Game Sixty Nine: A Lightning Storm For Boston

The Bruins were on the road again for the second game of their three-game road trip Tuesday night. They were in action against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Marty Turco got his first start in goal for the Bruins in this game. Although he did see some ice time in Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, this was his first official start.

The key for the injury-prone Bruins in this game was to match the top line of the Lightning. Teddy Purcell, Steven Stamkos, and Martin St. Louis all have seen ample ice time in the last few games for Tampa Bay and one had to wonder if they had any gas left. Turns out they had plenty left.

Adam McQuaid was ruled out for this game due to an upper-body injury and was replaced in the lineup by Greg Zanon. Daniel Paille made his return in this game as well.

Trent Whitfield was called up by the Bruins on Monday on an emergency basis and he was in the lineup against the Lightning. Finally, Patrice Bergeron was a game-time decision in this one. He left the game on Sunday after taking a slap shot to the leg. Everything checked out and he was cleared to play.

Now it is game time. Tampa Bay scored four goals in the first 20 minutes. The first goal, originally ruled on the ice as a no goal due to a distinct kicking motion, was overturned on replay. That goal caused the problems for the B's as the rest of the period did not go their way. Tim Thomas replaced Turco in goal after he allowed three goals in under five minutes.

Tampa netted another goal in the second period. Stamkos beat Thomas to record his 49th goal of the season. Since the game became out of hand at that point, Turco reentered the game. If you want to say that the B's played better in the second period because they only allowed one goal instead of four, then feel free. It was still a less than desirable 20 minutes of hockey. Boston managed to get 15 shots on Lightning goaltender Dustin Tokarski during that time.

Stamkos notched goal number 50 in the third period, becoming the sixth player in NHL history to score 50 goals twice before turning 23 years of age. Jordan Caron did grab a goal for the Bruins, but it was not nearly enough in this one. Tampa Bay defeated Boston by a score of 6-1. Tokarski picked up his first career NHL win.

The Bruins will be back in action on Thursday night when they take on the Florida Panthers.

Gold Star: Milan Lucic...He was arguably the most consistent player on the ice for Boston. He drove the puck to the net and won some battles along the boards.

Black Star: Marty Turco (8 saves and 12 shots, 4 goals allowed, .667 save percentage)...His passing of the puck was the only aspect of his game worth bragging about in this one.

Game Sixty Eight: As If It Couldn't Get Any Worse

As if the Bruins were not banged up enough, they are continuing to be ravaged by injuries. Boston lost three more players in their 5-2 loss on Sunday afternoon to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Patrice Bergeron, Adam McQuaid, and Max Sauve all left the game with different injuries. This was Sauve's first NHL game as well. Bergeron, who got a puck blasted into his foot on a shot, tried to return but left after only one shift back.

Penguins' center Sidney Crosby did not play in this game after multiple reports said that this game would be the one where he makes his return from his concussion. It would have been interesting because he blamed David Krejci for his symptoms reoccurring. Sorry Sidney, no revenge in this one for you.

They got some revenge on the scoreboard and that is all that matters. Evgeni Malkin factored into three of the five goals as he notched up three assists. The Pens chased Tim Thomas after the first period after giving up three goals on 10 shots. Marty Turco replaced Thomas and played solid, making 20 saves.

The top line for the Bruins factored in both goals. Krejci netted the goals and Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin each had two assists. Andrew Ference made his return in this game. He has not played since March 1st due to a lower-body injury.

Well, there you have it. Another afternoon loss for the Bruins. Shocking. They will be back in action Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yes, this will be a night game.

Gold Star: David Krejci (2 goals, 5 shots on goal)...His play has really started to become more consistent.

Black Star: Tim Thomas (7 saves on 10 shots, 3 goals allowed, .700 save percentage)...Chased from goal after only one period? This is not a good sign. Let's hope that it is just fatigue.

Game Sixty Seven: Bruins Drop Another Matinee Game

What is happening inside the minds of the Bruins the night before an afternoon game? Do they not get much sleep? Are they concentrating on other things besides the game itself? At this point, it is logical to say the B's would much rather play at night.

Boston fell to the Washington Capitals Saturday afternoon by a score of 4-3. The Bruins dressed seven defensemen for this one due to the late scratch of Benoit Pouliot. It was later confirmed that he has a lower-body injury. Mike Mottau got some ice up front in his absence.

The Caps grabbed two first period goals that were scored by Alexander Semin and Matt Hendricks. Milan Lucic cut the lead in half by poking the puck past Capitals' goaltender Tomas Vokoun just seconds before the first intermission. Credit goes to Patrice Bergeron on a key face-off win that led to the goal.

Washington grabbed two more goals in the game. Brad Marchand and Johnny Boychuk also had goals, but it was not enough as Tim Thomas had allowed four goals in yet another game. Jordan Caron now has points in four straight games by picking up an assist on Boychuk's goal.

The crowd erupted when Zdeno Chara sent Marcus Johansson through the glass near the penalty box. We have not seen one of those incidents in quite some time.

By the end of next week, the Bruins should get some pieces back as Daniel Paille and Andrew Ference are almost ready to be back in the lineup.

The B's will play another afternoon game on Sunday when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.

Gold Star: Brad Marchand (1 goal, 1 assist, plus-1 rating, 4 shots on goal)...He had a solid performance in this game.

Black Star: Tim Thomas (26 saves on 30 shots, 4 goals allowed, .867 save percentage)...He should not get anymore excuses for his sub-par play lately.

Game Sixty Six: Bruins Win Second Straight Game

The Bruins began a two-game homestand on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres. They were in search of their second consecutive win in over 20 games.

Blame it on the injuries? I suppose that anyone could make that argument. As professionals, regardless of stature in the league, you should be ready to be called upon whenever you are needed. Personally, the injury excuse only goes so far with me.

With that being said, the Bruins seem to be getting healthier by the day. Daniel Paille and Andrew Ference each participated in the optional morning skate on Thursday but they were both scratched for this game. After leaving Tuesday's game with an undisclosed injury, Benoit Pouliot was cleared to play against Buffalo.

A surging Buffalo team was two points out of the final playoff spot coming into this game. With the Sabres winning the previous two meetings, they came into this game with some confidence.

Tim Thomas made his seventh consecutive appearance for the Bruins in goal in this one. Mike Mottau was in the lineup in this game in place of Greg Zanon.

The entire game was relatively quiet as far as the between-whistle antics, which is a surprise considering the history between the two teams. There was plenty of open space for both teams to make some crisp passes. Joe Corvo made a great up-ice pass to Tyler Seguin but he could not capitalize.

The Sabres grabbed the first goal of the game in the opening period. Jason Pominville beat Thomas for his 25th goal of the season on an assist by Thomas Vanek. Gregory Campbell tied the game up in the second period when he deflected a Shawn Thornton shot into the net.

The third period certainly saw an increase in physical play, specifically in favor of the Bruins. Johnny Boychuk unloaded a hit on Vanek in the neutral zone. He must have felt great being on the other side of one of those hits.

Boychuk also contributed on the offensive side of the ice when he blasted his fourth goal of the season past Sabres' goaltender Jhonas Enroth. David Krejci put the B's up by two after some great passing from Milan Lucic and Seguin.

It took them a while to get it going, but they did what they usually do best in the third period and that is produce goals to win the game. Boston knocked off Buffalo by a score of 3-1. Thomas finished with 19 saves.

The Bruins will be back on the ice Saturday afternoon when they take on the Washington Capitals.

Gold Star: Johnny Boychuk (1 goal, plus-1 rating, 4 shots on goal, 4 hits)...He is turning into a true number two defenseman.

Black Star: Benoit Pouliot...He said that he was good to go but he did not look the same in this one.

Game Sixty Five: Caron The Incredible

In an attempt to break their current two-game losing streak, the Bruins tried to take what little momentum they had left into Toronto on Tuesday night in a match-up against the Maple Leafs.

The Bruins announced on Monday night that they signed former NHL goaltender Marty Turco to a one-year contract. He must clear through waivers before he can join the team. If he does make the team then he will not be eligible to play in the playoffs.

While the B's are battling injuries, the Maple Leafs are on a downward spiral out of the Eastern Conference playoff race. They came into the game in 12th place with 67 points, five points out of the eighth and final spot. With Randy Carlyle in as the new head coach, look for the Leafs to make a late push as the season comes to a close.

Daniel Paille and Andrew Ference did not make the trip with the Bruins for this game. Tim Thomas got the start in goal once again.

The game started with both teams coming out checking early and often. The heavy pressure resulted in 34 total hits in the opening period.

Carl Gunnarsson put the Leafs on the board first when Milan Lucic turned the puck over in the defensive zone. The open space available to Gunnarsson was enough to bury the puck past Thomas. Jordan Caron tied the game up by scoring his fifth goal of the season on assists from Benoit Pouliot and Joe Corvo.

The second period was not too eventful. Six total goals were scored including a pair from Tyler Seguin. Caron picked up his second and third point of the game when he scored his sixth goal of the season and assisted Chris Kelly's career-high 16th goal. The Leafs grabbed a pair of goals of their own, one of which was a five-on-three power play goal. John-Michael Liles and Phil Kessel had the tallies for Toronto. Shawn Thornton and Dennis Seidenberg (yes, Dennis Seidenberg) each dropped the gloves for a fight. See, not too eventful at all (sarcastic).

The third period was still physical but as the time started to drain away, both teams focused more on getting the win. Mikhail Grabovski netted his 21st goal of the season to make it a one-goal game. The Leafs had a six-on-four advantage with 16 seconds remaining. However, it was Patrice Bergeron who made two great clearances to preserve the 5-4 victory for Boston.

The Bruins are now 5-0-0 against the Maple Leafs this season. Ten Bruins finished with a point, four with multiple points.

Pouliot left the game for undisclosed reasons at some point towards the end of the second period and did not return.

The Bruins will be back in action Thursday night when they host the Buffalo Sabres.

Gold Star: Jordan Caron (2 goals, 1 assist, plus-3 rating, 4 shots on goal)...How does he follow up his first career multi-point game? He records his first career three-point game. He has new found energy to his game.

Black Star: Brian Rolston...He looked a little slow on the penalty kill and could not really get anything going offensively.

Game Sixty Four: Bruins Fall to New York (The Other New York)

The New York Rangers defeated the Bruins on Sunday afternoon by a score of 4-3. The Bruins are winless against the Rangers so far this season.

This game had everything that you would expect from two teams who are on top of the Eastern Conference. We saw three fights in the opening period, including one that featured Lane MacDermid who made his NHL debut in this one. He replaced Daniel Paille on the fourth line, who was injured in Saturday's game against the Islanders.

Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron each had a goal and really clicked in this game skating with Chris Kelly. This third line finally had some life and produced two goals that took some pressure off of the other forwards. It's funny how they only do that when injuries happen instead of on a nightly basis.

The game went back and forth in the third period. With the score tied at two, Marian Gaborik put the Rangers back on top. David Krejci netted his 17th goal of the season to tie things up once again.

The tie was short lived because less than one minute later, Derek Stepan beat Tim Thomas for his 14th goal of the season. The Bruins never had the lead at any point during this game. Thomas finished with 13 saves on 17 shots while Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist finished with 30 saves on 33 shots.

This is not a good sign if the B's cannot knock off the Rangers in a game during the regular season. Sure Boston has been plagued with injuries lately, but this one was a game they could have won. They will have one more crack at the Rangers this season.

Boston will be on the road Tuesday night for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gold Star: Jordan Caron (1 goal, 1 assist, plus-2 rating)...He does have a good game in him every once in a while.

Black Star: Dennis Seidenberg...Three giveaways in a game will always come back to haunt you.

Game Sixty Three: Bruins' Drop Game...and Players

The Bruins lost Saturday afternoon to the New York Islanders by a score of 3-2. This was a devastating loss for the B's at home. Johnny Boychuk made his return in this game, but his return came at the expense of three other injuries.

Andrew Ference was injured in Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils and missed Saturday's game. During the contest on Saturday, Tuukka Rask appeared to injure his lower body and was helped off the ice. Tim Thomas came in to relieve Rask. He finished with 11 saves and 1 goal allowed before his injury.

Also, Daniel Paille collided with Steve Staios in the third period and missed the remainder of the game. Michael Hutchinson and Lane MacDermid will replace Rask and Paille respectively on the upcoming two-game road trip.

As far as the game, Boston looked god for the first 40 minutes. Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin had the goals for Boston. Brian Rolston picked up his first point back with his old team when he assisted Lucic's goal.

The game was tied at two with five minutes left when John Tavares knotted his 26th goal of the season to put the Isles up for good. Everyone in the building thought the puck was iced, but the refs allowed play to continue and that led to the goal.

The Bruins will be back on the ice Sunday afternoon when they take on the New York Rangers.

Gold Star: Milan Lucic (1 goal, 5 shots on goal, 3 hits)...The point streak continues for the winger.

Black Star: Zdeno Chara...No one can really explain what is going on with Big Z lately. He will turn it around when the playoffs arrive.