Boston Bruins Weekly Report (That Covered Almost A Month)

Game 31 at Philadelphia Flyers (12/17/11):

The B’s traveled to Philly for a Saturday matinee with the Flyers. Big Z returned to the lineup after having missed the last two games with a twisted knee. The Flyers have the top offense in the Eastern Conference. Tim Thomas started in goal against Ilya Bryzgalov. Pouliot put the B’s ahead at 27 seconds as he redirected a pass from Peverley and the puck deflected off his stick and into the back of the net. Flyers came right back as van Riemsdyk fired a couple of shots that Thomas knocked away, Chara and Shelly then had a quick go and Big Z pummeled Shelley with a series of rights. Corvo fired a shot from the point and Paille banged in the rebound at 2:50 to put the B’s ahead, 2-0. Five minutes in, the Flyers crashed the net and Talbot landed on top of Thomas. Chara made it 3-0 on a blast from the left point at 8:08 as he teed it up and had eyes, ripping through a crowd and past Bryzgalov. Max Talbot then went off for roughing ay 8:38 as the Flyers became more aggressive with the big deficit. Late in the period, the B’s had a two-man advantage and Lucic tipped in a blast from Corvo at 17:10. Shortly after the goal, Boychuk and Hartnell got into it and Boychuk won on a takedown. Thomas then made a great save on Wayne Simmonds as the Flyers crashed the net, There was a rumble out in front of Thomas after the puck went in the net after the whistle blew. In the closing seconds, the Flyers put two more shots on Thomas.

Flyers started out fast to open the second period as they buzzed around Thomas in the attacking zone. Horton made it 5-0 on the power play at 7:06 as Chara fired a bomb from the point and Horton popped in the rebound. Bryzgalov was then replaced in goal by Sergei Bobrovsky. Late in the period, Lucic plowed Zac Rinaldo into the boards. Rinaldo and Horton then duked it out with Rinaldo getting the better of things. Lucic received a game misconduct and major penalty for boarding.

Rinaldo received a misconduct penalty early in the third for yapping at the referees. Seven minutes in, the Flyers crashed the net again. Seguin made it 6-0 at 12:12 as he fired a snap shot from the high slot that beat Bobrovsky. With about three minutes remaining, the Flyers’ defense broke down and the B’s fired a series of shots on Bobrovsky as if it were a shooting gallery. The B’s finished off Philly 6-0, Thomas picked up another shutout and the team played about as well-rounded a game as anyone could ask for.

Game 32 v. Montréal Canadiens (12/19/11):

Two days after dismantling Philly on the road, the B’s returned home to the Garden and a date with Le Club de Hockey Canadien. Habs come into this one at 13-13-7-33 and in last place in the Northeast, a full 10 points behind the B’s. They fired long-time coach Jacques Martin on Saturday and replaced him with former Whalers’ defenseman Randy Cunneyworth. Milan Lucic was suspended for this game by the NHL after his heavy hit on Flyers’ forward Zac Rinaldo on Saturday on which he received a game misconduct. If Lucic had not been a repeat offender under the League’s disciplinary policy, he might’ve gotten off with a warning but Brendan Shanahan definitely took Lucic’s work history into consideration while suspending him for one game.

Tim Thomas started in goal against Carey Price, who generally plays like Jacques Plante against the Bruins. In the early going, Marchand skated around Diaz and fired a low shot that Price knocked away.  Gill then fed Diaz, who fired a high hard one on Thomas. Pouliot put the B’s ahead at 12:13 as Peverley won the draw at the right dot and found a wide open Pouliot, who banged in the puck with no problem. Plekanec tied the score at 13:26 as he broke in with Cammalleri on a 2-on-1, fired a shot that Thomas kicked out. Cammalleri pounced on the rebound and passed to a wide open Plekanec, who knocked in the puck. Late in the period, Bergeron had a great chance out in front that Price knocked away. Peverley then had a shot from the high slot on a pass from Kelly that went wide of the net. It was a typical Habs-B’s period of hockey in which records mean nothing.

Krejci put the B’s ahead as he tipped in Ference’s centering attempt at 2:42 as Ference fired the puck on goal from behind the net and it bounced off of Krejci’s skate blade into the net. Chara then worked his way through a crowd and fired a backhander that went over the net. Horton then went off for hooking at 3:50. Midway through the period, Nokalainen’s shot from in close rang off the post. Peverley then fired a snap shot on which Price made a nice glove save. At 11:24, Josh Gorges went off for interfering with Seguin. Chara’s bomb from the left point rang off the iron. The B’s went back on the power play at 16:23 as Louis Leblanc went off for a double-minor high sticking call on Bergeron.

Pouliot had a stick-side chance in the opening seconds of the third. Max Pacioretty then fired two shots on Thomas as the long power play expired. Three minutes in, Thomas then came up big, making three stops as the Habs crashed the net. Hamill then went off for cross-checking at 5:44. Subban fired a bomb from the point on which Thomas made a nice glove save. Pacioretty then came back and fired a shot from the slot that Thomas covered. Gregory Campbell then made a great sweeping check, clearing the puck out of the attacking zone. Thomas saved two point blank chances on Pacioretty. Price then robbed Hamill on a point blank chance as the B’s were buzzing around in the attacking zone. Marchand then made it 3-1 at 14:15 as Bergeron grabbed a loose puck at the blue line, passed to Marchand, who skated in alone and slid in a backhander. Price was pulled and, seconds later, Desharnais passed to Cole, who tipped in the puck at 18:46. With the empty net, the Habs attacked full bore in the B’s end, as the B’s stacked up in front of Thomas. Bergeron then cleared a loose puck out of the attacking zone and the B’s came away with a highly entertaining 3-2 victory.

Game 33 v. Florida Panthers (12/23/11):

After a few days off, the B’s returned to the Garden ice for a date with the Florida Panthers, who shut out Boston a couple of weeks ago. The Panthers have been decimated by injuries as seven of their regular forwards were out of the lineup. Jose Theodore started in goal for Florida against Tuukka Rask. In the first minute, Pouliot had a backhanded chance that Theodore knocked away. Kennedy then had a shot from out in front that Rask covered. Campbell was called for a high stick on Kopecky at 5:42. Marchand scored a shorty at 5:56 as he was set up by Bergeron and Marchand curled around into the slot and fired a shot that beat Theodore. After the B’s killed off the penalty Horton fed Lucic on a 2-on-1 but Theodore made an acrobatic save. The B’s continued buzzing around in the attacking zone, peppering Theodore with a variety of shots. Jovanoski went off for roughing at 12:51 as he retaliated against Kelly in the corner. Lucic scored at 13:40 as Bergeron fired a shot that went off the end boards and Lucic grabbed the rebound and popped it in. Thornton and Barch then had a short go that ended when Barch took down Thornton. Campbell then fired a shot that hit the crossbar and popped out. Versteeg went off for cross-checking at 17:43. Bergeron went to the box at 18:23 as he dumped Kennedy, who broke in alone on a 2-on-1. Pouliot made it 3-0 at 18:31 as he took a puck off the draw in the B’s end and skated in and fired a backhander that beat Theodore. Seidenberg made it 4-0 at 19:03 as he fired puck from the left point through a crowd and the puck had eyes, going through the screen and into the net. 4-0 B’s after the first 20 minutes as the B’s were dominant.

Scott Clemmensen replaced Theodore in the Panthers’ goal to open the second period. Paille fed Bergeron going into the slot on a bad turnover by Kulikov, who was caught for holding at 42 seconds. Matt Bradley fired a sneaky shot on Rask that was tipped away. The B’s had a couple of chances in close on the power play but the Panthers killed it off. Gregory Campbell made it 5-0 B’s at 3:50 as he fired a rising wrist shot from the high slot that clanged off the iron and into the net. Seidenberg then buried Thomas with a heavy shoulder check. Rask then made a nice stop off of Fleischmann’s shot. Hamill took a high stick in the face from Kulikov, who went off at 12:16. After Florida killed off the penalty, the B’s continued to press in the attacking zone. Gudbranson went off for a cross-check at 15:14. Bergeron made it 6-0 at 15:50 on the power play as Chara fed Bergeron, who attacked the net uncontested and fired the puck past Clemmensen.

The B’s were a bit sloppy in their end to open the third period. Marchand then made it 7-0 at 1:53 as he took a pass from Chara and his shot deflected off of a Panthers’ defender and into the net. The referees were then content to let the clock wind down for several minutes without taking a stoppage in play. Marchand then went for the hat trick at 10:53 as he took a pass from Seguin in the high slot on a 3-on-2 and fired a wrist shot that beat Clemmensen. The Garden Faithful then littered the ice with hats. After the goal, the B’s did not let up for a moment, pressing the action in the attacking zone. This was the largest differential that the B’s were ahead since a February, 2002 game against Columbus. It was Rask’s second shutout of the year and the 10^th of his career. The B’s have outscored their last three opponents 17-2. The B’s go into the Christmas break flying high.

Game 34 at Phoenix Coyotes (12/28/11):

After a lengthy break for the Christmas holiday, the B’s hit the road for a few games, starting with a visit to the Valley of the Sun and a date with the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes (whom the Bruins will only play once this year) are 18-15-3 and in third place in the Pacific Division. It was a rare sellout at Jobing.com Arena. Tuukka Rask started in goal against Jason LaBarbera. Krejci scored 47 seconds in as he picked a turnover 10 feet into the blue line and fired a wrist shot from the high slot that beat LaBarbera. The B’s already put four shots on goal in the first three-plus minutes as they dominated in the attacking zone. Late in the period, the Coyotes had their best sustained pressure of the period. Ray Whitney tied the score at 15:16 as he chipped in a loose puck into the back of the net. Adam McQuaid then decked out Raffi Torres in the far corner just as a penalty was called against Phoenix. McQuaid took exception to what he thought was a cheap shot by Torres on Ference at 17:11.  Torres was penalized for elbowing in addition to the fighting major. McQuaid received an instigator and a 10-minute misconduct on top of his fighting major.

Four minutes into the second, the Coyotes crashed the net and Whitney nearly scored again but Rask came up big. Midway through the period, the Coyotes had great energy as the B’s forechecking game disappeared. Boychuk went off for tripping Shane Doan at 15:46 as Doan broke in on a 2-on-1. Rask then robbed Whitney with his left pad on a clean break on a pass from Yandle. Paille then had a shorthanded attempt that LaBarbera blocked away. Chara then made a great stick save of Langkow’s shot toward a wide open net. The B’s pressed the play in the attacking zone in the final seconds of the period and Hamill was knocked down as he attempted to stuff the puck into the right corner.

After two periods it became apparent that the ice was soft which required the teams to play a much more compact style with the B’s needing to re-establish the forecheck. Lucic nearly tipped in a high shot from Horton in the early going. After the fourth straight Bruins’ turnover, Vrbata then fired a high shot that nearly handcuffed Rask. Marchand broke in on a 2-on-1 with Seguin but was stoned cold by LaBarbera. Five minutes in play really picked up on both ends. Campbell was then knocked into the Coyotes’ net by Rozival. Bergeron’s one-timer on a pass from Seguin from in close went just wide. In the final minute, the Coyotes pressed hard in the attacking zone as the B’s were sloppy in their end and were saved by the final whistle.

It was on to overtime and Lucic fired a shot from right wing on a pass from Krejci that LaBarbera covered. Chris Kelly tipped in the game winner at 58 seconds as he redirected Seidenberg’s shot from the high slot. The play was set up by Pouliot’s pass from behind the net to a wide open Seidenberg, who put one on the net in traffic.

Game 35 at Dallas Stars (12/31/11):

The B’s wrapped up 2011 on the road with a New Year’s Eve date against the Dallas Stars. Rich Peverley returned to the lineup after having missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. Tim Thomas started in goal against Kari Lehtonen. In the opening seconds, Chara turned over the puck and Seidenberg was called on to block away Dvorak’s shot. Chris Kelly was sent off at 2:08 for hooking. Seven seconds later, Seidenberg went off for clearing a puck over the glass. Daley fired bomb from the point that was deflected away. Loui Eriksson then scored he fired a shot from a cross-diagonal pass as the Stars worked the triangle power play to perfection. After the goal, the Stars maintained the pressure in the attacking zone. Corvo came up with a shot from the left circle that Lehtonen kicked out. Daley fired another bomb from the blue line that was deflected away. The first half of the period was played at a fast tempo. Ribeiro’s backhanded attempt slid across the crease. At 9:58, Marchand went off for holding Ribeiro’s stick. Old friend Michael Ryder was called for interference at 10:57. Tyler Seguin tied it at 11:39 as the Stars turned over the puck and Krejci fired a shot from high slot that Seguin tipped in. On the brief power play, the B’s had two chances from in close. Seguin then rang a shot off the post as he rotated to the front of the net but his shot caught iron. The Stars went back on top at 16:59 as they broke in on a 2-on-1 and Daley’s shot from the right circle popped over Thomas’ shoulder and took a bad hop into the net. Thomas was helpless on the play as he skated backwards not knowing that the puck had already rolled behind him into the net. Chara was sent off for retaliating against Morrow in front of the net at 18:31. Ryder made it 3-1 at 19:20 as he stepped out right in front of the net and fired a backhander past Thomas.

Ribeiro went off for slashing Lucic at 31 seconds of the second period. Seguin’s one-timer went off the side of the net. Lucic’s jam attempt at the top of the crease was then clamped on by Lehtonen. Pouliot then had a chance directly out in front that was knocked away. After the B’s spent a few moments running around in their end, Krejci fired a shot from the low slot that was kicked out. At 7:19, Shawn Thornton went off for slashing. At 9:16, the B’s were caught with too many men on the ice. The Stars crashed the net as Goligoski attempted to stuff one in the near post. Ryder went off for tripping at 10:27 setting up a 4-on-4 for 49 seconds. Seguin fired a shot from the high slot that Lehtonen never saw as it went wide of the net. Jake Dowell and Gregory Campbell had a go at center ice as the combatants went ‘round and ‘round with no clear victor. Wandell made it 4-1 at 19:01 as he took a feed and skated into the low slot, went around Seidenberg and fired the puck past Thomas. The fourth goal was the most that Thomas had allowed all year. Lucic then put a heavy hit on Ribeiro in the final seconds. Ott then attempted to stir up trouble after the final horn blew.

Lucic scored at 1:08 of the third as he fired a bomb from the high slot as he took a feed from Krejci and the puck went just under the crossbar. After the goal, the B’s continued to press hard in the attacking zone. Midway through the period, Thomas stoned Ryder cold on a clean break. The Stars then went in for the kill but Thomas stood tall. The B’s then came up with a big shift, putting two shots on Lehtnonen. The Stars then did a good job bleeding the clock until Thomas was pulled with 1:40 left. The seven-game winning streak came to an end as the Stars outplayed the B’s at every turn tonight.

Game 36 at New Jersey (1/4/12):

On Wednesday night, the B’s traveled to beautiful downtown Newark for a date with the Divils. Tim Thomas started in goal against Martin Brodeur. Thornton and Cam Janssen had a go right off the bat at center ice. Both fighters threw several punches but there was no clear winner. Boychuk went off for delay of game at 3:28. Thomas made a nice stop midway through the power play. David Clarkson scored at 4:24 as he broke toward the net and took a perfect pass from Zach Parise and buried the puck. Ference fired a hard shot from the point that Brodeur deflected away. Kovalchuk fired a bomb from the right circle that knocked Thomas’ stick right out of his blocker. Gregory Campbell tied it at 8:15 as he redirected Ference’s shot from the left point with his right skate. Horton put the B’s ahead at 13:17 as he took a crossing pass from Krejci and tucked the puck into a wide open left corner. Late in the period, Mattias Tedenby fired a tricky shot on Thomas from the blue line.

Horton went off for holding at 1:46. Patrik Elias fired a shot on that Thomas knocked away and then Paille came back to put a backhanded attempt on Brodeur on the shorthand. Bergeron made it 3-1 at 4:02 as he picked a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in alone and slid a backhander under Brodeur’s pads. Tallinder was then sent off for tripping Krejci at 15:32. The B’s put zero shots on during that power play. Late in the period, Marchand’s wraparound attempt was just deflected away by Brodeur. The Divils came right back and put on a hard charge in the offensive zone. Petr Sykora fired a nice shot on Thomas right off the faceoff.

Bergeron made it 4-1 at 3:13 as Marchand swiveled around the net with the puck and fed a wide open Bergeron, who fired a one-timer past Brodeur. Krejci then made it 5-1 at 4:50 as Seidenberg put a shot on goal from the point and Krejci was “johnny-on-the-spot” to tip in the shot. Thornton capped off the scoring at 14:23 as he banged in a shot from the top of the slot on a pass from Gregory Campbell. This was definitely not a vintage night for Marty Brodeur. 

Game 37 v. Calgary Flames (1/5/12):

The Flames came to town for the only visit between the two teams this season. The Flames come into this one at 18-18-5 and are in fourth place in the Northwest Division. They’ve played .500 hockey in their last ten and are led by Jerome Iginla and Olli Jokinen. Leland Irving started in goal for Calgary against Tuukka Rask. Brad Marchand was out of the lineup with the flu and Zach Hamill started in his place. Seguin scored at 1:14 as he was perfectly set up by Bergeron on a pass from behind the net and Seguin tipped in the pass. Bergeron got the puck at the half wall, circled behind the net and put a beautiful pass right on Seguin’s stick. Lucic made it 2-0 at 3:17 as he took a puck at right wing, swiveled around and fired a shot that deflected off of Jokinen forty feet out of the goal and the misdirection of the puck caught Irving completely off guard. Jackman fired a shot from the point and the Flames crashed the net on the rebound. The B’s came right back as they peppered Irving with a series of shots. Kostopoulos went off for tripping Hamill at 7:40. Krejci scored at 8:51 as he took a cross ice pass from Peverley and banged home a one-timer. Seguin then fed Pouliot with a great pass in the slot and Pouliot’s shot then nearly went in as one of the Flames’ defensemen knocked the goal off its pegs. Seguin then fired a bullet from the high slot that was kicked out by Irving. The first period was all Boston’s as the Flames mounted a bare minimum challenge.

Bergeron made it 4-0 at 1:19 as he took a perfect pass from Seguin in the slot and put the puck behind Irving with one touch. Chris Kelly made it 5-0 47 seconds later as he backhanded a rebound of Ference’s shot from the point. The B’s got a little sloppy after the goal as Rask was tested on a couple of chances. Horton then made it 6-0 at 4:15 as he tapped in a rebound of Lucic’s backhanded attempt. On that note, Irving was replaced by Kiprusoff. Rask then denied Iginla’s charge toward the net. Jokinen went off at 10:06 for tripping but the Flames penalty kill unit did a good job limiting the Bruins’ chances. Horton then made it 7-0 at 14:31 as Seidenberg fired a bullet from the point and Kiprusoff left a fat rebound that Horton tapped in. Late in the period, Seguin had a clean break from the blue line but was denied on his forehand chance.

Bergeron made it 8-0 at 5:19 as he hammered a loose puck into the net on a play that looked like it was meaningless as he crowded the net and took a pass from Seguin and stuffed it past the far post. At 6:57, Gregory Campbell was sent off for tripping. Paille scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 8:43 as he picked a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated in and tucked the puck past Kiprusoff to make it 9-0. The B’s continued to press in the attacking zone after the goal. Bergeron went to the box at 19:00 for a trip. Rask came up with a big save as he earned his 11^th career save. In a little more than 24 hours, the B’s have outscored the opposition 15-1.

Game 38 v. Vancouver Canucks (1/7/12):

The B’s and Vancouver met for the first time since the Cup Finals on Saturday afternoon at the Garden. Tim Thomas started in goal against Cory Schneider. Ryan Kesler went off for interference at 17 seconds. The B’s had a couple of chances from in close that were blocked out in front. Mason Raymond had a great chance on the shorthand after a turnover in the neutral zone. Salo then fired a rocket from the blue line that Thomas picked through a crowd. At 3:54, several (all five) Vancouver players mugged Shawn Thornton in the area between the benches. A scrum involving several players then ensued and Horton and Wiese then had a tremendous bout with Horton winning on the takedown. Somehow, the Cauncks wound up with a two-man advantage. Lucic was ejected from the game for allegedly leaving the bench. Chara then flattened H. Sedin with a check.  D. Sedin’s shot from the point rang off the post and then Kesler score at 5:41 as he was in the high slot and fired the puck into a wide open left corner. Boychuk then fired a bomb from the top of the slot that Schneider covered. Daniel Sedin went off for hooking at 9:43. At 14:57, Brad Marchand tied the score as he took a perfect pass from Seguin and tipped the puck past Schneider on the backhand. Maxim Lapierre and Gregory Campbell got into it right off the faceoff with no clear winner. Wiese and Thornton decided to have a go but Wiese backed off after Thornton dropped the gloves. The referee wisely tossed both players into the box. Peverley went off at 16:26 for a trip. Right after the penalty expired, Pouliot went off for a high stick at 18:45.

Paille was tripped by H. Sedin as he broke toward the net with the puck and was awarded a penalty shot but Schneider came up with a big save as Paille didn’t lift the puck high enough. Thomas was interfered with by Raymond and McQuaid and Hansen had a pushing and shoving match that was quickly broken up. The B’s went ahead at 7:12 when Peverley took a pass from Pouliot off of a turnover and tucked it behind Schneider. The B’s then crashed the net and put heavy pressure in the attacking zone. Burrows then went off for a high stick at 8:08. Pouliot and Horton broke in on a 2-on-1 and Ballard sent Horton flying. Seguin went off for tripping Kesler at 14:47. Cody Hodgson scored the tying goal at 15:21 as he let a shot go from the top of the left circle and it slid past Thomas. The B’s had a brief break as Peverley skated in with a defender draped over his back but his shot was broken up. Corvo then fired a bullet from the blue line that Schneider grabbed through a crowd. Krejci was called for goaltender interference at 16:43. Marchand then sent Salo flying when he went low with a hip check up against the boards. Marchand received a five-minute major and game misconduct, which will subject him to supplementary discipline by the NHL. Henrik Sedin tipped in a shot by Edler from the high slot with 12 seconds remaining to put Canucks ahead.

Canucks opened the third with 3:47 of power play time. Hodgson fired a bomb past Thomas at 1:09; he rocked one over Thomas’ shoulder to give Vancouver a 4-2 lead (all four coming on the power play). D. Sedin went off at 1:31 for hooking Seidenberg. Krejci put a backhander on Schneider that was covered. Krejci then scored at 1:51 as he took a rebound of Corvo’s shot from the point and backhanded the puck into the lower left corner. Midway through the period, the B’s mounted some pressure in the attacking zone before Raymond attempted to jam in a shot past Thomas. Thornton then took exception and there was some pushing and shoving in front of the net. Horton went off for tripping at 13:22. Late in the period, the B’s poured on the pressure in the attacking zone. Thomas was pulled with a minute remaining. Bergeron’s shot from the blue line was nearly tipped in by Krejci. Hamhuis was caught covering the puck with his hand and was sent off with 34 seconds left. The B’s were unable to get any scoring chances with the two-man advantage, and dropped to 23-4-1 in their last 28.

Game 39 v. Winnipeg Jets (1/10/12):

The punishment assessed to Brad Marchand for his sketchy hit on Salo was swift and severe: five games. On Tuesday night, the Jets (in ninth place in the Eastern Conference) came to the Garden looking to extend the Bruins’ losing skid. Ondrej Pavelec started in goal for Winnipeg against Tuukka Rask (who is currently first in GAA and save percentage). Benoit Pouliot had a high stick side shot on goal in the opening minute. Bergeron’s one-timer then deflected off of Ron Hainsey and into the crowd. At 1:42, Andrew Ladd went off for holding. Krejci’s shot on a rebound went over the net. Seidenberg’s one timer from the left point went into a crowd. Seguin grabbed the puck on the rebound but the Jets crowded the crease area. Paille then fed Campbell, who was wide open at the top of the crease but Pavelec knocked away the shot. Thorburn was denied a scoring opportunity by Seidenberg and was awarded a penalty shot by the referee. Rask came up with a big save on the penalty shot attempt. Ladd’s shot was kicked out by Rask, who left a big rebound to Hainsey. Seguin then had a clean break but lost an edge as he approached the net. Wellwood then had a chance from the right corner that went wide as the Jets had done a great job of shutting down the B’s advances. With five minutes remaining, the B’s had their best sustained puck possession in the offensive zone. Slater then rang a shot off the post and then Tanner Glass went head first into the glass and was bleeding profusely. Ladd put Winnipeg ahead at 16:53 as he deflected in Zach Bogosian’s blast from the right point. Horton tied the score at 19:26 ashe tipped in a rebound of a shot by Lucic. Peverley then drove a hard shot from the right dot that Pavelec covered. Winnipeg was the better team in that period.

Blake Wheeler put Winnipeg ahead at 31 seconds as he used a screen by Tobias Enstrom in front of the net and Rask never had a chance. Hamill and Thornton each had chances that Pavelec turned away. At 3:05, Thornton went off for “an illegal check to the head”. Thornton never made any contact with Thorburn, what was the referee looking at? Ference then went off at 4:38 for hooking Antropov, giving the Jets a 5-on-3 for 28 seconds. Little’s shot from the left circle was covered by Rask. Thornton then  broke clean out of the penalty box with the puck and was interfered with by Stapleton. The referee awarded Thornton a penalty shot and Thornton dangled the puck, pulled to the backhand and tucked it past Pavelec to tie the score.  There was justice with the hockey gods on that one. The B’s easily killed off Ference’s penalty as the B’s began to generate momentum. The B’s then crashed the net leading to a fight between Thornton and former Bruin Mark Stuart, with Thornton winning on points. At 11:11, Eric Fehr scored as Joe Corvo turned over the puck in the neutral zone. Stapleton grabbed the puck and passed to Fehr, who one-timed a bullet past Rask. After the goal, the Jets regained the momentum . Pavelec then made a great save of Horton’s one-timer from the slot. Ference then crashed the net, knocking Pavelec flying and going to the penalty box for goaltender interference at 16:30. Rask then made a great split save with the glove on Stapleton’s drive. While the MJets had good puck movement, they were only able to muster one shot on goal. Corvo’s turnover in the neutral zone proved to be the biggest play of the period.

Bogosian and Glass were both injured and would not return.  Horton scored eight seconds into the third as he took Krejci’s centering pass and fired the puck behind Pavelec. The B’s then crowded the net and Thornton tried to jam the puck into the net. Nietten then had a point blank shot that Rask covered. Seguin put the B’s ahead at 3:06 as Bergeron took a puck in the netural zone, chipped the puck along the wall to Seguin, who flew into the attacking zone and roofed a backhander over Pavelec’s shoulder. Kane then pounced on a loose puck directly out in front of Rask but his shot was weak and easily covered. At 5:25, Ladd went off for interference.   Peverley scored on the doorstep at 6:41 as he banged in a rebound of Pouliot’s shot while parked on the doorstep. Thornton then had two quick shots from in close that Pavelec knocked away. McQuais was sent off for interference at 10:31. Campbell and Paille had a 2-on-1 break but Campbell’s shot went directly into Pavelec’s chest. At 13:05, Randy Jones went off for tripping Seguin. Lucic’s shot from in close was poke checked away by Pavelec. After the power play expired, Corvo had a bomb from the point that Pavelec smothered. The B’s struggled for the first 40 minutes before coming back and blowing the doors off of the Jets in the final session.   

Game 40 v. Montréal Canadiens (1/12/12):

The B’s wound up their brief homestand with a Thursday night date with Le Club de Hockey Canadien. Prior to the game there was a firestorm in the Montreal media after Mike Cammalieri stated that the Canadiens have a “loser mentality”. He was left to explain his remarks after the morning skate as his remarks infuriated the Habs’ faithful. After this game, the B’s will play six of their next seven on the road. Tim Thomas started in goal against Carey Price. At 1:23, the B’s got on the board as Jordan Caron scored when Carey Price went behind the net to play the puck and Caron took a hard rebound off the boards and banged it into a wide open net. Midway through the period, Cole had a chance as he broke down right wing with the puck but his shot went wide. Plekanec was robbed by Thomas on a point blank chance. Pacioretty and Cole then had tough chances from in close that Thomas knocked away. Subban then uncorked a blast from the point that Thomas kicked out. Thomas then robbed Kostitsyn after Seidenberg turned over the puck in the B’s zone. Eller went off for holding at 17:41. After the power play produced nothing, Pouliot went off for boarding Diaz at 19:07. The B’s were fortunate to be ahead after one period as they had a lucky goal and Thomas prevented several quality chances by Canadiens.

The B’s killed off the brief penalty to open the second but Habs continued to press the action in the attacking zone. Five minutes in, Kelly had a shot on a rebound from Peverley’s chance that Price knocked away. Bergeron and Seguin then broke in on a 2-on-1 but Bergeron’s shot went wide. The teams traded chances going back and forth for several minutes. At 16:08, the B’s went back on the power play as Moen went to the box for interference. The B’s crashed the net but were unable to poke the puck in.

Lucic said howdy-do to Yemelin in the opening moments of the third but nothing further ensued. Lucic made it 2-0 at 3:43 when he fired a backhander from Horton’s behind the net pass. The goal was set up by Krejci’s digging in the corner after the puck and feeding it to Horton. The B’s went on the power play at 6:32 when Diaz was sent off for holding. Midway through the period, Pacioretty fed Desharnais directly out in front but Thomas deflected the puck away. Habs then crashed the net to no avail as Thomas withstood the challenge. Kostitsyn then broke toward the left of the net and collided with Thomas, who came out of his crease to block the advance. A fight then ensued after Subban left his skates and delivered a forearm shiver to Krejci’s head. Ference took exception with the dirty hit and the B’s ended up shorthanded. Habs scored at 12:46 as Yannick Weber fired a shot from the top of the right circle as Thomas was screened by Cole. At 14:47, the B’s went back on the power play as Nokelainen was sent to the box for holding. The Habs had two shorthanded chances as Subban fired a shot from the point and Eller crashed the net. Price made a great save off of Krejci’s point blank chance…a report then surfaced that Mike Cammallieri (who wasn’t seen on the bench) was traded during the game. Plekanec then went off for holding at 18:48. Price was pulled with a minute to go and Canadiens put on a fierce attack at the end but Seidenberg blocked Kaberle’s shot from the point at the end and the game was over.