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A sluggish start coming out of the break... |
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Written by Jim Mulligan on Wednesday, 03 March 2010 03:17
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Early in the game, the play for both teams was up and down as the effects of the Olympic break was noticable for the players. Early on, the Bruins came out with some good jump but lulled for a while as the Habs took control of the play. Tuukka Rask was called on to make a couple of key saves. While in the process of taking control, a Roman Hamerlik wrist shot was marked for the low corner but Rask did the splits and made a spectacular glove save.
As I said, the tide kept changing and the Bruins wrestled control - and the lead - away from Montreal. With Dominic Moore in the box for inteference, Savvy and Chara led the assault on Carey Price. It was Chara's seeing eye wrist shot that found it's way through Price and settled in the crease. While Marco Sturm was fighting for position with Josh Gorges, he literally fell over Price but was able to get one hand on his stick to push the puck into the center of the open net. Price looked like he wanted to argue Sturm's presence in the crease but it was clear Gorges had a hand in Price's problems with Sturm. Not long after the goal, the Bruins had Ryder and Wheeler execute a two on one where Price made a beautiful save on Blake Wheeler's shot.
While shorthanded to end the period, Tuukka flashed the glove on Andrei Kostitsyn with 6 seconds left to save the lead going into the second period. As nice as the save was, Rask was fortunate that Kostitsyn misfired and sent a bouncing puck at the net instead of burying past the rookie neetminder.
The second period had its share of chances for both teams. The Bruins had a pair of power plays but were unable to capitalize. Marc Savard and Blake Wheeler had the best chances to score in the period. Savvy had a partial breakaway from the red line in and Wheeler's shot went high and wide off of a give and go from Krejci.
Then it all went bad. A four goal outburst in the third period was what did in the Bruins tonight. Ex-Bruin, Glen Metropolit led the charge with a goal and an assist. In the Habs room afterwards Metro said, "Always good to play against your old team. I was fortunate enough to get a couple points and get a win. I think that is huge for us. I mean that is our role (provide energy), if we can score a goal that is a bonus. We got two, and (Maxim) Lapierre got a goal to get us ahead by one, and we went from there."
Goals by Maxim Lapierre, Mathieu Darche and an empty netter by Benoit Pouliot sealed the Bruins fate tonight. As good as Rask was in the first two periods, his rebounds control wasn't great and it led to two Canadien goals. Tuukka didn't get much help from his D corps. Matt Hunwick and Andrew Ference had a couple of glaring mistakes leading to chances the other way.
Be sure to look for Cory Krakower's perspective of the game.
I mentioned before last nights game the Bruins made a couple minor trades.
Next up, the Toronto Maple Leafs come to Boston for Kesselmania III on Thursday. Check out Ben and Mike's thoughts from Leaf Nation
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Hawks acquire Nick Boynton |
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Written by Trent Kondo on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 21:07
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Just a quick update, the Chicago BlackHawks have acquired rugged defenceman Nick Boynton from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for future considerations.
This deal is another depth deal for Chicago and adds a solid defensive defenceman who plays a physical game and will drop the gloves if need be. One would not expect Boynton to play much if at all in the playoffs but he is good insurance due to possible injury to one of our starting 6 defenceman.
Proving many so called "cap experts" wrong the acquistion of Boynton at a pro-rated 1.5 million this year without moving salary proves that Stan Bowman was not lying saying he could add a player without shipping out any salary. Most have a good grip of approximatley what teams have for cap space but no one has the exact numbers besides that teams upper brass.
I would expect Chicago will not be sending much more then a 4th round draft pick for Boynton as his stock is not too high and being a UFA at the end of the season you can bank on Boynton not being back next year.
This does however make things a bit more difficult for the Hawks to add more players to this team due to Boynton's pro-rated cap hit for this season but the deals are not done yet and I fully expect the Hawks to be making some moves within the next 24 hours or less.
Thanks for reading
Tkon
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Bruins / Habs from the Garden |
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Written by Jim Mulligan on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 20:46
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Join me live tonight as the Bruins get back at it at home against the Montreal Canadiens.
Tuukka Rask starts his seventh consecutive game for hte B's and it looks like Carey Price in net for the Habs
The Bruins have made two minor deals leading up to tomorrow's deadline.
First off, the Bruins aquired Steve Kampfer (D) from Anaheim for a conditional 4th round pick.
Kampfer has played 37 games for the U of Michigan and has 2G, 15A and 48PIM this year. For his collegiate career, he's played 139 games with 6G, 51A & 132PIM
He was a 4th rounder for Anaheim in the 2007 draft
Second, the Bruins shipped Matt Marquadt to the Edmonton Oilers for Cody Wild (D).
Wild is another project on the back line. This year he has split time with Springfield (AHL) and the Stockton Thunder (ECHL)
In 37 AHL games he has 14A & 24PIM. For his AHL career, his stats are: 5G, 30A & 74PIM. He's from North Providence, RI, played at Providence College from 2005/08 and had 16G, 41A for his NCAA career.
I sense a new fan favorite at the Dunkin Donut Center for the Providence Bruins...
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Flyers Looking at Goaltenders |
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Written by Mike Santa Barbara on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 19:54
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A few rumors have linked the Flyers to Dwayne Roloson. A few sources have said they are "close" to a deal. While others say there is "no shot." Gotta love the trade deadline.
As far as the Hamhuis rumors, they are still floating around, now with the Flyers maybe acquiring Dan Ellis along with Hamhuis.
Now that Emery is out for the year it seems to be a good guess that the Flyers will pick up a goaltender before the deadline. Although that isn't their only need, things could get interesting very quickly.
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Written by Amit Mann on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 19:23
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First of all, big-ups to Canada in not only hockey but in the Olympics. Fourteen gold is something to be proud and Sid the Kid scoring that goal was probably the greatest moment of my life!
But, back to the NHL.
Jordon Leopold has been traded...again. But good news Pens fans he will be landing in Steele town as he was shipped over from Florida for a second round pick.
The 29-year-old is a quality defenseman who will get the job done in the least flashy way ever. But who needs flash. He has been brought to Pittsburgh to improve the depth on D and perhaps make their men on the back end a little more competitive.
With the trade, the Pens now have seven regular starters on D plus a few prospects which could mean their preparing for another trade within the next day or two (Whitney?).
Either way, Leopold is a reliable D man who could get put up points in the right system. Leopold was at his best in Calgary where he was able to roam around and get involved on the offensive end.
With offensive-defenseman 's in Sergei Gonchar and Kris Letang, Leopold will likely be asked to stay at home , which is a role he can play out effectively.
Leopold was a member of Calgary's Stanley Cup run in 2004 and has collected 15 assists and is a +5 in 46 playoff games.
Leopold has been on the go throughout his career as this will be his fifth NHL team. He was drafted by Colorado but was immediately traded to Calgary. He spent three seasons in Calgary before being traded to Colorado, then was traded back to Calgary and was traded to Florida in the Jay Bouwmeester trade. His family must hate him for all the moving.
As for what to expect from Pittsburgh in the coming days, look for them to try and get a top six forward to accompany Malkin. As I said in another article, Malkin's legs seem to be heavy and I doubt the Olympics helped. A spark like a Ray Whitney or another forward of point per game caliber would immediately boost Pittsburgh's chances to return to the Finals.
If ain't broken, don't fix it and in my opinion Pittsburgh has a realistic chance to repeat but it is going to take a hell of a lot of determination and muscle to get back there.
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Rangers Deadline Gameplan |
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Written by Dan Rakusan on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 14:41
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 With a little more than 26 hours to go before we hit the trade deadline, let's examine the Rangers' position prior to what is bound to be a busy day. Currently, the Rangers sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 63 points, tied with Tampa who have a game in hand. The team itself is pushed right up against the salary cap, and holds several contracts which seem un-tradeable in Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival and Chris Drury. So, what is Glen Sather going to do?
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26 hours, 48minutes...Leafs TOP 10 |
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Written by Mike De Petrillo on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 14:13
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 Christmas in March. With that in mind, here is my wish list for the Leafs 2009/2010 NHL trade deadline, top 10 style:
- 1) Unload potential UFA assets for draft picks and/or prospects - Ponikarovsky, Stempniak, Primeau, Exelby - thanks for the memories, Alex, give us your new cell number for July 1.
- 2) Acquire a #1 centre - even if this means unloading the redundant (hello Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri) Mikael Grabovski.
- 3) Hold down Tomas Kaberle and poke his chest until he agrees to waive his limited NTC. Seriously Kabby, the writing is on the wall. Your 4th or 5th in D minutes on the Leafs lately...I think they're trying to tell you something. No shame in picking where you end up...
- 4) SIZE. SIZE. Get me some size who can skate and bang. Please.
- 5) Stock some draft picks...I don't care what round.
- 6) Can someone please explain to me what being a buyer and a seller means? It's my wish list, so someone please fill me in on this strategy.
- 7) Acquire a legitimate top 6 forward - seems to be a fire sale in EDM...
- 8) Surprise us again Burkie - I like the fact little rumours on return for our players are hitting the web/TV/print. We never heard a peep about Phaneuf and Giggy until it happened...hopefully the same will happen today/tomorrow.
- 9) Did I mention getting bigger and adding SIZE?
- 10) Jordan Staal. That is all.
MD27
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Monster Update Part 2, Olympic thoughts |
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Written by Adam Seidman on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 14:00
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With the NHL season back in full swing, let's finish up our deluge of info with a little trade talk, a little reflection, and a little speculation.
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Kudos & some Hawk Updates |
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Written by Trent Kondo on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 12:36
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First off, kudos to all the bloggers that covered the Olympic games you all did fantastic jobs and I enjoyed reading all of the updates. There are some excellent bloggers in here with some fantastic analysis, also if you have not read my Hawks Partner Adam Seidman's write up prior to this I urge you to check it out if you are a hawks fan. Another excellent piece written by him.
Hawk Olympians were fantastic and if it were not for Finland beating Slovakia, each Hawk would have won a medal. Toews was voted the best forward for team Canada and I have not heard if there was a best defenseman but I am sure Keith was mentioned as he logged the most ice time of any other Canadian d-man. Kopecky and Hossa were excellent for Slovakia and Kane was very good for the USA and was a threat almost everytime on the ice. Seabrook however did not play a lot and he did make some unlikely giveaways but all in all he played solidly bringing some nice physical punishment to opposition players.
Yesterday there was a deal and most consider at minor league depth deal with the hawks acquiring Hannu Toivonen and ex-hawk Danny Richmond in exchange for promising young goaltender Joe Fallon.
Richmond has an offensive upside to him and seeing him in a couple exhibition games and the odd Rockford game he definitely has some talent. Toivonen was once considered a nice prospect but really did not pan out for St.Louis or Boston prior to this trade. Trading Fallon was a surprise move as I figured the hawks brass were quite high on Fallon but apparently are higher on Alec Richards according to John Jaeckel.
Overall these are two nice additions to Rockford and serve as protection. Prior to March 3 one of the Hawks goaltenders will be headed out of town albeit Crawford, Huet or even Niemi. Bold statement perhaps but I will be surprised and literally shocked if one of them is not gone.
Just going to touch on a rumor out there with one named Jaroslav Halak. People may like this kid and so do I but what sense does it make for him to come to Chicago? He wants to be a #1 guy and will he be that guy here? I very much doubt that.
I can not see Halak even wanting to come here with the situation the Hawks have and if he did well the hawks would be in the exact same situation they are in now. WHO IS #1!! Halak an upgrade over Niemi doubt that very much. The only way I can see Halak coming here is if it is for cap cutting purposes. He is a prospect of sorts and is not any more proven then Niemi and therefore the hawks management would clearly have to treat him just like Niemi. WIth all that said, anything can happen during trade deadline so it will be very interesting to see what occurs in the next couple days.
The Vokoun rumors still make the most sense for the hawks in my humble opinion but one must look at Florida’s point of view on the proposed deals. I think it can work for both clubs with a bit of tweaking. In “twittering” with Lyle Richardson of Spector’s hockey he see’s it very unlikely but I feel there is a better chance then he and other’s think in my opinion.
- Niemi will get the start against NYI tonight and will be his 5th in a row and he has currently won 4 straight
-Madden is most likely to play today as well
-the Hawk Olympians had the day off from practice yesterday and deservedly so.
If any deals are to happen I will try my best to get any details I can get out when they happen.
Thanks for reading!
Tkon.
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UPDATED: Flyers Trade Possibilities, Hamhuis Rumors |
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Written by Mike Santa Barbara on Tuesday, 02 March 2010 11:31
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*** Flyers Looking at Goaltenders ***
A few rumors have linked the Flyers to Dwayne Roloson. A few sources have said they are "close" to a deal. While others say there is "no shot." Gotta love the trade deadline.
As far as the Hamhuis rumors, they are still floating around, now with the Flyers maybe acquiring Dan Ellis along with Hamhuis.
Now that Emery is out for the year it seems to be a good guess that the Flyers will pick up a goaltender before the deadline. Although that isn't their only need, things could get interesting very quickly.
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Something is a brewin' in Flyerdom, that's for sure.
On Monday the Flyers put goaltender Ray Emery on the Long-Term Injury list. Also, waiving defensemen Danny Syvret and little used tough guy Riley Cote. This little cap-clean up has freed up a little over $2 Million for the Fly guys.
The Flyers are rumored to be looking for a scoring forward and a defensemen. Rumors the last 24 hours have been that a deal with the Nashville Predators for defensmen Dan Hamhuis is all but done. The rumored deal would send defensemen Ryan Parent to Nashville for Hamhuis. Parent if you remember, was actually traded to the Flyers from Nashville in the Peter Forsberg deal. Would be a great deal for the Flyers, though two things to consider. One, Hamhuis is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, I can't imagine the Flyers making the deal if they don't have a good chance at resigning him. Two, giving up only Parent seems a little flimsy, giving his alarming injury history at a young age it's hard to imagine he'd be the only piece in the deal.
The Flyers have also been rumored to be interested in Raffi Torres and Milan Jurcina of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Also, Atlanta Thrashers forward Colby Armstrong has been linked in rumors with the Flyers.
More to come later this afternoon.........
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