Bruins Put Drubbing on Ducks, Where's Gordon Bombay?

The Bruins and the Ducks squared off at the Garden Thursday night and let's just say that the Ducks should have broken out the 'Flying V'.

It was all Bruins tonight as the B's put six pucks past Anaheim goaltenders, winning their second straight. The Bruins put three goals past both of the Ducks goalies. Where is Goldberg when you need him?

The Bruins were able to score six goals for the second straight game, as five different players lit the lamp.

Boston Goal Scorers:

Phil Kessel (26)

Michael Ryder (21)

Chuck Kobasew (13,14)

Matt Hunwick (4)

Byron Bitz (4)

It was Tim Thomas' second straight stellar outing. This time Timmy pitched the shutout, stopping 35 Anaheim shots.

The emotion was back with the Bruins obtaining solid goal tending, great goal scoring and how about the fisticuffs? Thornton, Lucic and Savard? Oh yeah, it was on tonight folks.

The Bruins will next face off against the Washington Capitals in a battle of the top two teams in the East. The game is Saturday night at the Garden and the home team has won each of the first three meetings. The B's own a nine point lead for the top spot in the Conference over Washington after Thursday night's play.

Let's talk rumors:
Today's hot trade rumor is Chris Pronger.

With defenseman Ryan Whitney coming to the Ducks, TSN is reporting that the Ducks will be looking to shed a defenseman's salary. Pronger could be that guy as he makes $6.5 million.

The Bruins, Devils, Flames and Maple Leafs are watching to see if the Ducks want to clear out the remainder of Pronger's $6.25M salary according to reports.

Pronger was in town tonight with the Ducks and was the first period intermission guest with Naoko Funayama. Pronger made sure to be careful in answering questions regarding the Bruins. He was very kind with his answers let's just say.

Six days to go, stay tuned.

Ryder Back Tomorrow: Rumor's Continue

Michael Ryder has missed seven straight games. According to GM Peter Chiarelli, it won't be eight. Ryder has been out of the lineup with facial fractures suffered on Feb. 5 against Ottawa.

Ryder, will most likely play with either a full cage tomorrow night against Florida, but at the very least will play with a visor. Ryder normally plays without facial protection.

According to the Ottawa Sun, the Blues haven't asked F Keith Tkachuk to waive his no-movement clause. However, the Sun reports that this may happen as soon as Tuesday.

The paper said Tkachuk would like to go to the Bruins, but the Bruins might not have as much interest in him.

*The Ottawa Sun is also reporting that the Bruins may be interested in Chris Neil of the Senators.

I don't see this happening as I don't see the Bruins going after a guy who has six points and who is a -12. But if it's thrown out there, I give it to you.

Fernandez to Start: Julien Calls Out Team, "Not as Determined"

Manny Fernandez will start tonight for the Bruins against the Tamp Bay Lightning. He will be matched against 22-year-old Karri Ramo.

*Fernandez's Line: 14-3-3, 2.15 GAA, .925 Save %.

*Rammo's Line: 1-3-1, 4.22 GAA, .889 Save %.

*Martins Karsums, will replace Vladimir Sobotka in the lineup.

*Claude Julien called out his troops in a sense. The Bruins have clearly dropped the intensity level as the season has progressed.

"The little things that make a big difference in the game aren't there anymore," Claude Julien said of his team's play. "We've addressed that. Hopefully we can turn the corner and start committing a little bit more. If we do that, I think we'll be a harder team to play against."

"It's been oncoming," said Julien. "We have to be honest with ourselves and know that our game is not where it was. To me, we're not as determined and committed as we were at one point of the season."

Boston on Kaberle's List: Timmy vs. Vokoun Tonight in Florida

The goaltending match-up for tonight's Boston and Florida tilt will be Tim Thomas vs. Tomas Vokoun.

*Vokoun is 19-17-3, 2.47 GAA, .925 save percentage

*Thomas is 25-7-5, 2.09 GAA, .932 save percentage

Thomas' GAA and Save% is tops in the leauge. The Bruins and Panthers are similar in that they play their backup goalies a good amount. Craig Anderson and Manny Fernandez are two of the best backups in the leauge.

* Through January and February, the Panthers have recorded 29 points, one more than the Bruins.

* Tonight will be Andrew Ference's 500th career game.

* The media has found out the 10 teams on Toronto's Tomas Kaberle's list of acceptable trades. Boston is apparently one of those teams.

I wouldn't put too much into this, as Toronto GM, Brian Burke has said Kaberle is not going anywhere.

*The Bruins go into tonight's game against the Panthers nine points up on both New Jersey and Washington for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Bruins Practice Notes: 2/19/09

Not much to report today as the Bruins were just on the ice for 45 minutes today.

*One player not on the ice was Mark Stuart. Stuart traveled to his home in Minnesota for personal reasons. It is not known whether or not Stuart will be be back in Florida for Saturday nights tilt with the Panthers.

*Michael Ryder is traveling with the team but will not play on this road trip. He is skating, however, and is expected back in early March. Ryder is wearing a full cage at the moment and that may continue into game action.

The lines at practice today were as follows.

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Blake Wheeler

Vladimir Sobotka - David Krejci - Phil Kessel

P.J. Axelsson - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew

Shawn Thornton - Stephane Yelle - Bitz/Karsums

Zdeno Chara - Aaron Ward

Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman

Matt Hunwick - Shane Hnidy

Tim Thomas

Manny Fernandez

The Rumor Mill, Two Weeks to Go: Murray Hearing Delayed Again

Two weeks to go folks. So what is new?

There is one guy up front and one guy on the back line that the Bruins are apparently paying a lot of attention to.

The forward: Erik Cole

The Erik Cole rumors are apparently hot and heavy. Cole fully expects to leave Edmonton before the deadline and he thinks Boston is a likely destination.

It has even been said that Cole could join the Bruins in the next week. I personally don't see it happening until March, but it looks like the Bruins are very interested.

The Defenseman: Jordan Leopold

The Bruins and Colorado Avalance are in discussions about bringing Jordan Leopold to Boston.

The 28 year old blue liner is in the final year of his contract and with the Avalanche sitting in the basement of the Western Conference standings Leopold is likely on the move.

Leopold is a puck moving, offensive minded Defensemen who could play the point on the Power Play.

From what I'm hearing around the league, both of these players would likely cost a third round draft pick and a mid-level prospect. Those mid-level prospects include Matt Hunwick, Vladimir Sobotka and Matt Lashoff.

From WEEI. com --

The NHLPA grievance hearing for former Bruins winger Glen Murray has been continued once again following another round at the NHLPA home offices in Toronto last week, according to NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly.

The multi-day hearings began in mid-January concerning Murray and a purported ankle injury at the time of his contractual buy-out by the B’s this summer.

The next Murray hearing date has been scheduled for March 12.

“The Murray matter is a multi-day hearing and we are between hearing dates,” wrote Kelly in an email to WEEI. com.“We hope to finish the case and receive a decision in the near future.”

Once the hearings have concluded, an arbitration ruling is expected to come down 7-10 days following the final day of hearings.

Murray was bought out of his contract this summer, but the team was still on the hook for a $1.38 million salary cap hit this season and next per rules of the CBA. The NHL CBA rules prohibit teams from buying out injured players, and Murray’s representation is now claiming that the veteran forward was injured at the time of the buy-out. The team could be on the hook for the $4.15 million owed to Murray in actual salary. A positive ruling for Murray could, however, potentially open up roughly $1.4 million in salary cap space for the Bruins next season.

MONTREAL IN BIG TROUBLE--
Finally, is everyone seeing what is going on in Montreal? It is crazy up there. The Habs have lost 10 of 13 games and have told Alex Kovalev to go away for the next two games. Rumors started to swirl late this afternoon that Kovalev may not play for Montreal for the rest of the season and he blames it on the "kids" on the team.

The Canadiens are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference but only sit one point up on eight place Buffalo.This is the team that was expected to make a cup run in their centennial season; wa-ha-at happened?

