The last time the Maple Leafs selected a forward with a top five pick in the draft, was in 1989. The Toronto Maple Leafs took Scott Thornton with the third overall pick. Before that, it was Wendel Clark, first overall in 1985.

Of course, The Maple Leafs do not have to take a forward. They could very well select a defenseman with the 5^th overall pick, assuming they don’t trade it. The last time they took a defenseman, they selected Luke Schenn, at number five. The young defender has had his fair share of ups and downs throughout his young career, and will be looking to bounce back in his 2012-2013 campaign, whether it is with the Leafs, or another club.

Outside of who many believe is the consensus number one pick this year, in Nail Yakupov, the draft seems to be quite open. Many scouts have different top 10s, which is expected. There are plenty of talented players available, but the real questions surround team need. You can certainly make the case that the Edmonton Oilers could, and should trade the first overall pick. In which case, many Leafs fans would be salivating at the opportunity to draft Yakupov. However, a first overall pick hasn’t been traded since 2003, and while the Oilers will likely be more open to listening to potential offers on their pick, it just doesn’t seem likely they’d move it.

Brian Burke has made his fair share of draft day trades. Whether it be making a trade to select the both Henrik and Daniel Sedin in 1999 while with the Vancouver Canucks, or most recently moving up to grab Tyler Biggs with the 22^nd overall pick, in last year’s NHL Entry Draft. Burke has already come out and talked about how he expects the team’s biggest moves in the offseason to come via trade, and likely not free agency.

Going into his final year of his contract as President and General Manager of The Toronto Maple Leafs, one would think Brian Burke will be feeling the pressure to get things done this upcoming year. With so many question marks surrounding the team, you have to think something is going to get done. The time for waiting until the right deal comes along is over. The pressure is immense, and everyone, including Brian Burke, know it.

“We really look at this as more of a statement game for us because we’ve been struggling, and we had to come out with the kind of effort we had the game before, which is something we haven’t done very much in a long time.” – Claude Julien

Kicking things off with back-to-back shifts of heavy pressure on the Toronto net and perhaps their best full period of play in over two months, the Black and Gold definitely brought their “A-Game” from the get-go on Monday. Accounting for the game’s first eight shots on goal, the B’s would capitalize on exactly half of them, securing a four goal lead midway through the opening frame.

Chris Kelly got it all started when he corralled a Benoit Pouliot feed and slipped it through Leafs’ goaltender James Reimer for his career-high 18^th tally of the season. Not long after, Boston’s fourth line pivot Gregory Campbell would account for his eighth of the year when he caught Reimer napping with a quick wrap-around. It would be Pouliot who would be the next to get on the score-sheet after redirecting a Johnny Boychuk blast into the Toronto goal. Reimer’s short and painful evening would come to a merciful end less than two minutes later when Brad Marchand converted a Bruins’ power-play chance into his 24^th goal of the season.

Opting to bring the Swedish netminder Jonas Gustavsson back out for the second, new Leafs’ bench boss Randy Carlyle’s headache would only get worse as the B’s would put three pucks past the Toronto back-up during the middle frame. It began only 2:31 into the period when Pouliot would put home his second of the night after an ill-timed turnover by Gustavsson behind his own net. Captain Zdeno Chara’s power-play bomb at the 5:45 mark converted the Boston “touchdown” to make it a 6-0 game. Breaking out the cannon of a shot that made him such a beloved hockey figure in the Hub during his first stint with Boston, Brian Rolston increased the B’s lead to 7-0 with only thirty-five seconds left in the middle frame.

Despite a more evenly matched third period, Boston would add yet another tally when Tyler Seguin’s wrist shot found the twine at the tail-end of a 3-on-2 rush by the Bruins. The 8-0 victory completes Boston’s season sweep of the Leafs, taking all six contests between the two Northeast division rivals by a combined 36-10 margin.

“They beat us in every aspect of the game. We made more mistakes than them, we turned the puck over more than them, they out-competed us. Just not acceptable for our group. We have to take responsibility for that.” – Dion Phaneuf

My Thoughts

– Without question, there were more positives to take out of Monday’s victory than of any Bruins’ game in recent memory. Putting eight pucks behind an opposing goalie whilst allowing only thirteen shots on goal is undoubtedly an accomplishment to be lauded for and something that truly illustrates Boston’s commitment to giving a complete effort night in and night out. The entire team seemed to be in top form from the opening puck drop, imposing their will and style of play for the entire sixty minutes, something they haven’t had the luxury of enjoying since a 9-0 throttling of the Flames on January 5.

– Unexpected contributions from the third (and fourth) offensive unit were one of the many reasons the Bruins enjoyed so much success last season. This season, Boston’s depth has been seriously challenged by a plethora of injuries to some key contributors, most notably third line stalwart Rich Peverley. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons behind the B’s recent struggles has been the inability to find any sort of consistency in their third line. Over the course of the past month and a half, a number of players have been slotted alongside the incumbent Chris Kelly, but none have been able to truly embrace the role and enjoy any sort of continued success. However, the newest trio of Kelly, Pouliot and the newly-acquired Brian Rolston seem to have created a perfectly balanced third unit that bench boss Claude Julien can feel confident in using with regularity down the stretch. The trio combined to score four goals and add five assists with a plus-10 rating in Monday’s victory over the Maple Leafs.

“Kells (Kelly), he’s a player that plays in every dimension of the game. He’s great defensively, he can make things happen offensively – he’s a pleasure to play with. Benny (Pouliot),  he’s a tremendously talented kid and I just think we’re supporting each other well and we’re building a little bit of chemistry.” – Brian Rolston

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Brian Rolston (1 Goal/3 Assists)

2) Benoit Pouliot (2 Goals/1 Assist)

3) Johnny Boychuk (1 Assist/Plus-4 Rating)

What’s Next?

– The Black and Gold will now embark on a three-game road swing to the great state of California that will begin on Thursday evening with a late-night clash against the San Jose Sharks. It’ll be a quick turn-around for the Leafs, who will be back in action Tuesday against the New York Islanders.

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Records: Toronto 32-32-8 (72 Points) , Boston 41-27-3 (85 Points)

Location: TD Garden , Boston, Massachusetts

Time: 7:00 P.M. (EST)

TV/Radio Info: NESN (Edwards, Brickley, Funayama) – 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers)

Last Game: Maple Leafs 3 , Ottawa Senators 1  ……. Flyers 2 , Bruins 3 (SO)

Tonight’s Lineup (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS:

Lucic–Krejci–Caron

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Pouliot–Kelly–Rolston

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE:

Chara–Seidenberg

Zanon–McQuaid

Ference–Boychuk

GOALTENDER:

Thomas

Turco

Scratches– ….. Mike Mottau, Joe Corvo

Injuries:

Nathan Horton (Concussion) – Boston’s top right winger remains sidelined with a concussion he suffered back on January 21. Number eighteen has made regular appearances at TD Garden during home games and has begun to ride the stationary bicycle.

Rich Peverley (MCL) – Peverley will continue to sit as he rehabs an injury to his right MCL. The good news here is that Peverley has begun skating on his own.

Tuukka Rask (Groin) — Rask will remain sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks with a lower abdomen/groin injury.

Last Time We Met: Bruins 5 , Maple Leafs 4

– The last time these two Northeast division rivals made acquaintances was back on March 6 when the Black and Gold took home a 5-4 victory at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. Boston has taken all five of the meetings between these two teams this season by a combined score of 28-10.

Prediction: After pulling out a much-needed victory against the Flyers on Saturday, one would like to believe that the B’s can come out with a fire on Monday as they look to build some momentum for the post-season. Look for Tyler Seguin and David Krejci to lead Boston to a big-time win on TD Garden ice.

Maple Leafs 2 , Bruins 5

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Projected Standings: (Team–Projected Point Total–Point Differential From Last Season–Seed Differential From Last Season)

1) New York Rangers 115 Points –>+22 Points –> +7 Spots

2) Boston Bruins         102 Points –> -1 Point –> +1 Spot

3) Florida Panthers    93 Points –> +21 Points –> +12 Spots

4) Pittsburgh Penguins 106 Points –> EVEN –> EVEN

5) Philadelphia Flyers  102 Points –> -4 Points –> -3 Spots

6) New Jersey Devils 98 Points –> +17 Points –> +5 Spots

7) Ottawa Senators 94 Points –> +20 Points –> +6 Spots

8) Winnipeg Jets 88 Points –> +8 Points –> +4 Points

9) Washington Capitals 87 Points –> -20 Points –> -8 Spots

10) Buffalo Sabres 86 Points –> -10 Points –> -3 Spots

11) Tampa Bay Lightning 84 Points –> -19 Points –> -6 Spots

12) Toronto Maple Leafs 82 Points –> -3 Points –> -2 Spots

13) New York Islanders 81 Points –> +8 Points –> +1 Spot

14) Carolina Hurricanes 80 Points –> -11 Points –> -5 Spots

15) Montreal Canadiens 73 Points –> -23 Points –> -9 Spots

STATS:

–> Largest Points Improvement …..     New York Rangers (+22)

–> Largest Seeding Improvement …..  Florida Panthers (+12)

–> Worst Points Drop-Off           …..     Montreal Canadiens (-23)

–> Worst Seeding Drop-Off       …..      Montreal Canadiens (-9)

If Sidney Crosby (Above) makes a return to the Pittsburgh lineup, these number may change drastically.

–> Now, things can always change rapidly and a team could fall completely out of the playoff race or one could jump right into it by putting together a nice winning streak, making this system far from a perfect prediction tool.

–> Last season, it took 93 points from the New York Rangers to secure the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. This year it looks like 90 will once again be the magic number with one or two teams perhaps finishing below that mark and still sneaking into the dance.

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Records: Boston 38-23-3 (79 Points) , Toronto 30-28-7 (67 Points)

Location: Air Canada Centre , Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Time: 7:00 P.M. (EST)

TV/Radio Info: NESN (Edwards, Brickley, Funayama) – 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers)

Last Game: Bruins 3 , New York Rangers 4 ……. Maple Leafs 3 , Montreal Canadiens 1

Tonight’s Lineup (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS:

Marchand–Bergeron–Rolston

Lucic–Krejci–Seguin

Pouliot–Kelly–Caron

MacDermid–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE:

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

McQuaid–Zanon

GOALTENDER:

Thomas

Hutchinson

Scratches– …… Mottau

Injuries:

Nathan Horton (Concussion) – Boston’s top right winger remains sidelined with a concussion he suffered back on January 21.

Rich Peverley (MCL) – Peverley will sit out his ninth consecutive game as he continues to rehab his MCL injury.

Andrew Ference (Lower Body)  — The B’s dependable D-man will miss his third game with what’s simply being called a “lower body” injury.

Daniel Paille (Undisclosed) — The Bruins’ gritty fourth line forward will be missing his second straight game after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Islanders in the third period.

Tuukka Rask (Groin) — The B’s back-up ‘tender is slated to be out of commission until mid-April with a lower abdomen/groin strain.

Last Time We Met: Maple Leafs 1 , Bruins 4

– The last time these two Northeast division rivals met was way back on December 3 when the B’s took home a 4-1 win on TD Garden ice. The Black and Gold have won each of the four match-ups between these two squads this season, outscoring the Leafs by a 23-6 margin.

Prediction: After winning in new bench boss Randy Carlyle’s debut, the Leafs seem to be getting things back on track. I can see Toronto has the more desperate team right now, and they’ll come out strong at home to get back into the playoff picture.

Bruins 2 , Maple Leafs 4

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5.) —–> To Chicago: Hal Gill, Travis Moen, 5th Round Pick

—–> To Montreal: Kyle Beach, Brandon Saad, 2nd Round Pick

– Seemingly going nowhere this season it may be time for the Habs and GM Pierre Gauthier to start thinking about unloading some pieces in an attempt to build for the future. Both Gill and Moen are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer and could provide a Cup-hunting Blackhawks team with some added depth and grit for a playoff run this spring. Neither Moen nor Gill give you much in the way of flash or skill, but both are very durable players who have a Stanley Cup on their resume. For Montreal, both Beach and Saad fit the mold of what the Habs need the most: big, strong power forwards who can put the puck in the net. While neither will give Montreal much in the way of immediate assistance, they both have the potential to become cogs in the Canadiens’ lineup for years to come.

4.) —–> To Boston: Tuomo Ruutu, Bryan Allen

—–> To Carolina: Jordan Caron, Matt Bartkowski, 2nd Round Pick

– For a team that has simply run roughshod on the Eastern Conference since the start of November there really aren’t many glaring holes on a roster full of Stanley Cup winners. However, like we saw last February, GM Peter Chiarelli isn’t afraid to tinker with his team in order to add the necessary depth to make another run at Lord Stanley. This trade makes perfect sense for a Boston team that still relies on an inexperienced Steven Kampfer as it’s seventh defenseman. The hard-nosed Bryan Allen isn’t known much for his offense (0G/7A in 51 games this season) but can provide a solid defensive presence in his end of the ice, as well as log some valuable time on the penalty kill. Like Allen, the 28-year-old Ruutu will be a free agent on July 1. The Finland native seems to have been cut from the same mold as Boston winger Rich Peverley in the way that he can be trusted in any situation. Ruutu has posted fifteen goals and added eleven assists in 51 games this season while being shuffled up and down the Carolina lineup.

3.) —–> To Philadelphia: Ryan Suter, 3rd Round Pick

—–> To Nashville: James Van Riemsdyk, Brayden Schenn, Andrej Meszaros, Jody Shelley, 1st Round Pick

– Now, I’d put this trade as the least likely to happen, at least not until this summer. A deal like this makes perfect sense for a Flyers team that will be without captain Chris Pronger for the remainder of the season. Ryan Suter is perhaps the most underrated defenseman in the entire NHL. Often overshadowed by Shea Weber, Suter has quietly stacked together one all-star season after another and is slated to finally cash in this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The question still remains as to if the cash-strapped Predators can re-sign Suter to a long term deal to keep him in Nashville. However, if GM David Poile comes to the realization that he will not be resigning with the Preds, he would be better served to deal him now than let him walk for nothing this July. The package I’ve presented seems like quite a hefty price for one player but keep in mind, true number one defensemen simply do not grow on trees. While I really can’t see this one happening before the deadline, if Suter is adamant about not re-upping in Nashville, I can’t see any better scenario for the Predators’ franchise both now and into the future.

2.) —–> To Toronto: Jeff Carter, 3rd Round Pick

—–> To Columbus: Luke Schenn, Nikolai Kulemin, 2nd Round Pick

– There’s no question that Jeff Carter’s brief stay in Ohio’s capital is coming to an early end. Reportedly frustrated by the entire situation, the former Flyers star has put up only seventeen points (10G/7A) in 30 games this season while playing for the league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets. While many teams would be skeptical of accepting any player with ten years left on his contract, the Leafs have been on a league-wide search for a true number one center since Brian Burke took the helm in November of 2008. It’s my belief that if Carter is surrounded by a talented team (like he was in Philadelphia) he will once again be able to return to his elite form. While many could think of this as an overpayment for Carter, I would argue that while Schenn still looks like a future all-star, he seems to be the odd man out on a Leafs’ blueline already manned by Dion Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek and John-Michael Liles — all of whom are signed to lucrative contracts. Kulemin is a young player with loads of skill and potential who seems to be struggling under the hockey-crazed pressure cooker that is Toronto. Perhaps a change of scenery would do him a world of good. In Toronto, Maple Leafs’ fans may be foaming at the mouth with the thoughts of putting an elite pivot in between all-star wingers Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul.

1.)  —–> To Minnesota: Zach Parise

—–> To New Jersey: Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, 2nd Round Pick

– This trade simply makes too much sense. With Parise still unsigned and the Devils’ ownership situation still uncertain, it’s easy to suggest that New Jersey will be unable to retain Parise at year’s end. Recent speculation has suggested that the 5’11″ Minneapolis would like nothing better than to return to his home state to continue his career, making him a perfect fit for the Wild. However, a former 40-goal scorer with extensive leadership qualities simply does not come cheap. With this package the Devils pick up a solid return for a guy who will likely be gone for nothing on July 1. Devin Setoguchi is a solid young winger who can play top-six minutes and provide some pop playing across from Ilya Kovalchuk. In Coyle and Brodin New Jersey receives two former first round selections who look to be sure bet NHL contributors in the near future. Parise should provide the right type of boost for a Wild team trying to work themselves off of the playoff fringe.

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5.) Jackets Fail For Nail

– Without question the worst team in hockey through the first half of the season, the Blue Jackets have been an unmitigated disaster all year long. Entering the season most hockey journalists (including myself) had Columbus pegged for their second post-season appearance in franchise history. However, the aforementioned NHL pundits could not have been more wrong. With the acquisitions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski not panning out, look for the Blue Jackets to deal one of the two before the deadline. Purely based on Wisniewski’s massive contract, my guess would be Carter moves on for greener pastures elsewhere. The former Flyers’ standout should bring GM Scott Howson a decent haul and will help them continue to build for the future as they trudge along on the “Fail For Nail” campaign.

4.) Kessel Posts 90 Points, Finally Quiets Critics

– Perhaps the most talked about trade in recent Boston sports history, the Bruins–Leafs swap of September 2010 sent crafty winger Phil Kessel to the epicenter of hockey in exchange for three draft selections. Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli then used those picks to select forwards Tyler Seguin and Jared Knight as well as defenseman Dougie Hamilton. While Seguin has exploded onto the scene in the Hub, amassing 19 goals and 24 assists through 46 games this season Kessel has truly emerged as one of the league’s most prominent scorers. With 51 points (26G/25A) in 49 games, he and linemate Joffrey Lupul (20G/32A) have completely turned the Toronto franchise around, leading them to a top-eight position in the Eastern Conference. In the second half of this season, I believe that Kessel will easily reach the 40-goal marker and surpass his career high of 64 points to finally justify this trade and quiet the throngs of critics who have harassed the Minnesota native ever since he arrived on the scene in Toronto.

3.) Hitchcock, Blues Continue Magical Run

– Without doubt the biggest positive surprise of any team in the league this season has taken place underneath the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The Blues, who struggled mightily to begin the season under former coach Davis Payne, have been given new life since the arrival of veteran bench boss Ken Hitchcock. With no players in the NHL’s top-50 scoring leaders, the Blues’ team-first philosophy has shown through this season, leading them to the fifth seed in the Western Conference — a comfortable eleven points ahead of ninth place Colorado –. Captain David Backes seems to have his team — a seemingly perfect blend of youth and experience — poised for a deep run through the post-season. In the shocker of the season, I can see the Blues becoming this year’s NHL Cinderella story, upsetting a team or two and making it to the Conference Finals this spring.

2.) Sabres, Habs Continue Rapid Fall From Grace

– Mired in the basement of the Eastern Conference, this season simply has not gone the way fans in Buffalo and Montreal had once thought it would. Currently sitting eight and ten points out of the playoff picture, the Sabres and the Habs have been absolute train-wrecks on ice the entire season. In Montreal, things went awry immediately out of the gate and have only been trending downwards since then. In a year that’s seen the departure of both an assistant coach and a head coach, an unheard of mid-game trade and continuous public outcry for a French-speaking bench boss, the city of Montreal has been an absolute circus all year long. In Buffalo, fans and players alike had Stanley Cup aspirations after new owner Terry Pegula’s ill-advised off-season spending spree. Unfortunately for the hockey-mad folks in Western new York, it just hasn’t quite worked out this season as their beloved Sabres sit tied for dead last in the Eastern Conference. What’s worse? GM Darcy Regier is handcuffed by the insanely generous contracts of Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino.

1.) Bruins, Rangers Will Battle For Eastern Conference Crown

– Now I could be getting ahead of myself a bit here but right now all signs are pointing towards an Original Six showdown with a spot in the Cup Finals on the line. Without a doubt the two best teams in the East through the first half of the season, New York and Boston have put together the two best records in the Conference through the first half of the season. Armed with gritty, two-way players who aren’t afraid to put the team before themselves, the B’s and Blueshirts almost mirror one another in terms of playing style. After putting together an instant classic earlier this month at TD Garden, it’d be easy for one to expect three more beautifully played contests between these two squads this season. However, I’m going to take it a step further and say that New York and Boston will once again meet in the Eastern Conference Finals this spring for yet another chapter in the Boston  vs. New York rivalry.

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However, something happened on the way to making the NHL more palatable to the masses. You might have noticed that your favorite player or players have been missing in action quite a bit this season.As of Thursday, 51 NHL players have been lost to concussions this season. On that list is the player many believe is the league’s best, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Crosby has played in just eight NHL games since suffering a concussion on Jan. 5, 2011.

That list has become a gargantuan story this season, much to the alarm of the league and teams, who have in the past attempted to minimize what independent medical experts have been citing for years: hockey has a concussion epidemic on its hands.

< READ MORE ON CBS New York >

Other pieces on CBS by BD:

HOW PLAYERS, NOT THE ISLES COACH WILL WALK PLANK THIS SEASON

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE? TELL THAT TO NY ISLANDERS FANS! 

Forwards ($38.05 MIL)

Line 1:

Phil Kessel (Toronto) $5.4 MIL — Jason Spezza (Ottawa) $7.0 MIL — Joffrey Lupul (Toronto) $4.25 MIL

I like the chemistry shown between Lupul and Kessel up in Toronto; throw in Jason Spezza’s world class play-making abilities, and you’ve got one of the best first lines in the league.

Line 2:

Brad Marchand (Boston) $2.5 MIL — Tyler Seguin (Boston) $3.5 MIL — Max Pacioretty (Montreal) $1.65 MIL

Boston’s duo of sensational sophomores have proven themselves as legitimate top-six forwards in this league. Their speed, coupled with the size and strength of Montreal’s budding power forward would provide a difficult match-up for any D-pairing.

Line 3:

Nick Foligno (Ottawa) $1.2 MIL — Patrice Bergeron (Boston) $5.0 MIL — Clarke MacArthur (Toronto) $3.25 MIL

You have got to love the versatility of this line. All three of these players can be counted on in any situation, including on both sides of special teams.

Line 4:

Daniel Paille (Boston) $1.1 MIL — Gregory Campbell (Boston) $1.1 MIL — Zenon Konopka (Ottawa) $0.70 MIL

Konopka and Campbell are two of the best face-off men in all of the NHL, while Daniel Paille can be a very valuable asset on the penalty-kill. All come at a very reasonable price and provide the team with the necessary grit to excel in today’s NHL.

13th Forward: Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo) $1.4 MIL

Defense ($19.85 MIL)

Pair 1:

Zdeno Chara (Boston) $6.9 MIL — Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) $1.3 MIL

Easily the two biggest no-brainers on this team, Chara and Karlsson provide the perfect balance of defense and offense on the squad’s top pair.

Pair 2:

P.K. Subban (Montreal) $0.85 MIL — Dennis Seidenberg (Boston) $3.25 MIL

Subban and Seidenberg also provide a great mix of offense and defense. Seidenberg’s veteran savvy and poise should be able to assist the young Subban’s development.

Pair 3:

Luke Schenn (Toronto) $3.6 MIL — Andrej Sekera (Buffalo) $2.75 MIL

The youngest pairing of the three, both players should be good enough to one day become top-pair defensemen. Meanwhile, both come at relatively inexpensive cap hits.

7th Defenseman:  Jake Gardiner (Toronto) $1.20 MIL

Goaltenders ($7.75 MIL)

1.) Tim Thomas (Boston) $5.0 MIL

2.) Carey Price (Montreal) $2.75 MIL

Boston’s Tim Thomas is once again putting up Vezina-worthy numbers, furthering the notion that he truly ages like a fine wine. Meanwhile, Carey Price, who comes with a manageable price tag, has also asserted himself as one of the best netminders in the game.

Recap:

Total Salary: $65.65 MIL

Cap Space: $0.00

Representation: Boston 8 , Toronto 5 , Ottawa 4 , Montreal 3 , Buffalo 2

General Manager: Peter Chiarelli (Boston)

Head Coach: Claude Julien (Boston)

– It’s hard to argue with the defending Stanley Cup champion head coach and GM combo.

Home Arena: Bell Centre (Montreal)

– One of the loudest buildings in the league, this one was an easy choice.

– NHL salary cap information courtesy of CapGeek.

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In 29 games this season, Kaberle, 33, has zero goald and nine assists and a 12 plus/minus rating. After a very rough start, he has notched four assists and a +2 rating in the last two games. As for Spacek, he has been on the injury reserve since November 16th because of an upper-body injury. Spacek has only played 12 games in an injury-filled season, recording three assists and a +2 rating.

Kaberle, who was acquired by the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline last season, won his first ever Stanley Cup before heading to free agency on July 1st. With Kaberle’s acquisition, the Habs now have six Stanley Cup champions (Gionta, Gomez, Cole, Gill, Moen and Kaberle).

After a rough start, the Hurricanes, who had recently hired Kirk Muller has their new head-coach to replace Paul Maurice, are starting to re-build around Cam Ward, Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. Carolina’s general manager Jim Rutherford simply made this move to get rid of Kaberle’s contract, which only ends in 2013-14. Spacek will provide veteran leadership to a young defensive squad in Carolina comprising talented young players such as Jamie McBain, Justin Faulk and Derek Joslin.

Kaberle, who is known for his offensive capabilities, was mainly acquired after Andrei Markov suffered another setback during his recovery from knee surgery. Markov, who was nearing a return last week, will miss an additional 4-6 weeks after undergoing a minor surgery to drain the excess liquid in his rehabilitating knee. The Canadiens’ inefficiency was also another reason why Pierre Gauthier decided to pull the trigger on Kaberle. The Canadiens are ranked 28th in the NHL on the man-advantage with a mediocre 11.4% after finishing 7th overall in 2010-11.

Kaberle had scored 38 points in 58 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs before the Bruins acquired him at the deadline, after which, he only registered 9 points in 24 games.

After the trade, the Canadiens sent Frederic St-Denis down to their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, to make room. St-Denis who scored his first NHL goal yesterday night against the Vancouver Canucks was victim of the numbers.

With Kaberle’s acquisition, the Habs’ blue line is about to get clogged as Chris Campoli is also nearing a return; add in the mix Hal Gill, Josh Gorges, PK Subban, Alexei Emelin, Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber and you have eight healthy defenseman at your disposal. The odd man out is most likely Weber, who was made a healthy scratch against the Canucks after playing poorly in the last few games.

What do you think of this trade? Do you think Kaberle is the solution to the Habs’ woes on the power play?

—
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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I’ll use the top seven defensemen of each team as a reference and will take the financial numbers from CapGeek.com. Players that are injured are included in the calculation.

1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,33 millions 25 games 15 wins 7 losses 3 OTL 33 points (5th EC)
Kimmo Timonen – $6,333,333
Chris Pronger – $4,921,429
Andrej Meszaros – $4,000,000
Matt Carle – $3,437,500
Braydon Coburn – $3,200,000
Matt Walker – $1,700,000
Andreas Lilja – $737,500

2. Los Angeles Kings – $22.56 millions 26 games 13 wins 9 losses 4 OTL 30 points (7th WC)
Drew Doughty – $7,000,000
Jack Johnson – $4,357,143
Willie Mitchell – $3,500,000
Rob Scuderi – $3,400,000
Matt Greene – $2,950,000
Alec Martinez – $737,500
Davis Drewiske – $616,667

3. Winnipeg Jets – $22.30 millions 26 games 11 wins 11 losses 4 OTL 26 points (11th EC)
Dustin Byfuglien – $5,200,000
Ron Hainsey – $4,500,000
Tobias Enstrom – $3,750,000
Johnny Oduya – $3,500,000
Zach Bogosian – $2,500,000
Mark Stuart – $1,700,000
Randy Jones – $1,150,000

4. Toronto Maple Leafs – $22.04 millions 26 games 14 wins 10 losses 2 OTL 30 points (6th EC)
Dion Phaneuf – $6,500,000
Mike Komisarek – $4,500,000
John-Michael Liles – $4,200,000
Luke Scheen – $3,600,000
Carl Gunnarsson – $1,325,000
Jake Gardiner – $1,116,667
Cody Franson – $800,000

5. Phoenix Coyotes – $21.48 millions 25 games 13 wins 9 losses 3 OTL 29 points (9th WC)
Keith Yandle – $5,250,000
Michal Rozsival – $5,000,000
Rotislav Klesla – $2,975,000
Derek Morris – $2,750,000
Adrian Aucoin – $2,000,000
Kurt Sauer – $1,750,000
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – $1,750,000

6. Detroit Red Wings – $20.96 millions 25 games 16 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 33 points (4th WC)
Nicklas Lidstrom – $6,200,000
Brad Stuart – $3,750,000
Jonathan Ericsson – $3,250,000
Niklas Kronwall – $3,000,000
Ian White – $2,875,000
Mike Commodore – $1,000,000
Jakub Kindl – $883,333

7. Vancouver Canucks – $20.53 millions 26 games 15 wins 10 losses 1 OTL 31 points (5th WC)
Kevin Bieksa – $4,600,000
Dan Hamhuis – $4,500,000
Keith Ballard – $4,200,000
Alexander Edler – $3,250,000
Sami Salo – $2,000,000
Andrew Alberts – $1,225,000
Aaron Rome – $750,000

8. Chicago Blackhawks – $20.31 millions 27 games 16 wins 8 losses 3 OTL 35 points (2nd WC)
Brent Seabrook – $5,800,000
Duncan Keith – $5,538,462
Niklas Hjalmarsson – $3,500,000
Steve Montador – $2,750,000
Nick Leddy – $1,116,666
Sean O’Donnell – $850,000
Sami Lepisto – $750,000

9. Calgary Flames – $19.75 millions 26 games 11 wins 13 losses 2 OTL 24 points (13th WC)
Jay Bouwmeester – $6,680,000
Mark Giordano – $4,020,000
Cory Sarich – $3,600,000
Anton Babchuk – $2,500,000
Chris Butler – $1,250,000
Scott Hannan – $1,000,000
Derek Smith – $700,000

10. Washington Capitals – $19.07 millions 25 games 13 wins 11 losses 1 OTL 27 points (8th EC)
Mike Green – $5,250,000
Dennis Wideman – $3,935,500
Roman Hamrlik – $3,500,000
Jeff Schultz – $2,750,000
John Erskine – $1,500,000
Karl Alzner – $1,285,000
John Carlson – $845,833

10. San Jose Sharks – $19.07 millions 23 games 14 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 29 points (8th WC)
Dan Boyle – $6,666,667
Brent Burns – $3,550,000
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – $3,100,000
Douglas Murray – $2,500,000
Jason Demers – $1,250,000
Jim Vandermeer – $1,000,000
Colin White – $1,000,000

In comparison, the league-leading Minnesota Wild with 37 points, are spending only $12.36 millions on their defensive brigade.

As you can see, there is no guaranteed success if you spend a lot of money on your defensive brigade, as only the Chicago Blackhawks are leading their division amongst the teams that spend the most money on their blue line.

2010-11 rankings
1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,89M
2. Toronto Maple Leafs – $24.28M
3. Vancouver Canucks – $23.35M
4. Detroit Red Wings – $21.83M
5. Calgary Flames – $21.59M
6. Chicago Blackhawks – $21.29M
7. Atlanta Thrashers (Winnipeg Jets) – $21.06M
8. Montreal Canadiens – $20.25M
9. Pittsburgh Penguins – $19.11M
10. Boston Bruins – $18.58M

———-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

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Through a first period that had it’s ups and downs of entertaining action, the game remained scoreless, despite a handful of quality chances from both teams.

The score would remain 0-0, up until the 4:20 mark of the second frame when the newly-signed David Krejci potted his 5th of the season after a beauty of behind-the-net pass from Nathan Horton found it’s way onto the stick of the 25-year-old Czech-born pivot. Unfortunately for Boston, a mere 0:48 seconds later, noted Bruins’ killer Mikhail Grabovski evened the score at 1 as he blasted a slapshot over the right shoulder of Tuukka Rask and into the Boston goal. The 5’11″ native of Potsdam, Germany has now scored 12 goals and added 3 assists in 25 career games against the Bruins.

 ”I like to play against good teams, it’s good for me. I mostly remember scoring my first NHL goal against Boston. I guess it’s a little bit lucky against this team (Boston).” – Mikhail Grabovski

After some brilliant work on the penalty-kill twice during the period, the B’s were able to regain the lead at the 13:11 mark when Rich Peverley connected with a streaking Chris Kelly who found the back of the net for his 10th of the season. The goal continues what has been a remarkable season thus far for no. 23, who has already posted 17 points (10G/7A) for the B’s.

“I think it was a great play by Benny (Benoit Pouliot) to (enter) the zone. We were getting a change and he started the whole play off and Andrew (Ference) joined later. They had a good read and obviously the pass from Pevs (Rich Peverley) was right on and I didn’t have to do much.”  – Chris Kelly

It wasn’t until 3:06 into the third period that another puck would find the back of the net, when Johnny Boychuk extended the B’s lead to 3-1 on his third goal of the season –all on slapshots from the right point– after some hard-work in the corners from Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. “You know me, come on. No muffin wrister. I’ll take a slap shot” Boychuk said jokingly in his post-game press interview. With only 5:34 remaining in the 3rd period, after a solid three minutes of dominating play withing the Leafs’ zone, David Krejci found Nathan Horton open in the slot and he rifled it through a screen and past Reimer to extend the Boston lead to 4-1. Despite a flurry of late third period chances from the Bruins, who controlled the action for the better part of the rest of the game, the score would remain 4-1 as Boston walked away with their 4th straight win and their 13th in the past 14 games.

“They are a good team, they play well as a team and they had us pinned in for some pretty good stretches there. Some of the big bodies that they have, it’s tough to get the puck back. They control the puck pretty well and I think it showed there.” – John-Michael Liles

Throughout the first two periods, these two Northeast division squads looked relatively evenly matched, as two teams fighting for first place should. However, it was in the third period that Boston took over and proved themselves a better team. Out-shooting Toronto by an 11-4 margin and controlling play for the better portion of the period, the B’s scored two goals in the final frame to improve their record to 4-0-0 against the Leafs this season.

“I thought that as the game went on we were better and better and we were just controlling the puck. And then we were just really making smart plays without taking some risks. And we were basically controlling the game from that point.” — Zdeno Chara

KEY STATS

Goals–                        TOR (1)            BOS (4)

Shots–                       TOR (22)           BOS (30)

Power-Play–           TOR (0-4)          BOS (0-2)

Penalty-Kill–           TOR (2-2)          BOS (4-4)

• Three Stars– ….. 3.) David Krejci  ….. 2.) Tuukka Rask     ….. 1.) Johnny Boychuk

What’s Next?

Next on the docket for the Bruins is a visit to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center on Monday night to kick off what will be a very busy week for the Black and Gold.

“It’s going to be a big game. We haven’t faced them this season yet. Obviously they got a healthy team. I’m sure it’s going to be a good game.” – Zdeno Chara

It’s a quick 24-hour turnaround for the B’s as they will then make their first ever visit to the MTS Centre to face the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday evening. The Maple Leafs will also be faced with a set of back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday, as they visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden prior to hosting Zach Parise and the Devils back at the Air Canada Centre.

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Tonight’s Line-Up (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Horton

Pouliot–Kelly–Peverley

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Rask

Thomas

Scratches– ….. None

– Tonight’s game can be seen on NESN (Edwards, Brickley) and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers), the flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

NEWS & NOTES

– Tonight the Toronto Maple Leafs will receive a much needed emotional boost from the return of their no. 1 goaltender, James Reimer. As I suggested in Wednesday’s blog, the 23-year-old Manitoba native will make his first start tonight since October 22, when he suffered a concussion, courtesy of Montreal Canadiens’ captain Brian Gionta.

– Bruins’ youngsters Jordan Caron and Steven Kampfer are both not with the team today after being sent to Providence early on Thursday morning. Both took part in the P-Bruins’ 4-1 loss to the Connecticut Whale on Friday and will likely be back in action on Saturday evening as Providence pays a visit to the Manchester Monarchs.

– Former Boston Bruins’ prospect and 2008 first round draft choice Joe Colborne will likely be making his TD Garden debut on Saturday night. Since being dealt to Toronto last February in the trade that sent Tomas Kaberle the way of the Bruins, the 6’5″ Colborne has notched one goal and added four assists in seven career games with the Leafs.

– Tonight will mark the first game of the month of December for Boston. The Bruins enter the final month of the calendar year after a historical 12-0-1 run through November. The B’s 13-game point streak will be put on the line on Saturday against a Maple Leafs’ team looking to re-take control of the Northeast division.

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People are always asking me, do I know about Brian Burke?

It was right in everyone’s face Brian and I just made it visible, it was right on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Brian and I just gave it a name, it was an event searching for a venue and we gave it a barn by Lake Placid

Gentlemen, welcome to NHL Fight Club

The first rule of NHL Fight Club is you do not tweet about NHL Fight Club.

The 2nd Rule of NHL Fight Club is you do not retweet BizNasty’s tweets about NHL Fight Club.

3rd Rule: If someone says “stop” or goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Unless they’re a little fake artist.

4th Rule: is the Third Man in Rule … huh maybe we should make that the third rule

5th Rule: Only one fight at a time fellahs, unless NFL Fight Club is also running, then no fights allowed at all.

6th Rule: No shirts, No shoes …… jesus Rob Ray put your pants back on.

7th Rule: Fights will go on as long as the linesmen think they have to

8th Rule: If this is your first night at NHL Fight Club … you have to fight. Lay off Konopka, this is your 9th ‘first night’ in a row

What’s that Smell?

Leading the way for the B’s on Wednesday was their much-maligned (this season) top line of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic.  The Boston first line, which hadn’t seen a multi-goal performance since Nathan Horton on November 7 against the Islanders, combined for 3 goals, 4 assists and a +5 total rating on Wednesday. It is imperative for the B’s to get their top line back on track and producing at a consistent pace, and last night was a huge step in the right direction for head coach Claude Julien’s bunch.

Despite allowing an early power-play goal to noted Bruins-killer Mikhail Grabovski, Boston was able to outscore the Leafs 6-2 over the remainder of the game. It was at the 15:08 mark of the first frame that Milan Lucic would knot the score at one a side when he went upstairs of Leafs’ netminder Jonas Gustavsson after a bit of beautiful triangle passing on the power-play.

After a back-and-forth second period in which the B’s would take a 3-2 lead after David Krejci notched his 4th of the season and Zdeno Chara added his 5th of the campaign, it appeared as if Boston had took control of the game’s momentum. It was at the 3:03 mark of the final frame that the Bruins took control of the game as Benoit Pouliot picked the corner on Gustavsson for his 3rd of the season to make the score 4-2. A mere 2:57 later, Toronto would answer as rookie Matt Frattin scored his second of the season after an unlucky bounce caught Tim Thomas off guard and the puck ended up in the Boston net. At the 15:21 mark of the third period, as David Krejci set up shop in Wayne Gretzky’s office, Milan Lucic found his way to the front of the Toronto net for the eventual redirection of a pass from the Czech-born centerman for his second goal of the night. Brad Marchand would add an empty-netter with 0:52 seconds remaining to seal the 6-3 win for Boston as they continue their domination of Original Six rival Toronto. The Bruins have now outscored the Leafs by an astonishing 19-5 total in three games this season.

KEY STATS

Goals–                        BOS (6)            TOR (3)

Shots–                       BOS (40)           TOR (37)

Power-Play–           BOS (1-5)          TOR (1-2)

Penalty-Kill–           BOS (1-2)          TOR (4-5)

• Three Stars– ….. 3.) Luke Schenn ….. 2.) Milan Lucic    ….. 1.) David Krejci

What’s Next?

Following tonight’s game both teams will make the trip to Boston for the second half of this home-and-home series between these two original six rivals on Saturday night. In their only meeting at TD Garden this season, Boston steamrolled the Leafs by a 6-2 score.

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Tonight’s Line-Up (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Horton

Pouliot–Kelly–Peverley

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Thomas

Rask

Scratches– ….. Caron , Kampfer

– Tonight’s game can be seen on NESN (Edwards, Brickley) and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers), the flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

NEWS & NOTES

– Toronto will once again be without injured goaltender James Reimer, who has been out with concussion symptoms since being steamrolled by Montreal’s Brian Gionta in a game back in October. However, reports suggest that the 6’2″ Manitoba native may be back in the Leafs’ lineup on Saturday night at the TD Garden. Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens are expected to be the two netminders dressed for Ron Wilson’s team tonight.

– In two meetings with the Leafs this season, the Bruins have very clearly been the superior team. Outscoring Toronto to the tune of 13-2, Boston holds a 2-0-0 record against the Maple Leafs in 2011.

– As mentioned above, the B’s have secured 23 of a possible 24 points in the month of November. Tonight the Bruins have the chance to close out their first month without a regulation loss since January of 1969.

– Former Bruin Phil Kessel continues to shine in Toronto, posting a league leading 16 goals and adding 15 helpers in only 24 games of action.

– The product of the infamous Kessel-to-Toronto trade is none other than Tyler Seguin (among others). Seguin, a native of the Greater Toronto area, stole the show  in the B’s last visit to the ACC, registering the first hat-trick of his NHL career, en route to a 7-0 Boston victory.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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GOON:

In our support of the lack of hockey movies, comes this info from the movie company to us.

“We have a great throwback hockey movie coming out and we would love to get your support. Its violent and insanely funny.”

Starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill and Liev Schreiber
Written by Jay Baruchel, Evan Goldberg (SUPERBAD and  PINEAPPLE EXPRESS)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Synopsis
Labelled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of underperforming misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.

The film opens on VOD on 2/24 and In Theatres 3/30

Based from the book “Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey”

www.goonthemovie.com

Official Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/GoonFilm

Some more on the movie comes from Slash Film

The Leafs have no doubt gotten off to a torrid start, but really have they met expectations thus far? The answer on the surface to any Leaf fan would be a definitive yes. However if you really look deeper at how this team has produced , the facts are quite startling and the results against Boston and Florida could soon become the norm.

Amongst people who know hockey well, special teams is key to any team doing well. Scott Gordon and Greg Cronin were brought in to fix these issues. Through 15 games Toronto is only killing slightly over seventy percent of their penalties and the power play has not looked superb either.

Look even further at the Leafs blue line, which Brian Burke insists is the strength of this hockey team. The Leafs rank dead last in goals against, and projected top four blue liner Cody Franson has not worked out so far. Add in the fact that Tim Connolly, who is supposed to be Phil Kessel’s partner in crime, has only played 6 games thus far, and it is easy to see that maybe this team hasn’t achieved as much as people think.

Overall the Leafs haven’t met any expectations thus far, seeing as they haven’t qualified for the playoffs. They haven’t improved in areas that playoff teams excel in and have been winning by narrow margins. The bounces can only go their way for so long, and until they sort out these problems they will not be meeting anybody’s expectations this year or anytime soon for that matter.

Former Maple Leaf Kris Versteeg will play his 2^nd game in Toronto since being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers last season.  In his first game back in Toronto, Kris was held off the score sheet. However, Kris is off to a great start with the Panthers. He’s leading the Panthers in points, and scoring at a point per game pace.  (13P in 13GP).

Jose Theodore is expected to get the start for the Panthers, while Jonas Gustavsson is set to play in his 9^th game of the season. James Reimer is still out with his upper body injury.

Toronto Maple Leafs Expected Lines:

Nikolai Kulemin – Mikhail Grabovski – Clarke MacArthur
Joffrey Lupul – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel
Matt Frattin – Matthew Lombardi – Joey Crabb
Mike Brown – David Steckel – Philippe Dupuis

Carl Gunnarsson – Dion Phaneuf
John-Michael Liles – Mike Komisarek
Jake Gardiner – Luke Schenn

Jonas Gustavsson
Ben Scrivens

Scratches: Jay Rosehill, Colton Orr, Cody Franson
Injuries: Colby Armstrong (Ankle), James Reimer (Upper Body), Tim Connolly (Upper Body)

Florida Panthers Expected Lines:

Tomas Fleischmann – Stephen Weiss – Kris Versteeg
Marco Sturm – Marcel Goc – Jack Skille
Scottie Upshall – Mike Santorelli – Tomas Kopecky
Sean Bergenheim – Shawn Matthias – Matt Bradley

Brian Campbell – Jason Garrison
Keaton Ellerby – Ed Jovanovski
Dmitry Kulikov – Mike Weaver

Jose Theodore
Scott Clemmensen

Scratches:  Erik Gudbranson
Injuries: Mikael Samuelsson (Groin)

Much of Leafs Nation, myself included, were anticipating the call to go to AHL leading scorer, Joe Colborne. There were many different reasons to believe this would be the case. The most notable reason is obviously being he is a centre. Another reason would to line Colborne up with Joey Crabb. The two of them were absolutely dynamite in the AHL, until Crabb’s call up. The Leafs brass has also hinted towards the possibility of calling the big centre up. However, Ron Wilson absolutely loves Matt Frattin, and what he brings to the rink.

It does make sense. Matt Lombardi can now move to his natural centre position on the third line, and Matt Frattin adds some strength and grit up front. The Maple Leafs were absolutely dominated by the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, not only on the score board, but also physically. Nobody could win a battle against the boards. The addition of Matt Frattin to the line up, will probably help more in that regard, than adding Joe Colborne to the mix.

There is no rush for Joe Colborne. The AHL player of the month for October is going to be Maple Leaf soon enough, whether it’s this season, or another. Joe has all the talent he needs to play in the NHL, but his main focus should be improving his skating.

*Sorry for inactivity, had some computer problems. Blogs will be coming much, much, MUCH more frequently.

Regardless of either player’s feelings for one another, 24-year old Maple Leafs’ winger Phil Kessel and 19-year old Bruins’ pivot Tyler Seguin will be linked and compared to one another throughout their entire careers. All of this thanks to a trade in the summer of 2009 that sent 3 top-end draft choices (the first of which was used to draft Seguin 2nd overall) to Boston, in exchange for Kessel.

Despite Boston fans loathing the mere mention of Kessel’s name, the 24-year old Minnesota native has become a prominent scorer in the NHL, during his time with the Maple Leafs. Entering Thursday’s game, Kessel had registered a league-leading 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 total points. However, as he has done in previous games against his former team, Kessel went into a proverbial shell on Thursday, while Seguin lead his team to a 6-2 victory over the previously undefeated Leafs.

The Leafs found a way to get on the board first, after David Steckel beat Tim Thomas glove side on a wrist-shot. However, after that goal, the Bruins would impose their physical presence, and  dominate the Leafs. The Bruins would soon answer with two tallies on the power-play, courtesy of Nathan Horton and Zdeno Chara. Not to be overlooked was the puck-handling & hard-work of Benoit Pouliot, who drew both first period penalties against the Leafs, to set the Bruins up on the Power-play. Head Coach Claude Julien took notice of the strong play by the 6’3″ former Canadien:

“He’s competing hard. He’s really trying to fit in, and he’s trying to do that with his compete level. Although he hasn’t done much on the score sheet, I think he’s coming around and feeling a little bit more comfortable”. – Claude Julien

Coach Julien’s decision to switch up his forward lines continued to pay dividends, when Chris Kelly found the back of the net, when he batted home his own rebound on the back-hand to extend the lead to 3-1. The struggling Maple Leafs would never be able to recover from this 2-goal deficit. Despite a 2nd period that saw the Maple Leafs out-shoot the B’s 14-11 through a scoreless 20 minutes, Boston would bounce back in the 3rd period.

A mere 2:08 into the final frame, Milan Lucic potted his first of the year as he redirected a beautiful cross-crease pass from Tyler Seguin. The Black & Gold did not stop there, as 8 minutes later, Patrice Bergeron made it 5-1 on a quick release wrist-shot over the glove of Jonas Gustavsson. At the 11:43 mark, only 1:35 after Bergeron’s tally, Milan Lucic fed Tyler Seguin in the slot for his 2nd goal of the season. Seguin clearly appreciated Lucic’s returning the favor (of setting the other player up for a goal):

“I’m going to do that every game now if he keeps giving me that nice pass. On his goal he just drove to the net and luckily I got to his stick. And on my goal he took everyone with him. He’s got such a good body that protected the puck and put it right on my tape and luckily it went in” – Tyler Seguin

Thursday was a special night for the 19-year old Brampton, ON native (Seguin), as he set a new career high with 3 points in the game (1 goal, 2 assists). Meanwhile, the face of the league’s most recognizable franchise, Phil Kessel, managed only 1 shot on goal and a -1 in 20:11 of play. Seguin is now Boston’s leading scorer, with 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 7 games this season.

KEY STATS

Goals–                    TOR (2)   BOS (6)

Shots–                   TOR (28)   BOS (43)

Power-Play–      TOR (0-4)   BOS (2-5)

Penalty-Kill–      TOR (3-5)   BOS (4-4)

Three Stars …..3.) Andrew Ference ….. 2.) Milan Lucic ….. 1.) Zdeno Chara

NOTE– Bruins’ Defenseman Andrew Ference tied a single-game  career high, with 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists) in Thursday’s game.

What’s Next?
Next on the slate for the Bruins are the defending Pacific division champion San Jose Sharks.  The Sharks (1-3-0) will be playing in the second half of a back-to-back set, following their game on Friday night in New Jersey. San Jose will be looking to get a boost upon the arrival of newly-acquired winger Martin Havlat, as he returns from injury on Friday night. The Sharks are off to an uncharacteristically poor start this season, when they take on the B’s for the only time this year. For the Leafs, it’s off to Montreal for another divisional battle against the Canadiens on Saturday evening.

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Tonight at TD Garden, the Boston Bruins (2-4-0 (4 Points)) will play host to the white-hot Toronto Maple Leafs (4-0-1 (9 Points)). The Bruins will look to rebound from an ordinarily ugly loss at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night in the Hub. Tonight also kicks off divisional play for the Bruins, who have yet to play against Ottawa, Montreal, or Buffalo. For the Leafs, it will be their 3rd against NorthEast division foes, as their current record against them sits a 2-0-0 after wins against Montreal and Ottawa.

Early on Thursday morning, the Bruins announced that they have assigned 23-year-old defenseman Matt Bartkowski to Providence of the AHL. Playing in 3 of Boston’s 6 games in 2011-’12, the 6’1″ Pittsburgh native accumulated 0-0-0 totals with a plus/minus of -2. It has been evident through all 3 of his appearances that Bartkowski is best-suited for  more seasoning at the AHL level. The biggest issue that Bartkowski is facing currently is confidence. Hopefully, for his sake, more time in the AHL will help him gain that much-needed confidence and “swagger”.

With Bartkowski being demoted to Providence, it means that young Steven Kampfer will be making his season debut this evening. Kampfer is coming off a knee injury that he suffered during the pre-season, and appears to be back in game shape. Kampfer was present at morning skate, and was taking line drills alongside Andrew Ference. Unfortunately for the Bruins, d-man Adam McQuaid was again absent from practice this morning, and will miss his 3rd straight game.  The 6’4″ PEI native missed the past two games for the B’s after suffering a minor neck injury on October 12 in Carolina.

Through 6 games, the Bruins are currently the (not so) proud owners of the league’s worst goals per game average — a dismal 1.67–. It was evident on Tuesday that the status-quo was simply not getting it done for the B’s. They needed a change, and Head Coach Claude Julien knew exactly that. Known for his by-the-book type style and resistance to change, Julien took a step out of the ordinary during Tuesday’s game by running a massive overhaul of his top-3 forward lines. The Bruins are hoping that the shakeup will help spark (among others) Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, who have a combined 3 points and 18 shots, through 6 games this season.

With all that in mind, Tonight’s lineup Projects as this (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Lucic–Kelly–Seguin

Marchand–Bergeron–Horton

Caron–Peverley–Pouliot/Krejci

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE
Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–Kampfer

GOALTENDER

Thomas

Rask

NOTE – Toronto netminder James Reimer got the start last night at the ACC against the Winnipeg Jets, therefore Swedish goaltender and Toronto back-up Jonas Gustavsson is expected in goal for the Leafs tonight.

NOTE– Bruins’ top playmaker David Krejci was present at this morning’s skate and was taking line rushes with Rich Peverley, Benoit Pouliot & Jordan Caron. It is entirely possible that #46 returns to the lineup this evening. Krejci has not played since October 10, after suffering a “core injury” during  practice on October 11.

Tonight’s game can be seen on NESN (Edwards, Brickley) beginning at 7PM EST, or heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers), the flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

Thanks For Reading!

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Most would be surprised that towering shutdown man Keith Aulie was assigned to the Marlies, however, not for his play. Coming into training camp, most of us all pictured Keith Aulie a virtual lock. The Captain’s former partner step it up in a large way last season, after being called up. Not only did he punish the opposing forwards, but he seemed to make partner Dion Phaneuf play better. There is no question that Aulie has been a disappointment. However, he did not play his way off the team. If not for the excellent play of Jake Gardiner, and the shortage of waiver exempt defence… Aulie would be in the lineup come Thursday night.

With Gardiner and Aulie the only defencemen available to be assigned to the AHL, Ron Wilson, and the rest of his staff, had a choice to make. Do they stick to their word and preaching that if you play yourself onto the team… they will make a spot for you? Or do they take the easy way out, let the young Gardiner play in the AHL, while playing the surprising “success” story of last season, who had a less than “successful” training camp. Ultimately, they stuck to their word, and gave Gardiner the spot he deserved. It’s a tough problem to make a solution for, but it is as you could say… “A good problem to have”.

That being said, Gardiner is not exactly a lock for the season. He’s still going to be waiver exempt the whole season, and could easily slip to the AHL, if things don’t go so well. Playing with veteran Mike Komisarek isn’t exactly going to help him in that regard. There is no rush for this kid. Jake Gardiner had a fantastic, surprising training camp, but we should all know that spectacular training camps don’t always turn into fantastic results in the regular season. (Yes Viktor Stalberg, I’m talking about you…)

Darryl Boyce being demoted was surprising to many Leafs fans. However, it really shouldn’t have been. Boyce is a centre on a team with Grabovski, Connolly, Bozak, Lombardi, and Dupuis… Is it really a big deal that Darryl Boyce isn’t going to be the team’s 13^th forward? Is having Boyce in between Mike Brown and Colton Orr really going to be the difference between making the playoffs, and breaking out the golf clubs early yet again?

In goal, there were no surprises. Ben Scrivens was assigned to the Marlies on the weekend, and James Reimer is ready to start against the Montreal Canadians on Thursday night, despite his mediocre preseason performances, and Jonas Gustavsson will obviously backing him up.

Another dilemma will be the plans of young winger Matt Frattin. The hobey baker finalist had a very respectable camp, and has earned a spot for now. The suspension of Clarke MacArthur all but sealed the deal with Matt Frattin. He’s catching all the breaks, Nazem Kadri getting injured, and now Clarke’s suspension. It should give Matt a chance to play alongside Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin. However, when Clarke MacArthur is back, it will be hard to pencil Frattin even in the lineup. Matt Lombardi seems ready enough for top – nine minutes, even if Wilson says they’re going to ease him in. At some point, Lombardi’s play will likely force Wilson to give him the top nine minutes his skill requires. At that time, its likely Matt Frattin is sent down to the AHL, to play for the Toronto Marlies.

Finally, the NHL regular season is here. Well sort of. The Maple Leafs play Montreal on Thursday night, and Ottawa on Saturday night. For some idiotic reason, they don’t play again until the following Saturday. This might be another reason why we might see Tim Connolly not suit up for the first two regular season games. Ron Wilson penciled him as “50-50” for opening night, and knowing that Connolly could essentially have another week off to heal; Wilson might be inclined to let him sit out. Yes Leafs fans, this means Tyler Bozak will once again be our center for Phil Kessel, on opening night. If I told you that on the last regular season game just a season ago, you would probably call for Burke’s head. Trust me, it’s not that bad. Just be happy hockey’s back, and you’re done reading this article.

***Also, today the Leafs announced that they have acquired David Steckel from the New Jersey Devils, in exchange for a 4^th round pick. David Steckel brings size in the bottom six, and will help the penalty kill immensely.

     Last season Leaf fans saw multiple players have roles on the third line, at some point. This year, it may just be the same. Luckily, the skill level of the players that may play on the third line this season has increased, substantially. However it’s all but set for opening night. Kadri – Bozak – Armstrong is the expected third line to start the year. However, multiple questions are going to arise throughout the season. The status of Matthew Lombardi is only one of them. After missing all but two games last season because of post-concussion syndrome, the speedy centre is going to have to fight to earn his position on this team, when he is deemed ready to go. The question of whether or not he will be as productive as he was earlier in his career, before his concussion issue, is yet to be answered.

     Another likely candidate at some point during the season is Matt Frattin. The Hobey Baker finalist from just one year ago will most likely start with the Marlies this season, barring any injuries between now and opening night. However, Matt has prototypical grit, and brings a scoring punch, which is exactly what Brian Burke likes in a player. Unfortunately for him, he’s in tough, with former 7^th overall pick Nazem Kadri looking better than ever at training camp. It is likely that the Leafs’ brass will decide that Matt Frattin is better off going down and playing top line minutes for the Marlies, while being taught by AHL head coach Dallas Eakins.

     With the fourth line, it’ll be interesting who gets the nod for centre. Darryl Boyce, and Phillipe Dupuis are in a dog fight, for this position. Both players served time in the National Hockey League last season, Boyce with the Leafs, Dupuis with the Colorado Avalanche. Both guys are tough, and gritty. Dupuis isn’t afraid to drop the gloves, and Boyce has had his nose taken off or broken about six hundred million and a half times.

     There is no question that Dion Phaneuf, Luke Schenn,and John Michael Liles are virtually set to play as many games as their bodies will let them this season. The interesting candidates are Keith Aulie, Carl Gunnarsson, Cody Franson, Mike Komisarek, and blue chip prospect Jake Gardiner. Aulie seems like he’ll be a lock after his steady and solid play when paired with Captain Dion Phaneuf last season. However the only thing against him is that he is isn’t eligible for waivers. If Jake Gardiner impresses the Leafs’ brass so much that they believe they absolutely need him in the NHL this season, Aulie may get shafted. However, it is unlikely that Wilson decides to force Gardiner into the lineup, especially if it meant having to send down the Captain’s partner. On the right side, the Leafs have Phaneuf, Schenn, Komisarek, and Cody Franson. On the left, the Leafs have Liles, Aulie, and Gunnarsson. So assuming the top four consists of Phaneuf, Schenn, Aulie, and Liles… Gunnarsson, Komisarek, and BC native Cody Franson will likely be battling it out. Not just at camp, but throughout the entire season.

     The goalies are obviously set in stone, unless injuries occur of course. James Reimer is the obvious number one guy, with Jonas Gustavsson backing him up. Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas are likely to share time with the Marlies, and will battle with each other for the number one role there.

     Despite all the battles, a positive for the Leafs and their fans, is that it seems as if we finally have NHL calibre depth. If injuries or transactions occur, there are definitely options out there that can help the team get better. And really, that is the difference between this year’s team and last. If injuries occurred to guys last year, we would see AHL calibre players come up for sure. This year, if and when we need some, we’ll have strong candidates for the job.

-Mitch Gleaves

HOCKEY LEGENDS PAT LAFONTAINE AND STEVE WEBB TO RIDE 550 MILES FOR W20
FOUNDATION AND COMPANIONS IN COURAGE FOUNDATION

NEW YORK (September 19, 2011) –NHL alumnus Steve Webb and Hockey Hall
of Fame inductee Pat LaFontaine began a 550-mile bike ride this morning
from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in route to the NHL Powered by
Reebok Store in New York City in support of their respective charitable
efforts, the W20 Foundation and the Companions in Courage Foundation. Both
are expected to complete their historic ride on Wednesday, September 21 at
12:00 p.m. ET with a special celebration at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store
in midtown Manhattan.

“The NHL is proud to support these two hockey legends as they embark
on this epic charitable ride. On behalf of the NHL family we proudly salute
Pat and Steve, and wish them the best of luck” said Ken Martin, Jr., NHL
Vice President of Community Affairs.

LaFontaine’s Companions in Courage Foundation is an official
philanthropic partner of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helps to
create “Lion’s Den/NHL Legacy Classrooms” featuring Cisco System’s online
conferencing system, WebEx, which allows young patients to connect to
family, friends, schools and teachers anywhere in the world during a
hospital stay.

The Foundation has now opened 12 Lion’s Den rooms throughout North
America, including two with the NHL in Boston, Calgary and Montreal. The
NHL unveiled the first fully functional “NHL Legacy Classroom” at North
Carolina Children’s Hospital to commemorate the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend.
Plans for an “NHL Legacy Classroom” in Pittsburgh were unveiled during the
2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic to commemorate the outdoor game.

Webb’s W20 Foundation provides young student ice hockey players with
partial academic scholarships to continue the pursuit of their hockey
dreams. Now the organization also highlights athletes as influential agents
of change and creates opportunities for athletes to give back in their
communities. Webb will also commit a portion of the ride’s proceeds to fund
Alzheimer and dementia research in Ontario.

The riders will be joined by a support team that includes Graham
Fraser, founder of Centurion Cycling, host of North America’s premier
series of distance bicycling events.

For more information on how you can support this please visit
www.CiC16.org
or www.w20Foundation.org.  To follow the progress of the ride, fans are
encouraged to visit www.W20Foundation.blogspot.com. ]]> http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/bdgallof/38698/feed/ 0