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Greetings from Ristuccia Arena
WILMINGTON --- As one might expect, the Bruins were put through the paces today at Ristuccia Arena following an abominable 6-0 loss Wednesday night in Buffalo.
The entire team, with the notable exception of Nathan Horton, was present and accounted for during today's extended practice session.
That included goaltenders Tuukka Rask, who was pulled after giving three goals against the Sabres, and Tim Thomas, who entered the game at 1:52 of the second period and gave up three goals himself.
Thomas created a bit a of a political tempest earlier Wednesday when he posted the following message on his Facebook page: ``I Stand with Cathloics in the fight for Religious Freedom''
Thomas' remarks were in response to the Obama administration's directive to all insurance plans, including those affiliated with religious schools and hospitals, to provide women free access to contraceptives.
Update, 1:02 p.m.
The Bruins have just wrapped up practice. Coach Claude Julien is now meeting with team.
Tim Thomas Facebook post stirs debate again
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas again finds himself at the center of a discussion over an expression of his beliefs.
Thomas yesterday posted a message to his official Facebook page that begins with "I Stand with the Catholics in the fight for Religious Freedom," and is followed by a quote from a German pastor named Martin Niemoller.
There is no explanation on the post about why he made the statement.
Thomas made national headlines in January when he decided not to join the Bruins at a reception held by President Barack Obama at the White House to honor their Stanley Cup championship. He explained the absence by posting a statement about his political beliefs on Facebook. His actions led to much debate over the way he expressed himself.
Final: Sabres 6, Bruins 0
THIRD PERIOD
Beat down complete. Sabres, 6-0, in Bruins' worst loss of season.
18:58 -- Sabres, 6-0. -- Stafford with final dagger.
Lots of nonsense to sort out with 2:23 to play. Means nothing to context of game, or score.
Kelly centers Caron and Peverley.
Julien tries line of Lucic-Krejci-Pouliot.
Bruins have not lost a game by more than three goals this season. This stands to be their fourth shutout.
1:18 -- Sabres, 5-0. Pominville backhand flip from doorstep. Beatdown continues.
Puck down. Bruins open with Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin.
SECOND PERIOD
Two periods done. And so are the Bruins. Sabres, 4-0.
18:11 -- Sabres, 4-0. Kaleta snaps in wrister from left wing circle. Thomas fails to close five hole. Turning into a pasting.
Point-blank slapper by Roy stopped by Thomas at 16:37. Sabres ahead on shots, 18-17, for first time tonight.
Julien might have to consider giving his lines a shake. Not much going on here.
Closing in on midway point, Sabres with cozy three-goal lead. Bruins doing little with puck this period.
4:00 -- Chara sent off for big bump (interference) on Kaleta.
1:52 -- Sabres, 3-0. Ennis connects with short backhander off rush, ahead of Seidenberg's stick. Julien gives Rask the hook and orders Thomas to the net.
Underway.
FIRST PERIOD
First period a wrap. Sabres with 2-0 lead. Bruins ahead on fights, 2-0, and shots, 12-9. But ...
14:49 -- Sabres, 2-0 -- Pominville connects at right post off of Leino's gorgeous spin and backhand dish from bottom of left wing circle. Bruins ahead, 2-0, on fights. Down by two on scoreboard.
Lucic hammers on Kaleta at latter's invite at 12:16. Both sent off for five minutes.
Bruins denied tying goal at 8:20. Lucic tipped in Kelly shot, but goal waved off because of Peverley interference, top of crease, with Miller.
6:23 -- Sabres, 1-0 -- Ehrhoff wrister from above LW circle deflected in by Boston's Campbell.
2:26 -- Thornton and McCormick square off. Not much of a bout, few punches connect.
Puck down. We're off.
Less than an hour to go here at First Niagara Center, where the Bruins are about face their old Adams Division buds, the Buffalo Sabres.
Clear cold night here at the edge of Lake Erie. No chance of lake effect snow or the sighting of a prehistoric monster (unless retired sportswriters storm the joint).
Much like Montreal, it's a somber hockey mood here, the locals sensing that only some 60 days remain in the NHL season. The Sabres tonight have only a 1-point lead over the cellar-dwelling Canes and trail the No. 8 seed, Ottawa, by 11 points.
