Boston Bruins ranked sixth-worst franchise in sports, by someone

Everyone loves top 10 lists, and Dave Golokhov hits on fertile ground today on foxsports.com, ranking the top 10 worst franchises in pro sports. Number one is the Pittsburgh Pirates, the once-proud team that is in danger of tying the major-league record for consecutive losing seasons.

Sitting at No. 6 -- our own Boston Bruins. Golokhov writes: "To be blunt, owner Jeremy Jacobs seems to be stingy and only cares about profits. The Bruins are an Original Six team in one of the biggest American markets, but ownership only allows the front office to make enough moves to tease the fans into believing there is hope. Up until 1997, the Bruins made the playoffs in 30 consecutive seasons, but have zero Stanley Cups since Jacobs took over 33 years ago. That might be because Jacobs is more focused on making money outside of hockey: He owns the TD Banknorth Garden, running the concession stands and charging rent to the Boston Celtics (among others)."

What do you think is the worst franchise in American pro sports?

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:16 AM | Permalink

Chara a finalist for Norris Trophy

TORONTO (AP) - Only Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf stand in the way of Nicklas Lidstrom winning a sixth Norris Trophy.

The three finalists for the award that goes to the NHL's top defenseman were announced Tuesday. Lidstrom has won the honor five of the past six seasons.

The Detroit Red Wings captain, who earned his ninth career nomination, is tied with Ray Bourque with five Norris Trophies. A sixth would leave him alone in third place behind arguably the two greatest blue-liners ever - Doug Harvey (seven Norris Trophies) and Bobby Orr (eight).

Lidstrom, who turns 38 Monday, led all NHL blue-liners with 70 points (10-60) in 76 games and a sensational plus-40 rating. He also led the Wings to the stingiest defensive record in the NHL this season.

The 31-year-old Chara earned his second nomination. He had a career-high 51 points (17-34) in 77 games for Boston, had a plus-14 rating and was third in ice time among NHL defensemen at 26:50 per game. He was instrumental in helping the Bruins make the playoffs.

Phaneuf also set a career best with 60 points (17-43) in 82 games for the Calgary Flames, fifth among NHL defensemen. The 23-year-old also had a plus-12 rating and played 26:25 a game in only his third NHL season.

The Calder Trophy finalists for rookie of the year will be announced Wednesday.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:18 PM | Permalink

Montreal fans torch police cars following win over Bruins

MONTREAL (AP) — At least three police cars were set on fire in downtown Montreal on Monday night after the Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of their playoff series. Click here to see photographs of the chaos from the blog of James Mirtle, a sports staffer from the Globe and Mail of Toronto.

Cable news channel LCN caught images of the destructive celebration from a camera in a helicopter. People could be seen smashing a police car before it was set ablaze.

Montreal police spokeswoman Annie Lemieux confirmed in a statement on the department’s voicemail that at least three police cars had been set on fire a few blocks away from the Bell Centre, where the Canadiens beat the Bruins 5-0.

“Many arrests have been made,” Lemieux said. “Fortunately, no one seems to have been seriously injured so far.”

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:57 AM | Permalink

Canadiens' Streit to miss Game 5

MONTREAL (AP) - Mark Streit has a hip injury and will sit out the Montreal Canadiens' playoff game against Boston on Thursday.

Coach Guy Carbonneau said Streit was injured in the second period of Game 4 on Tuesday in Boston and is day to day. Michael Ryder will replace Streit.

Montreal leads the best-of-7 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series 3-1 and can wrap it up with a victory Thursday.

Streit splits his time playing defense and left wing and the right point on the power play. Patrice Brisebois will likely take over the point.

Defenseman Francis Bouillon (ankle) and captain Saku Koivu (fractured foot) are also missing for Montreal. Neither is expected to play in the series.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:58 PM | Permalink

Red Sox back to NESN tomorrow

Reversing practice so far during the NHL playoffs, NESN will be carrying the Red Sox-Yankees game tomorrow night -- meaning that the game will also be available on high definition -- while the Bruins-Canadiens game 5 will be pushed to Cox.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:37 PM | Permalink

Bruins, Canadiens refreshed and ready to resume series

BOSTON (AP) - After playing overtime games in different cities on consecutive nights, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens were glad to get a day off Monday.

The Bruins returned home Sunday and got a 2-1 win in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series when Marc Savard scored 9:25 into overtime. Boston pulled to 2-1 in the series as well.

"If you're 30, you feel like you're 60 the next day," Savard said Monday. "You just have to get your rest. We're doing the right things around here, getting lots of fluids and be as ready as can be for the next one."

The Bruins' win came a day after Alex Kovalev scored 21/2 minutes into overtime to give the Canadiens a sweep of the first two games at home.

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Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Bruins unsure on Bergeron's return

WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) — The Boston Bruins say it remains unclear whether center Patrice Bergeron will play again this spring.

Bergeron has been held out of the playoffs as a precaution because of the Grade 3 concussion he suffered in October.

“I’m still waiting for the OK from the doctors,” Bergeron said after practice Monday. “I went to see them and they wanted me to have some more practices before getting back out there. It’s the doctors’ decision right now.”

Bruins coach Claude Julien did not say when Bergeron might be able to return.

Following consecutive overtime games — including Sunday night’s 2-1 win by the Bruins, who trail the Canadiens 2-1 in their first-round series — Monday’s practice was limited to a few Boston players. Defenseman Andrew Alberts managed a strong hit on Bergeron along the boards.

“That’s what I need,” Bergeron said. “If I want to get back there, I need hits like that to see how I feel.

“There’s no timetable, exactly,” Bergeron said of his return. “Obviously, I’m going to try and get in contact with them again some time but for now, it’s disappointing. I’d like to be out there and help the guys, but right now I’ve got to listen to the doctors and do what’s best for me.”

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:57 PM | Permalink

More good news for Bruins: Savard cleared to play

WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) - Boston Bruins center Marc Savard has been cleared for full contact in practice after missing the final seven games of the regular season with a broken bone in his back.

Savard, who has 15 goals and 63 assists, wore a red jersey Tuesday - signifying limited contact was permitted - but said he had been cleared to hit and be hit starting Wednesday.
"I felt great," he said. "My speed felt good. My shooting was good."

Savard has not been cleared to play Thursday, when the Bruins begin their first-round playoff series against the Canadiens in Montreal. But he said taking some hits Wednesday would be good for his confidence. Savard was Boston's leading scorer against the Canadiens this season, with nine points.

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Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:46 PM | Permalink

Bruins' Bergeron cleared to play in playoffs

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, who missed most of the season with a concussion, has been cleared to play in the playoffs.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Bergeron was cleared Monday after being examined by his doctors.

He later practiced with full contact. He had began to practice last month, but could only hit his teammates, not be hit.

Chiarelli says the team would see how Bergeron responds in practice before deciding whether he'll play in the first-round playoff series against Montreal, which begins Thursday.

Bergeron was knocked unconscious in his 10th game of the season in October when Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Randy Jones hit him from behind and smashed his face into the glass.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:58 PM | Permalink

Bruins send Jeff Hoggan to Providence

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Bruins forward Jeff Hoggan has been reassigned to the team's AHL affiliate in Providence.

Hoggan was called up for Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to Buffalo. It was his first appearance for Boston this season after playing 46 games for the parent club in 2006-07.

He has 28 goals and 30 assists for Providence this year.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:25 PM | Permalink

Bergeron working his way back with Bruins

BOSTON (AP) - At its worst, the pain kept Patrice Bergeron from watching his teammates play. Not from the press box, not from his TV at home.

"I couldn't do anything. The light was bothering me; the noise was bothering me. Everything was," said the Boston Bruins forward, who is recovering from a concussion that has kept him out since October.

"It was giving me headaches, making me dizzy," he said after skating with teammates for the first time last month. "I couldn't do anything to pass the time. I was pretty much trying to go through the day, trying to sleep and rest and feel better."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:01 PM | Permalink

Bruins' Bergeron skates for the first time since concussion

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron has skated for the first time since he sustained a severe concussion in a game earlier this season.

General Manager Peter Chiarelli said Bergeron spent about 10 minutes skating lightly around the team's practice rink Sunday. While calling the skate a "good step forward," Chiarelli indicated the 22-year-old is not close to returning to action.

Bergeron was placed on the Bruins' long-term injured reserve list after being checked into the boards face-first by Randy Jones of the Philadelphia Flyers in the Oct. 27 game in Boston.

Bergeron was diagnosed with a Grade 3 concussion and also sustained a broken nose.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:54 AM | Permalink

Canadiens win ninth straight over Bruins

Tom Kostopoulos scored 14 seconds into the game and Maxim Lapierre got Montreal's fourth goal of the opening period with 3 seconds remaining, sending the Canadiens on to a 8-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

Andrei Kostitsyn, who also scored in the first, got his second goal of the game on a power play 17:44 into the third as Montreal set a season high for goals.

Michael Ryder also scored for Montreal in the first as each of the Canadiens' four lines contributed a goal against Alex Auld, who only stopped three of seven shots.

Bryan Smolinski and Mike Komisarek added goals in the second against Tim Thomas, who replaced Auld to begin the second.

Alex Kovalev scored a power-play goal in the third to make it 7-1 as the Canadiens matched their season high for goals, reaching seven for the second time against Boston, and third time overall this season.

Cristobal Huet made 29 saves for Montreal, which extended its winning streak against the Bruins to nine games, including its first six this season.

The Canadiens, who went 5-3-0 against Boston last year, have outscored the Bruins 20-6 in three games at the Bell Centre this season, including a 7-4 win on Nov. 17, the team's second seven-goal game of the season, and a 6-1 win on Oct. 22.

Marco Sturm scored his 16th goal midway through the first to draw the Bruins to 2-1. Petteri Nokelainen added a power-play goal 13:17 into the third.

Boston, which had gone 3-0-1 since a 5-2 loss to the Canadiens on Jan. 10, failed to record a standings point for the first time in five games.

Thomas made 13 saves over the final two periods.

Kostopoulos opened the scoring when he spun around at the right circle and shot a loose puck into a wide open right side.

Ryder, who was reunited with linemates Saku Koivu and Christopher Higgins, redirected Koivu's shot past Auld at 3:12 to make it 2-0.

After Sturm drew scored at 12:09, Kostitsyn got his 13th goal at 16:44 to restore Montreal's two-goal lead at 3-1.

Lapierre drew the sold-out crowd of 21,273 out of its seats one more time in the waning seconds of the opening period when he drove a slap shot past Auld and under the crossbar at 19:57.

Smolinski scored his third goal 5:45 into the second and Komisarek made it a 6-1 lead 1:19 later when he beat Thomas from the slot for his fourth goal.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:54 PM | Permalink

Bruins' Lucic named to Rooke All-Star team

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic has been named to the NHL's Eastern Conference team for the YoungStars competition.

The event will be held Jan. 26 as part of All-Star weekend.

Lucic, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound left wing, has four goals and five assists in 39 games in his rookie NHL season. He was drafted by the Bruins in 2006 and has played for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, where he was the team's MVP last year with 30 goals and 38 assists.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 8:05 PM | Permalink

Bruins' Savard named to All-Star team

Boston Bruins center Marc Savard was selected Monday to the Eastern Conference team for the NHL All-Star game.

Savard, chosen for the first time in his 10 seasons, leads the Bruins with 47 points on 11 goals and 36 assists. He joins Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara, who was selected as a starter for the game, which will take place Jan. 27 in Atlanta.

Last season, his first with Boston, Savard had a career-best 74 assists and had 96 points, one less than his high set the previous season with Atlanta.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:02 PM | Permalink

Bruins' Chara named to NHL All-Star team

NEW YORK (AP) - The Detroit Red Wings dominated the first half of the NHL season. Now they're taking over the All-Star game, too.

Sidney Crosby is starting to do the same.

Crosby, the 20-year-old reigning NHL MVP, topped All-Star voting for the second straight year and will start again for the Eastern Conference, the league announced Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain, in his third NHL season, received 507,274 votes, nearly 200,000 more than anyone else in the East, and about 30,000 more than West leader Nicklas Lidstrom.

For Boston, Zdeno Chara will make his third All-Star appearance.

Detroit placed three players in the All-Star starting lineup, the second straight year a team has done so. The Buffalo Sabres did it last season for the East en route to their first Presidents' Trophy.

Lidstrom, a five-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, will join Red Wings teammates Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the Western Conference starting lineup Jan. 27 in Atlanta.

Lidstrom, who received 477,787 votes, will partner with Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf on the blue line while Jarome Iginla - also of the Flames - plays up front with Zetterberg and Datsyuk.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk are among eight first-time All-Star starters. Iginla and Phaneuf, who have helped Calgary take over first place in the Northwest Division, are also set to make their initial starts in the midseason game.

Vancouver's Roberto Luongo got the starting nod in goal for the West.

Crosby, who entered Tuesday ranked fourth in the NHL with 57 points, got the most votes again but earned 318,509 fewer votes - a 39 percent drop - than he garnered for the 2007 game in Dallas when approximately 28 million ballots were cast.

Last year, Crosby at 19 years, five months, became the youngest player voted into the starting lineup since fan balloting began in 1986. He went on to be the NHL's youngest scoring champion with 120 points.

His linemates in Atlanta will be current scoring leader Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators right winger Daniel Alfredsson, who both will be making their first All-Star starts. Lecavalier is going to his third All-Star game, while Alfredsson will play in his fifth.

"The first time, I was young and I was nervous being with all these older guys," the 27-year-old Lecavalier said. "To be voted on there is special. I never thought I'd go in like that. I'm the old guy now."

On defense will be fellow first-time starters Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens and Chara. Markov is the only starter making his first All-Star appearance.

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur was elected for the fourth time and will take part in his 10th All-Star game, tying Lidstrom for the most among this year's starters. Lidstrom is in the starting lineup for the eighth time.

"It is more of a recognition, no question, but I don't know if it means more," Alfredsson said of his starting assignment. "All-Star weekend is a lot of fun no matter how you get into it."

Surprisingly, the league's top two goal scorers, Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers (34 goals) and Washington's Alex Ovechkin - tied with Iginla with 32 - weren't elected to start for the East. Ovechkin was fifth in votes among forwards with 177,574, while Kovalchuk came in sixth with 173,629.

"This league is really young," Lecavalier said. "The last time I went to the All-Star game all these young guys that were in the room, it was unbelievable. It's great to see. There is great future in the NHL with guys like Sidney and Ovechkin."

Lecavalier and Crosby are both centers, but there was no doubt in Lecavalier's mind who will take that spot in Atlanta.

"I'll go on the left wing," he said with a laugh.

It is only fitting that Red Wings make up half the West's starting lineup since Detroit is running away with the Central Division and has a commanding edge in the race for home-ice advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

Detroit entered play Tuesday with a mark of 32-8-3 and 67 points, 15 more than Dallas. The Red Wings became the first NHL team to win 30 games in the first half of the season when they beat the Stars last Wednesday.

Zetterberg was chosen to his second All-Star team, but sat out last year due to an injury. Phaneuf and Datsyuk are also All-Stars for the second time, and Iginla will play in his fourth.
Luongo was voted to the West starting lineup for the second straight season following his trade from Florida to Vancouver in 2006, and will be an All-Star for the third time.

This marked the 20th year that fans determined the starting lineups for the NHL All-Star game. Voting took place online and by cell phone only for the second straight season.

Western Conference reserves, chosen by the NHL's hockey operations department along with general managers, will be announced Thursday. The rest of the Eastern Conference roster will be revealed Friday.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:45 PM | Permalink

Bruins lose sixth straight

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Thrashers didn't waste any time ending their losing streak and extending the Boston Bruins' misery.

Slava Kozlov, Bobby Holik and Pascal Dupuis scored in a three-goal first period and Kari Lehtonen earned his second shutout, leading the Atlanta Thrashers to a 5-0 victory Saturday night over the Boston Bruins, who have lost a season-most six straight.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored his league-leading 32nd goal on a power play and added an assist on Alexei Zhitnik's first goal of the season in the second period.

"It was important for us to establish the pace of the game early on and the guys came out and did a tremendous job," said Atlanta general manager and coach Don Waddell.

Lehtonen made 26 saves for his ninth career shutout, including an outstanding stop on a breakaway by Marco Sturm midway through the second period.

"Tonight we played the same that we did the other night, but now it is 5-0," said Lehtonen, referring to Thursday night's 5-3 loss at Florida in which the Panthers outshot the Panthers 41-29.

"It's a couple of breaks here and there. It was fun to see it go this way," said Lehtonen. "The guys played great in front of me. Usually, when it's 5-0 after the second period, there will be some letdown."

Atlanta, which had lost two in a row after winning four straight, jumped on Boston early, scoring goals 1:32 apart. Kozlov scored at 7:50 on a pass from Eric Perrin, easily beating Boston goaltender Alex Auld from in close. The Thrashers made it 2-0 on Holik's fourth goal, with Andrew Ference defending the net after Auld got tangled up trying to clear the puck along the boards. Dupuis earned an assist.

The Thrashers' third goal came when Dupuis came from behind the net and tucked the puck past Auld at 16:45.

Auld was replaced by Tim Thomas at the start of the second period.

"We are all trying to turn this around. Obviously you want to do what you can to help your team get a win. It wasn't enough tonight. We have to stay together. We can't get frustrated," Auld said.

Kovalchuk got his ninth power-play goal at 11:05 of the middle period and then assisted on Zhitnik's goal 2:43 later for a 5-0 lead.

