Game Day @ Habs 2/2/09

Here we go again. As much as Montreal players and fans alike play down the rivalry between them and Boston at times, we all know the Habs want this one badly. It's been easy for Habs fans over the years to say Toronto is a bigger rival. Those games have been closer. In the past, the Habs have had their way with the B's. But the past doesn't do them any good in the present. Not when the Bruins are now the better team. With the much better coach. And just for good measure, Montreal is playing some, shall we say, "uninspired hockey"? They got swept in sunny Florida this week, and are a whopping 5-5 in their last 10 games. On the flip side, the B's are 7-2-1 in their last 10. This while sputtering at times, as they re-integrate their walking wounded into the line-up. All of the Bruins that have just come off IR have played pretty well, but obviously not near where they were when they went down, or where they should be again. But the bottom line is, these are two teams playing at the opposite end of the spectrum, both physically and emotionally. All that being said.....you can bank on the Habs coming out flying today. You just know they WANT this one. They NEED this one. They find themselves in the odd situation of playing catch-up to the Bruins. Both in the overall standings (Boston holds a 16, yes, 16 point lead over Montreal) and in the season series as the Habs are 0-2-1 in the last three games, since taking a shootout win in Montreal in October. The Habs, if they want to get their mojo back, need to win this one, in regulation. But all of that emotion coming from the crowd and the home bench, may actually help Boston. They've played pretty well lately, but for long stretches recently, they've seemed to lack much "emotion". A trip to Montreal can fix that in a hurry. If they don't match the emotion, they could be in trouble. But I don't think that will be an issue. I fully expect a strong showing today, from both sides. ROUGH STUFF: This is one of those weird games, where I almost expect the unexpected. Any time you have an emotionally charged game between rivals, anything can happen. And that means, some unlikely guys could end up throwing down. I wouldn't be stunned if someone like Mark Stuart, Dennis Wideman or even a Chuck Kobasew ended up going today. For Montreal, a Max Lapierre or a Latendresse could find themselves in a bout. But the interesting thing, to me anyway, is that Montreal called up D-man Alex Henry. Henry is a 6'6" 230lber. I've said it before and I'll say it again...if Carboneau (AKA: The RODENT) wants to alter his lineup and style of play to match up with Boston, I'm thrilled. Now, I wouldn't call this a case of them calling up a "goon". But it's close. It's clearly an attempt to insert some size and toughness into a line up that desperately needs it. In watching all of Henry's fights in the AHL this year (he's had 8), the vast majority are a case of him responding to a teammate being hit hard. Clean, but hard usually. As a result, he hasn't really fought many tough guys, just "regular players" that happened to throw a body check. That also means he's ended up going with much smaller opponents. And one of those smallish guys, Aaron Downy, gave him all he could handle. Henry throws rights, almost exclusively. He throws big shots, but doesn't look like he plays much defense in his bouts. If he goes with anyone that knows what they're doing, he could be in trouble. Lucic or Thornton *should* handle him if it comes to that. But really, I'd just let Henry run around picking up penalties and let it slide. I'd rather take an actual good player to the box with a Lucic if possible. PREDICTION: After all is said and done, I feel the better team will win. And right now, that is Boston. All of the Rodent's line-up changes will only serve to confuse and distract his team, as usual. So, I look for a B's win, 4-2. Bergeron, Ryder, Savard and Chara are your goal scorers. There will be at least one bout, but probably a pair (or more if it gets out of hand?). So, I'm going with a Kobasew-Kostopoulos wild card bout (nothing new for Kostopoulos, but Chucky would be a rarity). For the "Main event", look for Henry and Thornton. The "BIG GAME" is at 2PM today, contrary to what you may have heard. The 6PM game is merely icing on this sports fan cake. Go B's-Kynch

Game Day vs Devils, 1/29/09

The meat grinder continues. In round two of this weeks battle royale, the Devils come to town, riding a 6 game winning streak. BC grad Scott Clemenson is *almost* making people forget about Martin Brodeur. His 2.25 GAA puts him 6th in the league. Not bad for a guy who has basically no chance of playing since he broke into the league. He's now 20-9-1 in his 30 games since Brodeur went down. Yes, the Devils play a very strict, solid defensive system. But don't be fooled. Clemenson is the real deal. The Dev's also have some surprising scoring punch up front this year. Raise your hand if you thought Zack Parise would have 28 goals at this point (or any) of the season? Patrick Elias isn't far behind, at 21 goals. And newly acquired veteran winger Brendan Shanahan already has 2 goals in his first 3 games. Despite all that, don't look for the scoreboard to be lighting up much. Unless of course, you're looking at the penalty minutes. I fully expect a bout or two tonight. It just seems "right". NJ wants this one badly, I'm sure. They're feeling good coming in. And there is nothing they'd love more than to knock off the Conference leader on their own ice. I expect an intense, physical game. That should lend itself to some tempers flaring, and off we they go. From the Boston side, the news is almost all great. Phil Kessel, he of the super human recovery skills (remember, he missed less than a month with cancer), did it again. He'll be back tonight after missing only 6 games with Mononucleosis. Michael Ryder, out with the flu for the Caps game, also will be back tonight. Only injury, other than Manny Fernandez, is Nokaleinen. But honestly, as much as I liked him and how he played last year...he really hasn't done a thing this season. So him missing a few games just gives rookie Byron Bitz more opportunity to prove he belongs. From the quotes from his teammates, specifically Shawn Thornton, the guys love Bitz and don't want him to go anywhere. Of course, Thornton is probably just happy to have another big body around to take some of the load off his back. I see Bitz *possibly* developing into a Shawn Thornton type player. A good all around player, that can actually play the game AND drop the gloves with anyone. Bitz isn't in the same league right now, but once he forgets all that Ivy league (Cornell) stuff and gets some NHL caliber experience, he'll be fine. He's got some good tutors around him now for sure. ROUGH STUFF: As I said, look for a big time physical game tonight. David Clarkson, the Dev's fighting major leader with 12, will probably have a scrap tonight. Not sure if he wants to get fed his lunch by Lucic again, but who knows? Lucic, fresh off a shoulder injury, is an even more risky proposition in the fight game. I'd really hate to see him aggravate the injury in a fight. Michael Rupp, a close second (11 bouts) to Clarkson could also get involved tonight. From the Boston side, I'd prefer to see a Thornton-Rupp and Bitz-Clarkson bout. Although, even though Clarkson is smaller than Rupp, he's a better fighter. So Thornton may be a better match up there. Either way, they should be entertaining tilts. PREDICTION: 2-1 would be too predictable I think. So I'm going with 3-2, possibly another OT game. But I think this ends in regulation. Go B's- Kynch

B's NewsBlast! - Hail, Hail the Gang's All Here! Kess & Ryder to Play Tonight vs.Devils

According to Fluto Shinzawa from the Boston Globe & as posted on boston.com;

Kessel makes quick recovery, back tonight

WILMINGTON - Phil Kessel has had enough of tracking his teammates on television.

"I hate watching," said Kessel. "It's tough when you want to be out there helping your team. But the boys did a great job."
On Tuesday, prior to the Bruins' 3-2 overtime win over Washington, Kessel got some good news when he was cleared to play by team doctors. Yesterday at Ristuccia Arena, he went through his first full practice with his teammates since his last game, Jan. 10 against Carolina. Barring a last-minute change of plans, Kessel will be back in the lineup tonight against New Jersey after missing only six games because of mononucleosis.

"I'm fine. I'm back," Kessel said. "I got the test done [Tuesday]. I'm cleared. So I'm pretty happy about it."

Kessel, the team's leading goal scorer (24-17 -41 in 42 games), was originally expected to miss a month. However, he thought he was suffering from mononucleosis for several weeks before he was diagnosed.
"I didn't feel very good for a while," Kessel said. "Just wasn't feeling like myself."
In the last nine games before he was sidelined, Kessel totaled only three goals and one assist. Prior to the nine-game stretch, he had scored at least 1 point in 18 straight games.

"I thought I had it for a while," said Kessel, who had been skating on his own prior to yesterday's practice. "I went in there probably about a month before. They said no, but I knew I had it. Whatever, though. It's finished now."
Yesterday Kessel practiced on a line with Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron. If he plays tonight, he is expected to be reunited with regular center Marc Savard, who was given yesterday off along with the team's three other All-Star participants (Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas, and Blake Wheeler). Kessel should be back in uniform one game after the Bruins welcomed Lucic, Bergeron, and Andrew Ference back.

Kessel wore a protective wrap around his midsection for precautionary purposes - contact to the spleen is dangerous for patients with mononucleosis - but was involved physically in two-on-two and three-on-three drills down low. He stayed on the ice after practice for some skills work with assistant coach Doug Houda.

"He hasn't done much over the last couple of weeks, so it's more about timing," said coach Claude Julien of Kessel. "That's what we tried to do with him at the end of practice, having him work on his skills and handling the puck to see if we can help him get his timing back."

On the bubble Byron Bitz, who threw down with heavyweight Donald Brashear for his first NHL fight Tuesday, could be facing an assignment to Providence as the Bruins return to full health.

B's NewsBlast! - Patrice Bergeron to PLAY this evening verses the Caps!

As just announced on bostonbruins.com;

Forward Patrice Bergeron has been cleared and will play in tonight's game versus the Washington Capitals. Bergeron last played against Carolina on December 20th. Welcome back Patrice & keep your head up!

B's NewsBlast! - B's Recall Goaltender Tuukka Rask from Providence On An Emergency Basis

As reported on bostonbruins.com

Boston Bruins Recall Goaltender Tuukka Rask from Providence On An Emergency Basis

BOSTON - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled goaltender Tuukka Rask from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis. Rask will join the team for practice Monday at 2:00 p.m. at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, MA.

Rask has started 34 games this season for Providence and has posted a 19-15-0 record with a 2.46 Goals Against Average and .918 save percentage. His 19 victories are the third most in the AHL. This is his third recall to Boston this season, and he has served as the team’s backup goaltender in two games (1/10 vs. CAR and 1/13 vs. MTL). Rask played in four games last year for Boston and registered a 2-1-1 record, with his first NHL game and first NHL victory coming on November 20, 2007 in a 4-2 win at Toronto. He was recalled on four occasions last season and dressed as a backup for 16 games while playing in four. In his first professional season last year with Providence, he compiled a 27-13-2 record and a 2.33 Goals Against Average and helped lead the P-Bruins to the best regular season record in the AHL. Originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round (21st overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, the 21-year-old Rask was acquired by the Bruins on June 24, 2006 in exchange for goaltender Andrew Raycroft. The Bruins will begin a three game homestand Tuesday night, January 27, against the Washington Capitals at 7:00 p.m ET

A "Rocky" Moment in Montreal?

Well well well......I think I've seen (and heard) it all now. In the ever-hostile Bell Center this weekend, Tim Thomas and the rest of the Bruins players (especially Chara, of course) heard a chorus of boos every time their names were mentioned, or they were shown on the jumbo-tron...or touched the puck.....whatever. I was surprised, and impressed to see the warm welcome Claude Julien received. Certainly well deserved. Habs fans were none too happy Saturday night, seeing Blake Wheeler win MVP of the Young Stars game. Then watching as Chara sets a new hardest shot record, winning this event for the third straight year (and, raising $24K for "Right To Play" in the process. Nice work Z). The they had to suffer through Mark Savard placing second in the elimination shoot-out event (aided, I must admit by teammate Tim Thomas....guess that's why you weren't supposed to shoot against your own goalie, eh?). But the thing that really has to stick in their craw today is, the sick feeling they must have woken up with....once they realized that they actually.....cheered for Tim Thomas? Tim "the flopping, most over rated, not an NHL caliber goalie" Thomas? The guy that allowed Alex Kovalev to ride off with a new Honda Ridgeline? Oh man, I'm telling you.....they must be sicker than the last time they ordered bad poutine and Mad Cow burgers from a sidewalk cart on Crescent Street. But it's true. Oh, they tried real hard to hate on him. They booed lustily, even after he made a few stops. But then, like a scene out of Rocky IV, the crowd slowly started to warm up to this "evil" Thomas. Through the frigid Montreal winter's chill, their hearts melted, at least for that moment, and they actually cheered every miraculous save Thomas turned in. Oh, it started slowly. But by the time he stoned Iginla with a phenomenal save, the crowd was in full throat, this time CHEERING FOR A BOSTON BRUIN! Mercifully, Thomas refrained from giving us the whole Rocky "If I can change, and you can change...the whole WORLD can change" speech (as far as I know). So, to all of you Ivan Drago fans up North, a sincere thanks from all of us Rocky Balboa fans down here. I'm sure the hate will back full force next Sunday. But deep down, you have to live with that dirty feeling you have inside. You know you cheered for the guy. You know you were impressed. It's ok. We all know it too. Let's just say we'll keep it as our dirty little secret, and we won't talk about it anymore? As far as the All-Star weekend goes, I thought it was well done all around (with the possible exception of VS's maddening coverage of the young stars game). I'm not really a huge fan of All-star games in general, but the skills contest was great. I really enjoyed the new elimination shoot-out. Nice touches by the canadiens organization, introducing former greats during the game. Well done, not too over the top. Although frankly, if I never hear the words "Canadiens 100th year" again I'll be perfectly happy. At times I think the NHL Network and VS forgot that this was the NHL ALL-star game, and focused a bit too much on the Habs history etc. But hey, that was expected, so no big deal. Now, if only the B's can get back a reasonably healthy team in time for this crazy busy week they have on tap, I'll be happy. Go B's-Kynch

Recap of the B's "Excellent All Star Adventure" in Montreal

Well it was NHL All-Star Weekend in Montreal and what's Bruin to do? I guess dominate things much like they have the whole regular season so far... To wit; The four participating Bruins were initially greeted by Fans Les Habs with the totally expected and all too familiar boos but a funny thing happened along the way as it seemed like our Black & Gold stars were able to almost "win" over the capacity crowd at every turn with their efforts as not even the most restless & witless Bruins haters could deny their contributions over the weekend in what turned out to be a great showing by each of the Bruins All-Stars.

The weekend got off to a great start for the B's delegation Saturday evening when Bruins rookie Blake Wheeler was named MVP of the YoungStars Game after recording a hat trick and a few assists to led the Rookie Team over the Sophomore Team & Carey "The Messiah" Price, 9-5 (which you'd have to think if David Krejci had been playing would have been a 10-9 win for the Sophomore's but that's another story...)

"Wheels" effort was then followed up by B's Captain Zdeno Chara breaking Al Iafrate's 16-year-old hardest shot record with a blistering 105.4 mph slap shot on the final attempt of the event. All while wearing what I think is the WORST TUK I've ever seen in my life. I mean I can appreciate & get the marketing attempt for Z's favorite charity "Right to Play" (http://www.righttoplay.com/) but that hat's gotta go Z! Yikes!

As for the All Star Game itself, Hab favorite Alexei Kovalev gave the Montreal & Canadiens fans something new to cheer about in their 100th Anniversary season by scoring two breakaway goals and then scoring in the shootout to help give the Eastern Conference All-Stars a wild 12-11 victory over the West on Sunday night. Kovalev, the East captain who had three points and skated off with MVP honors.

However the REAL STORY & REAL MVP winner should have been off the effort of B's Goalie Tim Thomas who entered into a tie game starting the third period and into overtime having to kill a 4-on-3 power play. And then, a shootout.

This was way more than Tim Thomas apparently bargained for by noting: "So much for the just relaxing and enjoying myself," he said shortly after securing the win for the East for the second-straight year. However unlike last season's game in Atlanta, Thomas had to work a lot harder to pick up this "W." He stopped 16 of 19 shots to help the East force overtime, where he was perfect against three shots, including two that came when Montreal DefenseDOPE Mike Komisarek was in the penalty box after he was whistled for hooking, the game's lone infraction (Good to see Komisarek's effort is consistent regardless of the circumstances, Nice work Mike!)

Komisarek, who appreared "stunned" he got called for a penalty, admitted there was one on the play. Thomas said he didn't see it because he was watching the puck."In a way I was happy he didn't order a penalty shot, but in another way I was like, 'Oh no, it's 4-on-3 with the best players in the world for two minutes,' " Thomas said. "Either way, it doesn't look good."Thomas made it look good. And his performance in the shootout was the capper. Like last year, Thomas was picked as the East's third-period goalie. His teammates believe he asks for it because he's got a little showman in him."I knew he'd set it up to get that third period again," Bruins center Marc Savard said."He's the big finisher," Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara added. "The closer."

Probably the oddest but most enjoyable thing about the weekend was that the sellout crowd of Montreal fans, who were chanting "Go Habs Go" earlier in the night, started chanting "Defense, Defense" as the game got tighter and the play a bit chippier. And somehow Thomas, a mortal enemy in this building, became a "Habs fan favorite" through his determined play backboning the Eastern squad to the win. "Going through, shaking hands with Alexei (Kovalev), I said this is probably the last time Montreal will ever be cheering for me," Thomas said."He was a teammate tonight," Komisarek said. "Tomorrow he's the enemy." And so aren't you Mike!

All in all though you have to say the weekend was a success on most levels mostly because of the great work of Montreal's entire hockey organization and dare I say it; their fans for being able to put aside "Blue Blanc Rouge" & simply come across as TRUE HOCKEY FANS and for that I send to them a respectful "Ole"

But now it's back to the business of hating and disrespecting each other which for me is much more natural and at times much more enjoyable! So again I offer; "Great job this weekend Montreal but the Hab's still Suck!" - Let's Go Broounze! KingKrej

B's NewsBlast! - B's Assign Sobotka, St. Pierre & Lashoff to Providence

As released on bostonbruins.com;

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned forward Vladimir Sobotka, forward Martin St. Pierre, and defenseman Matt Lashoff to the Providence Bruins (AHL)

*Sobotka has played in 19 games for Boston during the 2008-2009 season and recorded 1-2=3 totals. In 19 games with the P-Bruins this year, Sobotka tallied 11 goals and 12 assists.

*St. Pierre has seen action in 14 games for Boston this year and recorded 2-2=4 totals. He netted the shootout-tying goal during Boston's 4-3 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. In 32 games with the P-Bruins this season, he registered a 10-28=38.

*Lashoff has seen action in 16 games for Boston this season, registering one assist, and has played in 18 games for Providence with 4-12=16 totals.

The Boston Bruins return to action after the NHL All-Star Break on Tuesday, January 27th when they host the Washington Capitals at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Five Bruins will participate in this weekend's NHL All-Star festivities, with Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard and Tim Thomas suiting up for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, head coach Claude Julien coaching the Eastern Conference All-Stars and rookie Blake Wheeler participating in the 2009 YoungStars game. Milan Lucic was selected to play in the YoungStars game but he will be unable to participate due to injury. The All-Star festivities will be televised nationally in the U.S. on VERSUS on Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET (SuperSkills Competition) and Sunday, January 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET (All-Star Game)