Bleacher Report - Articles by Shawn Owens

Bruins-Thrashers: Are the B's "Savi" Enough to Win Home and Home Series?

Shawn Owens — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:10:05 -0500

The Boston Bruins (19-5-4, 42 points) will play a home and home series against the Atlanta Thrashers starting tonight in Atlanta.

Coming off an all right performance against the Washington Capitals in which the Bruins lost 3-1—the difference maker in the game was Capitals goalie Brent Johnson making 33 saves—the Bruins go back to work to see if they can get back on the winning track.

Tim Thomas will make the start tonight in Atlanta. Timmy sat out the last game, yielding to Manny Fernandez.

Phil Kessel will bring a 13-game scoring streak into the game tonight.

Aaron Ward may play tonight. He has missed the last four Bruins games. He will be a welcome addition back to the blue line.

Patrice Bergeron looks to improve his play tonight. He lost an uncharacteristic 13 of 19 faceoffs against the Capitals on Wednesday evening.

Making a tough kid tougher—Bruins coach Claude Julien spent time with Milan Lucic at the end of practice in Atlanta yesterday teaching him a trick to get his arm untied during a fight.

In related news, NHL tough guys received a memo today stating that if you are going to go with Lucic, attack him when he isn't ready for it.

Both teams will fly out to Boston after the game tonight.

Bruins-Lightning: Boston Puts Bolt in Lightning for 10th Straight Win

Shawn Owens — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:14:23 -0500

The Bruins came out in the first and picked up right where they left off in Florida, scoring three quick goals by Lucic, Kessel, and Ryder.

Puck control and good game planning helped for the fast start, which Coach Julien has been preaching to his team night in and night out.

Tim Thomas started the game tonight and made 13 saves in the first period.

In the second, the Bruins got a little sloppy and gave the Lightning nine chances. PJ Axelsson broke down the middle and was taken down to enter the most exciting play in sports, a penalty shot. Axelsson came down very wide and beat Lightning goalie Mike Smith short side only to have Smith reach way out to keep the puck out of the crease.

Just after the penalty shot, the Bruins went on a five on three power play when David Krejci, who has great vision, found Zedeno Chara at the point for a bomb of a shot that went top shelf.

In the third, Tampa Bay came out and the Lightnings' top line of Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier were all over the ice. St. Louis scored on a Lecavalier shot that beat his former teammate at the University of Vermont, Tim Thomas. 10 minutes later, the Lightnings' Szczechura scored to make it 4-3.

The Lightning decided to pull their goalie with 33 seconds left in hopes of being able to tie the game, but PJ Axelsson scored on an open net for his first goal of the season and to solidify the win for the Bruins.

Game notes: The Boston Bruins (19-4-4, 42 points), have won 10 straight games at the Garden. Tim Thomas made 26 saves. The Bruins were very lazy the last 10 minutes of the game, giving Coach Julien enough to keep the players on their toes in practice tomorrow as well as a reminder that you have to play a full 60 minutes.

The Bruins play again this Wednesday when they head to Washington to play Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

Boston Bruins Shine In Florida, Krejci's Three Assists Lift Bruins to 4-0 Win

Shawn Owens — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:25:44 -0500

Two games in Florida this week and two wins.

Thursday night against the horribly owned and run Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins played a terrible first period, only to wake up for the second and third periods to win the game.

Last night, the Bruins went south to play the Panthers and the outcome was a 4-0 win for the Bruins fourth win in a row and posting a 16-2-1 in their last 19 games.

Manny Fernandez won his seventh game in a row last night and he's the back up.

Phil Kessel keeps his hot scoring streak alive with his team leading 16th goal of the season.

David Kejci continues to become an NHL force posting three assists in the 4-0 shutout. Krejci has an eight-game point streak.

The Bruins (18-4-4, 40 points) first place in the Eastern Conference, will return back to the Hub of Hockey in Boston on Monday night when they take on again a horribly owned and run Tampa Bay Lightning.

Marco Sturm Is Back, Bruins Get Another Weapon In the Line Up

Shawn Owens — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:56:15 -0500

Marco Sturm is back after missing six games due to an upper body injury. This is good news for the Bruins.

This will give the B's another weapon in the line up. Sturm is a great playmaker who can score when opportunity arises.

The question is, where is he going to fit in? The team is playing well right now and it looks as though Claude Julien is pulling all the right strings. Is it too early to think Coach of the Year?

Sturm is a solid player who is tough to play against. The one draw back for him this season was getting him up for every game.

Flashback to game six last year when Sturm scored and the Garden went nuts. The look on Sturm's face was that of determination and untouchability.

This is the look and the feel the Bruins need him to have to stay a regular in the Bruins line-up in the future, especially with the way everyone is playing.

Welcome back to the team Marco. Time to make up for being out six games.

Bruins Keep Winning, Beat Detroit 4-1 at The Garden

Shawn Owens — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:17:16 -0500

The Boston Bruins are playing their second game in two nights after coming off a win on Friday afternoon against the New York Islanders 7-2. The Bruins showed up tonight against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings and beat them convincingly 4-1.

The Bruins came out in the first period sluggish for the first eight minutes then they broke through with a real nice goal from Blake Wheeler (8th of season, Tied for 2nd amongst rookies in the NHL). From then on, the Bruins controlled the game and kept all rebounds away from Manny Fernandez.

Fernandez (7-0-1) as the back up this season got the nod for the second game (first time this season) in a row from Head Coach Claude Julien. A great coaching move to keep Fernandez as the starter to give Timmy Thomas a little extra rest. It is these types of moves that will keep the Bruins goaltending tandem fresh and sharp later on as they get deeper into the season.

Phil Kessel continues his scoring streak by putting a shot on net that beat Ty Conklin in a screen.

Bruins defense played really well considering they lost Aaron Ward to an injury, and were playing the game with only five defenseman in the mix.

David Krejci and Chuck Kobasew each had a goal in this game.

The Boston Bruins (16-4-4, 36 points) are closing out November with an 11-1-1 record. They haven’t lost at home since October 23rd. The Bruins are 8-0 in November (nine straight) at home outscoring their opponents 41 to 14 to establish the TD Banknorth Garden as a really tough place for visiting teams to come into and play in.

The Bruins winning ways will have some much needed days off this week until they play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida on Thursday.

Bruins Gaining Swagger, Expect to Win Every Game

Shawn Owens — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:34:45 -0500

The Boston Bruins (14-4-4, 32 points, first in the Northeast Conference) coming off of a loss the other night in Buffalo (first loss in a month) are primed to get back on track.

They are going up against a busy two days in which they play a rare 12 p.m. game on November 28 at the TD Bank North Garden against the New York Islanders. The team will then play November 29 against the Detroit Red Wings to finish back to back games.

