3 takeaways from Bruins 3-1 loss to Columbus Blue Jackets

by Dakota Antelman

The Bruins were dealt a painful loss Saturday night, losing by a score of 3-1. Carl Soderberg scored Boston's only goal while Tuukka Rask was good for much of the game.

Below are some takeaways from the loss...

Winning streak over

The Bruins were riding high going into this game. They had won five straight contests and taken points out of their last 13 games.

Though they played similarly to the way they have been throughout this streak, Saturday's loss ruined the absoluteness of their early 2015 run. The Bruins, having also watched as the Rangers beat the Blue Jackets the night before to reclaim the first wild card spot, now have their record drop to 24-16-6 on the season and will have to wait until Tuesday to get their next chance at leapfrogging New York.

Bruins absorb loss of Marchand

One of the biggest storylines going into Saturday's game was that surrounding the suspension of Brad Marchand for slew-footing Rangers forward Derick Brassard. Marchand was suspended two games by the Department of Player Safety Friday and spoke to media Saturday morning on the topic.

While there was little opposition to the suspension within the Bruins or even Boston as a whole, there was much to be said about how the team would absorb the loss of him vs Columbus.

Very simply, the Bruins seemed to play seamlessly without the grit of Marchand. Fourth line winger Danial Pallie was promoted to Marchand's normal line consisting of Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith. He and his line rattled off 10 shots and played normal ice time.

Though the Bruins definitely missed Marchand, Saturday's game seemed to settle some fluttering fears that his absence would devastate the team's momentum.

Milan Lucic dominates finesse game

Milan Lucic, who already had three goals in the new year, played one of his best fundamental games fans have seen out of him in a while.

He and linemates, David Krejci and David Pastrnak, were connecting on passes with showstopping consistency Saturday. Furthermore, Lucic himself put up five shots in the loss, more than he had in any game this season. Though he did not factor into the score sheet in a major way, Lucic was arguably the Bruins best offensive player vs the Blue Jackets; something that has not been true for a long time.

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Struggling Seth Griffith demoted, David Pastrnak scores after promotion

(Photo by the Associated Press)

by Dakota Antelman

When David Pastrnak was not included on the Bruins opening day roster, the general understanding within the Bruins organization was that said exclusion was temporary. When Pastrnak scored two goals in a 3-1 win over the Flyers, his first game since being called up to the team, the general consensus was that he was here to stay.

Such a fact is a happy one for Bruins fans who have witnessed this team struggle through multiple stretches of time without a consistent goal scoring winger. For one specific Bruin though it marks the probable end to his time with the team.

As Pastrnak celebrated his two goal outburst vs the Flyers, rookie winger Seth Griffith was demoted to the AHL Providence Bruins.

Despite playing 30 of the first 43 games of this season for the Bruins, Griffith’s recent slump, which saw him score just 1 goal in 15 games, proved him too much for the team to carry; especially after Pastrnak’s emergence.

Griffith will likely play on the first line in Providence; but barring any unforeseen injuries to any of the Bruins wingers; it could be a while before fans see him again in Boston.

In the meantime, Pastrnak will be enjoying his first extended stint in the NHL. He has surely earned it. After spending much of this season maturing in Providence and dominating on a world stage over in the World Junior Classic, his coaches recognize the vast improvements he has made to his game even since this year’s preseason.

“He's been skating well and he makes things happen. He's starting to feel a little better around David Krejci and understanding how David plays,” said coach Claude Julien.

Pastrnak played a lights out game on the Bruins second line consisting of David Krejci and Milan Lucic vs the Flyers. Both his goals came on pinpoint, cross crease passes from Krejci while throughout the game he and the seasoned Bruins center were connecting to move the puck up the ice.

“They're both smart players and they always get themselves in positions where they can make things happen," Julien said. "(Krejci) is going to find guys that are open, Pastrnak is a guy who knows where to go, so it was nice to see. He skates well, puts Ds on their heels with their speed. And at the same time, he's showing he's really coming around with his game without the puck.”

Things will only get better for Pastrnak and Krejci who are both team players who benefit from time spent with each other.

“The last game (against New Jersey) was the first one for us together, so we just had to take the time to get used to each other and find each other on the ice,” said Pastrnak on the subject of his second goal vs the Flyers. “I think every game it will get better, but he found me. It wasn't that hard to score that second one.”

Much of the Flyers game seemed effortless for Pastrnak. He hit with ease and pinpointed possession grabs like some of the defensive forwards the Bruins cherish. He logged 16 minutes of ice time and showed extreme athleticism in his skating and his endurance late in the game.

Though there is still room for improvement in the future, the present Pastrnak looked pretty good vs Philadelphia. A prolonged stretch of the kind of scoring he brought to the table in that game would work wonders in helping move the Bruins up in the NHL standings. 

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David Krejci out vs. Nashville Despite Progress Made During the Week

(Photo courtesy of John Wilcox, Boston Herald) 

by Dakota Antelman

Despite practicing for the first time in over a week Monday, Bruins center David Krejci will remain out of the lineup Tuesday vs. the Nashville Predators.

The absence will mark his 11^th straight and the 16^thin the last 18 games since he suffered a undisclosed lower body injury early last month. Since then, the Bruins have struggled noticeably with several forwards being moved around in an attempt to fill Krejci’s shoes.

The team, recognizing the detriment that his prolonged truancy has brought them, has been keeping a keen eye on Krejci anxiously awaiting the earliest possible point at which he could be plugged back into the lineup.

Earlier this week, Bruins coach Claude Jullian spoke about whether or not Krejci would make his return during the three game road trip that the Bruins kick off vs. Nashville.

“I hope so. I can’t guarantee that though. I hope so,” he said.

Julian’s wish was spurred by the sudden appearance of David Krejci at the Bruins practice on Monday. He jumped in midway through the practices and took part in rushes with his line-mates but did not finish the practice as he was replaced by rookie Craig Cunningham.

