Toivonen gets vote against Senators
WILMINGTON -- Hannu Toivonen has established himself as the Bruins' No. 1 goaltender, supplanting Andrew Raycroft. Yesterday, coach Mike Sullivan said Toivonen will be between the pipes when the Bruins host the Eastern Conference-leading Ottawa Senators tonight at the TD Banknorth Garden. It will mark the sixth start in the last seven games for the 21-year-old rookie.
Toivonen said his play has been helped by Boston's much-improved team defense. The Bruins have surrendered 14 goals in their last six games. Subtract the six they gave up in a 6-4 loss to Florida Dec. 28, and they have given up only eight goals in the other five outings.
''We're playing a lot smarter, that's for sure," Toivonen said. ''We don't give that many odd-man rushes at all. We create more than we give up. It's partly the fact we keep the game simple on both blue lines, make good decisions, and just not make the game hard for ourselves.
''It's a team effort and I think we've done a better job of that lately. We've come a long way since September. Everybody can see that and I think this is the right direction."
Toivonen enters tonight's game with a 9-5-4 record, a 2.67 goals-against average, and a .912 save percentage. He is also a candidate for the Finnish Olympic team after Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff pulled out of the Games because of hip problems. Toivonen said he sympathizes with Kiprusoff.
''If you're hurt, it's kind of tough to play," Toivonen said. ''I guess he's been struggling with it all season. I can just imagine how painful it is to play with sore hips. He's a part of the Calgary organization and that's his No. 1 thing, to help Calgary. It's probably tough for him to pull out, but it's something he has to do for the team."
Nick Boynton, who suffered a fractured kneecap Dec. 4 in Vancouver, skated for the first time yesterday, taking the ice for about 20 minutes before the club's practice. He said it went as well as could be expected. ''It felt good," Boynton said. ''That's the first time I've really done that. Hopefully it [feels OK overnight] and I can go a little bit harder [today]. I didn't want to overdo it." The team has not set a return date for Boynton . . . Ian Moran, who has been sidelined all but 12 games this season because of knee surgery, is making steady improvement and said he could begin skating next week. ''That would be a huge step," he said . . . Sergei Samsonov missed practice because of what Sullivan termed flu symptoms. He's expected to be available tonight . . . Jiri Slegr, who missed Monday's game against Philadelphia because of back spasms, skated through the full workout . . . The Bruins sent forward Eric Nickulas to Providence . . . The San Jose Sharks and Joe Thornton make their only appearance at the Garden Tuesday night. Although Thornton was traded Nov. 30, proof of the Bruins' offensive drought lies in the fact he's still Boston's leading scorer with 33 points. Thornton has 21 points in 13 games with the Sharks, who have gone 8-5 in that stretch.
