SB Nation - Milan Lucic

Leafs at Bruins: Rivalry? Sorry, no.

Chemmy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:00:23 -0000

12 days ago: Toronto Maple Leafs' Alexei Ponikarovsky, center left, celebrates scoring a goal against Atlanta Thrashers with teammates, from left, Matt Strajan Tomas Kaberle and Phil Kessel during period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Chris Young)

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Puck Drop: 7PM Leafs TV

I got an email yesterday from a Bruins blogger asking if I'd contribute my thoughts on the Bruins - Leafs rivalry. My thoughts basically boil down to: what rivalry?

Are we supposed to be rivals because of the Phil Kessel deal? According to the Boston media Kessel is a player who didn't fit the Bruins system. He's lazy, he only scores with Marc Savard around, he fades down the stretch, he doesn't play physically or back check.

Boston didn't want him anymore. They could have actually negotiated with Milan Lucic instead of handing him a blank check and kept Kessel, Savard, David Krejci and Lucic. Boston didn't do that, so they moved him. As far as moving him goes Kessel didn't get offer sheeted, he got traded. Boston gets two firsts for a player they claim to not want, and we're pretty happy to have Kessel. Where's the drama? Where's the beef?

The obvious answer is that despite their assertions Bruins fans wanted Kessel. They're mad that he spurned their city and they're also rooting against Toronto for the pragmatic reason of hoping those two first rounders are really good picks which makes sense.

That doesn't make a rivalry though. Think about our division: Toronto, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston. I'm pretty sure no one here would root for Buffalo, Montreal or Ottawa under any circumstances. Boston? Eh, we don't like them because they're in our division but I'd rather see them win than Montreal.

Rivalries are built in the playoffs. The Battle of Ontario made us change our stance on the Senators from "dimwitted cousin" to "ancient enemy". We all hate Philly because of 2004 and Detroit because of our battles in the Norris division. Boston doesn't register.

Tonight the Leafs head back into Boston to avenge their piss poor outing on Saturday night. With a 7-2-1 record over their past ten the sky won't fall if the Leafs lose to a team picked to win the East handily but like any night we'd like to see Toronto win. That still doesn't make this a rivalry. Maybe three years from now Boston and Toronto will meet in the postseason, but until then it's just not happening on our end.

Bruins and Maple Leafs ready for "Kessel-Mania II"

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:57:50 -0000

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

After demanding to be traded by the Leafs after just 18 games with the team, Phil Kessel was traded to a local youth team. Kessel is seen here working out with his new teammates. "I never demanded to be traded, but I am excited about the move. The league doesn't allow checking, so I don't have to worry about getting hurt. I also think that it will give me more ice to work with. Excuse me, Johnny's mom is here to pick us up. Talk to you guys later."

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The Boston media had hyped up Phil Kessel's return to The Hub of Hockey on Saturday night like a pay-per-view event and even dubbed it "Kessel-Mania". It turns out the game wasn't exactly an epic matchup, as it looked more like Tyson-McNeely than "The Rumble in the Jungle". The Bruins completely shutting down #81 en route to an easy 7-2 victory. The Bruins have been off since Saturday night's 7-2 romp. Meanwhile, the Leafs didn't have much time to dwell on the loss as they traveled back to Toronto for 2 games (Thrashers and Islanders). The B's and Leafs will square off Thursday in a re-match of Saturday night's laugher.

Notes:

- Since the Bruins just played the Maple Leafs a few days ago (and because the Leafs played tonight and I don't feel like waiting until that game is over), I am not going to do the usual full preview.

- The Leafs held an outdoor practice on Tuesday.

- Dennis Wideman is questionable for Thursday night's game with an upper body injury.

- Milan Lucic was in New York to promote the Winter Classic.

- I'm think this game will be more competitive than Saturday's game, but you can't rule out the possibility of a game like this:

H/T to Hub Hockey for finding this one

- The game starts at 7:00 and can be seen on NESN and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub. The Public Skate open thread starts a half hour puck drop.

- Shameless Self-Promotion Alert: If you haven't done so already, vote for Stanley Cup of Chowder in round 2 of The NHL Arena's Bruins Blog-Off.

- For more on the "Truculent Leafs", check out Pension Plan Puppets

Today's Obligatory Embarrassing Leafs Fan YouTube Video

There can only be one SteveDangle and you sir are no SteveDangle.

Monday Links: Where I still want to know why a piece of clothing is a good name for a sports team edition

averagejoe — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:13 -0000

Just got finished eating a delayed Thanksgiving dinner. Mmmm turkey ...

