Attending Tomorrow's Game

I snagged some tickets for the afternoon game tomorrow, against the Thrashers. This will be my final game this season, maybe they will sneak out a win in pride.

Officially Eliminated

With the loss last night, the Bruins are officially elminated from the playoffs.

Mark Stuart sent down

Mark Stuart got sent back to Providence following the loss to Pittsburgh. Was his recent recall a showcase of his NHL skills to other teams? Possibly. Entering next season Matt Lashoff and Stuart will be competing for the final spot on defense on the opening day roster. One of them may be moved, with Stuart a more likely candidate. Stuart played well in this recent stint with the Bruins, showing his physical presence and good awareness. He played much better then he did the previous times he has been recalled this season. It helps since his defensive partner is Dennis Wideman, a huge upgrade over his previous partner Jason York, whom he skated with on his last recall.

Lewis on the hot seat?

Well, it looks like that Chiarelli have the green light to fire Lewis if he want it too. In his column, today, KDP reports comments of JJ that leave small place to interpretation. That's a great read; here's the link:

Here's some highlights from JJ:

- I had high hopes for the season

- Chiarelli will not be "second-guessed" if he opted to dismiss Lewis.. He can fire him or keep him, that's up to him

- He is ( Lewis ) personable and outgoing. But as we all know, that doesn't necessarily make for a winner

- one he's challenged with, and ultimately he has to be convinced that the coach can get it where he wants to get it...

I hope no one pays for this

Dave Lewis' Fantasy Camp
BE A PRO FOR A WEEK - August 13-18, 2007

BRUINS GREATS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR:
#32 Don Sweeney
#16 Rick Middleton
#24 Terry O'Reilly
#22 Brad Park
#44 Aaron Ward

JOIN DAVE LEWIS,
Head Coach of the Boston Bruins for the week of a lifetime. Skate daily at the Bruins training facility with full use of the Bruins locker room. You will be a part of the Bruins great tradition and heritage.

A full week of activities including a Red Sox game, sunset cruise on Boston Harbor and a tour of Boston's historic sites are all part of the wonderful experience!

WHATS INCLUDED:
Hotel room with daily breakfast.
Dinners.
Limousine transportation to the rink, tours and restaurants.
Boston Red Sox ballgame.
Duck Tour of downtown Boston.
A Nation Park Ranger guided tour of Boston's Freedom Trail.
Feast of the Fisherman in Boston's historic Noth End.
Sunset Cruise on Boston Harbor.
Dinner at Ray Bourque's Restaurant,Tresca.
All ice time, game jersey & socks, tape, skate sharpening, etc.
Tour of Boston Garden & the Bruins locker room.
Full use of the Boston Bruins training facility and weight room.
Morning tours for all of the ladies.
Tour of The Sports Museum
PRICING:
Overnight Camp: $4,500
Day Camp: $3,500

http://bostonbruins.com/fanzone/lewis_camp.asp

Tonight's Game

If the Bruins lose tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins then they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. No surprise there, except maybe for Dave Lewis. Also the seventh player award will be given out tonight. The only two likely candidates seem to be Tim Thomas and Andrew Alberts.

Rob Simpson's Blog

Sorry for the lack of posts the past week, I have been very busy and very disgusted with this team. Anyways I was looking through the Globe's site and I came over Simpson's blog. He actually puts in a lot of comments from people who question Dave Lewis and the coaching "system" and Chara as a leader. This leads me to believe that he too is upset with this joke of a coach. Simpson, who is on the ice or with the team every single day, hopefully can lend some advice to Peter Chiarelli. Here are a few of them:

Character, Commitment, Chemistry
Does your favorite team have them?
A resounding No to all three.
This is the worst Bruins team I've ever seen. At least when the Bruins were this bad in previous years, they still had pride. They'd stand up for themselves and their teammates.
Watching NBC drop them with almost an entire full 3rd period left is the most embarrassing moment I've had as a B's fan.
They didn't just drop the game because it was 4-0, in the words of Doc Emrick "The Bruins have given up".
It's a sad, sad day in Bruins nation.

