Don't Look Now But...

...Here come the Bruins folks. My prediction before the season started saying this club will be a playoff caliber squad is looking pretty sweet right now. Enough of tooting my own horn though. Entering today, the Bruins are 6th in the Eastern Conference with 28 points (13-8-2) and only 1 point behind the hated Habs for the 5th spot (and 2nd place in the Northeast Division).

If that's not enough to make you giddy, how about this as food for thought. Marc Savard has continued to live up to the contract that he's being paid (unlike a certain tall and lanky defenseman). Savard currently leads the NHL in assists with 24 (5G 24A +6). Glen Murray also appears to have awoken from his season opening coma. Over the past 7 games, Murray has 5G 3A +6. The tandem of Savard and Murray are finally working on the same page and they made some pretty plays against the Flyers.

Not to be forgotten, Tim Thomas (MVP thusfar for the Bruins) continues his stellar play between the pipes. Currently 5th in the league in GAA (2.05) and 1st in save percentage (a mind boggling .940). This guy thrives on having someone nipping at his heels. Last year it was Toivonen, who was clearly outplayed by Thomas, and this year it is rookie phenom Tuukka Rask. It has been a great story to see Thomas finally get some league-wide respect as the journeyman has worked tirelessly to be at the point he is today. Who would have thought that Mike O'Connell made the right move when he re-upped him 3 more years before he was out the door? Amazing.

Like I said before, I'm not drinking the Rask kool-aid yet, but this kid has shown some flashes of brilliance in the games he's been in. He is young, and has plenty to improve upon. But, it seems like this kid is pretty special. Lets just hope he isn't the latest reincarnation of John Blue, John Casey, Andrew Raycroft, et al.

Lastly, as hockey fans, we all know that any successful team is built from the net out. Since I've already talked about goaltending, the next obvious discussion is defense. This team has clearly improved upon its horrific team defense from last year. Even more, it's basically the same squad (Chara, Alberts, Ference, Allen, Mark Stuart, Ward, Wideman). The brief samples of Matt Hunwick and Matt Lashoff have been nice. However, we'll stick with the main staples of the team so far.

In the giving credit where credit is due department, I will say that Chara has been better as of late for the team. It doesn't look like he coughing up the puck and making ill-advised passes in his own zone AS MUCH. Clearly, I'm still expecting more out of the capatain who is making over 7 million a year.

I am loving Andrew Alberts more and more by the day. I like what this guy brings to the table. He has toughness and is starting to show that he can be a good defender as well. Same goes for Mark Stuart, this guy is going to be a solid blue-liner.

Where does all this improvement come from since last year? One word, Claude Julien. This guy seems like a hard ass coach that demands respect and the best out of each player. This is exactly what the Bruins need and what they didn't have last year. Dave Lewis was a softie and couldn't hack it as a motivator and bench boss. Julien, for all the crap he got after being fired last year by the Devils, has been a GREAT coach for Boston so far. This team clearly has a defense first perspective and it's working.

Like I said at the top of the article, don't look now but here come the Bruins.

Bruins Win; Alberts Injured by Vicious Hit

Bruins won 6-3, good game by the B's.

But, once again, a Flyer player unnessessarily hit a prone posistioned player, this time Andrew Alberts, while on his knees.

That is no 5 and counting actions by Flyer's players this season, and we are only 20 or so games into the season.

The NHL needs to take action. Hartnell should get atleast 20 games, and the Flyers should forfeit a draft pick, or have some suspension of the coach.

Honestly, the Bruins season could be lost because of Randy Jones. Patrice Bergeron is arguably the best Bruins all-around player, and he is going to be nearly impossible to replace. Even if the Bruins make the playoffs, without Bergeron they aren't likely to go far. Even Tom Pannacio thinks the hit was bad.

And as I am writing this, I see Hartnell only got 2 games.

The NHL is a joke. Complete bullshit. This is ridiculous. 5th player to do something and only 2 games.