If you're a Bruins fan you have to love seeing a little trouble north of the border. Wouldn't it be something if the Habs fell to eighth place and it set up a first round match-up with Montreal. Ah, the theater.

Bruins Bounce Back to Get Win #40

With four straight losses the Bruins were eager to get going in Carolina. However, the pregame celebration for Glen Wesley carried on for what seemed to be an eternity and the Bruins started slow.

The first half of the first period had a slow and sleepy pace and it lead to a Carolina goal just past the half way mark. It was Ray Whitney finding Matt Cullen for the tally. Whitney collected the pass at the hip and was able to rip a wrister past Tim Thomas.

As the period ticked away the Bruins caught a break, when Eric Stall slashed Chuck Kobasew, putting the Bruins on the Power Play. Blake Wheeler, who started to show his old form in Nashville tied the game when a rebound from a blue line shot lay off the post. Wheeler buried and the Bruins and Hurricanes skated into the room tied at one.

In the second period with a faceoff coming in the Carolina end, David Krejci won the draw back to Shane Hnidy who threw a quick wrist shot at Cam Ward. Ward was not able to handle to shot and the Bruins took their first lead at 2-1.

The rest of the period was played with the Bruins having the best of the scoring chances, but no more goals were scored.

The third period was a tight battle until the final minutes. Boston was actually on the PK, but no fear, Krejci is here. Krejci picked up a pass and broke in on Cam Ward. Krejci was able to pull the puck to his backhand and beat Ward, stick side.

One minute later, with the Bruins on a Power Play, Zdeno Chara teed one up and beat Cam Ward. The shot from Z was tipped on the way in, giving Ward no chance.

With under one minute to go, Boston continued to pile it on as Patrice Bergeron scored an empty netter. The goal was the Bruins third goal in under three minutes. The goal by Bergeron, (empty net) was his first goal in nearly three months.

With the win the Bruins picked up win number 40 and maybe more importantly moved 11 points ahead of Washington and New Jersey for the top seat in the East.

The Bruins are off until Saturday night when they will face off against the Florida Panthers. Three days off in Sunrise, Florida? The Bruins should send a fruit basket to the NHL for that schedule making.

The Big Three: Who the Bruins are Heavily Scoping Over the Last Two Weeks

The Celtics have their version of the Big three so I thought I'd play with three names that have been thrown out a lot over the last 48 hours in terms of Bruins interest in a trade.

1) Erik Cole.

I've heard that thanks to the Bruins recent slide they are looking at Cole heavy. The Oilers are willing to part with Cole as it is thought that he will walk at seasons end. It is said that it will cost either Matt Hunwick or Vladimir Sobotka with a second round draft pick.

2) Cody McLeod

McLeod is a newer name on the list, but with the Avalanche falling out of the playoff mix they are starting to make players available. The Avalanche go on a six game road trip starting February 20 through March 2. The trade deadline is March 4 so this trip will make the decision clear for Colorado; buyers or sellers?

3) Keith Tkachuk

The big winger has been thrown out there, perhaps more than anyone. The question with Tkachuk is whether he would want to be traded. The Blues love Tkachuk and Tkachuk likes playing in St. Louis, so will the two part? I think given the right situation to compete for a cup Tkachuk wouldn't complain about leaving St. Louis. Tkachuk has Boston roots, playing at Boston University and is a big left handed shot, which the Bruins are looking hard at.

All three of these guys are left handed shots, which is the number one need according to the Bruins front office. There are plenty of other players in the mix for the Bruins also, and not only forwards. The Bruins have been said to be making calls on top blue liners in Florida and Anaheim. Two weeks to go, but the question remains; Deal or no deal?

Bruins Switch up Lines After Four Straight Losses

The Bruins practiced today out in Wilmington and there was a big switch today. The switch came with the lines, with coach Claude Julien deciding it was time to try something different.

The lines were made up as follows.

Lucic - Savard - Wheeler
Sobotka - Krejci - Kessel
Axelsson - Bergeron - Kobasew
Thornton - Yelle - Bitz/Karsums

And yes, it looks as though Chuck Kobasew is ready to go on Tuesday night in Carolina. Reports are that Kobasew is at 100%.

Michael Ryder is also skating with a full cage and a bright red jersey. It has been said that Ryder will still need two weeks to get back to game action.

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Could B's Bring Comrie and Duff to Bean Town?

The Rumor mill has been starting to pick up some heat lately as we have just over two weeks until the deadline. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has said he has eight players on his list of Bruins potential additions. But, whom? Well, BruinSpace has one more name that they think could be on the list. That name is Mike Comrie of the New York Islanders.

Comrie is a name that came up with talks for the Islanders, sloted to be big sellers at the deadline. Doug Weight and Bill Guerin are other names on the Islanders selling block, however, reports have said that Weight and Guerin want to stay on the Island.

Now is this likely? Maybe or maybe not depending on what side you take. Side one would be that the Bruins normally go after big players, and Comrie is 5'10", 185 pounds. Side two would say that Comrie is a great two way player who can shut down a top scorer and the Bruins like those guys too (Axelsson and Yelle).

Just another name to add to the potential eight player list that the Bruins GM is playing with. Other names still include, Keith Tkachuk, Erik Cole, Nik Antropov and Chris Pronger.

Kobasew and Nokelainen Out, Karsums and Sobotka In: Ryder working out: B's Interested in Pronger?

*Petteri Nokelainen (eye) and Chuck Kobasew (leg, upper-body) are both day-to-day, according to Claude Julien.

From what I am hearing, Nokelainen and Kobasew will miss the next two games against New Jersey and Nashville.

*So, given the two injured Bruins, two players needed to be called up to take their place. The two players were, Vladimir Sobotka and Martins Karsums. The pair have been recalled from Providence on emergency basis.

* Finally a Michael Ryder update. Ryder went through an off-ice workout today. His face is still showing the effects of the surgery as it is swollen, especially around the right eye.

Nobody has talked about his injury much, however, Ryder will be made available to the media on Monday. Certainly a lot more will come out next week.

*Trade Rumors have been on the quiet side so far. There is, however, a new rumor coming out which is that the Bruins may be interested in Chris Pronger if the Ducks make him available. This to me would be great, but the cap numbers would be near impossible to hammer out.

Nokelainen & Kobasew Questionable: Lucic "We didn't play 60 minutes"

*Petteri Nokelainen, who was hit in the eye last night visited with doctors today. Claude Julien didn't have any information on the status of Nokelainen's eye injury.

*Chuck Kobasew, who also got hurt in the San Jose game was getting treatment today. His status is still in question and it is still unknown if he will be able to go Friday night in New Jersey.

*After last nights game, Milan Lucic said that the Bruins killer instinct was missing and that the Bruins failed to play hard for 60 minutes. Lucic netted both goals last night for the B's.

Ryder has Surgery, We Compare Bruins Old and New #1 Center

According to the Bruins, Michael Ryder had a facial bone repaired today in surgery. Peter Chiarelli will provide greater detail about the surgery prior the club's morning skate tomorrow.

Yes, that is very broad from the Bruins but that is what it has been like all week long.

Finally, a lot of the media has run stories this week about Joe Thornton and the trade that shipped him out. Most people referring to it as one of the worst trades of all time. However, when Thornton left the Bruins spent the available cap space on Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara. Savard was the new number one center in town. Let's compate the two in terms of offensive production.

Heading into Tuesday night, the two rank number six and 11 respectively in NHL scoring.

Marc Savard (T-6) - 21G, 41A, 62Points

Joe Thornton (11) - 12G, 45A, 57Points

And just to throw this guy in, David Krejci who is number 12 in NHL scoring.

David Krejci (12) - 19G, 37A, 56Points

Sunday Night Roundup

Some Sunday night tidbits for you.

The Bruins have two more arbitration hearings scheduled this week with Glen Murray, who contends he should be paid his full $4.15 million for this season, and one more session in March.

This headache should hopefully be coming to a close very soon. No matter what is decided it shouldn't have an effect on the Bruins trade possibilities.

*As most of you know by now, Michael Ryder is out indefinitely with a small fracture in his face.

Claude Julien on Ryder's injury. . .

"It's a small fracture, so he's out indefinitely," said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. "It needs to be determined whether he can play with a shield, or how far it needs to be looked into."

"It's a shame," Julien added. "When you say indefinitely you hope it's shorter than longer. There's a fresh fracture and you really can't let him go now. There's a possibility of (surgery)."

Ryder will be evaluated again on Monday.

Underrated Bruins Earning Player's Recognition

ESPN contacted all 30 teams and heard from 193 players, or roughly 21 percent of active players. They answered 10 questions, with one of the questions being, 'Who is the NHL's most underrated player?' Two Bruins made the list...

• Patrick Marleau was the player who received the most votes with 8%. David Krejci, however, was second in the voting with 4%. Tim Thomas also made the top 15, earning 2% of the vote.

We'll be seeing some underrated players at the Garden on Tuesday night when Marleau (Sharks) takes on the Boston duo of Krejci and Thomas.

The Bruins have today off and will get back to work tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at Ristuccia Arena. Of course they will be tuning themselves up for a match-up with the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday evening.

Bruins Blow Two Goal Lead, Lose in OT

Boston and Philadelphia were back at it for the second time in four days Saturday afternoon at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Flyers were looking to avenge their 3-1 loss to the Bruins on Wednesday.

It didn't start well for the Flyers, however, as Marc Savard put the Bruins out in front less than four minutes in. Savard scored his 21st of the season off of his own rebound. The goal was a bit of a softy, as Philadelphia starter Martin Biron probably should have stopped the attempt.

With the lead, Boston didn't slow down as the Bruins were taking the physical play to the Flyers. However, the momentum would shift in a hurry.

At about the midway point of the period, Blake Wheeler went to the box on a holding call. Philadelphia didn't convert on their first powerplay but the penalty calls wouldn't stop there.

Dennis Wideman was the next Bruin called for a penalty, with a hook. Less than a minute later, Mark Stuart went to the box on a bit of a phantom tripping call.

The Flyers were able to take advantage of the five-on-three opportunity as Simon Gagne corralled a rebound off the left post and beat Fernandez.

The final minute of the first period was good to the Bruins as Boston would take the lead with one minute to go. It was Byron Bitz collecting his first career NHL goal off of a shot from the point had just clanged off the post and laid on the goal line. Bitz was in the right place at the right time and knocked in the loose puck.

Just eight seconds later the Bruins were able to pad their lead to two as Chuck Kobasew came down the right wing and beat Biron. The goal was another weak one let up by Biron and it would spell the end of his day.

In the second period the Flyers looked to rejuvenate themselves and replaced Biron with Antero Niittymaki. Just a couple of minutes into the period, old friend, Glen Metropolit cut the Boston lead to one as Metro took a pass from behind the net and was able to beat Fernandez over the shoulder.

A little over four minutes later the Bruins found themselves on the penalty kill again on another questionable call. Kobasew went to the box for interference and Philadelphia was able to take advantage again. This time it was Scott Hartnell doing the damage and Boston's lead had been erased.

The third period was full of hard play, but no scoring. Boston had a late opportunity being on the power play in the final minutes but the Flyers had the best opportunity. In the final seconds Philadelphia had a two-on-one that required Fernandez to make a gorgeous glove save on Gagne.

The teams headed for overtime looking for the extra point and the Bruins held the advantage for most of the stanza. Boston was just inches away from winning the game as a shot from the blue line went off the iron. Less than a minute later, Philadelphia ended the game on a lucky break.

Boston enemy, Randy Jones threw a puck at the net that deflected off of Andrew Ference and past Fernandez for the game winner.

The Flyers earned this win with a great comeback effort. The Bruins looked tired down the stretch and couldn't hold off the Philadelphia comeback. The Bruins will have to rest up before facing off with the San Jose Sharks, Tuesday night at the Garden. Even with the overtime loss the Bruins earned a point and now sit 15 points ahead of Washington in the Eastern Conference.

Bruins Shoot for Win Number 40 Without Ryder

*Michael Ryder will not play today because of a facial fracture and is out indefinitely.

Ryder of course was hit in the face with a high stick Thursday night in Ottawa by Antoine Vermette. Ryder will be re-evaluated on Monday. Claude Julien hopes Ryder can play with a shield and not need surgery.

* Manny Fernandez will start today.

His last action came on Jan. 8 against Ottawa. With it being February 7, Fernandez hasn't started in a month. It will be interesting to see if Fernandez will return to his pre-injury status.

* Aaron Ward who has flu-like symptoms will be taking a sick day and will not play. Matt Hunwick will replace Ward in the lineup.

*Milan Lucic, who missed Thursday nights game in Ottawa will lace them up today. Lucic said his foot is still a little purple, but he is ready to go.

Unlikely Hero Lifts Bruins in Shoot Out

The Bruins had to fight but they were able to take two points in Ottawa Thursday night. PJ Axelsson scored in the fifth round of a shoot out and Boston can head home winners. Ugly winners, but winners none the less.

This was an odd game for the Bruins as they took a 2-0 lead into the second period but ended up trailing until the final minutes. With the Bruins on a two man advantage late in the third, Chuck Kobasew knocked in a loose puck out front and the game was sent to an extra session.

It was ugly but two points is two points and the Bruins padded their lead in the Eastern Conference to 14 points. The Flyers invade the Garden Saturday afternoon where the Bruins will make the drive for five.

Scoring Summary:

BOSTON

Blake Wheeler (15) Assists: Andrew Ference & Phil Kessel

Zdeno Chara (12) Assists: Michael Ryder & David Krejci

Chuck Kobasew (10) Assists: Blake Wheeler & Zdeno Chara

OTTAWA

Nick Foligno (7) Assists: Brendan Bell

Daniel Alfredsson (15) Assists: Dany Heatley

Jason Spezza (19) Assists: Nick Foligno & Daniel Alfredsson

Bruins looking at Cole?

Basing its speculation upon Oilers scout Dave Semenko's frequent visits to watch the Bruins lately, The Boston Globe suggests the two teams are working on a deal.

The Oilers are looking to move Erik Cole because they don't think they will be able to sign him this off season.

The Globe said the Bruins "would have great interest" in Cole. Cole has been a disappointment this year in Edmonton but hey, so was Michael Ryder in Montreal. Given the right system and line mates, (Bergeron and Kobasew?) Cole could be a help down the stretch.

Bruins D Matt Hunwick and/or minor-league winger Vladimir Sobotka could be of interest to the Oilers, according to The Globe.

Krejci Line Helps Bruins to Fifth Win in Six Games

The Bruins were in Philadelphia Wednesday night to face-off with the Flyers. The Bruins have been playing the so called 'beasts of the East' lately, but maybe the last team in that 'beast' category was the Flyers. Heading to Philadelphia and winning is no easy task but the Bruins were able to outlast the Flyers for a 3-1 victory.

Early in the first period the Flyers were oh so close to taking the momentum. However, Tim Thomas, who will no doubt find himself in the NHL's Top-10 plays of the week, stoned Jeff Carter on the door step with the paddle of his goal stick. The power play expired and the Bruins could let go a big sigh of relief.

The first period continued and the Bruins watched the Flyers swarm Thomas. Philadelphia threw a ton of rubber on Thomas in the first and at the end of 20, Thomas had already made 14 saves.

The first period was scoreless, but just a few minutes into the second the Bruins lit the lamp. Dennis Wideman wound up from the blue line and eventual star of the game Michael Ryder was standing in front, deflecting the puck past Martin Biron.

The Bruins lead wouldn't last long, however, as Philadelhia scored just over two minutes later. Give the goal to Scott Hartnell on a nice pass from Joffrey Lupul. Aaron Ward had a chance to intercept the pass but the puck slid by him and onto the tape of Hartnell for the equalizer.

The Bruins and Flyers exchanged blows for the remainder of the second. The Bruins had a couple of power plays that produced chances but did not produce a tally. The period ended with the teams headed to the room, tied 1-1.

The third period started with both teams flying around, trying to take the lead. Five minutes and forty six seconds into the third, David Krejci lined up in the face off dot. Just four seconds later, Krejci gets credit for number 19 on the season. Krejci won the draw back to Wideman who let one go. Krejci bolted to the front of the net and got his shaft on the puck, changing its direction and helping it pass Biron.

Just 35 seconds later, it was Wideman's turn to light the lamp as Wideman finally got the puck after Michael Ryder skated circles around five Flyers. Wideman threw the puck into a screen and the puck squeezed through Biron's leg for a 3-1 Boston lead.

With just over four minutes to go in the third and the game pretty well in hand, Marty Biron took a little bit more punishment. Biron took what looked to be a good 100MPH slap shot from Zdeno Chara off the face and went down in a heap. The game was stopped for a couple of minutes to check on Biron, but Biron was able to finish the game.

The final few minutes ticked away and the Bruins got yet another victory. With the win, the Bruins have 82 points and sit 12 points ahead of second place Washington. The Bruins lead the San Jose Sharks by five points for the best record in the NHL. However, San Jose does have four games in hand.

The Bruins are back on the ice tomorrow night in Ottawa to take on the Senators.

BruinSpace Fires up the Rumor Mill with One Month to Go

Bruins Practice Notes - 2/3

*As promised, here is a Manny note. Fernandez is ready for backup duty tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Claude Julien is hoping that Fernandez will soon be ready to play, which apparently he wouldn't be come tomorrow.

Look for Fernandez to get the nod either Thursday in Ottawa or Saturday in Boston for the rematch with the Flyers.

*Matt Hunwick, who has been the healthy scratch on D as of late won't be a healthy scratch tomorrow night. That is because he is not healthy and will stay in Boston, recovering from the flu. Hunwick will likely rejoin the club Saturday back in Boston.

As a seventh d-man, the loss of Hunwick this week is not so pressing.

Projected lines for tomorrow night's game.

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Phil Kessel

Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder

P.J. Axelsson - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew

Shawn Thornton - Stephane Yelle - Bitz/Nokelainen

Zdeno Chara - Aaron Ward

Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman

Mark Stuart - Shane Hnidy

Tim Thomas

Manny Fernandez

RUMOR MILL
OK, and now everybody's favorite. Tomorrow will be the one month until the Trade deadline mark. As I did last year I will bring the house down with trade rumors from all over the place. Yes, that means even more reports from Canadien outlets, because let's face it, the Ottawa Sun is to the hockey rumor mill as the Boston Globe is to covering the MLB hot stove. So without further delay, the trade deadline Rumor Mill is back.

*Jay Bouwmeester
The Boston Globe speculates the Bruins would have to part with either Milan Lucic or Blake Wheeler if they wanted to put together a package for Bouwmeester. It would also cost the B's a first round pick most likely.
So all in all I don't think that the Bruins will make a serious run at Bouwmeester since they would not give up either Wheeler or Lucic. The Bruins have been mentioned a lot on him but I have been shooting this down since the beginning. I see this as about a 5% chance of happening.

*The Boston Herald lists Edmonton's Erik Cole, Toronto's Nik Antropov and St. Louis' Keith Tkachuk as possible rental players because of their pending unrestricted free agency.
"We just finished our pro meetings," Chiarelli told the Boston Herald. "We've created a couple of small lists of players of interest. If circumstances allow, we'd like to add somebody. But listen, we're not actively pursuing it. We're having a very good year. You do want to capitalize on that. It isn't an urgent concern, but you do say, we need to look at this.' "

"They've shown themselves to be pretty adept in putting together this team," Bruins D Aaron Ward told the Herald, referring to Chiarelli and his staff. "I think they'll be smart in their acquisition if they decide to do it. I think the players know that anything added to this room will do nothing but benefit us."

I've been hearing that Peter Chiarelli is very open to bringing someone in to help his club. He apparently is not worried about effecting team chemistry. He will not however, give up an of his young guns such as Lucic, Wheeler or Krejci. If I were to pick a player that the Bruins could get at the deadline out of that bunch I'd say that Keith Tkachuk would be the easy guess. He is a big, veteran forward who could fit in well with Patrice Bergeron and Chuck Kobasew on the third line. Although Tkachuk may make the most sense, I like Nik Antropov. His cap number would also be the easiest to fit as he costs about half as much as Cole and Tkachuk.

That's edition one of the Rumor Mill. There will be many more updates to come as we enter the final month until the trade deadline.

As Rask Heads Back Down for Now, Is Manny Ready for Second Half Showcase?

It is mainly goalie news today as all of the Bruins with the exceptions of Manny Fernandez and Petteri Nokelainen were off today.

The goalie news is that Manny Fernandez will be the back-up to Tim Thomas Wednesday night in Philadelphia and not Tuukka Rask. Rask was sent back to Providence after being called up on an emergency basis.

Fernandez said that he is getting his mobility back and that his back spasms have been related to his knee injury last year. Last year when Fernandez was trying to play through the injury he was overcompensating weight on his right side, causing the issues with his back.

We'll have more tomorrow when the Bruins have a full practice before heading to Philly.

Bruins Have Super Sunday Against Bitter Rivals

Super Sunday is a day where you normally get siked for the Super Bowl. However, with the Patriots out of the playoffs this season and the hated Steelers in the Super Bowl, it just doesn't have the same luster. However, the schedule makers helped us hockey fans out today by matching up the bitter rival Bruins and Canadiens for a Sunday matinee.
It didn't take long for the two clubs to come to blows as just a minute in, Alex Henry (who by my calculations hadn't played in the NHL for 3 years) called out Bruins bad boy, Shawn Thornton for an early tussle. Advantage Thornton as while Avery threw many rights, few connected as Thornton landed some face smashing blows.

The Bruins were establishing much of the early pressure, taking the play to Montreal early on. However, in the second half of the period the Habs started to wake up and create trouble in front of Tim Thomas.

With just over two minutes to play in the first period, Montreal was on the power play thanks to an Aaron Ward trip and just 26 seconds later Robert Lang gave Montreal the lead. Lang crept down the left side and fired a nice wrist shot top shelf, over Thomas' right shoulder.

The Bruins did not go quietly into the locker room as Dennis Wideman was able to intercept a Mike Komisarek clearing attempt and blister a wrist shot past Carey Price. The goal was a four-on-four tally that came with just .6 seconds remaining in period one.

Coming out in the second period the Bruins found themselves on two early power plays as Alex Kovalev headed to the sin bin twice. However, the Bruins were not able to score on either chance and were giving the Habs some spunk with two straight penalty kills.

The spunk was short lived however as the Bruins fourth line put the Bruins on top for good when Byron Bitz found Shawn Thornton in front for a 2-1 lead. Bitz was stationed behind the goal and fed the puck to Thornton who slapped it through Carey Price.

The period played out with the physicality picking up on both sides, but especially with the Bruins. Both teams hit the post in the final few minutes and entertainment value was high as the teams got into a couple of skirmishes in front of Thomas.

As the third period started the Canadiens came out on fire. The Habs clearly wanted to try and even the score quickly as the Bruins were already 16 points ahead of the Bruins at face off. However, Thomas was up to the challenge, turning away all of Montreal's attempts.

The period continued and while Boston had a couple of scoring chances it remained mainly a Montreal attack. Thomas was sharp when called on and with just 1:19 to go and the Habs still down a goal the Canadiens were forced to pull Price.

The Bruins were able to get the puck back in the Montreal end on a nice play from PJ Axelsson. As the Canadiens tried to come back out, Marc Savard intercepted a pass attempt and fired the puck into the empty Canadien goal from the neutral zone with 56.5 seconds remaining.

The Bruins were playing out the string when Ryan O'Byrne got his stick up high on Chuck Kobasew in blatant frustration. O'Byrne whined to the box and as Jack Edwards said, stick a fork in them. With the win the Bruins extended their lead over Montreal to 18 points in the Northeast division as we welcome in February.

Indeed, it was a 'Super Sunday' here in Bean town after all.