Though no official announcement was made, Krejci appeared to feel lingering soreness during the practice.

Said soreness during the practice likely contributed to the Bruins decision to hold him out of the lineup vs. Nashville. Needless to say, progress was made this week when Krejci practiced. His return could occur at some point during this three game road trip that concludes on Friday. The Bruins organization however has stood pat in its refusal to voice any actual dates.  

“Day by day, as far as I'm concerned. Not in today, so I can confirm that," Coach Julien said Tuesday

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No rest for Bruins during Thanksgiving layoff: David Pastrnak skates with first line, Chara, Kelly making progress after injuries

November 28, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

During a time while many were out digging out from this week’s snowstorm or relaxing ahead of their holiday feasts, the Boston Bruins were hard at work at their Wilmington practice facility, the Ristuccia Arena.

This three day period without any games has given the Bruins a chance to step away from the drama and competition of the NHL season and address some of the internal issues that have plagued them for much of the year.

Among the biggest and most publicized of those issues has been the injury bug that has bitten the Bruins badly this season. Going into the break they had five players on the injury report with at least three out long term.  Names like Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, Chris Kelly and David Krejci were all among those listed.

During the break however, considerable progress was made with milestones reached by several of those players.

Chara and fellow defender David Warsofsky were both skating for the first time since their injuries Tuesday morning. The next day, Kelly returned to practice and was seen running drills with the Bruins fourth line.

Kelly suffered an undisclosed injury last Friday vs Columbus and had been out of the spotlight since. When speaking to reporters on Wednesday however, he detailed the plan that the team training staff had set out for him. He spoke on the subject of how caution was an important quality in his rehab plan.

"I think we thought [it was] better to be on the cautious side of things," Kelly said. "It was exactly kind of how we thought it would be. And it felt good today [Wednesday], and we'll see how it feels again [on Thursday]."

Bruins fans and coaches alike were excited to see the returns of so many big names this week. But at the same time, Krejci, whose injury has still not been announced, was not present at any practices. Krejci, who might very well miss Friday’s game, has currently sat out three straight games. This recent absence comes during a stretch where Krejci has missed 9 of 11 games.

Bruins coach Claude Julian was non-descript in his discussing the terms of Krejci’s injury or his recovery plan.

“[we have to] Get the situation fixed so he's not in and out, in and out [of the lineup]," Julian said.

Beyond injuries, a myriad of transactions with AHL Providence saw rookie sensation Seth Griffith return to the team while Alex Kohoklachv and Jordan Caron were both sent back down. Among those who stayed with the Bruins, was first round draft pick David Pastrnak.

Pastrnak was promoted to the first line for Wednesday morning’s practice. He was seen skating alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.

Pastrnak made his NHL debut Monday vs. Pittsburgh skating 10 shifts for a total of 7 minutes and 53 seconds of ice time. He provided a presence in front of the net but did not manage to get a shot on goal.

The Bruins, who currently rank 20^th in the NHL in goals per game (2.5), are searching for a spark offensively and understand the need to put a flashy Pastrnak in a scenario where he can score. The first line, with Bergeron dishing out passes from the center position might very well be that perfect scenario.

"You try not to put him in a situation that may be too much, but at the same time, he's a good player, we know he's a good player - he showed that the other night, too," said Julien. "Offensively, he's a real good player, explosive, makes plays and he's pretty dynamic, and he'll only get better, so we need to continue to give him that opportunity to grow in the right environment."

Though experimenting with various positions in the lineup are definitely a positive for Pastrnak, with each new position comes a sort of acclamation period. The team is hoping Pastrnak can get into a grove on the first line as quickly as possible. 

The team's lack of scoring has definitely been noticed just as it has troubled team management.

“…The goal scoring, the offensive chances, the nature of the chances — getting better, but still has to get better,” GM Peter Chiarelli said. “I’m talking about heaviness on the puck, about competing, about not being stripped,” he said. “It’s a collective team thing.”

The Bruins understand that it takes goals to win hockey games. The Pastrnak move, as well as the Griffith call up, are both examples of the Bruins taking strides to give their team the best chance to get those goals.

Boston does currently hold a playoff spot; but with stalling goal scoring and nagging injuries, any number of teams currently breathing down their necks could very well come up and knock them out of that spot.

That is why nobody was resting within the Bruins organization this week. With the exception of a three hour Thanksgiving Day Dinner at Milan Lucic’s house, it was all work – top to bottom.

“I think what’s important with this group is that even with all of the injuries and everything, it can be easy to say we’re in a good spot right now,” said defensemen Torey Krug. “We’re happy with where we’re at, but we’re not a satisfied group, so I think that’s really important — especially when guys start to return. We’re a hungry group looking to move up in the standings, and that’s where that sits.”

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Bruins blue liners target November returns: Zdeno Chara, Tory Krug have both been out since late October

November 8th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Bruins defensemen Tory Krug and Zdeno Chara have been absent from the Boston blue line for over a week now with various injuries.

Chara has missed seven games since he tore his PCL on October 23^rd but was reportedly in good spirits when he was made available to the media Tuesday. Chara claimed to be alright and despite wearing a brace on his knee said he had been able to keep up with upper body workouts during the week.

As for when he might return, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli ‘conservatively’ estimated between four to six weeks from the date of the injury as being a possible time for Chara’s. In calendar dates that translates to a return anywhere between Thanksgiving weekend and the first week of December.

On Tuesday, Chara refused to detail any recovery plan or recalculated return day.

“I wish I could tell you guys exactly when I'm going to return," said Chara. "But as this point, it's really such a slow process, that who knows when the day is going to be."

The obvious good news that came out of Chara’s recent interactions with the media has been the reassurance that he still will likely not need surgery.

“It's always nice to be able to avoid surgery, so we'll see how it goes and obviously it was good news," he said.

The Bruins have been indecisive about Chara’s condition and what they tell the media about it. Understandably, his situation is fluid. Knee injuries like his, especially at his age have been known to take very long stretches of time to heal.

Krug’s injury however is much simpler from a medical standpoint. Krug was injured in an October 28^th game against the Wild when a hard slash broke his left pinky finger. He was seen with the finger immobilized for roughly a week after the injury before he was able to practice with the team Friday.

"It's doing well. It's coming along nicely, made some good progress the last couple days," Krug said. "And it's great to be back on the ice with my teammates, and competing and everything like that, so it's feeling better, that's for sure."  

He was seen in immense pain after the slash but was laughing it all off Friday evening.

"It's not a good feeling - obviously you could see my reaction on the ice, but it's alright. It's feeling good, feeling better and hopefully I'll be back soon,” he said.

One possible reason for his mirth might be the fact that he could very well be active for Monday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. What it will come down will be if the Bruins trainers felt confident enough in Krug’s recovery after Friday’s practice to let him play.

“…if he's given the OK by the medical staff, I'll be more than happy to put him in,” Bruins coach Claude Jullian said. “But I haven't been given the OK yet. I keep saying that - I don't anticipate anything until somebody tells me something."

If Krug does not manage to sneak into the lineup Saturday, it will actually be partially good because, as he detailed Friday, he is still struggling to get a good grip on his stick without a fully healed pinky.

“You never realize what big part your fingers play I guess, but it's just one of those things you have to get comfortable with moving on and taking those baby steps," Krug said.  

He said that most of Friday’s practice was just him trying to get his skating game back up to speed no matter when he returns.

"A couple of drills today, there was a lot more skating for the forwards and obviously being out for a week, they wanted me to get my skating legs underneath me," Krug said. "But yeah, maybe work on the hands a little bit more [too]."

The Bruins injury ridden defenders are working relentlessly to get back into game shape in the shortest time possible. The team needs that now more than ever as, not even one quarter of the way through the season, their players are suddenly getting bitten by the injury bug.

Beyond Chara and Krug, Warsofsky, Kevin Miller and center David Krejci are all battling injuries.

“Those injuries don’t always come at the greatest of times,” Julien said. “[But] we’ve just got to live with it, and adjust.”

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Seth Griffith goal big step down the long road to good team chemestry

October 22nd, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Midway through the 3^rd period of Tuesday night’s Bruins and Sharks game, rookie winger Seth Griffith charged in between the hash marks towards a large crowd of opponents and teammates. As the puck eventually trickled out of said crowd, Griffith swooped in to launch an off balance wrist shot on net. Sharks goalie Antti Niemi was already down on the ice at the time of the shot and could not get up in time to put a glove on the puck. As a result, Griffith scored.

The goal, scored just a few seconds after the five minute mark of the third period, was the first in a very young career for Griffith. His elated yell and open armed call of attention signified the importance of the moment.

“It was great,” Griffith said after the game. “I’ve had a couple of chances the past few games, so it’s great to get the first one out of the way.”

But beyond giving him a personal milestone, Griffith’s goal represented a much better effort by his entire line.

Since the departure of Jarome Iginla last season, the Bruins first line including David Krejci and Milan Lucic has lacked internal trust. There was loud talk this offseason about who would replace Iginla on Boston’s most crucial line and for a long time the answer was not known. Furthermore, even when it was, Bruins fans did not like it very much.

Nevertheless, due to a decent preseason, Seth Griffith ended up partnered with Lucic and Krejci on opening night. Bruins fans hoped that he could somehow bring that line together.

Though Tuesday showed that that did eventually happen, it has taken longer than expected.

But who is to complain?

“We’re starting to get a little chemistry going, so it’s good to see,” Griffith said of his line mates. “But it’s not too hard playing with two great players like that.”

The Bruins first line starters are good players but they are also at times painstakingly inconsistent. After failing to contribute earlier this month, Lucic broke out on Tuesday assisting on three of Boston’s five goals. Furthermore, Krejci who took some time to get his timing back after a shoulder injury in preseason, stretched his point streak into its 4^thgame with an assist and a goal.

Speaking to reporters about Griffith’s confidence in particular, Lucic talked about the joy and confidence getting a first goal gives a player.

“When you get that first one, the confidence starts coming and you can start feeling a little bit more loose. When you’re in those positions, they seem to go in once you get that first one. He’s done a good job so far playing on our line and hopefully he can pop in a few more if he gets a few more chances,” he said.

As the Bruins top line has since became more of a unified group, Lucic’s statement about confidence could be said not only for Griffith but for the entire line. Griffith getting his goal makes his achievements in the NHL more real and in a way it makes him seem like more of a solid player.

As Griffith’s reputation improves his teammates’ trust in him improves and thus the team’s communication follows suit. As the unit communicates more, passes are made. As passes are made, shots are taken; and as the entire first line begins firing off shots, an all-star attack in born.

Such is the evolution of this thing we refer to in sports as “team chemistry.” Team chemistry is something the Bruins have worked to foster for much of the past decade.  However, team chemistry is no easy thing to build. Though its process can be summarized in a few sentences, it takes hours of ice time to learn another player’s habits with and without the puck. In all truth, it is the willingness to spend that time that separates the good lines from the bad lines and by extension, the good teams from the bad teams.

The Bruins are a good team and that comes as a direct result of the emphasis they put on their players playing as a team.

We have seen that emphasis come through time and time again in the historic saga of trust building that Claude Julian has brought to this team. This recent evolution of trust between Griffith, Lucic and Krejci is only the newest example of that in action. 

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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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Dominance redefined: In a superior month of March, Jarome Iginla helped distance the Bruins from the rest of the NHL

In a resurgent season that had already featured 18 goals for Jarome Iginla, the month of March was just plain dominant.

At the beginning of the year, March was earmarked by many in the Bruins following as the biggest obstacle the team would have to overcome this season. Those people cited its ravenous schedule of 17 games in 31 days combined with there being a road trip of 3 games in 3 time zones that once completed gave way to a week of games against a list of teams that included the Blackhawks, Canadians and Capitals. These people saw the month of March, a month that I point out has been one marred with the struggles of the Bruins in recent years, as a month the Bruins would just have to grind through and hope that it would not diminish their playoff positioning too much.

Instead, the Bruins exploded out of the mid February, Olympic Break finding their groove as these March games got under way and slowly but surely climbing to the pinnacle of NHL regular season excellence. As the Penguins went 7-7-4 in March for example, the Bruins went 15-1-1 earning 31 points in the standings, clinching the Atlantic Division, soaring away from the Penguins for the Eastern Conference lead and jumping 3 points clear of the Blues for the number one spot in the entire NHL. Furthermore, with 110 points accumulated so far, the Bruins have already eclipsed each of their points totals in the past 4 seasons and were just 6 points shy of topping their output from 2008 (the largest points total since 1971).

Their defense has helped win them games just as their goaltender has. Those arguments are fairly defended solely by the team GAA average of 1.94, that the Bruins posted in the month of March coupled with the 3 shutouts (2 by Rask and 1 by Johnson) during the same span. But as we look back on this stretch of superiority, it is the offence that has played the biggest role in these 15 wins.

The Bruins have averaged scoring 3.58 goals per game. Among the list of 61 goals scored by the offence, Jarome Iginla and Patrice Bergeron have accounted for 13 and 11 goals respectively with Iginla basically doubling his scoring output for the season in one month and Bergeron solidifying his case for the Selki Trophy awarded to the league's top defensive forward. Iginla and Bergeron both nabbed "3 stars of the week" honors from the NHL during the month while Iginla also finished the month with the number one star.

Iginla's work in March helped lock up his 12th career 30 goal season while also boosting his season +/- to an immaculate +34. He was also clutch as in 4 different games he scored 2 goals against opponents that included the Capitals as well strong goal-tending teams like Phoenix and Minnesota.

But most of all he has been more consistent than any other player in the sport scoreing in 9 of the 17 games in March.

"It's an honor," Iginla said of the award. "It's been an enjoyable month. For our whole team, we've had a great month. There have been a lot of guys who had great months, great streaks. You look at [Patrice Bergeron] -- he's been as hot as I've seen. So it's been good.

"It's been fun, but it's one of those things you don't really expect. I've gotten some good bounces, some great passes from my line mates, and as a line we've had some fun. But bigger than that it's been a great month for our team and we've all benefited from that."

All and all, Iginla has played with a kind of passion this season that even he has not shown in a long time. 

Mighty Jarome Iginla, with all his brilliance has never won a Stanley Cup and he sees this season in Boston as one of his last chances to change that. 

"I definitely feel blessed that this has gone as well as it has," Iginla said. "I was given a great opportunity to play with Krejci and Lucic right from the start. We had some hiccups during the year, even as a team we had some spells and stuff, but we've been able to work through them. I haven't been on a team in my career where you're battling at the top of the standings for pretty much the whole year, and it's fun. It's a different type of pressure."

"I probably enjoy more battling at the top of the league and preparing for the playoffs. I do feel fortunate to have experienced that this year. I knew it was a very good team I was joining."

As has been well documented this season, Iginla has greatly elevated the play of his line mates. The Bruins first line has scored 67 times this season up increasing their consistency and creating momentum better than any other line in recent Bruins history.

In one month, Jarome Iginla has shown the league that he still has it dominating the hockey world and helping the Bruins become the best team in hockey. 

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The Old Man Nets 30: After scoreing his 30th goal Jarome Iginla has solidified his position as the MVP of the Bruins and the entire NHL

After scoreing his 30th goal of the year, Jarome Iginla has solidified his position not only as the most valuable player on the Bruins but also the entire NHL. But for Bruins fans, they did not always want or expect that things would turn out this way. If you do not remember, there was a bit of anger on the part of Bruins fans for Iginla at the beginning of this season because of what happened the year before. 

Prior to the April 15st trading deadline, 35 year old right winger, Jarome Iginla let it be known that he wanted out of the Calgary Flames organization that had employed him for the entirety of his then 15 year old career. He wanted to go somewhere where, as his career drew to a close, he would have a chance to nab that elusive Stanley Cup ring. He told Calgary of 4 teams where he believed that would be a possibility including the Kings, Blackhawks, Penguins and Bruins. However as the deadline came even closer Chicago and LA fell out of contention for Iginla’s services and so all of the focus turned to the Eastern Conference's twin powerhouses - the Bruins and Penguins. On March 27th, it seemed that we had been given out answer and Iginla's destination had been set.  He was held out of the Flames game with Colorado that night and rumors of a deal with the Bruins quickly turned from roomers to reality...so we thought. 

However, at the last possible moment, these flightless birds swooped in and robbed Iginla from Boston at the least possible moment. After the fact, Iginla admitted that he chose the Penguins because he believed they had a better chance at winning the cup that year. Honestly though, can we blame him. On March 27th 2013, the Bruins had posted a win loss record of 5-4-1 in their last 10 games while the Penguins had just won their 13th straight game beating the Bruins twice in that period of time. But from there, things did not work out so well for Iginla. He scored just 5 goals and assisted on just 6 others in the final 13 games of the regular season and in the playoffs showed that he never really meshed with the finesse based offence of the Penguins. But for Jarome undoubtedly the hardest part of the Pittsburgh debacle was the final 4 games of it. The team he picked was swept in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Bruins team he rejected. Furthermore it was only fitting that it was Iginla who fired the final shot of that series right into the glove of Tuukka Rask as the buzzer sounded. 

But as tough as it was to swallow, Iginla still wanted that Stanley Cup. Just after free agency opened, Iginla's agent - Don Meehan - sent the Bruins front office a "take me back plea" basically begging them to sign Iginla the second time around. He was done with Pittsburgh and so in mid-July, he signed a 1 year 6 million dollar contract with the Bruins. 

