Thursday's Bruins...

[the mugs]

I don't like this game...B's not so hot lately and the Laughs are streaking...

BOSTON BRUINS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Thursday, December 4, 2003
FleetCenter; Boston MA
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.

Tonight?s Game
The Bruins host the Maple Leafs tonight in the first of six games between these teams this season and the first of three games of this season?s series at FleetCenter. The Bruins are 12-4-4-4 thus far this season with a 4-2-3-1 home record. The Maple Leafs are 13-6-5-2 thus far this season with an 8-4-4-1 road record. The Bruins are 1-0-0-1 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and are 4-3-2-3 vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Maple Leafs are 2-2-0-0 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and are 8-4-3-1 vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 250-242-98-1 lifetime vs. Toronto with the Maple Leafs holding a 1774-1724 scoring advantage in those 591 games. On home ice, the Bruins are 160-87-47-1 lifetime vs. the Maple Leafs with a 964-775 scoring edge in those 296 contests. The Bruins have won their last two games vs. Toronto and took last season?s series by a 3-2-0-0 margin.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins snapped their four-game winless streak (0-2-1-1) and are now unbeaten in their last two games with a 6-4 win in Atlanta on Dec. 3. That followed a 3-2 setback in Philadelphia on Nov. 22, a 4-3 overtime loss in St. Louis on Nov. 25, a 2-1 loss to Nashville on Nov. 28 and a 3-3 tie with Phoenix on Nov. 30. The Bruins have taken points out of 14 of their last 16 games at 8-2-2-4 and in 20 of their 24 games overall this season at 12-4-4-4.

The Bruins have taken points out of eight of their ten games on home ice this season at 4-2-3-1.

The Bruins have taken at least one point out of 12 of their last 13 road games at 8-1-1-3, including a ten-game point stretch (7-0-1-2) from Oct. 11-Nov. 19.

Recent Maple Leafs Games
The Maple Leafs have won their last six games with a 5-3 win in Vancouver on Nov. 22, a 2-1 win over the Canucks on Nov. 24, a 3-1 victory in Atlanta on Nov. 27, a 2-1 win in Ottawa on Nov. 29, a 4-2 victory at NY Rangers on Nov. 30 and a 5-4 win vs. NY Rangers on Dec. 2. The current win streak follows a five-game winless stretch at 0-2-2-1 with their last loss a 3-2 setback in Edmonton on Nov. 20.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins continue their current three-game home stand hosting Philadelphia on Dec. 6 (7:00 p.m.) and Ottawa on Dec. 8 (7:00 p.m.). They will then face a four-game road trip to Florida, Washington, Ottawa and Montreal from Dec. 10-16.

Upcoming Maple Leafs Games
The Maple Leafs next return home to host Detroit on Dec. 6 and St. Louis on Dec. 9.

Bruins Injuries
P. J. Axelsson: Aggravated shoulder injury Nov. 28 vs. Nashville; day-to-day.

Bruins Recent Transactions
Oct. 23: Sergei Zinovjev recalled from Providence/AHL; Martin Samuelsson and Milan Jurcina assigned to Providence/AHL.
Oct. 30: P. J. Stock loaned to Philadelphia/AHL from Providence/AHL.
Oct. 31: Ted Donato assigned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 4: Zdenek Kutlak recalled from Providence/AHL.

Bruins Facts
The Bruins have 13 sets of back-to-back games this season. They are 3-1-0-1 in the first game of these sets and are 3-0-1-0 in game two of consecutive-night contests.

 

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RECENT TRENDS

RECENT TRENDS

? TOR is 6-0 ATS in their last six overall.
? Under is 3-1 in TOR?s last four as a dog.
? Leafs are 4-0 ATS in their last four away.
? BOS is 2-5 ATS in their last seven overall.
? Under is 3-1 in BOS?s last four at home.
? Under is 8-2 in the 10 meetings.

