Thursday's Bruins...

[the mugs]

A couple things...This is a 3 games in 4 nights for the B's. They did have yesterday off after back to back wins over Edmonton on Monday & at Buffalo on Tuesday.

Also, Don Sweeney is playing in his 1000th NHL game tonight. I heard there will be a short pre game ceremony, nothing like opening night for Terry O'Reilly but there may be a short delay between the pre game warm ups and the drop of the puck.

Also heard on ESPN's NHL 2Night last night that Peca will return (again) for the Isles. Don't know how much of a factor he will be.


NEW YORK ISLANDERS at
BOSTON BRUINS
Thursday, November 14, 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 Islanders tonight in the first of four games between these clubs this season and the first of two games of this season's series at the FleetCenter. The Bruins are 10-2-2-1 overall and are 4-1-1-0 on home ice thus far this season. The Islanders are 5-10-1-0 overall with a 1-3-1-0 record on the road thus far this season. The Bruins are 1-0-0-0 vs. Atlantic Division opponents this season and are 6-0-1-0 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Islanders are 0-2-0-0 this season vs. Northeast Division opponents and they are 2-7-1-0 overall vs. Eastern Conference foes.

Lifetime Series
The Bruins are 56-38-17-1 lifetime vs. the Islanders with a 396-346 scoring advantage in those 112 games. On home ice, the Bruins are 29-15-10-1 lifetime vs. New York with a 205-158 scoring edge in those 55 games. The Bruins are winless in their last three games vs. the Islanders at 0-1-1-1 with their last win over New York a 4-2 victory in New York on Dec. 22, 2001. They are winless in their last two home games vs. the Islanders at 0-1-0-1 with their last home victory over New York a 4-2 victory on Apr. 7, 2001.

Recent Bruins Games
The Bruins are 4-0-0-1 in their last five games and they have outscored their opponents by a 21-9 margin in that span. They earned 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, a 2-1 overtime loss in Detroit on Nov. 7, a 7-1 win over Ottawa on Nov. 9, a 6-1 victory over Edmonton on Nov. 11 and a 4-3 win in Buffalo on Nov. 12. The Bruins have taken points out of 13 of their last 14 games at 10-1-2-1, 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 Islanders Games
The Islanders had their two-game win streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to Ottawa on Nov. 12. That followed a 4-2 win over Edmonton on Nov. 8 and a 3-2 victory over Dallas on Nov. 10. They are 2-7-0-0 in their last nine games overall.

Upcoming Bruins Games
The Bruins will next face a two-game road trip, playing in Philadelphia on Nov. 16 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio) and in Toronto on Nov. 19 (7:30 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio). They will return home to host Carolina on Nov. 21 (7:00 p.m.; NESN & WBZ Radio).

Upcoming Islanders Games
The Islanders open a five-game road trip tonight. They will continue the trip in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16, Florida on Nov. 20, Tampa Bay on Nov. 21 and NY Rangers on Nov. 23. They will next play at home on Nov. 27 when they host Ottawa.

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

Bruins November Transactions
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.
Nov. 12: Brantt Myhres recalled from Providence/AHL; returned to Providence/AHL after the game.
Nov. 14: Matt Herr recalled from Providence/AHL.

 

[the mugs]

N.Y. Islanders Injuries
Kenny Jonsson D Virus day-to-day
Michael Peca C Knee/Shoulder Early Dec.

Boston Injuries
Sergei Samsonov RW Wrist day-to-day
Martin Lapointe LW Foot Out indefinitely
Kyle McLaren D Holdout Out indefinitely
Mike Knuble, who incurred a mild concussion on Tuesday night, is expected to be in the lineup against the Islanders.

Definition of a mild concussion - A concussion that happens to somebody else. Otherwise, they suck and I have no idea how the pros bounce back like they do.

 

[the mugs]

Recent Meetings
Date Home Away Line ATS
4/4/2002 Bos. 1 NYI 2 0,-220/5.5 NYI/U (01-02)
2/26/2002 NYI 3 Bos. 3 0,-130/5.5 P/O
1/12/2002 Bos. 4 NYI 5 0,-185/5 NYI/O
12/22/2001 NYI 2 Bos. 4 0,-150/5 Bos./O

4/7/2001 Bos. 4 NYI 2 0,-200/5.5 Bos./O (00-01)
3/31/2001 Bos. 4 NYI 2 0,-260/5.5 Bos./O
12/27/2000 NYI 2 Bos. 5 0,110/5.5 Bos./O
10/31/2000 NYI 4 Bos. 2 0,-115/5.5 NYI/O

1/8/2000 Bos. 2 NYI 5 0,-220/5.5 NYI/O (99-00)
1/4/2000 NYI 3 Bos. 7 0,120/5 Bos./O

 

[the mugs]

Recent Trends
NYI are 2-7 ATS & SU in their last nine overall.
The over is 4-1 when NYI's are on the road.
Over is 6-2 when NYI's play on one days rest.
BOS is 4-1 ATS & SU in their last five overall.
The Bruins' last three overall played over.
The over is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings.

 

[the mugs]

From NY Newsday...

From NY Newsday...

Peca To Return Against Boston
Steps it up in contact during practice

November 14, 2002

Boston -- Michael Peca will be back in the lineup for the Islanders tonight against the Bruins at FleetCenter. This time, he is expected to play more than a shift.

The Islanders captain yesterday participated in a rugged practice with his teammates and thought he responded well enough to contact to compete.

The news wasn't supposed to be released until this morning at the team's workout, but loose lips couldn't wait and slipped it last night to a Canadian sports Web site, which cited a source and published it immediately. Newsday confirmed the report with an NHL source. Peca, here with the team, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Earlier in the day after the noticeably aggressive practice session by Peca that was encouraged by coach Peter Laviolette, the coach denied Peca's chance to make an early return and stuck by the early December time frame set last month.

This after plenty of witnesses saw Peca throwing himself and his surgically repaired left knee and left shoulder all around the rink, including into oak-tree forward Jason Wiemer. Peca already tested the shoulder once before when he made a 27-second appearance in the opening shift of a Nov. 2 game against the Blues. He laid a soft hit on rookie defenseman Barret Jackman in a game the Blues wound up winning, 6-1, with Peca remaining on the bench for the rest of the game. The Islanders were criticized for the stunt and Peca promised no more cameos until he was ready to play a full game.

Peca, last season's Selke Award winner, injured his shoulder early last season and suffered a torn ACL when he was submarined by Toronto's Darcy Tucker in Game 5 of the Islanders' first-round playoff series loss last April. He had surgeries on separate dates in late May and after an arduous offseason of rehabilitation, a Dec. 4 return date was made in October. It caused an immediate stir because it suggested that his first game would be Dec. 6 against Tucker and the Maple Leafs at Nassau Coliseum. But apparently, he is well ahead of schedule.

"I'd like to say that, I feel I am ahead of schedule,? he said after the cameo debacle earlier this month. "But the beginning of December puts me ahead of schedule than originally planned. I don't think it's a good idea for me to think I'm going to be back sooner because I may start contact and maybe not feel as comfortable as I'd like to. I'm going to be playing with a different knee and a different shoulder than I've had in years past, so I have to get used to the rigors of contact hockey.?

 

[the mugs]

Boston Globe 11/14/02

Boston Globe 11/14/02

For Samsonov, no shot yet with wrist

WILMINGTON - A week before his 24th birthday, Sergei Samsonov was on course to be one of the most productive Bruins. But though his sixth season started smoothly, a wrist sprain that has prevented him from playing since Oct. 17 will keep him out of action possibly until next month.

The Bruins had anticipated Samsonov's return last Saturday, after he had successfully participated in last Friday's practice session. But the severity of the injury had been underestimated, and Samsonov could not play in the Bruins' 7-1 victory over Ottawa. Samsonov will miss tonight's game against the New York Islanders and Saturday's visit to Philadelphia.

''It's getting better, but we are looking at another week, at least,'' Samsonov said yesterday. ''Instead of day to day, this is something different than what we have been saying the past couple of weeks.''

This has been a test of Samsonov's patience. In six previous seasons, Samsonov had missed a total of 17 games. Samsonov, who converted twice in the first four games this season, including the dramatic last-second goal in a 2-1 win over Colorado Oct. 14, has already been sidelined 11 games this season.

''It is a little more frustrating because I have been playing every day for the last three weeks and we are still looking at another week, at least,'' Samsonov said. ''It's frustrating, for sure, but there is nothing you can do about it. And, at the same time, the team is doing great. So, it is better to let it heal and not worry about it the rest of the season.''

Samsonov trained with Ivan Huml, who did not travel for the Bruins' 4-3 win at Buffalo Tuesday but is expected back tonight, during an optional practice yesterday.

''I have been skating all along for the last four weeks, so that's not a problem,'' Samsonov said. ''I will be fine with conditioning and skating. But I will have to get my timing back, but that will happen as soon as possible after my wrist gets better.''

Samsonov seemed on the verge of returning last week.

''It was good to be skating with the team to see where we are,'' Samsonov said. ''But I was not ready then.

''I had been told 6-8 weeks but that seemed hard to believe. But this is more complex than a knee injury. I definitely feel improvement. The key word is to have a good practice, then get up the next morning and not feel anything.''

Islanders thumbnails

Records: Boston is 10-2-2-1 for 23 points, first in the Northeast; New York is 5-10-1-0 for 11 points, fifth in the Atlantic.

Goals: Alexei Yashin 5, Dave Scatchard 5.

Assists: Roman Hamrlik 10, Shawn Bates 9, Mark Parrish 6.

Goaltenders: Garth Snow (0-4-1, 2.81), Chris Osgood (5-6-0, 3.81).

Head to head

This is the first of four games. The teams went 1-1-1-1 last season.

Miscellany

The Islanders' resurgence last season has been tempered by a poor start ... Team leader Michael Peca, who had left knee surgery in May, made a cameo appearance Nov. 2 against the Blues. He took the opening faceoff and played only 27 seconds ... The pressure is on Russian star Yashin, who is minus-9 in 16 games ... Former BU star Bates leads the team in scoring ... Bruiser Eric Cairns (6 feet 6 inches, 232 pounds) keeps opponents on their toes with a team-high 52 minutes in penalties.

 

[the mugs]

Boston Herald 11/14/02

Boston Herald 11/14/02

B's ace chemistry

WILMINGTON - A chat yesterday with Bruins Hall of Fame goaltender Gerry Cheevers about the healthy value of a friendly and intense goaltending competition, such as the one John Grahame and Steve Shields are currently waging for the red-hot B's, led to a broader discussion about team chemistry.

Grahame and Shields have been able to get along well and make each other better. The same is true of the Bruins as a whole, as the Eastern Conference leaders (10-2-2-1) take a three-game winning streak into tonight's match at the FleetCenter with the struggling New York Islanders (5-10-1-0).

``I think that was the strategy of the organization when we took Steve, to make it a competitive position,'' said Cheevers, now the B's goaltending consultant, at the team's Ristuccia Arena practice facility. ``It's certainly been that way and it's very healthy, as far as I'm concerned. It's like love or money. It's better to have more of them than not enough. And when you have two guys - and it's not only two; the other two guys in the minors (Tim Thomas and Andrew Raycroft at Providence of the AHL) are very capable goaltenders - it makes for a good competition.

``I go back to Reggie (Lemelin) and Andy Moog. That was a friendly and intense competition. Myself and Eddie (Johnston) was the same. So I think it's good. And it goes with the whole concept of this team. This is a terrific group of individuals, people with great character and personalities. You have a team with good chemistry, players with great respect for each other and for the coaching staff - and vice versa. When things are that way on a team, it usually works.''

Make no mistake. There could easily be claims made that Bruins teams are always this way, a one-for-all-and-all-for-one band of brothers. But that's not necessarily so. There have been prominent B's teams on which the stars tended to hang with the stars, and the third- and fourth-line sorts went their own way. There have been players who, it seemed, were nearly as concerned with their individual stats than winning and losing.

Cheevers knows all about how mutual respect and off-ice chemistry translate to on-ice success. The Bruins of the Bobby Orr era, who claimed the team's last Stanley Cup in 1972, were as close-knit a club as the NHL has ever had.

``We had no cliques,'' Cheevers said. ``Bobby would go out with the fourth-line guy, or Phil (Esposito) or whoever. None of that selfish stuff happened, and that's very important. When you play, you've got to have a little fear of not letting your teammate down. When you have that, when everyone does, it goes a long way toward winning.

``Robbie (Ftorek's) philosophy is it's got to be a team thing. No matter who you are or what role you play, it's got to be about the team. You can't win if it's not a team.''

One of the Bruins' true stars, injured winger Sergei Samsonov, readily testifies that Cheevers is absolutely right.

``There's no cliques, nothing like that,'' said Samsonov. ``We play hard together, and we go out to dinner together. It's not like you have three, four guys going here, and three, four going somewhere else. It's the whole team. I know I never played for another team like this. To have a great team, first you have to have character and leadership in the room, a situation where you're almost a part of a family. You know you can trust the guy next to you, you know he's going to be supporting you all the way.

``I don't think there's a bad apple on this team. There isn't a single loner who stands alone and isn't part of the team. Everyone here is after the same goal. We don't have a single bit of selfishness on this team. That's great, and I think it's really rare.''

 

[the mugs]

Injury Update

Injury Update

X-rays for Lapointe

Martin Lapointe will have a new set of X-rays taken of his broken foot today. The winger hopes to be skating within a week. . . .

Winger Mike Knuble, who incurred a mild concussion on Tuesday night, is expected to be in the lineup against the Islanders.

 

[ND2002HORNS]

This is a no play for me mugs. Leaning to NYI but their is better value on the card tonight. GL with your plays!
Check your e-mail. I sent it to Anthony as well.

HORNS

 

[the mugs]

HORNS - I'm passing on the B's myself for three reasons.

First, it's real expensive. My lines are -1/2 (-155) or -1/2 (-175)

Second, it's a 3 in 4 situation

Third, the B's play Philly down there on Saturday and I can see them looking past the "lowly" Islanders and getting kicked in the nuts.

Liking your Sens as Florida played a real physical game last night in Philly.

I will check my e-mail now.

Mugs

 

[ddubs]

With the Bruins playing so well, I don't understand why they don't just put Sergei on the IR for a couple of weeks, instead of putting him as day-to-day and risking further injury by testing it every other day.:shrug:

Good luck tonite, mugs!

 

[the mugs]

Holy Crap HORNS!

Tonights plays

Ottawa -1/2 (-200) over Florida Ouch

C-bus -1/2 (+105) over Anaheim

Calgary -1/2 (+105) over NYR

Good luck!

Mugs

 

[ND2002HORNS]

mugs,

Gotta love those photos I sent ya! GL

HORNS