Anaheim Ducks Ducks are winning with little power Ducks goalies Hiller, Fasth speak in measured tones

Transcription

1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Ducks are winning with little power Ducks goalies Hiller, Fasth speak in measured tones Boston Bruins Game 6: Bruins at Panthers Tim Thomas holds court on Boston exit B s tuck it to Tim Thomas late Despite win, all is not well with the offense Thomas speaks his mind Bruins beat Tim Thomas, Panthers B's Krejci talks of disconnect with Tim Thomas after White House dustup It's Tim Thomas versus the Bruins tonight Buffalo Sabres Tortorella bring passion to Canucks but tones down public persona Slow-starting Sabres outclassed by Canucks Canucks' Kassian ready for 'just another game' against Sabres Gentler Tortorella, at least so far, guiding Canucks Ott on Kaleta's 10-game suspension: 'It's hard because there's no injury on the play' Sabres' centers get attention with Canucks in Buffalo Buffalo Sabres blanked again in loss to Luongo, Canucks T.J. Brennan returns to Rochester as an Amerk opponent Calgary Flames Green Flames pivots learning on the job when it comes to dot duty Galiardi excited to face his old team, even if the San Jose Sharks are red hot TJ Galiardi looks to bring Sharks swagger to Calgary Flames dressing room With respect to Hertl... and the NHL Carolina Hurricanes Freakish play seals Hurricanes rally over Maple Leafs Leafs Phaneuf feeds Skinner praise, family dinner Komisarek won t face former team Gleason skating, itching to play first game Chicago Blackhawks Team nicknames should reflect respect Shaw seeking steadiness Hawks fall in shootout Blues coach: 'We'll try not to hit Jonathan (Toews)' Hawks out to avenge only loss Blackhawks notice new Blues: More puck, less pounding Patience, preparation and a payoff goal for Blackhawks Brandon Pirri Blackhawks suffer tough 3-2 shootout loss to rival Blues 'Awful' outcome for Blackhawks Is Sharp headed to the Olympics? Stanley Cup visiting Schaumburg's Trickster Art Gallery Hawks to auction off jerseys to fight cancer Sharp ranks high on Hitchcock's list Blues' motivation stemmed by rivalry with Blackhawks Blackhawks-Blues: Time for a rematch Pirri notches 'bittersweet' first goal in loss to Blues Quenneville not pleased after shootout loss to Blues Konroyd's keys against Blues: Score the first goal Blackhawks' five keys to win over rival Blues NHL 10/18/2013 DAILY BRIEF Colorado Avalanche Avs-Wings rivalry back in business Nate Guenin, Andre Benoit playing well on Colorado Avalanche defense Colorado Avalanche beaten by Detroit Red Wings for first loss Avs-Red Wings rivalry never to match greatness, intensity of 1990s Avs' Patrick Roy face-to-face with former fierce rival Chris Osgood Avalanche-Red Wings followup: More from Roy, Duchene, Johnson Avalanche lines, pairings and scratches for Red Wings game Columbus Blue Jackets Canadiens 5, Blue Jackets 3: Wild rally foiled late Dallas Stars Dallas Stars set record for fastest goal allowed in franchise history (nine seconds) Dallas Stars' Kari Lehtonen misses third start with lower body injury but is 'progressing' First shootout attempt brought different energy out of Dallas Stars' Alex Chiasson Dallas Stars' Valeri Nichushkin sees time at left wing; 'It s just a look we re going to try,' Lindy Ruff says Heika: Impressive win over San Jose Sharks a sign that new Dallas Stars system is starting to work Dallas Stars hand San Jose Sharks first loss, 4-3; Alex Chiasson scores game-winner in shootout Valeri Nichushkin back in Dallas Stars' lineup for clash with San Jose Sharks Stars score in shootout to end San Jose s perfect start Detroit Red Wings Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall has 'mild concussion' after nasty hit in Colorado Detroit 4, Colorado 2: Despite losing Kronwall, Wings beat Avalanche Patrick Roy exudes confidence, winning, humility as Colorado coach Flashback: Chris Osgood's mom changed tune during son's fight with Patrick Roy Chris Osgood interviews Patrick Roy before Detroit Red Wings take on Avalanche Red Wings end Avalanche streak, lose Niklas Kronwall to concussion Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall leaves game in Colorado on stretcher, has concussion Avs coach Patrick Roy fondly recalls 1990s rivalry with Red Wings Jonas Gustavsson gets third straight start in goal for Red Wings tonight Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk lead Red Wings over previously unbeaten Avalanche for 4th straight win Jonathan Ericsson, checking Colorado's Paul Stastny, was one of five Red Wings defensemen who stepped up after Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall has concussion after hit from behind by Colorado's Cody McLeod

2 Red Wings cont'd Blog recap: Red Wings win fourth straight while handing Colorado its first loss Former Detroit rival Patrick Roy effusive in his praise for Red Wings, coach Mike Babcock Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Has Colorado rivalry, once the best in sports, lost its luster? Former Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood has fun, engaging interview with ex-rival Patrick Roy Red Wings' Jonas Gustavsson faces hot Avalanche in third consecutive start; Jimmy Howard to play Saturday Red Wings beat Avs 4-2 as Roy loses first game Kronwall taken off ice on stretcher after hit Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers road woes continue with fourth straight loss Former NHL'er turned politician Georges Laraque facing fraud charges Wayne Gretzky congratulates Taylor Hall on breaking his record Devan Dubnyk back in Edmonton Oilers net; rest of lineup intact for New York Islanders Oilers GM Craig MacTavish hasn't given up on Devan Dubnyk but team plans to shore up goaltending depth Islanders captain John Tavares says skill alone not enough to stay ahead, off-ice preparation just as importan Edmonton Oilers fall short on Long Island Live coverage: Edmonton Oilers versus New York Islanders Florida Panthers Tough loss for Florida Panthers Tim Thomas against former team BRUINS BEAR DOWN ON THOMAS: Reilly Smith Scores with 58.7 Seconds Left, Boston Downs Panthers TIM THOMAS RETURNS FOR BRUINS: Florida Panthers Face Defending East Champs Tonight Bruins gain revenge against Thomas in 3-2 win over Panthers Panthers' Thomas a save short against old team Emotion expected as Thomas faces former team Los Angeles Kings Kings hang tough for 2-1 shootout victory over Predators Ducks are winning with little power Kopitar scores in shootout, Kings win October 17 postgame quotes: Willie Mitchell October 17 notes, videos Doughty takes complete blame for Malone s goal October 17 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter October 17 postgame quotes: Jonathan Quick October 17 postgame quotes: Slava Voynov Game 8: Los Angeles at Nashville Game 8 Preview: Los Angeles at Nashville October 17 quotes: Mitchell, Brown, Sutter Seth Jones and the NHL transition at Quick hits with Eric Nystrom Minnesota Wild Crosby records point in 7th straight game, lifts Penguins past Eastern-worst Flyers, Wild notes: Cooke wants to be penalty-kill solution Wild find a snake... and continue to be snakebit in Tampa Wild-Tampa Bay game recap Road woes continue for anemic Wild Ballard out, Dumba in; Backstrom returns in backup role tonight at Tampa Bay Minnesota Wild: Too many penalties, too little offense Lightning 3, Wild 1: Steven Stamkos' breakaway goal wins it Minnesota Wild's Nate Prosser waits patiently to show what he can do Minnesota Wild: Niklas Backstrom ready to return to ice Montreal Canadiens Plekanec s two late goals give Habs victory over Jackets Ex-NHL enforcer Georges Laraque hangs up political skates to fight fraud charges Michel Therrien adept at stick-handling media questions Stubbs: Habs dodge bullet as Pacioretty out only three weeks In the Habs room: Plekanec s no-look shot proves to be game-winner Habs game report: Plekanec snaps tie late in the third October 18, Comments The news could have been a lot worse, Coach Michel Therrien conceded Liveblog: Game 7 Canadiens 5 Columbus 3 in a barnburner Habs waiting for MRI results of Pacioretty s injury NHL notebook: Habs' Pacioretty out three weeks P.K. Subban playing himself into spot on Olympic team Nashville Predators Predator shots can't beat Quick Nashville Predators lose in shootout New Jersey Devils Karlsson, Spezza Lead Senators Over Devils Devils hope Mattias Tedenby can add some spark in Ryane Clowe's absence Devils face a 'must-win' against Rangers after 5-2 loss in Ottawa Devils' fourth line provides spark in loss to Senators Devils fall to Senators, 5-2, to remain NHL's only winless team Devils vs. Senators: Live game analysis and fan discussion Devils' Mattias Tedenby gets his chance against Senators in Ottawa Martin Brodeur breaks his policy and speaks on morning of game Devils still winless after 5-2 loss to Senators Devils fall to Senators, are only team without a win Devils pour in shots, but can t pull out win again New York Islanders Islanders Win on Goal by Tavares Islanders Overcome Hall, Oilers in 3-2 Home Win Islanders battle back, hold off Oilers for 3-2 win Islanders beat bad Oilers squad, ending losing skid Aggressive Islanders dominate third period to beat Oilers Friends Matt Donovan, Mark Arcobello meet on the ice New York Rangers Rangers Follow Concussion Protocol After Hit to Stepan Rangers captain Ryan Callahan out 3-4 weeks with broken thumb Derek Stepan finding offensive rhythm for Rangers Ryan Callahan out a month with broken thumb Rangers' Ryan Callahan out with broken thumb Ryan Callahan to miss 3-4 weeks with broken thumb Ryan Callahan out 3-4 weeks with a broken thumb; Missiaen and Powe recalled from Hartford; Talbot sent down NHL Kings hang tough for 2-1 shootout victory over Predators

3 Ottawa Senators Senators bring it home Scanlan: An ugly win, but Senators will take it Leafs goalie James Reimer forced out of Hurricanes game after accidental collision Senators won t make lineup changes for home opener against Devils With the passion of Sens fans in a hockey-mad city, it s surprising home opener wasn t a sellout Ottawa Senators wives show the love after long Western road trip Ottawa Senators place Stephane Da Costa on waivers Ottawa Senators winger Erik Condra's face continues to take a beating Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean looks for chemistry from his forward lines Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk willing to spend if the deal is right for the club Ottawa Senators still not sold out for home opener against New Jersey Devils Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan showcasing physical game with new team Ottawa Senators knock off New Jersey Devils in home opener Philadelphia Flyers Crosby keeps cruising; Giroux stuck in neutral Flyers' 'O' worst since 1964 Bruins Flyers' Meszaros an expensive scratch Flyers sputter against Penguins Flyers left standing at Flyers sink to 1-7 with loss to Penguins Flyers Notes: Six-day break gives Berube time to tinker Timonen leaves game early Flyers look for measuring stick Flyers-Penguins: Tonight will bring fans back on our side, Giroux says NHL Power Rankings: Flyers hit rock bottom One bad period enough to seal latest loss Another night of mistakes, frustration Lecavalier, Hartnell could start skating Sunday Penguins aren't about to take 1-6 Flyers lightly Panaccio: 'This is the best 1-6 team I've covered' Missed chances plague Flyers in loss to Penguins NHL Wrap: Reilly Smith gives Bruins late win observations from Flyers-Penguins Instant Replay: Penguins 4, Flyers Crosby expecting to see 'desperate' Flyers team Flyers-Penguins: 5 things you need to know Berube wants Flyers to stay disciplined vs. Pens Zolnierczyk looks to find niche with Pens Flyers can't stop skid Flyers lose Timonen in loss to Penguins Flyers, Pens try to stay disciplined in their systems Phoenix Coyotes Division games carry even heavier importance for Phoenix Coyotes No torn allegiances for LeBlanc with Sens in town Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins punish struggling Flyers Penguins notebook: Engelland embraces temporary position switch Penguins notebook: Engelland in lineup at right wing Penguins soar to 4-1 victory over rival Flyers San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks suffer first loss, 4-3 to the Dallas Stars in a shootout Sharks' Brad Stuart to step in for injured Dan Boyle Thursday against Dallas Stars Stars beat Sharks San Jose's 1st loss Stars ruin Sharks' perfect record Instant Replay: Sharks suffer shootout loss in Dallas Sharks' Burish undergoes back surgery Sharks Stuart, Demers to fill void left by Boyle Dan Boyle 'feels great,' says agent In the Crease: Sharks vs. Stars St Louis Blues Morrow experiences neck pain but stays in Blues' lineup BLUES-JETS MATCHUP BOX Blues win in shootout at Chicago Blues 3, Blackhawks 2 (Final) Hitchcock hopes being on road will clean up sloppiness Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning stay hot; defeat Minnesota Bolts notes: St. Louis toughs it out, plays vs. Wild Lightning tops Wild St. Louis injury won't keep Lightning stars off penalty kill St. Louis (foot) playing tonight vs Wild Toronto Maple Leafs Hurricanes' hybrid horror goal sends Leafs to second loss of the season Maple Leafs lose goalie James Reimer to injury: Feschuk Leafs James Reimer injured, leaves game early Ex-Leaf Mike Komisarek at peace with his time in Toronto Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Toronto Maple Leafs and lies: Kelly Maple Leafs: Tyler Bozak defends Miley Cyrus s We Can t Stop as his post-game victory song Maple Leafs: James van Riemsdyk injured, Randy Carlyle opens up to media Maple Leafs: James Reimer to start against Carolina Hurricanes? Maple Leafs Joffrey Lupul looking for team to improve Toronto Maple Leafs send flowers, letter to honour season ticket holder Maple Leafs: Club looks to keep streak alive against Carolina Hurricanes 'Bittersweet' night for Maple Leafs' Leivo Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller thinks back on play that created hybrid icing after beating Maple Leafs Ex-Maple Leafs defenceman Komisarek stays positive Freak injury, freak goal foil Maple Leafs JVR-less Leafs won't panic Maple Leafs' James van Riemsdyk out with 'back spasms' Maple Leafs' let-up a real letdown Toronto Maple Leafs luck runs out against Carolina Hurricanes: The hockey gods got back at us tonight Toronto Maple Leafs James Reimer leaves game with apparent head or neck injury Toronto Maple Leafs Tyler Bozak crushing all doubt as No. 1 centre Tyler Bozak, Toronto Maple Leafs defend Miley Cyrus victory song Toronto Maple Leafs now celebrating victories with Miley Cyrus s We can t stop Toronto Maple Leafs Mason Raymond turning out to be steal of the summer

4 Vancouver Canucks Canucks 3 Sabres 0: Vancouver shuts out sad sack Sabres Cody Hodgson relishes Buffalo while staying mum over Canucks' departure The 10 O Clock: Could Regier, Miller and Vanek all be gone before Canucks-Sabres gametime? It sure seems like Canucks Game Day: Trade rumours, trade review, GM on hotseat stealing game spotlight Van Provies: Tactful time out, Free Edler, sushi instead of Sochi, Buffalo the beautiful Suddenly silent on his past, Hodgson has lots to crow about with his Sabres status Canucks Hat Trick: Santorelli needs to keep it going Tortorella s tinkering paying off for Canucks Luongo turns back 25 shots as Canucks shut out Sabres Washington Capitals Capitals woes rooted in poor defensive play Five thoughts on the Capitals 2-0 loss to the Rangers Websites ESPN / Cam Ward motivated by Team Canada snub USA TODAY / West best East in NHL's early head-to-head meetings USA TODAY / Rangers captain Ryan Callahan out 3-4 weeks USA TODAY / The Greatest Homecomings in History Winnipeg Jets Tonight: JETS Kane might be healed in time to face Blues, Noel says Hopefully, this will be the break' Cruisin' for a Blues-in' Coach like you mean it, Claude Jets: Kane still day-to-day, may play Friday Kane concerns not the most pressing for Jets Wright's stuff is what Jets ask for Whirlwind lands Patrice Cormier back in Winnipeg Evander Kane injury not serious: Jets SPORT-SCAN, INC

5 Anaheim Ducks Ducks are winning with little power By Lance Pugmire October 17, 2013, 5:58 p.m. The Ducks are riding a five-game winning streak as the NHL's worst power-play team. They spent time working on their weakness at Thursday's practice, with star wing Corey Perry and Coach Bruce Boudreau providing the same answer when asked what the fix is: "Score goals." "If we knew, we'd fix it," said Perry, his team with only one goal in 23 man-advantages (4.4%) through six games. "Luckily, we haven't needed it yet and we have time to work on it. It's one of those things we've been talking about it since Game 3. Hopefully, it comes. "It's a matter of being simple: shooting the puck, getting rebounds. Those second chances, a lot of times they end up in the back of the net." By comparison, Pittsburgh leads the NHL with 35.3% effectiveness in power plays (six for 17) and Minnesota has scored nine power-play goals. Boudreau said he's confident, given his teams' past top-five success in the category, that the situation will be righted. "The longer it goes, the harder it gets," Boudreau said. "You get back to simplistics. There's no secret recipe. Mark my words, by the end of the season, we'll be 20%. It's just a matter of time." Home cooking Boudreau was vocal and heated at times during the practice as his team prepares for a run of 20 games in 37 days that starts with Friday's Pacific Division game versus Phoenix at Honda Center followed by an eight-game trip opening Tuesday in Toronto. "When can you and can't push them? When does rest become more important than punishment? Those two things are an ongoing question," Boudreau said Thursday concerning the upcoming grind, one day after the Ducks' shots-on-goal total shrunk from Sunday's record-setting 56 to 22 in a 3-2 win over Calgary. Perry said the focus of the practice was "playing fast," something forward Andrew Cogliano did in nearly barreling into Boudreau, who skipped out of the way to avoid a comic scene at the height of his attention-grabbing sternness. Healthy start The Ducks' goal differential in the five wins with defenseman Francois Beauchemin on the ice is plus-11, a striking stat given his May knee ligament surgery and typical six-to-eight-months recovery period. "The fact he can be doing what he's doing is quite a thing," Boudreau said. "He puts himself in the right place at the right time." Beauchemin, 33, still requires extended physical treatments after practices and games, saying he's "trying to get stronger and get back my power. "That's a stat that doesn't tell everything about the game. As long as I'm comfortable enough to help the team, that's why I wanted to be out here." TONIGHT VS. PHOENIX When: 7. Where: Honda Center. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 830. Record vs. Coyotes (2013): Etc.: Right wing Radim Vrbata has a team-best four goals for Phoenix and center Martin Hanzal leads the Coyotes with five assists. LA Times: LOADED:

6 Anaheim Ducks Orange County Register: LOADED: Ducks goalies Hiller, Fasth speak in measured tones By ERIC STEPHENS / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ANAHEIM An inch here, a couple there, a few more elsewhere. Inches are not exactly the most sizable of measurements but they mean everything to a goalie trying to keep a puck from crossing the goal line. Any change greater or smaller matters. Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth of the Ducks are among the NHL goalies adjusting to changes in their equipment and the nets they protect this season. They must try to keep their goals-against down when the league is trying to increase scoring. Goalies were required for the season to shorten their leg pads by as much as 2 inches. There is also a net that has the same 4- by 6-foot opening but is now four inches shallower all the way around. To this point, the changes haven t affected Hiller and Fasth in an adverse way. If anything, the biggest difference for Hiller has come from looking at his own image. I notice it the most when I see a picture of myself, Hiller said. It just looks weird. The pads look small compared to before. You feel that the pads are shorter and you feel a little more agile. The two agree their knees are more exposed but that padding there remains plentiful. Fasth said the lesser bulk has allowed him to move around better even if there is less coverage. But Fasth also doesn t want a future where further restrictions on the size of their pads start to make their safety an issue. If you keep cutting down goalie pads and stuff, I think you ll come to a point where that becomes an aspect, he said. Where do you draw the line when guys don t have protection? But I think we re still on the right side of that. Fasth is finding the shallower nets to be a larger factor. More pucks that bounce off the end boards now ricochet back in front of the net instead of hitting off the back side of it. There s a lot of bounces off the boards to the far post, he said. There s less net. The angles are different. If the shot goes wide, it can still be dangerous on the other side. Hiller sees players have more room to operate behind the net and wraparound plays are tougher to defend because they come with a little more speed. You definitely have to be sharp on those, he said. You don t have any time to rest if the guys are behind the net. The two are taking the attitude of grudging acceptance. They know goals get the crowd on their feet even as they fight to limit them. I think it s good for the game of hockey, Fasth said. People want to see goals. Maybe not me and Jonas. Not on our end of it. But that s what the game is about. People want to see scoring. Maybe that s what they ll get. Said Hiller: It s a little annoying as a goaltender. You re working hard every year and they still think there should be more goals scored and they cut your equipment. And (people) complain if you give up a bad goal because it sneaks through. NOTES The Ducks, perennially weak on faceoffs, are showing signs of improvement. They ve won 54.3 percent of their draws in the first six games. Mathieu Perreault has helped by winning at a 61.1 percent rate. Nick Bonino is at 57.1 percent and Ryan Getzlaf at 50 percent. But Coach Bruce Boudreau warns that his team has had some favorable matchups. We ve gone against some teams that are noticeably bad in the faceoff circle, Boudreau said. The teams that have been noticeably good, we haven t had very much success against, a la Minnesota and Colorado. Contact the writer: estephens@ocregister.com

7 Boston Bruins Game 6: Bruins at Panthers Posted by Amalie Benjamin October 17, :03 PM Here it is: Tim Thomas vs. Tuukka Rask. Or, rather, the Bruins vs. the Panthers! Clearly, the goaltending is where all eyes will be when the Bruins take on the Panthers Thursday night. Of course, the Bruins also need a win, so that's where the team's focus is, but there obviously will be a little extra emotion as they take on their former teammate. "I know this game was probably circled on his calendar, as it would be for mine if it was my old team," said former Bruins draft pick and current Panther Kris Versteeg. "So I think he s excited about it. I think there s a lot of Bruins fans, too, that heavily respect what he did for their organization, they re excited maybe about seeing him play tonight as well. "It s kind of funny how he misses a few games with injury and this is the game he comes back for." Game time: 7:30 p.m. TV/radio: NESN/WBZ-FM (98.5) Records: Bruins 3-2-0, Panthers In-game updates: Live blog launches at 6:30 p.m. Projected lineups: Lucic-Krejci-Iginla Smith-Bergeron-Eriksson Marchand-Kelly-Caron Paille-Campbell-Thornton Chara-Boychuk Krug-McQuaid (It's unclear who the healthy-scratch defenseman will be. Bartkowski and Hamilton were rotating in with Seidenberg in morning skate.) Tuukka Rask Notes: The Bruins are 2 for 19 on the power play, and haven't scored in their last 12 chances.... Jarome Iginla still has yet to score a goal for the Bruins.... Thomas has a 5.05 goals-against average and.850 save percentage this season. Boston Globe LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Tim Thomas holds court on Boston exit Thomas makes his return to Boston Nov. 7. Boston Herald LOADED: Steve Conroy, Bruins Notebook SUNRISE, Fla. After refusing to speak with reporters on Wednesday, former Bruins goalie Tim Thomas found himself in the rather awkward position of talking about his final, muddy days in Boston just minutes after blowing a game in the final minute of regulation. But it was the setting he chose, so he did attempt to answer questions about leaving the Bruins in the lurch when he decided to walk away from the game indefinitely two summers ago. And, in what should come as a surprise to no one, he remained defiant about taking the year off, as well as his decision not to go to the White House when the team was being feted there in 2012 the year after winning the Stanley Cup. As for his decision to not come back after the season with a year still left on his contract, he said it was a decision long in the making. I had obviously thought about it during the season, but I didn t know for sure any time, he said. I even trained all the way through the beginning of the season last year just in case it gets to the week before the season and all of a sudden the itch comes back. Actually, I told the Bruins, gave them a heads up that I m considering it, and it was supposed to be kept on the down-low, and it became public. I didn t want anything to become public. I was pretty sure there was a lockout coming up and I didn t have to make a decision for quite a long period of time. I was kind of forced into a corner. Thomas had already collected $17 million of a four-year, $20 million contract. He also no longer had a no-trade clause in that final year. If the B s chose to exercise their right to move him, they probably could have received a top player or decent draft pick for him. Instead, he walked away and the B s were left to simply trade his rights last year to the Islanders, who were just looking to get to the salary cap floor. But Thomas said he has no regrets in his decision to take a walk. No. I made a decision based on what was best for me and my family, said Thomas. I felt that the team was in capable hands. I knew where Tuukka (Rask) was at in his development, and I was obviously proven right. So I went and did something that was incredible for my life and for my family s life, and I don t regret it. That s the most important thing. But Thomas conceded in his own way that he helped sow the seeds of his own exhaustion that he said forced him from the game. Asked if his decision to skip the White House trip and the lingering firestorm after it contributed to his burnout, Thomas said, Yeah, a little bit, you know? But now I m tougher and stronger and I could really care less about what other people say about that. Again, I ll stand by my decision. I feel I did the right thing. He said he came to his decision to come back very gradually. Again, it wasn t as clear-cut of a plan as you guys think, so no. I didn t know for sure, but over the past year I didn t watch any hockey at all until the playoffs, and when I started to watch the playoffs last year, that s when the itch started to come back, said Thomas. It was kind of fun to watch the Bruins from the outside in that kind of environment. When you re around the team, it s different. Obviously that s good, too, but it was pretty neat to watch that run last year. That gave me the come-back-and-compete itch. On his lasting perception in Boston? There s no one thing. It s the whole thing together. It was an awesome time there. I don t know what else to say. It s a new chapter in my life, it s a new chapter for them, said Thomas. While he always brings an edge to the rink, Thomas said he wasn t driven by beating his former team last night, which ultimately he did not. You know what? I probably should have wanted to win worse, because I didn t go into it with that kind of vengeful attitude, Oh I want to beat my old team. I went into it approaching it like any other game, said Thomas.

9 Boston Bruins Boston Herald LOADED: B s tuck it to Tim Thomas late Friday, October 18, 2013 Steve Conroy SUNRISE, Fla. On a night that was dominated by talk of an old Bruin, it was a new Bruin who snatched victory from an ignominious end. Reilly Smith s fluttering backhander with 58.7 seconds left in regulation squeezed through Tim Thomas and lifted the B s to a rather ugly 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. After giving up first-period goals to Daniel Paille and Dougie Hamilton (power play), the two-time Vezina Trophy winner with the B s seemed to be getting sharper and sharper as the game went along. He made 37 stops, including his best on a late partial break-in from Jarome Iginla. But just when it looked like Thomas was writing his own storyline of redemption in his first game against the former mates he spurned, he let in the softie, and let the Bruins off the hook. The way his stick was angled and the puck wasn t laying exactly flat, I thought he was going high blocker with it, said Thomas, who exploded in frustration. So it was just enough to make me move my stick out of the way and open up and take away the upper blocker. That was a tough one. A tough one, indeed. While Thomas was as responsible for the loss as any of his teammates, he did keep the Panthers in the game. So did an ongoing theme for the Bruins a lack of finish. Early in the second period, the B s had two great chances to increase the 2-0 lead, the first, when Patrice Bergeron hit the side of the net with Thomas down and out, and the second on a 2-on-1 that Milan Lucic and Iginla could not complete. The Panthers Dmitry Kulikov also gave the B s four minutes of power-play time while holding a 2-1 lead early in the third, but they did nothing with it. The truth is, the Bruins could have won this game one they wanted dearly very easily but they let the Panthers squirm off the hook. They got the two points, but it wasn t exactly a feel-good win. The lack of a finishing touch is not about X s and 0 s, said coach Claude Julien, but more about desire. There s no way we should have scored just three goals tonight, but we don t have real net front presence, he said. When we come in the zone, we don t have that middle drive so right now, offensively, that s one of the reasons we re not scoring as much. We re not as committed to those things. Defensively it s the same thing. Overall our game has to be better and it s not about practicing certain things. It s more about the commitment and attitude toward our game right now that needs to be a little bit better. It didn t take long to solve Thomas. Paille beat him shortside just 3:45 into the game for the Merlot line s first goal of the year. Paille admitted it was a little strange seeing Thomas in another uniform. It was different, especially when you play with a guy for so many years and you re part of big group here, said Paille. It s definitely different, but in the same sense, we ve all moved on and we just started playing. Later in the first, Hamilton used a Zdeno Chara screen for his first goal of the season and the B s appeared on their way. But after some missed chances, Kris Versteeg got the Panthers within a goal when he beat Rask shortside on a delayed penalty. Then, with 6:00 left in regulation, Rask couldn t cover a bouncing puck and Jesse Winchester chipped it over him to tie the game. In the end, Smith, with a little help from Thomas, got the B s a W that should have been a lot easier.

10 Boston Bruins Despite win, all is not well with the offense By Amalie Benjamin SUNRISE, Fla. The Bruins might have gotten 2 points against the division-rival Panthers in Thursday s 3-2 victory, but that doesn t mean the team was getting raves after the game. Boston continues to struggle finishing around the net, turning solid chances into misses or saves. I can t say I m pleased with our game tonight, coach Claude Julien said. We had a 2-0 lead and then we started maybe letting up a little bit. Probably got away from our game as well, started getting cute, gave them an opportunity to get back in the game. The Bruins went up by two goals in the first period, and seemed ready to put Tim Thomas and the Panthers away, but couldn t get another past the goalie until less than a minute remained in the third, when Reilly Smith scored the winner. When it was pointed out to Julien that the defense had some untimely miscues, including a failure by Zdeno Chara to clear a puck on what turned into the game-tying goal by Jesse Winchester with six minutes to go in the third, the coach turned the conversation back to the lackluster offense. There s no way we should have just scored three goals tonight, Julien said. [Forty] shots at the end, and the chances we had. We don t have real good net-front presence, and when we come in the zone we don t really have that middle drive. So right now I think offensively that s one of the reasons we re not scoring as much we re not as committed to those kind of things. Defensively it s the same thing. The Bruins came into Thursday s game having scored just 12 goals in five games. They scored three times against the Panthers, but came close many more times in 40 shots against Thomas. But close isn t good enough for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. Overall our game has got to be better, Julien said. It s not about necessarily practicing certain things. I think it s more about the commitment and the attitude towards our game right now that needs to be a little bit better. Praiseworthy Julien has been effusive in his praise of Smith, who was moved up from the third line to the second line in place of Brad Marchand on Saturday. After getting three assists in his first five games with the Bruins, Smith tallied his first goal on Thursday. I thought he played well tonight, Julien said. Not only did he score the winner, but he had some good chances early on. The one time I told him you ve got to be a little bit more selfish. He forced a pass versus he had a good chance to shoot there. It s a young player really trying to do the right thing here and sometimes you ve got to encourage them to be selfish and take those shots. He s got a great shot. Smith said earlier in the week that it has helped his confidence to have the team rely on him to play with Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson, the latter of whom he also played with in Dallas. And he was certainly happy to give the team the last-second victory. It s a great feeling to be able to score and help the team get a win, he said. McQuaid sits out Adam McQuaid was the healthy scratch against the Panthers, marking the first time Julien has taken one of his veteran defensemen out. That left Chara paired with Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug with Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg with Matt Bartkowski. I even said to him, I m not going to make a big story of this, we re rotating guys in and out, Julien said. We need some of those young players to play early in the year. Somebody s going to go down at some point, and I don t want guys to be sitting for a month and then all of a sudden throw them into the lineup. That s what we re doing early on. Whether you re young or you re a veteran, those are the decisions that we re making right now.... With McQuaid out, Hamilton was in after sitting out the last two games. Hamilton scored a power-play goal in the first period. The defenseman credited the excitement and adrenaline he had, being back in the lineup early in the game... Daniel Paille s goal marked the first one for the Merlot line this season. We created a lot more chances today, Paille said. We can still improve, I think. For the most part we did stay in their zone, but at times we got caught with their top lines and kind of gave some chances. We have to be better defensively.... After not killing a penalty in their last game against Detroit, the Bruins had only one penalty to kill in Thursday s game, a tripping call on Smith in the second period. Boston Globe LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Thomas speaks his mind Thomas makes his return to Boston on November 7 and it will be very interesting to see what kind of response he gets from the Garden crowd... Boston Herald LOADED: Friday, October 18, 2013 Steve Conroy SUNRISE, Fla.--After refusing to speak with reporters on Wednesday, former Bruin goalie Tim Thomas found himself in the rather awkward tonight position of talking about his final, muddy days in Boston just minutes after blowing a game in the final minute of regulation to his former team. But it was the setting he chose, so he did attempt to answer questions about leaving the Bruins in the lurch when he decided to walk away from the game indefinitely two summers ago. And, it should come as a surprise to no one, he remained as defiant about taking the year off, as well as his decision not to go to the White House when the team was being feted there in 2012 the year after winning the Stanley Cup. As for his decision to not come back after the season with a year still left on his contract, he said it was a decision long in the making. I had obviously thought about it during the season, but I didn't know for sure any time, he said I even trained all the way through the beginning of the season last year just in case it gets to the week before the season and all of a sudden the itch comes back. Actually, I told the Bruins, gave them a heads up that I'm considering it, and it was supposed to be kept on the down-low, and it became public. I didn't want anything to become public. I was pretty sure there was a lockout coming up and I didn't have to make a decision for quite a long period of time. I was kind of forced into a corner. Thomas had already collected $17 million of a four-year $20 million contract. He also no longer had a no-trade clause in that final year. If the B's chose to exercise their right to move him, they probably could have still gotten a top six forward, a top four defenseman or a decent draft pick for him. Instead, he walked away and the B's were left to simply trade his rights last year to the Islanders, who were just looking to get to the salary cap floor. But Thomas said he has no regrets in his decision to take a walk. No. I made a decision based on what was best for me and my family, said Thomas. I felt that the team was in capable hands. I knew where Tuukka was at in his development, and I was obviously proven right. So I went and did something that was incredible for my life and for my family's life, and I don't regret it. That's the most important thing. But Thomas conceded in his own way that he helped sow the seeds of his own exhaustion that he said forced him from the game. Asked if the his decision to skip the White House trip and the lingering firestorm after it contributed to his burnout, Thomas said, Yeah, a little bit, you know? But now I'm tougher and stronger and I could really care less about what other people say about that. Again, I'll stand by my decision. I feel I did the right thing. He said he came to his decision to come back very gradually. Again, it wasn't as clear-cut of a plan as you guys think, so no. I didn't know for sure, but over the past year -- I didn't watch any hockey at all until the playoffs, and when I started to watch the playoffs last year, that's when the itch started to come back, said Thomas. It was kind of fun to watch the Bruins from the outside in that kind of environment when you're around the team. It's different. Obviously that's good, too, but it was pretty neat to watch that run last year. That gave me the come-back-and-compete itch. On his lasting perception in Boston? There's no one thing. It's the whole thing together. It was an awesome time there. I don't know what else to say. It's a new chapter in my life, it's a new chapter for them, said Thomas. While he has always brings an edge to the rink, Thomas said he wasn't driven by beating his former team last night, which ultimately he did not. You know what? I probably should have wanted to win worse, because I didn't go into it with that kind of vengeful attitude, 'Oh I want to beat my old team.' I went into it approaching it like any other game. There wasn't that factor, said Thomas.

12 Boston Bruins Bruins beat Tim Thomas, Panthers Thursday, October 17, 2013 Steve Conroy SUNRISE, Fla. The Bruins scored two goals in the first period and had chances to run Tim Thomas and the Florida Panthers out of BB&T Center early. Instead, they let Thomas get sharp and the Panthers hang around until they tied the game with 6:00 left in regulation when neither Tuukka Rask nor Zdeno Chara could get a handle on a loose puck. Jesse Winchester subsequently was able to chip the puck over Rask to make it 2-2. But with 58.7 seconds left, Thomas allowed a soft goal on a backhander to Reilly Smith and the B s prevailed, 3-2. The dominant angle heading into the game was, of course, Thomas facing off against his old teammates. It s a good storyline and it s exciting for our team to have Tim in net. He s been out for a week and I think you always get excited about playing your old team, said Panthers coach Kevin Dineen yesterday morning. It s a good thing. I was in Portland, Maine (as a minor league coach) and New England really supports its sports teams. Tim really left his fingerprints on that area with his Stanley Cup championship. First time back, they ll run into each other and I think it s an exciting night for all of us. But as wrapped-up in playing their former goalie some of the B s surely were, they still were in need of a win, no matter who was in net. And the Bruins had a strong first period, outshooting the Panthers 15-8 and taking a 2-0 lead. Daniel Paille put the B s on the board with the first Merlot line goal of the year when the B s broke out of the defensive zone off a faceoff. Dennis Seidenberg dished it to Paille high in the offensive zone and the speedy Paille got a step on the defense. Bearing down from the left wing, Paille beat Thomas to the shortside at 3;45. The B s doubled their lead at 12:47. For his years in a Bruins uniform, Thomas benefited from having Zdeno Chara standing in close proximity but it worked against him last night. Operating on a power play drawn by David Krejci, Dougie Hamilton fired a shot form the middle of the blue line and, with Chara serving as a screen in front, Thomas didn t have much of a chance to stop it. That snapped an 0-for-12 skid for the B s power play. The B s could have made it 3-0 but Thomas made a nice stop on Krejci from the right side of the slot. Reilly Smith, who made a great move to get a good shot off earlier in the period, fanned on a puck when he had an open. It was a good period for the B s, but Tuukka Rask had a big part in that. Shortly before the Paille goal, Rask stoned Tomas Fleischmann on a shot in tight. And just before Shawn Mattias took the penalty that led to power play and Hamilton s goal, Rask made a nice save on a Matthias redirect off a quick 2-on-1. The B s had a chance to put the Panthers away a couple of times early in the second period, but couldn t put the hanmer down. First, with Thomas down and out, Patrice Bergeron hit the side of the net at an albeit tough angle. Then Milan Lucic tried to set up Jarome Iginla on a 2-on-1 but his feed hopped over Iginla s stick. Allowed to stay in the game, the Panthers sliced the lead in half at 12:32. On a delayed penalty for a Krejci slash, the Panthers made it 2-1 when former B s farmhand Kris Versteeg slipped a shot past Rask on the shortside. Instead of having a comfortable lead going into the third, the B were protecting a slim one-goal advantage. Boston Herald LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins B's Krejci talks of disconnect with Tim Thomas after White House dustup Thursday, October 17, 2013 Steve Conroy SUNRISE, Fla. While acknowledging that he was happy to see former teammate Tim Thomas back in the NHL, Bruins center David Krejci conceded today that there was something of a disconnect between the goalie and the rest of the Bruins during Thomas' final season in Boston. Thomas will start in goal tonight for the Florida Panthers against the Bruins. At the end of his career with Boston, we all know what happened with the White House and the other things," Krejci said. "After that, it was tough to read his mind. You really didn't know what was going on in his head. It was surprising, his decision (to leave the Bruins). But you've got to respect it. It's his life and I don't really want to comment on his life. Krejci said that the Bruins players would not allow the White House controversy to fester. Obviously we were surprised that he didn't show up to the event, said Krejci. But it is what it is. We didn't talk about it in the room. It was better for our team not to talk about it, and that's what we decided to do, and we didn't bring it up again. Former Bruins winger Tyler Seguin, now in Dallas, said recently that Thomas' decision to give up on the Bruins didn't sit right in the room. At the time, it left a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouths. But that's how we won together, Seguin told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel before the Stars-Panthers season-opener. Krejci was asked whether the Bruins were bitter about Thomas' departure. Some players maybe. If Tyler said that, that's his opinion. I just took it the way it was. I never brought it up," Krejci said. "I never talked about his business off the ice and his plans. And I was fine with him." But tonight, Thomas stands in the way of the Bruins and two points they would really like to get after losing to Detroit on Monday. He's made his decision to come back and now he's back, said Krejci. He's not our teammate any more. He's our enemy, and we'll try to get the two points. Boston Herald LOADED:

14 Boston Bruins It's Tim Thomas versus the Bruins tonight Thursday, October 17, 2013 Steve Conroy After some rather curious maneuverings yesterday from the Florida Panthers regarding Tim Thomas' availability, Panthers' coach Kevin Dineeen confirmed this morning that the former Bruin will indeed be in net when the B's take on the Panthers tonight at 7:30 at BB&T Center. On Wednesday, Dineen initially said that Thomas was questionable for tonight, but later in the day the Panthers' tweeted out that Thomas would start tonight, which quickly changed to play. Whatever the case, Dineen sounded like he was embracing the entertainment value that a Thomas-versus-Bruins matchup will bring. It's a good storyline and it's exciting for our team to have Tim in net. He's been out for a week and I think you always get excited about playing your old team, said Dineen. It's a good thing. I was in Portland, Maine (as a minor league coach) and New England really supports its sports teams. Tim really left his fingerprints on that area with his Stanley Cup championship. First time, back they'll run into each other and I think it's an exciting night for all of us. Thomas, who did not speak to reporters this morning, will be playing his first game since suffering a groin injury on Oct. 8 in Philadelphia. He's not rushing back just to play in this game, said Dineen. I make the lineup decisions, said Dineen. I have discussions with the training staff and the other coaches and I make the call. If I didn't feel he was ready and excited about this one, he wouldn't be n the lineup. Dineen made it clear that it was not his decision to tweet out his starting goalie, but he sounded OK with it, given the interest in the game. You know what, I'm excited, said Dineen. I think our fan base is excited. I think there's a buzz coming out of New England to see Tim back in action. Panther forward Kris Versteeg, who got to know Thomas a little bit when they were both in the Boston organization, said Thomas has been a good influence in the Panther dressing room. I think there's some people that are saying things about him that don't really know the real person. He's come in here and and been a great teammate, said Versteeg. I'm sure this game was circled on his calendar, as if it would be if it was my old team. I think he's excited about it and I think there are a lot of Bruins fans who heavily respect him for what he did for their organization and they're excited to see him back in action as well. It's kind of funny how he misses a few games and this is the game he comes back for. Hopefully the emotion he brings can get us two points tonight. Boston Herald LOADED: