Wednesday Bruins news and notes

It is a very busy day here for me in the hub. I have been throwing things off the wall with people all morning and afternoon.

However, first things first, the Bruins have a game tonight at the TD Garden against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Here is what I have been told for tonight's contest. Tuuka Rask is the expected starter, with Tim Thomas likely getting the nod for Friday's Winter Classic.

Also, Milan Lucic will not play tonight and is likely out for the Winter Classic. I have been told that Lucic will return sometime between January 4-7.

As far as the Ilya Kovalchuk rumors, people are telling me forget Kovalchuk and focus on a lower priced option. That option could be a guy like Alex Frolov who will cost a lot less and scored 32 goals last season. Frolov has under achieved this season, but if paired with Marc Savard could be a nice fit.

*One final reminder is that Don Cherry night has been rescheduled due to inclement weather. So, no Grapes with Mike Milbury and Kathryn Tappen tonight.

Four Bruins going to Vancouver ... so far.

Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Marco Sturm have punched their tickets to Vancouver.

Chara has been named to the Slovakian Olympic roster.

Bergeron has been named to the Canadian Olympic team.

Krejci has been named to the Czech Republic Olympic roster.

Marco Sturm was named to team Germany's Olympic roster.

Team USA's Olympic roster will be announced on January 1, and it is expected Tim Thomas will be one of the three goaltenders heading to Vancouver in February.

Winter Classic in jeopardy for January 1?

NHL Facilities Manager, Dan Craig said, "Right now it looks like we’ll be good to go to play the game," speaking about the Winter Classic. However, forecasts have called for a wintry mix on Friday, which may push the game to Saturday.

I got an email from one of my friends who works for the NHL. They are having an "NHL Tweetup" on Jan 1. If you want further information on the "Tweetup" click the link here. http://nhltweetup.com/2009/10/winter-classic/

Bruins get struck by Lightning

The Boston Bruins were in Tampa Bay on Monday night to play their second game in two nights. Over the first forty minutes of the game, it showed too.

Late in the first period, the Bruins caught a bad break when a dump in took a bad bounce and ended up on the tape on Vincent Lecavalier. Lecavalier fed a brilliant behind-the-back pass to Alex Tanguay who was able to finish.

In the second period, Tampa Bay fed off of their late first stanza goal and dominated Boston. The Bruins almost got out of the period unfazed, key word, however, is almost.
On the power play, it was Kurtis Foster who blasted a shot that trickled through Tim Thomas' legs. With the puck spinning on the goal line, Martin St. Louis beat the Bruins defense to the puck and slammed the biscuit into the goal.

Advantage St. Louis in the battle of former UVM teammates. The goal was a back breaker against Boston, coming with less than 12 seconds remaining in the period.

As the third period came and advanced it looked like Boston may have awoken. A few bad breaks for Boston, however, kept the Tampa Bay lead at two.

With 7:30 left in the third period, the Bruins finally found the back of the net. It was Marco Sturm who fired a shot past Lightning goaltender, Mike Smith, and Boston had life after being on life support.

With three minutes remaining in the game, Sturm was at it again, but this time his snipe rang the iron.

Boston had a late power play nullified due to a Mark Recchi slash and the game ended with the Bolts downing the B's, 2-1.

Boston has one game remaining until the Winter Classic on Friday at Fenway Park. Let the Ilya Kovalchuk rumors swirl yet again, as Kovalchuk and the Thrashers will invade the TD Garden on Wednesday night.

Morris and Lucic will make the trip

Good afternoon to all, and I hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas.

The news from Bruins practice this morning was that both Derek Morris and Milan Lucic will travel with the team to Florida.

The Bruins are on a two game Florida trip to play the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. There was no word, however, as to whether Morris and Lucic would play Sunday night.

There really wasn't a lot of talk on Lucic, but Julien did say that he thought Morris had a good chance to crack the lineup.

Bruins explode for six and win in front of Kovalchuk

It was two nights before Christmas, and all through the Garden the players were stirring up an old fashioned shoot out.

It makes perfect sense that on the night the most coveted player in NHL trade talks comes to town the Bruins break out of their offensive slump.

Boston was on the power play in the first period, with the game still scoreless and Zdeno Chara was able to find Marc Savard cross-ice for the tally.

Just 48 seconds later it was Steve Begin in the offensive zone, who dropped a pass for Mark Recchi, who dished to a wide open Daniel Paille for the tap in goal.

As if that weren't enough, just 20 seconds after Boston's second goal, Shawn Thornton slid a pass over to Vladimir Sobotka, who tipped the pass into the back of the goal.

The massacre was on and Ondrej Pavelec was off; to the locker room that was after giving up three goals in a mere minute and eight seconds.

Atlanta, however, seemed to wake up after watching Pavelec skate off the ice. Bryan Little put the Thrashers on the board with a slap shot from the left hash, on a shot that Tim Thomas would stop more often that not.

Less than three minutes later, Ilya Kovalchuk fed Maxim Afinogenov, who beat Thomas through the wickets. It was the second scoring play in which Zdeno Chara had a bit of a hiccup and let Atlanta cut the lead to one.

