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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
