2010-11 Boston Bruins Puck Drop:

A January Snapshot To The All-Star Break:

Game 40 at Montréal (1/8/11):

In Canadiens’ 3,000th home game, they prevailed 3-2 in overtime when the B’s blew a two-goal lead late in the game. Tim Thomas started in goal against Carey Price. After a scoreless first period, Patrice Bergeron scored twice in the second period and things were looking great. But this is Montréal, a virtual house of horrors for the Bruins and a place where nothing ever comes easy. The B’s maintained their lead until late in the third when Scott Gomez scored (a soft goal if ever there was) at 17:58. Canadiens pulled Price for an extra attacker and Brian Gionta tied the score at 19:12. Moving into overtime (a sinking feeling for B’s fans dreading the inevitable), Blake Wheeler was sent off for hooking but the B’s were able to kill the penalty. But Max Pacioretty scored at 3:43, giving Habs an improbable win, then again, stranger things have happened to the Bruins in Montréal.

Game 41 at Pittsburgh (1/10/11):

After Saturday night’s collapse in Montréal, the B’s traveled to Pittsburgh for a Monday night date with the Penguins. Sidney Crosby was out of this one while recovering from a concussion. Adam McQuaid was injured in Saturday’s game and Matt Bartkowski was recalled from Providence and made his NHL debut. Tuukka Rask started in goal against Marc-Andre Fleury.

Blake Wheeler had an early chance but his shot went wide of the net. Lucic had a great chance five minutes in that tested Fleury. The B’s had a power play midway through as Jeffrey went off for hooking, After Kampfer turned over the puck, Staal broke in alone but was denied by Rask. Once again, the power play was powerless as the Penguins’ PK unit did not allow the B’s to get anywhere near Fleury. Kennedy followed up with a blast that Rask turned aside. The B’s went back on the power play when Matt Cooke went off for a high stick at 16:05. Kampfer put a shot on Fleury that Lucic nearly tipped in. After the Penguins killed off the penalty, Savard was sent off for slashing at 18:41 and the Pens heavily pressured Rask with a couple of shots as the period expired. Pittsburgh out-shot the B’s 14-6 in the period.

The B’s ended up killing off the penalty early in the period and the B’s responded with a couple of shots on Fleury, but Bergeron was called for goaltender interference at 1:35. The B’s killed off that penalty and came back with two more shots on Fleury. Midway through the period, Rask made a big stop off of Dupuis’ shot. Mike Rupp put the Pens up at 11:39 on a backhander from a sharp angle that bounced off of Rask’s left arm and into the net. Recchi was then called for tripping at 13:50. Kris Letang made it 2-0 on a one-timer from the left point at 15:12; Rask was screened by Kunitz and Letang’s shot beat Rask glove side. Lucic had a point blank chance on a pass from Savard that Fleury snared. After a scrum in front of the net, Savard and Letang went off for roughing. Recchi then went off four minutes (hooking/unsportsmanlike) Seidenberg had a great shorthanded bid breaking up the middle and then Campbell followed with a tip of Chara’s shot that Fleury scrambled to save. Gologoski was called for interference at 19:17, killing their lengthy power play.

Moving into the third period, Seguin was robbed by Fleury on a point blank chance midway through. It was the B’s best chance of the night so far. Lucic came right back with another attempt out in front but the puck rolled off of his stick. Recchi had another great try on a pass from Bergeron but Fleury knocked the puck away. The Penguins went on the power play at 11:46 went Bartkowski went off for hooking but the B’s killed off the penalty. Orpik was then called for boarding Kampfer at 14:39. Chara finally put the B’s on the board at 16:37 on a bullet from the point and 12 seconds later, Marchand tied the score after Bergeron hustled into the zone and fed Marchand, who fired a wrist shot past Fleury. Staal was then called for holding at 17:52 and Recchi scored the go-ahead goal on a rebound at 19:10 to put the B’s ahead 3-2! Fleury was then pulled and Gregory Campbell scored an empty-netter with eight seconds left. As difficult as the OT loss against Canadiens was to take, the team had to be elated over this result. With Canadiens idle tonight, the B’s grabbed a two-point advantage in the Northeast Division. It was their best three-and-a-half minutes of the year.

Game 42 v. Ottawa (1/11/11):

As New Englanders held their collective breath in anticipation of another Nor’easter barreling up the Seaboard, the B’s hit the ice one night after their thrilling last minute win over the Penguins for a date with Ottawa Senators. The Sens are presently in last place in the Northeast Division at 16-20-6-38, 13 points behind the B’s and are in 13th place in the Conference. They’ve struggled all year (having lost their last five) as Jason Spezza has been out for awhile with a shoulder injury, though they do feature talented offensive players in Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher. Milan Lucic was out of the lineup after suffering an “injury”. His recovery time is as of yet unknown. Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid both returned from injuries and Matt Bartkowski was returned to Providence. Mark Recchi played in his 1,613th NHL game, passing the great Raymond Bourque for 8th on the all-time list.

Brian Elliott started in goal for Ottawa against Tim Thomas. The B’s started out fast, putting three shots on Elliott in the first minute. Bergeron put the B’s ahead at 3:33 after Fisher turned over the puck at the blue line and Bergeron scooped the puck and fired it past Elliott. The B’s went up 2-0 at 9:47 as Wheeler tipped in a pass from Seguin from the left corner. The Senators had a late power play after Seguin went off for an inadvertent high stick and they were able to generate a little pressure in front of Thomas but nothing of consequence. The B’s played really well in that period, and had several quality chances.

The B’s crashed the net right off the faceoff to open the second period. McQuaid was sent off for interference at 46 seconds, giving the Sens an early power play. Bergeron made it 3-0 at 2:50, as he broke in on a 2-on-1 with Wheeler and chipped the puck past Elliott. Horton and Winchester then had a dust up, with a couple of punches thrown, and then Ference was sent off for roughing when be bopped O’Brien in the nose. Sergei Gonchar hit the post on a blast from the right point. After the B’s killed off the power play, they had several minutes of sustained pressure in the Ottawa end. At one point, a flip shot by Savard hit the post. Thornton and Carkner had a big league go with several punches thrown and Carkner connecting with a right that took Thornton down at the end. At 14:07, Marchand scored when he crashed the net with Bergeron and the puck deflected off of Gonchar’s skate and behind Elliott. Seguin then made it 5-0 at 15:26 on a wrist shot from directly out front. Elliott was screened on the play and had no chance.

Mike Brodeur replaced Elliott in net to start the third period. Horton nearly scored on the opening shift but his tip in attempt went just wide. Bergeron scored his third goal of the night at 4:04 when he picked a turnover on the left wing and fired a wrist shot top corner past Brodeur. Ruutu was sent off for roughing at 6:58 and the B’s had several chances and put forth a lot of energy with the man advantage. Daniel Paille and Carkner had a bit of a go after they tussled by the boards, more of an aggravation than a fight. The B’s ended up with a power play as Carkner was assessed an extra roughing minor on top of his five for fighting. Horton nearly scored when Brodeur fell down but he waited an instant too long to shoot and the puck was knocked away. Fisher inadvertently knocked the puck over the glass and was sent off for delay of game at 16:52, but the Sens’ PK unit held the fort. The lads had a little scrum after the final whistle, as Neil wanted a piece of Thornton, but the B’s skated off with a dominating 60-minute performance.

Game 43 v. Philadelphia (1/13/11):


The B’s and Flyers hooked up in a wild one in which the B’s prevailed 7-5 after scoring five goals in the third period. Brian Boucher started in goal for Philly against Tim Thomas. Jody Shelley and Thornton had quite a go at center ice just two minutes in with Thornton winning in a takedown. Paille then drilled Blair Betts with a heavy check. Scott Hartnell put the Flyers ahead at 3:34 when he batted a shot from the right corner of the net and it ended up going in. Late in the period, the B’s had a two man advantage and Chara scored on a blast from the right point after a scrum in front of Boucher.

Patrice Bergeron put the B’s ahead at 45 seconds when he deflected a puck with his body in front of the net. Kampfer fired a shot from the point and Bergeron screened Boucher and the puck ended up in the net. Zherdev tied the score at 15:25 when he picked a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in alone and lifted a backhander past Thomas. A replay indicated that he entered the B’s zone before the puck and an off-side should’ve been called. Philly went back on top with 36 seconds left in the period as Carter scored after he grabbed a loose puck after a scrum at the wall and fired a wrist shot short side past Thomas.

In the third period, the B’s exploded for five goals and wound up blowing the Flyers off the ice. Mark Recchi tied the score at 38 seconds when he picked up a loose puck that took a weird bounce off the boards behind the net and fired it into a wide open goal. Ryder then put the B’s ahead 1:10 later as he McQuaid drove a pass to the net and Ryder redirected it in. Daniel Briere tied the score at 6:48 after a breakdown in coverage in the B’s end and he banged the puck into a wide open left corner. Sean O’Donnell then put Philly back on top at 7:41 as he took a pass from Richards and fired a wrist shot high glove side. Brad Marchand tied the score at 5 at 11;26 as he picked up a loose puck from Wheeler and fired a top shelf wrist shot that froze Boucher. Steve Kampfer put the B’s ahead 6-5 at 18:46 as he took a pass from Marchand at the wall and fired a wrist shot that hit the upper left corner of the net. Campbell capped off the scoring at 19:53 with an empty netter after Bergeron hit the post with a long shot, Wheeler chased down the rebound and fed Campbell, who slid the puck into the empty net. Now, that was one wild night of hockey…

Game 44 v. Pittsburgh (1/15/11):

On Saturday afternoon, the B’s teed it up with the Penguins, looking to continue on a roll against a tough team. Leading scorer Sidney Crosby did not play, as he was suffering from post-concussion syndrome. Marc-Andre Fleury started in goal for the Pens against hard-luck Tuukka Rask. Cheap-shot artist Matt Cooke started on the opening line for the Pens and was loudly booed by the sellout Garden crowd everytime he went near the puck. Brad Marchand leveled Evgeni Malkin with a great body check and Dupuis came to Malkin’s defense and took a seat in the penalty box for his trouble. Chris Kunitz put the Pens on top at 10:57 just after a B’s power play expired as the Pens broke into the attacking zone on a 3-on-2. Staal led the break and passed to Cooke, who spotted Kunitz wide open out in front and Kunitz had an easy goal. Gregory Campbell and (Harvard’s Own) Craig Adams had quite a go late in the period as Campbell put a first-class pounding on Adams.

Dupuis put the Pens up 2-0 at 41 seconds of the second as he picked a rebound off the backboards and tucked it shortside. In a bloody scene, Kampfer went down with a broken nose as he took a high stick from what appeared to be Chara’s stick but Dupuis was sent off for four minutes. The B’s got on the board at 11:28 as Seidenberg fired a blast from point through a screen and past Fleury. 13 seconds later, Ryder tied the score when he took a pass from Savard in the neutral zone and fired a wrist shot that beat Fleury.

Moving into the third, Jordan Staal scored at 3:25 on a backhander directly out in front of a screened Rask. Savard went down after Englland drove him into the boards head first with a heavy (but clean) body check. Late in the period, the B’s crashed the net and nearly scored the tying goal as Ryder’s shot trickled through Fleury’s pads and bounced off the post. Rask was pulled with just over a minute remaining and the B’s pressed hard, putting a flurry (no pun intended) of shots on Fleury to no avail. The B’s put 46 shots on goal, continuing their dismal record whenever they generate that much (40+) rubber.

Game 45 vs. Carolina (1/17/11):

The B’s celebrated the Martin Luther King holiday with a 7-0 matinee thrashing of the Hurricanes at the Garden. Tim Thomas started in goal against Cam Ward. Mark Stuart returned to the lineup after 18 games and scored at 7:56 on a slap shot from the left point. Chara made it 2-0 at 11:28 on a 2-on-1 with Recchi as he picked a pass coming out of the penalty box as the ‘Canes were caught with their pants down. Ward was pulled at that point in favor of Justin Peters. The B’s ended up with a lengthy two-man and Chara scored again at 15:58 on a one-timer from the right circle, giving Peters a rude greeting to the game.

Gregory Campbell made it 4-0 at 15:51 of the second on a crash-bang play in front of Peters as he and Wheeler simultaneously arrived at the net and the Campbell tipped in a pass from Thornton. Patrice Bergeron then came right back 13 seconds later and whistled a wrist shot from the left circle behind Peters. A couple of minutes later, Peters literally tackled Wheeler in front of the net and was called for holding.

Michael Ryder made it 6-0 at 2:24 of the third on a deflection of Seidenberg’s shot from the left point. Big Z capped off the scoring (and his first career hat trick) on the power play at 14:04 on a blast from between the circles that beat Peters low right. Seconds later, McQuaid and Bodie had a big league go as both players threw several roundhouse rights with no clear victor. Peters made a save on a shot by Krejci and received a loud mock cheer from the raucous Garden crowd. The ‘Canes rushed on a 2-on-1 and Thomas made a couple of quality stops. All in all, the B’s justly deserved the standing ovation they received from the sellout crowd. It was a big day for the Boys In Black.

Game 46 at Carolina (1/18/11):

After yesterday afternoon’s thrashing of the ‘Canes, the B’s traveled to Raleigh for the second leg of the home-and-home matchup. With yesterday’s win, the B’s moved into the second spot in the Conference with 57 points, six points back of Philadelphia. Whereas Monday’s game was played before a packed house, it wasn’t exactly the case at the Foreign-Owned Bank Center. Tim Thomas started against Cam Ward in goal. The B’s started off the game on the power play as Jokinen went off for tripping at 17 seconds. Marc Savard then scored at 2:04 on a tip in of Boychuk’s shot from the point coming from Ryder’s pass. After the B’s generated several chances in front of Ward, Seidenberg was sent off for cross-checking Staal at 6:44. Staal was then sent off for slashing at 7:34, setting up a 4-on-4 for just over a minute but the B’s could do nothing with the abbreviated power play. Midway through the period, the boys had a small scuffle at the boards in the ‘Canes’ zone but no penalties were called. Thomas then made two terrific stops on shots by Samsonov. Marchand was sent off for hooking at 16:43 and Jokinen scored at 18:39 as the ‘Canes chopped at the loose puck in front of Thomas and Jokinen tucked it in a wide open left side. The Canes crashed the net in the final seconds of the period and Thomas was called for roughing at 20:00.

The Canes’ power play came out full blazes to open the second period and Thomas was called on to make three key stops. After the power play expired, the Canes kept the B’s on their heels and pressed the attack. Ruutu was then called for elbowing at 5:06. Ward made a beautiful glove save of Horton’s shot from directly out in front. Horton was then called for slashing at 6:19 and Thomas made a diving stop of Samsonov’s shot and followed up with another big save, coming way out of his crease to knock away the puck. Just as the B’s rediscovered their skating legs, Boychuk was sent off for tripping at 10:11. The B’s PK unit did a good job of keeping the puck away from Thomas, who had already made 36 saves midway through the game. The B’s went on the power play late in the period as Dwyer went off for delay of game and Horton had a good backhanded attempt that Ward saved. Thomas made 27 saves in that second period.

The ‘Canes maintained their edge in the B’s end at the start of the third though the B’s then succeeded in slowing down the attack. Brad Marchand put the B’s ahead at 3:55 on a rebound from Chara’s shot off the faceoff. Horton then broke in on a 2-on-1 and fired a shot that Ward snared. LaRose tied the score at 9:19 as he picked a loose puck in a scrum in front of the net and tucked it in a wide open left corner.

Game 47 v. Buffalo (1/20/11):

Two nights after the big win down south, the B’s returned home for a Thursday night date with the Sabres. Buffalo comes into this game at 20-20-5-45 (3rd place, Northeast) and will be without Drew Stafford, who has already torched the Bruins with seven goals this season. Tuukka Rask started in goal against Ryan Miller. Five minutes in, Kampfer was called for hooking after Vanek crashed the net but Marc-Andre Gragnani was called for dumping Krejci just half a minute into the Sabres’ power play after Krejci attempted to break in on Miller. Horton then broke in alone and tried to tuck a backhander past Miller but his shot was blocked. Tyler Ennis nearly scored on a wraparound backhand but Rask held the post. The B’s went back on the power play after Vanek was called for slashing Kampfer at 8:21. Ryder had a wide open right side at which to shoot and the puck on a pass from Horton but it went over his stick. The B’s scored at 11:01 as Savard won the faceoff and Seidenberg drilled a blast from the blue line and the puck found its way through a crowd in front of Miller. Lucic was called for tripping at 16:46 and the Sabres put a couple of shots on Rask that were turned aside.

Cody McCormick tied the score at 1:04 of the second after a breakdown in the B’s end and banged his own rebound past Rask. Nathan Gerbe was called for tripping Krejci at 1:50 but the B’s were only able to put one shot on Miller, and that one came at the very end. Campbell put the B’s back on top at 4:51, as Thornton mucked in the corner, got the puck to Wheeler, who passed to Campbell and Campbell one-timed a high blast over Miller’s shoulder. The goal was set up by Thornton’s hustle and hard work to get the puck after having been heavily checked by Myers. Wheeler was called for goaltender interference at 9:11 after he crashed the net and knocked Miller over. Recchi nearly scored on the shorthand but Miller was able to hold onto his stuff attempt. Gerbe scored to tie the score at 10:36 on a perfect pass from Myers, as he was wide open at left wing and blew a wrist shot past Rask. Mike Weber took a wrist shot by Kampfer in an “unprotected area” and went down in a heap. At this point, Sabres had all the momentum. Patrick Kaleta then took a slap shot by Boychuk off the wrist and immediately went to the dressing room. Horton had two shots in the closing seconds of the period that were deflected away.

Bergeron opened the third period with a tricky shot that Miller turned aside, as the B’s came out with high energy. Two shots nearly crossed the goal line before the Sabres’ defenders knocked the puck out of danger. Vanek then put Buffalo ahead at 5:13, as he broke in on a 2-on-1 and he beat Rask high and to the left. The play started in the Sabres’ end when Horton flipped a behind-the-back pass that Vanek picked at the blue line, skated in alone and blew a wrist shot past Rask. Gerbe, who goes 5’5”, got into a shoving match with the 6’9” Chara, which was good for a few laughs. Jason Pominville put the Sabres up 4-2 at 16:40 as he drove to the net and knocked in a deflected puck behind Rask. With two minutes left, the B’s pulled Rask and Miller made a spectacular stop of Lucic’s tip-in attempt. Gaustad went off for cross-checking with 58 seconds remaining but the B’s couldn’t do a thing with the 6-on-4 advantage and the Sabres came away with the points.

Two For The Road:


The B’s hit the road for three games prior to the All-Star Break. Their first stop was in Denver (Game 48, 1/22/11) for a Saturday afternoon date with the Avalanche. The good news was the B’s posted a 6-2 win. The bad news was that Marc Savard suffered another concussion and may be lost for the remainder of the season. Tim Thomas started in goal against Craig Anderson. Colorado came out in their road white sweaters while the B’s wore their “third” black sweaters. The Avs got on the board first as Peter Statsny fired a puck that bounced over Thomas’ glove and trickled into the net. Gregory Campbell and Cody McLeod got into it at 2:57 as each threw a couple of punches before McLeod fell down. Brad Marchand tied the score at 9:20 on a tip in from Recchi’s pass. After the goal, the B’s went on the power play and Lucic scored at 12:00 on a rebound directly out in front.

Early in the second period, Marc Savard was injured when former Bruin Matt Hunwick checked him face first into the boards. It wasn’t a dirty hit at all but Savard’s face was turned away from the play at the last instant when Hunwick shoved him into the boards. Savard needed help getting from the ice to the dressing room. What a shame, as Savard was finally rounding back into form from the devastating concussion he suffered last year. Recchi made it 3-1 at 14:44 as he took a pass from Marchand on a 2-on-1 break and stuffed the puck past a defenseless Anderson. Lucic scored his second goal at 19:04 on 2-on-1 break with Horton, as Horton streaked down the right side and passed to a wide open Lucic, who buried the puck.

Peter Budaj replaced Anderson in the Avs’ goal to start the third. Kirk Shattenkirk made it a 4-2 game at 1:41 on a backhand, as he picked the puck at the half wall and flicked the puck past Thomas. The Avs went on the power play and Thomas came up with a big stop and then Ference got into a minor scuff with Jones. Bergeron made it 5-2 at 9:56 on a backhand of a rebound from a shot from the point. What was amazing was that Bergeron was on his knees when he made the shot. Seidenberg was hit with a double-minor for high sticking David Koci, who received a misconduct after a little scuffle. For reasons unknown, the Avs pulled Budaj and Marchand fired a 180 foot shot that hit the empty net to make it 6-2. It was Marchand’s fourth shorthanded goal to lead the league. Unfortunately, Savard’s injury put a big cloud over what was a dominant victory.

Game 49 at Los Angeles (1/24/11):

One of the frustrating things about this team is their inability to string together consistently strong performances. After having a dominant outing in Denver on Saturday afternoon, the team traveled to LA and were completely dominated by the Kings and goaltender Jonathan Quick, losing 2-0. The B’s came out flat and never had a spark all night. After Chara was sent off for hooking, Ryan Smyth scored at 10:50 of the first on the power play when he banged in a rebound of a shot from the point. Thornton and Kyle Clifton had a heavyweight bout toward the latter stages of the period and the combatants fought to a draw. Moving into the third period, Andrei Loktionov capped off the scoring at 3:30 on a pass across the middle from Anze Kopitar. Loktionov was standing alone on the doorstep and popped the puck into a wide open left corner. When called upon, Quick was outstanding, making 34 saves on what was a miserable night for the B’s.

Game 50 v. Florida (1/26/11):

The B’s returned home for a Wednesday date with the Panthers in their last game before the All-Star break. Tim Thomas started in goal against Tomas Vokoun. David Krejci took a big hit from Olesz midway through the first period and looked like he suffered a wrist injury. He was down for a few moments but was able to return shortly thereafter. Marchand scored at 13:31 on a wraparound that barely made it across the goal line. A video review revealed that the puck made it across the red line by about an inch before Vokoun scooped it away. Milan Lucic made it 2-0 B’s at 1:52 right off the faceoff as he fired a bullet from the top of the circle that whistled past Vokoun’s left shoulder and into the top corner. Bryan Allen put Florida on the board at 8:37 when he fired a bomb from the top of the left circle that made it under the crossbar. The Panthers crashed the net a couple of times before pulling Vokoun. With the extra attacker they had a great chance that Thomas smothered with less than two seconds left. Even though it was a 2-1 final, the B’s gave the Garden crowd an entertaining effort.