Providence Beats Bridgeport in Shootout

Fresh off his 1st All-Star game, rookie Niklas Svedberg earned 1st star in Providence’s 3-2 shootout win over Bridgeport on Thursday night. He is one of the AHL leaders in many goaltending categories, including wins.

Bummed about the Boston Bruins loss? Me too. But here is some great news: the baby Bruins won in a shootout tonight in a come-from-behind shootout victory against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Craig Cunningham and Jamie Tardif scored in regulation, Torey Krug had 2 assists, and Carter Camper had the deciding shootout goal to give the P-Bruins a 23-16-0-3 record on the season. They are now at 49 points – only 3 points behind the Atlantic division-leading Portland Pirates!

Niklas Svedberg made 34 saves and stopped all 5 Bridgeport shooters in the shootout, earning his the 1st star of the game. The Bruins out-shot the Sound Tigers 41-36 on the night.

Ty Wishart scored both goals for Bridgeport, including the opening goal of the game at 18:05 of the 1st period. It was his 3rd of the season, assisted by Matt Watkins.

Cunningham scored a huge goal before the end of the 1st period to tie the game at 1. The P-Bruins were on the power play, and Cunningham notched his 9th of the season 25 seconds remaining in the period, with assists from Camper and Krug.

Wishart scored his 4th of the season and 2nd of the game at 13:08 of the 2nd period on the power play from John Persson and Watkins. Bridgeport held a 2-1 lead until 14:47 of the 3rd period, when Tardif scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season from Ryan Spooner and Krug.

Garnet Exelby took a tripping penalty with 1 minute left in the 3rd period, and Providence successfully killed off the power play for the remainder of regulation and into overtime. The two teams remained tied and went into a shootout, where Spooner, Tardif, Max Sauve, and Cunningham all were shut down by Bridgeport goaltender Kevin Poulin before Camper scored on the last shot. Svedberg shut out all 5 shooters for Bridgeport to secure the win – his 20th of the season.

Bobby Robins, sporting one of the alternate captain ‘A’s on his sweater tonight, dropped the gloves with fighting opponent of the past, Brett Gallant, about halfway through the 1st period. Tyler Randell, playing for the sick Christian Hanson, fought with Bridgeport’s Jordan Hill a few minutes later. Providence went 1-for-2 on the power play and Bridgeport was 1-for-4.

Krug also led all Bruins skaters with 6 shots on net, followed by 5 shots from Justin Florek. Jordan Caron, in his 2nd game back from injury, recorded 2 shots and no points.

Ryan Spooner, as Mark Divver of the Providence Journal points out, has had an excellent month of January:

Spooner dished to Tardif for late tying goal. Puts wraps on very good Jan. for rookie — better than pt. per game since returning…from injury. 2-9-11 in 10 games. Maybe most impressive stat is his team-high plus-9.

Lots of Bruins seem to be getting hot heading into crucial months down the stretch. Camper had 11 points in January after totaling only 14 in the previous 3 months. In the last 3 games, Camper had 5 points. Cunningham also has a 3-game point streak, notching a point per game. Torey Krug has been particularly hot with 6 points in the last 3 games and 8 of his 14 points on the season coming in the month of January.

Things could get very exciting for this team if things keep going this way! They host the Albany Devils at the Dunkin Donuts Center tomorrow night to kick off the month of February.

Update: Apparently Caron took a slapshot to the face tonight, according to this facebook. He uploaded this picture:

Pregaming: Providence @ Bridgeport

Carter Camper, pictured here against the Sound Tigers earlier this season, had 3 points against Bridgeport when Providence beat them 5-4 on January 11.

Providence Bruins, 22-16-0-3=47 points in 41 games, 2nd in Atlantic division, 5th in Eastern Conference

@ Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Baby NY Islanders), 19-19-2-2=42 points in 42 games, 4th in Northeast division, 12th in Eastern Conference

Tonight, Bridgeport and Providence meet for the 4th time this season. Bridgeport has won 2 of the previous 3 meetings this season. Providence was victorious in the most recent match-up, which took place on January 11, when they skated away with a 5-4 win.

