No Big Moves in Boston

Kelly is officially a Bruin! (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

Today with just 88 days left til hockey season is upon us was the start of free agency. While there were around 50 free agents signing in the NHL none were in Boston. But July 1st did mean that Chris Kelly and Tuukka Rask were officially resigned as well as Alexander Khokhlachev being signed to an entry level contract.

But besides that the Bruins made no moves towards signing anyone new. General Peter Chiarelli has this to say:

“I’ve said this prior to going into today. I’m not actively looking for anything. If something can improve our team then we’ll look at it. Whether it’s the secondary market in free agency or the secondary market in trades, we’ll continue to look at that stuff. But we’re not actively looking.” (Via CSNNE)

With a ton of prospects in development camp right now, it doesn’t surprise me that Chiarelli and co. aren’t looking for any more additions to the black and gold. Players like Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug could very well be NHL ready come September.

Meanwhile free agents Joe Corvo and Greg Zanon are Bruins no more. Corvo returned back to the Carolina Hurricanes with a one year $2 million dollar deal while Zannon signed a two-year deal for $4.5 million with the Colorado Avalanche.

Today was only day 1 of free agency so there is a possibility for an addition the B’s and we’ll keep you updated as updates come our way!

 

Free Agent Frenzy and Contract Signings

Tuukka Rask (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

We have all been told throughout the post-season that the core of the Boston Bruins will stay together and that General Manager Peter Chiarelli was looking to keep Chris Kelly and Tuukka Rask in the mix for Boston.  As of today, July 1, 2012; the first day of NHL Free Agency, the Boston Bruins inked Chris Kelly until 2015-2016 and Tuukka Rask until 2012-2013.  They also came to terms with Russian forward Alex Khoklachev in signing a one-year entry level contract. He will play this season in Russia for the KHL and then come back to Boston to play.

Taking a look at who will not be returning, Benoit Pouliot was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning just as the doors opened, with a one-year contract worth $1.8million.  Defensemen Joe Corvo and Greg Zanon were also able to find new contracts as Joe signed a two-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes and Greg signed on with the Colorado Avalanche. Best of luck to you men! (Silently I will be cheering for you Benny, I’ll see you in Boston!))

As of right now, that is the biggest splash the Bruins have made in the Free Agent Frenzy and it doesn’t seem as though there will be many more waves to come. Perhaps wave will be if and/or when Tim Thomas gets sent out of Beantown. To which I say good riddance my dear red-headed friend, it’s been real.

Talk of the Trade

Who will set foot on this ice again for the '12-'13 season? (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

As we think about the 2012-2013 hockey season, we have to think of what the Boston Bruins team is going to look like, or better yet, what it should look like. This is the piece where I dissect the Bruins roster of current players, aside from the Grading System, and decipher who should stay and who should go. In order to do this, we have to take a look at who is restricted and unrestricted in the free agency this season.

Restricted Free Agents:

Forward, #67 Beniot Pouliot
Goaltender, #40 Tuukka Rask

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Forward, #12 Brian Rolston
Forward, #23 Chris Kelly
Forward, #11 Gregory Campbell
Forward, #20 Dan Paille
Defenseman, #14 Joe Corvo
Defenseman, #6 Greg Zanon
Defenseman, #27 Mike Mottau
Goaltender, #1 Marty Turco

With all of these players looking to be signed, there is approximately $5,272,024.00 available in cap space, not including Marc Savard. Given the past two seasons, we can assume that he will not be playing in the 2012-2013 season.  Putting him on the Long Term Injury Reserve list (LTIR), that frees up $4,004,143.oo, providing the Bruins with $9,281,167.00 of salary cap space to play around with.

Seasons Come and Seasons Go

Photo Credit:bigbadboston/Tumblr

So the end of the season has greeted us a little sooner than expected, yet after nearly 200 games played over the course of the last 19 months, it seemed ‘better late than never’ as the Bruins played practically two full seasons with only a month break in between. Thankfully we can expect to see a majority of the same team for the 2012-2013 season. However, there are a few guys that we are not so likely to see. From the Bruins team alone there are nine free agents.  Some are newcomers, such as Brian Rolston, Greg Zanon and Mike Mottau while others have been with the Organization for a while such as; Chris Kelly, Benoit Pouliot, Joe Corvo, Tuukka Rask, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille.

B’s Capitalize Against Caps; Game 3 Recap

Zdeno Chara scored the game winner for game 3 (Credit:Dinur Blum/ Flickr)

The Capitals may have scored the first goal of the game but it was the Bruins who would get the last and the win. In a series that is turning into WHEN WILL SOMEONE SCORE as opposed to who will win, it was nice to see the B’s get the dub. Tim Thomas made his epic return to DC after the fiasco that was the Bruins white house visit and he was definitely reminded of it thanks to a few clever Caps fans and our presidents face. But like the amazingly talented goalie that he is, Thomas didn’t budge.

Washington didn’t make this game easy. In fact it was so back and fourth that I would literally throw my phone and then have to pick up to tweet my excitement two minutes later. Like I said before, the Caps got the first goal thanks to a power play opportunity towards the end of the first. It was Alexander Semin who got credit for the goal. The B’s wouldn’t score in the first but Rich Peverley would score 38 seconds into the second to tie the game. No sooner did us fans start cheering then Alex Ovechkin would get past Thomas to give the Caps the edge once again.

But that wouldn’t be the end of the scoring. With half the game remaining, Daniel Paille  evened up the game thanks to some smart puck handling and a great rebound off a Greg Zanon shot. To start off the third, Brian Rolston got a BEAUTIFUL rebound past Braden Holtby to give the B’s the lead for the first time in the game. With six minutes remaining, Brooks Laich decided hey I love playing in overtime, let me tie the game again. And so he did. Fortunately for us, we have Zdeno Chara or oh captain my captain on the team and sir steps up when necessary so with less than two minutes to go, he sealed the win with a goal.

The Bruins have off tomorrow and return for game four on Thursday.

Grading the Bruins: A Cup A Bruin Style

(Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Earlier this week CSNNE reporter Joe Haggerty wrote up an article grading each and every player on the Boston Bruins based on their performance in the regular season. He also posted a similar article last season, after the Bruins won the Cup.  The purpose of this post is much of the same, a comparison of notes if you will.  We are going to take an in-depth look at each and every player on the team and grade them based on season performance, as well as predict how they will be effective in the playoffs.

Anton KhudoWIN: Bruins Best the Sens

Anton Khudobin got the nod in net tonight (Photo Credit; Steph Phillips)

 

Tonight the Bruins traveled to Ottawa for the last meeting of the regular season without forward Patrice Bergeron, defensemen Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk and goaltender Tim Thomas. On most occasions this would be a situation that the Bruins should never endure, but as the season comes to a close and the Division and playoff spot has been clinched, it makes sense to rest your “big wigs”. With the big name players missing from the line up, players like Torey Krug and Anton Khudobin got their time in the spotlight.

Anton Khudobin got the nod in net over Marty Turco, providing him with just his fifth appearance as a Boston Bruin.  Khudobin faced 45 shots tonight and was able to save all but one, not bad for a player coming back from an injury.  Khudobin was hands down the best player out on the ice for the Bruins tonight, who managed to post three goals against the Senators, possibly dropping them to the eighth playoff spot forcing them against the New York Rangers.

The first period the Bruins provided a good, steady tempo with the Bruins Benoit Pouliot lighting the lamp halfway through, providing the Bruins with a one-goal lead that they would take into the second period with the Sens holding a 17-7 edge in shots. Through the second period the Bruins came out aggressive and ready to take charge as Greg Zanon blasted a shot that soared past Bishop, providing Zanon with his first goal as a Bruin.  As David Krejci went to the box for holding at 11:04 Khudobin would be put to the test and prevailed, stopping three shots right after another. It wouldn’t be until 13:56 of the second that the Senators would get on the board and cut the Bruins lead to one goal.

As the third period went underway, the Bruins again came out with good energy, but the Senators dominated the shots, peppering Khudobin with shot after shot. There is no doubt that if it were not for Khudobin being on point tonight, the outcome of this game could and most likely would have been very different. With just 4:33 remaining in the third period the Bruins secured their victory with a goal from Milan Lucic off of a beautiful pass from David Krejci, also providing Torey Krug with his first NHL point.  Along with Krug, Joe Corvo and Greg Zanon each finished with some pretty impressive stats, each with a game-high plus-3 rating and Zanon hit double-digits in blocked shots with 10. That is something you definitely don’t see every day.  Zanon is proving that he is ready to play and that he has the potential to be a valuable asset to the Bruins organization here in the post-season.

The last and final game of the regular season will be on Saturday, April 7 at the TD Garden at 4pm EST against none other than the Buffalo Sabres. The game is to be broadcast on NESNand you can hear it on 98.5 the Sports Hub.

Captivating Capitals

McQuaid would leave the ice in the first and not come back (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight the Bruins took on the Washington Capitals at 7pm, coming out strong and presenting goaltender Tomas Vokoun with chance after chance which he easily shut down, until 1:35 remaining in the first period when he went down and re-injured his groin putting Michal Neuvirth in net. Along with Vokoun getting injured, Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid also left the first period. McQuaid was getting the puck behind the net when he pivoted, opening himself up to a vulnerable position as Chimera bee-lined and slammed him into the boards. It would later be reported that McQuaid would not return, nor would Chimera(game misconduct). This makes two defenseman the Bruins are without currently as Dennis Seidenberg sits out with a leg infection after a skate sliced through his leg in L.A.

Going into the second period the Bruins held the edge in shots and kept up great speed. Seguin offering some promising chances, along with Brian Rolston and Greg Zanon. There was a lot of back and forth action in the second period and the defensive pairings were the most dominant. The biggest play of the second would come from captain Zdeno Chara as he read the play from Ovechkin getting past partner Andrew Ference and would use his body and stick to take the puck away and create a great offensive opportunity. Through two the Bruins still held the edge in shots, but the score remained at zero.

“Getting shots through to the net, they’re doing good job getting between us and net… You have to talk all the time now it’s more important because you don’t know who you’re going to be playing with and just hearing their voice gives you a little extra confidence.”-Johnny Boychuk on how the Bruins need to play in the third period (via Intermission Report with Naoko Funayama)

The Bruins came out strong in the third, but despite numerous efforts, Marchand fumbles the puck behind the Caps net, leaving Wideman to take a pass from Johansen and rip a shot high blocker side against Thomas for a 1-0 lead at 12:01. Shortly after Ovechkin and Johnasen get a two-on-one breakaway, their patience paying off and Ovechkin saucers it over to Johansen for a one-timer that beats Thomas for a two-goal lead at 9:54. It wouldn’t be until 16:50 that Zdeno Chara would use the screen and pull the Bruins within one of the Caps, shooting from the point with Krejci getting the tip in past the Caps net minder. With just “a buck sixteen to go” Andrew Ference blasts it off a pass and puts it behind Neuvirth scoring two goals in just one minute and fifty-four seconds, beating the Capitals goal span by one second. With the final seconds ticking away the Bruins applied good pressure, but were unable to pull ahead sending the game into sudden death overtime.

Marchand decked Wideman to begin the overtime and set the pace for the extra five minutes of play. While Seguin, Lucic and Marchand each had notable efforts against Neuvirth, the best came from Krejci and Johnny Boychuk as he dove for a shot, but  they weren’t enough to put the Bruins on top in the final five, forcing a shoot-out. First up for the Caps/Bruins was David Krejci who went forehand and Neuvirth made the quick save. Matt Hendricks would go next, deking the puck with Thomas going down after a pump fake and scores. Seguin went in after with speed toward Neuvirth and scored as he threw the brakes on just enough to mess up Neuvirth. For the Caps it was Ovechkin circling against Thomas who got a piece of it making it 1-1 through two rounds. The third shooter for Boston was Patrice Bergeron who with speed towards Neuvirth, slid it under and scored with the forehand, again with a pump fake. The closer for the Caps was Alexandre Semin, needing to score to keep it going and he does with speed and a quick backhander forcing the fourth round. Peverley goes fourth and pulls up on the forehand resulting in a leg save for Neuvirth. Brooks Laich goes back and forth with a roofing backhander that beats Thomas and wins the game in a shoot-out for the Capitals.

The next game is Saturday, March31 against the New York Islanders at 1:00pm EST.

P.S. Congratulations to Nathan Horton and his wife on the birth of their son today!

Breaking Down the Bruins Breakdown

Patrice Bergeron teaching Jordan Caron the finer points of taking faceoffs - a critical, yet overlooked, part of playing a winning game. (Photo: Stephanie Vail)

What seems like years have passed since the Bruins were a winning team. In that time, I – like most other fans, I’m sure – have evaluated every possible explanation for this nightmare. How did it go from being so perfect, to being almost irreparable?

Do the answers lie in the numbers on the stat sheets? The video replays? The players themselves? Or is it something we can’t see – something wrong inside the locker room? A problem that can be traced back in time? Or something even deeper? Or maybe something far simpler and more obvious? If the answer is a little bit of everything, doesn’t it seem more impossible to overcome? Searching for answers doesn’t yield solutions. We can only sit and helplessly wait for the results.

When rendered helpless, I like to pretend I can put myself to good use. This is my feeble attempt to make sense of the situation and shed some light, as dim as it may be. I go into uncharted territories, personally, by exploring advanced statistics and the many different types, uses, and even practices in the NHL.

Practice Predictions: New Players, New Lines

Brian Rolston trades in his blue and orange for black and gold (Credit: Robert Kowal/Flickr)

The Boston Bruins had their morning skate this am as they look to return home tonight to face off against the Ottawa Senators. While a few familiar faces are out with injuries, a few new faces have joined after yesterdays trade deadline. Mike Mottau, formerly of the New York Islanders, took to the Bruins ice for the first time today. Another player did too but he’s quite familiar in Boston and on home ice and that’s Brian Rolston. Max Sauve of the Providence Bruins was also on the ice today as he was emergency recalled from Providence today.

If you were paying attention to the draft yesterday then you should be wondering where the hell Greg Zanon was for practice. Well, Zanon (formerly of the Minnesota Wild) missed the morning session as he was traveling in from Minnesota. Coach Claude Julien said that Zanon will not play until he skates in a practice with the team (CSNNE).

Shawn Thornton was also on the ice today, and Julien says it’s expected he will play tonight. Mottau took the place of Johnny Boychuk on the defensive pairing and joined Adam McQuaid. Meanwhile, Brian Rolston centered Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron.

Though the Bruins have been plagued with injuries and illness as of late it seems as though things are looking up.

“We’ve run into some injuries lately and it’s been a challenge to keep our lineup going in the right direction. Now there’s some breathing room as far as putting guys in that have been around for a while.”(Via CSNNE)

Mottau and Rolston led the final stretch this AM and it looks as thought Tim Thomas will get the start as he was first off the ice.