Number 2:

Until the Bruins know what these works mean: Character, Commitment, Chemistry , Passion, Sweat, and Heart. They will never, never,never be a good team. In other words they just don't know how to play hockey for 60 minutes. They do NEED a new coach. i mean nothing personal against P.J., but he belongs on the third line not first. We keep moving the lines round. How can they work, if the coach does not give them enough time to used to each other????


Bloggo #4:

Whats your take on Chara on being the team's Captain?
Will you ask Coach Lewis to rip it off of him?
Will you please ask Coach Lewis to leave town since Chirelli hired him to a long term contract, he doesn't want to look foolish by firing him. Also JJ doesn't want to cough up money to pay Lewis for nothing & pay another coach. Oh silly me JJ is paying for nothing!

Da Blog #6:

In watching some of the games lately, it seems to me that there's a lot of players that seem to be out there with no fire in their game. Chistov looks like the softest player on the ice. I see him lose every one-on-one battle he's in and he is an easy mark to turn the puck over. It doesn't appear that Kessel is interested in playing defense at all when he's on the ice. In the Mtl game he was caught flat footed on a play where he was just standing at the blue line and the Habs got a scoring chance. A message needs to be sent. I don't know where this needs to come from but it seems like there is a lack of leadership. Chara's the captain...does he hold these guys accountable behind closed doors? It seems to me that Doug Houda is more of the vocal and inspirational leader of this team rather than the captain.
That my friend, has me worried.

Puckdom #10:

"you can't win if you don't score goals"
And I don't just mean over the last few games, I mean over the whole season ...
Buffalo scored 1.28 goal for every goal they let in, and ONLY ONE team (Atlanta) above the 8th seed has more goals against than goals for (216 Vs215, big deal.)
and NONE of the teams below the 8th spot have a goal ratio better than 1. Actually, with very few exceptions (Tampa, ATL and the Rangers) the Goals Ratio pretty closely mirrors the number of POINTS. So here's food for thoughts that's worthy of Master Bill (Bellichick) ... "You can't win if you don't score goals" Imagine that. Now, our wonderful teddy bears have an appalling 82.16% Goals Ratio. good for 13th in the conference. Guess where I think they're ending the season.
How do we pass these stats to Coach Lewis and the team so that it ends up as food for thought for next season ?

For space, I didn't paste the spreadsheet, but these stats are readily available to fans.

I'm Watching College Hockey as I answer this #12:

First of all I would like to say iv`e been in FL 20 years and still have not a Bs,sox or pats game thank god for satalites, I have never been a fan that has asked for a coaches head until now, after watching yesterdays lack of everything you have to say whatever the Dave Lewis plan is is not working. No one is on the same page and some players even look confused right now (Patrice ) being one and I hate to see that because I love watching him play, I think all of his playing with the lines all year is now costing them dearly I know we now have some injuries but this has been going on all year and I think the players don`t even know who they will be with game to game and there seems to be no chemistry because theres consistency the 4 forwards on pp is not working Paty belongs up front, I thought thats why we got Wideman as good as Savy has been this year PJ playing with him has talking points off of him he is not a first line threat he checking line guy. Coach Lewis just does not seem to be able to motivate these guys and I know there pros but him and this team do not seem to fit. Is one year to fast to judge? Sorry so long winded, not many people down here to talk hockey with.
THANKS for the ear

There's an adjustment period. New organization, new players. Lewis and staff inherited everything new, including a new GM. That said, the pressure will be on next year to get off to a good start.


Finally #15:

i know room chemistry and team chemistry are important, but i think the Bruins coach overlooks LINE chemistry. This changing lines after one round of shifts is not helping. Linemates need to know and just feel where each will be during certain situations. I think the person this has hurt most during this entire season has been Patrice Bergeron. He makes so many outstanding steals and passes, and his passes go to empty space because he expected a linemate to be in a certain place. I think this is ultimately Patrice's ungoing this year, certainly not his fault. IN the playoffs it will be even more important. Your thoughts or comments ? Love the biscuit, keep up the great work you have been doing!

No playoffs this year my friend. This work in progress will be put to the test this summer and next fall. I saw a few other coach e-mails, and another about PJ on the top line. I've said before I like him as a third liner and PKer. It's been a frustrating finish. For now, enjoy the Frozen Four, and enjoy the greatest tournament in sports, the Stanley Cup playoffs, there will be some great, great hockey games coming up!! All the best.

For the rest of the blog, check it out at http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/bear_tracks/

Stuck with the coach

I was roaming through the blog and saw that there's an interest about my good friend Dave Lewis. I stated, for a very long time, that Lewis was a bad coach for many reasons. Month after my statement, nothing have changed in Beantown. The B's continue to suffer from blowout, inconsistency and lazy performances.


Lewis system is not working and the players don't buy it. Do they are wrong about this? Some fans would say yes, some no. No, it'S not wrong to refuse to play a system who is not suited for this fast, high scoring NHL. Lewis is living in the past. His 1-2-2 system is a complete failure and his team continue to struggle on the scoring sheet. Before the game against Ottawa, the B's scored 4 goals in 5 games. Clearly, Lewis system is chocking the offense. Worst, it makes players worst then they really are; putting them in situations where their weakness are exposed and their strenght unused. When you look at the roster, there's some fire power. Bergy, Savvy, Murray, Bochenski and co knows how to score but they are not " allowed " to play their game. They have to dump the puck instead of carry it and developp something. Wake up, Dave ! It's not the old NHL where players hooked at will... A system like this need a very strong defensive and an elite goaltender; two things that the B's didn't have, right now.


Lewis bad tendancy to fall in love with players and play them in key situations cost him a lot of games, this year. How can we forget the game where Donovan, Mowers and PJ were on the ice, late in the 3rd, when the team needed a goal to survive... I just wonder how Bergy, Savvy and co reacted to see stone hands players on the ice while they warmed the bench... Lewis might call and punish his players but the hard fact is that he's the first one who failed to show something, this year. For a guy who was behind the bench with Scotty Bowman; it's puzzeling, very puzzeling. Soon or later, His " favorite " strategy will cost him his job. He will lose the lockeroom and the story will end right there. Stars players can make you win but when they don't believe in you anymore...


Of course, forget about Lewis taking the gate, this year and even next year before december. This team will not change that much, in the offseason. It mean that Lewis will have to change his mind and adjust his " system " in order to make his team succesful. If not, the team will remain inconsistent, the fans unhappy and JJ less patient...

Giguere to be a Target

The Ottawa Sun reports the Bruins could make JS Giguere their top target this season. He will likely commend around 4.5-5 million a season.

Matt's take: Giguere is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, and his name has popped up in rumors with the Bruins for some time. Chiarelli has 7-10 million to spend, and there are no gaping free agents on the team we have to resign. Moving Murray first could be a priority, and LA has some interest in bringing him back. Even without trading Muzzy, Giguere could still be a Bruin. Chiarelli said he won't sign a top UFA, but how would that improve a mediocre team?

Top 10 Pick

The Bruins, now 13th in the conference, are looking at a top 10 pick right now. 1o points out of a playoff spot, and almost mathmatically eliminated.

The Bruins could use this pick as trade bait, but that is unlikely.

Samsonov Could Return

Harris of the Herald reports that the Habs will likely buy out Sergei Samsonov this summer. He has said he highly regreats signing in Montreal. If he were to be bought out, he would consider returning to Boston at a high discount, ala 1yr/1 million or 2yr/2.2 million. Something along those lines.

Matt's Take: If he fits into the plans go for it, he didn't magically lose his talent overnight. I think he'd be a great fit with Savard or Bergeron. He had a good season last year and he likes Boston. I am all for bringing him back and I think he could be a Petr Tenkrat type guy on the team. Never too much offense, and the Bruins are lacking.

Attending Today's Game

I will be attending today's game, this is probably my last :( game for the season. Hopefully it will be a good game. I've had some luck with the games this season, Washington, Pittsburgh, Montreal, and now New York. Again sorry for the lack of updates, but not much news going around.

Contract Obligations

Quick rundown of the contract Obligations for the 2007-2008 season.

Zdeno Chara........7,500,000
Marc Savard........5,000,000
Patrice Bergeron...4,750,000
Glen Murray........4,150,000
Marco Sturm........3,500,000
Phil Kessel........2,200,000
Aaron Ward.........2,750,000
PJ Axelsson........1,850,000
Andrew Ference.....1,400,000
Chuck Kobasew......1,200,000
Tim Thomas.........1,100,000
Shean Donovan........925,000
Stanislav Chistov....800,000
Mark Mowers..........463,000
RFA ('07 Salary + 10%)
Brandon Bochenski....550,000
Hannu Toivonen.......585,000
Dennis Wideman.......510,000
Andrew Alberts.......712,000
Buyouts
Travis Green.........208,000

Total (No RFA's)..37,796,000
Total (W/ RFA's)..40,153,000 (+/- 100,000).
Rough Total.......40,250,000

Cap Space..........7,750,000

UFA ('07 Salary/Cost to Resign).
Petr Tenkrat.........525,000....500,000
Jason York...........500,000....450,000
Jeremy Reich.........450,000....450,000
Bobby Allen..........450,000....800,000

It remains to be seen what will happen with Tenkrat, Reich, and Allen. We all but know Jason York will be given the exit. Tenkrat is a nice player, but doesn't seem to be needed as we already have a lot of similar players like him on the roster (Chistov, Kobasew). If he signs a two-way deal maybe he could come back. Allen is a guy I personally like, but he could commend around 1 million to resign, which isn't to bad. Unless the Bruins are looking for a 2nd tier defenseman ala Adrian Aucoin (buyout), Roman Hamrlik, or a Mathieu Schneider. Reich would be nice to have back, unless the Bruins are going to go out and sign Donald Brashear or something.

Alberts could get a long term extension, or the Bruins could wait until they gain more cap flexibility.

Glen Murray could easily be dealt. He is a nice player on the team, but 4.15 million needs to get you more than 25-30 goals and 55-60 points.

The main need is to get a consistant 30-40 goal scorer, ala Hossa, Heatley, St. Louis, or something.

2nd Tier Talent

The Boston Herald reports that the Bruins will only have 8-10 million in cap space to acquire help. Harris states Chiarelli will go after "2nd tier" talent. I will tell you this. 2nd tier talent is not enough. We need a 40 goal scorer, and another goalie. 2nd tier talent is not going to help, we already have a roster full of that.

Bruins Playoff Hopes All But Gone

With losses to the Rangers, and now Habs, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye, unless there is some miracle and the Bruins win the rest of their games. They are now 14th in the conference, behind Florida. A top 10 pick coming maybe. Offense has been a problem, which will be adressed this offseason. Once again a mediocre season, but then again, we are headed in the right direction with youth. I guess it is worth a few years of mediocrity for success. Look at Nashville, Atlanta, and Anaheim. Our time will come...don't worry.

Needs for the Offseason

Just a quick glance at potential needs for the Bruins for the next offseason.

Needs:

1) A solid goaltender. Thomas seems like he can handle it, but a nice backup is definately missing.
2) A top winger. The offense isn't really there. Too many shutouts, not enough pure speed up front. Paul Kariya, Ladislav Nagy or Brendan Shanahan could fit the bill.
3) A 7th defenseman, veteren presence.


The defense seems set with the likes of Alberts, Chara, Wideman, Ference, Ward, and either Lashoff or Stuart.

The offense seems set on the lines with something like this.

______-Savard-Murray
Sturm-Bergeron-Bochenski
Chistov-Kessel-Kobasew
Donovan-Mowers-Tenkrat
Reich

Nagy a Target for Chiarelli?

Bruce Garrioch via Spectors,

The Dallas Stars have not started contract talks with forward Ladislav Nagy, whom they acquired from Phoenix in January. "Don't be surprised if several teams -- including Detroit, Boston, Montreal and San Jose -- try to sign Nagy"

Matt's take: I am not sure how much he will commend, likely in the 4-5 million range. Nagy is a good player, but for the bang of your buck, I don't think he's your number one guy. Given he is a great player, his cap hit may be too much for the Bruins to handle.

Back

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been under the weather for a while.

Ben Walter Recalled

The Bruins recalled Ben Walter from Providence today. That leaves them with 12 healthy forwards and 7 defensemen. Walter takes Shean Donovans spot on the roster, who has a lower body injury. Walter will center the 4th line, if Lewis decides not to play 7 defensemen again and sit the passionate veteran Jason York. In 62 games for Providence this season, he has 22 goals and 34 assists.

Not Meant to Be

Not to be the Devil's advacet, but the Bruins are done. 3 in a row in the most important streak of the season. I guess you don't want it that badly. Also, 32-31, almost .500 play. Not a playoff team. To make it worse, if you can't beat the Flyers, one more time, the Flyers, the worst team in the NHL, the FLYERS!!! you don't deserve to be in. Glad for another mediocre season. Atleast this GM knows we suck, and will try to do something, only good think to look forward to.

I feel sorry for myself for actually beleiving in this team. Don't read this all the wrong way. It just dissappoints me that this team, in the wake of actually making the 8th spot, can't put out a solid effort at all. I guess playing golf in June sounds better...

I am not a bitter Bruin fan, I am a dissappointed one.

Today's Practice

Kessel-Savard-Kobasew
Sturm-Bergeron-Bochenski
Tenkrat-Mowers-Donovan
Reich-Chistov-Hoggan

Bochenski finally gets put on a top 2 line instead of the 4th. If these lines stay the same for the game, expect no offense from the 3rd or 4th lines, as usual. Joey MacDonald will also start tomorrow against Philly.

Hoggan Recalled

Jeff Hoggan has been recalled from Providence and David Krejci has been sent back. Interesting move, since the Bruins need help offensive. Hoggan has two assists in 31 games this season.

Tonight's Lineup

Kessel-Savard-Kobasew
Sturm-Bergeron-Tenkrat
Reich-Mowers-Donovan
Chistov-Krejci-Bochenski

Chara-Ward
Ference-Wideman
Alberts-York

No P.J. Axelsson or Glen Murray. Murray is out indefinitely and Axelsson is out 6-10 weeks with a broken hand. Also, Bobby Allen is scratched in favor of Jason York.

Axelsson out 6-10 weeks

P.J. Axelsson has a broken bone in his hand and will miss the next 6-10 weeks. Therefore, he is done for the season unless the Bruins make the playoffs. There have been rumors that it was his wrist, and not his hand, but Rob Simpson of NESN stated it was his hand many times during the game. This is a good thing for the Bruins' first line, but it will hurt the team on the PK. Although the Bruins record is better with Axelsson out of the lineup, the absence of both Murray and Axelsson will hurt this team.

Mr.Hyde

Well, the B's pulled out another stinker, last night, as they lose 2-0 against the Avs. This defeat is pretty puzzeling considering the fact that the team played two strong games on the week-end. It seems that York " passion " was not contagious enough to help this team to get those two precious points. The B's have games in hand but their lack of consistency will cost them their playoffs hopes. Too bad when you consider that, with a little bit of effort and commitment, this team would probably be in the playoffs. Evaluation time is coming very soon...

Chiarelli's Grades (Part II)

IN SEASON MOVES

Acquiring Stanislav Chistov from the Anaheim Ducks for a 2007 or 2008 pick- Chistov, the former 5th overall pick, has added talent to the 4th line, and he shows flashes of his skills at times. Him and Kessel seem to have a chemistry going, and Chistov continues to improve throughout the season. A 3rd round pick may have been a little hefty since deadline players with more talent were gotten for 4th and 5th rounders.
Overall Grade: B

Acquiring Phillipe Sauve from the Phoenix Coyotes for Tyler Redenbauch- Sauve sucked in Phoenix, and here. He was horrid in his two games here and showed a lack of talent. Sauve was brought here to play in Providence, but is worth nothing more than future considerations. I don't know much about Redenbauch, but the deal was nothing great.
Overall Grade: C-

Trading Wade Brookbank to the Pittsburgh Penguins for future considerations- Brookbank was likely to get waived anyways, by this deal, Chiarelli saved a few 100k in cap space, so good job. The Future Considerations will likely be a 7th round pick or a low tier prospect.
Overall Grade: A

Acquiring a 5th round pick from the St. Louis Blues for Yan Stastny- Stastny is a 4th line player who had no purpose here, and by judging Anson Carter was acquired for a 5th rounder as well, you have to admit Chiarelli also got a good deal on this one, not to mention a few 100k in cap room.
Overall Grade: B+

Acquiring a 4th round pick from the Washington Capitals for Milan Jurcina- The pick we may not end up getting, since it could go to Calgary, but Jurcina was in the doghouse here and we got a few 100k in cap space. Overall a wash and cap move.
Overall Grade: B-

Acquring Brandon Bochenski from the Chicago Blackhawks for Kris Versteeg and a conditional pick- Chicago got robbed on this one. Bochenski was slated to be a top player in Ottawa before being injured. In Chicago he never got the chance, but dominated the minors. Versteeg could turn out to be an okay player, but Bochenski is way more talented. Bochenski is a pure goal scorer with a knack of the the back of the net. He will come at relatively cheap money for a few years and will be a dynamic part of the offense for years to come.
Overall Grade: A+

Aquiring Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew from the Calgary Flames for Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart, and a 4th round pick (if Stuart does not resign)- The pick is worthless, who cares it's a 4th rounder. Ference and Kobasew come at 1.4, and 1.2 respecitvely and that's cheap money. Kobasew is a 20 goal scorer on a bad Flames offense last season. Ference is highly underrated and has done well here already. Ference is under control for 3 more and Kobasew for 1 more season, while Primeau and Stuart are likely rentals for the Flames. A lot better price than a few picks.
Overall Grade: A-

Claiming Joey MacDonald off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings- Maybe another Lewis move, the Bruins needed backup. MacDonald did well against NJD, but is no backup. Likely a minor leaguer. He is a UFA at the end of the season, so he's likely gone. He is just insurance. A better backup would have been nice.
Overall Grade: B-

Acquiring Aaron Ward from the New York Rangers for Paul Mara- Mara sucked here, even though it wasn't entirely his fault. He was dead cap space in many Bruins fans opinions. Ward on the other hand is a solid defenseman who happened to get in a beef with Jaromir Jagr, bye bye. We got the best of this deal. Ward is a hard hitting guy with leadership.
Overall Grade: A-

Acquiring Dennis Wideman from the St. Louis Blues for Brad Boyes- I didn't, and still don't understand this one fully. Yes Wideman is a potentially good defenseman, but Boyes is a 70 point man. Maybe last season was all because of Bergeron and Sturm, or maybe Chiarelli miscalculated.
Overall Grade: C+ (still to early)

Colorado: 3/6/07

A west coast team, no way, I didn't think the new NHL allowed that. Finally we get to see the other conference. I can't help but think of Ray Bourque when I see the name Colorado Avalanche. A special place in my heart for that 2001 team. Anyways, Colorado is no longer the powerhouse they once were, but are still a good team. The Bruins need as many points as possible and tonight is no different. The Bruins need to continue to play near to flawless hockey.

Keys to winning:
-Play like you did vs. NJD and Montreal.
-Effective PP, use Chara as a screen.
-Kobasew's debut, see what he can do.

Prediction:
Boston-4
Colorado-2

The Other Part of the Stuart Deal

The other piece to the Brad Stuart deal, Chuck Kobasew, will be making his Bruin debut tonight vs. the Avalanche. He will play on the 4th line.

Chiarelli's Grades (Part I)

Remember, I am grading based on the context of what they were signed here to do...not overall productivety or just stats alone.

OFFSEASON MOVES:

Acquiring Tuukka Rask from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Andrew Raycroft- A good move as thought by most. Many experts felt the Bruins got a great deal by acquiring the best goaltending prospect in the world. At 19, Rask is a few years from being ready, but the Maple Leafs overpaid dearly. "Razor" has been nothing special in Toronto, and has been quoted to say he is tired from playing too much. Chiarelli got the best of the Leafs on this one, Rask could be one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL for years, and he comes at cheap money. The Bruins still have to sign Rask before June 1st or he will be eligable to re-enter the draft.
Overall Grade: (still too early to tell).

Acquiring Paul Mara from the Phoenix Coyotes for Nick Boynton- At the time, it seemed like a fair deal. Both signed deals at 2 years and around 3 million, 2.75 for Nick. Mara was a bust in Boston, not performing well and racking a -20+ rating. Boynton also sucked in Phoenix leading to speculation he would be dealt. Mara never got a chance on the PP with Chara taking over most of that duty.
Overall Grade: C

Signing Marc Savard to a 4 year/20 million dollar deal- Many were spectacal about the deal. I wasn't for sure. Savard was one of the premier free agents available and for 5 million, and his production, he was one of the better buys in the free agent market. Savard has been amazing this season with his passes and if the Bruins make the playoffs, MVP is not out of the question.
Overall Grade: A+

