B's NewsBlast! - Kess placed on IR as B's Make Five More Transactions

As announced on bostonbruins.com;
Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned defenseman Matt Lashoff and goaltender Kevin Regan to the Providence Bruins and recalled goaltender Tuukka Rask and forward Martin St. Pierre from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis. Additionally, the club has placed forward Phil Kessel on injured reserve (mononucleosis). Rask and St. Pierre are expected to participate in the team's morning skate today and be available for the game against the Montreal Canadiens at the TD Banknorth Garden this evening.

*Rask was recalled on an emergency basis on Saturday, January 10 and served as the team's backup goalie in their 5-1 win over the Hurricanes.Rask has started 30 games this season for Providence and has posted a 17-13-0 record with a 2.42 Goals Against Average and .919 save percentage. His 17 victories are the second most in the AHL.

*St. Pierre has seen action in nine games for Boston this year and recorded 1-2-3 totals. In 32 games with the P-Bruins this season, he registered a 10-28-38 line. The 25-year-old St. Pierre has appeared in 30 NHL games in his career - 21 with Chicago, 9 with Boston - and has tallied two goals and five assists.

*Lashoff has seen action in 13 games for Boston this season, registering one assist, and has played in 18 games for Providence with 4-12-16 totals. He split last season between Boston and Providence and appeared in 18 NHL games, registering 1-4-5 totals and appeared in 60 games for the P-Bruins, tallying 9-27-36 totals.

*Regan was recalled by Boston today, January 12, and participated in the team’s practice this morning at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, MA. A South Boston native, Regan has appeared in 14 games this season for Providence and posted a 6-4-1 record with a 3.33 Goals Against Average and .875 save percentage.

*Of much larger note is that after playing in all 82 regular season games last season, Kessel skated in all 42 games this season and has potted a team-high 24 goals and added 17 assists. His 24 goals rank tied for third in the entire NHL and he owns the longest point streak in the league, having accumulated points in 18 consecutive games from November 13-December 21, 2008. Boston's first round pick (5th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the 21-year-old Kessel has recorded 54-53-107 totals in 194 career NHL games. He had played in 167 straight regular season games, dating back to January 9, 2007.

B's NewsBlast - Kess Named NHL's First Star !

From Bruins.com & the NHL;

Boston, MA -- The NHL announced today that Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel was named NHL’s First Star of the Week for the week ending December 14.Kessel tallied eight points with three goals and five assists in four games last week and extended his point streak to 15 games. Kessel helped lead the Black and Gold to a 3-1-0 record, which improved their Eastern Conference-leading mark to 21-5-4. Kessel notched one goal and one assist in a 5-3 victory over Tampa Bay December 8, registered an assist in a 3-1 loss at Washington Dec. 10, tallied a goal and two assists in a 7-3 win at Atlanta Dec. 12 and closed the week with a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over the Thrashers Dec. 13.Kessel's point streak is a career high, the longest in the NHL this season and longest by a Bruins player since Adam Oates recorded points in 20 consecutive games from Jan. 7 to Feb. 20, 1997. The 21-year-old Madison, Wisconsin native is second in Bruins scoring with 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 30 games, ranks third in the NHL in goals and already has matched his career high of 19 goals set last season.The NHL will conduct a media conference call with Kessel today at 3:00 p.m. ET.Pittsburgh’s Petr Sykora received the Second Star honors as he recorded three goals and five assists in four games last week, while Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek claimed the Third Star after registering a week-high five goals, including two gamewinners.The Bruins return to action on Thursday, December 18 when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:00 p.m. ET.