Bruins roster taking shape ahead of season opener

October 7th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

In the past week or so, the Boston hockey universe has been abuzz with talk of trades, demotions and contested promotions. 

On Friday, Johnny Boychuk was traded to the Islanders. Just a few hours after the Boychuk trade was finalized, the remaining Bruins took the ice in Detroit as they provided their final auditions for parts on this year’s starting roster. Guys like Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak were tested hard and often in the game that culminated in a shootout in which the two were Boston’s only shooters.

Members of the Providence blue line made their case to be picked to fill the role of Dennis Sidenberg’s defensive pairing left by Boychuk while many other players who had since been cut watched from afar.

By Tuesday night, just under 24 hours before the regular season kicked off, the roster had begun to take shape.

Perhaps the most talked about young prospect in this year’s preseason, David Pastrnak, was informed of his destination for the 2014 season Tuesday afternoon. In short, he has none; at least not now.

“We’ll have a little more time to watch and assess him,” Bruins GM, Peter Chiarelli said.

Pastrnak missed much of the preseason with a shoulder injury making the Bruins indecisiveness understandable.

“We'd like to see him down there and play some games. It’s a good opportunity to have him on our soil and close by to watch him,” Chiarelli said. “In two or three weeks we’ll look at it and make a decision as to what the next step is.”

Thanks to a team friendly rookie contract, the Bruins have the freedom to have Pastrnak play in the AHL, send him back to the Swedish Elite League where he spent last season or call him up to Boston. Furthermore they could foreseeably toss Pastrnak into an awkward back and forth transit between Providence and Boston. Basically they have very little that they need to commit to in regards to Pastrnak.

Beyond him however, the Bruins shook things up in much more unexpected way Tuesday when they announced that 33 year old Bobby Robins had earned himself a roster spot.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Robins said. “It definitely proves that sticking to the game plan and the program of just working hard every day, and getting a little bit better every day and over the course of a long time -- nine years actually -- so over the course of that long time you can improve and get better and accomplish your dream.”

Robins’ is a long story. 9 years in the AHL have spawned 81 fights and a painful list of concussions and upper body injuries for him. His massive 220 pound frame is a mix of the hard skating power of Milan Luchic and the fists-flying ferocity of Shawn Thornton. The latter of those two established NHL’ers just so happens to, by no instance of coincidence, be the sole reason Robins made the cut this year.

In the wake of Thornton’s signing with Florida, the Bruins needed an enforcer. 9 years in the violent street fight league that the AHL can sometimes periodically become have made it so that Robins can be that.

“In Providence he was a great forechecker. As Claude said, he finished all his checks, he’s a hard player,” Chiarelli said. “Right through this camp he’s shown that he’s belonged, and it’s a great story.”

Robins does not deny that his place on this roster was not earned through skill but rather through physical power. He literally fought his way to where he is now.

“When you’re playing that style of hockey, fights are going to happen,” Robins said. “I’m going to be playing that style. I’m looking to hit guys and get on the forecheck. Then when somebody challenges you, that’s when you fight. All the stage fights are getting weeded out of the game, but when you’re playing with passion and fury, fights are going to happen and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Between the decision to not do anything drastic with Pastrnak and the impressive leap of faith to bump Robins up to Boston, the Bruins were praised by fans. Though they had not yet erased the confused pain solicited by the loss of Boychuk, the front office proved that they were doing what was best for the team.

But not everything was so fun in Boston Tuesday.

Former Edmonton Oiler, Simon Gange lost his battle with Ryan Spooner for the title of 3^rd line right winger. Also, highly touted goaltending prospect Malcom Subban lost a close race with Niklas Svedberg for the backup goalie spot late last week. He will start 2014 in Providence.

Lastly, the Bruins were dished a major blow when it was deemed that 2^nd line center, David Krejci would be unable to make Wednesday’s start.

Krejci missed Tuesday’s practice following an injury suffered when he collided with the boards in last weekend’s preseason finale. He was placed on IR Tuesday afternoon meaning that he would have to sit out at least 7 calendar days following the injury.

After the missed practice, Krejci was non-descript in regards to the actual injury and how it was suffered.

 “I don’t really want to talk about exactly what happened. It didn’t feel good enough to finish the game, so I was just being cautious,” Krejci said. “Obviously, I wasn’t on the ice today. It didn’t heal as fast as I would like to, so I would say it’s kind of day-to-day. We’ll see when I wake up tomorrow and how it feels tomorrow.”

His veteran presence on the back half of the Bruins 1-2 offensive punch will be sorely missed verses Philadelphia. However at the same time, if the injury is to his upper body, starting a game like this, against a team as physical at the Flyers could be greatly detrimental to his long-term health.

After an offseason of roster turnover, there are many questions being asked of the Bruins ahead of their opener. Those questions cannot be answered with words, rather, they must be and they will be answered by actions in Wednesday’s game. 

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David Pasternak trying to win place on Bruins roster

This year's first overall Boston Bruins pick in the NHL draft, David Pastrnak, had missed much of the Bruins training camp and preseason before he was finally cleared to play Friday night against the Islanders.

His long awaited return had been pushed back by lingering tightness and minor swelling in the 18 year old’s shoulder. The injury had first been suffered in just the second practice of the season and had prevented Pasternak from competing for a roster spot in the same way that some of his teammates like Ryan Spooner and David Warsofsky did.

However, the argument could be made that all his absence from preseason has done is drop Pastrnak, who started off as the number one pick in the Bruins draft class, to the same level as all who compete with him for one of the open spots at forward.

“He's got as much of a chance of sticking here as anybody else.” Coach, Claude Julian said prior to Friday’s preseason game.  “I guess watching him and trying to make an educated decision after it's all said and done is what we'll have to do.”

Pasternak did not score in that game but did manage to assist on two Ryan Spooner goals.

“I’m just going to try to do my best and enjoy the game and we'll see what happens after that. I will play like it's going to be my last game and I'm going to leave everything [out there].” Pastrnak said.

The Bruins play their final preseason game of 2014 Saturday afternoon in Detroit. Following his pain free start verses the Islanders;  Julian announced Saturday morning that Pastrnak would remain in the lineup.

Pastrnak will play on the 3^rd line in the game. If the lineup stays as it was Friday, he will be skating alongside Alexander Kolchenkov and Danial Pallie.

“I mean, there's a player who we know has got a lot of skills, he's had great success at the World Juniors and that,” said Julien. “You know, you watch him in practice and you see his speed, skill level, hockey sense - it's a guy that you are excited to see in a position where hopefully he can showcase all of that stuff, so I'm excited to watch him tonight, no doubt.”

Claude Julian seems to be excited about the prospect of Pastrnak joining the team this week. As for his chances this season, an inexperienced Pastrnak was given a gift Saturday morning when major competitor Jordan Caron was placed on waivers and Julian apparently diminished the magnitude of Ryan Spooner’s two goals against the Islanders by saying “it was just against AHL guys.”

David Pastrnak has a huge upside for the Bruins and yet at the same time the team understands that they must tread carefully. When the preseason ends, Pastrnak will have played just two games and it is no secret that two games’ worth of observations are not a desired sample size.

“Nothing's been ruled out at this point, and I'm being very honest here. We haven't made a decision either way,” said Julian before Friday’s game. “Like I said, we see the potential but yet, you know, we also have to be realistic. He is an 18-year-old, we've got to see how he performs and how he reacts and everything else, so we haven't ruled out anything.”

**Follow Go, Titletown on Twitter (@GoTitletown) for updates on tonight's game and more!

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Thoughts on Bruins vs. Redwings first round series: Important statistics, opinions and roomers about the series

On the same night that Bruins fans celebrated their team's clenching the Presidents Trophy for the first time in over 20 years, their spirits were dampened by the fact that they also were told of their first round opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ever since the Bruins' stunning 14 game point streak back in March vaulted the Bruins to the top of the NHL's standings, Bruins fans have been able to legitimately consider a best case scenario as actually being a probable reality. As the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Bruins would play the worst team inside the playoff structure. That worst team would be whoever held the second wild card and for almost a month now, only two teams have been in the running for that. Those teams are the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Redwings.

Now the best case scenario referenced earlier is obvious one you take into consideration the relationship the Bruins have with these two teams. Even in one of their worst seasons in recent history, the Detroit Redwings are one of the few teams in the hockey world that can beat the Big Bad Bruins at their own game. Starting from the back, they rely on strong play in net on a nightly basis while defending the blue line and fighting hard in physical board battles. Guys like the terrifying Nicklas Kronwall, lead that physical assault in Detroit, banging bodies down with yard sale body checks that more often than not leave Kronwall himself down on the ice and the victim of his check making sure all of his bones are still intact before moving again.

Though they have had the fewest fights in the entire league this season, the Redwings will not stand for any physical transgressions against their team and will not hesitate to finish checks relentlessly once someone on their team has been harmed. Also, their entire team has been taught the wonders of selflessness as despite their scoreing more goals than almost half of the Eastern Conference, the Redwings do not have a 30 goal scorer. Instead their balanced attack has spawned 6, 15 goal scoeres and a list of 15 players who have found the net more than 5 times in the season.

They get under your skin, they draw penalties and they ruthlessly back check as all of their forwards play like Selkie Trophy Finalists. Sound like the Bruins? Yeah and in a way, they are even more Bruin than the actual Bruins.  

In the 4 games they have played together, the Bruins have won just 1 game losing thrice to the Redwings all in regulation. What is even more terrifying is the fact that the Bruins have not beaten the Redwings in their own building since 2008.

But we have been here before. Now I will not go as far to say that a Presidents Trophy winning team will be an underdog in a series against the worst team in the playoffs but what I will say is that in series labeled as tough the Bruins have surprised us before most notably last year in the Eastern Conference Finals. Do not worry Bruins fans, we definitely a chance. 

Now logistically, while the actual schedule for the series will not be released until later this week, it is suspected that the series will kick off with a 7:00PM Game One in Boston on Thursday night. As for Game Two that one will be largely influenced by the time constraints of NBC's schedule and will most likely be locked down as a Saturday afternoon manatee in Boston. 

So now it is time to wait.

The Eastern Conference Quarterfinals will begin within the week and no matter the opponent, the Boston Bruins will go into the season with one of their best chances for a Stanley Cup in years.

Cheer loud and cheer proud Bruins fans because it is time for playoff hockey!

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Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers game preview: Bruins still seek their first win since the Olympic break

Boston Bruins (37-17-5, 79 points) at New York Rangers (33-25-3, 69 points)
7:00PM. March 2nd, 2014. 
Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York

Now is the time that Bruins fans, coaches and players all stand up and say 'enough is enough'.

In a month of March that holds more games than off days than the Bruins, losing two straight games at its start, both because of terrible defense by the team, warns of spiraling into a serious problem. In two games now, the Bruins have allowed 9 goals and scored just 6. They have on at least 3 occasions surrendered crippling breakaways that on all 3 occasions resulted in goals for the other team and in several others left the opponent's best players with time and space to blast laser shots past whatever goalie the Bruins decide to dress. Also, the Bruins have struggled to stay out of the penalty box in these games, setting up 12 power plays for the other team and on 3 occasions failing to kill them.

Though two games really is just a small sample size compared to the magnitude of the much larger 82 game season, these Bruins come into their 3rd game since the Sochi Olympics desperate to sustain the 4 point lead on the rest of the Atlantic division that they managed to give themselves in their final few games BEFORE the break. This is a game they really want to win.

But in order to do that they cannot play as a bad defensive games as they have against the Sabers and Capitals respectively. Bruin captain Zdeno Chara who was held accountable for the final goal in Wednesday's OT loss in Buffalo knows this.

"For sure that wasn't our best game," captain Zdeno Chara said. "We could have done a number of things differently and better. We have to learn from games like this."

Claude Jullian spoke more specifically. 

"We're getting caught cheating too much in the offensive side and it's ending up in the back of the net," Claude said. "It's something we need to fix because we're giving up too many goals." 

The Bruins are having no problem scoring goals, it is preventing them that has troubled Boston of late. In this game against the Rangers, it may be safe to predict that against a Rangers offence that bases it's offence mainly off of complicated passing schemes in their own zone and then sneaky plays that float a forward out behind an opponent's defenders the Bruins blue liners stay back a bit more than usual. 

On the other side of things though, it seems that the Rangers may need a win just as much as the Bruins do. Sitting just 2 points secure of a playoff spot in the highly contested Metropolitin division, the Rangers also have struggled in their first two games most recently dropping a 4-2 contest in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon.

All and all, this will be a fun game between two big teams with playoff intentions and it will be a game the Bruins want desperately to win.

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Finishing strong: A preview of the Bruins final game before the Sochi break

Boston Bruins (36-16-4) vs Ottawa Senators (26-21-11)
February 8th, 2014, 3:00PM
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Hockey is a grueling sport that takes a brutal toll on one’s body and yet, nobody likes stepping aside for a weird 2 week break from action. But nevertheless, with the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi already behind us, the nearing beginning of the men's hockey tournament can be shown most fairly via the geography of the NHL schedule at this point in the year. After Saturday afternoon's game with the Senators, the Bruins will not play again until the 26th of February. To state things plainly, that truth means that the Bruins want to finish strong by playing a great game this afternoon. 

56 games into their season, the Bruins have quietly assembled a 7 point lead on the Lightning for the Atlantic Division lead and have allowed fewer goals than any other team in hockey. Amidst a season that has sported injuries across the board for Boston, the Bruins remain the favorite to get out of the East come playoff time and frankly, these past few games as we lead into the Olympic Break have been a big reason for that. Since the middle of January, the Bruins have gone 7-1-2 and with the exception of their game against the Canadians have beaten all their opponents via an extraterrestrial scoreing attack and a revamped goaltending core. 

"Our guys have done a really good job," Julien said after the team's brief practice Friday at Ristuccia Arena. "Even yesterday, we should have been at eight wins. We really played well, and I thought we had as good an opportunity to win that game as any. There was a tremendous amount of effort and focus. From the back end, we're missing a lot of key elements there and it didn't seem to matter. I'm looking to see the same thing [Saturday], the same kind of effort from everybody.

"If we can finish with that type of a game, there's a pretty good chance we're going to win, and [it's] a pretty good opportunity for us to leave on a positive note. I always find those things are important to leave on a positive note and feel good about yourselves. No matter what, if we can give that kind of effort [Saturday], it will have been a successful segment." 

The Bruins could have had 1 more win in this stretch if it were not for what happened Thursday night in St Louis. After the Blues nabbed 2 timely goals in the first two periods, the Bruins came out ready for blood in the 3rd and scored twice to tie the game. It was the first time all season that they came back from a 2 goal deficit at any point in a game and managed to push the contest to overtime. 

But once there, things turned sour once again for Boston as before they could get to the shootout where the Bruins have been okay in this season, TJ Oshie stole the puck at the top of the crease and basically jammed it past Tuukka Rask to win the game. 

"It was a lucky bounce that it went there," Oshie said of the play. "I saw it laying there and kind of started jamming. It might have went under his arm or something. A lucky bounce and we'll take the point for sure."

Neither Oshie nor Rask really knew where the puck was. Such an ending made this stellar clash between two teams of such skill just a little bit worse for hockey fans. Rask echoed this frustration and as he skated off the ice he seemed obviously disappointed with that final play. 

