Rask shuts out Oilers, Bruins win 2-0

The Bruins were coming off of a hard fought loss to New Jersey on Thursday night and turned in another stellar effort against Edmonton.

Tuukka Rask shut down the Edmonton attack, and Vladimir Sobotka was today's offensive star as the Bruins took the match, 2-0.

The game had an extremely fast pace from the start, as Boston and Edmonton went back and forth. The line of Blake Wheeler, Daniel Paille and Sobotka was a cycling machine, with Paille and Sobotka controlling the boards against the Edmonton players.

The defensive pairs were also playing effectively. The Edmonton forwards were having a hard time finding quality scoring chances, and the pairs were also chipping in with some offensive pressure.

The second period started the same way that the first period ended for Boston, with all four lines providing a spark.

The fourth line had a great flurry, with Shawn Thornton, Byron Bitz and Steve Begin swarming the net, but they came up empty.

The energy level rose to another level midway through the second period when Steve Begin jacked up Zack Stortini at the Edmonton blue line. The hitting really picked up from that point, as both teams were not afraid to throw their weight around.

Boston continued to pressure the Oiler zone, and with about seven minutes to go in the second, Zdeno Chara teed up a slapper that went off Nikolai Khabibulin's mask.

After a storm of pressure from Edmonton, Boston came ever so close to taking a one goal lead into the intermission. Sobotka found the back of the net, however, it was a second or two after the buzzer had sounded and the teams went to the locker room scoreless after two.

The third period began with Boston missing on a couple of quality chances, however, fortunately for the Bruins the trend did not continue. Sobotka did a great job along the boards, battling with Theo Peckham. Sobotka won the battle down the wall, and fed a streaking Wheeler for the goal.

The roles were reversed, just over four minutes later as this time it was Wheeler who found Sobotka on a two-on-one rush. Wheeler put a pass over a defenders stick and onto the tape of Sobotka who was able to beat Khabibulin.

The two teams played out the string and Boston hung on for a 2-0 victory. Tuuka Rask stopped 19 shots in shutting out the Oilers, while Sobotka and Wheeler each had a goal and an assist in the win.

Games Three Stars

1) Sobotka

2) Rask

3) Wheeler

Zubrus' late goal lifts Devils over Bruins, 2-1

In typical Bruins vs. Devils fashion, Boston and New Jersey played a nail biter at the TD Garden. This time it was New Jersey who edged the Bruins, with a goal in the final 90 seconds to escape Boston victorious.

The game started with Boston on the offensive, as the Bruins took the play to the Devils for the first third of the period. Boston had their chances to take the early lead, but those chances, unfortunately for Boston, went by the boards.

The teams continued with their chances, and after a brief New Jersey swell, it looked as if Boston was taking back the momentum. However, a mistake at the offensive blue line by Shawn Thornton led to a Devils odd-man rush and New Jersey's first goal.

Niclas Bergfors took the puck along the left wing boards and came in on a two-on-one rush with David Clarkson. Tim Thomas made the initial stop on Bergfors, but the puck trickled behind Thomas and Clarkson was there to pot the rebound. The teams finished the period with New Jersey ahead, 1-0.

At the start of the second period, Boston received an early power play chance. The Bruins were not able to take advantage on the PP, but were able to take advantage of some poor New Jersey positioning just seconds later.

Zdeno Chara received the puck at the right side point and then unloaded a bomb of a shot that broke Johnny Oduya's stick. The rebound went to Marco Sturm, who's shot ricocheted off of a couple of players and right to Patrice Bergeron who deposited the puck into the vacated goal.

The two teams continued to battle, and trade blows. Mark Fraser and Byron Bitz were hollering at one another, with Thornton getting in on the fun. Also, Vladimir Sobotka and Daniel Paille were throwing their weight around on Devils defenseman, both playing the role of agitator.

The second period came and went, with the teams square at one. The third period commenced and play continued just as it had the previous two periods, with a rapid pace.

In the final minutes it was looking like the Bruins were heading for their third straight overtime tilt with the score still knotted at one. However, Dainius Zubrus had other ideas.

Zach Parise and Zubrus crashed the Boston goal, and after Parise's tip trickled through the crease, Zubrus was there to crashes the net the game winner.

