SB Nation - Matt Hunwick

Bruins can't spoil Habs party, fall 5-1

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:22:54 -0000

More photos » by Ryan Remiorz - AP

13 days ago: Montreal Canadiens Mike Cammalleri (13) celebrates a goal with teammate Josh Gorges (26) as Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas and Mark Stuart look on during the second period of an NHL hockey game on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

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The Montreal Canadiens celebrated their 100th anniversary with a 5-1 win over the Bruins at the Bell Centre on Friday night. Mike Cammalleri lead the way for the Habs with a hat trick, while Carey Price stopped 37 of 38 shots. Vladimir Sobotka was the lone goal scorer for the B's in the loss.

Montreal took a 1-0 lead 8:30 into the game when Jaroslav Spacek finished off a good cycle with a blast from the blue line that found it's way past Tim Thomas for his 3rd tally of the season.

Moments after killing off a 5 on 3 Bruins power play, the Habs made it 2-0 8:10 into the second period off a wrister from the slot by Mike Cammalleri. Tim Thomas got a piece of the shot, but it was not enough to keep the puck from crossing the goal line for Cammalleri's 13th goal of the year.

The Habs made it 3-0 when Mike Cammalleri took advance of some sloppy play in the defenive zone by the Bruins for his second goal of the game. Matt Hunwick tried to make a diagonal pass from behind the net but fanned on the pass, allowing the puck to trickle through Thomas Thomas' crease. Thomas was caught off-guard by the slow moving puck and could not corral the it before Cammaleri deposited the puck into the back of the net at 13:33.

The home team increased their lead to 4-0 less than 3 minutes later when Glen Metropolit tipped in a Hal Gill shot from the point.

The Habs got their 5th goal of the night just 1:22 later. Derek Morris coughed up the puck creating an odd man rush for the Habs and Mike Cammalleri finished off the play with slapper from the slot to record his second hat trick of the season.

After 40 minutes of play and 5 goals against, Claude Julien pulled Tim Thomas and sent Tuukka Rask out to start the thrid period in goal for the Bruins. Rask was not really tested much in the third period and stopped all 6 shots that he faced.

The Bruins finally got on the board with 15:15 remaining in the third period when Vladimir Sobotka deflected a point shot from Matt Hunwick past Carey Price to make it 5-1 to account for the final score.

Final - 12.4.2009	1	2	3	Total
Boston Bruins	0	0	1	1
Montreal Canadiens	1	4	0	5

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Notes:

- You can't really take many positives out of this game for the Bruins. I bet the B's couldn't even beat the Habs old-timers that were in attendance.

- Ryan O'Byrne pulled a Ray Bourque by taking off his #3 jersey and presenting it to Butch Bouchard, who was being honored by the Habs by having his number retired before the game. Elmer Lach was also honored before the game. Ryan O'Byrne switched to #20. I think is safe to say that an O'Byrne #20 banner will never hang from the rafters in Montreal.

- The Habs had a steady stream of visitors to the penalty box in the third period, but the B's could not take advantage.

- The Bruins had an odd 6 on 3 situation due to a delayed penalty call on a 5 on 3 power play.

- Bruins were 0 for 7 on the power play, including 0 for 3 in 5 on 3 situations.

- The Bruins will have a chance to redeem themselves tomorrow night when #81 and the Toronto Maple Leafs visit The Garden for what is being billed as "Kessel-Mania".

85 Reasons to Hate the Canadiens

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:57:01 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

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The Bruins will be in Montreal tomorrow night to face-off against the Canadiens. The Habs will be celebrating their 100th anniversary tomorrow night, which is weird because they have been milking this 100th season thing for 2 years now. Instead of doing my typical game preview, I thought I would do something ~~completely unoriginal and hacky~~ different. TSN recently came up with a list of 100 reasons to love the Canadiens, so I decidedly to come up with a rebuttal. The following are 85 reasons to hate the Montreal Canadiens (in no particular order) to celebrate 85 years of Bruins hockey.

1. Almost all of their Stanley Cup wins were a direct result of an unfair player allocation system

2. 2008

3. 2004

4. 2002

5. 1989

6. 1987

7. 1986

8. 1985

9. 1984

10. 1979

11. 1978

12. 1977

13. 1971

14. 1969

15. 1968

16. 1958

17. 1957

18. 1955

19. 1954

20. 1953

21. 1952

22. 1947

23. 1946

24. 1931

25. 1930

26. Their lame fans that flood the streets of Boston

27. Their fans celebrated a first round win over an 8 seed by set their own city's police cars on fire

28. One of their greatest players ever has a nickname that sounds like a sex toy

29. One of their former "coaching masterminds" can't even read a children's book

30. Their fans are living in the past.

31. Ken Dryden F__ that guy!

32. Patrick Roy Just a poor man's Marty Brodeur

33. They are a bunch of purse snatchers

34. They have better diving form than Rodney Rangerfield in "Back to School"

35. Guy LaFleur His son is a creep and the old man isn't much better

36. Ole! Ole! Ole! Ah how cute. You got a little song you sing.

37. I feel guilty every time I order a Molson

38. Who calls for a stick measurement in the Stanley Cup Finals?

39. Their dumb fans that would rather have a team of French Canadians than a competitive team

40. Their jailbird throwback jerseys

41. I hate any team that has a Gionta on it

42. The Habs couldn't give the B's much of a series last year and I think it hurt the B's in Round 2

43. They love to play chippy, but rarely answer the bell

44. Maxim Lapierre's gutless late hit on #81 last year

45. Mike Komisarek's eye gouge on Matt Hunwick

46. George Laraque's idle threats

47. They are the NHL team of choice for Vermont's dirty hippies

48. Most of their forwards aren't tall enough to ride most of the rides at the amusement park

49. Their fans think it is classy to boo the American national anthem

50. They undeservedly got a bunch of their players in the All-Star Game last year.

51. To quote Bill Burr: "their silly little fans who act like they live in Paris even though you can see the place from Vermont"

52. Celine Dion almost bought the team and nobody in Montreal seemed to be embarrassed about this

53. Habs fans boo Chara every time he touches the puck and even the most die hard Habs fan couldn't tell you why.

54. I need to use a passport and my poor high school French to see them play in Montreal

55.

56. They used to employ Mike Ribiero (Timmy's pick)

57. They used to employ Shayne Corson (Timmy's pick)

58. Ryan O'Byrne's turtle move

59. Claude Lemieux gutless puke

60.

61. Guy Carbonneau looks like a movie villain

62. They won the majority of their Stanley Cups in the Original 6 era

63. They thought Hal Gill was a solid off-season pick-up

64. "Too Many Men on The Ice"

65. Red, White, and Blue used to respectable colors

66. The Habs 164 different retro jerseys they have used to commemorate

67. This has been the longest "year" ever

68. Youppi That thing is just flat out creepy

69. They are own by a Brewery, but they can't figure out how to control their team like Doug and Bob McKenzie in "Strange Brew"

70. They hate Michael Ryder

71. They are the only team to get Patrice Bergeron to drop the gloves

72. They cut Mr. Kathryn Tappen

73. Carey Price's haircut

74. Kovalev faking an injury in the 2004 playoffs

75.

76. 1 beer per person limits at The Garden for B's-Habs games

77.

78. The Habs went to a Christian retreat called "Teen Ranch" for team bonding

79. This Guy who took his wife's name and wears a personalized Habs jersey with his new last name on it.

80. Their confused fans

81. Tom Kostopoulos' flying elbow

82.

83. Glen Metropolit used to be a guy you could root for

84. No matter where the B's finish they always seem to draw the Habs

85. Because they are the Habs. You are supposed to hate them.

Bergeron and Hunwick sit out Monday's practice

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:57:29 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

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Patrice Bergeron and Matt Hunwick did not practice with the team on Monday morning. They were the only two players not in attendance at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington for this morning's practice.

Bergeron left Saturday's game in the first period after losing an edge and then getting struck with a puck as he was lying on the ice. He returned to the ice after a brief trip down the tunnel to get looked at by the training staff. Hopefully, Claude Julien is just being cautious here and giving Bergy some time to heal. The Bruins, who have struggled to find goals this year can not afford to lose their leading scorer.

There has been no word on why Matt Hunwick is missing from practice. Until you hear otherwise, consider it a "maintenance day" for the defenseman.

UPDATE (2:06 PM):

According to Claude Julien, both Patrice Bergeron and Matt Hunwick should be back at practice on Tuesday:

"Hunwick is just going to miss [Monday] and he’ll be back on the ice [Tuesday],” said Julien. “Bergie, the same thing. He’ll be in Wednesday. No ifs or buts. It’s just maintenance. Is it due to the other day? Yeah."

- Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien via NESN.com

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.

Thomas and Bruins shutout Penguins 3-0

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:08:46 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

about 1 month ago: Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas tries to clear the puck away from Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Bourque (12) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Boston on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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Tim Thomas turned aside 27 shots to earn his second shutout of the season as the Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 on home ice.

Matt Hunwick appeared to have put the Bruins up 1-0 1:36 into the second period when he roofed a backhander past Marc-Andre Fleury, however referee Bill McCreary waved the goal off. After close to two minutes of play, the play was reviewed after the first whistle. After a short review, the decision on the ice was overturned and the B's were credited with the goal.

The B's extended their lead to 2-0 at 3:34 of the third period. Daniel Paille broke in all alone and fired a shot from the slot that found the back of the net for his first goal as a Bruin. While Paille got his first goal as a member of the Boston Bruins, Mark Recchi picked up his 900th career assist on the play.

With 3.5 second left in the game Patrice cleared the puck from his own zone. The puck took a few bounces and ended up in the back of the empty net to account for the 3-0 score.

Final - 11.10.2009	1	2	3	Total
Pittsburgh Penguins	0	0	0	0
Boston Bruins	0	1	2	3

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Notes:

- Sidney Crosby has now gone 5 games without recording a point.

- The Bruins held the Penguins to just 2 shots in the first period.

- Mark Recchi's 900 assists are the most of any active NHL player and 18th most in NHL history. He record his first NHL assist January 20, 1989 against the Winnipeg Jets.

- Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik left the game in the first period with an injury and did not return.

- Chris Bourque saw just 9:03 of ice time tonight for Pittsburgh.

- 2 point nights for Patrice Bergeron (1-1-2), Steve Begin (0-2-2), and Dennis Wideman (0-2-2). Correction: There was a scoring change made this morning. Steve Begin didn't get an assist on Matt Hunwick's goal. The assists on that goal have been credited to Shawn Thornton and Dennis Wideman.

- Bruins won the battle in the face-off circle 34-19 (64%)

- Bruins return to game action Thursday night when they host the Florida Panthers

- For more the game from a Pittsburgh perspective, check out PensBurgh

..Sometimes the Bear eats you. Bruins beat Penguins 3-0

Hooks Orpik — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:45:57 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

about 1 month ago: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jay McKee, left, looks at the puck after it came out of the goal on a score by Boston Bruins' Matt Hunwick (not shown) as Pittsburgh Penguins center Jordan Staal and Boston Bruins left wing Shawn Thornton look on during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Boston Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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Penguins vs Bruins coverage - Penguins vs Bruins boxscore - Stanley Cup of Chowder

The injury list has piled up for Pittsburgh, but to lose their improvised alternate captain Brooks Orpik to injury early in the first period is just insult to injury. It's difficult enough to play without 3 of arguably your top 4 defensemen, but to be down to just five defensemen for the balance of the game -- one of which making his NHL debut, another who had the flu/minor injury last week is just cruel.

The first goal was in and out so quick the refs couldn't call it. Matt Hunwick lifted a shot top shelf that popped out real quick. Bruins were hugging and celebrating only one problem: no whistle. The Pens kept playing and no one was quite sure what was going on. The play was eventually reviewed and the correct call was made: it was in fact a goal. 1-0 Bruins.

Boston dominated Pittsburgh early, jumping out to a 10-2 shot advantage early in the game that the Pens whittled down to just a 16-15 Boston edge by the beginning of the 3rd period. The Pens had some great territorial time and cycled hard to create chances. Chances aren't goals, but the effort was appreciated.

The second goal of the game happened seconds after it appeared the Penguins might score. The revised top line was about to make a tic-tac-toe play of cross-ice passes for a slam dunk goal for Sidney Crosby. But Matt Cooke couldn't make the play and Patrice Bergeron nudged the puck up to Mark Recchi who found a streaking Daniel Paille for a breakaway. Paille buries it

-Lady luck just hasn't smiled on the Pens lately. On a PK, a Bruins defender trips and the Pens get a 2 on 1. No dice. Then with about 5:45 in the game remaining, the Pens shot a puck in, Thomas went back behind the net to wait for it but it took a weird bounce off the glass and somehow kicked out right to the open net. It crossed the creased and then hit squarely off the far-post and didn't go in. When you don't get the bounces, geez, you really don't get them.

At the end of the game Patrice Bergeron would tack on an empty netter, fittingly getting a fortunate bounce on a puck that was dipping and diving all over the ice. Bergeron earned his luck though, as he got an assist earlier, 2 hits, 2 takeaways and won 73% of his 24 faceoffs.

Deryk Engelland played like, well, it was his first career NHL game. He was pressed into a tough situation: joining a battered team and then losing a defensive leader like Orpik, so he acquitted himself well. But he made a couple of sloppy plays and was a little out of position at times, but hey let's cut the guy a break. He didn't make any critical errors and generally did what was asked of him.
Not sure what Jay McKee was thinking on the lead up to the Paille breakaway. He got caught moving slow in no-man's zone and let Paille get behind him. Then again he's having a great season and I just sit on a couch so it's easier to point things like that out than it is to do something about it.
No word on what Orpik's injury could be. He got bodychecked cleanly behind the boards while digging out a puck, a routine play. He was instantly hobbled over though and wouldn't return, the team says he'll be re-evaluated tomorrow.
Alex Goligoski would pull marathon duty in Orpik's absence. Good logged a game-high 28:25 and played well, even though he was a -2 (one was the empty netter). Martin Skoula was also pressed into a bigger role, getting a season high of 24:27 of ice-time. Skoula played very well in his increased duty.
Hard to blame Marc-Andre Fleury for anything. He made 26 saves on 28 shots including more than a few excellent ones. He held his team in the game for as long as possible, but with no goal support, hard to imagine any goalie escaping with a win tonight.

No goals for two-and-a-half games right now. It's been tough treading. It's definitely not time for the panic button or to proclaim the sky is falling. A record of 12-6-0 translates to a 109 point pace over an entire season, which would surely bring playoffs, it's more points than the Penguins have had in a while.

This is hardly the end of the world. One gets the sense a lot of fans will be restless, but the truth is Pittsburgh didn't play too poorly tonight, regardless of current circumstances. They weren't good enough to win, but they hardly got laughed out of the rink like in the past couple of games. Hey, you gotta start somewhere. Hopefully now things can stabilize now that the Pens return to Mellon at last.

Bruins fall to Montreal in shootout 2-1

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:08:22 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

about 1 month ago: Montreal Canadiens center Glen Metropolit (15) sets to tip in the first goal of the game as Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (30) falls out of position during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Boston, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Patrice Bergeron scored with 51.7 seconds left in regulation to keep the Bruins from suffering three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1929 and force overtime, but ultimately the Bruins would fall in the shootout.

Montreal appeared to score the game's opening goal 1:41 into the game when Glen Metropolit put the puck past Thomas, but the goal was quickly waved off due to Travis Moen's contact with Tim Thomas in the crease.

Metropolit got one for real with 2:28 left in the first period when Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick did their best keystone cops impression as Wideman skated backwards into Hunwick out near the blue line to create an odd man rush. Andrei Kostitsyn broke in, took the puck behind the net and found a wide open Glen Metropolit, who had an open net to work with.

The Bruins appeared to have tied it up with 2:25 left in the second period when Carey Price had trouble covering up the puck and Patrice Bergeron tapped the puck past the goal line, however the goal came off the pegs and was waved off after it was determined to have gone in through the side of the net and not between the goal posts.

Much like Glen Metropolit after his goal was disallowed, Patrice Bergeron got one that counted to tied it up with 51.7 seconds left in regulation when he put home a rebound to score the Bruins' first goal in nearly 3 games.

Despite some solid scoring opportunities in overtime, neither team could find the back of the net. Things got a little interesting after the final whistle when Daniel Paille shot well after the whistle and the Habs understandable took exception to it. A little bit a scrum ensued, but cooler heads prevailed.

Shootout

B's 1st Shot: Blake Wheeler's forehand snap shot is snagged by the glove of Carey Price.

Habs 1st Shot: Mike Cammalleri's curl and drag move and quick shot beats Thomas 1-0 Habs

B's 2nd Shot: Bergeron's shot sails wide on the stickside.

Habs 2nd Shot: Tim Thomas gets a piece of Scott Gomez's shot and tips it over the net.

B's 3rd Shot: Carey Price makes a sprawling save to deny Mark Recchi. Habs Win

Final - 11.5.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Montreal Canadiens	1	0	0	0	1	2
Boston Bruins	0	0	1	0	0	1

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Notes:

- Bruins outshot the Canadiens 43-26

- B's outhit the Habs 35-23, including 6 hits by Vladimir Sobotka.

- There was a bit of a strange moment late in the third period when a fan threw a pair of glasses on to the ice. One of the linesman picked up the spectacles and put them in his pocket (perhaps a souvenir and a story to tell).

- Mikko Lehtonen played in his 2nd career NHL game after being called up from Providence yesterday.

- Marco Sturm and Patrice Bergeron both had 7 shots on goal.

- The Bruins were shutout on the power play again tonight (0 for 3).

- Bruin return to action on Saturday at home against the Buffalo Sabres.

Gameday Preview: Boston Bruins @ Dallas Stars (7:30p CDT)

Brandon Worley — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:34:47 -0000

Next Game

Boston Bruins (2-3-0)
@ Dallas Stars (2-0-3)

Friday, Oct 16, 2009, 7:30 PM CDT
American Airlines Center

Local TV: FS-SW
Radio: KTCK The Ticket

Opponent's Blog: Stanley Cup of Chowder

Complete Coverage >

This game could have been much bigger.

Last season, Steve Ott and the Dallas Stars put together an embarrassing performance as the team came unraveled while being dominated by the Bruins. Ott and Sean Avery joined forces to incite the entire city of Boston, leading Mike Modano to say after the game "If that's what we're going for, then they need to find me an office job."

Boston went on to post the second best record in the NHL, with players winning the Vezina, Norris and Adams trophies. Dallas missed the playoffs.

With Steve Ott out and Avery gone, the game has lost some of its revenge muster but this will still be a good test for a Stars team that is looking to build on the momentum gained from Wednesday's big win over Nashville. This weekend is the first true test for this Stars team, as they will be facing the Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks on back to back nights.

Full preview after the jump.

The Dallas Stars:

Steve Ott and Mike Modano are still out with their respective injuries, although Modano is getting closer to returning. The Stars have a had a good week on the ice, combining spirited and focused practices with a great performance against Nashville as they scored four goals in the first nine minutes en route to 6-0 rout.

This team is starting to pull together under Crawford and is looking like they're finally grasping the system he's preaching. After years of playing shutdown, defensive hockey led by a team of veterans, the Stars are redefining themselves with a new identity.

"I don't think anyone was questioning it at the time, I think we all felt we could compete that way," said defenseman Stephane Robidas. "But if you look at the game and where it is going, the young teams skate hard and skate fast. Look at teams this year ... Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, Washington ... the Dallas Stars."

That's right, he said it – the Dallas Stars. But with the Stars boasting a lineup that typically features eight players who are 25 or younger, Dallas has entered a new era. And with the players buying into coach Marc Crawford's system of aggressive skating, the Stars don't look old and slow. What's more, they seem to have forged an identity pretty quickly.

"It's a fun way to play, it's an effective way to play," said center Mike Ribeiro. "What's not to like?"

Marty Turco will be in net tonight, with Alex Auld expected to get the start tomorrow against Chicago.

Projected lines:

No word yet on whether it's Fistric or Woywitka in.

The Boston Bruins:

The Bruins are reeling a bit this season, as the goaltending has not been the same as it was last year. Boston hasn't seen a lot of turnover from the team that put up 116 points and a +78 goal differential, yet they're struggling this season. Whether it's the pressure to live up to high expectations, or just a simple bump in the road is yet to be seen. With Boston having four days to rest before tonight's game, expect an energetic and intense team to come in the AAC looking to get back on the right track.

From Stanley Cup of Chowder:

Some might think that the smell of elephant feces emanating from TD Garden this week is a result of the Bruins recent play, but it turns out "The Greatest Show on Earth" is in town and the "mediocre show on ice" is on the road. The Bruins will travel to Dallas tonight to take on the Stars before heading to Phoenix to play the Coyotes. The B's will try to bounce back from a disappointing opening home stand (2-2-0). Meanwhile, the Stars will try to do something other than lose in OT or the shootout (2-0-3).

There were plenty of fireworks last time these two teams met almost a year ago on November 1, 2009 when they combined for 146 PIMs. Two of Dallas' main instigators in last years donnybrook will not be in the lineup tonight. Dallas cut ties with Sean Avery and Steve Ott is (conveniently) hurt. Matty Niskanen is still around though and I'm sure Jack Edwards can't wait for someone to re-arranged his face to the point where he "isn't a pretty little boy anymore"

Projected Lines:

Key Injuries:

Dallas: C Steve Ott (oblique) and C Mike Modano (ribs) are out.

Boston: D Dennis Wideman (shoulder) is out.

Bruins can't survive Avalanche 4-3

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:07:15 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

2 months ago: Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, of Finland, top, is unable to stop a shot into the net by Colorado Avalanche's Scott Hannan, bottom, in the first period of an NHL hockey game, in Boston, Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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The Bruins may have had a bit of a tryptophan hangover after having too much turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. The Bruins came out of the gate sluggish, giving the Avalanche an early 2-0 lead. The B's made the game close, but the Avs ultimately handed the B's a 4-3 loss.

The Avs got on the board first, when Milan Hejduk scored a powerplay goal 6:15 into the game with Matt Hunwick in the box for a hook.

Colorado would strike again just 37 seconds later when Scott Hannan found the back of the net off a rebound from a long shot by David Jones to spot the Avs an early 2-0 lead.

The Bruins spent 5:02 on the powerplay in the opening period, but just couldn't seem to convert with the man advantage and filed off the ice to the dressing room down 2-0 after one.

The Bruins pulled to within one at 7:45 of the second period. Patrice Bergeron set up behind the net and fed a pass out front to Mark Recchi at the left circle, whose quick shot beat Craig Anderson for his first goal of the season.

The B's evened the game up 2:25 later with a goal in transition. Micheal Ryder threw a puck on net from the right wing boards and Blake Wheeler batted the puck out of mid-air while driving to the net for his second goal of the season.

The Bruins PK woes continued when Marek Svatos put back his own rebound with 6:28 reamaing in the second to give Colorado a 3-2 lead.

The special teams problems continued for the B's on the power play. With the Bruins on the man advantage with 3:10 left in the middle period, they coughed up the puck in the neutral zone when 3 black jerseys collapsed on the puck, which sprung David Jones in on a breakaway. Jones fired a hard wrister from the slot that beat Rask for the short-handed goal and a two goal lead.

Michael Ryder pulled the B's to within one at 6:24 of the third period on a backhander off a rebound in front.

The Bruins showed a lot of intensity and controlled the play for most of the third, but it was too little, too late as the Bruins dug themselves into a hole early and were not able to stage another comeback.

Final - 10.12.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	2	2	0	4
Boston Bruins	0	2	1	3

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Milan Lucic and Kyle Quincey got into a bit of a wrestling match after the final whistle.

- Special teams play continues to be a major issue for the B's. The Bruins were only able to kill off 1 of 3 Avs powerplays today and were 0 for 5 today.

- Patrice Bergeron was 72% from the dot (13 of 18)

- Johnny Boychuk was +2 and recorded 4 hits in his '09-'10 debut.

- Colorado blocked 21 of the 53 shots that the Bruins directed towards goals (32 shots on goal).

- The Bruins return to action on Friday night when they travel to Dallas to take on the Stars

Bruins comeback to win in shootout 4-3

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:23:29 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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The Bruins were able to score three goals in the span of 5:27 to erase a three goal deficit late in the third period to send the game to overtime and eventually a shootout, where Marc Savard would provide the game-winner to give goaltender Tuukka Rask his first win of the season.

After a scoreless first period, the Islanders drew first blood 4:04 into the second when Jon Sim roofed home a rebound in front for the power play goal and a 1-0 lead.

The Isles went up 2-0 at 12:43 of the second period. Radek Martinek received a pass from Mark Streit at the right dot with plenty of time and space and fired a hard snap shot that rang off the post and in for his first goal of the season.

The Islanders' lead was extended to 3 just over 3 minutes later when rookie John Tavares skated into the Bruins zone and fired a hard wrister from the right circle that beat Tuukka Rask up high on the glove side for his second career NHL goal.

The B's finally got on the board and pulled back to within two with 8:01 remaining in the third period. Marc Savard collected a long rebound at the middle of the right circle and quickly fired a shot that beat Dwayne Roloson nearside.

Byron Bitz got the B's back to within one with 4:25 left in the third period. Bitz skated into the slot and threw a backhander towards the net that appeared to deflect off Islanders defenseman Freddy Meyer and into the net.

Matt Hunwick tied things up at 3-3 with 2:34 remaining in regulation when he threw the puck at net from along the left wing boards at the blue line that somehow made it's way past Roloson for the game-tying goal.

With nothing settled after 60 minutes of hockey, the teams headed for overtime. Both teams got a few chances in the extra session, but neither team found the back of the net.

Blake Wheeler was the first Bruins skater to have a turn in the shootout and was able to get Roloson to open up his pads and slip it past him and spot the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the skills competition.

Rask appeared to make a pad save on Rob Schremp, but the puck tickled past the line to knot things up.

Next up for the B's was Bergeron, who rang one off the post.

Richard Park then missed wide for the Islanders.

Marc Savard roofed a backhander over Roloson to force the Islanders into a do or die situation.

The Islanders sent Kyle Okposo out as the final shooter, but Tuukka Rask was able to make the save and complete comeback win for the Bruins.

Final - 10.10.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
New York Islanders	0	3	0	0	0	3
Boston Bruins	0	0	3	0	1	4

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Notes:

- Former BU Terrier Freddy Meyer was not a very popular guy in his old hometown tonight after his late hit on Milan Lucic drew a crowd of black & gold jerseys.

- The Islanders have gone to overtime in all 3 of thier games this season.

- Dennis Wideman left the game late in the second period with an injury.

- Tuukka Rask saw a lot of rubber tonight in his first start, facing 38 shots.

- Bruins return to action Monday afternoon when they host the Colorado Avalanche.

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