Pour my my glass of Kool-Aid OOOH YEAH!

Tim who? Manny who? Tuukka Rask baby! This guy was phenomenal tonight. Some great saves and really quick reflexes. He had some great pad saves in traffic. The two goals he allowed were cheesey. One was a deflection which he had no chance at, and the other was a 90 mph knuckler from the blueline

Rask looked very confident and had great posistioning in net. He seemed calm and didn't fold under pressure. The Bruins finally generated some offense to make a comback win.

B's Win 4-2

Tuukka Rask wins his first NHL game in his first NHL start. Have no fear, I'm not drinking the kool-aid just yet.

Rask appeared to handle his first NHL action with poise and confidence. Being down 2-0 at one point and holding the fort for the comeback is a nice statement. I wouldn't be surprised if Rask gets another go around in this weekend's home and home against the Islanders.

Watching tonight and previous highlights, Rask appears to be lightning quick east/west in the net. He also is very fluid in his motions and stayed square to the puck at most times.

Final line: 30 saves on 32 shots in the debut.

P.S. - For that P.J. hater out there - choke on that goal!

In Game Impression

My immediate perspective on the play of Rask thus far.

-Fluid, very quick movements - Seems to be handling the game well so far
-Classic butterfly style goaltender - A complete disparity from whatever you want to call Thomas' style of play
-Doesn't appear to be pressing, he's letting the game come to him

More to come later...

Game Preview: Toronto

You have longed to hear it, Tuukka Rask will get his NHL debut tonight against the team who traded him, the Maple Leafs.

It'll be great to see this kid play, and I am looking forward to this matchup. The Bruins need to come out strong after getting their asses kicked by Montreal.

Keys to winning:
-Energy from start to beginning, no letdowns.
-No turnovers in own zone.
-Bring the puck into the offensive zone, stop dumping it in.
-Good goaltending.

Prediction:
Boston-4
Maple Leafs-2

State of the Bruins per Chiarelli

From ESPN.com Rumors

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told the Boston Herald Chiarelli there is no player available who would be the answer to fill the void left by C Patrice Bergeron's injuries.
"Right now, I'd say no," Chiarelli told the Herald. "It's a quarter of the way into the season. I'd say right now everyone is still in the exploratory phase. And I'm happy the way that we've kind of stabilized a little bit (minus Bergeron) ...
"To make a trade to replace Patrice? Well, I'm operating on the assumption that he's lost for the year. But as these concussions go, it's possible that in 2-3 weeks, a month's time, he might be all right. So I'm kind of in a holding pattern in that sense."

Notes:
The Marleau rumors still won't die even after he signed the 2 year extention in the offseason. The only difference is that apparently the Flames are in the bidding for him.

Rask is back up with the club again for the game tonight in Toronto. Will we finally get a glimpse into the future? I say go for it, Thomas could use the break after the 7-4 night in Montreal.

Bryzgalov on Waivers; Bruins could put claim

The Ducks have placed Illya Bryzgalov on waivers, and I heard that the Bruins may place a claim in depending on what they think the injury with Fernandez is. Bryzgalov has 900k left on his deal and with Bergy likely gone for the season, adding Bryzgalov would be nice if Fernandez's knee stays an issue.

Another situation could be to claim Bryzgalov and trade Tim Thomas for some offense while his value is high.

Interesting move by Brian Burke as there seemed to be some sort of market for Bryzgalov's service.

Bruins Win 5-2

Bruins played a great game to win 5-2 over the Maple Leafs. Thomas once again played very well. Peter Schaefer finally scored 2 goals and hopefully this will get him going. The stuggles continue for Murray, who had numerous chances but couldn't score. Hopefully one will bounce his way. I would say more but I want to talk about Bryzgalov.

Boston: possible destination for Hossa

According to Dale Arnold, the Edmonton Journal reports the Bruins is one of the possible destinations for winger Marian Hossa.

No Muzz on the Move

Straight from Spectorshockey:

It's believed the Thrashers, Senators, Panthers, Kings and Canucks have all shown interest in struggling Bruins winger Glen Murray.

Spector's Note: Fading offensive production since 2003, an injury history since 2005-06, age (35) and $4.15 million per season (he's not a UFA next summer as Garrioch claimed) means Murray's staying in Boston.

My own personal opinion: If there's rumors floating around that five different teams are possibly interested, then I'll take the "where there's smoke, there's fire" approach. I also think that if any team is a legit contender or looking to bolster a third line scoring touch then something could get done. As much of a history that the Bruins and Senators have for swapping players in any form, I highly doubt that Murray would end up in Ottawa (even though he would make a great fit on that team).

Spectorshockey says it all, Murray is clearly fading and is a shell of his former 40+ goal self. This is the last thing the B's need and Marco Sturm certainly isn't going to be able to take this team on his back.

Who is Eklund?

Note: I may be 100% wrong, by my major investigation (sarcasm) has lead me to this.

I've always wondered who Eklund is. Who hasn't? The guy knows GM's, players, agents, and people within the NHL. Well, it actually is pretty simple who Eklund is. He is Pelle Eklund, a former NHL player for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Evidence:

-His old site, hockeyrumors.blogspot.com, his email was pelle@eklundshockeyreport.com. Pelle Eklund.

-Eklund is from Philly and grew up loving the Flyers. Pelle Eklund, played for the Flyers.

-He was born in 1963, making him 44. With his kids at a young age, it works out.

-Eklund is a Swedish name. Pelle Eklund was born in Stockholm, Sweden.

-And since he was a former NHL player, he would have insite to all these people.



Anyways, simple enough, the identity of Eklund really isn't that secret. This was for those who actually cared to know who he is. And knowing the tightly secured identity of Eklund, the government will likely hack into this blog and delete it.

Injury Bug Hits

I apologize for lack of updates, it has been hectic lately.


Injury Notes...

• Patrice Bergeron is on the LTIR, freeing up 4.75 million in cap space.
• Shawn Thornton is in the IR with a broken bone in his foot, freeing up .517 in cap space. He is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.
• Manny Fernandez is in the IR with his knee sprain, freeing up 4.333 cap space.
• Aaron Ward is out with a concussion.
• Andrew Ference is out with a core injury.
• Bobby Allen is out with an injury.

The Bruins recalled defenseman Matt Lashoff and Matt Hunwick from Providence. The Bruins have a lot of cap space right now, making the oppurtunity for a deal likely. Bergeron will likely be out for the 2007 calendar year. I expect him to miss the rest of the season likely. The Bruins could sign Danny Markov, who has an out-clause in his Russian deal. The Bruins main problem though is offense, so a trade for a scoring winger would see probable. The Bruins could make a pitch for Marian Hossa. The Bruins are in a bad situation injury-wise. This could derail the team and ruin their season.

Don't Let the Score Fool You

The 3-2 loss on Saturday night and 2-1 SO loss yesterday wasn't nearly as close as the final score displayed. The Bruins were simply overmatched by the class of the Eastern Conference and quite possibly the NHL. The Bruins are an improving team, but playing Ottawa certainly put our hopes/impressions in perspective.




Out shot 81-41 over the course of the home and home, the Bruins were constantly on the defensive and had relatively no answers for the Ottawa attack. The lone reason the Bruins were kept in these games was the play of Tim Thomas. Thomas has been standing on his head since the beginning of the season and clearly has cemented himself as this team's #1. With Fernandez on the shelf, Timmy is going to have to shoulder the heavy load.



Positives to take from this weekend:

• This might not be one of your classic Tim Thomas hot streaks - We're now nine starts into Thomas' season and he's posted a 1.65 GAA and a .949 sv%. It's possible that Thomas has turned a corner. I still want to see more before I make any conclusions


• Phil Kessel is quickly becoming one of the cornerstones of this team. He is seeing much more ice time and delivering

Now for the negatives

• With 1G and 4A (+- 0), Glen Murray has been a ghost thus far.


• Zdeno Chara has a severe knack for coughing up the puck at the worst possible times


• Sure, re-building the defense was a priority for Chiarelli - but has anyone taken the time to check Brad Boyes' numbers with St. Louis yet? (9G 3A +3)


• Shorthanded goals by the opposition are still killing this team. This is a backbreaker that needs to be figured out (possibly a new QB at the point?)

What Jersey?!?

I need some help. I am going to purchase a new Bruins jersey to add to my collection. I have a Joe Thornton, Anson Carter (was like 80% off), Ray Bourque, and a Bobby Orr (the new replica's).

I am debating between Chara, Kessel and Bergeron. I am leaning towards Kessel right now. What shirt would you buy?

Bergeron Could go on LTIR

Peter Chiarelli said today that Patrice Bergeron could go on the LTIR list, but has yet to put him on it. Bergeron would have to miss 10 games and 24 days of action. Given his current state, that is more than likely. That would free up 4.75 million cap space, ontop of their 1.3 million they have now. That gives them around 6 million in space.

Game Preview: Boston at Ottawa

This will be a tough one. The Sens come into action at 10-1-0-0. There are a one line team with a solid defense. They also have good goaltending. Jason Spezza, who signed a 7 year/49 million dollar extension, will be out of the lineup. Thomas will get the start in goal. It will take a complete game and a lot of offense to beat the Senators. They are the best team in the NHL right now for a reason.

Prediction:
Ottawa-5
Boston-3

Bruins Top Buffalo in OT

Boston-4
Buffalo-3 OT

The Bruins got off a very important win, starting a stretch of 9 consecutive division games. The Bruins started off nice, with goals by Metropolit and Kessel. The Sabres came back to tie the game up early in the 3rd period, but the Bruins responded quickly when Marc Savard scored in a 2 on 1 with Aaron Ward. Buffalo scored again, and sent the game into OT. With just under a minute left, Metropolit held the puck by the boards, made some nifty moves to create space and made an aerial pass to Aaron Ward at the point, who just gave a hack at it and made a chip shot on it. Marco Sturm hacked it in the air and it fooled Ryan Miller, and the shot beat him stick side for the win.

It was nice to see the Bruins not blow a 2 goal lead and be able to score when they did give up the lead. But it was disappointing to see them blow that 2 goal lead.

Phil Kessel was once again a beast, netting 8 shots on goal. Metropolit filled in nicely for the injured Bergeron. The team stepped up nicely and as a whole and came out with a team victory. Zdeno Chara, for the 2nd game in a row, had trouble settling a puck at the blue line which led to a breakaway. This time though, Thomas made the save.

Scoring:

Boston:
Metropolit (2) from Savard (10) and Schaefer (5)
Kessel (6) from Sturm (3)
Savard (2) from Murray (4) and Ward (2)
Sturm (5) from Ward (3) and Metropolit (2)

Buffalo:
Afinogenov (3) from Vanek (5) and Gaustad (2)
Campbell (2) from Kotalik (4) and Spacek (3)
Gaustad (4) from Spacek (4) and Kotalik (5)

3 Stars:
1. Marc Savard
2. Marco Sturm
3. Glen Metropolit

Boston vs Buffalo Preview

Tonight will be a tough challenge for the Bruins as they faceoff against their division rival the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are currently last in the Northeast Division. They struggled early but after back-to-back road victories they seem to be pulling it together again. This team is still dangerous even without Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, both of whom left via free agency this summer. The Bruins will be without Patrice Bergeron, who will miss his first game of the season because of the concussion he sustained against the Flyers. There is no time table on his return. Tim Thomas will start in goal and Brandon Bochenski will finally get some ice time. Look for this game to be a tight, low scoring game. Here are the lines:

Axelsson-Savard-Murray
Sturm-Kessel-Kobasew
Schaeffer-Metroplit-Bochenski
Lucic-Krejci-Thornton