Very good win for the B's and Bergeron gets a "reward" game for being the best Bruins' player all season. Bergeron teams up with Sturm on 3 goals including the game winner and Samsonov tallies on on a rebound shot from a defenseman (go figure).

The Bruins led all the way and Thomas played a good game in goal. It wasn't until a minor penalty combined with an "illegal stick" penalty on Axelsson that the Ducks got back in the game and eventually tied it on an incredible wrist shot.

This is just another example of what the Bruins can do, but don't on a regular basis. They can score and have talented forwards, but in the second and third periods they did not keep the pressure on and the shots on goal were evidence of that. They came away with a very sweet 2 points after overcoming the late 2-man power play collapse.

B's took 9 penalties today. This has been a pretty consistent problem I think.

Small footnote but the illegal stick was on Samsonov, not Axe. PJ was out talking to the ref because he had the A on his jersey.

As far as Bergeron, they should sign him long term ASAP. He's a find.

They led all the way except when it was tied, 3-3.

Monbo Jumbo was kind enough to send me the superb template he uses for his site. When I was messing around with it tonight this is some of the stuff I came up with, it is pretty self explanatory.

The Bruins have recalled G Jordan Sigalet from Providence, and the word is that Andrew Raycroft has been traded. No word yet on where he's headed or what we got for him, though.

Source? I'm assuming HF Boards?

KPD is chatting on Boston.com right now, I'm trying to get this confirmed.

KPD hasn't heard anything yet. He's looking into it.

According to KPD, the Bruins say Raycroft needs time off the ice for his knee to heal. He did not make the trip to Philly. No word of a trade, though.

KPD's unbelievable. In response to a question about possibly shaking up the hockey ops, he pines for Brian Burke, saying the Bruins should have hired him but Anaheim got him first.

The Ducks have 47 points this year, only 6 more than the Bruins. Burke's hardly doing a great job there.

How good is this Rob Schremp kid? He is the Oilers #1 prospect, 8.0, on Hockey's Future. But people on the HF Board are saying, "He may not become the superstar people thought.. etc etc"



He seems like he shouldn't be touchable, but his name is being thrown around in Raycroft talk.

Sounds like some love him and others not so much. His numbers this year are amazing. His numbers in previous years were nothing special. He actually sounds a lot like Brad Boyes although probably a better skater since he has done power skating training

Though I could be mistaken, I recall reading about some concerns over his attitude and the perception that he's not a team player (demanding trades, etc.). But judging by those stats, I don't think you can question his talent skill-wise.

I also wouldn't go so far as say that his previous years have been "nothing special". He's been top 20 in OHL scoring for the last three years and is leading the league this season. Gotta love that he's a Yank too!

2 more assists for him last night too, dropping his PPG average at 2.88.

Maybe nothing special is a little steep, but you see a lot of guys who throw up better than a point a game in these Junior leagues who never even come close to doing anything in the professional game.

IF Schremp were offered I'd consider it.

But I do think he sounds like a Brad Boyes type, but maybe someone with a better shot, or at least more willing to take the shot than Boyes

This is the first time I've seen anyone criticize Boyes for not shooting.

He is third on the team with 96 shots, behind Bergeron and Murray. He has outshot a lot of forwards who have more ice time this year.

Chicagoblackhawks.com reporting that the Bruins have claimed G Craig Anderson off waivers.

Craig Anderson's bio on NHL.com

Season Team GP MIN W L T GA SA SO GA Avg SV %
2005-2006 Blackhawks 14 753 2 8 0 49 365 0 3.90 .866
2003-2004 Blackhawks 21 1,205 6 14 0 57 602 1 2.84 .905
2002-2003 Blackhawks 6 270 0 3 2 18 125 0 4.00 .856

NHL Totals: 41 2,229 8 25 2 124 1,092 1 3.34 .886

He's not good. Why did the Bruins claim him?

Maybe he will be here just to back up Thomas until Hannu is back. Prov needs a goalie back.

KPD says they want a veteran backup for Thomas so that Sigalet can play in Providence.

This probably means that Raycroft's injury is legit and somewhat serious, or he is packing his bags as I type...