As the second period started, Boston found themselves on an early five-on-three. Toward the tail end of the five-on-three, Chara found the back of the net after his slap shot was deflected off of an Atlanta defender.

After five goals in the first period, Chara's goal would be the only one in the second.

Just shy of half way through the third period, the Bruins looked to take a strangle hold of the game. On the power play it was Michael Ryder who was able to get the tally, putting home a loose puck courtesy of a Patrice Bergeron one-timer. The goal was Boston's second five-on-three goal of the evening.

However, Atlanta showed a lot of fight, and would mount another comeback on the Bruins. After Evander Kane made it a 5-3 game, it was the man in the spotlight who would cut the deficit to one.

Kovalchuk came in off the right wing on a breakaway and was able to beat Thomas through the legs. Chara left Kovalchuk alone and the sniper made him pay, potting his 21st goal on the year.

Kovalchuk's goal came with 4:52 left in the third period and the fans at TD Garden began to get a little antsy.

However, fear not as season MVP to this point, Patrice Bergeron won a key defensive zone face-off and then was rewarded with an empty net goal.

The final score was 6-4 and even though the Bruins and their fans have to be happy with their six goal explosion, they too have to be disappointed with the defensive mistakes.

It is not often where Chara will make multiple mistakes in the same game, but he did. Hopefully this was just a slight misstep for the reigning Norris trophy winner.

The Boston fans were also able to see what kind of player Kovalchuk really is. He showcased his speed, and wicked shot and showed why he expects a max contract for his services.

And with youngsters like Duncan Keith getting 13 year deals, why not a 10 year deal for a player of Kovalchuk's talent. If the Thrashers don't want to offer it, you better believe there will be a half dozen other teams that would love to.

Boston will enjoy a mini holiday break, until Sunday when they will be in Florida to face the Panthers.

Here's wishing all of Bruins nation a Merry Christmas, and a nice reminder to you all that there are only nine days left until hockey at Fenway.

Boston and Atlanta pre-game notes

Good afternoon to all of you black and gold fanatics.

Tonight is a special night for Claude Julien, who will hopefully be able to celebrate his 200th game as the Bruins head coach with a victory.

Look for Tim Thomas to start tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers after shutting out the Ottawa Senators on Monday night. Derek Morris on the other hand will sit out, for the second straight game.

There should also be some questions tonight for Marc Savard about a popular CBS game show. Savard appeared this morning on the Price Is Right and was part of the Showcase Showdown.

One final item worth noting is that today marks marks the 30th anniversary of Bruins players climbing into the stands and Mike Milbury pounding a guy with a shoe at MSG in New York.

I celebrated by watching the video on youtube, and I think you should do the same http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ef1YVXM9IU.

I wonder if the video will be brought up tonight on the pre or post game show? Let's see what NESN can dig up.

Morris out tomorrow, Lucic 50-50 for Winter Classic

The Bruins held practice this afternoon in Wilmington even after getting in early this morning from Ottawa.

The buzz today was whether or not Milan Lucic would be ready before the Winter Classic. Lucic took the ice this morning briefly for the first time since injuring his ankle nearly four weeks ago.

Lucic said he was "50-50" for the game, so we'll have to wait and see when it comes to him playing at Fenway Park.

Another announcement came down today, regarding another key member of the Bruins. Derek Morris will not suit up tomorrow night against Atlanta according to head coach, Claude Julien.

Morris is officially listed as "day to day," and it is uncertain whether he will make the Florida trip after Christmas.

On another note, there are only 10 shopping days left until the Winter Classic.

Thomas shuts out Senators, ends Bruins losing skid

The Bruins came into Monday night's game against the Ottawa Senators looking for goals. They didn't come early, but they came just the same.

The first period was a bit of a snoozer, with only a few legitimate scoring chances. Tim Thomas was sharp when he was tested, and the team's left the ice scoreless after twenty.

In the second period, Boston had some early chances on the power play. Mark Recchi had a nice tip on a Zdeno Chara slap shot, but Brian Elliott was up to the task.

Heading into the third period, Boston was still looking for their first goal. A few minutes into the third period that first goal finally came.

Shawn Thornton got the puck on the right hash and fired a shot on Elliott. Elliott left a juicy rebound, which Patrice Bergeron knocked into the back of the goal. The goal was Bergeron's ninth of the season, giving Bergeron a team leading 27 points.

Just under 10 minutes later it was Marco Sturm getting on the board, on a great pass from Marc Savard. The goal was Sturm's tenth on the season, which is good for the team lead.

The connection between Savard and Sturm is what Boston was looking for when they paired the two in Toronto.

Tim Thomas did the rest for Boston, stopping 29 Ottawa shots for his fourth shut out of the season. Thomas looked the sharpest he has looked since being injured last month in Pittsburgh.

Boston will return home after going 1-1-1 on their three game road trip. The Bruins will play the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night at the TD Garden.

The game will match two bordering teams in the standings with Boston owning the fifth seed at the moment and Atlanta owning the sixth. It will be the Bruins last game before the Christmas holiday.

Gustavsson shuts out Bruins, hands Boston fourth straight loss

The Bruins took the ice tonight in Toronto with only three of their regular defensemen on the ice. At the end of the game, it was not the defense that was the problem, it was the offense.

Boston was shut out by Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson tonight, losing their fourth in a row. It was Gustavsson's first career NHL shutout, and it also got Phil Kessel his first win against his former team.

The Bruins and Leafs played a scoreless first period, but Toronto didn't waste much time in the second to get on the board.

Tomas Kaberle came down the left side and put a wrist shot on Tuukka Rask. The puck slid through Rask, and trickled over the goal line. The goal was possibly the worst goal Rask has allowed this season, and is definitely one he would love to have back.

The game trudged along without a lot of chemistry on either side. The Bruins especially looked disinterested, which is the opposite of what they were in Boston when Toronto came to visit.

Toronto was able to put another goal on the board midway through the third period. This time it was Jason Blake who potted the Maple Leafs goal. Blake fired one over the glove of Rask, and gave Toronto a 2-0 lead.

The scoring ended with Blake's goal, but not the hitting. At the 13:20 mark of the third period, Johnny Boychuk laid out Matt Stajan. After the hit a scrum occurred, but not much came of it.

After looking at the replay, it looked like Boychuk's hit was cleanish. However, I would expect a fine for Boychuk as the NHL is not lenient when it comes to hits to the head.

After losing four games in a row, Boston now sits in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 39 points. The Bruins are now six points behind division leading Buffalo.

Boston will be off tomorrow, and will next play in Ottawa on Monday night. The Senators are in fifth place in the conference, one point ahead of the Bruins.

Kesselmania III pre-game notes

Good afternoon to all of you Bruins fans out there. As we in New England prepare for a blizzard which is expected to dump a foot of snow, the Bruins are in Toronto getting ready for Phil Kessel and the Maple Leafs.

Boston wakes up tied for fifth in conference with 39 points. The Maple Leafs have the second fewest points in the NHL, with 31. This is a big game for the Bruins, as they come in losers of three straight.

Dennis Wideman is expected to be out again tonight in Toronto, and Andy Wozniewski will likely play in his place again.

I was just told to expect a battle of the youngsters tonight in Toronto. Expect Johan Gustavsson vs. Tuukka Rask in the goal tending match up at the Air Canada Centre.

Rask will preform in front of the Toronto fans, like he did in his first NHL start. Rask of course was drafted by Toronto, but then was dealt to the Bruins for Andrew Raycroft in a move that some Leafs fans still cringe at.

UPDATE: Derek Morris will not play tonight because of an undisclosed injury. Adam McQuaid will make his NHL debut.

Morris has been knicked up for a couple of weeks. It is an interesting time to give him some rest. McQuiad will play with Wozniewski on the third defensive unit.

Stuart out fout-to-six weeks with broken sternum

The big news of the day for the Bruins was that Mark Stuart suffered a broken sternum in Monday's game against Philadelphia and will be out 4-6 weeks.

The obvious fill in for Stuart would be Matt Hunwick, given that he has already played in 29 games this season for the big club. Hunwick has been a healthy scratch for three of the past four games.

However, a source also told me today that Dennis Wideman will miss Friday's game and that Andy Wozniewski will take his place.

It is not known at the moment what is ailing Wideman, but he did miss practice last week due to injury. Wideman, however, did not miss any game action. This time it looks like he will at least miss one game.

Finally, Claude Julien has been visibly frustrated as of late due to the Bruins lack of offensive weapons and inability to score goals. Now, it is expected that Julien will change up the line combinations.

It is expected that Blake Wheeler and Byron Bitz will be taken off of the first line. Both players were not able to build any chemistry with Marc Savard.

The expected replacements on either side of Savard are Marco Sturm on the left and Michael Ryder on the right. Both Wheeler and Bitz are expected to drop down to the second line to play with David Krejci.

Bruins recall two, put Lucic on IR; Goal scorer all the Bruins want for Christmas?

It was an off day for the Bruins, but there was still a lot of action off the ice.

First off, the Bruins delivered the toys they purchased earlier this month for their annual toy drive for children.


The Bruins made a few roster moves today also. Boston recalled defenseman Adam McQuaid and Andy Wozniewski from Providence on an emergency basis.

To make room for the two blue liners, Boston placed Milan Lucic on injured reserve. The move would make Milan Lucic ineligable to return before the December 23rd game against the Atlanta Thrashers.

As I previously reported, Milan Lucic could make his return on their Florida trip, December 27 and 28.

Earlier today the Boston Herald published quotes from head coach, Claude Juilen from after last night's loss to the Flyers.

"We're going to have to do something," coach Claude Julien told the Herald. "Savvy is a guy who should lead our team in points. Somehow you've got to get him some guys who can put the puck in the net. And right now we've got a lot of guys who are probably not consistent in that area."

A source told me that Peter Chiarelli has called Don Maloney about Peter Mueller. Mueller was drafted back in 2007, and at 19 years old, broke into the league and scored 22 goals in 2007-2008. However, this season Mueller is having problems in Phoenix and has only one goal in 28 games.

I was also told, don't expect anything to come from this. However, I can say that the Bruins are calling teams about available goal scorers.


I would also tell people out there to get the Ilya Kovalchuk idea out of their heads. Boston has said they will not deal their first round picks for a player. Also, Kovalchuk doesn't play any defense, and that is something that Julien needs in his system.

Stay tuned with this though. You could very well see the Bruins kick the tires until the trade deadline and then pull the trigger on a sniper. After all they do have a lot of ammo in terms of young talent and picks to trade for a star.

Bruins fall as Thomas continues to struggle; Cherry back at the Garden

The Boston Bruins fell to the New York Islanders last night, 3-2 in overtime. Boston had some good opportunities in the third period to get the win, but could not find the back of the net.

Tim Thomas struggled in net, giving up three goals on just 19 shots. Thomas has been up and down all season, mainly being down since his return from a hand injury.

Tuukka Rask, meanwhile has won seven of his last eight starts. Look for it to be Tuukka time a lot more often moving forward. At least until Thomas can get back on track.

The Bruins will lace them up again on Monday night in a Winter Classic preview, against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers have been a big disappointment this year, currently sitting in thirteenth place in the conference.

At the moment, Boston sits in fifth place in the conference, two points behind Buffalo for the division lead.

Cherry back in Boston

Before the game last night, NESN announced that Don Cherry will be a game analyst for them on December 30. Cherry will be in town for the Winter Classic with his Hockey Night in Canada crew, and will join Kathryn Tappen to discuss Bruins and Thrashers.

Is anyone else wondering if Tappen will look as puzzled as Ron MacLean has for years when Cherry goes on one of his rants? Certainly, a game that you will want to tune in for.

Bruins and Islanders pre-game notes

The Boston Bruins are on Long Island to play the New York Islanders tonight. Boston comes in on fire, going 8-1-1 over their last 10 games.

I just got a text message that said it looks like Tim Thomas and Dwayne Roloson will start in goal tonight for the Bruins & Islanders respectively.

Thomas last played eight days ago, when he let up five goals in two periods and was pulled in favor of Tuukka Rask. Thomas has been said to be still fighting to get over his hand injury suffered last month.

The word from Long Island is that Boston will dress Byron Bitz and Dennis Wideman tonight. The healthy scratch looks like it will be Matt Hunwick, who will be scratched for the second time in three games. Hunwick looks like he may have lost his spot to John Boychuck; maybe for good.

The Islanders lost forwards will be without Sean Bergenheim tonight with a shoulder injury and Tim Jackman with a hip injury. They do expect to have defenseman Andy Sutton back in the lineup tonight. Sutton has been out with a groin injury.

Other Notes:

*According to the Boston Bruins, Peter Chiarelli is in Ontario, scouting junior prospects for the NHL draft in June. The Bruins have the first round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the moment, and the Leafs currently own the second worst record in the league.

*According to one of my sources, who has spoken with Milan Lucic, he said that Lucic is feeling better every day. He said a possible return for Lucic could come when the Bruins go on their Florida trip, on Dec. 27 and 28. Lucic was expected to be out 4-6 weeks with his most recent injury. Four weeks would be December 23, so this scenario does make a lot of sense.

Wideman questionable for tomorrow after another missed practice

The Bruins were at it again today in Wilmington and they had one of their players back. Derek Morris, who had missed the last two days of practice for "maintenance" was on the ice for Boston.

However, Dennis Wideman, who has an upper body injury, was not on the ice for the black and gold.

Wideman is questionable for tomorrow night's match up with the Maple Leafs. If he is unable to go, Matt Hunwick will take his place.

Hunwick was a healthy scratch for Saturday night's game against Toronto after a sub par game the night before in Montreal. Hunwick was seen on the ice for an hour after practice working on his game.

Hunwick had looked a little gassed over the past couple of weeks, and this rest may be just what he needs to get his game back to where it needs to be.

There has been no word as to who will start in goal for Boston tomorrow night, but Tim Thomas may get his chance to wipe away the hurt of a 5-1 loss last Friday in Montreal.

Wideman and Morris miss practice again; NHL investigating Savard's deal

It was a pretty tame Tuesday morning at Bruins practice, but there is news about the Bruins defensive core.

For the second straight day, both Dennis Wideman and Derek Morris missed practice. Morris is expected back at practice tomorrow morning for Boston, while Wideman is questionable to return tomorrow.Both players are probable for Thursday's game against Toronto, but if one of the blue liners happen to miss the game, Matt Hunwick is ready to take their place.

Hunwick was a healthy scratch for Saturday night's game against the Maple Leafs after a bad game the night before in Montreal. Hunwick looked like a puppy dog with his tail between his legs today after being asked about being a healthy scratch.

However, with the way that Johnny Boychuk played Saturday night, don't look for Hunwick to get back in unless Wideman is not ready to go.

One final worth while mention is that Marc Savard's seven-year contract extension is under investigation by the NHL. The NHL has openly complained about the contracts being handed out by NHL General Manager's.

If you want to look at some bad contracts, just see the Chicago Blackhawks, who are chalk full of them. Savard's contract does seem a bit fishy with the Bruins center making almost all of his money in the first four years of his contract.

That being said, it is very unlikely that anything will come of the NHL's investigation of the contract. There is a better chance of Phil Kessel suiting up for the black and gold on Thursday night.

Wideman questionable for Thursday, NHLPA ready to name new leader?

The Bruins had a light practice today, with Dennis Wideman and Derek Morris missing from action. Morris was given a maintenance day and is expected to be back at practice tomorrow.

Wideman on the other hand is not expected to practice again tomorrow and could miss Thursday's game against Toronto. Wideman has an undisclosed injury and we can call him questionable, although Julien thinks he has a good chance to play.

Also worth noting, after practice today the Bruins held a post-practice NHLPA-related meeting. There has been no word on what came of the meeting.

The players are no doubt looking to name a leader for the players association. It has been quite a while since Paul Kelly was relieved of his duties as head of the NHLPA.

There have been a bunch of names thrown out to replace Kelly, but no successor since Kelly's late August removal from office. Stay tuned.

Savard extension made official; Sauve signed, Boychuk assigned

It was a big day for Marc Savard today, as Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed center Marc Savard to a seven-year contract extension through the 2016-17 season.

The total damage of the deal is $28.05 million, and will hold a cap hit just over $4 million over seven years.

At today's press conference, Marc Savard expressed his excitement on staying in Boston.

"I stated in a couple articles earlier that I wanted to stay in Boston for the rest of my career," Savard said. "Looks like I'm going to have that chance. So I'm happy about that. Over the last few years, I've watched this town grow back into a hockey town. Hopefully our goal as a team and a staff comes true that we can bring a Cup here to Boston."

Savard will be 39 years old at deals end, and all indications are that he will retire wearing a black and gold uniform.

In other Bruins news today, Peter Chiarelli announced that the Bruins have signed forward Max Sauve to an entry-level contract. Chiarelli did not announce the length, but it is a reported three years.

Also, Johnny Boychuk was assigned to the Providence Bruins for conditioning. I for was was surprised that this hadn't happened earlier. Boychuk has sat every game but three this season.

Boychuk will be back with the Bruins after the stint. The team had to say this was a conditioning stint otherwise the Bruins would have had to put Boychuk on waivers to get him to the AHL.

Savard inked to seven-year extension through 2016-2017

Marc Savard has officially been inked to a 7-year, $28.05 million contract extension beginning in 2010-11.

The deal’s annual payouts according to both TSN and the Boston Globe are $7 million, $7 million, $6.5 million, $5 million, $1.5 million, $525,000, and $525,000. Total: $28.05 million.

By these figures, about 90% of deal paid in first 4 years. This is a solid signing for the Bruins, as Savard will still be making his money over the first four years. Savard will likely still be a top center in the league at that point.

At the start of the 2014-2015 season when the cap hit dives, Savard will be 37 and at the tail end. The Bruins can afford Savard into his twilight or buy him out at a very affordable rate.

The Bruins will hold a press conference at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday to announce the Savard contract extension. Both General Manager, Peter Chiarelli and head coach, Claude Julien will attend the press conference. The press conference will air on NESN.

This is the start of a big week for the Bruins. The Bruins will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night before going to Montreal on Friday night. Also, Phil Kessel will make his return to the hub on Saturday night.

Game Day: Bruins and Senators; Thomas may start

The Boston Bruins will play the Ottawa Senators tonight from the TD Garden. Boston is coming off of a 2-1 SO loss yesterday against the Devils. Ottawa is coming off of a 2-1 victory against Columbus.

Boston and Ottawa are tied for first place in the Northeast division, so tonight's battle is a big one. The Bruins has won five games in a row against the Senators at the Garden.

There is a lot of speculation that Tim Thomas will make his return to the Boston crease tonight. Thomas has been sidelined with a reported hand injury, and has not seen action since Nov. 14, in Pittsburgh.

After making his return to the lineup on the 19th, Milan Lucic is out again with an ankle injury. Lucic is expected to be out until Christmas. Vladimir Sobotka is expected to take Lucic's spot in the lineup while Lucic nurses his ankle.

The Bruins have obtained points in nine of their last 10 games, and with that have moved to fifth place in the Eastern Conference. A win tonight can propel Boston to the third spot in the conference.

UPDATE: Rene Rancourt is in the house. It is always a good night when Rene kicks off the game with the anthems.

Mike Fisher, a center for the Senators will also play tonight. Fisher has missed the last two games for Ottawa with an upper-body injury.

It looks like the goalie match-up will be Tim Thomas vs. Brian Elliott tonight @ the Garden in the battle for first.

Savard ready to go

The Boston Globe is reporting that Marc Savard will play tomorrow night in St. Louis. They are also noting that Savard will center a line with Marco Sturm on the left and Byron Bitz on the right.

With Savard back, this leaves Boston with 13 healthy forwards. The likely scratch will be Vladimir Sobotka. Sobotka will likely be the scratch over Daniel Paille because of Paille's value on the penalty kill.

The team's penalty kill was horrendous before Paille's arrival, but is now positioned as the 5th best PK unit in the NHL. Look for Paille to be in there against St. Louis, who is one of the four teams with a better PK percentage than Boston.

Bruins best Buffalo in overtime

The Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres met tonight in a Northeast division throw down. The game lived up to a traditional divisional battle, as the Bruins and Sabres had to settle things in overtime.

The Sabres struck first in this game, just four minutes and twenty seconds into the first period.

Bryon Bitz was sent off for tripping Patrick Kaleta at 16:37, and Buffalo was able to take advantage on the power play.

Paul Guastad, who was parked on the doorstep, got his stick on a Jason Pominville slapper from the blue line, and Buffalo was off to a good start.

Gaustad's fifth goal of the season carried the Sabres into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

The second period was all Boston, and about half way through the second, their hard work was rewarded.

Tuukka Rask had just made a nice save, and the puck deflected out to Byron Bitz who beat a Buffalo defender to the puck. Bitz brought the puck up ice, two-on-one with Milan Lucic.

Bitz made a feed across the slot for Lucic, and Lucic deposited the pass, past Ryan Miller with a quick wrister.

The goal was Lucic's first goal of the season. This was Lucic's second game back after returning from a 14 game absence due to a finger injury.

Buffalo controlled the majority of the play in the third period, out shooting the Bruins, 15-6 in the stanza.

However, Rask was up to the challenge, and he would carry Boston into overtime. This was Boston's fourth overtime battle in their last five games.

Boston would not wait long in the overtime session to make their mark. Patrice Bergeron scored 47 seconds into overtime, to give Boston the 2-1 victory.

Bergeron won the face off in the Buffalo zone and then went to the slot to tip in a shot by Zdeno Chara.

The win for Boston pulls them within two points of the Sabres for first place in the Northeast division.

Rask made 25 saves in the win for the Bruins, making his third straight start. Tim Thomas has been sidelined due to an undisclosed injury.

Boston will next be in action on Monday night in St. Louis. This game has been speculated to be the return game for Marc Savard.

Lots to look forward to for Bruins fans, as Boston has won back-to-back games, and the Bruins leading point man is ready to make his return to the lineup.

Marchand assigned, Savard still not ready, Rask to start again

The Bruins and Sabres will get at it tonight in Buffalo. Here are some quick hits to bring you up to speed for tonight's game.

*Marc Savard will not play tonight in Buffalo. Savard could make his return Monday night in St. Louis.

*Brad Marchand has been assigned to Providence. Boston is now down to 13 forwards with the big club. This would lead you to believe that Marc Savard will return Monday night.

*It's Tuukka Time again tonight in Buffalo. This will be Rask's third straight start. Tim Thomas is still sidelined due to minor undisclosed injury.

*Marc Savard is close to signing a seven year extension, worth $39 million ($5.7 million per) according to a report from Canada’s RDS.

Whitfield placed on waivers

The Boston Bruins have place forward, Trent Whitfield on waivers. If Whitfield is not claimed, he will re-join the Providence Bruins.

This move was expected, now that Milan Lucic has returned. The Bruins may be returning one more player to Providence soon also, as Marc Savard is expected back in the lineup within the week.

Lucic set to make return tonight

We were all wondering when we would see Milan Lucic and Marc Savard back in the lineup. Well, for at least one of those players, the wait ends tonight.

Boston Bruins GM, Peter Chiarelli announced that Milan Lucic will play in tonight's game against the Atlanta Thrashers. Lucic is not expected to be back in the top six mix tonight.

Marc Savard did make the trip with the club, but will not suit up tonight. Savard is, however, expected to play at some point during the team's four game road trip.

The train wreck continues, Isles burn Bruins, 4-1

A train wreck is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or an accident, such as when a train wheel jumps off a track in a derailment; or when a boiler explosion occurs.

That description comes when you look up the definition of a train wreck. The same description could be found when describing the Boston Bruins at the present moment.

The New York Islanders beat down the Bruins, 4-1 tonight at the TD Garden to continue the trains path off the track.

Tonight, it was offensive Juggernaut, Matt Moulson who netted two goals to sink the Bruins. Also, number one overall draft pick John Tavares scored an ugly goal.

Early in the third period, with the Islanders holding a 2-1 lead, Dennis Wideman turned the puck over by the Boston cage. The play was all too familiar to Bruins fans, as the turnover by Wideman lead to the Isles third goal, and the final nail in the coffin.

The ugly goals have been piling up as of late for Boston. The overtime winner in Pittsburgh on Saturday night was mirrored yet again tonight.

This time Tuukka Rask played the role of Tim Thomas and gave the puck to the Islanders who were quickly able to get the puck to the slot and into the back of the net.

The Bruins played quite the ugly game, and will be worked like dogs over the next couple of days in practice to make up for their lackluster effort.

The only Bruin who seems to show consistent passion is Shawn Thornton, and even he looks like he is getting frustrated.

The Bruins will go on the road for a four game road trip before the Thanksgiving holiday. The trip could be the return for both Milan Lucic and Marc Savard.

Lucic is expected to return either Thursday in Atlanta or Saturday in Buffalo. Savard may make a return to the team by the trips end, next Wednesday in Minnesota.

The return of the duo can not come soon enough, as the train has already derailed, and isn't that far from exploding.

Bruins and Penguins pre-game notes

The Boston Bruins are in Pittsburgh, for tonight's match with the Penguins.

The Bruins are coming off of a 1-0, SO loss to the Florida Panthers. Tim Thomas has recorded back to back shut outs against Florida, and Pittsburgh.

Look for Thomas to start in goal tonight for the black and gold, with Marc-Andre Fleury starting in net for Pittsburgh.

The Bruins lines remained the same today at practice and are as follows.

Forwards:

Sturm - Bergeron - Recchi

Wheeler - Krejci - Ryder

Paille - Sobotka - Marchand

Thornton - Begin - Bitz

Defense:

Chara - Morris

Stuart - Wideman

Hunwick - Ference

The Penguins will have one of their super stars back in the lineup tonight. Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma announced that Evgeni Malkin will return to the lineup tonight against Boston, while Chris Kunitz is out with a lower body injury.

The Penguins should line up like this tonight.

Forwards:

Fedotenko-Crosby-Malkin

Bourque-Staal-Guerin

Cooke-Letestu-Dupuis

Rupp-Adams-Godard

Defense:

Skoula-Lovejoy

McKee-Goligoski

Eaton-Engelland

Look for a steady dose of the Chara and Morris pairing on the ice whenever the Crosby-Malkin line is out there. The two teams will face off from the Igloo tonight at 7:30.

Morris misses practice; Savard and Bruins close to extension?

Today the Bruins practiced in Wilmington, minus Derek Morris. Morris, was given a maintenance day by Claude Julien and will be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers.

There was not much in terms of news today for the Bruins on the ice, but there were rumblings off the ice.

According to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside, talks between Marc Savard's agent and the Boston Bruins are now going on every day as the two sides try to hammer out a deal to keep Savard in Boston.

The two are saying that a deal could be struck shortly, however, if nothing comes soon it may not come at all. The longer the Bruins wait, the more likely it will be for Savard to test the free agent waters come July 1.

Stay tuned.

Krejci back at practice; Lucic and Savard progressing on schedule

Good evening Bruins fans. The Bruins were in Wilmington today preparing for tomorrow night's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here are today's noteworthy happenings.

*David Krejci returned to practice this morning for the first time since being diagnosed with the H1N1 virus last Wednesday.

Claude Julien has not said whether or not Krejci will play tomorrow night against Pittsburgh, but people are telling me it is very likely.

*Michael Ryder missed practice today due to being ill. However, coach Julien was quick to shoot down the rumblings that he may too have H1N1.

*Here is today's lineup, plus Krejci and minus Ryder.

Mark Recchi – Patrice Bergeron – Marco Sturm

Vladimir Sobotka – David Krejci – Blake Wheeler

Daniel Paille – Trent Whitfield – Brad Marchand

Shawn Thornton – Steve Begin – Byron Bitz

*Milan Lucic skated before practice in full gear with a puck. Lucic suffered a broken right index finger, so the fact that he is handling pucks is a good thing.

Previous reports (Tweeted at http://twitter.com/BruinSpace) were that Lucic is targeting a November 19 return date.

*Marc Savard, is also progressing as scheduled right now. He is going to be out longer than Lucic, as his injury is more delicate.

Savard still has a walking boot on his left foot, but is still hoping to be back by the end of the month.

Bruins finally score, but still fall in shoot out

The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadien's took the ice against one another for the 700th time in the team's storied history.

The Bruins, however, were on the losing end of the match up tonight, falling 2-1 in a shoot out.

The Canadiens goal came late in the first period, when Andrei Kostitsyn wrapped the puck around the Bruins goal to Glen Metropolit for the goal.

Matt Hunwick and Dennis Wideman collided to allow Kostitsyn the lane to the goal, and Metro put the garbage in the barrel.

The Bruins were shut out during the first period, and went to the locker room without a goal for the seventh straight time.

With about two and a half minutes to go in the second period, it looked like Bruins had broken their scoreless streak. However, the goal was reviewed and called off as the net had been knocked off of its moorings.

As the Bruins skated to the locker room after the end of the second period it looked like the scoreless streak was getting to them. The Bruins heads were down, and they were one period away from a third straight shut out and a loss to their bitter rival.

Things stayed the same for the first 19 minutes of the third period, but things finally changed. With 52 seconds remaining, Patrice Bergeron ended the streak at 192 minutes and six seconds with a rebound tally.

The teams headed to overtime and with no goals scored, then headed to a shoot out. Michael Cammalleri was the lone player to score in the shootout to give the Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 victory.

The Bruins loss was their fourth in five games and the power play went scoreless yet again. Boston's power play is the worst PP in the league.

When the Bruins lost Marc Savard, people expected the team's scoring to decrease. However, the Bruins passion and toughness seems to have fallen off the map as well.

This scribe would have to think that has to do with the absence of Milan Lucic. Both Lucic and Savard are targeting a return prior to Thanksgiving.

Boston will play nine games before the Thanksgiving holiday. So the question must be asked, can the Bruins weather the storm until these two return?

Oh, and did I mention David Krejci will likely miss the next two games as well?

Krejci diasnosed with swine flu; Rask signed to two-year extension

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Boston Bruins. Today, Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that the club’s medical staff has confirmed a diagnosis of H1N1 for David Krejci.

Based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations, Krejci will be isolated from the rest of the team until he is symptom and fever free for 24 hours.

The spread of the virus to other players and coaches is a concern for the Bruins, but the team is confident that the virus will not spread.

Look for Krejci to miss a few games due to the illness. This of course is coming at a time where the Bruins are already minus Marc Savard, Milan Lucic and Byron Bitz.

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If you want to see a video of Peter Chiarelli discussing the Krejci case, check out the blog at http://www.myspace.com/bostonbruinspace

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There was, however, some good news that came out today. The GM for Boston was busy, announcing that the club has signed goaltender Tuukka Rask to a two-year contract extension through the 2011-12 season.

Chiarelli told reporters today that Rask's final cap figure, beginning next season, will be $1.25 million. Rask will make $1 million next season, and jump to $1.5 million in 2011-'12.

This is a solid deal for the Bruins, that will get another one of their young and talented players signed past this season. There is no doubt that Chiarelli wants to get these young guys signed before they hit free agency this July; see Phil Kessel.

One would have to speculate that Blake Wheeler may be the next to talk terms with the Bruins. Wheeler, will also be a restricted free agent at seasons end, like Rask and Lucic would have been.

Bruins shuffle lines in attempt to stimulate some offense

With the Bruins struggling to score goals, Bruins bench boss, Claude Julien shuffled the lines today at practice.

Old line mates Blake Wheeler, David Krejci, and Michael Ryder were back together. Remember, this line was dynamite at times last season. Also, Patrice Bergeron is now playing with Marco Sturm and Mark Recchi.

The third line is one I like quite a bit, with Daniel Paille, Vladimir Sobotka and Bard Marchand. This line is full of quick and pesky forwards who work very hard and cycle well.

Shawn Thornton and Steve Begin took their regular spots on the fourth line with Trent Whitfield getting the look on the left side. Whitfield will likely go tomorrow in place of Byron Bitz who missed Sunday's game with an injury. Bitz is expected back on Thursday night against Montreal.

A look at the lines...

Sturm Bergeron Recchi

Wheeler Krejci Ryder

Paille Sobotka Marchand

Whitfield Begin Thornton

Chara Morris

Hunwick Wideman

Stuart Ference

(Johnny Boychuk)

Tim Thomas

Tuukka Rask

Finally, a quick note for tomorrow night's game. Detroit head coach Mike Babcock said that Chris Osgood will start in goal Tuesday night.

Lundqvist shuts out Bruins for 150th career victory

In typical Bruins and Rangers fashion, Boston and New York skated in a tightly defended one goal game.

Unfortunately for Boston, they came out on the short end, as New York posted a 1-0 victory.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots for his 21st career shutout. It was a milestone win for Lundqvist, as he posted his 150th NHL victory.

Marian Gaborik, who had missed the last two games due to a groin injury was a game time decision today for the Rangers. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Gaborik suited up and scored the games lone goal.

The goal was Gaborik's 11th of the season, putting him second in the NHL in lighting the lamp this season, behind only Alexander Ovechkin.

The goal was a beauty by Gaborik, who let go a quick wrister from the high slot. Gaborik's shot was the only piece or rubber that found itself in the goal all day.

With the loss, Boston continued its season-long trend of alternating wins and losses. A streak that Tim Thomas hopes will end soon. "You'd like to win them all, but we're headed in the right direction. Even if every game we're not getting the results," said Thomas.

Quality scoring chances were hard to come by for both teams, but Boston had a good opportunity in the third period to tie the score.

The Bruins had four straight minutes of power-play time in the third period and Lundqvist denied Mark Recchi right on the door step.

One bright note for the Bruins was that their penalty killed off both of New York's power play attempts. Boston has now killed 14 straight penalties after their dismal start on the PK.

However, the part of the Bruins game that continues to concern is Boston's power play. The black and gold went scoreless on all five PP attempts today, and have not netted a goal on the man advantage since Marc Savard went down with a foot injury.

Boston has no one to quarterback the unit with Savard out and Boston's power play is ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference, only ahead of the Florida Panthers power play.

That being said, Bruins coach Claude Julien was not disappointed with his teams play.

"We played hard," Julien said. "We did everything, except right now we're just not scoring goals. "Until that happens, we're going to be dealing with these types of games. It becomes frustrating for everybody."

Frustrating for everybody is an accurate statement by Julien, as this brand of hockey has become tough to watch.

The Bruins seem to have sured things up on the back end, but until Savard and Milan Lucic return to the Boston lineup things could stay stagnant up front.

Three Stars

1) Henrik Lundqvist

2) Marian Gaborik

3) Tim Thomas