somebody is seriously slacking, and she j=just happens to write for this blog. I could say I've been busy, or that I've been in the middle of a creative funk, or even just say that I've had a really big headache, and dammit, I just haven't been in the mood...but you're not here for my excuses, are you.

It's the Olympic break, my friends, meaning your Boston Bruins are either representing their countries in Torino, or enjoying a nice little vacation in the middle of the season.

Of course, if you're interested in AHL hockey, the Providence Bruins are still in business as usual.As a matter of fact, theit game will be televised tonight at 7PM on Fox Sports New England vs the hartford Wolf Pack.

More to come...

Will Pittsburgh be our doormat tonight? I sincerely hope so. I think they're a prime example of how a coaching change doesn't necessarily mean squat when it happens during the season. The only thing I've noticed is that Michael Therrien is pretty damn funny when he's pissed off, rambling on like a drunken fool.

Unfortunately, Marco Sturm is still out of the lineup, which sucks, so I really hope we see Murray light it up tonight, because he's about due. Anyway, too much on my plate right now, will update after the game. Good day everyone!

Out of the cellar...for now
Well, our boys did it. They beat the Habs 3-1 last night- shoulda been 4-1, coulda been 5-1, but who's going to complain because at least they won. This means they managed to hop over Montreal in the standings and the playoff race; they have also jumped ahead of Atlanta in the playoff race as well.

Honestly, take a look at what has transpired in the last few weeks. They've gone from being written off as a bunch of losers without a chance in hell of going anywhere to hey, maybe they have a chance. It's been a tough road, but if you've watched the games, they've been improving steadily, especially since the Thornton trade. It all came together once they had a confident- and highly efficient goaltender come in and stand on his head for them. Tim Thomas is a big reason why this team is winning, but he is certainly not the only reason. There is a fire under this team right now, let's hope it stays for a while. (preferably the rest of the season and into the playoffs)

-Brad Boyes should get something for that goal the officials didn't bother reviewing until it was too late. Can you imagine the mayhem if the team had lost? Good for him for getting the empty netter at the end of the game.

-Patrice Bergeron- is there anything you can't say about how good he looks out there? This kid does everything, and he does it well.

-Congrats to Glen Murray for getting a goal his first game back from injury.

-Will Brian Leetch's groin ever heal?

-Marco Sturm is so fun to watch after he scores a goal- the look in his face just makes it that much better.

-Alberts and Jurcina are getting better with every game- it's hard to tell these guys are rookies

-I'm so sick of hearing whining that Joe Thornton was traded. I always liked the guy and never thought he was the issue, but can we move on please? Both the Bruins and Joe are better off now. The Bruins have depth, people! All three players, while not big stars individually, have made big contributions to this team-both in play and attitude. No knock on Thornton, but he can't be in three places at once. The Bruins are a better team; Thornton should be happier on the West Coast where he is not picked apart as bad as he was here, and where he doesn't have the burden of that "C" on his sweater.

Habs again on Saturday...and I'm PO'ed because I have to work when the game is on. GRRR...

Thanks for your hospitality, Ottawa
All I can say is wow. A 5-0 shutout for Mr. Tim Thomas! And this makes three wins in a row against the Senators. Could it be we've been too busy complaining to see that something was actually growing here? That a team was coming together, finding an identity and a rhythm to their game. The entire team looked amazing tonight. That said, I'm too tired to talk any more tonight. Yes, that's something that happens when you start to get old. Suddenly 10:00 PM feels like midnight and your brain turns into oatmeal.

One small step back
Just when the B's were on a roll, one little stone to trip over. They lost to the Islanders last night 4-3- despite having multiple tries with a 2-man advantage. While they might have gotten sloppy towards the end-especially in the faceoff circle- they still played with some fire. My take tis that this is just a minor setback and they will be back on track.

Game Details

The good news is Atlanta also lost, so this doesn't have much effect on playoff standings. There are still plenty of games left in the season- enough so that not all playoff spots are guaranteed. Sheesh, I'm rambling.

Andrew Raycroft agreed to take a conditioning assignment in Providence and led the baby B's to a 4-3 shootout win over the Falcons last night.

Game Details

Sorry, folks, I'm having one of those mornings where I just can't add 2 and 2. Meanwhile, I have been working on a site redesign for my homesite. It is far from finished, however I have decided to start posting links to my articles. I know, I know- you are just so excited about this.

My Site

good things come
to those who are patient. No, I didn't read that on a fortune cookie. Wait...maybe I did. Who knows? Anyway, here we are, finally seeing the light at the end of the Bruins' deep, dark tunnel, and things are looking much better. But guess what-it's been happening for a while now! Sure the results were not always there, but aside from a handful of games (ahem San Joe-zay)this team has been playing better, they have been making improvements, and now, they're finally at the point where they're playing with some confidence. If you compare watching this team to drinking a cup of coffee, the progress was like drinking a cup of decaf instant coffee- just not very satisfying and it sure a hell doesn't take like coffee, even though you know at some point it must have been coffee because it at least resembles it. Whew! My point? Patience, my fellow black and gold faithful, and all that slog we've been drinking is starting to taste like a cup of fresh brewed Dunkin Donuts. What I really mean is, the signs were there, the progress was there, but because the results were not quite there, many of us were not happy to be there.

Anyway, Bruins win it last night in Atlanta, 3-2.

And the Bruins win one...
Cheers to the effort coming from this entire Bruins team lately. Is it finally coming together for these guys? Are we over the misery and ready to kick some ass? Yeah.

First, though the game vs the Rangers on Saturday ended in disappointment, this team looked alive. Tim Thomas has really stepped up in net. I'm starting to think that after watching these few games, and his time playing in Providence, that this guy should stay. As much as I like Rayzor, I like what Thomas brings to the team that much more. one of the biggest things is his attitude- always smiling, not getting all pissy when things don't go his way- it's refreshing to see a goaltender who does not wear his frustration. (And I'm sorry, but Rayzor has been wearing it all season) I think Hannu is our #1 and Thomas should be our #2. There- I said it.

Enough about the goalies, let's talk about Axelsson- who has been outstanding defensively. Completely shut down Jagr the other night, and Ovechkin tonight. Jurchina looks better and better each game too- he's getting more physical, and that shot has some power behind it. It almost makes me forget that those stupid OLN guys pronounce his name 'yer-seen-a' when it's supposed to be 'yur-chee-na'. Sheesh.

I'm glad to see Leahy back up in Boston- he never should have been sent down. Bergeron and Sturm continue to click. Samsonov, I love the guy but just can't figure out if he's made of glass or if we should spring for a bubble to keep him germ free and ready for game time. Listen to me, I'm rambling like an alcoholic and I'm not even drunk. Anyway- Bruins: 3 Caps: 2, and that's all I have to say about that.

Some stats and standings:
The Bruins are creeping...

TEAM W L OTL PTS
Ottawa 33 10 4 70
Buffalo 29 15 3 61
Toronto 24 21 3 51
Montreal 21 19 6 48
Boston 19 21 8 46

RANK TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS PCT
1 Portland Pirates 44 27 11 3 3 60 .682
2 Manchester Monarchs 44 26 13 1 4 57 .648
3 Hartford Wolf Pack 44 23 14 2 5 53 .602
4 Providence Bruins 42 23 17 1 1 48 .571
5 Lowell Lock Monsters46 17 21 4 4 42 .457
6 Springfield Falcons 43 16 21 2 4 38 .442
7 Albany River Rats 43 14 26 1 2 31 .360

Ahhh yes, the Bruins...
It's just been one of those weeks. There was a death in the family last week, followed by a funeral, and yesterday the worst migraine attack I've had in years. If you've never had one let me just say it's as close to living hell as you can get: woke up with a pulsing pain at 4AM, got up to take medication for it; promptly threw it up; imagine all light, smell and sound magnified 10 times, I stayed in my bedroom tossing and turning, alternately trying to drink water because I was parched and then running to the bathroom to throw it up (did I mention my head was still pounding?) This went on to about 1PM, when I finally went to the doctor, who gave me a shot of an anti-inflammatory right in the rear end, hoping it would take the edge off my headache. It worked enough that I was able to take my prescription when I got home and actually keep it down, and finally, at about 4:30PM, besides being completely drained, started to feel better. Moral: migraines suck and I wouldn't wish them on anyone.

Anyway, how bout those Bruins? They looked pretty sharp against Philly the other night-hopefully they can sustain that tonight against the Rangers.

Bergie and Sturm are starting to get some major chemistry out there- I know it's hard being a fan and having to wait for these things to develop, but they do take time, and this duo seems to be working out. Who knew Travis Green would score twice in one game? Good for him, and that Wayne Primeau goal was highlight material. Once again Tim Thomas looked fab in the net- anyone who's seen him play in Providence should not be surprised. He's plays with passion, and the rest of the team definitely feeds from that.

I think too much has been made of a possible Raycroft trade- sure it could happen, but I think that he truly is hurt. Definitely hasn't been himself, and he really needs to find his confidence again. My feeling is that will happen.

Anyway, it's the Rangers in the gahhhhden tonight, let's hope the same team we saw Thursday shows up tonight.

After two absolutely horrible showings against SJ and LA, then a disappointing shootout loss to Dallas, finally, a win!!!The B's finished off their homestand by beating Anaheim in overtime yesterday 4-3 with a beauty of a goal by Patrice Bergeron. They may have allowed the Ducks to come back from a 3-1 defecit, but at least they pulled through and were able to avoid another god-awful shootout.I've come to the conclusion that Bruins + shootouts = bad, and believe me it didn't take much thinking to figure that out. Thursday the team will be in Philly. Hopefully we will see more of the same only better. I'm through trying to predict the mood of this team. Some days they feel like playing sometimes they don't. Yesterday, they did.

The Kings turned the match into a laugher with four third-period goals, including three from second-year winger Alexander Frolov, one on a penalty shot.

Were there, Sullivan was asked, any positives at all?

“No,” he said. “We sucked.” --- Boston Herald


I've had some time to calm down, time to reflect, and come to the conclusion that last night's game did indeed suck. I was hoping maybe to find something positive, but there was so little. What happened?

The Bruins actually competed the first half of the first period, but things disintgrated from there. By the thrid period you could hardly tell the Bruins were still playing. Rayzor was hung out to dry, Ben Walter's NHL debut completely overshadowed by the rest of the team's crappy performance. What more can I say?