Don't Vote

That's right.

Don't vote for the all-star game.  Don't vote for Ward, don't vote for Thomas, don't vote for anyone.  Avoid the site like the plague.

The NHL has officially said that the fraudulent votes are correct, puck daddy reports.  They removed about 20,000 from Kovalev, but they're still ahead by hundreds of thousands.

So the league gets to sit happily atop a mountain of press about how they've "fixed" everything, and they like it.  Well, I'm sick of it.  First they leave Thomas off the ballot, to get people like me and Chris over at HubHockey.com into a frenzy to drive people to their site.  This is called good advertising, and the league finally did some.  Then again, it's the league's only good advertising move in the past.....well, I don't know how long, and it was a dirty manipulative trick to get core fans riled up.  I guess they learned that that was a good tactic after they locked out the players and canceled the season on the fans.

NHL, this is stupid.  Eventually, the tactic of "you can't have it...ok now you can" will stop working.  Plenty of folks stopped caring about hockey - sometimes aggressively - after the lockout, and I don't blame them.   They're slowly returning, but how long will it be before Bettman makes another boneheaded move and all of a sudden, the NHL is the laughingstock of the sports world again (if it's even mentioned).

Yes, Tim Thomas deserves to be an all-star.  We all know that.  He knows that.  The NHL marketing team knows that, and that's why he wasn't on the ballot.  I wouldn't be surprised if Peter Chiarelli specifically asked to keep him off so he'd play better.  It turned out to be a great coaching move.  He's been playing out of his mind all year long.

If you must continue to support this malarky, then go ahead and vote for Thomas.  He deserves it.  But don't think you're sending the NHL a message other than "I fell for it."

Game 18 Recap: BRUINS 3 LEAFS 2 REFS 0 WIN BY THOMAS

Ok, so I missed the first period, mostly. Turned it on just in time to see the Leafs score for 2-1. So this recap will be pieced together out of boxtops and enthusiasm.

Check out this story about blind hockey.

And then re-read this story about Tim Thomas.

Or don't. Your loss. Recap time.
First Period:
Nearly halfway through, Lucic goes and gets the puck, throws it to Savard. Savard passes one off the boards to a streaking Kessel, he picks it up. Kessel goes 5-hole from far away. GOAL.

1-0.

A couple minutes later, Lucic and Savard are at it again, this time anointing Matt Hunwick. Hunwick's first shot is blocked, but he's just getting Toskala out of position. GOAL.

2-0.

Ok, here's the part where we've choked up a loss to these guys before. Crap.

I turn on the TV. Jason Blake rams one in short side. 2-1. Ugh.

Second Period.
Thornton and Mayers go at the beginning. Mayers drops his gloves early, because he's scared of Thornton. Andy Brickley explains, thanks to HockeyFights.com:


Versus explains why not to have interviews mid-game, and Chiarelli has no idea what to do. Whoever the interviewer is, they're a tool. Ward gets the puck from in front of the Net, and passes it to Ryder at the other Blue line. Ryder decides "oh, why not, I'll score" and follows through. GOAL.
(listen to this with audio if you like vomiting)

3-1.

No more goal-scoring in the second, due to a tornado in front of the Boston net.

Third Period.
Grabovski scored about 10 minutes in, (3-2) and then the Bruins collapse for the last 10 minutes, just like in NYC. They can't be doing that. Luckily, Thomas is still in net.
All the way down to the final buzzer:

GAME.
WIN.

bruins.nhl.tv's save highlights for the game:
Sick.

Other thoughts:

• We looked like crap out there. Thanks to Thomas, we still got the win. Some days that will be Manny, and he can steal games too.
• Goal by Ryder! He showed what he can do...against Vesa Toskala.
• Thornton's fight was embarassing. I'm not a huge fight fan, but I can see when it doesn't go well.
• If anyone feels like doing some photshopping, Thomas as wall, Thomas as Superman, or Thomas carrying the team would be appropriate. What a beast.
• Hunwick looked pretty good, the goal didn't hurt. Ference is out until January, but his surgery went well.
  

Record: 11-3-4
Away: 6-2-3
L10: 8-1-1
Streak: W1
GO BRUINS!

Game 18 Preview: Bruins @ Toronto JULIEN'S 100TH BRUINS GAME

Nov 17, 2008 7:30 PM ET

On tv: Versus  (No Jack Edwards...boo.)

On the Radio: WBZ

@ Toronto Maple Leafs (7-7-4)

News and Notes:

• Mailing it in today.  Hang tight.
• Toskala vs. Thomas tonight.  Thomas couldn't keep it out in the battle vs. Lundqvist, but hopefully will fare better against Vesa.
• In case you hadn't heard, stud defenseman Andrew Ference is out 6-8 weeks with a Broken Tibia.  This is a much bigger deal than it seems at first.  6 d-men are on the road trip.  C'mon, Hunwick.  Maybe Lashoff?  One way or another, this gives him enough time to record another greeting for the MBTA like we had at the end of last year.  Maybe a commercial?
• The Bruins haven't lost in regulation yet this month.  (5-0-1)  Let's not cough another one up to the Leafs.
• Our first game of the year in Toronto.  We're 1-1 against them so far at the Gahden.
• Holy crap, Robert Mueller is a beast.  Makes Phil Kessel look like a wuss for missing 11 whole games with cancer.
  
• TSN has upgraded the B's to second in the power rankings.  

Other Previews:

• HubHockey: Solid preview as usual.  
• Stanley Cup of Chowder:  Lists Bruins coaches that haven't made it as far as Julien.
• WickedBruinsFan: Claude Julien will be behind the Boston bench, coaching his 100th Bruins game tonight. It would be nice for the Bruins to give him a win.
• NESN.com first shift: "There’s no time to rest or recover. The Bruins have a target on their back. With four games in six days -- including three contests against division foes -- the Black and Gold need to battle to hold onto first place in the Northeast, starting against a pesky Leafs team. Nobody said being the best would be easy."  Who writes this stuff?
• The Bear Cave:  Points out the Toskala got pulled on Saturday.
• Fluto's Back!  BruinsBlog Lines: TOR | BOS | Refs
• bruins.nhl.com: GameDay | Preview | 

Stats:

GO BRUINS!

Game 17 Recap: BRUINS 2 RANGERS 2 SO LOSS

Crap.  8 minutes to go, and we were looking good.

Lundqvist was playing well again - I didn't realize just how good he was until I saw him play in person last night.  There's a reason they call him "King Henry," and it's not his appreciation for shakespeare.  It'll be fun when he comes to the Gahden.

I went to this game with a couple friends, we had a great time.  New York fans are broken down into two groups:

Talkative folks who will let you respond, and talkative folks that won't.  And that one guy who thought it was important enough not to aim so he could jaw at me in the bathroom.  Whatever.

Roszival is hated enough at MSG that they boo him when he touches the puck.  It's really weird.  I bet he likes away games.

Anyhow, recap time:

First period.

NYR goes up 5-1 in shots, Kobasew fights Mara, and then the period ends, 11-6 in shots.  Lundqvist makes some sick stops, so does Thomas.  Very back-and-forth play.  Not much happened.

Second Period.

We move it around a bit, still nothing.

This game will end 0-0 SO.  

BUT WAIT!  Lucic forechecks in the corner, Bruins move it around off Lundqvist, bounces out to Chara, who blasts one through.  Goal.

1-0.

Chara takes a hooking penalty.  30 seconds in, Wideman strikes.  Short-Handed Goal.

2-0.  "King" henrik isn't looking so good now.  the 2 goals allowed are against defensemen.

The rest of the second is me jawing with the guy behind me.  Whatever.

Third period is painful.  I enter it worried.  10 minutes in, it looks like I'm just over-worrying.

6:05 to go.  Nigel Dawes buries it.

2-1.

Bruins keep playing solid, but are giving up too many shots.  Timmy's an all-star caliber player, but if he is an inch out of position and they're just shelling him, one is bound to go in.

We're down to one minute to go.  Lundqvist goes running for the bench.  Markus Naslund takes a pass from Vancouver and the building explodes with 53 seconds to go.

2-2.

crap.

Little more skating around, OT time.  Bruins won't be gaining as much on the trip as I'd hoped.  5 minutes of 4-on-4 and we're back exactly where we don't want to be.

Shootout.

Shootout
1	NYR	Nigel Dawes unsuccessful attempt versus Tim Thomas
2	BOS	Blake Wheeler unsuccessful attempt versus Henrik Lundqvist
3	NYR	Nikolai Zherdev unsuccessful attempt versus Tim Thomas
4	BOS	Phil Kessel unsuccessful attempt versus Henrik Lundqvist
5	NYR	Fredrik Sjostrom unsuccessful attempt versus Tim Thomas
6	BOS	P.J. Axelsson unsuccessful attempt versus Henrik Lundqvist
7	NYR	Chris Drury successful attempt versus Tim Thomas

Crap.  Ok, who does Julien send out?  Oh, ok. Bergeron.  Let's see how that goes.

Crap.

Final score 2-2 SO LOSS.

Takeaways:

• Shorthander by Wideman!  Big Money Wides is earning it.
• Chara with the first goal is pretty huge, too.
• We let this one get away from us.  The game isn't over until it's over, as we learned here.
• Taking points away from other arenas is a good thing.
• We've been too busy playing the northwest and the original six to play many atlantic teams.  Currently, we've lost both games against the atlantic division in the shootout.  Vomit.
• Bruins PK has significantly improved.  We went 6-for-6 last night, bringing the season average to over 80%.  Bruins have improved from last in the league to 19th in the league.
• If we played solid D through the end of 60 minutes, rather than 50, I'd be writing a hahahaha road win blog last night from my friend's couch rather than a more sober crap one from the bus.

Big ups to the Bolt Bus for the wifi.

2-2 SO LOSS

Record: 10-3-4

L10: 8-1-1

Away Record: 5-2-3

Streak: L1

GO BRUINS!

Game 17 Preview: Bruins @ New York Rangers: SEASON TICKET HOLDER ROAD TRIP

Nov 15, 2008 7:00 PM ET

On TV: NESN

On the Radio: WBZ

@ NY Rangers (10-5-2)

Notes:

• If you're a part of the official season ticket holder road trip, hopefully between y'all and me we'll chant something good during the game.
  
• If we win this game in regulation, we're 3 games and one point behind the Rags for first in the East.  If we lose, we could EASILY lose first place in the division if Buffalo beats Pittsburgh or Montreal beats the 5-6-4 Phlyers.  What matters tonight, though, is playing the Rangers tonight.
• Patrice Bergeron is 1 point away from 200.
• bruins.nhl.com:  The Fourth Line has been playing well.
• I'll be at this game.  Sweet.

Other Previews:

• The Bear Cave: Examines the goalie matchup. 
• Stanley Cup of Chowder: points out that the gauntlet continues.
• bruins.nhl.com: Preview | GameDay | Notes (pdf)
• boston.com thumbnails.
• Scotty Hockey: "Milan Lucic...is definitely one of the most exciting players in hockey not named Ovechkin."
  

5 Questions with the Enemy:

Today's featured blogger is Scotty Hockey, of Scotty Hockey.  I got to him late about this, and he was very quick to respond.  Solid effort.  Here's what he had to say:

1) Who has impressed you so far? 

Colton Orr has been the most impressive Ranger this season in terms of improvement from last year. The goon that Boston tossed away a few years ago is gone and in his place is a hard-skating, grinder who is a successful part of the energy/shutdown line and yet can still kick your tough guy's ass. Also impressive has been the continuing development of some of the youths (Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal) and Nik Zherdev's backchecking ability. Zherdev can pull off jaw-dropping offensive moves and yet works hard to be responsible in his own end. If he can stop his tendency to give up bad turnovers (much like Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden), the Rangers would be quite the dangerous team.

2) How do you feel about the All star voting so far? 

I don't care about it. If I had my way, no Rangers would go. The time off would do them well in preparing for the second half of the season. But I wish your boy Tim Thomas good luck, he is a helluva netminder who has been disrespected by the NHL. I wouldn't be shocked if he starts for Team USA in 2010.

3) If Lundqvist went out, would you be as screwed as new jersey? 

Not quite as screwed as them, but pretty damn close. King Henrik has been our rock behind a underachieving defensive corps.

4) How do you feel about your football teams being in new jersey? 

Who cares? Football players are over-inflated crybabies who play one game a week. But since you mentioned football, how about that game on Thursday, huh?  [Ed note:  Yeah, we crushed the Habs.  Jets? I CAN'T HEAR YOU LALALALA]

5) Predictions for tonight's game? 

Ranger win, 4-2 and hopefully a humbling for your Cam Neely wannabe Lucic by Orrsie at center ice.

Thanks very much again to Scotty Hockey!  Check out his blog for excellent Rangers (and general NHL) coverage!

Stats:

Youtube:

GO BRUINS!

Game 16 Recap BRUINS 6 HABS 1 5 GAME STREAK

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It finally happened!  I mean, beating the Habs in the regular season is good and all, but this bout has been "Bruin" ever since Komisarek and Lucic met each other, and especially during the playoffs.

Hahahahahahaha, baller.

Lucic is killer.

Anyhow, there were some important things that happened in this game.  Let's head to the recap:

I was sitting in front of a family of montreal fans:  a mother, a father, and their little kid.  It was the kid's first hockey game.  The bruins have a history this year of ruining kid's first hockey games, but I don't care.

Theme for the game:  Caaaa-reeeeey  Caaaaa-reeeey  Caaaa-reeeey

Remember when the All-Star ballot came out, and Thomas wasn't on it, and Shawn Thornton said "he should campaign."?  Me too.  Anyhow, he makes the case for Carey Price not being an all-star like three minutes into the game:

1-0.

If that doesn't say "Vote Thomas," I don't know what does.

Still in the first period, the crowd is excited.  The fourth line is rocking and rolling.  Stephane "Rebel" Yelle on the attack!

2-0.  Game-winner.  Sick.

But they're not done yet.  The third line decides it's time for the German to work his magic.  Tic-tac-toe, Sturm's on a Roll.

3-0.

End of the first.  The arena is buzzing.  I'm starting to worry people will leave for the Pats game.  But nobody there wants to miss it if the show keeps rolling.

A little midget hockey and we move on to the second.

The worst part of this whole period was Andrew Ference going down in the Bs defensive zone.  he stayed down for a while, and then when the ref refused to call the injury stoppage, he had to get up and limp around until they could get it out.  It probably aggravated his injury, too.  Still, he still played some solid defense on one leg.

But back to the good news.  Sturm wants another one, and he isn't robbed by interference like in the last game.

4-0.  Against the Habs.

Then Montreal makes the one goal of the game that they actually got.  Saku on the goal.  It's not like they didn't have a ton of chances, or weren't better-rested, or anything.  It just wasn't happening there.

4-1.

End of the Second.

Third Period.  Are the Habs going to get on the comeback bus?  

Nope.  Komisarek jaws at Lucic.  Lucic responds.

5-1.  Getting the goal is huge.  

Goal scored, Lucic decides it's time to take care of some business.  See video above.

To finish off the game, Yelle figures to get while the getting's good.

6-1. Second goal.  Game.

Let's see, that's:

1 goal from the top line

0 goals from the second

2 goals from the third

3 goals from the fourth

Carey Price is obviously all-star material.  At least, that's what the robot vote says.  You know who else the robots voted for?

That's right.  Robot Nixon.

Takeaways from this game:

Hiding Sturm on the third line is genius.  Who do you cover with your top lines?  

Here are your options:

Lucic-Savard-Kessel

Axelsson-Bergeron-Ryder

Sturm-Krejci-Wheeler

Thornton-Yelle-Kobasew

What's it gonna be?

Sick.

Other notes:

Other folks have written about this momentous occasion:

• The Littlest Defenseman: Mourns Ference.
  
• The Bear Cave: "Pure Domination"
• Boston.com:  "Finally"
• Here we go Bruins!:  Posts a short recap, should have more later.

Record: 10-3-3

Home Record: 5-1-1

L10: 8-2-0

Streak: W5

GO BRUINS!

Cry 'Havoc'

From a friend of the blog's away message, this meditation:

Blood and destruction shall be so in use And dreadful objects so familiar That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war; All pity choked with custom of fell deeds: And Chara's spirit, ranging for revenge, With Sturm by his side come hot from hell, Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war; That this foul deed shall smell above the earth With carrion men, groaning for burial. 

Bruins vs. Habs

Do it.

Game 16 Preview: Habs @ Bruins HATE NIGHT

Nov. 13, 2008 7:00 PM ET
On TV: NESN
On the Radio: WBZ
vs. Habs (9-2-2)
Notes:

• Habs Suck.
  
• Going to Bruins games lately, I've run into a bunch of Habs fans. This will not change tonight. If you're a Bruins fan thinking of going to this game, DO IT. They put Pats score updates on the jumbotron, and you can catch the rest of that game after this one.
• This is a huge test of a game. Last time we played, we lost in the shootout in the Bell Centre. The last time we played in Boston, it was last May.
• The winner of this game will sit on top of the Northeast division for the day.
• Puck Daddy is impressed by the Northeast right now.
• The Bruins got home at about 4am today.

Other Previews:

• Stanley Cup of Chowder: Theorizes about Thornton-Laraque.
• bruins.nhl.com: Preview | GameDay | Notes (pdf)
• boston.com: thumbnails.
• Anything I missed will be on the left-hand sidebar.

Tim Thomas Campaign HQ:

• Looks like the Canadiens official website forums are pointing to a greasemonkey script that has them stuffing the ballot box, Puck Daddy reports.  Check that image out.  The NHL has been alerted, I've heard, so we'll see whether the transparent vote totals change, or the NHL continues to make a mockery of the all-star game.  Eddie Shore weeps.
• Just for kicks, let's take a little look at the individual goalie statistics, all the way down to Carrie:

Goals Against Average

1.	Tim Thomas-BOS	1.76
2.	Craig Anderson-FLA	1.85
3.	Erik Ersberg-LAK	1.93
4.	Henrik Lundqvist-NYR	1.99
5.	Alex Auld-OTT	2.08
6.	Ryan Miller-BUF	2.12
7.	Brent Johnson-WSH	2.15
8.	Martin Brodeur-NJD	2.16
9.	Niklas Backstrom-MIN	2.19
10.	Nikolai Khabibulin-CHI	2.20
11.	Roberto Luongo-VAN	2.23
12.	Carey Price-MTL	2.34

Save Percentage

1.	Tim Thomas-BOS	.946
2.	Craig Anderson-FLA	.946
3.	Brent Johnson-WSH	.931
4.	Niklas Backstrom-MIN	.931
5.	Mike Smith-TBL	.929
6.	Henrik Lundqvist-NYR	.929
7.	Alex Auld-OTT	.928
8.	Ryan Miller-BUF	.928
9.	Nikolai Khabibulin-CHI	.927
10.	Carey Price-MTL	.925

Huh. Let's see what the voting looks like as of 8am :

Meneurs gardiens

PRICE, Carey 93128

LUNDQVIST, Henrik 40032

THOMAS, Tim 15127

Well, I'm calling it rigged now, but it was like that from July, when the Habs wrote the ballot.

5 Questions with the Enemy:
Today's guest is HabsFan10 from Four Habs Fans, "their biggest bruins hater."  He's got some interesting stuff to say, for sure.   

  

1) Who has impressed you so far this season?

I'm impressed by many things so far:  I'm impressed that Jeremy Jacobs hasn't sold Phil Kessel or Marc Savard for spare parts, that Tim Thomas still hasn't come back down to earth, that Peter Chiarelli hasn't snapped up another random fourth-liner from Ottawa, and that Zdeno Chara is still able to avoid all those pitchfork wielding villagers and a vengeful Dr. Frankenstein.  But I'm probably most impressed by Milan Lucic's ability to carry around that nose. 

 

2) Tim Thomas left off the all-star ballot:  Victory or more league foolishness? 

 League foolishness.  He's the number one goalie on one of the Original Six, put up fantastic numbers last year, and already played in an All Star game.  The fact that he's not on the ballot is almost as big a joke as the blatant attempt to create an all-Hab starting line-up.  Yeah, I said it. [Ed: emphasis mine]

 

3) Milan Lucic or Cam Neely?

Neely remains the most feared Habs killer I've ever known, and sometimes haunts my dreams.  Lucic is the current standard bearer of snarling, jerk-off, man-I-want-to-punch-him-in-the-face Bruin-ness.  If you're asking me who I hate more, it's Lucic because he's on the ice tonight.  If you're asking who the better player is, it's Neely by a million miles.  That's like Habs fans comparing Andrei Kostitsyn to Lafleur.

 

4) Are you missing Ryder?

Nope.  We've got plenty of guys to sit in the press box, and more than enough incomprehensible accents.  And Gui! Gui! Gui! Latendresse has slotted seamlessly into the whipping boy spot.   

 

5) Prediction for tonight's game?

One of Lucic or Thorton gets a big surprise when they run Price and realize Big George Laraque is waiting around the next corner instead of Steve Begin or Tom Kostsopoulos.  Thomas plays fantastic for about a period and a half, before penalty trouble hits the B's and the Habs go to work.  Chara gets undressed at least twice, misses a wide-open net, and accidentally scores on his own goal late in the third; he finishes minus 3.  Tanguay and Higgins each score a pair, and both Kostitsyn brothers score on the power-play.  Komisarek hits Savard so hard he sends him back in time.  Canadiens fans start the Ole chant in the warmup. 

There you have it, folks!  Four Habs Fans is known for combining pictures of strippers with (unfortunately) good coverage of the Habs.  I begrudge the Habs for having bloggers of that quality.  

Remember not to get kicked out of the game until 8:30, so you can go to a bar across the street to watch the Pats.

Stats:

It's only November, but everyone in the building is going to be thinking about this:

Dafoomie is sick.
I hate the Habs so much right now. Respect? Maybe after the game.
GO BRUINS!

Game 15 Recap: BRUINS 1 BLACKHAWKS 1 SO WIN!

First of all, solid post by Here Come the Bruins! about hits from behind, and how the NHL lets it happen.

Game Recap:
A thrilling, heart-attack-causing game. If the Bs are going to keep playing games like this, I should really be watching my cholesterol more closely.
NHL.tv decides to take the NESN feed for this one.

First period we kill 4 penalties, Chara knocks some guy down, Bulin checks a Bruin and then Thornton fights a dude, gets a misconduct. Otherwise not much going on.

Second period is more scoreless time, until Savard gets a breakaway, which doesn't pass Bulin. Little does chicago know, this is just how Savard plays dump-and-chase. Bs move it around.

That's why we call him THE GERMAN!

Third period, more of the same, Thomas wants to help Kane grow a beard. Kane to Toews, five-hole redirect. 1-1.
STURM SCORES! Oh wait, looks like a Bruin was standing on bulin. No-call interference. Still 1-1.

Crap. OT. Last time we won one of these against the Blackhawks was 1934. Dit Clapper's ghost better be watching.

Some good shots, and then Sharp on a breakaway...Ward trips him, penalty shot.

SAVE.

That's the best you can do?
Ward nearly buries it with 11 seconds to go, nothing doing.

Shootout.

Toews snaps one. Thomas shrugs at the weak showing. Save.

Wheeler exudes a quiet confidence. Goal.

Kane puts Thomas on his back. Goal.

Kessel's ugly mug doesn't scare the wall. Save.

Dave "Who?" Bolland tries something, Thomas is not amused. Save.

P.J. Axelsson fed Clapper on the last OT win in '34, decides it's about time for another.

GOAL.

WIN.

Record: 9-3-3

Away Record: 5-2-2

L10: 7-2-1

Streak: W4

GO BRUINS!

Game 15 Preview: Bruins @ Chicago

Nov 12, 2008 8:30 PM ET

On TV: NESN

On the Radio: WBZ 1050

@ Chicago Blackhawks (7-3-3)

Notes:

• We're holding a "Crash the Net for Thomas"  tonight before the game from 7pm to 8pm.  Join in here.
• The Blackhawks are on a hot streak right now.  They tie the Red wings for best L10 in the league with 7-1-2.
• They've won their last 4 against Dallas, Columbus, (in the shootout) Colorado, and Calgary.
• There are a lot of comparisons made between the two teams coming out of a slump with a bunch of young players to contend for the playoffs.
• Joe Sakic is the featured article on Wikipedia today.
• This is the first of 4 games against other Original 6 teams: @Chicago, vHabs, @Rags, @Leafs.  We play the Wings the saturday after thanksgiving, meaning we play all 5 other Original 6 teams in the month of November.
• Our hockey-reference contest is running until December 1st, when voting will occur.  Your message could be on the page of Marc Savard, Phil Kessel, Bruins 09, Stephane Yelle at hockey-reference.com.
• The bruins are third on TSN and ESPN rankings, especially when they finally did get around to updating them.
• Stanley Cup of Chowder runs down the Corsi Numbers of leaders, losers, and middle-folks to date.
• Boston.com is worried about tonight and tomorrow - and so am I.
• The Bruins have not won an OT game against Chicago since 1934.

Other Previews:

• The Bear Cave: Discusses the Blackhawks.
• Stanley Cup of Chowder: Points out the big question - can the Bs shut down the hawks' offense?  (Bonus: watch Kane cry!)
• HubHockey: Reminds us that Huet used to be a Hab.
• WickedBruinsFan: Says Bulin Wall vs. Thomas in net.
• bruins.nhl.com: Preview | GameDay | Notes (pdf)
• Boston.com: thumbnails.
• As usual, anything not here when I post should show up to your left.

Tim Thomas Campaign HQ:

Voting starts today!  Get to it!  

Bruins.nhl.com tells you to vote for the three on the ballot, but quickly mentions the write-in option.  They don't have an actual article, though.

Live Results:

PRICE, Carey

17056

THOMAS, Tim

8459

as of 12:21pm today.  If only Thomas was on the ballot, a text of BRUINS to the texting number would add him, too.

Gary Bettman tackled Thomas and other players being left off the ballot on the NHL hour last week.  He said that cutting down the number of players on the ballot "adds realism."  If anybody wonders why he's nearly universally hated, you're not paying attention.

The whole thing is laughably geared towards having an all-habs starting lineup.  Whatever, we can beat them.  Heck, even Eklund is joining the campaign that HubHockey and I started last week.  Oh, but of course he says he's "starting" it now.  We all know Eklund is a joke.  Whatever gets more votes, in my opinion, is good.

Phil Kessel is currently beating Alex Ovechkin.  He's also on his 139th game for the team iron man streak.  The last game he missed was for CANCER.

Stats:

If this didn't happen:

Bobby Orr would have become part-owner of the Bruins.  I hate his agent.

GO BRUINS!

Morning Thoughts

IT HAS BEGUN!

Fill in your own third winger. Results are at http://fanballoting.nhl.com/leaders. Right now, Thomas is in SECOND. I'm proud of you guys.

Vote Early, Vote Often.

Next order of business:
They like me, they really like me!
Sick.

If you didn't see the Red Wings-Penguins game last night, you fail. Or VS. does. Either way, find yourself some highlights or the full game. Or read the recap over at thePensBlog. Just a great game.

GameDay post will be up at 4pm as usual.
I'm worried about this week. Hawks, Habs, Rags are all off to a great start. But none are unbeatable.
Here's Kynch's Korner with a look ahead at the Bruins Original Six Week.
We've gotta take it one step at a time. So tonight we're in Boston (well, the team is). They got there in style:
(bruins.nhl.com - really)

STOP THE PRESSES

(but not the server, we need that.)

I just found the NESN.com blogs. Jack "SAVE BY THOMAS" Edwards has one.

Here he is talking about Brave Steve.

So does someone named Eric Ortiz. He may be the most whole-heartedly pro-bruins person ever. First he says that Obama winning the election means the Bruins could win the cup.

Then he gives us a Belichick-Julien comparison.
Eric Ortiz defines Homer.

And lastly, condolences to the whole Thornton family. Losing a family member isn't easy. But I'm sure they don't want it all over, so I'll leave it at that. I know Shawn is a pro, so he won't play if he can't and he will play well when he's back.

Hockey-Reference Contest!

Yes, folks, it's that magical time of the year where we're having a contest.  As you may or may not know, The Hockey Blog Adventure has purchased a few spots on hockey-reference.com.  So I'm turning it over to you, our fair readers.   Messages must be within the hockey-reference guidelines (Stay classy!) and 255 characters or less.   Entries should be submitted to:

hockeyblogadventure@gmail.com

The deadline for slogans, haikus, cheers, and jeers is December 1st.  All eligible entries will be then voted on by you, my loyal reader(s).  I know you can be a creative bunch, so put your thinking caps on and think of a better message than I did at:

• Stephane Yelle
• Marc Savard
• Phil Kessel
• 08-09 Boston Bruins
• I also have Chris Osgood and Peter Forsberg, but winning entries will have to be okayed by me first.  I just can't let the floppa brothers go easily.

THINKING-CAP, ACTIVATE!

GO BRUINS!

Lazy Links: November 10, 2008

After GO HOME BUF-FA-LO! weekend, I need a day off.

We're first in the division for the second.  The Sabres and Habs aren't going to start losing just for our benefit, though, and the Habs are a few games behind.  We gotta keep working hard.  It's a long season, and this is just the beginning.

Some links about the Bruins:

Chucky's Back!

• Barry Melrose Rocks: Honors the bra-thrower.
  
• Boston.com: Lucic hit the Sabres 8 times.
• ThePensBlog: Throws out some Jack-Edwards-is-crazy love.

What's going on in the rest of the league:

• Fanhouse: Ollie the Goalie is playing in Washington for the first time.  He's played in 27% of the Caps' games.  Ever.
• Puck Daddy: Shatner for the singing of the National Anthem
• Deadspin:  When Deadspin is calling you out for not covering the NHL, you no longer deserve the title "Worldwide leader in sports."
• Mirtle: Leads his story on Goalies in trouble with Turco.  Classic.
• Chris "Elbows" Pronger has a blog: and posts answers to Q+A 4

Tim Thomas Campaign Headquarters Update:

Ok, I finally finished this.

Voting starts Wednesday.

GO BRUINS!

Game 14 Recap: Bruins 3 Sabres 1 WOOOO

Kobasew IN.

Makes all the difference.
NHL.com picked Rick J. for the recap, they don't like NESN for some reason. Dafoomie will have the good stuff later, I'm sure.

In net for Boston: Manny Fernandez. From talking to people in the game, the consensus is that he's a solid goalie, but he's no Tim All-Star Thomas. Still, solid game from Manny.

I said I sent out some questions to a Sabres Blogger before the game. I didn't lie.
Here's Ryan from the Goose's Roost from before the game:

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but I'd be glad to answer some questions. Very cool idea.

Q1: Who has impressed you so far?

1) If there's anyone on the Sabres who has impressed thus far it's Thomas Vanek. The last dozen or so games last year he took it to the next level, and he's carried this team at times to the point we call him "Atlas". As far as the Bruins, Marc Savard terrifies me at all times. I'm pretty sure he still averages over a point per game against the Sabres.

(Actually, Marc Savard scares you because he is a hypnotist.  He also has 1.19 pts/game against Buffalo lifetime, in 27 games, including last night's goal.)

Q2: How much easier is the loss to Atlanta to take when the Blue Jackets beat Montreal and Carolina beat the Senators last night?

2) Scoreboard watching helps after a tough loss, but it's still hard to be okay with how the team played last night. Montreal is going to be there all season, so it's good to see them lose to the West. I worry about giving up the extra points in the first place, but it's nice to stay atop the division for another day.

Q3: How much longer will Lindy Ruff Coach the Sabres for? Is that too long or not long enough?

3) Sabres GM Darcy Regier has said before that as long as he has a job Lindy will keep his. Both have their weaknesses, but Ruff really is a good fit for the team. Last year I had some complaints about leadership and direction, but so far he's handled the team really well. He hasn't worn out his welcome yet, and I don't expect it to happen for at least few more years.

Q4: Sucide wings: delicious or stupid-hot?

4) Suicide wings, as is the case with all wings in Buffalo, are delicious. The "buffalo wings" you get at other places have nothing on the Anchor Bar.

Q5: Who will win Tonight's game?

5) I think the Sabres have a good chance to win even if Lalime plays. It will depend on the defensive effort, which was pretty sad last night. Let's say 4-3 Buffalo in the shootout.

Thanks again to Ryan from The Goose's Roost for participating!  Sorry it didn't go to shootout for you.

Here's you post-game review, complete with video. Sorry if I'm crashing your browser. Please let me know if you are. RSS feeds and email readers may need to click through to get the full video goodness.

Ok, here's the first goal of the game and Rick Jeanneret's only Buffalo Goal call of the game:

0-1.

Dafoomie, get me some NESN highlights so I don't have to hear from not-jack-edwards.
Chuck Kobasew, in his second game of the season, decides to get on the assist board again in his second game of the season:

1-1.
So ends the first period.
Solid effort from Manny and Miller. Manny says "no mas" and means it.
Second period:
Chuck Kobasew is feeling good, decides "hey, why not score a goal" and keeps himself at 2 points per game:

2-1.
Then Kessel comes down, meaning business. Shoots, not quite there.

...but wait! That was just a sneaky pass to Savard, who buries it, check out how pumped Rick is in this clip:

3-1.
You almost feel sad for Rick. I want more NESN on nhl.tv, just for the Jack "SAVE BY (Manny) THOMAS" Edwards calls.

Anyhow, the third leaves us with no goals, no fights, one quasi-highlight-reel-worthy save by Manny. This image basically tells the story:

Here's the full game recap for the stuff you missed:


Thoughts from after the game:

• Manny had to play eventually. The night after the Ottawa Citizen is talking about Thomas is as good as any.
• Manny managed to win that game solidly. Aside from the first goal, he was in net and the pucks weren't. If you really want more from a goaltender, you're either crazy or not paying attention. C'mon, manny-bashers, tell me that he played a crappy game. Buffalo fans don't count.
• Pominville's a joke. There were two Manny on NHL.tv, both on him. I'd post them, but the page would run EVEN SLOWER.
• There was a Canadiens fan dressed in a banana at the game. Apparently, they celebrate Halloween a week late up in French Canadia.
• Due to the way tie-breaking works, and because our loss to buffalo was in the shootout, we're currently tops in the division, but really it's just very close between Bruins, Sabres, Habs.  The Habs also haven't played as many games, and I wonder what effect that will have overall.
  

Record: 8-3-3

Home Record: 4-1-1

GO BRUINS!