There's a lot going on in the world of sports this weekend, so I figured I'd touch on a few different things for this post.

• As far as the NFL Playoffs go, all four games this weekend were pretty entertaining. I didn't catch much of the Seahawks-Redskins game, or of the Titans-Chargers. I have to say that I was hoping the Titans would win against San Diego, for two reasons: One being that I like the underdog, and two being that LT is a huge whinebag, and seeing him and Philip "I was just cheering on my teammate" Rivers exit in the first round again would have been pretty sweet. It seems like taunting is OK, as long as its your team doing it, huh LT? Regardless of whether or not I like him, however, LT is the best running back in the game, and their matchup with the Colts next weekend should be a good one. (One of the good things about the Seahawks winning is we get to see a Matt Hasselbeck vs. Lambeau Field rematch. You gotta love Matt's enthusiasm here, but let's hope it turns out better for him this time around...)
  
• The other game that I thought was interesting was the Steelers-Jaguars game. When I originally saw the score, the Jags were way up, and I figured the game was over. Kudos to the Steelers for coming back, but I think their go ahead score was helped along by a questionable pass interference call. I can't find a video link to it, but the replay clearly showed that Ward had his hand in the Jags' player's facemask the entire time, letting go at the end to...complain to the ref. In the end, the Jags' prevailed, and have earned the right to face the Patriots next week. This should be a good game, as Garrard certainly showed some composure down the stretch, and Jones-Drew and Taylor are a formidable one-two punch. Saturday night will be fun in Foxboro.
• Boston College hosted a marquee matchup at the Heights on Saturday, and got absolutely steamrolled by the Kansas Jayhawks. It's good to see that BC continues to be completely inept when it comes to winning big games. Take THAT for not accepting me...
  
• The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to get stellar goaltending from journeyman Ty Conklin, who is now 7-0 as a starter. And I thought it was just the Bruins who made third-string goalies look spectacular...
• The Celtics got a huge win against the Pistons on Saturday night, and got a huge performance from "Big Baby", Glen Davis. Davis was all over the place down the stretch last night, going after rebounds like Cookie Monster after some snacks. Davis had a couple of And-1's and a key offensive rebound late, all amounting to a clutch fourth quarter performance. This was a big win for the C's, as they avenged their only home loss of the season and showed the Pistons that they aren't ready to just accept second place in the Eastern Conference. These two teams should engage in some more great battles down the stretch, and may be primed for an Eastern Conference Finals showdown.
• No post would be complete without some Bruins comments, as the B's have been playing a lot better since ending their losing streak last Monday. They've now one three straight, over the Thrashers, Capitals and Devils. They held on last night, and got a timely save from none other than Glen Metropolit in the closing seconds. Brian Gionta continues to try and start with Zdeno Chara, then watches as everyone on his team comes to his defense, mainly because Chara would send Gionta into next week with one punch. The B's are in what I'm going to call a "proving ground" stretch of their schedule, with games this week against the Devils, Hurricanes and Canadiens, all teams they have yet to beat this season (with the exception of beating the Devils yesterday). If the B's can emerge from this 3 game stretch at 2-1, and they're in good shape, having won the first one, I'd be thrilled.
• The Flyers propensity for throwing huge/borderline hits finally came back to hurt them, this time quite literally. To be honest, I can't throw much blame on Hatcher for the hit, but it was a questionable hit to throw in the first place. It's unfortunate that he hit his own teammate, and hopefully Lupul will be OK. I do wonder, however, if Flyers' fans are going to come out in droves again, calling this simple Old Time Hockey. Hmmmmm...
• The Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee carousel continues to turn, with essentially each calling the other a liar. I didn't see the 60 Minutes piece, but my brother who did said that it was essentially Clemens simply saying "No, I didn't do it" over and over again, without much elaboration. This article on ESPN.com tells a similar story, with one of Clemens' lawyers saying that anyone who didn't believe Clemens after seeing that interview is "not a well person". Uhhh...OK. Basically, this is amounting to a case of He said-He said. Clemens says it was lidocaine and B-12, McNamee says it was testosterone. Basically, one of these people is going to be shamed publicly and called a liar. If it's Clemens, many of his accomplishments may (whether it's the right way to view it or not) be invalidated. If it's McNamee, does this invalidate the whole Mitchell Report, to which he was a big contributer. Basically, it's the word of a 300 game winner against that of a "clubhouse mole". Hopefully, the "true truth" will come out, but it isn't going to be easy, and will probably get a lot uglier before this all ends.

That's enough for a big sports weekend, and next weekend is shaping up to be just as big. Let's hope the Patriots Pain Train keeps on rolling...

Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy New Year to all of the readers out there!





As you can see if you read this blog, I fell very far behind in these game blogs. I've realized that there are plenty of places to read a game story, and that a FoxSports blog is probably not the first place one would look. I'm still going to comment on most of the games, just in less o####ame report fashion.


Since that last post on the December 20th game against Pittsburgh, the Bruins have fallen on rough times indeed. At that point, the Bruins sat in 4th place in the Eastern Conference, and were within reasonable striking distance of the first place Ottawa Senators. However, since scraping a point out of that Penguins contest, the B's lost to the Blues at home, the Pens in Pittsburgh, the Hurricanes in Raleigh, were destroyed by the Thrashers in Atlanta, and won a good game against those same Thrashers on New Year's Eve. Also, before that OTL on the 20th, the B's had lost at home to the Senators. So what does that all mean? It means that the Bs went from fourth place in the conference to being tied for tenth before Monday afternoon's game by going 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Currently, the B's are tied for seventh in the conference with 42 points (same as the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders), and have fallen to third place in the Northeast division, 3 points behind second place Montreal and a whopping 12 behind the Senators. To make matters worse, the B's have yet to beat Montreal or Ottawa this season in six tries.

So what does this all mean? Is it all downhill from here for the Bruins, just as Kevin Paul Dupont so direly predicted?

Maybe, but Monday's win certainly was encouraging. After falling behind 2-0 early, the Bruins scored 5 straight goals to avoid another embarrassment at the hands of the Thrashers. The team showed some resiliency after falling behind early, and really dominated the second and third periods of that game. I consider tomorrow a must win against the Caps here at home, simply because the Caps are in 14th place, and this is a game the Bruins should win.

(On a historical note, Dennis Wideman scored the Bruins' franchise's 18,000th goal, the first of the game on Monday. They are the second team to reach that milestone, with Montreal being the first.)

Where do we go from here? No one can tell, really. Brandon Bochenski, the Bruins underperforming, underplayed, and somewhat grumpy sniper was shipped to the Ducks for defenseman Shane Hnidy and a 6th round draft pick in 2008 tonight.

What's the deal with this trade? Hard to say, really. The B's added another defenseman, filling a void after Aaron Ward has been hurt, as has Andrew Ference. The B's defense has been their strong point, and they faltered when their d-men got hurt as of late. Hnidy also brings a physical and intimidating presence to the ice, making the B's a bit tougher of a team overall.

(BTW, for all of you Bruins fans who remember PJ Stock, and all of you should, Hnidy went toe to toe with him twice...in the same game.)

Why did Bochenski have to go? A few different reasons, really. He wasn't fitting in here, and wasn't really playing well (when he was even playing). He didn't seem to fit in Claude Julien's system, and didn't really show many flashes of that offensive firepower he showed towards the end of last year when he came from Chicago in exchange for Kris Versteeg. To put it plainly, he wasn't doing what the B's needed from him, and Anaheim must have expressed an interest in him. Best of luck to Bochenski in Anaheim. Let's hope he's not another former Bruins who goes out West and revives his career. Who could that be?

All in all, this is really meant to be a "get caught up to now" post. Nothing too detailed, nothing too in depth. Right now, the B's find themselves in a tough spot, needing to stick it out through these difficult times, or they risk seeing their great start fall through the cracks.

In the spirit of the New Year, here are some resolutions for some Bruins players:

Chuck Kobasew: Keep up the good work! Kobasew has been the Bruins most consistent offensive player this season, and is making the Brad Stuart trade seem pretty lopsided at this point. Before Milan Lucic added a goal in the closing seconds last time out against Ottawa, Kobasew had been the only Bruin to score this year against the Sens. He has shown toughness, determination, and a great work ethic. Hopefully he can keep it up, as he seems to be on pace for a career year, which the Bruins would certainly appreciate.

Marco Sturm: Wake Up! Sturm has fallen off the map as of late, and at the worst possible time. The B's need offense desperately, and with Glen Murray out for an unknown amount of time, Sturm can't afford to get cold now.

(For evidence of how intense Sturm is, check out this picture...of a table tennis game. And no, this isn't sarcastic at all. Have a look.)

Phil Kessel: Keep on keepin' on! Kessel is a great talent, and cannot get down on himself. After a lackluster effort (in Julien's eyes) against the Penguins, Kessel suffered what may have been the first benching of his entire hockey career. He didn't take it too well, but did seem to respond the next time out. He worked hard on both ends, and scored a goal in the third period. Kessel is the future of the B's, and can't let all of the doubters who cited his bad attitude be proved correct. These past few weeks could prove to be little more than growing pains for Kessel, who should be on his way to becoming an NHL star very soon.

Tim Thomas: Calm down! Any Bruins fan who has watched this team over the past few years knows that Tim Thomas has made some highlight reel saves. However, an educated fan knows that many of these saves are necessary because Thomas finds himself horribly out of position at times. One of the reasons for his early season success was that he was a lot more sturdy in the net, and didn't find himself flopping around at all. Why is that? Some say it is his increased strength, others say yoga helped him. Either way, he has looked a little flustered out there in recent efforts, and needs to get back to keeping it simple, and stopping one shot at a time.

Peter Chiarelli- Look to the future! Chiarelli is on the hot seat, and is, in all likelihood, done if the B's don't make the playoffs this season. One of the things that bothers me about this is that he is almost like a GM with nothing to lose, willing to sell the farm to make it now. Barring a major Brad Richards/Martin St. Louis/Vincent Lecavalier/Marian Hossa level trade, this Bruins team isn't one that is going to be a Stanley Cup favorite. It is going to take another year or two, and the B's have one of the stronger farm teams in the league. Be patient (and the same goes for the Jacobs family in regards to firing Chiarelli), and the B's youngsters times will come.


That's enough Bruins writing for tonight. Let's hope the B's can get back on the winning track with their second straight tomorrow night against Alexander Ovechkin and Co.


Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to leave comments on this format change or on anything above.

AT

My original plan for this post was as follows:


This game sucked.

And I had the privilege of being there to witness it.



But, the boys did make a good comeback, and taking a point out of this game is something to be proud of. However, this team never should have let itself get in that big of a hole to begin with.

There really isn't much to write about this game, but to me this game set this team apart from last year's version, which is why I disagreed with Kevin Paul Dupont's Globe article (see Game 32's post) in the first place. This isn't last year's team, this team has some pride and has a coach who will not let his team show him up with a stinking performance.

A loss is a loss, but this team showed that it had some pride and some fight in them by stealing a point from the Penguins.

Hopefully, the B's can learn something from their performance tonight, and put together a good performance on Saturday, when I'll be there to witness the return of old friend Brad Boyes, who scored his 20th goal tonight and is on pace for 50+.

Tying this game up after being down 4-0 makes me feel good about this team, and this was one point that was certainly hard earned.

Also, credit Zdeno Chara for attempting to light a fire under his team with two "fights" against Penguins' enforcer and league-renowned tough guy, Georges Laraque. While neither of the two bouts were much in the way of fights, Chara showed that he is able to take control of his team and do something to get them going, even if it means putting one's health on the line. Kudos to Chara for trying to get his team to show some "fight".

Speaking of fights, the Crosby-Ference fight was decent. It's ridiculous that Ference got the additional two minutes for roughing, considering that Crosby was punching at him before the fight began too. Of course, Crosby is the Golden Child, and can do no wrong. Ference got cut from the visor on his own helmet, not from a Crosby punch. Both TSN and ESPN are saying he fought to "at least a draw", which I guess I could agree with. I'm glad Ference fought him, and Chara threw some hits against him. I actually like the Penguins, and like Crosby and Malkin, just not when they're playing the Bruins.

Speaking of Malkin, he really is an amazing player. He is an incredibly strong skater, and seems to have some serious chemistry with his linemate Crosby. I remember first hearing of Malkin in the Olympics a few years back, and it's been great to see him develop into such a talented player. Again, however, not against the Bruins.

Go B's Go.


GOALS

Boston- Marco Sturm (11), PJ Axelsson (5), Petteri Nokelainen (3), Dennis Wideman (4)

Pittsburgh- Evgeni Malkin (12,13), Sidney Crosby (16), Erik Christensen (4)

SAVES

Boston- Tim Thomas, 25 saves on 29 shots

Pittsburgh- Ty Conklin, 37 saves on 41 shots



NEXT GAME: Saturday, December 22 vs. St. Louis Blues, 1:00 PM EST

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Looking to avenge a Meadowlands collapse from a few games prior, the Bruins fell flat against the Devils in a snowbound TD Banknorth Garden. Conditions were so bad outside that the B's did the unthinkable: slashed ticket prices! Loge seats that are usually near $100 were cut down to $19.50, so I had to take Mr. Jacobs up on his offer. Some friends and I made up 6 of maybe about 4,500 people in attendance. Ouch.

This game started off pretty well, with the Bruins getting their legs back under them from the previous night's flight home from Atlanta. I was expecting a flat start from the team, but they seemed pretty well prepared. The highlight of the first came from Milan Lucic, who dropped the gloves against New Jersey's David Clarkson. The bout started off fairly slowly, but in the end Lucic rocked Clarkson with two wicked right hands, leaving Clarkson looking over at the referee in an attempt to stop the fight. Luckily for him, he got his wish, and Lucic came away with another resounding victory.


YouTube Link to the fight here


In the second, the defensive tone of the game continued, until Brian Gionta snuck a snap shot past Auld the Bald, who got beaten five-hole. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, as it seems like it was a shot that could have been stopped. Either way, the Devils seized on this goal to get some momentum and some power play chances. With Andrew Alberts off for a high-sticking double minor, Zdeno Chara took a "questionable" slashing call, putting the Bruins down 2 men (and 2 of their biggest defensemen, at that). In this situation, it was only a matter of time before New Jersey capitalized, and that they did on a wicked shot from Jamie Langenbrunner that The Bald had no chance on.

With Martin Brodeur in net, a two goal lead is usually enough, and that was the case in this game for the Devils. The Bruins were able to get a power play strike from Marc Savard early in the third, but didn't do much after that. They were given another power play opportunity about halfway through the period, and again didn't generate many chances. Langenbrunner sealed the deal with his empty netter, and the Bruins lost to the Devils for the second time this season.

There weren't really many positive things to take from this game. One thing I liked was the line of Schaefer-Kessel-Lucic. They were out there ####ing all night, creating chances and putting on pressure. They seem to be almost a more skilled version of an energy line, and I'd like to see them get some more playing time together in the next game.

As far as Auld the Bald goes, he had to lose one sometime. He didn't play poorly, and came up with some big saves that kept his team in it. However, when you're opposing Martin Brodeur, a questionable goal can lead to a loss, and being stuck facing a 5-3 isn't going to help. Hopefully, Auld can bounce back in his next start, whenever that may be.



GOALS

Boston- Marc Savard (8)

New Jersey- Brian Gionta (10), Jamie Langenbrunner (3,4)

SAVES

Boston- Alex Auld, 25 saves on 27 shots

New Jersey- Martin Brodeur, 19 saves on 20 shots



NEXT GAME: Saturday, December 15 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 PM EST

                                 AT





The Devils were one of hockey's hottest teams coming into this game, having won 7 straight before welcoming the Bruins to "the Rock" for the first time this season. Martin Brodeur had regained his true form, and had been playing some of his best hockey of the season. This looked like it may be a tough one for the B's to pull out, but they came out flying, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

I was feeling good about this team at this point, actually surprised at how well they were playing. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and this good thing came crashing down in a hurry. The Devils came roaring back in the second, and had the deficit cut to one at 3-2 after two periods. The Bruins spent most of that second frame desperately trying to stay afloat, very rarely (if ever) getting any legitimate pressure on Brodeur. The Devils had rush after rush up the ice, and it seemed like this one was getting away from the B's.

Sure enough, it got away, and the Devils tied it up with a little under six minutes to go in the third. So what happened? It's been said that a 2 goal lead is the hardest to defend in hockey, which must mean that a 3 goal lead is all the more difficult. Did the Bruins get complacent? Maybe, or maybe the Devils woke up. They played a pretty crappy first period, and seemed to turn it on for the rest of the game.

As if the collapse wasn't enough, the Bruins rock in net went down as well. Tim Thomas left the game with what was termed a "lower body injury" (sounds like the Patriots injury report, doesn't it?), and from what I saw on the replay it looks like a knee sprain, or possibly a hamstring or groin pull. Either way, he was out, and Tuukka Rask came on in relief. There was no way that this was going to end well, and I said to my friend who was watching the game with me that it felt like it was only a matter of time before the Devils scored again. Voila, Patrik Elias pots the winner with under two minutes left in overtime. Game over, and the B's let one get away.

This would have been a good win, a momentum win to carry home against the Canadiens. However, in true optimist fashion, the B's did get a point from a very good Devils team. It was also good to see some offense from Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman, and to see Glen Murray continue to produce. Hopefully, the B's can carry some positives from this game into tomorrow night's contest, and leave the collapse behind.

GOALS

Boston- Zdeno Chara (4), Glen Murray (9), Dennis Wideman (2)

New Jersey- Patrik Elias (5,6), Zach Parise (13,14)

SAVES

Boston- Tim Thomas, 28 saves on 31 shots; Tuukka Rask, 2 saves on 3 shots

New Jersey- Martin Brodeur, 23 saves on 26 shots



NEXT GAME: Thursday, December 6 vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7 PM EST

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The B's headed out to Long Island for another match-up with Ted Nolan's bunch, and got out of there with their first win on the island in over 5 years. It was good to see Milan Lucic get back on the ice and play decently well, though he didn't get on the scoresheet at all. Petteri Nokelainen was flying around the ice for the entire game, and has looked really good in his last couple of games. He scored on a bad play by the Isles' d-man, but he still had to put it past DiPietro.

Glen Murray continued his hot streak with the first goal on the power play, and Chuck Kobasew added his team leading 11th goal. Tim Thomas played another good game, and was only 2 minutes away from a shutout when he gave up a goal on the penalty kill. The B's still need to work hard at their penalty kill, which has been an Achilles' heel all season. They killed four out of five, however, so hopefully improvement is on the way.

Overall, this team is playing well, and may be playing its best hockey of the year so far. Marc Savard has a 10 game point streak, and the offense shows signs of coming to life. Thomas continues to play well in net, and Rask has shown that he can shoulder some of the load as well, and will likely start one of the next three games. The game tomorrow against New Jersey should be interesting, as Jersey is always a tough place to play. If the B's don't beat Montreal on Thursday, I'm going to go nuts. But, they are playing good hockey, and are 4 points behind Ottawa for first in the Northeast.

The chase is on.


GOALS

Boston- Glen Murray (8), Petteri Nokelainen (1), Chuck Kobasew (11)

New York- Chris Campoli (3)

SAVES

Boston- Tim Thomas, 33 saves on 34 shots

New York- Rick DiPietro, 19 saves on 22 shots



NEXT GAME: Wednesday, December 5 @ New Jersey Devils, 7:00 PM EST

If you read my game story below, you may have noticed that I left out the Andrew Alberts incident. This was done intentionally, as I think it deserves its own post. The Flyers need to be disciplined. They aren't playing gritty hockey, they are playing dangerous and stupid hockey. One bad his is an incident. Two can be a coincidence. Three? Four? All in the same season? Something's wrong. The Flyers slogan this year is "Back with a Vengeance". Back to what? These aren't the Broad Street Bullies, intimidating teams with clean hits and hockey fights. These are the Broad Street Felons, laying people out with dirty hit after dirty hit, seemingly without any fear of retribution. People say that it's not the coach's fault, not the GM's fault, it's all on the players. ####. You mean to tell me the coach has no impact on his team's style of play? Bruins fans know to the contrary all too well, as we suffered through the Dave Lewis Era getting pushed around game after game because we had a coach who discouraged physical play. Maybe it is on the players, who knows. But if you fine the coach, you better believe that he's going to get the message across to his players.

I'm all for physical play and fighting in hockey. I think the sport needs hitting to bring back old fans jaded by years of clutch and grab play and by the Lockout. But there's a fine line between Old Time Hockey and straight goonery.

This one can be argued as a hit, but Downie shouldn't have left his feet. There's some argument there.

But what about this?

Or this one?

And now this?

For those Philly fans who will undoubtedly have a beef with this, I'll admit that the Jones hit was a collision of bad circumstances, and wasn't a case of bad intent. Downie, however, could have hit McAmmond pretty well without leaving his feet. Boulerice's is completely ridiculous, and I'd love to see anyone try to logically defensible. So is tonight'####. I'd love to hear the Philly fans blame this one on Alberts. He was on his knees to block a dump in attempt, and cleared the puck. Hartnell blatantly cheapshotted him, crushing Alberts head off of the dasher with his hip. What was the point? Alberts didn't have the puck anymore, and Hartnell made ZERO attempt to let up. He's going to get suspended, and may finally get Philly the punishment they deserve.

I'm all for Old Time Hockey, but as Butch Stearns just said on Fox25, "Hockey's a rough sport, but there's no room for cheap shots."

GO B'S

                              AT





So it was finally here. The long-awaited rematch. The "Win One for Patrice" game. The Bruins and the Flyers, renewing hostilities after the Flyers derailed not only the Bruins season but a young kid's life last time these two teams met. Fans had been anticipating roughhousing, fighting, hitting and all around old time hockey. However, as some may have predicted, the game wasn't as wild as some had hoped. The only fight of the game didn't involve Randy Jones, but Jeremy Reich and Ben Eager. I am a little disappointed that Jones didn't really face any music for what he did to Bergeron, accident or not. However, shutting up 20,000 Philadelphians is sweet enough music for any Bruins fan.

I didn't see the first half of the game, due to a night class, but I saw from about the middle of the second period on. The Bruins played well, and outplayed Philly for most of the night. One of my favorite moments of the game came in the third period, when the Bruins killed any momentum the Flyers had by holding the puck in the Philly end for about 2 minutes, putting constant pressure on Antero Nittymaki. The pressure culminated in a slashing penalty to my least favorite player of all time, Daniel Briere. The B's didn't score, but did squash any attempts at Philly comeback. I was also pleased to see the B's respond quickly to Philly's 2nd goal, scoring a little over a minute later.

Overall, this was a great game for the Bruins. The Flyers are a very good team, and the Bruins beat them in their own building, in front of a sold out crowd. The B's didn't let their emotions from the first game of the season series get the better of them, and managed to play their game and take the Flyers down. Tuukka Rask played a decent game, but wasn't really anything special. He wasn't challenged much, but made the saves when he needed to. The 3rd goal, to Upshall, was pretty soft, and Rask probably should have had it. Overall, however, he looked composed again, a good sign for the Bruins. They'll need him in the upcoming weeks, as they have a pretty full slate coming up.

It's also good to see Glen Murray continue to play well. He had two more goals, raising his season total to 6. Marc Savard had another stellar offensive night with a goal and two assists, and Brandon Bochenski played well again, getting on the scoresheet with an assist on the fifth Boston goal.

Again, overall, this was a great win. The B's travel next to face an extremely inconsistent Florida Panthers team, so let's hope the B's can get another win and get on a bit of a roll here on this road trip.

GOALS

Boston- Glen Murray (5,6), Marc Savard (5), Glen Metropolit (5), Peter Schaefer (4), Chuck Kobasew (10)

Philadelphia- Mike Knuble (7), Mike Richards (14), Scottie Upshall (5)

SAVES

Boston- Tuukka Rask, 20 saves on 23 shots

Philadelphia- Martin Biron, 11 saves on 14 shots::Antero Nittymaki, 15 saves on 17 shots


NEXT GAME: Thursday, November 29 @ Florida Panthers, 7:30 PM EST

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The Bruins came out pretty flat in the second game of this home and home series, and honestly deserved this loss. They were winning most of the game, but were unable to hold off the Isles offensive attack, and were unable to do much down in Rick DiPietro's end. This was a very frustrating game to watch as a Bruins fan, because they couldn't get anything going, and it almost felt like it was only a matter of time before the B's lost the lead.

As far as bright spots, there weren't many. It was good to see PJ Axelsson get on the board again, on a great pass from Marc Savard. Tim Thomas played another pretty good game, but the Andy Hilbert goal was pretty soft. He should have had that one. Other than that, this game sucked for the Bruins. Claude Julien said the B's were "outworked", and that's kind of an understatement. The players are in for one hell of a practice after this one.

GOALS

Boston- PJ Axelsson (2)

New York- Andy Hilbert (1), Richard Park (2)

SAVES

Boston- Tim Thomas, 27 saves on 29 shots

New York- Rick DiPietro, 20 saves on 21 shots


NEXT GAME: Monday, November 26, @ Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 PM EST

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With a noon start on the day after Thanksgiving, one had to expect this one to be a little slow in the early going. That's exactly what happened, but both teams began to pick up their play as the game went on, and the Bruins, overall, played a pretty good game, powered by some offense from "the Glens". In some ways, it almost seemed like they stole a win in this game, as the Islanders hit the post with the net wide open at least twice, and Glen Metropolit's goal, which proved to be the game winner, was a shot that Rick DiPietro will stop most of the time. But hey, a win is a win, and it just so happened to be the B's first over the Islanders in regulation since before the Lockout.

Overall, Tim Thomas played well again. The goal that Mike Sillinger scored on him was perfect, there isn't a goalie in the league who would have stopped it. Other than that, he was consistent, making big saves when necessary. He did, however, give up a few pretty bad rebounds that led to wide open nets for Islander forwards. Thankfully for the Bruins, the Isles failed to capitalize on these mistakes, and Thomas emerged with another victory.

Milan Lucic got rocked early on by Bryan Berard on a hit that was clean but somewhat questionable. There was nothing dirty about the intent, just that the follow through was a little high. Lucic played another shift after the hit, and actually created a pretty good scoring chance, but never returned and isn't playing tomorrow. To take his place, the B's called up Vladimir Sobotka from Providence, who will make his NHL debut tonight.

It's also a good sign to see Glen Murray continue to find the net, as he now has 6 points in his last 4 games. The B's have won 3 of those 4, and need Murray to stay hot, especially in the absence of Patrice Bergeron.

With these two teams meeting again in about an hour, it'll be interesting to see if there is any carryover from yesterday afternoon. The game got chippy at times, but players seemed to hold back due to the tightness of the game. I don't know of any outstanding animosity between the teams, but playing 2 games in two nights can probably create some pretty quick. Hopefully, the B's can get a win tonight, and go into Philly on a roll on Monday.

GOALS

Boston- Glen Murray (4), Glen Metropolit (4)

New York- Mike Sillinger (3)

SAVES

Boston- Tim Thomas,  25 saves on 26 shots

New York- Rick DiPietro,  23 saves on 25 shots



NEXT GAME: Saturday, November 24 @ NY Islanders, 7:00 PM EST

 

 

 

            VS

 

 

 

 *****For anyone who hasn't seen the hit yet, you can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xAEetam6HQ

 

I didn't see this game at all, and am almost glad I didn't. I got calls and text messages telling me that the Bruins best young player, and my personal favorite player, was taken off of the ice on a stretcher, and may have had a broken neck or worse. In Washington DC, I couldn't get any updates on Patrice Bergeron's condition, as ESPNNews wasn't reporting much, just that he was taken from the ice on a stretcher. Thankfully, Bergeron suffered only a concussion and a broken nose. Yes, that's how severe this hit was, only a broken nose and only a Grade 3 concussion. I finally saw the highlights, and it was hard to watch. Bergeron was prone when Randy Jones hit him, and his head went directly into the dasher on the boards. Bergeron crumpled to the ice, and wasn't moving much. He did twitch a few times, which I suppose could have been taken for good news, meaning he may not have been paralyzed. It still makes me sick to my stomach to see those pictures of Bergeron lying on the ice not moving, or being strapped onto a backboard and taken off of the ice on a stretcher. It doesn't matter what player for what team, a hockey fan or human being in general never wants to see an injury like that.

My friend told me on the phone that Bergeron was "hurt bad", and seemed to be fearing the worst, as was my brother. It turns out that Bergeron emerged in the best possible condition, having had no neck injuries or brain damage. Hopefully, he'll be back on the ice soon, though it remains to see how this injury will affect his play. It'll be hard to blame Patrice if he's somewhat skittish about going into corners after loose pucks now. Also, concussions aren't an easy thing to come back from for a hockey player, due to all of the bumping and jostling that occurs during a normal hockey game. Keith Primeau, Eric Lindros and Peter Forsberg are all proof of this, and that's just in recent years. Right now, the Bruins need to play their game on their own, but thoughts of their teammate certainly won't be far from their minds.

As far as the hit itself, my first thought upon seeing the highlights was that it was a dirty hit, and Randy Jones should be suspended for 20+ games. However, after seeing it a few more times, it seems like it was just a collision of bad, bad circumstances. Bergeron was in a horribly vulnerable position when he went into the corner by no fault of his own. Jones shouldn't have hit Bergeron from behind. That's an unwritten (and perhaps even written) rule in the NHL, that if you can see the numbers, it's time to pull up and put on the breaks. Jones' hit wasn't malicious, it wasn't meant to injure, it was just ill-advised.

Should he have stopped? Yes, but it's hard to not make a check when your job is to get the puck.

Was it a dirty hit? Yes it was, but I don't believe Jones had dirty intentions when he made the play?

Should he have been suspended? Honestly, I went back and forth on this one. Yes, it was a bad hit, and he deserves to be punished. However, similar hits have occurred in the NHL and no suspensions were dished out. I think it may have simply been the terrifying way Bergeron fell and was carted off the ice that cemented the suspension. Anytime a player is hurt like that, a suspension is going to be given out. I really think the best punishment for Jones would have been to have his game misconduct taken away, and to have had to go back out on the ice after that hit. Trust me, he would have had his hit settled the "old time hockey" way, and that would have been the end of it. At this point, there is going to be more bad blood next time these two teams play, and one can only hope no one else gets hurt.

On YouTube, there are other videos, including one from the Flyers broadcast of the game. Don't watch that one, unless you want commentary from complete idiots. One of them actually suggests that Bergeron put himself in a vulnerable position on purpose, and that they do it all of the time. Another suggested that the hit didn't even look like it deserved a penalty, that it wasn't boring. Please. Watch the video, it was a hit from behind, and shut up. I can't stand when announcers can't find fault with their own team.  

As you may have guessed, I didn't really care who won or lost this game, and still don't. What matters from this game is that Patrice Bergeron was seriously injured. It doesn't even matter that the Bruins will be without one of their best players for at least a month, because a 23 year old man was almost paralyzed or worse. Hopefully the B's can bounce back and win some for their teammate, as their upcoming schedule is a tough one.

GOALS:

Boston- Marco Sturm (4)

Philadelphia- Mike Richards (6), Joffrey Lupul (4)

SAVES:

Boston- Tim Thomas, 26 saves on 28 shots

Philadelphia- Martin Biron, 38 saves on 39 shots

 

NEXT GAME: Thursday, November 1 vs. Buffalo Sabres @ 7:00 PM EST

 

 

 

 

                               AT
 

 

 
Due to the time change, I actually didn't get to see any of this game. So, as you may guess, I don't really have much to analyze. I saw the highlights however, and it appears that Manny Fernandez played a pretty solid game. He had a few highlight reel saves, and played pretty good hockey overall. The team defense seemed decent from the highlights and the game stories, but the offense seemed somewhat sluggish again. 19 shots on goal against Henrik Lundqvist isn't usually going to get the job done.

But, again distancing themselves from the Bruins of last year, this is a team that seems to be willing to find a way to win, and tonight, it was Phil Kessel came through in the shootout (again).

He beat Lundiqvist on a wrist shot to win the game, and get Manny Fernandez his first shutout as a Bruin. It also ended an eight game losing streak against the Rangers, perhaps easing some of the sting of the horrible defeats the B's received last season, both at home and at MSG.

There's not much else I can say here, considering I didn't see the game. It'll be interesting to see if Claude Julien plays Fernandez for the second straight game in Montreal on Monday, or if he puts Thomas in. I'd stick with Manny, in hopes to get him on track, but we'll have to wait and see.

GOALS

Boston- Phil Kessel (SO goals don't count to season totals)

New York- None

SAVES

B
oston- Manny Fernandez, 26 saves on 26 shots

New York- Henrik Lundqvist, 19 saves on 19 shots (neither total includes the shootout)

NEXT GAME: Monday, October 22 @ Montreal, 7:30 PM EST

 [NOTE: Some of the pictures in this post are getting deleted. I'm not sure why, possibly because I didn't have permission to use them? They were found at the site at the end of the post, if anyone wants to go have a look.]


 

There has been a bit of a delay since the first part of this post, but I've decided it's time to finish it up. There wasn't much left that I needed to say, but first I'll touch on the new uniforms and logos for the Bruins and some other teams around the NHL.

Here is the Bruins' new main logo, along with the logo that it appears to be based on:

Bruins logo (2007)

Bruins logo (1935)

The Bruins appear to have gone a little old school for their new logo, incorporating the blacker "B" from the 30's while adding the famed spokes. I have to say this logo is pretty nice in my opinion. It makes a change, but a slight one, and keeps the recognizable logo of an Original Six franchise pretty close to what it used to be. I was fairly skeptical about these "uniform modifications", but the Bruins got this one right.

However, my favorite part of the new jerseys has to be the new shoulder crest. Again, the B's went with a blast from the past, adding an edge to a logo from the very beginnings of the team. Again, the newer logo is on the top, with what I believe it must have been based on beneath it:

New shoulder crest (2007)

Bruins logo (1927)

I like the dark touch that was added to the 1920's bear. The bear on the bottom looks a little too happy to intimidate a hockey player, much like the ridiculed "Pooh Bear" alternates of the past years, which looked sedated and almost sleepy (for the record, I actually like those jerseys...I've never really understood why people were so upset by them).

To put it all together, here's what the final jerseys look like, first home then away, both taken directly from the NHL.com Shop's website:

2007-2008 Boston Bruins Home Jersey

2007-2008 Boston Bruins Road Jersey

Again, overall I have to say that I'm really happy with this new look. The logo and jersey have been changed enough that it's noticeably different, but remain true enough to the B's roots
that even older fans shouldn't be turned off by them. Kudos to whoever came up with this newer, edgier look.

Next, I'm going to write about and comment on a few of the many Bruins and NHL news items and trade/free agency rumors below, as well as anything else that may come to mind.

-Much of the rest of the buzz around the Bruins at the draft was the trade that was supposedly close to being finalized between Boston and the Minnesota Wild. There were many variations of the deal, but the main piece for the Bruins was G Manny Fernandez (below right) donning the black and gold. One of the more credible rumors had it being RW Glen Murray for Fernandez straight up, but there were others, including one's way out of left field that included Patrice Bergeron and Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Derek Boogaard, but these weren't taken seriously. Personally, I had little interest in this trade. I don't think Manny Fernandez would be much of an upgrade over Thomas, and I think that Thomas would be as good as Fernandez if he had a sturdier defense in front of him. Plus, the numbers don't add up for the Bruins. This team was starved for offense last year, so why trade a 30+ goal scorer in Murray? The only reason the B's would want to move Muzz is to dump salary, to free up cap space and go free agent shopping on July 1st. Fernandez has 2 years left on his contract, at $4.5 million this coming year and $4.75 million in 2008-2009. Murray's contract is also for the next 2 years, but at a hit of "only" $4.15 million in each year. Why make a trade that will only decrease cap space, and really won't improve the goaltending situation all that much? Of course, one of either Toivonen or Thomas would probably be dealt if Fernandez is acquired, which would even out the numbers a little more, but I say don't bother. If Murray's going to go (which I hope he doesn't), he should go for a cheaper player, a prospect or even a draft pick. This would clear space for the B's to go into July 1st as "serious shoppers".

-File in the "Taking Joy Out of Opponent's Misfortunes" Department: A report on TSN.ca (link: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=212234&hubna
me=) paints a picture of bad news for Buffalo, which, of course, is good news for the Bruins. Two of the Sabres' best players, the shifty, skilled Daniel Briere (one of my least favorite players in the NHL, for many reasons), and the heart and soul of the Sabres, captain Chris Drury. Even though I dislike Briere, he is a good player and will command a lot of money in the open market, as will the clutch goal scorer and leader Drury. Apparently, both received offers from the Sabres for multi-year deals (Briere's, I read, was 5 years, $25 million), and both have opted to test the waters come Sunday. If the Sabres lose both of these players, they will have a very hard time making it back to the Eastern Conference finals. It is nearly impossible to re-sign both of these players, as the combination of their skill level (and thus their large contracts) and the salary cap will almost certainly prove too difficult to maneuver around. I feel as though one of them will re-sign, and my gut tells me if anyone does, it'd be Drury. I'd love to see him come to the Bruins, but I feel like there is a pretty good chance he returns to the Sabres. Comments from any Buffalo fans are welcome, as well as any news he or she may have heard, being closer to the team up north.

-A great article about one of the newer Bruins, defenseman Andrew Ference. He does a lot of charity work the Right to Play charity, a group made up of pro athletes that exports sporting equipment and knowledge to poorer nations around the world (the picture to the left is o####roup of kids in Tanzania during a Right to Play event), while teaching them the importance of such things as teamwork, leadership, confidence and hard work among other things. It's a great charity, and NHL.com had a piece on it on their site. Here's a link to it if anyone wants to check it out:

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=News
Page&articleid=326799

I've heard that Ference is a great guy, both on and off the ice. A friend who waited after a B's home game this year to get autographs said that Ference came out of the players parking lot riding a bicycle (yes, that kind of "bike", not a motorcycle), and stopped and signed autographs for just about every fan who was there waiting. Ference is a stand up guy and a class act, and it is a treat to have him in the Bruins organization.

-In league-wide news, the NHL announced the long suspected increase of the salary cap today. This past season, the cap was at $44 million, and there had long been speculation that the cap would go up. Today it did, all the way up to $50.3 million, as announced by the NHLPA. The minimum team salary, which I honestly never knew existed, is reported to be at $34 million. This should have a lot of different effects on the league as a whole. It should start effecting things on Sunday, as a player who was seeking a $6 million deal at a $44 million cap will probably be looking at around $8 million or so at a $50.3 million cap. Also, it should give the Bruins a little bit of wiggle room and ability to sign at least one or two mid- to low-level free agents after July 1st. The Bruins' current cap hit is approximately $40 million for next season. This may change as some RFA's are signed or as bonuses or incentives are reached, but this basically means that they should have at least $9 million to work with. I don't expect the Bruins to make nearly as big of a free agent splash as they did last season, signing both Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard, but they will have at least a little cash to deal with to try to plug some of their roster holes, so...let the shopping begin!

-There were some rumbling on HFBoards.com that the Bruins' play-by-play man for all home games, Dale Arnold, who also co-hosts a radio show with Michael Holley every weekday on WEEI, may not be coming back to the broadcast booth this coming season. Nothing official has been announced, and as far as I know Dale has yet to comment on it. In my opinion, this would be a big loss. Personally, I like Dale's play-by-play, and think that he and color man Andy Brickley make a great commentary team. At times, Dale is a bit of a "homer", as he can favor the Bruins. However, if he is working for the Bruins' network on a telecast in the Boston area, why does he have to be impartial? This may just be my opinion, but I like to hear him call penalties "questionable", and other things of that nature. Also, he isn't a complete Bruins "homer", as he will also call out the refs if he thinks a call in the Bruins' favor was incorrect, and will frequently criticize the B's in the rare occasion that they get airtime on loud-talk, "football is God" radio, WEEI. Also, as my boss pointed out earlier, the way Dale gets depressed during bad games is something I can always count on if the game is getting out of hand. I'm sure any Bruins fan reading this who watches games on NESN knows exactly what I'm talking about, as it goes something to the effect of "pass back to Gonchar, shot............score", with the score being in a voice that would be best used to tell someone his wife is cheating on him or he's being fired from his job effective immediately. I like Dale a lot, and hope this is nothing more than rumor and speculation.

That's all for tonight, I'll probably be writing again soon, either on the NHL's free agency period, the Celtics draft/trade, or the Red Sox, and hopefully all 3 before the 4th of July.

Please feel free to leave comments, especially any free agency or trade rumors from other NHL markets that may not be making news here in Boston. As always, thanks for stopping by.

**The logos I used here were found at www.sportslogos.net, and I found most of the salary info at a great site, www.nhlnumbers.com. I have to give credit where credit is due, and these two sites, along with Google image search, contributed a lot to this post.**