But if you do not remember, Bruins fans were not so quick to forget what Iginla did just months before. They were mad that he passed them up and Iginla knew that. It would not be so easy for him to earn himself with these die hard hockey fans and so he knew that he would have to go above and beyond in Beantown. 

On this day just about 1 year to the day after the first attempt at acquiring Iginla, the aged scoring star has proved he still has it. He has scored 30 goals this season, assisting on 30 others while completely elevating the game of those playing around him. Playing alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic, the Bruins first line has scored 37 goals beyond the 30 scored by Iginla himself. As has been noted by many across the Bruins media community in the past few months in particular, Iginla's poise under pressure and his constant execution combined with his knowledge with the strategy that the game of hockey demands has brought a kind of constancy to the games of Milan Lucic and David Krejci that we have never seen before. 

"It's been great having him here," Lucic said of Iginla. "You can see he's obviously come into his own here and starting to feel good about himself. We all know what he can do from what he's done in the past and he's definitely a confident guy that's always pushing for more. You see the little things in him that has made him so successful throughout his career and it's starting to show more and more as this season goes on."

Obviously, Lucic would want this stunning vet with him even after his contract ends this season. An extension is preferable. 

"Obviously it's out of my control, but he's been a great fit for us on the ice, on our line and in the dressing room, so obviously that would be great,"

As for Claude Jullian who has now coached 3 future hall of famers in the past 4 seasons including March Recci and Jaromir Jager undoubtedly recognizes that Jarome Iginla may be better than all of them. 

"He's exactly what he was advertised as," Julien said. "He's a good team player, a hard worker, and a competitive guy. I can see why he had a letter in Calgary because he has that leadership quality in him."

But with all the praise, Iginla recognizes that he is not the number one leader here in Boston and so he deflects much of this appreciation towards his teammates. 

"They're right up there and I'm very fortunate to get to play with them," Iginla said when asked about how he would rank his current line mates compared to those in Calgary and Pittsburgh. "It's awesome to play with these guys. They're very competitive. They're very hungry. It's not just their skill level, which is very high, but it's their compete level, their drive and physicality." 

As the season concludes, Jarome Iginla jumps into the playoffs looking for the one thing he has not been able to do in this illustrious NHL career. That is, winning a Stanley Cup. 

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.21 Goals per Game: Dispute a lack of goals David Krejci is one of the top offensive players in the NHL

When David Krejci scored the 100th goal of his 7 year NHL career back in December, he told CBS Boston that “It’s just a number. Obviously, it’s nice to get 100 goals and hopefully there will be 100 more in my career, but it’s just a number.” 

Just over 2 months later, Tuesday night, when David Krejci scored his 5th career hat trick, he employed the same mindset. Neither 5 nor the 3 goals he scored against the Panthers were anything more than mere numbers. For 7 years now, Krejci has been a man who follows his principles down to the letter. It is no coincidence that he has never played for another team than Boston, no coincidence that whenever trade rumors have come up he has played even better just prove to his GM that he deserves to stay here. He plays a team game, built on passing, a relentless commitment to the game and a quiet command of the entire ice surface. 

Krejci is clutch as well. 2 of his now 5 career hat tricks have come in the playoffs as in both of those playoff tricks, the 3rd and final goal won the game in a sudden death period. Going deeper into the playoff statistics, in a total of 81 playoff games, Krejci has scored 29 goals and assisted on 44 others. That equates to a playoffs points per game average of roughly .900. And yet, once you get to the regular season these same statistics dictate a drop off in Krejci's game. That cannot be more wrong.

On any other stat card, taking 7 years and 464 games to score 100 goals would be anything to be proud of. Many would say a guy who has scored at a .21 goals per game clip does not deserve first line playing time just like they would say he does not deserve anywhere near the salary a top six forward would earn. But those people have not seen David Krejci.  Those people have not delved into the deeper, less "important but still more informative statistics assembled simply to recognize the talent of guys like Krejci. You see things like the raw playoff numbers or those like +/- that prove how much better this team is when Krejci is on the ice with them and begin to realize the true extent of Krejci's talent. 

"You know, some people people give me a hard time that I don't have many goals, but you know, I don't care as long as I'm helping my team and my linemates,"

Looking across the league and taking into account the .21 goals per game the he turns in as an alternate captain and a center, Krejci is unique. Of all the 32 NHL teams, there is just 1 top 2 center that scores less than .3 goals per game - Krejci. Among all NHL players, it is difficult to find other players with statistic's comparable to those of Krejci simply because most players who produce those meager statistics do not last long enough to rack up say 100 goals. 

He is contained within a very small group of NHL players. 

Helping the team, helping line mates, that is all that Krejci does. He has dished out nearly twice as many assists than goals over the course of his career and scored when it counts. But he never celebrates. When he scores hat tricks like the one Tuesday, even a fit pump remains something reserved for playoff success and deemed to unsportsmanlike for a petty regular season 3 pack. Even when he won the Stanley Cup in 2011 there were no booming roars of excitement and no gloves hurled into the air. Krejci does not believe in celebration, does not hoard statistics for his own estate and though his salary suffers because of it, though his league wide recognition is nothing comparable to what is should be, Krejci knows that the team comes first.

For reasons like these, his teammates love him and so they willingly passed up the opportunity for a goal of their own in order to set up Krejci's hat trick. 

"We obviously recognized the situation and he had two at the time with an empty net," said line mate Milan Lucic, who set up Krejci along with Jarome Iginla. "We were just able to turn the puck over high up there and I looked for him and he was open and was able to hit the empty net there from the neutral zone."

"He’s a fun guy to be a winger for," said Iginla. "But he sure had it going tonight. His shot there, quick snappers, a few that just – I thought as a whole, it was a team thing…our last two games now are building in the right direction."

Krejci cares not for his statistics but for those of his team. 

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Chad Johnson has arrived: Bruins top Edmonton 4-0 off of 3rd line excellence and Chad Johnson shutout

2 days after Montreal handed the Bruins one of the most disappointing losses suffered by the Bruins in a while they god back on their horse as they welcomed Andrew Ference back to Boston for the first time since he signed with the Oilers last summer. 

