Sunday's Bruins...

[the mugs]

BOSTON BRUINS at CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Sunday, March 9, 2003
United Center; Chicago IL
3:00 PM (ET) - Gametime

Today?s Game
The Bruins visit the Blackhawks tonight in the second of two games between these clubs this season and the Bruins' lone visit of the season to the United Center. The Bruins are 31-26-8-3 overall and are 12-16-4-1 on the road thus far this season. The Blackhawks are 24-29-10-5 overall with a 14-13-4-2 record on home ice thus far this season. The Bruins are 2-3-0-1 vs. Central Division opponents this season and they are 8-6-2-2 overall vs. Western Conference foes. The Blackhawks are 3-2-1-0 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and they are 9-6-4-0 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 255-233-79-1 lifetime vs. the Blackhawks with a 1784-1724 scoring edge in those 568 games. On the road, the Bruins are 94-144-45-1 lifetime vs. Chicago with the Blackhawks holding a 916-761 scoring advantage in those 284 contests. The Blackhawks won the first game of this season's series with a 3-1 win in Boston on Jan. 30.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins have won three straight games for the first time since a three-game win streak from Jan. 23-28 with a 4-2 win in Carolina on Mar. 4, a 4-1 victory over NY Islanders on Mar. 6 and a 5-4 overtime win over Washington on Mar. 8. They have taken points out of six of their last eight games at 3-2-2-1 and they are 8-8-4-2 in their last 23 contests.

Recent Blackhawks Games
The Blackhawks have lost their last nine games at 0-7-0-2 with losses to Colorado (twice), Phoenix, Dallas (twice), Philadelphia (twice), Nashville and Calgary (2-0 Mar. 7 in their last game). They are 1-10-0-2 in their last 13 games with their lone win in that span a 7-1 victory in Columbus on Feb. 15.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins will conclude their current two-game road trip in Ottawa on Mar. 11 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio). They will return home to host New Jersey on Mar. 13 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio) and Florida on Mar. 15 (12:00 noon; NESN & WBZ Radio).

Upcoming Blackhawks Games
The Blackhawks will next face a three-game road trip to Anaheim on Mar. 12, Phoenix on Mar. 14 and San Jose on Mar. 17. They will return home to host Anaheim on Mar. 19.

Bruins Injuries
Richard Brennan: Right ankle bruise and fractured foot suffered Jan. 28 vs. Nashville; out indefinitely.
Sergei Samsonov: Dec. 24 right wrist surgery; out indefinitely.

Bruins Recent Transactions

Nothing in the month of March

Feb. 17: Ivan Huml recalled from Providence/AHL.
Feb. 21: Shaone Morrisonn recalled from Providence/AHL.
Feb. 22: Zdenek Kutlak returned to Providence/AHL.
Feb. 26: Ivan Huml returned to Providence/AHL.
Feb. 26: Andy Hilbert recalled from Providence/AHL.
Feb. 28: Andy Hilbert, Shaone Morrisonn and Kris Vernarsky returned to Providence/AHL.

 

[the mugs]

Injuries

Injuries

Boston Injuries
Brian Rolston LW Head Ques Sun
Rich Brennan D Ankle Mid Mar
Sergei Samsonov F Wrist Late Mar

Chicago Injuries
Alexei Zhamnov C Hand Ques Sun
Eric Daze RW Ankle Ques Sun
Alexander Karpovtsev D Eye Early Apr
Phil Housley D Foot Late Mar
Gary Valk LW Groin Out indefinitely

 

[the mugs]

Recent Trends

Recent Trends

BOS is 2-5 ATS in its last seven road games.
The over is 10-4-2 in BOS' last 16 overall.
BOS is 8-4 ATS on the road following a win.
The over is 6-2 in the past eight meetings.
CHI is 6-3-1 ATS in the past 10 meetings.
CHI is 3-20 ATS in its last 23 overall.

 

[the mugs]

Recent Meetings

Recent Meetings

Date Home Away Line ATS
1/30/2003 Bos. 1 Chi. 3 -0.5,-125/5 Chi./U (02-03)

1/28/2002 Bos. 2 Chi. 1 0,-145/5.5 Bos./U (01-02)
10/28/2001 Chi. 3 Bos. 3 0,-145/5 P/O

11/2/2000 Bos. 5 Chi. 4 0,-170/5.5 Bos./O (00-01)

3/16/2000 Chi. 5 Bos. 4 0,-180/5.5 Chi./O (99-00)
12/4/1999 Bos. 3 Chi. 9 0,-260/5 Chi./O

3/25/1999 Bos. 3 Chi. 3 -0.5,-160/5 Chi./O (98-99)
2/21/1999 Chi. 3 Bos. 6 0.5,-135/5 Bos./O

3/22/1998 Chi. 1 Bos. 0 -0.5,105/5 Chi./U (97-98)
3/7/1998 Bos. 1 Chi. 2 -0.5,-105/5 Chi./U

 

[the mugs]

Boston Globe 3/9/03

Boston Globe 3/9/03

Fleury on outs?

