s any opponent that could create some momentum towards fixing that; it’s the Leafs.

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Toronto’s PK has been gruesome, no matter who’s in the lineup, all season long. As the playoffs sort of morphs you into your final form; the apotheosis of everything your game is, was, and ever will be, it means that a power play that isn’t awful could become a serious X-factor towards beating the Leafs. They do need to get there, though. And that means forcing that particular PK to commit to bad decisions early and often. Puck movement needs to get these guys panicking and quickly. It needs to force space to open up, and decisions made from the point cannot end up going the other way, because it’s likely a golden opportunity for the other team if they manage to split the defense.

Further, the Boston Bruins are in a unique position to get multiple penalties off of these guys, because the Toronto Maple Leafs have, at least in their minds of their fans and probably more worryingly the man in charge of the team, been losing to the same team for the past five years uninterrupted. It is very likely the Boston Bruins can suck these guys into making extremely stupid decisions just by existing because they both dislike them that badly and have an idea of what they are that may not necessarily reflect reality. The Bruins’ reputation for extracurricular hockey precedes them, and the Leafs think they are prepared.

The Bruins need to show them that it’s not only untrue, it was actively a bad idea to think that was true in the first place.

Can you shut down Matthews and Marner again?

I need to make it clear the engine that keeps the Toronto Maple Leafs moving is Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Whatever else I say about these players after this point is mostly fan-brain taking over. They are immensely talented hockey players that are by and large worth the money.

The issue over their money however, extends to a reality that the Leafs have had to face time and time again; the Boston Bruins seem to find a way to make their most useful players seemingly worthless when it becomes Best of 7 with the season on the line. While some of it may in fact be because they aren’t built for this (and at least in Marner’s case, I think that’s true.), the reality is that the coaching staff, whether it’s under Bruce Cassidy or Jim Montgomery, have found ways to mitigate their impact. Brandon Carlo has often been stapled to Auston Matthews, as has Hampus Lindholm.

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It should work, we know that for certain, but with transition, specifically zone exits, being such a big issue for the Bruins this season it behooves them to figure out a way to make a very flawed defense into a bear trap for the two most dangerous players in blue and white. Charlie McAvoy has actually had a very rough time with Matthews in particular, and so he may be better served locking down the Tavares line so that Lindholm and Carlo can be better put to work stymying the Leafs attack where it often starts.

No but really, what are you going to do with the Goaltending

Boston’s been a bit coy about how they’re gonna deploy the goalies.

Jim Montgomery and Don Sweeney have insinuated they might actually go with platooning the goaltenders…or making a firm decision and not wavering from it.

I don’t envy either one of them right now.

They’re in a weird place with it; waiting way too long to replace your goalie when they were very obviously injured sank last year’s playoff run (Among a litany of all-timer gruesome performances. Hi Derek and Connor Clifton in Game 6.), and so doing the thing that everyone and their mother wants to see, which seems to be “Platoon the Goalies because that worked all season”, is very much on the table. If both guys are putting up the kind of .930 SV% expected of both of them, then that’s totally understandable to have such complete faith in your goaltenders.

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The only downside is…is if it doesn’t work. If the series is artificially inflated by one player obviously playing better than the other and making him wait to come in to save his buddy. As of the last few games, the answer if you looked at their results, you’d probably want to put that particular experiment on ice for a series or two because Ullmark is clearly playing better than Swayman by a significant amount. The answer should be Linus Ullmark. He’s playing .920+ SV% games to Swayman’s .900 SV%, at least over the past five games. Ullmark played nearly the entire season against the Leafs and they beat them convincingly over the long term, so why shouldn’t it be him? He’s clearly the answer!

At least until he wasn’t.

So…what do you do?

Maybe you don’t wait to find out.

We’ll have to see how Coach Monty handles this tonight.

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Boston, MA

Person found shot in vehicle in Roxbury

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Person found shot in vehicle in Roxbury


A person found shot in a vehicle in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood has life-threatening injuries, Boston police said Thursday.

The initial call came in for a car accident with entrapment, according to police. When officers arrived at the scene on Ruthven Street, they realized the victim had been shot.

The victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

More details were not immediately available.

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Boston, MA

Juneteenth in Boston: What to know about the celebrations, free museum admission and what’s open today

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Juneteenth in Boston: What to know about the celebrations, free museum admission and what’s open today


Today Boston marks Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, the Union Army reached Galveston Bay, Texas and it was announced that all enslaved people in the state were now free. 

Massachusetts enacted a law to make Juneteenth a state holiday in 2020, and officially observed the holiday for the first time in 2021. 

Here’s a look at Juneteenth celebrations and events that are planned around the Boston area on Thursday.

Juneteenth events around Boston

Cambridge is having a Juneteenth Freedom Day parade and celebration. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Mass. Ave and Pleasant Street in Central Square. It goes down Pleasant Street, to Western Avenue, to Blackstone Street and ends at Riverside Press Park. There will be a celebration at the park with music, food and performances.

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Brookline is hosting a free block party from noon to 4 p.m. at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School. There will be free food, music games, dancing and waterslides. 

The historic Shirley-Eustis House is hosting a “Freedom Cookout” from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Roxbury. There will be free tours of the mansion, free food, games and live entertainment. 

Take the ferry to Georges Island in Boston Harbor for live music and “powerful explorations of Black History in Boston.” The free event is from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Boston’s Juneteenth celebration will be held on Saturday, June 21 at Franklin Park. Picnics, barbecues, music and dancing are planned at Shattuck Picnic Grove and all around the park. 

Free museum admission on Juneteenth in Boston

The Museum of African American History in Boston is free to all visitors for a Juneteenth Open House. Family-friendly activities include Underground Railroad walking tours, story time, dancing, face painting and story time. 

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The Museum of Fine Arts is offering free admission for all Massachusetts residents on June 19. One of the featured exhibits is Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson, spotlighting the work of the Roxbury artist whose work racial prejudice and social injustice.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is also having a free day on Thursday. It will include “performances, conversations, and activities that celebrate community and freedom with Boston-based Black artists and leaders.”

The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston is offering free admission, but you must get advanced tickets online. 

What’s open and what’s closed on Juneteenth in Massachusetts?

Juneteenth is a federal holiday, so that means the post office and the stock market are closed Thursday.

Public schools and libraries are closed in Massachusetts on Juneteenth. All courts and Registry of Motor Vehicle offices are closed Thursday and will reopen Friday.

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Banks like Bank of America, TD Bank and Wells Fargo are closing for the holiday. 

Most retailers and supermarkets should be open on Thursday. 

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Boston United: Twin brothers are spearheading club's recruitment

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Boston United: Twin brothers are spearheading club's recruitment


Tales of footballing brothers sticking together are nothing new.

Gary and Phil Neville featured for Manchester United and England; the Ivory Coast’s Yaya and Kolo Toure had three years together at Manchester City; and then there were Ronald and Frank De Boer, who teamed up at Ajax, Barcelona, Rangers and the Netherlands during their illustrious careers.

The Bellingham bros, Jude and Jobe, are among the highest-profile siblings in the game at the moment, starring for Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, after both emerged at Birmingham City.

Where it differs for the Graham brothers is that they are lifelong Boston fans who are living out their dreams with the club off the pitch.

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Heading the scouting department of the fifth-tier club is something they have done together for the past two years.

They returned to the Pilgrims together, having previously started out with them as volunteer regional scouts before going on to develop their careers away from Jakemans Community Stadium.

Sam, who still recalls the first time he watched Boston United with his father and brother when aged five, says the job he shares with Shaun remains a “passion” above all else.

“I grew up a little addicted to football from a young age, especially non-league football,” he said.

“And we have been lucky to have this amazing opportunity to now be involved and use that passion to try and drive the football club forward.”

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Football and being on the lookout for talent is an all-consuming pursuit for the 38-year-old pair.

When they are not working side by side, they laugh that they are probably on the phone to one another.

“We are quite lucky that we have different skill sets,” Sam said.

“I will do a lot of the admin stuff, a lot of the communication and speaking to the manager and a lot of the players.

“And Shaun does a lot of the reporting and getting out and watching players, so that dynamic gives us two really good skill sets and allows us to do the job.”

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As much as they play to one another’s strengths as a scouting team, how the twin brothers view a player is not always identical.

But even then, they have worked out ways of settling an argument in a way that Boston United benefits.

“It can be difficult at times, and there are disagreements now and again,” said Shaun, who is the older brother by 48 minutes.

“But we tend to come to the same outcome because we have the same outlook on the game, and our opinions are very similar on players.

“Sometimes not agreeing is quite healthy. It keeps the relationship between us strong, I’d say.”

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