Pens Score 4 In 3rd, Win 6-4

If there was any doubt that the Penguins are trying to kill me before this weekend, it has officially been erased.

Why would a team willingly do this to its fan base? I have no answers, but I'm convinced that's what's going on here.

With a two-goal lead in the third against Ottawa, they blow it and later lose in the shootout to Ottawa.

Sunday against Boston, just more of the same.

With the Pens trailing 3-2 heading to the third period against the Bruins, I was hoping and begging for a win. They've made a season out of third period comebacks and blown leads, so why not one more for good measure?

I'm already in my paranoid playoff antics mode where apparently if I put my pants on wrong, the team is doomed.

Prime example?

I hadn't shaved during the recent seven-game win streak. Then, before the Columbus game on Thursday I had to shave out of necessity for work. The result? 4-3 loss in a shootout. The hockey gods then punished me some more with yesterday's 4-3 shootout loss against Ottawa. I'm so screwed and it's only March.

Moving onto today's third period where the question was, "could the Pens do it again?"

Yep. Sure enough the Pens delivered in a big way.

Blake Wheeler had a holding penalty called on him just 28 seconds into the final frame and the Pens pounced on the opportunity.

Sergei Gonchar fired a wrist shot through traffic from the point that bounced off something in front and dropped dramatically to the ice and behind Tim Thomas to tie the game at 3-3.

The initial call was that Chris Kunitz had deflected it, but it was later deemed that he did not. Why is this important? This was his second goal of the game. Still not important right? Read on.

Sixteen seconds later, Bill Guerin blocked a shot and the puck ricocheted to Kunitz who had a breakaway from his own blueline. With a little shoulder fake he got Thomas to open the pads and Kunitz slipped it through the opening for what appeared to be his third goal of the game and second career hat trick.

Thankfully, I was not in attendance and throwing my hat. If I had been, I'd want my hat back for sure.

In typical Penguin fashion, Petr Sykora takes a hooking call about a minute after Kunitz's go-ahead goal. As a result, Michael Ryder picks off a clearing attempt by Brooks Orpik and roofs it over the glove of Mathieu Garon to tie the game at 4-4.

Orpik will take the full 1.0 in this for an absolutely awful clearing attempt up the middle of the ice. Use the boards big guy or make sure you have a clear lane to get rid of the puck.

Just under seven minutes later, Jordan Staal protects the puck in the corner to the right of Thomas and finds Sykora in his sweet spot in the high slot. Sykora rifles a one-timer past Thomas to send the Mellon Arena into a frenzy with a 5-4 lead.

The Bruins upped the pressure and had some very good chances late to tie the game, but Garon and the Pens were up to the task.

The Pens iced the game when Staal picked off a pass from Zdeno Chara and deposited the puck into the empty cage with 57 seconds to play.

Video Highlights Courtesy Of NHL.com


I can't even begin to put into words the magnitude of this win. Huge does not do it justice. Normally, the Pens fold on the second day of back to back games. I was fully expecting the team to come out flat after yesterday's physical game with the Senators, but such wasn't the case.

This team has a new attitude about them. They want it now. They know they are feared and are preying on that fear in the opponent. The new aggressive forecheck is a nightmare to play against because you never know when it's coming.

Dan Bylsma has a system that fits this team like a glove and it's working. 10-1-3 under him is proof enough. Imagine where this team could be had Shero and Co. pulled the trigger on Michel Therrien a month sooner when it should have happened.

The Penguins have 11 games remaining in the regular season and currently sit 5th in the Eastern Conference with 82 points. Most teams they are battling with for playoff positioning have a game or two in hand, so it's time to start hoping for some losses from those teams to even things out.

Here's the other three goals against to update the Hal Gill Quotient:

Goal #1 - Mark Recchi Tips In A Mark Stuart Blast

The puck gets dumped into the far corner and Kris Letang is forced to retrieve it because Mark Eaton was slow to react. Letang attemps a pass to Staal in the faceoff circle, but the puck bonces away from Staal and right to Stuart who unloads a bomb. Letang and Eaton are both standing next to each other and Recchi is untouched in the slot and deflects the puck past Garon to tie the game at 1-1.

Points assigned: Letang gets 0.5 for the bad pass to Staal and Eaton gets the other 0.5 for not moving over and covering Recchi in the slot.

Goal #2 - Phil Kessel Tap In On Backdoor

Chara fires a wrist shot on goal through a crowd from the point. Wheeler beats Sidney Crosby to the rebound and passes through the slot to a streaking Kessel who buries it into the empty net behind Garon for the 2-1 lead.

Points assigned: Crosby gets 0.5 for being late to the rebound and allowing Wheeler to get the pass off. Eaton gets the other 0.5 goes to Eaton for looking lost and not blocking the pass to Kessel. Can we break up the pairing of Eaton and Letang please?

Goal #3 - Wheeler Shorthanded One-Timer From 3 Feet

This was the point in the game I thought would be the back breaker, but the Pens rebounded nicely as noted above.

Anyway, Wheeler leads the shorthanded rush up the ice and fires a puck off the side of the net. Evgeni Malkin comes back into the zone hard and drills Wheeler in the corner to free up the puck. Gonchar whiffs on it and David Krejci steals it away and feeds Wheeler out front for the easy goal.

Points assigned: Malkin gets 0.5 for a weak attempt at getting Gonchar the puck after the big hit. Gonchar gets the other 0.5 for his half of the mishap in the corner that resulted in the goal.

Updated Hal Gill Quotient Standings:

Kris Letang - 6.34 - 12 GP
Marc-Andre Fleury - 5.08 - 14 GP
Sergei Gonchar - 5.08 - 13 GP
Hal Gill - 4.34 - 14 GP
Mark Eaton - 4.83 - 15 GP
Brooks Orpik - 4.59 - 15 GP
Rob Scuderi - 3.50 - 15 GP
Ryan Whitney - 3.5 - 6 GP - TRADED
Jordan Staal - 2.38 - 15 GP
Evgeni Malkin - 2.0 - 15 GP
Matt Cooke - 1.0 - 15 GP
Ruslan Fedotenko - 1.0 15 GP
Tyler Kennedy - 1.0 - 15 GP
Pascal Dupuis - .83 - 15 GP
Max Talbot - 0.5 - 15 GP
Sidney Crosby - 0.5 - 11 GP
Referee Paul Devorski - 0.5 - 1 Game Reffed
Bill Thomas - .33 - 5 GP - WAIVED

Up next for the Penguins are the Atlanta Thrashers in the third game of an eight-game homestand on Tuesday night.

Bruins at Blue Jackets LIVE!

So I admittedly slacked off a bit this weekend and we saw two distinctly average performances from the Bruins. They were lucky to secure the win against Chicago and certainly deserved the loss they put up on the board against the Rangers on Sunday.

Manny Fernandez has proven he should not be the Bruins backup goalie and he'll likely be gone one way or another next season. After every save Manny makes, he's quickly looking behind himself to make sure the puck didn't squirt through. It's an obvious sign of a goalie lacking all confidence in his ability. Considering his GAA and how above his potential he played before the back injury, it's not a surprise to see him regress, but maybe a surprise to see him regress so far. It's time for Tuukka Rask to be the understudy for Tim Thomas, because Rask is the future number one netminder for the Bruins.

Stephane Yelle is out for the second straight game, Byron Bitz will replace him in the lineup as he did on Sunday.

Video Highlights Courtesy Of NHL.com


First Period
It appears as if I have missed the first 6 1/2 minutes of the game and the score is 0-0 so I will assume absolutely nothing occurred while I was gone...

9:58 - Bruins get lucky on a turn over when Klesla blasts it wide. One of the B's biggest problems these past three weeks has been sloppy passing and bad play inside their own end. Wideman has been sent off for holding at 9:46.

7:51 - Five seconds left on the power play and I can confidently say the Bruins look very good on the penalty kill tonight. Ference blocked a shot, won the battle to the puck and got it up to Wheeler who held it for Krejci. A little bit of inventiveness from the two forwards after Ference created the play. Encouraging sign.

6:09 - Mark Stuart is bleeding out of the face and there's only a 2 minute high stick called for it.

4:09 - The Bruins power play is a fail. The Blue Jackets are the best first period team in the NHL and they are showing us why.

1:57 - Malhotra with one helluva shot block on Wideman. Looks like he's feelin' it a little bit on the bench.

:51 - Chara going off for a hook. Columbus held for about 45 seconds before Boston could touch it.

End of one period and the Blue Jackets are looking like the stronger off the two teams. They lead in shots 12-5 and have seemed livelier to the puck. Bruins seem to be working hard, but they're being plagued by the usual issues. Bad passing, shaky power play, lack of physicality.

Bring the energy and the intensity for 60 minutes and then I'll be happy.

Second Period
Bruins on the penalty kill for another 1:09 as we enter the period.

18:35 - Bruins kill the penalty, Krejci goes to the bench hurt after blocking a shot and Kessel is stoned by Mason on a breakaway.

18:01 - This is what we like to see. Kessel rings the post. He, Lucic and Savard are looking good to start the period.

15:49 - Bruins called for offside. They are looking to attack every time they touch the puck, whether it be from out of their zone or not. I like what I'm watching early on here.

12:37 - Huselius called for slashing and the Bruins will go on the power play, their hard work is paying off and they've completely dominated so far. They're banging on the door and the power play must be the time to punch it past Steve Mason.

10:52 - B's creating chances left and right. Mason making a number of terrific saves. Nash gives Savard a bit too much of a push, Savard takes offense and Nash kicks his ass without ever dropping the gloves. They both get two minutes for roughing. Jackets kill the penalty to Huselius as well.

6:24 - Kessel skates off the ice holding his face. Think he took a stick, he got rocked pretty hard into the half-wall as well.

5:32 - Stuart and Boll going at it! The big bruisers land some punches before the referees separate them. Boll with his NHL leading 21st fighting major of the season.

4:47 - Getting chippy in the Boston end. Loose puck, Thomas makes the stop, it trickles around, Jackets try a little too hard on Thomas after it's tied up and the Bruins ready to defend their goalie.

1:38 - Bruins doing a nice job of keeping the pressure up even while rotating through lines. It's certainly disappointing that they've yet to capitalize on anything, but Steve Mason should be commended for his job in this second period.

:03 - Montador fakes a slapper and gets Torres to go down, makes the shot, saved by Mason. Bruins upping the ante as we go along here.

An excellent period from the Bruins. They've upped the energy, intensity, physicality, everything that I called for after the first came into fruition here in the second. They're showing they're not afraid to fight back. They moved deeper into the Jacket's zone and should be able to break the door down in the third.

Hats off to Steve Mason and Tim Thomas though, some stellar goaltending tonight.

Let's laugh at Mike Millbury a moment, shall we?

"These two goaltenders are 1-2 in the NHL in most stats. Mason is a bit surprising, but Thomas is not."

You knew Tim Thomas would have a career year?

Third Period

19:04 - Oooh nasty glove save from Mason on Kessel's quick release.

18:52 - Commodore to the box for holding. Bruins 0/2, 2 shots on the power play tonight. Anemic.

16:52 - Back to full strength, Bruins were sloppy at first but really pulled it together and got sharp toward the end. Mason makes a couple of nice saves and the B's are now 0/3 on the man advantage.

16:04 - Stoppage in play after Thomas collides incidentally with a Blue Jacket, causing his helmet to fly off. Timmy's helmet is now being worked out, the Jackets fans are growing impatient, letting everybody hear it.

15:49 - Timmy is wearing Manny's helmet. This does not bode well.

15:05 - Chara to the box for a high stick.

13:10 PP GOAL 1-0 Blue Jackets - Raffi Torres! Along the half-wall on Thomas' blocker side and beats him with a strong wrister.

It's the curse of Manny's mask.

9:52 - Timmy has his helmet back. Sixteen minutes of repair time. If he doesn't allow a single goal, I give the loss to Manny Fernandez via mask.

8:58 - More bad passing from Savard.

4:50 - The third period Bruins are looking more like I'm used to seeing. They've completely lost any edge they had from the second period. They seem complacent again... not good.

2:53 - Can't beat Steve Mason. Looking for his league leading ninth shutout of the year.

1:17 - Thomas is on the bench. Extra attacker on. Urgency!

:26 EN GOAL 2-0 Blue Jackets - Rick Nash seals it! 150 foot shot to just clear the zone has just enough on it to get into the net.


The Bruins lose again and I'm out of energy on what to say at the moment.

Bruins vs. Coyotes LIVE!

Back in Boston for the fifth of a six game homestand where the B's (42-13-9) will look to avenge their 4-2 loss to the Flyers on Tuesday night. The Coyotes (27-31-5) and the Bruins both will look different than they did 24 hours ago, with the Bruins adding Mark Recchi and Steve Montador and the Coyotes clearing house and apparently starting over.

Gone from Phoenix are Derek Morris and Olli Jokinen. Jokinen was signed just a summer ago to be Phoenix's star center, but not being in the thick of the playoff race will make a GM do crazy things and blowing up the team is one of those things.

Good news for the Bruins tonight, Milan Lucic returns after a two game absence with a "body injury." We all know it was his hand. This is excellent news for the club, you've got to believe the Bruins will rediscover some of that physicality they were missing over the last 2/3 of the Flyers game.

Recchi and Montador are suited up and skating around pregame. Brick muses that Recchi will likely be on the left with Savard and Kessel. He's not sure where Montador will fit in, and as I said after the trade happened, I'm not quite sure either.

Even the Boston Globe's Bruins blog isn't sure, they're best guess is that Byron Bitz sits so PJ Axelsson can move to the checking line.

Remember, it's another night of Jack Bingo! Hopefully less frustrating that Tuesday night's version.

I find it terribly satisfying that the Coyotes have yet to make the playoffs in Gretzky's three seasons as coach.

Bruins lines in warm-ups..

Forwards:
Mark Recchi-Marc Savard-Phil Kessel
P.J. Axelsson-Patrice Bergeron-Chuck Kobasew
Blake Wheeler-David Krejci-Michael Ryder
Milan Lucic-Stephane Yelle-Shawn Thornton

Defencemen:
Zdeno Chara-Aaron Ward
Andrew Ference-Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart-Steve Montador

Goaltending:
Tim Thomas

Looks as if Bitz, Hunwick and Hnidy are gonna sit tonight. Has to be disappointing for them. I'm disappointed to see Hunwick sit, but let's see if Montador can help Lucic make this team the physical beast it can be.

First Period

Ilya Bryzgalov starting for the Coyotes tonight. My guess is he could have a long game.

17:50 - "D to D." Mark an X for me Jack, we're off to a good start. Early two minutes haven't been too exciting, teams feeling each other out. The Krejci line looked to have the best movement, but it's way too early to make any calls on things of that nature.

15:25 - One too many passes. Kessel breaks in with Recchi two on one, passes over to Recchi, back to Savard, back to Recchi and it skips to the wall. Gotta pull the trigger boys.

13:49 - Bruins defending extremely well. Coyotes can't keep position in the Bruins end. Also, I don't think I've seen Shawn Thornton put a shot on net yet, they always go wide.

12:51 GOAL 1-0 Bruins - Chuck Kobasew! Perfect pass from Bergeron along the halfwall to find Kobasew in the slot, who beats Bryzgalov with the shot. Now that the Bruins have the lead, let's see the intensity and energy remain constant and not drop off as it did on Tuesday.

11:58 - PING! Recchi re-directs Wideman's slap shot off the crossbar and out of play. Recchi's had two clear-cut scoring chances in three shifts on the ice. You can tell he's definitely excited and energized to be on this team.

10:32 - Brick talking about Wheeler facing his old team, despite never suiting up for the Coyotes and how there's "money on the board" for him to do well and score. Brick sounds serious about this. Gambling? Sounds sketchy.

10:00 - "Wing to wing." Mark it.

Ooh tempers flaring as Chara crushes Prucha into the boards. Looked like a completely clean hit. Appears to be a penalty, as Jack says "because he's 6'9"." Well it's called interference. Chara pretty much steamrolls through him. It's a bit of a wishy-washy call. Julien certainly does not agree.

7:59 PPG 1-1 - Scottie Upshall loves playing the Bruins! Wideman turns it over at the halfwall, it's flipped into the slot by Lindstrom and Upshall backhands it past Timmy Thomas.

It was Upshall who tied the game at one on Tuesday night as well...

6:04 - Shane Doan going in for hooking. Bruins have responded to the Coyotes goal favorably. Let's see if that can continue here. Brick thinks the B's will run the overload toward Savard.

5:31 - Recchi misses another chance right at the post, Ryder comes from behind and whiffs on it. I think Rex has a goal in him tonight.

4:04 - Coyotes kill the penalty.

1:40 - Wideman with a dangerous turnover that immediately got a pass to Prucha in front of the net, he couldn't put it over Thomas though. Not surprisingly, the Coyotes coming on a bit stronger after they tied it up and the Bruins seem to let them in it.

Need to play smarter.

After one, the Bruins certainly came out as the better of the clubs, but seem to fall into a comfort zone and get complacent once they achieve the lead. Phoenix clawed back with the power play goal and from then on the Bruins seem to look flat and they lacked some luster.

Let's hope Claude gets them hyped back up in the dressing room.

It's obvious that the Bruins have a clear advantage of Phoenix's youthful defencemen and they need to capitalize on the chances they're given in the offensive zone. Pull the trigger and shoot the puck. If you pepper Bryzgalov enough good things will happen.

Barry says the B's are the best 5-on-5 team in the NHL. Detroit or San Jose anyone? And by the way Calgary is ripping apart the Flyers (4-0 after one) they may have something to say as well.

Interesting. Aaron Ward and Blake Wheeler were both drafted #5 overall by the WIN/PHO organization, but neither actually played for them at the NHL level.

Second Period

19:36 - Phoenix has 5 power play shots and 1 full strength shot. Ouch.

17:15 - Upshall "spoons it" into the corner. X it.

15:23 - Bruins have done an excellent job stalling Phoenix at the blue line and causing a good number of offside calls.

14:08 - Some of the passes Savard has made lately are concerning. Luckily there was no one near it, but Savard shoveled one back for Montador and was a good 5 or 6 feet off on his aim.

12:08 GOAL 2-1 Coyotes - Steve Reinprecht! Nigel Dawes skates in down the right side, feeds it across the zone to Reinprecht who tips it up and over Thomas.

Shades of the Flyers game here...

11:50 - Thomas "fungos" it out of the air. Mark an X.

8:52 - Tempers flare. Thornton and Montador along with Klee all shoving each other around a bit.

7:46 - Chara pushing Lindstrom down. Getting chippy here.

Where's the crisp passing from the Bruins? Everything's skipping or long, or intercepted in the neutral zone. Not taking care of the puck particularly well at all.

7:00 - B's 30 seconds into a power play, Klee was called for interference.

6:42 - Savard all alone can't pick the corner, shoots it wide.

5:55 - Bruins moving the puck quickly, but a lot of wide shots from the point in a disappointing effort.

5:29 - Ference trips Klee out of the box and it's another 'Yotes power play. Five shots on the first.

4:16 - Coyotes moving the puck really well, Thomas is able to pounce on the puck beside the net for a cover.

3:28 - Two pucks slid just past the post on that power play. Bruins are fortunate to kill it off. Where's the energy, where's the intensity? For the second straight game the Bruins are failing to follow their usual game plan and now a younger, less experienced club is taking advantage.

1:00 - Showing a bit more fire in these last couple of minutes. Can it carry over?

:10 - Bruins almost level it before the end of the period. Montador takes a terrific rip from the point that goes wide. Wideman gets it and takes a huge rip, Savard gets it and takes an impossible angle shot that flies toward the blue line.

Bruins down a goal after two. Lucic is hitting well, but he's not being hugely productive on the checking line. There's been a lot of sloppy passing, too many turnovers, not playing well on the forecheck and the tempo isn't high enough.

The Bruins need to pull a 180 to get back in this.

Barry thinks that Ference looks "a lot more confident" at the point on the power play than Bergeron does. Does it have anything to do with Andy being a defencemen? Seriously. What kind of commentary is that?

And now I listen to Barry tell me everything I just typed into the post five minutes ago. Yawn.

An unrelated exchange through AIM...

Casey: GILL LAYS DOWN AND BLOCKS A SHOT
Justin: take him off the ice!

Looking at Jack Bingo on NESN, I have missed Juicy Rebound, He Bangs Him, Save By Thomas and Stick a Fork in It... I am X'ing those off.

Third Period

18:58 - Bruins 2nd in the NHL with 76 third period goals. Also have the best 3rd period defense.

18:15 - Lucic is with Savard and Kessel. Someone heard me.

15:00 - It's getting tough to watch the Bruins miss pass after pass after pass.

12:32 - Not a whole lot.. brewin right now. B's got an icing, but couldn't win the face off.

11:00 - Here's the pressure and energy we've been looking for. Kessel walks in and snaps it wide. Bruins skating a lot harder. Lucic sends Michalek down like a... sack of flour? Thank you, Jack.

8:39 - Boston finally dominating physically here. Throwing bodies around with reckless abandon. Bryzgalov is getting a lot of work but he's holding the fort down. Terrific energy from the B's, but they need a result from this.

6:51 - Lucic comes in on Bryzgalov 2 on 1 and can't control the puck. Oh woe is the Bruins.

6:11 - Krejci has certainly been one of the best Bruins on the ice tonight. Seems to be playing his heart out, trying to make things happen. Give the kid a little help, please.

3:35 - Urgent, urgent... emergency. Yes. Foreigner completely sums up the Bruins style of play right now.

3:11 - Bryzgalov is huge again! Slid across from Lucic to Ryder who tries to force it by Ilya, but the 'Yotes goalie makes another fantastic save. The desperate Bruins can feel this one slipping away.

1:38 - Tikhonov throws a big elbow into Montador's head. Bruins on the power play for the rest of this game. Surprisingly Thomas is still in net... for now.

:35.4 - A scrum in front of the net at the beginning of the power play, but nothing doing. Ference is on for Thomas, Chara moves to the front of the net. Fantastic game from Ilya Bryzgalov tonight.

And the Phoenix Coyotes have beaten the Brins 2-1. With a ton of new faces and an incredible performance from, Bryzgalov the Coyotes deserved their win. However, the Bruins once against came out complacent and stayed that way for 40 minutes. The urgency shown in the third period is something they need to come out with from the start and stick with for 60 minutes.

After scoring 12 goals in the first two games of this homestand, the Bruins have now scored 6 in the last three, all losses.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, the Bruins won't make it out of the first round of the playoffs if they continue to give this sort of effort.

Jack Bingo fails to deliver once again tonight, but Jack put forth a strong effort to get us closer...


So with the Blackhawks on tap, Claude and company are going to have to once again look to motivate these Bruins for a full sixty minutes. I'm starting to wonder if they're running out of steam after such a torrid start to the season. The opponents that come from here on out are odds on to be better teams than the Coyotes, so hopefully this game can snap the Bruins back out of it.

Bruins Acquire Recchi, Montador

The Boston Bruins have acquired Mark Recchi from the Tampa Bay Lightning reports ESPN. The Lightning have also given Boston their 2010 2nd round draft pick. In exchange, the Lightning acquired rearguard Matt Lashoff and forward Martins Karsums.

Well, I suppose it's a solid deal for Boston. Recchi's an unrestricted free against on July 1st, so the 41-year-old will likely be a brief rental for the B's. Still though, he adds loads of experience and leadership, not to mention a left-handed shot that the Bruins have desperately needed on offense.

It'll be interesting to see who he plays with tomorrow night against Phoenix.

The Bruins have also traded for an Anaheim Ducks defenseman, though probably not the one most people would have pegged them as getting. The B's sent forward Petteri Nokelainen and his injured eye to the Ducks for gritty Steve Montador.

Montador is a tough, physical player and looking over the B's backline, I'm not quite sure where Montador is going to fit in. Does Hunwick get sent back to Providence? When I first heard the news of this signing, along with the Recchi signing, I thought maybe the B's were using the two players as pieces to further their agenda for someone else. However, it appears as though I was wrong.

These are certainly curious acquisitions for Boston and it'll be interesting to see how they fare tomorrow evening. I'm mostly curious to see how Montador is going to fit into the team, but Julien must have a plan if he wanted the player.

Bruins v. Flyers LIVE!

Here we are on a frigid evening in the northeast, ready to watch some physical hockey between the Boston Bruins (42-12-9) and Philadelphia Flyers (33-18-10) at the Hub of Hockey.

The Flyers come to Boston hoping to end a two-game skid, while the Bruins are hoping to bounce back from their 4-3 OT loss to Washington on Saturday afternoon. If you remember, Tim Thomas was asleep at the wheel when Alexander Semin blasted it by him from 80 feet away. Yes. Eighty feet.

The B's boast a rather sexy 21-4-5 record at the TD Banknorth Garden, but they are just 4-1-4 in their last nine here. It was also the Flyers who beat the Bruins last month which led to Philly going on a nice little win streak.

Some Bruins notes before we get started:

Matt Hunwick will be playing left wing tonight. He played there Saturday, recording a pair of points and looking fairly good for someone out of position. During yesterday's practice he skated on a line with Marc Savard and Phil Kessel. I like this, I like it a lot.

The Bruins and Flyers are both rumored to be interested in Derek Morris, along with any other living, breathing rearguard the NHL has to offer. (Except Hal Gill.)

Milan Lucic is once again a scratch, as he was on Saturday. Remember that beatdown he gave Mike Brown? His hand is still recovering.

Claude Julien and company are looking for a bigger performance out of David Krejci tonight after he missed a goal and then coughed away the puck to Ovechkin on Saturday. It wasn't his best day, but there's plenty of confidence that he'll be back to usual.

Lastly, tonight is the first night of Jack Bingo~! During the game as Jack Edwards says certain phrashes, I will get to mark an X off on my bingo board. I'll post the finished board at the end of the blog, after the game.

There is great satisfaction in placing the first X right through Jack's yellow-toothed grin.

Pregame

Jack gives us a fascinating fact. In a 24 game span earlier this season, Savard and Kessel combined for 23 goals and 40 assists.

That's absolutely disturbing. Then again, you've got to think that Hunwick is gonna have a ton of fun playing with these two.

First Period

Oh my god, Manny Fernandez is in net against the Flyers?

19:20 - Andrew Ference and Scotty Hartnell are already at it, trading a couple of punches, but the gloves don't come off.

18:48 - Scottie Upshall absolutely crushes poor Matt Hunwick at center ice.

17:12 - Joffrey Lupul sent to the box for a hook on Wideman.

Couple of long shots and forced covers at either end of the ice thus far, but nothing truly threatening.

16:00 - Chara kills Flyers captain Mike Richards. He doesn't care who leads the NHL in short-handed goals much.

15:11 - Bruins have a couple of chances toward the end of the power play, including Kobasew snapping a shot wide from the slot. Bruins were very sharp with their passing and maybe should have scored.

13:43 - Michael Ryder sent to the box for a trip. Flyers have been atrocious on the power play latelty. It was ugly against New Jersey this weekend.

11:43 - Bruins have now killed 9 of 10 penalties with Michael Ryder sitting in the box.

Come on Jack, we need some of your ridiculous catchphrases.

8:40 - Bergeron loses an edge going into the corner and is absolutely leveled by Carle.

Still no major chances from either team. There's a lot of physical play that's making this a joy to watch though.

8:06 - Niittymaki makes the first huge save of the night. Bruins cycle it around well and it skips to Krejci to the right, has a writer destined for the top half of the net, Niitty in full butterfly extends with the glove. As Jack said, "LARCENY!"

7:26 - Another Bruins power play as there's too many men of the ice.

5:35 PP GOAL 1-0 Bruins - Quick puck movement, the Bruins move it around the umbrella and Patrice Bergeron beats a well out of position Niity for the goal. Just as I was about to groan to Casey in IM about Bergeron and PJ Axelsson being on the same power play line...

Chara and Savard credited with the assists. Savard has been such a catalyst on this home stand.

3:40 - Wideman sent to the box for a high stick. Flyers have come back fierece since the Bergeron goal, strong on the forecheck and creating chances in the B's zone. This penalty kill will be a decent to test of Manny's mettle. Depending on if Philly has figured things out while up a man.

2:01 - While the Flyers are on the power play, it's important to show a graphic telling us that they have yet to allow a short-handed goal this season.

:46 - You've got to feel bad for Manny when he can't even clear it out from his own trapezoid.

And we're through one period, the Bruins up a goal. They're showing good energy and even better intensity. The Flyers are matching that intensity, plenty of great hits. There's certainly a good amount of vitriol between these two teams and it'll be great to see the gloves drop sooner than later.

Also, what gives Jack? The closest you come to with any phrase is "Larceny" but the box on your damn board is "Grand Larceny." My assumption is I can't count it and I won't. So after one period, the only thing that has an X over it is Jack's face. Smirking at me because he refuses to say any of the phrases on this board.

2nd Period

18:30 - Hunwick looking solid on that left wing tonight. As I suspected he would.

18:11 GOAL 1-1 - Scottie Upshall ties it at one! Savard looking to pass and goes tape to tape onto Upshall who skates in alone and beats Manny under the right arm.

Looks like Savard never saw Upshall coming. Upshall snaked through traffic and just got to the puck as if it were intended for him.

16:19 - Yelle and Bitz crashing the net as Niity covers it. Hartnell comes in from behind and knocks Bitz head first into the crossbar.

13:50 - Nice work by the B's, Krejci works it around the back of the net, Wideman takes a slap shot that deflects all around, falls to Blake Wheeler who can't get the backhander up high enough and Niitty is able to save and cover.

13:03 - During the pause in play, Chara knocks Hartnell to the ice with a quick rabbit right, Coburn tries to get involved and the refs are there to break it up before it goes too far. This was after Hartnell took Bitz into the crossbar and then left his feet to take out Ryder.

So Chara's in the box for roughing and delay. Hartnell's in the box for a couple of minutes as well. Flyers back on the anemic power play. The Bruins outshot the Flyers 1-0 on the last Phily power play.

11:55 -Fernandez "fungos" it out of the air. That's close enough to "Mid-Air Fungo Job" for me. Let's mark us our first X since Jack's face.

9:35 - "D to D for Stuart." Another X. Jack is on a roll!

8:42 - Expert left wing Matt Hunwick into the box for a high stick. Time for another Flyers non-power play.

6:30 - The Flyers are once again killed off, despite Mike Richards creating a couple of chances for his side. They can't snap off the pass, or a Bruin is there to tangle up the puck before it gets to Manny. Yet another good kill for the B's.

5:13 - Hartnell takes about 15 steps into Michael Ryder in front of the Flyers bench and is right called for boarding. It's a B's power play.

4:26 - Jeff Carter (first mention!) skates in two on one and Manny stops the wrister.

2:36 - Bitz rings the iron and the puck falls straight down! Niitty doesn't see it, but falls back onto it for a cover. So close to a Bruins lead here.

Brickley's mic has died. Jack Edwards is alone. I am scared.

After two periods, shots are dead even at 17. I've got the feeling the Flyers got the best of that period, they seemed more physical (maybe mostly Hartnell) and they seemed to have more energy. The Bruins played intensely, but there seemed to be some lethargy sinking in on them. Bitz's ringer off the post was their best shot along with Wheeler's backhand.

Savard has given the puck away a couple of times, including Upshall's goal. Let's see the turnovers and sloppy play cut down, bring up the tempo and get the lead back.

Intermission grammatic fun with Mike Millbury: "They need to stay physically without crossing the line."

Third Period

19:47 - Random, I think tech guy comes on the air a bit, and then says "I gotta get back to my Jack Bingo card." Jack Bingomania is sweeping the New England area. Catch it!

Now say the damn phrases, Jack.

18:18 - Wing to wing! Jack gives me hope.

17:38 GOAL 2-1 Flyers - Simon Gagne! Andrew Alberts blasts it from the point and Gagne makes a beautiful deflection, knocking it onto the ice and under Manny's glove.

16:36 - I don't know if it's the Flyers being "physically" without going over the line wearing on the B's, or if they don't care that much at the moment.

14:40 - "Ference bangs him." We'll take it as an X for "he bangs him."

14:17 GOAL 3-1 Flyers - Former Bruin Mike Knuble! The Flyers making things happen with the chip in. Worked down behind the net, pushed out in front to Knuble in the slot who fires it past Fernandez.

Not looking good for the B's now.

13:03 - Hartnell sent to the box. Shocking. Bruins need to score a goal here.

9:20 - Nothing doing for the B's. Lots of sloppy passing. Flyers not doing so much either, game has gotten mired down a bit. Seems as if the Flyers are out to simply kill off the last nine minutes here.

6:51 - Coming a bit to life now, the Bruins force a face-off to Niitty's right.

4:48 - Flyers just hanging back in layers and dumping it over the heads of the Bruins and taking their sweet time. Bruins are showing some urgency in the offensive zone however, they need to put more shots in on Niitty, but the Flyers are actually looking strong in defense for a night.

4:28 - Kobasew being sent to the box for an ultra-rare holding the stick penalty. I'd say things are looking dire now.

3:35 PP GOAL 4-1 Flyers - Simon Gagne's second! Bruins trying to create chances even short-handed, Richards has it back in the zone, slips it across for Gagne, Manny has already dived in the opposite direction and Gagne simply puts it past him.

1:53 - Brick surmises that the Flyers simply wanted it more in the third period. I agree wholeheartedly.

1:30 - Jeff Carter sent to the box for hooking. The Bruins looking for three goals int he last 90 seconds.

:41.7 PP GOAL 4-2 - Stephane Yelle! Mark Stuart rips a terrific wrister from the point, deflected perfectly and in by Yelle.

That's all the Bruins are going to get though. In a game where they performed extremely well in the first period, fairly well in the second, they completely and utterly gave up in the third. They were overpowered and outmatched by the Flyers over the course of the last 25-30 minutes of the hockey game and certainly didn't deserve any points with their effort tonight. Like Brick said, Philly showed that they clearly wanted this more.

It's almost as if the Bruins didn't show up on the ice in the third. There were chances here and there, but the Flyers defended well, collapsing and layering themselves, not letting the B's get anything through.

What started as a sparking homestand with a dozen goals in two games, has now seen an OT loss and a listless third period in a 4-2 loss to the fourth place Flyers.

I'm sure Claude's going to have some harsh words for his boys after this one. They started to look more like they did in that woebegone road trip than they did just a week ago.

How'd Jack Bingo go? Not so well, Jack disappointed us all and audio difficulties throughout the third period made it difficult. Here's the board anyway:


Jack's gotta do better for us against the Coyotes on Thursday.

Devils Strengthen D With Havelid

TSN.ca reports that the New Jersey Devils have shipped Anssi Salmela to the Atlanta Thrashers for shot-blocker extraordinaire Niclas Havelid.

Havelid was one of many blueliners that have been rumored to be headed Boston, along with the likes of Chris Pronger (dead), Tomas Kaberle (denied by Leafs GM Brian Burke), Jordan Leopold (unknown) and Derek Morris.

The Devils give up a fringe player in return for a quality defenseman who will add some grit and toughness to the team. It's also a nice little stick to the Bruins who may have been interested in Havelid.

Just what the Devils need, another player to make them even more boring than they already are.

Pronger Off, Kaberle as Well?

To begin with, our friends at NESN are reporting that any deal involving Ducks d-man Chris Pronger coming to Beantown are off.

It's certainly for the best in my view. Whether they were giving up Phil Kessel straight up, or any combination of Mark Stuart, Chuck Kobasew, Joe Colborne, etc. would have been far too steep a price to pay for what would likely be an 18 month rental.

Our good friends up north at TSN.ca are reporting that Leafs GM Brian Burke has denied last night's report out of Boston that an offer was made for Tomas Kaberle.

Burke himself told TSN the following:

“It's not true, a total fabrication,” Burke told TSN. “I sat with (Boston GM) Peter Chiarelli for the first period of Saturday's game in Boston and we never discussed Tomas Kaberle. We hadn't spoken about Kaberle before that and we most certainly haven't since then. There is no truth to it at all. None.”

Well then. I suppose that settles that... then again Burke vehemently denied rumors that he was leaving Anaheim for Toronto and we all know how that ended up.

It's also been said by ESPN that the B's may also be interested in Derek Morris from Phoenix.

More to come...

Breaking: Bruins Offer For Kaberle?

This just in: the Boston Bruins have reportedly made an offer for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. NESN.com is reporting the story along with the Boston Herald.

"According to the Boston Herald, the Bruins have offered their 2008 first-round pick, forward Joe Colborne of Denver University, their 2009 No. 1 pick, and a third-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Tomas Kaberle."

Very interesting if this proves to be true. It goes with a number of thoughts out there that GM Peter Chiarelli would only be interested in trading picks and prospects. It's also curious that the 30-year-old Kaberle has 4.2M remaining on a contract for the next two years.

Kaberle would fit under the Bruins salary cap for the remainder of the season, but the team would be giving up far too much in return. Colborne is a B range prospect, a forward with terrific size, 6'5, 195lbs, and as a freshman, he certainly has time to grow into his frame. He's got 9 goals and 19 assists for Denver in 34 games, as well. Though he's certainly a couple of years down the road, with his size, you'd think the Bruins would want to keep him around awhile to see what he can develop into.

And a first and third round draft pick? Too much. Sure it's a late first rounder, but a first round pick nonetheless. I could potentially be sold on this if it were Colborne and a second rounder, but I'd be happier not to see this deal go through at all. I don't know where people continue to see a weakness in the Bruins defense, but it is not going to be their all-out key to winning it all. They're very steady in the back as I mentioned earlier today, with a good mix of youth and veteran presence and talent that is continually improving.

Though, I do realize that Kaberle would be an asset on the power play, and could potentially move Patrice Bergeron away from the point. I could still yet be sold on this...

More to come as this develops.

B's Lose in OT, Pronger and More

After opening the six game home stand at T.D. Banknorth Garden with a pair of six-goal outings, the Bruins fell in overtime yesterday 4-3 to the Capitals and Alexander Semin's 80 foot shot. Unfortunately, I was at work and missed the game, so my comments on it will be brief. From what I've read and watched from highlights, the game reminds me of the encounter with Tampa last week. Constantly playing catch up. The Bruins should be content, though not pleased to come away from this one with a point.

I feel like the Caps and all of their weapons would be a tough match for the Bruins in the playoffs, aside from Ovechkin being a monster, they're got a very strong team that can move the puck around quickly and make things happen. Now I'm not saying the Bruins can't do the same, they can, but I've got a feeling about the Capitals. Then again, it would be the playoffs and anything could happen.

The B's once again led the way in shots 37-32, but the Bruins surrendered two power play goals. Marc Savard had three assists, but could be the culprit for the first goal when he was sent to the box for hooking. Matt Hunwick, getting some serious ice time the past two games has responded extremely well, with two goals and an assist.

Bruins fans will certainly hope that the club can bounce back from this with a win, because they know that Jersey and Washington are becoming hot on their heels as the season begins to wind down through the last 20 or so games.

Highlights courtesy of our good friends at NHL.com


Also last night, Yahoo Sports and the Sporting News had an article that Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger to Boston talk was picking up steam. One potential deal I've read is Pronger and Travis Moen to Boston in exchange for Mark Stuart, Chuck Kobasew, Joe Colborne and a 2009 2nd round pick.

From the outset I don't like this deal for Boston for a few reasons.

1. Pronger makes $6.25M. Yes the deal would only include the last 20ish games of the season, so that salary will be pro-rated and easier to swallow, but the B's are just $1.43M under the cap. Pronger is owed about $1.5M the rest of this year if my math is correct.

2. Mark Stuart is a poor man's Pronger. They play a similar style of play, sure Stuart doesn't have the size, or quite the same talent level, but he's younger, cheaper and has been effective for the Bruins this year.

3. Kobasew is a good piece to have around. He's a hard worker, a team player, can work on the power play, can score a goal and has definitely endeared himself to the Boston fans this year. I definitely see Chuck as a trading chip potentially in the future though.

4. Pronger is due $6.5M next year, the final year of his contract. The Bruins also will have expiring contracts in Tim Thomas, David Krejci and Phil Kessel. Where does Pronger fit under the cap in these circumstances? Which player doesn't return? How long would the B's really have Pronger for? Would he be an 18 month rental and out the door?

The Ducks are retooling, but they don't need help from the Bruins. I'd like to believe that B's GM Peter Chiarelli is more interested in finding a winger to help out in Marco Sturm's absence to get a little more oomph at the offensive end of the ice.

Other rumored targets for the B's are Keith Tkachuk (Mass. native), Jordon Leopold and of course, the oft-mentioned Erik Cole.

I would be okay with a player like Keith, he'd be a blessing on the power play, his big body in front of the net for screens and generally being a nuisance to the opposing goalie. Leopold would be a decent second-tier defenseman, but I don't see where he fits in right now. Chara/Ward, Hunwick/Wideman and Hnidy/Stuart are a good six-some, but unless Hunwick gets sent back to Providence (would be a bad move), I can't see Leopold being a B.

I think I've done the Erik Cole thing to death.

Would I like to see the Bruins make a move? Yes, but only if it supplements what is already at the club, Chiarelli has been quoted as saying that he's 50% likely to make a deal. I would put money on prospects and picks being traded over anyone actually on the B's, as long as any deal fits under the cap. Other than that, you could potentially see a Kobasew-type being moved, but I expect the Bruins to stand pat. I just don't see anything that makes a lot of sense right now.

There's three days left until the deadline on Wednesday, so I'm sure we'll be back with more information.

Fun With Eklund, Bruins "Rumors"

Came across two gems from our good friend Eklund today.

Eklund's "rumors" will be in quotations...

"Phil Kessel on the move?

There are also rumors that the Bruins are possibly considering moving Phil Kessel in a deal. Perhaps to free up cap space to bring in a defenseman or bigger power forward..."

Seriously? So the Bruins are going to trade away their leading goal scorer for a bigger power forward?

I wonder if it has any correlation with the next rumor here...

"As I wrote earlier tonight...I was checking in on some rumors that Erik Cole could be headed to the NJ Devils....It does have some legs and I will be calling it an e2 for now...but don't count out Boston for Cole AT ALL..."

Erik Cole (15 goals, 10 assists) for Phil Kessel (25 goals, 20 assists)? Sounds fair...

It's been said to death, but Eklund should not be allowed to report on anything about hockey, ever.

I've also read on ESPN Insider that Cole for Sobotka and Lashoff could be a possibility.

I've got to think that B's GM Peter Chiarelli is smart enough to know not to mess with the chemistry the team has. I can see them adding in a player to supplement what they currently have, but it'd be rubbish and nonsense to completely change the shape of the Bruins.

Cole isn't the kind of player the B's need. Sure he's physical, but he's not a goal scorer. Kessel has as many goals as Cole has points, so what would be the point of trading Kessel to bring in that "big power forward?" While enhancing the physicality, it handicaps the offense.

I don't see Erik Cole being a Bruin by March 4th.

EDIT

Major laugh here, as this blog was originally posted around 7:30 (opened at 7:13), Eklund had an update around 7:57 that I just picked up on.

"No doubt whatsoever in my mind at this point that Boston is leading the way for Erik Cole. Working on more of what could be heading back but I feel very confident that Cole will be a Bruin this time next week.."

I feel that between Eklund and I, one of us will be right. It will be me.

Ducks v. Bruins LIVE!

Okay, so shoot me for completely missing the Bruins/Panthers encounter. I dropped the ball, got a little busy, but things happen. Besides, Bruins fans should see it as a blessing. They haven't had that kind of offensive explosion since I started writing about them. Silver lining perhaps.

Byron Bitz had the fans chanting "We Want Bitz" during the 6-1 thrashing of the Panthers. Yes, he's been solid since coming up and maybe he'll keep his spot when everybody gets healthy, at least I think he should. However, Bitz needs to play at a high level of physical play each and every night out. He's got the body, there's no reason why he can't dominate battles along the boards and behind the net.

Also, nice to see Mr. Ryder back.

Looking at Mike Millbury's pregame plan. Physical play is number one on his list. Shocking. I remember mentioning that about 50,000 times over the past two weeks.

No Aaron Ward, out with an injury. Matt Hunwick has been recalled from Providence. Probably for the better all around.

Let's see if Milan Lucic's physicality cna spur the team on like it did against Florida. Once he started hitting people, everyone else quickly followed suit.

I'm also hoping Bergeron is not on the power play point with Zdeno Chara. Lost hope is good.

Why does Jack Edwards always have to make a reference to "buzzing around" when he mentions the B's? They're Bruins, Jack. They don't buzz. They maul, rip and maim.

I had to add this in, NESN has a Jack Edwards bingo game. You get a spot when he uses some of his oft-uses spaces. I may have to play along with the live blogs. Just for the fun of it.

To prove I'm not joking...


I'm not sure I know what to say with things like He Bangs Him, Blows a Tire and Cocks and Fires on here, but Jack will be Jack. (Not to mention Reaches Around...)

First Period
And we're underway...

18:50 - Savard breaks into the zone with Kessel, 2 on 0, couple of slick passes between them, but Bret Hedican recovers well to break up a pontential shot.

16:20 - Getzlaf makes a brilliant pass ahead to Perry who's wrister from the right is saved by Timmy Thomas. Good flow so far, Bruins dominating the neutral zone and generally looking livelier.

13:36 - Things moving fast but not really a lot to comment on. Thomas makes a nice save and there will be a face off to his right.

13:11 - Bruins Seventh Player voting for fans is back. How can Tim Thomas not win this award?

11:56 - Lucic has Selanne lined up for a hit and whiffs into the Ducks bench. Good stuff. However, Lucic is looking to hit people here and he has caused a couple of turnovers.

10:50 - Mark Stuart's slapper, headed for J.S. Giguere, careens off Bitz's skate. Tough luck shot there for the B's.

10:12 - Delayed call on the Ducks, Yelle has a tough angle shot and rings through the post! Penalty call is slashing on Sheldon Brookbank.

Video Highlights Courtesy Of NHL.com


9:30 - You'd swear the Ducks are on the power play here...

8:20 - Bruins have a couple of chances, Wideman drifted into the slot and had the puck on the tape. Giguere saved the slap shot high off his forearm. Krejci then can't handle a cross-seam pass and the Ducks kill the penalty.

6:45 - Savard sets up in... Gretzky's Office. Ugh.

5:00 - High stick on David Krejci as he crushes Perry in the glass. Maybe not a penalty, hard to tell if the stick made contact. Bruins boo birds are out on the call. Rightly so lads.

2:28 - Bruins kill the penalty, Stephane Yelle made a ballsy move to block the puck off his hip early on in it.

2:06 GOAL! 1-0 Bruins - And it's Matt Hunwick! Recalled from Providence and he makes it happen! Krejci forces a turnover in the neutral zone, passes it to Ryder, kicks it off his skate to himself, backhands it across the seam, Wheeler has a good screen on and Hunwick is to follow it through to goal.

0:00 - Yelle down in the wall throws the puck in front and it just gets by an outstretched Bitz. Giguere's glove side was wiiiiiiiiiide open if Bitz had gotten a stick on it.

To quote Jack Edwards, after the first period, the B's are buzzing. Bzzzz.

A lot of scoring chances for the Bruins, against a lesser goalie they'd probably have a couple in the back of the net at the first intermission.

Second Period

18:33 - Bruins layering extremely well at the defensive end. They denied Selanne on a wrap around chance and ended with their own scoring chance at the other end.

18:01 GOAL 2-0 Bruins - Michael Ryder with this one! Hnidy waits it out in the back, gets it to Wheeler who finds Krejci, skates into the zone, finds Ryder in stride on the tape, drags a snapper and the Ducks look to be sitting. (Har.)

16:38 - Gotta love the effort Shawn Thornton puts in night in night out. It's too bad his talent doesn't match his effort.

16:17 GOAL 3-0 Bruins - Chuck Kobasew and birthday boy PJ Axelsson have a 2 on 1. Kobasew smartly keeps it himself and rips a snap shot past Giguere.

JS Giguere has been pulled from the game, Jonas Hiller will take his place.

Bruins have three goals on just eight shots.

14:20 - Bruins smell blood. Wheeler is called for tripping and the Ducks need to score a goal here.

11:40 - Shawn Thornton and George Parros! Two heavyweights banging lefts and rights. Parros has Thornton manhandled, but Thornton fights and fights and gets the takedown! Score one for Shawn Thornton! It started when Parros laid a huge hit into Marc Savard, it was clean, but Thornton felt the need to stick up for his teammate.

10:00 - I feel like I'm watching a completely different hockey team from the one I saw on the road trip.

6:05 - It's been a dull four minutes, though I have been amusing myself with Jack Edwards bingo. So far I've got Off Glass, In Gretzky's Office, D to D, Wing to Wing and Mid-Air Fungo Job. Nothing close to giving me the ole Jack Bingo though.

5:38 - Huge save from Thomas as he stops Parros and squeezes the puck between his legs. A near melee ensues before the ref points to the dot for a face off.

Parros has an epic mustache/soul patch combination. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

5:11 - Mike Brown sucker punches Milan Lucic and that is the end of his world. Lucic unleashes right handed barrels on Brown, knocks him to the ice and continues to wail on him.

Sheldon Brookbank has been ejected for going after Lucic had taken care of business.

Lucic has some bloody knuckles. Well worth the effort I'm inclined to think.

Jack is speculating that Lucic meant to go after Brookbank, but Brown happened to be in the wrong place and the right time.

And there's a Bruins power play after an instigating call. I guess it worked out pretty well for all involved.

4:27 - Savard and Scott Neidermayer jousting for position along the blue line. Savard takes exception, off comes the gloves and Neidermayer plants him to the ice. Say hello to Milan for me, Marc.

3:35 - Montador called for a leg trip on David Krejci. Things are getting extremely chippy here toward the end of the second. Bruins have a 5 on 3 for... well they screwed up on the scoreboard, so nobody is quite sure of how long.

1:59 GOAL 4-0 Bruins - It's a power play goal for Phil Kessel! Thomas turns it cross eyes, gets Ryder onside, drags it across the left circle and the shot bounces off Kessel's skate! Timmy Thomas pitching a shut out and adds an assist to his sheet.

:52.7 - George Parros is angry as he's called for a hold on Chara. No reason to be upset, it's very obvious. Parros jaws with the ref and is lucky it's only a two minute penalty.

:15.6 GOAL 5-0 Bruins - It's a power play goal for Chuck Kobasew! Chuck's second goal comes from the umbrella, Wideman gets it over to Kobasew who slots it past Hiller on the short side. The Bruins are on a feeding frenzy.

At the end of two and the Bruins have scored four goals, have gotten into a couple of scraps and are firing on absolutely every single cylinder. With the Ducks having little to play for in the third I could see some fisticuffs as things get tenser than they were in this period.

All I know is that I'm excited for it. I'm also sick of hearing Zombie Nation, so the B's can stop scoring any time.

Third Period

19:20 - I think Chara has put Corey Perry on the ice about 15 times tonight.

15:37 - Thomas robs Bobby Ryan! What a save.

Bruins have 19 players who have registered a point between tonight and the Florida game.

13:15 - Mark Stuart to the box for cross-checking. Can the Ducks claw their way back!?

11:33 - And Bitz "Pounds it down the river." Mark it off on your bingo scorecards, kids.

The Bruins are 3/3 killing the penalty tonight.

10:12 - Kessel skates through and glides across the zone, takes a nice shot that's covered by Hiller.

Won't it be pathetic when we're looking at Bingo cards and hoping Jack says one of his ridiculous phrases? Oh NESN! You've sucked us in!

6:19 GOAL 6-0 Bruins - It's Byron Bitz! Ference makes a long pass to Bitz, uses his strength to beat the skater, Neidermayer's poke check is avoided and he wrists it past Hiller.

3:40 - Jack just made a good point. Chara will be in studio for an interview with Shoe-Bangin' Millbury after the game and Jack goes "the man who traded Chara from the Isles." Wonder if that's why Mike's got a cushy NESN job these days.

And in 62 games this year the Bruins have won 42 games. They won 41 all of last season.

The B's were confident, intense, physical, everything you could have wanted from them tonight. They executed the game plan, the defense stepped up huge in the offensive aspect of the game.

Michael Ryder has 5 points in his first two games back, you've got to think that is huge for the Bruins who will need all the confidence they can get with the Capitals coming to town on Saturday afternoon.

Twelve goals and two games, let's see if the tempo remains on Saturday...

Bruins Need Spark Plug

I'm sure in countless hockey rinks, football fields, and baseball diamonds across the country, parents tell their children that it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's whether or not you put in the effort and have fun. Play your best, your hardest, but it's okay if you don't win. Because you did your best, your threw it all out there.

For the past three games of this road trip, Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien has seemingly practiced this methodology. Unfortunately for Claude and his Bruins, this method need not apply to the National Hockey League. Yes, there was the December to Remember. However, it is now late February, heading closer and closer to the playoffs and nobody remembers December. They remember a 1-3-1 road trip on the back of back-to-back home losses. 1-4-2 in their last seven.

Play hard boys, but it's okay if you don't win.

The 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay certainly wasn't for lack of effort. The Bruins relentlessly peppered Karri Ramo with shot after shot, 43 (paired with 41 aganst Florida) of them in all and were rewarded with three goals for those efforts. However, some untimely turnovers, poor defending and Manny Fernandez-quality goaltending, he gave up the 4 goals on just 18 shots, ouch.

Yes, the Bruins showed passion and intensity along with terrific energy. Shawn Thornton and Mark Stuart were both involved in fisticuffs with a pair of thrilling duels that energized the team. When PhiKessel netted his early goal things looked great, but then Tampa scored two in fifteen seconds and the energy changed. The Bruins fought back from behind twice, but still fell.

Now, 43 shots on goal are fantastic, but how many of those were bonafide chances? Along with the shots, the intensity of play seemed to wane until after Tampa had gone ahead with 1:33 to play.

Where has Boston's complacency come from? Jumping out to a huge lead in the Eastern Conference? Taking bottom of the conference teams like Tampa for granted?

Maybe it's the coach settling for effort and not results.

Patrice Bergeron still finds himself on the point on the top power play line. He looks timid and uncomfortable along the blue line and rightly so. He's a winger. Put him there already, please. Chara and Ward at the point on the top line did well, they were rewarded with it. Bergeron excelled on the second unit playing along the wall and putting his body in front of the net. Patrice's confidence wasn't raised as highly as Julien may have thought with that erm... empty net goal.

How badly do the B's need a sniper? I brought up the fact that the B's won't be where they need to be unless they find a sniper, and a friend responded; "Our sniper is injured." I laughed. Michael Ryder, as nice a goal scoring option as he is, does not a sniper make. The Bruins need someone who can score 35-40 goals in a season. Kessel is nice, Ryder is nice, having five guys who can net 20+ goals and a dozen who can net 10+ is nice, but you need someone that strikes fear into opposition goalies. Chara can do that, sure, but where's that full time offensive presence? The Sykora, Kovalchuk, Kovalev winger who can score from anywhere inside the zone?

No, the Bruins probably aren't able to get a player of their calibre. Especially with names like Keith Tkachuk and Erik Cole being bandied about. To think I know a couple of people excited about the prospect of Cole being a Bruin, but he's a fraud of a goalscorer. Not nearly the player he was in Carolina and not likely to ever be. Tkachuk? While it'd be nice to see the Massachusetts native play for the B's, he's basically washed up and wouldn't add enough to the team. In the end the fact is that they need a proven out and out scorer. The Bruins have players who can score goals, but they're very, very streaky. Consistency would do wonders for this team.

With the Caps inching ever closer to the B's, they could lose grip on the East's top spot. The Bruins are in a precarious position right now, despite what many may think.

It's already been proven that effort alone isn't enough to do the job.

Bruins vs. Lightning: LIVE!

We're live with Andy, Jack and Naoko in Tampa Bay as the Bruins look to rebound from last night's 2-0 loss to the very physical Panthers. The Bruins have taken points in three of their last six, but closer inspection shows that they've lost five of those six.

It appears as if Jack and Andy called each other this morning to coordinate their suits and ties. Good job, boys.

Ooh, Manny Fernandez is in net tonight. Things could get adventurous.

First Period

18:22 GOAL! 1-0 Bruins - Bruins on a quick break after Aaron Ward blocks a shot. Quick movement, Savard gets it to Phil Kessel who beats Ramo blocker side. The start the Bruins were looking for tonight.

16:31 - They finally make the goal announcement. A lot of cheers, a lot of Bruins fans. Probably the same people who are Sox fans that overtake Tampa Bay Rays home games.

15:16 GOAL! 1-1 - A little triangle offense in front of the net, Jeff Halpern finds the seam in the slot, Pettinger finds him there, a quick little forehand wrister and it's evened up.

15:01 GOAL! 2-1 Lightning - WOW! Tampa chips it down into the corner off the face off, Adam Hall gets behind the net, wraps it around and under Manny's pad. Things have gone sour for the Bruins fast.

First commercial break... without the commercials. Looks at the benches, an overlay for a segment being tested. Good stuff. The Bruins started out with a lot of energy and they've been dampened quickly by those first quick goals. The Bruins need to find some physicality. They're holding the puck fairly well, but they need to hit some people and truly take over. They're not out. Nothing to worry about yet.

Video Highlights Courtesy Of NHL.com


10:32 - FIGHT! And Shawn Thornton is rocked. David Koci gets him down onto the ice after a few good rights and it's a quick end to the battle. It's the Bruins first fighting major in seven games now. There's the physical play I was looking for. Good job Shawn.

7:53 - It's amazing to watch this team night in and night out and see them dominating in shots almost every time out. 8-4 at this point, and they're generally far and away creating more opportunities to score than their opponents, they just can't seem to capitalize.

6:01 - Andrew Ference rings the post and Wideman just misses it... wide, man. Ference is sent off for a trip. Getting dicey is Tampa can convert on this power play. Savard had nicely won the faceoff, Lucic cycled it through to Ference who had the lane, just centimeters away from a goal, really.

4:50 - Bruins effectively kill the penalty when Fernandez is sent head over heels and an interference is called. We'll see a brief Bruins power play shortly. The 0/1 certainly won't help the statistics.

3:18 GOAL! 2-2 Did I say 0/1? Andrew Ference has his first goal of the year! Beautiful rotational passing from the B's, cross-seam pass for Ference, right onto the tape and it beats Ramo through the five. Bruins kill the penalty strongly and make the most of their short power play!

2:53 - FIGHT! Gary Roberts and Mark Stuart! Haymakers from both men! Stuart missing over the top, Roberts swinging furiously and falls down on top of Stuart! What action! The old man showing he can still bring it!

:29.7 - Tampa Bay on a powerplay after Shawn Thornton received a double minor in the aftermath of the fight between Stuart and Roberts. David Krejci breaks down the left side drags it in close on Ramo who makes a terrific glove save.

End of the first period, the Bolts will have 2:37 left on a power play with a clean sheet of ice. Up and down through the first, looking on the up. Good physical play like they needed, creating some good shorthanded chances at the end of the first and generally looking excited and energized in this game.

Second Period

18:18 - The 'Ning miss a wonderful chance, Halpern alone in front, gets a weak wrister off of Fernandez's pad and cleared away from goal by Wideman. The Bruins effectively kill the double minor, conceding just two shots.

16:08 - Bruins powerplay as Malik gets set to the box for interference on Milan Lucic.

14:34 - Bruins struggling to keep the puck in Tampa Bay's zone. Martin St. Louis tries to clear, right onto the tap of PJ Axelsson, slaps it at Ramo, but a glove save. First real chance on the power play with :26 remaining on it.

12:33 - Ah, highlights of Zdeno Chara's October 2007 mauling of David Koci. Good stuff. I bet Koci isn't ready to see his face look like that anytime soon.

10:00 GOAL! 3-2 Lightning - It's another old-timer, Mark Recchi! The puck squirts by Chara, but he's able to recover, the wings never track back to help out, Josef Melichar takes a nice wirster and Recchi is able to beautifully redirect it in for the goal. Good chances at both ends, but the 'Ning are making 'em count.

8:24 - Artyukhin is sent to the box for tripping, oddly it seemed to occur moments after an offside whistle was blown. However, I'm sure the B's will take it.

6:24 - Tampa Bay kills the penalty. Why doesn't Claude Julien notice how much the B's top power play line struggles with Patrice Bergeron at the point? They struggle to create chances, Bergeron had a shot blocked. He works much better on the wing, not on the point. Wake up, Claude!

4:43 GOAL! 3-3 - Chuck Kobasew rushes up the right wing, crosses it into the slot for Zdeno Chara who beats Ramo with a wrister! The captain with an uncharacteristic goal to even the game and you can imagine the Bruins will play with more fire from here on out.

3:09 - David Krejci creates himself two or three chances in front of the net. Jack Edwards calls it "classic" David Krejci as if he's been playing in the league for fifteen years. Jack is blushing with a man crush.

2:08 - Chara has a word with Koci after Koci goes after Stephane Yelle. Perhaps Koci would like another broken face.

:18 - Phil Kessel rings the post as the Bruins are cycling the puck through the zone creating opportunities. The period ends with the Bruins looking stronger as the did after tying it near the end of the first. The physical tempo continues to increase for the Bruins and it can only mean good things. I can't emphasize this enough for the Bruins. If they're physical and intense, they'll win.

Bruins lead shots 28-14, still 2:1. They need to stay physical, tighten up the defense and good things will happen.

Third Period

17:21 - Stephane Yelle is going to the box after Artyukhin takes a stick to the face. No blood, it's a high stick, two minutes only. Lightning have been more likely to score early on in the third and the Bruins certainly don't want to go down a goal again.

17:16 - Ryan Malone kills the penalty for the Bruins, two minutes for hooking Chara. Tampa Bay is now 0/4 on the power play tonight.

16:17 - An offside call. Been a quiet night for Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, eh?

14:23 - Shane Hnidy gets hard after an icing call, everybody congregates behind the net. Boarding call on Artyukhin for his not so intelligent play. Bruins are now on the power play. Let's see them capitalize. They know they need a win and they can win this game.

7:27 - The Bruins are certainly trying to make something happen offensively, but they just aren't. The puck is bouncing around a lot, making it difficult to get a stick on it, not to mention a few Bruins players have had to return to the locker room because of skate issues.

There hasn't been much going on in the third since the Lightning killed the Bruins power play. I sense overtime right now, but anything could happen.

5:01 - Ramo makes a pair of incredible saves on Phil Kessel. Savard skates into Tampa's zone and flicks to Kessel on the right, Kessel wrists it, Ramo saves, Kessel snaps the rebound and Tampa clears into the stands. Boston has been controlling the puck, showing they want it more at the moment. Ramo certainly standing tall.

Shots are 42-17 for the Bruins, 14-3 in the third. Continuing to put up huge swaths of shots on goal.

4:45 - Krejci lays Gary Roberts out and gets called for interference. He certainly got his two minutes worth with that hit.

The 'Ning are 0/4 on the power play with 6 shots tonight.

2:50 - Oh noes! Delay of game on Andrew Ference after he clears it out into the stands. Tampa will be two men up for five seconds and on the power play until just under a minute left. Very important span of time coming here.

1:33 GOAL! 4-3 Lightning - It's Vinny Prospal on the power play! Halpern spins nicely to give himself space to make a pass over to Prospal. Beating Fernandez high and glove side.

This is the third time tonight the Bruins have fallen behind tonight. Could it be too much to surmount with so little time to go?

1:04 - Fernandez is pulled and Tampa ices it. Bruins need to win this face off cleanly.

Thirteenth place Tampa Bay has beaten the Bruins 4-3 here in Tampa. The Bruins have now lost 6 of their last 7 and 4 of 5 on this road trip. They return home for Tuesday night to host the Panthers.

The physical play was nice, the compete-level was nice, the Bruins wanted this game, they should've taken something out of it and just weren't able to. Karri Ramo made 40 saves and a number of them were spectacular, saves that should have been Boston goals. The Lightning are hugely outshot by the Bruins yet come away with the win.

You've got the make the most of your chances. Tampa Bay did that, Boston did not.