I have always felt The World of Sports should be an escape from the Real World. A place where you can go between the lines, block out the harsher realities of life and get wrapped up in something totally different and unrelated. An inconsequential reality of sorts.

Every now and then, however, worlds collide and a story all too real infiltrates the World of Sports. Try as we might to ignore these stories, not give them credence or let them infiltrate the perfect little bubble that is Sports, they often become unavoidable. Tonight is one of those nights. Even though the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals were on the ice battling to a 5-3 Washington win to close out the pre-All-Star break portion of their schedules, the biggest story surrounding the Boston Bruins had nothing to do with what went on at the Verizon Center and was about a man who did not even play in the game.

On the day before their match-up with the Capitals, the Bruins were at the White House, taking up the President on his invitation to celebrate their 2011 Stanley Cup Championship. Current and former Bruins from last year’s roster no longer with the team and members of the front office were in attendance, but one mustachioed Bruin was unmistakably missing from the event.

In a move that has caused a great deal of controversy over the past 36 hours, Bruins star goaltender Tim Thomas, the hero of that championship run, in which he became just the second American to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and one of just two Americans on the Bruins roster, chose not to attend the event sighting a difference in political views.

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People,” proclaimed Thomas in a statement the netminder released on his Facebook page.

“Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House.”

Thomas’ politically-charged absence has left no one, regardless of whether or not they are a Bruins fan, hockey fan or even a sports fan, without an opinion and anyone with the forum to discuss seems to be doing so, something that may very well have been a factor in Thomas’ decision.

I suppose that means it’s my turn and, in my humble opinion, Thomas was wrong.

I certainly will not besmirch the Bruins netminder or anyone for their convictions and for standing up for them, regardless of how they align with mine. (Though, I happen to agree on some levels with Thomas’ beliefs.) For me, it was never about judging a person for what they believe in, but that they believe in something and that they stand by those beliefs, which is exactly what Thomas was doing and, to a degree, he should be applauded for standing up for what he believes in. One of the things that make this country great is that we have the ability to believe in what we chose and the ability to freely express those beliefs. That, however, is also why Thomas should not have chosen Monday to be the moment to make his political protest.

It is simple respect. Respect for the office of the President of the United States of America and it is surprising to see such a lack of respect from someone who claims to be as patriotic as Thomas.

We are granted a great deal of civil liberties as citizens of the United States, something for which every American should be more than grateful. It is because of that, regardless of how we feel about the President or government or the direction in which the country is going, Americans should embrace and respect this country and some of its hallowed symbols. Two of those symbols are the flag and the eagle, two things Tim Thomas proudly symbolizes on his helmet. A third is the office of the President. It is because of that office that we as Americans can get all pissed off and then blog about it.

Write speeches. Spew propaganda. Start a petition. Go to rallies. Get on the campaign trail. Lobby in favor of policy changes. Walk around in a t-shirt that proclaims your political affiliations and beliefs. Shy of breaking laws and crossing moral lines, do what you have to do to get your point across and try to get the changes you believe in made. As an American, however, especially one who embodies the American Dream as much as Thomas does, if the President of the United States extends the olive branch and invites you over for dinner to celebrate your accomplishments, regardless of your feelings about the person and their policy, it is probably a good idea to take them up on their offer.

I do not think Thomas is gutless or a coward for doing what he did, nor do I think he is evil as some pundits have insinuated based on his absence and the fact that the names of Thomas’ three children are Kiley, Kelsey and Keegan. I do, however, think Thomas made a mistake in how he decided to express his beliefs. Monday’s visit to the White House should not have been about anything other than celebrating the accomplishments of the Boston Bruins, accomplishments that were as much Thomas’ as anyone else in the organization, maybe even more so. Any member of that team looking to take away from that should rightly be criticized.

Tim Thomas’ convictions and strength to want to take a stand for what he believes should be supported. How he decided to express them on Monday probably should not. And just how the visit to the White House was all about celebrating the Bruins accomplishments, next time he steps on the ice, Tim Thomas should not be booed for his mistake, be cheered for what he has done for the Bruins between the pipes.

All of this, however, is just what I believe in.

The Bruins fell short tonight against the Ovechkin-less Washington Capital’s 5-3 in D.C. The B’s were coming off big games this weekend against the top seeded New York Rangers and rivals the Philadelphia Flyers. The first period ended 1-0 with the Bruins on top after a goal credited to Rich Peverley which was actually hit in by the Washington defenseman. The second period, however, was a completely different period. Bruins and Capitals traded goals back and forth in a period which saw 5 goals, and the score dead locked at 3 going into the intermission. Seguin capped off the scoring that period with a beautiful backhanded goal, and it seemed the Bruins were in a great position as they hold the best goal margin in the 3rd period in the NHL. However, their hopes of taking the 2 points were dashed by Mathieu Perreault who gave the Caps the lead 7 minutes into the 3rd period with his 3rd goal of the game, and ironically, the Bruins last chances were dashed by an empty net goal by former Bruin Dennis Wideman.

This was obviously a disappointing loss, seeing as the Capitals were without their best player and the Bruins are clearly the better team this season. However, the Bruins had an emotional weekend and it showed as they seemed slower and out of gas in the 3rd period which is usually not the case. The Bruins now have a week off thanks to the All- Star break which will also be Ovechkin-less, and look to start the second half of the season off with a win against the streaking Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, January 31st. This could be a playoff preview and should be a great game to watch.

It has long been said that 2012 is the year of premonitions. Nostradamus, the Mayans, and now Presto.

Last time out, it was discussed that the one thing working against the Boston Bruins and their stellar play this season was whether they were peaking too early in the season and if complacency would set in? The day after that post was published, the Bruins came out and were dominated in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, which started a two week, eight-game stretch of lazy play for the defending champs that continued on Saturday with a 3-2, overtime loss to the New York Rangers at the TD Garden.

Personally, I think I would have rather predicted the end of the world.

Despite their recent struggles, the Bruins entered their contest on Saturday battling for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, coming in just one point behind the top seeded Rangers, despite having one more win than New York. Boston was also hoping they had turned a corner and returned to form following a come-from-behind victory over the New Jersey Devils Thursday night, which saw the Bruins score four unanswered goals in the third for the 4-1 victory.

With the streets of Boston being pounded by snow outside the TD Garden, the Bruins were doing like wise on the inside as they came out firing in the opening minutes against New York, controlling possession and peppering the Rangers defense and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers held strong, however, as they repelled the Bruins attack from the onset, not letting the Bruins get inside for quality shots on Lundqvist, as they let just eight shots get through to their netminder in the opening 20.

The Bruins’ play began to slip late in the period and into the second, misplaying pucks and not connecting on passes, leading the momentum to shift in favor of New York, whose talent up front took over and capitalized for the game’s first tally just 1:31 into the second as Ryan Callahan, fresh out of the penalty box, collected the puck at center ice, came in on a 2-on-1 and beat Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask for the 1-0 Rangers lead.

The Bruins battled back, tying the game less than two minutes later, and the teams then traded scores again later in the second, but all day long the Bruins were never truly able to establish their presence thanks to the stingy Rangers defense, who had the better of their hosts all game long.

Despite streaky play in the first two periods, just as they have done in most of their games this year, the Bruins picked up their play in the third period and were finally able to start to break through the Rangers defense. Their effort was all for naught, however, as Lundqvist, who came into the day with a 16-5-2 record and 1.49 goals against average versus the Bruins in his career, held the Bruins scoreless over the final 20 minutes, deflecting many quality chances. Then in overtime it was the Rangers who took over play.

A charging major, game misconduct against Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference for his questionable hit on the Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh at 1:50 of the extra period put the Bruins on the penalty kill for the remainder of the contest. The Bruins PK, ranked sixth in the NHL at 86.1%, had done well keeping the recently stagnant Rangers power play off the board in regulation, but they were not as lucky in overtime. Amidst a scrum in front of Rask with just seconds left on the clock after a failed clearing attempt by the Bruins, Rangers leading goal scorer Marian Gaborik was able to come up with the puck and roof a backhand past a sprawling Rask and Dennis Seidenberg for the 3-2 win.

Following the loss to the Rangers, the Bruins are now 4-4 in their last eight games. Such a short .500 stretch over the course of an NHL season is nothing to overly fret, even if you have to go back 17 games and into November in order to account for the Bruins previous four loses prior to that Stanley Cup rematch with the Canucks. Is it simply the dog days of the marathon NHL season?

During this recent skid, the Bruins have shown flashes of the brilliance they have displayed for much of the season. Most nights, however, the team has simply failed to string together 60 minutes of play, the crux of their early season struggles when they opened the year 3-7.

Complacency can be death, but has also been a trademark of head coach Claude Julien’s stint in Boston. The coach was well know throughout his first four years in Boston for holding strong, letting his team play out of its ruts, rather than making rash changes. Julien has been better this year at rattling his team when necessary, as seen by his recent comments about Nathan Horton, which is something the Black-and-Gold faithful should look for more of from the coach should his teams continue to drag as they have through the middle months of the season.

The Bruins fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight 5-3. Dominic Moore’s goal with about 4 minutes left proved to be the game winner, despite a great last minute effort by the Bruins. The B’s have really struggled offensively in the absence of Brad Marchand who was serving the last of his 5 game suspension tonight (as a Boston fan I say struggling as in only scoring 2 or 3 goals a night). The Bruins have now dropped 3 of their last 6, and we all knew the B’s couldn’t keep up the pace they were at the entire season. Going into tonight’s game the Bruins had a goal differential of +70. Yes, you read that right, +70. That is an absurd amount, considering that is almost double the next closest team in that category (Detroit +43). The Bruins have certainly been finding it difficult to find the back of the net since Marchand’s suspension, but luckily he will be rejoining the team on Thursday when they face off against the Devils.

The game tonight meant a lot more to the Lightning than it did to the Bruins. The Lightning were on a 7 game losing streak coming into tonight, and found themselves with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference. If they wanted any shot at making the playoffs, they need to start winning games and what better way to boost your teams confidence than beating the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Thomas looked shaky most of the game, with 2 of the goals being very soft. Nathan Horton was the lone bright spot for the Bruins tonight. He was called out by head coach Claude Julien after last nights shootout win against the Hurricanes, saying that Horton needed to pick up his game. Horton certainly did tonight, scoring a pair of goals to keep the Bruins in it.

The Bruins will face off Thursday night in New Jersey to play the Devils. On the horizon is what could be an Eastern Conference Championship preview when the Bruins host the New York Rangers at the Garden on Saturday afternoon.

You know what the hardest thing about being a sports writer is?

Covering a good team.

Sounds odd, right? Look at it like this: The whole purpose of a position like this is to provide critical analysis of a given team or a given game. Critical analysis. And when things are going as well as they have been for the Boston Bruins, it is difficult to be critical. No one wants to read piece after piece about how everything is all sunshine and rainbows, but then you will get called out for ripping a team that is second in the entire NHL, has won nine of their last 10 games and has the one team above all other in the NHL that should really want to stick it to them running scared. But, more on the Vancouver Canucks a little later.

Never in my life did I think the Boston Bruins being good would be a bad thing.

It has been an embarrassment of riches of late for the Bruins. They are second in the league and in the conference, just one point behind the New York Rangers, but lead the league in wins (26). Despite having just one player in the top 30 in the league in scoring (Tyler Seguin is 23^rd with 16 goals and 20 assists), the Bruins lead the league in goals per game (3.65) and third period goal differential (+34).

Their league leading team plus/minus of +58 (the Bruins also have the top four players in the league in that category) proves the defense is just as good as Boston leads the league in goals against per game (1.84) and is the only team in the NHL with two netminders with goals against averages below 2.00. Bruins starter Tim Thomas is third in the league in goals against at 1.90, second in save percentage at .940 and is tied for second in shutouts with four in 24 starts on the season. As dazzling as those numbers are, backup netminder Tuukka Rask has been as impressive as he leads the league in both goals against average (1.49) and save percentage (.949), has shutouts in three of his last four starts, and has giving up just one goal in his last five appearances.

Even the special teams are near the top of the lead as the Bruins are seventh on the power play (19.7%) and fourth on the penalty kill (87.7%).

The Bruins have yet to lose a game they led heading into the third period (20-0-0) and lost just once (11-1-0) when leading after the first. They have only lost three games in regulation since a three game losing streak to close out October.

In their game last night against the Calgary Flames, the perfect game for the Bruins to lay down, getting caught looking ahead to the rematch with their Stanley Cup opponent Canucks tomorrow, the Bruins did just the opposite and rolled Calgary. They hung a season high nine goals on the low ranked Flames, giving up none. No matter what seems to come their way, the Bruins just continue to excel.

The biggest problem for the Bruins right now seems to be Rich Peverley’s inability to hit the net.

Injuries are ever present and threaten every team in the NHL and the Bruins have been incredibly lucky over the past few seasons in that department. General manager Peter Chiarelli, however, has built the team in such a deep and balanced fashion that with the re-emergence of Rask this season, it is hard to believe that the only way even injuries could derail the Bruins is if they were to sustain an overly inflated number of injuries to the top of their rotation for excessively long periods of time.

More likely than not, the biggest issue the Boston Bruins actually face and the biggest fear for Bruins fans once tortured by years of just waiting for the other shoe to drop is whether or not Boston is peaking too early as they have yet to hit the midway point on their schedule? Where are their other flaws?

It is hard to believe anyone is perfect, but it is all sunshine and rainbows at the moment for the Boston Bruins and seems to be getting even better for the Bruins as they will face off against the Canucks tomorrow for the first time since Game 7 of last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Coming off back-to-back road wins against the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flame that saw the Bruins outscore their opponents 15-1, the Bruins were met today with news that Canucks starting goaltender Roberto Luongo, coming off a 3-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild in his last start on Wednesday and the victim of an 8.05 goals against average over his three games in Boston during last year’s Final, will be starting the game on the bench.

Coming into the week, most should have said that Calgary was the trap game, but with the way Vancouver is playing their goaltenders, proving the team’s fear of the Bruins given Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault’s refusal to answer questions on why Luongo is getting benched, is it possible that the trap game of Vancouver Week for the Bruins has become the Bruins game itself?

It is possible, but right now, for even the biggest cynics around, things are just too good to not believe in Boston.

When he was drafted eighth overall in 2007 by the Boston Bruins, it was with great anticipation that the then 18-year old Zach Hamill came to Boston as the team’s second top-10 draft pick in two years. Yet, while Phil Kessel, taken fifth overall the year before, went on to early success in Black-and-Gold, Hamill spent more than most of the first four years of his professional career with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

While other recent Bruins’ draft picks, many of who were taken later than Hamill’s #8 spot, made their way to the big club, Hamill toiled in unimpressive fashion down in Providence. The majority of Hamill’s first year after being drafted was spent back in the Western Hockey League, before a late season call up to Providence for all of seven games. He spent all of the 2008-2009 season in Providence, playing 65 games, but totaling a pedestrian 13 goals and 13 assists. His point totals nearly double in each of his next two seasons in Providence, though his career-highs of 34 assists last season and 43 points in 2009-2010 are not very striking for a player though to be the next great playmaking center in Boston’s stable. Hamill also played all of four NHL games coming into this season, to the tune of just two assists.

Entering his fifth season, Hamill remained on the Bruins’ roster until the waning days of training camp this fall before being put on waivers. Unclaimed, Hamill returned to Providence. Though he experienced much of the same success as past years, recording seven goals and seven assists in 25 games played, he did make a big change in his game, continuing the switch from center to wing that was made early in training camp. Called up for two games mid-November, it was not until a recent foot injury to Gregory Campbell that Hamill was recalled for Boston’s most recent four games and truly began to make an impact.

The raw numbers still are not there for Hamill, as he has posted just one assist in this most recent call-up, spending most of his time playing on Boston’s fourth offensive unit. The most telling signs of his emergence, however, came this past Monday when Campbell returned to the line-up and Hamill remained over Jordan Caron, who had beat Hamill out for a roster spot coming out of camp.

Beginning Monday night’s 3-2 win over the Canadiens still on the fourth unit, playing the wing alongside Campbell and Shawn Thornton, during the second period, Hamill was moved up to play on the Bruins’ top group with David Krejci and Nathan Horton, logging minutes in place of the suspended Milan Lucic. On top of playing with that group and demonstrating some nifty playmaking moves, flashes of what Bruins fans had hoped for back in 2007, Hamill logged minutes on the power play and penalty kill, demonstrating the kind of well-rounded skill set in a player the Bruins tend to have an affinity for.

Originally drafted for his offensive prowess, it was has been his reliability at the other end of the ice that has been Hamill’s strongest suit during his time in the NHL. Though it has been all of 10  games in which Hamill has seen NHL action over his career, it was not until Erik Cole’s goal late in the third period on Monday night that Hamill had yielded a minus in the NHL.

While he still may not be living up to the hype that surrounded him five years ago, the Bruins’ patience with Zach Hamill seems as though it is paying off as he is seemingly blossoming into a solid NHL contributor. There are still areas of his game that need to improve, such as his play away from the puck in the offensive end, but even if he is not fully ready to take a full time spot amongst the Bruins’ top-12 forwards, Hamill is becoming a versatile weapon that can play anywhere on the depth chart and in any situation. Another option for head coach Claude Julien in what has seemingly become an overstocked cupboard for the Boston Bruins.

Given this seemingly overabundance of NHL talent in the system, Hamill’s future in Boston remains to be seen. Though restricted, he is one of a bountiful crop of players on the Bruins roster set to become a free agent this off-season. His natural position of center is the Bruins’ strength and a logjam of talent at the moment and if he is on Boston’s roster for five more games this season, he would be required to pass through re-entry waivers if he were demoted to the AHL, a trip he may no longer survive.

Nearly labeled a bust and relegated to a journeyman’s life in the minors all of three months ago, Zach Hamill has picked the perfect time to come of age for the Boston Bruins. The time is coming quickly for the Bruins brass to decide Hamill’s fate. Regardless whichever direction the team decides to go in, it looks as though they finally cannot lose with Hamill. Either he remains with the team and gives them a solid option as the team’s 13^th or 14^th forward, continuing to strengthen the depth of what is currently the best team in the NHL, or he becomes a very good trade chip for Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli as a reliable and affordable option for most NHL teams.

A long awaited welcome to the Show for Zach Hamill.

A starting goaltender getting pulled from a game isn’t exactly a huge story. It happens. We are all bound to have our off nights, but when you are the reigning Vezina Trophy winner starting for the reigning Stanley Cup champion, getting yanked from a tie game might lead one to think a little.

That was Tim Thomas’ Saturday night in Columbus, as the Boston Bruins goaltender got the hook after the second period with the game tied 3-3. Coach’s decision.

Onto itself, we probably should not read too much into this one moment. Thomas was not having his best night against the Blue Jackets and his performance did not cost the Bruins as they went on to a 5-3 win. Is it, however, indicative of a larger problem?

Is Tim Thomas playing too much?

Prior to the start of the season, I detailed how one of the keys for the Bruins to be successful this year would be for Tim Thomas to play less. The crux of my argument was because of his age the Bruins simply could not ask Thomas to carry the team the way he did all of last season. If the team wanted to replicate the kind of success they had last year, they had to save the reigning Conn Smythe winner so he would be fresh at the most crucial times of the season.

So far, that prediction has not quite come to fruition. Thomas’ 19 starts through the Bruins’ first 28 games this season are all of one less than through the first 28 last season. What is more, Thomas has statistically been better than he was during his historic 2010-2011 season. Though he has one less win this season (14-2-3 at this point last year to this season’s 13-5-0), Thomas’ .938 save percentage is equal to that which he posted last season when he set an NHL record in that category. His 1.92 goals against average, currently third in the NHL, is 0.08 better than it was when he led the league last year at 2.00. Hard for the Bruins brass to keep Thomas on the bench when he is replicating a historic performance.

There is no doubt Thomas is still the better of the two Boston netminders, but the counterargument that back-up Tuukka Rask still needs to play more can still be used. Though he still struggles to find complete consistency in his back-up role, like his battery mate, Rask is also having a better year statistically than he did through this point last season. The 24-year old Fin has posted a 2.01 goals against average and .930 save percentage so far this year, which rank sixth and 10^th in the NHL, respectively, compared to the .918 and 2.67 totals he put up last season.

Was Saturday night’s breakdown a symptom of Thomas showing his age? Without access to the Bruins’ training records, Thomas’ physical condition is something of a mystery, but it is an idea that is not too difficult to believe. The fact remains that at 37-years old, Thomas is the fifth oldest goalie in the NHL behind, Dwayne Roloson (42), Martin Brodeur (39), Nikolai Khabibulin (38) and Johan Hedberg (38) and only Thomas and Khabibulin are making any sort of real impact this year. Thomas may be Superman to the faithful of the Black-and-Gold, but the tales of Superman are myth and not reality. The Bruins cannot continue to test reality and push the envelope with Thomas’ mortality.

Age will eventually catch up with him. If his struggles against the Blue Jackets did come as a result of over taxation (the Bruins are in a stretch that will see them play seven games in 14 days), better to not rest Thomas more now, early in the season, than have that mortality sneak up on him in April, May and June when the team needs to be at their best?

The Bruins are a team built on the strength of their defense and their goaltending. Their success in those areas is tantamount to the overall success of the team and the Bruins need to become smarter about protecting an asset as valuable as Thomas. He has earned his deserving place as starter during his tenure in Boston as he has blossomed from journeyman, to reliable goaltender, to amongst the top of the NHL’s goaltending ranks. Playing Thomas less than his current overload should not be seen as a knock against his ability, but a testament to his importance to the team.

There are a number of positive side effects from playing Thomas less that have been seemingly ignored. More Rask is not just good because it saves Thomas’ legs, but Rask has always been a goaltender who plays better the more consistently he plays. More starts mean not just better play from the back-up and, therefore, the team in general, but also better development for their Goaltender of the Future.

Even if Tim Thomas is Superman, no hero ever walks his journey alone.

While the pundits were busy speculating on the possibility of sending David Krejci to Anaheim yesterday afternoon, representatives for the 25-year old Czech were meeting with Boston Bruins management putting the finishing touches on a three-year contract extension. Announced this morning, the deal reportedly carries a cap hit of $5.25 million – second highest on the team – a partial no trade clause that will kick in during the 2013-2014 season and will keep Krejci in Black-and-Gold through the 2014-2015 season.

Krejci can now sleep easy at night. The Bruins top pivot has always been a streaky player, but off to the worst start of his five-year NHL career it has been reported of late that Krejci’s struggles can be attributed in part to the pressure of playing in a contract year. With that out of the equations and with last night’s one goal, two assist performance in Toronto just hours after the extension was supposedly signed to use as a springboard, Krejci should return to the form.

Even with the recent emergence of Tyler Seguin, when on his game, Krejci is currently the Bruins’ most talented forward. A gifted passer and playmaker, when he is right, Krejci is the straw that stirs the offensive drink. A threat whenever he touches the puck, proven by the fact Krejci has been either first or second on the team each of the last three seasons in both points and assists. The most attractive quality Krejci offers, however, is his penchant for taking his game to the next level in big spots.

Krejci led the playoffs in scoring with 23 points during the Bruins’ Stanley Cup run last summer, becoming the first Bruin to do so since Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr shared the honor during the Bruins’ previous championship season in 1972. Four of the league-leading 12 goals he scored in last year’s playoffs were game-winners. He was regarded as his team’s best player while playing for his native Czech Republic in the 2010 Winter Olympics and it has often been said that the turning point in the Bruins’ historical collapse against the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 playoffs was when Krejci was knocked out of the series with a wrist injury. In 52 career playoff games in the NHL, Krejci as racked up 19 goals and 25 assists, which is a production rate about 20% higher than his regular season numbers.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, on the other hand, should have received a firm pat on the back from the rest of the management team for the signing. Not only does Chiarelli get to check off what was to be the biggest name on a list of 10 current Bruins who were set to become free agents at the end of this season, but the deal itself was well structured for both parties. Known early in his tenure in Boston for some suspect contract extensions he handed out, Chiarelli is two-for-two this season with the optimal deals he made, first with winger Brad Marchand and now with Krejci. Good length and good money for a player of Krejci’s talent level and importance to the team, while keeping him as the best trade chip in Chiarelli’s arsenal.

Which direction Chiarelli decides to go in remains the great debate. If he decides to keep Krejci in the fold, the Bruins GM finds himself sitting pretty with a strong core of young and talented players with Stanley Cup experience, many of who are locked into long-term, but manageable contracts. If rumors become reality and Chiarelli decides to shop Krejci, who was deemed as expendable prior to the extension given his then pending free agency and the emergence of and consistent production from Seguin, a natural center who has played on the wing for Boston, he has become even more of an attractive piece on the trade market now that he has a reasonable contract to his credit. With the partial no trade clause not kicking in for another two seasons, Chiarelli has the luxury of waiting to see how things play out for the Bruins both financially – there are still a few key pieces due for new contracts soon – and on the ice.

For now, Krejci will remain in Boston, which is nothing short of a good thing and the right move for at least the next two seasons. Trade rumors, however, will continue to follow the skilled Czech and may even come to fruition as the phenom Seguin continues to look as though he will live up to the “superstar-in-the-making” hype that followed him to Boston. No matter how it turns out, the signing of David Krejci will yield great benefits for the Boston Bruins.

It has been 30 days of bliss for the city of Boston and their beloved Bruins. A truly lovely and historic month of November.

The month of October was nothing short of a disaster for the Boston Bruins. The first month of the team’s Stanley Cup defense culminated on October 29 with a 4-2 loss to the Canadiens on a night Boston was getting pounded by a snowstorm that left much of the state without power. That loss dropped the Bruins to 3-7-0, which was good enough for last place in the Eastern Conference. Many were hitting the panic button, desperately close to writing the team off for this season and ready to blow-up the roster.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed. Not only was the city treated to one of the three warmest Novembers on record, but the Bruins also treated their fans with their first month without a regulation loss since 1969, culminating this evening with their 6-3 win in Toronto over the Maple Leafs. The win runs the Bruins’ record to 15-7-1, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference, one point behind conference-leading Pittsburgh. The Champs are not just back, but better than they were during their run last season.

The Bruins struggle to score has become a distant memory as they doubled their offensive output from October, where they mustered a measly 2.2 goals a game, to November, where they put up 4.54 goals per game. The defense, never a huge concern despite the team’s struggles as the Bruins were still near the top of the league after giving up 2.50 goals per game in October, gave up the same amount of goals in November (25) while playing three more games. Despite being one of the worst teams just one month ago, the Bruins now lead the NHL in wins (15), are second in goals scored per game (3.39) and third in goals against per game (2.13). The team does not have anyone in the Top 10 in scoring in the NHL – team leader Tyler Seguin is tied for 13^th with 24 points – but have five of the top six in terms of plus/minus. Goaltender Tim Thomas’ 1.93 goals against average is good enough for fifth amongst goaltenders with at least 10 starts, while the goaltender currently rides a career-best nine-game winning streak.

More important than the statistics, however, has been the team’s demeanor on the ice throughout their last 13 games. The Bruins’ composure and resilience has become second to none. With a goal differential of -3 in the first period of games this season, the Bruins get better as games go on, generally playing their best hockey in the third period, where they have a goal differential of +20, far and away the best in the NHL. After tonight’s win in Toronto, which saw the Leafs take an early 1-0 lead, the Bruins are 8-8-1 in games they trail by a goal at any point in the contest and 2-4 in games they fall behind by two. A general fear for the Bruins last season until well into their post-season was they could not come up with a goal when they needed it. That is no longer the case.

The Bruins can now come up with that goal and there seems to be no shortage of players who seemingly have the potential to score it. Not only did eight different Bruins contribute game-winning goals in the 12 November wins, but since head coach Claude Julien’s most recent shuffling of his forward lines prior to a win against Ottawa on November 1 each of the top three units has taken their turns dominating the opposition. The defensive corps has also stepped in to contribute offensively, something that lacked greatly earlier in the year. Captain Zdeno Chara is tied for second on the team in scoring with 18 points after putting up a career best 14 points this month with four goals and 10 assists, while newcomer Joe Corvo is tied for fifth on the team with 10 assists this season.

Though there are still some concerns with the Bruins – most notably the wildly inconsistent trio of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton, and an over taxation of Thomas – and there is still a long road ahead, they have become a virtual well-oiled machine. Much like the facial hair grown this month, November will be missed, but as the calendar turns to December, it is as though the season starts anew. The fingers are officially off the panic button as the sins of October have been nullified and Boston is exactly where they should be, near the top of both their division and the conference.

Must have been the mustaches.

With the dark cloud of what happened 11 days ago hanging over the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY, both the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabers took to the ice on Wednesday night looking to make a statement in this Northeast Division match-up. Both teams made their statement, but in the end it was the Bruins who came out on top with a 4-3, shootout victory.

For the Sabres, they came into the game needing to atone and seek vengeance on Bruins forward Milan Lucic, who delivered a hard body check to Buffalo netminder Ryan Miller in the team’s last meeting just over a week ago. While the Sabres needed be the ones to ring the bell, attack the Bruins and not back down, Boston had to answer that call and stand-up to any physicality Buffalo threw their way, all the while proving they are more than the thugs they have been labeled as since the Lucic hit. And for both teams, the two points on the line would put the victor into a tie for first place in the division with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Lucic-Miller issue was put to rest early as Paul Gaustad squared off with Lucic on just the second shift of the game, with the decision going to Lucic. The tone for the contest, however, was not set until later in the first period when emotions erupted as it was Gaustad once again bringing the physical presence. The Sabres centerman took a clean run at the Bruins’ Brad Marchand following a hit by Marchand on Buffalo’s Nathan Gerbe, and a scrum ensued on-ice involving all 10 skaters.

The Sabres may not have won either of the first period bouts, but they made their statement by showing up for them. They also went on to prove they were not a weak team by capitalizing on the Buffalo power play that resulted from the scum, with defenseman Christian Ehrhoff letting loose a laser from the blue line that beat Boston goaltender Tim Thomas. It was the first goal Thomas had given up in more than 200 minutes of play and the first goal the Bruins had given up on the road in the month of November.

The Sabres extended their lead to 2-0 after an errant pass in the Buffalo zone by Marchand as the Bruins were making a shorthanded bid led to a fast break by the Sabres that saw Thomas Vanek unleash a wrist shot that beat Thomas at 15:22 of the first period.

With Buffalo having made their point, Boston in turn made theirs as they remained composed under the Buffalo attack and began to battle their way back in the second, getting a pair of goals in the period, one each from Marchand and Tyler Seguin, to cut the deficit to 3-2 by the end of the second 20 minutes. The Bruins then tied the game early in the third period as Zdeno Chara took a feed from Lucic and put a slap shot past Jhonas Enroth, knotting the score at 3-3. It was Boston’s second power play goal of the game against a penalty kill that was ranked second in the NHL coming into the game.

Even after tying the score, the Bruins continued to improve their play as the game went on missing several good chances down the stretch, including a spinning backhand by Seguin on the top of Enroth’s crease that just missed, but Buffalo did not wilt. The game went into overtime and eventually the shootout, where both goaltenders stood on their heads, each shutting out their opposition through the first four rounds. Enroth, who came into the night a perfect 5-0 in his career in shootouts, was the first to blink, getting beat by Benoit Pouliot, whose goal delivered the Bruins their tenth straight win.

With the win, the Bruins remain perfect in the month of November, but it was what this game proved about the team’s character that was far more important than the two points. Billed as a rematch of the two teams following the controversial hit by Lucic on Miller, there was a lot of hype coming into the game and high expectations of a physical game. Though the Bruins often play better the more physical they are, it is often easy to lose oneself in the physicality, particularly when found in an early hole, as Boston saw earlier in the year in their disappointing loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in mid-October. This time around, however, the Bruins were able to remain composed and focused, and stayed in a game that was predominantly controlled by their opponents.

It was a focus that paid off as not only did the Bruins get themselves back into first place in the division, but also the first time all season the Bruins were able to win a game after trailing by two goals. It was also the kind of focus and composure the Bruins will need in games like their next one, coming up on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings, where they face highly skilled teams that can not be bullied. Focus that will help the Bruins once again raise their game to a championship level.

A statement of their character.