Saturday's Bruins...

[the mugs]

This is a 3 games in 4 nights with back to back travel for the Senators. Could be a good spot for Bruin backers tonight.

OTTAWA SENATORS at
BOSTON BRUINS
Saturday, November 9, 2002
FleetCenter; Boston, Massachusetts
7:00 pm (ET) - Gametime
6:30 pm (ET) - Boston Globe Pre-Game Report
NESN
Tonight's Game
The Bruins host the Senators tonight in the second of five games between these clubs this season and the second of three games of this season's series at the FleetCenter. The Bruins are 7-2-2-1 overall and are 2-1-1-0 on home ice thus far this season. The Senators are 5-5-1-0 overall with a 2-2-1-0 record on the road thus far this season. The Bruins are 1-0-1-0 vs. Northeast Division opponents this season and are 4-0-1-0 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Senators are 1-1-1-0 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and they are 2-4-1-0 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 31-13-7-3 lifetime vs. the Senators with a 191-141 scoring advantage in those 54 games. On home ice, the Bruins are 17-7-4-0 lifetime vs. Ottawa with a 108-79 scoring edge in those 28 games. The Bruins and Senators played to a 2-2 tie in Boston on Oct. 24 in the first game of this season's series. The Bruins are winless in their last three games vs. Ottawa at 0-2-1-0 with their last win over the Senators a 5-2 win in Boston on Jan. 17, 2002. The Bruins are unbeaten in their last three home games vs. Ottawa at 2-0-1-0 with their last loss to the Senators in Boston a 5-3 setback on Mar. 8, 2001.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins had their six-game road unbeaten streak snapped with a 2-1 overtime loss in Detroit on Nov. 7. That followed a 3-2 victory over the NY Rangers on Nov. 2 as Bryan Berard netted the game-winning goal at 19:21 of the third period in that contest. The Bruins have taken points out of ten of their last 11 games at 7-1-2-1, including an eight-game unbeaten streak at 6-0-2-0 from Oct. 14-30. Their lone loss regulation loss in that span was a 4-1 setback to Anaheim on Oct. 31.

Recent Senators Games
The Senators had their two-game win streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to Los Angeles on Nov. 8. That followed 5-2 victories each Nov. 2 over Detroit and Nov. 6 in Colorado. The Senators are 2-4-1-0 in their last seven games.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins will next host the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 11 (1:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio) and will then travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres on Nov. 12 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio).

Upcoming Senators Games
The Senators will face the Islanders in New York on Nov. 12 and will then return home to host Florida on Nov. 14 and Buffalo on Nov. 16.

Bruins Injuries
Martin Lapointe: Fractured foot suffered Oct. 17 in Calgary; out indefinitely.
Sergei Samsonov: Wrist sprain suffered Oct. 17 in Calgary; day-to-day.

Bruins Recent Transactions
Oct. 27: Jarno Kultanen assigned to Providence/AHL on a conditioning assignment.
Oct. 28: Jarno Kultanen recalled from Providence/AHL.
Oct. 31: Tim Thomas returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 1: Jarno Kultanen assigned to Providence/AHL on a conditioning assignment.
Nov. 3: Peter Hamerlik returned to his junior team in Kingston/OHL from Providence/AHL.
Nov. 5: Jarno Kultanen recalled from Providence/AHL.

 

[the mugs]

Injuries

Injuries

Ottawa Injuries
Petr Schastlivy LW Groin Mid Nov.
Martin Havlat RW Groin day-to-day
Chris Neil RW Fibula day-to-day

Boston Injuries
Sergei Samsonov RW Wrist Ques Sat
Martin Lapointe LW Foot Out indefinitely
Kyle McLaren D Holdout Out indefinitely

***I got an e-mail from HORNS today and he says that Wade Redden didn't make the trip to Boston due to a sore ankle and he heard that Peter Schaefer was benched for the 3rd period last night and may be a healthy scratch tonight.

***Today's Boston Globe is reporting Samsonov will play tonight. See article below

 

[the mugs]

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
10/24/2002 Bos. 2 Ott. 2 -0.5,120/5.5 Ott./U (02-03)

4/11/2002 Ott. 4 Bos. 0 0,-135/5 Ott./U (01-02)
1/24/2002 Ott. 4 Bos. 3 0,-200/5.5 Ott./O
1/17/2002 Bos. 5 Ott. 2 0,-135/5.5 Bos./O
12/26/2001 Bos. 3 Ott. 2 0,-130/5 Bos./P
12/1/2001 Ott. 2 Bos. 1 0,-180/5 Ott./U

3/30/2001 Ott. 5 Bos. 4 0,-240/5.5 Ott./O (00-01)
3/8/2001 Bos. 3 Ott. 5 0,120/5.5 Ott./O
11/21/2000 Ott. 2 Bos. 1 0,-280/5.5 Ott./U
11/9/2000 Bos. 2 Ott. 1 0,200/6 Bos./U

 

[the mugs]

B's / Sens trends

B's / Sens trends

Recent Trends
Ottawa is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings.
The Senators are allowing 2.27 goals/game.
The under is 6-3-1 in Ottawa's last 10 overall.
Boston's last three overall have played under.
Boston is 1-3 ATS in its last four overall.
The Bruins are averaging 3.17 goals/game.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Globe 11/9/02

Boston Globe 11/9/02

Bruins reload on fly

WILMINGTON - When Sergei Samsonov sprained his right wrist in overtime of the Bruins' 3-3 tie Oct. 17 in Calgary, he thought he'd miss at most two games. But that was more his heart talking than modern medicine because when reality set in and the doctors had their say, Samsonov knew he was in for a much longer period on the shelf.

It turned out to be 22 days and eight games. Samsonov will rejoin the lineup tonight at the FleetCenter when the Bruins host the Ottawa Senators. His wrist, though not 100 percent, will be heavily taped and protected by a plastic cast that will restrict his mobility.

''It feels better,'' Samsonov said, after yesterday's workout at the Ristuccia Center, during which he was back on the top line with Joe Thornton and Glen Murray. ''It's made big progress in the past week, so it's to the point where I can go out and play. It'll probably take some time to adjust to the tape and the cast I'm wearing, but it's been pretty good the past couple of days where I could actually go out and take some shots and be competitive on the ice.''

Samsonov, who had 6 points, including a pair of goals, in his first four games, will no doubt give the Boston power play a boost. The Bruins have dipped to No. 29 out of 30 teams and their 10.2 percent success rate through 12 games can be traced in part to the absence of their flashiest forward.

The Bruins' power play will no doubt be tested by the Senators, who are rated 10th in penalty killing.

Samsonov, who turned 24 Oct. 27, said he's looking forward to returning to game action. His timing isn't back to normal but Samsonov at 80 percent is better than most at 100 percent. It hasn't been easy to be patient.

''The past three days it's been getting better and better,'' he said. ''[On Thursday], I skated on my own and took a few shots and it felt pretty good. We just decided to see how practice was going to go [yesterday] and how it felt, and it felt pretty good. I got approved by the coaches, so that's all I needed.''

Samsonov is confident he isn't risking reinjury, though he's returning sooner than the 4-6-week time frame he was given.

''It doesn't make sense to come back and get injured again, but it's gotten to the point where it's gotten a lot better,'' he said. ''[On Thursday], I took a lot of shots and there was nothing bad the next morning, so that's a good sign. I felt pretty good and I'm ready to go. It takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks to get completely healed and it's been 31/2 weeks now. But it's gotten to the point where I can play, and that's all that matters.''

The cast will hold his wrist in place and it's something he'll likely have to wear for a while.

''It limits the movement but it's probably a good idea to wear it until whenever, I'm not sure, for the next few weeks,'' Samsonov said. ''The first couple of drills were a little different, but once the practice went on it was getting better and better. It's going to take a little bit of time to get back I guess, but we have a lot of games coming up, so that's a good thing.''

Coach Robbie Ftorek, who is conservative when it comes to players' injuries, gave Samsonov his blessing.

''We feel as though he's ready to go,'' said Ftorek. ''[The big test] will be when you're bumping and grinding in the corners. That's where the problems lie. But right now, he's ready to go. He's gone through all the stuff they think he should do. He's comfortable with it and if he's comfortable with it and [the training staff] is comfortable with it, then I've got to be comfortable with it.''

P.J. Axelsson, normally one of the last players to leave the ice at practice, skated off a little early yesterday. Ftorek said there was nothing to worry about, that Axelsson just needed to get some ice treatment from the training staff ... The Bruins are in the midst of a tough stretch. Beginning tonight, they'll play five games in eight days, three at home ... As statistics go, you could argue about the merits of plus-minus. However, it's notable that two Bruins defensemen - Nick Boynton and Hal Gill - were in the top 10 in the league through Thursday. Boynton, in his second season, was tied for fourth at plus-11 and Gill was tied for eighth at plus-10. The only other Bruin in the top 15 was rookie Ivan Huml, who was tied for 13th at plus-9 and was one of only two first-year players in that group.

Miscellany

Backup goaltender Martin Prusek hasn't played one second this season ... Before last night's 3-2 loss to Los Angeles, the Senators had consecutive 5-2 victories against Detroit and Colorado... Redden sustained a hip flexor injury last night and won't play tonight ... The Senators will be without Schastlivy (groin) and Martin Havlat (groin)... The Senators' fleet forwards give the Bruins defensemen fits, and the 6-foot-9-inch Chara is an immovable object on the Ottawa blue line.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Herald 11/9/02

Boston Herald 11/9/02

All's not right at home

WILMINGTON - The 2-1-1 home record is nothing about which to panic, but anyone who has caught the road show (5-1-1-1) knows the Bruins' best performances this season have come away from the FleetCenter.

The B's would like to rectify that, starting tonight when the Ottawa Senators come to town.

``I don't think we've played as well as a team at home as we have on the road, and I don't know why. I have no idea,'' said forward Brian Rolston after practice at Ristuccia Arena yesterday. ``But we'd like to get that same kind of feeling. I thought we played a great game (in Thursday night's 2-1 overtime loss in Detroit), though we fell a little short. But if we can get that same kind of performance, there aren't too many teams that can beat us at home with our crowd behind us. I feel that way and that's something we have to get better at.

``We've been winning games (at the FleetCenter), but they haven't been good performances or the way we want to play. That's something that we want to establish, so that when teams come in here, they say `It's not going to be easy. We have to play our best game to stay in it.' ''

In their four home games, the B's have come back to tie a solid Ottawa team in the home-opener, beaten the lowly Atlanta Thrashers on a last-minute goal, lost to the struggling Anaheim Mighty Ducks and shaken off two sluggish periods to rally past the New York Rangers with three unanswered third-period goals.

``I think the effort's been good, though it hasn't been been a clear-cut, 60-minute effort that we need,'' said B's coach Robbie Ftorek, who singled out the Anaheim game as the only really bad home game.

The B's aren't the only good team in the league that's been merely average - or a little less than average - at home. The Colorado Avalanche are 0-3-3, the San Jose Sharks are 2-3-1, the Red Wings are 4-2-2 and the Vancouver Canucks are 1-4-2 in their respective home rinks.

``We just have to stay a little more focused. I think we get caught up in the hoopla once in a while,'' said Bruins captain Joe Thornton. ``We just have to keep it simple and do what we're doing on the road at home now.''

The crowds at the FleetCenter have been inconsistent - there was an announced sellout for opening night and the smallest non-blizzard crowd for the Anaheim game - but Rolston wouldn't use that as an excuse.

``Obviously, you'd like to see your building filled every night. But the fans that come to the games are great, they're very loud,'' said Rolston. ``You'd like to see it packed, but here it seems like after Christmas the big crowds come. But it really doesn't matter what kind of crowd it is. We have to go out and play good hockey. It's that simple.''

=====

Kill or be killed

Though the B's penalty-killing unit was still mired in 29th place in the NHL entering last night's league slate, the PK looked much better in the overtime loss to Detroit. Ftorek said the team took care of loose pucks in front of the net better.

``We didn't leave as many rebounds and that's different,'' Ftorek said. ``If you leave rebounds, then you're leaving second opportunities. You've really got to control rebounds as much as possible.'' . . .

=====

Veterans can purchase $53 and $42 balcony seats for Monday's Veterans Day matinee vs. Edmonton at the FleetCenter for half price.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Herald 11/8/02

Boston Herald 11/8/02

Goalies work things out

DETROIT - Neither of the individuals potentially involved relishes the idea of seeing their names in any headlines about a battle for playing time. But the Bruins brass would probably love it if John Grahame and Steve Shields could both play well enough to generate a nice, old-fashioned goaltender controversy.

``We're not getting into a big dilemma with me and him,'' said Grahame, who stopped 26 points to earn the B's a point last night in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. ``Whoever is playing, we're supporting each other. The team is what's most important. If I'm playing, great; if he's playing, we're going to support each other.''

Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek, who said Grahame ``played great,'' has worked hard to downplay the goalie competition.

``We've got two goaltenders here,'' said Ftorek. ``They're both very qualified and very good. We're going to use both of them until we find out what shakes out.''

Grahame was still feeling the aftereffects of his third-degree shoulder separation - a serious injury that likely would have kept a forward or defenseman out of action for a couple of weeks longer - suffered in the third game of the season, but was solid in his return.

``I can still feel it a little bit but it's just lingering effects,'' said Grahame. ``The trainers have told me it's going to be there for a little while.

``But as long as it doesn't affect my play, it doesn't matter.''

 

[ddubs]

Thanks for the hard work, mugs. I like the Bruins a lot today, as well.

Good luck today.