Monday's Ruins...

[the mugs]

BOSTON BRUINS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Monday, March 24, 2003
FleetCenter; Boston MA
7:00 PM (ET)- Gametime

Tonight?s Game
The Bruins host the Maple Leafs tonight in the fifth and final game between these clubs this season and the second of two games of this season's series at FleetCenter. The Bruins are 34-29-8-4 overall and are 21-10-4-2 on home ice thus far this season. The Maple Leafs are 40-26-6-3 overall with an 18-14-2-3 record on the road thus far this season. The Bruins are 7-8-1-1 vs. Northeast Division opponents this season and they are 25-20-6-2 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Maple Leafs are 9-8-1-0 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and they are 31-19-4-0 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 249-242-98-1 lifetime vs. the Maple Leafs with Toronto holding a 1772-1721 scoring advantage in those 590 games. On home ice, the Bruins are 159-87-47-1 lifetime vs. Toronto with a 961-773 scoring edge in those 294 contests. The Bruins and Maple Leafs have split the first two games of this season's series at 2-2-0-0 with Boston taking a 4-1 win in Toronto on Oct. 21 and a 6-2 victory in Boston on Jan. 11 and the Maple Leafs winning a 2-0 decision in Toronto on Nov. 19 and a 5-2 victory in Toronto on Jan. 7.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins went 1-2-0-0 on their recent three-game road trip with a 2-1 loss in Phoenix on Mar. 18, a 3-2 setback in San Jose on Mar. 21 and a 4-3 overtime victory in Los Angeles on Mar. 22. They are 3-2-0-0 in their last five games and are 6-3-0-1 in their last ten contests. They are 1-1-0-0 in the two games since Mike O'Connell replaced Robbie Ftorek behind the bench on Mar. 19.

Recent Maple Leafs Games
The Maple Leafs have taken points out of their last seven straight games at 3-0-2-2 with a 3-3 tie with Vancouver on Mar. 8, a 3-2 win in Edmonton on Mar. 10, a 4-3 overtime loss in Calgary on Mar. 13, a 1-0 win in Vancouver on Mar. 15, a 3-3 tie with NY Islanders on Mar. 18, a 4-3 overtime loss in Columbus on Mar. 20 and a 3-2 overtime win vs. Buffalo on Mar. 22. They are 10-5-2-2 in their last 19 games with their last regulation loss a 4-2 setback in Buffalo on Mar. 6.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins will next face the Flyers in Philadelphia on Mar. 27 (8:00 p.m.; ESPN & WBZ Radio). They will return home to host the NY Rangers on Mar. 29 (1:30 p.m.; ABC-TV & WBZ Radio) and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 31 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio).

Upcoming Maple Leafs Games
The Maple Leafs open a three-game road trip tonight, continuing in Carolina on Mar. 25 and at the NY Islanders on Mar. 28. They will return home to host Washington on Mar. 29.

Bruins Injuries
Richard Brennan: Right ankle bruise and fractured foot suffered Jan. 28 vs. Nashville; day-to-day.
Jeff Hackett: Finger injury suffered Mar. 15 vs. Florida; day-to-day.
Ian Moran: Back bruise suffered Mar. 21 in San Jose; day-to-day.
Sergei Samsonov: Dec. 24 right wrist surgery; out indefinitely.

Bruins March Transactions
Mar. 11: Ian Moran acquired from Pittsburgh for 2003 fourth round draft pick.
Mar. 11: Dan McGillis acquired from San Jose for 2003 second round draft pick.
Mar. 16: Andrew Raycroft recalled from Providence/AHL.
Mar. 19: Robbie Ftorek and Jim Hughes relieved of their coaching duties.
Mar. 19: Mike O'Connell named interim coach and Mike Sullivan named assistant coach.

 

[the mugs]

Injuries

Injuries

Toronto Injuries
Doug Gilmour: Knee; out 4-6 weeks. 3/15
Gary Roberts: Back; out indefinitely. 3/23
Karel Pilar: Ear; out indefinitely. 1/19
Nikolai Antropov: Groin; questionable Mon. vs Bos. 3/23
Phil Housley: Broken Foot; out at least 6 weeks. 2/17

Boston Injuries
Richard Brennan: Right ankle bruise and fractured foot suffered Jan. 28 vs. Nashville; day-to-day.
Jeff Hackett: Finger injury suffered Mar. 15 vs. Florida; day-to-day.
Ian Moran: Back bruise suffered Mar. 21 in San Jose; day-to-day.
Sergei Samsonov: Dec. 24 right wrist surgery; out indefinitely.

 

[the mugs]

Recent Trends

Recent Trends

The Leafs are 5-2 ATS in the past seven meetings.
Under is 10-5 when TOR plays teams in own div.
Toronto is third in PK at 86.86%.
The under is 8-2 in the past 10 meetings.
BOS has covered in its last four at home.
The Bruins score 3.38 gls/gm when home.

 

[the mugs]

Recent Meetings

Recent Meetings

Date Home Away Line ATS
1/11/2003 Bos. 6 Tor. 2 -0.5,125/5 Bos./O (02-03)
1/7/2003 Tor. 5 Bos. 2 -0.5,115/5 Tor./O
11/19/2002 Tor. 2 Bos. 0 0.5,-140/5.5 Tor./U
10/21/2002 Tor. 1 Bos. 4 -0.5,-135/5.5 Bos./U

3/14/2002 Bos. 1 Tor. 2 0,-150/5.5 Tor./U (01-02)
1/3/2002 Bos. 1 Tor. 2 0,-130/5 Tor./U
11/24/2001 Tor. 2 Bos. 0 0,-170/5 Tor./U
10/25/2001 Bos. 2 Tor. 1 0,-130/5 Bos./U
10/23/2001 Tor. 2 Bos. 0 0,-160/5 Tor./U

3/28/2001 Tor. 0 Bos. 3 0,-170/5.5 Bos./U (00-01)

 

[the mugs]

Boston Glob3 3/24/03

Boston Glob3 3/24/03

Bruins are hoping to solve this puzzle

The regular season has come down to the final two weeks and the Bruins remain as much a puzzle as they've been all year. There are seven games left -- beginning tonight against the retooled Toronto Maple Leafs at the FleetCenter -- and the questions that surround their inconsistency linger.

The Bruins dropped two of three on their just-completed road trip out West, salvaging an overtime victory over the Kings Saturday night on a goal by Glen Murray.

General manager Mike O'Connell is getting used to his new role as coach and is getting a firsthand look at his players. When asked the difference between being upstairs in the press box vs. being behind the bench, O'Connell said as a coach you can't see the big picture.

''When you're on the bench, you see the play and it's hard for you to tell where it's supposed to go because you're focusing on the play,'' he said. ''Whereas upstairs, you're focusing on the play, but you can see where everyone else is, too.''

If there is one thing that stands out to O'Connell, it's how fragile his team's confidence is. The Bruins were ahead, 2-0, against the Sharks Friday night only to watch that lead vanish en route to a 3-2 loss. Saturday night, Boston was ahead, 3-0, entering the third period but allowed the Kings to storm back and tie it with 1:24 left in regulation.

''If you look at the last goals that have been scored against us, they've all been similar goals like that, scrambles, and we've got to make sure we correct that,'' said O'Connell. ''We've got to build confidence. We give up one goal, two goals, we have to prepare for the surge and know it's coming and protect better. We have a tendency to stop skating when [we're ahead], as every team does. But [Saturday night] was a good win, it was a huge two points for us, this time of year.''

In fairness, the Kings' goals were aided in part by luck. The first -- by Jaroslav Modry -- was scored during a two-man advantage. Don Sweeney was already in the penalty box when Dan McGillis was called for hooking as a result of what seemed to be a dive by pesky center Sean Avery.

''I don't think we got the right calls,'' said O'Connell. ''That should've definitely been a dive. I can bet you he's going to be fined.''

Alexander Frolov was parked in the crease in front of goalie Andrew Raycroft and shielded the netminder's view of Modry's shot.

The second goal -- by defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky -- was redirected into the net by Bruins right wing Martin Lapointe, and the equalizer -- by Ziggy Palffy -- came after defenseman Nick Boynton shoved Avery into the net on top of Raycroft after Avery tried to score on a backhander.

''It was kind of a joke what happened out there to us,'' said left wing Mike Knuble, who had two goals and an assist. ''They had power plays and stuff like that, but we can't give them that in the third period. We were rolling along like everything was fine and we just can't let that happen. It's kind of a broken record. ''These wins are huge for us right now. It's going to come down to seventh or eighth place and there's going to be a tiebreaker on wins probably. We're happy with the two points that we got, but we can't be happy with the way we got it. They showed a lot of character coming back and not quitting. But ultimately we let them back by giving them power plays and not doing what we'd been doing the whole game.''

 

[the mugs]

Boston Herald 3/24/03

Boston Herald 3/24/03

B's turn over new Leafs: O'Connell makes home debut tonight

WILMINGTON - While Mike O'Connell officially made his NHL coaching debut in San Jose on Friday, tonight marks the general manager/interim coach's first appearance behind the bench in front of a home crowd at the FleetCenter.

In other words, this will be the Bruins fans' first crack at voicing either their approval or disapproval with O'Connell about his management style and maneuverings this season.

How angry/happy were they about not re-signing Bill Guerin and Byron Dafoe? How angry/happy were they about canning Robbie Ftorek with nine games to play?

Tonight, before the B's face off with the Toronto Maple Leafs, those questions will be answered by the fans, who will be up close and personal with O'Connell. When reached by phone yesterday and asked if he had any anxiety about being behind the bench, and the possible reception he might receive, O'Connell indicated he knew the potential for fallout once he decided to take over coaching.

``You think about it,'' said O'Connell, who fired Ftorek on Wednesday. ``You think about it when you make decisions like this, but again, those are the perils that go along with making tough decisions.''

In the two games since, not much has really changed. While the effort and physical play has stepped up with O'Connell calling the shots, the team continues to fall into the same traps plaguing it all season. The way the games played out have been incredibly similar to the Ftorek regime.

Against San Jose, the Bruins surrendered a two-goal lead and lost. Against Los Angeles, they blew a three-goal, third-period lead, but won in overtime. Penalties and miscues in the defensive zone led to both leads being squandered.

``It's kind of a broken record,'' Mike Knuble said at Ristuccia Arena, where the players met yesterday to simply stretch and exercise. The forward, who scored a pair of goals in the 4-3 win in LA, then cracked: ``Nobody should leave the building when we have 3-0 leads. We certainly make it exciting.''

Much too exciting for the liking of the new bench boss, who claimed after the game the team suffered from ``scoreboard anxiety.''

Defenseman Nick Boynton agreed it could well be a mental issue, the inability to play well with a lead.

``If it's in everybody's head, it's something that happens. It's hard to break because we've been doing it quite a bit lately,'' Boynton said. ``I don't think we go out on purpose and try to blow a lead. So I don't know what else it would be. It's not from lack of effort or wanting to lose.''

When asked to give an overall assessment of what he's seen from his team in the two games he's been behind the bench, O'Connell claimed it was too early to say anything definitive.

``It's incomplete right now,'' O'Connell said. ``There were some good things and some bad things. I'm just going to hold off until I have a better understanding of what we need. I've seen some good things, but there's a lot of things that also need to be corrected.''

Whatever happens with O'Connell tonight in terms of the fans, there are some players who are quietly happy with the change.

``I think there may have been some guys, not me personally, that maybe didn't see eye-to-eye with Robbie,'' defenseman Sean O'Donnell said. ``You should go out there and play because of the jersey, but when you don't feel like the coach is rewarding you or you just don't see eye-to-eye with him . . . when that changes and the GM comes behind the bench, it takes away any excuse. It's almost like a clean slate for some of the guys.''

 

[the mugs]

NHL.com

NHL.com

GAME: Toronto Maple Leafs (40-26-6-3) at Boston Bruins (34-29-8-4).

The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing everything they can to get home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

They'll look to continue inching toward that goal when they visit the Boston Bruins.

Toronto, which has already clinched a playoff spot, is currently in fifth in the Eastern Conference -- four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers. Only the top four teams in each conference receive home ice in the opening round.

On Saturday, the Leafs snapped a two-game winless streak with a 3-2 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres.

"We really wanted to focus on getting two points," said Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe, who scored the game-winner.

"Home ice was a huge thing for us last year in the playoffs. We had two Game 7s and won them both. If we can get it, we want it." While the Leafs fight for home ice, the Bruins are trying to stay in the playoff picture. Boston is currently seventh in the East, two points ahead of the New York Islanders and six in front of the New York Rangers.

The Bruins beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime Saturday, giving Mike O'Connell his first victory as head coach.

O'Connell, the team's general manager, added coaching to his responsibilities when he fired Robbie Ftorek on Wednesday. He made his debut in Friday's 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

"It's too bad Robbie had to take the fall. We should have played better," Boston right wing Glen Murray said. "It was a little bit of a shock coming this late in the season, and now we have to respond to Mike." Murray had four points Saturday, including the game-winning overtime goal.

He has 41 goals this season, tying his career high.

"I'm getting a chance to play a lot and I'm playing consistently. That's what you have to do to stay on top in this league," said Murray, whose 312 shots lead the NHL.

TEAM LEADERS:
Maple Leafs
Mats Sundin, 33 goals
Alexander Mogilny, 44 assists and 73 points
Wade Belak, 183 PIM
Bruins
Murray, 41 goals
Joe Thornton, 61 assists and 95 points
P.J. Stock, 158 PIM.

SPECIAL TEAMS (through March 22):
Maple Leafs
Power play: 17.4 percent (58 for 334) 12th in NHL
Penalty killing: 86.9 percent (345 for 397) 3rd
Bruins
Power play: 19.1 percent (57 for 299) 5th
Penalty killing: 82.0 percent (283 for 345), 24th.

GOALTENDERS:
Maple Leafs
Ed Belfour (33-19-5, 7 SO, 2.27 GAA)
Trevor Kidd (6-9-1, 0, 3.12)
Bruins
Steve Shields (11-12-6, 0, 2.87)
Andrew Raycroft (2-3-0, 0, 2.40)

SEASON SERIES: Tied, 2-2.

LAST MEETING: Jan. 11; Bruins, 6-2. At Boston, Murray scored the tiebreaking goal 5:44 into the third period and assisted on two late scores as the Bruins snapped a five-game losing streak. Mogilny scored Toronto's two goals 1:16 apart in the second period.

ROAD/HOME RECORDS:
Maple Leafs - 18-14-2-3 on the road
Bruins - 21-10-4-2 at home

 

[the mugs]

WBZ Radio reports Shields vs. Belfour tonight

Go B's!