Monday's Bruins...

[the mugs]

Tonight begins a 4/6 for the B's with the last three on the road. Could be a tough week for the good guys...

BOSTON BRUINS vs. OTTAWA SENATORS
Monday, December 8, 2003
FleetCenter; Boston MA
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.

Tonight?s Game
The Bruins host the Senators tonight in the first of six games between these teams this season and the first of three games of this season?s series at FleetCenter. The Bruins are 12-5-5-4 thus far this season with a 4-3-4-1 home record. The Senators are 12-9-2-3 thus far this season with a 7-3-0-1 road record. The Bruins are 1-1-0-1 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and are 4-4-3-3 vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Senators are 2-3-1-0 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and are 9-8-1-1 vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 32-15-7-4 lifetime vs. Ottawa with a 205-154 scoring advantage in those 58 games. On home ice, the Bruins are 18-8-4-0 lifetime vs. the Senators with a 117-85 scoring edge in those 30 contests. The Bruins are winless in their last three games vs. the Senators at 0-2-0-1 with their last win over Ottawa a 7-1 victory in Boston on Nov. 9, 2002.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins are 1-1-2-0 in their last four games with a 3-3 tie with Phoenix on Nov. 30, a 6-4 win in Atlanta on Dec. 3, a 6-0 loss to Toronto on Dec. 4 and a 1-1 tie with Philadelphia on Dec. 6. The Bruins have taken points out of 15 of their last 18 games at 8-3-3-4 and in 21 of their 26 games overall this season at 12-5-5-4.

The Bruins have taken points out of nine of their 12 games on home ice this season at 4-3-4-1.

The Bruins have taken at least one point out of 12 of their last 13 road games at 8-1-1-3, including a ten-game point stretch (7-0-1-2) from Oct. 11-Nov. 19.

Recent Senators Games
The Senators had their three-game win streak stopped with a 2-1 loss to New Jersey on Dec. 6. That followed a 4-1 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 1, a 4-0 victory in Florida on Dec. 3 and a 4-1 win in Tampa Bay on Dec. 4. They are 5-4-1-2 in their last 12 games.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins next face a four-game road trip to Florida (Dec. 10), Washington (Dec. 11), Ottawa (Dec. 13) and Montreal (Dec. 16). All games are broadcast on both NESN and WBZ Radio.

Upcoming Senators Games
The Senators next face a five-game home stand, hosting Tampa Bay, Boston, Chicago, NY Rangers and Florida from Dec. 11-22.

Bruins Injuries
P. J. Axelsson: Aggravated shoulder injury Nov. 28 vs. Nashville; day-to-day.
Michal Grosek: Shoulder injury suffered Dec. 4 vs. Toronto; out indefinitely.

Bruins Recent Transactions
Nov. 4: Zdenek Kutlak recalled from Providence/AHL.
Dec. 5: Ted Donato recalled from Providence/AHL.
Dec. 6: Pat Leahy recalled from Providence/AHL.
Dec. 6: Sergei Zinovjev returned to Providence/AHL.

 

[the mugs]

NHL.com

NHL.com

GAME: Ottawa Senators (12-9-2-3) at Boston Bruins (12-5-5-4).

TIME: Monday, 7 p.m. EST.
As far as the Ottawa Senators are concerned, losing like they did in their last game is unacceptable. They'll look to take out their frustrations on the Boston Bruins when they visit the FleetCenter.

The Senators were less than two minutes away from a huge win over defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey on Saturday. But they didn't get the job done as the Devils scored twice late, including the game-winner with 18 seconds remaining in an eventual 2-1 win.

"It's unbelievable, I don't even know what to say," said Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson, who extended his point streak to nine games with a goal in the first period. "You can't give up a lead like that and then lose the game. If you want to be a top team you have to be better."

Defenseman Wade Redden's failure to clear the puck out of the Senators' zone resulted in New Jersey tying the game at 18:23.

Redden shouldered much of the blame for the loss.

"We had the game," he said. "It was my mistake that let them get back in it. I didn't get the puck out. We've got to be better. Sure it's hard, but if you've got to get the puck down the ice get it down and protect the front of the net."

The Senators will try to bounce back against the Bruins by taking advantage with their superior special teams. Alfredsson and Radek Bonk are leading the league in power-play points while Boston has one of the worst penalty-killing units in the NHL.

The Bruins have just one win in their last seven (1-3-2-1), but are coming in off a 1-1 tie with NHL-leading Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Boston, which suffered an embarrassing 6-0 home loss to Toronto on Thursday, outshot Philadelphia 15-3 in the opening period.

Sergei Samsonov scored for the first time in 12 games and recorded his first power-play goal this season as the Bruins took a first-period lead.

Andrew Raycroft made 22 saves for Boston, which outshot Philadelphia 39-23.

