Bruins Shut Out Panthers; Snap Losing Streak

Today the Boston Bruins took to the ice against the Florida Panthers with one thing in mind: picking up a win. As the season comes to a close, the Bruins have been less than stellar lately. Whether it be because of emotion or injury, it was time for the B’s to get back on track. Today they looked to end their four-game losing streak while the Panthers are looking to preventing losing four of four on their roadtrip.  Tuukka Rask would start his second game in two days opposite the Panthers Jacob Markstrom. 

Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid would both be out of lineup with injuries, meaning Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton would make their way back in.

Rask earned the shutout today! (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

It took only 3 minutes and 3 seconds into the first period for the Bruins to get the first goal of the game. Jaromir Jagr would score his second goal as a Bruin with Chris Kelly and Carl Soderberg getting the assists. Jagr has two goals and six assists in just nine games with the black and gold. And lets not forget that Soderbergs assist was his NHL point. I have a feeling that’s the first of many. That would be the lone goal of the first period but it was clear that the B’s knew they needed to come out of this game with two points. Also, I would like to point out that Rask was playing yet another solid game stopping all seven shots on net.

Second period came around with the B’s fighting off the remainder of a Rich Peverley slashing penalty. Florida would be unable to get any goals past Rask and we would be back to an even game. The Bruins would get a chance to go on the power play and though they wouldn’t register any goals, they did get many shots on net. 8 minutes into the second the B’s were outshooting the Panthers 10-1. With 6:27 left in the period Dougie Hamilton would score his fifth of the season with a drive from the right point that was a thing of beauty. That goal would not have happened without Shawn Thornton on the assist keeping that puck in the offensive zone the entire time.

Coming into the third it should be noted that the B’s are 14-2-2 with a two-goal lead going into the final period. With 1:22 remaining in the game, the Bruins sealed the win with an empty net goal from Brad Marchand assisted by his lineys Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron. Marchand leads the team with 18 goals. And with that the Bruins snap their losing streak. Rask earned his 15th career shutout with 28 saves today.

The three stars of the game are 1. Rask, 2. Jagr, 3. Hamilton.

After the game the Bruins took part in their annual “shirts of their back” ceremony. The jerseys usually go to season ticket holders. Hower with recent events, the ticket holders opted for their jerseys to go to first responders that helped during the Marathon bombings and all of the events that took place in Boston this past week. This ceremony was truly inspiring and is further reason why I love my Boston Bruins!

B’s are back in action Tuesday night in Philly against the Flyers.

 

Luck On Bruins Side Against Capitals

Before heading on a four-game road trip, the Boston Bruins would have one last game at home. They would face off against the Washington Capitals hoping for retribution for an OT loss last Tuesday. And they certainly got that revenge and so much more in today’s matinee game. Being St.Patrick’s day weekend, the Bruins practiced in their green jerseys and it would seem that luck was on their side during the game.

In net for the Bruins would be Anton Khubdobin, opposite the Capitals Michal Neuvirth. This would be Khudobins 7th start of the season and he certainly did not disappoint. He would make 32 of 33 saves in the game.

Congrats Horton on your Gordie Howe hatty! (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

This game to me was what the Bruins have been working to accomplish the past few games. It was a 60-minute effort. I know in the past few games they boys have lost steam in the third but not today.

It all started in the first with the first line. Nathan Horton would get a slapshot in off an assist from Milan Lucic  and Zdeno Chara .Not more than three minutes later David Krecji would score thanks to Looch once again. The first line has been pretty MIA in recent games so seeing their presence right away in the first period made me think this would be a good game.

Second period would start with the Bruins on a penalty kill and they would kill it once again because being first in PK’s means it’s hard to score on them. But right after said PK, Washington would strike with an unassisted goal from Marcus Johansson. At 8:02, Andrew Ference would score a LONG overdue first goal of the season. The assists would go to Horty and Krejci. It was good to see Ference get that first goal. At the end of the second the score would be 3-1 Boston.

