Bruins beat Habs, end losing streak

The Bruins ended their 10-game losing streak yesterday by beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-0. The Bruins dominated the first period, then in the second Montreal put the pressure on but Tuukka Rask was solid in net. In the third it was more back and forth by both teams but the Bruins held on for the win. This game also saw Blake Wheeler get into his first NHL fight, as he took on purse snatcher Ryan O'Byrne. It wasn't much of a fight as Wheeler lost his balance but was the only one to actually throw any punches. It was good to see Wheeler to stick up for himself after O'Byrne rammed his head against the glass.

David Krejci left in the first period and did not return to the game.

After the game, coach Claude Julien said that the injury wasn't serious and Krejci could be available for Boston's next game Tuesday night in Buffalo. Julien also said he would know more Monday.
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Other injury news, defenseman Johnny Boychuk will not need surgery for his fractured orbital bone that he got on Saturday when he took a Mikael Samuelsson shot up high. He will be out for 7-10 days, so he won't be playing until after the Olympic break.

The Bruins next game is on Tuesday at the Buffalo Sabres. Then the Bruins go to Florida to take on the Lightning on Thursday and then the Panthers on Saturday.

Bruins update

The Bruins next game is on Friday at the Buffalo Sabres who are in first place in the Northeast division with 67 points. The Bruins (23-20-8) are currently in fourth place in the Northeast division with 54 points, only ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs. There has been word that Marc Savard is trying to come back into the lineup on Friday against the Sabres. Hopefully he does as the Bruins need some scoring. Savard and Byron Bitz were at practice Monday morning. Marco Sturm and Steve Begin are day-to-day and likely out on Friday.

Here are some interesting stats of the Bruins so far this season. The Bruins have only scored 127 goals this season, which is last in the league and have allowed 131 goals. They are13-11-3 at home and 10-9-5 on the road. In their last ten games, they are 2-7-1.

Tim Thomas is 13-14-6 with a 2.53 GAA, and a 91.5% save percentage this season. Tuukka Rask is 10-6-2 with a 2.14 GAA, and a 92.5% save percentage this season.

On Monday the Bruins sent forward Drew Larman back to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

Bruins beat Toronto again, hold Kessel to zeroes again

Last night the Bruins beat Toronto again, this time the final score was 5-2. It was 3-0 at the start of the third period but Toronto made it interesting by scoring twice making it 3-2. But then Jason Blake took a dumb high sticking penalty and the Bruins capitalized on the power-play and then later got an empty net goal, Mark Recchi scoring those two last goals.

Toronto's Phil Kessel was held to two shots and no points and an even plus/minus. Bruins' Mark Stuart almost had a Gordie Howe hat trick, but didn't get an assist to get it, as he scored the first Bruins goal of the game, his second of the season. Then in the second period, Stuart at Jamal Mayers did what they did the last time these two met, they dropped the gloves and had a short fight where Mayers lost his balance and they only got two minute roughing penalties again like last game. So after those two minutes were up, they came out of the penalty boxes and dropped the gloves and had a fight that was 5-minute worthy finally. Tuukka Rask again played solid in net and is hot. I'm curious to see if he plays on Saturday instead of Tim Thomas. If you missed the game make sure to check out the highlights of the game.

I saw a blog post on According To Cameron Frye, where Shawn Thornton says that he doesn't like Phil Kessel. Check out his comments below:

"...I don't like him."

"I don't know if we're better off without him, but I know he wasn't the best fit."

"I hope he didn't come here thinking he was going to get cheered whenever touched the puck."
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Even during the game Jack Edwards said that a few unnamed Bruins didn't like what Phil Kessel, signing with Toronto for a little more money instead of re-signing with the Bruins. Apparently also Marc Savard and Kessel had some words in the third period after Savard hit him. And we all know Kessel doesn't like the physical play.

The next time the Bruins and Maple Leafs meet will be on Saturday, December 19th. I wonder if Milan Lucic will be back in time for that one? :) He probably won't be as I'm assuming he may come back just in time of the Winter Classic game at Fenway Park.

