Columbus Blue Jackets NHL: Blackhawks continue mastery of Blue Jackets Marian Gaborik experiment ends very quickly for the Blue Jackets

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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Ducks put differences aside, welcome Stephane Robidas Ducks now singing praises of former nemesis Robidas Newly acquired Stephane Robidas joins Ducks, but won t play until March 14 Boston Bruins Eriksson heel infection from cut in Russia Game 62 preview: Capitals at Bruins Claude Julien unsure how much Andrej Meszaros will play Bruins potential deal with Canucks shelved Energetic Bruins turn tables on Capitals Rask's 6th shutout gives Bruins 3-0 win over Caps Claude Julien hopes to see a more disciplined Bruins team tonight Defense takes turn, gives Tuukka Rask big break Bruins Notebook: Loui Eriksson finds his mojo Andrej Meszaros could be blue-line booster Bruins Beat: Matt Bartkowski battles on Bruins of old return in win Bruins call their 3-0 win over the Caps their best effort since the break Bruins solid in win over Capitals Bruins, Tuukka Rask shutout the Capitals, 3-0 Buffalo Sabres Hasek to be inducted into team Hall of Fame on March Today's schedule and a look back at Deadline Day coverage Enroth s 43 saves help Sabres tame Lightning Sabres Hall of Fame will induct Hasek A huge night for Lightning as Stamkos returns, Callahan debuts Calgary Flames Game Day: New York Islanders at Calgary Flames Johnson: Ex-teammates weigh in on Nieuwendyk, the man about to be feted by the Flames on Friday night Flames Knight looks to build off of big night in the faceoff circle during NHL debut Calgary Flames prepare to honour Joe Nieuwendyk Carolina Hurricanes Canes get first look at Loktionov Murphy recalled from Checkers Canes Loktionov gives up money to play in NHL Chicago Blackhawks Bowman delivers message to Hawks Blackhawks' Niklas Hjalmarsson finally recovered from Olympic rigors Blackhawks happy to narrow focus for 6-1 victory Blackhawks unstoppable in 6-1 rout of Blue Jackets Shaw wants to get back to 3 G s: grit, guts and goals Shaw makes most of step up to Hawks first line Rundblad likes fit with Blackhawks offense Blackhawks shuffle lines, beat Blue Jackets Five Things to Watch on CSN: Hawks vs. Blue Jackets Shaw gets opportunity alongside Toews on Blackhawks' top line Another Quenneville making his way to the NHL? Blackhawks look to bounce back vs. Blue Jackets Offense pours it on as Blackhawks thrash Blue Jackets Konroyd's Keys: Blackhawks need effort vs. Blue Jackets NHL 3/7/2014 DAILY BRIEF Colorado Avalanche Paul Stastny pleased to remain with Avs after NHL trade deadline Reto Berra acquisition by Avs adds depth, insurance in net, says coach Mike Babcock on Avs: What s made em so good this year is Paul Stastny relieved the Avalanche didn't trade him Colorado Avs get overtime win at Detroit Columbus Blue Jackets NHL: Blackhawks continue mastery of Blue Jackets Marian Gaborik experiment ends very quickly for the Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Stars back up GM Jim Nill's prognostication with dominant win over Canucks Tyler Seguin nets hat trick as Stars cruise past Canucks Rich Peverley returns to lineup after being sidelined with resurfacing cardiac issue Mike Modano to speak at PwC SMU Athletic Forum Jelling with Finns one reason Stars' Tim Thomas OK with new team Lindy Ruff: Stars 'can't start the game half in' against Canucks tonight Mike Modano helped hockey flourish in Texas Detroit Red Wings David Legwand hits the ice with Detroit Red Wings: 'We've got to win some games here' From the other side: Predators looking to future after sending David Legwand to Red Wings Drew Sharp: Red Wings glory days may be numbered Colorado 3, Detroit 2: Why Wings lost Thursday night Colorado 3, Detroit 2 (OT): Avalanche spoil Red Wings' perfect night Lidstrom: 'A tremendous honor' to see Red Wings retire his jersey No David Legwand excited to return home and play for Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom's grace a reminder of how it once was in Hockeytown David Legwand 'real good' in Red Wings' debut but Avs win in OT Red Wings honor Nicklas Lidstrom, 'simply the best' Detroit Red Wings Gameday: What is the top highlight of Nicklas Lidstrom's career? David Legwand excited to return home as he joins Red Wings and prepares for Detroit debut tonight Seeing No. 5 retired by Detroit Red Wings will be 'a little surreal' for Nicklas Lidstrom Red Wings can't hang onto third-period lead, lose in overtime to Avalanche on Nicklas Lidstrom's night Nicklas Lidstrom says number being retired is all about 'being a Detroit Red Wing' Newest Detroit Red Wing David Legwand ready for challenge of helping team extend playoff streak Legwand didn't take long to decide to come join Red Wings Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch won't be at Nicklas Lidstrom jersey retirement Red Wings blow another third period lead, fall in OT to Avalanche Legwand leaped at once in a lifetime chance' to join Wings Simply the best... Lidstrom now hangs in the rafters at Joe Louis with past Red Wing greats

2 Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers hit reset button after another NHL trade deadline passes Wayne Gretzky takes in Edmonton Oilers game; weighs in on several topics, including new arena Fasth will be sixth goalie to play with Oilers this season Hall caps Oilers rally over Islanders by scoring winning goal in overtime Turning point in Hendricks hockey career came after his best offensive season Seeing his name on an Oilers jersey pretty special for Mucha Edmonton Oilers make a 40-minute mess (or more) but clean it up to beat Isles in OT, New York Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck tones down physical play in the East Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Smyth focused on helping team now that trade deadline has passed Wayne Gretzky returns to his old stomping grounds to watch the current Edmonton Oiler young guns Edmonton Oilers stage third-period comeback to claim overtime win New York Islanders struggle to maintain third-period and two-goal leads 0 Florida Panthers Florida Panthers Luongo settles into familiar spot WELCOME BACK LOUIE: Roberto Luongo Returns to Florida Panthers Practice for First Time Since WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Vincent Trocheck Ready to Make NHL Debut with Panthers MASKED MAN: Roberto Luongo Breaks Out Old 'Pink Panther' Mask from TIM THOMAS: Says he Talked to Panthers About Getting Out Before Luongo Deal Luongo feels at home on familiar ice; practice report Preview: Sabres vs. Panthers, 7:30 p.m., Friday Net change in net for Panthers Los Angeles Kings Veterans lead Kings to 3-1 victory at Winnipeg Kings top Jets for sixth win in a row Kings beat Winnipeg for sixth consecutive victory Morning line rushes, and Gaborik s first skate Lombardi on the Brayden McNabb deal Good morning, Winnipeg Game 64 Preview: Los Angeles at Winnipeg Kings Weekly preview; tonight s game at 4pm PT March 6 morning skate quotes: Williams, Mitchell March 6 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter March 6 postgame quotes: Mike Richards March 6 postgame quotes: Drew Doughty March 6 postgame notes March 6 postgame quotes: Marian Gaborik salary cap may not hit 71M, per Lombardi Minnesota Wild After Wednesday's additions, Wild coach Mike Yeo unveils his new lines Souhan: New goalie Bryzgalov doesn't inspire confidence New forwards give Wild four strong lines Minnesota Wild like how their three new players will fit in Montreal Canadiens Canadiens defenceman Gorges sent home to have hand injury examined In the Habs room: Dustin Tokarski thanks his lucky posts HI/O Show: Is Vanek the missing link for Habs? Vanek set to make Habs debut in Phoenix; Gorges returns to Montreal Habs Game Report: Canadiens run out of steam in Phoenix Wounded rearguard Gorges heads home About last night Liveblog: Game 65 Coyotes maul Canadiens 5-2 Nashville Predators Predators captain Shea Weber: Trade doesn't kill playoff hopes Nashville Predators lose to St. Louis Blues New Jersey Devils Devils will get first round pick and $1.5 million of fine for Ilya Kovalchuk signing back from NHL Devils: Tuomo Ruutu on wing with Dainius Zubrus and Michael Ryder; Ryane Clowe to top line Tuomo Ruutu happy about trade to Devils, but not proud about his minus Devils added a player in Tuomo Ruutu they hated to play against Devils GM Lou Lamoriello on Martin Brodeur: All of the attributes you'd 'want to see in a son' Devils' Martin Brodeur had a feeling he wouldn't be traded; happy to stay in New Jersey Martin Brodeur thought NHL hit Devils hard on original Ilya Kovalchuk penalty Devils' Lou Lamoriello: Our new owners got first-round pick back Lamoriello pleased with NHL s decision to modify Kovalchuk penalty Schneider to start in Detroit; Brodeur start Saturday vs. Carolina Ruutu joins Devils for first practice, skating on line with Zubrus and Ryder; Greene disappears NHL reduces Kovalchuk penalty Devils to pick last in st round, get back $1.5 million Tuomo Ruutu happy to be a Devil, hoping to help team make the playoffs Still a Devil, Martin Brodeur excited for rest of season, knew chances were he wouldn t be traded Martin Brodeur happy to still be with Devils NHL reduces Devils' penalties regarding Kovalchuk contract Devils get back draft pick lost in Kovalchuk signing Maybe Islanders Vanek trade wasn t the worst thing ever New York Islanders Islanders fall to rallying Oilers on Taylor Hall s overtime goal Islanders blow another lead in loss to Oilers Islanders lose to Oilers in OT after taking two-goal lead in first period Islanders irked by being TV punching bags

3 New York Rangers St. Louis, Vanek Headline Trades Made on Deadline Day Bozak's OT Goal Spoils St. Louis' Rangers Debut Stamkos Returns, Callahan Debuts, and Lightning Lose NHL Teams Make a Flurry of Deals Before Deadline NY Rangers still getting used to life without Ryan Callahan as Hurricanes await in Carolina Coach: No time for Rangers to dwell on trade-deadline moves Vigneault: Diaz brings depth to struggling defensive unit Callahan not feeling pressure to replace Lightning hero St. Louis Lundqvist to start, Zuccarello will be a game-time decision at Carolina; Hagelin given today off Leafs 3, Rangers 2 (OT): Wrapping up (a long day) Rangers must focus on the task at hand Ryan Callahan on trade: 'Part of the business' Martin St. Louis trying to fit in with Rangers as quickly as possible Ottawa Senators Ales Hemsky hoping chemistry develops with Ottawa Senators captain Jason Spezza With season hitting final stretch, Sens must turn it around in a hurry to avoid early golf date Ottawa Senators have a huge battle ahead if they want to make the playoffs Philadelphia Flyers Berube happy with Flyers, upset with refs Sparkplug Rinaldo now knows when to fire Perpetual penalties bring back referee rumor Lecavalier on Erskine fight: 'It was instinctive' Andrew MacDonald shines in Flyers debut Metropolitan deadline analysis: Rangers lose big FLYERS NOTES: Poor discipline penalties frustrating Schenn, JVR trade tough to compare Phoenix Coyotes Radim Vrbata scores twice, Phoenix Coyotes rout Montreal Canadiens Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett easing Martin Erat into lineup Sarah McLellan's Coyotes blog azcentral sports Vrbata breaks out in Coyotes' critical win Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins' leads evaporate in loss to Sharks Sharks praise ex-teammate, newest Penguins player Goc Penguins notebook: Kennedy struggling to find net in San Jose Penguins fall to San Jose Sharks, Penguins notebook: Not enough nets, time for all the goalies San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks hope to slow down Sidney Crosby,Penguins Sharks rally to beat Penguins Joe Thornton's goal helps Sharks top Penguins Crosby complimentary of Sharks d-man Vlasic Sharks face challenge in Pens' power play In the Crease: Sharks welcome Crosby, Penguins to Tank Physical play leads to thrilling Sharks win over Pens Instant Replay: Sharks rally for 5-3 win over Penguins Sharks sign free agent forward from OHL Blues Stanley Cup favorite, Sharks given 10/1 odds St Louis Blues Elliott understands his role may change with Miller's arrival Hockey Guy: Happier ending for Halak Elliott understands the addition of Miller Blues win third in a row with Miller Blues edge Nashville 2-1 Tampa Bay Lightning St. Louis: Trade to Rangers was best for me, family Bolts Notebook: Vinik unable to convince St. Louis to stay Callahan s versatility on full display in Bolts debut Stamkos return can t spark Bolts win Fennelly: Stamkos is Bolts captain Marty St. Louis says he was in Tampa longer than expected Lightning's Callahan knows he's not a replacement for St. Louis Marty St. Louis says trade to the Rangers part of "tough and weird" day Callahan knows he is not a replacement for St. Louis Marty St. Louis deserves thanks but not for what you think Lightning names Stamkos captain Contract extension in works for Lightning's Yzerman Lightning stumbles in Steven Stamkos' return Stamkos the new Lightning captain Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leafs: Jake Gardiner defensive about rash of short-handed goals Leafs penthouse-doghouse: Bozak gets it done, giveaways an issue Short-handed goals killing Maple Leafs with Flyers on deck 'Mistakes happen': Leafs' Jake Gardiner on shorthanded goals Maple Leafs' depth on display: Poulin Maple Leafs' trade to land van Riemsdyk turns into a sweet deal Maple Leafs powerless play needs work Vancouver Canucks Game day: Tortorella tries to inspire Canucks with goalscoring highlights video Canucks Game Day: Some SNL Daily Affirmation video goal support, Matthias makes debut Stars trample disorganized Canucks, Shawn Matthias makes strong debut with Canucks Matthias was 'probably our best forward,' says coach Tortorella Stars 6 Canucks 1: No life, no emotion and certainly no playoffs Tired of being typecast, Matthias gets his shot with the Canucks Washington Capitals Capitals without Brooks Laich and John Erskine against Bruins Jaroslav Halak joins Capitals but Braden Holtby will start against Bruins Dustin Penner hoping for smooth transition with Capitals Five thoughts on the Capitals 6-4 loss to the Flyers Capitals lose third straight as offense sputters Open thread: Capitals at Bruins LOVERRO: Caps trading activity done by a man confident he ll be sticking around Ex-Cap Mike Ribeiro still getting used to new team, style of play Giroux, Voracek lead Flyers past Capitals Capitals recall Brown after acquiring him in trade Websites ESPN / How do Cup predictions look now? ESPN / GMs praise moves by Blues, Habs, Wild FOXSports.com / LA Kings Sled Hockey changing lives CNN/Sports Illustrated / Red Wings raise Nicklas Lidstrom s No. 5 to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena CNN/Sports Illustrated / Steven Stamkos makes return to Lightning, named team s 10th captain CNN/Sports Illustrated / Nathan MacKinnon extends point streak to 13 games, breaks Gretzky s mark CNN/Sports Illustrated / Sympathy for the Devils: NHL softens team s Ilya Kovalchuk penalty

4 Websites CNN/Sports Illustrated / Thomas Vanek trade bungle is Garth Snow s latest epic gaffe CNN/Sports Illustrated / Brian Cazeneuve CNN/Sports Illustrated / Top Line: Deadline trade grades; Garth Snow on thin ice?; more links TSN.CA Kerry Fraser/ Caps, Flyers and stories about line brawls USA TODAY / Nicklas Lidstrom's greatness is honored USA TODAY / The Lightning will survive the loss of Martin St. Louis YAHOO SPORTS / Three Periods: Stastny stays with Avs; flip-flopping thoughts on St-Louis swap; surreal trade f Winnipeg Jets Maurice moving Frolik to centre for Jets Hot squad puts on a clinic Maurice juggles, Jets struggle Jets vs. Kings summary Stuart's signing means long-term stability for Jets blue-line Long way to go yet Hail to the Kings Mark Stuart Winnipeg Jets warm-up SPORT-SCAN, INC

5 Anaheim Ducks Ducks put differences aside, welcome Stephane Robidas By Helene Elliott 8:25 PM PST, March 6, 2014 When Corey Perry extended his hand to Stephane Robidas on Thursday, for once it wasn't in anger. The combative players have gotten under each other's skin frequently over the years, but they put their hostilities aside when the Ducks acquired Robidas from Dallas this week. "He came and shook my hand and it's all good," Robidas said after his first practice with his new team. "He's a competitor. He's a great player. And playing against him, you've always got to watch him. It's not easy to play against him. I'm just happy that I don't have to watch him anymore." Robidas acquired for his feisty nature, experience and right-handed shot is targeting March 14 for his return from a broken leg suffered Nov. 29. He said he felt good Thursday after doing stops and starts, crossovers, and skating backward. The Ducks acquired him for a conditional 2014 fourthround draft pick; if they win two playoff rounds and he plays in 50% of those games, the pick will become a third-rounder. The 37-year-old Quebec native acknowledged it was difficult to leave Dallas, where he spent parts of 11 seasons and where his son was born, but he's ready for a new start. "I'm happy to be here now and I can definitely move on and keep going and hopefully we go for that Cup," he said. Defenseman Ben Lovejoy is equally glad to have Robidas on his side. "He's a shorter guy but plays a huge game," Lovejoy said of the 5-foot-11, 190- pound Robidas. "He has [ticked] off so many forwards in this room over the 13 months that I've been here that I think everybody's excited to never play against him again and have him doing those things for our team." That includes Perry, who said his dislike for Robidas developed through years as a division rival. "You're playing against those players so many times a year, you're going to start to hate players," he said. "That's just the nature of the game." Penguin sighting Center Ryan Getzlaf said the Ducks welcome Friday's game against the East-leading Penguins, led by Sidney Crosby Getzlaf's gold-medal teammate in Sochi and the dangerous Evgeni Malkin. "It's nice when we can come out and test ourselves against the East and see how we measure up and make sure that we're competing with that side of the league as well," Getzlaf said. But shouldn't the Penguins measure themselves against the NHL-leading Ducks? "Any publication that you look at, it's the other way around," said Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau. "We play really hard and that's got us to where we are. But any time you've got the likes of Malkin and Crosby coming into town, you've got to think they're the favorites everywhere they go." Boudreau said Pittsburgh's up-tempo game will be a good challenge. "If you can play with them, you can play with anybody as far as speed goes and then you look at the other teams that are really physical, we've played well against those physical teams," he said, citing the Kings and St. Louis. "You'll know you'll be able to put lineups together that combat both." DUCKS VS. PITTSBURGH When: 7. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830. Etc.: Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne, out Wednesday because of the flu, practiced Thursday and will be available Friday. Defenseman Sami Vatanen (undisclosed injury) will be out about two weeks. The Ducks recalled center Rickard Rakell from Norfolk (Va.) of the American Hockey League. LA Times: LOADED:

6 Anaheim Ducks Ducks now singing praises of former nemesis Robidas BY ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER Published: March 6, 2014 Updated: 9:52 p.m. ANAHEIM Stephane Robidas took part in his first practice with the Ducks after being the biggest pain he could possibly be to them year after year. Among those in the Ducks dressing room who greeted him was Corey Perry. The two have a heated history but here was one offering an olive branch to another. He s the one that came to me and shook my hands, Robidas said. The guys are joking. Even Bruce (Boudreau) is making jokes. It s all good. I m sure we ll get a chance to talk about it and go over it. I ve played with guys where we ve had battles and now they come on (my) side. It was only last season when Perry accused the longtime Dallas defenseman of spearing him during a game. There was also a 2012 game when Robidas dealt Perry a shoulder injury when he rammed him into the boards. To which Boudreau, the Ducks coach, said at the time, That Robidas guy does it every game. He gets away with murder all the time. Now Robidas, the tough-as-nails veteran, is on board for a potential Stanley Cup run after the Ducks got him from Dallas, where he spent the last 11 years. Robidas has been recovering from a broken leg and is hoping to return next week. Boudreau was reminiscing Thursday about the battles Robidas had with Perry that once made his blood boil. He s now a real agitator as well as a real good player that deepens their defense corps. It seems like a good fit come playoff time, Boudreau said. I think he s going to really help our team. To say Robidas and Perry are different entities is an understatement. Perry is a first-round draft pick who has been a Hart Trophy winner as the NHL s most valuable player and one of the league s top goal scorers. Robidas is a seventh-round pick who was waived early in his career and battled to become an All-Star. And yet they are similar in one way. Perry can annoy and enrage any opposing player while Robidas is a pit bull who won t back down from one. Two pugnacious players cut from the same cloth are now together. It s probably a good way to put it, Perry said. He likes to win as much as the next guy in the room. And you can see that in the way he plays. He s out there, he s battling for his ice and not letting guys in from of the net. And that s what you want. Robidas has admiration for Perry, even if it was hidden when the two were fierce competitors. Sometimes you go into battles with guys and guys won t even respond, he said. They won t get engaged and all that. I think he rises to that challenge. He wants to win. He ll do anything to help his team win. I m kind of the same way in that regard. Orange County Register: LOADED:

7 Anaheim Ducks Newly acquired Stephane Robidas joins Ducks, but won t play until March 14 By Elliott Teaford, Daily Breeze Posted: 03/06/14, 5:42 PM PST Faceoff: 7 p.m., Friday, Honda Center TV/Radio: Prime, 830-AM Update: Defenseman Stephane Robidas practiced with the NHL-leading Ducks ( ) for the first time since they acquired him for a draft pick Tuesday from the Dallas Stars. He s not expected to play until March 14 at the earliest, however. He s been sidelined since breaking his right leg Nov Right wing Teemu Selanne returned to practice after sitting out the Ducks shootout loss Wednesday to the Montreal Canadiens.... The Ducks also recalled center Rickard Rakell from their American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk, Va. Rakell had 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 43 games for Norfolk.... The Ducks are so far on their five-game homestand after the Olympic break.... Pittsburgh s Sidney Crosby had a league-leading 83 points before the start of business Thursday. The Ducks Ryan Getzlaf was third with 68 points.... The Penguins were going into Thursday s game at San Jose. LA Daily News: LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Eriksson heel infection from cut in Russia Posted by Amalie Benjamin March 6, :34 PM Loui Eriksson is expected to be back in the lineup tonight for the Bruins after sitting out Tuesday's game with a heel infection. The forward revealed today the infection was a result of a cut he sustained while in Sochi, Russia for the Olympics. It began to plague him the last couple of days. "I got a cut in Russia, when I actually went into the cold tub," Eriksson said. "I got a cut on my heel. So it started to get infected here the last couple of days. I m on antibiotics right now, so I think it will be healing pretty good." Eriksson said the heel was especially painful in Sunday's game against the Rangers, though the pain dissipated after about 10 minutes of skating. Boston Globe LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Game 62 preview: Capitals at Bruins Posted by Amalie Benjamin March 6, :50 AM It's only been five days since the Bruins last played the Capitals a 4-2 Bruins loss but they'll see them again tonight at the TD Garden, and both teams will look slightly different. The Caps brought in goalie Jaroslav Halak to join Braden Holtby. Meanwhile, the Bruins added two defensemen, Andrej Meszaros and Corey Potter. Meszaros took part in morning skate, while Potter is expected to arrive this afternoon. After this game, the Bruins head out on the road for three games, playing Tampa Bay, Florida, and Montreal. Game time: 7 p.m. TV/Radio: NESN/98.5 The Sports Hub Records: Bruins , Capitals Projected lineups: Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Jarome Iginla Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Reilly Smith Chris Kelly-Carl Soderberg-Loui Eriksson Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton Matt Bartkowski-Johnny Boychuk Torey Krug-Kevan Miller Tuukka Rask Chad Johnson Notes: Loui Eriksson returns from a heel infection that sidelined him for Tuesday's game.... Andrej Meszaros will wear No. 41. Corey Potter will wear No Bruins coach Claude Julien said that Meszaros will not play tonight. The team will work on getting him acquainted with the system that the Bruins play.... The trio of Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Jarome Iginla has a combined 32 points over the last eight games.... The referees are Greg Kimmerly and Mike Leggo. The linesmen are Michel Cormier and Brian Murphy. Boston Globe LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Claude Julien unsure how much Andrej Meszaros will play By Amalie Benjamin Globe Staff March 07, 2014 If it is now a competition between defensemen to determine the lineup each night and coach Claude Julien has said it is then Matt Bartkowski made a strong statement Thursday night with newly acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros watching from the press box. Before Thursday s 3-0 victory over the Capitals, Julien said the trade that brought Meszaros (and the waiver claim that brought Corey Potter) would not only give the Bruins depth on the blue line, it would give them something equally important. It creates that competition back there, again, that it s going to go on merit. You re going to play the guys that are playing the best, and that s not a bad thing for a hockey club. Perhaps that helped spark the play of Bartkowski, who played well in his 21:23 of ice time, second on the team to Johnny Boychuk s 21:52. He was really good tonight, if you ask me, Julien said. But I think that goes back to what I said this morning, having those guys come in, we ve got eight D s now. Now it becomes a competition from within our dressing room, and the six best will be in the lineup. Right now that s what you ve got. I think it s a healthy thing to have on a hockey club. That s what we ve created right now. But when you talk about his game tonight, I thought he was really good. He was physical, he was strong, he was moving the puck well, and he skated well. That kind of play will certainly keep him in the lineup. Bartkowski added an assist on Gregory Campbell s goal, making the feed to Patrice Bergeron that resulted in the fourth-line center s fourth goal in four games. For now, Julien said that the defensemen s roles are undetermined. He s not sure how long it will take for Meszaros to get acclimated to the Bruins system. We need to see him practice a little bit and skate with us and we ll see, Julien said. At one point you re going to see him in our lineup, and a lot of it will depend on players play. All of them. Meszaros said he knows that, like in Philadelphia where he was sometimes a healthy scratch, it s always tough to crack the lineup. That might be the case in Boston, as well. It s up to the coaches where they re going to use me and how they re going to use me, Meszaros said. I m just here to help and play good and hopefully go all the way. Healing process Loui Eriksson said the heel injury that kept him out of Tuesday s win over the Panthers was sustained during the Olympics. It was the 21st game he has missed this season. I got a cut in Russia, when I actually went into the cold tub, Eriksson said. I got a cut on my heel. So it started to get infected here the last couple of days. I m on antibiotics right now, so I think it will be healing pretty good. Eriksson returned to the ice for morning skate Thursday, and was back in the lineup against the Capitals. He said the one-game rest helped, and the heel felt good. He scored in the second period to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. The injury was most problematic Sunday when Eriksson played against the Rangers. Skating there was kind of painful, but it went away after 10 minutes, after you d been skating around, he said. But like I said, it s feeling much better now. Oh, what a relief There was some nervousness around the dressing room in the days leading up to the trading deadline. Jordan Caron, for one, was feeling anxious about his future with the team. That was all gone Thursday. There is definitely a different attitude today, Julien said. As you can see, guys are pretty happy. [Wednesday] nobody wanted to see me; every time they saw me walking around the room, they d put their heads down, hoping I wouldn t point the finger at them. But today, for some reason, they seem happy to see me, so that s the kind of impact it has on players on trade deadline day. Especially when guys are happy, they don t want to leave.... Tuukka Rask played in his 46th game of the season, which is a career high... Although there was one penalty called, there were no penalties served for either side. The Bruins scored their first goal on a delayed penalty, so the penalty boxes remained empty the entire game... Meszaros and new Capitals goaltender Jaroslav Halak, teammates for the Slovakian Olympic team, ended up on the same flight from Philadelphia to Boston Wednesday. I bumped into him and we were sitting next to each other on the plane, Halak said. I think he s a really good defenseman. He can move the puck. He can join the rush. So I think he s going to be a big asset for them down the stretch.... Potter did not arrive in time to take part in morning skate. Boston Globe LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Bruins potential deal with Canucks shelved By Fluto Shinzawa Globe Staff March 07, 2014 Before Thursday s game against Washington, general manager Peter Chiarelli disclosed on NESN that Philadelphia was assuming half of Andrej Meszaros s $4 million annual cap hit. That s because the Bruins, prior to Wednesday s 3 p.m. trade deadline, believed they needed the space for another acquisition. President Cam Neely told 98.5 The Sports Hub the Bruins had a deal in principle for a player with term remaining on his contract. That trade was shelved, Neely said, because another deal did not happen. According to a team source, the Bruins trade fizzled because an expected transaction between Vancouver and Pittsburgh failed to take place. The Penguins had been pursuing Ryan Kesler. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Penguins were offering Brandon Sutter, first- and thirdround picks, and a defensive prospect. Once the Canucks moved Kesler to Pittsburgh, they would have proceeded with their trade with the Bruins. The Bruins target could not be confirmed. But it s likely they were targeting smooth-moving left-shot defenseman Alex Edler. In 45 games, Edler has five goals and 10 assists while averaging 23:20 of ice time. The 27-year-old Edler fits the profile of the type of player the Bruins wanted to assume some of Dennis Seidenberg s responsibilities: a left-shot defenseman who can play big minutes and move the puck. Edler could have been the left-side man on the No. 2 pairing. Edler would have had to waive his no-trade clause. Vancouver acknowledged the start of its rebuild on Tuesday by trading Roberto Luongo to Florida. Edler carries a $5 million annual cap hit through , according to The Bruins would have used the savings on Meszaros s salary assumed by Philadelphia and applied it toward accommodating Edler. They would have also used the long-term injury exception on Dennis Seidenberg, which would have allowed them to exceed the cap by the injured defenseman s $3.25 million annual hit. If necessary, the Bruins could have also used the long-term injury exception on Adam McQuaid ($1,566,667 average annual value). During the offseason, they would have had to address Edler s addition by shedding salary. The Canucks would have received an NHL center in Sutter in return for Kesler. But Sutter is best suited for a third-line role. It s likely Vancouver would have asked the Bruins for either AHLers Ryan Spooner or Alexander Khokhlachev, both more offensive-minded than Sutter. Spooner ( in 32 games for Providence) is quick and clever while boasting high-end speed. Spooner scored zero goals and 11 assists in 22 games for the Bruins while Chris Kelly was out with a broken fibula. Khokhlachev ( in 48 AHL games) is not as fast as Spooner but creative offensively. Neither projects to displace David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, or Carl Soderberg, the Bruins top three centers. Vancouver would have also needed a defensive replacement for Edler. The top candidate would have been Matt Bartkowski. Both sides could revisit a trade around the draft. Edler would give the Bruins more mobility on the back end. There were a few good deals we were in. A little disappointed, Chiarelli said on Wednesday following the deadline. Sometimes those deals come around in the summer and in the fall. You lay some groundwork for some deals later on too. We felt we did that too. But I thought we were in on a couple deals where it would have been good acquisitions. Had the Penguins acquired Kesler, they would have had a powerful attack. Coach Dan Bylsma could have deployed Kesler as his No. 3 center behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Part of the reason the Penguins couldn t generate offense in last year s Eastern Conference Final was because of the Bruins matchup advantage. The Bruins rolled out Chara and Seidenberg, along with the first line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Nathan Horton, against Malkin s line. Boychuk and Andrew Ference, aided by Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin, played against Crosby s unit. Kesler could also have been Crosby s right wing in place of Pascal Dupuis. Either way, the Bruins would have to counter by upgrading their defense. But Pittsburgh didn t get Kesler. In turn, the Bruins didn t land Edler. Neither team improved as much as they believed they would. The Penguins landed Lee Stempniak and Marcel Goc to fill out their bottom six. The Bruins brought in Meszaros and Corey Potter as depth reinforcements. Both Meszaros and Potter were healthy scratches for Thursday s 3-0 win over Washington. Meszaros is ahead of Potter on the depth chart. The leftshot Meszaros could be Chara s right-hand man. Or Meszaros could displace Bartkowski as the left-side man on the No.2 pairing. For that to happen, Meszaros must gain some traction. Meszaros is coming from a man-to-man defense in Philadelphia. The Bruins play a collapsing zone defense. The Bruins would also prefer Meszaros to improve his conditioning. Partly because of injuries, Meszaros didn t start in peak shape. It was one reason the Flyers made Meszaros a healthy scratch. It may be, however, that Meszaros could take his time to acclimate. His new team played perfect Bruins-style hockey against the Capitals. They dominated the puck. They took 67 shots (43 were on goal) while limiting the Capitals to 32 attempts. Bergeron led the attack with eight shots on goal. On defense, the Bruins kept the dangerous Capitals from applying any sustained pressure. The top line of Marcus Johansson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Ovechkin, marked by Chara and Dougie Hamilton, landed only two pucks on net. Chara played only 20:38, his fourth-lowest workload of the season. Bartkowski (21:30) and Boychuk (21:52) played more than Chara. Bartkowski, the most vulnerable target for ice time, assisted on the winning goal. Bartkowski put the puck on Bergeron s tape. Gregory Campbell tipped Bergeron s one-timer past Braden Holtby. He was physical. He was strong. He was moving the puck well and he skated well, said coach Claude Julien. So that kind of play will certainly keep him in the lineup. The trade the Bruins wanted to make didn t happen. So far, it isn t hurting. Boston Globe LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins Energetic Bruins turn tables on Capitals By Amalie Benjamin Globe Staff March 07, 2014 The Bruins were very clear about their plans. Before the trade deadline, they wanted to improve their defense by adding depth. And while their new pieces have yet to be utilized Andrej Meszaros and Corey Potter sat out Thursday s game the defense certainly improved against the offensively dangerous Capitals. Boston had been loose since the Olympic break, not playing its traditionally structured, stifling style. It had shown in the results. That wasn t the case Thursday. Today it was the best in a long time, said goaltender Tuukka Rask, who earned his league-leading sixth shutout with a 3-0 decision at the Garden. You always want to play good defensively, right? We ve kind of slipped from that a little bit, but I think guys were sharp mentally today that s all it is, it s just mental errors and not doing the things you re supposed to do. So today we fixed that and everybody feels good about it. Washington managed just 16 shots on net, with just eight coming in the first two periods as the Bruins built a 2-0 lead. Meanwhile, Boston was peppering Braden Holtby with pucks, 43 in all. It was a very strong effort for 20 minutes at a time, Zdeno Chara said. We knew they would put a lot of pressure on us and they would probably open up the game more. We just tried to stay patient and play a really strong, structured game. We held them to [16] shots. Said coach Claude Julien, You take away their time and space the way we did tonight, it makes us a much better team, and I thought we did a great job of getting on them quickly and not giving them opportunities to make too many plays. Part of that was the fact the Bruins were not called for a single penalty, the first time that has happened since Feb. 24, They had allowed two power-play goals on Saturday to Alex Ovechkin who was nearly invisible Thursday and the league s second-best power play. But not only did the Bruins see their best defensive effort and therefore best all-around game since the Olympic break, they also saw the continued evolution of Loui Eriksson. The forward was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday s game with an infection in his heel, and scored his first goal since Jan. 27. The Olympics were good for Eriksson, who is starting to look like the player the Bruins thought they were getting when they traded for him this summer, before he ran into a seemingly endless stream of bad luck in Boston. I think he s getting better and better, Chara said. It s been, for sure, not an easy year for him with injuries. When you re kind of coming and going out of the lineup it s tough to get that feeling and your game back. I think the Olympics probably helped him to gain his confidence and play-making capabilities. Now he s getting better and better, so for sure it s something that we like to see. Eriksson put the Bruins ahead, 2-0, at 8:20 of the second period. He took the feed from Carl Soderberg on the wraparound, and put it over Holtby for his seventh of the season. It was yet another example of the Bruins third line s growing confidence and results. We had to give him that opportunity to find his game after going through those two serious concussions and that really set him back, Julien said. But I think we re starting to see the smart player that we all talked about at the beginning of the year, both ways. He makes smart plays and he defends well. They had gotten their first at 3:05, with Gregory Campbell redirecting a shot from Patrice Bergeron past Holtby on a delayed penalty for his fourth goal in the last four games. The Bruins added an empty-netter by Brad Marchand at 18:26 of the third. But on Thursday, the offense was there to support the defense, a change from recent games. Even with the same defensive group as before the break, even against a team that had victimized them for four goals less than a week ago, the Bruins demonstrated they ve come far in a short time. We played for the full 60, we played through our system, our whole back pressure was great, Bergeron said. We didn t give them too many odd man rushes. And we played well, we played tight, and just respected our system. When we do that, good things happen. Boston Globe LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins Rask's 6th shutout gives Bruins 3-0 win over Caps By HOWARD ULMAN / AP Sports Writer / March 6, 2014 The Boston Bruins forechecked aggressively, cleared the puck easily and dominated the Washington Capitals. Tuukka Rask got the 22nd shutout of his career probably one of the easiest Gregory Campbell and Loui Eriksson scored second-period goals and the Bruins shut down the Capitals 3-0 on Thursday night. We did a great job of getting on them quickly and not giving them opportunities to make too many plays, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. For the second straight night, the Capitals managed just eight shots in the first two periods, not the kind of offense they need as they try to move into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. So where do they go after being outshot by the Bruins? Up. You can t get much lower than that, I guess, Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner said. The killer instinct isn t there right now and it needs to be there because we are running out of time. Washington is one point out of the eighth playoff spot with 18 games left. Boston finished the scoring on Brad Marchand s empty-net goal with 1:34 left and moved one point behind Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh, which played at San Jose. Rask s NHL-leading sixth shutout of the season came just five days after the Capitals beat him 4-2, also in Boston. But since then Washington is 0-3 and Boston is 3-0. Rask was against the Capitals in his career, but was rarely challenged on Thursday. Boston didn t even have to worry about Washington s power play, the second best in the NHL. No penalties were called in the game. You re kind of afraid of those guys when they get a power play because they've got so much firepower and they are so disciplined, Rask said. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby played well but suffered his first loss against the Bruins after winning the first four matchups of his career. It was frustrating, but it s no more frustrating to me than it is to the other guys in the room, Holtby said. A goalie can t rely on offense. You have no control over that. You control your game and what you can contribute to the team. Washington has lost all its games since beating Boston on Saturday for its fourth straight win. It lost to Philadelphia twice, 5-4 in overtime then 6-4 on Wednesday night, before getting blanked by Boston. We talked about that before the game, how they re probably going to be a little tired and we need to take advantage of that, Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski said. I think we did a good job of it. Campbell gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 3:05 of the second period when he tipped in Patrice Bergeron s shot. Bergeron fired the puck from the top of the left circle and Campbell, standing just to the right of Holtby, deflected it in for his seventh goal of the season and fourth in four games. Eriksson got his seventh at 8:20 after missing one game with an infected heel that he said he sustained at the Winter Olympics in Russia where he played for Sweden. Carl Soderberg passed the puck from behind the net to Eriksson, whose short shot from the left side beat Holtby. That was more than enough for the Bruins, who gave the Capitals little room to operate. They played last night, Julien said. It was important for us to get on them physically and make them throw pucks away and guys did a great job. Alex Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 44 goals, had just one shot after scoring two power-play goals on nine shots in Washington s win in Boston last Saturday. The Capitals took 31 shots in that game, while Holtby stopped 36 of the Bruins 38 shots. NOTES: Washington D Cameron Schilling played after being recalled from Hershey of the AHL on Wednesday.... Boston D Andrej Meszaros and Corey Potter were healthy scratches one day after being acquired. Meszaros came in a trade with Philadelphia and Potter was claimed on waivers from Edmonton.... Mark Recchi, a forward on the Bruins team that won the 2011 Stanley Cup, dropped the ceremonial first puck.... Rask played in his 46th game, a new season high.... G Jaroslav Halak, obtained from Buffalo on Wednesday, did not play for Washington. Boston Globe LOADED:

14 Boston Bruins Claude Julien hopes to see a more disciplined Bruins team tonight Thursday, March 6, 2014 Mark Daniels With the NHL trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Claude Julien noticed a different feel in the Bruins locker room today. The B s coach hopes that the relief of not being traded will translate to a better game tonight against the Washington Capitals. There is definitely a different attitude today. As you can see, guys are pretty happy, Julien said. Yesterday nobody wanted to see me, every time they saw me walking around the room they d put their heads down hoping I wouldn t point the finger at them. But today, for some reason, they seem happy to see me so that s, kind of, the kind of impact it has on players on trade deadline day. Especially when guys are happy, they don t want to leave. So I think it s pretty obvious that the guys came in today happy to still be here and be part of this group. Last Saturday, the Bruins made multiple errors en route to their 4-2 loss against the Capitals. Two of the goals were on the power play and the other two were because of breakaways. The B s are 2-0 since and Julien hopes to see a more disciplined team tonight. I don t know if I ll call it a measuring stick but it s certainly an opportunity for us to make the adjustments that ended up costing us, Julien said. And some of it - I didn t think, we were very disciplined last time we played them. For a team that has a really good power play we took too many penalties. Obviously on our penalty kill we had some assignments there that were missed and created some scoring opportunities for them and some goals. Number one, we need to be disciplined. Number two, we have to make sure that we are better in our penalty kill tonight if that is going to be the case. But we didn t play a great game defensively, we gave them a lot of scoring chances by the end of the night and we have to tighten up. I think slowly but surely our team is finding that, I guess, that part of the game that s been missing there for the last few. Julien said new defenseman Andrej Mesxaros won t suit up tonight, but Loui Eriksson (heel infection) will. Boston Herald LOADED:

15 Boston Bruins Defense takes turn, gives Tuukka Rask big break Friday, March 7, 2014 Mark Daniels The last time Tuukka Rask faced the Washington Capitals, he was victimized by a lackadaisical defensive effort. Two of the goals in the 4-2 loss were on breakaways, and the other two were on the power play. Rask faced 31 shots in what he called a crappy performance. A performance his defense made up for six days later, when Rask needed just 16 saves for his sixth shutout of the season. Goalies, especially, you always want to play great defensively. We kind of slipped from that a little bit, but I think guys were sharp mentally (yesterday), said Rask after the 3-0 win. That s all it is. It s mental, and mental errors or not doing things you re supposed to do. We fixed that and everybody feels good about that. We ve got to keep doing it. In that previous game against Washington, Rask saw 13 shots in the first period. Last night, he saw four in the first, four in the second and eight in the third. The closest the Capitals came to scoring was a minute into the third, when Alex Ovechkin appeared to have beaten Rask, who came out of the net. Ovechkin lifted his arms in the air to celebrate, but the puck sailed wide. Ovechkin had those power-play goals in the loss to Washington, but he never had such a chance last night because neither team committed a penalty. It helps, Rask said. You always kind of afraid of those guys when they ve got a power play because they ve got so much fire power. Today we were so disciplined. Though the Bruins bounced back to beat the Rangers on the road Sunday night, they allowed 42 shots in doing it. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski said it was nice to give Rask a break. I think the last two or three games, we gave up 20-plus chances. I m sure 16 shots was a breath of fresh air for him, said Bartkowski, who was then asked about Rask s critical comments. That game, the Ranger game, we weren t playing Bruins defense like we know how to play.... Our defense was lacking and (last night) we started to buckle that down. The 16 shot attempts were the fewest Rask has seen all season. (Yesterday) was the best in a long time. To keep them to 16 shots and not too many scoring chances, Rask said. We had layers all over the ice and defended the middle really good and backchecked hard all the elements we want to have out there. So it was great to see that. Boston Herald LOADED: