SB Nation - Mark Recchi

Cammalleri's Sights Set On Richer's Mark

Robert L — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:04:52 -0000

Translated from an article by Marc - Antoine Godin in Wednesday's La Presse

Alex Kovalev reached a peak in popularity two seasons ago during a campaign in which he scored 35 goals. Time moves on, and l'artiste's spot in the fans' heart has been taken up by Mike Cammalleri. While Kovalev is soul searching in Ottawa, Cammalleri has definitely found his game with the Canadiens. In fact, he is in the process of becoming a fan favorite.

Last Tuesday, Cammalleri scored his 17th goal in his 31st game. He is on pace to net 45 goals this season. Such a feat hasn't been seen since Stephane Richer counted 51 goals.....20 years ago!

With the exception of Kovalev in 2007-08, Cammalleri's production places him in the company of players from another generation, a generation that skated on Bell Centre ice on December 4th.

To illustrate the point, after 30 games Cammalleri had scored 30 goals. One must return to the 1995-96 season for a comparable, when Pierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse each totalled 14 goals after 29 games.

Case in point, no player since Damphousse in 1993-94 has hit the 40 goal mark,

Cammalleri would be putting an end to quite a drought should he stay on pace and surpass that feat.

For now, Cammalleri can aim to be the first Habs player since Bobby Smith in 1988 to reach the 20 goal plateau by Christmas.

In past seasons, Cammalleri had a habit of scoring roughly 50% of his goals on the powerplay. This season has been an anomaly, with 14 of 17 coming at even strength. Across the NHL, only Alex Ovechkin (15) has scored more often 5 on 5.

That's all good and well, but as most goal scorers tend to produce in patches and sequences, Cammalleri is keeping his feet on the ground. Coach Martin as well.

"In addition to the goals scored, it is hoped that he continues to play well," Martin says. "A player cannot control how many pucks go in, but he does have control over the chances he is getting. For now, Mike is on a roll, he's playing well and working hard at both ends of the rink."

In all fairness, it should be noted that Cammalleri has greatly contributed to the success enjoyed by Tomas Plekanec this season. The two players are in the process of developing some nice complicity, at even strength and on the power play. The qualities of each player compliments the other.

"I really appreciate playing with Tomas, he's playing some extraordinary hockey at the moment," Cammalleri says. "He brings many things to the team and he is very gifted. Among other things, he's a very strong passer. In addition, he's doing excellent work on the penalty kill. He's probably one of the most underestimated players in the league, but something tells me that won't be the case for long."

Should present tendencies continue to bear fruit, the Canadiens will place two players, Plekanec and Cammalleri, in the top 30 scorers in the league. That is a feat that has not been seen since 1996-97, when Damphousse and Mark Recchi hit for 81 and 80 respectively.

Cammalleri was much more talkative in regards to team success than he was in regards to personal achievements. Prior to facing the Penguins on Thursday, the Canadiens were on an odd sort of streak, having outscored the opposition 12-3 in three wins while being outshot 89 - 69 in those games.

Despite giving their foes 18 power play chances, the Canadiens responded with 3 power play goals of their own.

The duo of Cammalleri and Plekanec is going fulltilt, special teams are having their say and both goaltenders have put in strong performances. What excites Cammalleri most is that the team if finding ways to win.

"What is preferable, losing a game when you've played very well or a win that looks it wasn't particularly deserved?," asked the 27 year-old winger. "Personally, I'll take the ugly win, because in theleast it gives us a chance to build upon something positive while reminding us that there is room for improvement."

40 goal scorers on the Canadiens over the last 25 years

51 Stéphane Richer (1989-1990)

50 Stéphane Richer (1987-1988)

43 Mats Naslund (1985-1986)

42 Mats Naslund (1984-1985)

40 Vincent Damphousse (1993-1994)

40 Brian Bellows (1992-1993)

Also, check out the Gazette's Jack Todd's plea for Cammalleri's inclusion on the Olympic Team Canada.

Best (and worst) Free Agent signings by the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2000-09

Hooks Orpik — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:00:19 -0000

Yesterday we took a look at the draft picks, and by popular requests, here's a look at free agency hits and misses.

Free agency has been a tool that Pittsburgh hasn't used much. In the early part of the decade they couldn't afford the spending sprees that drunken GM's went on (like Bobby Holik's $45 million over 5 seasons back in 2002). Then when the salary cap was in effect, they could only afford to add bit pieces and stay under the cap.

Still, we have some guys to review and question -- either how they got the money they did or how the Penguins got such a steal! Yours, after the jump

Worst

#5 - Mark Recchi (signed in summer 2004, two year contract, signed in 2006, signed in summer 2007 one year deal with $1.75 million cap hit)

The term wasn't bad, but the player didn't mesh. Recchi played exclusively with Sidney Crosby, and it didn't seem like he had enough gas in the tank to keep up. Recchi was traded and won the Cup with Carolina in between his stints in Pittsburgh this decade, but by the start of the 2007-08 season he had only 8 points (and 2 goals) in the first 19 games and the Pens waived him.

#4 - Miroslav Satan (signed in summer 2008, one year contract $3.5 million cap hit)

Satan was another player that didn't work out. Though he wasn't terrible with 17 goals in 65 games, that isn't exactly awful, but who envisioned the team waiving him and having him play out 10 games in the minors to stay under the salary cap? Not the ideal situation for either party, though credit Satan's class of never complaining throughout the whole ordeal.

#3 - Dany Sabourin (signed in summer 2007, two year contract with a $512,000 cap hit per season)

Signed back from the Vancouver organization to be a reliable backup, Dany Sabourin was more of just a backup. His presence and contract kept Ty Conklin in the minors in '07 and Sabourin faired so rough the Pens decided to trade him away in '09 after he gave up 3+ goals in eight of nine appearances (some of them in relief).

#2 - John LeClair (signed in summer 2005, two year contract with a $1.8 million cap hit per season)

A part of Craig Patrick's post-lockout re-tool, the 36 year old winger was added to the Penguins. While he had a decent first season with 51 points in 73 games, LeClair was in full decline. He'd only score 2 goals (and 7 points) in the first 21 games of the 2006-07 before it was over. LeClair was waived, placed re-entry waivers, then unconditonally released by Pittsburgh and that was the sad end to a once stellar career.

#1 - Zigmund Palffy (signed in summer 2005, three year contract with a $4.5 million cap hit per season)

Palffy broke the number 1 rule, so he ends up at #1. He literally quit on the team, walking into the GM's office on an off-day and announcing "retirement". Shockingly, he's played in Slovakian league the past two seasons. Palffy had 42 points in 42 games with the Pens and seemed to be a decent fit with Crosby and the Pens. Whether he didn't like then-new coach Michel Therrien's defensive systems, or the losses in Pittsburgh or just felt tired of dealing with NHL level physical abuse, he quit and he's the goat of goats. (The NHL allowed his salary to come off the books upon his "retirement", if you were wondering).

Best

# 7 - Mike Rupp (signed in summer 2009, two year deal for $825,000 cap hit per year)

Ray Shero made an under the radar signing that set off alarms here, but now we see why. Rupp's been a great teammate, wiling to fight if someone's been wronged. But he's also shown an undiscovered scoring touch, scoring 9 goals in his first 32 games in a Pens jersey, when he'd only scored 27 goals in his whole 325 game career prior.

#6 - Matt Cooke (signed in summer 2008, two year deal for $1,200,000 cap hit per year)

Faced with the dilemma of having their resident sand-paper, gritty penalty killing forward demanding a three year contract, the Penguins let 33 year old Jarkko Ruutu go to Ottawa and brought in a very similiar player in 30 year old Matt Cooke. Cooke formed a bond with Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal, kills penalties well, and can pitch in limited offensive help.

#5 - Jay McKee (signed in summer 2009, one year deal for $800,000 cap hit)

McKee was looking to raise his profile around the league after being bought out by the St. Louis Blues. That gave him some money, so he didn't need a lot from his new team. The Penguins were needing a defensive replacement for departed players in Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. Win meet win. And when everyone wins, the Penguins win.

#4 - Ty Conklin (signed in summer 2007, one year deal for $500,000 cap hit)

Conklin was signed as pure depth; he'd start the year in the AHL and only make his way up when Marc-Andre Fleury fell to injury. But when Conklin was in, the Penguins season was in the balance. Conklin went 18-8-5 with a 2.51 GAA and near-league leading .923 save percentage. He breathed life into the Pens season and once Fleury was back they took it within two games of winning it all.

#3 - Mark Eaton (signed in summer of 2006, $1.6 million cap hit per year; signed summer 2008, $2 million cap hit)

One of Shero's first moves in becoming GM of Pittsburgh was signing over a guy he knew from Nashville. Eaton hasn't disappointed, so long as he's been healthy, being a valued part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup winning team. He ranks this high on the list for his years of service, as well as being signed to reasonable contracts twice.

#2 - Petr Sykora (signed in summer 2007; $2.625 million cap hit per year)

Sykora chipped in 53 goals in two regular seasons, including 28 PP markers, and six more in the playoffs. Who could forget the 3 OT game to force a Game Six versus Detroit in the Stanley Cup final in '08. He was signed to score goals, and that's what he did, up to the point it was obvious he didn't mesh into Dan Bylsma's aggressive, skating heavy system.

#1 - Sergei Gonchar (signed in summer 2005; $5 million cap hit per year)

Amazingly, this was considered one of the worst contracts in it's infancy, as Gonchar had a difficult time adjusting to his new team and the unorganized system employed by former coach Ed Olczyk. But once he settled in and the team grew around him, Gonchar blossomed from an offensive-defenseman into a well-rounded #1 guy and leader of a Stanley Cup winning team.

So there you have it. Mind you, these weren't nearly all the signings, and I didn't consider re-signings (like bringing back Gary Roberts or Brooks Orpik) even though that possibly could be considered in-bounds. There's more good than bad, because, well I think the Penguins have managed free agency pretty well. It's not a staple of their team building philosophy, but that's by design. For the most part, free agency was used to augment the existing roster with bits and pieces. The one year it wasn't (2005), it's probably no coincidence that 2 of the 3 most noteworthy contracts are in the "bad" column.

Bruins down Leafs 5-2

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:07:30 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Boston Bruins' David Krejci pokes the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala for a goal during the second period of their NHL hockey game in Boston, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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The Bruins were able to shutdown Phil Kessel and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice for the second time in the last 6 nights. For the second straight game against his former team, Phil Kessel was a complete non-factor. In 18:29 of ice time, Kessel recorded 2 shots on goal and 17,565 boos.

Mark Stuart's second goal of the season at 8:01 of the first period staked the Bruins to a 1-0 lead. Patrice Bergeron won the draw at the left wing circle to Marco Sturm. Sturm directed the puck back to Johnny Boychuck, who slid the puck to his defense partner Stuart out near the blue line in the (extremely) high slot. Stuart fired a slapper that beat Vesa Toskala five hole for his first goal since October 17th.

Derek Morris' power play goal with Ian White off for holding gave the B's a 2-0 lead 35 seconds into the second period. Morris' drive from the right point found it's way through several bodies in front of the net and past Toskala for the 2-goal lead.

After scoring the early goal, Mark Stuart looked like he really wanted the Gordie Howe Hat Trick tonight. He and Jamal Mayers dropped the gloves at 2:07 of the second period and were each given two minutes for roughing after a brief dust up. Not satisfied with their short scrap, both men exited the box and dropped the gloves again. This time they made it count, earning the full 5 minutes each.

David Krejci made it 3-0 with 8:50 left in the middle period when we broke in all alone on Toskala and tucked the puck in the net.

Mikhail Grabovski pulled the Leafs to within two 18 seconds into the third period when he found the puck lying in the slot and put it past Tuukka Rask for the Leafs' first goal of the night.

The Leafs struck again to make it 3-2 less than 4 minutes later when Mike Komisarek made a beautiful cross-ice pass from the right point to find Nikolai Kulemin driving to the net along the goal line on the left wing side of the ice.

Mark Recchi sealed the victory for the Bruins (and got a double fist pump from Cam Neely) on the power play with 2:37 remaining in third period. Blake Wheeler sent a pass from the right circle to Recchi at the doorstep for the 4-2 lead.

Recchi padded his stats with an empty-netter in the final minute to account for the 5-2 final score.

Final - 12.10.2009	1	2	3	Total
Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	2	2
Boston Bruins	1	2	2	5

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Notes:

- Tuukka Rask made 32 saves

- The Bruins were completely out-played for much of the third period but were able to survive, thanks in large part to Jason Blake's high-sticking penalty at 15:59 of the period.

- Matt Hunwick skated as a forward in place of Byron Bitz ("under the weather"). Hunwick skated on the left wing tonight alongside Steve Begin and Shawn Thornton on the fourth line. He finished the game a +1 with 2 shots and 2 hits in 10:34 of ice time (all even strength).

- In just 10:58 of ice time tonight, Steve Begin recorded more hits (8) than Phil Kessel did in 70 games last season (6).

- In rare occurrence this year, the Bruins lost the face-off battle tonight 27-22.

- The B's have out-scored the Leafs 12-4 in the last two games.

- The Bruins are back in game action on Saturday night when they face the Islanders in Uniondale, NY.

Savard's hat trick helps Bruins skate past Toronto 7-2 in #81's return to The Hub

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:44:37 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

19 days ago: Boston Bruins' Marc Savard, center, celebrates his hat trick in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Boston. The Bruins won 7-2. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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The Bruins were able to skate past the Toronto Maple Leafs with ease in a game that featured 9 goals and plenty of rough stuff. This game was supposed to be all about the Leafs off-season addition, but it was former Leafs property Tuukka Rask and newly-extended Bruin Marc Savard who shined the brightest tonight. Savard recorded his third career hat trick, while Rask (31 saves) continuously shutdown the Leafs all night long.

The Bruins jumped out to an early lead 5:28 into the game when Derek Morris' shot from the blue line was tipped by Patrice Bergeron and then deflected again by Marco Sturm for Sturm's 9th goal of the season.

Shawn Thornton and Colton Orr dropped the gloves immediately on the ensuing face-off. The heavyweight bout fittingly ended in a draw. The only losers in this one were the hometown fans that were exposed to Colton Orr's creepy 'stache.

The Leafs' attempt to swing the momentum with fisticuffs didn't pay off as the B's found the back just moments later at 6:01 when Marc Savard jumped on a juicy rebound just lying in the slot and put it home for the early 2-0 lead.

The rough stuff continued a few moments later when Mark Stuart and Jamal Mayers shed the mittens as they were trailing the play. Mayers landed some quick shots and took Stuart down to the ice. Stuart got back up and wanted to continue the bout, but the linesmen quickly stepped in. Somehow the combatants only received 2 minutes each for roughing.

The Bruins extended their lead to 3-0 2:09 into the second period after #81 turned the puck over in his own zone and Zdeno Chara uncorked a slapper from the blue line that deflected off the stick of Leafs defenseman Francois Beauchemin and past Joey MacDonald.

Early in the middle period, Blake Wheeler pushed Ian White from behind into the endboards. A few shifts later, Colton Orr tried to send a message to Blake Wheeler and jumped him. Orr was tagged with 2 minutes for roughing and two minutes for interference for his actions.

The B's made it 4-0 with a power play goal with 5:15 remaining in the second period. Michael Ryder had the puck in "Gretzky's office" and a fed a pass out to Marc Savard, who found the back of the net for his second of the night.

After giving up 4 goals on 23 shots in the first two periods, Joey MacDonald was lifted in favor of Vesa Toskala to start the third period.

Mark Recchi's 550th career goal made it 5-0 Bruins at 6:36 of the third period. Patrice Bergeron weaved his way through the Leafs defense and left a short pass for Recchi near the crease before Recchi directed the puck past Toskala for the milestone marker.

Johnny Boychuk's first NHL goal on a one-time slapper made it 6-0 at 12:26 of the third period.

The Bruins struck again just 19 seconds later when Marc Savard's shot from the right wing half wall found the back of the net for his 3rd career hat trick and a flurry of hats came raining down on the ice at The Garden.

Steve Begin and Jamal Mayers squared off as soon as the puck drop after Savard's goal. Mayers got in a few early scoring blows, but Begin scored the takedown.

Toronto finally got on the board with 4:14 remaining to take the shutout away from Tuukka Rask. Matt Stajan set up behind the net and sent a pass to Niklas Hagman at the right circle, who beat Rask for the first time on the night.

Andrew Ference and Lee Stempniak got into after Stempniak ran Johnny Boychuk from behind and Ference came to the aid of his teammate. Ference and Stempniak each received double minors for roughing, while Wayne Primeau received a 10 minute misconduct, presumably for being the third man in on the altercation.

The Leafs cut the lead to 7-2 with 2:02 left in the game as Mikhail Grabovski deflected a Luke Schenn shot past Rask to account for the final score.

Final - 12.5.2009	1	2	3	Total
Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	2	2
Boston Bruins	2	2	3	7

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Notes:

- #81 was booed and jeered by The Garden fans every time he touched the puck tonight.

- #81 finished the night with 16:28 of ice time and was a -3 on the night with 1 shot on goal and 2 take-aways, including one that led directly to Zdeno Chara's goal.

- Is there anyone left out there that doubts that Tuukka Rask is ready to play at the NHL level?

- Marc Savard became the first Bruin since #81 to record a hat trick.

- Zdeno Chara was +4 on the night with a goal and an assist

- 5 Bruins had multi-point games (Savard, Chara, Bergeron, Sturm and Bitz)

- Patrice Bergeron dominated in the face-off circle again tonight winning 75% of his 20 draws.

- Tuukka Rask got his 2nd assist of the season on Mark Recchi's 550th career NHL goal.

"Obviously, we didn't play well tonight. I didn't play well. I don't know what else to say... There was pressure, but that was probably the worst game I have played in a while."

- #81

"I love our fans, so give it to him more. I could care less"

- Shawn Thornton on B's fans booing #81

- In a scheduling quirk, the Bruins will meet the Maple Leafs again at TD Garden on Thursday night. The B's are off until then, but the Leafs will travel home for two games against the Thrashers and Islanders before heading back to Boston for a re-match with the B's.

3 Stars (as selected by 98.5 The Sports Hub)
1st Star: Marc Savard (Hat Trick)
2nd Star: Patrice Bergeron (2 assists, +2, 75% on face-offs)
3rd Star: Tuuka Rask (31 saves on 33 shots, assist)

Bruins breeze past Lightning 4-1

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:00:44 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

22 days ago: Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) reacts after scoring against Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Mike Smith and center Steven Stamkos (91) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Boston on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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Marco Sturm (2 goals), Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 2 assists) and Mark Recchi (3 assists) led the way offensively for the Bruins, while Tim Thomas held down the fort with 39 saves on 40 shots as the B's downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 at TD Garden.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead 8:05 into the game when Marc Savard potted his 200th career NHL goal on a backhand wrap around, which Savard admitted was actually a pass attempt that found its way into the back of the net (that's what you call "Puck Luck"). Derek Morris and Zdeno Chara picked up helpers on the power play goal.

Patrice Begeron made it 2-0 with 5:57 left in the opening period when he put home a rebound off Chara's shot from the point.

Marco Sturm made it 3-0 when he jammed home a puck that Bolts goalie Mike Smith couldn't cover up. Mark Recchi and Sturm were hacking away at the puck and it was hard to tell who got a stick on the puck, but the official scorer credited Sturm with the goal. Recchi and Begeron added assists on the goal.

Marco Sturm extended the Bruins' lead to 4-0 just 2:31 later when Patrice Bergeron carried the puck on the right wing side of the ice along the goalline and fed a beautiful centering pass to Sturm, who was going hard to the net.

The Lightning pulled to within three 1:27 into the third period on a put-back in front by Jeff Halpern.

The Bruins were able to hold the lead the rest of the way and skated away with a 4-1 win.

Final - 12.2.2009	1	2	3	Total
Tampa Bay Lightning	0	0	1	1
Boston Bruins	2	2	0	4

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Notes:

- The teams combined for 79 shots (Boston: 39 Tampa Bay: 40)

- Marco Sturm put 9 shots on goal.

- The Bruins won the battle at the face-off dot 34-24. Patrice Bergeron won 14 of 19 (74%), while Marc Savard won 12 of 15 (80%).

- Sturm, Bergeron, Recchi, Chara, and Morris were all +3 on the night.

- Vladimir Sobotka left the game with a presumed injury and only logged 7:14 of ice time.

- The B's have a big weekend ahead of them. They will travel to Montreal to play the Canadiens on Friday night in their 100th anniversary game (apparently the Quebecois calender considers January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010 to be one year). The B's will then return home to take on #81 and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

3 Stars (as picked by 98.5 The Sports Hub)
1st Star: Marco Sturm (2 goals, +3, 9 shots)
2nd Star:Patrice Bergeron (goal, 2 assists, +3)
3rd Star:Mark Recchi (3 assists, +3)

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

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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

about 1 month 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

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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)

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

Complete Coverage >

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)

Browse more photos »

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.

The Pittsburgh Penguins All-Decade team

Hooks Orpik — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:52:45 -0000

As 2009 winds down it's time to look back on the decade that was. Japers Rink had a great list of the Washington Capitals all-decade team, and Puck Daddy hoped that all the SB Nation teams would follow suit. So here's the Pittsburgh entry for the decade that was.

The Decade of the '00s saw the Pittsburgh Penguins experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. They had four 40+ loss seasons and four 40+ win seasons. They either had very bad years or very good years.

In the beginning of the decade Mario Lemieux thrillingly returned in December 2000, a brief peak before the economic climate of the "old NHL" forced Pittsburgh into the gutter. The Pens dealt away talents the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, Darius Kasparaitis and Robert Lang for pennies on the dollar of their hockey-worth and suffered with four straight non-playoff seasons. During that time, they reloaded through the draft with several high picks that would be the core of the ultimate redemption: the 2009 Stanley Cup. With a new CBA, a new arena almost open, and the two best offensive centers (and arguably players) in the game at age 23 and 22, the Penguins are poised to be competitive for the forseeable future.

It was a wild ride though, with six different head coaches (assuming Dan Bylsma is safe); starting out with the late, great Herb Brooks during the 2000 season. With 30 games to go in the calendar year, the decade record stands at 311 wins, 306 losses, 52 OT losses and 36 ties (remember them?)

After the jump, we highlight all the individual players now named to the Pittsburgh Penguins All-Decade team, which includes: 4 scoring titles in the 9 seasons played, 2 Lester B. Pearson winners, 1 Hart Trophy, 4 first-team NHL All-Stars.

Left Wing	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Mario Lemieux (2000-06)	170	77	152	229	-28	97	19	0	4	579

Returning to the sport at age 35, Lemieux was the league's leading points/game getter in 2000-01. Various injuries to hips and the ever-present bad back robbed Mario of many of his latter playing days and a revealed heart condition in 2006 put the spike in his career's coffin. Off the ice, owner Lemieux steered the Penguins through bankruptcy, danced with Pennsylvania politicians for a badly needed new arena and saved the franchise. That's worth a spot on this team any day of the decade. Hey, he owns it.

Center	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Sidney Crosby (2005-09)	301	138	270	408	+36	301	45	1	16	980

100 point scorer as an 18 year old, MVP and scoring champion at age 19. Youngest permanent captain at age 20, Stanley Cup winner at age 21. There's about literally nothing Crosby hasn't yet done in the early years of his career, which can only make one wonder what the future holds. Crosby already an industry with books, videos, museum exhibits and countless items of merchandise dedicated to him.

Right Wing	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Alexei Kovalev (2000-03)	246	115	152	267	+1	284	32	5	16	924

With spectacular skill and a couple years in his prime, Alexei Kovalev cracks the All-Decade team. He finished fourth in the league in scoring during the 2000-01 season and had a couple good years playing with Lemieux on the top line in the leaner years that followed. Unfortunately though the Pens would have to trade Kovalev (and salary dumps of Mike Wilson, Dan LaCouture and Janne Laukkanen) back to the Rangers for a not-so great return of Rico Fata, Michael Samuelsson, Joel Bouchard and the all important cash consideration.

Defense	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Sergei Gonchar (2005-09)	269	45	161	206	-1	168	32	1	8	648

Early in his Penguin career, Gonchar was seen as a UFA bust, but he transitioned his game from "offensive-defenseman" into "well-rounded-#1-defenseman" and is a linchpin of the Stanley Cup champion. A wizard on the power-play, Gonchar's among the league leading scorers from the blueline over the decade of the 2000's, and his contributions for the Pens were a large part of the reason they turned last season around and won the Stanley Cup.

Defense	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Brooks Orpik (2003-09)	387	6	50	56	-22	475	1	0	0	247

Perhaps as a mark of longevity, given Orpik was drafted into the organization in 2000, he's stuck around the longest (no one has pulled the sweater on more this decade). A guy like Michal Rozsival or Dick Tarnstrom certainly would have made this list if they stuck around longer, but they didn't. Orpik's improved every season, positionally he's solid and dishes out hits now wisely, not recklessly.

Goaltender	GP	MIN	W	L	T/OTL	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Marc-Andre Fleury (2003-09)	244	13,915	119	86	26	660	2.85	7114	6454	.907	15

Amazingly, the still precocious 24 year old goalie is already staking his claim to the franchise's goalie records: Fleury's first in team history in GAA and save percentage, 2nd in wins, shutouts and total saves (all behind Tom Barrasso) and already 3rd in total games played for a goalie. MAF was the championship piece in winning the Stanley Cup and, with six more years on his contract, figures to continue and pile up the stats in the decade to come.

And to fill-out the team, here's the rest of the lineup:

Forwards:

Lemieux - Crosby - Kovalev

If all were healthy, this line would absolutely own the puck. Kovalev's skating and shooting ability, Crosby driving the net and controlling the puck down low, and Mario doing what Mario does, making plays. An absolutely sublime and unfair grouping of talent.

Martin Straka - Evgeni Malkin - Jaromir Jagr

Not many team's "2nd line" on a decade team would feature two scoring championships, but it speaks to the level of depth of skill the Penguins have treated their fans to over the years. Though Jagr was mercurial and a handful at times away from the ice, there's no doubt about his talent or dedication he showed to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ryan Malone - Jordan Staal - Aleksey Morozov

A mix of grit and skil here, with the hometown boy Malone, the hulking power-forward in Jordan Staal and Aleksey Morozov, who's pre-lockout transformation into a solid NHL scorer has become over-looked by his return to Russia.

Jan Hrdina - Robert Lang - Mark Recchi

The smooth passing Honza Hrdina played wing-man to Jagr enough to earn a spot on this team, recording over 200 points in the 2000's for the Penguins. Robert Lang was an instrumental setup man for Kovalev and Straka in his Penguin and Mark Recchi chugged along beside Sid Crosby for a few years.

Honorable mentions: Maxime Talbot, Colby Armstrong, Petr Sykora

Defense:

Gonchar - Orpik

The #1 pairing of the Stanley Cup title winning team. It's got Gonchar's all-around ability paired with Orpik's positional play.

Dick Tarnstrom - Rob Scuderi

Tarnstrom will be the great answer to the trivia question: "who was the last Penguin not named Malkin or Crosby to lead the Penguins in scoring". Scuderi showed continual improvement year after year and became a defensive stalwart, the true picture of development and preserverance.

Ryan Whitney - Darius Kasparaitis

While much derided by some fans, Whitney put up 150 points in 253 games with the Penguins. He might not have been physical as fans like, so how about pairing him with the rambunctious Kasparaitis, at one time the most feared and devastating hitter in the game (apologies to Scott Stevens).

Honorable mention: Andrew Ference

Goaltenders:

Fleury

Endured some growing pains along with the team early in the decade, but blossomed into a Stanley Cup caliber one as we close it.

(Backup) Johan Hedberg

The "Moose" burst onto the scene and captured fans hearts back in 2001, leading the Pens to the EC Finals as a 27 year old NHL rookie. He'd stick around and get shelled for two more seasons before moving on, but his place in Pittsburgh folklore is established.

So there you have it, a roster of enormous skill. Between Jagr, Lemieux, Malkin and Crosby we capture the wonderful mix past and present super stars that any franchise would love to have one of, yet alone four in the course of this decade. To be that good and get the high picks we suffered -- who could forget the 0-17-1 stretch in 2003-04? But with the current economics of the sport, those days have past. The turbulence of the 2000's; with questions of relocation and shady suitors like "Boots" Del Biaggo and Jim Balsillie are gone, replaced by a sterling new venue and the promise of more trophies to come.

As wild as the 2000's were, all the focus can be on winning championships and keeping to core built this decade in tact for the next.