Long story short, they did not suffer a repeat of the Montreal game and combined a much better defense with a speedy drive to the net that produced an all-around complete 4-0 win for the Big Bad Bruins. One of the biggest contributing factors to this victory was Chad Johnson who all season long has been a man who may have been getting a bit too much criticism. 

After he was signed in the offseason, Johnson has never fallen from the role of Tuukka Rask's backup and frankly, he has only messed up once back when he allowed a rather easy wraparound goal a few months back in Buffalo. To state plainly, after Niklas Svedberg proved to be no better than Johnson when he got his game, the Bruins have since learned that this 27 year old Canadian is the best that they have. But that makes him sound bad. In this his 16th game played as a Bruin, Johnson logged his 10th win of the season as well as his first shutout in Boston and his second of his career. Of the 22 shots Johnson stopped one of them in particular stood out. With just under 15 minutes to go in the first period, the Bruins committed a turnover in the offensive zone and then got burned on defense leaving Johnson all alone as the massive Alex Hemski came barreling towards him. 

Johnson however stayed square and even as Torey Krug lost his stick and sent it careening across the chest and face of his goalie, that goalie did not budge holding the butterfly all the way through and shoving the puck wide of the net to preserve the then 0-0 tie game. 

From there however, the Bruins offence took over. To give a bit of background, the goalie they were going up against, Ben Scrivens was fresh off of playing the best regulation shutout an NHL goalie had ever played logging 60 saves in a 3-0 Edmonton win Wednesday night. Through the first period of Saturday's game however, Scrivens who was also coming off of a great 2nd and 3rd period in the game before his record breaking performance, he alone had turned away 90 straight shots. As the moved into the 2nd period against Boston and looked to stretch that streak to triple digits, David Krejci proved that he had other plans. With just under 30 seconds remaining in an early 2nd period power play, Jarome Iginla, Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara decided to all pile within 2 or 3 feet of the Edmonton crease as they looked to isolate a stickless Jordan Eberle. But as no lanes opened close to the net, Iginla turned and quickly dumped the puck off to the cool headed David Krejci back at the top of the faceoff circle. As he lunged forward to receive the pass, Krejci somehow torqued the puck past Scrivans and gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead and their first goal since the first period in Montreal. 

As usual though, Krejci showed no emotion remaining focused on the close game that would stay that way until about a quarter of the way into the 3rd period. 

6 minutes into the 3rd period with the game still sliding ever so slightly in favor of the Bruins, Dougie Hamilton took the puck at his own blue line and split past the defense as he went around the boards. At around the face off dot, Hamilton lobbed an easy shot at the left pad of Scrivans all the while knowing that he would be able to pick up the rebound as he did. Without hesitation, Hamilton slammed his skates into the ice and turned through the back of the net all as Scrivans lost track of him and took just a fraction of a second to get to the opposite post than Hamilton. Hamilton saw this and with the utmost ease looped the puck inside the crossbar and past Scrivans to give the Bruins the lead and officially beat his scoring stats from a year ago.

Though the game was not done, it was that goal that pretty much sealed this game. But the Bruins did not care. In true Boston fashion, the B's continued to press late into the 3rd and added goals by Carl Soderberg and Torey Krug to their already productive night. 

Excluding the Montreal game, the Bruins have been a driven, relentless team of late as for the 4th time in 5 games, they relied on the great work of their veterans to propel the team to victory. And yet, after 3 different Bruins logged 2 point nights, Chad Johnson was the star of this show playing better than he ever has since coming to the Bruins. 

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Bruins veterans shine in 6-1 demolition of Flyers: Iginla, Chara both score twice proving that the young call ups are not the only thing that helps this team

Zdeno Chara looks real big in that picture not only because the man on his right stands at just 5 feet 9 inches but also because his 2 goals had his team and he flying high en route to a win labeled by many as their best of the season.

Fact is for many veteran guys on this team, the shocking, unexpected work of guys like Ryan Spooner, Kevin Millar, Reilly Smith, Torey Krug, and Matt Bartowski has stolen their thunder this season as well as steeling their points. Reilly Smith leads the team in goals scored, while Kevin Millar has outhit, massive Johnny Boychuck himself. Even guys like Matt Fraser have made their mark in Boston as that 23 year old right winger helped provide a much needed aspect of physicality for the team especially during last month's Shawn Thornton suspension.

Fact is with all these injures to top players like Dennis Sidenberg and Adam McQuaid, the unexpected talents of these rookie call ups and 1st year starters has been one of the biggest reasons the Bruins are the best team in the Atlantic Division this season, but nevertheless, they are not all of it. Through the first 50 games of this season, Chara has quietly assembled quite a goal tally. He is on pace to tie his career high in goals of 19 and actually leads the Bruins in power play goals with 8. At 37 years old, Chara is playing 25 minutes per game and yet he is taking the fewest penalties of his career. If one were to call Zdeno Chara a star than they would have seen him shining Saturday afternoon in Philly. The 6 foot 9 inch defencemen assembled his best statistical game of the season scoreing 2 goals, taking 4 shots while blocking 4 more. For Big Zee, his 10th and 11th goals of the year snapped a 15 game goalless streak and undoubtedly provided backing to his being named the CCzechoslovakian flag bearer for the 2014 Winter Olympics but he was not the only veteran snapping streaks during Saturday's game.

Like Chara, 36 year old Jarome Iginla who has been praised this year for his rookie like drive to win his first Stanley Cup of his carrer had, despite logging 15 goals in this season not scored since January first and was caught in his longest scoreing drought as a Bruin. However, in true Iginla fashion, he snapped that trend via his 21st carrer 4 point game scoreing 2 goals and assisting on 2 more. Of those 4 points 3 of them were logged on the power play scoreing 1 of Boston's 3 power play goals midway through the 3rd period. Even David Krejci was a huge force in this game assisting on 3 out of 6 goals each one better than the last.