Now let me take a brief intermission from scoring to talk about ALL the fighting. Brad Marchand would square off against Mike Ribeiro and just 8 seconds later Horton and Matt Hendricks would fight. And yes that would mean Horton got a Gordie Howe hattrick today, basically proving Horty was having a great game! Hendricks would fight again against Adam McQuaid in the third thanks to a little instigation from Shawn Thornton. 

Onto the third period! Bruins would get on the power play early on thanks to a slashing call. And all it took was 8 seconds of said power play for the B’s to strike with a PP goal from Rich Peverley. Looch and Krecji would get the assist on that. Like I said later on in that period there was another bout. It was pretty apparent at this point (at least to me) that the Bruins had the clear momentum at this point in the game.

The Bruins would go on to win bringing their record to 19-4-3, while the Caps would fall to 11-15-1.

B’s are back in action tomorrow for another matinee game this time in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.

 

Boston Overcomes Ottawa; Prepares for Pittsburgh

Tonight win for the Boston Bruins wasn’t pretty, but it was their third in a row. The Bruins would come from behind to take the Ottawa Senators in a 3-2 shoot out win. Tuukka Rask would pick up yet another win in net making 28 saves, againsts Senators goalie Robin Lehner.

Krejci picked up tonights shootout win for Boston (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

The game started off with a Senators goal and within 8 minutes of the game, the Bruins were down by two. To be honest, all of the lines were snoozing and it took all of those minutes for the B’s to register one measly shot on goal. But eventually they snapped out of it and in the last minute of the first Shawn Thornton fired a knuckle puck passed Lehner to put the Bruins on the board. It was nice to see the fourth line working hard to break through Ottawa’s solid goaltending.

Second period Daniel Paille would tie up the game on a nice wrist shot. Clearly it was the fourth line’s time to shine for Boston. Unfortunately in this period we would lose Chris Kelly to what appeared to be a knee to knee shot from Ottawa big man Chris Neil. Kelly had to be helped off the ice and I think it’s safe to say he won’t be in the lineup tomorrow against Pittsburgh.

Third period both Rask and Lehner were on their A-game not letting any goals get passed despite solid effort from both ends. The game would go to OT and from there a shoot out. Eventually in round 4, David Krejci would get the win for the Bruins.

This was the Bruins tenth straight road win this season but they won’t get a day to rest as tomorrow they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins. The Bruins are the only Eastern Conference team Pittsburgh has yet to face. Boston doesn’t exactly have the best record when it comes to facing the Pens but hopefully some of tonight’s momentum will carry over.

The Penguins have won four straight at home and that is partly due to their ranked third power play unit (25.7%). They have scored a power play goal in 15 of their last 18 games. As we know, the Bruins don’t have a great power play BUT they have the NHL’s best penalty kill. Basically this is going to be a good match up on this note alone.

As much as I don’t want to talk about Sidney Crosby because I really really really don’t, is one of the NHL’s leading scorers thus far for the month of March. However he’ll have to go up against Bruins leading scorer (12 goals) Brad Marchand.

Goalie wise, Rask may get the start in net though there is a chance we could see Anton Khudobin as Rask started tonight in Ottawa. Khudobin is 4-1 in his starts this season and has provided great relief for Rask.

The game against the Penguins tomorrow night starts at 7:30 and you can check it out on NESN or NBCSN!

Can the Bruins win four in a row and continue their perfect road streak?

UPDATED:Eastern Conference Showdown: Tampa Bay @ Boston

Thanks to Nemo, the Boston Bruins/ Tampa Bay Lightning game originally schedule for a 1 pm puck drop has been moved to 7 pm tonight. Nemo in case you’ve been under a rock for a bit, is a blizzard not a lil fish,and is causing quite a commotion on the east coast as I write this.

Will Seguin start a scoring streak? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Anyway back to the B’s:
Tonight is the first of three times the teams will meet this season. Right now there are three points that separate the pair from second and third place in the Eastern Conference. Boston currently is in second place with 15 points, while Tampa has 12. What I’m trying to say is a win in this game will be clutch for either time. The B’s are currently one point out of first with Pittsburgh holding the lead with 16 points.

Are the Lightning burned out?
Tampa Bay has lost the past three games averaging a mere 1.6 goals per game. They started off the season winning 6 out of 7 so it seems to be they’ve hit some kind of slump. However this team does have one of the best power play units in the league so that could come in handy in the game tonight.

B’s back and healthy?
After playing in his first NHL game, Ryan Spooner was sent back to Providence. It’s safe to assume that his reassignment means that someone from the Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, and Shawn Thornton  injury list will be returning to the lineup. All three have been practicing with the team but I’m betting it’ll be Marchy that returns Coach Claude Julien said he was a game-time decision following practice.

Who’s hot?
– Tyler Seguin FINALLY scored his first regulation goal of the season after being placed on a line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Krejci would also score soon after thanks to the newly formed line.
– Tuukka Rask has won four of his last five starts and is 6-1-1 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .922 save percentage this season as Bruins starting goalie.
-Lightning forward Martin St. Louis has 11 assists over the last seven games.

Injury Report:
As I said above the B’s could be without Thornton, Paille, or Marchand tomorrow. Tampa could potentially be without forward B.J. Crombeen as he is listed questionable.

Puck drops at 7 and you can check out the game on NESN!

For the Lightning side of things check on Sons of Andreychuk here!

 

UPDATE: Tonight’s game has been postponed as the winter blizzard of Nemo has the state of Massachusetts still trying to find the light of day as they’re buried under feet of snow. Yes feet, not inches. The game will be played at a later date that we will announce as soon as we get the information.

Renew The Rivalry: Boston @ Montreal

It’s no big secret that when it comes to a Bruins/Canadiens game that it’s going to be physical. The rivalry between the two Northeast division teams is something that will probably exist forever. Growing up I was told as a Bruins fan, I was not allowed to like the Habs and I’m sure Montreal fans have heard the same about the B’s.

Anyway, tonight kicks off the first of four meetings between the teams with the Bruins making the trip to Montreal. Last season in six meetings the teams were 2-3-1 in the Bruins favor. Needless to say, tonight’s game will be close as both teams will push one another to the limit.

Will Peverley have another game for the B’s? (Credit:flickr/ Steph Vail)

What’s on the line?
Glad you asked that as tonight’s game will put one of these two teams in the lead in the Eastern Conference. Now for the B’s it’s not too shocking. However, Montreal last season finished last in the conference last season and with the shortened season have a chance to make a name for themselves once again.

What’s happening with the Habs?
Over Super Bowl weekend, the Canadiens swept both matinee games. They have scored 3.25 goals per game through eight games and allowed just 2.12 goals per game against. Aka they are becoming quite the offensive weapon. Their schedule thus far has been home-heavy having tonight’s game be 7 out of 9 at home. It’s safe to say they’ve been taking advantage of the home stand.

Bruised but not broken Bruins:
Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille did not make the trip to Montreal and are both recovering from injury. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand is with the team but is questionable for game time. The B’s have since had to rely on Providence call-ups which thus far have worked out well. The Bruins are coming off of a win against Toronto on Saturday and have had a three-day break to prepare for this game.

Northeast’s Best:
Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask has been phenomenal shutting out the Maple Leafs in his last start. Offensively both Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley have points in their last two games. Canadiens goaltender, on the other hand, Carey Price has won six straight starts, only allowing a single goal in each of his last two outings. Montreals center David Desharnais has three goals in his last two games.

Injury Report;
I’ve already mentioned who’s out for the black and gold but the Habs will be without center Petteri Nokelainen.

Puck drops at 7:30 on NBCSN! You don’t want to miss a classic rivalry showdown.

For the Canadiens side of things, check out The Buring Torch!

 

Thank You Kessel: Bruins/ Maple Leafs Preview

That “thank you” will never ever get old in Boston, just saying. Tonight the Boston Bruins will square off against division rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto. This is the first of four meetings between the North East division rivals. Looking back to the last season, the Bruins won all six meetings against the Leafs outscoring them 36-10. This is a new season, a shortened season at that, so it’s really any ones game.

Boston is coming off of their first regulation loss against the Buffalo Sabres and are looking to maintain their first place division lead. On the other hand, Toronto is looking to increase their win streak to three after beating out the Washington Capitals for their first win and the Sabres earlier this week.

Will Marchand continue to lead the team in goals? (Credit:Flickr/Steph Vail)

Bruins missing 2/3 of their fourth line:
Both Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille did not make the trip to Toronto and as of now are both out with injuries. Thornton suffered a concussion in the first period of Thursday’s game while Paille is out with an injury from a high sticking in the third period. Both men left the ice and never returned to the game.

AHL coming up big for both teams:
Because the “Merlot line” is out for the time being the Bruins will rely on their Providence boys to make up for loss players. Jamie Tardif  was recalled on an emergency basis on Friday while Chris Bourque and Lane Macdermid have been switching between playing and healthy scratch since the season started. All three are expected to play tomorrow.

On Toronto’s end they are also relying on their AHL team. Matt Frattin has four goals and two assists in four games since he was called up from the Toronto Marlies. He’s currently playing on a line with fellow AHL linemates Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov. Kadri leads the Leafs with seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games. It looks like this lines chemistry has been successful as Frattin scored the game winner against the Caps on Thursday.

Boston’s Best:
–David Krejci and Nathan Horton both have five-game points streaks and are looking to continue this tonight.
– Brad Marchand had a team high five goals and scored two of them against Buffalo on Thursday.

Injury report:
Like I said, Boston will be without Thornton and Paille. Toronto has Joffrey Lupul (broken forearm), Clarke MacArthur (lacerated pinkie) and Mike Brown (shoulder) on its injury list.

Puck drops tonight at 7pm on NESN!

For the Maple Leafs side of things be sure to check out Maple-Glazed!

 

Thornton Out, Tardif Recalled on Emergency Basis

The Boston Bruins were banged up during a very physical game against the Buffalo Sabres last night. If you watched the game, then you noticed several players leave the ice and head to the dressing room because of hits, bumps, and repairs. Some of the players never returned to the ice.

Shawn Thornton was one of those guys. Thorty quite frankly is one of our main enforcers so it doesn’t surprise me that when he left the game in the first period, that the Sabres took advantage of it. Thornton was involved in a fight with Buffalo’s John Scott a few minutes into the first and after taking a few shots to the head, didn’t return.

Jamie Tardif was recalled from Providence today (Credit: Flickr/ Steph Vail)

General Manager Peter Chiarelli sent out a statement today saying that Thornton will be out for the next 7 to 10 days with a concussion. It’s hard to say if this time table will go longer because as we’ve seen before concussions can come back even if a player is given the go ahead. We’re wishing Thorty a fast recovery!

Because he is out, the B’s needed to make an emergency recall from Providence. So with the P-Bruin forward Jamie Tardif  joined the B’s for practice today in Wilmington and is expected to make the trip to Toronto with the team.

Tardif currently leads the Providence Bruins in scoring this season with 21 goals and nine assists in 39 games. The 21 goals are second overall in the AHL and most recently Tardif participated in the AHL All-Star weekend. The 28-year-old has played in 415 AHL games but has yet to make an appearance in the NHL.

Hopefully Tardif can bring a fresh energy to a banged up Bruins team as they play the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night.

Besides Thornton, Daniel Paille also left the game after a high stick to the face that left him cut open. He is missing from practice along with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Bergeron left the game last night for a brief period time after crashing into the boards. There is no word as of now as to why Krejci isn’t at practice.

 

Bruins Seek First Road Win

Even though it’s only the second road game of the season for the Boston Bruins, and even though the team is undefeated in regulation, the teams eye is on getting that first road win.

To do so the boys will have to get past the Carolina Hurricanes (2-2-0), who are coming off of a road win of their own, beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Friday. This isn’t going to be easy considering last season Carolina swept Boston, beating the boys all four times they played.

Will the Merlot Line have another big game? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

This is a new season, and this will be the first of three match ups between the two teams. If the Bruins can muster a win or an overtime game, it will be the first time since 1990-91 that they opened the season with a five-game points streak.

Summing up Carolina:
The first two games of the season for the Hurricanes were rocky at best, but since then the team has bounced back with home and home wins against Buffalo. If the Hurricanes win against the B’s, it will be the longest win streak against Boston the team has ever had (5 games)

Who to watch out for:
-Captain Eric Staal‘s hattrick on Thursday helped the team win 6-3 against the Sabres.
-Goaltender Cam Ward is the man behind the 4 wins against Boston last year with 1.25 goals-against average vs. Boston last season.

Bruins Best:
-The “Merlot” line is the reason for the teams 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Friday. The fourth line consisting of Shawn Thornton, Daniel Paille, and Gregory Campbell with each of the guys scoring at least one goal thus far this season.
–Tuukka Rask  is 3-0-1 with a 1.96 GAA and a .925 save percentage to open the season for the team. He will be playing in his 5th straight game because of his consistency.
–Dougie Hamilton had his first multi-point game on Friday and was named first star of the game.

Who’s Missing:
The Canes will be without forward Tuomo Ruutu with a hip injury and it is likely he will be missing the entire season. Meanwhile Adam McQuaid did not travel to Raleigh with the team for “personal reasons” and defenseman Aaron Johnson will take his spot on the roster for the night.

Puck drops at 7pm and you can check out the game on NESN!

Bruins Beast the Rangers

It was Tuukka time in Boston tonight! (Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight your Boston Bruins took to the ice for the home opener of the 2012-2013 season against the New York Rangers and it was everything you could hope for in a home opener and so much more.

The B’s for the most part stuck to a similar lineup as last season but tonight brought the debut of Boston native/ Ray Bourque’s pride and joy Chris Bourque. Tonight was also the first time that the B’s first round draft pick of 2011 Dougie Hamilton would play in the NHL. Tuukka Rask is now the starting goalie for the Bruins and he faced off against Henrik Lundqvist, a man who doesn’t exactly let up against the Bruins or against any team in general.

Tonight was an exception as the Bruins beat the Rangers 3-1.

Let me break down the game by period for you.

Providence Profiles: Lane Macdermid

Lane Macdermid (Credit:flickr/Sarah_connors)

This week’s Providence Profile is all about Lane Macdermid. Macdermid is currently in his 4th season with the P-Bruins and is becoming one of the AHL’s top enforcers. The 6′ 3″ left winger is as physical of a player as they come. I would say Macdermid has Shawn Thornton like tendencies when it comes to intimidation.

Macdermid’s skills must be paying off because in July of this past season he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Bruins. He made his NHL debut back in March of the 2011-2012 season and got into a fight less than three minutes into his first NHL game. He was called up to play for Boston after Daniel Paille was out with an injury. In five games, he had no points but had five penalty minutes.

Speaking of penalties, in 69 games for the P-Bruins in the 2011-2012 season, Macdermid was second on the team for top penalty minutes with 121 minutes. The only person that had more was veteran Bobby Robbins. He ended that season with four goals and 12 assists.

If you were wondering about that NHL fight I mentioned, you can check it out here:

With every season Macdermid continues to improve and be a strong presence for the Providence Bruins.

Next week check back for a profile on center Kyle Mackinnon.