The Bruins next game is on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

Lucic returns, Bruins win, Savard deal close

Bruins forward Milan Lucic returned to the lineup last night but that didn't stop another last minute meltdown of the Bruins as the Thrashers tied the game in the final minute of the third period. The game went to a shootout and with Patrice Bergeron's awesome deke goal and Tuukka Rask stopping all three Thrashers, the Bruins got the two points. Lucic missed 14 games but looked good in the game as he was playing physical and had some good offensive opportunities.

According to a report from Canada's RDS, Marc Savard is close to signing a 7-year contract worth $39 million ($5.7 million per season). Earlier the Bruins offered a 3-year contract worth $6.5 million. This is good news for Bruins fans to get Savard locked up as you can see the Bruins offense without him is not as good.

Look for Tuukka Rask to play again tonight against the Sabres as Tim Thomas has an unidentified minor injury.

Right now the Bruins are 9-8-4 with 22 points, which is 3rd place in their division and 11th place in the conference.

David Krejci diagnosed with H1N1

Today Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced that David Krejci has been diagnosed with H1N1 and will be away from the team until he is symptom free and fever free for 24 hours.

"Like most people, we are taking many precautions to try to prevent our players and staff from contracting the H1N1 virus," said Chiarelli. "Our medical staff is working with David to get him healthy as soon as possible, and our players and staff will continue to take precautions with hopes of preventing the spread of the virus to others in the organization."
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The Bruins play the Montreal Canadiens tonight, their first meeting this season and it should be good.

The Bruins recalled forward Mikko Lehtonen from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Also today Peter Chiarelli announced that the Bruins have signed goalie Tuukka Rask to a two-year contract extension through the 2011-12 season.

Bruins start slow this season

The Bruins haven't looked good this year, minus the second game vs the Carolina Hurricanes where they looked like last year's team. To me they seem not into games with the slow starts. The hitting has really not been there in the first two periods in most of the games. The Bruins have their first road trip this season starting on Friday where they take on the Dallas Stars. It's only a 2-game road trip though. They'll take on the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday. Hopefully things turn around on this road trip for the Bruins.

The Bruins are currently 2-3-0 through five games with four points and tied for third place with the Montreal Canadiens in the Northeast division. They have a total of sixteen goals scored and nineteen goals scored against them.

A few interesting stats: defenseman Derek Morris is a -4; David Krejci and Milan Lucic have 0 goals. Mark Stuart is playing well with a +4 rating (leading the Bruins in that stat).

Tim Thomas is 1-2-0 with a 4.00 GAA and a 86.8% save percentage. Tuukka Rask is 1-1-0 with a 3.39 GAA and a 88.3% save percentage.

Bruins sign Fata and Sabourin

Yesterday the Bruins announced that they signed defenseman Drew Fata and goalie Dany Sabourin to one-year contracts. These two players are most likely pickups for the AHL Providence Bruins team, as Tuukka Rask is the probable backup to Tim Thomas this coming season, so Sabourin should get playing time down with Providence. And with Jeremy Reich signing with the New York Islanders, Fata brings toughness to fill that void for Providence with Reich gone.

The 26-year-old Fata split the 2008-09 season between the San Antonio Rampage and the Binghamton Senators, both of the American Hockey League. He skated in 75 regular season games with seven goals, nine assists and 141 penalty minutes. He has played in eight career NHL games and registered 1-1=2 totals with nine penalty minutes, all with the New York Islanders.

The 28-year-old Sabourin appeared in 19 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2008-09 season and registered a 6-8-2 record, 2.85 Goals Against Average and .898 save percentage. On January 17, 2009, he was traded by Pittsburgh along with Ryan Stone and a 2011 fourth round pick to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Mathieu Garon. Sabourin did not appear in a game with the Oilers before being waived on January 20, 2009.
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Tim Thomas agrees to extension

ESPN.com news services is reporting that Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins have agreed to a contract extension, team sources told ESPN's John Buccigross Thursday. The years and money was not mentioned, but the deal is suppose to be announced on Saturday. Source

This is great news as Tim Thomas has been unbelievable this season. I'm excited to see what the Bruins do in the playoffs. This is a fun time to be a Bruins fan. With the Thomas extension, I think you may see Manny Fernandez not be re-signed and Tuukka Rask as Thomas' backup next season.

