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Game Preview: Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators

12/27/2013

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The Boston Bruins (25-10-2) will face off against the Ottawa Senators (15-17-7) tonight at the Garden for the second time this season in hopes of extending our win streak to three and picking up those lucrative two points.

Team Stats

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Team: 37 points putting them 6th in the Atlantic Division. -15 goal differential with an average of over 3 goals against per game and just under 3 goals for per game. 7-11-2 away record with a 4-4-2 record in their last 10. The Senators have a 40-69-8 all time record against the Bruins with a 19-36-5 disadvantage on Bruins ice. 

Players: 15 of the 28 players have negative ratings on the ice ranging from Milan Michalek's horrendous -19 to Matt Kasian's -1. The other 13 range from being even (0) to Kyle Turris's +15. Erik Karlsson leads the team in points with 37 off 10 goals and 27 assists in 39 games while Jared Cowen brings up the rear with 6 points in 36 games off 3 goals and 3 assists. Of note, Erik Karlsson leads the league for first in goals amongst defensemen with 10. 

Goalie: Robin Lehner will get the start tonight. He's played in 18 games with a 5-8-3 record. He has a 2.54 GAA and a .926 SV%. Lehner has a real problem with control in his crease. Each of the 5 goals he let up in his last start was caused by him making swift, darting movements in an attempt to make acrobatic saves and then not being able to correct for them. He is also weak on his gloved side as 3 of the 5 goals allowed last game slipped right by him there.


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Team: 52 points putting us 1st in the Atlantic Division. +29 goal differential with an average of 2 goals against per game and almost 3 goals for per game. 15-3-2 home record with a 7-3-0 record in our last 10. We have won 7 straight at home.

Players: 17 of the 28 players have positive ratings on the ice ranging from Jarome Iginla's +15 to Daniel Paille's +1. The other 11 range from even (0) to Jordan Caron's -7. David Krejci leads the team in points with 32 points in 37 games off 7 goals and 25 assists with Gregory Campbell bringing up the rear with 6 points off 2 goals and 4 assists in 37 games. Of note, Ryan Spooner has 4 assists in his last two games.

Goalie: Tuukka Rask will get the start tonight. He's played in 29 games with a 19-8-2 record. He has a 1.87 GAA and a .936 SV%. 

Keys to Tonight's Game

1. Goalie Pressure: Lehner has a really hard time correcting his darting movements while in the crease. As such, the Bruins should focus on getting Lehner to move, preferably toward his stick side, as much as possible because it will leave the goal open on his weak side, giving us ample opportunity to score.

2. Offense: This is not an offensive team we can take lightly. If we plan on winning, we need to watch Erik Karlsson, Bobby Ryan (17 G, 17 A) and Jason Spezza (11 G, 19 A) because they are the driving force behind Ottawa's offensive. Bobby Ryan and Jason Spezza are big boys so my advice would be pair them up with some of our big guys (Lucic with Ryan Spezza and Chara or Boychuk against Bobby Ryan for example) to counteract any size advantages those three might have. The Senators also have a tendency to turn the puck over on a frequent basis so we need to take advantage of this early on and make good use of our back check. 

3. Physicality: The Ottawa Senators are a big group of guys who usually are not afraid of using their berth to their advantage. The Bruins aren't either and as such our physicality is going to be huge tonight.  The game is going to come down to who can out muscle who in those key puck battles in the corners. The corners are where the Bruins shine so I'm not too worried, but they need to be sure to not let that physicality slip.

My Three Players to Watch

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1. Zdeno Chara: Being as big as he is, Chara is going to come in handy with that physical game we need to play but will also be of use in getting Lehner to move. Using Chara as a screen is going to force Lehner to have to adjust his position in order to track the puck and since he has a hard time re positioning, this will work to our advantage. I'm interested to see how the Bruins are going to use Chara's size tonight.
2. Reilly Smith: Smith has obviously been an offensive force for us recently and I don't think tonight will be any different. His speed is going to come in handy against the more lumbering Senators in making plays and driving to the net. He's also got great hockey sense so I feel like he's going to read Lehner's weaknesses and use them to his advantage. He's also been crucial on our ever improving power play, which may also come in handy tonight.
3. Our Merlot Line: The Merlot line is almost back together! With Paille back in the line up tonight, some of our sorely missed chemistry coming from our energy line will have been restored. I'm interested in seeing not only how that line adjusts to Paille being back but how effective they're going to be in creating that energy and competing against the larger Senators without our favorite fighter.

