Bruins on Fire, Win Ninth Straight

With the Bruins having cruised through their recent schedule, by feasting on some lesser foes tonight's game was supposed to be a test to see where the Bruins stood.

The answer, right where we thought they were; at the top. The final score was 5-2 Boston but this game certainly wasn't easy. The Penguins were the first team on the board tonight as Petr Sykora knocked a loose puck into the goal.

The goal couldn't be faulted on Tim Thomas as he initially stopped Dustin Jeffrey and Ruslan Fedotenko. The defense failed to clear another rebound and Sykora was the beneficiary. The first period came to a close with the Penguins leading 1-0.

Less than five minutes into the second period the Bruins found themselves on the power play and PJ Axelsson split the Penguins box finding Zdeno Chara streaking backdoor for the equalizer.

Just before the half way point of the game, Boston found themselves on another power play. It was a four-on-three PP and it was David Krejci finding Marc Savard who roofed the puck over Fleury's shoulder. The assist gave Krejci nine straight games with at least one point.

With just under five minutes to play in the second period, Zdeno Chara coughed up the puck and Sidney Crosby dished to Pascal Dupuis, who ripped a slap shot over Tim Thomas, top drawer. (Wicked shot)

Just 90 seconds later, Phil Kessel stuffed home his 23rd goal of the season and the Bruins regained their lead. Kessel received a pass from Savard and buried into the open goal.

The third period began with the B's leading 3-2. The Penguins were scrapping and trying to even the score on the power play, but then the script flipped. Martin St. Pierre intercepted an attempted pass by Pittsburgh and Marc Savard broke with St. Pierre for a two on one opportunity. Savard fed St. Pierre, who beat Fleury to the short side, giving the Bruins a two goal advantage.

A cherry on top for the Bruins was Dennis Wideman who fired a shot past Fleury for a 5-2 Bruins lead.

With three minutes left in the game Tim Wallace took it upon himself to stir things up. He dropped the gloves with Milan Lucic who was able to handle Wallace. Wallace was undoubtedly trying to set the tone for the rematch on Thursday.

Nine in a row heading into the New Year. Could you really ask for anything more?

Happy New Year Everyone! Here's hoping for a successful 2009.

GAME DAY: B's & Pens News and Notes

This morning the Bruins had an optional morning skate. Yesterday worked the troops real hard for more than an hour and installed in them that Pittsburgh is the best team they have played in weeks. Now on to the notes...

*Tim Thomas was the first goalie off the ice this morning, indicating he'll start tonight against the Penguins.Tim Thomas (11-2-1, 2.09) vs. Marc-Andre Fleury (11-6-2, 2.86)

* Matt Lashoff will most likely be the healthy scratch.

* Hal Gill is expected to appear in his first game tonight since Dec. 6. Gill was sidelined with a shoulder injury With Hal Gill back in the lineup, the Penguins will dress seven defensemen, with Alex Goligoski taking some shifts up front.

* David Krejci brings an eight-game scoring streak into tonight.

* Patrice Bergeron has not been placed on injured reserve yet.

*The B's are 97-50-21-3 all-time against Pittsburgh and have won 11 of their last 16 contests against the Penguins.

*The Bruins are 13-1-0 since Thanksgiving.

*The B’s have scored an NHL-high 130 goals and allowed a league-low 76.

*Boston leads the NHL in even-strength goals with 88.

*Michael Ryder leads the NHL with seven game-winning goals.

*The B’s have three defensemen with at least 10 points: Dennis Wideman (22), Zdeno Chara (20) and Matt Hunwick (15).

*The Bruins have not allowed a power-play goal in three straight games, going 12-of-12 on the penalty kill.

*Aaron Ward returned to action Sunday against the Thrashers after missing 10 of 11 games because of an ankle injury.

*The Penguins have lost three straight home games and are just 8-7-2 at Mellon Arena this season.

*Pittsburgh ranks 15th in the NHL on the power play (18.4 percent) and has scored just two goals in 13 opportunities over their last five games, including going 0-for-13 in their last three contests.

*Penguins center Evgeni Malkin leads the NHL with 59 points (15 goals, 44 assists), and Sidney Crosby is tied for second with 49 (15, 34).
Crosby is tied for second with Alex Ovechkin in points. Right behind the dynamic players in fourth is the Bruins Marc Savard with 43 points.

*Phil Kessel is fourth in the NHL in goals with 22. Kessel is four goals behind league leader Jeff Carter of the Flyers.

*Tim Thomas is T-2 in Save % with a .935 %. He is third in GAA with a 2.04, right behind his partner in crime, Manny Fernandez who has a 2.02 GAA. Thomas is also tied for 5th in wins with 15 and T-3 with shut outs, (3).

*The top five +/- players in the NHL will be on display tonight with Marc Savard owning the league's top mark as a +23. In a log jam in second with a +22 rating are the Bruins, Dennis Wideman, Blake Wheeler and David Krejci along with Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin.