Resiging Patrice Bergeron to a 5 year/23.75 million dollar deal- Everyone was waiting for this. The Bruins finally paid their man with a faithful heart. Bergy got his money and the Bruins their man. This was a good deal for both sides. The Bruins get a bargain for the type of player, remember he is only 22.
Overall Grade: A+

Signing Zdeno Chara to a 5 year/37.5 million dollar deal- Chara was the big fish out there, and Chiarelli snagged him. Getting Chara was part of the reason the Bruins hired him. Chara may be slightly overpaid, but the LA Kings offered 8 million and the Bruins needed to overpay in order to get him. Chara has been great this season, playing the point and the screen on the PP. He has played some great defense and has been a leader. He is the new captain and holds the team responsible. Chara has made some small blunders, but he was arguably the best defender on the team.
Overall Grade: B+/A-

Signing Shean Donovan to a 2 year/1.85 million dollar deal- Donovan was supposed to be a speedy winger who would score around 15 goals, but is now more of a 3rd line winger who plays the PK well. He started off slow, but now is one of the top penalty killers on the team.
Overall Grade: B-

Signing Mark Mowers to a 2 year/825,000 deal- Widely loved in Detroit, this was more of a Dave Lewis signing. Mowers has been a scape goat for some Bruins fans, but he has been a good penalty killer and is deceptively fast. He has played to expectations of Dave Lewis and those with prior knowledge to him, but to some he is a scape goat. He has had some untimely penalties lately.
Overall Grade: B+

Signing Jason York to a 1 year/500,000 deal- Is not the same guy as back in the late 90s. York hasn't played well and to most is a dead roster spot. Has been a healthy scratch of lately.
Overall Grade: C

Signing Bobby Allen to a 1 year/450,000 deal- A great addition to the blueline. Since his callup he has earned a spot on the team, and could be resigned after this season. The impending UFA has been one of the most consistant blueliners on the team.
Overall Grade: A

Signing Petr Tenkrat to a 1 year/525,000 deal- Tenkrat has improved since his days with Nashville. He has been a penalty killer and a great 4th liner. He is on pace for around 10 goals this season. Tenkrat has had timely goals this season.
Overall Grade: B+

Signing Nathan Dempsey and Wade Brookbank to 1 year/450,000 dollar deals- Neither are on the roster and both were just "fillers". Neither contributed much.
Overall Grade: C

Pregame : Bruins - Devils

Tonight's game against the Devils is huge for the Bruins. With only 18 games remaining, every single point is important for this team. If the Bruins pull out a victory tonight, they will be tied with the Rangers for points with 69. The Bruins can also pick up ground on the Carolina Hurricanes, who lost to Atlanta today.

For the Devils, Martin Brodeur will get the start in net, as always. It was thought that Scott Clemmenson would give Brodeur a breather tonight, but Brodeur is right back in there. Brian Gionta also will play tonight, after missing the 8 previous games with a groin injury. Cam Janssen will serve his first game of a three game suspension he was given, after his late hit on Tomas Kaberle of the Leafs on Friday night.

For the Bruins, Joey MacDonald will get the start in net. It will be his first appearance for the Bruins since being claimed from the Detroit Red Wings. Chuck Kobasew is still out with an elbow injury and will miss this game and next. He could be ready to go on Thursday against Minnesota.

For the Bruins to win this game, they must score first and keep the pressure on early. If they fall behind against this team, especially with Brodeur, then it will be a very long night. The lineup situation for tonight will be similar to last night's. Lewis will juggle lines throughout the game. To start the game, these are the lines. Look for them to change on many occasions as the game progresses.

Axelsson-Savard-Murray
Sturm-Bergeron-Tenkrat
Reich-Mowers-Donovan
Chistov-Kessel-Bochenski

Habs Bruins Recap

Bruins-3
Habs-1

A great game. I have never seen the new Garden so packed. I wish it was like that every night. It is a lot more fun when there are 16,000+ screaming fans. The Garden was about 1/2 and 1/2 between Bruin and Habs fans. The Bruins outplayed the Habs the entire game.

Tim Thomas played an amazing game, as well as Phil Kessel, the number one star. The Habs fans I have to say are pretty damn rowty. I wish the Bruins had the same number of passionate fans as the Habs, they do have a great fan base. I had some Habs fans in the box with me, gotta love that. Marc Savard had a great pass to Muzzy for the 3rd goal. The old Bruins would have had a mjaor letdown after the Habs goal by Souray, but this time they prevailed.


Shean Donovan has been way better of late, partially because of the new role he plays on the PK. Aaron Ward also had a outstanding game, he saved a goal on a breakaway. All I could think was, Paul Mara would have been called for a penalty shot. Chara and the rest of the defense played well. Bochenski and Tenkrat also added some nice goals against Halak and the Habs.

3 stars:
1. Phil Kessel
2. Tim Thomas
3. Aaron Ward

Attending the Habs Game

Lucky me, I am attending tomorrow nights Habs game. I am very excited. The Garden will be packed for this one. The Bruins need a win or they are basically done for the season. I got box seats. I'll give you all a recap on Sunday morning.

Is it a miracle?

Mark Mowers scored two goals against the Flyers on Thursday night. This is Mowers first two goal game of his NHL carrer. The thing is Mowers two goals gave him his 3rd and 4th goals of the year. Here's a guy who is a 3rd, 4th liner, a grinder; but he plays 10-16 mins a game. Any body on this site could get 5 goals in an NHL season with the amount of ice time Mowers plays. The funniest part about Mowers two goals were they were both in the same period and they were goal scorers goals. It wasn't like any went off of him they were legit goals. Don't expect it to happen again.

Is it the offense or the defense?

Peter Chiarelli believes the Bruins need help defensively, so he traded away a very valuable part of this team (Brad Boyes). But is that what this team really needs? No, it is not. This team needs more offense. In 63 games this season, the Bruins have been outshot in 44 of those games. That means they have only outshot the opponent 19 times all season. I am sorry, but when you continually get outshot, it means you are getting outplayed. If the opponent generates more shots and scoring chances, then they have a better chance to win games. But Dave Lewis and Chiarelli do not realize this. Yes defense is important but when your team cannot generate shots or score in 5 on 5 situations then it is obviously your offense. The offense is the biggest question mark on this team and where would this team be without Marc Savard? They would probably be in a similar spot, point wise, to Philly this season.

Post Game: Bruins - Flyers

The Bruins need all the points then can get, and this game they should have easily been able to take 2 points from the worst team in the league. But that is not the case, for the Bruins came out, once again, with no passion or determination in their play. Just an overall sloppy, sloppy game for the Bruins. They got out shot 55-37. Tim Thomas once again saved the Bruins and kept them in this game. Mark Mowers also added two goals, which equalled his season total entering the game.

Dennis Wideman played well in his debut for the Bruins. He has offensive upside in his game and recorded his first point as a Bruin, when he set up Mowers for a breakaway goal. Glen Murray returned from injury and looked very slow and as if he has not fully recovered from his groin pull. Petr Tenkrat also returned from his injury and had two shorthanded opportunities, but could not cash in on either. Late in the game, Lewis put Kessel on the top line and finally dropped Axelsson to the checking line.

This team is way too inconsistent and with the performance they displayed last night, this defense has not been improved and are not"harder to play against". Time will tell if it works out, but last nights game was extremely frustrating.

Bruins-Flyers: 3/1/07

Should be a win, come on its Philly! You'd never think Philly should be an automatic win except for this season. The debut of Ward and Wideman. The D pairings go as following. Tenkrat and Murray will be in the lineup. Kobasew will be out. Thomas and Biron get the starts.

Chara-Ward
Ference-Alberts
Wideman-Allen

Look for a good game!

Keys to winning:
-Philly sucks, you need wins.
-Biron played well against us, hopefully not now in Philly.
-Get Wideman into the flow.

Prediction:
Bruins-5
Flyers-2

Bruins-Flyers: 3/1/07

Should be a win, come on its Philly! You'd never think Philly should be an automatic win except for this season. The debut of Ward and Wideman. The D pairings go as following. Tenkrat and Murray will be in the lineup. Kobasew will be out. Thomas and Biron get the starts.

Chara-Ward
Ference-Alberts
Wideman-Allen

Look for a good game!

Keys to winning:
-Philly sucks, you need wins.
-Biron played well against us, hopefully not now in Philly.
-Get Wideman into the flow.

Prediction:
Bruins-5
Flyers-2