It was hard to watch these guys lose last night. There was a lot of grit and a lot of heart in this game. Guys sticking up for Tim Thomas when the Isles were driving to the net, Hal Gill holding his own in a fight, it was overall an outstanding effort by a team that is unfortunately, offensively challenged. Also, too many penalties, though the PK was strong.

One thing is for certain, goaltending was not an issue. Tim Thomas stopped all but 2 out of 45 shots. He really deserved to get a win- unfortunately, the Bruins just can't seem to find the net.

Mark Stuart looked excellent in his debut- not out of place at all. No fear, good decisions with the puck, excellent skater, and really strong around the net (got a few nice shoves in there, too)

Patrice Bergeron's hit on Bouchard was unbelievable- he just leveled him, and the guy still looked out of sorts when he was on the bench.

Yan Stastny didn't look out of place either, though with the limited time on the 4th line, it's tough to tell how he will be.

what can I say? It was tough to see them lose this one. I hope they can bounce back today.

Isles Tonight
Who knew that crazy little scuffle in the habs game the other night would result in a one game suspension for Nick Boynton? Unfortunately that's the last thing this team needs- to have another d-man off the roster. I didn't see the alleged throat slashing gesture-but I think a game suspension is a bit much. I mean, they fined him, too, so it's not like he would've gotten off without punishment. Maybe I'm just a little more laid back about things than most? The throat-slashing thing may be a little inappropriate, or maybe in poor taste, but it's not like the guy's actually going to slash his throat. At any rate, what's done is done- I think Boynton's intentions were good, in that he wanted to fire up his team. Unfortunately it just didn't work out that way.

The good news is Mark Stuart will be coming up from Providence to make his NHL debut and hopefully patch a hole or two in the defense. We'll also get to see the Bruins new acquisitions for the first time. I've been reading nothing but good things about Marty Reasoner- sounds like a good hard-working kid who's had a few tough breaks. Hopefully he'll find success in Boston.

It's always tough seeing a guy like Samsonov leave- I have to admit, I'll miss seeing him dart around with that crazy stickwork. He's another guy that'd been on the team for years. But what are you going to do?

I've come to a realization- I love watching hockey, I love the Bruins, but I just don't feel the anger or animosity when things aren't going well. I've got more important things to worry about in my life, and like many, watching sports is an escape from everyday life. Okay, so I'm starting to make it more of a job, but still-I admire what these guys can do, and I enjoy watching them do it. As long as they're giving the effort, i will continue to enjoy watching.

Sergei Samsonov traded!

well, not a huge surprise seeing that his name has come up frequently in trade-related talk this season. I'm not sure what to make of this yet. The Bruins get Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a 2nd round pick from the Oilers. You may remember that Stastny was originally drafted by the Bruins and only went to the Oilers last Summer. Reasoner went to BC, but beyond that, I don't know much about him. Strange day, but I have the feeling it could be worse.

Is this the extent of the action before the trade deadline? In a couple hours we'll know for sure.

Picking up Czerkawski off waivers from the Leafs is hardly a huge move-and who knows how it will help us. He hasn't had much of a season in Toronto, but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't produce here. Sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing. And sometimes it's not. Anyway, welcome back to Boston, Mariusz.

We play the Habs tonight-I'm crossing my fingers on this one. I think we can beat them. This is definitely a must-win, especially after Buffalo.

Post game cynicism
What, I say, what the heck was that? Perhaps more disturbing than the the fact that the Bruins lost to the Sabres (yet again) is that it's not over anytime soon. They meet again on Sunday, and it's not very promising, especially considering the Bruins have not beat them once this season. Why is that?

WARNING
If your name is Sergei Samsonov, practice can be hazardous to your health. You might collide with one of your teammates, someone considerably larger than yourself, like Josh Langfeld, and chances are, you could really hurt your knee. Then, after you hurt your knee, you have to talk about the possibility that you could be traded in the next couple days.

This time of year must really suck for a player-especially guys that end up the subject of trade gossip. Maybe it's all part of the business, but it's also a little like seeing who gets the short straw, except instead of picking it, it's chosen for them. All I can say is I'll be glad when it's over- the rumors and speculation are starting to get annoying- I'd rather concentrate on watching the team than wonder who might be traded away. Once Thursday rolls by, hopefully we'll be done with that until the season is over.

Anyway, since Mr. Samsonov might not be able to play tonight, Ben Walter has been recalled from Providence. Will he actually get some minutes out there or will he just warm the bench?

All eyes and ears appear to be pointed towards the trade deadline this Thursday-will the B's find someone who can add just enough of an edge to the team that they can win with more consistency? There are rumors that master GM is sniffing around for another forward (preferably someone who can score goals, but what do I know, right?)Who would the B's give up? Samsonov is mentioned a lot- mostly because he's an unresitricted free agent as of this summer- but when you look at all of the the injuries he's had, you have to think that hurts his trade value a bit. Then there are Murray and Raycroft, who have also been the usual suspects in the trade rumors. I have the feeling Raycroft's days may be numbered here, but would they really trade him before Toivonen is healthy enough to return? Somehow I doubt it. And Murray? well, he finally seems to have found his rhythm, but who knows. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to begin, but it will be interesting to see what happens (if anything) this week. This is a team that is much improved, but still has a way to go.

Why? Why did they lose last night? The way this team dominated during the first period of the game, it just doesn't seem possible that they would lose. Maybe because they couldn't win a faceoff to save their lives? Or because the defense broke down at inopportune times? Or because David Tanabe got hit in the face by a Jurcina rocket launcher and skated the rest of the game with a softfall sized lump on his cheek? Ugh. To top it all off, the Canadiens and the Thrashers won. Boys, don't you realize what this means? That playoff spot is dangling just above your fingertips, and someone keeps yanking it away- you need to win these games!!!!!!

A whole bunch of random thoughts and stuff
Well, folks, Rayzor survived the other night against Atlanta. It wasn't perfect, but he held them off in the end, and that's all that counts, isn't it? Did I mention it's nice to have Marco Sturm back in the lineup? As much as it stunk having Axelsson out, I think Sturm did a pretty good job making a pest of himself. And did I mention how much I like Wayne Primeau centering Murray and Samsonov? I warned you it would be random.

Speaking of random, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe actually wrote a column on the Bruins and their fans. Did somebody take his temperature? Was he suffering from a Red Sox hangover? Anyway, it was actually a pretty decent read, and a pretty positive look at Bruins fans. Which makes me wonder what kind of drugs he was taking that day...

The team takes on Buffalo tonight at 7 PM.

It's the first day of March, and the Bruins are back after the Olympics- Life is pretty good. I'm excited to see how they do- if they still have any of the momentum they had pre-Olympic break. Have they saved the best for last? It all begins tonight vs. Carolina.

The good news is some of the guys who were banged up got the chance to rest. That means Marco Sturm will be back. And Nick Boynton, who apparantly had the flue will also be back.

Things may stay short and sweet for a while; I've been working on adding player pages to the site, which has been taking up lots of time. Meanwhile, here's a nice article from yesterday's Globe on rookie D-man Milan Jurcina.