Boston pulled Thomas and tried for magic in a bottle again, and had a golden opportunity. Dennis Wideman let go a shot from the blue line that knuckled toward the goal. The puck hit the ice before reaching the crease, and bounced over the shoulder of New Jersey goalie, Yann Danis and off the crossbar.

The crowd at the TD Garden watched as the time ran off the clock, and Boston fell to New Jersey, 2-1. With the loss Boston falls to 3-4 on home ice.

The Bruins will be in action next on Saturday afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers. Hopefully the ghouls will be out early and will help reek havoc on the visitors.

Lefebvre assigned to P-Bruins

Guillaume Lefebvre has been assigned to Providence. The move was expected now that Shawn Thornton seems to be healthy. Boston still will have an extra forward up with the big club.

Lefebvre has only played in one game this season for Boston, and will continue his roller coaster ride up and down between Boston and Providence.

Bruins show fight in late comback win in Ottawa

The Boston Bruins rallied from two goals down for a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.

Boston trailed with under two minutes to go in the game and pulled goaltender, Tim Thomas for the extra attacker.

Mark Recchi, playing in game number 1,500 of his NHL career scored to make is 3-2 Boston with 1:28 to play. David Krejci, then potted his first goal of the season on a great feed from Derek Morris with just 22 ticks left.

The Bruins then received a shoot out goal by Patrice Bergeron, and Tim Thomas stopped Alex Kovalev, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza for a Boston victory.
The other goal scorers in the game were, Milan Michalek, Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson for the Senators, and Blake Wheeler for the Bruins.

The Bruins have acquired five points out of a possible six over their last three games without Milan Lucic and Marc Savard, and have to be happy with that number.

That being said, there were a lot of break downs in the game that Boston will need to work on, with four straight off days coming up.

One major area for improvement will be the Bruins power play. The power play was 0-4 against Ottawa, and is clicking at less than a 17% rate. It will be a tall task to get the man advantage team back on track with Savard, likely being out through November.

Boston's passes have been dangerous on the power play so far this season, and because of this have given up three short handed goals.

Alfredsson opened the scoring midway through the second with a short-handed goal tonight on a Boston power play. Mike Fisher took the puck from the side boards and found Alfredsson, who beat Thomas top shelf to give Ottawa an early lead.

Luckily for Boston it did not come back to bite them in the end, but work needs to be put in on the power play so the Bruins are no longer victimized like they were by Ottawa.

The star of the game was Tim Thomas, who made some fantastic saves. Thomas made 27 saves on 30 Senator shots.

Another player who deserves a great deal of credit for the Bruins comeback win is Derek Morris. Morris assisted on both of the final two Bruin goals which came in the last 1:28.

That leads us into my games three stars.

3) Mark Recchi - He was playing in game number 1,500 of his NHL career and scored the Bruin's second goal. This was the goal that gave the Bruins the idea that they could win the game.

2) Derek Morris - He assisted on Boston's last two goals and played an overall solid game. Morris made a great slap pass to David Krejci through the seam to assist on the game tying goal with just 22 seconds remaining.

1) Tim Thomas - Thomas made a great save to rob Alfredsson tonight and was a wall in net for Boston. Thomas made some key saves to keep Boston in the game and put them in the position to make a comeback.

The Bruins will return to Boston for a brief two game home stand, where they will play New Jersey on Thursday and Edmonton on Saturday. afternoon.

Bruins and Senators lineups; Thornton returns, Thomas starts

The Boston Bruins are in Ottawa to play the Senators tonight for the first time this season. The rivalry will be renewed, and it has always been a chippy one.

Shawn Thornton will be back in the lineup tonight for Boston and you have to wonder if he will tangle with Chris Neil tonight.

The lineups are in for tonight's game.

For the Senators...

Michalek-Spezza-Cheechoo

Kovalev-Fisher-Alfredsson

Foligno-Regin-Neil

Ruutu-Kelly-Shannon

Phillips-Volchenkov

Campoli-Karlsson

Picard-Carkner

Elliott

Leclaire

Now, for the Bruins...

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Michael Ryder

Marco Sturm - David Krejci - Mark Recchi

Daniel Paille - Trent Whitfield - Blake Wheeler

Shawn Thornton - Steve Begin - Byron Bitz

Zdeno Chara-Derek Morris

Matt Hunwick-Dennis Wideman

Mark Stuart-Andrew Ference

Tim Thomas

Tuukka Rask

So, as you can see Tim Thomas will start in goal for Boston as Tuukka Rask got the nod Thursday night in Philadelphia.

Mark Recchi will play in his 1,500Th career game tonight.

Thornton ready to go for Saturday night

The Bruins arrived in Ottawa early this morning and only four Bruins participated in their optional practice.

Tim Thomas, Shawn Thornton, Johnny Boychuk, and Guillaume Lefebvre were the brave few.

Speaking of Thornton, he likely will be in back in the lineup tomorrow night when the Bruins take the ice to play the Senators. Thornton, of course has been out the last two games because of an undisclosed injury.

Bruins battle, but fall to Flyers in shootout

Claude Giroux scored on a backhand-to-forehand move in a shootout, which proved to be the game winner for Philadelphia. The Flyers defeated the Bruins, 4-3.

The Flyers out shot the Boston, 39-26 and they controlled the puck in Boston's end much more than would make Bruins fans comfortable.

One factor in the puck possession win for Philadelphia is rest. The Flyers were playing for only the second time in 12 days due to a scheduling quirk, while Boston was coming off of an intense battle in Boston the night before.

Nevertheless, Boston secured a point in the game thanks to Tuukka Rask. The Flyers Jeff Carter's short-handed breakaway attempt was stopped by Rask after Derek Morris coughed up the puck at the offensive blue line.

The Bruins played their second straight game without both Milan Lucic, Marc Savard and Shawn Thornton. In their absence the offense looked solid, thanks to Boston's depth. Morris, Matt Hunwick and Steve Begin were the Bruin goal scorers.

Boston now will head to Ottawa to play the first place Senators. The Senators lost to Nashville tonight, 6-5 in overtime. Ottawa of course is the new home for old Bruin nemesis, Alex Kovalev and add the fact that the Sens are a division rival, and you've got a big tilt Saturday night.

Recchi appointed to NHLPA committee to overview Kelly firing

Mark Recchi has been appointed a member of a four-player committee set to conduct an investigation of the union's internal operations.

In addition to Recchi, Chris Chelios, Rob Blake and Nicklas Lidstrom are also on the investigative committee. These players are all senior members of the NHL, with the youngest (Blake, and Lidstrom) being 39.

Lefebvre recalled from Providence

Guillaume Lefebvre was recalled by the Boston Bruins this morning on an emergency basis and is expected to be available for Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Lefebvre, as previously mentioned is a bruiser and may have been called up to take Shawn Thornton's place until he recovers from injury. Thornton is on the team's trip, but if he can't go the Bruins will need another bruiser in the lineup when they play the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers are a big and tough team and Lefebvre may be called to do what he is doing in the picture to the right. This game will be a much bigger test for the Bruins than last nights game against Nashville. It will be interesting to see how Boston responds without a bruiser like Milan Lucic and their top center, Marc Savard against some of the brass of the Eastern Conference.

Conditions of Paille deal; Thornton day-to-day

For those of you who are intrigued by the conditional draft pick the Bruins threw into the Daniel Paille deal. Well, here is the condition.

If Paille scores 16 or more goals this season, the Bruins will send a conditional 2010 fourth-round pick to the Sabres along with their third-round pick. If Paille doesn't hit the 16-goal mark, the Bruins will only send Buffalo their third-round pick.

THORNTON DAY-TO-DAY

Shawn Thornton has an undisclosed injury and is not in the lineup tonight against the Nashville Predators. Thornton is questionable for tomorrow night's game in Philadelphia, and is listed as day-to-day.

Savard joins Lucic on Long Term Injured Reserve, will miss 4-6 weeks

The Bruins announced earlier today that Marc Savard has been placed on long-term injured reserve because of a broken left foot. Savard is expected to miss four to six weeks.

According to GM Peter Chiarelli, Savard took a shot off the left foot in a preseason practice. Savard was playing with pain, but yesterday in practice he aggravated it again and had the foot examined. The examination confirmed that Savard's foot was broken.

The Bruins recalled forward Trent Whitfield from Providence on an emergency basis. Whitfield, 32, was signed as a free agent in July by Boston and has three goals and eight assists in six games for Providence this season.

For those who are counting, Savard is eligible to come off of injured reserve, November 19, against Atlanta.

Bruins acquire Paille from Buffalo for picks

The Bruins are wheeling and dealing again, this time the Bruins acquired forward Daniel Paille from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third-round pick in 2010 and a conditional fourth-round selection in 2010.

Paille has played in two games for the Sabres this year, with one assist. That being said, Paille is a guy who will most likely provide depth for the Bruins. This does not mean that Vladimir Sobotka or Brad Marchand will lose out on a roster spot. The Bruins are not carrying an extra forward at the moment, so Paille could fill that spot.

I'm sure the Bruins will discuss Paille's role in more detail tomorrow.

REPORT: Lefebvre reassigned to Providence

Joe Haggerty is reporting that, forward Guillaume Lefebvre was reassigned to the Providence Bruins on Monday night after playing in one game for the Bruins over the weekend.

The move will put the Bruins back at the bear minimum of forwards. This means that both Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand will be in the lineup Wednesday night against Nashville.

Lucic surgery successful, will miss 4-6 weeks

Peter Chiarelli announced today that Bruins forward Milan Lucic underwent successful surgery to repair a broken right index finger. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Claude Julien expressed his displeasure with losing Lucic for up to six weeks when addressing the media today.

"Any time you lose a guy like Looch, one of those players that usually has a pretty good impact on the game when he's on top of it, it's certainly going to hurt," coach Claude Julien said.

"I think we saw him more like the player we wanted him to be in Dallas. It's going to hurt, but it's going to give somebody else an opportunity to step up, and we've always been a team in the past that has responded well to those by everybody picking up the slack."

The move to Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) is retroactive to October 16. The first game Lucic would be eligible to return from LTIR is November 10, against Pittsburgh. However, it does not appear that Lucic would be available to come back that early.

Kobasew's reaction to the trade; Milbury speculates on possible Ference trade

Chuck Kobasew has spoken with the Minnesota media after being traded to the Wild Sunday night. Kobasew was asked how he felt about the trade, and if he was surprised by it.

“I was a bit surprised, but in Boston we were not playing that well and when the team’s not playing up to expectations and you’re not playing up to expectations, these things can happen.”

Kobasew was a good guy, but he just wasn't cutting it here in Boston; especially for the salary.

Another buzz has been started (although I have heard these rumblings for months) from former Boston Bruin and current NESN analyst, Mike Milbury.

Milbury is speculating that the Bruins may be looking to ship Andrew Ference out of town. He sites the NHLPA drama as a major reason for this.

"There’s been a lot of heated debate in the Bruins locker room and some chatter about them even trying to move Ference at this point."

I know that Peter Chiarelli has never been a major fan of Ference, so after the trade of Kobasew today we may see another chip fall soon.

If you want to hear the interview with NHL Live! on XM Radio than click the link.

Bruins ship Kobasew to Wild; Lucic to LTIR

A lot of news coming out tonight folks. The Bruins have made two big announcements and here they are, courtesy of their official website.

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired a second round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the rights to unsigned draft choice Alexander Fallstrom and forward Craig Weller from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Chuck Kobasew.

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled forwards Guillaume Lefebvre, Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka from the Providence Bruins and placed forward Milan Lucic on Long Term Injured Reserve. Lefebvre’s recall is on an emergency basis.

My take ~

Call me a psychic, but I saw this Kobasew trade coming. Kobasew has only one point in seven games this season, and has been always known as a streaky player. Peter Chiarelli has always liked consistency, and Kobasew couldn't seem to find any.

Another big factor with Kobasew was his salary. Kobasew makes, $2.33 million a season, and with the production he has been giving, is being severely overpaid.

The Bruins put Milan Lucic on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) and with the rules of LTIR, Lucic will not be able to return until at least the November 12 game against Florida.

With Kobasew now gone, and Milan Lucic out for the next month, Boston has called up Lefebvre, Marchand and Sobotka to the varsity. Brad Marchand has been great for Providence so far this season, so I would expect Marchand to take Kobasew's spot on the third line.

Sobotka, of course has the most NHL experience with Boston and will likely get a look on the fourth line. Lefebvre played 11 minutes on the fourth line in Saturday night's loss against Phoenix, but isn't as good a player as Sobotka and Marchand.

One thing that may help Lefebvre is that he is a bruiser, and with Milan Lucic out, he may be needed to help Shawn Thornton in dropping the gloves.

One final note is that sources have told me that Dennis Wideman will be back in the Boston lineup for Wednesday's tilt against Nashville.

So, while one Bruin is out via trade, and another with an injury, it looks like one will be back in Wideman.

I'll try to get more tomorrow night, as I'm sure Peter Chiarelli will address the media tomorrow.

Lucic has broken finger, Thomas to start against Phoenix

Milan Lucic will miss tonight's game, as reported earlier. However, now we know why. Lucic has a broken right index finger, suffered in last night's win over Dallas.

As I speculated earlier, Byron Bitz will slide up to the second line with Lefebvre taking the right wing spot on the fourth line. Shawn Thornton moves to the left side on the fourth line.

There is no timetable set for Lucic's return.

As for the question of who will start in goal for Boston, that has been answered as well. Tim Thomas will get the nod between the pipes for the second straight night. Thomas of course is coming off of his best outing of the season, stopping 27 shots and shutting out Dallas.

Bruins downing of Dallas a season changer, again?

Did it happen again? Last season, the Boston Bruins seemed to turn their season around on Nov. 1, after a game with the Dallas Stars.

This season, have the Bruins done the same thing with a Oct. 16 W, against Dallas?

Boston certainly looked good last night in their 3-0 triumph over the Stars. The defense finally showed the ability to lock down their opponent and Tim Thomas showed why he is the reigning Vezina trophy winner, making 27 saves and shutting out Dallas.

The offense looked pretty good in their own right, especially the newly formed first line. Marc Savard scored two goals, with his second being the highlight.

On the goal, Michael Ryder carried the puck into the Dallas zone and put the puck in a perfect spot for Savard, who had opened up and one timed the pass, past Marty Turco.

The win puts the Bruins back at .500 (3-3) going into their Saturday night showdown in Phoenix.

Speaking of tonight's game, it has been reported that Milan Lucic will not be apart of it. Lucic has an undisclosed injury and Guillaume Lefebvre will be called up from Providence to take Lucic's spot on the roster.

There have not been any indications of what the lines will look like tonight. The first line will stay the same, but it is unknown who will take Lucic's spot at left wing on the second line.

Lefebvre is a bruiser who accrues more penalty minutes than any one man should. The bet tonight should be +/- three penalty minutes for Lefebvre tonight. I'll go with the over.

Tonight's game note is that Derek Morris will play in his 800th NHL game tonight. Morris, of course was a part of the Coyotes at the beginning of last season before being shipped to the Rangers at the trade deadline.

Check back later for lines and for who will start between the pipes for Boston tonight.

Bruins and Stars preview

Happy almost weekend Bruins nation, and a happy one more day until some puck.

The biggest news out of Wilmington today was that Dennis Wideman has been officially ruled out of game action for both Friday and Saturday night's tilts.

Wideman, of course hurt his left shoulder when he fell into the board Saturday night against the Islanders. Johnny Boychuk will start in Wideman's place.

After listening to the coach, it looks as if Wideman will be ready to go Wednesday night against Nashville.

OTT & MODANO OUT FRIDAY
To take a little bit of steam out of Friday night's match up, Steve Ott will be missing the game. Ott has an oblique muscle injury that he suffered Sunday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Ott was the villain in last year's Nov. 1 tilt at the Garden and now with Ott out for Friday night, revenge will no longer be an option of the Bruins.
Mike Modano is also likely out for Friday nights game with a rib injury. Dallas is coming off of a, 6-0 victory over the Nashville Predators.

LINE SWAP
Tomorrow night, we will be seeing a change on the Bruins top two lines. Milan Lucic and Michael Ryder will be switching lines to try and provide a spark. The lines will be as follows.

