Kynch's BB Korner Main Page

Red Sox (delayed) Opening Day...must mean NHL playoffs are just around the corner. NICE!

Tonight's game for the B's, just like the rest of them, is all about staying healthy and fine tuning some things. Manny Fernandez will get the start in net, and hopefully he continues to sharpen his game. Having a top flight back-up, while you hope you never need him, could be important in the post-season.

The B's will be without PJ Axelsson, Dennis Wideman and Andrew Ference due to varying degrees of injury. From the sounds of it, Ference is the one most likely to be out longer term. Hopefully whatever ails him is minor, and is in the "day to day" category, not the "week to week" Julien posed as a possibility. This is where the Bruins depth, which they've displayed all season, shows itself. With Wideman and Ference down, Montador and Hnidy are in. While Montador has struggled mightily, he is at least a proven NHL veteran. Hnidy, of course, is also a grizzled vet (who I love seeing in the lineup). Not often teams have that luxury, replacing injured D with vets that are capable of playing to a high level.

The game itself won't be a cake walk, especially considering the bumps and bruises the B's enter the game with. But mostly because Ottawa is playing pretty well right now. They knocked off the Habs, 3-2, last night. I really can't work up much excitement for this one, so this is going to be one of the shortest game day blogs in history. In fact, let's get right to the....

PREDICTIONS:
Boston wins (although honestly, a loss wouldn't surprise me in the least) 3-2. Bergeron, Kobasew and Chara are your scorers.
I don't see any bouts coming tonight...it really isn't worth it for either team. However, I am still hoping somebody lays out Jarko Ruutu. Some guys just deserve it, and he's high on that list.

Just think....this time last year the B's were fighting for their playoff lives. This year, they're dressing their backup goalie, resting minor injuries and generally fine-tuning their game. Amazing what a year can do. G0 B's- Kynch