TAILGATE AT THE GAHDEN

Yeah, so....

I'm not going to write a big long preview here since I didn't last time and that worked out ok. But I will link to a bunch of fine folks that already did that, and then my own crappy preview. Or maybe mine first. Depends on how Jack Edwards I'm feeling.

So get out your grills. It's time to tailgate for the series. We've got some May Hockey!

BRUINS

• Hockey Blog Adventure (Cornelius): "Oh and don't forget about Ray Whitney. Or Chad "Who?" LaRose. They are the top line for Carolina. With 7 points a peice, they're a point per game team against New Jersey, who I thought might be one of the toughest teams in the playoffs. I was wrong."
  
• Ghosts of the Garden: "Rydermania is ready to run wild again!!!!!"
• Here Come the Bruins!: "Gameday in Raleigh is unique. They tailgate college-football style at the arena. They play Ric Flair clips on the Jumbotron. Their mascot is a pig. And it's loud as hell in the arena. Given some time to become more sophisticated about the sport, the Hurricanes fanbase will become the Sun Belt equivalent to Calgary's Sea of Red."
• Here Come the Bruins! pt. 2: "Prior to this season, the Hurricanes were the last team Boston had defeated in a playoff series. In 1999."
• Stanley Cup of Chowder: "Will the Hurricanes make the Bruins sit through another painstakingly long ceremony to honor a mediocre player who is dressed in full pads?"
• WickedBruinsFan: Media Breakdown.
• Joe Haggerty: "I think it’s one of those things where sometimes you brush off how good somebody is when you don’t see the best of what they have to offer,” said Ward. “I’ve seen the best of what those guys can do. I’ve seen Eric Staal take over games with his playmaking and scoring. I’ve seen how creative Ray Whitney is with the puck and what he can do. I’ve seen Cam Ward in Conn-Smythe form, and he looks like he’s right there again this season."
  
• NHL.com: Why the Bruins can win.
  
• Oh, and BostonBruinsTV gives us these highlights that don't matter:
  

HURRICANES

• The Life and Times of a Caniac (Ashley): "as long as the Canes play as well as they did in the Jersey series (excluding poor showings in Games 1, 3, and everything except the two minutes of 7) they should have a chance of winning games. Winning four? Well, that'll be difficult considering the opponent. But it's definitely possible."
• Study of Sports: "I asked Noah Small, writer for the Boston Bruins on Study of Sports, his opinion about the series as a whole, the Hurricanes and most importantly, his mighty Bruins. He then returned the favor asking me some questions about my Hurricanes." Good discussion.
• Canes Country: "Chuck Kobasew, then property of the Calgary Flames, was linemates with Eric Staal in Lowell. The duo combined for 64 goals and 152 points for the Lock Monsters, who served as the AHL affiliate for both the Canes and Flames. Chad LaRose, Ryan Bayda and Cam Ward also played on that team. Lowell's coach? Hurricanes assistant Tom Rowe."
• NHL.com: Why the Canes can win

General Previews:

• Down Goes Brown: "Boston Bruins: Strengths: Will be feeding off the energy of an entire state full of douchey, bandwagon-jumping sports fans who haven't had a championship to celebrate in like ten whole months"
• For Pucks Sake: "since the Bruins last saw the Canes, they went 17-5-2 into the playoffs, beating out New York and Montreal for the sixth seed."
• Puck Prospectus: "Alas, Carolina doesn’t have the depth to match all of Boston’s lines. Boston’s second and third lines will outscore Carolina’s. The Bruins can throw a checking line at Staal if they choose and they will certainly pair Zdeno Chara against him. If the Hurricanes can catch the Bruins napping in Game 1, the series may even stretch out to 7 games."
• The 2 Man Advantage: "Cam Ward might be able to steal a game, but Eric Staal is going to face Zdeno Chara every freaking game, so who knows how much Carolina will be able to score."
• Puck Daddy: Pop Quiz!
  

Should be a good one, folks. I know I'm excited.