Пресса
перед началом серии: 

by Jim Smith. Newsday, The Bruins have not missed the playoffs since Bobby Orr wore a crewcut (1967). They were 4-3-4 in their last 11 but finished first overall for the first time since 1983, winning their first division title since 1984. Goalies Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin allowed the fewest goals in the league. Defenseman Ray Bourque is the favorite to win a third Norris Trophy in four years. Cam Neely set a club record for goals by a right winger with 55. Neely's center, Craig Janney, is doubtful for Game 1 with a sprained shoulder. GM Harry Sinden would not have traded for Bobby Gould, Dave Poulin and Brian Propp if he did not think the Bruins could make a run at the Cup. Hartford has gotten past the first round once. The Whalers do not have much offense beyond captain Ron Francis (101 points) and right wing Pat Verbeek (44 goals). Right wing Kevin Dineen, who dropped from 45 goals to 25, has missed the past six games with a bruised back but hopes to return tomorrow. Goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz is 0-2 in playoff games. Prediction: Bruins in 6.

Loewen, Gary.The Globe and Mail; The Bruins finished first over all to gain home-ice advantage. But that doesn't mean much against the pesky Whalers, who tended to play their best hockey on the road this season.

The Bruins, with the best defensive record in the league, take pride in their work ethic, discipline and special-teams play. The special teams were a factor in the Bruins' modest success against the Whalers this season. They scored on 22 per cent of power-play chances while limiting the Whalers to 7.1 per cent.

The Whalers are coming off a hot stretch drive (6-2-2), led by 101- point man Ron Francis.

Season series: Boston won it 4-3-1 (2-2 at home).

Top scorers in series: Boston - Ray Bourque (4-4), Cam Neely (3-5) and Craig Janney (2-6). Hartford - Scott Young (3-5), Dean Evason (1-5).

Injuries: Boston - Craig Janney (shoulder) is doubtful for the first game. Gord Kluzak (knee), Andy Brickley (thigh), Michael Thelven (knee) and Nevin Markwart (shoulder) are indefinite. Hartford - Mikael Andersson (hamstring), Kevin Dineen (bruised back), Dave Babych (foot) and Yvon Corriveau (shoulder) are day-to-day. Buffalo v Montreal History offers positive and negative insight into the Sabres' playoff hopes.

Francis, Rosa.Boston Globe (April 18, 1990): The Boston Sand and Gravel Co., camouflaged again as the Boston Bruins, moved into the Garden last night, pouring suffocating cement and sand and pure grit all over the Hartford Whalers.

When the Whalers managed to escape the stifling, attacking Bruins, there was one of smallest of the company's vehicles playing as big a role as any of its three-ton trucks.

Goalie Andy Moog.

With four minutes to play and the Bruins holding a 3-1 lead, Kevin Dineen was standing just outside the crease. Moog had lost his catching glove. "It got pinched between two guys and it was so wet it slipped off my hand," he said. The puck came to Dineen and he shot. "He was looking to get it on net as quick as he could," said Moog, "and I just batted it up with my blocker." And then? He plucked it out of the air with his bare hand, clinching it tightly. "I just reached up and grabbed it."

Moog had one of his starry nights, the kind that had come so often in November. Coach Mike Milbury said the "barehanded, non-glove save was the story of the game. Was he ever sharp? Making every kind of stop he had to make, handling the puck."

Moog shrugged off the Whalers' 18-shot first period, calling "the shot clock misleading . . . they had a lot of shots but we had the better scoring chances.

"If there was one thing that won the series it was our special teams," Moog said. "We played good solid hockey and that's what it takes to win a series. You have to use speed to win. We have the speed and we used it. We skated for three periods."

Special teams? The Bruins power play went 8 for 32 in the series; the penalty killers allowed Hartford three goals in 34 chances. The Whalers didn't score on the power play in Boston Garden until their 22d opportunity.

"The play of special teams gets magnified in the playoffs," said Dave Poulin, one of the Bruins' regular penalty killers, "whether it's the penalty-killing or the power play scoring critical goals. We had both. Maybe just from the penalty-killers playing together, or maybe playing against the same power play game after game."

Raymond Bourque's return played a big role, too. "Ray Bourque is a presence," Poulin said. "He forces people to think where he is before they make a move."

Randy Burridge, another part of the penalty-killing unit, said, "We were making them move the puck fast. We were trying to force them all over the ice when they had the man advantage . . . and with Ray back, he takes the man and the puck at the same time. He's a player and a half."

So the Bruins' season didn't end. "We weren't ready to be finished playing hockey," said Cam Neely. "We've still got some hockey playing to do," added Poulin. "We're not going to sit back and be satisfied with winning this series."

All the grittiest Bruins were present and accounted for last night and Moog, allowed a moment of modesty, said, "It's not always hard work that keep the puck out of the net. Sometimes it's being calm under pressure. When the game, the season, is on the line, it's not difficult to stay up. We all knew everybody would be putting it on the line."

This was a Big Wheel victory for a team that is equal parts talent, heart, sand and gravel.

Газета "Эдмонтон Журнал"
шансы команд на победу в Кубке Стэнли 1990

Calgary Flames 3-2
Boston Bruins 5-2
Edmonton Oilers 3-1
Buffalo Sabres 3-1
Montreal Canadiens 5-1
Chicago Blackhawks 7-1
New York Rangers 8-1
St. Louis Blues 12-1
New Jersey Devils 15-1
Los Angeles Kings 15-1
Toronto Maple Leafs 15-1
Washington Capitals 20-1
New York Islanders 20-1
Minnesota North Stars 25-1
Winnipeg Jets 25-1
Hartford Whalers 40-1

Пресса: Generous playoff format pays off for NHL owners (4 апреля 1990 года)