In Buffalo, Coach Claude Julien said his Bruins played "Okay". But, Okay isn't going to win a team hockey games in the NHL.

The game against the Islanders will be our first look at how the team will rebound from a game in which they just couldn't get going.

The Sabres game was a good lesson to the Bruins: all of their opponents will be playing to win and come after them game in and game out. The Sabres were a desperate club trying to break a five game losing streak. They came out and threw everything they had at the B's, who just didn't respond.

Julien has a good club that is starting to take on the swagger that they are going to win every game. That is good. It all starts with attitude.

Down Early, Bruins Rip Off Five Unanswered Goals to Beat Sabres

Shawn Owens — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:13:10 -0500

Well, what can I say about this game?

Both goalies played terribly. Lucky enough for the Bruins, Ryan Miller played a little worse than Manny Fernandez, who overcame a 4-3 deficit after one period to shut out the visitors the rest of the way in a 7-4 Bruins victory Wednesday.

Seven Bruins players had multiple points in this shootout. Chuck Kobasew and Zdeno Chara each had two goals and Marc Savard had a goal and three assists.

After falling behind, 4-2, in the first, the Bruins scored five unanswered goals and Marc Savard figured in on four of them.

The Bruins (12-3-4 for 28 points and first place in the Northeast Division) really capitalized on neutral-zone turnovers in this game, leading to several 3-on-2s and 2-on-1s. The big difference in this game was the the Bruins capitalized on their chances and Buffalo didn't.

Miller played about as bad as a goalie can play. He couldn't stop anything. After the first period, in which he made 10 saves on 14 shots, he picked right back up where he left off in the second, giving up three goals—two of which were slap shots from the point by Chara.

In the third, Miller was replaced by former Ottawa Senator Patrick Lalime after giving up a seventh goal on 20 shots—this time to Phil Kessel (his ninth of the season).

Game Notes

Bruins center Patrice Bergeron recorded his 200th NHL point with his first of two second-period assists...Chuck Kobasew had a really strong game and wasn't one of the top three stars of the game...Aaron Ward played a great game on defense and, with the exception of Chara, was the most productive blue-liner on the ice, playing a really tough defensive game.

The Bruins are home again this Friday night against the Florida Panthers...The Bruins won their sixth straight at home and seventh in their last eight games.

Bruins-Rangers: Boston Blows 2-0 Lead, Loses in Shootout

Shawn Owens — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:12:27 -0500

The Bruins entered the night at Madison Square Garden feeling confident and excited to see how they would stack up next to the Eastern Conference's best, the New York Rangers.

Neither team played very well in the first. It consisted of sloppy hockey with some chances and a lot of neutral zone turnovers. No points and no penalties were gained in the first. Kind of like kissing your sister I suppose; the kiss is there but the thrill is all gone.

In the second, the Bruins got their legs moving and this proved to be the difference. Captain Zedeno Chara scored off of a nice wrist shot, beating Lundqvist for the first goal of the game.

However, credit needs to go to Milan Lucic on this goal as he made a great play, keeping the puck in the Rangers' zone and dishing off the puck to Marc Savard. Savard made a nice play to Phil Kessel to get the puck to the big defenseman Chara for the goal.

Not much longer after that, Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman scored a short-handed goal, making it 2-0 heading into the third.

In the third, the Bruins were having all kinds of trouble. They couldn't make the first pass out of their zone, which ended up costing them a goal. Rangers forward Nigel Dawes started the scoring by beating Tim Thomas from close range.

Then, with under a minute left in the third and the Bruins just sitting back on their heels playing defense (you could see it coming), former Vancouver Canuck and now Ranger, Markus Naslund, scored the equalizer and sent the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Rangers had their way with the Bruins. The B's couldn't do anything. They were out of gas midway through the third and into overtime. Tim Thomas made some great saves, allowing the game to go into a shootout.

In the shootout, the first six shooters failed on their shootout attempts. Dawes, Nikolai Zherdev, and Fredrik Sjostrom couldn't connect on Thomas. Blake Wheeler, Kessel, and P.J. Axelsson, who potted the shootout winner Wednesday in Chicago, could not solve Lundqvist either.

New York's Chris Drury was the next up for the Rangers. Drury, always big when needed, was the only shooter not to make a deke move on Thomas, instead opting to come down at full speed and snap a shot right past Thomas for the eventual winner.

"You're up 2-0 like that, and you want to close it out," said Thomas, who made 29 saves. "But they kept coming at us, and they were rewarded eventually. A couple of penalties got us back on our heels, and they kept coming. Our game plan is usually to keep taking it to them, but..."

Game Notes

The Bruins ended their five-game win streak. Defenseman Andrew Ferrence, who has a broken tibia, was sorely missed with his 22 minutes of ice time, and more importantly as a defenseman who knows how to get the puck out of their own zone.

This could be a problem for the Bruins, as Ferrence will be out eight weeks. GM Peter Chiarelli may need to make a move for another defenseman who can move the puck with ease. Wideman's goal was the first short-handed goal for the Bruins this season. Boston had 25 shots on net compared to the Rangers' 31.

The Bruins hopped on a flight up to Toronto for their next game Monday evening versus yet another Original Six team in the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.

Boston Bruins Keep Winning, Beat Montreal Canadiens 6-1

Shawn Owens — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:17:53 -0500

The Boston Bruins are playing great hockey right now. They have all four lines and two goalies contributing to their success.

Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens were in the Hub of Hockey to take on the weary Bruins who got back in town at 3am this morning after beating the Blackhawks the night before.

The Bruins came out flying and Montreal couldn't do anything about it. Boston took a 3-0 lead after Shawn Thornton, Stephane Yelle, and Marco Sturm each beat Montreal goalie Carey Price. They controlled the whole period and got great contributions from all four lines.

In the second, the Bruins came out and picked up right where they left off. Sturm scored, his second of the night, off a rebound shot from Patrice Bergeron. Ten minutes later, Canadiens' Captain Saku Koivu stepped up to finally put the Canadiens on the board.

Then in the third, the legend continued to grow when Milan Lucic scored right off of the face-off beating Carey Price right under his pads.

Lucic was throwing his body around all night and Montreal's Mike Komisarek had enough and decided to go with Lucic. Lucic was more than willing and just over powered Komisarek by landing pretty much every punch he threw. It was pretty amazing to see how much Lucic just took over the fight. He got the crowd going as he was pumped up after the fight.

Game Notes: Stephane Yelle had two goals and an assist and played really well. Marco Sturm is starting to come on which is another great weapon for the B's.

Marc Savard played another great game. His passing abilities are just amazing collecting another assist tonight.

Manny Fernandez made 27 saves to improve his record to four wins and one loss. Andrew Ference took a puck off the foot and left the game in the third. Six goals is the biggest output the Bruins have had all season.

