MUZZ ON UNCONDITIONAL WAIVERS

Scotty A beat me to the punch below, I heard about this just as I was about to come home. Glen Murray has been placed on unconditional waivers. This will lead to his buyout. There aren't any re-entry waivers he would be claimed on, as that does not occur until the pre-season starts IIRC.

Good luck to Glen Murray, who was a great Bruin. Drafted by the B's, dealt off to Pittsburgh for Kevin Stevens, then made his way back via the LA Kings and gave it his all. His skillset has drastically dropped over the past 2-3 seasons along with his ability to play injury free, and in the salary cap era, that put on the writing on the wall. According to scuttlebutt, as much as the Bruins tried, there was simply no trade market, at all, for him.

As I noted below, this is a much better option for everyone - Muzz gets to market himself as a free agent around the league and may land on a team in need. The Bruins get some cap relief and a roster slot for a young 'un. We all wish Muzz well, and thanks for the years of service.

Wideman signed, but why the hush hush?

Sportsnet.ca has reported (and has since been confirmed by the Globe) that the Bruins and Dennis Wideman have come to terms on a 4 year deal that will pay him just over $3.9M per. However there has been no official statement from the Bruins as of yet.

Let's hit on the deal first - I figured he'd cash in right around $3.5M per, so this is just a hair more than I thought he'd get. However, this 4 year deal also takes away 2 years of UFA for Wideman, which in the long run will work to the Bruins' benefit.... we hope.

It's almost UFA-type money (based on the Finger signing in Toronto.... still shaking my head at that one) but again, what's better - getting Wideman on a 4 year deal at $3.9M per, or him getting a 2 year arbitration award at $3M and then hitting UFA in 2 years and potentially getting $5M+? I'd opt for the 4 year deal, thanks.

There's definitely a part of me that says "but he's had really only ONE good season! And he was benched for opening night of that season!" I think his steady play throughout the season helped his position, and let's be realistic - he's a very good puck moving defenseman which are THE hot commodity in the NHL right now. I wish to crap he'd learn to SHOOT better and hit the net, but I also think based on other careers he's just about to hit his mid-20's to late-20's defenseman prime.

Now that that's done, let's talk about THE CAP.

With this signing, the Bruins are well over $1M OVER the cap. Salary needs to go. It should surprise no one that the prime candidate for movement would be Glen Murray. Second on the "high salaries we probably wouldn't miss" list would be Manny Fernandez. There are other options on the lower end of players who could go to free up space (Schaefer immediately comes to mind) but those two contracts are the ones the Bruins would *potentially* be best to rid themselves of.

Of course, this begs the question "who would WANT those contracts????" A team like, oh let's say, the Kings, perhaps? A familiar West Coast spot for Muzz, and a team that needs to reach the cap floor. I think they also need goaltending as well.... hmmm.

Now I'm not implying ANYTHING - I'm just tossing it out there. The B's need to move salary. Is the silence over the signing perhaps due to the Bruins working on a deal to move some of that salary out? It's a possibility. I, personally, would much rather see Muzz traded to a team that could use him than see him sent to Providence. Am I opposed to that? No. BUT I'd rather see him moved to a team where he could skate out the rest of his contract.

So - we'll see what happens when the Bruins finally make things official with Wideman. Will there be more news to report at that press conference? Or has their stupid fax machine jammed up again?

The Bruins Report Podcast Episode 53 7/07/08

LISTEN ONLINE OR DOWNLOAD FROM HERE!

Hey! Put on your sunscreen, grab a beer, and kick back for episode 53 of The Bruins Report! Russ and CJ update everyone on the Bruins recent draft, and also discuss the beginnings of the Unrestricted Free Agent Frenzy. Much chatter about the B's recent signings makes the rounds, with some salary and stat comparisons tossed in just so they sound somewhat smaaaaht.

This week's band is The Mudbloods http://www.myspace.com/mudbloods

Visit us online at http://www.thebruinsreport.com and also on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thebruinsreport, or send in questions/comments to us at staff@thebruinsreport.com or our voicemail line 206-666-3729

Ryder's contract - a comparison

For my own curiosity's sake, I took a quick look at the stats of some players who have an annual cap hit of $4M per season, to see where Ryder stacks up. Upon hearing the terms of his deal last night, my first thought was "seems a bit high". Of course, I thought that with ALL the contracts being handed out yesterday, and I thought that when Chara and Savard signed too. So I went over to www.nhlnumbers.com, looked at cap hits, then went to www.tsn.ca to look up some stats.

What you see below is Ryder's stats over 4 seasons, followed by 6 players who all carry nearly the same cap hit and their averaged numbers over 4 seasons.

MICHAEL RYDER - 51pts, 25 goals
Ales Hemsky - 58pts, 16 goals
Dustin Penner - 46pts, 25 goals
Jason Blake - 56pts, 26 goals
Eric Cole - 53pts, 25 goals
Brian Gionta - 54pts, 29 goals
Milan Michalek* - 52pts, 22 goals
*only 3 full NHL seasons so far, so his numbers are averaged accordingly.

So based on the cap going up, and the number of free agent forwards available, it appears that Ryder's salary is more in line with the current salary trend than I thought. His 99 goals over 4 seasons would be near the top of all Bruins (Murray had 101 over the past 4 seasons) in the same timeframe.

Obviously, looking at the above players, Blake had his great 40 goal season in NY, then had to deal with cancer last season. Gionta had one really good 89pt season, mixed in with 50-60 point years. Penner's contract is due to his being signed to an offer sheet as an RFA last season that Anaheim refused to match.

Ryder produced well for Julien whenever they were together, let's hope that trend continues. Julien was very happy in his media quotes about getting Ryder, and on the good side, Julien knows what Ryder's game is and how and where he's going to be most effective (IE the powerplay). Much better than grabbing a player and slotting him somewhere the team *thinks* he'll fit in.

BRUINS SIGN RYDER 3 yrs $4M per

Just for the record, I AM BETTERER than EKLUND. Prepare to start paying for access to this blog in the near future, suckers!!!

:-)

The Bruins inked Michael Ryder to a 3 year deal worth $12M total this evening. He's not the splash that Hossa would have been. HOWEVER... based on some of the crazy deals lately (IE Malone in TB, Green's $5M per deal for a player with ONE full NHL season under his belt, Campbell at $7.1M per, Redden at $6.5M per for 6 years, Sundin being offered $10M (!!) per season by Vancouver) one can only imagine what Hossa's going to command. And that's both $$ value as well as length of term.

In any event - the Bruins now have a player who has averaged 25 goals the past 4 seasons, including 2 30 goal campaigns without a REAL center feeding him the puck. YES - he fell out of favor last season in Montreal and was a healthy scratch at times. Not going to sugar coat it. In coming to Boston, he'll be back under Julien for the fourth time - juniors, AHL, and Montreal were the other 3 teams.

I think that there's still more to come, however perhaps along the trade routes. We'll see soon.

I'd also think that this pretty much guarantees that Murray WILL be bought out after Wideman's arbitration hearing.

In now former Bruins news, Auld signed with Ottawa for 1 year and Metro signed with Philly for 2. Best of luck to those guys who came through for the B's in spots where they were needed, and probably have the Bruins front office to thank for their being given another shot in the NHL. I'll miss Metro more as he did a lot more than expected in his one season here, but here's to hoping that Krejci, Nokelaienen, Sobotka, et al can help fill that center hole.

THE FRENZY BEGINS TODAY

Given the B's cap space left (Nokelainen signed yesterday for 2 years, $850K per) it's a real possibility that some of the huge name UFAs like Hossa and Campbell don't have a chance being signed here.

The NY Post reports a rumour today that the B's are preparing to offer Hossa a 12 year, $100 million dollar contract. Repeat: RUMOUR. I mean, that's just crazy talk. Campell might want around $8M per season, which is another ridiculous amount. Not needed.

Now, don't forget - Chiarelli might be able to sign a big ticket player and be over the cap by 10% as long as he's under by opening night. But those numbers are just crazy. Crazy.

Bob McKenzie over at TSN noted that a lot of teams are making trades to attain players, realizing that some UFAs are going to get crazy contracts from teams trying to finagle finances under the cap. Could the B's make a deal for a blueliner, and pick up a decent priced UFA up front? A Michael Ryder perhaps? KPD mentions Corey Stillman in his article today in the Globe, but I think someone like Ryder might fit in well with Julien who make huge strides under his coaching while with the Scabs.

I mean, in a season where Mike Green from the Caps, who has ONE FULL SEASON in the league, gets a deal worth $5.25M per..... do the Bruins really want to toss a huge contract at a player just because? Case in point - Lapointe.

It'll be an interesting day for sure.

Chiarelli gunning for Hossa?

According to today's blurb in the Bruins Blog over at boston.com, PC mentioned in his con-call today that he's potentially gunning for a big ticket player on July 1. In order to do so, he'd have to move some roster players to clear up cap space.

Can anyone say sayanora Murray and/or Fernandez?

Realistically, moving one or both of those players via buyout would help create needed space, moreso Murray than Fernandez. Given that Murray only has 1 year left on his deal, his overall cap buyout hit would be considerably less than Fernandez. A buyout may also be better for Murray than say, demoting him to Providence.

So... who might Mr Chiarelli have on his radar?

MARIAN HOSSA - guaranteed for at least $7.5-$8M. Easy. He's not talking with Pittsburgh with any seriousness. Rumours are out there that there may have been some "chatting up" of Hossa via his buddy Chara. We all know PC wanted him at the deadline but didn't want to mortgage the farm without the ability to talk extension with him.

WADE REDDEN - the legit #2 blueliner the B's have been needing for some time. Wideman's quickly moving his way up that ladder, but I think it's safe to say Redden would be a coup. Given his $6M salary this past season, it's easy to see him in Hossa territory as far as $$ as well.

BROOKS ORPIK - Big, hits hard, probably one of the more coveted younger UFAs this season. Probably will earn around $4M per in his contract-to-be. Would be a good pickup, but would anything less than a Redden-type on the blueline help the Bruins goals for stat?

MARKUS NASLUND - He's 33, and his best productive seasons *might* be behind him. But he's still an all-world talent. Would he be worth $7M?

RYAN MALONE - Probably the other most-coveted young UFA this off season. Like Orpik, he's big, hits, and has decent enough hands. Also like Orpik, probably good for $4M. Given the Penguins situation with MA Fleury next season (IIRC) and wanting to sign Malkin to an extension, it's definitely within reason to think Orpik and Malone sign elsewhere, even if Pittsburgh also loses out on the Hossa sweepstakes.

DONALD BRASHEAR - Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

MIROSLAV SATAN and PAVOL DEMITRA - I'm putting these two together for a number of reasons. Both 32, both coming off of contracts that paid them $4.5M per, both have declining production. Demitra's had 62 and 64 points the past 2 seasons, scoring 25 goals in each. Satan has been worse, getting only 41 points last season, and hasn't equalled his Buffalo production since going to the Islanders. However, both have been out-producing Murray since before the lockout, and both have the advantage of age over Murray. I don't see either of these guys as being players you clear space for; but wouldn't be bad pickups depending on the contract terms.

M-Stu resigns

Mark Stuart signed a 2 year deal yesterday, which will pay him an average of $1.3M each of the two seasons of the deal. Not a bad hit, and it represents a $400k raise per KPD.

There was also a trade of minor leaguers - Matt Hendricks went to Colorado for defenseman Johnny Boychuck. I've got no input on that one :-)

B's draft recap

Overall the B's had a decent draft this weekend. I don't think they grabbed any players who can be dubbed a "home run", however they DID pick up some players who have definite potential down the road. No, there's no Phil Kessel in the bunch, or Patrice Bergerons either. Well, then again, one never knows, do one? In any event, here's a quick Bruins Report rundown on the B's picks.

First Round - Joe Colbourne, 16th overall. Center, 6' 5" 190lbs. The biggest knock on Colbourne has been his physical play, or lack thereof. He doesn't play like a big body (IE Joe Thornton, Hal Gill) BUT the biggest thing to remember here is this kid, less than 2 years ago, was 5' 10" and 165lbs. He simply hasn't adjusted to being BIG yet. Scored at nearly 2 PPG pace in juniors last year, headed to Denver to play collegiate hockey and specifically chose that route in order to have a shorter season which will give him more time in the weight room. If he bulks up and learns to play big he could be a gem for a long time - if he stays flat when it comes to work ethic and drive, he could be a bust. There's been a lot of talk about Colbourne coming from a *very* affluent family, and perhaps having a bit of a sense of entitlement. *IF* that's true, and he quickly outgrows that, we *could* have what Joe Thornton could've been. And if that talk isn't true at all, and Colbourne work
s hard in Denver (who has a great program) then we could have the next Vinny Lecavalier in Black and Gold in 2-3 years. The potential is there, but it's not a lock.

Second Round - Max Sauve, 47th overall. Center, 6' 170lbs. Yes, he's related to all those other Sauves. Hopefully his time in Black and Gold will be much more memorable than his cousin Phillipe's. Sauve has speed to burn, and was rated as a "5 skater" by Chiarelli. Averages a PPG in the QMJHL, needs to add more weight to his frame. Might end up on the wing by the time he makes it to the pros, but is a very good playmaker.

Third Round - Michael Hutchinson, 77th overall. Goaltender, 6'3" 185lbs. Noted for his excellent puck handling/moving skills, which as we've seen in the "new" NHL can equate to quick breakouts out of the zone. Brodeur and Turco have been excellent with the puck, and Price looks like he may be another. He'll be the clear #1 guy for his team in the OHL this season, and the Bruins won't be in any rush to move him along. With Rask and Reagan in Providence this coming season, Hutchinson can take his time to work on his game.

Fourth Round - Jamie Arniel, 97th overall. Center, 5' 11" 183lbs. Nephew of former B Scott Arniel, Jamie dropped drastically in the draft after finishing up as the 20th ranked North American skater. This was mostly due to having a bad year last year in the OHL, in which he missed 2 weeks of the season while awaiting a trade. Based on people familiar with the situation, the team had agreed that Arniel wasn't a good fit with their philosophy or somesuch, and told him they'd trade him to a team where he'd be put in an offensive role. Apparently the media took his absence from the ice as a sign that he was a troublemaker and causing issues in the locker room. In any event, look for Arniel to be the #1 go-to guy for his team this season. Good work ethic, smart player in all zones - the B's traded up to snag him.

Sixth Round - Nicholas Tremblay, 173rd overall. Center (yes another one), 5' 11" 190lbs. Scored at nearly 2 PPG last season, headed to Clarkson to play collegiate hockey. Another kid who'll most likely end up on the wing in the pros, and another kid who has tremendous speed and agility. Give him 2-3 years in college playing in the ECAC and he should be ready to step up, at least to the AHL level. Doesn't project as a top 6 guy, but has solid enough skating and hockey sense to have a good career.

Seventh Round - Mark Goggin, 197th overall. Center (sound familiar?) 5' 11" 177lbs. Lives in CT and spends his summers on the Cape, so the B's must've taken him to meet their "local boy" quota for the season ;-) Headed off to Dartmouth next year after he's done with prep school, and currently plays against Tommy Cross, who the B's picked last year. Goggin is definitely a project and a "value pick" but the Bruins think he has enough potential to make it to Providence at the very least around 2011-2012 or so.

B's to sign Blake Wheeler/Sens interested in Murray?

UFA Blake Wheeler, former first round pick of the Coyotes (#5 overall) has decided to join the Boston Bruins. The Bruins cannot officially sign him until July 1, but it's believed that it'll be a 2 year deal for the rookie max with some incentives built in according to Fluto in the Globe.

I'm actually surprised with this - I didn't bother posting anything about this as I figured the B's were a definite longshot at signing him. A few days ago word broke that Wheeler had narrowed it down to 4 teams, Boston being one of them. Last night Wheeler's agent (also Chara's agent) announced his intent to sign with the Bruins.

Wheeler's 21, 6'4", 220lbs. The "prototypical" power forward. Wheeler averaged nearly a point per game his sophomore and junior years playing for the U of Minnesota. Interestingly, Wheeler's always been listed as a right wing, yet played center for UofM. Perhaps he and Kessel can get together and have some nice lengthy chats about playing out of position. In any event, Wheeler seems to have the right attitude, and has no problem heading down to Providence to acclimate himself to the pro game. Based on how the B's have brought around kids like Lucic, Krejci, and Stuart, I think Wheeler's signing may be a bonus for the B's.

Spector's Hockey noted today that the Ottawa Sun reported the Sens might have interest in trading for Glen Murray. Um.... why? Perhaps he's looking to unload Emery on Boston? Realistically, that wouldn't make any sense for Boston. Perhaps they're pulling an Eklund and just throwing names out until something sticks.

Player updates - Ward, Sigalet/Marquardt, FAs

Hey there from sunny MA! Yes I've been lax on updates.... and with the podcast too. Given the lack of major player movement until the Finals are done, it's been a good time to lay low, work on some house projects, catch up on reading, and all that other fun stuff. It's also been nice to watch Family Guy on Sunday nights instead of taping the show :-) In any event, here's some updates and info you've probably heard elsewhere, with TBR spin on them.

Aaron Ward re-signed with the Bruins for 2 years, taking a bit of a pay cut (not much, down from about $2.75M to $2.5M, oh no!) to stick with the Bruins. Ward and his family like it here, which is always encouraging to hear... then again, everyone pretty much says that no matter WHAT city they're in, save for Edmonton. Ward brought a solid game to the blue line, with some heavy hitting and excellent shot blocking. Given the youngsters in the system who may be ready to make the jump (Lashoff, Hunwick) it'll be good to have Ward around for them to learn from. I also think that given Ward's re-signing, and Wideman's RFA contract status which will hopefully be taken care of soon, we may see Ference dealt. Just call it a hunch.

Speaking of youngsters on the blue line, Jonathan Sigalet was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the rights to Matt Marquardt, who almost immediately signed a 3 year entry level deal with Boston. Sigalet has great skating, but his progress wasn't anywhere near that of the guys mentioned above. It might be that his decision to leave school early may have put a kink in his development. Given the depth on the blue line, Chiarelli elected to send Sigalet out in favor of Marquardt, a big kid at 6'3" and 225lbs, who's popped in 40+ goals the past 2 seasons in the QMJHL. He's tough and strong (not a fighter, just a heavy hitter) and his biggest knock is his skating. Sound familiar? Thought so.

The Bruins braintrust is currently in scouting/research mode preparing for the upcoming draft. Contracts for RFAs Wideman, Stuart, and Nokelainen have been put on hold, but I don't see there being any concern with the three of them not re-signing, or pulling a holdout stunt.

Finally, former Bruin Hannu Toivonen has jumped overseas, and will be playing in Europe next season. Many say that Boston ruined his development with the yo-yo he was put on after his ankle injury. Based on reports out of St Louis, I'd say it's more like Hannu simply couldn't get adjusted to the NHL game after playing well in the AHL. That might not bode so well for those watching Rask down in Providence; after declaring he was ready for Boston he crumbled in the playoffs. Given it was his first season in NA, it may have been that the wear and tear of the longer season finally got to him, as it will to many first year pros. However, we're still seeing goaltending prospects play so well at first with the Bruins (Raycroft, Toivonen) and then fizzle out elsewhere. Time will tell if the same happens with Rask, but I STILL say the B's made out like bandits in that trade with Toronto.

Kobasew signs, more FA news, Rask falters in PVD

Chuck Kobasew signed what some thought was a below market deal with the Bruins, agreeing to a 3 year $7M contract. Lyle Richardson over at Spector's noted yesterday that some NHL team employees around the league thought the deal was a bit low, and a good signing by Boston given that Kobasew can be an energy guy, or a second line guy in a pinch. I like Chuck, he was one of the few who brought his 100% energy game to the team last year, and if he can rack up a few more points (and stay healthy) then it's definitely a great signing.

Chiarelli also is working on deals with Wideman and Stuart (both RFAs) and has also had talks with Metropolit and Ward's camps on trying to sign them as well (they are both UFAs). I think if Ward signs, we may see someone like Ference get dealt in order to make room for either Lashoff or Hunwick next season.

Without the podcast these past few weeks, CJ hasn't had to broken heartedly discuss how the P-Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs, and a fairly big factor was Rask's game dropping like a rock. He let in a number of softies, and it may be that the longer season in North America finally got to him. Still, he played very well for Providence, and I don't think there's any question he'll be in Providence next season as well. Looks like his comments about not having much to do in Providence came back to bite him in the butt. Unless either Thomas or Fernandez gets dealt (very unlikely), they'll be the two guys up in Boston. Of course, that's not counting for potential injuries (probably much more likely than a trade!).

More info on Chara's play against Montreal...

Special thanks to reader Karl for sending this in. Perhaps this issue was weighing on Big Z during the Montreal series as well???

Looking forward.....

Sure, it was tough to see the B's fall 5-0 in Game 7. Yes, to all the bandwagoners who hopped on halfway through Game 6, it's another first round exit. However, those of you who were here all season know that seeing this team take it to Game 7 against the Habs was no small victory. Consider:

-Chara playing with a bad shoulder since early March that will require surgery (per Fluto in the Globe today)
-Bergeron for only 10 games this season
-Alberts gone for 33 games (while not a top pairing guy, he was someone who ate up a LOT of minutes and forced the trade for Hnidy)
-Kobasew gone at the end of the season and out of the playoffs

Those aren't a list of excuses; those are a list of reasons why I'm proud to be a Bruins fan.

This offseason will be interesting; there are a lot of issues at hand to address. Not even thinking about the draft, there's:

-the goaltending situation. Does either Fernandez or Thomas get traded? Do they platoon? Does Rask get another year in the AHL?
-Murray. His contract is definitely bloated at this point for his production. Does he get bought out now that he's in the last year of his contract? Does he stay on the team?
-Soderberg. I think he's definitely a wild card in this - does he come over from Sweden, and does he grab a spot on the roster with his supposed skills?
-the RFAs like Wideman and Kobasew. How much do they get paid?
-UFAs - depending on who gets signed (yes we'll all drool for Hossa) that might impact the current RFAs on the roster

We're looking at next season with a lot of optimism, and I hope you all are too.

The Bruins Report Podcast Episode 52 4/21/08

LISTEN ONLINE OR DOWNLOAD FROM HERE!

It's another first round exit, but this one sure feels a heck of a lot different. Russ and CJ recap the final few games of the playoffs, including the recently concluded (like 15 mins before this was recorded) Game 7, and provide some positive outlook towards next season. Oh and Habs fan bashing too.

CJ gives a PB's update and some listener voicemails and emails get their input from the guys.

Our next episode will probably be in a few weeks, so keep an eye out!

Visit us online at http://www.thebruinsreport.com and also on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thebruinsreport, or send in questions/comments to us at staff@thebruinsreport.com or our voicemail line 206-666-3729

GAME 7 GAME 7 GAME 7

Showing the resiliency they've showed all season, the Bruins battled back 3 times in the 3rd period to beat the Scabs 5-4 in Boston, forcing Game 7 in Montreal on Monday.

Think there's a BIT of pressure on Montreal now? That's 10 goals in 2 games given up by Price... his shoulders seem to be a bit stooped right now, I wonder why...

The move to bench Kessel is looking like pure genius at this point, with 3 goals in his past 2 games. And that first goal..... oh my damn. Oh. My. Damn. Welcome back to the playoffs, Francis.

Sturm has turned it up as well, don't get me wrong. And also great to see Sobotka continuing to impress as well. Lucic.... yeah. He's a player.

Tough to see the B's giving up goals at bad times, but it was great to see them continuing to battle back.

Oh man, I can't wait to read the articles coming out of Canada tomorrow morning... this'll be fun.

Seriously - Game 7, the pressure is ALL ON Montreal. The Bruins weren't even supposed to be IN the playoffs, and after Game 1 it appeared that they naysayers were right. I'll even admit to feeling defeated after that game. And we all know how supposed "real" writers like KPD felt after that game. Anyone notice that without a player to attack from behind his keyboard, he went after Sinden this time? Too bad the Boston media can't make it a 2-fer and show KPD the door along with Lobel.

Monday. Game 7. Win or lose, it's going to be good.

Bruins bring it - beat Habs 5-1 to force Game 6

Think NESN has a little egg on their face after banishing the Bruins to their "NESN Plus" channels? Reader Matthew voiced his displeasure on NESN's website, and I hope a bunch of you do the same.

Phil Kessel proved he was pissed from sitting, scoring to tie the game up after Kovalev had a pretty little goal to go with his exposed pretty little hair. Yeah that was just a dumb comment to make. But I really don't care. It's Bruins/Habs in the playoffs.

Metro ends the goalless streak. Chara brings on the boos with the PP goal. Price goofs up. It's headed back to Boston. Not much more to be said.

Nice.

Sometimes your best isn't good enough; B's drop to 3-1 against Habs

In a well played, entertaining, hard fought game the Bruins did everything but score in a 1-0 loss to the Scabs in Boston last night. This essentially brings the Bruins to the brink of elimination; it's going to be 3 1-game series from here on out.

I was SO DAMN SURE the Bruins were going to score in the last minute of play, when they had the tic-tac-toe passing between the faceoff dots to get Price out of position. I was SO SURE!!!!! Arg. I almost woke the kids up with my disgruntled exclamations (which I won't re-print here). But the Habs scored on the powerplay (sound familiar?) late in the second, and that goal was able to stand up.

It's been such a frustrating thing to watch this Bruins team figure out how to stop the Scabs attack (FINALLY!) but not be able to score. Will Kessel be back in Game 5? Has his pressbox banishment for not being gritty enough come to an end, only because the Bruins are desperate to score? One funny thing to note though - Lucic had more hits through the first 3 games of this series than Kessel had ALL SEASON.

Anyone seen Glen Murray? Anyone? Bueller?

The Curly Haired Boyfriend had an interesting article in the Globe today, featuring many comments from Harry Sinden. He discussed how Chara's been playing hurt, how much he likes Lucic, and how Bergeron is their best player. However, the comment that stood out the most to me was that Sinden doesn't like Savard. For the most part (aside from his whining on-ice and his occasional dives) I think that Savard has been more than advertised since he came to Boston - solid in 3 zones, and good for the points. Given that this is Savard's first playoff series, I don't agree with Sinden's comments about Savard being "all batting average, no RBIs". Particularly when it comes to the JT comparisons - Thornton's been there, is there now, and hasn't done crap. Nor is he doing crap now. Savard is out there playing hurt, and his poor play his first game back aside, has done well out there. But I'm not Sinden, so what do I know, right?

The Bruins Report Podcast Episode 51 4/13/08

LISTEN ONLINE OR DOWNLOAD FROM HERE!!

Thanks to OT in Game 3, it's a solocast this week with Russ handling the show. No music, no frills, no BS, just Bruins playoff talk. The 3 games so far are recapped, and the Kessel situation is discussed, along with the fickle Boston fans who's seats are taken up by too many red sweaters.

Visit us online at http://www.thebruinsreport.com and also on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thebruinsreport, or send in questions/comments to us at staff@thebruinsreport.com or our voicemail line 206-666-3729

B's play better but still lose 3-2 in OT

I was all set for this blog post (as I was thinking of things last night during the game) to be critical of Julien, blasting him for not adjusting all season, scratching Kessel when the B's needed goals, and so on and so forth.

Much to my surprise, the B's played their best game of the year against Montreal. If not for TT giving up a softie (goal #1) and the refs deciding that they're going to influence the outcome as much as possible this post-season (just ask the Devils and both teams in the Det/Nash series) the Bruins could very well be coming back to Boston tied at 1.

Kudos to this team for sticking through the game; even though you could tell their shoulders slumped after outplaying the Habs in the first, only to go down 1-0, they battled back and ended up tying it in the 3rd, taking advantage of the 5-on-3 PP.

Also, kudos to Schaeffer who make a great play with Noke on the 2 on 1 to get the B's on the board. Like I had mentioned before, he was in the doghouse but he's one of those guys who knows exactly where to be and what to do in the playoffs.

HOPES FOR TONIGHT:

-Kessel is in, either Reich or Thornton is out. Doubtful.
-Bergeron comes out to take the opening faceoff after no even being on the ice for warmups a la Rat Bastard in '88. Doubtful.
- SOMEONE on the Habs gets called for diving. Double doubtful.

Based on last night's game, now that the playoff jitters were out of everyone's systems, the Bruins CAN stick with the Habs. Now.... they just HAVE to do it.