Winless in their last four at home (0-2-2), the Bruins will be trying to avoid their longest winless streak of the season at the FleetCenter.

Ottawa, which only has three losses on the road, is looking for its fourth straight win away from home.

 

[the mugs]

RECENT TRENDS

RECENT TRENDS

? The under is 4-0-2 in OTT?s last six overall.
? OTT is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
? OTT is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings.
? BOS is 2-5 ATS in their last seven overall.
? The over is 3-1 in the last four meetings.
? BOS is 11th in team offense avg. 2.69 goals/gm.

 

[the mugs]

Recent Meetings

Recent Meetings

It's been all Sens recently. I guess they are making up for when we kicked them around when they first came into the league...

Date Home Away Line ATS
4/1/2003 Ott. 3 Bos. 2 -0.5,-220/5.5 Ott./U (02-03)
3/11/2003 Ott. 4 Bos. 3 -0.5,-160/5.5 Ott./O
12/12/2002 Bos. 2 Ott. 5 -0.5,-110/5.5 Ott./O
11/9/2002 Bos. 7 Ott. 1 -0.5,105/5.5 Bos./O
10/24/2002 Bos. 2 Ott. 2 -0.5,120/5.5 Ott./U

4/11/2002 Ott. 4 Bos. 0 0,-135/5 Ott./U (01-02)
1/24/2002 Ott. 4 Bos. 3 0,-200/5.5 Ott./O
1/17/2002 Bos. 5 Ott. 2 0,-135/5.5 Bos./O
12/26/2001 Bos. 3 Ott. 2 0,-130/5 Bos./P
12/1/2001 Ott. 2 Bos. 1 0,-180/5 Ott./U

 

[the mugs]

Injuries

Injuries

Ottawa Injuries
Player Pos Injury Status
Mike Fisher C Elbow Mid Dec

Boston Injuries
Player Pos Injury Status
Michal Grosek W Shoulder I-L
P.J. Axelsson F Shoulder Ques Mon
Jonathan Girard D Hip out for season

 

[the mugs]

Boston Globe 12.8.03

Boston Globe 12.8.03

Line combinations aren't locked up

"Day Off. No Treatment. Stay Home."

Such was the writing on the dressing room wall following the Bruins' 1-1 tie Saturday night with the Flyers. While the rest of New England began to dig out from winter's first blanket, the Bruins pulled up the covers and enjoyed a day of rest prior to the Senators arriving on Fleet Street tonight.

The offday allowed coach Mike Sullivan and his staff some extra hours to contemplate line combinations against the offensively-gifted Senators. Sullivan kept his customary No. 1 line intact Saturday, with Joe Thornton centering Mike Knuble and Glen Murray, but he tinkered with his other three trios, and also with the makeup of the power play.

"I felt like we needed a spark," said Sullivan, who needs to get more consistent offensive pop from gifted winger Sergei Samsonov. "We're going to explore different combinations, until we find ones we really like. Sometimes you stumble on them by accident, and they can turn out to be dynamic lines."

For the most part, Sullivan stocked the rest of the lines like so: Travis Green between Rob Zamuner and Martin Lapointe; Brian Rolston the pivot for Samsonov and Patrice Bergeron (who assisted on Samsonov's power-play goal Saturday against the Flyers); Ted Donato between newcomer Patrick Leahy and Sandy McCarthy.

Mixing and matching probably won't mean breaking up the Seven-Hundred-Pound Line that Thornton centers. But keep in mind: ex-coach Robbie Ftorek stumbled across that line last year. Who's to know what Sullivan might stumble across if he put everyone's name in a hat?

=====

Snow plowers

The ticket sales were 16,685 for Saturday night and the no-show rate was about 1 out 3 for the snowy night. Gritty stock, Bruins fans, to turn out in those numbers on a treacherous evening. No doubt there will be a few calls to the box office today, though, from fans who were either unable or unwilling to brave the elements . . . The Senators are back Dec. 30 for the final home game of 2003.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Globe 12.7.03

Boston Globe 12.7.03

Time to give Raycroft a shot

The Bruins have 56 games to play in the regular season, and no one in his or her right mind could reasonably expect Andrew Raycroft to play all 56.

OK, let's say we round it off at 55. Sure sounds reasonable to me.

Raycroft, who was in net last night against the Flyers on snowy, slushy Causeway Street, may not have the right stuff to be a true No. 1 goalie in the NHL. But how will anyone know until we get to see how the thus-far unflappable 23-year-old responds to a steady diet of games, shots, and requisite media scrutiny that goes with the job?

Nearly one-third of the way into the 2003-04 season, with the Bruins in need of a certain je ne sais quoi the last couple of weeks, the time has come to find out whether Raycroft has a Cheevers, maybe a Peeters, or, heck, even a Moog or a Lemelin within. If all he has is a Lacher, then at least we know.

