Down the Frozen River

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  • Bruins first line bedevils New Jersey, 5-1

    The Boston Bruins are flirting with the 100-point plateau this season after their 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday.

    Boston can reach 100 points on the season in Saturday night’s tango with the Florida Panthers as the B’s roll on with their four-game road trip.

    Patrice Bergeron had two goals in Thursday’s effort, while David Pastrnak, Danton Heinen and David Backes each added a goal and Brad Marchand had three assists for Boston.

    Drew Stafford had the lone goal for the Devils.

    Tuukka Rask (26-10-5 record, 2.35 goals against average, .918 save percentage in 42 games played) made 21 saves on 22 shots against (.955 SV%) in the win for the Bruins.

    New Jersey goaltender, Cory Schneider (5-12-3, 3.18 GAA, .898 SV% in 23 GP) stopped 22 out of 26 shots faced for an .846 SV% in the loss after entering Thursday night, 3-1-1, in his last five home games.

    The Bruins improved to 45-20-9 (99 points) on the season and in control of 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, while the Devils fell to 27-39-9 (63 points) and remain last (8th) in the Metropolitan Division.

    Boston also improved to 17-13-6 on the road this season, 30-6-5 when scoring first this season and 27-1-3 when leading after two periods.

    Bruce Cassidy told reporters he wasn’t going to make any changes to his lineup for Boston on Thursday, while also informing them that Kevan Miller (upper body), Marcus Johnasson (lung contusion) and Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) would all be joining the club in Florida on Friday.

    There’s a chance all three skaters rejoin the lineup for Saturday night’s matchup against the Florida Panthers.

    Meanwhile, Torey Krug (concussion) skated on his own after morning skate on Thursday, but is not yet ready to return to game action.

    Paul Carey served as the only healthy scratch for the Bruins on Thursday.

    Late in the first period, Bergeron (29) scored the game’s first goal after the B’s alternate captain received a pass from Pastrnak and buried the puck while Schneider was caught in desperation behind the play– diving across the crease.

    Pastrnak (36) and Marchand (57) had the assists on Bergeron’s goal and the Bruins led, 1-0, at 18:34 of the first period.

    After 20 minutes of play, Boston led, 1-0, on the scoreboard and was tied in shots on goal with New Jersey, 7-7.

    The Devils led in blocked shots (5-2), giveaways (6-0) and hits (13-6), while the Bruins held the advantage in takeaways (5-2) and face-off win percentage (67-33). Neither team had yet to see time on the power play entering the first intermission.

    Almost midway through the second period, Steven Santini cross checked Pastrnak and was assessed a two-minute minor penalty at 8:58.

    Boston did not convert on their first power play opportunity of the night.

    A couple of minutes after the power play expired, Pastrnak (32) made it a two-goal game with a goal shortly after the Bruins won a face-off in the offensive zone at 12:58 of the second period.

    Marchand (58) and Bergeron (41) tallied the assists on Pastrnak’s goal and the B’s led, 2-0.

    For the 2nd consecutive game, the Bruins increased their lead to two-goals after scoring the first goal of the game.

    Almost two minutes later, former Bruin, Stafford (3) got a quick one-timer past Rask as the Boston goaltender dove across the crease a la Schneider back in the first period after the Bruins flubbed an attempt to clear the puck out of the defensive zone.

    Stafford’s goal– his first in 35 games– cut the lead in half, 2-1, and was assisted by Pavel Zacha (7) at 14:51 of the second period.

    Zacha had his first point for the Devils in his first game back since missing the last 16 games due to injury.

    Through 40 minutes of play, Boston led, 2-1, on the scoreboard and, 16-15, in shots on goal. Boston also maintained an advantage in face-off win% (67-33), while New Jersey led in blocked shots (11-4), giveaways (8-0) and hits (23-11).

    Both teams managed five takeaways aside after two periods and the Bruins were 0/1 on the power play entering the second intermission.

    Sean Kuraly blocked a shot less than a minute into the third period and the puck caromed off the Bruins forward back into the neutral zone and onto Heinen’s stick blade.

    Heinen (10) beat Schneider high on the blocker side on the ensuing breakaway 29 seconds into the third period.

    Boston led, 3-1, thanks to Heinen’s goal. Kuraly (13) was tabbed with the only assist in the effort.

    Less than a minute later, Blake Coleman was penalized for interference at 1:21 of the third period.

    Boston’s resulting power play was cut short when Pastrnak committed his own interference infraction at 3:01.

    Despite an abbreviated skater advantage for New Jersey after a brief 21 seconds of 4-on-4 action, the Devils did not score on their only power play of the night.

    Travis Zajac hooked Bergeron at 7:11 and served a two-minute minor penalty, but the B’s did not capitalize on their third and final power play opportunity of the evening.

    With about two minutes left in regulation, Devils head coach, John Hynes, pulled his goaltender for an extra attacker.

    Bergeron (30) pocketed the empty net goal– his second goal of the game– for Boston from the neutral zone at 18:42, while Marchand (59) and David Krejci (45) were credited with the assists.

    With his 30th goal of the season, Bergeron reached the 30-goal plateau for the 5th time in his 15-year NHL career and for the first time in back-to-back seasons.

    He became the 4th player to record at least three 30-goal seasons after age 30 in Bruins franchise history, joining Johnny Bucyk (7x), Phil Esposito (4x) and Rick Middleton (3x).

    Bergeron also became the 3rd 30-goal scorer for Boston this season, joining his linemates, Pastrnak and Marchand, as the Bruins have now had at least three players with 30 or more goals in consecutive seasons since last season.

    Marchand, meanwhile, became the first Bruins player to record 90-plus points in a season (31-59–90 totals) since Marc Savard did so with 22-74–96 totals in 2006-07.

    With almost 20 seconds left in regulation, Backes (6) fired a shot past Schneider’s glove from near the goal line along the boards to make it a four-goal lead for Boston, 5-1.

    Noel Acciari (7) had the only assist on Backes’ first goal in 23 games.

    At the final horn the Bruins secured the, 5-1, victory and finished the night leading in shots on goal (27-23), as well as face-off win% (53-47).

    New Jersey capped off Thursday night leading in blocked shots (15-7), giveaways (9-1) and hits (26-14).

    The Devils went 0/1 on the power play, while the B’s finished 0/3 on the skater advantage.

    Boston is now 2-0-0 on their current four-game road trip and outscoring their opponents, 10-1.

    The Bruins head to Florida on Saturday and Tampa next Monday before returning home to face the New York Rangers on March 27th. Boston hosts the Florida Panthers on March 30th before traveling to Detroit on the 31st to close out the month.

  • Bruins at Devils Preview: 3/21/2019

    The Boston Bruins (44-20-9, 97 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division) continue their four-game road trip after a, 5-0, shutout of the New York Islanders on Tuesday with a Thursday night matchup against the New Jersey Devils (27-38-9, 63 points, 8th in the Metropolitan Division).

    New Jersey is coming off a, 4-1, loss to the Washington Capitals on home ice on Tuesday and is 1-1-0 against the Bruins this season, including a, 5-2, win in Boston on Dec. 27th and a, 1-0, loss at TD Garden on March 2nd.

    Thursday night marks the final time the two clubs will see each other in the 2018-19 regular season.

    It’s also a homecoming for New Jersey native and B’s defender, Connor Clifton, as he will once again be in the lineup for the Bruins while Matt Grzelcyk, Torey Krug and Kevan Miller remain out of the action.

    Former Devil, John Moore, makes his return to Prudential Center as a member of the Bruins, while trade deadline acquisition Marcus Johansson will not be available for Thursday night’s action in Boston’s first game in New Jersey since trading for Johansson.

    Grzelcyk (upper body), Miller (upper body) and Johansson (lung contusion) will join the Bruins in Florida on Friday ahead of their Saturday night battle with the Panthers and could all be back in the lineup at that time.

    Krug (concussion) skated on his own after morning skate on Thursday and remains out of game action.

    Boston head coach, Bruce Cassidy, indicated there would be no lineup changes, while Paul Carey remains the only healthy scratch and Tuukka Rask (25-10-5 record, 2.39 goals against average, .917 save percentage in 41 games played) will get the start in net against the Devils.

    Rask had a 20-save shutout in Boston’s, 1-0, win over New Jersey earlier this month.

    Across the ice, Pavel Zacha returns to the lineup for the Devils after missing 16 games with an upper body injury. New Jersey is 2-8-1 in their last 11 games and has already been eliminated from postseason contention this year.

    Facing a lot of injuries to the roster, Josh Jacobs was recalled from the Binghamton Devils (AHL) and will make his NHL debut and wear No. 40 for New Jersey on Thursday, while Nathan Bastian (upper body), Jesper Bratt (lower body), Taylor Hall (lower body), Nico Hischier (upper body), Mirco Mueller (upper body), Miles Wood (lower body), Kyle Palmieri (upper body) and Will Butcher (illness) remain inactive.

    Devils head coach, John Hynes, indicated Cory Schneider (5-11-3, 3.13 GAA, .901 SV% in 22 GP) would get the start for New Jersey against Boston.

    Schneider is 2-6-3 in his career against the Bruins, allowing 27 goals against, while amassing a 2.51 GAA in 646 minutes played. He is also 5-4-1 in his past 10 games (nine starts) and has a 2.09 GAA and .934 SV% in that span.

    Backup goaltender, Mackenzie Blackwood (7-9-0, 2.71 GAA, .915 SV% in 19 GP) is 1-1-0 this season against the B’s and allowed three goals on 72 shots against with a 1.52 GAA.

  • DTFR Podcast #150- Improper Twelve

    DTFR Podcast #150- Improper Twelve

    The DTFR Duo runs through some Tampa Bay Lightning franchise records, Conor McGregor reactions, hands out more awards, fixes the NHL and takes a look at how things are shaping up in the Pacific Division for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Stitcher and/or on Spotify. Support the show onPatreon.

  • Team effort lifts Bruins over Islanders, 5-0

    Sean Kuraly scored two goals in the Boston Bruins’, 5-0, victory over the New York Islanders to kick off Boston’s four-game road trip on Tuesday night at NYCB Live.

    Tuukka Rask (25-10-5 record, 2.39 goals against average, .917 save percentage in 41 games played) made 13 saves on 13 shots against for his 4th shutout of the season in the win for Boston.

    Islanders goaltender, Robin Lehner (20-12-5, 2.27 GAA, .925 SV% in 39 GP) stopped 34 out of 39 shots faced for an .872 SV% in the loss.

    The Bruins improved to 44-20-9 (97 points) on the season and remain 2nd in the Atlantic Division, while New York fell to 42-24-7 (91 points) and 2nd in the Metropolitan Division.

    The B’s are now 16-13-6 on the road this season and 8-0-0 in their last eight trips to New York against the Isles. In addition to dropping their last eight games on home ice to the Bruins, New York is 1-11-0 in their last 12 games and 2-11-1 in their last 14 games against Boston.

    Boston is also 29-6-5 when scoring first this season and 26-1-3 when leading after two periods.

    Bruce Cassidy provided several updates on his long list of injuries before Tuesday night’s action, revealing that Kevan Miller (upper body) would not travel with the team, while Marcus Johansson (lung contusion) and Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) would rejoin the lineup sometime on the road trip.

    Torey Krug (concussion) was feeling better and will travel with the team, but has not been cleared to return to action.

    David Pastrnak, in the meantime, was back in the lineup since having surgery on a tendon in his left thumb and was placed in his usual spot on the first line right wing with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.

    As a result of Pastrnak’s return, Danton Heinen slid down to the third line left wing alongside Kuraly at center and Chris Wagner on the right side.

    Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and Charlie Coyle remained a trio on the second line and Joakim Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and David Backes were unchanged.

    On defense, Cassidy left belated birthday boy (who turned 42-years-old on Monday), Zdeno Chara, with Charlie McAvoy on the first defensive pair, while moving Connor Clifton up to the left side of Brandon Carlo on the second blue line pair.

    John Moore suited up alongside Steven Kampfer to round out the defense.

    Kuraly (7) kickstarted the action early on the road with his first goal in 23 games as he sent the puck past Lehner to give the Bruins a, 1-0, lead at 1:12 of the first period.

    McAvoy (19) had the only assist on Kuraly’s first goal since Jan. 17th.

    Boston came out of the gates roaring and dominated the pace of play, outshooting New York, 14-2, after 20 minutes of action.

    The Islanders led in blocked shots (9-5), giveaways (6-3) and face-off win percentage (53-47) heading into the first intermission, while the Bruins led in takeaways (5-1) and hits (11-10).

    Both teams had yet to see any time on the skater advantage entering the second period.

    Four seconds into the middle frame, Chara squared off with Matt Martin and the two veteran NHLers exchanged fisticuffs. The 42-year-old captain of the B’s became the first player 42 or older to earn a fighting major since Mark Recchi (42 years, 285 days old) did so on Nov. 13, 2010 with the Bruins.

    Chara’s birthday was on Monday.

    After Cal Clutterbuck turned the puck over in his own defensive zone, Acciari (4) scooped up the rubber biscuit and sent it past Lehner’s left pad to give Boston a two-goal lead at 2:52 of the second period.

    Acciari’s goal was unassisted and made it, 2-0, Bruins.

    Almost midway through the middle frame, Pastrnak was penalized for high-sticking Adam Pelech— in Pelech’s 200th career NHL game– at 7:27.

    The Islanders did not convert on the ensuing power play and recorded one shot on goal.

    Late in the period, Kuraly (8) delivered again with his second goal of the game off a wraparound pass from Heinen.

    The Bruins led, 3-0, at 16:17 of the second period and Heinen (21) had the only assist on the goal.

    A little over a minute later, Pelech hooked Chara and received a minor infraction at 17:46. Boston did not score on the resulting power play opportunity.

    Through 40 minutes of play, the Bruins led, 3-0, on the scoreboard and, 24-8, in shots on goal. Boston also held the advantage in takeaways (8-4) and face-off win% (53-48), while New York led in blocked shots (16-6), giveaways (17-7) and hits (20-18).

    Both clubs were 0/1 on the power play entering the third period.

    Early in the final frame of regulation, Bergeron (28) received a pass from Nordstrom and sniped a shot into the twine to make it, 4-0, Boston.

    Nordstrom (4) and Moore (8) tallied the assists on Bergeron’s goal at 6:32 of the third period.

    Less than a couple minutes later, DeBrusk was guilty of hooking Islanders forward, Anthony Beauvillier, and cut a rut to the penalty box at 8:11.

    Upon leaving the box, DeBrusk capitalized on a flubbed play back to the point for New York and had a quick breakaway entering the attacking zone for Boston.

    DeBrusk (23) scored top shelf on Lehner’s glove side to give the B’s a five-goal lead, 5-0, at 10:20 of the third period on an unassisted effort.

    There were no more goals or penalties thereafter as the Bruins downed the Islanders, 5-0, at the final horn.

    Boston finished the night leading in shots on goal, 39-13, as well as face-off win% (53-47). New York wrapped up the blowout loss with the advantage in blocked shots (20-9), giveaways (22-12) and hits (23-20).

    The Islanders went 0/2 on the power play on Tuesday, while the Bruins finished 0/1 on the skater advantage.

    The Bruins swing through New Jersey on Thursday, Florida on Saturday and Tampa next Monday before returning home to face the New York Rangers on March 27th. Boston hosts the Florida Panthers on March 30th before traveling to Detroit on the 31st to close out the month.

    In their head-to-head season series, Cassidy’s crew swept Barry Trotz and his Islanders bunch, 3-0-0, in the regular season.

  • Bruins at Islanders Preview: 3/19/2019

    Coming off a, 2-1, overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Boston Bruins (43-20-9, 95 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division) pay a visit to NYCB Live to take on the New York Islanders (42-23-7, 91 points, 1st in the Metropolitan Division).

    The Bruins lead the season series against the Islanders, 2-0-0, this season as the two clubs are set to meet for the final time in the regular season Tuesday night.

    Boston beat New York, 2-1, in a shootout on Nov. 29th and, 3-1, on Feb. 5th.

    Bruce Cassidy provided some updates on Monday after practice in regards to the long list of injuries the Bruins have had. The B’s head coach indicated while David Pastrnak was back at full practice on Monday, he could be ready to play on Tuesday or on Thursday if he is not ready to go after Tuesday’s morning skate.

    Cassidy also gave updates on Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) and Marcus Johansson (lung contusion), indicating the two players could play at some point on the latest road trip for Boston, but not likely on Tuesday.

    Meanwhile, Torey Krug (concussion) was feeling better and will travel with the club on the trip, but is not set to return to the lineup yet.

    Finally, Kevan Miller (upper body) will not travel with the team on their four-game road trip.

    If Pastrnak is indeed back in the lineup for the Bruins on Tuesday, Cassidy plans on reinserting him on the first line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.

    Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and Charlie Coyle would likely remain together as a unit on the second line, while Danton Heinen would slide down to the third line left wing alongside Sean Kuraly and David Backes.

    Joakim Nordstrom, Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner would fill out the fourth line as they have done so for the last couple of games.

    Cassidy will start goaltender, Tuukka Rask (24-10-5 record, 2.45 goals against average, .916 save percentage in 40 games played), in the crease for Boston against the Islanders.

    New York is 0-5-1 in their last six games and has not beaten the Bruins on home ice in seven games dating back to 2013 (0-7-0). The Isles are 1-10-0 in their last 11 home games, while the Bruins are 15-13-6 on the road this season.

    Not only would a win for New York mark an impressive feat, but it could give them a two-point lead over the Washington Capitals (42-23-7, 91 points) who sit 2nd in the Metropolitan Division– tied in points with the Islanders, but trailing by virtue of having a worse record against New York this season as both teams are tied in points, games played and regulation-plus-overtime wins.

    A win for Boston could help spur a large cushion over the 3rd place in the Atlantic Division, Toronto Maple Leafs (43-24-5, 91 points). The Bruins cannot surpass the Tampa Bay Lightning in the standings as the Bolts have a 21-point lead over the B’s with 10 games remaining in the regular season for Boston.

    As a result, Tampa (56-13-4, 116 points) has clinched the President’s Trophy and Atlantic Division regular season title.

    Islanders head coach, Barry Trotz, has not indicated which of his goaltenders will get the start on Tuesday, but Robin Lehner (20-11-5, 2.19 GAA, .927 SV% in 38 GP) has been the backup to Thomas Greiss (22-12-2, 2.21 GAA, .928 SV% in 40 GP) in the last three games since returning from an upper body injury.

    Lehner could likely get the start if Trotz is looking to balance this week’s workload with Greiss against much hungrier playoff bubble teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday or Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday as the Islanders head out on a two-game road trip following the game against Boston on Tuesday.

    Adam Pelech and Tom Kuhnhackl are set to appear in their 200th career NHL games, while Casey Cizikas is a game-time decision according to Trotz.

    Former Bruin, Johnny Boychuk, missed Sunday’s game– his fourth straight– for the Islanders with an upper body injury.

    Boston took home the, 2-1, overtime win on Saturday night at TD Garden against the Blue Jackets thanks to Brad Marchand’s 31st goal (assisted by Patrice Bergeron, 40) of the season at 3:30 of the overtime period.

    Bergeron (27, assisted by Marchand, 56, and David Krejci, 44) also had a goal for the Bruins and reached 800 points in his NHL career, while Matt Duchene (30, assisted by Markus Nutivaara, 13, and David Savard, 12) had the lone goal for Columbus.

    Jaroslav Halak (19-10-4, 2.29 GAA, .925 SV% in 36 GP) made 24 saves on 25 shots against for a .960 SV% in the overtime win for Boston, while Joonas Korpisalo (9-6-3, 2.91 GAA, .901 SV% in 24 GP) stopped 31 out of 33 shots faced for a .939 SV% in the overtime loss for the Blue Jackets.

  • Blue Jackets at Bruins Preview: 3/16/2019

    The Boston Bruins (42-20-9, 93 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division) return home to TD Garden on Saturday to face the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets (40-28-3, 83 points, 5th in the Metropolitan Division) in their second matchup of the season.

    Columbus defeated Boston, 7-4, on Tuesday (March 12th) and will host the B’s at Nationwide Arena on April 2nd in their final regular season meeting between the two clubs.

    Boone Jenner recorded his first career hat trick (and 100th career NHL goal) in the Blue Jackets’ win against the B’s as Columbus grabbed the 1-0-0 season series lead.

    The Bruins went 0-3-0 on their most recent three-game road trip prior to returning to TD Garden where they have gone 10-0-0 in their last ten home games– outscoring opponents, 36-19, in that span.

    Boston carries a long list of injuries into Saturday night’s matchup, but head coach, Bruce Cassidy, will be getting one important top-six forward back in his lineup as Jake DeBrusk will return from a lower body injury that kept him out of the last five games to his usual spot on the second line left wing alongside David Krejci.

    Charlie Coyle will remain on Krejci’s right side.

    Cassidy adjusted his bottom-six forward lines at morning skate, placing Paul Carey on the left side of Sean Kuraly with Chris Wagner on Kuraly’s right side.

    Joakim Nordstorm, Noel Acciari and David Backes also took morning rushes together and will likely fill out the fourth line in Saturday night’s game against the Blue Jackets.

    Zdeno Chara will remain paired with Charlie McAvoy on the blue line, while John Moore continues to hold Torey Krug’s usual spot on the second pairing with Brandon Carlo.

    Krug remains out of the lineup with an upper body injury and was placed in concussion protocol, as announced by the Bruins after morning skate on Saturday.

    Steven Kampfer and Connor Clifton will fill out the rest of the blue line as Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) should resume skating next week and Kevan Miller (upper body) is still a ways off.

    Miller is “feeling better, but not ready to skate yet,” according to Cassidy.

    Marcus Johansson should join Grzelcyk in his return to skating at practice next week, while David Pastrnak will participate in full practice on Monday and likely return to the lineup next Tuesday (March 19th) against the New York Islanders in Long Island.

    Pending an official transaction prior to puck drop, Trent Frederic appears to be the only healthy scratch for Boston on Saturday.

    In goal, Jaroslav Halak (18-10-4 record, 2.33 goals against average, .924 save percentage in 35 games played) will get the start for the Bruins against Columbus.

    Tuukka Rask gets the night off after a, 4-3, loss in Winnipeg on Thursday.

    Blue Jackets head coach, John Tortorella, is expected to start backup goaltender, Joonas Korpisalo (9-6-2, 2.97 GAA, .899 SV% in 23 GP) against Boston on Saturday after Sergei Bobrovsky (31-22-1, 2.71 GAA, .909 SV% in 54 GP) picked ups his 30th career shutout in Friday night’s, 3-0, win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

    Columbus did not have a morning skate in Boston on Saturday, so the starting goaltender against the Bruins cannot officially be confirmed until warmups.

    After making his return to Boston with the New York Rangers earlier this season, Blue Jackets trade deadline acquisition and former Bruin, Adam McQuaid, will make his debut at TD Garden with the team that originally selected him (Columbus) 55th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft.

    McQuaid has 3-3–6 totals in 44 games with the Blue Jackets and Rangers this season since being traded by the Bruins on Sept. 11, 2018.

    Columbus has won three out of their last four games and is 4-4-0 in the month of March.

    Boston is 4-3-0 so far this month.

  • Game of the week: March 11-17

    We’re definitely starting to get close to the Stanley Cup Playoffs now! As of the completion of last night’s games, three teams (Detroit, New Jersey and Ottawa) have already been eliminated from postseason contention, and even more will surely join that list by next week’s featured matchup.

    Of course, the only way to figure out which teams those are is by playing out the schedule. Here’s this week’s NHL offerings:

    NHL SCHEDULE: March 11-17
    TIME (ALL TIMES EASTERN) VISITOR HOST NATIONAL BROADCAST(S)/
    Result
    Monday, March 11
    7 p.m. Tampa Bay Toronto 6-2
    7 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders 0-2
    7 p.m. Ottawa Philadelphia 2-3
    8 p.m. San Jose Minnesota 3-0
    8:30 p.m. Arizona Chicago 1-7
    9 p.m. Carolina Colorado 3-0
    9 p.m. New York Rangers Edmonton Oilers 2-3 (OT)
    Tuesday, March 12
    7 p.m. Dallas Buffalo 2-0
    7 p.m. Washington Pittsburgh 3-5
    7 p.m. Boston Columbus 4-7
    7:30 p.m. Detroit Montréal 1-3
    8 p.m. Arizona St. Louis 3-1
    8 p.m. San Jose Winnipeg 5-4
    9 p.m. New Jersey Calgary 4-9
    10 p.m. Nashville Anaheim 2-3
    Wednesday, March 13
    7 p.m. Chicago Toronto 5-4
    9:30 p.m. New Jersey Edmonton 6-3
    10 p.m. New York Rangers Vancouver Canucks 1-4
    Thursday, March 14
    7 p.m. Pittsburgh Buffalo 5-0
    7 p.m. Montréal Canadiens New York Islanders 1-2
    7 p.m. Washington Philadelphia 5-2
    7:30 p.m. St. Louis Ottawa 0-2
    7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay Detroit 5-4
    8 p.m. Dallas Minnesota 4-1
    8 p.m. Boston Winnipeg 3-4
    10 p.m. Anaheim Arizona 1-6
    10:30 p.m. Nashville Los Angeles 3-1
    10:30 p.m. Florida San Jose 4-2
    Friday, March 15
    7 p.m. Philadelphia Toronto 6-7
    7 p.m. Carolina Columbus 0-3
    8 p.m. Vegas Dallas 2-1
    9 p.m. Anaheim Colorado 5-3
    9 p.m. New York Rangers Calgary Flames 1-5
    10 p.m. New Jersey Vancouver 3-2 (SO)
    Saturday, March 16
    1 p.m. St. Louis Pittsburgh NHLN, TVAS
    1 p.m. New York Islanders Detroit Red Wings  
    4 p.m. Florida Los Angeles  
    7 p.m. Calgary Winnipeg ESPN+
    7 p.m. Columbus Boston ESPN+
    7 p.m. Chicago Montréal CITY, TVAS
    7 p.m. Toronto Ottawa CBC, SN1, TVAS2
    7 p.m. Washington Tampa Bay NHLN
    7 p.m. Buffalo Carolina  
    8 p.m. New York Rangers Minnesota Wild  
    10 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Arizona Coyotes CBC, CITY, SN, SN1
    10:30 p.m. Nashville San Jose ESPN+
    Sunday, March 17
    3 p.m. New Jersey Colorado SN1
    5 p.m. St. Louis Buffalo NHLN
    6 p.m. New York Islanders Minnesota Wild ESPN+
    7 p.m. Vancouver Dallas SN
    7:30 p.m. Philadelphia Pittsburgh NBCSN, TVAS
    9 p.m. Florida Anaheim  
    10 p.m. Edmonton Vegas NBCSN

    Another fun week of NHL action, no?

    After all, we’ve been treated to a little bit of rivalry action already when the Capitals visited Pittsburgh and the Red Wings headed to Montréal on Tuesday, not to mention Wednesday’s Original Six contest featuring Chicago at Toronto.

    The hatred continued Thursday when the Caps headed to the City of Brotherly Love and will resume today with the Hawks in Montréal and the Battle of Ontario. Finally, the Battle of the Keystone State will clean up this week’s derby action tomorrow night.

    We were also treated to more than a few playoff rematches from last season, though it must be asked if they’re all that exciting anymore since we’re so close to this year’s postseason.

    It’s all about the Capitals and Penguins in that department this week, starting with their Tuesday night tilt in a rematch of the Eastern Semifinals. Washington then heads to Tampa tonight in a rematch of the Eastern Finals, while the Pens host Philly tomorrow in a rematch of the First Round.

    Finally, this week’s homecoming king is none other than LW Antoine Roussel, who spent the first six seasons of his NHL career in Dallas before signing with the Canucks this offseason. He’ll play his first-ever road game at American Airlines Center tomorrow.

    Players also making important returns this week include F Jacob de La Rose (he was a second-round pick by the Habs in 2013) and C Ryan O’Reilly (he spent three seasons with the Sabres before being traded to St. Louis this offseason).

    However, we can throw all of this information out of the window, as I’m instead choosing to feature the tilt fellow DtFR writer Colby Kephart and I are taking this evening featuring his beloved Sabres taking on the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes.

    The growing pains for the 30-31-9 Buffalo Sabres have been all too real this season, but the fact that they’re having them should mean the club is growing, right?

    Of course, we all remember the Sabres’ unbelievable 10-game winning streak they experienced throughout almost the entire month of November.

    However, that winning run is certainly in the rear-view mirror nowadays, as Buffalo is currently riding a six-game losing skid (0-5-1) and boasts a lowly 2-10-2 record in its last 14 outings. Making matters even worse, the Sabres’ attack has been shutout for three-straight games, clocking in at 192:40 since their last non-shootout goal.

    As might be indicated by a shutout streak of that magnitude, offense has been the Sabres’ biggest struggle of late. That’s not to say the 3.79 goals or 35.07 shots they’re allowing on average since February 15 is OK (those stats respectively rank third and fourth-worst in the NHL in that time), but the Sabres’ 2.07 goals per game in the past month ranks second-worst in the league and simply must improve to something closer to their 2.71 season average if they want to end their campaign on a positive note.

    In the Sabres’ defense, they have been without their captain, C Jack Eichel, while he’s been suspended for the last two games for an illegal hit to F Carl Soderberg‘s head. That being said, even his 7-4-11 production in his past 12 outings is still slightly off his expected pace. On the season, he’s managed 25-47-72 points in 65 games and looks to be on pace for his first season averaging more than a point per game.

    With his return to the ice, Head Coach Phil Housley will have high expectations that his club’s top line and first power play unit should rediscover its groove. If that proves to be the case, F Jeff Skinner (36-22-58 on the season, 2-5-7 since February 15) and RW Jason Pominville (15-13-28 on the season, 2-3-5 in his last 14 appearances) should see their numbers get back on pace as well.

    You’re hard pressed to find a hotter team in the NHL right now than the 38-26-7 Carolina Hurricanes, the Eastern Conference’s current first wild card.

    Despite losing last night in Columbus 3-0, Carolina has rattled off an impressive 16-5-2 record in its past 23 outings and is drawing ever nearer to ending its nine-year playoff drought by qualifying for the postseason for the sixth time in Hurricanes history (14th if the Hartford Whalers’ eight Stanley Cup Playoff appearances are included).

    While the Canes are certainly finding success in almost every facet of the game during this run, their most impressive strength, at least in my opinion, has been that of their defense. A point of emphasis even before Rod Brind’Amour took over head coaching responsibilities, Carolina has allowed an average of only 28.61 shots against per game since January 20, the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference and third-best in the league in that time.

    Leading the defensive charge for the Hurricanes during this run has been none other than D Calvin de Haan (2.5 hits per game in his last 20 appearances) and D Jaccob Slavin (1.7 blocks per game and 21 takeaways since January 20).

    Unfortunately, de Haan suffered an eye injury in Colorado on Monday and will likely remain out of the lineup this evening. Taking up de Haan’s role as the rough-‘n’-tough blueliner has been Slavin’s linemate, D Dougie Hamilton, who’s averaged two hits per game since January 20.

    Of course, the person in PNC Arena most appreciative of that incredible defensive effort is always 17-8-2 G Curtis McElhinney, who’s all but ensured of this evening’s start since 18-13-3 G Petr Mrazek was in net last night in Ohio. McElhinney boasts a .914 save percentage and 2.52 GAA for the season, and that’s almost the exact form he’s shown for his past nine starts to add his last six wins (his GAA is a 2.54 for his last nine outings, two-hundredths of a goal worse than his season mark).

    Especially after last night’s poor outing, it’s hard to pick against the Hurricanes this evening. Having already won their first two meetings with the Sabres this season, Carolina will have its sights set on completing the season sweep and staying ahead of Columbus and Montréal in the playoff race.

    That being said, just because the Canes have won the last two meetings doesn’t mean they were easy victories. Both tilts ended with only one goal separating the winner and loser, including their last meeting on February 7 in Buffalo that required overtime.

    Being the better rested team that is regaining its captain, the Sabres will surely show their teeth this evening, but Carolina should still escape with two points.

  • Jets soar over Bruins, 4-3

    After going on a 19-game point streak, the Boston Bruins have followed that up with a three-game (and counting) losing streak with their 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place on Thursday.

    For the first time since Dec. 1 to Dec. 6, 2018, the Bruins have lost three straight games in regulation.

    Connor Hellebuyck (29-20-2, 3.01 goals against average, .909 save percentage in 53 games played) made 36 saves on 39 shots against for a .923 SV% in the win for the Jets.

    Boston goaltender, Tuukka Rask (24-10-5, 2.45 GAA, .916 SV% in 40 GP) stopped 20 out of 24 shots against for an .833 SV% in the loss.

    The B’s fell to 15-13-6 on the road this season and 4-3-0 in the month of March, while maintaining 2nd place in the Atlantic Division with a 42-20-9 record and 93 points on the season.

    The Jets improved to 41-25-4 (86 points) on the season and remain on top of the Central Division.

    Kevan Miller (upper body), David Pastrnak (left thumb), Jake DeBrusk (lower body), Marcus Johansson (lung contusion), Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) and Torey Krug (upper body) were all out of the lineup for the Bruins due to injury.

    As a result, Paul Carey was called up from the Providence Bruins (AHL) and Connor Clifton was recalled to fill in on the third defensive pairing with Steven Kampfer.

    Carey took over Peter Cehlarik‘s spot on the second line left wing with David Krejci and Charlie Coyle as Cehlarik was reassigned to Providence.

    John Moore was bumped up a pairing on the blue line to that of the second defensive pair alongside Brandon Carlo, while Bruce Cassidy did just about all he could do with the roster he was presented due to a lot of injuries.

    Carey made his debut for the Bruins– his 5th different NHL team in six seasons– and wore No. 34 for Boston. He was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators back in January that sent defender, Cody Goloubef, to the Sens.

    Just over a minute into the action, Blake Wheeler (20) struck first for Winnipeg at 1:08 of the first period while batting the puck out of mid-air off a rebound generated by Patrik Laine.

    Laine (18) and Mark Scheifele (44) had the assists on Wheeler’s goal and the Jets grabbed the lead, 1-0.

    About two minutes later, Scheifele hooked Zdeno Chara and sent the Bruins on the power play for their first and only skater advantage of the night at 3:40 of the first period.

    Boston did not convert on the power play.

    Noel Acciari was penalized midway through the opening frame for holding Jacob Trouba at 10:30, resulting in Winnipeg’s first power play opportunity of the night.

    Less than a minute into the skater advantage, Scheifele (33) worked his way behind the B’s defense and received a pass from Laine on a two-on-one from close range to redirect the puck past Rask at 11:24.

    Winnipeg led, 2-0, thanks to Scheifele’s power play goal. Laine (19) and Wheeler (66) tallied the assists.

    Late in the first period, Charlie McAvoy (6) took a feed from Krejci and slid into the slot before unloading a wrist shot past Hellebuyck’s blocker side to put Boston on the scoreboard and cut the lead in half, 2-1.

    Krejci (42) had the only assist on McAvoy’s goal at 17:23.

    Heading into the first intermission, the Jets led in shots on goal (12-11), blocked shots (8-1), takeaways (1-0) and face-off win percentage (72-28).

    Boston held the advantage in giveaways (4-3) and hits (9-5) through the first 20 minutes of the action. Winnipeg was 1/1 on the power play, while the Bruins were 0/1.

    The Bruins surged in the second period, tying the game, 2-2, at exactly halfway through the middle frame.

    Joakim Nordstrom (6) put home the rebound for his first goal in 24 games after Acciari hacked away at the loose puck.

    Nordstrom’s goal tied the game, 2-2, and was assisted by Acciari (6) and Sean Kuraly (12) at 10:00 of the second period.

    Moments later, Brad Marchand slashed Tyler Myers at 13:41 and sent the Jets back on the power play. Boston’s penalty killing units successfully managed to disarm Winnipeg’s league-leading power play and escaped unharmed heading into the second intermission.

    Boston flat-out dominated the shooting department, 30-19, after 40 minutes of play (including a, 19-7, advantage in the second period alone) and led in giveaways (7-4), as well as hits (14-12).

    Winnipeg held onto the advantage in blocked shots (15-7), takeaways (5-1) and face-off win% (56-44) heading into the 3rd period.

    There were no more penalties called in the final frame of regulation, meaning Winnipeg’s power play finished the night 1/2 on the skater advantage, while Boston’s power play unit went 0/1.

    Trouba (6) powered his way to the net and buried the puck to give the Jets the lead, 3-2, at 7:38 of the third period. Scheifele (45) picked up the only assist on the goal and momentum swung heavily in Winnipeg’s favor.

    Moments later, the Bruins turned over the puck in their own zone– right in the slot– whereby Nikolaj Ehlers (18) capitalized on the chance and made it, 4-2, at 13:02 of the third period.

    Late in the final frame of regulation, Chara blasted a shot from the point that was tipped in by Coyle (11) for his first goal as a Bruin.

    Coyle’s goal pulled Boston to within one, 4-3, and was assisted by Chara (7) and Krejci (43), but it wasn’t enough at 17:04.

    Cassidy pulled his netminder for an extra attacker with almost 90 seconds left in regulation, but the Bruins couldn’t muster a miraculous comeback.

    Though they could stave off an empty net goal from the Jets, the B’s could not force overtime.

    At the sound of the final horn, Winnipeg had won, 4-3.

    The Jets finished the night leading in blocked shots (19-8) and face-off win% (57-44), while the Bruins left Winnipeg leading in shots on goal (39-24), giveaways (12-11) and hits (24-21).

    The Bruins finished 0-3-0 on their three-game road trip and return home to face the Blue Jackets on Saturday before hitting the road next Tuesday (March 19th) against the New York Islanders.

    After the B’s take on the Isles, they swing through New Jersey on March 21st, Florida on March 23rd and Tampa on March 25th.

  • Bruins at Jets Preview: 3/14/2019

    The Boston Bruins (42-19-9, 93 points, 2nd in the Atlantic Division) enter Thursday night on a two-game losing streak as they take on the Winnipeg Jets (40-25-4, 84 points, 1st in the Central Division) coming off a, 7-4, loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

    Winnipeg visited Boston on Jan. 29th and won, 4-3, in a shootout, thereby leading the season series over the Bruins, 1-0-0.

    The Jets also enter Thursday night on a two-game losing skid, as well as a 4-6-0 record in their last ten games, while the B’s enter Bell MTS Place with a 7-2-1 record in their last ten outings.

    Torey Krug (upper body injury) is day-to-day and will be out of the action against the Jets. As a result, Connor Clifton was recalled from the Providence Bruins (AHL) and will likely pair up with Steven Kampfer on the third defensive pairing.

    Bruce Cassidy is expected to bump up John Moore to the second defensive pairing in Krug’s place alongside Brandon Carlo, while Cassidy will also utilize Paul Carey– making his Bruins debut– on the second line with David Krejci and Charlie Coyle.

    Carey was called up from Providence in place of Jake DeBrusk (lower body) who will remain out of the lineup against Winnipeg, but resumed skating on Thursday back at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston.

    The 30-year-old forward has 14-6–20 totals in 21 games with Providence this season and was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in January in exchange for Cody Goloubef.

    He will wear No. 34 for the black-and-gold.

    To fit Carey on the current roster, Peter Cehlarik was reassigned to Providence. Cassidy indicated the decision to send down Cehlarik was primarily a playing-time based decision, with Cehlarik having appeared in a season-low 8:15 time on ice in Tuesday’s loss to Columbus.

    Instead of another low ice-time outing, Cehlarik will rejoin the minor-league Bruins for a matchup on Friday and Saturday, whereas Boston is getting back to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts late on Friday before a game on Saturday and another off day on Sunday.

    Cassidy also provided updates to reporters on Thursday, indicating the team would have an update on Marcus Johansson (lung contusion) next week, Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) is nearing a return (likely on the next road trip) and Kevan Miller (upper body) is still week-to-week.

    David Pastrnak (left thumb) remains skating on his own at practice, but was not given an update to his return.

    In goal for the Bruins on Thursday, Tuukka Rask (24-9-5 record, 2.41 goals against average, .918 save percentage in 39 games played) looks to avenge his early dismissal against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, in which he stopped 19 out of 24 shots faced in 28:09 TOI.

    Connor Hellebuyck (28-20-2, 3.01 GAA, .909 SV% in 52 GP) was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate for the Jets on Thursday and is likely to be Paul Maurice’s starter against Boston for the 2nd time this season.

    Hellebuyck notched the shootout win for Winnipeg in January.

    The Jets are still without the services of Dustin Byfuglien, Josh Morrissey and Joe Morrow against the Bruins.

    Winnipeg is 3-3-0 in the month of March so far and 18-16-0 at home this season. Boston is 4-2-0 this month and 15-12-6 on the road this season.

  • DTFR Podcast #149- SnapFace with Zach Boychuk

    DTFR Podcast #149- SnapFace with Zach Boychuk

    We’re less than a month away from the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, so let’s take a gander at how things should shape up for the Central Division.

    The Tampa Bay Lightning clinched the first postseason berth this season, Quinn Hughes signed his entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks, Shane Wright was granted exceptional status and the DTFR Duo presented the first few individual season awards.

    *Zach Boychuk wasn’t actually on… …this time around, anyway.*

    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Stitcher and/or on Spotify. Support the show onPatreon.