Game 52: Bruins at Sabres
Good morning from a snow-free Buffalo, where the Bruins try to follow up Sunday's impressive win in D.C. with a win here tonight against the slumping Sabres.
The Bruins (5-5-1) haven't been sharp of late, but they looked back on register with their 4-1 win over the Caps. Coach Claude Julien moved Chris Kelly up to the first line to pivot Milan Lucic and Rich Peverley. No. 1 centerman David Krejci shifted down to third-line duty with Quebec kids Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron.
Look for Tuukka Rask in net tonight, after Tim Thomas made back-to-back starts against the Penguins (L) and Caps (W). The Thin Finn is 0-2-1 in his last three starts and is without a victory since Jan. 16 (Florida).
Update: In rare day-of-game admission, Julien discloses that Rask will get the start.
The Sabres will have ex-defenseman James Patrick calling the shots behind their bench. Long-time coach Lindy Ruff cracked three ribs in Monday's practice in a freak on-ice collision with Jordan Leopold and needed to spend Tuesday resting at home.
Update: Ruff, according to Patrick, will watch the game from inside the arena or from the club's offices here inside First Niagara Center.
With a win here, the Bruins can move within one point of the Rangers for the lead in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres will enter the night with only one point separating themselves and the cellar-dwelling Canes.
Puck drop: 7:35 p.m. EST
Record: Bruins, 33-16-2; Sabres, 22-24-6.
TV/radio info: NBC cable (formerly Versus), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Projected lineup:Milan Lucic-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-David Krejcik-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Healthy scratches: Steve Kampfer
Injured: Nathan Horton (concussion).
Storylines: We'll see if there is any residual bad blood between the clubs from the Nov. 12 visit to the Garden by Buffalo in which Lucic collided with Sabres netminder Ryan Miller. Nearly three months later, the Sabres really haven't recovered from that Lucic-induced spin-o-rama ... Krejci needs to pick up his game. He has gone without a point in three straight games for the first time since the start of December. It will be all the harder for him to rekindle his offensive touch as long as he rides with third-line wingers Caron and Pouliot ... Team captain Zdeno Chara was given the day off on Tuesday, but he is expected back for a minimum 25:00 of TOI this evening ... Four Boston forwards scored all the goals in D.C, including Peverley, Marchand, Seguin, and Lucic. In their three previous games, Bruins defensemen had outscored forwards, 3-2 ... Also, 23 of Boston's 30 shots on Sunday came from forwards. Too much of their game recently was backloaded on offense ...The Sabres and Islanders are tied for the fewest goals (126) in the East. Only Columbus (122) and Minnesota (123) have scored fewer times this season.
Bruins prepare for Sabres
WILMINGTON – Good morning from Ristuccia Arena, where the Bruins have started practice in preparation for tomorrow’s game against Buffalo.
David Krejci, dropped to the third line against Washington, remains with Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron today.
“I don’t think there’s necessarily any messages,” Claude Julien said after practice when asked if he wanted to send a message to Krejci. “We expect our players to come out and be the best they can every night. That’s something I think they owe to the organization, especially based on their contracts. That’s what we expect from them no matter where they are.”
The lineup:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Benoit Pouliot-David Krejci-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Steven Kampfer-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
No word yet on whether Zach Hamill has been claimed. The deadline is noon today.
* Zdeno Chara is not present. All other defensemen are practicing.
UPDATE: Chara was given the day off. Hamill has cleared waivers.
Zach Hamill placed on waivers
The Bruins have placed Zach Hamill on waivers with the purpose of being assigned to Providence. TSN first reported the transaction.
Hamill can be claimed by any team before noon tomorrow. The team would assume the rest of Hamill’s $1,316,667 annual cap hit. Hamill will be a restricted free agent at year’s end. If Hamill goes unclaimed, he will report to Providence.
The move is not a surprise. After Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh, Hamill’s name was taken off his TD Garden stall. Hamill joined the team for yesterday’s road game against Washington but was a healthy scratch. Jordan Caron replaced Hamill on the third line.
Hamill had submitted a 0-0—0 line in his last four games. Hamill hadn’t recorded a point since Dec. 13, when he had an assist against Los Angeles.
@GlobeFluto
Final: Bruins 4, Capitals 1
All done in DC. Bruins halt two-game slide.
19:19 3d period: Bruins 4-1
Rich Peverley with the ENG. Impressive day for Bruins.
