Sigalet up with Raycroft out

As if the Bruins' second overtime loss in three nights wasn't painful enough, Wednesday's misery at Carolina was compounded with the news starting goaltender Andrew Raycroft had been injured.

According to coach Mike Sullivan, Raycroft will be sidelined 5-7 days with a strained hamstring, hardly the sort of news his struggling team needed to hear. ''We've been in every game," said Sullivan. ''He's given us a chance to win and that's all you can ask of your goaltender."

Raycroft (3.35 goals-against average, .894 save percentage) started nine of Boston's first 11 games and would have been between the pipes against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, Hannu Toivonen got his third start of the season and that was hardly a surprise. The dilemma revolved around Toivonen's backup. The Bruins could have called up veteran Tim Thomas from Providence of the American Hockey League, but that would have involved asking for waivers on Thomas, and the Bruins didn't want to take a chance on Thomas getting claimed. So it's easy to see why they opted for rookie Jordan Sigalet.

Sigalet, the former Bowling Green standout who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years ago, had a 1-0 record and 2.00 goals-against average with the Providence Bruins. Situated at the far end of the Bruins' bench, Sigalet was wearing No. 57.

Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn mixed things up in goal, too, though it had nothing to do with an injury. He gave stalwart Ed Belfour the night off and gave Mikael Tellqvist some playing time. Tellqvist, 26, played in 11 games for the Leafs in 2003-04 and spent much of last season with St. John's in the AHL. His only previous start was a 4-2 win at Philadelphia, a game in which he made 31 saves.

Visiting the press box between the second and third periods, Raycroft said he would try to start physical therapy this weekend in an effort to be back within a week.

Orr scores

Having stumbled and bumbled to a pair of overtime losses on both sides of the border earlier in the week, the Bruins were in dire need of a shift in momentum, a shake-up, if you will, and as they did in an era long since passed, they turned to Orr. But whereas the incomparable Bobby did it with his grace and uncanny shifts and skating prowess, Colton used his brawn. Barely had the puck been dropped on a faceoff 2:15 into the game when Orr dropped the gloves and took on Toronto heavyweight Wade Belak. It was a raucous way for the patrons to get settled in their seats, and while Orr got stripped of his jersey, he perhaps got the better of Belak, who was bloodied, though he had five minutes to clean up. For Orr, it was also five minutes in the box, much more than the time he got on the ice -- 1 minute 45 seconds . . . Speaking of ice time, Ian Moran got just 3:39 as he seemingly has settled into a spare role. Call him the 12th forward or seventh defenseman . . . Travis Green had a nice night in the faceoff circle, winning 8 of 11 draws.

A mere formality

To enable the Bruins to call up Sigalet, the team placed Alexei Zhamnov on the injured reserve list, though it was a formality. Zhamnov (bruised shoulder) has yet to play, though he has been skating and could join team practices next week . . . Shawn McEachern (back spasms) missed his fifth straight game. He could skate this weekend, but Sullivan said it was ''doubtful" McEachern will play tomorrow against New Jersey . . . Old friend Jason Allison came into the TD Banknorth Garden with at least 1 point in six of Toronto's nine games (2-8--10), eight of those points on the power play. The Bruins shut him out . . . Toronto broke out their vintage Leafs jersey. When they wore the old-time jerseys in 2003-04, the Leafs went 8-2-1. The Leafs are 1-1 this season . . . The Bruins' alumni team will play Russia's Gazpromexport tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Garden before the Bruins-Devils game at 7.