The Bruins have won five straight. The Bruins are competing every night and everyone is contributing. The Bruins, 10-3-3, have 23pts and are in first place in the Northeast Division and third overall in the NHL.

The Bruins play again Saturday night when they take on their third straight Original Six team when they visit Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers (12-5-2, 26 pts.).

Bruins-Blackhawks: Bruins Scalp the Blackhawks in Shoot-out

Shawn Owens — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:34:39 -0500

Despite another slow start in the first period for the Bruins (9-3-3, 21 points)—Chicago out shot the B's 18-6 in the first period—they were lucky to come away in the first knotted at zero. Tim Thomas was forced to make a lot of close saves in the first period.

In the second, the Bruins looked as though their legs got underneath them and started to control the game a little bit more than they did in the first. 54 seconds in, Bruins Captain Zedeno Chara blasted a low shot toward the Chicago net and Bruins winger Marco Sturm was there for the tip in that got past Khabibulin for the 1-0 lead.

The period really never had good flow to it. There were several penalties on both sides that caused a lot of stoppages of play and distracted the players from really having good flow in the game.

In the third, the Bruins and the Blackhawks went back and forth making both goalies stand on their heads to keep the game close.

At the 9:10 mark in the third, Jonathon Toews put one past Tim Thomas to tie the game at one. At the end of regulation Boston posted 39 shots on net and the Blackhawks had 32.

In overtime, the Blackhawks Cam Barker took a hooking penalty that left the Blackhawks scrambling. The Bruins peppered Khabibulin but he was like a brick wall not letting anything get by him.

In the shoot-out, Bruin Blake Wheeler was the first to shoot and made a nice move avoiding Khabibulin's poke check to take the lead in the shoot-out. Then Patrik Cane had a goal in the shoot-out to tie it up at one.

An unlikely hero for the Bruins, PJ Axelsson scored the winning goal. Axelsson was only in one other shoot-out years ago against the Rangers and did not score.

Game Notes: The Bruins have won seven of the last eight games and sit at the top of the Northeast Conference with 21 points. Tim Thomas continues to play great for the B's.

Chicago Coach Joel Quenneville said, "You've got to give the Bruins credit, they check well".

Another solid game was put in by Bruins defensemen Dennis Wideman and Andrew Ferrence. Tim Thomas made a great save on a breakaway in overtime against fellow University of Vermonter Patrick Sharp!

The Bruins will play again tonight at the Garden against another original six team, conference rivals, Montreal Canadiens. Should be another great game!

Bruins Beat Sabres to Move into Tie for First Place in Northeast Division

Shawn Owens — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:33:36 -0500

Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien is pulling all the right strings, including how he is using his goalie tandem of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez.

In a 3-1 victory over Buffalo on Saturday evening at the Hub of Hockey in Boston, it looked as though Julien once again made the right move early by starting the well-rested Manny Fernandez instead of the red-hot Tim Thomas against the Northeast Division-leading Buffalo Sabres.

The Bruins came out in the first period without legs and sluggish. Lucky for them, Fernandez was seeing the puck like a beach ball. Fernandez kept the Bruins in the game by stopping 13 of 14 shots in the first. The Bruins got on the board with 2:24 left in the frame when Stephane Yelle made a great play on the boards to feed Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman, who shot a rocket that got by Sabres goalie Ryan Miller to tie the game up at 1-all.

When the second period began, it was as though the Bruins actually decided to show up. Show up they did, with the powerful Milan Lucic waking his team up by just hitting anyone in front of him. Lucic led all players with eight bone-crunching hits.

Chuck Kobasew, in his first game back from fracturing his leg (ankle), broke down the left side of Ryan Miller and shot a knuckle ball right over the left shoulder of the Sabres goalie. It was a weird shot the Kobasew said after the game that he got "lucky" on, however, put the Bruins in the lead 2-1.

Not much longer after that, Phil Kessel also broke down the left side of Ryan Miller and blasted a shot off of his right pad that left a huge cross ice rebound that found the stick of Bruins Marc Savard for a one timer blast that got through Miller's glove and into the net for a 3-1 lead.

In the third, the Bruins just played a solid defensive game. Their neutral zone play was excellent. Not letting the Sabres get too deep into their zone and causing quick turnovers and odd man rushes into the Sabres end. This kept the Sabres from having any real offensive threats in third for the Bruins to win the game, 3-1.

Game Notes

Fernandez didn't miss a step in this game, making 32 saves...The Bruins (8-3-3, 19 points) have won six of seven and four in a row at home, moving into a first-place tie with Buffalo in the Northeast Division...Phil Kessel played another stellar game for the Bruins...The TD Banknorth Garden was at capacity last night, hosting 17,565 "very excited for hockey to be good again in Boston" fans!

The Bruins have a very busy week ahead. They will play three original-six teams, starting when they head to Chicago to play the Blackhawks on Wednesday. They then come home Thursday to the play division-rivals Montreal, then it's back on the road again on Saturday evening to take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

This week will be another great test for this solid Bruins team that is playing very, very well right now.

Boston Bruins Play the Next Four Out of Five Against Original Six Teams

Shawn Owens — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:02:10 -0500

The Boston Bruins will play the next four out of five games against original six teams.

Starting this Thursday, the Bruins (6-3-3, 15pts third place in Northeast Conference) take on the surging Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-3, 13 pts fourth place in Northeast Conference) at the TD Bank North Garden. The Bruins will try to even the series up at one game apiece after dropping a heart breaker 4-2 on October 23rd in Boston.

The Bruins will then welcome the first place Buffalo Sabres (8-2-2, first place in Northeast Conference) in what will promise to be a fast paced, rock'em sock'em hockey game. The Bruins will try to even this series at one game a piece after losing to the Sabres in a shootout on October 21, 2008.

Next the Bruins will hit the road to play three games in four nights against three original six teams. The first game will be on Wednesday November 12th against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago. This will be the first of two meetings this season. This should be a great game with a lot of young players showing off their talents.

The Bruins will fly back from Chicago and play the Montreal Canadiens the very next night. This will be interesting as the Bruins will be playing back to back and trying to tie up the series at one for a little revenge from their shootout loss the first time they met this season on October 15th.

The Bruins will get a night off and then head to Madison Square Garden where they will take on the solid New York Rangers who have 21 points. This team looks to be playing at a very high level and will be a good test for the Bruins to see how they stack up to one of the best teams in the league.

Now that October is in the past it is time to start looking forward to at least the next five games all of which will give the Bruins a better indication of what kind of team the Bruins will be as they move deeper into the season.

Original six games are very special games that have a lot of meaning for the players. The players all enjoy it and with the level of play the original six teams listed in this article are playing, the next five games are going to be a hockey fan's dream to watch.

Boston Bruins Leave Dallas Seeing Stars

Shawn Owens — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:29:55 -0400

The Boston Bruins came back to the garden tonight and left Dallas seeing stars beating them 5-1.

This game had everything you could want in a NHL tilt. Scoring, hitting, agitation, fighting. I will say this about Dallas, the only two players that showed up for this game was Ott and Avery and they set the tone of the game. The problem was for Dallas, the Bruins were more than ready for the challenge.

In the first, Blake Wheeler made a nice pass from behind the net to Marco Sturm who beat Marty Turco with a nice wrist shot for the first goal of the game.

Five minutes later Sean Avery put a shot on net and it got past Tim Thomas and I am sure Timmy would love to get that one back. There was a lot of talking going on for the rest of the first period and you could just feel the tension on the ice building. Ott and Avery are doing the most jawing.

In the second, the Bruins came out flat again. The Bruins had a disasterous second period in Calgary on Thursday night and the plan was not to allow it to happen again.

Thornton went after Ott who made a low hit on Yelle of the Bruins. Patrice Bergeron pick pocketed the Dallas defenseman and slips it past Turco making the score 2-1. Tim Thomas got run by Neal of the Stars and this is where the game came unglued. The Bruins get a series of penalties and Tim Thomas stood on his head to keep the period at a 2-1 Bruins lead going into the third.

Then in the third the Bruins had to keep their composure and go for the two points that was 20 minutes away. Five minutes into the third, Bruins Phil Kessel broke down the right side of the ice receiving a cross ice pass from Marc Savard, came into the zone and made a beautiful toe drag and put a rocket of a snapshot past Marty Turco to give the Bruins a little breathing room 3-1.

Then, at the 15:06 mark of the third, Bruins Andrew Ference just laid out Steve Ott with a beautiful open ice hit. The play went down into the corner and Sean Avery came to Ott's defense and took on Ference who came out swinging and took it to Avery. Andrew Ferrence said after the game "that kind of play is just sugar on top".

Four minutes and change later, a heavy weight battle between Thornton and Barch happened at center ice and it didn't disappoint. Both men landed some solid shots that went on for some time.

Two minutes later Mark Stuart received the puck in the high slot and had a great snap shot beating Marty Turco. Then three minutes later, a quick tape to tape pass from PJ Axelsson set up Marco Sturm for his second of the night to cap off the game for the Bruins 5-1 victory.

Game notes: Dallas had 36 shots on net to the Bruins 25. The Bruins had 77 minutes of penalties and Dallas had 69. Marco Sturm broke out of his scoring slump netting two goals tonight. This is a weapon the Bruins needed to wake up. Blake Wheeler had a solid game tonight and continues to grow as a player. Shane Hnidy stepped his game up and it was very noticeable. Lucic wanted to go with Ott all game and when Ott got the gate early that ended his chances. This is the only meeting between the Bruins and the Stars.

This was the best games of the season for the Bruins playing a full 60 minutes. This game had a lot of team unity and everyone on the Bruins got involved. This leads into four days until the next game and the 6-3-3 Boston Bruins are playing at a very high level.

Next game: Thursday evening at the Garden against an original six team in the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bruins Lose in Calgary: Second Period Disaster

Shawn Owens — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:29:42 -0400

The Boston Bruins went into Calgary last night trying to run the table in the Northwest, having beaten both Edmonton and Vancouver this week. They were now looking to take down the Calgary Flames.

Tim Thomas got the call for the third game in a row. A hard-fought first period, during which Patrice Bergeron found the back of the net on a quick snap shot from the high slot, put the Bruins in front, 1-0.

In the second, the Bruins just fell apart. After 152 minutes and 14 seconds of shutout hockey, Thomas gave up a goal to Dion Phaneuf. It was all Calgary needed in the second, outshooting the Bruins 20-9.

The Bruins scrambled during the second and it cost them. Five penalties put them in defensive mode for the whole period. Thomas was terrific again, saving almost everything that came at him. However, at the 18:37 mark, Mike Camalleri scored on a solid slap shot that got by Thomas.

In the third, Calgary's Dustin Boyd scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-1. Boston's Blake Wheeler received a sweetheart of a backhand pass from Milan Lucic to bring the game to 3-2, but the Bruins couldn't do much from there.

It was a good road trip that gave the Bruins four out of six points and a sense of what it takes to win every night in the NHL.

The Bruins also may have put to rest the goalie issue of who is going to be the clear No. 1. Thomas is the hottest goaltender in the league and he deserves to carry the load for the next handful of games. The confidence the players have with him in net will make them a solid team to play against night in and night out.

Now that the Bruins are done with October when they played 11 games, eight of which were on the road (5-3-3), they will come home to play the Dallas Stars on Saturday evening at the Garden.

Look for the Bruins to come out firing in front of their home crowd and against a very tough Dallas Stars team.

2010 Olympics: Who Are the Starting Goalies for Team USA and Team Canada?

Shawn Owens — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:49:04 -0400

In a year and a half, the world's best players will convene in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics. Team USA might be hard pressed to find a better 24-square-foot answer than Boston's goalie, Tim Thomas, who hails from Flint, Michigan.

An all-star goalie in the 2007-2008 campaign and already recording two shut-outs this season, Tim Thomas is my candidate and vote for Team USA's starting goalie.

Thomas has an unorthodox style of goaltending. But he keeps the goals to a minimum and keeps his team in the game, in order to have a chance to win night in and night out.

Ryan Miller's name, I am sure, is going to come up for this position as well. A good goalie, but one who can't seem to bring his team over the hump. He sure is being paid a lot of money.

Rick Dipietro is another name that will be considered. He is a good Lefty goalie, but I don't believe he can win games on his own, or steal a game...especially against the world's best players. He owns a long, long, long-term contract with the NY Islanders.

Craig Anderson in Florida—Who?

Some young guns who still need to prove their worth, but have some good upside, are Jimmy Howard and Ty Conklin, both of whom are in Detroit's organization.

There will be plenty of speculation around goalies for Team Canada as well. Martin Brodeur is the sure favorite, which leaves an open spot. Might it be Carey Price of the Canadiens or Marc-Andre Fleury of Pittsburgh?

Who do you feel should be selected as the next top goalies for both Team USA and Team Canada, during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC?

Bruins-Canucks: Tim Thomas Records Second Straight Shutout

Shawn Owens — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:50:54 -0400

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas made 31 saves to record his second shutout in as many nights against the Vancouver Canucks.

Coach Claude Julien knew after the Edmonton game, in which Thomas had a shutout and made 27 saves, that he was going back to the hot hand for the second game on the three-game Western road swing.

"As soon as the game was over Monday, I knew who I was going with," Julien said after Boston's third straight win. "Not only did he get a shutout, but he played well. When I say something I keep my word, and my word is, if somebody is going to get hot, he's going to get the chance to take the ball and run with it."

The Bruins (5-2-3, 13 points) took a while to get going in the first period and Thomas came up big, keeping the Canucks off of the board by making an outstanding save against Henrik Sedin on a breakaway.

Michael Ryder scored the lone goal of the game by snapping a quick shot over the left shoulder of Vancouver's Roberto Luongo midway through the first period.

The Bruins controlled the second period, allowing only seven shots on Thomas, who wasn't really tested in the period.

In the third period, the Bruins kept their composure and cleared all the lanes so that Thomas could make the necessary saves to win the game. Thomas called the Bruins' composure in the third period "awesome."

"One of those games, especially in the last five minutes, where there was some desperation on the other side and we were running out of gas," Julien said. "Just a great effort by our goaltender tonight."

Game Notes

It was a homecoming for Milan Lucic, who grew up in the Vancouver area. He was the second star of the game, and although he didn't score, he handed out several crunching blows to the Vancouver Canucks. The Bruins outshot the Canucks 31-30, but Vancouver enjoyed many more dangerous chances.

The Bruins have today off in Calgary and will be back on ice Thursday night to finish out their three-game Western swing, when they will take on the Calgary Flames.

Bruins Win Out West, Beat Edmonton in Overtime

Shawn Owens — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:22:48 -0400

The Boston Bruins won their first of three games in four nights against the Canadian West Coast NHL teams on Monday.

The 1-0, overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers marked the first time this season Boston has won back-to-back games, needing to emerge from a grueling goalie battle between the Bruins' Tim Thomas and the Oilers' Dwayne Roloson to accomplish the feat.

Chances came in flurries throughout the game, but both goalies stood on their heads (Thomas made 27 saves, Roloson 35 saves) to keep the game knotted at 0-0 through regulation.

Dennis Wideman, moments after twice firing wide with prime chances, finally potted a 20-foot wrist shot with 1:42 remaining in overtime to give the visitors the much-needed two points.

Boston got out of the Rexall Center as quickly as it could after the game and hopped on a chartered flight to Vancouver, where it will play its second of the three games in four nights, this time against the Canucks.

Game notes

Tim Thomas played an exceptional game for the Bruins, making 27 saves for his eighth career shutout with the team (4-2-3)....Milan Lucic, who had a hat trick Saturday, did not land one shot on net....Dennis Wideman had three attempts at scoring and shot all three wide on the stick side. On the winning goal, Wideman thought he would change it up and shoot high glove side, and it beat Roloson to end the game.

Milan Lucic Hat Trick Propels Boston Past Atlanta 5-4

Shawn Owens — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:09:22 -0400

Boston, MA- The Boston Bruins came back from being down 0-2 to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-4 at the Garden.

The Boston Bruins came out in the first period and were out worked and out played in every aspect of the game. Coach Claude Julien called the first period "embarrassing." They went into the dressing room at the end of the first giving up their second goal just seconds before the period ended.

The Bruins had a bit of a talk during the intermission and felt it was unacceptable with the way they were playing. The goal was to come out in the second and out work their opponent in every aspect of the game.

The Bruins came out and worked hard enough to score three in the second period from Yelle, Lucic, and Krejci.

Then in the third, it was the Milan Lucic show. The young 19-year-old took his game to another level and potted two goals capping off his first career hat trick while scoring the game winning goal. Lucic also had an assist in this game. It was his first four point game of his career.

Game Notes: Manny Fernandez was in goal for the Bruins tonight and played well. He had a timely third period post to post save to keep the Bruins in the game. The Bruins out shot the Thrashers 33 to 32. Marc Savard had two points in the game.

I am still a little unsure what Wideman and Aaron Ward are doing on defense. It does look as though they are breaking down a couple of times per game and it could be a call for concern if they keep this type of play up.

The Boston Bruins are off to the Canadian West Coast for a three games in four nights starting Monday evening in Edmonton, Vancouver, and then Calgary. It is the last big trip the Bruins have in what has been the busiest October for the Bruins in seasons.

Boston Bruins Drop Game to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 Final

Shawn Owens — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:27:20 -0400

Boston, MA - The Boston Bruins dropped a pivotal game last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2.

The Bruins came out flying to open up the game. Patrice Bergeron placed himself at the right side of the net and tipped in a shot that made it past the Leafs goaltender Toskala to tally his first goal of the season and first goal since October 13, 2007.

"It was great to get the monkey off of my back" said Bergeron. Too bad the outcome of the game didn't end with a win.

31 seconds after Bergeron's goal, the Bruins lit the lamp again. Rookie Blake Wheeler brought the puck down on a two-on-one and held the puck long enough to put a shot on net that hit a Leaf defenseman and went in. It wasn't a pretty goal by Wheeler, but he will take it.

That was pretty much it for the Bruins offense during this game. The Leafs made a great two goal comeback in the second period to tie it up to go into the third.

In the third period, the Leafs Anton Stralman scored at the 10:46 mark to give the Leafs the lead. Nine minutes later, Niklas Hagman scored on a rocket slap shot that got by Bruins' goalie Tim Thomas.

Notes: Tim Thomas made 33 saves in the game. With about one minute remaining in the opening period, Dennis Wideman leveled Matt Stajan just outside the face-off circle. Highlight hit. While Stajan laid on the ice recovering, he eventually got up and skated off by his own power, some Leafs' teammates retaliated by the Boston net, resulting in a scuffle and a roughing penalty to Toronto's Luke Schenn.

Easily the most talked-about play of the evening though, came from Milan Lucic, who launched Maple Leaf Mike Van Ryn through the glass and into the first row of seats.

“I just went in there to finish the check,” he said. “It went through the glass, and unfortunately, it hit those two people that were sitting there.”

The man and woman directly behind the shattered panel were quickly attended to by EMTs. They walked out of the arena bowl on their own power.

“I was just hoping they were all right,” said Lucic. “They pay good money to have seats like that, and that’s the last thing you want to see happen to a fan.”

It was a strange experience for both Lucic and Van Ryn, too.

“I usually just bounce off the boards, and that time, I went through,” said Lucic. “I just looked to make sure I had no glass inside my padding.”

Van Ryn briefly went to the Leafs locker room to check for the same thing.

“I’m still itchy,” he said after the game. “It seems that it’s caught everywhere on me. It wasn’t like the hit hurt or anything like that. I think it was just the weight,” he continued.

“It just exploded.”

Phil Kessel and Marc Savard had scored 11 of the Bruins 18 goals coming into the game. On this night neither of them had a point.

The Bruins are back on ice Saturday Night at the Garden to take on the Atlanta Thrashers at 7pm.

Boston Bruins Drop Second Straight in Shootout to Sabres

Shawn Owens — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:43:14 -0400

Buffalo, NY - The Boston Bruins dropped their second game in two nights in yet another shootout, this time losing out to the Buffalo Sabres 3-2.

The Bruins came out flying in the first period. It was good to see that playing their second game in two nights didn't result in them having tired legs. They held the pace of the game and created some great chances throughout the period.

The first goal was scored by Bruins' Defenseman Dennis Wideman with a blast from the point beating Ryan Miller on the lower right side of the net. It will be nice to see this happen from the point more throughout the season.

Phil Kessel scored his sixth goal of the season receiving a beautiful heads up pass from Milan Lucic to beat Ryan Miller. Patrice Bergeron also had an assist on this goal. Bergeron is a little bit snake bitten right now, but has had some great chances that are bound to go in.

Manny Fernandez played a solid game saving 28 of 30 shots. He kept the Bruins in the game throughout the third period. Manny got beat to lose the game in the shootout and I noticed that the winning goal was top shelf. Fernandez is a small goalie who goes down a lot and I think that scouting report will get around the league quickly.

The Bruins are 0-3 in the shootout this season. They are 17-22 lifetime in the shootout.

"We can go on and on about having lots of scoring chances and creating a lot," said Dennis Wideman, who scored the game's opening goal. "But we have to find a way to win. We can't keep losing in the shootout and giving divisional teams extra points. We have to find a way to win."

Game Notes: Mark Stuart took a dumb penalty just 13 seconds after the Bruins took a 2-0 lead. This caused a momentum turn in the game and the Sabres scored their first goal of the game. Andrew Ference played another solid game for the Bruins. Phil Kessel is on fire and is playing with great confidence. Mark Savard is feeding everyone and finding his new line mates and creating some great scoring chances.

It was a tough game to lose for the Bruins, but they did gain another point. (2-1-3 for 7pts)

The Bruins are back in action tomorrow night at the Garden against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Andrew Alberts Traded to the Philadelphia Flyers

Shawn Owens — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:22:51 -0400

Boston MA: The Boston Bruins today traded three year, 181 game defenseman Andrew Alberts to the Philadelphia Flyers for 22-year-old forward Ned Lukacevic and a fourth round draft pick.

Alberts, who had some bad luck with injuries over his three seasons with the Bruins, was starting to turn into a pretty good player for the black and gold. However, his development was a little too slow for the Bruins, who, have come up on a salary cap issue and needed to shed a little money to have some breathing room.

'It is never easy," said Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien. "He was a good player who will see a lot of ice time in Philadelphia. He is a quality kid who put in a lot of hard work and always had a good attitude when he came to the rink."

The Bruins, in return, received Ned Luckacevic a forward who played 61 games for Reading of the East Coast Hockey League and tallied 17 goals and 19 assists last year. In three-plus professional seasons split between Reading (ECHL) Manchester (American Hockey League) and Philadelphia (AHL), the 6-0, 200 pound Podgorica, Serbia native played in 126 games, recording 25-36-61 totals and 99 penalty minutes.

Look, there is a good to great chance this kid will never see the NHL in a Bruin uniform. However, he was part of a deal that needed to be done from a business point of view. The Bruins needed to shed some money from the cap and Alberts really wasn't starting to fit into the mix with Matt Hunwick and Vladimir Sobotka earning their minutes with the big club.

The Bruins like having Hunwick on the blue line. He played a lot in pre-season and did pretty well. He will be a nice quick piece to the back line.

The Bruins head back to the ice tomorrow morning for a solid practice session before they board a plane and head north to Montreal to take on the Canadians on Wednesday evening.

Bruins Lose in Minnesota: Fernandez Not Sharp!

Shawn Owens — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:06:27 -0400

The Boston Bruins got their first loss of the season Saturday, dropping falling to the Minnesota Wild by a score of 4-3.

Manny Fernandez would love to have the second period back, as he let in three goals that all could have been stopped. Manny went on to say after the game that sharpness is still what he is missing in his game.

I know it is just the second game, but admitting that your game is not sharp or that you may not be ready isn't building any confidence with anyone.

Coach Claude Julien decided to start Manny in the second game after Tim Thomas stood on his head in the opening game against Colorado, saving pretty much anything that got thrown at him.

It is early in the season and I am sure Julien was trying to get the rotation and the tandem going in some kind of direction. I think we will see this for the next few games and see who will emerge as the clear No. 1.

Boston also was reminded that they have to play 60 minutes of hockey and not just 20 minutes in the first period and 20 minutes in the third period.

Boston will be back at it at the Bell Centre in Montreal for the home opener of the 100th season of the Montreal Canadiens. Game time is 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Game Notables

-Marc Savard and Michael Ryder are getting more and more comfortable with each other. Savard had a great pass to Ryder for a quick one-timer goal.

-Blake Wheeler had another strong game. He is going to be a good one this year. His size is a major factor in his game. Wait until this kid matures.

-Phil Kessel had another strong game. I think Kessel has figured out his game and how to pay it in the NHL. He is shooting from the high slot and scoring. You couldn't have asked for a better way to start the season.

-Defense is still struggling a bit and chasing a bit in their own zone.

-Andrew Ference had a couple of great rushes with the puck end to end in which he was about three strides ahead of everyone. I hope he keeps playing this offensively.

Bruins-Avalanche: Krejci's Third Period Goal Gets Boston Win in Opener

Shawn Owens — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:51:19 -0400

The Boston Bruins won their first game of the 2008-2009 campaign with a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Despite admitting being nervous before the game, P.J. Axelsson said that Tim Thomas kept the Bruins in the game while the team was shaky. Coach Julien felt they were tentative.

Despite that, the Bruins got better as the game went on. They turned the puck over in the neutral zone too much in the beginning of the game, which is uncharacteristic of this team.

Tim Thomas went to work right from the drop of the puck. Timmy stopped 18 of 20 shots in the first period alone. Thomas said that in the early season, seeing that many pucks right away gets him into the game quicker. But it isn't something he would like to see all the time.

Patrice Bergeron played pretty well (two assists, five shots, and 16:08 of ice time) for his first game back. He wasn't pleased with his tripping call late in the third period to put the Avalanche on a five-on-three for the remainder of the game.

Phil Kessel played a good game, starting the season with the Bruins' first goal. Kessel intercepted a pass that Joe Sakic was sending out of the zone and one-timed it past Avalanche goalie Budaj.

Blake Wheeler scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. He looked comfortable out on the ice and was a force when handling the puck. He received a great pass from David Krejci for his first.

Krejci picked up right where he left off last season with a goal (game winner) and an assist in the contest.

Other notables from last night: Michael Ryder scored his first goal as a Boston Bruin off a nice pass from P.J. Axelsson. Marc Savard was his normal playmaking self in this tilt, creating all kinds of scoring chances for his teammates.

The defense looked a little confused out on the ice last night. Zdeno Chara and partner Aaron Ward were a minus-two on the ice and had a couple of big giveaways. The Bruins need to work on their defense if they want to be successful this season.

It was a great win for the first game of the season. I hope by game 82, they forget how they won this one.

Next up: Saturday night in Minnesota to take on the Wild.

Boston Bruins' Goalie Tandem Both Playing for Contracts

Shawn Owens — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:54:22 -0400

The Boston Bruins are opening their 2008-2009 regular season campaign tonight at the Pepsi Center in Colorado against the Avalanche with their goalie tandem of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez both playing in a contract year.

Tim Thomas, the Bruins' solid All-Star goalie from last season has proved that he can be a starter in the NHL.

Thomas, playing in the last year of his three-year, $3.3 million contract was projected to back up Manny Fernandez last season. With Manny having a knee problem, Timmy grabbed the starting spot and led the team to the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

Tonight, Thomas will kick off the 2008-09 season knowing that a hungry Fernandez, whose deal is also expiring, is doing everything possible to reclaim the starting job. Thomas is fighting for playing time and aiming to help the Bruins build on last season's accomplishments. But the 34-year-old is also competing for his next contract.

"Now that we're into it, I've just got to play the best I can play," Thomas said. "That's all I'm concentrating on doing."

So with two goalies both working to be the No. 1, and both goalies playing for contracts, the Bruins are going to have two motivated net minders who are looking to play at their best when they get their chances.

This should help motivate the Bruins to be in every game night in and night out.

Boston Bruins: Time to Make Decisions

Shawn Owens — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:52:48 -0400

The Bruins' Brass has some work to do this week. They have to make some big cuts that will affect the culture in the locker room as well as the meeting the expectations of the salary cap era.

We will see how good of a GM Peter Chiarelli is. Can he balance the books while keeping the best players on the team? This all remains to be seen until the Bruins roll into Colorado on Thursday night for the Bruins' NHL Season Opener.

I know that winning in the pre-season is no big deal as the games don't mean anything, but one win doesn't build too much confidence in the fan base or with the players.

The Bruins are saying all the right things. It is a time to bond and team build for when the games start, there is not time for that. The season is a time for winning games.

So, will all the team building and bonding going to work? They have a good start if it will. The Bruins are way ahead of where they were last season at this time. They have a solid core bunch who have been around and are creating the culture. The young players have all bought into the program and now it is time to put it all together.

I am still not comfortable in the goalie department. There are still questions to be asked if Manny Fernandez can be here all season long without injury. Tim Thomas hasn't looked great this pre-season and I hope he isn't losing his speed in net. Timmy is a good goalie, but the Bruins will need a good tandem to be competitive this season.

Tuukka Rask must keep his bags packed to a quick call up if needed. I know he isn't ready yet to be with the club full time, but he can win a few games for the B's throughout the season and that will help.

The young players are coming along nicely. I would like to see the playoff intensity that they had last year or even the last week of the season last year.

Then there are the veterans. It will be up to them to lead this team by example and start scoring and leading the charge. Savard, Bergeron, and Ryder need to start scoring and scoring in droves. If Big Z is the Bruins leading scorer, then the Bruins will be in trouble. Z is the leading goal scorer for the Bruins this pre-season...scary!

So it is time for all of these players to earn their money. It is Chiarelli's time to earn his money and balance the books properly so that he will be able to put the best team on the ice.

NHL Players from the '80s: Could They Play Today?

Shawn Owens — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:00:08 -0400

I had a discussion with a buddy of mine today about how some players from the '80s would do great in the NHL in 2008. Not all players could cut it today, but here is a list that we came up with of players we feel would be good or great players in the current NHL

Please feel free to let me know who we missed:

Peter Stastny - Quebec Nordiques

977 games played; 450 goals; 789 assists; 1,239 points; 824 penalty minutes.

Can set up a play from anywhere on the ice.

John Tonelli - NY Islanders

1,028 games played; 325 goals; 511 assists; 836 points, 911 penalty minutes.

Unorthodox style. Once scored five goals in a single game.

Rick Middleton - Boston Bruins

1,005 games played; 448 goals, 540 assists. 988 points, 157 penalty minutes.

Soft hands, and nicknamed Nifty. Five straight seasons of 40 or more goals. Solid two-way player.

Rick Vaive - Toronto Maple Leafs

876 games; 441 goals, 347 assists, 788 points, 1,455 points.

Three 50-goal seasons after Daryl Sittler left the Leafs.

Doug Wilson - Chicago Blackhawks

1,024 games; 237 goals; 590 assists; 827 points; 830 penalty minutes.

Won the Norris Trophy, as the second coming of Bobby Orr in the '74-75 season.

Glenn Anderson - Edmonton Oilers

1,129 games, 488 goals, 601 assists, 1,099 points, 1,120 penalty minutes.

Terrific skater who was fearless going to the goal. One of the best clutch players in the NHL.

Michel Goulet - Quebec Nordiques

1,089 games, 548 goals, 604 assists, 1,152 points, 825 penalty minutes.

Still one of the best skaters ever in the NHL. Hall of Famer.

Tim Kerr - Philadelphia Flyers

655 games, 370 goals, 304 assists, 674 points, 596 penalty minutes.

6'3" and 230 pounds. Four straight years of 50 or more goals. Tough to deal with in the slot. Great wrist shot.

Jari Kurri - Edmonton Oilers

Really, any of the Edmonton Oilers of this era could compete today.

Bobby Carpenter - Devils, Bruins, Capitals, Rangers, Kings

1,178 games played; 320 goals; 408 assist; 728 points, 919 penalty minutes.

Sports Illustrated called him "The Can't Miss Kid" Went straight from high school to the pros. Great at faceoffs.

Other names that I can go on and on about, in no particular order:

Dale Hawerchuck - Winnepeg Jets

Denis Savard - Chicago Blackhawks

Grant Fuhr - Edmonton Oilers

Mike Foligno - Buffalo Sabres

Neal Broten - Minnesota North Stars - 80 Olympian

Mats Naslund - Montreal Canadiens

John Vanbiesbrouck - NY Rangers

Dino Ciccarelli - Minnesota North Stars

Pat Lafontaine - NY Islanders

Ray Bourque - Boston Bruins

Gary Sutter - Calgary Flames

Cam Neely - Boston Bruins

Mike Gartner - Washington Capitals

Mike Bossy - NY Islanders

Wayne Gretzky - Edmonton Oilers

Mario Lemieux - Pittsburgh Penguins

Joe Mullin - Calgary Flames

Guy Carbonneau - Montreal Canadiens

Bernie "Pumper" Nicholls - LA Kings

Mike Vernon - Calgary Flames

Stephane Richer - Montreal Canadiens

Marcel Dionne - LA Kings

Luc Robitaille - LA Kings

Mark Howe - Philadelphia Flyers

John Ogrodnick - Detroit Red Wings

Pelle Lindburgh - Philadelphia Flyers

Clark Gillies - NY Islanders

Paul Coffey - Edmonton Oilers

Bernie Federko - St. Louis Blues

Bruins Drop Game to Canadiens: A Lot of Work Left to Be Done

Shawn Owens — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 05:58:58 -0400

Arriving into the Bell Centre in Montreal Wednesday night, I noticed a vibe in the crowd of excitement, anticipation, and just a happy feeling that hockey is back. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the vibe stayed positive in the Canadiens' 3-1 victory.

I couldn't even believe the game was a preseason tilt. The sold-out Bell Centre saw a very even first period between the Bruins and the Canadiens.

Manny Fernandez played a flawless first period that really kept the Bruins in the game. He moved side-to-side nicely and showed good position in the crease. He did tend to jump around a bit, but that should subside as he gets a few more games under him.

The second period opened with a five-on-three power play advantage for the Canadiens. Two quick goals later, it was 2-0. (Please note: These goals were not the fault of Fernandez. They were just great plays by the Canadiens.) The Bruins didn't put up much fight in this period.

The third period was a bit better for the Bruins, with some great scoring chances by marc Savard and Stephane Yelle. The Bruins had a nice goal with a quick tape-to-tape pass to Chara for the goal. That was pretty much all the excitement the Bruins brought to the table in the third.

Notes

Blake Wheeler looked great. Probably one of the best Bruins on the ice. Skated hard, played his position, and had some good chances. For a rookie, he didn't look out of place at all. He is staying with the big club!

Matt Hunwick played a lot and played pretty well. I am not sure if he will make the club or not, though.

Manny Fernandez looked pretty sharp and is on his way to being a good tandem with Tim Thomas.

PJ Axelsson, Marco Sturm, and Marc Savard played like veterans. "Big Z" played really well for his first pre-season game of the year.

Vladamir Sobotka looked really good. Fast, was all over the ice, and was a good presence out there. Watch out for this kid in the near future.

Chuck Kobasew mixed it up a bunch last night. Again, I am still impressed on how much bigger he got over the offseason.

Patrice Bergeron looked just fine. He looked fast and wasn't afraid to take or give a hit. He didn't have too many chances or setups, which needs to change if the Bruins are going to do anything. Again, only a preseason game.

Jermy Reich, who I feel will the be the odd man out on the roster starting the season in Providence and being the first to be called back up, played OK. Looked like he was watching a lot and not getting too involved.

As for Montreal, I liked Robert Lang who is really a big guy, and I thought Koivu and their goalie, Jaroslav Halak, both played really well for the Canadiens.

I know it is just a preseason game, but the tone sure felt like a regular-season match.

Bruins Getting Ready to Take On Canadiens

Shawn Owens — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:27:18 -0400

After a great meet and greet session Monday Night at Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury, VT, it was back on the ice Tuesday morning for another fast-paced practice.

The Bruins are ready to move out of the preseason and into the regular season. But before they can do that, they will shift themselves into a higher gear tomorrow night at the Bell Centre in front of a sold out crowd against the Canadiens.

Savard is ready to get the season underway and mentioned after practice that he would be interested in getting the power play going a bit more before the games really count.

Manny Fernandez will be in goal on Wednesday night against the Canadiens. If he can last a full game without injury, it will be a good sign for things to come.

During practice this morning there were a number of one-on-one drills going on that focused on puck control and playing the body. Patrice Bergeron stood out in this drill outlasting all of his opponents. He is in shape and is ready to go!

Phil Kessel was back on the ice this morning showing off some of his breakaway skills. Peter Schaeffer didn't skate today, as he is still working on his hip flexor.

Bruins had a day of golf and some fun in store this afternoon before all meeting again for a team dinner in Stowe.

Tomorrow should be a lot of fun in front of a sold out crowd. The Bruins, and I am sure the Canadiens, will be treating this game like a regular season game, and I am looking forward to taking it in first hand in Montreal.

Boston Bruins Split Last Two Preseason Games

Shawn Owens — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:28:27 -0400

The Boston Bruins won their fourth preseason game Friday night against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Bruins goaltender Manny Fernandez was set to start the Bruins' second preseason match-up against Detroit. However, Fernandez came up with a severely bruised thumb after warm-ups, so Tuukka Rask stepped in and made 24 saves in the Bruins' 2-1 victory over the Stanley Cup Champions.

Rask looked calm in goal against the Red Wings and is making a good case to stick around with the big club this season. He has had a very good camp and the Bruins' Brass have taken notice.

Michael Ryder scored the winning goal with a five hole shot that trickled in. It was good enough to get the proverbial monkey off of Ryder's back.

On Saturday, the Bruins came back to Boston for their first home preseason game at TD Banknorth Garden. The Bruins lost 4-3 in a game in which Chris Bourque—son of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque—had an assist in the first period and a father-like wrist shot that got past Bruins goalie Tim Thomas for the 4-3. The victory kept Washington undefeated in this preseason.

Blake Wheeler continues to impress and make a real case to stick with the Bruins' big club this season. He has a big body and he knows how to use it to his advantage. Wheeler and Andrew Ference each had a goal in the loss to the Capitals.

The Bruins are off to Stowe, Vermont for some team building and practice until Wednesday, when they head up to Montreal to take on the Canadiens.

Bruins Show Poise and Accountability in Loss to Defending Champion Red Wings

Shawn Owens — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:07:02 -0400

The Boston Bruins' 4-3 loss to the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings in their third preseason tilt Thursday wasn't a win on the scoreboard, but was a great learning and team-building game that is going to set the tone going into the regular season.

Blake Wheeler was the talk of the game. He continues to have a really good camp that may have coach Claude Julien thinking of keeping him with the big club. It is early yet in camp, but Wheeler, a fifth-overall draft pick of the Coyotes in 2004 who signed as a free agent this summer, continues to impress with his forechecking and ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone.

Tm Thomas had a decent game tonight. He gave up two weak goals that I am sure he wants back. However, they were fluke-type goals that you just have to move forward with.

Along with Wheeler, Jeremy Reich played a really nice game, as did Martin St. Pierre, who played alongside Wheeler.

Julien must be very pleased with how the veterans are working the locker room and instilling confidence with the younger players. The Bruins are creating a culture around the club of accountability, and everyone needs to just do their job and play their position, and success will come from that.

I really can see a whole new level that the core players are bringing to their locker room. It reminds me of the way the Patriots started to carry their persona in 2001. Accountability was the company line, the players bought into it, and it resignates today in that organization.

This is a big step for the Bruins, and it came early in camp and looks as though everyone is buying into the program.

The Bruins will practice in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia on Friday morning before flying to Detroit Michigan to face the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.