Providence has all the momentum coming into tonight. They are 5-4 in the last 10; Bridgeport is 2-7-1-0. Providence is riding a 2-game winning streak prior to the All-Star break; Bridgeport is coming off of a 5-0 shutout at the hands of the Norfolk Admirals. Bridgeport’s leading scorer, Nino Niederreiter (19 goals, 17 assists) recently asked for a trade because he is unhappy playing in the AHL.

Bridgeport does have one advantage: their power play is ranked 6th (20.3%) while Providence’s is 24th at 15.3%. Providence’s penalty kill is mediocre at 16th overall in the league, an 82.5% success rate. Bridgeport’s is ranked lower, at 22nd, for 81.1% success rate.

Look for Niklas Svedberg to get the start in net for the P-Bruins tonight. The rookie goaltender is 18-6-2-1 this season, posting a 2.34 GAA and 0.921 save %. Jordan Caron will also suit up for the 2nd straight game after returning from injury. Colbey Cohen will play in his first P-Bruins game since he sustained an injury in early December, while Christian Hanson will miss the game with the flu. He will be replaced with Tyler Randell.

Leading scorer Jamie Tardif (20 goals, 9 assists) is 1 point away from 30 points on the season. Carter Camper, with 19 assists, surpassed Ryan Spooner (18 assists) as the team leader in that category, finally showing offensive spark after a tough early portion of the season. Spooner has one of the highest +/- ratings on the team with +8. And while the Boston Bruisn and Buffalo Sabres NHL game promises to be a boxing match, Bridgeport and Providence have had some brutal clashes in the past – notably between two of the leading fighters in the AHL in Bobby Robins and Nathan McIver (to name a few). Just take a look at the score sheet from the November 18 game in Providence.

The game starts at 7:00 pm tonight!

Pre All-Star Recap; Mink Signed, Hirschfeld Sent to SC, Trotman Skates

Graham Mink is no longer on a PTO. Providence signed him to an AHL contract on Monday. (Photo Credit: Steph Vail/Flickr)

The AHL All-Star break comes to an end tomorrow and the Providence Bruins will get back to work with only a few slight roster tweaks.

Prior to the All-Star break that began Sunday, Providence played on Friday, January 25th and Saturday, January 26th. On Friday, Providence beat the Portland Pirates 6-1. Defenseman Torey Krug had 2 goals. Kyle MacKinnon, Jamie Tardif, Max Sauve, and Carter Camper also scored for the P-Bruins. Niklas Svedberg made 28 saves between the pipes for the win.

On Saturday, Providence got another important divisional win when they beat the Worcester Sharks 4-3 in a shootout. Craig Cunningham, Tardif, and Justin Florek scored in regulation and Cunningham had the deciding goal in the shootout in the 7th round. Svedberg played for the 2nd night in a row and got his 2nd win in a row before appearing in his 1st All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday and All-Star Game on Monday.

Tardif, who joined Svedberg and Captain Trent Whitfield at the All-Star Classic in Providence, scored his 20th goal of the season on Saturday night. He leads the team in goals and points with 29. Carter Camper leads the team in assists with 19, overtaking Ryan Spooner this weekend, who has 18 assists on the season.

Jordan Caron joined the Providence Bruins line-up on Saturday for the 1st time since January 4th, when he suffered an upper body injury. He recorded 2 shots on net and was a -1.

On Monday, the Providence Bruins officially signed Graham Mink, who was on a Professional Tryout contract, to an AHL contract. Today, the P-Bruins also announced that they have sent forward Alden Hirschfeld back down to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He spent 18 games with the P-Bruins this season thus far and recorded 5 points.

Another bit of positive news is that injured defenseman Zach Trotman, who has been out with a concussion for a few weeks, skated informally this morning. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that although  Trotman is not yet cleared to play, he is likely to return next week. Before his injury, he was having a better-than-expected season for Providence, recording 2 goals, 10 assists, and a +5 rating.

Providence returns to action tomorrow night, Thursday, January 31st, at Bridgeport against the Sound Tigers. Providence currently sits 2nd in the Atlantic division with a 22-16-0-3 record (47 points).

Also: Happy 23rd Birthday to Max Sauve and Happy 21st Birthday to Ryan Spooner!

Providence vs Manchester, Round 8

Jamie Tardif leads Providence in goals and is tied with Ryan Spooner for the lead in points. He also turns 28 on Wednesday when the P-Bruins face the Monarchs! (Photo Credit: Steph Vail/Flickr)

On Wednesday evening, the Providence Bruins will face the Manchester Monarchs in New Hampshire for the 8th meeting between the Atlantic division rivals this season. Thus far, the P-Bruins have a 4-3-0-0 edge against the Monarchs, but lost 3-1 to the Monarchs in Manchester this past Saturday. They will meet a total of 12 times before the regular season ends. If they don’t hate each other yet, they will soon.

Providence (20-15-0-3) is 1 point behind 2nd-place Manchester (20-17-2-2) in the Atlantic division standings, although Manchester has played 3 more games than the P-Bruins. Providence is 6th in the East; Manchester is 5th.

Providence still struggles to score goals, with 95 goals scored to 104 goals scored against (-9), while Manchester has 118 goals fore and 109 against (+9). Providence also still struggles on the power play, ranking 22nd in the league at 14.9% to Manchester’s 16.6%, which is 14th in the league. On the penalty kill, the Bruins is 21st at 81.5% and Manchester is 16th at 82.4%. Providence also averages more penalty minutes per game at 18.1 to Manchester’s 14.1.

Manchester’s leading scorer, Linden Vey, has 9 goals and 26 assists for 35 points this season and against Providence this year, 1 goal, 1 assist, and a +3 rating. Second leading scorer Tyler Toffoli will not be in the line-up as he has joined the LA Kings. The next 3 leading scorers for Manchester are Brandon Kozun: 11 goals, 19 assists = 29 pts; 2 goals, 3 assists = 5 pts vs Providence; Tanner Perason: 10 goals, 17 assists = 27 pts; 1 goal, 1 assist = 2 pts vs Providence; and Andrei Loktionov: 7 goals, 15 assists = 22 pts; 2 goals, 2 assists = 4 pts, +3 vs Providence.

In comparison, Providence’s leading scorer (after Chris Bourque) is Jamie Tardif with 18 goals, 7 assists and 23 points and Ryan Spooner with 8 goals, 15 assists and 23 points. Tardif had the lone goal against Manchester last Saturday and has 3 goals against the Monarchs this season, plus 2 assists for 5 points, 13 penalty minutes, and a -3 rating. Spooner has 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points against Manchester this year with a +1 rating.

Carter Camper is next on the list of leading scorers in Providence (4 goals, 16 assists = 20 points), and he has 1 goal and 3 assists against Manchester this year, but a frightening -5 rating. Craig Cunningham has 7 goals and 8 assists for 15 points on the season for Providence but only 1 goal and 1 assist against Manchester and a -3 rating. Kyle MacKinnon has 2 goals against Manchester this year, which accounts for 50% of his total goals scored this year.

In net, Manchester’s goaltenders have each suffered 2 losses to Providence, but Martin Jones has 2 wins to Peter Mannino‘s 1. In 3 games against Providence this year, Mannino is 1-2-0 with a GAA of 2.02 and save % of 0.949. Jones is 2-2-0 against Providence with 8 GA but a matching 2.02 GAA and a 0.917 save %.

Michael Hutchinson has gone 0-2-0 against Manchester this year with 5 GA, a GAA of 2.54 and 0.894 save %. Hutchinson’s overall numbers on the year are 4-9-1 with 39 GA, 2.79 GAA, and 0.896 save %. Niklas Svedberg is 4-1-0 with 10 GA, a 2.00 GAA and 0.932 save % versus the Monarchs this year. Svedberg is 16-6-2 this season with 58 GA, 1 shutout, 2.37 GAA, and 0.920 save %.

Providence is 9-8-0-0 on the road this season and Manchester is 11-10-2-1 at home. Providence is coming off of a win on Sunday against the Connecticut Whale, but are 4-5-0-0 in the last 10 games. Manchester is 6-4-0-0 in the last 10 and riding a 3-game winning streak despite losing a great majority of their roster to LA Kings training camp, and two long-time Monarchs to waivers (Thomas Hickey and Richard Clune).

Providence remains without Chris Bourque, who will likely stay with Boston for the season. Lane MacDermid will also remain with Boston as the 13th forward into the unforeseen future, but David Warsofsky returned to Providence on Sunday and had what The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver called one of his best games of the season. Two other players that returned from Boston Bruins training camp prior to last weekend – Ryan Spooner and Jamie Tardif – also had strong weekends, which showed on the scoring sheet as well. (Speaking of Jamie Tardif – he turns 28 tomorrow, January 23rd. Happy Birthday!)

Now that the NHL is back and guys actually have the hope to be called up to Boston driving them to play their best hockey, expect many Providence players to show a lot more heart. Guys like Lane MacDermid show that heart all the time, of course, which is why he is awesome and already made the Boston team. The Boston Bruins blueline is already falling victim to injury as Dennis Seidenberg sat out Monday’s win against Winnipeg; Aaron Johnson stepped in for him, but if another defensemen goes down, there are several options to call up from Providence. Although Torey Krug was not invited to camp, the Bruins have their eye on him. Then of course there is Matt Bartkowski, who was at camp, and Warsofsky could get called up again as well. This will all be dependent on how well they play in the immediate future in Providence.

Speaking of injury, Jordan Caron spent several days last week with Boston Bruins strength and conditioning coach before Boston practices. He is coming off of an upper-body injury (arm or shoulder) and according to Mark Divver (I know I cite him a lot, but he is seriously the best source for Providence Bruins news, period), Caron returned to practices with Providence today:

Jordan Caron, still wearing red no-contact jersey, on a line with Spooner and Cunningham this morning at 146 rink.

Coach Butch Cassidy says Caron may play this weekend; injured defenseman Garnet Exelby may also play this weekend. Colby Cohen and Zach Trotman, 2 other injured Providence d-men, are still sidelined indefinitely.

The P-Bruins play this weekend on Friday and Saturday before taking a break for All-Star Game festivities that will take place at The Dunkin Donuts center in Providence on Sunday and Monday. The puck drops at 7pm tomorrow night between the Monarchs and P-Bruins in Manchester, and tickets can still be purchased here. Meanwhile, All-Star balloting for the starting roster is also taking place, so make sure you vote for Trent Whitfield!

Bruins Snap Springfield’s Streak

Max Sauve (Photo Courtesy: Sarah Connors/Flickr)

Tonight the Springfield Falcons headed into their match up against Providence with a franchise best 3-0 start to their season.  However, that was cut short as Providence picked up their second win in the past two days thanks in large part to goaltender Niklas Svedberg.

In Friday’s match the Bruins scored the first three goals of the game, then allowed two to be scored in a matter of five minutes. They then went on to score another goal and allow one more, Jordan Caron providing a hat trick for a season first.  Caron is the first person to score a hat trick since Carter Camper last season.

Tonight the Bruins were without Justin Florek, Matt Bartkoswki, Colby Cohen, and Jared Knight allowing Buckner his season debut.  The Falcons were the first to get on the board after a penalty was called on David Warsofsky for hooking.  At just 2:26 into the first period Nick Drazenovic scored the power play goal.  Immediately after the Bruins would get another penalty called on them, but were able to hold off them off and bounce back.  Craig Cunningham would tie the game up just two and a half minutes later with assists going to Carter Camper and Chris Bourque.  Heading into the second period the Bruins needed to pick up the pace and Warsofsky needed to stay out of the box.

As the second period began fans were able to witness a welcomed transformation.  The Bruins managed to stay out of the box and gain their first lead of the game at 6:31, shortly after Chris Bourque hit the ice after taking a puck to the face.  Garnet Exelby took a long shot just inside the blue line as Maxime Sauve created a screen in front of Curtis McEhinney.  His goal would be the lone one for the twenty minute round with shots split evenly at 22.  Svedberg was proving once again to be solid in between the pipes, but the defense needed to pick it up and take care of the puck.  Through most of the period they iced the puck to clear it out of the zone, they needed to focus on control and setting up plays.

Through the first half of the third Springfield maintained possession and applied pressure to the Providence defense.  Caron, Bourque and Camper providing the majority of chances in the offensive zone with Krug and Miller holding the blue line. At 15:08 Maxime Sauve would sneak the puck in behind the pad of McEhinney with the defense sprawled out in front to try and prevent it. Sauve’s goal was the second power play goal of the night, putting them 1/3 on the night as opposed to 3/4 in Friday night’s match.  In the final minutes Svedberg was littered with shots and Warsofsky stepped up to the plate helping to keep it out of the crease.  Bruins were hardly able to maintain possession in the final minutes and Springfield pulled their goalie for a six-on-five opportunity.  Despite a valiant effort, the Providence Bruins held on for the win and ended the night with a W.

The final shots on goal were: Providence 30 Springfield: 34

The stars of the game:

#1 Nicklas Svedberg

#2 Maxime Sauve

#3 Nick Drazenovic(Springfield)

The next game for the Bruins is Friday, October 26 at 7:00pm at the Dunk against the Falcons.

 

No News Is Good News?

(Credit:Slidingsideways/Flickr)

Free agency has been underway for six days now, including today and the Bruins are sticking with their original game plan.  GM Peter Chiarelli stated on numerous occasions throughout the season and post-season that he had a good team and would not be splitting them up. He wanted to keep the core of the team together and that is exactly what he is doing. With the signings of Chris Kelly, Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell  and Shawn Thornton, the fourth line will remain the same and one of the ‘best’ in the League.

The only players that are not returning to the Bruins roster, for sure are; Benoit Pouliot (signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay Lightning), Joe Corvo(signed a two-year contract with Carolina Hurricanes) and Brian Rolston. There is still the possibility that Mike Mottau, the Massachusetts native will fill the seventh defenseman spot, but with Dougie Hamilton coming off of a breakout season in the OHL, there is room for competition.

For the upcoming season we also have to take a look at who is going to fill the third line slot alongside Chris Kelly. With guys like Jordan Caron, Ryan Spooner and Jared Knight, the possibilities are endless. Each and every one of them have a fighting chance at earning a spot in Boston, we will just have to wait for pre-season to find out.

The only question mark remaining is the whereabouts of Tim Thomas. Will he stay in Boston and sit for the season or get traded elsewhere? Unfortunately, no one has those answers as of yet and it remains at a 60/40 chance of dismissal. (One can only hope) Regardless, Tuukka Rask is more than ready to step up and be the number one net minder once again.

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.

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.

Bruins Struck by Lightning

Caron was the Only Goal for the B's Tonight (Credit: Teka England/ Flickr)

Tonight marked Marty Turco‘s first start as a Boston Bruins. Despite all the injuries, the Bruins looked to get back on track and looked to start with the Tampa Bay Lightning. On ice warm ups indicated two things for the team. The first that it looks like Adam McQuaid‘s injury flared up during the day so he was not the ice. The second (and more positive) Patrice Bergeron was back on the ice despite a day to day injury. In the Lightning end is rookie Dustin Tokarski who is making his third straight start and searching for his first win.

The official scratches for the Bruins not counting the long term injuries (because the list just keeps growing) were McQuaid and Lane MacDermid. MacDermid as it turns out was reassigned to Providence. Trent Whitfield, a fellow Providence player, made the lineup.

2:04 in  Tom Pyatt decided to practice his soccer skills and “kick” the puck in. Except the referee’s didn’t see that even though Jack Edwards did. Needless to say this game started off bitter for me. 9 out of the last 11 now the B’s have given up the first goal. Oh and then at 17:34 Tampa scored again with Nate Thompson which is now the 4th time out of the last 6 the Bruin’s have given up two goals before scoring 1. At least UMass Basketball is playing in the NIT tourney one channel down…bright side anyone? Shawn Thornton follows up the goal with a roughing penalty giving the Lightning a power play. 15:29 hey power play goal for Tampa thanks to Ryan Shannon.

And with that Turco time comes to an end friends. So much for giving Tim Thomas the day off. The Bruins finally managed to get a shot on goal WAY to late in the game thanks to  Whitfield. That’s really the only good I can manage right now. 4:22 it’s 4-0  with a goal from Victor Hedman. 3:52 in Shawn Thornton needless to say destroys Mike Commodore in a fight, but really this was the only thing that kept me remotely intererested in the game. FIRST PERIOD IS OVER THANK YOUU!!!

Second period started and at least this time we waited threeish minutes for them to score. Steven Stamkos gets his 49th of the year and the Bruins get Turco back in net. This period was uneventful literally. Well at least Turco didn’t give up any goals “knocks on wood”. The Bruins do get a PP opportunity that will carry into the 3rd period but besides that, yeah uneventful.

Third period two minutes in Patrice Bergeron left with an injury as Johnny Boychuk laid a shot into net that looked like it was tipped in Jordan Caron. So at least it’s not a shutout now? Caron continues to impress but unfortunately he’s the only one. To me this game ended in the first four minutes. And then at 8:17 in the third, Stamkos got his big 50th of the goal. Welcome to the record books pal. Nothing else happened and I mean nothing.

So this game sucked. The Bruins continue their time in Florida with a game against the Panthers Thursday. I am hoping and praying to never have to watch a game so bad as this ever again. Someone find the Boston Bruins, you know the Stanley Cup winning ones and bring em back please.

More Injuries = More Providence Call Ups

Trent Whitfield is the latest P-Bruin to be called up (Credit: Dinur Blum/ Flickr)

As the Bruins prepare for tomorrow’s match up against the Tampa Bay Lightning, there are many uncertainties as to who will be playing. Aside from 4 players being out of the lineup for a while, there are 4 players currently listed as day to day.

“We’re banged up, we got a lot of questions going into tomorrow,” said Coach Claude Julien after practice in Tampa (Via NHLBruins).

If needed the Bruins have recalled Providence Bruins player Trent Whitfield on an emergency basis. Whitfield, who is captain of the P-Bruins, joined the team for practice in Tampa today.

The 14-year veteran is ready to play if Julien needs him but knows that it will be a game time decision based on the day to day injured players.

The last time Whitfield played for the Bruins was the 2009-2010 season where he played 16 games including the playoffs in Philadelphia.

“He’s been with us before, I thought he was a really good player for us a few years ago when we had a lot of injuries in the playoffs,” Julien said. “He’s got a real good work ethic, he’s got some experience in this league and right now I think that’s what we need.”(Via NHLBruins)

With Providence this season, Whitfield has registered five goals and six assists in 41 games. This is his first trip up to play with the Bruins but he is surrounded by familiar faces in the form of Jordan Caron and Lane MacDermid, his team mates in Providence. Regardless of if he makes the lineup tomorrow, Whitfield is prepared.

“I’ve done it periodically over my 14 years – I’ve been up and down quite a bit,” Whitfield said. “I’ve been there before; I just prepare like I always do, like I’m going to play and if I do great, and if not we’ll see what happens from there.”(Via NHLBruins)