"It hit Oshie's skate and it hit the back of the net and it was on his stick," Rask said. "Then he backed it off my pad, I guess." 

While that game was the first in which the Bruins came back from a 2-0 deficit, it was also the first time this season that they lost in the OT period.  But as they play the Senators today, they look to forget that. 

There remains just 1 more game before the NHL season  goes on hiatus and so the Bruins look to finish strong. As they make the trip to Sochi or wherever they will be spending their break, they know that for their fans, for themselves, a loss today would be tough to swallow and would stew so brutally for the entire duration of this week. A win however, well that would be like a sweet blast of a caramel candy that takes 2 weeks to fully melt away. 

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Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadians Game Preview: Even during the rough patch that the Canadians have endured, Habs/B's still has a way of bringing out the best in the Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins (34-15-3) vs. Montreal Canadians (28-20-5)

7:00PM January 30th, 2014

TD Garden, Boston Massachusetts

As someone who has watched sports long enough to realize that the term underdog should be taken like a grain of salt when it comes to games that do not involve the Oakland Raiders or the Houston Astros, I simply know not to call the Montreal Canadians an underdog going into this Thursday night match up with the Bruins. But nevertheless, what I will say is that when you put more weight on the last 10 games played by each of these teams, a strong constant emerges. The Montreal Canadians and the Boston Bruins are two teams that are moving in opposite directions...and you can guess who is trending upwards. 

For those who have not heard, the Bruins are 5-0-1 in their last 6 games and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. That translates out to a pretty productive first month of 2014 as when you go beyond the win/loss tallies, the Bruins have been one of the most offensively potent teams in the NHL this month scoring 43 goals while allowing just 29. Going back to the statistics of their last 6 games, the Bruins have scored 6 goals in 3 straight games to compliment 9 more goals scored in the other 3 games played. If you don't feel like doing that math, that is 27 goals in 6 games or a goals per game average of just about 4.5. 

I think everyone’s going. We haven’t really had any passengers from the goalie on out," Shawn Thornton said after Tuesday's win over Florida. "I think there’s obviously been a few stretches here, five-ten minutes that we get away from it a little bit, but we regroup pretty quickly and get back to playing our style of game. I think that’s helped us have success for sure." 

For the Bruins, these last 6 games have been all about beating the other team and then beating them more as unlike tight but high scoring games (Game Five of last year’s Stanley Cup for example) the Bruins have not gone into the 3rd period tied or trailing since Sunday January 19th against the Blackhawks. Their defense has not been perfect and frankly, even their goaltenders have struggled but nevertheless when you are scoring as much as the Bruins have been of late that does not matter. But in this game there might be a need for a bit more of that defense, simply because each of the 3 teams they have scored 6 goals against this month none of them have had a very good goaltender. Fact is even in his struggles and his subordinate nature, Peter Budaj is still a much better goalie than Steve Mason, Ray Emery or even Tim Thomas and his haphazard defense. Additionally, of all the defencemen the Bruins faced in these 3 games, none could even be mentioned in the same sentence at PK Subban or Andri Markov.  

But regardless of that, this is the Bruins/Canadians rivalry. That kind of rivalry that bring out the very best and worst in any player. Last time around there was the Max Paccoretty cheap shot on Johnny Boychuck and then a few years before that we saw the mid-season rugby scrum involving Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand and even Tim Thomas that brought back strong memories of the 70's editions of these games where the phrase "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out" might as well have been born from. 

Even for a Canadians team that has lost 6 out of their last 7 games, this rivalry is magic and has a way of throwing every kind of separation between these teams out the window and replacing it with the kind of excellence that Maurice Richard, Bobby Orr, and Terry O'Rilley brought to these games. No matter the year, no matter the players, in this the first Habs/B's game in Boston this season we will cheer, Thornton will hurl some jabs and if everything goes to plan, the Bruin will score 6 more goals. 

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