Tuukka Rask goes a little crazy

I just found this video on the Bruins Blog on Boston.com and had to post about it here. On March 21st, Providence Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask goes a little nutty after some bad calls in a shootout. We all heard that you have to be a little crazy to play goalie, so does this surprise you? Just joking around, as I would be upset about the calls too that were made. The first shootout goal, looks like the guy looses the puck, stops, reaches back, and then shoots which I thought you can't do in a shootout. And the second goal Rask thought it hit the crossbar/post and then went a little crazy. Watch the video below.

Bruins recall Rask, injury update

Before today's game against the Capitals the Bruins recalled goalie Tuukka Rask from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis. A very big win for the Bruins against the Capitals who have had the upper hand in previous games this season vs the Bruins. It was good to see Patrice Bergeron, Andrew Ference, and Milan Lucic all back in the lineup for the Bruins. Here are some updates on other injured/out of the lineup Bruins:

Yesterday, Coach Julien gave updates on three of his injured players.

"[Manny Fernandez] is probably going to miss a few days here again," he said. "It's just...general soreness.

"It's really not that serious, but it's one of those things where we [could] give him a few days.

And Phil Kessel?

"When you've got mono [you] can't take any contact," said Julien. "So, that's why he stepped on the ice afterwards.

"Even if he wasn't participating in battle drills, if he collided with somebody that's a danger so that's why we put him on the ice later.

"His condition could change any day. If he gets tested and his spleen is fine then he's free to go. He's feeling good, obviously feeling much better, he seems to have a lots of energy, now it's just a matter of waiting for the medical clearance," he said.

Marco Sturm is out of commission, however.

"With the type of surgery he's had, he’s done for the year," said Julien, who indicated that Sturm's surgery went well. "It's normally almost an eight-month process, I think, and I know there's other guys six months later they're back."

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The next Bruins game is on Thursday vs the New Jersey Devils.

Sturm update and roster moves

On Tuesday it was announced that Bruins forward Marco Sturm underwent successful surgery to repair his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, which will force Sturm to miss the rest of the 2008-2009 NHL season.

Other roster moves that were made was: the Bruins recalled defenseman Matt Lashoff from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis. They also assigned goalie Tuukka Rask to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

Today the Bruins recalled forward Vladimir Sobotka from the Providence Bruins (AHL) and assigned forward Martins Karsums to the Providence Bruins (AHL).

Bruins make more roster moves

The Bruins made some more roster moves later today. They sent defenseman Matt Lashoff and goalie Kevin Regan to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Then the Bruins recalled goalie Tuukka Rask and forward Martin St. Pierre from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis. The Bruins also placed forward Phil Kessel on injured reserve (mononucleosis). Both Rask and St. Pierre should dress for tomorrow's game vs the Montreal Canadiens.

Rask sent down, Regan called up

After the game on Saturday, the Bruins sent goalie Tuukka Rask back down to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Today the Bruins have recalled goalie Kevin Regan from the Providence Bruins (AHL).

Regan, a South Boston native, has appeared in 14 games this season for Providence and posted a 6-4-1 record with a 3.33 Goals Against Average and .875 save percentage.

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The Bruins next game is tomorrow vs the Montreal Canadiens. I don't think we'll see the "circus" that we saw the last game between these two teams when Georges Laraque kept following Milan Lucic around the ice trying to get Lucic to drop the gloves, as Laraque has a continuous groin injury, and Lucic has missed the past two games.

Bruins recall Bitz and Karsums

Instead of recalling Vladimir Sobotka and Martin St. Pierre, today the Bruins have recalled forwards Byron Bitz and Martins Karsums from the Providence Bruins (AHL). They should be playing in today's game vs the Carolina Hurricanes.

Bitz has registered three goals and seven assists in 37 games for Providence this year. The 24-year-old scored 13 goals and made 14 assists in 61 games with the Providence Bruins last year. Before joining the P-Bruins in 2007, Bitz played four seasons at Cornell University with 28-60-88 totals and 155 penalty minutes in 124 career games.

Karsums is currently the leading scorer for Providence with 16 goals and 23 assists in 38 games, and ranks 8th in points overall in the AHL. Recently named an AHL All-Star, he will play for the Planet USA team in the AHL All-Star Classic on January 26.

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Update @ 12:30pm
The Bruins have recalled goalie Tuukka Rask from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Bruins release four from camp

Yesterday the Bruins released four players from training camp. Defensemen Matt Lashoff and Jeff Penner, and goalie Tuukka Rask have been assigned to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Center Martin St. Pierre has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Providence (AHL).

The Bruins have two more preseason games before the regular season starts. On Saturday the Bruins play the New York Islanders and on Sunday the Bruins play the Washington Capitals. The regular season starts on October 9th at the Colorado Avalanche.

Bruins trade for goalie Alex Auld

It seems that Tim Thomas may be more injured than what I thought. Last night it looked like he hurt his ankle or groin near the end of the third period, and Tuukka Rask had to come into the game. So the Bruins traded forward Nate DiCasmirro from the Providence Bruins and a 5th round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft to the Phoenix Coyotes for goalie Alex Auld. I could only find news on this trade on the Coyotes site here. From the site:

GLENDALE, ARIZONA -- Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have acquired forward Nate DiCasmirro and a 5th round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Alex Auld.

DiCasmirro, 29, registered 2-3-5 and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 20 games this season for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL). DiCasmirro has recorded 57-105-162 in 358 career AHL games with Hamilton, Toronto, Edmonton, Grand Rapids and Providence. He also has 9-10-19 and 44 PIM in 57 career playoff games. The Atikokan, Ontario native set career-highs in points (52), assists (36) and PIM (97) as a member of Grand Rapids during the 2005-06 season.

Auld registered a 3-6-0 record with a 3.54 goals against average (GAA), .880 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout in nine games with the Coyotes this season, his first in Phoenix. He also collected a 1-1-0 record with a 2.53 GAA, .906 SV% and one shutout this season with Phoenix’s AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. For his career, Auld has collected a 49-50-2-11 record with a 2.94 GAA, .901 SV% and three shutouts in 117 NHL games with Vancouver, Florida and Phoenix.

Auld was considered to be a good prospect a few years ago but he hasn't shown much with his time in the NHL so far. For a team that is the third worse so far this season (looking at the team points in the standings, Coyotes have 24, and are only ahead of the Kings and Capitals), and they traded away a goalie can only tell you what they thought of Auld. I'm hoping Rask gets most of the starts while Thomas is out, if he is out for any amount of time, and Auld is just here to backup Rask. Or maybe Thomas is fine and the Bruins want to send Rask back down to Providence for him to play more, and have Auld backup Thomas. I guess we'll find out soon.

The Bruins play the Montreal Canadiens in Boston tonight. Should be a good one, against those pansies and divers.

Update at 6:00pm
I just noticed on the Bruins site they also mentioned the trade. Tim Thomas has a slight groin pull and will be out of the lineup until next week. Also goalie Manny Fernandez has been placed on long-term injured reserve and has been assigned to the Providence Bruins (AHL) for conditioning.

Bruins recall Rask and Hunwick

The Bruins recalled goalie Tuukka Rask from the Providence Bruins (AHL) on Thursday. Today the Bruins recalled defenseman Matt Hunwick from the Providence Bruins (AHL). Tonight the Bruins play at the Montreal Canadiens.

Rask and Lashoff sent down

The Bruins sent recent callups, goalie Tuukka Rask and defenseman Matt Lashoff back down to the Providence Bruins (AHL). I'm assuming the Bruins will call them back up by Thursday, when the Bruins play against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bruins are third in their division with a 8-6-2 record with 18 points. Toronto also has 18 points and even though it is still early in the season, the Bruins need to beat teams in their division.

Bruins recall goalie Tuukka Rask

The Bruins have recalled goalie Tuukka Rask from the Providence Bruins (AHL) and have sent goalie Jordan Sigalet back down to the Providence Bruins. Rask is 6-1 and has a 2.00 GAA in 7 starts with the Providence Bruins.