As we reflect on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, it is hard to believe that a decade has passed. With the vivid images of that day etched in our memories, it seems like yesterday. Yet we know that so much has changed. The world changed. We were changed.

If you are reading this then I assume that tomorrow, you will pause to remember the innocent people that were lost that day. Hopefully, they remain in your hearts, along with their families and friends. We also remember the countless people who were affected and lost loved ones.

As an proud American, I am forever grateful to our servicemen and women and first responders who help keep us safe and protect our freedoms.

For those that don’t know me, my wife works for one of the airlines used in those attacks on that day. She lost good friends and co-workers that day and I’ve noticed that to this day, it hasn’t got easier for her. One final note, we came home from our honeymoon on September 10th. Our final leg home from our honeymoon was from LAX to Boston and it was on United Airline’s flight 174. We slept soundly that night. Ten years later, who knew that the “sister flight” back to LAX – United’s 175, the very next morning, would never make it back to California?

To our friends in Canada. Your countries efforts that Tuesday were immense. You accepted so many incoming American flights, took in the passengers – many without passports – and gave those people a “home” for a few days while we Americans figured out our airline transportation system. For the most part, you’ve stood by us over the last decade while we fought in countries none of us would even dream of going to. For that, I thank you for your friendship.

Everyone remembers the tradgedy of the twin towers but no one ever thinks twice about the flight crews that were murdered that day. They were the first Americans to be savagely attacked for no reason… please do me a favor and just think of my friends that flew the friendly skies that day and the ones who continue to do it.

Anyway, here’s a piece I found right after September 11, 2001 – my only regret is that I didn’t write it.

*****

An Open Letter To Terrorists…

Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America.
You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America.

You used helpless American bodies, to take out other American bodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America.

Why? Because of something you guys will never understand. America isn’t about a building or two, not about financial centers, not about military centers, America isn’t about a place, America isn’t even about a bunch of bodies. America is about an IDEA. An idea, that you can go someplace where you can earn as much as you can figure out how to, live for the most part,
like you envisioned living, and pursue happiness.

Go ahead and whine your terrorist whine, and chant your terrorist litany: “If you can not see my point, then feel my pain.” This concept is alien to Americans. We live in a country where we don’t have to see your point. But
you’re free to have one. We don’t have to listen to your speech. But you’re free to say one.

I don’t know where you got the strange idea that everyone has to agree with you. We don’t agree with each other in this country, almost as a matter of pride. We’re a collection of guys that don’t agree, called
States. We united our individual states to protect ourselves from tyranny in the world. Another idea, we made up on the spot. You CAN make it up as
you go, when it’s your country. If you’re free enough.

Yeah, we’re fat, sloppy, easy-going goofs most of the time. That’s an unfortunate image to project to the world, but it comes from feeling free and easy about the world you live in. It’s unfortunate too, because people start to forget that when you attack Americans, they tend to fight like a cornered badger.

So who just declared War on us? It would be nice to point to some real estate, like the good old days. Unfortunately, we’re probably at war with random camps, in far-flung places – who think they’re safe. Just like the Barbary Pirates did, if I recall correctly. Better start sleeping with one eye open.

You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don’t live in America, America lives in US! American Spirit is what it’s called. And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us, won’t change it. Most of the time, it’s a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of Spirit. Until we’re crossed in a cowardly manner, then it becomes an entirely different kind of Spirit. Wait until you see what we do with that Spirit, this time.

Sleep tight, if you can.

We’re coming.

“Author Unknown”

Over the years, I have argued that Bruins GM, Peter Chiarelli, has overpayed while paying for his team. I have written in this space that Andrew Ference, Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Michael Ryder were all overpaid by at least $1M per player. Due to these overpayments, the Bruins were always up against the cap ceiling and could never get that Tomas Kaberle, puck moving defenseman. This past season when Marco Sturm and Matt Hunwick were given away for basically cap relief/nothing I think I hurt my shoulder while patting myself on the back.

Well, we all know that Marc Savard went down with another concussion and the team used his cap number to aquire Tomas Kaberle. The rest is history and thankfully, my wonderful wife drove (and put up with us 40 year old idiots) on the night of June 15.

Coming off the Cup win, maybe I have to admit I was wrong about Chiarelli’s deals. All five of the guys mentioned earlier were instrumental in the run and I even argued that it was Ference drawing the proverbial line in the sand for their Cup run. Next year, with the salary cap going up $5M per team, the Bruins are actually looking good for the future.

So where does the team stand?

The first and fourth lines are pretty much set. Up first, David Krejci between Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic. Krejci is in the final year of his latest contract while Horton and Lucic are Bruins until 2012/13. All three have had great playoff runs and Horton’s first playoff season was one we as fans will never forget. Two series winning goals, one in OT and a total of two OT winners. All this from a guy who I was told by a Florida Panther employee at the 2010 LA draft ”could be a good player if he gets his head out of his ass.” 

On the fourth line, Greg Campbell between Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille are all signed through this upcoming season.

The second line as it stands needs help. Patrice Bergeron is currently the only one signed into next year. His mentor, Mark Recchi, retired on top and good for him. He’s been a class act for over 20 years and it was good for Rex to go out on top. Brad Marchand is a restriced free agent and I’m sure he will get a heafty bounce in salary. I haven’t heard any “Stamkos-like” we will match any offers statements from Bruin brass but I can see him jumping up to the $3.0-3.5M range.

I’m not sure what the team does on the third line. I want to see Tyler Seguin get the minutes to develop into the front line center he can be. I don’t think playing on a line with Chris Kelly is best for him. No offense to Kelly, he’s a good player. I do think he and Michael Ryder work well but Ryder is unrestricted and from what the Bruins have said, they are going to let him pursue his best interests. They haven’t told to him to “not let the door hit you on the ass” but I think for the right deal, they would welcome him back. Yes, he can be a dog during the regular seaon but every year he’s been here, he’s done something special in the playoffs. (Who can forget the glove save on Plekanec?)

Maybe you start Seguin as your third line center? Resign Ryder for short dollars and a shorter length and move Kelly to the wing. You get the continued develpoment from the kid at center with a backup in the middle and a potential sniper in Ryder. The downside? Ryder stinks up the season and Seguin doesn’t have anyone offensively to distribute the puck to.

The defense is in good shape. The captain, Zdeno Chara, is signed through 2017/18, effectively keeping him a Bruin until he retires. Dennis Seidenberg is signed until 2013/14, and Andrew Ference will be here until 2012/13.

Johnny Boychuk and Adam MacQuiad are in the final years of the current Bruin contracts.

Tomas Kaberle….good bye. The Bruins have been rumored to have been shopping his rights this week.

I personally would like to see James Wisnewski brought into the fold. He moves the puck well and has a little more grit than Kaberle ever will have.

In goal, it’s Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. Rask has this next year left on his current deal while Timmy has two more left on “the albatross contract they will never get rid of.” I hated the four year deal Thomas got two years ago and I still hated it going into this past season but how can I argue the next two seasons?

On the farm, Jordan Caron could replace Michael Ryder but what can be realistically be expected from him come playoff time? We know Ryder plays well when the lights are the brightest. Can we honestly expect that from a rookie like Caron?

I don’t expect the Bruins to be big players in the free agency market as they have 18 players locked up for next year totalling approximately $52.2M. The cap is going up to $64.3M leaving roughly $12.1M of available cap space. Factor in $4.0M for Marchand as a worst case overpayment for the agitator and another $4.0 for a “Wisnewski type defenseman” to replace Kaberle and the B’s are still roughly $4.1M under the cap.

Now for a wild card. What if Marc Savard retires because of his injuries? If that happens, you can add $4.0 back to the cap and the B’s are looking at $8.1M under the cap with everyone signed.

As good as all this sounds, it’s going to be very hard to repeat to repeat as Cup champs. There’s a short off season, a “bulls eye” on their back and high expectations. Typically, under Julien and before this playoff season, when they are expected to do well this team has fallen short. Maybe the Boston Bruins have actually turned the corner…

With the ninth overall pick, Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced the club has drafted 6’4’’ defenseman Dougie Hamilton with in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Hamilton, a 6’4”, 193-pound defenseman has spent the past two seasons playing with the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In 2010-2011 Hamilton tallied 12 goals and 46 assists for 58 points in 67 games while compiling 77 penalty minutes. He finished third in OHL Top Defenseman voting last year.

The 18-year old Toronto, Ontario native played in fourteen playoff games for Niagara in 2011, scoring four goals and tallying 12 assists for 16 points.

He played in 131 total games during his two years with Niagara, recording 15-59= 74 totals.

Older brother and IceDogs teammate Freddie was drafted to the San Jose Sharks in the 5th round, 129th overall, in the 2010 NHL Entry draft.

A solid pick at #9 overall. He’s not the guy I thought they would take and hopefully he grows into that frame of his. Ever since Peter Chiarelli took over, the Bruins have verbally said they want to be a team that is hard to play against.  One person I spoke to tonight said to me that he is, “a solid pick” and that he is, “very physical”

The Bruins traded their own first round pick (#30) to the Maple Leafs in the Tomas Kaberle deal last February so I would expect that they are done for the night.

The second round of the draft begins tomorrow - Saturday, June 26th at 10:00 a.m. ET.

It seems hard to believe that it’s been a full year since we last heard Taylor versus Tyler…Seguin versus Hall. Who would Edmonton pick? Could Boston actually trade up to get the #1 overall? We all know Edmonton took Hall, the Bruins took Seguin and last year is officially history. Anyway, onto Minnesota and the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins (I do love saying those words) have picks in the first six rounds of the 2011 draft. One downfall to winning the Cup is come draft day, they will be looking at every team pick before they get to. Because of three previous trades, Peter Chiarelli and company successfully moved up in the first three rounds and the defending champs actually have a top ten pick coming to them. The other downfall? It’s a short summer and recovery from the long season just isn’t as long as 28 of the other teams. 

First Round

The Bruins are holding the #9 overall pick from the September 18, 2009 trade of Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs…the trade that keeps on giving. OK, that will be the last time I use that joke.

The Bruin first round pick at #30 overall was traded, ironically, to the Leafs for Tomas Kaberle along with upcoming prospect, Joe Colbourne and a 2nd round pick next next year. The 2nd round pick kicks in because the Bruins made it to the 2011 Cup Finals. Let the debate begin with which trade was better for whom but before anyone spouts off too early, let’s give it three or four years and see how the picks and players work out for both teams.

At #9 overall and Kaberle’s unrestricted free agency looming, the Bruins can do a couple of things here. First, the possibility of resigning Kaberle is there but I think that it would have to be much, much lower than his current $4.25M cap hit. His play down the stretch – after the 2nd round Flyer series – was that of a 3rd pair defenseman. That’s what Claude Julien did as he paired him with the gritty Adam MacQuiad behind the Chara/Seidenberg & Ference/Boychuk pairings.

If I were the Bruin GM, I’d walk away from Kaberle, admit I got the short end of this deal with by Brian Burke and cut my losses. Replacing Kabby with Steve Kampfer seems like a logical choice. Kampfer’s passing is not as good as Kaberle’s but he has a youthful upside and he is signed for two more years. With this possible change taking place, a good pick at #9 would be Ryan Murphy of the Kitchener Rangers. Last season with the Rangers, he had 26G, 53A for 79 total points and a “+22″

Second Round

The Bruins are picking in the tenth spot in this round (#40 overall) as a result of an October 18, 2009 trade where the Bruins sent Chuck Kobasew to the Wild for Craig Weller, Alexander Fallstrom and this pick.

The Bruins would have picked #30 (#61 overall) but the trade for Chis Kelly sent this pick to the Ottawa Senators.