Because this team is dysfunctional. Anderson isn't the worst ever but he tends to let in 3 no matter what. Last week I saw him take 2 Gagne wristers from near the blueline right in the facemask.

So he'd rather conserve energy than raise his glove or blocker. Sounds pretty crafty to me!

Tonight's Fucktards: Mike O'Connell, Mike Sullivan, and Dave Jackson (the referee who watched Brad Stuart get a stick in the face and called nothing).

Sullivan's got Bergeron at the point, and STuart on the left side. Will he ever get a clue? I doubt it.

Points for both Bergeron and Stuart already in this game. Sammy's got two assists as well. All's looking good so far at 4-1 with 1:50 left in the second period.

After I criticized Sully for playing Bergeron at the point, he scored from there!!!

I actually think Bergeron is very good at the point - I think he could be a good defenseman if the Bruins asked him to play defense - but he is also the Bruins most valuable PP scorer, so I'd rather see him up front.

Bergeron also picked up an assist on yet another 2 on 1 with Sturm.

Green has two backhand goals, and Tim Thomas has made some HUGE saves.

Damn, was that Wayne Primeau or Bobby Orr?

Wow, what a goal.

...and that is sure to bring out the goons on the Flyers.

Very good win for the Bruins. With the exception of an alarming disparity on shots on goal, they played with a lot of energy and effort. The Primeau goal was all about effort (maybe some offensive skill wasn't drained from the gene pool before Wayne popped out), and the Sturm goal was a thing of beauty. The chemistry between Sturm and Bergeron is pretty darn good (if only we could complete the line, I'd like the third person to be Samsonov, but Sullivan doesn't seem to agree), and it was nice to see Boynton showing signs of life at D. Even though Philly was really banged up going into this game (missing 5 key players including Esche, Forsberg and Primeau... the other Primeau) it is still a road victory against a hard-nosed team and the Bruins should get some confidence from it.

Very good win for the Bruins. With the exception of an alarming disparity on shots on goal, they played with a lot of energy and effort. The Primeau goal was all about effort (maybe some offensive skill wasn't drained from the gene pool before Wayne popped out), and the Sturm goal was a thing of beauty. The chemistry between Sturm and Bergeron is pretty darn good (if only we could complete the line, I'd like the third person to be Samsonov, but Sullivan doesn't seem to agree), and it was nice to see Boynton showing signs of life at D. Even though Philly was really banged up going into this game (missing 5 key players including Esche, Forsberg and Primeau... the other Primeau) it is still a road victory against a hard-nosed team and the Bruins should get some confidence from it.

Without Brad Boyes breakout pass, there would have been no 2-on-1 goal for Bergeron and Sturm.

Too bad a slept right through this one, seems like a great effort. Can we talk about shot differential though; over the last 5 games: -10, -12, -11, -4, -19

And without Thomas' outstanding save just before that sequence, there's no 2-on-1 either. Give Thomas some mad props; he played great last night.

It's refreshing to see Sturm and Bergeron clicking so well. It's gotten to the point where, if I see those two on a 2-on-1, I feel like it's almost automatic.

The Flyers were taking some serious liberties with Sturm and, to a lesser extent, Bergeron last night. It pissed me off that we didn't do anything about it. I noticed LaCouteur would come out shortly after some of the rough stuff but never even made an attempt to challenge any of the guilty parties, like Sim.

I can't believe the referee out by the blue line didn't step in and make the high stick call that clipped Stuart's face. It was obvious that Dave Jackson had his back turned, and I don't fault him for it, but it seems like those types of infractions almost ALWAYS get called.

Solid win last night. Good team play and some of the crisper passing I've seen in a while.

First intermission: Gord Kluzak is unwatchable. He shifts his eyes rapidly between TC and the camera. I actually wrote to them once and explained the problem, but didn't get a reply. I recognize that he probably doesn't have a broadcasting degree, but couldn't someone at NESN fix this? Does he drive anyone else nuts?

Why oh why did you have to say that about Kluzak? Now I feel like I'm watching a bobble-head doll between periods.

Nice effort there in the 2nd by the B's. The OH by the Rangers that lead to the 5 on 3 was the play of the game so far.


Was that 'Remote Control'?

Is it obvious to anyone else how pathetic the B's are in the shoot out? I think 90% of their shots have been an average wrist shot, leaving the goaltender to stop a pretty easy shot.

I don't think i've seen more than 5 goals in the shoot out all year than have not included something a little more complex(ala Bergeron tonight).

Well, at least the B's get a point out of this It is hard to win a shoot out without an abundance of goal scorers

Before January started, I figured the Bruins needed 18 points minimum to get into the playoff picture. (I figured that would mean winning 7 of 10 home games and splitting the 4 road games).

They have now played 9 of 14 games and picked up 10 points. That means that they need to win four of their last 5 Jaunary games to stay on my pace. Those games are: Washington on the road, Atlanta on the road, Washington at home, Islanders at home, and Ottawa on the road.

Beating Washington twice and New York once is reasonable. Atlanta and Ottawa on the road will be damned difficult, though.

I think the Bruins could go 4-1 to end Januray, but it isn't likely.

I'm looking forward to going to Tuesday's B's/Thrashers game. As well as the Thrash have played recently, even they are out of the playoff picture right now when adjusted for games played. The tough part is not just making up the points, but that there are so many teams to pass.

That chart makes it clear what the Bruins are up against. The Atlanta game is really a "must win" for Boston, since Atlanta is one of the teams that Boston is trying to catch to get into the playoff mix.

Does anyone have good seats to Thursday's game? I keep searching through ticketmaster but they only give me seats in the corners. Feel free to pm me if you like.

This win was nothing short of huge. Thomas played incredibly well, as he has since being called up. Things are suddenly looking up - 8 of a possible 10 pts the last 5 games - 3-0-2.

Nice W tonight. Totally shut down Ovechkin. Primeau is becoming quite the offensive powerhouse, must be taking lessons from Jurcina.

Mike Sullivan continues to be a moron.

Once again, he plays Bergeron at the point. He's having a lot of trouble with the concept that it is a bad idea to have your best power play scorer play 70 feet away from the goal.

Milan Jurcina, who has scored 5 goals this month, and has an excellent shot from the point, was getting some power play time earlier but not tonight - only 16 seconds.

Sullivan has been coaching this team all season, and he does not have the slightest clue of how to put his players in position to succeed. He's the anti-Belichick.

It works for Kovalchuk - he leads the league in PP goals and he plays the point.

Just got back from the game. I agree, Ovechkin was a non-factor. I havent been able to follow the team as closely as i would like, living in DC, but they are not a good team (no shit, right?). I feel any decent team would have smoked us tonight. Luckily, the Caps are worse than us. Thomas did play well tonight...made a beyond-huge save w/ under 2 minutes left after a shot off the post. First 2 periods was just bad hockey on both parts. The 3rd period started and the B's were playing not to lose, needless to say, that didnt work too well, but they stepped it up at the end.

Is there a player in the whole damned NHL with less hockey sense than Brad Isbister?

I gotta agree with you there Eddie. I want to like the guy but he is just missing something....something very important.

Isbister is one of those guys that, when I first heard about the signing, I thought was a great pickup. However, that assumption was more or less a wild guess since I didn't know too much about him.
I sort of envisioned him as a Martin Lapointe type of forward, only tougher and with better hands.

I was incorrect.

I agree. Bergeron is by far one of our best defensive forwards who can also put the puck in the net. He actually has better defensive instincts than some of our defensemen. Add that to the fact that he moves the puck extremely well and can get a slapper on net and I don't think that him playing the point is a bad idea. Bergeron isn't a mucker or a guy who crashes the net for rebounds like a Rick Tocchet (though I'm not saying Bergeron can't do it...), but a good skater, a tremendous passer, good shooter and good defender. When I see him at the point I think of Brian Rolston with more skill.

Globe story today said that every time Ovechkin was on the ice last night, Sullivan had PJ Axelsson on the ice to shadow him as well. Seemed to work out pretty well.

It did work, incredibly well in fact. Ovechkin really had only 2 scoring chances the whole night, and one resulted in a SOG. Axelsson was on the ice more or less 75% of the time against Ovech, and with us being on the road, it's especially hard to get the matchups with Washington getting the last line change. Hats off to Sullivan for pulling that off last night.