SB Nation - David Krejci

This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic - Hawks 5, Bruins 4 (SO - Hawks win shirtless slap fight)

McClure — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Hey! Is that a ninja up there?

The biggest United Center crowd of the year got to see the Hawks' most entertaining game of the year, outside of the obvious asterisk that the Calgary comeback ever shall be.

The Hawks' lineup looked quite a bit different on Friday, with Antti Niemi starting in net, Niklas Hjalmarsson sitting out because of feeling under the weather (rumor has it he hurt his knee in the Peterborough game), and Ben Eager sitting out presumably because he's a steakhead. Personally, I would have sat Tomas Kopecky again in favor of Eager, but I'm not the guy with the mustache...YET. Both teams traded chances in the opening minutes of the first, with the Hawks once again moving the puck very well, but only seemed to be able to manufacture shots from the perimeter against Tim Thomas, who appeared to be on in the early going with his Hasek-esque style. In their own zone, however, the Hawks were an adventure. Joel Quenneville very quickly into the game rearranged his defensemen, pairing Jordan Hendry with Brian Campbell in order to keep two pairs consistent in Hammer's absence- a result which paid dividends. It did not prevent David Krejci from opening the scoring, however, as Niemi failed to smother a dump in with his catch glove (which was suspect all evening), and the puck came to Krejci out front to poke home.

Early in the second, Kris Versteeg potted the Hawks' equalizer off of a careless pass from Andrew Ference which VERSTEEG! alertly snapped past Thomas. The ice then began to tilt in the Hawks favor, as Patrick Sharp gave the Hawks the lead banging home a rebound crashing the left post. After having some issues with the referee in the corner at the other end of the ice Brent Sopel (at his Sopel-est tonight), coughed up a turnover that led to Daniel Paille tying the game at two. However, in the waning moments of the second, Troy Brouwer threw a goal line pass from the corner to Jonathan Toews, who harpooned the puck between Thomas' legs to give the Hawks the lead after 40. All three Hawks' goal scorers in the period potted their tenth goals of the year.

The Hawks' assault on Thomas continued into the third, but Boston once again drew even, as Johnny Boychuk slapped a cross ice feed undereath Niemi's right arm. Less than two minutes later, Andrew Ladd received credit for redirecting a Brian Campbell point blast into the net after some fine perimeter puck movement by Campbell, Hendry, and Sharp. It would not be a lead the Hawks would hold onto. With less than three minutes remaining, the Bruins found themselves on a 3-on-2, with both Sharp and Marian Hossa late to return on their backchecks, which let Krejci pot his second of the night to tie the game up. After relatively uneventful OT, the contest needed to be decided with a couple rounds of rochambeau, with Q deciding to let the B's shoot first. Patrice Bergeron ran out of room on Niemi, and Toews made him pay with the now trademark snapper at the other end. Blake Wheeler got Niemi down and out but drew iron, which made Patrick Kane's backhader at the other end hold up as the winner. Hawks win.

Observations

Outside of Sharp and Hossa's lackadaisical backcheck, Niemi's glove, and Sopel being Sopel, I found very little to complain about from anyone else. No passengers for this game whatsoever. Even Tomas Kopecky's general invisibility was not for lack of effort.
I was very impressed with Jordan Hendry's ability to step in and play with Brian Campbell, one of the more difficult defenseman in the league to partner with, arguably the most. Credit to Quenneville as well for realizing very quickly that Cam Barker simply does not have the foot speed to recover in time to be paired with Soup at even strength, and making the change. As Sam said, why screw up two pairs with Hammer out?
The Hawks dominated in shots in the second and third, and give credit to the Bruins for capitalizing on the opportunities they got. This game could have been a case of water finding its own level with Antti Niemi, who did make some very good saves when they counted, but a couple of the B's goals - Krejci's first and Boychuck's - could and should have been stopped.
Apologies for the obtuse headline. I know it's a reach, but please bear with me. See what I did there?
I know the Hawks have two games in hand, but how the fuck are they only two points ahead of goddamn Nashville? That Barry Trotz really is something.
Credit the Hawks for not shying away from the monster that is Zdeno Chara. I witnessed Kane, Toews and VERSTEEG! initiate contact with that pituitary case, with Toews retaliating a bit on Versteeg's behalf at one point near the benches, and at one point Troy Brouwer and Chara came to within a hair on my sack from scrapping. It would have been a fight that Our Boy Troy would have been destroyed in, but the courage is admirable.
All eight goals came at even strength. For the top two PK units in the league, I know that's a shock.
Thanks to you, the reader, who now seems to understand that if there's a game on a weekend evening, it's pretty well implied that the wrap isn't coming until the following morning due to this blog's propensity for getting itself banged up before, during, and after games. The fact that the weekday games are now a coin-flip as well could be cause for concern, however. Knowing us, though, we'd make the inevitable intervention an open invite event at the Whirlaway.

Player of the Game

While this award could have gone a number of ways, I'll give it to everyone's, including seemingly Q's, favorite $7 million dollar whipping boy. Even with his Swedish security blanket out of the lineup, Brian Campbell managed to be a +1 with an assist during nearly 28:00 minutes of ice time in a back and forth game. Campbell created opportunities in the offensive zone, had an assist on a redirected slap shot, and was solid in his own end.

Blackhawks down Bruins 5-4 in shootout

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:36:56 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

about 16 hours ago: Boston Bruins left wing Steve Begin, left, watches his shot on-goal get deflected by Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi during the first period of their NHL Hockey game Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Patrick Kane scored the game-winner for the Chicago Blackhawks in the shootout on Friday night to beat the visiting Bruins 5-4. The B's tied up the game with 2:43 left in regulation on a goal from David Krejci, but the home team would ultimately prevail in the shootout.

David Krejci got the Bruins on the board 9:22 into the game, ending the Blackhawks' hopes of a third straight shutout. Krejci put a soft wrist shot on goal from the right half wall that Chicago goalie Antti Niemi deflected behind the net. Wheeler gained possession of the puck and found Krejci driving to the net in the slot for the game's first goal.

Andrew Ference handed Kris Versteeg a goal on silver platter when his unforced turnover gave Versteeg the puck right in front of the net. Versteeg was able to beat Tim Thomas to knot the score at 1-1 1:55 into the second period.

The Blackhawks made it 2-1 at 8:22 of the middle period on a goal from Patrick Sharp. Thomas got a piece of Brent Seabrook's shot but left the rebound out front and gift-wrapped for Sharp, who had an empty net to shoot at.

Daniel Paille evened the game up at 2-2 when he hammered home a shot from deep in the offensive zone at the right circle off a nice feed from Mark Recchi with 3:28 remaining in the second.

Chicago re-gained the lead just 3 minutes later when Troy Brouwer slid a nifty pass from the right wing boards to a wide open Jonathan Toews at the doorstep.

Johnny Boychuk tied the game at 3-3 with 14:00 left in the third period on a hard slapper.

The 'Hawks re-claimed their lead just 1:40 later when Andrew Ladd tipped in Brian Campbell's drive from the right point.

David Krejci got his second goal of the game when he put home a rebound in front with 2:43 left in regulation to tie the game at 4-4.

With the game tied after 60 minutes of hockey, the teams headed for overtime. The overtime session featured some frantic moments, good scoring opportunities, and scrum after the final whistle, but no goals.

Shootout

Patrice Bergeron skated inand Niemi kicked up his bid with a left pad save.

Jonathan Toews beat Thomas stick side. 1-0 Chicago

Blake Wheeler rang his shot off the post.

Patrick Kane beat Thomas with a nifty move and tucked the puck into the net through the 5 hole. 2-0 Chicago wins

Final - 12.18.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Boston Bruins	1	1	2	0	0	4
Chicago Blackhawks	0	3	1	0	1	5

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- The Bruins were out-shot 44-29

- Tonight was probably Johnny Boychuk's best game in a Boston Bruins uniform. Boychuk finished the night a +3 with a goal in 30:07 of ice time and made plays at both ends of the ice.

- The 4th line of Shawn Thornton, Steve Begin, and Vladimir Sobotka looked very good tonight. They showed a lot of energy all game long and were constantly putting strong forechecking pressure on the Blackhawks' puck carriers.

- If you are going to loss in the shootout, you might as well do it against a Western Conference team.

- Byron Bitz was a -3 in just 12:29 of ice time.

- The Bruins will be back in action tomorrow night when they travel to Toronto to play the Leafs.

Bruins fall to Islanders 3-2 in disappointing OT loss

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:12:38 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

6 days ago: New York Islanders' Frans Nielsen (51) waves to the crowd as he is called back onto the ice after being named the star of the game after scoring the game winning goal in overtime at an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. The Islanders won the game 3-2. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

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Despite out-shooting the Islanders 32-19 and controlling the play for most of the game, the Bruins fell to the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum. Frans Nielsen got the game winner for the Islanders with a breakaway goal 24 seconds into the extra session.

Michael Ryder and David Krejci were the goal scorers for the Bruins. Tim Thomas got the start in goal and gave 3 goals on 19 shots in the loss. Thomas is now 7-7-4 on the season.

The Bruins will be back in action on Monday night when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.

Leafs at Bruins: Rivalry? Sorry, no.

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

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

11 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 blow late lead, grind out 4-3 win over Ottawa in SO

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:56:28 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

20 days ago: Boston Bruins' Michael Ryder, right, celebrates his goal in the shootout against the Ottawa Senators in an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Boston. The Bruins won 4-3. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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For the third straight game and the 11th time this season, the Bruins found themselves in an overtime game. The Bruins held a 3-2 lead late in the third period after Dennis Wideman's power play goal midway through the third period put them on top, but the Bruins weren't able to hold on for the win as Milan Michalek's goal with 19.2 seconds remaining in regulation forced overtime. The game eventually went to a shootout, where the B's prevailed thanks to a goal by Michael Ryder and some big saves by Tim Thomas, who redeemed himself after giving up a soft goal to Michalek late in the third period.

The Senators struck first on their first shot of the game 4:52 into the game when the Bruins turned over the puck in the defensive zone and Milan Michalek fed the puck to Daniel Alfredsson, who fired a quick snap shot from the slot that beat Tim Thomas.

The Senators added a power play goal by Milan Michalek two and a half minutes later. With Marc Savard in the box for high-sticking, Patrice Bergeron lost an edge and took a shot off his leg while he was sprawled on the ice essentially creating a 5 on 3 for Ottawa. Daniel Alfredsson "set up in Gretzky's Office" and found Michalek on the right wing side of the Thomas' net and Michalek's tough angle shot found the back of the net for the 2-0 lead while Bergeron limped to the bench without putting weight on the leg. Bergeron tried to give it a go his next shift but quickly returned to the Bruins bench and headed down the tunnel to the dressing room. He was able return to the Bruins bench late in the first period and played the rest of the game.

Despite only putting 5 shots on goal in the first period, Ottawa skated off the ice after the first 20 minutes of play with a 2-0 lead.

The Bruins cut the lead to 2-1 with a power play goal by David Krejci 59 seconds into the second period. Mark Recchi lugged the puck into the Ottawa zone on the left wing and sent a centering pass to David Krejci, who skated right down the middle of the ice and beat Brian Elliott with a backhander up high.

The Bruins tied it up at 2-2 on a power play goal from Michael Ryder at 9:57 of the middle period. Zdeno Chara held the puck at the point and passed the puck to Michael Ryder at the left half-wall. Ryder skated into the slot and fired a quick snap shot that found the back of the net for his 7th goal of the season.

The Bruins got their third power play goal of the game with 10:41 remaining in the third period when we floated a wrist shot from the high slot that found its way past Elliott for the go-ahead goal with Mark Recchi providing the screen at the top of the crease.

Ottawa tied up the game with 19.2 second remaining when Milan Michalek's tough angle shot from the left circle skimmed off Tim Thomas' left pad and into the far side of the net for his second goal of the game.

After five minutes of scoreless overtime hockey, the game headed to a shootout.

Shootout

B's 1st Shooter: Bergeron skated in deep and lost control of the puck.

Sens 1st Shooter: Alex Kovalev faked a shot on the forehand and missed the net on the backhand.

B's 2nd Shooter: Blake Wheeler fired a forehand shot that was handled by Elliot.

Sens 2nd Shooter: Right pad kick out by Tim Thomas

B's 3rd Shooter: Krejci's backhander hits the post.

Sens 4th Shooter: Jason Spezza's shot missed the net

B's 4th Shooter: Michael Ryder's fired a shot that beat Brian Elliott up high on the gloveside. 1-0 Bruins

Sens 4th Shooter: Thomas shutdown Mike Fisher with a left pad save to seal the win for the B's. Bruins Win

Final - 11.28.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Ottawa Senators	2	0	1	0	0	3
Boston Bruins	0	2	1	0	1	4

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- The win gives the Bruins sole possession of first place in the Northeast Division.

- The Bruins set a franchise record by going to the shootout for the third straight game.

- The Bruins out-shot the Senators 33-22.

- The Bruins went 3 for 5 on the power play. This was only the fourth time this season that the Bruins scored 2 or more power play goals.

- Tim Thomas (19 saves) looked a little rusty in his first game back from a hand injury, but played well enough to get the win and made some big stops in the shootout.

- Zdeno Chara and Steve Begin were the only Bruins skaters not to register a shot on goal.

- Mark Stuart blocked 4 shots

- Daniel Paille recorded 5 hits.

- The B's are off until Wednesday when the host the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden.

3 Stars (as selected by 98.5 The Sports Hub)

1st Star: David Krejci (goal, assist, 56% on face-offs)

2nd Star: Daniel Alfredsson (goal, assist, +2)

3rd Star: Michael Ryder (regulation goal, game-winning shootout goal)

Minnesota Wild vs. Boston Bruins: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:30:49 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

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Minnesota Wild 1-2 (so) Boston Bruins

Outshooting a team 29-16, only scoring once and not getting the two points brings a feeling of deja vu across the Wilderness.

Yes, the Wild were missing Brent Burns, Antti Miettinen, Martin Havlat, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to injury and Guillaume Latendresse to visa issues and still dominated the Bruins, but once again, they couldn't find the back of the net.

Tuukka Rask was outstanding tonight. He made at least four saves that he really had no business making, which could have easily busted the game wide open. Conversely, Niklas Backstrom made two exceptional saves in the third period and overtime that were worthy of end of the season highlight reels to keep the Wild in it.

The Wild came out like a team well-rested, even though they were missing five regulars. They controlled the play and outshot the Bruins 11-2 in the first frame. Unfortunately they just ran into a brick wall in Rask and Byron Bitz made the most of the only good scoring opportunity Boston had, tipping home a Derek Morris attempt.

The locker room in the first intermission must have been one of disappointment for not scoring on 11 shots, but the guys had to feel good that they were able to take it to one of the best teams in the East. The Wild came out firing again in the second period. They didn't quite get as many shots in the second as the first, but they were still controlling the play, and at 10:23 of the second, Andrew Ebbett brought the Xcel Energy crowd to its feet with a gorgeous redirect of a Kyle Brodziak shot and finally beat Rask. This power play goal was the kind that would normally open up the scoring. The Wild were dominating play and had finally broken through the wall. However, Rask was simply too tough tonight.

The third period was one in which the Wild controlled play early, then suddenly Boston seemed to realize that they were tied and took over the game, penning the Wild deep in their zone for most of the last ten minutes and until Dennis Wideman finally was whistled for high-sticking (he got away with another high-stick and a sucker punch earlier) then the Wild brought the pressure again, but it was too little too late as the Wild took too long setting up the power play and not enough time and effort on getting the puck to the net. When they finally did, they caused some problems for the Bruins and Andrew Brunette was staring a wide-open goal in the face, but couldn't control the puck and the Bruins cleared, ending the overtime.

The shootout was the most bothersome part for me. Mikko Koivu used pure power to put the puck through Rask to open the shootout, but Marek Zidlicky came up second and was stuffed (why is he in the shootout?), then Eric Belanger's attempt was gloved and Chuck Kobasew was stopped by Rask, making the David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron goals good enough to give the Bruins an undeserved two points.

It was a frustrating loss, considering how well the Wild played, until it came time to actually put the puck in the net. They seemingly don't have the finishers. Too many playmakers, not enough goal scorers. Maybe the return of Havlat and Sykora and bringing in Latendresse will alleviate this problem, but I haven't seen enough from Marty and Petr to make me think that is going to be the case.

Have a good Thanksgiving, and we'll see you on Friday at 1:00 for the first of a home and home with the Avalanche.

Please read the game recap over at Stanley Cup of Chowder

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Tuukka Rask (2 G)
Andrew Ebbett (1 G)
Byron Bitz (1 G)

Questions to Answer

How is Andrew Ebbett going to fit? One nice power play goal and great shifts tonight. Love the way this kid came out and brought it tonight. Let's hope he continues to do so.
How are Chuck Kobasew and Shane Hnidy going to react to playing against their old squad? Hnidy played with a bit of a mean streak tonight and looked solid. Kobasew had the chance to dagger the B's, but couldn't pull it off in the end.
Will Patrice Bergeron stay on his hot streak? Bergeron terrified me all night. It seemed like every time he was on the ice, he was ready to score. Let's hope Pierre-Marc Bouchard can look like this when he comes back from his concussion. That said, the Wild did a nice job keeping him off the scoresheet.
Can Andrew Brunette continue to play well and add to his point streak? (6 points in his last 6 games) Not sure how Bruno didn't score on the powerplay in overtime, but he just couldn't control the puck with a yawning cage in front of him.
Can the Wild get to Tuukka Rask? Afraid not. Rask was fantastic tonight. Absolutely fantastic.

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.

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.

Game Recap: Bruins vs Islanders

timmorrison23 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:06:10 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

about 1 month ago: Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, right, of Finland, makes a save as New York Islanders center Josh Bailey hits the ice during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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What began as a pretty solid night for the Bruins certainly did not end that way, as the Bruins suffered a crushing loss to the Islanders 4-1 at the TD Garden. The Bruins and Islanders both played a pretty solid 1st period with both teams getting some solid goal scoring chances. The Islanders took the lead 6 minutes into the period. After a crucial offensive zone turn over by the Bruins Matt Moulson cashed in on a feed by Jack Hillen for the 1-0 lead. The Bruins had a great chance to make their mark on the game early with a 5-3 power play, however as the case has been lately they were only able to manage 5 shots on net during their 2 man advantage. After the 1st period the Islanders led 1-0.

The 2nd period started out strong for the Bruins, as they buzzed and created many solid scoring chances. After Blake Wheeler, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci were all turned aside by "The Pride of UMass Lowell" Dwayne Roloson, Daniel Paille was finally able to cash in. With David Krejci working the puck strongly against John Tavares, Paille snuck to the net and tucked in a backhand off a the dish by Krejci. Unfortunately for the Bruins the lead didn't last long. With the 2nd period winding down, Tuukka Rask handled the puck behind the net, he tried to pass it up the boards to Zdeno Chara, however the puck bounced right to RIchard Park, he fed Matt Moulson in front for his 2nd goal of the night and a 2-1 Islander lead.

The 3rd period went much as the 2nd did. Only 2 minutes into the 3rd the Islanders and John Tavares struck again. John Tavares fired the puck on net, as it went towards it deflected off Matt Hunwick to put the Islanders up 3-1. With just under a minute left in the game Trent Hunter would put the exclamation point on the win for the Islanders and make it 4-1.

My 3 Stars of the Night

1)Dwayne Roloson - he was very solid and made big stops when he needed to.

2) Richard Park - he had 3 helpers tonight and was around the puck seemingly all night.

3) David Krejci - looked fantastic tonight, the lone bright spot for the Bruins, was flying all over the ice.

Bruins lose wild OT chiller in devastating fashion in Pittsburgh

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:38:35 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, left, celebrates his second-period goal with teammates Ruslan Fedotenko, center, of the Ukraine, and Evgeni Malkin (71), of Russia, during an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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The Bruins looked to be in great shape with the puck in the offensive zone with just seconds left in regulation and a one goal lead, but an untimely stick break gave the Penguins one final rush up ice and Bill Guerin found the back of the net with just 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, where another miscue by the Bruins would give the Penguins the win.

The Bruins looked very sluggish coming out of the gate and the Penguins took advantage by striking first just 1:42 into the game, when Jay KcKee roofed a backhander over Tim Thomas. Evgeni Malkin, who returned from a shoulder injury tonight, picked up his 200th career NHL assist on McKee's goal.

Byron Bitz tired to swing the momentum by dropping the gloves with rookie Deryk Engelland at 6:42 of the first period. The bout was more of a wrestling match than a slugfest with this judge scoring it a draw. The fight may not have been Pacquiao-Cotto, but if may have have given the B's some life. The Bruins evened the game up at 1-1 less than 2 minutes later when David Krejci "set up in Gretzky's office" and found Blake Wheeler in front for Wheeler 5th goal of the season.

Pascal Dupuis hammered home a rebound with 3:36 remaining in the opening period. Mark Stuart tried to clear out Matt Cooke from in front of Tim Thomas and inadvertently pushed him into his own goaltender on the play.

Michael Ryder got the equalizer for the Bruins at 3:33 of the second period, when his hard snap shot from the right circle beat Brent Johnson up high on the glove side.

Sidney Crosby made it 3-2 Pens at 9:19 of the middle period when he deflected Alex Goligoski's blast from the blue line blast Thomas for his 10th goal of the season.

Derek Morris evened it up with 4:58 remaining in the second period when his wrister from the point deflected off of a Pittsburgh defender and into the back of the net.

Pittsburgh regained the lead with 11:00 left in the third period when Mark Eaton pumped in a one-timer off a feed from Sidney Crosby.

The pattern of alternating goals continued as David Krejci cleaned up a rebound in the slot off a shot from Zdeno Chara on 5 on 3 power play to tie the game up at 4 with 5:47 to play in the third period.

Chara's slapper from the point with 2:29 left in the third gave the B's a 5-4 lead.

The Bruins appeared to have the game wrapped up, but an untimely broken stick by Patrice Bergeron gave the Penguins one more rush up the ice and Bill Guerin fired the puck past Tim Thomas with 0.4 seconds remaining to force overtime.

The Penguins took advantage of a miscue by the Bruins in overtime when Tim Thomas misplayed the puck behind the net and Dennis Wideman failed to retrieve the puck giving Pascal Dupuis an open net for the game winner 1:24 in overtime.

Final - 11.14.2009	1	2	3	OT	Total
Boston Bruins	1	2	2	0	5
Pittsburgh Penguins	2	1	2	1	6

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