Sabres thumbnails■When, where: Tonight, 7:30, at First Niagara Center, Buffalo.
Bergeron scoring a lot of points with his coachThrough 51 games, Bergeron is the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals and 31 assists. Bergeron is averaging 18:38 of ice time per game, most of any Black-and-Gold forward. Bergeron has won 57.3 percent of his faceoffs. The 26-year-old is on pace to score 74 points, which would be a career high.
Krejci may be getting a messageIf Sunday’s 4-1 win over Washington and yesterday’s practice at Ristuccia Arena are any indication, David Krejci will be the Bruins’ No. 3 center tonight against the Sabres.
Defensive approach paying offNow, they must build on the good things they did and continue to right the play that had gone wrong for stretches of January and February.
Game of Seguin (20th goal) not as waywardIn yesterday’s 4-1 win over the Capitals, the Bruins’ Tyler Seguin scored his 20th goal of the season when he redirected a Brad Marchand feed past Tomas Vokoun at 6:38 of the third period.
No slipup by Bruins this timeHalfway through yesterday’s first period against the Capitals, Milan Lucic fired up the pistons, charged over the blue line, and made a straight line toward the net. Naturally, he was rewarded with a Rich Peverley dish, which he converted into his 19th goal.
Bruins-Capitals SumBoston 2 0 2--4 Washington 0 0 1--1 First Period--1, Boston, Lucic 19 (Peverley), 10:45. 2, Boston, Marchand 19 (Bergeron, McQuaid), 18:38. Second Period--None. Third Period--3, Boston, Seguin 20 (Marchand, Bergeron), 6:38. 4, Washington, Johansson 11 (Perreault, Ward), 12:04. 5, Boston, Peverley 9 (Kelly, Chara), 19:19 (en). Shots on Goal--Boston 12-9-9--30. Washington 11-10-15--36. Goalies--Boston, Thomas. Washington, Vokoun. A--18,506 (18,398). T--2:30.
Bruins-Capitals SumsBoston 2 0 2--4 Washington 0 0 1--1 First Period--1, Boston, Lucic 19 (Peverley), 10:45. 2, Boston, Marchand 19 (Bergeron, McQuaid), 18:38. Penalties--McQuaid, Bos, major (fighting), 18:46 Hendricks, Was, served by Perreault, minor-major (roughing, fighting), 18:46. Second Period--None. Penalties--Semin, Was (hooking), 7:06 Bergeron, Bos (interference), 18:20. Third Period--3, Boston, Seguin 20 (Marchand, Bergeron), 6:38. 4, Washington, Johansson 11 (Perreault, Ward), ...
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Bruins' Thomas makes DC return, beats Capitals 4-1Tim Thomas' return to the nation's capital was less political and more successful, with the goaltender making 35 saves Sunday in the Boston Bruins' 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals .
Ex-Bruin Bochenski finds new life overseasThe puck is going in the net for Brandon Bochenski, and that alone makes life good. The former Bruin, hustled into Boston to help kick-start a sputtering offense during Dave Lewis’s one year behind the bench, is now finishing his second season for the Astana Barys in Kazakhstan and recently played in the Kontinental Hockey League’s all-star game.
Not enough bang for the fans’ bucksThe Bruins were marginally better yesterday, but in a sport in which the margin between winning and losing is inherently thin, they were squeezed out again, 2-1, by the Penguins on Causeway Street.
Bruins can’t get momentumAt 6:45 of yesterday’s third period, the Bruins finally had some hope. Joe Corvo had beaten the previously perfect Marc-Andre Fleury with a shot from the point, cutting Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-1.
Pained expressions, not just from lossWhat appeared to be the most violent hit of yesterday’s game produced the most harmless result.
Penguins-Bruins SumPittsburgh 1 0 1--2 Boston 0 0 1--1 First Period--1, Pittsburgh, Malkin 28 (Kunitz, Neal), 19:51 (pp). Second Period--None. Third Period--2, Pittsburgh, Cooke 9 (Jeffrey, Dupuis), 1:53. 3, Boston, Corvo 3 (Bergeron, Marchand), 6:45. Shots on Goal--Pittsburgh 6-12-10--28. Boston 10-10-9--29. Goalies--Pittsburgh, Fleury. Boston, Thomas. A--17,565 (17,565). T--2:21.
