Tag Archives: Shawn Thornton

Feb 22 2012

Noonan: The Ups And Downs Of Boston Sports

Bobby Valentine has spiced things up in Florida! (Photo Credit: Boston Herald)

By Matt Noonan 

It’s been a while since a dark, stormy cloud drifted over the city of Boston.

For the past few weeks, Bostonians and New Englanders have appeared aggravated and disgusted with their four major professional sports teams because they’ve either struggled or disengaged.

Yet, let’s take a step back and realize that these particular days will pass because Boston is still technically the “City of Champions,” especially since all four major sports teams have won at least one championship in the past 11-years, right?

So, without further ado, let’s take a stroll downtown and check in with the Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox, who’re currently stealing the spotlight from the New England Patriots, who ended their season a few weeks ago in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Thoughts on the Sox: It’s way too early to deem the upcoming Boston Red Sox season a failure, especially since it’s only been two days of pitchers and catchers.

Manager Bobby Valentine has done a rather decent job with the club over the past few days, and appears eager to help everyone improve, especially Daisuke Matsuzaka, who according to the Boston Globe, played catch with his skipper on Monday. However, the highly touted pitcher isn’t expected to return the Fenway Park bump until midseason, as he’s currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Carl Crawford seems focused and determined to improve his performance from last season, despite ending the year with 129 hits, 29 doubles, seven triples, 56 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Also, he struck out 104 times at the plate, too. Yet, similar to Matsuzaka, Valentine doesn’t want to push his leftfielder back into the lineup because he’s currently recovering from surgery on his left wrist.

Finally, a majority of the Sox position players have already arrived in Fort Myers, which is a hopeful sign that they’ve moved on from their chicken and beer rituals from last season. Boston is expected to conduct their first full team workouts on Thursday, and I’m sure after it concludes, we’ll have plenty to discuss around the water cooler in regards to David Ortiz to Cody Ross to Jason Varitek.

The aging Boston Celtics: Literally two weeks ago, I was sitting in the TD Garden watching the Green and White face a Memphis Grizzlies squad that probably should have won this particular clash, especially because they’re younger, quicker, stronger and faster. Although, Kevin Garnett denied the Grizzlies of a much needed win by turning in 22 points and nine rebounds, which helped Boston escape with a 98-80 victory.

Although, ever since that particular day, Boston has endued a 2-6 slump, which includes two losses to a struggling Detroit Pistons team that’ll most likely miss the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Can Danny Ainge salvage the Boston Celtics season? (Photo Credit: Flickr)

The Celtics are a complete mess, and need something or someone to spark their offense and defense, but what exactly should they do?

Should team president Danny Ainge create a blockbuster move or keep the roster intact?

What would Red Auerbach do? OK, that maybe the wrong thing to ask, but really, what would the former coach do in this particular situation?

It’s hard to determine what will happen over the next few weeks, but it’s pretty certain that a change is needed, especially if Boston plans to contend for some hardware in June.

The Bruins need to score goals: Similar to the Celtics, the Bruins are struggling.

They’ve lost two of their last three contests, and registered a goose egg (zero) on the scoreboard for the sixth time this season this past Sunday when the Minnesota Wild blanked them, 2-0 on national television.

However, Boston can salvage their current six-game road trip with wins in St. Louis, Buffalo and Ottawa, which might turn some frowns upside down.

Various reports on Tuesday and Wednesday confirmed that Nathan Horton is expected to remain sidelined, while Rich Peverley continues to be hampered by a knee injury. Also, Shawn Thornton has been battling an illness, which could prevent him from playing against the Blues on Wednesday.

Although, despite the various injuries, as well as bumps and bruises I think, Patrice Bergeron summed it up perfectly when he told the media that his teammates aren’t expecting the front office to locate a “savior” to assist the Bruins, who’re currently on par to snag the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

I don’t think a drastic change is necessary for this particular squad. What Boston needs to do is focus on scoring the first goal, and capitalizing on it. They also need Tim Thomas to keep his mind on hockey, not politics or social media.

The Bruins will be fine, but I’m not ruling out a potential trade that could help Boston in May and June.

Oct 7 2011

Flyers Spoil Bruins Home Opener, 2-1

The New-Look Flyers Defeated Boston on Thursday, 2-1!

By Matt Noonan  

BOSTON, MA – This wasn’t exactly how the Boston Bruins planed to kick-off their 2011-12 season.

After a riveting and exciting pregame ceremony that honored the team’s efforts from last year, the Black and Gold registered just one goal in three periods, which wasn’t enough to stop the re-tooled Philadelphia Flyers, who skated past Boston’s ragtag skaters with a 2-1 victory.

“I still thought we came out fine in the first 10-minutes and then somehow we kind of lost our gem and really got out of sync for at least the last half of that period – even the second period [too],” said Bruins head coach Claude Julien.

“I’m very happy I could help the team to win,” said Flyers right-winger Jakub Voracek, who netted Philadelphia’s second goal during the closing seconds of the first period.

“It’s a long season and [we] just got to keep going and [get] better every game.”

Boston and Philadelphia struggled to gain any momentum during the opening period, but somehow, the Bruins struck first, as Tyler Seguin and Joe Corvo connected with a streaking Brad Marchand, which gave the home team a 1-0 advantage for roughly 10-minutes.

However, the Flyers offense eventually mustered two goals in a span of 50-seconds, as Claude Giroux and Horace beat Tim Thomas to take the lead for good.

“We started out really strong and then things just weren’t clicking as well as they were [in the first 10-minutes],” said Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas. “We have to approach this has a lesson that every game is going to be hard, [and] yeah, we won the Stanley Cup, but that doesn’t mean that it’s just going to happen [again].

“I actually thought we started really well,” said Bruins Shawn Thornton. “The first 15-minutes, we were controlling the pace of play and they got an opportunity. They capitalized, they got another one, they capatailized and then we were down like a pill for the rest of the game.”

While it wasn’t exactly the most enticing contest, the Flyers managed to outshoot the Bruins, 29-23, as well as improve their opening day road record to [19-14-7], while Boston fell to [1-7-1] in their last nine openers, which isn’t

“As much as we weren’t quite in sync, we made some plays. We had some opportunities, [but] we didn’t bury them [and] a couple of times we had some good plays, good decision making, but the one-timers kind of rolled off the stick,” said Julien.

“Overall, I think that our guys had the right attitude going into the game, but I don’t think the rest followed, so it was just one of those nights where you just really got [to] understand the situation and try to get yourself better and hopefully focused in a proper way for next game and we’ll be a better team.”

Both teams will return to the ice on Saturday, as Boston will host Tampa Bay, while Philadelphia will travel to New Jersey.

Jun 7 2011

The Big Bad Bruins are … BACK!

After Monday's game against the Canucks, it's fair to say that the "Big Bad Bruins" are back!

By Matt Noonan 

After watching the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday, I finally came to a consensus on Tuesday morning … the “Big Bad Bruins” have officially returned to Boston.

The city is excited and why shouldn’t it be? The Bruins pounded the Canucks on Monday and have officially climbed back into the series. Although, while Vancouver indeed leads Boston, two games to one, I think it’s fair to say that no one care about the score at this moment, right?

The Big Bad Bruins were your mother and father’s team, but last night, they emulated the stories of the franchise’s past, as Milan Lucic, Mark Recchi and Shawn Thornton reminded us of the glory days and helped the team score eight goals in 60-minutes. Yep, they scored eight points and let’s just say it was wicked awesome.

Yet, why was Game 3 of the Stanley Cup so awesome? Well, here are a few reasons.

Vancouver’s goaltender Roberto Luongo refused to leave his cage after allowing five goals. The Sedin brother’s complained and whined, while Ryan Kessler got his hands dirty with Zdeno Chara and Thornton. Also, various Bruins players constantly harassed Alex Burrows and Max Lapierre all night and yes, both guys were quite relieved once the final horn sounded.

Again, this was the second coming of the Bruins of the ‘70’s. They hit their opponent. They slammed the Canucks into the board and yep, they walloped Vancouver.

Game 4, which will be played on Wednesday at the TD Garden should be exciting, especially since every Bostonian and New Englander is craving more Bruins hockey. The spirit of hockey is alive, but now, all that we need is a parade and Stanley Cup trophy to prove that Black and Gold hockey has officially returned to Massachusetts.

Jun 7 2011

Daily Noontime – June 7, 2011

Shawn Thornton took care of business on Monday, as his toughness paid off against the Vancouver Canucks!

Good Tuesday to everyone and welcome into yet another Daily Noontime! Have a great day and as always, enjoy today’s headlines and news! 

Headlines: 

* Tyler Seguin was a “healthy-scratch” on Monday, which Shawn Thornton the opportunity to suit up and crash the boards for the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

* Monday was a tough evening for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo who watched the puck go by him eight times.

* Vancouver’s Aaron Rome provided an unnecessary hit to Nathan Horton during the first period of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday and yes, the NHL should certainly consider suspending him, right?

* The Miami Heat lead the NBA Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks, 2-1 and a major reason is due to the success of LeBron James.

* Golden State has a brand new head coach for the Warriors, as former NBA player and ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson was hired for three-years.

* It’s official, University of Southern California has been stripped of their 2004 BCS Title against Oklahoma, but what exactly does that mean?

Games to Watch: 

*Oakland at Baltimore (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* Boston at New York Yankees (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati (MLB) – 7:10pm eastern 

* Miami at Dallas (NBA Finals – Game 4) – 9:00pm eastern

Video of the Day: 

It was a wild one at the TD Garden on Monday between Boston and Vancouver! 

Apr 20 2011

Libon: Will the Boston Bruins Disappoint Their Fans One More Time?

Will Boston figure out a way to win a championship in June?

By Dan Libon 

Do you remember the Dan Libon Podcast? Of course you don’t, so why am I mentioning this obscure rarely listened to sports podcast?

The answer is because during the “2010 Year in Review” episode, my friend, colleague and sports media mogul in training, Matt Noonan predicted that there would be four championship parades in Boston during 2011. That’s right, four!

We all know what happened to the Patriots, they lost to the New York Jets in January; so sadly, I don’t expect to see a parade featuring a bunch of overgrown human beings with muscles the size of my head.

It is too early to predict how the Red Sox will finish the 2011 season, especially with all the struggles they have endured thus far, but maybe the great Andy Lindberg could help us answer that particular question.

Andy, your thoughts?

How about the Boston Celtics? They could possibly contend for a NBA championship, right? Doubt it!

Besides the Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox, what about the Bruins, do they have a shot at ending their Stanley Cup drought?

The Boston Bruins are in position to lose yet another NHL playoff series and the person to blame for that is most likely their head coach, Claude Julien.

Julien is the perfect coach for Bruins.

For a group that was never motivated or seemed intent on winning championships, Julien gets the job done. He’s a good coach, but not a great coach. He’ll get your team into the post-season, as well as put fans in the stands, although, that’s really it.

However, couldn’t this be said about Jeremy and Charlie Jacobs?

As long as games are sold out and they’re making money, why does Boston need a sixth Stanley Cup?

Before we begin to destroy the modern day Grady Little, let’s not forget where this team was prior to Julien’s arrival.

The Bruins were decent under other head coaches, but when Julien was hired to lead this bunch of rag tag hockey players, he took a team that was going nowhere and pushed the Montreal Canadiens to the limit during the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. That alone made the next season’s standards incredibly high. Yet, while the Bruins ’08-’09 season was one of their best in franchise history, they did however find a way to lose to Carolina during the second round.

Also, should I mention losing four straight games to Philadelphia last season?

So, while Boston was very excited about being in the playoffs for three back-to-back seasons, sadly, they choked and it seriously hurts.

It’s evident that Julien has no idea how to coach under pressure. Watch him on the sidelines and you’ll notice that no matter how the Bruins play, his emotions never change.

Oh by the way, let’s not compare him to the great Bill Belichick because at least that guy knows how to win championships, right?

I suppose that all Bostonians should consider labeling any coach or team that can’t win the “big one,” a second coming of Grady Little’s Boston Red Sox of ‘03 or should we just blame him?

Although, against Montreal, everyone wants Shawn Thornton to play against the Canadiens, but is it really worth having the Bruins fourth line rack up a few playoff minutes? Again, who truly knows?

Currently the Bruins are trailing the Canadiens in the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it’s certainly possible that they could come back, make a run and everything I have stated would be completely invalid. Yet, at the same time, it’s possible that they choke and there will be a new coach behind the Bruins bench next season.

You can’t blame Julien for all of the Bruins problems. A team’s motivation to win starts at the top and at the top is a group of guys looking at the financial sheets and not the stat sheets.

Apr 6 2011

Bruins Take Down the New York Islanders, 3-2

By Brian Willwerth

BOSTON, MA – The fourth line came up big for the Bruins Wednesday night. Shawn Thornton scored a key goal, Dennis Seidenberg and Gregory Campbell scored 1:08 apart in the second period and Tim Thomas made 30 saves, as the Bruins hung on for a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders at TD Garden.

The first period featured back-and-forth action for the entire 20 minutes, with “entire” being the key word.  Tim Thomas and Rick DiPietro were spectacular between the pipes for their respective teams.  The Bruins had a two-man advantage midway through the period, but couldn’t cash in.

That is, until the final few ticks of the clock, when Shawn Thornton, returning to action for the first time in a week, banged one home past DiPietro with 0.1 left in the period. It was Thornton’s tenth goal of the season.

“There were some lapses,” said Thornton.  “We just have to worry about playing the game, and not worry about who were playing against.”

“I hate watching hockey,” he said of the games he missed due to injury.

It was a huge boost for the Bruins and a backbreaking goal for the Islanders. The Bruins outshot the Isles, 15-14.

The action remained fast-paced in the second period, and the scoring picked up as well.

Michael Grabner beat Thomas and tied the game at one. It was his 31st goal of the season and certainly it would not be his last. DiPietro – yes, the goalie – got an assist.

The Bruins came right back. Dennis Seidenberg collected his seventh goal of the season when he tipped home a shot from the point to give Boston the lead.  Shortly thereafter, Gregory Campbell stole the puck in the New York zone and beat DiPietro to give the Bruins a two-goal advantage. It was Campbell’s 13th goal of the season and the first scored by the Bruins in a 4-on-4 situation all season.

“I think the consensus after the first period is that we were just playing OK,” said Mark Recchi.  “For us to come out and score a couple of goals and get on top, and find yourself in the same situation you were in Monday nigh and to keep that lead, that was good for us.”

Late in the period, the Bruins went on the power play again, but the Islanders got on the board.  And again, it was Grabner, stealing the puck at center ice and skating in alone on Thomas. Grabner won the battle and New York closed to within a goal at 3-2. Grabner has a power play goal and a shorthanded goal.

The action slowed down considerably in the final period, with neither team being able to score. The Islanders pulled DiPietro with about a minute remaining, but never really got a decent chance on Thomas.

Head coach Claude Julien praised the work of the fourth line, but wasn’t too happy with the teams overall effort.

“Certainly not the kind of game you want to see from your team,” he said.  “I think the execution wasn’t very good tonight, our best players certainly didn’t make a difference.  What made the difference was our fourth line.”

It certainly did.

Before the game, the Bruins handed out their regular season awards.  Thornton was the recipient of the Eddie Shore Award, an award given by the Gallery Gods for exceptional hustle and determination.  The Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy (outstanding performance during home games) went to Thomas.  And the John P. Bucyk Award, given to the most charitable Bruin, went to Andrew Ference.  Ference.

Mar 30 2011

Thomas Leads the Bruins past the Blackhawks, 3-0

Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots on net, as he and the Bruins earned a big win against Chicago.

By Dan Libon

BOSTON, MA – Tim Thomas has been under a great deal of pressure for a majority of the entire season. It’s the kind of pressure that comes with being the best goaltender in the league, but also, with high expectations to succeed during the teams final regular season games. Thomas went out on Tuesday and extended his current winning steak to four games between the pipes, as the Bruins knocked off the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks, 3-0.

“This was a good challenge for us,” said Thomas. “I know they’re battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, but that’s a good thing because you know they’re going to bring their A-game [every night].”

Both teams showed off their strength, as well as flexed their muscles during an intense first period.The opening period featured a tremendous dual between both goaltenders and while Thomas was able to record multiple saves, Corey Crawford relied on those “lucky bounces” to keep the puck out of the net and allow Chicago to challenge Boston.

The Bruins gained an early edge with better chances on goal and they were able to keep the Blackhawks on their heels for a majority of the period. Yet, while the Blackhawks settled for slap shots, the Bruins instead fought hard for any possible goal scoring opportunity.

“They were on us pretty good in the first period,” said Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell. “You know we didn’t get rolling, if at all, until later on in the game.”

Once the second period started, fans watched the aggressive play and physicality begin, as Shawn Thornton became the victim of a rough play, which resulted in a gash near his right eye. Thornton suffered the serious injury by colliding with the skate of Blackhawks forward Fernando Pisani, which resulted in him leaving the game and having to get 40 stitches above his eye.

Besides the physical and rough play, Zdeno Chara would eventually get the Bruins on the scoreboard, as Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand set him up for the first score of the evening.

“I was trying to shoot for Rex’s, (Mark Recchi) stick who was up from. When I did it a little tipped by the defenseman and it kind of dove a little bit in and went in,” said Chara

The next goal would come roughly two minutes later, as Johnny Boychuk gave the Bruins a comfortable, 2-0 lead and then later in the third period, Nathan Horton would record goal number 24 on the season, which officially sealed the deal for Boston.

“It dropped like three feet. It was a weird one. I’ve never seen one like that. It was just a tough one to pick up. It started high and just finished like right over the pad. It sank. It sank quite a big,” said Blackhawks goaltender Crawford.

With another win under his belt, Tim Thomas picked up his 33rd victory of the season, as well as his ninth shutout and Mark Recchi reached an important milestone when he recorded his first assist of the game, which makes him now 12th on the NHL all time list with 1,532 points. He is now one place behind former Bruins great, Ray Bourque.

“Obviously, right now it’s, these guys probably get more excited that I do right now, but at the end of my career I’ll look back and be proud of what I did,” said Recchi.

The Bruins are now three points behind the Washington Capitals, who currently are ranked in second place in the Eastern Conference standings and despite the small points deficit between the two squads, head coach Claude Julien explained that he certainly isn’t too concerned about who Boston would face during the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I don’t believe in picking and choosing because a lot of times it comes back to haunt you….At the end of the year, teams sometimes that are at seventh, eighth spot,   [pick] up their games and are actually doing well.”

Mar 23 2011

Bruins Pick Up Big Win against New Jersey, 4-1

By Jon Fucile

BOSTON, MA – Through most of the first period in Tuesday night’s game against New Jersey the Boston Bruins looked like a prematurely defeated team, a team wilting yet again under playoff like pressure against a hungry and desperate New Jersey Devils team. Eleven seconds into their first penalty kill, Bruins defenders left Ilya  Kovalchuk all alone near Tim Thomas for an easy goal and the Bruins were down 1-0 and half way through the period they had mustered just one shot. Bruins fans began to settle in for what looked to be a long, frustrating night.

Unfortunately for New Jersey, that Kovalchuk tally awoke a sleeping giant and the Bruins suddenly found their game.

New Jersey was a team scratching and clawing for every victory, trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. This was a playoff game for the Devils and Boston did not have an answer for their attack for much of the first. Kovalchuk’s goal punched the Bruins in the mouth and they knew they had to respond.

“I think after the Toronto game, it was a bit of a wake up call. But also, we knew the effort was going to be there today. We addressed the thing we needed to address in practice. I think we did a good job in responding tonight,” said Shawn Thornton.

On a night where Tim Thomas moved into fifth place on the Bruins all time wins list, Zdeno Chara scored his 400th career point and Milan Lucic scored 30 goals for the first time in his career and became the first Bruin to do so since Phil Kessel, Boston punctuated everything with a decisive 4-1 victory at a time when they needed it most.

Boston, at least temporarily, answered many questions that had crept up while losing six of seven games and getting outplayed badly almost every time they took the ice over that span. The Bruins had wilted under pressure at almost every turn this season and had begun to show numerous cracks before answering the bell against the Devils.

Claude Julien and his Bruins have been less than stellar at home this season, Tim Thomas had suddenly looked human, the powerplay looked intent on setting new lows and Boston as a whole played some uninspired, emotionless hockey. Against New Jersey Thomas kept the Bruins in the game while facing 16 shots in the first period alone, Chara scored the game winning goal on the powerplay and Boston continued to apply pressure the rest of the game to seal the victory. Boston put forth exactly the type of effort they will need heading down the stretch going into the playoffs.

“Yeah, I think it’s important that we basically play the way we’re supposed to as far as being a stingy team, being a hard team to play against. So bringing your work ethic to the rink and trying to outwork the other team every night,” said Julien. “So I think that’s basically what the message was and obviously, besides the first 15 minutes, I thought our team responded well.”

Getting Tim Thomas back on track was perhaps the most critical aspect for the Bruins, as their savior of a goaltender had looked fatigued and average recently. All season Thomas made the big, impossible saves when the team needed them most but during his late season slump those big moments were few and far between. Against a furious New Jersey attack, however, Thomas once again showed why he is the Bruins MVP and a serious Vezina candidate.

“I mean, we needed it. The team needed it. We needed a strong effort, and we came up with it,” said Thomas.

“We need to build off it and make sure we continue on and we need to do the same things that gave us success tonight. New Jersey’s been hot. They’ve been playing some really good hockey. So getting the win isn’t easy against them.”

The question now for these Bruins is whether or not they can maintain that effort over the long haul. Boston’s display tonight showed once again that when the Bruins are on their game they can compete with any team in the league. However, the lingering issue for Boston all season has been maintaining that effort and desire when it matters most.

Boston has a huge test coming up  Thursday against their hated rivals from Montreal. Regular season games do not come more pressure pack than Thurday’s tilt against the Canadiens. Montreal is chasing Boston for the Northeast Division lead and the Canadiens have clearly been in the Bruins heads while winning four of their five meetings so far this season. Can the Bruins rise to the occasion again against Montreal and display the same skill, grit and desire they showed against New Jersey?

Their dominating victory against the Devils was a step in the right direction for the Bruins if they want to be true Stanley Cup contenders but they will need to bring that same game against Montreal before they can say they are back to playing Bruins hockey.

Mar 3 2011

Lucic Nets Game Winner Against Lightning, Bruins Winning Streak Continues

Milan Lucic saved the day and extended the Boston Bruins winning streak to seven games.

By Dan Libon

BOSTON, MA – Showing no signs of a hangover or any emotional turmoil from their six game road trip, the Bruins picked up a very big, 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at the TD Garden. In a game that would break the tie for second place in the Eastern Conference, Boston showed great patience in their shots and beat a difficult team known for having a strong offensive presence.

Having already defeated the Western Conference leading Vancouver Canucks  and the red-hot, (no pun intended) Calgary Flames, the Bruins would once again have to come up with answers to one of the top teams in the league.

“Just like all year, seems like we end up lining up against teams right when they seem to be really big games as far as the standings go.” said Bruins goalie Tim Thomas.

Going into this game, the test would be if the Bruins defense could stop the league leading scorer Steven Stamkos, as well as the person who ranks second in assists, Martin St. Louis.

The difference between second and third place for the Bruins is a potential factor because if Boston finishes in second place, it almost guarantees a game against the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres or Toronto Maple Leafs. A third place finish however is most likely a date with the Montreal Canadiens. A Montreal series would be exciting, as well as exhausting and emotionally draining for a Bruins team that has struggled in physical contests. Although, this is not saying that the other teams are easy, but they do provided a series with less historical emotion, which may not be a bad thing, right?

With two of the best offensive teams in the league playing against one another, a shootout was not to be expected. Instead, the Bruins fan faithful saw two teams that took their time on offense and waited for the right opportunities.  While there was no score after the first period, the Bruins showed great patience in their shot selections with good puck movement. On the other end, Stamkos had the best attempt for a goal for the Lightning with a shot from the left side that wound up hitting the post and didn’t land in Thomas’s net.

As emotions and tempers on both teams increased, it would be the Lighting that would score first with a slap shot from Eric Brewer from the top of the slot. The Bruins would not be down for long, as Steve Kampfer scored off of a Rich Peverley pass off the boards to tie the game, 1-1.

“I tried to poke it up to [Steven] Kampfer and he had a great shot off the post and it was perfect,” said Peverley.

After a 10-minute game misconduct on both Bruins’ forward, Shawn Thornton and Lightning’s forward Steve Downie, Nathan Horton would get called for tripping penalty, while Milan Lucic was flagged for roughing and fighting. Yet, despite having almost 2 minutes of a two-man advantage, Tampa Bay failed to get a goal on the power play.

“They came at us really hard.” said Lightning forward Simone Gagne. “You don’t expect that on a 5-on-3, and I think they caught us by surprise there.”

Once the third period began, tempers on both benched settled down, but also, Boston eventually watched Lucic net the go-ahead goal, which secured their seventh win in a row.

“I was just trying to look for the loose puck because there was enough guys in front of the net. I knew there was not real reason for me to get in there but just kind of wait around,” said Lucic.

With this win, the Bruins have taken sole possession of second place and have earned a two game lead on Tampa Bay. In addition, the Bruins are also only three points behind the conference leading Philadelphia Flyers, who remain atop the Eastern Conference standings.

The Bruins will continue their current home stand against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, face-off is scheduled for 7:00pm eastern.

Feb 4 2011

Bruins Fight Their Way to 6-3 Win

By Dan Libon

Boston, MA – The Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars may not be rivals, but it sure seemed like they were on Thursday at the TD Garden, as the Bruins prevailed and escaped with an impressive, 6-3 win.

The game began with a “bang,” as Gregory Campbell engaged in a fight with Stars center Steve Ott. Both men have somewhat of a history with each other, which dates back to the 2009 season when Ott delivered a questionable hit on Campbell. While Campbell denies the hit from that particular season, there seemed to be no explanation for this particular action that occurred during the first few seconds of the game.

Besides Campbell and Ott’s fight, other players started hitting one another.

Shawn Thornton took on Krystofer Barch while Adam McQuaid and Brian Sutherby fought. Why this happened? Who knows, but it was certainly an interesting start to the Bruins 30th win of the season.

“The guys did a great job of stepping up, a few big fights but after something like that happens you want to show that you’re going to feed off of it,” said Brad Marchand.

“(Milan Lucic) and (David Krejci) and (Nathan Horton) did a great job of getting that first one in and really carrying us from there.”

Boston would score two quick goals in a span of 45-seconds and sent Stars goaltender Andrew Raycroft to the bench for the remainder of the game.

The momentum remained with Boston after earning two quick points, as the Bruins tallied two more goals during the first 20-minutes and only allowed one during two periods.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (30-saves) appeared somewhat relieved by the team’s early lead, which helped him remain focused and somewhat relaxed. Rask had been struggling between the pipes and his record clearly reflected his tough first half of the season, but being able to win his fourth game in net, especially against a talented Dallas team is quite an accomplishment.

“They were just putting pucks everywhere and we managed to keep it to one and that was a big thing.” Said Rask.

Rask showed off his 2010 greatness, which was exhibited last season, but can he remain consistent for the final few months of the regular season? That question won’t be answered until April, but surely, the Bruins hope he will.

Patrice Bergeron continued his got streak tonight with two goals and an assist. Bergeron almost earned a hat trick, but conceded his third goal to give Marchand the empty netter to lock up the game for the Bruins during the third period.

The Bruins will welcome a former teammate, Joe Thornton to the TD Garden on Saturday, as Boston will face the San Jose Sharks for an afternoon matinee at 1:00pm eastern.