 

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Recent Meetings

Recent Meetings

Date Home Away Line ATS
3/24/2003 Bos. 3 Tor. 2 -0.5,110/5.5 Bos./U (02-03)
1/11/2003 Bos. 6 Tor. 2 -0.5,125/5 Bos./O
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

 

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Injuries

Injuries

Toronto Injuries
Player Pos Injury Status
Gary Roberts LW Groin Out Thurs
Wade Belak D Abdominal Ques Thurs
Alexander Mogilny F Hip Late Feb
Nik Antropov C Shoulder Mid Dec

Boston Injuries
Player Pos Injury Status
P.J. Axelsson F Shoulder Ques Thurs
Jonathan Girard D Hip out for season

 

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Boston Globe 12.4.03

Boston Globe 12.4.03

Zamuner positioned to succeed

ATLANTA -- He may not be considered a prolific scorer but no one would argue the importance of P.J. Axelsson to the Bruins. So when Axelsson went down with a shoulder injury Nov. 20 against Washington, coach Mike Sullivan had to pick a replacement.

The obvious candidate was versatile forward Rob Zamuner. Axelsson has missed four of the last five games, including last night's against the Thrashers, and Zamuner has filled in for him on the left side with center Brian Rolston and right wing Travis Green.

It's no small assignment. Depending on the game plan and how much special teams play there is, Zamuner and his linemates find themselves facing the cream of the crop.

"Obviously, with those two guys, a lot of times we're against the other team's top line so we just have to be aware of who's on the ice against us," said Zamuner. "With Brian's speed, you try to get him the puck. When he's skating, he creates a lot, so we just kind of try to pick up the garbage."

Sullivan doesn't tend to adhere strictly to matchups, so Zamuner said the preparation required to play against an opponent's top forwards isn't necessarily different from when the coach is rolling out four lines.

"We have a lot of depth, so Sully has that hand where he can use those different combinations," said Zamuner. "You just have to be aware of the danger zones. You don't want to do anything fancy, especially at the blue lines, because good lines can kill you on the transition, and that's what you don't want to allow those guys."

The most dangerous player on the Thrashers -- and one of the most dynamic in the league -- is left wing Ilya Kovalchuk, who scored the winner in overtime the last time the Bruins were in town, Nov. 19.

"He's got speed and he obviously has a sense of the game and he's got a great shot," said Zamuner. "He's got all the tools. When you're covering Joe [Thornton], he's a big, physical guy, and you know you're going to be in for a hard night. Against Kovalchuk, you have to be more aware and be ready to move your feet more, so it's a little different weapons they use to beat you."

Zamuner did more than help hold Kovalchuk to one assist and three shots on net. He potted his first goal of the season -- an empty-netter with 1:02 left in regulation, and he assisted on Green's first-period goal.

"I saw [Rolston] first and he drove to the net and opened up a lane and then I saw Travis," said Zamuner.

Sullivan said he was happy to see offense from so many different sources.

"These guys are the foot soldiers of our team and they do a lot of the little things that don't show up on the scoresheet but are so important to a team's success," he said. "When those guys can get rewarded in that regard, I think it's great. That's never an easy thing, to step up like that. I thought Zam had a real solid game tonight."

Zamuner and his teammates acknowledge this is a very important week because they face three straight Eastern Conference division leaders -- with Toronto up tonight at the FleetCenter and Philadelphia in town Saturday -- and they're determined to turn around their fortunes.

"When we were winning those games, our play started to slip at the end," he said. "What's been discouraging is giving up points. We've still been getting points, but we really should get 2 points. In the playoffs, if we're going to be successful, we have to win those type of games."

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Slumping Samsonov

Sergei Samsonov continues to struggle offensively. The left wing has no goals in his last 10 games . . . For the first time this season, the Bruins didn't take a penalty the entire game. The Thrashers had six minutes in penalties.

 

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Boston Herald 12.4.03

Boston Herald 12.4.03

The main article was on Zamuner and it was too much like the Globe article so I skipped it...

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No outlet to plug into

At one point recently, the Bruins power play was clicking at nearly 50 percent. The B's have since cooled off - considerably.

Over the last four games, they are 0-for-14 with the man advantage, including an 0-for-3 effort against the Thrashers. Sullivan pointed out the problem.

``When we establish that point shot, it breaks coverage down and a lot can happen. If you don't shoot the puck, you become a lot easier to defend,'' he said. ``From my experience, the best power plays are the ones that shoot the puck from the points, they get bodies to the net and outman them on the rebound. A lot of goals are those 3-foot goals. When we had a power play that was successful, we were getting those goals.''

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Turn up the heat

With his second-period goal, Grosek now has three on the year, one more than all of last year.

`Yeah, that was embarrassing last year, wasn't it?'' he said. . . .

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Green will ride a two-game goal-scoring streak into tonight's game at the FleetCenter against his former employers, the Toronto Maple Leafs.