The Bruins face the Blackhawks in Chicago this afternoon but they likely won't face Theo Fleury. The Blackhawks' troubled right wing, who has battled alcohol abuse, was put on waivers, according to several reports...

Center Brian Rolston, who took an elbow to the head from Islanders forward Jason Wiemer Thursday night, missed yesterday's game. Rolston hopes to play this afternoon. ''I feel good,'' said Rolston. ''I feel a lot better. I did have symptoms right away. I felt a little groggy [Friday] but [yesterday] I felt fine. I'm going to have another [neuro-psych] test [in Chicago] and hopefully I'll be able to play. I exercised [yesterday] and they did a test on me with our doctor and everything is fine.'' Rolston watched linemate P.J. Axelsson score a goal and add two assists. ''He starts scoring when I leave,'' joked Rolston. ''No, he's been playing great the last 10 games. It's not a surprise. His production was there, that's for sure.''...

Referee Paul Stewart is closing in on his 1,000th NHL game, which he will officiate Saturday at the FleetCenter when the Bruins take on Florida at noon. ''Just watch a game that Stewy refs,'' said Gill with a laugh. ''It's ridiculous. He thinks everyone is there to watch him, he's the show. Hey, he likes to entertain. He's constantly telling me how to play defense and I'm constantly telling him how to ref. It's a good relationship.''

 

[the mugs]

These days Axelsson having his say

Even on his chattier days, P.J. Axelsson isn't going to bump anyone off the podium at the Toastmasters Club. A couple of declarative sentences, usually separated by a light laugh or a smile, and the Bruins winger is just about talked out, headed home for some honey and tea to extinguish the fire in the vocal cords.

It's a good bet Axelsson comes away winded from the drive-thru. All that conversation. Come on. Can't they just stick that murderburger and fries in a bag and toss the whole dietary depth charge through your window on the fly? Yeah, have a nice day, don't need the receipt.

That's pretty much Axelsson on the ice, too. He doesn't make a whole lot of noise, in the playing sense. For him to walk away from yesterday's 5-4 OT win over the Capitals with a goal and two assists, factoring in 60 percent of Boston's goals, was a true Axelsson gabfest. Really, what got into him?

Let's also not forget it was only Thursday night when Axelsson momentarily inherited the brain and bravado of Boston's other P.J., Stock, and actually dropped his stick in anticipation of a fight against the Islanders. Get back!

The fight never happened, but Axelsson, the 175-pound Kungalv Mauler, was ready to put a hurtin' for certain on someone if need be.

''Yeah, he's trying to fight, too,'' remarked head coach Robbie Ftorek, his own playing career a ratio of about 500 points to every one punch, ''so he's doing everything, A to Z.''

Of everything Axelsson did yesterday, the sweetest to see was a Coozlike behind-the-back sweep pass that he threw down from the right point on Glen Murray's first of two opening-period goals. Working the point is also an Axelsson rarity; he was placed there in Game No. 68 while Brian Rolston took a day off to recover from an aching head. With that trademark Cooz coolness, Axelsson swept the puck to Joe Thornton, and Thornton tossed to Murray, and the 2-0 lead was in the net.

''Not something I was thinking about,'' said Axelsson. ''Just the way it developed, and I knew Joe would be there.''

Again, folks, we're not talking verbose here. If New York gossip columnists were working day and night with the likes of Axelsson, copy editors would have to have the Bronx High (P.S. No. ?) lunch menu ready to fill the space.

''Sometimes,'' added a smiling Axelsson, ''you have to take chances.''

According to Ftorek, Axelsson is working hard, and it's that extra toil, in part, that showed up in the scoring summary. Maybe that's it. For the half-dozen years that Axelsson has been working on Causeway Street, however, he has always been among the club's hardest workers and top skaters. He hasn't been the luckiest when it comes to effort translating to points. He normally works a checking line (now there's glamour to talk about) and the penalty kill (issue the quote sheets on five-on-four play!). Axelsson has 13 goals and 30 points this season. Raise your hand if you knew those are career highs.