Notes: There were two fights in the opening 2:30. The Thrashers' Chris Thorburn and Boston's Shawn Reich each got 5-minute fighting penalties after 2:26. Four seconds later, Atlanta's Eric Boulton and Thornton went. ... Atlanta rookie F Colin Stuart, recalled Friday from Chicago (AHL), made his NHL debut and got his first point, an assist on Dupuis' goal. His brother, Mark Stuart, plays for Boston. ... The Thrashers had a crowd of 18,514, their fourth sellout.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:40 PM | Permalink

Boyes comes back to bite Bruins

AP photo / Lisa Poole
Jamal Mayers of St. Louis takes a shot against Boston goalie Tim Thomas during the third period today in Boston.

BOSTON (AP) - Brad Boyes is probably giving the Boston Bruins trader's remorse.

Making his first appearance in Boston since being sent to St. Louis at the deadline last February for defenseman Dennis Wideman, Boyes scored his 21st goal to lead the Blues to a 4-1 win over Boston on Saturday.

It was Boyes' 12th goal in 17 games. On Thursday, Boyes posted his 20th in the team's 31st game - the quickest to 20 goals since Brett Hull did it in 29 games during the 1994-95 season.

Boyes overcame some pregame jitters, missing a good chance early, before making it 2-0 in the second period.

"Early on, through warmups, but other than that I felt pretty good," he said of his nervousness. "I had a great chance, but put it over the net. I knew Timmy (Thomas) knew what I was trying to do so I tried to mix it up a little bit."

For a Bruins team that's struggled often to score goals, Boyes' upfront play might have fit in. It was the fourth time in five games Boston has been held to two goals or fewer and the 20th this season.

"It's a slump," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "But let's keep in mind the age of our upfront guys."

Lee Stempniak, Jamal Mayers and Keith Tkachuk also scored for the Blues, who won for just the second time in six games. It was the teams' only meeting this season. Manny Legace made 24 saves.

Zdeno Chara had a power-play goal for the Bruins, who started the week hoping to close the gap on Ottawa for the Eastern Conference's top spot, but lost their third straight and finished their homestand 1-4.

"It's not where we wanted to be on this homestand," defenseman Mark Stuart said. "It is disappointing."

Boston goalie Tim Thomas, starting his second straight game after missing six with a strained groin, had 25 saves.

The Blues made it 1-0 when Stempniak tipped Tkachuk's shot past Thomas 11:56 into the game. Tkachuk fired a wrist shot from the right circle and the puck slipped inside the far post.

In a second period that had a pair of crowd-pleasing fights, St. Louis made it 2-0 at 17:40 when Boyes collected Jay McClement's pass and snapped off a quick wrister.

"Yeah, he was stumbling, fumbling the puck around there in the first period and a half. He was pretty nervous coming in," Legace said of Boyes. "It was great to see him get that goal. It's just been a great trade for us."

Chara collected a rebound of Wideman's shot from the point, cutting it to 2-1 early in the third period. Mayers put it away with his goal with 2:58 to play while the teams were skating four aside. Tkachuk's was an empty-netter.

The Blues nearly made it 3-0 late in the second when Andy McDonald's shot had Thomas beat, but hit the right post.

During a somewhat listless opening period, a chant of "wake up Bruins!" could be heard coming from behind Thomas.

Notes: Bruins D Aaron Ward was sidelined after breaking his broken left foot in practice Friday when he was hit by a shot, but LW Shawn Thornton returned after missing 21 games with a broken foot. ... Boston D Andrew Alberts missed his third straight game with post-concussion syndrome and winger Glen Murray was sidelined with a hip flexor suffered in Thursday's 5-4 shootout loss against Pittsburgh. ... It was the anniversary of Phil Esposito's 500th career goal 33 years ago. ... Boston recalled D Matt Lashoff from Providence of the AHL Friday.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:15 PM | Permalink

Sigalet rejoins P-Bruins

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE _ Jordan Sigalet will return to the practice ice on Sunday.

The Providence Bruins’ goaltender, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, collapsed during the third period of a game on Nov. 16 and was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital. At the time of his collapse the 26-year-old lost all feeling in his legs and it wasn’t until recently he could walk on his own. He was released from St. Joseph’s rehab center on Thursday and was back at the rink last night.

“It’s been a long road,” he said prior to last night’s P-Bruins game at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. “Leaving the ice [on a stretcher] that night I couldn’t move my toes. It was pretty scary, but slowly things have started to come back.”

After a few days at Rhode Island Hospital, Sigalet was finally able to move his toes, which he says was a big relief. During his rehab stint at St. Joseph's he walked around the halls with his skates on because he wants to return to game action.

After he collapsed that night it took a few minutes until he regained consciousness, and it was at that point he thought his career was over.

"I was definitely out cold for a bit," he recalls. "Waking up with [trainer] Mike Poirier asking me if I knew where I was, and what the score was, I didn't remember much at all. As soon as I woke up I knew I couldn't move anything from the waist down. I had no sensation at all and it was pretty scary. I have had the part with no sensation before, but never this kind of muscle weakness. Right then I stopped thinking about hockey completely and was worried about my health and getting better."

Sigalet was dianosed with MS in 2004 during his junior year at Bowling Green and he has never let the disease beat him. Even now.

He's hoping and attempting to continue his promising pro career. The former Bowling Green standout and Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2005 was selected by the Boston Bruins in the seventh round (209th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He began his pro career with Providence in 2005.

"There's still a lot of hard work ahead of me, but most of the battle is over," he said. "Hopefully everything is straight up from here."

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 6:19 PM | Permalink

Bruins lose in front of sparse crowd

BOSTON (AP) Jamie Langenbrunner scored two goals to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night in a game played in front of about only 1,500 people due to a major snowstorm.

Brian Gionta also scored and Martin Brodeur stopped 19 shots for the Devils, who halted a two-game losing skid that came after a nine-game winning streak.

Marc Savard had a power-play goal for Boston, which snapped a three-game winning streak at home. The Bruins played 11 of their previous 13 on the road.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Lucic goal leads Bruins past Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) - Milan Lucic scored the go-ahead goal off a rebound with 3:47 remaining and Alex Auld won his third straight start for Boston, leading the Bruins to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night.

Mark Recchi scored twice in his first game with the Thrashers, and Ilya Kovalchuk added his NHL-leading 24th goal as the Thrashers overcame an early 2-0 deficit.

But Lucic scored his second career goal with pure hustle in a 3-3 game. After getting taken down at center ice by Bobby Holik, leading to a delayed penalty against the Thrashers, Lucic got up and headed for the Atlanta net.

Johan Hedberg knocked down Phil Kessel's shot with the blocker, but lost sight of the puck as it fell in the crease. Lucic, at the side of the net, knocked it in the corner before the Thrashers defense could react.

Marc Savard added an open-net goal with 3.5 seconds left.

Auld, acquired from Phoenix last week after Tim Thomas was injured, stopped 23 shots to improve to 3-0 with the Bruins.

Petteri Nokelainen's goal late in the first period put Boston ahead, and Peter Schaefer's deflection 6 minutes into the second extended the lead.

Recchi, a 19-year veteran acquired off waivers from Pittsburgh over the weekend, brought the Thrashers back with goals 1:01 apart.

On an Atlanta power play, Marian Hossa sped into the Boston zone along the boards before sending a pass to Recchi breaking free down the middle. He ripped a shot just inside the post for his third goal of the season and 511th of his career.

No. 512 wasn't long in coming. Eric Perrin fired a shot toward the Bruins' net that appeared to be going wide, but Recchi, hustling in ahead of Glen Murray, stuck out his stick with his one arm and redirected the puck over Auld's glove.

The Thrashers claimed the lead after a series of Boston penalties gave them a two-man advantage for nearly 3 minutes.

Mark Stuart received a major penalty and a game misconduct for a knee-on-knee hit that sent Kovalchuk sprawling to the ice. In rapid succession, Andrew Alberts was sent off for high-sticking and Dennis Wideman picked up a slashing penalty.

After hobbling off the ice and going to the tunnel for a brief check, Kovalchuk returned to score the go-ahead goal with a 5-on-3 advantage. He gave the puck up from the left point, swooped over to the right side for a return pass from Hossa, and one-timed a blistering shot that was past Auld before he had a chance to react.

But Murray tied it at 3 late in the wild period. He took a pass in the slot and appeared to catch Hedberg by surprise, flipping a shot over the goalie's glove with 1:07 left in the second.

Notes: Boston broke a six-game losing streak against the Thrashers. ... Hossa stretched his point streak to seven straight games with two assists. ... Boston D Andrew Ference returned after missing 12 games with a knee sprain. But Marco Sturm, the team's second-leading scorer, was scratched after getting struck in the eye with a puck in Monday night's win at Buffalo.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:08 PM | Permalink

Auld makes 44 saves to lead Bruins to victory

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Alex Auld made 44 saves, and Marc Savard had a goal and assist to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

Auld was spectacular in his second straight win for the Bruins after being acquired from Phoenix on Thursday. He made several scintillating saves in the second and third periods when Boston was outshot by a 33-15 margin.

P.J. Axelsson, Peter Schaefer and Glen Metropolit also scored for the Bruins, who won their second straight and third in five games.

Jaroslav Spacek scored for Buffalo, which lost for the fourth time in six games. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller finished with 17 saves.

The Bruins' struggling offense scored three goals on their first five shots. Coming in, Boston had scored just 11 times in its last five games.

Savard got things going with his sixth of the year 6:29 in when he picked off Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman's cross-ice pass and sent a wrist shot into the net.

Axelsson made it 2-0 with his fourth just 44 seconds later, beating Miller with a quick wrist shot from the slot.

Spacek scored his seventh goal, on the power play, to cut the deficit in half. Tim Connolly's slap shot from the point was initially stopped by Auld, but Paul Gaustad slid the rebound over to Spacek, who scored from the bottom of the right circle.

The Bruins regained their two-goal cushion on Schaefer's fifth 70 seconds later. Schaefer scored from the right circle after another Lydman turnover.

After a scoreless second period, Metropolit scored his seventh at 10:08 of the third, banking home a rebound after Miller stopped Milan Lucic's shot.

Miller was shaken up after the goal and was tended to by a Buffalo trainer for about three minutes on the ice, but he remained in the game.

Notes: Bruins second-leading scorer Marco Sturm was hit in the head with the puck in the first period and didn't return. ... Boston G Tim Thomas continues to be sidelined with a groin injury. He missed his third game. ... The Bruins will conclude a stretch in which they'll have played 11 of 13 on the road Wednesday at Atlanta. They're 7-4-1 thus far. ... The Sabres began a stretch of four games in six days. ... Bruins D Dennis Wideman extended his points streak to seven games when he picked up an assist on Axelsson's goal. ... Five of Spacek's goals have been on the power play. ... Lucic had two assists.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:53 PM | Permalink

Higgins leads Canadiens past Bruins

BOSTON (AP) - Chris Higgins had a goal and two assists to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Thursday night.

Montreal snapped a three-game losing streak with its seventh straight victory over Boston. The Canadiens have outscored the Bruins 28-11 during the streak.

Higgins, Kyle Chipchura and Tomas Plekanec scored goals on the first six shots of the game against goalie prospect Tuuka Rask, forced into the starting role with Tim Thomas sidelined by an apparent groin injury.

Mathieu Dandenault added a third-period goal for Montreal, and rookie Carey Price made 24 saves to improve to 7-4-1.

Phil Kessel and P.J. Axelsson scored for Boston, coming off a six-game road trip that ended Wednesday night with an overtime loss in New Jersey.

Kessel and Axelsson connected in the second period as Boston battled back while outshooting Montreal 13-3. Kessel scored at 6:10 after Dennis Wideman's slap shot deflected off Kessel's leg. Axelsson cut Montreal's lead to 3-2, tapping Marc Savard's cross-crease pass past goalie Carey Price 2:31 later.

Dandenault added an insurance goal with 6:45 remaining in the third.

Higgins opened the scoring off rebound 3:03 into the game. It was his fourth goal in the last four games and snapped Montreal's 0-for-15 drought on the power play.

Notes: Boston acquired goalie Alex Auld from Phoenix on Thursday in exchange for a minor league player and a draft pick. Auld replaces Thomas, hurt Wednesday night in New Jersey. ... Plekanec leads Montreal with six points this season against Boston. ... Montreal's Ryan O'Byrne had two assists in his first NHL game. ... Montreal is 4-0 against Boston, and 10-10-4 against the rest of the NHL.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:56 PM | Permalink

Bruins win on Long Island

The Boston Bruins beat the New York Islanders tonight, 3-1, behind Tim Thomas' 33 saves. Click here to see the box score. Boston visits the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:47 PM | Permalink

Bruins take another bite out of Philly

Glen Murray, left, Marc Savard, center, and Zdeno Chara celebrate Savard's goal in the first period.

Glen Murray scored two goals and Marc Savard had three assists as the Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-3, tonight at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Click here to see the box score from projo Stats. In the first meeting between the teams since Philadelphia's Randy Jones knocked out Patrice Bergeron on Oct. 27 in Boston, the Bruins' Jeremy Reich tangled early with Philadelphia's Ben Eager, but it was mostly a clean game.

The win was Boston's fifth in its last seven contests; the Bruins next visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:56 PM | Permalink

Thomas, Metroplit lead Bruins past Islanders

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins are starting to believe their defensive system will net better results this season behind the play of goaltender Tim Thomas. Now they've got to find a way to continue it on the road.

Thomas stopped 25 shots and Glen Metropolit scored the winner to lift the Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Friday.

It was the 12th time in 20 games this year the Bruins have scored two goals or fewer, but behind Thomas' play they've remained in the middle of the NHL's Eastern conference standings.

"I think he's been extremely good for us from the start," Boston coach Claude Julien said of his goalie. "Part of it is being in control of the shots. I know I keep preaching it, but guys are in control of things in front of him."

Metropolit scored in the third period for the Bruins, who won for the fourth time in five games.

Mike Sillinger scored for the Islanders, who have two goals or fewer in their last seven games, but have won three.

New York had a two-man advantage for 1:40 early in the third period, but didn't get a shot on Thomas.

"It was the game, basically," Thomas said. "If we give up one there it would have been that much harder to battle back."

With New York's Bill Guerin in the penalty box for hooking, the Bruins' Glen Murray opened the scoring late in the second period when he slipped a wrist shot between goalie Rick DiPietro's pads from the slot after collecting Marco Sturm's pass from behind the net.

DiPietro made 23 saves.

Metropolit beat DiPietro with a slap shot from the top of the left circle with 7:19 to play. Sillinger scored when he redirected Bruno Gervais' pass.

New York had a power play during the closing two minutes and pulled DiPietro with about 45 seconds left, but failed to get the puck past Thomas, who made a save in a scramble in front with 1.4 seconds left.

"Right now, we're stationary and it looks like we have no confidence in our power play," New York coach Ted Nolan said.

Boston embarks on a tough stretch the next 2 1/2 weeks, playing nine of its next 10 away from the TD Banknorth Garden beginning Saturday night with a rematch against the Islanders in Uniondale, N.Y.

"We have to get on a roll," Thomas said. "To be on the road just makes it more difficult. Nine out of our next 10 on the road - that's a tough stretch for any team."

The Islanders couldn't seem to get organized at the top of their power play unit during the two-man advantage, having the puck poked away a couple of times.

"Anytime you have a five-on-three, obviously, you have to score. Our power plays been a little bit dry of late," Sillinger said. "We weren't executing, our passes weren't crisp. What can I say? Five-on-three, you have to score."

Following a tight-checking opening period, the teams opened up a bit in the second. With just over 11 minutes left, New York's Miroslav Satan hit the right post and barely missed poking in the rebound that was lying in the crease behind Thomas.

A little over two minutes later, Boston's Peter Schaefer missed wide on a backhand shot after spinning in front of DiPietro while alone in front.

Notes: The Bruins held a moment of silence for former coach Tom Johnson, who died at his Falmouth, Mass., home Wednesday. During the first stoppage of play, the announcer asked fans for "one last round of applause" for Johnson, who coached the Bruins to their last Stanley Cup title in 1972, while the scoreboard flashed pictures. He was 79. ... It was LW Sturm's 700th career game. ... The Islanders play their next three games at home, where they have won four of five. ... Boston LW Milan Lucic went to the bench looking a bit wobbly after taking a first-period hit from Islanders defenseman Bryan Berard. He skated only one more shift, and Julien said afterward that he was kept out to be "evaluated for a head injury." His status for Saturday in uncertain.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:38 PM | Permalink

Bruins beat Toronto

AP photo / Adrian Wyld
Marc Savard and Mats Sundin collide during the first period of tonight's game.

TORONTO (AP) Chuck Kobasew scored with 3:31 left in the third period, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 4-2 comeback win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Click here to see the box score from projo Stats.

Kobasew stepped into the slot and ripped a wrist shot past Vesa Toskala on the stick side, giving Boston a 3-2 lead and stunning the home crowd the Leafs blow a 2-0 lead. Kobasew capped the win with an empty-net goal 26.7 seconds from the end.

P.J. Axelsson and Phil Kessel also scored for the Bruins, who beat the Leafs for the second time in less than a week after a 5-2 win at home last Thursday.

Mats Sundin and Bryan McCabe scored for Toronto, which outshot Boston 32-25.

Boston's 20-year-old goalie Tuukka Rask earned his first NHL win in his first star, and was chosen as top star of the game. Rask, Toronto's first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2005 draft, was traded to Boston for goalie Andrew Raycroft in June 2006.

Rask flashed his talent at times, robbing Darcy Tucker from in-close in the first period and later stopping him on a breakaway. But Rask also gave up a long goal to Sundin.

Both the Bruins and Leafs were content with a low-risk, defensive approach that featured dump-ins and dump-outs and little else until Boston's late comeback.

The Leafs opened the scoring during a power play 15:10 into the first period. McCabe's pass attempt deflected off Bruins center Glen Metropolit and landed behind Rask.

The fluky goal gave Toronto life, and the Leafs carried play for most of the second period.

Sundin made it 2-0 at 15:36 of the middle period when his shot from just inside the blue line beat Rask, who wasn't screened, on the stick side. The puck was on edge when Sundin shot it and came in on Rask with a sinker effect.

The Bruins responded when Kessel scored with only 47.9 seconds to go in the second period during a power play. The second-year forward one-timed a nifty pass from behind the net by Kobasew. The goal ended Toskala's personal best shutout streak at 141 minutes, 47 seconds.

Boston pressed in the third and was rewarded. Axelsson scored his first goal of the season at 9:52 when he one-timed a shot into an empty net after a nice deke and pass from Marc Savard that got Toskala to commit.

Notes: Boston was 1-for-2 on the power play. Toronto was 1-for-4. ... Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke was in attendance. ... Sundin moved into sole possession of 27th place on the NHL career goal list with 534, one ahead of Frank Mahovlich. Teemu Selanne is next at 540. ... Leafs D Tomas Kaberle had two assists, giving him 300 in the NHL. ... Tim Thomas had started 10 straight games before giving way to Rask, who was 7-2 with a 2.10 goals-against average in nine AHL games at Providence this season. ... Boston G Manny Fernandez, out since Oct. 30 with a knee injury, is expected to be activated Wednesday.

Boston hosts the New York Islanders on Friday at noon.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:10 PM | Permalink

Bruins throttle Maple Leafs

Milan Lucic squares off with Toronto's Mark Bell during the first period tonight.

The Boston Bruins won their second consecutive game, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-2, tonight at TDBanknorth Garden. Left wing Peter Schaefer scored two goals for the Bruins, both in the third period, while Tim Thomas made 34 saves. Click here to see the box score from projo Stats.

The Bruins visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:32 PM | Permalink

Bruins recall Rask to replace Fernandez

BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Bruins have recalled Tuukka Rask from Providence of the AHL to replace injured goalie Manny Fernandez.

The team placed Fernandez on injured reserve on Nov. 9 with a left knee strain. There's no timetable for his return.

Fernandez hurt his knee during practice on Oct. 30. It's the same knee he injured last year with the Wild, eventually knocking him out for the season.

Rask, 20, has a 7-1 record with a 1.98 goals against average for Providence this season. A native of Finland, Rask was the 21st overall pick by Toronto in the 2005 draft and was traded to Boston in June 2006 in exchange for goalie Andrew Raycroft.

Rask was recalled by Boston between Nov. 5 and Nov. 11, but did not play.

Fernandez was acquired from Minnesota in July for forward Petr Kalus and a fourth-round draft pick. He has a 2-2 record and a 3.93 goals-against average in four games this season.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:44 PM | Permalink

Bruins drop opener 4-1 to Stars

Brenden Morrow scored off an assist from Mike Modano, Marty Turco allowed only a power-play goal and the Dallas Stars won another home opener, beating the Boston Bruins 4-1 Friday night.

While Modano got career point No. 1,227, five shy of matching Phil Housley for the most by an American-born player, rookie defenseman Matt Niskanen assisted on the first two Dallas goals. Sergei Zubov had a goal and an assist.

The Stars, who started the season with a 4-3 loss at Colorado on Wednesday night, won their fifth straight home opener — they are 8-0-1 the last nine.

Boston played its season opener with Claude Julien, the third coach in a year, and Manny Fernandez, a former Stars backup who is the latest to enter the Bruins’ revolving door of goaltenders the past few seasons.

Even with the newcomers, it was the same bad result for the Bruins. The finished last season with six straight losses and haven’t won a season opener since 2001 (0-4-1 in that span).

The Bruins couldn’t even turn the momentum with a pair of hard-slugging fights right after Nicklas Hagman got behind the Boston defense and pushed a backhander past Fernandez early in the second period to put Dallas up 2-0. It was Hagman’s second goal this season.

On the faceoff, Bruins winger Shawn Thornton got into it with Todd Fedoruk. Once they were in the penalty box, and the puck was dropped again, Milan Lucic — the Bruins rookie in his first NHL game — dropped his gloves and fought with Brad Winchester.

Boston had a power-play chance a couple of minutes after that, but Turco stopped a shot from the right circle.

The Stars then went ahead 3-0 when Morrow, the second-year captain who missed nearly three months last season after being stepped on with a skate and severing two tendons in his right wrist, scored from the middle of the right circle on a pass from Zubov on the break with Modano.

Zubov’s power-play goal with 16:21 left made it 4-1.

A bench minor penalty against Dallas for having too many men on the ice led to Boston’s only goal late in the second period. Turco stopped a couple of point-blank shots but there was nothing he could when Peter Schaefer passed from the right side of the net to Patrice Bergeron, who poked the puck past the sprawling goalie.
Turco had 24 saves.

Fernandez stopped 14 shots. He was in the Stars organization for six seasons and played 24 games as Eddie Belfour’s backup for the 1999-2000 team that went to the Stanley Cup, then was traded to Minnesota. He stayed with the Wild until being dealt to Boston this summer.

Dallas took a 1-0 lead on Joel Lundqvist’s one-timer from the edge of the circle, a shot that went over Fernandez’s left shoulder and hit high in the net with 4:41 left in the first.
The Stars failed to score on a 5-on-3 chance, with Morrow being sandwiched by two defenders while trying to shoot in front of the net. Still with a man-advantage 4 seconds before the first intermission, Modano missed an opening with his shot.

Notes: The Bruins play their first five games on the road against Pacific Division teams. After that, they don’t play another game this season outside the Eastern time zone. ... Both teams play again Saturday night, their first back-to-backs of the season. The Stars are at Nashville and the Bruins at Phoenix. ... A shot by Zubov late in the first period snapped Chuck Kobasew’s stick.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 11:29 PM | Permalink

Cam Neely named Bruins' Vice President

Former Boston Bruins star Cam Neely was named a vice president of the NHL team on Tuesday.

Neely, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 7, 2005, will be involved in both hockey and club matters, working with general manager Peter Chiarelli on hockey operations and executive vice president Charlie Jacobs on club issues.

Neely, a right wing who combined scoring ability and toughness, retired after the 1995-96 season, his tenth with the Bruins, because of injuries. In 525 regular season games for Boston, he had 344 goals, 246 assists and 921 penalty minutes.

He is fourth in team history in goals and ninth in points. He also was the Bruins’ top goal scorer in seven of his 10 seasons.

His 55 playoff goals are the most in Bruins history and he is seventh on the club with 87 postseason points in 86 games.

Boston obtained Neely on June 6, 1986, from Vancouver along with the Canucks first-round pick for forward Barry Pederson. With that pick, the Bruins chose defenseman Glen Wesley. Vancouver had taken Neely with the ninth pick of the 1983 draft.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:13 PM | Permalink

Bruins sign first round draft pick

The Boston Globe is reporting that Boston Bruins first-round draft pick Zach Hamill signed a three-year entry-level deal on Tuesday.

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:58 PM | Permalink

Bruins trade Toivonen to Blues

The Boston Bruins obtained center Carl Soderberg from the St. Louis Blues for goalie Hannu Toivonen on Monday.

Soderberg, 21, played the past two seasons with Malmo IF of the Swedish Elite League. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Soderberg was Sweden's second-highest scorer during the World Junior Championships in 2005.

He was drafted by St. Louis in the second round in 2004.

Toivonen, who spent parts of the last two seasons with the Bruins, became expendable when they obtained goalie Manny Fernandez from Minnesota on June 30. Tim Thomas was the Bruins regular goalie last season. Boston also has promising youngster Tuukka Rask, who signed a multiyear contract on May 5.

Toivonen, 23, was 3-9-1 with a 4.23 goals-against average for Boston last season. At Providence in the AHL, he was 13-13-1 with a .909 save percentage and a 2.37 goals-against average.

“Hannu is a former first-round draft choice who gives our club depth in the goaltending position,” Blues president John Davidson said. “Our scouts feel he has tremendous upside and a bright future in the National Hockey League.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:25 PM | Permalink

Bruins agree on contracts with Reich, Hendricks

Forwards Jeremy Reich and Matt Hendricks agreed to contracts Monday with the Boston Bruins.

Reich has played two seasons in the Bruins' organization, dividing time last season between Boston and its minor league affiliate in Providence. In 32 games for Boston, the left wing had one assist and 83 penalty minutes. He had four goals and seven assists and 105 penalty minutes in 46 games for Providence.

Hendricks played last season for Hershey of the AHL. He had 18 goals, 28 assists and 105 penalty minutes in 65 games.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 8:04 PM | Permalink

Bruins sign center Shawn Thornton

The Boston Bruins signed free-agent Shawn Thornton, a checking line forward who had two goals and seven assists for the Anaheim Ducks last season.

General Manager Peter Chiarelli did not disclose the terms of the multiyear agreement with the four-year NHL veteran.

The 29-year-old Thornton was a member of the 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks.

The Ontario native appeared in 48 games for the Ducks last season, registering two goals, seven assists and 88 PIMs. He also appeared in 15 playoff games for Anaheim, logging 19 PIMs.

He previously played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the team's AHL affiliate in Norfolk.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:55 PM | Permalink

Ex-Bruin Joe Thornton signs extension with Sharks

Although Joe Thornton might have made a bit more money elsewhere next year, the San Jose Sharks' star center thinks he looks good in teal.

The Sharks signed Thornton to a three-year contract extension worth $21.6 million on Sunday, keeping the 2006 MVP in San Jose through 2011.

Thornton is the NHL's leading scorer over the last two seasons with the Sharks, who acquired him from Boston on Nov. 30, 2005. He won the 2006 scoring title with 125 points and finished second last season with 114, dominating the Western Conference with his peerless playmaking skills.

He still has one season at $6.67 million left on the extension he signed with the Bruins after the NHL lockout. But when he sat down with his agent-brother, John, to decide his long-term future, Thornton only saw himself on the California coast.

“There's no question I was going to re-sign there,” Thornton said from his summer home in St. Thomas, Ontario. “It's just a perfect fit for me. The ownership wants a winner, and we've got a great young team there. I'm looking forward to being there for a long time.”

General manager Doug Wilson said Thornton didn't squeeze every last penny out of the Sharks because he wanted the club to have enough financial flexibility to keep its roster together. Wilson is pursuing a contract extension for captain Patrick Marleau, Thornton's friend and road roommate, and hoping to re-sign defenseman Scott Hannan.

“I think we're all really ecstatic that it went so easy,” said Thornton, whose 28th birthday is Monday. “I love playing there. I love the people in the organization. ... As far as I'm concerned, that's the place I want to play.”

The four-time All-Star had 22 goals and 92 assists last season, trailing only Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby in the NHL scoring race. Thornton became the third player in league history with back-to-back 90-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Thornton led San Jose into the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, where the Sharks lost to the Red Wings in six games. But Thornton erased any lingering reputation as a postseason underachiever, scoring 11 points in 11 games despite constant pressure from the top defensemen on Nashville and Detroit.

Keeping Thornton in San Jose with a long-term deal stretching through the prime of his career was a top priority for Wilson, who promised to fine-tune his roster after the NHL's fifth-best regular-season team flopped with three straight losses in the playoffs. Thornton's quick deal made everything easier, the GM said.

“We have pretty open communication, and Joe stepped up,” Wilson said. “I certainly think he gave us a break to be able to do this in the (contract) term on the condition of being able to keep a group of the other players. ... These players are all just evolving into their primes. They've had some successes, and they've had continuity, and they want to keep it together.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:02 PM | Permalink

Former Mount St. Charles star Mathieu Schneider signs with Ducks

The Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman Mathieu Schneider to a two-year, $11.25-million deal Sunday as insurance against the loss of captain Scott Niedermayer, who has told the team he is leaning toward retirement.

Schneider, a 38-year-old unrestricted free agent, had 11 goals and 41 assists in 68 games with Detroit last season, his fourth with the Red Wings.

Ducks general manager Brian Burke said in statement Sunday that Niedermayer “has informed me that he is leaning toward retirement.”

“Typical of his character and leadership, he made the call this morning in order to allow us to make alternative plans in the event he does not return,” Burke said.

“Although he has not retired and would be welcomed back, we felt adding another top NHL defenseman was critical to defending our championship. Mathieu Schneider fits into that category and will be a great addition to our team.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:01 PM | Permalink

Bruins acquire goalie Manny Fernandez

The Minnesota Wild traded goalie Manny Fernandez to the Boston Bruins on Sunday for forward Petr Kalus and a mid-round draft pick.

The Wild said the trade was approved by the NHL early Sunday morning. The NHL's salary cap increased Sunday, and Fernandez's $4.3 million salary would have pushed the Bruins over the $44 million cap if it had happened before then.

The 32-year-old Fernandez was one of three original Wild players remaining with the team. He had a record of 113-102-28 in 260 games with the Wild, with a 2.47 goals-aganst average and .914 save percentage. This past season, Fernandez and fellow goaltender Niklas Backstrom won the William Jennings Trophy, awarded to goalies on the team that gives up the fewest goals.

The goaltender had been on the trading block since the Wild signed Backstrom to a two-year, $6.2 million contract on June 7.

Fernandez has worn a Wild sweater for all six of the franchise's seasons. He came to Minnesota after playing sparingly in five seasons with the Dallas Stars and became a fan favorite while splitting time with Dwayne Roloson.

The Wild traded Roloson in 2006 and signed Fernandez to a three-year, $13 million extension to be the No. 1 goaltender. He started last season very well, but a knee injury flared up in December and knocked him out for good in January.

In 44 games last season, Fernandez posted a 2.55 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage, and Backstrom flourished. The little-known Finnish free agent led the league in save percentage (.929) and goals-against average (1.97), leading the Wild to their first playoff appearance since 2003.

The Wild picked up the Bruins' fourth-round pick in 2009 and the 20-year-old Kalus, a 2005 second-round pick by the Bruins who is considered a top prospect. He had four goals and an assist in nine games with Boston last season. In 43 games with Providence of the AHL, the Czech native scored 13 goals and had 30 points.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:00 PM | Permalink

Bruins fire assistant GM and amateur scout

The Bruins fired assistant general manager Jeff Gorton and amateur scout Daniel Dore on Wednesday

GM Peter Chiarelli didn't provide reasons for the dismissals in a statement, but Boston missed the playoffs for a second straight year last season. The Bruins recently fired first-year coach Dave Lewis and replaced him with Claude Julien.

Gorton was the Bruins' assistant GM for seven seasons. He had been with the club since 1992, serving as interim general manager for more than three months until July 2006.

Dore has worked as a scout focusing on amateur players in North America and Europe. He had spent 11 years with the organization.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:59 PM | Permalink

Bruins select five on second day of draft

The Boston Bruins selected defenseman Tommy Cross, defenseman Denis Reul, defenseman Alain Goulet, defenseman Radim Ostrcil and right-winger Jordan Knackstedt on the second day of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, yesterday.

The Bruins opened their day by acquiring the 35th overall selection in the draft from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for the 38th and 69th picks.

With the 35th selection, the Bruins acquired Cross, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Simsbury, Conn. The 17-year-old defenseman recently completed his first season with Westminster Prep School in Connecticut where he posted 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 25 games.

Cross also played for Team USA in the Under-18 Junior World Cup and won a silver medal in 2006. He was named Connecticut’s Hockey Player of the Year in 2005-2006.
Cross has committed to Boston College and will matriculate there in for the fall of 2008. He will play next season for Columbus of the United States Hockey League.

With the 130th pick the Bruins selected Reul. A 6-4, 214 pound defenseman from Bayern, Germany, the soon-to-be 18-year old recently completed his first season with the Heilbronn Falcons of Germany’s 3rd Upper League. He recorded one assist in 16 regular season games with the Falcons.Reul competed for Team Germany at the 2007 Under-18 World Championships.

Goulet, selected by the Bruins with the 160th pick, is from Kapuskasing, Ontario. An 18-year old defenseman, he stands at is 6-1 inches and 186 pounds and spent last season with the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. In 43 games, he notched 10 goals and 32 assists for a total of 42 points. He was ranked second amongst defensemen in scoring last season in the OPJHL and he plans to attend University of Nebraska-Omaha this fall.

The Bruins made a trade with Colorado to acquire the 169th pick of the draft, sending their sixth round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft to the Avalanche (the pick was originally Calgary’s). The Bruins then used the 169th selection to pick Ostrcil, 18, a 6-foot, 195-defenseman from Vsetin, Czech Republic.

Standing at 6’ and 194 pounds, Ostrcil spent the last two seasons in the HC Vsetin system of the Extraliga in his native Czech Republic. Last season, Ostrcil played 25 games with Vsetin Jr., where he notched eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points, and also played 37 games with Vsetin, where he posted two points with a goal and an assist each.

With their final pick of the day, the Bruins selected Knackstedt with the 189th overall selection. A 6-2 195-pound right-winger from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Knackstedt is an 18-year old power forward who spent three seasons with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League before being traded to the Moose Jaw Warriors half way through his 2006-2007 campaign.

While with the Warriors, Knackstedt played in 39 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors, scoring 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points. In his WHL career, he has posted 99 points in 196 games with 36 goals and 63 assists.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 8:42 PM | Permalink

Bruins take Zach Hamill with No. 8 pick

The Boston Bruins drafted center Zach Hamill with the eighth pick in Friday's first round of the NHL draft.

Hamill, 18, scored 93 points in 63 games this past season for the Western Hockey League Everett Silvertips, including 31 goals and 62 assists. In 12 playoff games, he had 10 points.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound righthander from British Colombia began playing for the Silvertips in 2003 as their first round selection (3rd overall) in the WHL Bantam Draft.

Hamill earned first team Western Conference All-Star honors and became the first Silvertip to win the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the WHL's leading scorer. Hamill is the all time leading scorer in Silvertips franchise history with 187 points. Hamill is also the all time leader in franchise history in goals scored (61) and assists (126). He is also the all time franchise leader in playoff points (35), playoff assists (25) and playoff games played (58).

Hamill participated in 2006 ADT Canada/Russia Challenge and the 2007 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game during the 2006-2007 season, was named the 2006-2007 Silvertips Team MVP and was named the WHL Player of the Month for January. Hamill will also represent Canada at the 2007 Canada/Russia Super Series in August.

The pick is Boston's first under new coach Claude Julien, named to the post on Thursday to replace Dave Lewis, removed by general manager Peter Chiarelli a week ago.

Julien, who has coached the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens, also was a junior hockey coach for four seasons and an AHL coach for three.

Chiarelli said Julien's experience with young players was a major factor in his hiring.
“Claude has a track record of using these (young) guys and them prospering and developing,” Chiarelli said.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:43 PM | Permalink

Bruins owner named chairman of NHL's board of governors

The NHL's board of governors has elected Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs as its new chairman.

The board also elected Tom Hicks of the Dallas Stars to the position of vice-chair at its meeting ahead of this weekend's draft.

Jacobs replaces Calgary Flames owner Harley Hotchkiss, who had held the position for the past 12 years.

The board was also updated on the pending sale of the Nashville Predators to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie. However, there will not be an actual vote on the transfer of ownership from Craig Leipold.

The board also approved some minor rule changes and discussed next year's salary cap, which is expected to fall between $48 and $50 million.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:13 PM | Permalink

Bruins sign Toivonen to one-year extension

The Boston Bruins signed goalie Hannu Toivonen to a one-year contract extension Thursday.

“We feel that Hannu has shown the dedication and the proper attitude the whole year,” general manager Peter Chiarelli said. “Hannu has the right head, the right heart and all of the tools to be a good NHL goalie for many years. We felt that it was imperative to get him signed at this point.”

Toivonen appeared in 18 games for Boston this season, his fourth in the organization, going 3-9-1 with a goals-against average of 4.23. He also appeared in 27 regular-season games for Providence of the AHL, going 13-13-1 with a 2.37 GAA.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:56 PM | Permalink

Bruins' Kessel leads U.S. past Sweeden

Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel had a goal and two assists to help the United States beat Sweden 5-3 on Wednesday night in a warmup for the world championships.

Linemates David Backes and Adam Hall added a goal each for the Americans, set to open preliminary-round play against Austria in Moscow on Friday.

Sweden, coming off an impressive win over Russia in the European Hockey Tour final last week, opened the scoring on Jorgen Jonsson's goal 4:32 into the game with the Americans two men short.

Backes started the comeback at 2:15 in the second period, with Kessel setting him up. Chris Clark made it 2-1 midway through the session, and Paul Stastny scored again for the Americans with 2:18 left of the period with Sweden two men short.

Kessel's early third-period goal gave the Americans a 4-1 lead and Hall one-timed a pass from Kessel for the last U.S. goal with less than 8 minutes left before a crowd of 8,859 in the Globe Arena.

Anton Stralman and Johan Akerman also scored for Sweden, which captured the Olympic and world championship titles last season for ice hockey's first double.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:25 PM | Permalink

Bruins end season with 6-3 loss

BOSTON — Dany Heatley’s 50th goal of the season gave the Ottawa Senators the lead for good and they clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

Heatley became the first player with consecutive seasons of at least 50 goals since Pavel Bure did it with Florida in 2001 and 2002. Heatley also had exactly 50 last season, his first with Ottawa.

The Senators will open their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at home against Pittsburgh. They needed just a win to clinch the fourth seed and keep the Penguins in fifth.

The Bruins ended another disappointing season, their first under coach Dave Lewis. They lost their last six games and went 1-10-1 in their last 12. First-year general manager Peter Chiarelli, Ottawa’s assistant GM last season, overhauled the Bruins roster, but they missed the playoffs for the second straight season and have won just one playoff series in 11 seasons.

With the score 2-2, Heatley’s slap shot from the top of the left circle went between goalie Tim Thomas’ right pad and the post with 5:15 gone in the second period.

Jason Spezza made it 4-2 at 8:52 of the period with his second goal of the game and 34th of the season when he redirected Christoph Schubert’s shot from the left point.

Boston was 2-9 in its last 11 home games, giving fans little to cheer. One of the loudest reactions came with the score 4-2 when the scoreboard showed Boston College beating Michigan State 1-0 in the NCAA championship hockey game in St. Louis.

The fans did have more to cheer when the Bruins cut the lead to 4-3 with 3:42 gone in the third period on Petr Tenkrat’s ninth goal on a power play.

But the Senators scored twice in the next six minutes — Daniel Alfredsson’s 29th goal and Patrick Eaves’ 14th. Alfredsson, who added two assists, scored with a two-man advantage when he fired a slap shot from the top of the left circle over Thomas’ pad.
The Senators will be making their 10th straight playoff appearance, the longest current streak among Canadian teams. The could have clinched home-ice advantage on Thursday but they lost to Pittsburgh 3-2.

Boston struck early on Saturday with Marco Sturm’s 27th goal with just 1:28 gone. Mike Comrie tied it two minutes later, but Petr Kalus restored Boston’s lead less than three minutes later. Ottawa tied the game less than a minute later, with 6:50 gone in the game, on Spezza’s first goal of the night.

Notes: The Bruins finished under .500 at home (18-19-4) for the third time in nine seasons. Before that stretch, they had gone 30 seasons without a losing record at home. ... Ottawa evened its season series with Boston 4-4. ... Senators goalie Ray Emery was 4-2 against the Bruins, including a 3-0 win in their previous game.

--ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 9:45 PM | Permalink

Toivonen returns to Providence

The Boston Bruins today reassigned goaltender Hannu Toivonen to the Providence Bruins.

Toivonen, who is in his fourth year with the Bruins organization, has played 18 games for Boston this season, posting a record of 3-9-1 and a goals-against average of 4.23. His most recent outing came last night in the Bruins' 4-2 loss in Buffalo to the Sabres.

Toivonen has appeared in 23 games for Providence this season. He has a record of 11-12-0 and a goals-against average of 2.36 with the AHL club. He has also tallied one assist.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Bruins drop fifth straight

Thomas Vanek scored twice and the Buffalo Sabres matched a franchise record with their 52nd victory, a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Ales Kotalik and Derek Roy also scored to help the Sabres rally from a 2-0 first-period deficit in Buffalo's final home game of the season.

It was a big night for goaltender Ryan Miller, who earned his 39th victory to set the single-season team record, one ahead of the mark set by Don Edwards in 1977-78. Miller stopped 20 shots, including the final 11 he faced.

The Sabres (52-21-7) matched their win total from last season and have clinched the Eastern Conference's top seed heading into the playoffs next week. They have two games left — Saturday at Washington and Sunday at Philadelphia.

Andrew Ference and Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins, who have been eliminated from playoff contention. They lost their fifth straight and are now 1-9-1 in their past 11.

Vanek's second goal, scored 5 minutes into the third period, put the Sabres ahead.
Getting to a loose puck at his own blue line, Vanek streaked up the right wing ahead of defender Dennis Wideman. Approaching the Bruins' net, Vanek cut in front by outmuscling Wideman and then slipped a shot in through the legs of Hannu Toivonen.

After spotting the Bruins a 2-0 lead on Bergeron's power-play goal 14 minutes in, the Sabres tied the game before the first period was over when Vanek scored on a wraparound, catching Toivonen looking the wrong way.

Miller's biggest save came in the second period, when he got across to rob Ference, set up for a one-timer at the right post.

The Sabres welcomed back Maxim Afinogenov, who played his first game after missing 21 with a broken left wrist. Afinogenov showed he hadn't lost a step midway through the second period when he got around Ference and cut to the front of the net before having his sharp backhander stopped by Toivonen.

Afinogenov had an assist on Roy's goal.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:44 PM | Permalink

Bruins shutout by Canadiens, 2-0

MONTREAL — Saku Koivu scored twice, including his career-high 22nd goal in the third period, and Jaroslav Halak got his second shutout in the Montreal Canadiens’ 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night before the Bell Centre’s 100th straight sellout crowd.

Koivu scored his 21st goal on a power play at 16:46 to reach 70 points for only the second time in his career. The Canadiens captain brought the crowd of 21,273 to its feet in a roar when he beat Hannu Toivonen for his second goal of the game with 5:18 remaining.

The Finnish center danced off the right corner and jumped against the boards, driving his left shoulder into the glass in celebration of tying his career high for points and Montreal went on to record its 90th point in the tight battle for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

It is the second straight season the Canadiens have sold out every regular-season home game. The total attendance of 872,193 tied the league record Montreal set last season.

Halak made his eighth straight start, improving to 7-1 in that stretch.

The 21-year-old Slovak stopped 29 shots to shut out Boston for the second time in seven games. He made 30 saves in a 1-0 win over the Bruins on March 22.

Boston lost its fourth in a row, and has won only three of its past 15 games (3-11-1).
Toivonen, who was recalled from Providence of the AHL on Monday, made 28 saves and fell to 3-8-1 in 17 games this season. It was his first appearance since Feb. 24, when he relieved Tim Thomas for the final two periods of a 7-2 loss in Florida.

Notes: Canadiens G Cristobal Huet was supposed to dress for the game and back up Halak, but team officials said the necessary paperwork to remove him from the injury reserve list wasn’t filed to the league in time. David Aebischer backed up Halak for the eighth straight game. ... Koivu had 21 goals and 71 points in 2002-03, his first full season after overcoming non-Hodgkin intra-abdominal lymphoma.

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:17 PM | Permalink

Bruins recall Toivonen

The Boston Bruins have recalled goalie Hannu Toivonen from Providence of the American Hockey League.

He will be in uniform for the team's game against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday in Montreal, general manager Peter Chiarelli said.

Toivonen has played in 16 NHL games for the Bruins this season, posting a 3-7-1 record with a goals-against average of 4.42. In the minor leagues, he is 11-12-0 with a 2.36 goals-against average for the Providence Bruins.

The Bruins are out of the playoff race and play their final game of the season Saturday.

--ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:46 PM | Permalink

Devils 3, Bruins 1

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Brian Gionta scored the game-winner in his first game in almost a month, Jay Pandolfo tallied twice and the New Jersey Devils took the lead in the Atlantic Division with a 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.

The Devils’ fourth win in five games gave them 102 points and moved them a point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the lead in the division and the No. 2 seed overall in the Eastern Conference. Both teams have three games left in the regular season.
Martin Brodeur made 17 saves to post his 46th win of the season, one shy of the NHL single-season mark set by Bernie Parent in 1973-74.

Petr Kalus scored for the Bruins. The Czech rookie has taken three shots since being called up from the minor leagues six games ago and he has scored on every one.
Gionta, who had missed 19 of the past 21 games with a groin injury, got one of his pesky in-close goals to break a 1-1 tie midway through the second period.

With New Jersey on its fourth power play, Gionta deflected a Zach Parise shot.
Boston goaltender Tim Thomas got a piece of the puck and it died on the goal line.
However, Gionta reached behind him and swatted it into the net.

Kalus also scored on the power play, taking a nice pass by Petr Tenkrat from behind the net and ripping it past Brodeur about three minutes before Gionta’s 25th goal of the season.

Pandolfo iced the game with just under six minutes to play by beating Thomas from the right circle for his 13th goal of the season.

Pandolfo had given New Jersey the lead a little more than two minutes after the opening faceoff, tipping a centering pass by Erik Rasmussen over Thomas, who finished with 21 saves.

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 6:33 PM | Permalink

Thrashers 3, Bruins 2

BOSTON — When the Atlanta Thrashers traded for Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik last month, they were in the midst of a free fall. Now they’re on the brink of clinching their first playoff berth, and have both players to thank.

Tkachuk scored the winner, Kari Lehtonen stopped 25 shots, and the Atlanta Thrashers moved closer to clinching their first playoff berth with a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

The Thrashers squandered a 2-0 lead, but Tkachuk bailed them out when he swatted a rebound past Boston goalie Joey MacDonald with 18.6 seconds remaining in the third.

Zhitnik assisted on the goal by shooting it toward the net to get the puck near the crease.

“Both guys were the reason we scored,” Atlanta coach Bob Hartley said. “If you look at the replay, Zhitnik did a great job of battling for the puck, and (Tkachuk) just had to push it in.”

Ilya Kovalchuk and Greg de Vries also scored, and Tkachuk added an assist for the Thrashers, who swept the four-game series with Boston.

The Thrashers won their second straight and improved to 41-27-11, tying the franchise record for wins and moving five points ahead of Tampa Bay in the Southeast Division with three games left. The Lightning have four left, including Saturday night against Washington.

Atlanta, which won 41 games last year, can clinch a playoff berth with a win in any of its last three games. The Thrashers would also clinch with a loss by both Toronto and the New York Islanders.

“Everybody knows the situation we’re in and it’s tight,” Tkachuk said. “We have to work for it — you can’t rely on other teams. We want to win the division title, so every game now is a must win.”

The Thrashers improved to 10-4-1 since acquiring Zhitnik from Philadelphia on Feb. 24 and Tkachuk from St. Louis a day later. Before the trade, Atlanta had lost six of seven to tumble from first place in its division to sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Tkachuk and Zhitnik have been key parts of a resurgence that has Atlanta on the brink of its first playoff appearance since joining the NHL as an expansion team in 1999-2000. Tkachuk has seven goals and five assists with the Thrashers, and Zhitnik has two goals and 12 assists.

Marco Sturm and Petr Kalus scored, and MacDonald made 37 saves for Boston, which has lost seven of eight to drop out of playoff contention.

“You don’t want to have to give your jersey away,” Boston coach Dave Lewis said. “It’s an uncomfortable feeling. I did that as a player in New Jersey years and years ago, and it’s an awful feeling. We have to get better as a group and as a team.”

The Thrashers outshot Boston 16-7 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead 24 seconds in when Garnet Exelby deked MacDonald and fed Kovalchuk for an easy goal.

After de Vries extended Atlanta’s lead to 2-0 midway through second, Sturm cut the deficit to 2-1 with 1:30 left in the period when he deflected Zdeno Chara’s slap shot into the net.

Kalus tied it at 2 with 4:57 left in the third, but Atlanta kept the puck in Boston’s zone for the rest of the period before Tkachuk’s winner.

“(Tkachuk) is a great leader,” Sturm said. “He’s showed it in the past and he was a good pickup for them — he showed why today. He’s always good for big goals.”

Notes: Boston was charged with four first-period penalties, while Atlanta had none. ... Kovalchuk has 199 career goals. ... Tkachuk and Zhitnik made their Atlanta debut in Boston on Feb. 26. ... Atlanta outshot Boston 40-27. ... Boston has lost six in a row to Atlanta.

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 5:03 PM | Permalink

Bruins lose 4-2 to Pens.

Pittsburgh took over first place in the NHL's Atlantic Division last night as Sidney Crosby tallied three assists in a 4-2 win at the TDBanknorth Garden in Boston. The three points brought his league-leading point total to 116 on the season.

The Bruins took an early lead 45 seconds into the game but couldn't hold on. Phil Kessel and Brandon Bochenski each had a goal and an assist for Boston.

Thursday's loss was the fifth consecutive for Tim Thomas (22 saves) in goal. The Bruins have lost six of their last seven games.

Before the game Thomas received the Bruins' "Seventh Man" award as the team's most valuable player.

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 9:38 PM | Permalink

Former Bruins coach to lead U.S. at World Hockey Championships

Former Boston Bruins coach Mike Sullivan will coach the United States in the world hockey championships in Russia.

USA Hockey also said Monday that Phoenix Coyotes associate head coach Barry Smith will serve as associate head coach, and that Boston University associate head coach David Quinn will be an assistant.

“It's always an honor and a privilege to represent your country in an international event,” said Sullivan, an assistant at the Turin Olympics. “I look forward to having the opportunity to work with a great group of American players, coaches and managers.”
The world championships are April 27-May 13 in Moscow.

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:48 PM | Permalink

Bruins lose fourth straight

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing so well at home lately that they might just earn the right to play here more often in the playoffs.

Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist to extend his league scoring lead and help the Penguins win at home for the 16th time in their last 19 games, a 5-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and seventh of his career for Pittsburgh, which is 9-2-1 in its last 12 and now is tied with the New Jersey Devils atop the Atlantic Division with 96 points. Pittsburgh also moved to within two points of current No. 4 seed Ottawa.

“Finishing second (in the conference as opposed to) finishing fifth for us is a pretty big deal,” said Gary Roberts, who had a goal and two assists.

Sergei Gonchar added two assists and Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Malone also scored for the Penguins, who are 16-2-1 in their last 19 at home. They have tied for the third-most home victories in club history with 25, and are in a battle for one of the top four seeds and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“I think everyone feels comfortable playing here,” said Malone, who grew up just south of Pittsburgh. “Obviously, I think the fans are great, the atmos