Coach Mike Sullivan on Friday hemmed, hawed, and otherwise pregnantly paused all over the place when asked if he would hand Raycroft 80 percent of the starts. It was enough of a hesitation to make clear that the rookie coach was pondering the possibilities, though he wasn't willing to commit.

That's understandable, in part, because Felix Potvin hasn't done anything over the first two months to be mothballed as a backup. Potvin has been good, not great, and he is also a good citizen on the roster, which is very important at a position where it helps immensely if everyone else on the team likes the guy wearing the mask and the big pads.

Meanwhile, Raycroft, 8-4-1 prior to last night with a 2.07 goals-against average and sparkling .927 save percentage, has bordered on the sensational. If the choice had to be made to pick a No. 1, he would have to be the one. And let's not hear the patience-is-a-virtue mantra. The Hub of Hockey has been waiting on a decade now for a slam-dunk answer to what is the most important position on any hockey team. Wait? For what, Evgeny Ryabchikov to come racing into the building with his old game tapes? Please.

The last time we saw Potvin, he took the brunt of Thursday night's listless team effort that turned into a 6-0 loss to the Maple Leafs. He wasn't at his best, but it's equally accurate to say those around him were at their worst. The choice here to go with Raycroft, for at least nine or 10 of the 12 games the rest of this month, isn't based on Potvin's last outing. Quite to the contrary, it's based on Raycroft's 14 appearances prior to last night.

The worst that could happen here is that Raycroft shows he's not quite there yet, not prepared to shoulder the load. Fine. If not, it's still December, and Sullivan's options then would be to return to a 50-50 rotation, or perhaps even get a look at the 32-year-old Potvin as the front-line backstop. Maybe a month into one of those alternatives, he gives Raycroft another shot. The options are virtually limitless. Why not try at least one?

If the Bruins are going to do something other than expire quickly once the playoffs come, history shows they'll have to have a chosen netminder. Goalie rotations are romance. The reality is, a team jumps on the back of one goalie if it expects to win a Cup. The proof: Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Tom Barrasso, Mike Richter, Grant Fuhr, Billy Smith, Ken Dryden. Set the dial wherever you like on the Way Back Machine, it's a one-man job, and nearly 32 years past their last Cup, the Bruins are still looking for one good man.

Based on Raycroft's numbers, and based on Sullivan's reluctance to make him the No. 1, the obvious conclusion here is that they're hesitant, if not afraid, to find out what he has. The greater fear should be just the opposite: What if he is the guy? If so, then they're not only missing out on valuable points in the standings, they also could be slowing his learning curve.

Chosen 135th in the 1998 NHL Draft, Raycroft already ranks as one of the scouting staff's best finds in general manager Mike O'Connell's regime. Of the couple dozen netminders chosen in every draft, the vast percentage never make it to the NHL. There are, after all, only 60 jobs to fill, and successful goalies tend to stay on the job for years. Now in his fourth pro season, Raycroft looks like he's here to stay, even if his job description is still being written.

No question, the Boston net is a graveyard, stacked high in recent years with the likes of Jon Casey, Jim Carey, Blaine Lacher, Bill Ranford, Vincent Riendeau, John Blue, Rob Tallas, Matt DelGuidice, Cleon Daskalakis, Byron Dafoe, and Ryabchikov, just to name a few.

There may be a risk in hurrying Raycroft down a road littered with potholes great and small. To this point, though, he hasn't given the slightest hint that he can't handle it.

Why ask why? There are times -- and this looks like one -- when it's better to ask, why not?

 

[the mugs]

I have this source that know some people and this unnamed (cough cough HORNS) source says that "Lalime is back in net tonight. The media guys that I talked to late last night said the guys are ready to atone for the horrible finish against NJ, allowing 2 goals in the last 2 minutes has a bad taste in all of their mouths. Sens always play Boston well."

Probably not good news for the B's

 

[the mugs]

Unnamed source says..."Rachunek is out tonight due to an injury and Hnidy is in for him on D."

 

[the mugs]

Sens goalie info

Sens goalie info

My new source LOL informs me that "Prusek is starting. Just announced that he is the starter tonight. Spoke with a few media guys. "

 

[grooven]

Sources tell me you will see prusek in goal not lalime.........Is the "cat" in the net tonight for the B's mugs? If he is I will hit the over hard. He has been playing like he belongs in the minors. Did you get enough snow out there in cranston. I saw about 18" where I am

 

[the mugs]

Groovy...I dug out of about a solid 18" in my driveway.

Your source is correct with Prusek and my source is saying Raycroft is the confirmed starter for the good guys. Over still looks solid as these two typically give the goailes sunburned necks no matter who is in net.

BOL tonight

 

[sashi patel]

Mugs,

Did you get my address from Jack?