In the eyes of many, when the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres hit the ice, it wouldn’t exactly be deemed a rivalry. But that system of thought may soon be changing. After a discouraging loss in Buffalo on Thursday, the Bruins, with the help of solid goaltending from Rask, who stopped 34 of 35 shots faced, went on the top the Sabres 4-1.
Something that is generally expected between the clubs though, rough and tough old time hockey and the penalty summary supported that theory. However, it wasn’t a usual suspect that dropped the gloves for Boston, but Patrice Bergeron who marked his first regular season fighting major against the Sabres Tyler Myers at 14:07 of the second.
“Yeah I mean it’s just I guess one of those things that it was in the heat of the moment,” said Bergeron on his fight with Myers. “And we were kind both going at each other – cross-checking each other – and we just decided to I guess you know obviously drop the gloves.”
With a lineup full of injuries, it’s the ability to take on all rolls that has continued to keep Boston on top when defending home ice. It’s also the depth of young guns, who have skated into the opportunity set before them blazing. Ryan Spooner tallied his 4th assist of the season, while David Warsofsky continued to shine in his second NHL start.
But the most surprising addition to the club has come in the form of 22-year-old forward, Reilly Smith. Acquired in the July trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas, Smith has provided what Seguin could not — consistency. Smith both opened and closed the scoring in the 4-1 win, placing his goal count in the double digits at 11.
“Well he’s a good player and I think this is the first time he’s really had a good shot at playing at this level and making sure he has the opportunity to play in the areas that we think he can excel and he’s done a great job,” said Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien on Smith. “He’s a crafty player, he’s a smart player, he makes a lot of good plays and very reliable. So I like his game and I’ve liked it since the beginning of the year.”
While criticism surrounded the young player during the summer months, with skeptics claiming the trade wasn’t a beneficial one for Boston, Smith has proven a worthy addition to the roster. Despite recent success, becoming complacent isn’t an option.
“Yeah I set high goals for myself coming into this team and this organization,” said Smith. “It seems like I’ve kind of surpassed some of them. The biggest thing is just to keep your foot on the pedal and make sure you’re not getting too comfortable because that’s when your game starts to slow and when it slumps down like that it takes a toll on your confidence and play making so the biggest thing is just daily approach, get better everyday.”
The Bruins will look to keep the momentum going as they travel to Nashville for a Monday night contest before a brief Christmas holiday. The team will play host to Ottawa on Friday December 27th.
Scoring summary:
1ST PERIOD
09:39
BOS
PPG – Reilly Smith (10) Snap shot – ASST: Carl Soderberg (12), Ryan Spooner (4)
1 – 0 BOS
18:54
BUF
Zemgus Girgensons (4) Wrist shot – ASST: Matt Moulson (11), Henrik Tallinder (4)
1 – 1 Tie
2ND PERIOD
01:47
BOS
David Krejci (7) Wrist shot – ASST: Jarome Iginla (14)
2 – 1 BOS
3RD PERIOD
05:18
BOS
Milan Lucic (12) Snap shot – ASST: David Krejci (24), Zdeno Chara (7)
3 – 1 BOS
19:38
BOS
EN – Reilly Smith (11) Wrist shot – ASST: Johnny Boychuk (8), Patrice Bergeron (10)
With Christmas week quickly approaching, the Bruins skated onto the Garden ice for their last home game until December 27th. The team will travel to Nashville to take on the Predators Monday evening.
A blizzard one day, a heat wave the next, picking a press level outfit is a real challenge in New England. With a slushy mess outside, boots become the only viable footwear option — so the search for game night attire that worked with my boots, began early, and fizzled quickly when I set about running Christmas errands. So, with 20 minutes until departure for the game, picking an outfit needed to happen and fast. In time like those, pick a few pieces that have proven tried and true and run with it.
Breakdown:
Black skinny leg dress pants, TJMaxx, $16.99
Pink tank top, Forever 21, $1.80
Black blazer, Macys, Clearance, $11.99
Black boots, Sears, $24.99
Media Tip: Have one outfit on standby that you know will always work — so when you’re crunched for time, you can still get out the door and to the rink before face-off.
As division rivals, the Manchester Monarchs and Portland Pirates play 12 times a season. Starting last season, the two teams added a little bit extra to the rivalry. They turned the 12 games into a series, at the end of which the winner got a trophy. It was dubbed the VIP Cup and sponsored by VIP Tires. They decided to carry it over for a second season and last night was the 4th of 12 meetings this season for the teams. Coming into last night’s game, the Monarchs led 2-1.
This season has been taxing at times for the Monarchs, who have had more than their fair share of call ups and injuries to deal with. It has not stopped the momentum, though. Instead, other players have found themselves stepping up. Last night, Manchester would once again have center Linden Vey in the lineup as he returned from the LA Kings. They also got another player back. Forward Brian O’Neill had been out with a broken hand but last night marked his first game back. He made that return still wearing a partial cast which did not seem to slow him at all.
The story of the night was the Monarchs third line of forwards: Brian O’Neill, Drew Shore, and Andy Andreoff. It was Drew Shore who struck first, at 4:36 of the first and on the power play. There was a lot of traffic in front of the net when Shore managed to put it behind Pirates goalie Mark Visentin. Despite being atop the conference, Manchester had been struggling on the power play.
The first period definitely belonged to the Monarchs. Later that period, they tried to capitalize on another power play but would have to wait until just after it expired. Shore rung a shot off the post and Brian O’Neill was there to put it home. His first goal of the night came at 10:55. He would add a second goal at 17:21 of the first. Once again, he had Shore to thank. Shore dug the puck out of the corner and fed it to O’Neill who was right in front of Visentin.
Portland did not seem to want to go to the first intermission without anything to show and they got onto the board with under a minute to go in the period. Jordan Martinook got the best of Monarchs goalie JF Berube on a rebound he just could not control. But that last minute of the first seemed to drag on for awhile. Both teams took penalties, putting them four on four as the period drew to a close. With under 3 seconds remaining in the period, Jordan Weal gave Manchester a 4-1 lead to take into the first intermission.
With the way the first period ended, it seemed all but certain that the teams would play a physical second. Things seemed very heated at the end of the first, but calmed back down between periods. There was one change, though. After allowing four goals in the first on 14 shots, the Pirates swapped Louis Domingue in for Visentin.
The goalie change did not seem to make too much of a difference, though. Manchester struck first in the second period as well to jump out to a 5-1 lead. This time, it was Andy Andreoff’s goal. The third line on Manchester now had 4 of the 5 goals and all three of them had multi-point nights.
After that goal, Portland seemed to be controlling more of the play. Despite that, they were not getting good quality shots. A number of times they missed wide in one direction or the other on what should have been a good chance. The second period ended with Manchester still up 5-1.
When the teams came out for the final frame, the Monarchs found themselves on an early power play again. It looked like they would struggle once again when Tanner Pearson came through. About halfway through the power play Pearson sniped the puck over Domingue’s shoulder in what might have been the goal of the season for him.
That was when tensions really did seem to boil over. During just the third period, the teams combined for 72 minutes in penalties including 4 fighting majors, 3 ten minute misconducts, and a game misconduct. Darian Dziurzynski of the Pirates ended up with a ten minute misconduct followed my a fighting major and a game misconduct. As the official was trying to take him off the ice, Dziurzynski tried to take a run at the Manchester bench.
During the final frame, Portland managed to get on the board one more time. Keven Veilleux added his second of the season but it was as close as his team would come. Despite the lead the Monarchs had, they were still willing to step in at the end of the game with the Pirates started playing rougher.
With the win, the Monarchs took a 3-1 lead in the VIP Cup. Manchester heads down to Bridgeport for their last game before having a couple days off for Christmas. It will be a nice break for them to get to see some family and deal with any injuries that have been bothering them. The Pirates host the Providence Bruins tonight up in Lewiston, ME.
With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to take the time to thank all of our readers for the support you lend each and every day. We have a few exciting new ideas and features as the New Year skates in, but before that, we wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Of course, we couldn’t do it alone, so, we enlisted the help of the Providence Bruins, American Hockey League affiliate of the Boston Bruins.
Buffalo finally seems to be working together and they were able to come back from a 2-1 deficit to beat Boston 4-2 for their second straight win and 4th in their last 10. They also have gained 7 out of their last possible 10 points and things could possibly being turning around for this team?
Boston has always been a tough competitor for Buffalo and this game proved no different, however only one “fight” took place this time around. Buffalo was able to get on the board first with a shorthanded goal by Brian Flynn, his 3rd of the season. Flynn was able to outwork the two Bruin defenders and went right in for a backhanded goal to put Buffalo up 1-0.
The second period saw Boston’s two goals, both by Brad Marchand, his 6th and 7th of the season. Just under two minutes into the second, Marchand walked down the ice and fired past Ryan Miller to tie the game at 1. A little over a minute later, Marchand received a nice pass from Patrice Bergeron and fired the pass right over Miller’s shoulder and Boston would now lead 2-1. On a strange bounce, Buffalo’s Marcus Foligno was able to bounce the puck off his chest and into the net to tie the game at 2. Foligno has a small streak starting and gained his second goal in as many games, now up to 5 this season.
Despite being out shot 15-5 in the third, Buffalo was able to score twice in the last 6 minutes of the game to win 4-2. Drew Stafford would get his 3rd of the year with a nice wrap around play where he just out muscled the Bruins and goalie Chad Johnson. Just a minute later, Tyler Myers, the third player in a rushing 3 on 2 play, was able to slap the puck past Johnson to secure Buffalo’s win.
Buffalo will look to continue this winning streak and win 3 in a row for the first time this season. This will be a tough task, however, as they travel to Boston on Saturday in the second of a home and home series. Boston is not usually known to give up two straight games in a back to back series, especially against Buffalo. Tukka Rask will likely be in net for Boston and it’s yet to be determined whether Miller will again start for Buffalo or if Jhonas Enroth will get a start in net.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are only 50 days away from the start of the 2014 Olympic WinterGames in Sochi, Russia. In case you aren’t as excited as I am, I hope to get you pumped over the next 50 days for these Olympics, especially (obviously) the ice hockey tournaments.
Last time around, the men’s ice hockey competition took me (and the United States) by some degree of surprise. I was never a huge fan of international hockey, I just loved to follow my NHL teams. I don’t really know why… if some of you feel the same way now, I understand. But something changed in 2010 and I’ve never viewed hockey the same way since. For some reason, quite possibly because my favorite NHL player was the star of that tournament, I really got into the Olympics that year. I will never forget watching every USA game with my family and my boyfriend. I literally leapt off my couch in celebration of goals. I literally sobbed in heartbreak after defeat. And I would do it all again.
I have been measuring the last 4 years in terms of how close we are to these upcoming Olympic Winter Games, and we are finally only 50 days away.
Beyond the expansion of my own love of hockey, the typical American (non-hockey fan) got a taste of our incredible sport in the last Olympics. There tends to be a very strong opinion that this game only belongs to one country. And yes, Canada loves their hockey in more ways than most Americans can even comprehend. I was born and raised in Florida, not your typical hockey hotbed. I didn’t grow up with a rink in my backyard. I was lucky enough to come from a family who already loved hockey; but a lot of Americans, especially in non-traditional markets like my own, do not have that luxury. Sadly, hockey ranks low on the typical American’s sports spectrum. I want to see that change.
I have always wanted to see that change. Here in South Florida, and across my country, I want to see hockey flourish. I think the Olympics can help make that happen. Last time around, even though the United States lost, the men’s hockey team got national attention. Ryan Miller went on Ryan Seacrest, something completely out of his element, which spoke volumes about what USA’s performance in Vancouver had done for the sport across America. “That’s a completely different world to us, to suddenly be thrust into the spotlight” said Miller of the experience on Seacrest. “It’s been good for the game in that way. We don’t get many of these moments where we are at the forefront. It’s usually football, basketball, or baseball, and if we don’t take advantage, people won’t find out about what we feel is the greatest game.”
For me, it isn’t completely about Team USA or Team Canada… it’s about the love of hockey for everyone, everywhere. As hockey fans, we know how great this sport is. When other people get the chance to see it, they can’t help but fall in love too.
NHL Network has announced that it will air all of Team USA’s games at the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship. Every game, with the exception of the Dec. 28 USA-Slovakia game, will also be replayed in prime time on the network at 7:00 EST the same day. Additionally, NHL Network U.S. will air every game from Team USA’s group, which includes Canada, Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia, as well as all eight playoff contests. Eighteen WJC games will be broadcast in total.
NHL.com will provide a free live stream of all Team USA games within the United States, as well as all scores and highlights from the tournament.
The U.S. has medaled in three of the last four IIHF World Junior Championships, including gold in 2013 and 2010 and bronze in 2011
Steve Mears, co-host of NHL Live on NHL Network, will call the play-by-play, while Dave Starman will provide color commentary. Jill Savage will serve as rinkside reporter.
2014 IIHF World Junior Championship
NHL Network U.S. Schedule Dec. 26, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014 • Malmo, Sweden
Hockey Canada announced yesterday that Kevin Dineen, former head coach of the Florida Panthers, has been selected to coach Canada’s National Women’s Team through the 2013-14 season. This includes their upcoming 2014 Olympic run in Sochi.
“We’re very excited that Kevin will join the coaching staff of Canada’s National Women’s Team and bring his unique perspective to the dressing room,” said Scott Smith, Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer. “Kevin has had success in both the AHL and NHL, and we’re looking forward to him being a part of the staff for the final push towards Sochi.”
Dineen coached the Florida Panthers for bits of three seasons spanning from 2011 to 2013. While he was at the helm for a very shaky start to this season, he did lead the team to its first playoff berth in over a decade when the Panthers were the Southeast Division Champions for the 2011-12 season – their first ever division title. Before coaching in the NHL, Dineen led the AHL’s Portland Pirates for six seasons, receiving a coach of the year award during his time there.
A native of Toronto, Ont., Dineen has represented Canada six times. He played in the IIHF World Championship in 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1993 (winning silver medals in ’85 and ’89). He also won the Canada Cup in 1987. Dineen played in the Olympic Winter Games in 1984, so the Olympics will not be a new experience for him when he joins the Canadian women there in February.
“This is a critical time for Canada’s National Women’s Team with the start of the Olympics less than two months away, and we feel Kevin is a terrific fit with our staff as we get ready for Sochi,” said Melody Davidson, general manager of female national teams with Hockey Canada. “His experience, both on the ice and behind the bench, will be invaluable over the coming weeks.”
Stockton Thunder Forward Andrew Clark was named this week’s Sher-Wood ECHL Player of the Week for his stellar play over the week of December 9th-15th. In the Thunder’s past two games Clark tallied 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points. He netted 2 goals and 1 assist in the December 14th contest against the San Francisco Bulls where the Thunder lost 6-5 in the shootout. The following day, Clark posted a 5 point night, with 2 goals and 3 assists in the team’s 6-5 win over the Bakersfield Condors.
Clark now leads the Thunder in goals (10g), assists (16a) and points (26pts) for the team over 24 games played. He has had three multi-goal games this year and leads the team with 77 shots on goal.
In the press release, Thunder Head Coach Rich Kromm said of Clark, “He’s been great in the last couple of games in terms of producing when we needed it. In those games, we needed some bounce back in a lot of situations and his line provided that for us. Andrew has been great all year, he plays every situation, competes hard, and he’s a pretty complete player for us.”
Not only does Andrew Clark have the points lead with his team, he also tops the list for the league among rookies in total points and assists. The last game against the Condors tied him with Alaska Aces Peter Sivak for most points scored in a single game by an ECHL player, 5.
Clark signed with the Thunder in March 2013 and was a key piece to the team’s post season success, helping Stockton reach the Kelly Cup Finals with 21 points in 22 playoff appearances.
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