Bruins Re-sign Hunwick

Avoiding an arbitration hearing set for this Friday, the Bruins agreed to terms with RFA defenseman Matt Hunwick, signing the young blueliner to a two-year, $2.9 million deal. The annual cap hit will be $1.45 million.

Image property of Flickr user Dan4th

Hunwick recorded 27 points last year (6 goals, 21 assists) in 53 games. He finished the season tied with Los Angeles' Drew Doughty for most points by a rookie defenseman.

Hunwick's stock with the team rose drastically over the course of the season, as he showed off his puck-moving ability, offensive instincts and willingness to jump into the rush. His offensive prowess was made even more apparent when, for a couple of games, he played as a forward.

Hunwick's season was derailed in game one of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Montreal, when he took a hit that ruptured his spleen. After surgery, Hunwick missed the remainder of the playoffs, but is expected to be ready for training camp and the start of the regular season.

With Hunwick back in the fold and Byron Bitz re-signed weeks ago, Phil Kessel is the team's lone remaining RFA.

According to the Boston Globe, the Bruins currently have $2,862,500 in free space remaining under the cap. If Kessel is to return, he will have to take a pay cut, or other moves will have to be made.

Bruins Release 2009-2010 Schedule

On the same day they announced their participation in the 2010 Winter Classic, the B's released their full 2009-2010 slate.

In a bit of a change from the norm, the B's open the season at home on October 1 against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The opener kicks off a season-long five-game homestand, strange because the B's usually start the season on the road due to the circus being in town in Boston. Last year, the first home game wasn't until October 20th, and the year before until October 18th.

The first Bruins-Canadiens game of the regular season will be at the TD Garden on November 5th. There are rumors circulating that the B's-Habs game in Montreal on December 5th will be the "official" end to the Habs Centennial season. The question here is, why are they still celebrating what was one of the more embarrassing seasons in recent memory?

The B's will play host to the Carolina Hurricanes in the season's second game on October 3rd. Fans should rest their voices, and be prepared to boo Scott Walker as lustily and loudly as possible.

Other highlights:

• The Bruins visit the Detroit Red Wings on November 3rd. Other Western Conference games of note include at the Wild (Nov. 25th), a home and home with the Blackhawks (Dec. 18th in Chicago and Jan. 7th at home), vs. the Blue Jackets on Jan. 21, vs. the Canucks (Feb. 6th), vs. the Flames (Mar. 27th) and at San Jose (Jan. 14th).
• The B's play the Penguins four times: in Pittsburgh on November 14th and March 7th and at home on November 10th and March 18th.
• As per the NHL's new "balanced" schedule, the B's play division opponents (Montreal, Buffalo, Toronto and Ottawa) six times each.

The full schedule can be found at BostonBruins.com.

"Major Announcement" Coming Wednesday

In an email, the Boston Bruins stated that the NHL would be making "a major announcement" on Wednesday, one that "will be great news for Bruins fans everywhere".

Hm. I wonder what it could be?

______________________

From the email:

WHAT: The National Hockey League will make a major announcement concerning a special event.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 15 @ 2:00 PM ET

WHERE: Watch it stream live on Wednesday by visiting BOSTONBRUINS.COM ...


A "special event"? A "major announcement"? Could it be...is the NHL FINALLY going to announce that it plans to hold the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park? The Red Sox will still be on MLB's All-Star Break, so chances are the press conference will be held at Fenway. We should finally learn who the opponent will be (odds-on favorites: the Philadelphia Flyers), and other particulars, such as field layout and other events may be announced as well.

In any case, it will be good to finally have all of this confirmed. Speculation has been swirling for months, with no one from the Bruins, Red Sox or anyone else willing to confirm or deny the reports. Stay tuned for more info, but in all likelihood we'll be reading about ice on the Fenway diamond come next week.

Chiarelli: Kessel Will Be Back

In news that is a bit surprising, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told NESN's Kathryn Tappen that sniper Phil Kessel will be back with the team next year. The interview occurred on NESN's SportsDesk, and, according to the clip that was released on NESN.com, Kessel will return. Below is a transcript of the video clip:

CHIARELLI: “Yes, yes he will [be back]. I don’t like to talk about negotiations, but he’s a player of impact. [He has] the speed, and he’s still a young player. I can’t dismiss me talking about players to trade because that’s my job. It’s unfortunate that [trade rumors] leak out but Phil’s a good person — a very good person and a very good player — and we fully intend to keep him.”

I suppose the one "caveat" here is that Chiarelli says, "we fully intend to keep him", which to me means, "we really want to have him back". However, "wanting" is different than "doing", so it remains to be seem what actually happens.

Should the rumors of Kessel being traded to Toronto, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, FC Barcelona or the Israeli National Basketball team be put to rest? Well, not exactly. If one takes a look back at one of Chiarelli's other promises of safety and returns, that one didn't exact turn out as he had stated. Remember Dave Lewis?

Lewis was told he was "safe" on March 31, 2007. He was fired on June 15 of the same year.

Also, while stating that Kessel will be back quiets rumors of his departure, the idea of Kessel returning means someone else must go. Who? Probably one of either Matt Hunwick, Marco Sturm, Chuck Kobasew, Patrice Bergeron, Marc Savard or Michael Ryder. With the exception of Hunwick, all of those players have contracts in the multi-million dollar level, salary that will have to be cleared if Kessel, expected to net $3-4.5 million a year in a new deal, is to don the Black and Gold again next season.

Kessel is "safe" and his rumors end, but start up a whole other round of rumors involving other B's fan favorites, particularly Patrice Bergeron. So where will it all end? Unknown for now, but it's safe to say that Chiarelli isn't done making moves yet.

Photo credit: BostonHerald.com

(In case you missed the above link, the Chiarelli clip and NESN article can be found here.)

Recchi Returns

In what looked like it may be a long-shot at season's end, veteran winger Mark Recchi has signed a one-year deal to return to the B's next year. Because of the tight salary cap situation, it seemed like Recchi wouldn't be donning the Black and Gold in 2009-2010, despite his wishes to do so. However, he is a veteran asset to this somewhat young team, and is a huge boon to the power play.

The deal, according to TSN, includes some bonus clauses. I'm assuming, and this is just pure speculation, that the clauses include bonuses for things like games played, goals and total points.

Anyways, it never hurts to have a guy like Recchi on this team, especially one who has a Cup win under his belt, and who exhibited some unreal toughness last postseason.

A good move by Chiarelli for sure, but I'm still waiting for news on Hunwick and Kessel, whose presence/absence will have a far greater impact on this team.

"Hab" Gill

Sources are reporting that the Canadiens have signed former Bruin and, most recently, former Penguin defenseman Hal Gill to a two-year contract.

There is a large contingent of Bruins fans with a large amount of distaste for the big defenseman, mainly because he never used his size to his advantage whilst wearing the spoked-B. Now that he's a Hab? The booing will be louder than ever.

This does, however, mark the second defenseman of the day signed by Montreal, as they also snatched up former Sabre Jaroslav Spacek.

Needless to say, Hal Gill will probably never be welcome in Boston again.

Free Agent Frenzy Begins

Today is July 1st, AKA shopping day for every NHL club with cash to spare. There have already been a number of signings and trades, but I'm only going to comment on the biggest or the Bruins-related ones.

• Marian Hossa signs with Chicago: The Slovakian winger signed a 12-year, $62.8 million contract with the 'Hawks. The contract is front-loaded, meaning the cap hit will be lower because it is calculated using the average salary. Great signing by the 'Hawks, as it gives them another scoring threat to go along with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but they're probably going to have to move some money around now to stay under the salary cap. This is, however, an interesting choice by Hossa. First, he leaves Pittsburgh to sign with Detroit, alienating Pens fans. Now, he leaves Detroit to sign with Chicago, one of the Wings' division rivals. Needless to say, there probably won't be much love for the Hoss when he takes the ice at Joe Louis Arena with the indian head on his sweater later this year. Another interesting note is that apparently Hossa's agent was talking to the Bruins earlier in the day, but nothing ever materialized.
• Scott Gomez is traded to the Canadiens: Not sure why the Habs would do this, as it seemed to be a salary dump by the Rangers. Gomez had underachieved horribly in big-market New York City, so what makes the Habs think he'll do any better in the Bell Centre pressure cooker? Also, Montreal had to give up Chris Higgins, one of their better forwards, to get the Alaskan Gomez. Questionable trade by Bob Gainey, but could prove to be a good one if Gomez regains his New Jersey-era form.
• Steve Montador signs with Buffalo: Not much interesting about this, other than the fact that Montador was with the Bruins this past year. Some were underwhelmed with his performance with the B's, and it didn't seem like re-signing him was in the cards.
• Henrik and Daniel Sedin re-sign with Vancouver: The Swedish twins decided that Vancouver would remain their home, as they signed identical five-year, $30.5 million contracts. This affects the Bruins because Montreal was said to be heavily involved in the pursuit of the forwards, so anything keeping the talented brothers out of the B's division can be viewed as a positive.

There have been plenty of other signings as well, including Dwayne Roloson to the Islanders, Nikolai Khabibulin to the Oilers and Mike Knuble to the Capitals, but the ones above are, in my opinion, the biggest or most Bruins-related.

There is some other Bruins news as well, some of it relatively unimportant, some of it reassuring, and some of it potentially damaging.

• The "Meh": The B's bought out oft-maligned winger Peter Schaefer today, freeing him to go play elsewhere. I was originally a Schaefer supporter, but after he seemingly shut it down in Providence when he could have shown the Bruins brass he still had something left in the tank, it was time for him to go. He may catch on somewhere with a team looking for a cheap veteran forward, but his time in Boston is certainly up.
• The Good: Apparently the Kessel-for-Kaberle deal between the Bruins and Maple Leafs is dead and talks haven't resumed, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. I still feel the Bruins would be remiss to deal Kessel, who seems to be on the verge of becoming a bona-fide scoring machine. The B's management team is apparently less enamored of the youngster, but I think they could get more for him than Kaberle. That's no knock on the talented defenseman, but I think Kaberle and the number-seven pick would have been more fair than Kaberle for Kessel straight up. Regardless, it doesn't seem like there has been much movement on re-signing Kessel. The hope here is that something materializes within the next couple of days.
• The Bad: WEEI.com's Joe Haggerty reported on his blog that multiple teams have contacted Matt Hunwick's agent about the possibility of signing the mobile defenseman to an offer sheet. Hunwick became a restricted free agent as of July 1, and any team can tender him an offer. The Bruins will have the right to match an offer, but if they choose not to, they will receive draft picks as compensation. Many thought that Hunwick, had he not been injured in the Montreal series, could have been what the Bruins needed to push them past Carolina. The youngster is a mobile defenseman who has no reservations about jumping up into the offensive rush, something that the Bruins need and something that is a rarity in the league these days. Losing Hunwick would be a big blow, and letting another team sign him to an offer sheet could drastically increase what the B's were prepared to offer him. More money for Hunwick would mean less money for fellow RFA's Byron Bitz and Kessel, and even less money for another UFA, should the B's choose to pursue one. Chiarelli seems to be fine with just waiting and seeing what happens, but it's a risky strategy.

I'll post more if there's any breaking news, but those are the big stories of the day so far. Stay tuned.

Breaking News: The Bruins Had a Good Year

In case you didn't notice, I didn't write a post on Game 7/the end of the B's season. No, it wasn't because I was too sad to do so. Instead, I wrote a 1,000 word piece for the newspaper at school, and will link to it when the new website is up.

The latest Bruins news since the season ended has been about a variety of subjects: injuries, contract extensions, contract negotiations, Winter Classics and, last but not least, postseason awards.

After finishing the regular season at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 53-19-10 (116 points) record, it was clear that the Bruins had a regular season to remember. Just how good the season was became even more clear last night, where the Bruins cleaned up at the annual NHL Awards Night in Las Vegas. The winners were:

• Zdeno Chara, Norris Trophy winner as the league's best defenseman.
• Tim Thomas, Vezina Trophy winner as the league's best goalie.
• Claude Julien, Adams Award winner as the league's top coach.
• Thomas and Manny Fernandez, Jennings Trophy winner as the league's top goalie tandem (judged by fewest goals allowed).

Yes, all in all it was a great night for the Bruins, who had a haul of silver in Vegas of which even the most successful gambler would be jealous. Does it do anything to take away the sting of the season's end? No, but it certainly does validate more than a few members of this B's team.

While the "no respect" card may have been getting old as last year progressed, many were still hesitant to rate Thomas as one of the league's top goalies. "The Bruins have a solid defense," was one excuse, or, "he just gets lucky on most saves, he'll cool off eventually." Thomas, who got a top goalie-esque raise a few months back, will no longer be able to assume underdog status, as winning the Vezina cements him as one of the league's elite between the pipes.

Much of the same can be said about Julien, who, with the Adams award, may have finally silenced some doubters about his ability behind the bench. Even while guiding the B's to the top spot in the East and second round in the playoffs this year, there were still grumblings among fans during a Bruins rough patch in early 2009 that Julien simply didn't "have what it takes," and should be jettisoned. Yes, people thought the coach of the first place Bruins should be fired, mainly because of what happened with Julien in New Jersey. With the Adams Award under his belt, hopefully Julien is cut some slack, and remains in Boston for a while (which is apparently the team's wish, as contract negotiations are underway).

Also, it's good to see Chara finally validated as the league's top defenseman with the Norris. There was plenty of speculation as to whether or not Mike Green might sneak in a steal the trophy, as his offensive numbers this season were extremely impressive, but in the end, Chara emerged victorious. Chara got off to a slow start with the Bruins under much-maligned head coach Dave Lewis, but in his two years under Julien, Chara has grown into the dominant defensive force that got him named the league's best blue-liner. He plays with a physical edge not seen in the Lewis era, while also serving as the B's shut-down defender against other team's top players and the most fearsome shooter in the league from the blue line on the power play. Chara, constantly trying to better himself, will likely do all he can to assure that the trophy doesn't leave it's place on his mantle by keeping up his stellar play next season.

That's all for now. I'm thinking about doing another top-10 games of the year post, then maybe something like best plays and saves too. Stay tuned over the next couple of days, I'm sure I'll churn something out.

Photo Credit: AP

Go B's.

Seedings to be Finalized Tonight...

After nearly a week of waiting, the Boston Bruins will find out who their second-round opponent will be by the end of the night tonight. With two game 7's on tap for the evening (Carolina @ New Jersey, New York @ Washington), the semi-final match-ups will finally be completely set. However, there are plenty of different scenarios that could play out. The Bruins could play either New York, Carolina or Pittsburgh. There is no way they could play either New Jersey or Washington in this coming round.

Here are the scenarios for the two key teams (Canes and Rangers), and the end result in each of them:

Rangers

• If RANGERS win and DEVILS win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
• If RANGERS win and HURRICANES win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
  
• If RANGERS lose and DEVILS win, the Bruins play the PENGUINS
• If RANGERS lose and HURRICANES win, the Bruins play the HURRICANES

Hurricanes

• If HURRICANES win and RANGERS win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
• If HURRICANES win and CAPITALS win, the Bruins play the HURRICANES
• If HURRICANES lose and RANGERS win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
• If HURRICANES lose and CAPITALS win, the Bruins play the PENGUINS

Basically, the Bruins will only play the Penguins if both higher-seeds (Caps and Devs) advance. If one upset occurs, the Bruins play the lowest seed available. If BOTH upsets occur, the Bruins would play the Rangers, because they are guaranteed to be the lowest seed left standing.

It's really not as confusing as it sounds, and will all be sorted out within three hours (barring overtime, of course).

Predictions? I'm sticking to my originals, and saying the Canes win and Captials win, setting up the return of Sergei Samsonov to the Garden later this week, and a Bruins-Canes Conference Semifinal.

League-Wide Playoff Preview

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post here, but thankfully the Bruins didn't take as much time off as I did. I've been doing a lot of writing for the school newspaper (www.suffolkjournal.net) and some for InsideHockey.com as well, but figured I needed to at least do a playoff preview for each conference, as well as some predictions. It won't be that in depth, as I may work on a more in depth B's-Habs preview for one of the aforementioned publications.


EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Boston Bruins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens
Come on, admit it. It had to come down to this. Same teams, a year later, in opposite roles. If last Thursday's game is any indication, this series will be a barn burner. It's hard to argue that the Bruins aren't better than Montreal in nearly all aspects of the game. The Bruins hold an edge in goaltending, defense, physicality and scoring, while Montreal may hold a slight edge on the power play. If the Bruins play their game and stay out of the box, they'll take this series going away. However, if the B's get complacent and take the Habs lightly, a surprise isn't out of the realm of possibility. Claude Julien isn't likely to let his B's slack off though. Bruins in 5

(2) Washington Capitals vs. (7) New York Rangers
The Rangers played better hockey down the stretch under new coach John Tortorella, but they lack the offensive firepower to compete with the high-scoring Caps over the course of a series. The Rangers definitely have a wide advantage in goaltending though, and if Henrik Lundqvist gets hot, the Rangers have a fighting chance. Jose Theodore can be shaky in goal for the Caps, but they have more than enough power on the other side of the puck with Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Alex Semin. Expect the Rangers to put up a good fight in each game, but ultimately fall short. Caps in 5.

(3) New Jersey Devils vs. (6) Carolina Hurricanes
This is going to be my first upset pick, and I'm sure hockey pundits would be aghast: how DARE I pick against Martin Brodeur in the playoffs?! Uh, well, simply: I think the Canes are one of the more underrated teams in the Eastern Conference, and are getting stellar play from goalie Cam Ward when they need it most. The Canes went an astounding 10-1-2 in March, proving that the team is coming together just in time for the playoffs. While I expect Brodeur, Zach Parise, Patrik Elias and Co. to play strong hockey, I think the Canes, on the back of Ward, will take this series in the end. Canes in 7.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
This battle of Pennsylvania is sure to be a wild one, with bad blood between the two teams closest to each other in the standings. Sidney Crosby and the Pens have played inspired puck under Dan Bylsma, and are starting to look like real Cup contenders again. They have a playoff-tested roster and a high-powered offense. While the Flyers also have plenty of firepower, I'm not sold on their goalies, Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki. I expect this one to be a close series, but one that the Pens pull out. Penguins in 6.

_________________________________________________

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Anaheim Ducks
Call me crazy, but I feel like this one may be a shocker waiting to happen. The Sharks have been one of the league's elite teams all year, and finished with the league's best record. The hockey experts hae all proclaimed this "their year", the year where the Black and Teal will finally get that playoff-choker monkey off of their back. I just think they're playing one tough group right off the bat. Like the aforementioned Penguins, the Ducks have plenty of playoff tested vets on the roster. They are a cohesive group, and feel that they have a good shot at knocking off Goliath. I won't go so far as to say that they'll do it, but expect a tight one. Sharks in 6.

(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (7) Columbus Blue Jackets
Poor Columbus. The Jackets finally make the playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise, aaaaaaaand what do we have for them? Only one of the best teams of the past decade. I think Steve Mason is the real deal, but he's facing too much talent against the Wings. If Rick Nash can seriously elevate his play to an otherworldly level, then the Jackets may have a chance, or if Mason can get his game rolling, which isn't out of the realm of possibility. The Wings will take this one, but it sure won't be easy. Wings in 6.

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) St. Louis Blues
I love this match-up for the Blues, and I'm not even sure why. There's something about their team that I like, and I think they can take this series. While Roberto Luongo is undoubtedly a stellar goalie, his playoff record isn't as shiny, and I'm not sold on the Canucks as a group, even though their one of my favorite non-Bruins teams. If Luongo plays as well as he is able to, then the Canucks should be able to win, but I think the Blues, led by their enthralling core of youngsters, will shock the NHL and take the series. Blues in 7.

(4) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (5) Calgary Flames
The Flames, who were, as their name suggests, on fire after the trade deadline, have cooled signifcantly, and didn't exactly burst into the postseason in full gallop. The Hawks, led by youngsters Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, are ready for their first taste of late-spring hockey in years, and are primed to make a decent run out West. I think the Flames have plenty of talent, but are going to come up short barring consistently stellar play by Miikka Kiprusoff. Fans in the Windy City will get to enjoy an extended visit to the playoffs this year. Hawks in 6.


So there you have it. According to my predictions, the second round match-ups will be as follows:

Bruins vs. Hurricanes
Capitals vs. Penguins
Sharks vs. Blues
Red Wings vs. Blackhawks

Only time will tell how I do...any comments or predictions are welcome as well, and, as always, Go B's.

Deadline Buzz: Who's coming, who's going?

As March 4th approaches, the Bruins find themselves in a unique position: comfortably settled into a playoff spot, and, for the first time seemingly in years, being buyers at the trade deadline. Barring a collapse of epic proportions (think Yankees 2004, and multiply it by 10), the B's will find themselves in one of the top three spots in the Eastern Conference come April, and according to some recent comments by GM Peter Chiarelli, are gearing up for a serious run at Lord Stanley.

Also, today on WEEI's Dale & Holley, which is probably the best show on WEEI, as listening to the Big Show try to talk about hockey is about as helpful as me trying to teach Calculus, Chiarelli said there is a 60-75% chance that he WILL make a trade at the deadline.

This means a couple of things: management believes this team has a serious shot at the Cup, and appears to be ready to put the pedal to the metal and go for it. Also, it means that some current Bruins property is on his way out of town, which, with a team as tight-knit as this year's group, could have some bad side-effects. If a player sent away in a trade is from Providence, it may not impact this year's NHL team much. However, if it's a regular (or even a bit-role) player from the big club, it could disrupt what until this point has been a locker room that by all accounts has the atmosphere (attitude-wise, anyways) of a frat house.

Some names that I've heard bandied about that may disrupt the B's squad include Chuck Kobasew, Vladimir Sobotka, Matt Lashoff, and even the injured Marco Sturm. Chiarelli has shown that he's not shy about making trades, as referenced by sending the popular Brad Boyes packing in two years ago, a trade that, as made clear by Patrice Bergeron's comments in the link, wasn't popular in the room either. To put it plainly, there's no way player egos should be put before a real chance for the Cup, and I don't see any way he lets feelings or camaraderie get in the way. That's not to say he'll bring in a locker-room cancer, but if he feels a player is available that can help the team, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger.

In the "afore-linked" Hubhockey.com piece on Chiarelli's interview on WEEI today, it lists a couple of things that he mentioned on the show today, basically clues as to what he may be looking for at the deadline. His remarks included:

• He wants to get the team bigger up front, and add size in general.
  
• He would add a forward and a defenseman in a "perfect world", but is confident in the depth in Providence.

With those couple of things, especially the first one, let's try to narrow down the Bruins' possible trade targets.

• Nik Antropov, F, Toronto Maple Leafs- The writing is on the wall for the big Russian winger, as Leafs' GM Brian Burke has all but promised to trade the winger before the deadline. Antropov certainly fits the big-body mold (6'6", 230 lbs.), and is also a left-handed shot, playing on the right wing. With Burke's assertions that he will be moved, he may have lowered the market for the winger. The Bruins could probably have Antropov for a lower-level prospect (possibly Matt Lashoff, to solidify the Leafs defensive corps) and a first or second round pick. Antropov has 42 points on the year so far, but my concern is that he may not fit in the dressing room. I'm not sure there are any players on the team who have played with him before, and he seems like he may be out of place character-wise compared to the current group. However, he's a big-body who may thrive from a change of scenery, and would fill the need for a left-handed shot. Antropov is in the last year of his contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. LIKELIHOOD: 6.5/10.
• Keith Tkachuk, F, St. Louis Blues-Here's a story for you: local kid comes back to his hometown team and helps them win their first Stanley Cup in over 30 years. That's the scenario that could follow if Tkachuk comes to the Bruins. The Melrose, MA, native is in the last year of his contract in St. Louis, and is another big-bodied winger who shoots from the left. The problem here is that the Blues are currently still in the hunt for a playoff spot, sitting seven points out of 8th place at the time of this post, and may not be sellers at the deadline. In all likelihood, the next two weeks will settle it for the Blues. If they don't make a significant move towards a playoff berth, they'll be forced to make some trades. If this is the case, Tkachuk is, in my opinion, the most likely player out there who will pull on the black and gold for the first time after March 4th. He'd likely cost the B's though, probably a player like Martins Karsums or Vladimir Sobotka as well as a first or second round pick. LIKELIHOOD: 7.5/10
• Jordan Leopold, D, Colorado Avalanche- Leopold's name has been tossed about by Bruins fans for weeks now, with some sources saying a deal for Leopold is already in the works and nearing completion. The 28-year old Leopold, who is an unrestricted free agent at season's end, would certainly solidifiy the Bruins' blue line. He wouldn't add much in size (6'1", 200 lbs.), but he is definitely a solid player. The former Hobey Baker Award winner would probably come with a decent price tag, but one deal that could materialize (and would be a blockbuster for sure) would be to send Manny Fernandez to the Avs. I feel like this isn't likely, since the B's seem comfortable playing the two-goalie system, but the Avalanche are in the market for a more solid goalie, and the free-agent-to-be Fernandez COULD fit the mold. If not, expect to see a winger (Kobasew, Sobotka, Karsums, Bitz or Nokelainen possibly) and maybe a couple of picks heading to Colorado. LIKELIHOOD: 7/10
• Erik Cole, F, Edmonton Oilers- Another big guy (6'2", 205 lbs.) who shoots from the left and plays on the wing. Seems like a good fit, and there were even reports that Cole was telling friends he thought he was Boston-bound. This is one trade I'd rather not see. In a player's bio on TSN.ca (the link on each player I've listed's name), there is a section called "Honors and Awards", and Cole's last one listed is winning the Stanley Cup...three years ago. No honors in three years, and slumping point production? Doesn't sound like a solid pick-up to me. The hope here is the Cole would wake up with a change of scenery, and could, upon reconnecting with Cup teammate Aaron Ward, find his game again. I'd rather stay away from this one, especially when the asking price seems to include Sobotka, and I think Chiarelli will think the same way. LIKELIHOOD: 5/10.
• Jay Bouwmeester, D, Florida Panthers- The "creme de la creme" in this year's trade pool, Bouwmeester is on every contender's wishlist, and the Bruins are no exception. However, as was the case with St. Louis, the Panthers are in a very real chase for a playoff spot, and may be hesitant to deal the big defenseman. GM Jacques Martin will likely decide soon, and may be forced to deal him. It's unlikely that Bouwmeester, who is an unrestricted free agent at season's end, would return to South Florida, so Martin needs to decide which is worth more: a foray into the playoffs, or getting something in return for Bouwmeester. In my opinion, trading Bouwmeester would sink the Panthers' season (and it's been a good one so far), and completely demoralize the team. However, if he does get dealt, expect the Bruins to at least make a call. The package for him would be huge, something to the effects of Zach Hamill, one of David Krecji, Phil Kessel or Milan Lucic, possibly Tuukka Rask, and a couple of picks as well. I think the bidding war and subsequent asking price will scare the B's away. LIKELIHOOD: 3/10.

There are other names that are being tossed about as possibilities for the B's, and here they are, in no particular order:

• Dominic Moore, F, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Ryan Smyth, F, Colorado Avalanche
• Chris Pronger, D, Anaheim Ducks
• Bill Guerin, F, New York Islanders
• Doug Weight, F, New York Islanders
• Mikael Samuesson, F, Detroit Red Wings

Anything's possible at the deadline, but in my opinion, the guys most likely to come to the Bruins are the ones I talked about more in depth at the top of this post. For the fun of it, here is my prediction for what the Bruins will do at the deadline:

TO BOSTON: F, Keith Tkachuk, 2010 4th-round draft pick
TO ST. LOUIS: D, Matt Lashoff, F, Vladimir Sobotka

I think that'll be it for the Bruins, and this is based purely on opinion, so don't hold me to this. If it came to fruition, it'd have the B's line-up looking something like this, when completely healthy:

Lucic-Savard-Kessel
Ryder-Krecji-Wheeler
Tkachuk-Bergeron-Kobasew
Bitz-Yelle-Thornton

Chara-Ward
Wideman-Ference
Hnidy-Stuart

Thomas
Fernandez

I do think that once Ryder returns, the lines will go back to how they were before, especially the top two. The third line, with the edition of Tkachuk, gets a lot bigger, and with a rough-and-tumbe guy like Kobasew, could be a line that could wear opponents down and grind out goals.

Other trade deadline predictions:

• Montreal, desperate to save their Centennial Season, will make any payment necessary to acquire Vincent Lecavalier from Tampa Bay.
  
• Pronger won't be dealt.
• Washington, Pittsburgh and Vancouver will make significant deals.
• Teams like New Jersey, San Jose and Philadelphia may make minor deals to tweak their rosters in preparation for the playoffs.
  

Even if the Bruins make no moves, the trade deadline is always a great day: HFBoards and TSN routinely crash with all of the server traffic, and the NHL Network will likely have trade specials on all day. It's going to be an interesting couple of months, and the stretch drive to Lord Stanley will begin in earnest on March 5th.

January Wrap-Up

Now that the school year has started back up again, my contributions to this blog have slowed considerably. Fortunately for Boston hockey fans, the Bruins aren't following my lead.

In my December wrap-up post, I predicted the B's to go 10-2-1 in their 13 games last month, giving them more credit than my last couple of predictions. In reality, the Black and Gold put up a record of 8-3-2, proving that perhaps I should stick to my less optimistic predictions.

However, on the bright side, claiming 18 out of a 26 possible points is nothing to be ashamed of, though the B's were playing less-than inspired hockey at times in the month of January.

A couple of games stick out as being especially disappointing, for different reasons:

• Jan. 6, vs. Minnesota: Not so much disappointing, but extremely frustrating. Here was a game in which the Bruins had a chance to avenge one of their few regulation losses by beating a Minnesota team that defeated them in the second game of the season. Instead, the Bruins got shutout for the only time (so far) this season, and didn't really have an answer for Minnesota's neutral zone defense. Granted the Wild are a good team and a loss against them isn't something to be ashamed of, but it was a bit of a stinker in front of the hometown fans.
• Jan. 19, vs. St. Louis: This game was a little strange, because it was a game the Bruins didn't deserve to win, but I ended up being disappointed when they lost. After playing rather listlessly for most of the game, the B's found themselves down 2-1 late in the third to one of the bottom-ranked teams in the Western Conference. However, they cashed in on two St. Louis mistakes with two quick power play goals, and when Zdeno Chara buried a slap shot with 3:05 to go in the third to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead, it seemed like they would be making the great escape, and stealing the two points. To their credit, the Blues didn't lay down, and scored with 1:20 to go and goalie Chris Mason on the bench. 1:20 later, David Backes batted a puck out of the air to tie the game with literally no time left on the clock. After reviewing the goal to see if the stick was too high, the refs awarded (and rightly so, in my opinion) the tying goal to Backes, sending the game into overtime. The game eventually went into a shootout, which the Blues won. Blake Wheeler was the goat in this one. He missed an empty net goal that could have iced the game, then again missed an open cage after beating Mason in the shootout. In his defense, the whole team played less than superb hockey that afternoon, but they still emerged with a point.
• Jan. 29, vs. New Jersey: Another game in which the Bruins got a point, but was disappointing nevertheless. This was a game of unlucky and lucky bounces depending on which side one takes, and one that, ultimately, the Bruins let get away. The Devils are a good team, one likely to be in the Bruins' way to postseason glory. After going into the locker room down 2-0 and being thoroughly outplayed, they came back with three straight goals to take the lead with six and a half minutes to go. With their strong defense, it should have been time for Claude Julien's boys to lock down the neutral zone and smother the Devils. Instead, Patrik Elias scored with under two minutes to go, and Jamie Langenbrunner got his second of the game in overtime to give New Jersey the win. This was another game that saw the Bruins let a point that they should have had slip away, and while they're in comfortable playoff position, a team can never have too many points, especially against an inter-conference rival.

The Bruins are currently in what is arguably the toughest portion of their schedule, as 11 of their 13 games in February are against teams that are currently in playoff contention (the only ones that aren't being Ottawa and Tampa Bay). Their last three games in January were against playoff teams as well, so the boys from Causeway street are truly being tested. Currently, they are passing with flying colors, having won 6 of 7, including their first three games in February.

Luckily, the B's have gotten mostly healthy, and should be facing the NHL's top tier with the majority of their roster intact. The biggest circle on this month's slate has to be Tuesday's game vs. San Jose, for a few reasons. The Sharks and Bruins have been flip-flopping in the NHL's top spot for three months now. It is Joe Thornton's second return to Boston since being traded (let's see if he lasts more than five minutes this time). It is also a chance for the Bruins to silence some doubters. If they can beat San Jose, as they have Washington, Detroit, New York and New Jersey, they will have beaten a bonafide top team in each conference, giving the team some confidence going into the stretch run.

I think that while the B's will certainly not have an easy time this month, they will silence the few remaining "haters" out there, and will come out of the month in good shape. Excluding the three wins they already have, I'm predicting that come March 1, the B's will have gone 7-2-1, thereby finishing February with 99 points, sporting a record of 46-10-7.

99 points before March? I'll take it.

Go B's.

December Wrap-Up

Well, it seems like everyone in the hockey world is waiting for the Bruins to cool down. Waiting...and waiting...aaaaaaaand still waiting. In my November Wrap-Up post, I predicted a respectable 8-2-3 mark for the Bruins in the year's final month. And like my previous guess, I was a little bit off. The Black and Gold continued on their tear in December, going 12-1-0, the lone bump in the road coming in a 3-1 loss to the surging Capitals in Washington.


All twelve of the Bruins' December victories were by two or more goals. They scored four or more goals in nine of the twelve, posted two shutouts (at Florida, at New Jersey) and allowed only one goal on two other occasions.

Here's a glance at some of the B's numbers this month:

Avg. Goals Scored: 4.23
Avg. Goals Allowed: 2.07
Goal Differential: +2.16
Points Taken: 24
Points Possible: 26
Point Percentage: 92%

And here are some league-wide stats and where the B's rank, as of the night of January 1st (post-Pittsburgh win):

Points: 62 (29-5-4, 1st)
Wins: 29 (1st)
Goals per game: 3.66 (1st)
Goals allowed per game: 2.10 (1st)
Power play: 24.7% (3rd)
Penalty kill: 83.3% (8th)
Shots/game: 29.9 (13th)
Shots allowed/game: 30.7 (22nd)

As mathematicians often say, the numbers don't lie. The Bruins are first in the two most telling characters: goals per game and goals allowed per game, with an average goal differential of 1.56. An interesting note is the Bruins' shots allowed. This number is higher than I had imagined it would be, but it speaks to the play of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez.

THOMAS:
Save percentage: .935 (3rd in league)
GAA: 2.04 (3rd)
Wins: 16 (5th)

FERNANDEZ:
Save percentage: .930 (4th)
GAA: 2.02 (2nd)

Needless to say, when BOTH of your goalies rank in the top five in all major goaltending categories, your team should be looking good. However, it's not just the goalies that are contributing. I've wavered on how telling the +/- stat is, as it can be fairly arbitrary at times. For example, if defenseman A makes a boneheaded pass that leads to a goal allowed on a breakaway, forward A, who was below the attacking goal line, has his +/- lowered, even though he wasn't even a factor in the play. Regardless, +/- is a telling team stat, and a look at the league leaders in the category over on NHL.com reads:

1. Dennis Wideman, BOS: +26
2. Marc Savard, BOS: +25
3. Blake Wheeler, BOS: +23
4. David Krecji, BOS: +22
5. Alexander Semin, WSH: +20

Yes, that's LEAGUE leaders, not Northeast Division leaders, or even Eastern Conference leaders. The Bruins are dominating statistically, and it's showing in the standings. The B's are nine points ahead of the red-hot second place Caps, and 13 points ahead of the third place New York Rangers. To really illustrate the distance between the B's and other teams in the conference, there is a 21 point gap between the Bruins and the 8th place Buffalo Sabres/Carolina Hurricanes.

Offensively, the Bruins are making their presence felt at the top of the league ranks as well. Marc Savard is 4th in points (48) and tied for second in assists (35), while Phil Kessel is 4th in the league in goals with 23.

So what does all of this mean? Basically, it means that everything is rosy in Bruin-land. Despite injuries to Aaron Ward, Andrew Ference, Marco Sturm and Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins have rolled on. Martin St. Pierre has filled in nicely, and Vladimir Sobotka continues to earn his playing time.

Bergeron is out for the foreseeable future, and, in my opinion, that is for the best. His injury came as he was playing his best hockey of the season, and will probably carry as many emotional effects as physical. Bergeron was being physical, and reinjured himself simply trying to make a check. I don't think it's reached this point yet, but sooner or later Bergeron and his family may start looking at whether or not this is all "worth it", if playing is worth the detrimental effects these concussions may have on him later in life. In all likelihood, Bergeron isn't going to walk away from the game he undoubtedly loves, and in fairness, the hit he took from the shoulder of Dennis Seidenberg of the Hurricanes would have knocked any player for a loop. Hopefully Bergeron gets a chance to fully recover, and can be back with the team by the end of January.

JANUARY AT A GLANCE (excluding today's Pittsburgh win):

Games: 13 (10 home, 3 away)
Key games: 1/13 vs. Montreal, 1/17 at Washington, 1/31 vs. New York Rangers
Average opponents' points: 40.25

For me, the most important game of the month is going to be the Montreal one. Last time the B's played the Habs, they won in Montreal. The time before that, they pounded them at the Garden. Another win over the Habs would solidify the B's confidence, and further suppress the Habs. The games against the Caps will be big too, as Ovechkin's bunch are one of two teams to beat the Bruins in regulation since October 30th. Hopefully, the Bruins won't forget that, and will be eager for revenge.

I've been off on the pessimistic end on my last couple of predictions, but am going more optimistic here. With the return of Aaron Ward, the possible return of Andrew Ference, and a favorable home slate, this month should be kind to the B's. Look for the Black and Gold to post an 10-2-1 mark in the first month of 2009, continuing on their tear and tightening their grip on the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The above mark would put the Bruins at 81 points. 81 points with over two full months of games left? Yikes. With the Patriots out of the picture and the Celtics seemingly on cruise control towards a playoff return, the B's may be the only act in town for a while. That's not to say the Celtics aren't or won't be good. I'm saying that there's really no chance that the team doesn't make the playoffs as a high seed, meaning there's little drama to unfold over the course of the year. I'll still be watching, as I'm sure plenty of others will as well, but the Bruins remain at the top of my chart.

Over the next 30 days, Boston may find out what area hockey diehards have known for months: the Bruins are back.

On Avery's Suspension...

One of last night's more anticipated games lost a lot of its luster when Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery was suspended for yesterday's game in Calgary vs. the Flames. Avery received an "indefinite" suspension from the league, and had a meeting in New York City with commissioner Gary Bettman today. At issue were the comments made by Avery in this video:

For those who can't access the video, Avery approached the NHL press corps, asked if the cameras were ready, and said:

"I'm really happy to be back in Calgary; I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about, but enjoy the game tonight."

Avery was referring to his former relationship with "24" actress Elisha Cuthbert, who is currently dating none other than Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf. So what was this on the part of Avery? It seemed like nothing out of the ordinary for the NHL superpest, getting under the skin of his opponent and making waves in advance of a game.

So why did this warrant an indefinite suspension?

There was a huge outcry on the hockey message boards, with women screaming about how disrespectful it was their gender, and how any man who found what Avery said funny was a chauvanistic pig. Others appluaded the suspension, while still others were furious or confused why the league felt the need to take this step.

Put me in the latter category. This suspension screams "unnecessary". Yes, Avery's remarks were out of line. Yes, they were insulting, but also sounded like something many men would say if they encountered the man who is currently dating an ex-girlfriend.

In any case, the real issue here isn't that what he said is unnecessary, most seem to agree it was a stupid thing to say. The issue is how the NHL handled it. Avery has already missed one game, and by all accounts, isn't going to be back anytime soon. However, the NHL recently decided that Randy Jones only deserved a two game suspension for nearly ending the career of Patrice Bergeron. Tom Kostopoulos got 3 games for hitting Toronto's Mike Van Ryn in similar fashion. Darcy Tucker, who has as bad a reputation as Avery, didn't get suspended for supposedly going after the knees of Minnesota's Nick Schultz. This list goes on. Colin Campbell, who dishes out these suspensions, has become a laughingstock.

So why did Avery get so many games? Is the NHL simply tired of his act? It can't be argued that Avery is a pest, but it also can't be argued that he is an effective pest. He was lambasted, and even got a rule implemented immediately after the game, for his "antics" in front of Martin Brodeur last year, but the Rangers scored on that power play.

And like it or not, NHL, people like Avery are good for the game. Everyone needs a villain, and Avery has turned into hockey's version of Bill Laimbeer, a new Claude Lemieux. There were over 1,000 comments on ESPN's story about the suspension, probably one of the first times all season a hockey story has eclipsed that mark.

And for what? Comments that were in poor taste? Some are arguing that it's a good thing Avery got suspended, because Phaneuf would have destroyed him. So...had Avery played, he would have taken a Norris Trophy-candidate defenseman off of his game? Hmm...looks like Avery accomplished his goal again. Others said the NHL wanted to avoid an incident similar to that of Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore, that being one of premeditated violence resulting in criminal charges outside of the sport.

Does anyone REALLY think this is going to stop any on-ice payback Avery had coming? If anything, this is going to make it worse. The Flames visit the Stars in Dallas on February 3, 2009. What, so if Avery is even still on the team at that point, which isn't likely, Phaneuf is just going to say "Oh, he got suspended, I'll let it go." Not likely.

What WILL happen is that the interview in which Avery made the comments will be played over and over and over again in the days leading up to the game, letting the bad blood between Avery and the Flames simmer and simmer until it eventually boils over. The "payback" Avery has coming is going to come regardless. It would have been better for the NHL to let him man-up on the ice last night instead of prolonging the inevitable.

Bad move, NHL.

November Wrap-up

In my last monthly wrap-up post, I looked ahead to November, and projected the Bruins to finish the grueling month with 31 points, thereby earning 18 points out of the month's possible 26. Instead, the Bruins decided they'd go 11-1-1 and earn 23 out of the possible 26. Yikes.

The roll that this team went on in November is, to put it in a word, astounding. The team lost ONE GAME in regulation, a bit of a stinker last week in Buffalo, and ONE in a shootout, a game they, by all accounts, should have won against the Rangers.

The team is clicking on all cylinders right now, playing defense, scoring, passing, hitting...you name it, the boys in Black and Gold are doing it. Here are some stats from the past month:

Goals For: 53
Goals Against: 25 (including shootout)
Goals For Per Game: 4.08
Goals Against Per Game: 1.92

Here are some stats for the team, and their league rank in parentheses, as of December 1:

Wins: 16 (2nd)
PK: 82.3 % (15th)
Power Play: 23% (4th)
Total Goals For: 80 (t-2nd)
Total Goals Against: 51 (2nd)

The stat here that stands out the most has to be the penalty-kill. The Bruins were languishing at the bottom of the league in that department towards the end of October, killing penalties at an embarrassing 70-75% rate. However, they've gone on a penalty-killing tear lately, and have risen to the middle of the league in that ever-important category.

Basically, to put it in plain words, the Bruins really couldn't have asked for a better November. To make things better, they have a decently favorable December, giving the team a chance to keep on rolling and packing on the points.

DECEMBER AT A GLANCE:

Games: 13 (4 home, 9 road)

Key games: 12/10 at Washington, 12/30 at Pittsburgh

Like last month, there are 26 points up for grabs this month. Like last month, I expect the Bruins to pick up the majority of them. I do think the injuries to Andrew Ference and more recently Aaron Ward may start to hurt this team, but not in a huge way. Matt Hunwick has already filled in nicely, and I expect to see an appearance by Matt Lashoff or Johnny Boychuk in Tampa on Thursday, as reports are already saying Ward won't be making the trip. I'm predicting the Bruins to pick up 19 points in December, cooling off slightly but maintaining a great point-accumulating clip. I'm seeing a record of 8-2-3, thinking the losses would be to Washington and either Pittsburgh or Carolina, and at least one of the OTL's against Atlanta in a back-to-back home-and-home series. It's just hard to beat the same team back-to-back nights in this league. 19 points would give this team 55 points at the end of December with over three full months left to play, putting them on a torrid pace. The B's are likely to cool down at some point, but let's hope it's not for a while.

Go B's.

Third Jerseys "Officially" Unveiled

The B's "officially" unveiled their new RBK Edge third jerseys today, ending what had to be one of the worst-kept secrets in recent Bruins memory. Though the team never confirmed it before, there were photos surfacing months ago, one from the season ticket holders' "State of the Bruins" meeting that showed Milan Lucic wearing the jersey, and another a screenshot from NESN that showed Patrice Bergeron wearing the jersey at practice during his rehab. Some speculated that it may have only been a prototype, but the one Bergeron wore here is in fact the new jersey.

Here's a picture of the Bruins official third jersey, the one they will wear this coming Friday against the Islanders, the only difference being that the official jersey doesn't have the gold stripe along the bottom of the jersey:
Straight from the Bruins' official website, here's a PDF showing the entire uniform, jersey, socks, helmet, etc.

The B's are releasing this jersey as a part of their "Black Friday Blackout". On Friday, the B's will wear these new jerseys, and the first 10,000 fans will receive free black t-shirts. The idea here is to create a "blackout", a means of intimidation and really just a way to create a cool atmosphere at the Garden. I think it'll be great if it's done well, as things like the Calgary Flames' sea of red really look incredible when everyone participates.

My take on these new alternates? I think the jersey is awesome, pretty simple but different. The new shoulder patch looks great as the crest, and I like the all black look. Something tells me these will be a pretty good seller for the B's as the holiday approaches, as fans will be relieved to see a new jersey that isn't the much maligned mustard-yellow Pooh jerseys (which I actually didn't mind...).

In any case, it'll be great to see these new sweaters on the ice on Friday, as hopefully the B's continue on their hot streak and roll over the Isles.

Catching Up on What's Gone Down

I haven't been able to write anything for a while due to work and other stuff going on, but fortunately, the B's haven't been as lazy as I have. The Black and Gold are now 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, accumulating points at a blistering pace that has propelled the club to second place in the Eastern Conference. On the season thus far, the Bruins are 11-3-4, and have 26 points. I said in my previous post that I expected them to finish November with 31 points, but at this juncture, that number would actually be a disappointment. The Bruins have been nearly unflappable during this young season, losing only one game by more than a single goal (a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Oct. 23, a game in which the Bruins blew an early 2-0 lead).

Their three regulation losses were as follows:

• at Minnesota, a 4-3 loss where they came from two goals down to nearly tie the game in the closing seconds of the third period.
• at Calgary, a 3-2 loss in a game at the tail end of a Western Canada swing that again saw the B's pressure at the end and come close to tying the game.
• vs. Toronto, in the aforementioned 4-2 loss.

The B's also have 4 shootout losses, games in which they got a point but, in a few cases, probably should have had more:

• at Montreal, a 4-3 loss in the shootout that saw the B's come back from three goals down early to tie the game in the final minutes.
• vs. Pittsburgh, a 2-1 loss that in the B's low-scoring home-opener.
• at Buffalo, a 3-2 shootout loss in a game in which the B's held two different two goal leads.
• at New York Rangers, another 3-2 shootout loss in which the B's had a late two goal lead.

The point of listing these games is to show that the Bruins have really not been "out" of any game they've played in this year. They've shown that they can come back (at Montreal, vs. Atlanta) and that they can start fast and hold down a lead (vs. Montreal, vs. Dallas, at Ottawa).

One troubling stat that can be seen above, especially in the shootout losses, is the team's trouble with two goal leads. Before losing to Toronto earlier in the year, the Bruins were nearly perfect under Claude Julien after having a two goal lead in the game. However, this year they have lost one game in regulation and two in a shootout after being up by two at some point. This is a bit troubling, but it's often said that a two-goal lead is the worst lead to have in a hockey game, as it often causes the players to sit back a little.

However, for every "troubling stat", there is also a positive one like this: As of last night, the Bruins have scored 55 goals and allowed 41, for a goal differential of 14. That is the second-highest in the league after San Jose, whose remarkable scoring of 73 goals has given them a differential of 24. The Bruins are also tied for second in the league in goals allowed with 41, the same number (surprisingly enough) as the Phoenix Coyotes. The Minnesota Wild lead the league with a jaw-dropping 30 goals allowed in 15 games, compared to the last-ranked Leafs, who have allowed 67 goals in 19 games.

Basically, it's been quite a year for the Bruins so far. They are playing as a group, playing for each other, and playing solid all-around hockey. The coming two weeks will feature a couple of great tests (vs. Buffalo, at Montreal and vs. Detroit) as well as some games that, on paper, the Bruins should take home (vs. Florida, vs. New York Islanders). However, there have already been some great games so far this season that I didn't talk much about, so here's a quick look back at the past couple weeks' best games.

• 11/1 vs. Dallas, 5-1 win. I picked up some decently-priced tickets for this game on Craigslist, and ended up being very glad I did. This was a game that, according to some writers and fans, may end up being "that game", the one each team has once a season that really brings the team together as a group. The Bruins played as "team" as a group can in this game, sticking up for each other while also sticking to the game plan, fighting back both on the scoreboard and with fists. Steve Ott was the villain in this game, going low on Stephane Yelle to start things off. After Shawn Thornton came to the defense of Yelle, Ott refused to fight, ensuring that things would continue to be chippy. After hitting Mark Stuart later in the game, Shane Hnidy attempted to fight Ott as well, who, again, declined dropping the gloves. Later in the game, Ott went low in Milan Lucic after a whistle, setting off another scrum. Ott's um..."antics" came to a fitting head when Andrew Ference laid him out at center ice with a solid, clean body check. Sean Avery then came to the defense of his teammate, and threw down with Ference. After these fisticuffs, Ott would be thrown out of the game for instigating more of the rough stuff. One would assume that this would be the end of it, but then... The video above features all of the fights in the game, the "but then..." I'm referring to is Avery's hit from behind on Lucic and the subsequent line brawl. Those don't come around all that often. In the end, the Bruins beat the Stars, beat up the Stars, and seemed to really piss off Mike Modano, who has apparently since cleared the air. Either way, the Stars are underachieving thus far this year, and with games like that it's easy to see why.
  
• 11/13 vs. Montreal, 6-1 win. I bought tickets to this one back in September, eager to see the B's exact some home ice revenge on le bleu, blanc et rouge. Boy did I get what I was looking for. This game wasn't even close. Though it was the Bruins who played a tough Chicago team the night before in a game that went to a shootout, and it was the Bruins who didn't get into Boston until after 3 a.m., it was Montreal who sleepwalked through this game, looking lost, uninspired, and downright overwhelmed at times. Here are some highlights from that game, I don't really need to say much more about it: Finally, that game featured the culmination of a years worth of post-whistle scrums, cross-checks, face washes, low hits, big hits and just overall rough stuff as Mike Komisarek finally decided to drop the gloves with Milan Lucic...and much like Ron Burgundy jumping into the Bear Pit, it's safe to say that Komisarek "immediately regretted this decision"! With this one game, it seemed like the Bruins not only had the Habs back on their heels, but had them running back to Quebec with their tails between their legs. One can only hope for the B's sake that this will represent a monkey off-the back sort of situation, as they've proved that they can beat the Habs, and beat them convincingly at that.

This was a bit of a long post, but there was a lot to catch up on. I'm going to try to blog a game live sometime soon, but not sure when. In closing, I'll leave you with what is sure to become an iconic image for this Bruins season, and one that I'm positive Mike Komisarek will NOT have hanging on his living room wall:






Go B's.

October Wrap-up

Points in the month: 13

Record: 5-3-3

Goals for: 29

Goals against: 31


All in all, it's hard to be disappointed with the Bruins' October performance. The B's faced a rough early season schedule, and still managed to celebrate Halloween with a winning record. The B's played 8 road games and only 3 at the TD Banknorth Garden, including the always-treacherous Western Canada swing, on which the Black and Gold went 2-1 with 2 shutouts.

Tim Thomas is currently in the middle of one of his trademark hot streaks, where he seems to save whatever is thrown in his direction. Phil Kessel continues to put up points, Marc Savard continues to put pucks directly on the tape of his linemates, Zdeno Chara is still rock-solid on the blueline, and Dennis Wideman is playing like he deserves the big raise he got over the summer.

Really, there is very little, if anything, to complain about or nitpick. Michael Ryder still hasn't really gotten it going, and Marco Sturm has been invisible at times, but neither have been slouches on the defensive end, and one must believe that the scoring will come.

The only real issue I think the Bruins are facing right now is the shootout. The team went 0 for 3 in shootouts in October, costing themselves a win in Montreal, a win in the home-opener vs. Pittsburgh, and a two goal collapse vs. Buffalo. Those are 3 points, 2 against division rivals, that one can only hope don't come back to haunt the B's in March. It's hard to say what is wrong with the shootout lineup, as the B's have plenty of skilled players who can put the puck in the net. It appears that the shots just are finding the back of the cage early, and that needs to change. The shootout has become reality in the NHL, and that extra point is always huge. The B's need to start finding ways to pick it up.

NOVEMBER AT A GLANCE:

Games: 13 (8 home, 5 road)

Key opponents: vs. Montreal 11/13, vs. New York Rangers 11/15, at Montreal 11/22, vs. Red Wings 11/29

Currently the B's are 3 for 3 in November, picking up a quick six points. My prediction for this team is to finish November with 31 points, which would mean picking up 12 out of a possible 20 (excluding the three games that have already been played). I think this is a pretty reasonable goal, and wouldn't be surprised if they surpass that mark if the team keeps playing together as they have so far on this young season.

Back at the Bell Centre: New Season, Same Result

Wednesday night, the Boston Bruins returned to the scene of their last loss of the 2007-2008 season, a 5-0 loss in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Granted, this was a preseason game, with a level of importance not even close to that of postseason hockey, but it was at the Bell Centre nonetheless.

This game, like all but one of the B's preseason games thus far, wasn't available on television, and the only radio feed available was that of CJAD out of Montreal. Uh oh, homer alert! But listening to play-by-play through bleu, blanc et rouge glasses is better than not listening to hockey at all.

The Bruins ended up losing this one 3-1, with Manny Fernandez giving up three power play markers in the defeat. Fernandez made 25 saves in the losing effort, but according to coach Claude Julien, played very well. A solid game seems like a must at this point for Manny. After reading this article by ESPN.com's Scott Burnside, it was hard to imagine Manny has all that much confidence in himself. One of the many things the NHL has proven over the years is that a solid 1-2 punch in net is never a bad thing, and the B's need Fernandez to play like the number one they acquired him to be.

It was a pretty decent game for the Bruins (from what I could hear, anyways, as it's always hard to judge without video, but...), who seemed to turn up the heat big time in the third period. There were a couple of occasions where they seemed to be knocking on the door, sometimes literally, with scrums for the puck in front of Jaroslav Halak, but they just couldn't put it away. Their one goal came on the powerplay, on a goal that the Habs' broadcasters seemed to describe almost as a "tic-tac-toe" goal, a perfectly executed power play strike, one that I believe they termed "inevitable", given the pressure the B's were putting on.

Here are some other pro's and con's from the game:


Pro's:

• Milan Lucic seemed to have a pretty good game. He's had a less than stellar camp so far, and probably needs to play better in these last few tune-ups to secure himself a spot on the roster. Yes, he's a fan favorite, but in no way is he an incumbent for a roster spot. Lucic has a ton of potential, and needs to turn it up a bit to solidify his standing.
• Blake Wheeler, a bit of a dark horse to make the team at the start of camp, seems to have almost assuredly gotten himself a place on the roster. GM Peter Chiarelli would have to do some juggling to get Wheeler on the team, as he has a pretty big (over $1 mil.) bonus that would need to be absorbed into the salary cap, but by all media accounts Wheeler seems to have been a standout throughout the entire camp. His name was mentioned quite frequently on the broadcast tonight, and always in a good manner. It's early, but Wheeler seems like he's been a great pick up by Chiarelli so far.
• Zdeno Chara, in his first game-action in the preseason, was unloading from the point on the power play. Some of the shots could be heard booming off of the pads of Halak even on the radio feed, so hopefully Chara's surgically repaired shoulder is at 100%.
• Patrice Bergeron and Mark Savard both seemed to be making plays as well, with Bergeron's name appearing all over the dial throughout the game.

Con's:

• This one could probably be split into two con's, but it'll instead go under one: special teams. The Bruins PK remained suspect, allowing all three goals (though one was on a 5-3, which is a situation where a team really can't be blamed for allowing a goal). To compound matters, the Montreal power play seemed as strong as ever, showing no signs of coming down from their #1 power play ranking from last season. This is bad for the Bruins, as the Montreal power play burned them almost too many times to count last season. The Bruins PK needs to improve from their bottom-half of the league ranking last year, and should do that with the acquisition of Stephane Yelle, a strong defensive player.
• Michael Ryder probably shouldn't be named as a complete "con", but he didn't do much in this game to shake his reputation of no longer being able to finish that followed him from Montreal. One of the reasons Bruins fans grew tired of Glen Murray was due to his inability to put home goals, despite constantly seeming to be in prime position. Ryder seemed to have plenty of shots, but missed the net fairly often. If Ryder is going to be the scorer the Bruins need him to be, he's got to start hitting the net.
  
• The physical play seemed lacking tonight. It almost seemed like the Bruins were shying away from their physical game, something that almost always led to trouble last season. When the Bruins impose their physical will on their opponents, their defensive style of play is far more effective. Plus, what real Bruins fan doesn't like to see a member of the Black and Gold lay out, as Shawn Thornton put it the other day, one of those "little French guys"?

Overall, a loss is a loss, but in the same vein, a preseason loss is just a preseason loss. No big deal, take the positives and negatives from it and move on. The B's next game is on Saturday, at home at the TD Banknorth Garden versus the New York Islanders. The game is on NESN too, for readers in the Boston area. I'm planning on going to this game, and should have more to report on after seeing the team in person.

Until then, go B's.