2010-11 Boston Bruins (Sort Of) Weekly Puck Drop:

Game 29 at Buffalo (12/15/10):

After a few days off, the B’s hit the road for back-to-back nights in Buffalo and Montréal. B’s come into this game two points behind the Habs with two games in hand. Tuukka Rask started in goal against Ryan Miller. Tim Connolly, Drew Stafford and Rob Niedermayer returned to the Sabres’ lineup after being out with injuries. The B’s rushed the Sabres’ end in the opening minute and put two shots on goal that Miller turned aside. Krejci and Lucic broke in on a 2-on-1 but Miller knocked away Krejci’s shot. Midway through the period, the B’s had sustained pressure in the Sabres’ end but Miller thwarted. Ference went off at 12:43 for roughing and then Stafford went off for a slash about a minute later, but neither team’s power play was particularly effective. Krejci scored at 17:29 on a tip in of Seidenberg’s shot from the left point. Krejci smartly broke into the zone following a line change and circled in front of the net to redirect Seidenberg’s shot. Lucic was then whistled off for boarding at 17:49 and Stafford scored at 18:41 on a scrum in front of the net, backhanding a rebound of Roy’s shot from directly in front of Rask.

The Sabres came out in the second period with greater intensity than they showed in the first (though the normally boisterous Buffalo crowd remained eerily quiet). Chara’s bomb from the point rang the iron as the B’s continued to press the action. Hecht went off for hooking at 7:59 and then Myers was called for delay of game, giving the B’s a 5-on-3 for nearly a minute. After the Sabres killed off both penalties, Vanek beat McQuaid at the blue line and broke in alone but Rask made the stop. Bergeron was sent off for hooking at 16:16, following a rush by the Sabres on which Rask made a sprawling save of Tyler Ennis’ shot. Bergeron broke out of the penalty box and fired a shot on Miller that was snared. In the final minute, Horton was robbed by Miller of a point blank blast.

The B’s had an early power play to open the third as Connolly went off for tripping at 1:57 but once more they could not break beyond the perimeter. The Sabres regrouped and Connolly fired a bomb that Rask scrambled to save. Mike Weber tripped Thornton and was sent off at 5:04 and Ryder (9) scored at 6:21 as he grabbed a pass from Kampfer, broke in alone and fired a wrist shot past Miller. The Sabres came right back to tie the score at 6:53 as Roy fed Stafford with a pass from right wing and Stafford cut across to the front of the net and beat Rask. Midway through the period, the B’s had a goal waved off after they crashed the net and Thornton was called for goaltender interference. In the scrum, Marchand fired the puck into a wide open net but the penalty was immediately called. The Sabres immediately scored right off the faceoff as Stafford (hat trick) banked in a pass from Roy and Buffalo took a 3-2 lead. Lucic was called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 18:22, putting the Sabres on the power play for the balance of the period. Lucic then screamed expletives at the referee for the (dubious) call, basically handing Buffalo the win on a silver platter. Rask left the net with about a minute remaining and forced a faceoff in Buffalo’s end. Bergeron had a great chance from the left side that Miller scrambled to pick and then the B’s crashed the net in the final seconds but it was to no avail. A fight broke out after the final horn went off as Chara, Savard and Bergeron all became involved in an ugly scene that will most likely be revisited the next time the teams meet.

Game 30 at Montréal (12/16/10):
One night after such a disappointing loss, the B’s traveled to Montréal for a date with first-place Le Club de Hockey Canadien (18-11-2-38). After last night’s loss, the B’s remain two points back at 16-9-4-36. During the off-season, the Habs traded backup goalie Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis but Carey Price has played out of this world so far with .931 save percentage and a 2.07 GAA. As always, Habs management has a knack of knowing which players to keep and which to trade away. Price started against Tim Thomas.

In the opening moments, Mike Cammallieri picked a turnover at center ice, skated in alone and was hooked from behind by Chara. Cammallieri was awarded a penalty shot and scored at 1:04 on the backhand. Habs’ PK Subban was called for hooking at 3:46, giving the B’s an early power play. Canadiens have the League’s top PK unit at 88% efficiency and did a good job cutting off the angles and shutting down the power play. Habs made it 2-0 at 6:24 as Maxim LaPierre scored on a 2-on-1 in front of the net after a breakdown in the B’s end. When the B’s fall behind by two goals, their record is 1-8-1 so far this year. Brian Gionta nearly made it 3-0 on a point blank shot that was broken up in front of Thomas. The Centre Bell crowd began chanting, “Thomas, Thomas” in mock derision of the B’s goaltender. Gionta nearly scored again as Thomas robbed him at the doorstep. Blake Wheeler put the B’s on the board at 15:52 on a tip in of a blocked shot. The play was set up by a nice pass from Bergeron from behind the net. Recchi effectively screened Price out front. Lucic came back to put a shot on Price that was knocked away as the B’s had their best sustained pressure of the game. Subban then collided with Marchand (flying up left wing) with a ferocious body check that stunned Marchand and sent him skulking back to the bench. Campbell confronted Subban afterwards and was sent off for roughing. Max Pacioretty made it 3-1 just as the power play expired at 19:30 as he fired a backhander from the right corner that deflected off of Andrew Ference’s skate and behind Thomas.

Canadiens started off quickly, putting two shots on Thomas in the opening seconds of the second period. Cammallieri came back to fire a shot directly out in front of Thomas that was kicked away as Canadiens were skating rings around the B’s. Cammallieri then had another great chance out front that Thomas deflected away. Mark Savard scored his first goal of the season at 6:54 on a deflection of Ference’s shot from the point to make it 3-2. Bergeron had two quick shots that Price scrambled to knock away and Steve Kampfer followed with a shot from the point that Price snared as the B’s finally decided to skate with Canadiens. Kampfer was sent off for holding at 9:45 as every time the B’s got a little momentum another stupid penalty killed it. Two non-pugilists, Cammalieri and Krejci decided to have a go at 11:31 and Krejci had three great rights before the takedown. After the fight, the B’s picked up the tempo as Bergeron and Wheeler had quality chances on Price that were stopped. Gionta scored to make it 4-2 at 16:54 when Pacioretty fired from the left hash and the puck bounced off Seidenberg and into the net. It was a typical lucky Montreal bounce. Thomas then made a nice stop off of Cammalieri’s wrist shot out front. Darche was called for interference at 19:29 when he leveled Boychuk out in front of the net, giving the B’s a chance to open the third with a power play.

At the conclusion of the power play, Gionta fired a shot on Thomas on a 2-on-1 break that Thomas deflected away. Tomas Plekanec had a breakaway when he broke up Kampfer’s shot, skated in alone but Thomas made a nice kick save. Subban was called for tripping at 5:08 but Canadiens killed off the penalty. After going back and forth for several minutes, Roman Hamrlik was called for tripping at 14:06 and Lucic scored about a minute later to make it 4-3. The B’s picked up the tempo after that and pulled Thomas with a minute left, but it was to no avail as Canadiens clamped down in their end and the B’s ended up losing another one-goal game. Two of Canadiens’ goals came from lucky bounces, but that’s the way things usually go for the Bruins in Montréal.

Game 31 v. Washington (12/18/10):
The B’s limped back to the Garden after having lost three straight for a date with the Caps, who are 0-5-2 in their last seven games. The Caps and Penguins will be playing the Winter Classic at Heinz Field on New Year’s Day, and cameras are following both teams in a “Hard Knocks”-type documentary leading up to the game. The B’s need to come out hard tonight, as they’ve really played not poorly but frustratingly inefficient in recent games.

Michal Neuverth started in goal against Tim Thomas before a packed house at the Garden. Wheeler nearly scored on a tip in thirty seconds in as the B’s came out flying on the opening shift. The boys scuffled behind the Caps’ net after the B’s fourth line came out with high energy and crashed the net. McQuaid fired a bomb from the point that Neuvirth scooped. Bergeron followed with a shot that just went wide and followed that up with two shots, the second of which he scored at 3:27 on a perfect pass from Wheeler. The B’s maintained their high energy as Seguin nearly scored on a tip in at the left post, and then Bergeron followed with a shot that Neuvirth scrambled to save. Andrew Ference made it 2-0 at 8:13 on a wrist shot from the point as the B’s were overwhelming the Caps (who immediately called their timeout). Right off the faceoff, McQuaid and Matt Bradley had a rock ‘em-sock ‘em go that McQuaid won going away. Alex Ovechkin then had a point blank chance on which Thomas made an acrobatic save. The B’s continued to press as Horton nearly scored at the doorstep on a pass from Lucic that Neuvirth slid across the goal to knock away. Wheeler (8) made it 3-0 B’s at 17:03 on Bergeron’s pass from behind the net. The B’s put forth more effort in that period than in the previous two games combined.

Seguin broke in alone early in the period and was stoned by Neuvirth. Caps immediately countered and Mark Bradley scored at 2:18 on the rush to the net. Following the goal, Caps had serious pressure in the B’s end and Thomas made a couple of good stops. Neuvirth then robbed Wheeler as the B’s transitioned well. Marchand was called for a high stick at 5:23 and Ovechkin had two shots on the power play that Thomas turned aside as the B’s killed off the penalty. Late in the period, Neuvirth was injured while making a save on Campbell’s shot; it appeared as if he pulled a muscle but was able to continue. The fans booed as they interpreted his injury as trying to obtain a stoppage in play while the B’s were pressing the action. For someone who was writhing in agony only moments earlier, Neuvirth rebounded quite well in the closing seconds.

In the opening minutes of the third, neither side came out particularly energized or sharp, as only Ovechkin had a shot that Thomas knocked away with his blocker. Brad Marchand was injured at some point of the second and did not return. Ovechkin and Backstrom had a couple of shots that Thomas stopped as the Caps picked up the pace and pressed hard in the B’s end. The B’s were not making plays and the Caps took advantage. Laich had a backhanded attempt on Knuble’s pass that tested Thomas as the Caps were going all-out. Midway through the period, Bradley had a tip-in attempt that Thomas scrambled to stop. At that point, Caps were out-shooting the B’s 18-1 in the period. Karl Alzner made it 3-2 at 14:32 on a shot from the point from which Thomas was screened. Caps came right back into the B’s end directly from the faceoff and crashed the net. Neuvirth left the net with 45 seconds left as Laich nearly scored in traffic out in front of the net but Thomas made a nice glove save. With 16 seconds left, the B’s took their timeout. Ovechkin fired a backhander on Thomas and then a scrum ensued in front of the net. The B’s won the faceoff with 10 seconds left and Seidenberg cleared the puck out of the zone to seal the win. The B’s were fortunate to escape with the two points. Were it not for Thomas’ tremendous work in the third period, the outcome would’ve been different.

Game 32 v. Anaheim (12/20/10):
Prior to Monday night’s date with the Ducks, the B’s announced that winger Brad Marchand was out with an “undisclosed injury”. Dan Paille took his place in the lineup. Marchand brings a great deal of energy to the fourth line and is currently tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals. The Ducks have lost their last two games come in at 17-15-4-38. Both teams are presently in 8th place in their respective conferences. If the B’s win this game, they would move into the top spot in the Northeast Division. The B’s came out in their road uniforms while the Ducks came out debuting their third sweater with the webbed “D” logo in front.

Tim Thomas started against Jonas Hiller. Krejci went off for interference at 1:08 but the B’s killed off the penalty while allowing only two shots. Horton put the B’s first shot on Hiller five minutes in when he fired a wrist shot that Hiller snared. Brandon McMillan scored at 5:57 when he picked up a loose puck in front of the net on a rebound from Luca Sbisa’s shot, putting the B’s in an early hole. Through the first 13 minutes, the B’s put only 2 shots on Hiller. Late in the period, Toni Lydman took a deflected slap shot right in the mouth and immediately went to the dressing room for repairs. Bergeron had a drive that struck Hiller in the mask, but the goalie was able to recover and make the stop. Nathan Horton took a stiff arm to the face and needed a look by the training staff. The B’s did pick up their pace somewhat late in the period, but that was a pretty dull period all the way around.

The B’s opened up the second period at a higher pace, as they put three shots in the first minute. Gregory Campbell and Chipchura had an early go, with Campbell winning on points. The B’s spent the first three minutes in the Ducks’ zone, but other than Recchi’s backhanded attempt, the Ducks’ D held tight. The Ducks’ Lubomir Visnovsky broke alone into the B’s end and scored from just inside the blue line at 4:45 on a pass from Teemu Selanne. Steve Kampfer took a hard check into the boards and landed awkwardly and needed attention from the trainer. Selanne was sent off for boarding at 9:02. Todd Marchant had two shorthanded opportunities that Thomas knocked away. Horton came back and had a good chance that Hiller deflected away. After the power play ended, Lucic attempted a wrap-around shot that was knocked away. Getzlaf then went off for tripping at 13:34. Bobby Ryan had a testing chance on the shorthand that Thomas kicked out. Corey Perry then scored on the shorthand at 15:05 with a backhander from directly out in front on a pass from McMillan and the B’s were now in a deep hole. Late in the period, Ryder broke in and fired a wrist shot that Hiller stopped.

The Ducks started the third period quickly, putting three shots on Thomas in the first two minutes. As the period unfolded, the B’s picked up the pace and fired a few shots on Hiller, but didn’t push the puck beyond the perimeter, and the fans made known their displeasure. Seguin had the B’s best chance of the night at 12:10 as he was robbed by Hiller on a point blank shot directly out front. Thornton nearly tipped one in late in the game on a pass from Krejci and then Seguin put one on net that Hiller slapped away. Bergeron followed with a shot that Hiller knocked away as the B’s had their best sustained pressure of the night. The B’s ended up putting 44 shots on goal in this one (talk about misleading statistics). Their record so far when putting 40+ shots on goal is 1-6-1.

After the Anaheim game, the locals were most displeased with the team and generally calling for the coach’s job. Neely and Chiarelli both indicated in radio interviews that the coach’s job was not in jeopardy but that all parties involved were accountable and everyone needed to step up their game. On the day before the Atlanta game, there was a spirited practice and news reports indicated that several players nearly came to blows. They could’ve better used that energy in the game with the Ducks…

Game 33 v. Atlanta (12/23/10):
The B’s needed to come out with a little passion for this game, as the fans were noticeably upset following the team’s lackluster loss to Anaheim. Ondrej Pavalec started in goal for the Thrashers against Tim Thomas. Scott Thornton and Eric Boulton had a heavyweight bout right off the opening faceoff with Boulton getting most of the damage. Chara went off for hooking at 2:46 after the Thrashers put two quality chances on Thomas. Bergeron then scored at 3:00 on a shorthanded breakaway down left wing, tucking the wrap around past Pavalec. The Thrashers buzzed around the B’s net on the power play and Ladd was called for dumping Thomas at 4:57. Lucic was then called for a high stick after clipping Brent Sopel. The B’s maintained a high tempo throughout the period and pressed heavily in Atlanta’s end.

The B’s went up 2-0 at 4:04 of the second when Ryder snapped a wrist shot with Krejci screening Pavalec. 56 seconds later, Shawn Thornton made it 3-0 on a one-timer from the right dot that blew past Pavalec. Byfuglien scored at 8:40 for Atlanta, but that was the Thrashers’ only opportunity in the period as the B’s kept skating hard and creating opportunities.

The B’s scored at 4:54 of the third when Thornton scored on a backhand from a perfect pass from Paille on a 2-on-1 break. Following the goal, Horton had a great chance on a one-timer but Pavalec slid across and made a great stop. An ugly brawl then occurred after Lucic was checked hard (and high) skating down left wing by Meyer and Ference came to his defense. Ference was bloodied in a bout while all the other players on the ice fought. Lucic hit Meyer in the side of the head and received a match penalty. In the final moments of the game, Thornton was double-shifted as his teammates did everything to help him score the hat trick, and he did hit the post but no cigar. The B’s played with commitment and passion all night long and the home crowd went home very happy.

Five For The Road:

The B’s opened their post-Christmas break with a five-game road trip that featured three games down south followed by divisional games with Buffalo and Toronto. In the opener against Florida Panthers (Game 34, 12/27), David Krejci scored two goals (including the game-tying tally midway through the third) and Blake Wheeler scored the only goal in the shootout as the B’s prevailed 3-2.

The following night (Game 35, 12/28), the B’s traveled to the Gulf Coast for a date with the Lightning, where they scored very early and very late and came away with a thrilling 3-2 win. The B’s went on the power play right off the opening faceoff and Michael Ryder scored at 28 seconds. Stamkos tied the score on the power play midway through the first. Steve Kampfer scored his first NHL goal early in the second period and Vincent Lecavailier came back to tie the score late in the period and the teams went into the third tied 2-2. Brad Marchand scored at 3:00 of the third to put the B’s up 3-2, but once again, they couldn’t hold the lead as Martin St. Louis tied the score midway through. The game looked like it was heading for overtime when Stamkos was called for boarding in the final minute. Mark Recchi scored on the power play with 19.7 seconds remaining in the third and the B’s came up with another big win, as the road trip began with a rousing start.

Two nights later, the B’s found themselves in Atlanta (Game 36, 12/30) for another date with the Thrashers. Most folks thought that the brawling that marked the end of last week’s game would spill over into this game, but fans were instead treated to a high intensity game in which the Thrashers prevailed 3-2 in a shootout. Tomas Enstrom scored early for the Thrashers but Patrice Bergeron tied the score at 14:09 on a beautiful backhander. Blake Wheeler scored in the first minute of the second period and then Enstrom came back to tie the game at 3:23. After a scoreless third period (in which the B’s put 18 shots on Pavalec) and overtime, Stapleton’s goal in the shootout proved to be the game winner.

The B’s opened up 2011 (Game 37, 1/1/11) in Buffalo and played a rather uninspiring brand of defense as they blew a couple of two-goal leads early on and ended up losing 7-6 in a shootout. Rask started but was pulled in favor of Thomas at the end of the first period. Five and half minutes into the first, the B’s had a 3-1 lead as the offense had some real success against Ryan Miller, who’s usually a tough nut to crack. But Matthew Stafford (who simply kills the Bruins) scored twice in the period and the B’s held a 4-3 edge going into the second period. Buffalo scored two goals in the second to take a 5-4 lead heading into the third. Tyler Seguin scored a beautiful goal at 3:08 to tie the score and Steve Kampfer put the B’s ahead 6-5 on a pass from Seguin at 7:06. The B’s held the lead until the final minute when Miller was pulled for an extra attacker and Stafford scored the tying goal with 28 seconds left. After a scoreless overtime, the game moved to the shootout and Tyler Ennis’ goal proved to be the game winner.

The B’s closed out the long road trip two nights later (Game 38, 1/3/11) with a thrilling 2-1 win over Leafs at Air Canada Centre. In a bit of a surprise, Tuukka Rask started for the B’s and stood on his head all night long. Mikail Grabovski put Toronto ahead at 14:08 of the first, but the B’s responded with two goals in the second by Nathan Horton (who hadn’t scored in a blue moon) and Savard. Leafs kept the pressure on Rask thereafter, but he proved to be outstanding on this night, shutting down every Toronto advance. With the win, the B’s picked up eight out of a possible ten points on the trip and everyone was excited about their return home to face Minnesota.

Game 39 v. Minnesota (1/6/11):
After five games on the road, the B’s returned home on Thursday for a date with the Wild, who have yet to lose in five prior games in Boston. The B’s are now 21-11-6-48 (1st Place Northeast) while the Wild are 19-15-5-43 (3rd Place Northwest). Only four points separate the third and fourteenth teams in the Western Conference. Tuukka Rask started in goal against Jose Theodore. From the opening faceoff, the B’s came out with great intensity in the attacking zone, as Theodore was called on to make a series of saves. Midway through the period, Rask made a brilliant sliding stop off of Marc-Andre Bouchard’s shot from directly out on front on a 2-on-1 break. Kyle Broadziak was called for a trip at 11:47, putting the B’s on the power play. The B’s are 0-31 all-time on the power play against the Wild. Make that 0-32, and 0-33 as well as a subsequent power play also went for naught. Despite the lack of any scoring, the B’s played with a great tempo and out-shot Minnesota 13-9 in the period.

The Wild had the definite edge in play in the early going as the B’s offense struggled to get untracked. Zanon delivered a crushing check on Krejci, who was carrying the puck into the Wild end. Thornton was called for hooking at 4:41, as Burns fell down without any help and Thornton was blamed. It was a horrible call and the B’s bench was absolutely livid. Four seconds into the power play, the Martin Havlat scored for Minnesota as he took a pass from the faceoff and fired a wrist shot behind Rask. With the goal, the B’s were getting out-shot 11-1 only five minutes in. Krejci did come back with a slap shot that Theodore turned aside. O’Sullivan was called for dumping Seguin out in front of Theodore at 7:11 but the Wild did not allow the B’s to generate any pressure in front of Theodore. Steve Kampfer tied the score at 10:50 as he jumped up into the play and picked a rebound of Bergeron’s shot and wristed the puck over Theodore’s shoulder. The goal energized the B’s as they furiously skated about and the game turned wide open with both teams having a number of chances. Rask then made a spectacular diving stop to his left, robbing Broadziak of a wide open chance at the post.

Mikko Koivu crashed the B’s net in the first minute of the third and Boychuk drove him into the net, knocking it off of its moorings. Cal Clutterbuck then scored at 2:22 as he picked a bad pass by Savard and drove it home. Savard was then benched after his gaffe. Recchi came right back as he picked a turnover and fired a puck that Theodore stopped. The B’s fourth line generated some energy in front of Theodore as Gregory Campbell had a decent chance in front but Theodore was able to hold down the fort. Theodore then robbed Savard on a backhanded attempt directly in front as the B’s went back on the power play as Koivu was called for hooking at 6:10. Despite having Chara parked directly out front, the B’s once more were unable to place the puck anywhere beyond the perimeter. Boychuck was then called for high sticking Scandella at 9:20. The Wild had three quality chances that Rask turned aside before Recchi had a nice backhanded attempt on the shorthand that Theodore deflected away. The B’s came back with a couple of chances but were continually thwarted as the Wild successfully employed the neutral zone trap and out-hit and out-skated the B’s for the majority of the period. Rask was then pulled with 1:20 left on the clock. Chara’s blast from the right point was snared by Theodore. Koivu then scored an open net goal on a 2-on-1 at 19:17 to make it 3-1 and that was that. The inability of the power play to generate any opportunities and one stinking turnover by Savard spelled doom for the B’s. Sometimes this team does not play an inspiring brand of hockey and with the Celtics and Patriots playing so well there’s a chance that the B’s could fade into irrelevance.

On Friday, Nathan Horton left practice early with a dreaded “upper body injury” and was listed as “day-to-day” as the team prepared for a critical game at Bell Centre with Canadiens on Saturday night. Montréal. Canadiens are only one point behind the Bruins for top spot in the Northeast, but more importantly, B’s would fall to 8th in the Conference should Canadiens win.

Soccer Update:

Piacenza: Biancorossi are slowly pulling themselves out of the Serie B relegation pit. After 21 matches, they’re in 18th place at 4-8-9-21. On December 11th, they lost 1-0 to Livorno at the Garilli. On the 20th, the came back to post a 3-3 draw at Albinoleffe. On Saturday, January 8, they broke a 1-1 draw with Michele Anaclerio’s goal in the 88th to pick up a nice 2-1 win over Varese at the Garilli, so things may finally be looking up.

Wrexham: After 24 matches, Dragons are in the playoff hunt in the Blue Square Premier at 10-4-10-40 in 5th place. From December 4th-28th, three matches were postponed due to unplayable conditions. In recent matches, Wrexham played to a scoreless draw with Altricham on New Year’s Day. Two days later, they defeated Mansfield Town 1-0 on Damien Reeves’ goal in the 59th. On Saturday, the 8th, Dragons downed Grimsby Town 2-0 on goals by Jay Harris (70) and Andrew Morrell (76) before a big crowd at the Racecourse.

Liverpool: The big news surrounding Reds was the sacking of the gaffer, Roy Hodgson after the team’s lackluster start. Former manager Kenny Dalglish has agreed to take over the club until season’s end. Reds have won two out of their last three Premiership matches, losing 1-0 to Wolves, defeating Bolton 2-1 and blasting Blackburn 3-0. After 20 matches, they’re 7-9-4-25 and in 12th place on the Premiership table, a full 19 points back of Man U, whom they will face on Sunday the 9th in an FA Cup preliminary round match. Certainly this is not the sort of performance that Mr. Henry et al envisioned when they bought the club. The key is for the club to rally ‘round the new gaffer and stabilize the team’s performance going forward. The supporters are not at all pleased.