Anyone upset with the way the whole Marc Savard/Matt Cooke/Colin Campbell situation was handled last season can rest easy, as the NHL Board of Governors approved a ban on blindside blows to the head. Players who commit lateral blindside hits, such as Cooke’s March 7 hit on Savard, now can be given a five-minute major and a game misconduct. If a player racks up two game misconducts for blindside hits to the head, he will automatically be suspended for the next game.

The proposed rule change had been drawn up last week by the NHL’s competition committee. Campbell, the senior vice president and director of hockey operations, fell under heavy criticism in March when he decreed that Cooke had technically not done anything on the hit of Savard to warrant a suspension. Later that month, the general managers called for a revised rule, which now has been passed.

The actual language of the rule outlaws ”lateral or blindside hits to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact.”

Though stricter punishment is now in place, Bruins president Cam Neely is still hesitant to treat the problem as being solved.

“The one concern that I have is that it’s still going to be a tough rule to call,” Neely told WEEI.com’s Graig Woodburn on Thursday. “I don’t know if you’re going to get everyone happy. That’s the problem.”

Neely, whose playing career was cut short due to injury, can appreciate that though players may still be at risk, the initiative taken to cut down on risk is a step in the right direction.

“I think it’s going to be tough for the referee in that split second to really judge the call. Like all new rules, there’s going to be some questions,” he said. “At least there is an attempt to get [hits to the head] out of the game.”

Cam Neely

New Bruins president Cam Neely was taking care of business at the NHL Board of Governors meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday, but he now has to play a waiting game like everyone else.

While the Board of Governors approved a rule change providing a five-minute penalty for a blindside hit to the head — such as that which sidelined Bruins center Marc Savard this season — Neely emerged from Thursday’s meeting focused on Friday’s draft in which the Bruins have the second overall pick.

The Edmonton Oilers have the first pick in the draft, and with it the possibility of trading down if the player they would select is different than the player the Bruins want. Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin are considered locks to be selected with the top two picks, but so far, the Oilers have not indicated which player they prefer.

There has been much speculation the Oilers plan to take Hall and the Bruins would then choose Seguin, but nothing is definite at this point.

“Edmonton still hasn’t really said anything, so nothing is etched [in stone]. We’re still waiting like everyone else,” said Neely, who was named as the Bruins President on June 16.

Neely had attended Board of Governors meetings before, but was doing so his new capacity for the firs time on Thursday.

“A lot of the stuff I’ve been doing has not really changed that much,” said Neely. “Obviously, a little more responsibility now, which is OK. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Among his first duties at the Board of Governors meeting was assessing the blindside hit rule approved Thursday.

“The one concern that I have is that it’s still going to be a tough rule to call,” Neely said. “I don’t know if you’re going to get everyone happy. That’s the problem.”

In response to a question regarding the Matt Cooke hit on Savard, which caused Savard to incur a significant concussion, Neely said that the hit would be illegal under the new rule, which he generally favors.

“I think it’s going to be tough for the referee in that split second to really judge the call. Like all new rules, there’s going to be some questions,” he said. “At least there is an attempt to get [hits to the head] out of the game. “

Zdeno Chara, Mark Recchi, Tuukka Rask, Marc Savard and Milan Lucic react to a disappointing 4-0 loss to the Flyers at TD Garden in Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bruins now lead the series 3-2.

PHILADELPHIA — Claude Julien said at the onset of the series that everyone should not automatically turn the clocks back to 1975 when looking at this Eastern Conference semifinal series between his Bruins and the Flyers.

Well, Julien may want to revise that a bit, or at least caution his team of the possibility heading into Game 3 tonight. The ‘Broad Street Bullies’ of the 1970s were known to attempt to intimidate for an edge. They played in the old Spectrum, which still stands to the north, across the parking lot from the Wachovia Center.

Julien’s team heads into a hostile building against a team that is cornered and still believes they can win the series, even though the Bruins hold a somewhat commanding 2-0 series lead.

Add to that Marc Savard doesn’t have the TD Garden crowd tonight waving yellow hankies but rather 20,000 rabid Flyer fans wanting blood for his alleged chomp on Dan Carcillo’s right hand in the second period of Game 2.

The Bruins have a chance to put the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3-0 hole tonight in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series. But to do so, Boston must get the job done on the road, a task they were unable to finish the last time they had the chance in Buffalo

Julien put the team through an optional skate Wednesday morning at the Wachovia Center before addressing the media and the importance of understanding what’s at stake in Game 3.

“I think both teams have their approach,” Julien added. “Obviously, the Flyers want to get back in the series and there’s no doubt they’re going to be ready. We don’t want to let them back in the series so we need to be ready. It’s not a very complicated thing. I think it’s a matter of understanding the urgency of both sides and be ready to counter what the other team is going to throw at you.”

Savard did not take part in the optional pregame skate, choosing to get his rest for tonight. He is more than prepared to hear some not-so-nice things from the fans tonight.

“It’s part of the game and whatever comes, it just makes you play better,” Savard said Wednesday morning.

Savard is not alone in wanting to be disciplined tonight as the Flyers figure to at least attempt to draw the Bruins into some penalties the way they did in the second period Monday.

“I wouldn’t say distracting,” Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman said. “We’ve played in loud buildings before and this is one of the louder ones. And it’s a little tougher when they’re not cheering for you but we have to find a way.”

WILMINGTON — When it comes to instigators, the Bruins have upgraded from series to series.

Patrick Kaleta of the Sabres is one type of player — chippy and irritating — but Daniel Carcillo is another entirely. He accused Marc Savard of biting him in a scrum started when he and Kimmo Timonen jumped Savard after the Bruins center took a whack (and a subsequent slashing penalty) at the glove of Brian Boucher after a glove save. Earlier, Carcillo had a dust up with forward Steve Begin in which Carcillo easily could have taken an interference or a charging penalty or maybe even two for diving when Begin pushed him to the ice. The amazing thing through Game 2 was that Carcillo never actually went to the penalty box. Savard and Begin did.

“You saw the play, I got hit and I just wanted to push him and he went down,” Begin said. “I think he could have taken two for diving, but, he didn’t get one. Oh, it wasn’t a hard push,” Begin said. “We play hard too. We go out there, we play hard, we hit, we try to make things happen. You can’t get away from your game for players like that. He wants to draw penalties, so you have to be smart and just keep playing and make sure nothing bad happens.”

Carcillo is a character, to say the least. Self-assured with a chip on his shoulder, he adds only a touch of offense to the usually stacked Flyers lines (12 goals, 10 assists in 76 games this year) but racks up the penalty minutes by the by the fistful — 207 in total through the regular season. He is missing his two front teeth and speaks his mind, whether it is the entire truth or some exaggeration of the truth. Overall, his play and antics can be quite amusing.

The Bruins do not think so. Savard insisted that Carcillo put his hand in his mouth during the scrum and repeated early and often that the forward embellishes on just about everything he does. Coach Claude Julien did not think much of the Begin-Carcillo dustup, chalking it up to playoff hockey and a player known for theatrics.

“Those [penalties] most of the time you end up killing,” Julien said. “I think, you know, he took a pretty good run at him. It was deemed a clean hit and I don’t really disagree with that either but it was borderline charging and it basically just him [Begin] saying listen, that he crossed a line and I sent a message. I don’t think there are any issues with that either way from either team. If our player did that and threw a legal hit and it was borderline and did something about it, I wouldn’t mind that. It is playoff hockey guys, we worry about every little thing that happens but that is part of the game and we live with it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Bruins players Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Miroslav Satan and Tuukka Rask talk about their Game 2 win over the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Marc Savard is caught between Flyers Kimmo Timonen (left) and Dan Carcillo in the second period of Monday night's game. (AP)

There are moments that define every series.

On Monday night, the bad boy of the Philadelphia Flyers claimed he was bitten in a scrum after a second period whistle. The Bruins said Dan Carcillo was just looking for attention by trying to pull the teeth out of the mouth of Marc Savard.

After Milan Lucic scored with just 2:57 left in regulation, it was the Bruins who had taken a bite out of the heart of the Flyers with a 3-2 win, taking a 2-0 series lead to Philadelphia for Game 3 Wednesday night.

But afterward, the hottest topic was that moment when Carcillo and Savard became entangled in a scrum with 14:05 left in the second period.

Carcillo was asked point blank if he was bitten on the finger, as was first reported on TV by TSN in Canada during the game.

“I did get [teethmarks],” said Carcillo, who said he was not bleeding after. “Last time I’ve been bit was in grade school. It’s not a good feeling.”

“It’s pretty cowardly.” said Carcillo, who laughed at Savard’s claim he was trying to pull Savard’s teeth out. “Yeah, that’s what I do when I get in a scrum. I try to pull people’s teeth out. Whatever, man, he bit me.”

Was Carcillo surprised that he was allegedly bitten?

“Yeah,” Carcillo said. “Guys don’t bite. Men don’t bite.”

But even Carcillo’s own teammate, Mike Richards, found the accusation a little hard to believe.

“I don’t know,” Richards said thinking out loud. “Maybe he bit himself. I have no idea what happened there.”

Carcillo was the focal point of what was a very physical second period. Earlier in the game, with 6:50 left in the opening period, Carcillo ran at Steve Begin with a high hit near the head in the neutral zone. Begin retaliated with a cross check, and the Flyers were awarded a power play.