“We’re getting pretty good and creating a lot of offense. We’re doing what we do best and not trying to be too handsome.”--Michael Ryder, in USA Today, after the Bruins’ 2-1 win over the Thrashers

Tonight's expected lineup:
P.J. Axelsson - Marc Savard - Phil Kessel

Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Michael Ryder

Milan Lucic - Stephane Yelle - Chuck Kobasew

Vladimir Sobotka - Martin St. Pierre - Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara - Aaron Ward

Matt Hunwick - Dennis Wideman

Mark Stuart - Shane Hnidy

Tim Thomas

Manny Fernandez

Ryder Helps Bruins Run Streak to Eight

The Bruins and the Thrashers isn't exactly a game that hokey fans get amped up for and early it looked like the Bruins felt the same way. In the first two minutes of the game Atlanta was all over Boston, testing Manny Fernandez with four early shots.

The Bruins escaped the early fire and the rest of the period went a long with the Bruins holding a slight edge in the play. Both teams had their opportunities on the power play, Atlanta with a five-on-three toward the end of the period, but nobody was able to pot a goal.

That is until the final minute when Bryan Little beat Manny Fernandez on a breakaway. Little was able to pick the Bruins pocket and get a back breaking goal, putting the Thrashers up one heading into the dressing room.

Even with the Bruins down by one heading into the second period they were not holding their heads. Not only are the Bruins used to playing the come back game, they also outplayed the Thrashers for most of the first period and were a few bad bounces away from having the lead.

The Thrashers came out blazing again in the opening minute of the second but the Bruins quickly turned the tide as Phil Kessel got the puck at the top of the circles and put it through Kari Lehtonen to tie the score. The goal was number 22 on the season for Kessel.

The rest of the period was back and forth and included a breakaway for each side. Fernandez had to make a dandy of a save to keep the game tied and the two teams played out the period still knotted at one.

The Bruins had the first few opportunities of the third period but it was Atlanta who looked like they were going to take the lead. The Thrashers had three straight shots on Fernandez that Manny was able to kick aside.

With just over six minutes remaining in regulation David Krejci came down the left wing and found Michael Ryder down the middle for Ryder's 14th goal of the season. After a miserable start for Ryder in terms of production, he has really done a 180 and is sizzling hot.

With the goal Ryder now has 11 goals in the last 14 games. The 14 goals equal Ryder's season total from last season.

In the final minute of the third period, Fernandez had to make one last spectacular save to ice the game for the Bruins. With the 2-1 victory the Bruins extend their winning streak to eight.

Thoughts...

Michael Ryder is hotter than a pistol right now in the old west. This guy was under the gun early with his slow start. Ryder had only three goals after the first 22 games and everyone thought that this guy was a major bust. However, since being paired up with David Krejci and Blake Wheeler, Ryder is on a tear and looking like his 30 goal self of two years ago.

GAME LOG:

Scoring Summary:

First Period- Atlanta, Little 18, 19:45.

Second Period- Boston, Kessel 22 (Savard, Wideman), 1:43.

Third Period- Boston, Ryder 14 (Krejci, Wheeler), 13:56.

Shots on Goal:

Boston 14-10-4-28.

Atlanta 10-11-12-33.

Fernandez to start: Ward likely to go

Aaron Ward will most likely return to the lineup tonight against the Thrashers. While Claude Julien said he'll make his decision after warm ups, it looks like Ward will take Matt Lashoff's place on the blue line.

Manny Fernandez will get the start tonight in goal. This is as expected as the Bruins have made it clear they don't want to over work Tim Thomas. Granted it was only two games in a row, but the Bruins have emphasized neither goalie will see more than three straight starts. With the back to back games, this is just par for the course.

Game Day: Bruins vs. Hurricanes

Game day and why not start with a Patrice Bergeron update since I know that has been the topic of discussion lately.

According to Claude Julien, Patrice Bergeron continues to improve, noting that he felt better today than he did yesterday. Earlier in the week, Bergeron was still complaining of headaches from last Saturday's concussion.

Other Bruins and Game Notes:

Aaron Ward and Petteri Nokelainen were both seen traveling with the team and are day-to day. Both will not be in the line-up tonight. Ward looks very close to returning.

Tim Thomas was the first goalie off the ice. Look for him to start tonight against Carolina.

Julien said Marco Sturm (knee) is getting better and that the swelling is going down. Surgery is still a possibility for Sturm.

Andrew Ference skated yesterday for the first time since suffering his fractured tibia on Nov. 13. Ference skated for approximately 20 minutes and is still in need of a few weeks to be game ready.

Sturm and Ference are the only Bruins currently on injured reserve.

Carolina did play last night, a 5-4 win over Atlanta.

With Phil Kessel's point streak over at 18 games, Milan Lucic now has the longest point streak at eight games.

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish everyone here at BruinSpace a very Merry Christmas. We'll be back reporting on the B's this weekend! Hope Santa was good to everyone.

