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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Ducks prepare to face familiar foe in Phoenix Big contracts in hand, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter deal with big expectations Dry land training for Ducks Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara boils over, and a Bruins victory goes up in smoke Bruins coach likes his roster options Canadiens rally for 4-3 win over Bruins Final: Canadiens 4, Bruins Tonight's Bruins lineup Bruins anticipating exciting Montreal showdown Game 19: Canadiens at Bruins preview Bruins coach Claude Julien s juggling leaves Shawn Thornton a scratch Chara picks noble fight Seguin feeling crossed Bruins fade late, fall from 1st place Ryder dealing with move to Montreal Pandolfo cherishes chance with hometown team Zdeno Chara: "We really are brothers. We just play for each other and protect each other." B s fall to Canadiens Montreal comes away with a 4-3 win over the Bruins Bruins up 3-2 over Montreal heading to the third Montreal up 2-1 after a wild first period Buffalo Sabres Sabres notebook: Opportunity for Amerks sends message Sabres fall in shootout to Rangers Rangers call Kaleta's hit on Richards 'disgusting' and 'stupidity;' Sabres forward fails to appear after game Vanek still out, Miller remains in for Sabres as they visit Rangers On second day of back-to-back, Sabres skipping morning skate New York Rangers defeat Buffalo Sabres in shootout Rochester Amerks defeat Lake Erie Monsters Calgary Flames Johnson: Taylor savours his first NHL victory Hansen s wild day started with his wife giving birth to twin sons Game Story: Calgary Flames 4, Vancouver Canucks Arthur: Flames' O'Reilly faux pas may lead to moving Iginla, Kiprusoff Flames snap out of a funk, foil travel-weary Canucks Danny Taylor starts for Flames tonight against Canucks McGrattan gives Flames boost Flames' Taylor gets first win Flames beat Canucks Five questions facing Calgary Flames this week Flames' Taylor has weird rituals Carolina Hurricanes Hurricanes shell Panthers Hurricanes top line pummels Penguins Hurricanes lose Ward, but finish home-and-home sweep Hurricanes beat Panthers, 3-2, 2nd straight night NHL 3/4/2013 DAILY BRIEF Chicago Blackhawks Hawks' Kane never shirks double duty Kane, Crawford keep Hawks' streak alive Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford made 32 saves, 33 if counting streak Patrick Kane, Blackhawks extend streak to 22, admit this is amazing Well-conditioned Patrick Kane is able against Red Wings Kane keeps Blackhawks streak alive Verdi goes one-on-one with Hawks winger Patrick Kane Verdi: Like Sandberg & Payton, Hossa now Chicago icon Separating Hawks, Wings is just criminal Kane, Crawford stretch Blackhawks streak to 22 games Kane you count to 22? No. 88 lifts Hawks over Red Wings Crawford starting, Bolland out for Blackhawks By the numbers: Hawks make it 22 straight Jonathan Toews coming to CSN studio Monday Blackhawks believe they 'can be better' Close and a lotta (victory) cigars Colorado Avalanche Columbus tops Avalanche in OT after Ryan O'Reilly accidental tip-in Frei: Avalanche designation of Ryan O'Reilly as third-line center is right Ryan O'Reilly endures rough return to Colorado Avalanche lineup Anisimov's OT goal lifts Columbus past Avs, 2-1 Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets 2, Avalanche 1 (OT): It hurts so good Blue Jackets notebook: Young defensemen stand tall in victory Bob Hunter commentary: Prospal s enthusiasm for the game never gets old Jackets-Avalanche game summary Tough start for O'Reilly NHL: Jackets top Avs in OT Jackets' chunky schedule Dallas Stars Stars show discipline in 4-1 victory over Blues Heika: How playing a 'road game' at home helped Dallas Stars upend St. Louis Finally healthy, red-hot Derek Roy showing skills that Stars coveted Glen Gulutzan says Stars like 'Boy Scouts' after team only takes one penalty in 4-1 win over Blues Glen Gulutzan: Stars found their 'mojo' after Cole's goal; Roussel has done 'everything he can for this team' Jamie Langenbrunner honored as member of Stars 20th Anniversary Team: The fans here are fantastic Gosselin: Trade for Erik Cole should help Stars muscle up against bulky bodies of Western Conference foes Stars pick up 4-1 victory over Blues Stars disciplined performance gives them win over St. Louis

2 Detroit Red Wings Chicago 2, Detroit Red Wings 1: Patrick Kane helps Blackhawks continue point-streak Helene St. James: Despite shootout loss, Red Wings starting to play better hockey Blackhawks 2, Red Wings 1 (SO): Notes, quotes from Sunday's loss Red Wings' Patrick Eaves puts concussion out of mind Streaking Blackhawks beat Wings in shootout Wings, Blackhawks scoreless after first period Red Wings' margin for error is thin Red Wings rookies prove they're NHL material Red Wings recover from sluggish start but let great opportunity slip away due to late mistakes Red Wings lose lead late in third, lose 2-1 in shootout to Blackhawks, who extend points streak to 28 games Chicago Blackhawks improve to with shootout win over Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings Gameday: Will you miss the Blackhawks rivalry if the Wings move east? Red Wings notes: Offense goes cold, Patrick Eaves chips in; Marian Hossa plays 1,000th game Blackhawks continue streak in shootout at Wings expense Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers star Taylor Hall takes Sunday off to rest injured hamstring Minnesota Wild score three third-period goals to beat Edmonton Oilers in one-sided NHL affair Hockey World: Willing bodyguards can t find NHL work Edmonton Oilers Game Day With Hall out, young wingers Yakupov, Paajarvi get a chance to shine in Minny No Taylor Hall for Edmonton Oilers in Minnesota Minnesota Wild dominate Edmonton Oilers in 4-2 win Taylor Hall sits out Edmonton Oilers rematch against the Minnesota Wild Florida Panthers Panthers G Theodore has groin injury Carolina Hurricanes (11-8-1) at Florida Panthers (6-10-5), 6 p.m. (ET) Florida Panthers play solid but lose again to Carolina Hurricanes Recap: Florida vs. Carolina Goalie gear missing; so is Panthers' scoring touch Los Angeles Kings Kings come to defense of goalie Jonathan Quick a day after Vancouver loss Big contracts in hand, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter deal with big expectations March 3 practice quotes: Drew Doughty March 3 practice quotes: Dustin Brown Waking up with the Kings: March March 3 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter Kings, Leiweke, Sutter, Quick honored Minnesota Wild Wild gets solid effort in one-sided win over Oilers, moves into 6th in the West Wild-Edmonton game recap Wild pulls away, continues home-ice dominance of Edmonton Former Wild Schultz has fond memories of Minnesota Ex-Minnesota Wild defenseman Nick Schultz returns, as Oiler Minnesota Wild: Oilers' 18-day road show stops here Minnesota Wild get some payback with dominating win over Oilers Wild 4, Oilers 2: Minnesota dominates road-weary Edmonton Montreal Canadiens Canadiens overtake Bruins for 1st place in Eastern Conference Canadiens come back to beat Bruins Jack Todd: Gallagher s star shines bright as Habs wrap up weekend to remember Dave Stubbs: Sidney Crosby stars in orgy of offence Canadiens pounce while Chara serves misconduct penalty Nashville Predators Nashville Predators centers struggle to score Nashville Predators keep moving lineup on power play Preview: Predators at Los Angeles Kings New Jersey Devils Devils: Dainius Zubrus could begin skating next week; Martin Brodeur still out Devils: Should coach Pete DeBoer take Scotty Bowman's shootout advice? Despite shootout loss, Devils feel they're headed in right direction Devils put Bobby Butler on waivers Pete DeBoer lightens Devils' mood Devils notes: Andrei Loktionov surging Devils preview: March 4 at Toronto Maple Leafs Devils look to put it all together to snap four-game slide New York Islanders Islanders snap 3-game losing streak with win over Senators Isles feeling right at home John Tavares hits game-winner in Islanders' shootout win over Senators Unlucky Islanders win despite bad luck New York Rangers Illegal Blow to Richards Spurs Rangers Goals Rangers Slip Past Sabres in Shootout J.T. Miller fights for permanent spot on NY Rangers roster as coach John Tortorella weighs rookie's future Ryan McDonagh admits to inconsistent early reads and puck work but produces in new second-pair role for NY Ran Rick Nash, Ryan Callahan both score in shootout to lift NY Rangers over Buffalo Sabres, 3-2; Brad Richards tak Hit on Richards injects life into Rangers Miller maintains his focus Defining point for Blueshirts Rangers notes: Almost an own-goal Rangers beat Sabres, 3-2, in shootout for second win in row Rangers beat Sabres in wild shootout win Henrik Lundqvist discovers Rick Nash can be dangerous It s Go Time! Sabres at Rangers Sabres at Rangers tonight (7:30 p.m. start) Rangers-Baby Buffaloes in review Rangers 3, Sabres 2 (SO): Post-game notes, quotes Ottawa Senators Tavares lifts Islanders over Senators in shootout Zolnierczyk gets four games for hit on Senators Lundin The Senators this week Defence ministers Marc Methot and Chris Phillips show each other some love Ottawa Senators lose third straight against New York Islanders Andre Benoit to call Ottawa home

3 Philadelphia Flyers Zolnierczyk suspended 4 games Flyers' Harry Zolnierczyk suspended for 4 games Flyers' Simmonds showing last year not fluke Flyers face tough task: getting better than Fun as usual at Flyers Wives Carnival Flyers excel in the goal, but defense need work NHL suspends Flyers' Zolnierczyk 4 games Flyers' Zolnierczyk suspended 4 games Bryzgalov gem gets Flyers to Flyers, Jake Voracek sweep aside Senators Flyers Scoop: Ilya Bryzgalov nearly unbeatable in frustrating Sens Flyers Watch blog: Shanahan spot-on with Zolnierczyk suspension Flyers starting to cash in on their younger players Zolnierczyk's suspension a message well sent At first Flyers Carnival, Luke Schenn 'gets it' Zolnierczyk suspended 4 games for hit on Lundin Flyers Storylines: Who will get to 10 goals first? NHL Notebook: Simon Gagne was always a Flyer NHL Notebook: Realignment plan keeps Flyers-Pens rivalry intact Simmonds at home in Philly Schenns embrace Flyers' carnival Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes Steve Sullivan showing signs of finding groove Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins notebook: Bylsma says Despres play Saturday real good Penguins Malkin practices with contact, still no target for return Penguins' Malkin takes to the ice for practice Injured Martin ruled out again Penguins at a glance Malkin cleared, back at Penguins practice San Jose Sharks harks' Havlat may be out for trip to Canada Niemi not concerned with heavy workload Havlat battles nagging injury, day-to-day St Louis Blues Blues take trip down memory lane, bring in Arnott Stars pick up 4-1 victory over Blues Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning learning lessons the hard way Lightning must learn when to gamble Preview: Lightning at Penguins Toronto Maple Leafs Franson finally finding his niche in Toronto Can the Leafs find a new home for Komisarek? Leafs D-man Fraser set to face former team Maple Leafs know importance of homework Devils just keep on truckin' Leafs' Komisarek denies report he's ready for a trade Leafs Matt Frattin on the verge of returning to lineup Vancouver Canucks His wife delivers and then so does Jannik Hansen (Updated) Canucks run out of gas in third, drop 4-2 decision to Flames Vigneault venomous after bench minor costs Canucks A little bit of Jannik Hansen goes a long way for Canucks Canucks forgot to pack their game in 4-2 loss to Calgary The Van Provies nightly awards Sedins need to soar if Vancouver is to make it through March without Kesler Washington Capitals One-timers: Capitals close out the Jets, come into March like lions Washington Capitals starting to make improvement in Coach Adam Oates s system Not too early for Capitals to focus on NHL standings Websites Report: Islanders and Nassau County owe each other millions Steve Yzerman isn t a fan of realignment proposal for Tampa Bay Columbus mayor would like to know when they re getting the All-Star Game back Sharks GM on team: We ve become a pass-first team in a shoot-first league Denver columnist: Avs could be laughingstock of hockey USA TODAY / Goalie coach suits up as Panthers backup USA TODAY / Flyers' Harry Zolnierczyk suspended for four games USA TODAY / Patrick Kane is the hero as Blackhawks extend streak USA TODAY / Things to know about Sunday's NHL games Wall Street Journal / There Simply Is No Stopping the Blackhawks Winnipeg Jets Peluso pays for dust-up Wheeler shakes off pain, Jets breathe sigh of relief Bellicose Bogo won't take guff Laughter the best medicine for Noel Mediocrity keeps fans on edge WINNIPEG JETS Notebook Battle lost, but war rages on Jets fan doubles up on 50/50 wins Will the Winnipeg Jets find a road to redemption? Jets coach Claude Noel not hung up on team's power-play stats SPORT-SCAN, INC

4 Anaheim Ducks Ducks prepare to face familiar foe in Phoenix The Ducks and Coyotes will meet for the second time in three nights in Arizona on Monday, then they are scheduled to play each other again Wednesday in Anaheim. By Kevin Baxter March 3, 2013, 5:00 p.m. PHOENIX In nearly four decades around professional hockey, Bruce Boudreau has seen a lot of strange things. But the coach can't remember seeing a team play consecutive games on the road in the same city during the regular season, something his division-leading Ducks will do Monday night when they meet the Phoenix Coyotes for the second time in three nights in Arizona. "I can't recall. In recent years anyway," Boudreau said. "But I'm getting old, so maybe my memory's getting old too." Forward Bobby Ryan's memory is a lot fresher. And he can't remember seeing it either. "Nothing like this," he said. "It has a playoff feel to it." You can thank the peculiarities of the lockout-shortened schedule for the history. That's the same schedule that has both teams flying to Anaheim after Monday's game to meet again Wednesday at Honda Center, marking the first time outside of the postseason the Ducks will play three consecutive games against the same opponent. That kind of familiarity can certainly breed contempt, something that became apparent in a chippy third period Saturday when the Ducks gave up two sloppy goals before losing in a shootout. "You're going to see that more so in the next two games," Ryan said of the physical play. "They're a pretty proud team, so they stand up for themselves. They push back everywhere on the ice." Boudreau agreed. "There was a lot of compete," he said Saturday. "There was a lot of trash talk out there as well." There were also a lot of exhausted hockey players especially on Boudreau's bench since the Ducks were playing for the fifth time in seven days and second time in 22 hours. Both teams took Sunday off, which should help Ducks winger Kyle Palmieri heal. Palmieri left Saturday's game in the first period because of an upper-body injury, forcing Boudreau to stretch his lines even thinner in the final period and overtime. "It's day to day," Boudreau said of the injury. "I think he should be fine." Tonight AT PHOENIX When: 6 PST. Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Ariz. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket. Record vs. Coyotes: Etc: Sunday's day off in Phoenix was just the third in eight days for the Ducks, who have played back-to-back games six times in as many weeks this season. kevin.baxter@latimes.com twitter.com/kbaxter11 LA Times: LOADED:

5 Anaheim Ducks Big contracts in hand, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter deal with big expectations Parise and Suter, who received matching 13-year, $98-million contracts from the Minnesota Wild, are finding the adjustment period is taking some time. Helene Elliott 8:48 PM PST, March 3, 2013 The small-market Minnesota Wild made the biggest splash in last summer's free-agency market by signing winger Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter to identical 13-year, $98-million contracts. They immediately became symbols of the long, salary-cap-minimizing deals NHL owners freely handed out and then insisted be banished. The new collective bargaining agreement limits contracts to seven years, except for eight years when a team re-signs its free agent. Were Parise and Suter the last passengers on the free-agency gravy train? Their character is above reproach, but it's tough to say they'll have a $196- million impact. Suter leads the NHL with an average of 27 minutes 25 seconds' ice time and Parise is second on the team in scoring with 15 points, but the Wild is among a cluster of teams jockeying for a top-eight spot in the Western Conference. Still, General Manager Chuck Fletcher said the investment has "absolutely" been worth it. "Their work ethic is so strong, they're going to earn every penny we pay them. They both just turned 28, so we're pretty comfortable with that," Fletcher said last week during a visit to Anaheim. "They've played well and I think they'll only play better as they continue to acclimate and adjust to their new teammates and coaches and the system we play." Fletcher said Parise "has the mind-set of a fourth-line player and the skill set of a first-line player," a good description. Suter, though minus-five defensively, has steadied the defense while recording 14 assists. "As a group we're giving up about four fewer shots on goal per game, and a lot of that is because of his defensive contributions and the way he moves the puck out of our zone," Fletcher said. Fletcher also said a spike in ticket, sponsorship and suite revenue and TV ratings will help offset the cost of the signings. But some of their contributions can't be measured statistically. "Two guys like that, it just changes the culture immediately," center Matt Cullen said. "They've played in real big situations and expect and demand to win." Suter, son of 1980 U.S. Olympian Bob Suter and nephew of former NHL defenseman Gary Suter, said he and Parise want to be positive influences. "We're just trying to do whatever we can and bring what we've learned on our other teams, whether world championships or Olympics, to this team," he said. "There's a lot of young guys and we try to help them. Zach's had some success and I've had some success, so hopefully we can change the attitude and the mind-set." Suter said he's tired of being measured by dollar signs, but that's inevitable. "It's kind of tough, especially when I haven't scored a goal. I feel guilty," he said. "As long as our team is winning, that's all that matters. It will come." Slowly, perhaps, for the inconsistent Wild. "We'll get there. I have confidence we'll get there," he said. "It's just frustrating trying to get there." Up in Flames The Calgary Flames nearly made a huge gaffe last week when they signed Colorado restricted free-agent center Ryan O'Reilly to a two-year, $10- million offer sheet. Had the Avalanche not matched the offer, the Flames would have owed Colorado first- and third-round 2013 draft picks as compensation. But as first reported by Sportsnet.ca, O'Reilly who played two games in Russia after the NHL season began would have had to clear waivers before he could join a team other than Colorado. Any team would have grabbed O'Reilly, Colorado's top scorer last season with 18 goals and 55 points, and the Flames would have lost the draft picks and a player they hoped to build around. Flames General Manager Jay Feaster said his hockey operations department concluded there weren't any impediments to securing O'Reilly and added that their interpretation of the applicable waiver rule, Article 13.23, differed from the NHL's interpretation. He said the club was prepared to pursue its argument but since Colorado matched, "it is now an academic point." Colorado should have negotiated a deal with O'Reilly long ago and now will pay a premium. He gets a $2.5-million signing bonus and a prorated salary of $1 million this season, but his salary of $6.5 million becomes the minimum qualifying offer Colorado must make to retain his rights. It also becomes the benchmark when teammates Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene negotiate new deals. Bad work by Calgary and Colorado on this one. Slap shots Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL's realignment proposal remains under discussion. The NHL Players' Assn. is said to be lukewarm on having 14 teams in the West and 16 in the East and the effect that would have on teams' playoff chances. So much for fans saying they'd shun the NHL after the lockout. The New York Post reported the league has projected hockey-related revenue to be $2.4 billion for this season of 720 games plus playoffs. Revenue for , which consisted of 1,230 games plus playoffs, was $3.3 billion. That would mean the NHL will earn 72.7% of last season's revenue in 58.5% of last season's schedule. Not bad. LA Times: LOADED:

6 Anaheim Ducks Dry land training for Ducks By ERIC STEPHENS / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER TEMPE, Ariz. Even with a day off on the road to cherish after playing five games in the past seven days, the Ducks' Cam Fowler still sought out some form of competition on Sunday. Fowler traded his stick for a bat and began to display the form that made him a starter as a 10th-grader at Pioneer High in Ann Arbor, Mich., as a group of Angels players watched at the team's spring training complex. Nick Bonino also took some cuts in the batting cage but the center was no match for his teammate. But then Fowler wasn't exactly standing in against Jered Weaver. "I did OK," Fowler said. "I was a little rusty not swinging the bat for a while. I had fun. Had a coach and some players helping me. "We had a little friendly competition going between me and Bones. I kind of felt back to normal once I got a few swings in there." In fact, Fowler could have swung at a few pitches from the ace of the Angels if he pushed for it. Watching them zoom past the plate was good enough. "We just stood in front of him to see what it looks like," he said. "Nobody even dared try to hit it. That would make us look stupid." Members of the Ducks joined up with their baseball neighbors to enjoy a rare respite from a condensed lockout-shortened schedule that will leave little time for such endeavors. Goaltender Viktor Fasth judged the hitting competition that Fowler easily won while the coaching staff and front office personnel presented Angels manager Mike Scioscia with an alternate black and orange Ducks sweater. The Ducks are in a stretch where they play 20 games in 37 days. The toll of two sets of games on back-to-back nights last week was apparent in their defensive struggles Saturday that contributed to a 5-4 shootout loss to Phoenix. A mental and physical break was necessary. "I think it's important," Fowler said. "Especially playing in the amount of games that we'll play in such a short time. I think it's good to have some team bonding stuff like this and be able to get your mind away from hockey and just take a breather for a day. "We're right back at it again. Sometimes you just need a little break to refresh and relax your mind." Another idiosyncrasy of the schedule is teams will play the same opponent in two or even three consecutive games, which is the case with the Ducks against the Coyotes as they'll play again Monday night before moving to Anaheim on Wednesday. It is a mini-series of sorts and an important one when it comes to the Pacific Division. The Ducks managed a point Saturday and are up by eight over San Jose and Dallas with Phoenix nine back and using these games to make up ground. "I think it'll just add to the intensity of the games," winger Andrew Cogliano said. "You play a team three times in a row, it's kind of like a little playoff series. They need the points against us and we need to keep going. "These are tough games especially with next game in their building. Hopefully we'll get a win and go home." Tempers already began to flare up between the teams Saturday and the more they see of each other in a short time, the greater chance that their competitive juices will get their blood boiling. "It might get there," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "There was a lot of compete. I think there's a lot of little trash talk out there as well." Orange County Register: LOADED:

7 Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara boils over, and a Bruins victory goes up in smoke By Kevin Paul Dupont He s one of our better players, said the towering Bruins captain, explaining why he defended Seguin and felt no choice but to put a beating on Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin. But I ll do it for anybody. It s just [my] nature to react. Sometimes that s the way it goes. A noble gesture, even admirable reasoning by Chara, which is why the Bruins paid him more money than they ever paid anyone and made him their captain upon arriving on Causeway Street as an unrestricted free agent in July He is here for the little people, which, at 6 feet 9 inches, means he is here for everyone. But being there for Seguin with 4:25 to go in the second period also meant ultimately handing the Habs 2 points, with gift wrap and bow. What perturbed Chara in this instance, and put him over his high boiling threshold, was Emelin s hack at Seguin in the neutral zone that dropped the talented forward momentarily. The hack broke Seguin s stick, and left him stunned facefirst on the floor. Chara then met up with Emelin deep in Montreal s zone, in a corner, and initially hoped that Emelin would oblige him and drop the gloves. Emelin, of course, wanted no part of the Trencin Tower of Power. Chara sometimes takes on Slovakia s top Greco-Roman wrestlers in the summer as a way of staying tuned up for September s training camp. Emelin waited out his pending dance partner, and the result had Chara initiating the battle and ultimately getting tagged with 17 minutes in penalties two for instigating, five for fighting, and a 10-minute misconduct. Chara, as he has said many times, doesn t like to fight. It s not my first priority, he said. I like to play. I like to play hard and physical. I have no problem with it. But it s not my first priority. The difference here, with the Bruins holding a 3-2 lead, was that he felt he had no choice but to make things square for his team. Seguin was down. There was no whistle. As captain, was he going to allow the Canadiens to come to Causeway Street, chop down one of the game s budding stars, and not pay for it? I didn t think I would get 17 minutes, said Chara. If he throws down, I m thinking maybe I get two and five. But, I make the decision and I have to live with it. Obviously, we have to protect each other. The added pain was that Chara was still in the penalty box, serving his interminable sentence, when the Canadiens struck for the tying goal (Max Pacioretty) and the winner (David Desharnais) in a span of less than four minutes in the third period. Without Chara on their backline, where he typically plays upward of 30 minutes a night, the Bruins are a different team. They go from championship-caliber to mid-pack in the Original 30, good enough to win some nights, bad enough to lose on an equal number of nights. Behind the bench, Bruins coach Claude Julien knew his team was in a pickle. His club already was having issues in its end even with Chara back there. With the ex-norris Trophy winner cooling his jets, Julien knew the night s roller coaster was poised for a big drop. Well, it doesn t help, said Julien. We re a good enough team that that shouldn t be a factor, and it wasn t. We only gave them four shots in the third period, but two of them ended up goals. I thought we could have done a better job in the defensive zone tonight. Julien used his postgame platform to vent over what he feels is Montreal s propensity to embellish calls. He s not wrong. Skilled defenseman P.K. Subban, who really has no need to fake things, was his typically histrionic self. For whatever reason, that has yet to change. Adding to Julien s ire, along with the loss of 2 points, was the fact that Emelin s hit on Seguin went unpenalized. Had Emelin been whistled off, the Bruins, again with a one-goal lead, would have had a power play. Instead, the Habs had the man advantage and Chara had nearly a period s worth of handcuffs wrapped around his mighty wrists. It s as simple as that, said Julien. As everybody saw, there was a lot of embellishment. This is embarrassing for our game, the embellishing. They ve got 100 power plays so far. It s pretty obvious why. We re trying to clean that out of our game. It s got to be soon. Because it s not about tonight. It s about the game. The embellishment embarrasses our game. We need to be better than that. It s pretty obvious, when P.K. gets hit, he throws himself into the glass and holds his head. You know what? We start calling those things for embellishment, maybe teams will stop doing it. Thus closed another chapter in the decades-long harangue between two of hockey s storied franchises. The seasons come, the seasons go, but the Bruins and Canadiens always find a way to infuse their Original Six partnership with more emotion, more bombast, more good stuff that 28 teams only wish they could share. Sunday night, the Bruins got the worst of it, and mostly they could blame themselves. They were porous in their end, and Chara s instinct, though right on the money, left them shortchanged. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com. Boston Globe LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Bruins coach likes his roster options By Fluto Shinzawa The Bruins are carrying 23 players, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. The extra defenseman and two spare forwards give Julien the opportunity to use multiple looks based on opposing matchups and his players performance. Daniel Paille, usually the fourth-line left wing, can move up to the third line with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley. On Sunday, in a 4-3 home loss to the Canadiens, Shawn Thornton was back in the lineup after being scratch-ed against the Lightning. Chris Bourque was the healthy scratch. Bourque s benching seemed imminent. Bourque, skating on the fourth line Saturday, played a season-low 7 minutes 17 seconds. Bourque, one of the two point men on the No. 2 power play unit, was replaced in the third period by Dennis Seidenberg. Thornton responded with one of his strongest games of the season. In 6:49 of ice time, Thornton recorded four shots and landed four hits. On one shift, Thornton dropped Alex Galchenyuk, then thumped P.K. Subban. Thornton was mean, snarling, and belligerent, playing like he was fighting for his job. Just a day earlier, Thornton had gotten some unexpected news. The Bruins brought a five-game winning streak into Saturday s game against Tampa Bay. Coaches don t change their ties, much less their lineups, in such circumstances. Yet during the day, Julien informed Thornton that he might be scratched that night in place of Jay Pandolfo. Thornton understood the decision. As long as he had a heads-up, you re not catching a guy like that, a veteran, at the last minute and telling him, By the way, you re out, Julien explained. I do those kinds of things. But I don t have to go into explanations. I don t have time for that. Our guys know how we operate by now. There s never been an issue about that. The move paid off in Boston s 3-2 win. Paille assisted on Peverley s tying goal. Adam McQuaid and Gregory Campbell fought Pierre-Cedric Labrie and B.J. Crombeen. Pandolfo logged 2:56 of shorthanded ice time because of the Bruins repeated trips to the penalty box. In this type of season, I think it s important to have that kind of flexibility, Julien said. We took Jay in there and it was a good thing we had him in there. With all the penalties we had, we needed some penalty killers. Jay s a great penalty killer, so we had an extra guy to help us out. Fighting chance The Bruins went a season-long seven games without logging a fight. In Saturday s first period, McQuaid put a stop to that streak. The Bruins had allowed two quick goals. They were looking for some life. McQuaid saw an opportunity. After a whistle, Keith Aulie delivered an up-high jolt to Nathan Horton. McQuaid spotted the transgression and tried to address it. Labrie stepped in front of Aulie. McQuaid and Labrie dropped their gloves. It was a bit of a slow start, McQuaid said. I just wanted to get something going. I thought the guy kind of came in a little late on Horty, and it was offside. So I just came in to have some words. It just kind of erupted from there. It was McQuaid s second fight of the season. His first scrap came Jan. 23 against the Rangers Brian Boyle. McQuaid also started that fight with his team trailing, 2-0. A McQuaid flare-up led to the first fight on Sunday. McQuaid didn t care for a hit by Lars Eller. Shortly after McQuaid and Eller tangled, Milan Lucic and Brandon Prust squared off. Learning process Dougie Hamilton scored his second goal of the season at 9:20 of the second period. Hamilton logged 19:14 of ice time, the most he s played since he was on the ice for 20:04 against the Rangers on Feb. 12. That game was also on home ice, where Julien can take advantage of the last change. It s been about making sure that first of all, we win hockey games, Julien said of managing Hamilton s minutes. Second of all, we put him in an area where he can grow and not in an area where he can get discouraged. There were some games where he struggled a bit more in certain areas of the game. Instead of exposing him, we pulled him back and worked with him after the game, the next day, showing him some video clips. He s a quick learner. We re going to develop him so he becomes an elite defenseman in this league.... Aaron Johnson and Lane MacDermid joined Bourque in the press box as healthy scratches... Ex-Bruin Michael Ryder, in his second spin with the Canadiens, assisted on Tomas Plekanec s game-opening power-play goal. Redux Ryder had just one shot in 19:22 of ice time... Carey Price has appeared in 26 games against the Bruins, but earned a rare night off. Peter Budaj was sharp in the win, denying Tyler Seguin in the final seconds. He played well, said coach Michel Therrien. He deserved to be there tonight. Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. After the 4-3 loss to Montreal, Claude Julien didn t care for what he believed was acting by the Canadiens. Tonight, as everybody saw, there was a lot of embellishment, said the Bruins coach. This is embarrassing for our game, the embellishing. Right now, they ve got over 100 power plays so far. It s pretty obvious why. We re trying to clean that out of our game. It s got to be done soon. Because it s not about tonight. It s about the game. The embellishment embarrasses our game. We ve got to be better about that. It s pretty obvious when P.K. [Subban] gets hit, he throws himself into the glass and holds his head. You know what? We start calling those things for embellishment, maybe teams stop doing it. Until we take charge that, it s going to be an issue. Julien said he didn t mind Zdeno Chara going after Alexei Emelin after the defenseman s hit on Tyler Seguin. Boston Globe LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Canadiens rally for 4-3 win over Bruins By KEN POWTAK BOSTON (AP) David Desharnais and the Montreal Canadiens saw an opening when Zdeno Chara went to the penalty box, and they certainly made the most of it. Max Pacioretty scored the tying goal in the third period and Desharnais put Montreal ahead to stay, leading the Canadiens to a 4-3 comeback win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday in a matchup of the Eastern Conference s top teams. Both goals came with Chara sitting in the penalty box. It s big, said Desharnais, who also scored in the first period. He s a key player for them. For him to not be on the ice is good for us, and we took advantage of it. Tomas Plekanec had the other goal for the Canadiens, who jumped two points ahead of Boston for first overall in the conference. Last season, Montreal finished out of the playoffs 28th in the 30-team league. This year, the Canadiens are off to a start. We re coming from a long way, Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. Everyone knows if we stick to our plan we've got a chance to win every game. The longtime rivals played an up-and-down clean first period before some bad feelings surfaced late in the second. Alexei Emelin appeared to crosscheck young Bruins star Tyler Seguin on the right hip, sending him to the ice in pain. Chara then raced in, nailed Emelin and the pair squared off to the left of Montreal s net, with the Boston captain throwing most of the punches. Seguin headed down the ramp toward the dressing room, but came back to the bench a few minutes later. Chara collected an instigating penalty, fighting major and 10-minute misconduct, leaving Boston short-handed on defense for a good portion of the third. The guy just broke his stick cross-checking Tyler and went down, Chara said. I was just reacting to it. He s one of our best players and I'm not going to just watch him getting crushed like that. That s when the Canadiens made their push, grabbing the lead. We were able to capitalize off the loss of Chara, Therrien said. Everyone knows he s one of the best defensemen in the league. Pacioretty s slap shot from the point beat Tuukka Rask, who appeared to be screened, and tied it at 3-all 5:31 into the third period. Desharnais scored out of a scramble in front with 10:43 to play. Chara s teammates felt his actions were justified. Z knows the right time to step up and fight for his teammates and tonight was the right time, Bruins winger Brad Marchand said. One of our guys that plays a lot of minutes takes a good shot. Bruins coach Claude Julien was even more upset. The frustrating part is you end up with 17 minutes in the penalty box when you should have been on the power play, he said before challenging the Canadiens, stating they faked some hits for penalties. There was a lot of embellishment, he said. That was embarrassing tonight. They have over 100 power plays and we all know why watching tonight. The embellishing is embarrassing for our game. Seguin, Patrice Bergeron and Dougie Hamilton scored for Boston, which had won six in a row. Rask stopped 22 shots. Peter Budaj made 31 saves for Montreal, which played the first of five straight road games. Boston pulled Rask with 70 seconds left for an extra skater, but Budaj stopped Seguin s bid from close in the final seconds. Fortunately I was able to read it, Budaj said. It was a big save. Trailing 2-1 early in the second period, Boston tied it on Bergeron s goal. Seguin, who scored the Bruins first goal, made a cross-ice pass during a 2- on-1 break. Bergeron knocked in his own rebound after Budaj stopped the initial shot from the edge of the crease. The Canadiens nearly regained the lead when Pacioretty clearly beat Rask with a blast from the right circle, but it caromed off the left post. Less than a minute later, Travis Moen broke in alone, but Rask dropped to his knees to cut down the angle and make the save. Boston then grabbed its only lead of the night on Hamilton s goal while the teams were skating four aside. Marchand fired a shot from the right circle that rebounded over to Hamilton, who slipped a tough-angle shot by Budaj from the bottom of the left circle for his second career goal. Shortly after Boston had moved ahead 3-2, Montreal peppered Rask with a number of good chances during a 5-on-3 power play. NOTES: The Bruins did a number of different things during the game to support Newtown, Conn. One was having Sandy Hook Elementary School s lead teacher, Natalie Hammond, drop the ceremonial first puck.... The Bruins next play at Washington on Tuesday.... Boston F Chris Bourque was a healthy scratch.... The Canadiens continue their road trip at the New York Islanders on Tuesday before playing at Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida, respectively. Their next home game is March 13 against Ottawa.... It was the 719th meeting between the teams, second only to Detroit- Chicago s Boston entered the day leading the league with a 91.9 percent penalty killing success rate, but gave up a power-play goal after allowing two Saturday against Tampa Bay. Boston Globe LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Final: Canadiens 4, Bruins 3 5:05 1st period, 0-0: Best chances for Bruins. Zdeno Chara unloads slapper wide left. Nathan Horton close on the rebound. 0:00 1st period, 0-0: Chris Bourque officially healthy scratch. Shawn Thornton back in on fourth line with Gregory Campbell and Jay Pandolfo. Daniel Paille on third line. Boston Globe LOADED: Fluto Shinzawa All done in Boston. Gutsy win for Canadiens. Bruins needed more than Patrice Bergeron's line to push offensively. 9:17 3d period, Canadiens 4-3: David Desharnais doing dirty work again. Goes to net and jams in Max Pacioretty feed. Fearless. 5:31 3d period, 3-3: Max Pacioretty snaps long-distance shot past Tuukka Rask. Solid screen by David Desharnais. Even little guys are brave enough to make life tough on goalies. 20:00 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Tough third coming up for Bruins. Still lots of time for Zdeno Chara (instigating, fighting, 10-minute misconduct) to spend in box. 18:08 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Tyler Seguin back on ice. Looks OK. 17:39 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Left pad save by Tuukka Rask on Brendan Gallagher. Big kill for Bruins. 15:45 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Alexei Emelin tags Tyler Seguin with an openice hit. Seguin staggers to room, favoring left arm. At the same time, Zdeno Chara chases down Emelin and delivers a few pops. 15:01 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Milan Lucic vs. Mike Komisarek Brandon Prust. Couple thundering rights from Lucic. All starts with Adam McQuaid jousting with Lars Eller. 14:05 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Serious quickness from Tuukka Rask. Bouncing all over the place. Slams glove over puck to stop action. 9:20 2d period, Bruins 3-2: Dougie Hamilton s bad-angle shot beats Peter Budaj. Brad Marchand with another assist. 8:16 2d period, 2-2: Chris Kelly hits iron again. This time during four-on-four play. 7:20 2d period, 2-2: P.K. Subban throws hip check on Brad Marchand. Then takes time to chirp Marchand. 5:47 2d period, 2-2: Tuukka Rask bails out Andrew Ference. Defenseman had coughed up puck to Travis Moen. Ference off with his game. 5:08 2d period, 2-2: David Desharnais rings the left post. Zdeno Chara caught up the ice. 4:06 2d period, 2-2: Two-on-one for Bruins. Peter Budaj stops Patrice Bergeron. But looks like Andrei Markov, trying to get back, kicks in puck with left skate. Terrific outlet pass off the wall by Brad Marchand. 20:00 1st period, Canadiens 2-1: Bruins will have 50 seconds remaining on power play. Brendan Gallagher in box for charging on Brad Marchand. 17:35 1st period, Canadiens 2-1: Both teams rolling four lines. Looked like Shawn Thornton asked Ryan White to go. Nothing doing. 11:03 1st period, Canadiens 2-1: Goals in bunches. David Krejci and Johnny Boychuk fumble puck in defensive zone. David Desharnais sets up a driving Max Pacioretty. Replay confirms no kicking motion. 10:47 1st period, 1-1: Off the draw, Bruins tie it up. Montreal wins draw, but Brad Marchand strips Josh Gorges. Marchand to Patrice Bergeron, quick pass to Tyler Seguin in front. Tie game. 9:57 1st period, Canadiens 1-0: Tomas Plekanec open in the slot. Takes Michael Ryder s dish and connects with an offspeed shot five-hole. Zdeno Chara out of position after throwing big hit on Brian Gionta on wall. That s the risk of going for big check. 8:45 1st period, 0-0: Another ping. Patrice Bergeron s long-distance shot off the left post. 7:44 1st period, 0-0: Chris Kelly goes postal. Snapper off right pipe.

11 Boston Bruins Tonight's Bruins lineup By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff Based on pregame warmups: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley Jay Pandolfo-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid Tuukka Rask Anton Khudobin Peter Budaj (2-1-1, 2.45 GAA,.905 save percentage) will start in goal for the Canadiens. Boston Globe LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins Bruins anticipating exciting Montreal showdown By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff Montreal s 7-6 overtime loss to Pittsburgh Saturday night stands as the exception. Otherwise, the Canadiens have been playing tight, efficient, and lively hockey en route to a record. They are tied with the Bruins with 30 points. I think they re playing with a lot of energy, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. They seem really motivated this year. They seem excited. They seem committed all the things a successful team has to have. Whether it s the change of upper management, whether it s the acquisitions they made, they re a good team. I know for a fact if you take yesterday s game out, where it was a bit of a run-and-gun type of game with a lot of goals scored, they ve been really solid. They ve played really good hockey. Julien said he ll make his final lineup decision tonight before the game. Expect Tuukka Rask to be in goal, to be opposed by Carey Price. Shawn Thornton was a healthy scratch Saturday. Thornton was one of 12 players, including both goalies, to participate in an optional morning skate. If Thornton goes back in, either Jay Pandolfo or Chris Bourque would come out. Boston Globe LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins Game 19: Canadiens at Bruins preview By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff Good morning from TD Garden, where the Bruins will look for their seventh straight win tonight against the Canadiens. The Bruins are coming off a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Tampa Bay yesterday. The Canadiens and Penguins engaged in an all-out goalfest at the Bell Centre last night. Pittsburgh won in overtime, 7-6. The Bruins have some lineup options tonight. Jay Pandolfo replaced Shawn Thornton on the fourth line Saturday. Because Montreal rolls four lines, Thornton could be back in tonight. The Bruins could also swap out Daniel Paille with Chris Bourque on the third line. Bourque played a season-low 7:17 Saturday. For now, we ll assume Thornton is back in and Bourque is out. We ll update if there are any changes. Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. TV/radio info: NBC Sports Network (Dave Strader, Brian Engblom), 98.5 The Sports Hub (Dave Goucher, Bob Beers) Records: Canadiens , Bruins Projected Bruins lineup: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin Daniel Paille-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley Jay Pandolfo-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid Tuukka Rask Anton Khudobin Healthy scratches: Aaron Johnson, Chris Bourque, Lane MacDermid Storylines: The Bruins beat the Canadiens in Montreal on Feb. 6, 2-1 This will be the Bruins first look at ex-bruin Michael Ryder since he was traded back to Montreal. Ryder has been playing alongside Tomas Plekanec The Bruins also shuffled their defensive pairings for part of Saturday s game. Zdeno Chara had some shifts alongside Adam McQuaid and Dougie Hamilton. Dennis Seidenberg had some shifts with Johnny Boychuk The Canadiens are averaging 15.3 penalty minutes per game, third-most in the league. Brandon Prust leads the way with 76 PIMs Steve Kozari and Dean Morton will be the referees. Tony Sericolo and Greg Devorski will be the linesmen. Boston Globe LOADED:

14 Boston Bruins Bruins coach Claude Julien s juggling leaves Shawn Thornton a scratch By Fluto Shinzawa Before Saturday s game, the Boston coaching staff instructed Jay Pandolfo to be ready to play. After warmups, Pandolfo received confirmation that he would be in the lineup. Shawn Thornton would be a healthy scratch. Pandolfo had been in suit and tie for the last four games. The Bruins won all four. In such cases, coaches usually don t mess with their lineups. But Saturday s scenario Pandolfo in, Thornton out underscored how Claude Julien considers his opponents when making out his lineup. Julien prefers to roll four lines, especially in back-to-back situations. (The Bruins host Montreal Sunday night at TD Garden.) Guy Boucher, Julien s Tampa Bay counterpart, doesn t feel the same way. Boucher is swift to double-shift Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier to squeeze every last drop of offensive juice from his star forwards. Julien had two factors in play. He bumped up Daniel Paille to the third line in place of Chris Bourque. That way, Julien had three two-way lines that could skate against any of Tampa s forwards. At the same time, Julien wanted a more defensively responsible player to skate alongside Bourque and Gregory Campbell on the fourth line. Also, the Lightning do not have a go-to enforcer, although B.J. Crombeen can fight when necessary. You take a guy like Thorny out, you do lose some toughness, said Julien. But we ve got some other guys that can still do the job. What we were trying to do is get a balance with Paisey on the third line. It allowed me to play any one of those three lines against those top two. They utilize those guys a lot. When you ve got back-to-back games, you ve got to make sure you don t overtax your players. That gave us three good lines. I thought even the Campbell line did a pretty good job as well. We had a little bit more balance. Those are opportunities for us to get some of those guys in our lineup and move players around. It s yet to be determined whether Thornton will be a healthy scratch for a second straight game. Canadiens Brandon Prust and Ryan White are quick to fight when necessary. Montreal coach Michel Therrien prefers to play four lines. New line of work Paille had played mostly on the fourth line in the four previous games. But for occasional stretches this season, Julien has given Paille shifts on the third line with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley. Against Tampa, Julien gave Paille a full game on the No. 3 line, and he responded. The left wing (17 shifts, 10:51 of ice time) assisted on Peverley s tying goal. Paille is a faster straight-line skater than Bourque. Paille s speed complements his linemates wheels. Danny s a good skater, Julien said. He forechecks well. He s a former first-round pick. He s a pretty good hockey player. He s a guy who s capable of moving up and playing in those kinds of spots. Gloves come off The Bruins entered Saturday s game enjoying a prolonged period of peace. They hadn t fought in seven straight games. That streak ended against the Lightning. In the first period, with the Bruins down, 2-0, Adam McQuaid dropped the gloves with Pierre-Cedric Labrie. After a whistle, McQuaid jostled with Keith Aulie. Labrie stepped in to engage McQuaid. The two participated in an even fight. At 4:44 of the second, after the Bruins tied the game at 2-2, Crombeen tangled with Campbell. The fourth-line center hung in against the bigger and more experienced Crombeen. Taking exception At 14:21 of the third period, Brendan Mikkelson high-sticked Milan Lucic in the face. Lucic dropped his stick and hit the deck. Mikkelson was called for a high-sticking double minor. The Bruins scored the winning goal with Mikkelson in the box. Lucic, however, was more incensed by an opponent s mouth than Mikkelson s stick. Lucic said one of the Tampa players accused him of diving. He declined to identify the player. Lucic appeared to be jawing with rookie Cory Conacher after the play. I didn t like that at all, Lucic said. He knows who he is. I m glad we were able to beat them where it hurts the most. Rivalry night The Bruins battle Montreal Sunday night for the second time this season. The teams are in a dogfight for first place in the Northeast Division. Tuukka Rask, who backed up Anton Khudobin Saturday, should be in goal for the sixth time in the last seven games. It s going to be a really good game, Julien said. They re playing really well. They re moving the puck, they re scoring goals, offensively they re good, the goaltender is playing well. You ve got a lot of the same things going for them right now that we do.... Ex-Bruin Benoit Pouliot left in the first period because of an upper-body injury. Dennis Seidenberg belted Pouliot into the wall and was called for boarding... Seidenberg replaced Bourque on the No. 2 power-play unit in the third period. Bourque played a season-low 7:17. Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Boston Globe LOADED: