A play-off contest between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers always intrigues.
But never more than this year.
Boston hold a 2-0 lead after Monday night's victory in Philadelphia, but they know all too well that nothing is a sure thing against the Flyers. It was just 12 months ago that Philadelphia shocked Boston by roaring back from a 3-0 series deficit to eliminate the Bruins from the play-offs.
That was just the third time in the 90-year history of the NHL that a team had rallied from three games down to win a series, and the fact the Flyers came back from a three-goal deficit in Game 7 made the story all the more remarkable.
Or, from the Bruins' perspective, all the more tragic. It was the kind of defeat that could ruin a franchise for a decade or more, if the management decided the core pieces were not strong enough and opted to strip down and start over.
The Bruins, however, did not panic. They kept the goalkeeping tandem of Tim Thomas, who struggled with injuries, and Tuukka Rask, the promising youngster. They kept key defenceman Zdeno Chara and most of the forward group, led by Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic and David Krejci.
The decision to tinker with the fringes of the line-up rather than make major moves was a good one.
Thomas turned in a great season and could win a second Vezina Trophy in three years. Chara has been nominated for the Norris Trophy as the top defenceman. Bergeron remains a two-way star while Lucic and Krejci had breakout seasons.
The Bruins brought back Mark Recchi, 43, and his veteran leadership - and on-ice performance - speaks for itself. The Bruins won their division and gained the No 3 seed in the East entering the play-offs. (The Flyers, meanwhile, led the conference for most of the season before a late-season swoon dropped them to second place.)
Boston survived a first-round battle with Montreal, finally dispatching the feisty Canadiens in overtime of Game 7. The series was probably tougher than it should have been, but that the Bruins were able to win three games in overtime should add some steel to their play-off mettle. The first round is generally acknowledged as the toughest, and the Bruins passed that test.
Which brings us to Philadelphia. The Flyers, of course, have their own redemption motivation this post-season after losing in the Stanley Cup final to Chicago last year. But to make amends, they will have to get past Boston again. They are already in an 0-2 hole after losing two games at home, and cannot expect the Bruins to be as forgiving as they were a year ago.
NHL play-offs this week
Players of the week
• Dwayne Roloson, Tampa Bay. The goalie sparked the Lightning to three victories over Pittsburgh and two straight wins over Washington.
• Claude Giroux, Philadelphia. The Flyers winger has collected two assists in four consecutive games to take over the play-off scoring lead.
• Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay, below. He has come alive with three goals and seven points in his past five games, including two game winners.
Teams of the week
• Tampa Bay. The Lightning have won five in a row, thanks to a gutsy comeback against the Penguins and early domination of the Caps.
• San Jose. The team that no one is talking about will not be swimming under the radar for much longer.
Duds of the week
• Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens blew a 3-1 series lead to bow out of the play-offs. That stings.
• Ryan Miller, Buffalo. The Sabres stopper surrendered nine goals in his final five periods of play.
• Scott Gomez, Montreal. The Canadiens centre managed two assists in the final four games against Boston, posting a minus-6 rating.
Games of the week
• Washington v Tampa Bay, today, Saturday and Monday. The Capitals need to win a pair of games in enemy territory to even the series.
• Vancouver v Nashville, tomorrow, Saturday and Monday. It appears that goals will be at a premium in this series after the Canucks won the opener 1-0 and the Preds won 2-1 in overtime in Game 2.
sports@thenational.ae
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
HAJJAN
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The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
MATCH INFO
Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
Manchester United 0
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Results
4pm: Maiden (Dirt) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Moshaher, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Handicap (D) Dh165,000 2,200m
Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Maiden (Turf) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Rua Augusta, Harry Bentley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
5.45pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,200m
Winner: Private’s Cove, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
6.20pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 1,600m
Winner: Azmaam, Jim Crowley, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6.55pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,400m
Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.30pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 2,000m
Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The five pillars of Islam
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5