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.