Buffalo Sabres Daily Newspaper Clips

Transcription

1 Buffalo Sabres Daily Newspaper Clips January 1, 2011

2 Legacy of first Classic grows By John Vogl Buffalo News Lindy Ruff remembers the skepticism surrounding the first Winter Classic. Folks weren't openly mocking Buffalo's outdoor game, but there sure were some who dismissed the New Year's Day 2008 event as an exhibition rather than a meaningful outing. It'd be hard to find anyone who says that about the Classic anymore. While the Sabres are set to host the Boston Bruins tonight in HSBC Arena, nearly all of the NHL's attention will be in Pittsburgh with the Penguins and Washington Capitals scheduled to play outside at 8 p.m. in Heinz Field. "Where it was skeptical when we played it to how big it's become, I think it's awesome," Ruff said Friday. The Sabres' coach gushed about the game in Ralph Wilson Stadium three years ago, and he continues to talk glowingly about the experience and the concept. "It's done a lot for the league," he said. "The players love playing in it. We've had different atmospheres from the snow we had to how cold it was in Chicago [in 2009] to just bringing the game back to its roots. I think if the NFL ever got to a point where it was all indoor stadiums, they would lose something. I think hockey going back outside has just brought back a big love for the game and its natural state." This year's Classic -- the fourth following appearances in Buffalo, Chicago and Boston -- has received the most attention. Most notably, HBO Sports produced a four-part "24/7" series chronicling the Pens and Caps as they headed toward the game. "It's become the premier event," Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller said. "I still think that's the important part. People react to some of these big sporting events, to the hype and want the inside access, and I think the NHL has gone above and beyond with '24/7' and the amount of behind-the-scenes stuff that they do. I think they're doing the right kind of hype for it, so it's good to see the game get that kind of respect." * * * * The Sabres-Bruins matchup, originally scheduled for 5 p.m., has been changed to 7 p.m. and will begin following an on-ice ceremony for Alexander Mogilny and the late Jim Kelley. The duo will be inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame, an honor announced in November. Mogilny spent the first six of his 16 NHL seasons in Buffalo (1989 to '95), recording 211 goals and 444 points in 381 games. No season was more magical than , when he set a Sabres record with 76 goals while skating alongside center Pat LaFontaine. Kelley covered the NHL from 1979 until his death Nov. 30, with 21 of those years spent covering the Sabres for The Buffalo News. Kelley earned Hockey Hall of Fame honors by winning the Elmer Ferguson Award in 2004, but he was really looking forward to his unexpected induction into the Sabres' Hall before succumbing to pancreatic cancer. "I want to thank the people in that building for putting their faith in me," Kelley said upon learning of his honor, "and I want to be able to go in and thank my family for the sacrifices they made." * * * * The left wing experiment for rookie Luke Adam lasted just one day. The center skated on the wing with Tim Connolly and right wing Thomas Vanek on Thursday, but he was back in the middle during Friday's practice in Northtown Center in Amherst. "Luke's going to stay at center," Ruff said. "I think he needs to concentrate on playing and growing at his position, which is center ice." Adam skated between left wing Tyler Ennis and right wing Cody McCormick. Connolly was flanked by Vanek on the left and Jason Pominville on the right. Jochen Hecht was in the middle of left wing Rob Niedermayer and right wing Drew Stafford, while Paul Gaustad centered for left wing Nathan Gerbe and right wing Mike Grier. They will try to score against Bruins backup goaltender Tuukka Rask, who is playing in place of starter Tim Thomas. The Sabres beat Rask, 3-2, on Dec. 15. Return of Myers gives Sabres a crowd on blue line By John Vogl Buffalo News Tyler Myers' trip to Calgary this week was full of surprises. The Buffalo Sabres' defenseman knew he'd see family and friends for his first

3 NHL game at home, but he had no clue how many. They came out en masse, with unexpected acquaintances popping in unannounced from all over the place. The biggest shock to them all came when Tuesday's game started and Myers was nowhere to be found. He felt terrible during the pregame skate and decided he'd be no help to the team. He sat out his first professional game, and it came during his inaugural appearance in his hometown. "It was the worst timing ever," Myers said Friday. "I had a bunch of family and friends out there to watch me, and to have to sit out was sad, but it was good to see them all the same. I'm looking forward to my first time playing in Calgary still." The way the NHL's schedule works, his first game in Calgary won't come for two more seasons. His next game will come Saturday. Myers will be back after his two-game illness absence, and he's set to face the Boston Bruins for the 16th time in his career when the teams meet at 7 p.m. in HSBC Arena. "Right now I'm feeling a lot better, feeling good," Myers said after practice in Northtown Center in Amherst. "I'm definitely excited to get back and playing. [Sitting out] was different, for sure. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a while, and I don't want to feel it again." The return of Myers means the Sabres have eight healthy defensemen once again (excluding an eye infection for Jordan Leopold that isn't expected to cause him to miss any time). Chris Butler has been scratched the past four games, leaving coach Lindy Ruff one more blue-liner to place on the sidelines. The pairings for Wednesday's 4-2 victory in Edmonton were Leopold-Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber-Steve Montador and Shaone Morrisonn- Craig Rivet. "We've had good play from that corps for the most part," Ruff said. "We've had the odd mistake that has been spread around. It hasn't been the same guy making all the mistakes." There was a mistake on the last goal allowed by the Sabres, one that could make Ruff decide to put Rivet back on the outside. Rivet hopped on the ice, coasted backward toward the Buffalo net and allowed Edmonton's Ryan Jones to skate past him for a tap-in goal to cut the Oilers' deficit to 3-2. It wasn't an unforgivable error, but Rivet doesn't figure to have much goodwill in his account. Ruff scratched the captain for 11 straight games before reinserting him for the past four, during which the Sabres have gone 2-2. "The one goal against in Edmonton I think we could have done better on," Ruff said. "In particular, I think Craig could have done a better job of eliminating the body coming to the net, but I thought overall he's looked quicker, he's made quicker decisions. His battle in our zone has been better. "He's the only guy that can make a difference by knowing that he's got to play at a high level. He's got to keep his feet moving. He's got to be involved in the physical end in our zone. It makes a difference." Whichever defenseman takes a seat, the remaining members of the corps will need to be stingier than they were for most of December. The Sabres have allowed 35 goals during their past 10 games, an average of 3.5. For a team that scores just 2.57 goals per contest, that's obviously not good enough. "As a team, we still need to be better. It's not something that's going to happen overnight," said goaltender Ryan Miller, who is relieved all eight defensemen are healthy for the first time since Dec. 3. "Everybody should push each other and be hungry to play. I think that's how you handle it." Sabres' Connolly returning, front and center Skilled pivot back after surgery on nose By John Vogl Buffalo News Tim Connolly heard the cartilage crack. He saw the funky angle. The Buffalo Sabres' center knew he had a broken nose, but since he finished the game after getting his snout bounced off the boards, he figured it wasn't too bad. A CT scan showed otherwise. "There were nine fractures in the nose, so they had to kind of piece it back together," Connolly said Thursday. "They used some type of jelly mold to basically reconstruct it." The surgery was a success, and Connolly will return to the lineup Saturday against Boston after a four-game absence. With the cartilage back together, make no bones about it: Connolly will

4 be relied upon heavily to sniff out significant offense. He is the unquestioned No. 1 middle man with Derek Roy lost for the season after quad surgery this week. The Sabres will need Connolly to produce points. "He's going to have to, if you look at it," coach Lindy Ruff said after practice in Northtown Center in Amherst. "They're our two most creative offensive players [Roy and Connolly], and when you're looking for production you've got to look to those guys first." It's no surprise, then, that Ruff has inserted Connolly on the top line with goal-scoring leader Thomas Vanek and promising rookie Luke Adam. Connolly also is expected to assume Roy's spot at the point on the power play. "It'll give us some help on our power play," Ruff said. "It'll give us one more guy who's a little bit more creative in the middle. Hopefully, if we can play him with Van it can help create a few more opportunities." Connolly has six goals and 14 points in 25 games. He has played just three of the last 15 after suffering a groin pull in late November and the broken nose Dec. 18 in Tampa Bay. "Everybody else, along with myself, is going to have to pick it up and chip in and do what we can to score some goals out there, get the power play going and create some offense," Connolly said. The Sabres say it will take a full team effort to overcome the loss of Roy, who was the top point-producer on a squad that ranks tied for 20th in scoring. There's no doubt Connolly will be looked upon more than most players. He received a two-year, $9 million contract extension two seasons ago because of his offensive potential, and the Sabres need it to manifest itself. "You need depth of scoring, but I still think we can point to our best offensive players as the guys that night after night are going to have to get it done for us," Ruff said. The Connolly-Vanek combination will need to mesh quickly. Vanek is pointless in his last seven games. The duo skated together for five games in November 2009, with Vanek recording a goal and four assists and Connolly chipping in three helpers. "Hopefully, we can click right away and get another line going here," said Vanek, who has 13 goals but none since Dec. 9. "I feel like I always need to perform better, especially now." Connolly and Adam are expected to split center and left wing duties. Ruff said he hasn't liked the Sabres' work along the boards recently, so he plans to occasionally shift the 6-foot-2, 203- pound Adam from the middle. Connolly says his plan is simple no matter where he's stationed. "With those two guys out there, I think my focus is going to be to get the puck to the net for them and let them battle in front," he said. Connolly will wear a full face shield for the foreseeable future. His nose was rearranged when Tampa's Nate Thompson checked him during a race for a puck, with Connolly's face hitting the boards on the first contact and then bouncing off again as Thompson's hip struck the back of Connolly's head while he was falling. "My nose crunched on the corner of the dasher boards," Connolly said. "It was kind of on the other side of my face, and they popped it back in.... I'm just happy that it's over with." In other injury news, the Sabres will host the Bruins in HSBC Arena without Patrick Kaleta. The right winger suffered a left wrist injury while blocking a shot by Edmonton's Jeff Petry late in Tuesday's 4-2 victory. He is out for a "short period," Ruff said. Defenseman Tyler Myers, who missed the past two games due to illness, is expected to return. "He's feeling better," Ruff said. "First day back at practice, I thought he did pretty well." Ruff Shuffles Lines Again at Practice By Steve Tripi WGR 550 Coach Ruff shook up the forward line combinations again in practice Friday. A day after Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly were paired with Luke Adam, Jason Pominville is back with his familiar centerman. Ruff is expecting a lot from the top line, "with Tim coming back, it gives us another offensive threat so if you look at Connolly, Vanek and Pominville, you're looking at a line that can get us some offensive production." Ruff moved Luke Adam back to center on a line with Cody McCormick and Tyler Ennis. Like the majority of the team, Adam struggled in Calgary but coach Ruff thought he picked his game up in Edmonton, "I didn't like Luke in

5 Calgary but I liked him in Edmonton. I thought he had more energy, skated better. I think sometimes when you get a couple days off, he hadn't played in a while, it showed up in the Calgary game. I thought some of his play away from the puck was better." While Derek Roy will miss likely the rest of the year with a torn quad muscle, Ruff did not think that meant Adam is assured a spot in the lineup, "I don't think there's no (sic) guarantees. As a young guy, you gotta push through everyday. I don't think you can give young guys any guarantees." Paul Gaustad centered a line with Nathan Gerbe and Mike Grier. Drew Stafford, Rob Niedermayer and Jochen Hecht were working together as well. Friday's practice featured a lot of five on five drills. Ruff worked his squad hard in game-like scenarios and the skaters were more physical with eachother than usual and battles along the boards were lively. The second half of the workout was dedicated exclusively to the power play. It's no secret the man-advantage has struggled this year. The Sabres are currently ranked 23rd overall in the NHL. This is primarily due to the road power play which is 10.8%. The Sabres have a strong unit at home, operating at a 20.1% efficiency. Their man-advantage unit overall is 16.2%. An upside-down year for the Buffalo Sabres By Pat Malacaro WGR 550 Buffalo Sabres fans were treated to some very high peaks and very low valleys in 2010, in a year that can only be described as upside-down. The team greeted the New Year by sitting atop the Northeast Division and set its sights on its first Stanley Cup in team history. But only seven months later management parted ways with a few key components to the roster that have made the second half of 2010 a year to forget. The Sabres endured a brief blip on the radar during the 2010 Olympic Break where they sat behind the Ottawa Senators in their division, but quickly moved back to the top. Buffalo used a mark in the month of March to solidify themselves as a playoff contender, along with a sting of 7 wins over the last 8 games in the month. The Sabres ended the regular season with 100 points and another banner to hang in the rafters of HSBC Arena for their Northeast Division championship. Despite the good times returning to HSBC Arena on the ice, the inability of Darcy Regier to bring in reinforcements at the NHL s trade deadline left fans scratching their heads once again. Regier added rugged forward Raffi Torres from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd round draft pick, while at the same time sending Clarke MacArthur to Atlanta for draft picks. Torres was brought in to add extra depth on the power play and add to his 12-goal total from Columbus. But