13:23 3d period: Bruins 3-1
Sharp Tim Thomas kickout of a short-range Keith Aucoin shot. Dangerous.
12:04 3d period: Bruins 3-1
Marcus Johansson’s cross-crease pass goes in off Dennis Seidenberg. Caps broke out far too easily.
6:38 3d period: Bruins 3-0
Tyler Seguin gets piece of Brad Marchand pass. Good body position on Dennis Wideman.
4:31 3d period: Bruins 2-0
Matchups continue into third. Patrice Bergeron’s line against John Carlson and Karl Alzner.
1:52 3d period: Bruins 2-0
Mathieu Perreault hits the crossbar with a wrister.
20:00 2d period: Bruins 2-0
For a change, Bruins submit very good second period. Taking lead into third for first time in 11 games.
15:41 2d period: Bruins 2-0
Zdeno Chara zings a slapper off Tomas Vokoun’s mask. Scary.
14:28 2d period: Bruins 2-0
Brooks Laich back on the bench.
12:00 2d period: Bruins 2-0
Brooks Laich in a lot of pain. Favoring left leg. Tangled with Dennis Seidenberg behind net.
11:21 2d period: Bruins 2-0
Good seam pass by Dennis Wideman to spring Keith Aucoin for partial break. Aucoin blasts slapper wide.
4:39 2d period: Bruins 2-0
Caps with better legs so far. Bruins need to match their intensity.
20:00 1st period: Bruins 2-0
Bruins very pleased with that period. Strong on walls and in danger areas around net.
18:46 1st period: Bruins 2-0
Adam McQuaid vs. Matt Hendricks. McQuaid with several punches. Hendricks with takedown.
18:38 1st period: Bruins 2-0
Brad Marchand with short-angle backhander past Tomas Vokoun. Strong forechecking by Patrice Bergeron on Karl Alzner.
17:33 1st period: Bruins 1-0
Partial break for Alex Semin. Tim Thomas gets right pad on Semin’s shot.
10:45 1st period: Bruins 1-0
Great speed by Milan Lucic going over blue line. Blows past Dennis Wideman. Takes pass from Rich Peverley and goes upstairs on Tomas Vokoun. Terrific play by the two forwards.
10:27 1st period: 0-0
Patrice Bergeron’s line going against Brooks Laich, Matt Hendricks, Troy Brouwer. Not being used against Alex Ovechkin.
5:15 1st period: 0-0
Another shift for David Krejci with third-liners. Looks like a line for now.
1:30 1st period: 0-0
Chris Kelly between Milan Lucic and Rich Peverley.
0:44 1st period: 0-0
David Krejci centering Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron.
0:00 1st period: 0-0
Zach Hamill out. Jordan Caron in.
Today's Bruins lineup
Based on pregame warmups:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
* Tomas Vokoun (21-12-1, 2.53 GAA, .918 save percentage) will start in goal for the Capitals.
Nathan Horton to skate today
Nathan Horton is scheduled to skate today, according to Claude Julien. It will be Horton’s first time on the ice since suffering a concussion on Jan. 22. Horton resumed off-ice workouts on Friday.
Given the nature of concussions, there is no timetable to Horton’s recovery. Assuming Horton’s solo skates go well, he will then progress to non-contact practice. After that, Horton will take contact, then await clearance for game action.
Horton will miss his fifth straight game today.
Game 51: Bruins at Capitals
WASHINGTON – Good morning from the Verizon Center, where the Bruins will attempt to snap their two-game losing streak today against the Capitals.
No word yet on whether there will be any lineup changes today. Claude Julien might provide some insight later this morning during his pregame briefing.
Puck drop: 12:30 p.m.
TV/radio info: NBC Sports Network (Mike Emrick, Ed Olczyk, Pierre McGuire),100.7 WZLX-FM (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Records: Bruins 32-16-2, Capitals 27-20-4
Projected Bruins lineup:
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Healthy scratches: Steven Kampfer, Zach Hamill
Storylines: Nathan Horton will miss his fifth straight game because of a concussion… This will be the Bruins’ first look at Alex Ovechkin. The Washington captain missed their last meeting because he was serving a three-game suspension for belting Zbynek Michalek… Dennis Seidenberg is good to go today. Seidenberg has cuts on his forehead and bridge of his nose after being hit by Joe Vitale yesterday… Kyle Rehman and Steve Kozari will be the referees. Michel Cormier and Lonnie Cameron will be the linesmen.
Final: Penguins 2, Bruins 1
THIRD PERIOD
Penguins 2-1 winners. Bruins now 1-3 since White House visit.
Corvo to room, injuried, with 2:15 to go. Returns with 1:43 left.
6:00 to go. Bruins still in need of goal to force OT.
6:45 -- Penguins, 2-1 -- Corvo nails in long wrister through screen from blue line.
Two days later, it's Ground Hog Day again.
1:53 -- Peguins, 2-0. Cooke pots loose puck in crease. Corvo fishes for puck, fails to take him out.
Bruins open with Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin line. Sam ol', same ol'.
SECOND PERIOD
40:00 in books. Pens, 1-0. Bruins now five scorerless periods, 0-for-67 with shots.
Big Z around Pittsburgh net today a couple of times during 5/5 play.
Bruins with five shots on net during 4min. PP. No goal. Pens still ahead, 1-0.
10:31 -- Fleury turns back Corvo at right post.
8:56 -- Four minute penalty on Dupuis for high stick on Seguin. Boston's first chance on man-advantage. Bruins 6-for-30 over last 10 games.
5:57 -- Second power play chance for Pens, Pouliot off for hooking.
Bergeron and Seguin miss net on two primo chances in first minute.
5:57 -- Second power play chance for Pens, Pouliot off for hooking.
Bergeron and Seguin miss net on two primo chances in first minute.
FIRST PERIOD
Pens carry 1-0 lead into first period. Bruins with 10-6 shot lead but again with very little presence around net.
1951 -- Penguins, 1-0. Malkin pots free puck at left post after puck trickles through crease on shot from above right wing faceoff circle.
First penalty of day (Peverley slash on Malkin) at 19:16.
Bruins with 9-3 shot lead through 15:00. No score.
Halfway through first. No score. Skating/passing game. Boards unbruised.
Opening 8:00 very quiet. Funereal. Shots, 2-2.
Puck down.
Thomas, winner of his last three starts, in net today for Bruins.
Less than an hour to go here at TD Garden before the Bruins-Penguins matchup.
Jordan Caron recalled from WannaBs prior to today's tilt, but not expected to play until tomorrow (in D.C.) at the earliest.
Game 50: Penguins at Bruins
Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will face off against Pittsburgh this afternoon. The Bruins are coming off a 3-0 loss to Carolina on Thursday.
The Bruins have recalled Jordan Caron from Providence. It’s possible that Caron could replace Zach Hamill on the third line. Hamill has done very little in the last three games as the No. 3 right wing. As a result, the third line has had little to zero presence. Caron could give the unit more muscle.
Puck drop: 1 p.m.
TV/radio info: NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama),98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Records: Penguins 29-18-4, 32-15-2
Projected Bruins lineup:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Healthy scratches: Steven Kampfer, Zach Hamill
Storylines: Nathan Horton will miss his fourth straight game because of a concussion… With the Bruins struggling to find offensive consistency, don’t be surprised to see Claude Julien mix up his lines if things don’t click early today… The Bruins conclude their three-game homestand today. Eight of their next 10 games will be on the road, including a six-match roadie… Cal O’Reilly will make his Pittsburgh debut today. The Penguins claimed O’Reilly off waivers earlier this week… Pittsburgh will be without Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal, two of their top three centers… Paul Devorski and Brad Watson will be the referees. Lonnie Cameron and Shane Heyer will be the linesmen.
Bruins look to snap out of funk
WILMINGTON – After a disappointing performance on Thursday night in which the Bruins outshot the Hurricanes 47-31 but still left TD Garden empty handed in a 3-0 loss, those watching Friday morning’s practice might have been expecting some intensity.
But after 15 minutes on the ice, the struggling Bruins (4-4-1 over the last nine games) were still skating in circles, teeing off on pucks out of mid-air and firing slap shots from the neutral zone. Then head coach Claude Julien joined the party.
Suddenly his sluggish team turned the crank to full speed. The Bruins worked mostly on breakouts and forechecking – something they’ve struggled with during their recent funk.
“Anybody who watched our practice today saw that it had a pretty good pace,” said the pleased coach. “And this is kind of what we need to carry into these upcoming games – bringing our work ethic and commitment and everything else up to the next level that we have to bring it to.”
Julien didn’t make any changes to his lines nor does he expect to anytime soon, saying, “If it was one or two players who aren’t pulling their load it would be one thing. But it’s a whole team thing.”
Nathan Horton (concussion) was the only player who didn’t participate in practice, but Julien said he was feeling better on Friday and there was a possibility he would start exercising on the bike later in the day.
“Hopefully if everything goes well he’s going to start going through the stages of recovery as far as working out,” Julien said.
Adam McQuaid, who missed practice Wednesday before Thursday’s loss to Carolina due to a lower body injury, said he was feeling pretty sore but nothing unexpected. The defenseman figures to keep playing through the pain as the Bruins get back to work tomorrow at 1 p.m. on Causeway Street against the Penguins
Brad Marchand admitted to being “thrown off his game” on Thursday after he thought the officiating crew completely missed a high sticking call. Marchand argued that Eric Staal, whose lumber got mixed up with Zdeno Chara’s, caught Marchand in the face but no penalty was given.
“The first one Z got in the face, the second one Staal got me in the face,” Marchand said. “But the ref said Z got me in the face both times. I got a little frustrated after [that]. It should’ve been a penalty. The ref was looking right at it and I felt he missed the call. And it kind of threw me off my game a little bit.”
Final: Canes 3, Bruins 0
THIRD PERIOD
A wrap here on Causeway Street. Canes, 3-0. Bruins 4-4-1 in last nine. Mid-winter mediocre.
3:00 to go. Canes, 3-0.
Marchand slashing minor takes Bruins out of power play after only 8 ticks of the clock.
With 5:53 to go, Bruins with one more crack with sputtering PP.
8:00 to go. Looks like Bruins will go quietly to 32-15-2.
Bruins on power play with 12:06 to go. A little bingo?
3:13 -- Canes, 3-0. Sutter spares 17,565 prospect of a shootout chicanery by canning his wrister.
This is the ninth straight game the Bruins have entered third period without a lead.
SECOND PERIOD
End 40:00 on Causway. Bruins will enter the third with 2-0 deficit.
16:41 - Canes, 2-0. Ruutu pops in two-goal lead, into open left side, after Sutter makes steal off Ference-to-McQuaid attempt high in Boston's defensive end.
Rask robs Dwyer, glove hand, off 15-foot snap from slot. Preserves 1-0 deficit at 15:59.
5:14 to go. No change on the scoreboard. Bruins now with 27-19 shot lead. Always lots of goals when Dr. Shinzawa blogs games. Beginning to think he must makes up the score.
Midway through period. Tropical Depression still with 1-0 lead.
Nearly 6:00 gone, Bruins still without a shot this period.
Bruins win 13 of 16 faceoffs in first period. Outshoot Canes, 22-8. Add it all up: one-goal deficit. Hockey.
Boychuk on ice prior to start of period.
FIRST PERIOD
End 20:00. Canes, 1-0. Boychuk remains hors de combat. Awaiting word from Dr. Recchi.
15:33 -- Krejci to penalty box for boarding. First PP of eve.
11:51 -- Bruins may have lost Boychuk for night. Nailed in corner by Ruutu on Staal goal. Looked to have injured right wrist or arm up against glass.
11:51 -- Canes, 1-0. Staal pots one-time at right post off Tlusty feed from near LW corner.
10:40 gone. No score. Bruins with better pressure, 13-4 shot lead. Can't dent Ward.
Still 0-0 with timeout at 8:08. Bruins with 6-4 shot lead.
Marchand misses wide right with backhander near right post after Seguin tosses pass cross slot at 7:32.
Carolina with excellent scoring chance at 4:59. McBain backhand lift hits crossbar.
Proud American Rene Rancourt handles honors, wearing red-white-and-blue vest.
Rask leads out Bruins. Will start. Puck drop just a couple of minutes away.
Less than an hour to go here tonight for the Bruins-Canes tilt. Lots of NHL scouts in attendance, picking over the Carolina carcass.
Andrew Ference back in after serving his three-game penance for bad hit on NYR's Ryan McDonagh. Steven Kampfer will be up here in the press box.
Nathan Horton (concussion) remains sidelined. The club is offering no timeline as to his return.
Nathan Horton yet to resume physical activity
Nathan Horton will miss his third straight game tonight because of a concussion. Horton has yet to begin off-ice workouts because of his symptoms, which include headaches.
Horton suffered the concussion 11 days ago against Philadelphia. Given that his symptoms have yet to wane, it’s likely that Horton won’t be available to play until next week at the earliest.
* While Adam McQuaid will be a game-time decision tonight, Claude Julien is optimistic the defenseman will be in the lineup.
Game 49: Hurricanes at Bruins
Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will look to score their first win against the Hurricanes tonight.
Nathan Horton (concussion) will miss his third straight game. Andrew Ference will return tonight after competing his three-game sitdown for boarding Ryan McDonagh.
Puck drop: 7 p.m.
TV/radio info: NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama),98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Records: Hurricanes 18-25-9, Bruins 32-14-2
Projected Bruins lineup:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Zach Hamill
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Healthy scratch: Steven Kampfer
Storylines: Tim Gleason is off the market. The Carolina alternate captain signed a four-year extension earlier this week. Gleason, who would have hit UFA status after this season, would have been a good candidate for the Bruins to acquire prior to the Feb. 27 deadline… The Hurricanes won their last game against the Bruins at the RBC Center, 4-2… Tuomo Ruutu remains on the block. Ruutu would add to the team’s bottom-six depth… Eric Furlatt and Brian Pochmara will be the referees. Andy McElman and Pierre Racicot will be the linesmen.
Horton, McQuaid miss practice
WILMINGTON - Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid didn't participate in practice at Ristuccia Arena today because of a lower-body injury. Coach Claude Julien said McQuaid caught a rut late in Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators and needed a day off the ice.
Julien said he expects to know more tomorrow about whether McQuaid will be available for Boston's game against the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden.
Andrew Ference has finished serving his three-game suspension for his hit on Rangers' defenseman Ryan McDonagh on Jan. 21 and is expected back in the lineup tomorrow night.
``Anybody coming back is going to be a welcome addition right now,'' said Julien. ``He's an experienced player who has had a really good year for us. He's been as steady as we could ever ask for from a defenseman so we're going to be happy to have him back, especially in the situation that McQuaid is in right now. If he's not 100 percent, you want to make sure you have a player who's pretty healthy and that's the case with Ference. He's ready to go.''
Right wing Nathan Horton continues to recover from a concussion he suffered on Jan. 22 in a game against Philadelphia. Julien said he is being evaluated daily but isn't ready to skate.
Final: Bruins 4, Senators 3
All done in Boston. Far better and tighter third period by Bruins. Dennis Seidenberg with game-winning muffin.
10:24 3d period: Bruins 4-3
Craig Anderson slams door. Partial break for Milan Lucic. But Anderson shuts down five-hole entrance.
7:09 3d period: Bruins 4-3
Dennis Seidenberg tees up shot from red line. Beats Craig Anderson clean as whistle. Merry Christmas.
2:20 3d period: 3-3
Another PPG. Craig Anderson gets a bead on Joe Corvo’s first shot. But Brad Marchand attacks and taps in rebound over Anderson’s glove.
20:00 2d period: Senators 3-2
Late life from Bruins. But Ottawa still controlled majority of second. Bruins need more determination in third to make this a game.
19:15 2d period: Senators 3-2
Milan Lucic takes pass from Rich Peverley and snaps a puck past Craig Anderson. Big goal. Good net drive by David Krejci to open up shooting lane for Lucic. Zdeno Chara starts rush with clearing pass to Peverley on right side.
13:28 2d period: Senators 3-1
Erik Karlsson and Chris go away on two-on-one rush. Karlsson takes Neil feed and wings a shot past Tim Thomas. Turnover by Brad Marchand at offensive blue line gives Senators numbers going other way.
12:36 2d period: Senators 2-1
Ottawa really rolling now. Bruins need to make sure this game doesn’t get out of reach now. Senators flying.
7:43 2d period: Senators 2-1
Senators go up ice with speed. Kyle Turris snaps shot high on Tim Thomas from left circle. Nice breakout and cross-ice pass from Daniel Alfredsson. Not sure why Gregory Campbell didn’t go for line change there.
3:40 2d period: 1-1
Craig Anderson stops Tyler Seguin. Several sniffs for Seguin during shift. Pass to Brad Marchand just off.
20:00 1st period: 1-1
Shots even, 12-12. Didn’t see Shawn Thornton on bench at end of first. Might have been getting right hand looked at. Was icing it in penalty box after fight with Chris Neil.
18:40 1st period: 1-1
Colin Greening on the rebound. Tim Thomas kicks out point shot. Big rebound to Milan Michalek, who finds Greening in front.
14:16 1st period: Bruins 1-0
Adam McQuaid vs. Zenon Konopka. Not sure how that started. Another big-time tussle. McQuaid loses hat in fight.
12:38 1st period: Bruins 1-0
Shawn Thornton vs. Chris Neil. Neil scrapes off Thornton’s helmet early. Thornton comes back strong. Heavyweight tilt.
11:57 1st period: Bruins 1-0
Zdeno Chara with left-point PP slapper. Good net-front presence by Milan Lucic. Completes good work by both units.
10:09 1st period: 0-0
Brad Marchand hooked down. PP coming up. Good legs for Marchand so far.
8:54 1st period: 0-0
Another great chance for Benoit Pouliot. Dangles through traffic, dings backhand off left post.
6:18 1st period: 0-0
Good chance for Benoit Pouliot off Zdeno Chara shot. Craig Anderson standing tall.
3:40 1st period: 0-0
Decent heat by second line. All starts with Zdeno Chara rubbing out Milan Michalek deep in Boston zone.
0:00 1st period: 0-0
Nathan Horton (concussion) out for second straight game. Andrew Ference (suspension) banished for third and final game.
Tonight's Bruins lineup
Based on pregame warmups:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Zach Hamill
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Steven Kampfer-Adam McQuaid
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
* Craig Anderson (25-16-4, 2,90 GAA, .910 save percentage) will start in goal for the Senators.
Game 48: Senators at Bruins
Hello again from Causeway Street, where tonight the Bruins return from the NHL's All-Star break and face the Ottawa Senators. It's the start of three straight at the Garden. The Canes will be here on Thursday night, followed by the Penguins on Saturday.
The guess here is that Tuukka Rask, well rested while Tim Thomas fulfilled All-Star obligations in Ottawa over the weekend, will be in net, most likely opposed by Craig Anderson. Following the morning skate, both goalies left the ice simultaneously, with Thomas one stride ahead of the Thin Finn.
With such a heavy schedule from now until the start of the playoffs, said Bruins coach Claude Julien, both goalies should see a healthy amount of playing time. But that does not necessarily mean a straight rotation. ''If they're both hot, they're both playing.'' And if one isn't.....
Nathan Horton, still working his way back from a concussion, remains out of the Black-and-Gold lineup. Andrew Ference tonight will serve the third and final game of his three-game suspension for his dangerous hit Jan. 21 on the Rangers' Ryan McDonagh.
Puck drop: 7:05 p.m. EST
Record: Bruins, 31-14-2; Senators, 27-19-6.
TV/radio info: NESN (Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, Naoko Funayama), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers)
Projected lineup:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Zach Hamill
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Steve Kampfer-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Healthy scratches: Andrew Ference (suspended).
Storylines: If Thomas gets the start, no telling how the crowd will react in the wake of the former US Olympic goalie opting not to attend the club's White House visit last Monday. It's the club's first Garden appearance since making what turned into a controversial visit to Pennsylvania Ave...The Bruins picked up one power-play goal in each of their two games prior to the ASG break, but are a squirt-gun-like 5-for-34 (14.7 percent) over their last 10 games. They were blanked on the man-advantage in five of those 10 games. Five different forwards scored those PPGs...The last Boston defenseman to score on the man-advantage was Zdeno Chara, who connected in the 6-0 smackdown of the Flyers on Dec. 17. Six weeks is a long time to go without any PP pop from long-distance...Defensemen Ference and Adam McQuaid were the only Bruins to score in the 3-2 loss to the Rangers on Jan. 21...Team captain Chara was uncharacteristically animated following the morning skate when discussing how often equipment manufacturers change their stick specs....Brad Marchand, aka The L'il Ball o' Hate, was also called ''Squirrel'' for a while during his AHL days. More on that in tomorrow's Boston Globe...The referees tonight are Rob Martell and Dan O'Rourke; Linesmen are Andy McElman and Tim Nowak. Brendan Shanahan remains the long arm of the law.
(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)
- Kevin Paul Dupont (right), Globe national hockey writer
- Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Bruins beat reporter