Third Round

The Bruins are picking in the twentieth spot in this round (#81 overall) as a result of the Bruins sending Derek Morris to the Coyotes on March 3, 2010. This was a conditional pick and when Morris resigned with the Coyotes, the condition kicked in

The Bruins would have picked #30 (#91 overall) but this pick along with a 2010 first rounder and Dennis Wideman went to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell just before the 2010 draft.

Fourth Round

The Bruins pick #30 (#121 overall) in this round.

Fifth Round

The Bruins pick #30 (#151 overall) in this round.

Sixth Round

The Bruins pick #30 (#181 overall) in this round.

Seventh Round

The Bruins would have had the final pick of the draft, #30 of the round and #211 overall. The Bruins recieved a 7th round pick in the 2010 draft from the Black Hawks in exchange for this pick. With the 2010 pick, the Bruins drafted Zach Trotman from Lake Superior State.

For every city and every team that has ever won a championship there is always one moment after the season is done where the players and fans can look back at with 20/20 hindsight and say “That’s it! That’s the moment we went from contenders to champions.”

A brief look back at some local moments.

September 30, 2001: Some 6th round draft pick from Michigan was starting his first NFL game for the Patriots. After a 0-2 start, things looked bleak for the Pats with starter Drew Bledsoe out indefinitely after a brutal Mo Lewis hit the week before. But this trip down memory lane isn’t about Bledsoe/Brady – we are going to talk about  Bryan Cox. The same Bryan Cox who in 1993 entered Buffalo’s Rich Stadium with, shall we say, two fingers up.

These Colts were on the verge of greatness. Peyton Manning was just starting to round into the QB we all know him today and this version of  Colts were 2-0 averaging 43.5 points per game coming into Foxboro, playing some rookie in his first start. So it was up to the Patriot defense to make some kind of statement. Early in the first quarter, the ten year veteran Cox hit Jerome Pathon and knocked him out cold. From that point on, the Colt wideouts shied away from contact for the rest of the decade. I kid but they were no where to be seen the rest of that day. That defense carried the team while the rookie QB managed the games all the way to New Orleans when the Pats upset the Rams in Super Bowl 36

July 24, 2004 – This is the date of the famous brawl between Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek. Propelled by the animosity, the Red Sox overcame a five run deficit on this day to beat the Yankees. The Yankees did win the division and the Sox were the Wild Card that year and they met in the ALCS with the Sox winning in seven. The second big date for the Sox was game 3 while the Sox were getting blown out. Game four starter, Tim Wakefield, fell on the sword for Terry Francona and came in the game as a reliever so the team could save the bullpen for the rest of the series. Down 0-3 to the Yankees the Red Sox became the only team in MLB history to win a seven game series.

All these memories bring me to 2011. This year’s Bruins started the playoffs dreadfully. The opening round opponent, Montreal Canadiens, were a bad matchup for the B’s. The Canadiens roasted the B’s in the regular season and took the first two games in Boston.

Losing the first two games at home, the B’s raced out to a 3-0 lead in game three and with a late empty net goal, the B’s got back in the series leading me to “my Bruins moment of 2011″.

Midway through the second period, down 2-1 in the series and trying to get it back to even, the Canadiens score two goals in 55 seconds and the Bell Centre crowd was roaring. At this pace, it looked like the B’s would come back for a game 5 with the hope of staying alive in the post season.

That’s when Andrew Ference struck.

Brad Machand’s shot from the top of the circle was blocked to the middle of the slot. Ference following up the play stepped into a slap shot that beat Carey Price high glove. Then the moment that could define the Bruins post season. Said Ference afterward, “I think my glove got caught up. I can assure you that’s not part of who I am or what I ever have been. It looks awful, I admit it. I completely apologize about how it looks.”

Was it offensive? Probably.

Was it rude? Definitely.

Was his excuse total garbage? Totally. I mean look at the picture. There is no doubt in my mind what his intentions are. 

Was it necesaary? From a Bruin point of view – ABSOLUTELY!

You have to remember the frenzy that crowd was in just before he scored. Two goals in less than a minute and now this. This signalled the “line in the sand” that the Bruins were putting up. This was not going to be a copy of the 2010 playoff edition that choked away the season. Since the 2008 season, this team when favored to win has not been clutch. I just mentioned 2010. Losing to Carolina in 2009 when the Hurricanes took three of the first four but the B’s fought back only to lose in OT during game 7. Even the 2008 squad was in the same 1-3 hole against the Canadiens only to lose another game 7.

The heartbeak and pain of losing game 7′s in three straight years has molded this team into a group that fights when cornered. Here we are on the eve of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Will the ”Ference flip” ultimately be the moment the Bruins went from contenders to champions?

Four words describe how I feel right now. June hockey in Boston. I really like this feeling.

NESN’s Seventh Player Award is an annual award presented “to the Bruin who went above and beyond the call of duty and exceeded the expectations of Bruins fans during the 2010-11 season.”

This year’s winner, Brad Marchand, has 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points in his 72 games played. After the game, a humbled Marchand discussed his role and responsibilities and if he actually made the team last fall. “Yeah, well it was a question mark whether I was going to be on the team this year. It’s a honor to win that award. It’s special. Well I think I was expected to be defensively responsible and bring energy into the game. Now I think I still have to do the exact same thing, but maybe bring a little more offense.”

Marchand was originally drafted by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and the Bruins are 17-1-2 this season when he scores.

Past recipients that are currently with the team include Tuukka Rask (2010), David Krejci (2009) and Milan Lucic (2008).

Today the Bruins welcomed the Atlanta Thrashers and old friends Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler back to the Garden. Both players received good ovations from the Garden faithful when they were shown on the jumbotron. Having spoken to Wheeler a few times here in Boston since his rookie year, it was good to see him in his usual ‘happy go lucky’ mood in the Thrasher locker room after the game. Said Wheeler, “I knew it was going to be a fun atmosphere and a fun game.  Would have loved to have come in here and beat these guys but they are a good team and they have a real shot this year.”

The B’s started pretty quickly scoring four and a half minutes into the contest when Mark Recchi tapped in what was basically an empty netter. After Zdeno Chara dumped the puck, Patrice Bergeron made a great play along the wall and found Marchand. Then Marchand found Recchi for an easy tap in, 1-0 Bruins.

The lead was short lived as Dustin Byfuglien’s point shot five seconds into a Thrasher power play beat Rask. Tuukka got a piece of it but the puck hopped off his stick, off his back and into the net. Evander Kane’s goal early in the second period gave the Thrashers their only lead of the day. It was short lived when Daniel Paille scored an unassisted short handed goal five minutes later.

The game stayed tied until there were seven and a half minutes left in the game. Michael Ryder, who has been a healthy scratch lately, intercepted a Zach Bogosian pass at center ice and broke in on Ondrej Pavelec only to be taken down by Johnny Oduya. Rightfully so, a penalty shot was called as Ryder never got off a shot on the breakaway. On the penalty shot, Ryder got Pavelec moving side to side when the time was right, he went top shelf over the shoulder.

Tuukka Rask played well today. I thought early on, he was fighting the puck. The first Thrasher goal was evident of this. He made the save but the puck bounced off his stick over his back and into the net. As the game progressed, he got better and took control of the game as the Thrashers shots went from 4 in the firast period to 11 in the second to 15 to close out the game. Rask said, “…I got more shots as the game went on. We got three shots in the first period, take a penalty and score in your own net. So it’s not the best start you can imagine. But we bounced back and got the win.”

Most importantly, the Bruins clnched the Northeast Division and home ice for at least the first round today. They are still chasing the Capitals and Flyers for a higher seeding come playoff time but the worst they will sit is that third position. Brad Marchand summed it up best, “We didn’t come into this season wanting to win this division. We have a goal, and that’s to win the Stanley Cup. So it’s a stepping stone, and it’s a good accomplishment for a great team. But there’s a long way to go before we accomplish our goal. It’s special, but at the same time we’re a long ways away.”

Finally, we officially welcomed Shane Hnidy back to the room today. I thought losing him last year was a bigger loss than most people thought. Fact is, he’s a third pair defenseman but he’s a solid, well liked guy in the room and does the little things that winning teams need done. I really think the B’s missed him and Aaron Ward in the room last year. Veterans like this may have helped in the Philly series last year and hopefully (as a Bruin fan) lead the squad to the a minimum of the Conference Finals this year. After two years of losing in the semi-finals, it’s time for the team to jump to the next round.

Welcome back Wheeler and Stuey.

Today marks the annual fans vote for the Bruins 7th player award given to the “player that exceeds expeectations for the season”

…and the award goes to – Brad Marchand

Maybe the Bruins should call the schedule maker to change the venues of their April 2nd and 9th games next month. The way this season has gone, if it’s the weekend and the Bruins are at home, then chalk up another loss for our hometown team. For a team with the 90+ points – in the top ten of the overall league standings – their weekend home record is a deplorable 1-7-4. Just image where the Bruins would be if even they could change that record to .500

Six more points would have tomorrow nights Bruins vs. Flyers tilt for the Conference lead and the Montreal Canadiens would be so far in the distance they wouldn’t be a threat to the Northeast Division.

OK, no more “what ifs” or fantasy thinking. The Bruins hosted the NY Rangers this afternoon and while the Bruins didn’t stink up the joint, they certainly weren’t firing like they were on Thursday night. No one wanted to place blame on a ‘lack of emotion’ after Thursday’s 7-0 belitteling of the Canadiens.  Andrew Ference bluntly stated, “Those are tight games that I think there’s not a lot of mistakes made. There’s not a lot of glorious chances on your side. It’s just a hard-fought one where they got that tip goal that’s needed. And this time of year you’re going to see a lot of those kind of games. I mean those are the goals that go in and you’re not going to have a ton of great chances. We’re going to run into good goalies the rest of the way, so get used to it I guess.”

The Rangers played a very physical game making the Bruins earn every shot they managed to put on Henrik Lundqvist. The Bruins put 26 on goal today while the Rangers BLOCKED 29. The Ranger leader in blocks was Boston area native and Boston College alum – Brian Boyle with five blocks. Ranger coach, John Tortorella, “You watch him in the third period here I have him out there every other shift with a tremendous amount of responsibility; blocking shots. He’s kicked in 20, 21 goals for us. He’s been a huge part of why we’re at where we’re at right now.”

On this three game homestand, the Bruins had won both of the games and scored eleven straight goals but today the Rangers defense was the the star of the show. After Derek Stephan deflected Michael Sauer’s point shot at the 6:39 mark of the first period, the Ranger “D” showed it’s teeth all night long. Claude Julien thought the Bruins were short changed on two calls that led to the goal. Initially the Rangers looked offside on a play that Tuukka Rask made a save on. The second was on the faceoff that led to the goal where it appeared a Ranger winger jumped early on the draw. Said the coach afterwards, “It was a missed off-sides, but they make mistakes, but then the guy jumps in and the guy who passed it to the point was obviously in and it should have been blown down. So, that one point, you know? There’s one mulligan but I didn’t feel that they needed two.”

The Rangers changed their approach in the third period and just let the Bruins attack. With this approach, the Bruins outshot New York 12-1. With the way the defense blocked shots in front of Lundqvist, the Rangers held on to the very end.

Both teams special teams were perfect. The Bruins were 4-4 on the penalty kill and New York was 1-1.

Prior to the game, the Bruins honored their legendary radio voice, Bob Wilson. He called Bruin games from 1967-1969 and then from 1971-1994. His retirement coincided with the NHL lockout of 1994/95. Prior to the game, he spoke about his feelings on the honor the Bruins organization bestowed today. “Oh, it means a great deal. I don’t know how to put it. It validates a career, if you will. I’m just honored beyond words with this move by Bruins’ management. It’s just wonderful. The Bruins have been very good to me and the variety of radio stations that I’ve been on is amazing, but it worked and I’m really happy with it.”

The Bruins left Boston early this afternoon for the brief trip to Philadelphia for tomorrow nights game.

Look for Tuukka Rask to start today against the Rangers to save Thomas for tomorrow nights big one against Philly

Ranger starters

Derek Stephan between Gaborik and Vinny Prospal

Dan Giradi and Marc Staal on D

The King in net

here come the Bruins….

It was disappointing to see the winning streak come to an end tonight. Maybe it was the road finally catching up with the team? Or the fact that tonight’s game was their fifth in eight days?

How about the fact that the Penguins were better for most of the night. As Claude Julien said after the game, the Bruins “played probably half a game.” With the Penguins playing last night and getting to Boston late, the Bruins were able to jump out and take the early advantage over the visitors. Michael Ryder, in particular, had a strong first period and if not for a great pad save by Marc-Andre Fleury the Ryder and the Bruins could have had a lead two minutes into the game. I’d say it was right around the 12:00 mark of the first when the Pens began to take control.  

With the Penguin forecheck hampering the Bruins into the second period the B’s actually broke the ice in this one. Zdeno Chara’s cross ice pass to Milan Lucic started the attack. Looch led David Krejci over the blue line and he slowed the play down at the line. A deft backhand pass to Chara in the slot and the big captain faked the slapshot and picked the corner on Fleury. Fleury had no chance on the goal as Milan Lucic made his way to the top of the blue paint after finding Krejci. Chara used the big screen to his benefit and a 1-0 lead.

The Pens followed up the Chara goal with a strong shift and less than three minutes later, the game was tied. With the Bruins pressing for a second goal, Michael Ryder and Johnny Boychuck both had good chances to score. Boychuck had two point shots that were stopped but his third time was not a charm. He took too much of a risk at the center of the blueline and whiffed on his shot leading to a Pens two on one breakout. Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy traded passes until Stall was left with an open net to tie the game. I thought Chara played the odd man rush badly. He didn’t completely take the pass away so while Tim Thomas played Kennedy as the shooter, once his pass connected with Staal, all he had was 24 square feet of net to shoot at. Just 1:10 later, off a series of short passes in the offensive zone, Dustin Jeffery beat Thomas and the Pens doubled their lead.

The Bruins played with more desperation in the third period than they did in the first two combined. Even still, it wasn’t enough until the final minute when Thomas came off the ice for an extra attacker. What a series of events that led to the Bruins game tying goal. Ulf Samuels…..uh, Matt Cooke (same thing to Bruin fans) carried the puck over the left wing and fired on the open Bruin net but Tomas Kaberle closed the pads and sent the puck up ice. With the puck in the Pens zone, Nathan Horton fought through the forecheck forcing a bad clearing pass. The B’s kept the puck in the zone and dumped into the right wing corner where Mark Recchi chipped the puck a little deeper. Milan Lucic passed the puck behind the net to Nathan Horton wohimmediately found Krejci in the slot. Krejci picked the top corner with 32.5 seconds left in the game to send the game into OT.

It didn’t end well for the B’s. A couple minutes into the OT period, Dennis Seidenberg’s pass to Michael Ryder was picked off by Dustin Jeffrey. His speed caught Seidenberg flat footed and he blew past him, shifted the puck to his forehand and chipped the game winner over Thomas’s pad but under his armpit.

Patrice Bergeron missed tonight’s game for personal reasons. He is expected to return to practice on Monday morning to prepare for Tuesday night’s test with the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

Matt Bartkowski, a Pittsburgh native, played his third NHL game of the season and his career, all against his hometown Penguins. Bartkowski was called up to replace Steve Kampfer who is out at least a week with a concussion.