Bergeron out three weeks - Agent: Patrice Home and Resting

From Boston.com--

Patrice Bergeron, concussed on Saturday for a second time in a little over a year, remained home at his downtown condominium today, surrounded by his parents, who drove down from Quebec City as planned on Sunday to celebrate the NHL Christmas break with their 23-year-old son.

According to Bergeron's agent, Kent Hughes, the hard-luck center isn't likely to comment to the media for a few days, opting instead to spend a quiet week with his parents and hope that his all-too-familiar symptoms dissipate quickly.

''He's laying low,'' said Hughes, who spent time with Bergeron Saturday night, in the hours after the collision, as well as on Sunday when Bergeron was released after overnight observation at Mass. General Hospital, ''and I guess you could say he's probably frustrated.''

Bergeron was in the midst of his 12th shift of the afternoon on Saturday when he met up with the onrushing Dennis Seidenberg as the Canes defenseman lugged the puck through the neutral zone. After seeing his season come to an end last Oct. 27 due to a Grade 3 concussion, Bergeron on Saturday, playing his 31st game of the season, looked active and sharp, much more resembling his pre-injury form.

As Bergeron converged from Seidenberg's right, and Boston right winger Chuck Kobasew from his left, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound blueliner straightened his stance as he came to the mid-ice redline. As Seidenberg pulled up, the oncoming Bergeron, intent on trying to strip the puck, inadvertently drove the left side of his face smack into Seidenberg's padded shoulders.

NHLers typically wear hard-shell padding on their shoulders, which not only protects their own bones but also can serve to smack their opponents.
''One of things [Bergeron] said to me was, 'Geez, I felt it was my best game so far','' recalled Hughes. ''He just started to feel like he was getting into it. So something like this--mentally, physically and psychologically--it makes the timing of it really tough, and I think that makes his frustration pretty understandable.''

The Bruins confirmed on Sunday that Bergeron suffered a concussion in the collision, which means he must miss at least a week, in accordance with standard NHL protocol.

Based not only on his severe (Grade 3) concussion last year, but also on the club's conservative approach in his return from that injury, it's highly unlikely that he would suit up again until early- or mid-January at the earliest.

''Really, there is no way to gauge that, or predict,'' said Hughes. ''With my experience with other clients, as well as Patrice, I've learned that it's impossible to predict the recovery process.''

From what I've been picking up in hockey circles it looks like Bergeron will be out at least three weeks. Three weeks will be January 12. On January 13 the Bruins will face off with the Habs at the Garden. Is that not a good night for an uplifting return?

One thing has to be said here and that is get well Patrice. As we all know Bergeron now has a history of concussions. This reminds me a lot of one of my old favorites back in the day, number 88, Eric Lindros. Lindros suffered his first two concussions and then after that it was almost a seasonal occurrence. Let's hope this isn't the case here.

Bruins Beat Blues in Wideman's Return to St. Louis: Have Now Won 10 of 11

The Boston Bruins just defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-3. It was the Blake Wheeler show early for the Bruins as Wheeler potted the first two goals for the Bruins. The first Wheeler goal was a nice one timer tally. The Bruins executed a three on two well with Michael Ryder finding David Krejci in the middle who put it in Wheeler's wheel house for the goal.

Wheeler's second was a great individual effort as he was working the filthy stick-work and found the back of the net past Manny Legace. Just over a minute later the Blues got on the board on a Brad Winchester goal, beating a screened Manny Fernandez.

Towards the end of the period the Blues Jay McClement picked the Bruins defensemen's pockets and scored his third of the season on a breakaway. McClement put a blistering wrister over Fernandez's left shoulder to tie the score, 2-2.

Just 53 seconds later, still on the power play, Shane Hnidy erased the tie by finding a hole through a screen and beating Legacy for his second of the year. Phil Kessel had an assist on the play, extending his point steak to 18 games. The Bruins headed into the locker room after 20 minutes with a 3-2 lead.

The first tally of the second came from old friend Yan Stastny, who picked up a rebound off of a Keith Tkachuk's shot and stuffed it home, 3-3.

The Bruins wouldn't allow the Blues to take the lead however, as Michael Ryder picked up a pass from P.J. Axellson and jammed it into the back of the net, 4-3 Boston.

With a few minutes left in the second period a large momentum shift took place. The Blues were inches away from evening the game but Dennis Wideman scooped a puck out of the crease behind Manny Fernandez and led the Bruins up ice. Milan Lucic threw the puck up the boards to Phil Kessel who passed it to Marc Savard for his 11th goal of the season. Savard waited for Legacy to slide across the crease before firing it back side for the goal.

The final goal of the night cam from Vlad Sobotka who grabbed the puck in front of the St. Louis goal and pulled a spin-o-rama for the goal.

The Bruins doubled up their second straight opponent by the score of 6-3 and will now head to New Jersey to face the Devils on Tuesday night. This will be the Bruins last game before the Christmas holiday. With the win Fernandez is 11-1-1 in his last 14 games.

One final note here is that this was Dennis Wideman's first game in St Louis since he was traded for Brad Boyes.

Three shopping days til' Christmas, good luck if you still have some Santa duties to take care of.