''Funny how that goes,'' said Axelsson. ''Yeah, I guess it's hard work. But I think some of it's luck, too, to be honest. You get the shots, and instead of post-out, they're post-in. Just the way it is sometimes.''

For his goal, which put the desperate-for-points Bruins in a 1-0 lead, Axelsson walked off the rear board, curled into the slot with Washington's defenseman caught somewhere between the pizza stand and beer line, and wristed a 10-footer by Olaf Kolzig with 6:05 gone in the first. For his third point, helping set up Sean O'Donnell for the OT winner, he pulled up on right wing and did yeoman's work of protecting the puck before dishing to an on-chugging O'Donnell (arriving like the 2:43 out of Rockport).

You can probably figure out that Axelsson had little to say about his afternoon, other than it was probably the last of those 3 points he found the most rewarding.

''Because we won,'' he said.

It's efforts like Axelsson's, going above and beyond job description, that the Bruins need as desperately as those points right now. Without the efforts, in fact, it's a good bet the points won't come.

Rare have been the times this year when Ftorek has handed someone the kind of extra work he put on Axelsson yesterday (for about an extra five minutes over his average 15 minutes of ice time) and the added opportunity was matched with performance. A goal here. Two assists there. Help out on the power play. Work the point on the man-advantage. Rumor had it he was nosing around the Zamboni entrance between periods, offering to make a few passes on the ice resurfacer.

''For sure, my confidence has gone up,'' said Axelsson. ''You have a lot of confidence, you get a lot better. The more you play, the more you feel comfortable out there, the more you can help out.''

Now that's saying something.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Herald 3/9/03

Boston Herald 3/9/03

Lay off the coach: Ftorek should earn praises

Here's a good idea for Mike O'Connell. Instead of firing Robbie Ftorek, rehire him. Give him the contract extension he has earned and end all the coaching change rumors.

Rather than making Ftorek the fall guy for a team that, as built by O'Connell, simply isn't all that good, the GM should reward him for keeping this team's effort as strong as it's been and likely getting this flawed, inexperienced, patchwork team into the playoffs.

Reportedly earning one of the lowest salaries of any NHL coach (some $300,000), Ftorek doesn't deserve to have the ax raised above his neck, his future beyond the end of his contract at season's end unknown. He has done his job here just fine, considering the teams he's had to work with.

This year, Ftorek did his job better than O'Connell did his. The GM believed this team could absorb the loss of Byron Dafoe, Bill Guerin and Kyle McLaren and be just as good as, if not better than, last year's 101-point club. He has so far been proven painfully wrong, although the final judgment will be the B's performance in the playoffs, assuming they get there.

In the big picture, O'Connell placed all his eggs in one basket: Betting there will be hard salary controls in place after next season, and that the B's, with hardly anyone under contract beyond 2003-04, will have better fiscal flexibility to rebuild a strong team than organizations hamstrung by enormous payrolls.

Who knows? Maybe O'Connell is right. Maybe he's a brilliant visionary, a genius thinking far ahead of the curve.

But in the meantime, Ftorek has to deal with a team obviously short on defense and goaltending, and too reliant up front on three or four key guys. Unlike some predecessors, Ftorek's never uttered the slightest complaint about the hand he's been dealt.

Coaches deserve to be canned when a team quits trying. The Bruins haven't quit. They've just been killed by mistakes - turnovers, positional breakdowns, porous goaltending. And these costly errors are beyond the control of any coach. They reflect the talent level of the team. Sound and consistent performance is a skill, just like skating and shooting, and too many B's players have been counted on to do more than they were ready to do.

If Ftorek has a shortcoming, it's that he tries too hard, that he over-thinks what is still at its core a fairly simple game. He probably talks too much to the players, whether about systems or expectations. In the midst of some of his enthusiastic on-ice chat sessions, it's easy to spot players surreptitiously rolling their eyes to one another, plainly communicating, ``Does this guy ever shut up?'' There have been days on which players, expecting a day off, were miffed.

But for all the information overload, this still is a guy the players seem to like and respect, and their effort has made it clear the Bruins have not quit on the coach or themselves.

Rather than cycle yet another coach through here next season, why not keep the one they've got? He's done his job fine.

 

[Chenker]

Can the D hold up today? I think the B's are going in the right direction- they need a win today big time- I think the Rangers will get 2 points on Monday- good luck