Sturm - Savard - Ryder

Lucic - Krejci - Wheeler

Recchi - Bergeron - Kobasew

Bitz - Begin - Thornton

These were the lines that I selected during the pre-season. The move puts Marco Sturm back on his strong side which should help, as well as puts a shooter with Marc Savard.

Lucic, David Krejci and Blake Wheeler will now form a young gun line, that should hold a lot of energy. Krejci and Wheeler are both 23, while Lucic is still, just 21.

GOALIE CONTROVERSY?
Finally, it has not been decided who will start in goal tomorrow night. The odds are that Tim Thomas will be back between the pipes, but is there more behind Tuukka Rask starting back-to-back games?

We'll find out tomorrow.

Rivalry renewed Friday night. Wait, what?

Hey, we're all bored with four days in between games, so let's reminisce. Boston is playing Dallas on Friday and there is some history there believe it or not.

Remember old friend Steve Ott and the last year when the Bruins met the Stars in the hub?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-D09wj5VtU

Ohhhhh, now you remember. Will the Bruins open up the box of boom on Ott and the Stars? With the rocky start to the season, and a hockey players powerful memory, signs point to yes.

If you're looking for something more cheery, old friend Alex Auld is the backup in Dallas. Will Dallas give him the nod to face his old team? A must see Friday night, in what is the Bruins first road game of the season.

Well, I hope I was able to pump some of you up. You all seemed a little down and out with the Monday loss and break 'til Friday.

Wideman ruled out for tomorrow, Boychuk to make season debut

According to the Boston Globe, Dennis Wideman will not play tomorrow because of an injured left shoulder. Johnny Boychuk will make his season debut tomorrow in place of Wideman.

Wideman could be seen favoring his left shoulder on the way off the ice, but it didn't seem like he was overly uncomfortable on his way to the room.

Hopefully the injury will be minor and Wideman will not be forced to miss an extended period of time.

No roster moves are necessary as Boychuk was already on the Bruins roster.

Bruins storm back from three down to win in SO, 4-3

The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders met tonight at the TD Garden and the Bruins made it seem like it was going to be another stinker.

After forty minutes of hockey, Boston was in a 3-0 hole and the crowd was not letting them forget that. Boston heard the boo birds out in full force as they made their way to the locker room.

Then, a turning point. Half way through the third period, the Bruins were still down 3-0, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Marc Savard started the Bruin scoring party, with his second of the season. Savard had a puck kick his way and lit the lamp. The assists went to Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic, and the momentum started to build.

Then, with 4:25 to go in the third period the Bruins got their second strike, courtesy off Byron Bitz. The "Cat" came through the middle and with his back turned to the goal put one past Dwayne Roloson. The puck looked to deflect off of Islander defenseman, Freddy Meyer and past Roloson.

Less than two minutes later Boston evened the score thanks to Matt Hunwick. Hunwick had the puck back at the blue line and threw the puck towards the goal. The old adage of throwing the puck towards the net paid off, as his knuckle puck found some twine.

With 2:34 to go, Boston had tied the game at three, and the TD Garden crowd almost blew the roof off of the building.

The final two and a half minutes ticked off the clock and the teams went to overtime. The OT stanza moved rapidly, and with no goals a shootout was in order.

Blake Wheeler lead the shootout off with a goal, but Rob Schremp quickly knotted the score. After misses by Patrice Bergeron and Brad Park, Marc Savard netted a nifty backhander for the 2-1 shootout lead.

With the Bruins leading by one in the shootout, Tuukka Rask needed to stop Kyle Okposo for a Bruin victory. The end result, was a Rask pad save and a 4-3 (SO) Boston victory.

With the win, Boston moves to 2-2 and have earned some much needed momentum going into the Columbus day tilt with the Colorado Avalanche.

The final line on Rask in his first start of the season was, 35 saves on 38 shots.

Your player of the game is Marc Savard, with the Bruins first goal in regulation and game winner in the shootout. We'll have more tomorrow.

Rask gets nod vs. Islanders tonight

It's Tuukka time folks. Rask in goal for the B's. The young Fin, looks ready to go. More after the game.

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Marco Sturm
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton - Steve Begin - Byron Bitz

Zdeno Chara - Derek Morris
Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart - Matt Hunwick

Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas

GAME DAY: Bruins vs. Islanders; Savard and Boston talking extension

Game Notes for tonight's game against the New York Islanders.
* Tonight will be Mark Stuart's 200th game.

* I just got a call from a buddy at the TD Garden. He said by the looks of it, Dwayne Roloson and Tim Thomas will be the goaltenders tonight.

* John Tavares, the first overall pick in the 2009 draft is in the hub and ready to light some lamps. Tavares, who has played in two games thus far, has already netted a goal and has a total of three points.

So, even though the Islanders are a sub-par club, the sight of Tavares is still a must see.

Savard a Bruin, past 2010?

Now, back to the rumor mill. Yes, I know that we are only three games in to the 2009-2010 season but the mill is burning. Milan Lucic was the first pending free agent to get extended by the Bruins. The second could very well be the Bruins number one center.

The Boston Herald is reporting that Savard and the Bruins are talking about an extension, although a deal hasn't been struck yet.

"The camps are believed to have discussed pacts of various lengths, including three years for an average of $6.5 million," the Herald reports. "Thus far, apparently, Savard hasn’t received an offer he’s willing to sign, though he made it clear he wants to remain a Bruin."

“I’d like that,” said Savard. “We’ve got to be patient. This is where I’d like to stay if it’s possible. I hope it happens.”

Recchi replaces Ference at Bruins player rep

Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference has been replaced by veteran winger Mark Recchi as Boston's player representative and member of the PA's executive board.

According to two reports, Ference withdrew his name for consideration to be re-elected to the position, making way for Recchi to assume it unopposed.

Ference angered a number of players in the Boston room, following the August 31 firing of PA executive director Paul Kelly. Players said Ference was not sharing all of the details with them and took offense.

EDIT: Mark Stuart is the actual player rep, with Dennis Wideman as the alternate.

Lucic's three-year extension may mean the end for another in Boston

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed forward Milan Lucic to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 NHL season

According to multiple reports, the deal was worth $12.25 million over three years. Lucic will earn $4 million in each of the next two years and $4.25 million in 2012-13.

Lucic would have been a restricted free agent at the end of this season.

Now, your initial reaction when reading this is, yes, Lucic in black and gold for the next four years. Yes! Lucic cleaning clocks in the Northeast division until 2013.

However, this signing, as good as it feels may mean the end of an era in the hub.

The player who may be priced out of bean town next season is the Bruins perennial leading point scorer, Marc Savard. Savard, a UFA at season's end is likely looking at a $6 million+ annual cap hit.

Boston is tight to the cap, which is no surprise. The lack of cap space was the main reason the Bruins were not able to offer an acceptable bid for RFA, Phil Kessel.

With Lucic getting a bump from $618,333 to $4 million, and with other key free agents like Blake Wheeler and Tuukka Rask looming look for Savard to be heading off of Causeway and over the border.

The rumors have already been surfaced, but now with the smoke, there appears to be a fire; perhaps a big one. Savard and Kessel together again in 2010-2011?

Of course, the Bruins could dish a big salary out of Boston to maintain Savard. The one salary they could dish, to save the current Bruin pivot may be another fan favorite in Tim Thomas.

Thomas will make $5 million against the cap next season, but could be expendable with a promotion of a young star in the making in Rask. Rask, however will most likely be looking for a deal of at least $3 million.

The headache that awaits Peter Chiarelli this off-season is going to be a big one. That is undoubtedly why Chiarelli is looking to lock up some of his bigger name free agents now, rather than June.

Could players like Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler be next on Chiarelli's laundry list of free agents to be? Here's a case of Advil Peter, you'll need it.

Lucic excused for "Personal issues"

Hello Bruins faithful, it has been a crazy last few days. Sorry for the lack of posts.

The only big note from today's practice, which according to head coach, Claude Julien wasn't big, was that Milan Lucic missed practice.

According to Julien, ''He was just excused [from practice] for non-hockey-related personal issues,'' Julien confirmed that Lucic would be back on the ice tomorrow.

In Lucic's absence, Matt Hunwick filled in up front. Hunwick of course played some wing last year, when Boston was struck with the injury bug.

Johnny Boychuck took Hunwicks spot on the back side today in practice.