"I thought, right from the drop, every single guy was ready to go," said Iginla "And it was a fun game to play, for sure."

As Iginla hinted at, the Bruins were almost constantly scoreing distributing their 6 goals evenly over all 3 periods and never going more than 15 minutes between goals. Late in the 3rd, when Jordan Caron took a brutal high stick to the jaw, chipping a tooth and knocking out another the Bruins scored twice on the ensuing double minor penalty. Those goals were separated by just 55 seconds and effectively turned this game from a convincing win to a full out obliteration of the struggling Flyers. 

But back to the story of veteran contributions. While the works of Zdeno Chara, Jarome Iginla and David Krejci were all offensive, Tuukka Rask proved to the world that while last season was great and while he has struggled at times this season he is still having a career year in 2013-2014. He stopped 25 out of 26 shots, held a shutout through the first 47:55 of the game and overall, lead the team to their 23rd win of the season with him between the pipes. In this his 39th start of the season, he has already topped his career high in wins set back in 2009 and furthermore is on pace to up that total to nearly 38 wins by years end. 

"Yeah, it was great," Rask said as he was swarmed by reporters following the game, "Really kept it going the whole 60 minutes. I think the first period was the most even, both teams had chances, and we ended up scoring. And the good thing is, that we never let our guard down, we just kept pushing and getting more goals."

"Great game."

In a game that Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux labeled as "the most embarrassing" of his carrer, the Bruins distributed their wealth across 8 different players, snapping streaks and reviving memories of the kind of dominant routs powered by veterans that the Bruins so artfully enjoyed back in their Championship winning 2011 season. For 3 hours Saturday afternoon, the Bruins never quit, never stopped pressing and never stopped working. All of those qualities are ones that can only be fully mastered by those who know this league like the back of their hand and that was shown Saturday vs. the Flyers. 

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If There is Danger: As the Sochi Olympics hold the possibility of turning into an international panic, the IOC must know that if catastrophy strikes than they will have to answer

If there is danger at any point during next month's Winter Olympics, there are measures in place for the United States to get their people out of Russia and yet, at the same time, we know that when the dust settles in such an event, the IOC will be in serious trouble.  

For those who have not been following the drama that has transpired in this lead up to Sochi, Russia is a nation that has recently fallen off the rails of political stability. Less than two years after the succeeded Dmitry Medvedev as the 4th president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin is a man disliked by many in the political world. He is violent, abusive of his power and borders on being a dictator. Within days of his election, Putin disbanded a protest of his election by ordering police to arrest as well as beat a musical group that spoke critically of his actions. Within a few months of that, it was June 2013 and time for Putin to make even more global enemies when he signed into law a decree banning what he deemed to be "homosexual propaganda." That law deemed it illegal for one to carry a rainbow flag, or any other gay rights symbols or even hold hands or hug someone of the same gender. As riots, hate crimes and the brutal arrests continued, a sense of worry began to cloud over the Olympic games set to commence within 1 years’ time. And now, that worry has turned into a complete and total dreading of what might happen this February.

Many Olympians have asked their family to stay home rather than putting themselves at risk by attending such a tense games. 

"I told my family not to go, but my mom wants to go so I can't stop her. I would prefer if she didn't go," Chezh Republic and Boston Bruin forward, David Krejci said to ESPN Boston earlier this week "I understand everybody who doesn't want their families to go. It's a scary situation."

Even Canadian/Bruin coach, Claude Jullian has requested that his loved one's stay home. 

"That's still a debate right now," Julien said. "Not my family. If anything, it will be my wife, but that's still under debate right now. There is concern, like anybody else, but there's concern like that everywhere else. I think it's been exposed more because of what it represents, but it's a decision we'll make later."

We hear stories of shootings, attempted bombing and by extension, the army of security forces that will be dispatched to protect these games and frankly, it is hard not to feel scared. When people from this United States of Amarica hear that there are measures in place for all American Atheleats and press workers to be evacuated from Russia at a moment's notice, when we hear that there was a memo sent out to US Olympians stating that they should not where USA gear outside of the arena for fear of being attacked we wonder, why is this nation sending its people into this situation? Frankly, we do not know. When the homophobic laws ruffled some feathers back in June, there were already talks of boycotting the games for that reason alone and yet while we rapidly realize the extent of the poverty and anger that thrives just feet from many of these Olympic venues we will still participate. 

So why?

No matter the fear, no matter how evil and inept at keeping control of their country the Russian government may be, there is still a magic about this age old tradition. To be named to an Olympic team in any sport in any country is still an honor, still an example of thanks and respect simply telling you that you are one of the best, ski jumpers, one of the fastest skiers, skaters or luge riders in your nation of millions. And no matter the worry, no matter what kind of looming fear of attack there may be, we will still watch these games and we will still marvel at the speed at which these human beings can move their bodies, no matter what kind of skies or other implements they use to do so. NBC will still make millions, even billions off of these games and frankly, nothing bad will happen until something happens. Fact is, the United States should not have to deprive their athletes of the opportunity to compete, the IOC should instead have to work to provide those athletes with a safe stage to showcase their skills and at this point, it does not seem like they have done that.

If these games are great than there will be praise but if they go badly, if there is danger, if there is an impending reason for great fear at any point during these 17 days of competition than the IOC will be ripped apart and brutally condemned for what may be the biggest mistake they have ever made. 

That is, awarding the 2014 Winter Olympics to Sochi.

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2013 in 8 Days: Top plays of 2013

Christmas has come and gone and New Years Day is just around the corner. During the 8 days spanning from Christmas morning to New Years morning Go, Titletown will add daily updates to an 8 part series remembering the highs lows and all around heartwarming moments of 2013 in Boston Sports as well as a look ahead to what we might see in 2014. This is not a statistical analysis of these 298 professional sporting events that took place in Boston in 2013, this is a written rehashing and a reminder that we are the greatest sports town on the planet. 

Complete Schedule 

December 25th- A Year of Leaders

December 26th - Best Patriots Moments 

December 27th - Best Red Sox Moments

December 28th - Best Bruins Moments

December 29th - Top Plays 

December 30th - Top Games

December 31st - [To be determined] Is the Boston Athlete of 2013

January 1st - The Promise of 2014

The top plays of 2013 in Boston sports...

1)  December 8th: Stephan Gostkowski recovers onside kick



It seems strange to say that the greatest play in Boston sports this year was one as reliant on luck as Goskowski's onside kick an yet this play really was as good as it gets. With the game on the line, Goskowski bounced the ball along the ground desperate for that nearly impossible balance of hitting it the minimum 10 yards while not hitting it so hard that the opponent recovers it. In many cases finding such a balance is hopeless and yet with time ticking away, all the chips fell in the right way and as Stephan Goskowski showed with his reaction, the Patriots recovered the football.

2) October 13th: Kenbrell Thompkins wins game with 6 seconds remaining



Thompkin's catch was just fun.

To that point Patriots fans had not been shown the capabilities that this team had when it comes to comebacks and so we were all but contempt with the looming loss until...Tom Brady out of nowhere started off a 70 yard 61 second drive with no timeouts and a touchdown being the only result that would give New England a win. It all came down to one final play where, with 6 seconds left, the ball was tossed 18 yards to a wide open Thompkins in the back corner of the end-zone.

3) May 19th: Torey Krug between the legs goal



1 year after a tiny kid named Torey Krug failed in his first stint with Boston back in 2011-2012 he was called upon during the second round this season vs New York and delivered better than ever. With 4 goals in 5 games, Krug netted one of the primer tallies of the entire Bruins season when he received a David Krejci pass between his legs and slung the puck around his leg to pound it into the net. What makes this goal even better is the fact that such a dart was used to beat mighty Henrik Lundquvist himself. 

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Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabers recap: Bergeron drops gloves, Smith scores twice in 4-1 Bruins win

 There were two things that came out of yesterday's 4-1 win over Buffalo. One: Riley Smith played one of his best games as a Bruin, scoring twice to boost his season goals total of 11 and two: the Bruins refused to be beaten at their own game, standing up for themselves even in the absence of their enforcer, Shawn Thornton. 

This second leg of the Bruin's first home and home series of the season will undoubtedly be remembered for that willingness to stand up for one’s self and more particularly, Patrice Bergeron's willingness to stand up for himself. Nearly 3 quarters of the way through the second period of Saturday night's game, Patrice Bergeron found himself mucking around with Sabers giant, Tyler Myers as the two slid locked up with one another towards Sabers goaltender, Ryan Miller. As they came to a halt a few feet to the left of Miller, Myers made an attempt to hinder Bergeron's movement into a shooting position by attempting to lock his body and stick against Bergeron's lower body. However where he intended to or not, Myers made this play while he had his stick stuck between Bergeron's skates. As he spun around to block Bergeron, the stick rode up slashing Bergeron in a part of his body that caused a sort of pain that any male can undoubtedly associate with. 

Fairly upset, Bergeron immediately gave up on the play that was rapidly moving down the ice electing to instead have some words and a few viscous shoves with the man who had caused him to sing soprano. They made it out to about the tops of the circles before Bergeron turned and slammed his fist into Myers' upper chest. From there, no matter how gentlemanly the prelude was, the gloves came off and it was time to fight.

"He asked if I wanted to do it and I was fine with it," Bergeron said. "I asked him, also." 

Now while that kind of speech sounds more like the kind you would use to ask someone to go to prom with you, you have to hand it to Bergeron going up against a man who outweighs him by 30 pounds and towers nearly 4 inches taller than he. 

Bergeron eluded to that fact after the game admitting that he did not necessarily realize how much bigger Myers truly is. 

"Obviously you don't think about that when you're on the ice and you're fired up," Bergeron said. "You're not happy with what just happened. I kind of realized pretty quickly, he's pretty tall. Tough to get a pretty good reach."

This fighting major was Bergeron's 3rd in his 10 year career but actually the 1st ever assessed to him during a regular season game. 

"Well, he has to stand up for himself," Claude Jullian said and in this case he did more than that. His fight ignited something within the Bruins that allowed them to pull away from a never to be underestimated Sabers team.  

To the point in the game where Bergeron and Myers dropped the gloves, the Bruins offence had already combined to produce two artful goals one of which coming via slick work in the middle of the ice by Patrice Bergeron and Ryan Spooner that gave winger, Carl Soderberg the opportunity to dish the puck off to Riley Smith who was there to smack the puck into the back of the net. However, the Sabers did manage to come back late in the 1st tying the game with 1:06 to go in the 1st period off of a fake along the goal-line that drew Tuukka Rask of his post and allowed the weak shot to trickle in. 

The Bergeron right came mere minutes after the Bruins took back the lead and while it further energized the team, David Krejci's goal scored with 18:20 to go in the 2nd period, was the one that took the lead for good. The goal was Krejci's 7th of the year. 

Milan Lucic added a goal later in the 3rd while Smith pounded in an empty netter as well, sealing the win for Boston and handing him his 2nd 2 goal game of his career. This game only proved Smith's value to the team while also showing how he not Loui Eriksson might be the best thing that has come out of July's blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin in Dallas. 

"He's been great for us all year," Bergeron said when asked about the value of Smith. "He's a young guy I didn't know much about obviously for playing out west. I'm really impressed with the way he's carried himself all year and the way he also improved from training camp to the start of the year to now. He keeps taking steps forward and I think it's just great to see." 

As was clear going into Saturday night, the Bruins who had been blown out twice in under a month needed not only a win against Buffalo but also that kind of win that asserts you as a great team in this league. They needed to beat the Sabers up and between the Bergeron fight, Riley Smith's scoring clinic and Johnny Boychuck's quietly laying down a few monster body checks, this game fit the credentials of the order perfectly. 

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