Score Prediction: 4-2 Bruins Win

Until the end of the game,
Keep calm and Bergeron!
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Roster Changes and Injury Updates

12/27/2013

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It's a Christmas miracle guys! The Bruins are finally (almost) fully recovered from our  "the hockey gods hate the Bruins" period! Here's the updates on all of our lovely injured guys.
1. Daniel Paille: Yippee Paille! After missing 7 games, Piesy has finally been cleared to play after going 10 days without any concussion symptoms. He will finally be back in the lineup tonight against the Senators. 

2. Dougie Hamilton: Dougie is still making progress with his lower body injury but Coach says he's coming along and will start skating with the team next week. With tonight's game, Dougie has missed 8 games. 

There hasn't been much change in Chris Kelly or Loui Eriksson's conditions so we'll continue to keep an eye on the progress.
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Niklas Svedberg - Goalie for the Providence Bruins
  • 48 GP, 37-8-2, .925 SV% and 2.17 GAA after facing 1,384 SA

Bruins made an interesting little transfer this morning when we recalled AHL goalie Niklas Svedberg to back up Tuukka Rask tonight. He will more than likely also get the start tomorrow against the Senators.

Now before anyone starts freaking out, it has been confirmed that the Bruins have no imminent trades in the works. According to Coach, Svedberg has been "earning opportunities to get some games and we told him we would and we're going to keep that promise because he's deserving it." What all this means is we won't be saying goodbye to Johnson anytime soon.

However, looking at those stats and at his performance in last night's P Bruins game (34 saves earning him a shut out)  the Bruins are damn right in giving Svedberg an opportunity because this kid has been absolutely stellar. I am a huge fan of Svedberg as a goalie. His agility and aggressiveness in the crease is reminiscent of Tuukka Rask. He has a strong glove and makes strong pads saves while proving himself capable of making those timely saves when it counts. Svedberg orients his game around being in the right position at the right time to make those timely saves so it's fantastic that he is able to quickly re position himself after blocking shots (which isn't something we often see with another back up goalie I know). Svedberg is also solid when it comes to rebound control. In my opinion, Svedberg has proven to be the superior goaltender when it comes to back up tendys. 

But like I said, we're not suddenly going to switch back up goalies mid way through the season so this will just be a test of his merit playing with the big boys. For those wondering though, Svedberg is waiver exempt this season and will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. However, if he keeps tallying these kinds of stats, that stuff might not matter because we might see Svedberg a little more often next season. Until then, Svedberg is giving the Bruins some great depth. 

Until the game tonight,
Keep calm and Bergeron!

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US Hockey is Do or Die: Introducing 2014 USA World Juniors Coaches

12/26/2013

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It may be a busy time in hockey but we can't forget the coaches who make it all possible. So here's a quick overview of your USA World Juniors Team Coaches.
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Head Coach: Don Lucia
1. First year coaching the US World Juniors team

2. Has been the head coach of a NCAA Division I men's hockey team for the past 27 seasons 

3. Is currently the head coach of the University of Minnesota's men's hockey team. He has also coached at Colorado College and University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

4. Has won 622 games in his career, putting him 4th all-time among active NCAA coaches

5. Served as a camp coach at the 2012 US National Junior Evaluation Camp

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Assistant Coach 1: Greg Brown
1. First year coaching on the US World Juniors Team

2. Two time US Olympic Men's Ice Hockey team member

3. Has been the Associate Head Coach for the Boston College men's ice hockey team for the past 10 seasons 

4. Has led the BC Eagles to 5 NCAA Frozen Fours and 3 National Championships

5. Spent four years in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Winnipeg Jets

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Assistant Coach 2: Bob Motzko
1. First year coaching on the US World Juniors Team

2. Has spent the last 9 seasons as the head coach of the St. Cloud State University men's hockey team.

3. Has brought his hockey team to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history and helped them earn their 4th Frozen Four bid.

4. Also served as assistant coach under Lucia at the University of Minnesota and as the assistant coach at Miami University and the University of Denver

5. Was the head coach and general manager in the US Hockey League for a time.

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Assistant Coach 3: David Lassonde
1. Second year with the US World Juniors Team after helping the team win gold in last year's tournament

2. Involved in the USA Hockey Warren Strelow National Goaltending Mentor Program

3. Has spent the last 26 seasons as an NCAA Division I men's ice hockey assistant coach at University of Denver, University of New Hampshire, University of Wisconsin and Miami University

4. Was awarded the Terry Flanagan Award for demonstrating a superior body of work throughout his career. 

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US Hockey is Do or Die: Introducing Your 2014 USA World Juniors Team

12/26/2013

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It's a busy time for hockey folks. Sochi is in 42 days and World Juniors has officially commenced. Since we still don't have a solid roster for the US Olympic hockey team, here's a formal introduction to our 2013-2014 US World Juniors team.

Goaltenders

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Thatcher Demko (#35)
Height/Weight: 6'3", 190 pounds

Current Team: Boston College Eagles

Current Stats: 5 GP, 4-1-1, 2.31 GAA, .911 SV%

NHL Rights: Eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft

Fun Fact: is the youngest player in college hockey

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Jon Gillies (#32)
Height/Weight: 6'5", 215 pounds

Current Team: Providence College Friars

Current Stats: 15 GP, 10-1-3, 1.88 GAA, .941 SV% 

NHL Rights: Calgary Flames

Fun Fact: Tied for 4th nationally with 10 wins, tied for 7th nationally with 1.88 GAA, tied for first with 3 shutouts

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Anthony Stolarz (#29)
Height/Weight: 6/6", 220 pounds

Current Team: London Knights (OHL)

Current Stats: 26 GP, 20-3-1, 2.50 GAA, .926 SV%

NHL Rights: Philadelphia Flyers

Fun Fact: Ranks first in wins in the OHL, second in SV%, fifth in GAA, tied for third in shutouts

Forwards

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Captain Riley Barber (#11)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 185 pounds

Current Team: University of Miami Red Hawks

Current Stats: 18 GP, 11 G, 17 A, 18 PIM

NHL Rights: Washington Capitals

Fun Fact: Tied for second nationally with 28 points and led the nation his rookie season in scoring with 39 points

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Andrew Copp (#9)
Height/Weight: 6'1", 205 pounds

Current Team: University of Michigan Wolverines

Current Stats: 14 GP, 9 G, 5 A, 8 PIM

NHL Rights: Winnipeg Jets

Fun Fact: Won Gold with the US National Under-18 team in 2012

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Tommy DiPauli (#14)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 185 pounds

Current Team: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Current Stats: 8 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 6 PIM

NHL Rights: Washington Capitals

Fun Fact: Won the CCHA Tournament title with the Fighting Irish in 2012 and won Gold with the US National Under-18 team the same year

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Jack Eichel (#15)
Height/Weight: 6'1", 191 pounds

Current Team: US National Under-18 Team

Current Stats: 22 GP, 19 G, 20 A, 6 PIM

NHL Rights: Eligible for 2015 NHL Draft

Fun Fact: Won silver at the International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship

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Adam Erne (#19)
Height/Weight: 6'0", 210 pounds

Current Team: Quebec Ramparts (QMJHL)

Current Stats: 30 GP, 12 G, 26 A, 45 PIM

NHL Rights: Tampa Bay Lightning

Fun Fact: Competed at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic in 2012 and played 4 games with 5 goals and 1 assist.

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Hudson Fasching (#22)
Height/Weight: 6'2", 200 pounds

Current Team: University of Minnesota Gophers

Current Stats: 16 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 12 PIM

NHL Rights: LA Kings

Fun Fact: Tied for third on the Gophers with six goals, fourth with 14 points

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Ryan Hartman (#21)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 190 pounds

Current Team: Plymouth Whalers (OHL)

Current Stats: 25 GP, 13 G, 13 A, 44 PIM

NHL Rights: Chicago Blackhawks

Fun Fact: Won Gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship 

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Vince Hinostrova (#13)
Height/Weight: 5'9", 170 pounds

Current Team: University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Current Stats: 12 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 2 PIM

NHL Rights: Chicago Blackhawks

Fun Fact: Won the World Junior A Challenge as a member of the US Junior Select Team in 2012

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Nic Kerdiles (#17)
Height/Weight: 6'2", 196 pounds

Current Team: University of Wisconsin Badgers

Current Stats: 14 GP, 8 G, 9 A, 25 PIM

NHL Rights: Anaheim Ducks

Fun Fact: Won Gold at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship 

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Stefan Matteau (#23)
Height/Weight: 6'1", 215 pounds

Current Team: Albany Devils (AHL)

Current Stats: 25 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 35 PIM

NHL Rights: New Jersey Devils

Fun Fact: Won Bronze at the Five Nations Tournament in 2012 with the US National Under-18 team

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Dan O'Regan (10)
Height/Weight: 5'10", 176 pounds

Current Team: Boston University Terriers

Current Stats: 17 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 4 PIM

NHL Rights: San Jose Sharks

Fun Fact: Won Gold at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship

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Quentin Shore (#25)
Height/Weight: 6'1", 185 pounds

Current Team: University of Denver

Current Stats: 17 GP, 3 G, 10 A. 12 PIM

NHL Rights: Ottawa Senators

Fun Fact: Won Gold at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship

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Zach Stepan (#26)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 175 pounds

Current Team: Minnesota State University

Current Stats: 14 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 10 PIM

NHL Rights: Nashville Predators

Fun Fact: Won the World Junior A Challenge with the US Junior Select Team in 2012

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J.T Compher (#37)
Height/Weight: 6'0", 170 pounds

Current Team: University of Michigan Wolverines

Current Stats: 14 GP, 5 G, 9 A, 4 PIM

NHL Rights: Buffalo Sabres

Fun Fact: Won Silver at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championshipco

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Ryan Fitzgerald (#20)
Height/Weight: 5'9", 166 pounds

Current Team: Boston College Eagles

Current Stats: 16 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 8 PIM

NHL Rights: Boston Bruins

Fun Fact: Won the 2010 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament with the US Under-17 Select Team 

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Tyler Motte (#8)
Height/Weight: 5'10", 180 pounds

Current Team: University of Michigan Wolverines

Current Stats: 14 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 16 PIM

NHL Rights: Chicago Blackhawks

Fun Fact: Won Silver at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship with the US Men's National Under-18 teamm

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Henrik Samuelsson (#18)
Height/Weight: 6'3", 208 pounds

Current Team: Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Current Stats: 28 GP, 14 G, 24 A, 41 PIM

NHL Rights: Phoenix Coyotes

Fun Fact: Leads the Edmonton Oil Kings in points and assists

Defense

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Will Butcher (#4)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 175 pounds

Current Team: University of Denver

Current Stats: 17 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 4 PIM

NHL Rights: Colorado Avalanche

Fun Fact: Won Silver with the US Men's National Under-18 team at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship and led defensemen with 4 points

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Connor Carrick (#28)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 190 pounds

Current Team: Hershey Bears (AHL) and Washington Capitals

Current Stats: 3 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 6 PIM for the Capitals

NHL Rights: Washington Capitals 

Fun Fact: Scored his first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames on October 3rd

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Matt Grzelcyk (#7)
Height/Weight: 5'9", 175 pounds

Current Team: Boston University Terriers

Current Stats: 17 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 12 PIM

NHL Rights: Boston Bruins

Fun Fact: Won Gold at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship

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Ian McCoshen (#3)
Height/Weight: 6'2", 207 pounds

Current Team: Boston College Eagles

Current Stats: 16 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 22 PIM

NHL Rights: Florida Panthers

Fun Fact: Won Bronze at the World Juniors A Challenge in 2011 with the US Junior Select team

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Steven Santini (#16)
Height/Weight: 6'2", 207 pounds

Current Team: Boston College Eagles

Current Stats: 13 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 36 PIM

NHL Rights: New Jersey Devils

Fun Fact: Received the directorate award at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship as one of the tournament's best defenseman and was named one of Team USA's best three players

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Brady Skjei (#2)
Height/Weight: 6'2", 197 pounds

Current Team: University of Minnesota

Current Stats: 16 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 16 PIM

NHL Rights: New York Rangers

Fun Fact: Won Gold at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's Under-18 World Championship

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Jaccob Slavin (#6)
Height/Weight: 6'3", 195 pounds

Current Team: Colorado College

Current Stats: 10 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 0 PIM

NHL Rights: Carolina Hurricanes

Fun Fact: Won the World Junior A Challenge as part of the US Junior Select Team

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Tony DeAngelo (#24)
Height/Weight: 5'11", 175 pounds

Current Team: Sarnia String (OHL)

Current Stats: 32 GP, 9 G, 37 A, 38 PIM

NHL Rights: Eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft

Fun Fact: Competed at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2012

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Brett Pesce (#27)
Height/Weight: 6'3", 180 pounds

Current Team: University of New Hampshire Wildcats

Current Stats: 19 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 4 PIM

NHL Rights: Carolina Hurricanes

Fun Fact: Competed at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2011

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Thornton's 15 Game Suspension Upheld

12/24/2013

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After four days of deliberation, Gary Bettman found "that the decision suspending Mr. Thornton for 15 games was supported by clear and convincing evidence." 

If you'd like to read the full 12 page decision, it can be found here. The most surprising part of this decision for me was Bettman admitting they have no strictly outlined disciplinary policy for this type of thing, implying punishments are all arbitrarily assigned. This also makes me call into question what other policies aren't "strictly outlined." 

My opinion on this decision is the same as my opinion on the original decision to suspend him for 15 games. It's a bunch of bullshit considering Thornton's history. But with their arbitrary punishment assigning apparently that doesn't really matter now does it?

But in any case, it looks like we won't be seeing Thorty until midway through January which is both ridiculous and upsetting. 

Until next time,
Keep calm and Bergeron


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Game Day Preview: Bruins vs. Nashville Predators

12/23/2013

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The Boston Bruins (24-10-2) will face the Nashville Predators (16-16-4) for the first time since St. Patrick's day tonight in hopes of extending our win streak to two and picking up two points to help us maintain our 3 point lead in the division over the Lightning. 

Team Stats

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Team: 36 points putting them last in the Central Division. -20 goal differential with an average of almost 3 GA per game vs. 2 GF/game. 8-7-3 record at home with a 3-5-2 record in their last 10. Nashville has a 7-8-1 all time record against the Bruins with a 5-4-0 advantage on home ice. 


Players: 19 of the 28 players have negative ratings on the ice ranging from Roman Josi's -14 to Taylor Beck's -1. David Legwand leads in points with 25 off 6 goals and 19 assists while Kevin Klein brings up the rear with 1 point off an assist. Of note, Captain Shea Weber is tied with Zdeno Chara and Erik Karlsson for first in goals among defensemen at 9 and is the only d-man in the league to lead his team in goals.

Goalie: Carter Hutton will get the start. He's played 17 games with a 7-5-2 record. He has a 2.88 GAA and a .906 SV%. His stick side seems to be his weakness as the last game he started on 12/19 saw 3 of the 4 goals scored on that side. 

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Team: 50 points putting us first in the Atlantic Division. +25 goal differential with an average of about 3 GF/game and 2 GA/game. 9-7-0 away record with a 7-3-0 record in their last 10. 

Players: 17 of the 28 players have positive ratings on the ice ranging from Jarome Iginla's +14 to Jordan Caron's +1. David Krejci leads in points with 31 off of 7 goals and 24 assists and Jordan Caron brings up the rear with 1 point off a goal. Of note, David Krejci has 3 goals and 10 assists in his last 8 games. 

Goalies: The Bruins haven't announced who's starting tonight. Tuukka Rask has played in 28 games with an 18-8-2 record. He has a 1.87 GAA and a .936 SV%. Chad Johnson has played in 9 games with a 6-2 record. He has a 2.40 GAA and a 
.911 SV%. Johnson struggles with reaction and reset time. 

Keys to Tonight's Game

1. Offense: Although the Predators offense has been sluggish, that doesn't mean we can take them lightly. To keep them at bay the Bruins need to smother David Legwand and Shea Weber, who are the Predator's main offensive drivers.  We also should keep an eye on guys like Gabriel Bourque (10 points in his last 16 games), Matt Cullen (12 points in last 17 games), Craig Smith (11 points in his last 14 games) and Roman Josi (6 points in his last 7 games), who are smaller threats but threats all the same. This all just requires us to keep these guys covered while watching for those passing lanes that would allow them to set up offensive plays and opportunities.

2. Goalie Pressure: As I said, Hutton has an issue blocking shots on his stick side. We need to take advantage of that weakness and attempt to shoot in that general direction. If we can't, we still need to be lifting the puck and avoiding shooting at his chests and pads.

3. Wingers: The Predators have trouble covering their wings adequately. In the last two games they played the Lightning and the Habs had little to no trouble creating drives from the far right and left sides. As long as we recognize this weakness, we should have no problem creating plays and getting shooting chances from these sides. Our bigger wingers (i.e Lucic, Iginla) along with our big defense (i.e. Chara, Mcquaid) will come in handy in this capacity. 

4. Physicality: The Predators are not a highly physical team. As such, our physical game is going to be incredibly helpful in helping us win puck battles and creating turnovers when it counts. We need to use our size and physicality to our advantage tonight. 

My Three Players to Watch

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1. Milan Lucic: As one of our bigger wingers, he's going to be a big help in moving the puck down the boards and creating those opportunities in front of the net. His physicality paired with his offensive talent is going to help us come up big tonight.
2. David Krejci: As our top point earner right now, Krejci is going to also be a crucial offensive force in front of the net. He's going to match up well with Shea Weber in that capacity. He's also a strong center men, which is of course going to help gain possession off those face offs.
3. Torey Krug: Krug is small, fast and a great two zone player. Hutton has had issues with other offensively talented defensemen and with his killer shot from the blue line, Krug is going to give Hutton some problems tonight. His ability to keep the puck in the zone is also going to be helpful in keeping pressure on Hutton.

Score Prediction: 4-1 Bruins

Until the end of the game,
Keep calm and Bergeron!
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Bruins Week 14 Injury List

12/23/2013

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Things are looking up this week in terms of injuries with the return of Adam McQuaid to line up in tonight's game against the Nashville Predators. Here's who we're still missing though:

1. Dougie Hamilton: Dougie Hamilton has another 1-2 weeks left in his recovery from a lower body injury suffered during the December 8th game against the Maple Leafs. He has missed 7 games, including tonight's. Dougie started skating with the team during practices yesterday morning at Ristuccia, which is of course a good sign.

2. Daniel Paille: After suffering from concussion like symptoms and missing 6 games thus far, Paille was taking rushes with the team yesterday morning. Paille has been skating on his own since Friday and according to the team has been symptom free for about 6 days. He did not make the trip to Nashville but he's making progress. 

3. Chris Kelly: Kelly is still on IR with that broken ankle and has 3-4 more weeks to go in his recovery.

4. Loui Eriksson: Loui remains on IR with the concussion sustained during that ugly Pittsburgh game. He has not started skating yet.
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Here We Go Again: Bruins v. Sabres Preview

12/21/2013

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Well folks, here we are again. The Bruins (23-10-2) are playing the Buffalo Sabres (9-23-3) tonight at the Garden looking for redemption after Thursday's strange loss.

Keys to Tonight's Game

1. Beating Enroth: The biggest (and really only) issue we had last game was getting the puck past Miller. This was primarily due to our inability to lift the puck and shoot it anywhere else besides his chest and pads. So, what do we need to do tonight against Enroth? Lift the puck and shoot for anywhere but Enroth's chest and pads.

2. Weak Wings: The Sabres are lacking talent and depth in their wings. We saw last game how the Bruins were able to move the puck down the wings with little issue. We continue to take advantage of that and we should see some nice drives, play development and hopefully some goals.

3. Defense: Our defense needs to be more solid and cohesive. Last game we saw a lot of holes and sluggish play which allowed the Sabres to drive straight to the net. One thing that could help achieve this is a minor change to our defensive pairings. We saw a lot more good defensive plays come out of the Chara-Krug pairing than the Chara-Boychuk pairing. I would give this a shot and see how if it continues to be beneficial. 

and that's all there really is left to say about this game. As long as we don't make the same mistakes as we made the other night, we should be fine, especially with Tuukka in net.

Score Prediction: 3-0 Bruins Win

Until after the game,
Keep Calm and Bergeron!
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Thornton's Appeal Update

12/21/2013

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Thornton's appeal hearing was at 9 a.m. yesterday morning. Thornton, his agent and a representative from the NHLPA along with Bettman were in attendance. Thornton's party gave their thoughts on the suspension and why it shouldn't have been as high as it was. 

Bettman will take the weekend to consider the arguments presented and is expected to announce his decision on Monday. I'm hoping for a reduction in the suspension to 10 games, because as I said in my original update on the appeal, 15 games for a guy who has never been suspended in his career is excessive to say the least.

I'll keep you guys posted as more information becomes available.
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Game Recap: 12/19 Vs.  Sabres

12/20/2013

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Well that game did not end at all the way any of us thought it would. The Bruins fell to the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 last night, extending Buffalo's win streak to 2 and dropping our record to 23-10-2 (I never thought I would have to write that sentence.)

In an ideal world, the Sabres should not have been able to accomplish what they did last night against a team at the top of the league. But this loss was not for lack of trying on the Bruins part. In reality, the Bruins overwhelmingly out played the Sabres in almost every aspect of the game, except where it counted: in goals. We dominated puck possession, we out skated them, we out muscled them and we out shot them. What it came down to was who could get the puck past the goalie and alas, the Sabres did a better job. 
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Now, you never ever can blame just the goalie for a loss. But Johnson can't be let off the hook either. He overall looked very sluggish. He looked like he had no control over all the rebounds created. This paired with the lengthy amount of time it took him to re-position himself after any shots on goal led to the Sabres ability to score. I noticed a lot that Johnson left one side of the net wide open every time he moved to make a save and could not correct himself quickly enough. However, it is only one game so I'm not ready to start calling for him to be replaced come next season because his record is 6-2, which is still pretty impressive despite the loss being ugly.

And like I said, it's not entirely his fault the goals went in. Our defense was not looking very good last night. There were a lot of turnovers, our defensive pairings had trouble staying together or being where they needed to be and this created holes that allowed the Sabres to drive to the net. This sudden offensive burst is a little strange for the Sabres, considering their goal differential is -37, but it was the Bruins who allowed it happen.

Not that we an use it as an excuse but the officiating last night was absolutely atrocious. They called a meaningless holding penalty on Torey Krug in the first even though he had done absolutely nothing wrong outside of attempting to create a turnover against the boards. The other questionable call was the two minute roughing penalty on Lucic after Weber dropped the gloves and went after him while Lucic kept his gloves on and just stood there. It was pretty pathetic reffing.

Our offense was by far the best part of the night. Now the biggest problem they had was obviously getting past Miller and this was only because they continually fired at his chest and pads. With the amount of pressure we had on Miller and the number of shots we got off, we should have been able to score had it not been for that annoying habit we have of trying to break through a goalie's chest. The two goals we were able to score are a prime example of what happens when we lift the puck. Marchy scored the lone two goals by lifting the puck. Had we continued this trend, the game may have ended differently. 

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The biggest positive of last night was obviously Marchy's goals. Now, the goals aren't enough for me to recant my statement that he needs to sit out a few games once the injury list is shortened, but they definitely are proving that our little ball of hate is still in there and might be close to resurfacing permanently in the near future. I mean let's be real, those goals were pretty beautiful last night.
1. Short Handed Goal: Marchy takes a long pass from Boychuk from the boards during a power play and breaks away into a two on one with Bergy and manages to bury the puck under Miller's gloved side for his 6th of the season.
2. Wrist Shot: Also early in the second period Marchy takes a pass from Bergy from the point  and buries it up top over Miller's stick side. This was Marchy's 7th of the season.

Another upside was Matt Fraser's fight against Marcus Foligno. This was Fraser's first NHL career fight and although he may have lost, you have to hand it to the guy because Foligno had 20 pounds on him and a good 2 inches. You have to give him credit for the effort and what he was trying to show by fighting. 

Overall, it was upsetting to see the Bruins go down to a team at the bottom of the league but these things happen and we have a chance at redemption tomorrow night. As long as we learn from the mistakes we made last night, we should be fine.

Until then,
Keep calm and Bergeron!

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