Fleury carries Penguins to 2-1 win over BruinsMarc Andre-Fleury hardly looked like a goalie who had just finished a highly intense third period.
Penguins-Bruins SumsPittsburgh 1 0 1--2 Boston 0 0 1--1 First Period--1, Pittsburgh, Malkin 28 (Kunitz, Neal), 19:51 (pp). Penalties--Peverley, Bos (slashing), 19:16. Second Period--None. Penalties--Pouliot, Bos (hooking), 5:57 Dupuis, Pit, double minor (high-sticking), 8:56. Third Period--2, Pittsburgh, Cooke 9 (Jeffrey, Dupuis), 1:53. 3, Boston, Corvo 3 (Bergeron, Marchand), 6:45. Penalties--Pouliot, Bos (high-sticking), 7:28 Letang, Pit (closing hand on puck), 9:04 Paille, ...
Penguins thumbnails■When, where: Today, 1, at TD Garden.
Slump kept in perspectiveWhen everything is going well for the Bruins, as it was when they went 21-3-1 in November and December, Adam McQuaid likes to slip on his headphones and listen to some slow, soft country music.
Hurricanes batter Bruins a fourth timeAt their current pace, the Hurricanes will finish 2011-12 with 72 points, say their goodbyes after Game No. 82, and sprint for the nearest golf course. Just imagine how their fortunes would turn if they could play the Bruins for 82 games instead of four.
It's turned ice cold hereNothing, not even their own nondescript, watered-down, and oft-listless play of late, will keep the Bruins from making the playoffs. They banked a lot of gold bullion over the course of 10 weeks, beginning at the start of December, and even their recent .500 ways will be enough to buy them one of eight playoff seeds in the East.
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Trade deadline fast approachesThe Bruins will be in a similar spot prior to the Feb. 27 trade deadline. They aren’t necessarily looking for a puck-moving defenseman. But they’d like to add a left-shot D-man without giving up a roster player in return.
Ward's shutout completes Canes sweep of BruinsSweeping the defending Stanley Cup champions is nice, but the Carolina Hurricanes would trade all four wins for a better spot in the standings.
Hurricanes-Bruins SumCarolina 1 1 1--3 Boston 0 0 0--0 First Period--1, Carolina, E.Staal 12 (Tlusty, Spacek), 11:51. Second Period--2, Carolina, Ruutu 16 (Bra.Sutter, Stewart), 16:41. Third Period--3, Carolina, Bra.Sutter 12 (Nodl), 3:13. Shots on Goal--Carolina 8-14-9--31. Boston 22-5-20--47. Goalies--Carolina, Ward. Boston, Rask. A--17,565 (17,565). T--2:19.
Hurricanes-Bruins SumsCarolina 1 1 1--3 Boston 0 0 0--0 First Period--1, Carolina, E.Staal 12 (Tlusty, Spacek), 11:51. Penalties--Krejci, Bos (boarding), 15:33. Second Period--2, Carolina, Ruutu 16 (Bra.Sutter, Stewart), 16:41. Penalties--Seidenberg, Bos (hooking), 19:25. Third Period--3, Carolina, Bra.Sutter 12 (Nodl), 3:13. Penalties--Faulk, Car (kneeing), 7:54 Lucic, Bos (roughing), 9:39 Jokinen, Car (slashing), 14:07 Marchand, Bos (slashing), 14:15. Shots on Goal--Carolina 8-14-9--31. Boston ...
McQuaid sits out; Ference back inThe Bruins were missing a key defenseman at practice yesterday. Adam McQuaid caught his skate in a rut late in Tuesday’s victory over the Ottawa Senators and was forced to sit out the workout at Ristuccia Arena.
Hurricanes thumbnails■When, where: Tonight, 7, TD Garden.