Blues news

The Blues take on the Blue Jackets in Columbus. [Blues]
For Blue Jackets news, visit The Cannon. [The Cannon]
That's about it for today. Anything important breaks, I'll edit this.

Hockey news

Last night's results plus tomorrow's schedule. [TSN]
Here are your standings. We're No. 12! [TSN]
Milan Lucic is getting a little Carlo Colaiacovo syndrome. [ESPN]
Who had Nov. 29 in the Martin Havlat injury pool? Please claim your prize. [ESPN]
Ales Hemsky is done for the season. [ESPN]
Patrick Kaleta is suspended for two games. Seriously, the NHL's suspension policy is the most convoluted thing. [ESPN]
Ryan Miller: He's good. [Die by the Blade]
David Jones was having a breakout season. And then his ACL went snap. [Mile High Hockey]
Team Russia general manager Vladislav Tretiak says his team will be half NHLers and half KHL players. [CTV Olympics]
Speaking of the KHL, another soft Russian is heading to the league. Viktor Tikhonov has left the Coyotes farm club. [TSN]

Other links

Twitter billboard gets some folks in hot water. [Florida News Center]
The most awesome things on the internet. [Urlesque]
I could use a new sleeping bag. Anyone want to get me the bear one ... or the bag suit. [The Toy Zone]
I love The Simpson's, but I never thought I'd see a Web site devoted to Bart writing on a chalkboard. [Bart's Blackboard]

Video

So on Saturday I went to a local watering hole, some may call it a "townie bar." The bar had live music that was ungodly loud (get off my lawn!). But, at one point, the band brought a 14-year-old kid up to drum. In a bar. At midnight on a Saturday. The kid jammed out to some Rush and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Enjoy.

Game Day Thread tonight. Be there. gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Devils outlast Bruins 2-1 in shootout

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:25:23 -0000

More photos » by Mary Schwalm - AP

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The Bruins fell to the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in the shootout in a matinee at TD Garden. In a game that was all about the goaltenders, Martin Brodeur made history by becoming the NHL leader in minutes played by a goaltender, surpassing Patrick Roy on the all-time list. Brodeur has now logged 60,215 minutes over his 17 year NHL career. Brodeur turned aside 32 shots, while Tuukka Rask continued his strong play in the Bruins net with 36 saves.

Zach Parise put the Devils up 1-0 9:45 into the second period when he jammed the puck in off of a scrum in front of Rask's net.

Blake Wheeler got the equalizer for the B's 12 seconds into the third period. Byron Bitz slid a cross-crease pass to Wheeler, who was stationed by the left post and quickly swept the puck into the net.

The same two guys that found the back of the net in regulation (Wheeler & Parise) were also successful in the shootout. With the shootout knotted up at 1-1, it was up to Jamie Langenbrunner to seal the win for the Devils. Langenbrunner skated in and fired a snap shot that beat Rask five hole.

Final - 11.27.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
New Jersey Devils	0	1	0	0	1	2
Boston Bruins	0	0	1	0	0	1

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Bad news on the Milan Lucic injury front: Lucic is expected to miss about 4 weeks with a high ankle sprain.

- I thought that Brodeur would have gotten a bigger ovation for breaking Roy's record. They announced his achievement over the PA system. It seemed like the crowd was starting to give a standing ovation and then they quickly dropped the puck.

- The Bruins have earned points in 10 of their last 11 games.

- Shawn Thornton scored the take-down in his bout with Andrew Peters, Peters landed a few solid blows.

- The B's won't have much time to think about this loss. They are back in action tomorrow night against Northeast Division rivals, the Ottawa Senators.

Bruins host Devils for annual Post-Thanksgiving matinee

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:33 -0000

by Charles Krupa - AP

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The Bruins will continue their long-standing tradition of playing an afternoon home game on the day after Thanksgiving when they host the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. The Bruins will try to extend their season-high win streak to five games. The B's will likely be without the services of Milan Lucic, who left Wednesday night's 2-1 win over Minnesota with an apparent knee injury. Meanwhile, the Devils are trying to build off of a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators that snapped a 3-game losing streak.

Know Your Enemy

New Jersey Devils (15-6-1)

Leading Scorer:

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Zach Parise	13	15	28	17	4

Goaltending:

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Martin Brodeur	20	1193	13	6			43	2.16	547	504	.921	1

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Yann Danis	3	140	2	0			5	2.14	65	60	.923	0

Injury Report

Boston Bruins Injuries

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tim Thomas	hand	11/26/2009
Milan Lucic	knee	11/26/2009

New Jersey Devils Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Rob Niedermayer	other-excused	11/05/2009
Paul Martin	arm	10/26/2009
Dainius Zubrus	knee	11/20/2009
Jay Pandolfo	shoulder	10/26/2009
Johnny Oduya	groin	10/30/2009

Notes:

- This is the second of four meetings between the Bruins and Devils. The Bruins lost 2-1 to New Jeresy on October 29th.

- There was been no update on how serious Milan Lucic's injury is.

- Martin Brodeur could make history today. The Devils' goaltender needs just 20 more minutes to tie Patrick Roy's all-time minutes played mark of 60,235 minutes.

- The Devils are 9-2-1 on the road this year.

- The Devils are one of the most disciplined teams in the league, taking an average of 9.1 penalty minutes per game (2nd in NHL).

- Marc Savard needs one goal to reach 200 goals for his career.

- Timmy and I are taking a Stanley Cup of Chowder field trip to The Garden to take in the game.

- For more on the Devils, check out In Lou We Trust. In Lou We Trust got some free work out me and asked me to answer a few questions about today's game, so be sure to check that out.

- For a trip down memory lane, check out my first attempt at a live blog from last year's day after Thanksgiving game.

- The game starts on noon. The open thread starts at 11:30.

Today's Obligatory Embarrassing Devils Fan YouTube Video

Bruins grind out 2-1 shootout win over Wild

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:22:09 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

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On a night where the Bruins were out-shot 29-16, Tuukka Rask (28 saves) made some big saves and gave his team a chance to win.

The Bruins got off to an early 1-0 lead 6:50 into the game when Byron Bitz deflected Derek Morris' point shot past Niklas Backstrom off of a face-off win by Marc Savard. The Bruins were out-shot 11-2 in the opening period, but were still able to head to the dressing at the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

The Wild got a power play goal to knot things up at 1-1 with 9:37 left in the second period when Andrew Ebbett tipped in a wrist shot by Kyle Brodziak from the left dot.

After a scoreless third period and overtime session, the game went to a shootout.

Shootout

Boston 1st Shooter: Patrice Bergeron stickhandled in tight and slid the puck past Backstrom. 1-0 Bruins

Minnesota 1st Shooter: Koivu beats Rask up high on the stick side. 1-1

Boston 2nd Shooter: Backstrom kicks out Blake Wheeler's bid.

Minnesota 2nd Shooter: Rask gloves down Marek Zidlicky's shot.

Boston 3rd Shooter: Savard comes in wide and his forehand attempt is stopped by Backstrom.

Minnesota 3rd Shooter: Rask gets a piece of Belanger's shot that misses wide.

Boston 4th Shooter: David Krejci gets Backstrom to commit and roofs a backhander. 2-1 Bruins

Minnesota 4th Shooter: Rask stops Chuck Kobasew with a right pad save to seal the win. Bruins Win!

Final - 11.25.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Boston Bruins	1	0	0	0	1	2
Minnesota Wild	0	1	0	0	0	1

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Milan Lucic left the game late in the third period after falling awkwardly and twisting his left knee. It looked pretty ugly, but we will have to stay tuned to see how serious the injury is.

- Byron Bitz scored the first road goal of his NHL career.

- Mark Recchi tied Steve Yzerman for 12th place on the all-time NHL games played list with 1,514 games.

- Minnesota blocked 23 shots.

- The Bruins need figure out what they are doing with line changes. This many too many men on the ice calls is inexcusable at this level.

- The Bruins now sit atop the Northeast division after tonight's win.

- The B's are back on the ice on Friday afternoon when the host the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden.

Bruins skate past Blues 4-2

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:56:35 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

26 days ago: Boston Bruins' Mark Recchi, right, celebrates with teammate Patrice Bergeron after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Patrice Bergeron (4 assists) factored into all four Boston goals as the Bruins defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Monday night. Mark Recchi, Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic, and Marco Sturm were the goal scorers for the B's, while Tuukka Rask held down the fort between the pipes with 29 saves.

Mark Recchi spotted the Bruins a 1-0 lead 11 minutes into the game when he batted a bouncing puck out of mid-air and past Chris Mason for a power play goal.

The Blues knotted things up at 1-1 just a minute and 31 seconds later when Keith Tkachuk set up in the slot and tipped in a shot from the point by Carlo Colaiacovo.

The B's made it 2-1 off a power play goal by Blake Wheeler 3:02 into the second period. Patrice Bergeron found a seam and threaded a nice cross-ice pass to Blake Wheeler, who fired a quick wrister into the back the back of the net.

Byron Bitz and Barret Jackman dropped the gloves just over 7 minutes into the middle period. The bout appeared to give the Blues a boost. Just 15 seconds later, Carlo Colaiacovo made it 2-2 off a 2 on 1 break with Brad Boyes.

The Bruins regained the lead at 12:10 of the second period on a goal from Milan Lucic. Zdeno Chara ripped a shot from the blueline with Shawn Thornton and Milan Lucic screening the goaltenderr Chirs Mason. The shot deflected off Lucic and in to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.

The Bruins added an insurance marker with 9:46 remaining in the 3rd period when Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm broke in 2 on 1. Bergeron slid a pass to Sturm and Sturm buried for the 4-2 lead.

Final - 11.23.2009	1	2	3	Total
Boston Bruins	1	2	1	4
St. Louis Blues	1	1	0	2

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Bruins were 2 for 3 on the power play.

- The Bruins have their first 3-game win streak of the '09-'10 campaign.

- The B's won 61% of the face-offs tonight.

- The Bruins are back in action on Wednesday night when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild.

3 Stars (as chosen by the St. Louis media....not Timmy)

1st Star: Patrice Bergeron (4 assists, +1, 69% face-offs)

2nd Star: Milan Lucic (goal, 5 hits)

3rd Star: Carlo Colaiacovo (goal, assist, +1)

2010 Winter Olympics Hockey Preview: Bruins Edition

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Stanley Cup of Chowder along with the rest of the SB Nation hockey sites, is taking a look at their team's Olympic hopefuls.

Pack Your Bags

Zdeno Chara, Slovakia
Chara is a lock to be on Slovakia's Olympic roster. This will be the second time that the towering defenseman has been on the Slovakian Olympic team, having made the roster in 2006.

Tim Thomas, United States

Thomas was one of 3 goaltenders to be invited to Team USA's Olympic orientation camp this summer. He will be competing with Buffalo's Ryan Miller and LA's Jonathan Quick. Right now, Ryan Miller looks to be the front-runner for the starting job, but Thomas certainly has a shot to be the #1 netminder for Team U.S. in Vancouver. More than likely both Thomas and Miller will see some ice time during the tournament. This would be Thomas' first Olympic appearance and according to the goalie a life-long dream come true.

Nearly a Lock

Marco Sturm, Germany
Sturm missed Germany's Olympic camp this summer due to his knee injury, but is expected to be on Germany's roster in Vancouver. Sturm has been a part of 2 German Olympic teams (1998 & 2002).

In a Battle

David Krejci, Czech Republic
Krejci is one of 60 hopefuls named to Czech's preliminary roster. The young centerman's Olympic stock has taken a bit of a hit due to his off-season hip surgery, his bout with Swine Flu, and his slow start to the NHL season. However, Krejci's recent improved play and the fact that he is one of a few natural centers among the Czech prospects bodes well for him. This would be Krejci's first Olympic appearance.

Work to Do

Milan Lucic, Canada
Lucic was a bit of a surprise invite to Canada's Olympic orientation camp and is considered to be a long shot to make the team. The Vancouver native would love to be able to showcase his talent on the world's stage in his own hometown, but he will have his work cut out for him to crack Team Canada's roster. Even if Lucic doesn't make the team, inviting him to orientation camp sent a message that Canada is trying to build a real team, not just a collection of All-Stars. This would be Lucic's first Olympic team.

Marc Savard, Canada
Marc Savard was not invited to Canada's orientation camp, a moved seen by many fans as a major snub. Despite not currently being considered to make the roster, Savard still has delusions of being on the ice in Vancouver. I for one, hope he does not make the team and can rest up for the playoff run. Savard has never been named to an Olympic roster.

Bergeron's OT goal lifts Bruins over Sabres 2-1

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:58:29 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

29 days ago: Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, right, is congratulated after his overtime goal by Bruins left winger Marco Sturm, of Germany and Bruins right winger Mark Recchi, left, in the NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Nov. 20, 2009. Boston won 2-1. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

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The Bruins were able to edge the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in overtime in a hard-fought Northeast division clash. Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron (game winner) were the goal scorers for B's. Meanwhile, Tuukka Rask was solid all night long, turning aside 25 shots including a few crucial timely saves.

The Buffalo Sabres drew first blood 4:20 into the game on a power play goal by Paul Gaustad with Byron Bitz in the box for a hook. Gaustad was stationed at the top of the crease and re-directed Jason Pominville's shot past Tuukka Rask.

Milan Lucic made it 1-1 with 9:06 left in the second period. Byron Bitz skated in and slid a pass to Lucic, who was driving hard to the net. Goaltender Tuukka Rask started the rush and picked up his first career NHL assist on Lucic's goal.

After a scoreless third period, the Bruins and Sabres headed to overtime where the Bruins would get the game winner from Patrice Begeron 47 seconds into the extra session. Zdeno Chara threw a soft wrist shot towards the net and Bergeron deflected it out of mid-air to beat Ryan Miller and secure two points for the B's.

Final - 11.20.2009	1	2	3	OT	Total
Boston Bruins	0	1	0	1	2
Buffalo Sabres	1	0	0	0	1

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Milan Lucic is officially back. Tonight was Milan Lucic's second game since returning from a broken finger and Looch looked to be back to his old self tonight. In 13:40 of ice time, Lucic scored a goal, recorded 4 hits, and finished the night with a +1 rating. Lucic sent a message early in the game when he laid a huge hit on Henrik Tallinder.

- Ryan Miller made 24 saves for the Sabres, as both teams recorded 26 shots on goal.

- Bruins out-shot the Sabres 14-3 in the second period.

- Bruins will travel to St. Louis to face the Blues on Monday night.

3 Stars of the Game (not Timmy's controversial view, but the NHL's officially recorded stat)

1st Star: Milan Lucic (goal, 4 hits, +1)

2nd Star: Paul Gaustad (goal, 6 hits, even)

3rd Star: Tuukka Rask (25 saves on 26 shots, assist)

Bruins edge Thrashers 4-3 in shootout win

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:27:57 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

about 1 month ago: Boston Bruins right wing Michael Ryder, center, celebrates his goal with left wing Marco Sturm (16) as Atlanta Thrashers center Marty Reasoner (19) skates away during the second period of their NHL hockey game Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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The Bruins gave up another lead in the final minute of regulation, but managed to escape with a 4-3 shootout win over the Atlanta Thrashers on the road Thursday night.

The Bruins got off to a quick 1-0 start, when Marco Sturm went to the net and Mark Recchi put the puck on his tape and Sturm's quick one-timer from the slot beat Ondrej Pavelec.

Michael Ryder made it 2-0 with 1:49 left in the first period after he deflected in a shot from Blake Wheeler.

Atlanta cut the Bruins lead to 2-1 when Nik Antropov tipped Tobias Enstrom's shot past Tuukka Rask at 9:20 of the second period.

With Mark Recchi in the box for a high-stick, Ilya Kovalchuk fired a slapper from the high slot to tie the game up at 2-2 with 5:37 left in middle period.

Michael Ryder's scored his second goal of the game to re-gain the lead for the B's on the power play with 3:15 remaining in the second period. No, that isn't a typo. The Bruins actually scored a power play goal. David Krejci collected the puck behind the net and fed a pass to Ryder, whose quick tough angle shot from the left circle found the twine.

The Thrashers knotted it up with 41.1 seconds in regulation off of a wrister from the right circle via a feed from Ilya Kovalchuk.

After a scoreless overtime session, the Bruins headed to yet another shootout:

Atlanta's 1st Shooter: Rich Peverley fired a forehand shot wide on the gloveside.

Boston's 1st Shooter: Patrice Bergeron skated in right to left and made a hard stop and cut back to his right and tucked the puck past Pavelec. 1-0 Bruins

Atlanta's 2nd Shooter: Slava Kozlov was denied on the backhand by Rask with the left pad.

Boston's 2nd Shooter: Blake Wheeler appeared to have Pavelec beat, but lost control of the puck

Atlanta's 3rd Shooter: Ilya Kovalchuk's shot is stopped by Rask. Bruins Win

Final - 11.19.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Boston Bruins	2	1	0	0	1	4
Atlanta Thrashers	0	2	1	0	0	3

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Tuukka Rask turned aside 32 shots.

- Lesson of the night: Good things happen when you got to the net. Sturm's goal and Ryder's first goal were both a result of getting to the front of the net.

- This team is bound and determined to give all their fans a heart attack at some point during this season.

- Milan Lucic made is return to the lineup. He wasn't too much of a factor, but it was nice to see him back out there. He logged 14:01 of ice time (all even strength) and had 2 shots and a hit.

- Michael Ryder had a 2 goal night. Ryder has historically been a slow-starter and this seems like about the same time that he caught fire last year.

- The Bruins are back in action tomorrow night in Buffalo. I completely forgot about tomorrow's game, so Timmy is bailing me out with a preview.