by the end of the winger s tenure in Buffalo Torres was a healthy scratch in the playoffs and did not score a single goal for the Blue and Gold. The lack of offense and special teams ability became glaring in the team s first round playoff exit to the Boston Bruins. The B s bounced Buffalo in six games to prematurely end the Sabres two-year playoff drought. The team did lose leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek to an ankle injury in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series, but a 0-for-19 showing on the power play was the biggest story from the series. At management s season-ending press conference fans had some hope when Regier spoke about the status quo not being good enough. Defenseman Tyler Myers took home hardware as the League s Calder Trophy at the NHL Awards ceremony in June as the top rookie in Ryan Miller also walked away as the Vezina Trophy winner as the top goaltender for the year. Just days later in Los Angeles Mark Pysyk was selected as the team s 1st Round pick in the NHL Draft. The Canadian-born defenseman was named captain of the Edmonton Oil Kings before the start of their Western Hockey League season this year. July 1st began a new wave of defensive talent for the Sabres. Gone on the first day of the League s free agency period were stalwarts Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman. The pair had been Buffalo s top pair on their run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006, but injuries dogged Tallinder for much of final 4 years in the Queen City. But in 2010 Tallinder enjoyed a rebirth of sorts when he was paired up with Myers to start the season. Tallinder moved on to the New Jersey Devils, while Toni Lydman went out West to join the Anaheim Ducks. Jordan Leopold was signed first by the team on the first day of free agency, who has been one of the more consistent forces on the blue line this season. Leopold has added an extra scoring

6 touch from the blue line with 9 goals, good enough for 4th best on the team, tied with Drew Stafford. Buffalo later added Shaone Morrisonn to the defense in the off-season. Morrisonn was added after he was not re-signed by the Washington Capitals after a 5 year run with the organization. The off-season also brought the most polarizing move by management in 3 years. The Sabres walked away from the arbitration ruling awarded to South Buffalo-native Tim Kennedy. The forward was given a 1-year, $1-Million ruling through arbitration for a 26pt (10G, 16A) season. However, Kennedy found out once the contract was signed that he was being bought out and would be free to sign elsewhere. Kennedy is currently with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL, the New York Rangers farm club. The off-season changes have not led to success in the standings. Buffalo leaves 2010 mired below the Eastern Conference s top 8 at Captain Craig Rivet has been a healthy scratch for much of the campaign as he was first jettisoned to the press box October 29th against Atlanta. Rivet has since seen the ice, but has bounced back and forth in the lineup. Backup goaltending continues to be an issue heading into 2011 for the Sabres. Patrick Lalime was brought back for 1 more year over the summer, but has not had any success this season. Lalime is in 6 games this year, while Jhonas Enroth is for Buffalo. Enroth was brought up following injuries to Miller this season was definitely a career for Ryan Miller with his Vezina win but he topped it off in December with an off-the-ice annoncement. On December 21st, Miller revealed that he was engaged to actress Naureen DeWulf. The biggest news in 2011 might be an off-ice move. The Hockey News reports that billionaire Terry Pegula has signed a letter of intent to buy the Buffalo Sabres from Tom Golisano for about $150 million. Since the report, the estimated purchase price was raised to $175 million and the deal looks to be completed in the first quarter of If the sale goes through, what will it mean for the team on the ice for the rest of the season and could the Sabres change the way they approach free agency? Follow the peaks and valleys in 2011 on WGR Sports Radio 550. Connolly to Return, Kaleta Out for Saturday By Steve Tripi WGR 550 Tim Connolly returned to practice Thursday wearing a full face shield. It was his first full practice after recovering from reconstructive facial surgery that repaired nine breaks in his face. Head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed to the media that he will be ready to go for Saturday's matchup in Buffalo against Boston. "It was his first day back at practice, I thought he did pretty well." Connolly skated on a line with Thomas Vanek and Luke Adam, and Ruff thinks the combination can produce positive results. "It's gonna give us some help on our power play, it'll give us one more guy that's a little bit more creative in the middle, and hopefully if we play him with Vanek he can help create a few more opportunities." As Luke Adam is a true center, Ruff will likely move him to the wing while Connolly will center the line. "I'm looking at Luke a little bit at practice on the boards. I think we've had a little bit of trouble with our board play in recent weeks. I'm trying to get Luke a little bit of time at wing in case we play him there the odd time, maybe late in games, a real big body down the wall for us." Drew Stafford, Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville skated together at practice. Niedermeyer centered Ennis and McCormick. Gaustad, Grier and Gerbe skated on a line, while Pat Kaleta skated on a non-contact basis. Kaleta will be out for Saturday's game against Boston. Coach Ruff confirmed he has a minor upper body injury, "he's got an upper body and it doesn't look like he'll be available." The injury occurred on the western Canada road swing, and he should only be out "a short period of time" according to Ruff. Tim Connolly spoke about the severity of his injury, "I was able to finish the game [in Tampa Bay] so I thought it'd just be a broken nose type deal, but I got CT scan and there were nine fractures in the nose and they had to piece it back together." Connolly wore a full face shield to protect his nose, and seeing the ice with a mask will take some getting used to, "it's a bit of an adjustment, mainly when the puck's in your feet. I'm sure its hopefully not something I'm gonna be thinking about when I'm out there."

7 Sabres ready to induct two to Hall Buffalo home to face Bruins Saturday night By John Murphy WIVB Two new Buffalo Sabres Hall of Famers will be honored Saturday night before the team faces off against the Bruins. Winger Alex Mogilny and the late hockey writer Jim Kelley are this year's inductees. Mogilny was the Sabres 5th round pick in the 1988 entry draft. And he made headlines one year later when he defected from the Soviet Union and signed with the Sabres, becoming the first Soviet player to defect to the US. He spent six years with the Sabres and scored 211 goals in 381 games. He s ranked 10th all time among Sabres goal scorers. Mogilny set a franchise record with 76-goals in the season. South Buffalo native Jim Kelley passed away last month, after more than 30-years covering the Sabres and the NHL. He was a three-time president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Meantime, the Sabres are still trying to regain their footing after losing Derek Roy for the rest of the season. They'll get Tim Connolly back Saturday night against the Bruins, as he replaces Roy on a line with winger Thomas Vanek. Vanek says it may take some time, but he ll adjust to his new linemate now that Roy is out of the lineup for 4-6 months. "We just need to talk more, says Vanek. I think with Derek, we've played together for such a long time, that most of the time we knew where each other was. You get new teammates, new linemates, you need to communicate more on the ice. That's the way you figure it out." The Sabres host the Bruins at 7pm Saturday. Boston ( ) at Buffalo ( ) By Paul DiGiacomo STATS, LLC The Boston Bruins have played nothing but close games on their road trip. That s also been the case the last two times they ve faced the Buffalo Sabres. These Northeast Division rivals meet for the fourth time this season Saturday night, as the first-place Bruins try to earn another point on their trip and prevent the Sabres from winning back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month. Boston ( ) opened its five-game trip with a 3-2 shootout win over Florida on Monday after tying the game in the third period and beat Tampa Bay 4-3 the next night on Mark Recchi s power-play goal with 20 seconds left in regulation. The Bruins then traveled to Atlanta and lost 3-2 in a shootout Thursday to end their three-game win streak. Boston outshot the Thrashers 44-32, 18-7 in a scoreless third period. I think we put forth the effort and if we do that the rest of the road trip we re gonna get some more wins, center Marc Savard told the Bruins official website after practice Friday. We were happy with our effort, obviously not happy with the final result, but you know, the guys keep working like we did today in practice, you know we should find them all. Savard failed to register a point for the fifth time in six games, and he has one goal and three assists in 13 games since returning from postconcussion symptoms. I d like to get consistent here and start producing obviously, but I m starting to feel better, he said. I m skating better and last game I got to the puck better and I was able to be a little more patient, make better plays. Savard went without a point in two meetings against Buffalo ( ) in December, which were both one-goal games. The Bruins won 3-2 in overtime at home Dec. 7 and the Sabres rallied for a 3-2 victory on their own ice eight days later. Buffalo has dropped four of six since that win and hasn t posted consecutive victories since Dec The Sabres, though, will have a chance to do so Saturday after winning 4-2 in Edmonton on Tuesday. Defenseman Mike Weber scored his first two NHL goals and added an assist, while Ryan Miller made 29 saves to earn his 200th win. It s pretty cool to be around long enough to get 200 wins, Miller said. You never expect to be around that long. I am just happy to be playing and making a career out of it. It s exciting to reach milestones now.

8 Luke Adam and Jochen Hecht also scored for the Sabres, who avoided a third straight loss. Boston won 5-2 in Buffalo in the first meeting this season Nov. 3, getting goals from five players as Miller sat out with a lower-body injury. Bruins turn to Tuukka Rask to extend points streak By Mike Loftus The Patriot Ledger QUINCY Tuukka Rask was celebrated last season for his unflappability as a 22-year-old rookie NHL goalie. He needs that same quality this season, but for different reasons. Rask now falls below Tim Thomas on the Boston Bruins depth chart, and can t let it bother him to the point that he s not effective when the B s need him. Saturday night is that night. Coach Claude Julien said on Friday that Rask, idle since Dec. 15, will tend goal as the Bruins play their fourth of five straight road games. The site Buffalo and situation are familiar. Rask s last assignment was at HSBC Arena, where the Bruins six-game points streak (4-0-2) came to an end in a 3-2 loss to the Sabres. This time, Rask (2-7-1, 2.57,.927) will try to extend Boston s streak to a fifth game. A record over their last four games and mark in the last six has put the Bruins ( ) atop the Northeast Division just in time for the New Year. Bruins update: Every game on the trip have been decided by a goal, with Thursday s 3-2 loss at Atlanta the second decided in a shootout. All told, Boston has scored eight goals in regulation/overtime in the three games and allowed seven. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the run is that it has included next to no contributions from the line of Milan Lucic, Marc Savard and Nathan Horton, whom Julien teamed for the streak-opening 4-1 victory over Atlanta on Dec. 23. If not for the assists Savard and Horton drew on rookie Steven Kampfer s first NHL goal on Tuesday at Tampa Bay, none of the linemates would have any points since they began playing together. Lucic, the Bruins scoring leader ( ), hasn t scored a point in his past six games, Horton ( ) has been held to one assist in the past eight games, and Savard is and minus-6 in 13 games since returning from post-concussion syndrome. For the first time since opening the season with points in seven of his first nine games, C David Krejci (29 games, ) is Boston s hottest scorer at over the past 14 games. Linemates Michael Ryder (2-2 4 over four games) and Blake Wheeler (3-2 5; seven games) have picked up their paces, too. Sabres update: They need G Ryan Miller ( , 2.62,.911) to return to last year s Vezina Trophy/Silver Medal form more than ever, because their offense has taken a major hit. C Derek Roy (35 games, ) is probably out until next season because of a leg injury, and the best available option at No. 1 C, Tim Connolly, is returning Saturday night from a badly broken nose. Buffalo isn t expected to have antagonistic RW Patrick Kaleta (4-4 8, team-high 66 penalty minutes) available, either. LW Thomas Vanek ( ), meanwhile, hasn t scored a point in the past seven games, leaving much of the offense in the hands of RW Drew Stafford (22 games, ), who has five goals in seven games since returning from an injury, and LW Jason Pominville (28 games, ), who is over a four-game points streak with four goals in his past nine games. C Jochen Hecht (4-9 13) has scored 6 of his points in the past six games. Buffalo ( ; at home), which has been off since Tuesday s 4-2 victory at Edmonton, has lost four of six since beating the B s on Dec. 15. Season series: The Bruins are 2-1-0; the Sabres This is Boston s last visit to Buffalo this season. Prior to the Dec. 15 loss, in which Stafford scored all 3 goals for the Sabres, the B s had scored a 5-2 decision on Nov. 3 at HSBC, with LW Brad Marchand s shorthanded goal and assist both in the first period sending the B s to a 4-0 lead. Mark Recchi s overtime goal on Dec. 7 at TD Garden gave the Bruins a 3-2 victory. Krejci is with at least one point in all three games, while Ryder is Stafford has scored four goals against the Bruins; Pominville has an assist in every game.

9 No doubt Thomas could use a break By Fluto Shinzawa Boston Globe DULUTH, Ga. Tim Thomas has started seven straight games, and two of the last three have gone into a shootout. So yes, perhaps Thomas was physically and mentally gassed in Thursday s 3-2 shootout loss to Atlanta. Tuukka Rask will start tonight against Buffalo for the first time since Dec. 15. Rask s last start was also against the Sabres, who beat him on three of 35 shots in a 3-2 win at HSBC Arena. Did he look a little bit tired? Maybe, coach Claude Julien said yesterday of Thomas. I still saw him making some big saves at crucial times. He played a decent game. When you look back at Timmy and the number of games he s won for us this year, there s no doubt about anything we did with him. Julien had no regrets about giving Thomas his seventh straight start because of the relative ease of the schedule. The Bruins had last Friday and Saturday off because of the Christmas break. Thomas and his teammates save for Rask and Brad Marchand didn t skate on Tuesday morning prior to that night s 4-3 win over Tampa Bay. All the players were off on Wednesday in Atlanta. That day, Julien met with Thomas to gauge his strength and whether he was ready for another start the following night against the Thrashers. Thomas had posted back-to-back wins over Florida and Tampa Bay. Also, Julien was hesitant about starting Rask after a day with no practice. I really wanted to know how he felt, Julien said. He said he felt fine and he was ready to go [on Thursday]. Based on my conversation with him, you make an educated decision on that. I really felt that he was ready to go. Thomas (18-4-4, 1.74 goals-against average,.947 save percentage) has made 27 appearances, and Rask (2-7-1, 2.57 GAA,.927 save percentage) has been in 10 games. The Bruins have always maintained that given Thomas s athletic style, it would not be prudent to give him workloads like those of Carey Price (35 appearances), Jonas Hiller (34), or Cam Ward (31). Whether it s been Rask, Manny Fernandez, or Alex Auld, Julien has always been careful to monitor Thomas s ice time with a proper partner. Under Julien, Thomas s biggest workload was in , when he appeared in 57 games. Thomas himself has been an advocate of giving both goalies ice time. I still hold to that, he said. But just in this situation, we had a couple breaks. It was seven games in a row, but we had a couple days off in between at a couple different times. Before [Thursday s] game, we got in two nights before, which is nice. That ends up helping. Last year in the playoffs, the Bruins saw Rask wilt under the physical and mental strain of being the go-to goalie with Thomas struggling through a torn labrum in his hip. They are not planning to burn out either goalie again. Wheeler on a roll There have been times a five-game run in early December, for example when Blake Wheeler has played like a ghost. But lately, whether it s been in a matchup role or a scoring position, Wheeler has been arguably the team s best forward. Earlier in December, Julien used Wheeler, Patrice Bergeron, and Mark Recchi as a defensive line. On Dec. 18, while matching up against Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Knuble, Wheeler had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win at TD Garden. And since Julien shuffled his lines and reunited Wheeler with David Krejci and Michael Ryder, the left wing has been dynamic offensively. Last Monday, Wheeler set up Krejci for a goal, then recorded the only shootout tally in a 3-2 win over the Panthers. Wheeler scored a secondperiod goal on Thursday with one of five shots he landed on net. Julien credits Wheeler s emergence to chemistry and confidence. I thought he was doing a great job when he was playing with Bergeron and Recchi with his speed, Julien said. He was creating things. On the forecheck, they were a hard-working line. The only thing was that he wasn t able to score as much as he has lately. Right now, we ve got that trio that seems to be playing really well together. You hope that becomes contagious with some of the other lines. Not quite right Gregory Campbell didn t participate in yesterday s practice, after missing Thursday s game because he was sick. Tyler Seguin, who replaced Campbell on the fourth line against Atlanta, remained centering Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton yesterday... Because they were unable to get hotel rooms in Buffalo, the Bruins skated at the IceForum, the Thrashers practice facility, for an hour prior to

10 an afternoon departure. Brad Marchand, while skating with Bergeron and Recchi, took a hard tumble into the end boards, halting practice for several seconds as Marchand regained his breath. The left wing shook it off and completed the practice. I liked our tempo in practice today, Julien said. I thought they skated well. They re focused and determined to keep going here. I like the atmosphere around the team right now. Bruins find swagger down South By Stephen Harris Boston Herald DULUTH, Ga. The Southeast has been quite hospitable for the Bruins this week, if not particularly warm and sunny. But after taking a brief skate yesterday at the Thrashers practice rink, the B s headed back to the Northeast where the temperatures are lower and the games mean even more. The team was in a festive mood even after Thursday s 3-2 shootout loss to the Thrashers, a game the B s pretty well dominated. It was the finest showing of the three games on this trip, which began with wins over Florida and Tampa Bay. Taking 5-of-6 points, the B s flew yesterday to Buffalo for tonight s clash with the Sabres feeling pretty good about themselves. They will wrap up the post-christmas journey Monday night in Toronto, always an interesting destination. I like the spirit that the guys are in right now, said B s coach Claude Julien. I liked the tempo of our practice here. They skated well, they re focused and determined to keep going. I like the atmosphere around the team. If we can carry this momentum in the next game, we re giving ourselves a good chance to win. Forechecking is the key component to the Bruins game plan. It keeps the opposition stuck in its end and forces turnovers. Even when they do manage to get a puck out, it frequently comes right back in. The opponent is not generating speed up the ice. In Thursday s game, the B s had their best forecheck execution in many games. The forwards were on the puck quickly and hard, and the defensemen pinched down the weak-side walls again and again to keep pucks in the zone. F1 was doing a good job getting in, that s the first part, said Milan Lucic, F1 being the first forward in on the forecheck. The second guy had to get there, too, F2. And when they were reversing sides, our D were coming down to keep it in. And F3 was backing them up. So, I mean, we were doing everything we could on the forecheck. The key to a successful forecheck, to put it simply, is effort by the first guy on the puck, the guy coming in behind to support him, and all the others on the ice. The B s played with that effort Thursday, with all 18 skaters working hard. That has not always been the case in recent weeks. When we re at our best, we have everyone going, said Blake Wheeler. We really did (Thursday), everyone to a man. It makes it fun and creates a lot of momentum on our side. If we play the next 50-some games that way, I think we re going to come out on the right end a good number of times. The way Shawn Thornton put it, the B s have their swagger back. Obviously, (Thursday) we deserved better, he said. The guys played a very good game. We could very easily have 6-of-6 points on this trip. But 5-of-6, with a good effort, we ll take that. I like the confidence we re building here. We re going to Buffalo, I think, with a little swagger. I hope so. If so, maybe this work-in-progress team is, finally, making some real progress. Bruins notes Departing from usual policy, Julien revealed that backup goalie Tuukka Rask, who has watched Thomas make the last seven starts, will face the Sabres tonight. Two long, soft, seeing-eye shots snuck past Thomas on Thursday, and he was beaten on both shots he faced in the shootout. Did he look a little bit tired? Maybe, said Julien. But I still saw him making some big saves at crucial times. He played a decent game.... Center Gregory Campbell, who missed Thursday s game because of illness, remained off the ice yesterday. That left Tyler Seguin as the fourth-line center and Brad Marchand on the third line.... Julien, on the maturation of Wheeler into a solid three-zone player:

11 When you give a guy a chance to mature and grow, and you re patient with it, you often reap the benefits of it. Right now, I think that s what we re seeing with Blake Wheeler.