The Bruins opened the first of three on their current road trip in Long Island against the Islanders on Saturday night. The game signified a bizzarre stretch in the schedule where the Bruins play the three road games after only having played four previously all season. Earlier this month the B’s shelled New York in a 6-2 win, and were coming into action having won 7 straight to climb up the standings after early struggles.

Their success continued, with a 6-0 win over the Islanders Saturday night.

1st Period

After a quiet start with not much rhythm from either side, Tyler Seguin set up a great opportunity for Patrice Bergeron at the right of the post, who finished past New York goalie Rick DiPietro to give Boston a 1-0 lead. The goal came at 7:08 and was the fourth of the season for Bergeron. The Bruins offensive show continued soon after that, with Boston commanding possession of the puck against the lowly Islanders. After a short two-man advantage, DiPietro made a costly mistake, giving up the puck to Nathan Horton who reached the back of the net. The power play goal was Horton’s sixth and it came at 12:24.

With nearly five minutes to go in the first, it was all Bruins to that point. Boston was outshooting New York 11-1, giving Tim Thomas a relative breather of a period. Then, after the he stopped short-lived momentum from New York, the Bruins got right back to work against DiPietro, thanks to Chris Kelly. Also his sixth goal of the season, Kelly blasted a deep shot past the helpless goalie at 18:45, effectively ending the period on a high note as Boston took a commanding 3-0 lead, outshooting New York 13-2.

2nd Period

The Islanders immediately switched things up to start the second period, replacing DiPietro in net with Anders Nilsson who was making his NHL debut. While the score didn’t change, New York did come out with more fight than in the first, getting more shots in the first 2:16 than they did in the entire first period. The Bruins continued to create their own opportunities, as Horton just missed his second goal of the game clanking one off the post on a power play. The period ended in the same 3-0 score, but highlighted the tremendous defense of the Bruins, who didn’t let New York have any real scoring opportunities.

3rd Period

With only 20 minutes remaining, the Bruins just needed to hold on to their three goal lead for the eighth consecutive victory. Instead they got back to their offensive firepower, lighting up the Islanders for an additional three goals. The first came at 10:25 from Andrew Ference seconds following the conclusion of a power play. Chris Kelly provided a great screen on that play, and then scored his second goal of the night at 12:54 to give Boston a 5-0 lead. Kelly cleaned up his own blocked shot on the goal, and Zdeno Chara joined the party at 18:15 on a 2 on 1 with Brad Marchand, punctuating the blowout as the Bruins destroyed New York 6-0. Amazingly, ten different players earned points for Boston, who will hope for similar success on Monday night in Montreal.

© Matthew Bond for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

The Bruins are on a roll, finally. So is Tuukka Rask.

On the heels of the first two-game win streak of the season, the B’s played host to the New York Islanders on Monday night, and continued finding the back of the net in a 6-2 win.

Rask earned his first win of the season (yes, the season is a month old), finishing with 24 saves. His counterpart, Evegeni Nabokov, did not fare as well, allowing three goals on 12 shots before being pulled.

Nathan Horton scored two goals for the B’s. Beniot Pouliot scored his first as a Bruin, while Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic, and David Krejci all scored as well.

The biggest news of the night, though, might have been the slapshot that hit Daniel Paille in the third period. He left the ice with a lot of blood on his face and did not return.

After the game, CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty tweeted that Paille may have suffered a broken nose. That’s not surprising, considering the video.

The B’s next take the ice on Thursday against Oilers at the TD Garden.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story, Video.

Well, well, well… what a week for the Bruins! It seems like Halloween spooked some offense into the B’s, who are now riding their first winning streak of the season as they begin a five-game homestand. With some of the best and worst teams of the league about to visit Boston, the conference-worst (second to last in the league) Bruins will need their offense to keep producing goals if they want their winning streak to last longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage. #mostoverusedpopculturereferenceoftheyear

Last Week’s Recap

The Bruins snapped a three-game losing streak at the start of the week with a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators, who had a six-game winning streak snapped and the league’s top power play stifled. Following a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame, during which a Stanley Cup championship ring was donated to the Hall, the Bruins played their most complete hockey game of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom they trounced 7-0 on Saturday night.

Top B’s Storylines

Tyler Seguin vs. the World:

It’s like the Bruins love to rub it in the faces of Phil Kessel, Brian Burke, and the whole Toronto Maple Leafs organization. While Tyler Seguin doesn’t lead the league in goals and points like Kessel does, Seguin did register his first-career hat trick Saturday night to bring his team-leading tallies to seven goals and seven assists. He is the only Bruin to average more than a point per game, although Milan Lucic and Patrice Begeron are close, as Lucic has stretched his point streak to three games (4-1-5) and Begeron to six games (3-5-8). However, Nathan Horton, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand are still struggling to find their scoring touch.

The Growth of Jordan Caron:

Jordan Caron is still yet to record a point this season, but no one can doubt the potential he has. Unsung offensive heroes Rich Peverly and Chris Kelly (both 3-4-7) have helped their linemate to find a more permanent spot in the Bruins roster. Caron, who has seen a lot of I-95 going between Boston and Providence, has played in three consecutive games, as Benoit Pouliot has been unable to find a spark while sporting the spoked-B. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Caron took exception to Dion Phaneuf’s legal check on Kelly and gave the Maple Leaf defenseman a crosscheck in the back as he attempted to get up. It’s great to see a young hockey player take the initiative to protect his teammates and earn a spot on a team.

Raffle Tickets for Championship Rings:

Be sure to buy your raffle tickets for a chance to win a Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup Championship ring! All proceeds go to the Boston Bruins Foundation and NHL Alumni Association.

Week Ahead Preview

Monday, November 7 vs. New York Islanders, 7 p.m.
Here’s all you need to know about the New York Islanders (4-5-2): Rick DiPietro is really that bad. Alright, kidding, he’s not awful, but he gets booed even when he wins and his team (well, it also belong to Evgeni Nabokov and AJ Montoya, who have also started in net) is only ahead of the Bruins in the standings by virtue of a standings points-per-game tiebreaker. John Tavares leads the team with 12 points and to two high points of the season, a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals Saturday night, which snapped a six-game losing streak. The streak featured two shutouts, one to the lowly Winnipeg Jets, illustrating just how inconsistent the Islanders have been this season.

Thursday, November 10 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 7 p.m.
The Edmonton Oilers (8-3-2) have been one of the many surprises this NHL season as they currently enjoy the view from the top of the Northwest Division. This year’s first overall draft pick and Calder Trophy favorite Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been one of the main reasons, tallying six goals and six assists to tie him with Ryan Smyth as the team leader. Arguably an even more significant factor has been the resurgence of goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who has an obscene 0.94 GAA and is yet to lose in regulation. With a shared storyline (the youth leading the way with a journeyman goaltender keeping the backdoor closed), the Oilers present an interesting test for the Bruins, who are yet to beat a Western Conference team in regulation (0-2-1).

Saturday, November 12 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m.
The Bruins end the week with a visit from the Buffalo Sabres (8-5-0), with whom the Bruins have often shared the top of the Northeast Division. The Sabres are led by Thomas Vanek (8-8-16) and Jason Pominville (5-10-15) and also feature former Boston College Eagle and Hobey Baker finalist Nathan Gerbe (who also stands in stark contrast against Zdeno Chara as the league’s shortest player at 5’5”). Goalie Ryan Miller of Team USA fame has struggled out of the gate this season, going 4-5-0 with a 2.40 GAA and .922 save percentage. This has allowed Jhonas Enroth, who is 4-0-0 with a 1.41 GAA and .952 save percentage, to shine, which he did in back-to-back win last Friday and Saturday. Because the Sabres broke the goaltending schedule by starting Enroth back-to-back, it’s up in the air whom the Bruins will face in net. The Sabres also have the league’s best penalty kill, but who cares about that when the Bruins do just fine on their own killing their own power players.
Prediction: win over Islanders, loss to Oilers, win over Sabres

Around the League’s Rink

The NHL had a fairly quiet week on the ice, but was rocked off the ice by allegations from former player Georges Laraque of rampant steroid use in the league prior to the current CBA, which mandates testing for performance-enhancing drugs. Neither the NHL nor NHLPA have responded to the claims… On the ice, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who may be in the Eastern Conference next year depending on conference realignment, still suck.

© Erikk for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

Another week has gone by, and more surprising teams are poking their heads in the race. While every has at least a point, only two remain perfect. Already, all but eight teams have been involved in shootouts. It’s been a rough start for both participants in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals. That means the field is wide open and anyone can pull ahead, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Tuesday, October 20 at 8:00pm:

West

#1 Dallas Stars vs #8 Phoenix Coyotes

While Phoenix is a .500 team so far after losing their star goalie, Dallas is off to a very impressive 5-1-0 start, including 4-0-0 at home. With that kind of early power, it’ll be tough for Phoenix to rally against it.

#2 Colorado Avalanche vs #7 Minnesota Wild

Colorado is off to another good start; their 20 goals are second only to Pittsburgh’s 23 (though that’s in two additional games). Minnesota is looking fairly mediocre at this point in comparison. Colorado may have lost their only home game so far, but they’re 5-0-0 on the road. With that kind of pressure, Minnesota will be hard-pressed to hold on even at home.

#3 Detroit Red Wings vs #6 Los Angeles Kings

Detroit is one of the two remaining perfect teams, 2-0-0 both at home and away. What is most impressive is that they’ve given up just five goals so far, an NHL best. Los Angeles has the offense to keep up, but their defense hasn’t been as top notch.

#4 Anaheim Ducks vs #5 Chicago Blackhawks

Anaheim is impressively 3-0-0 at home, and while they haven’t been scoring much, they haven’t been giving up much either. Chicago has the more prolific offense and a pretty good defense, and if it weren’t for a shootout loss, would be identical to Anaheim record-wise. It won’t be easy by any means, but Chicago has the tools needed to pull out a win.

East

#1 Washington Capitals vs #8 New Jersey Devils

The Devils are off to a great defensive start, but with just nine goals scored, their offense is tied for the worst in the NHL. Washington has the offense to break New Jersey, plus with their pretty decent net minding and home-ice advantage, they shouldn’t have too much trouble.

#2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #7 New York Islanders

Who would’ve thought New York would have the league’s second best defense at six goals surrendered? Pittsburgh shouldn’t be too concerned, though. They’re good on both sides of the ice, and Sidney Crosby is getting better; New York can’t rest on their laurels.

#3 Toronto Maple Leafs vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes

Toronto has been very tough early on; they can thank Phil Kessel for that. Unfortunately for Carolina, the ‘Canes defense has been pretty porous, with 19 goals allowed through six games. Give Toronto that edge and home-ice, and they’ll advance pretty handily. Too bad they don’t decide games based on toughness of mascots…

#4 Philadelphia Flyers vs #5 Buffalo Sabres

Both teams are very close; Philadelphia is ahead mainly because their loss came in overtime. But with both teams at 3-0-0 on the road, Buffalo might actually have the advantage here. With Ryan Miller in net, they’ll be tough to beat anyway. Philadelphia has the slight scoring edge, but they’ll need Ilya Bryzgalov (try saying that three times fast) to be on fire to stand with Miller.

What Might Change Next Week:

• Look for Washington to fall from #1 with Philly and Pittsburgh hot on their tail.
• While we’re at it, look for Detroit to take advantage of two games against Columbus to take over the West, especially if they can get a point out of Washington.
• It’s finally time for Vancouver to take their place amongst the West’s eight.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, NHL.

On Monday night, the B’s traveled to the Big Apple to face off with the Rangers. The first 30 minutes went according to plan, earning themselves a three goal lead midway through the second period. Then the B’s put it in cruise control, but watched the Blue Shirts speed right past them, en route to a 5-3 comeback win that the Rangers needed badly to help their playoff positioning. Meanwhile, Bruins fans were left with that same icky feeling they had about 11 months ago, after an historic Game 7 collapse in the playoffs against Philadelphia.

But putting that in the past, the B’s take aim at three more opponents to wrap up their regular season, all teams with no shot at playoff contention. To get you ready for tonight’s contest, let’s roll some pre-game notes your way…

• Tonight marks the fourth and final meeting of the season between these two squads. The Bruins won the first two games handily, but dropped their most recent matchup, 4-2 to New York, back on March 11th.
• The Islanders have lost four of their last five games, including Saturday’s 4-2 home loss to Carolina. Their recent woes have put them at risk to fall into the Eastern Conference cellar by season’s end. New York’s 72 points is good for a tie with Ottawa for 13th place in the East, just two points above cellar-dwelling Florida for the bottom spot.
• The Bruins went back to work yesterday at the practice rink, taking some punishment for the lackluster effort they put in during the second half of Monday’s collapse against the Rangers. All players participated, including Shawn Thornton, who has missed the team’s last three games after suffering a huge cut on his forehead, a gash that required over 40 stitches to close. Those stitches are scheduled to be removed this afternoon, which could lead to the gritty winger being cleared medically to return to the lineup this evening.
• On a related topic, yesterday it was announced that Thornton was named the Bruins’ nominee for this year’s Masterton Trophy, an award given to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perserverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” The winner of this year’s Masterton Trophy will be announced at the NHL Awards show from Las Vegas, on June 22nd. The Bruins nominee to win the award was just a few years back, when Phil Kessel earned the nod after fighting through his bout with cancer.
• Zdeno Chara ended another player’s season in Monday night’s game, but this time the authorities weren’t notified and Chara shouldn’t have to pose for any mug shots anytime soon. In the second period against New York, a powerful slapper off the stick of Chara struck Rangers forward Ryan Callahan with quite a charge. One of New York’s leading scorers, Callahan suffered a broken ankle on the play, and will likely miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, unless the Rangers make a deep run.
• Jumping back to tonight’s New York opponent, the Islanders scoring is led by John Tavares (28G, 36A), P.A. Parenteau (19G, 32A), Matt Moulson (31G, 20A), and rookie Michael Grabner (31G, 17A).
• The Islanders are one of nine NHL teams that currently boast two 30-goal scorers, and are one of four teams that have a decent shot at getting three to that 30-goal plateau by season’s end. If Tavares can notch two more goals in the team’s final three games, it’ll be the first time since the ’93-’94 season that New York has three 30-goal scorers, and in that season, they had four. The other teams that could get to three 30-goal scorers this season… Toronto (Kessel and Kulemin have 30, Grabovski has 29), Chicago (Sharp has 34, Toews has 31, and Kane has 27), and Anaheim (Perry has 47, Ryan has 34, and Selanne has 28).
• Goaltending for New York is headed up by former B.U. Terrier, Rick DiPietro (8-12-4, 3.35GAA) and Al Montoya (9-5-4, 2.37GAA). Montoya’s .921 save percentage puts him in the running to potentially set a new franchise record for goaltenders who appear in at least 20 games. The current record holder is DiPietro, who posted a .919 save percentage in ’06-’07.
• Speaking of save percentage, Tim Thomas could be setting some bigger records of his own at the end of this season. Since the stat began being tracked 27 seasons ago, the best save percentage for a single season was put up by Dominik Hasek, who had a .9366 mark back in ’98-’99. Thomas comes into tonight’s action with a .9376 number.
• Oh, one last thing… a quick programming note for tonight. With that lousy Red Sox team also in action tonight, you might be wondering where to find each game. Well tonight, the Bruins get top billing, as their game will air as normal on NESN, beginning at 7pm. The Red Sox-Indians game will be televised on NESN Plus. You can go to NESN.com to find what channel NESN Plus is on your cable provider… if you’re even interested in watching that garbage baseball team!

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Winning streaks aren’t meant to last forever, but when they end, you certainly don’t expect to start on a losing streak. Unfortunately for the Boston Bruins, that’s exactly what’s happened as they dropped their fourth straight game after posting a seven-game winning streak, losing to the New York Islanders 4-2 on Long Island Friday night. For the second straight night, they blew a two-goal lead as stupid penalties gave the game away to the Islanders, a team essentially eliminated from playoff contention long ago.

Despite skating rather lifelessly through the first and start of the second period, the Bruins managed to hold a 2-0 lead on Nathan Horton’s 20th goal of the season and second in two nights and a power play goal from Zdeno Chara, which ended an 0-20 extra man drought. (Even if it was 5-on-3, it still ends the scoreless streak, so let’s be grateful for what they’re getting these days.)

However, an unnecessary interference penalty taken by Brad Marchand put the Islanders on the power play with 1:45 left in the second and Matt Moulson cashed it in with just two seconds left in the period. The Islanders rode that momentum into the third period, as Michael Grabner and Jack Hillen put two pucks past Tim Thomas in the opening six minutes of the final frame to take a 3-2 lead. P.A. Parenteau was awarded an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left in the game after being taken down by Patrice Bergeron with Thomas out of the net, making it 4-2.

With the loss, the Bruins remain in third place in the Eastern Conference with 85 points, four ahead of the Montréal Canadiens. They next play Tuesday night in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, who have lost seven straight.

That’s What He Said:

“Coach’s decision. [Thursday] night, he put us down five-on-three. He knows better than that. We don’t want those kinds of habits to develop in his game, because he’s really been a good player for us this year. He’s playing a little frustrated right now and he’s been taking some really poor penalties. I didn’t feel he was going to help us in the third the way he was playing.” – Head Coach Claude Julien on benching Brad Marchand for the third period

Game Notes:

• This is the Bruins’ first four-game losing streak of the season
• Tyler Seguin was a healthy scratch for the third straight game

© Erikk for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

It’s been a long, bumpy road this week for the Black and Gold, coupling two division losses with the ongoing Zdeno Chara/Max Pacioretty saga. Nonetheless, the team has to get back on the winning track, as they battle for playoff positioning in the tight Eastern Conference standings. By at least earning one point in last night’s 4-3 overtime loss to Buffalo, the B’s extended their division lead over Montreal to four points, after the Habs fell to the lowly St. Louis Blues last night. Boston’s 85 points has them sitting in third place in the East, one point behind Southeast Division leading Washington.

As for the Islanders, while the team isn’t mathematically eliminated from playoff contention this season, New York has much better odds of winning the draft lottery than of winning themselves a playoff spot. The Islanders are 14th in the East, only above dreadful Ottawa, and are a dozen points behind the eighth place Rangers for the final playoff spot, with 14 games left on their schedule. The team has been playing better as of late, winning three of their last four and taking at least a point in their last five games overall, including a 4-3 OT win over the Maple Leafs Tuesday night. The Islanders are still really a few years away from truly contending in the Eastern Conference.

Off we go with another game preview, so let’s roll out the pre-game notes for this evening…

Setting the Stage

Tonight marks the third of four meetings between these two squads this season. Boston has won both games so far, winning 5-2 and 6-3.

The B’s have won 10 of their last 12 games against the Islanders, with a 5-0-1 mark in their last six trips to Uniondale, NY.

Boston’s Recent Performances

Tonight, Boston gets rolling on a four-game road trip, which will be their last multi-game voyage away from TD Garden this season. After this trip concludes, eight of the final 11 contests left on the schedule will be played on Causeway Street.

Despite the recent struggles, losing three straight, Boston has managed to earn at least a point in nine of their last 10 games, going 7-1-2 during that stretch.

The Bruins continue to have powerless power play units. With an 0-for-3 night on the man-advantage last night, the team is now mired in an 0-for-19 stretch over their past eight games.

Boston’s Top Line

One line that is hitting on all cylinders lately however, is the top line of David Krejci, Milan Lucic, and Nathan Horton. At least one from this trio has scored in 10 straight games, with Horton lighting the lamp last night in the loss to Buffalo. Krejci and Lucic, who assisted on the Horton goal, are currently riding four-game point streaks, with each earning five points in their last four games.

With their recent scoring success, both Krejci and Lucic have surpassed Patrice Bergeron for the team’s point lead, but by a very narrow margin. Krejci enters tonight atop the Boston stat sheet with 52 points (10G, 42A), followed by Lucic who is one point behind (29G, 22A). Bergeron ranks third with 50 points (21G, 29A).

The New Yorker(s)

Looking at the top of New York’s stat sheet, you’ll find youngster John Tavares (24G, 31A), followed by wingers Matt Moulson (28G, 15A) and P.A. Parenteau (15G, 27A). Rookie Michael Grabner ranks fourth in points on the team (27G, 14A), and also ranks fourth among NHL rookies in points. His 27 goals leads all NHL rookies, putting him right in the mix for this year’s Calder trophy for the league’s top freshman.

The goalie crease for New York has been a revolving door all season long, with five different netminders manning the fort this year. Nowadays, the pairing of Al Montoya (6-2-2, 2.02GAA) and Nathan Lawson (1-4-2, 4.12GAA) share the workload.

Legal Hockey

Lastly, I mentioned in yesterday’s “Ice Breakers” preview about the 3rd annual Congressional Hockey Challenge taking place at the Verizon Center in D.C. last night. While Massachusetts Senator John Kerry did manage to earn himself the game’s Second Star award, his team, “The Lawmakers,” fell to “The Lobbyists,” 5-3. The game, which featured several politicians from across the country, raised just north of $100,000 for the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club from the D.C. area. Reports out of the nation’s capital indicate that Kerry did not hit anyone hard enough to warrant any police action or sponsorship withdrawals from major airline companies. Good for you for keeping it clean out there, Mr. Senator.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Two streaks came to an end last night on Long Island, as the B’s snapped their longest losing streak of the season at three, beating the red hot New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, 6-3. They also ended New York’s season-long four-game win streak. The Boston win kicked off their six-game road trip in grand style, with six different goal scorers on the night, coupled with 34 saves from goalie Tuukka Rask.

The first period was all Bruins, all the time, with the B’s jumping out to an early 3-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Blake Wheeler would get Boston on the board first, backhanding a soft goal through Islander goalie Nathan Lawson to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Mark Recchi would add to that lead a few minutes later, scoring his 574th career goal off a feed from Patrice Bergeron down in front. The goal put Recchi into 19th place on the NHL’s career goal scoring list. From there, Gregory Campbell would round out the first period scoring just after the nine-minute mark, lighting the lamp for his ninth goal of the year to send the two teams into the intermission three goals apart.

David Krejci wouldn’t waste any time pouring more salt into the Isles’ wounds, backhanding the puck past Lawson to pad the Boston lead to four just 55 seconds into the second period. New York’s leading scorer, John Tavares, would finally get the Islanders on the board about a minute later, beating Rask with a wrister, but the B’s would get their four-goal lead back within just seconds, as Tyler Seguin notched his 10th goal of his rookie campaign, snapping the puck past Lawson, who would exit stage left in favor of backup goalie Al Montoya.

Montoya would stop the bleeding pretty much the rest of the way, letting in just one more goal from Milan Lucic later on in the second period. New York would add two more before the game came to an end, with a Josh Bailey slapper and the second goal of the night from Tavares getting past Rask. When all was said and done, the B’s emerged victorious, doubling up the Islanders by a 6-3 score.

With the Canadiens taking one on the chin Thursday, taking a surprising 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the league’s worst team by far, Boston regains a two-point advantage over the Habs in the Northeast Division standings, with one game in hand over Montreal as well.

Boston’s season-long six-game road trip continues Friday, as they head north of the border to kick off five straight games in Canada, facing off with the struggling Ottawa Senators. There, they’ll meet up with newly acquired center Chris Kelly, who will make his Bruins debut against his former team. Kelly, who was traded to Boston Tuesday in exchange for a second-round pick, had problems with getting a work visa, keeping him from joining the team for their game in New York. From there, the team will play three more games in Canada, heading west to take on Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton, before returning to Ottawa to wrap up their long voyage.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured, Top Story.

Winners of four straight and five of their last six, the Islanders have dug themselves out of the Eastern Conference cellar. Their offense has exploded out of nowhere as of late, highlighted by a nine-goal outburst Friday night in the slugfest win over Pittsburgh. The Isles followed that game up with a seven-goal total in an overtime victory against Buffalo. Don’t look now… the Islanders are a force to be reckoned with. Heck, if it weren’t for that ridiculous 1-17-3 stretch from mid-October to early December, maybe New York would be sniffing the playoffs this season.

As for the B’s, they hit a new season low on Tuesday night, dropping their third straight in regulation, 4-3 to lowly Toronto, a team that hadn’t beaten the Bruins in Boston in almost two years. Stuck at 69 points, Boston now shares the Northeast Division lead with the hated Habs, but do have one game in hand on Montreal. This is the first three-game regulation losing streak of the season, and here’s hoping the B’s don’t stretch their current drought to four.

It’s been a while since the B’s and Isles have faced off, so let’s get you reacquainted with them through some pre-game notes…

• Tonight marks the second of four meetings between these two squads this season. Boston held a narrow 3-2 lead in their first meeting back on December 9th, before adding two empty-net goals in the final minutes to pull away with a 5-2 victory.
• This six-game road trip is the longest of the season for the Bruins, which might not be a bad thing. Boston boasts the league’s second best road record right now, at 16-7-4, only trailing Philadelphia’s 19-6-3 mark.
• News out of the team indicates that newly acquired Chris Kelly may not make his Bruin debut tonight on Long Island. Kelly, a native Canadian, is having problems acquiring a work visa, so he may not join the team until Friday, when the B’s head north of the border to face Kelly’s former team, the Ottawa Senators. Kelly, a solid two-way forward, was acquired in a trade Tuesday that sent a second-round pick to Ottawa. The 30-year-old Kelly, who will wear number 23 for Boston, had 12 goals and 11 assists in 57 games with Ottawa this season. When he does join the team, he’s expected to slot in as the third-line center, bumping rookie Tyler Seguin to the wing.
• While Boston may be missing Kelly, the Islanders will still be without forwards Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin, who are both serving out suspensions that stemmed from the brawl Friday night against the Penguins. Gillies was handed a nine-game suspension, while Martin will sit out four games.
• The Islanders will try to win their fifth straight game tonight, something they haven’t done since February of 2008, when they had a six-game win streak.
• With veterans Dwayne Roloson traded last month to Tampa and Rick DiPietro nursing a facial fracture that has him out at least a month, the Islanders are left with a patchwork trio of goaltenders for the time being. Nathan Lawson (1-3-1, 3.86GAA), Mikko Koskinen (2-1-0, 4.33GAA), and Al Montoya (1-0-0, 3.16GAA) will carry the workload until DiPietro’s return. Each goalie has started at least once during the team’s four-game win streak, so it’s anyone’s guess who gets the nod tonight against Boston.
• New York’s scoring is led by young centerman John Tavares (21G, 26A), followed by three wingers tied with 35 points a piece; rookie Michael Grabner (25G, 10A), Matt Moulson (21G, 14A), and P.A. Parenteau (14G, 21A), who today signed a one-year extension with the team worth $1.25 million.
• Lastly, a short plug for a great event the Boston Bruins Foundation is holding during the upcoming long weekend. On Sunday night at 5pm, the charity will host the first Boston Bruins Casino Night at The Westin Copley Place. For the cost of admission ($150 for general admission, $125 for season ticket holders), you’ll get the opportunity to play casino games like craps, blackjack, and Texas Hold’Em against players from the current Bruins roster, along with several alumni and management. Check out www.bostonbruins.com for more information and to get tickets.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.

Things don’t get much worse for the Islanders and their fans, if they have any fans left. The team started with a surprising 4-1-2 mark after their first seven games, actually showing some promise and potential to kick off the season. Since then, New York has won just once in their last 18 games, a dismal 1-14-3 stretch. Their epic slump cost head coach Scott Gordon his job, but really, he had to be somewhat relieved to get out of that mess. Since Gordon’s departure, interim coach Jack Capuano has guided the Isles to a 1-5-2 record… nothing to write home about, obviously.

On the other side of the ice tonight, Boston looks to gain some ground on the division-leading Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has a five-point advantage over the B’s for the Northeast Division’s top spot. The Bruins have managed to take at least a point from every game this month, a 3-0-1 stretch that includes their 3-2 overtime win Tuesday over the Buffalo Sabres. Just over two minutes into the extra time, Mark Recchi tipped a Dennis Seidenberg shot past Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, but referees did not rule it a goal at the time. After a lengthy review once play stopped, the call was correctly overturned, giving the B’s the victory.

This one has all the makings of a “gimme game” for the Black & Gold, but you know what that means… they’ll probably find a way to either blow it, or keep fans on the edge of their seats in a nail-biter. Either way, let’s get you ready for tonight’s Garden party with some pre-game notes…

• The news was not good regarding defenseman Mark Stuart. Stuart, who skating but a few shifts in the first period Tuesday before exiting to the dressing room, was diagnosed with a broken right ring finger after the game. The injury, said Stuart, actually occurred last Thursday in a game against Tampa Bay. Since then, he’s experienced discomfort with the finger, but he said Tuesday, the finger just gave way early on in the contest. The injury will likely cost Stuart 4-6 weeks of action.
• In place of Mark Stuart, youngster Steve Kampfer will make his NHL debut tonight for the B’s. Kampfer, who came to the Bruins from Anaheim back in March, in exchange for a 4th round pick, is an undersized puck-moving defenseman, a lot like former Bruin Matt Hunwick. In fact, Hunwick and Kampfer manned the blue line together for one season as their college careers overlapped at the University of Michigan. Kampfer was recalled yesterday from Providence, where had three goals and 13 assists through their first 20 games this season. Kampfer will wear uniform #47 for the big club.
• Let’s also give a quick Marco Sturm update. Sturm is still with the Bruins, skating and practicing with the team as a spare part right now. The German-born winger says he’s about 10-14 days away from returning to game action, but at this point, no one is thinking that his return will be made in a Bruins uniform. Sturm was rumored to be heading to the Kings at this time last week, and that may still happen. The Kings are looking to add some offense at the wing position, and haven’t done so yet, leaving the door open to revisit a deal with Boston for Sturm. Until then however, Sturm is left in limbo, waiting to hear his fate, while trying to focus on getting healthy again.
• The wingers on Boston’s top line have hit a hot streak lately, as both Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton continue to go back and forth, battling for the team’s top spot in points. Lucic currently sits at the top of the team’s stat sheet, with 13 goals and ten assists on the year, compared to Horton’s 10 goals and 12 assists. Lucic has three goals and two assists in his last five games, while Horton has a pair of goals and a pair of assists in his last two contests.
• A little more about Lucic’s fast start… Tuesday, Milan lit the lamp for the 13th time this season. That puts him just four goals away from matching his previous career-high mark of 17, set two seasons ago for the B’s. Needless to say, there’s little doubt he’ll blow that mark out of the water this year.
• Ok, enough about our favorite team… let’s shift our sights to the Islanders, the league’s joke of a hockey team. The Isles are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Flyers this past Sunday, in a game that saw them blow a 2-1 third period lead. With four more scoreless power play opportunities in that game, the Islanders are now a dreadful 0-for-36 on the man-advantage in their last 11 games.
• New York’s scoring is led by defenseman James Wisniewski (2G, 13A). Behind him are four guys, all tied with 14 points a piece.
• In goal, veteran Dwayne Roloson (2-11-1, 2.50GAA) shoulders the brunt of the workload for the Islanders, while highly overpaid Rick Dipietro (3-4-4, 3.76GAA) contributes to the team’s lack of success every once in a while.
• New York has a boat load of injury issues, starting with forwards Kyle Okposo (shoulder) and Trent Hunter (torn MCL), both on injured reserve. Also on IR right now are a trio of blue liners; Mark Streit (shoulder), Mike Mottau (eye), and former Bruin, Milan Jurcina (hamstring). Veteran forward Doug Weight (back spasms) and defenseman Bruno Gervais (broken cheekbone) are listed as day-to-day.

© Brian Kintz for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins.