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Shooting gallery: B’s fire 50 shots, beat Sens in key division battle 04.02.13 at 9:36 pm ET
By Mike Petraglia   |  10 Comments

Tyler Seguin scores in the first period to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. (AP)

The Bruins found the perfect way to celebrate the acquisition of superstar Jaromir Jagr.

Nathan Horton scored with just under 10 minutes left in regulation and the Bruins managed 50 shots on goal in a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night at TD Garden. For Horton, who could be facing demotion to the team’s third line with the Jagr addition, scored in his fourth straight game. Back-up goalie Anton Khoudobin made his second straight start and stopped 45 of 47 shots he faced to earn the win, his eighth of the season against three losses. The two teams combined for 97 shots on goal.

The win was big for the Bruins, who improved to 23-8-4 and reached 50 points on the season. They are just one point behind Montreal for the division lead and now six points up on third-place Ottawa in the division.

The only concern from the game came early in the second period when Patrice Bergeron collided with Colin Greening and did not return.

In an up-tempo first period, the two teams combined for 40 shots, 21 by the Bruins, including five by Tyler Seguin. It was Seguin who gave the Bruins the lead, snapping a 1-1 tie when he took a perfect feed from Brad Marchand and fired a shot into the net vacated by goalie Robin Lehner.

The game didn’t start off well for Boston as a Dennis Seidenberg turnover left the puck all alone for Colin Greening in front of Khudobin. Greening’s backhander beat the Boston goalie far side just 2:48 into the game for a 1-0 Ottawa lead. The Bruins countered just 50 seconds later when David Krejci redirected a Zdeno Chara slap shot from the high slot past Lehner. The Bruins got the go-ahead tally from Seguin just 61 seconds later.

The two teams continued their fast play in the second period but couldn’t put the puck in the net.

A bizarre turn of events and instant replay led to a tie game just two minutes into the third. Khudobin appeared to make a spectacular sprawling save on Andre Benoit‘s shot from the slot. The puck appeared to bounce off the crossbar and back into play. But after a stoppage, the officials were called over to review the play and replays showed that the puck disappeared under the crossbar and hit the top of the net, resulting in a game-tying goal.

With 13 minutes left in regulation, Seguin grabbed a loose puck and skated in alone on Lehner but lost an edge after not being able to get a clean shot on the Senators goalie. Three minutes later, Lehner turned aside Rich Peverley on a 2-on-1 break. But the Bruins kept working and got their break when Dougie Hamilton crushed Erik Condra with a big, clean hit in the Bruins zone. That led moments later to a scrum in front of Lehner and a goal from Horton at 10:21, putting Boston on top, 3-2.

The Bruins had to hold on for final 32.3 seconds as Johnny Boychuk was called for interference in front of Khudobin. With their net empty, the Senators had a 6-on-4 for the final half-minute but could not score.

The Bruins are off on Wednesday – trade deadline day in the NHL – and will get the services of newly acquired Jaromir Jagr on Thursday for their next game, a home date with the Devils.

For more from DJ Bean and Mike Petraglia from the Garden, visit the Bruins team page at weei.com/bruins.

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What went right and wrong as Patrice Bergeron is hurt in Bruins’ win over Senators at 9:36 pm ET
By DJ Bean   |  4 Comments

The Bruins got both Jaromir Jagr and a win over Ottawa on Tuesday, but it still might end up being a shaky day for them as Patrice Bergeron was knocked out of the game in the second period against the Senators.

The B’s got goals from David Krejci, Tyler Seguin and Nathan Horton in a 3-2 victory that put them one point behind the Canadiens in the Northeast Division. The Habs have 51 points to the Bruins’ 50 through 35 games.

Here’s what went right and wrong for the B’s:

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE BRUINS

- Horton is producing like a man who has no interest in losing his spot on the top line to Jagr. He broke a third-period 2-2 tie by scoring his fourth goal in as many games after scoring just once in the previous 14 contests. The veteran right wing has been inconsistent this season, but he’s really making that top line a tough one to break up.

- Give Matt Bartkowski credit for staying focused and turning in some solid play despite knowing that the Bruins tried to trade him for Jarome Iginla. Bartkowski saved a goal in the second period, when Khudobin made a kicksave on Mika Zibanejad and kicked the rebound out to the bottom for the right circle. A Senators player was inches from knocking it in with plenty of open net, but Bartkowski got a stick on it just in time to break it up.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE BRUINS

- Bergeron was knocked out of the game on his third shift of the second period with what appeared to at the very least be some sort of upper-body injury. Bergeron lunged at Colin Greening while the Washington center was trying to shoot, and Bergeron’s head awkwardly hit Greening’s elbow/forearm. Bergeron left the game and did not return.

Though the Bruins offered no details on the injury, the play was obviously concerning given his history with concussions. He has had three in his NHL career, the most recent of which came in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Flyers in 2011.

Bergeron leads the Bruins with 31 points (10 goals and a team-high 21 assists) this season.

- The Bergeron injury wasn’t the only one for the Bruins. Dougie Hamilton threw a hit on Erik Condra in the Bruins’ zone, and though the play got a massive cheer as both players went down, Hamilton couldn’t finish his shift. Upon getting up, he slowly tried to get in position before calling for a line change. He went straight down the tunnel and left the ice for about 10 minutes real time before returning to the Bruins’ bench with five and a half minutes to play.

- The Bruins appeared to get the save of the year from Anton Khudobin when he lost his stick diving across the net to stop a bid from Andre Benoit after being out of position. The play was reviewed, however, and the replay showed that Benoit’s slapshot had indeed gone in and bounced back out.

- Benoit’s goal tied the game at two, making for the Bruins’ latest blown lead in the third period this season. Boston has now blown leads in seven games this season and are 4-3-2 when leading after two periods.

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Anton Khudobin shuts out Sabres 03.31.13 at 10:08 pm ET
By DJ Bean   |  20 Comments

Anton Khudobin picked up his first shutout of the season and the Bruins got goals from David Krejci and Nathan Horton as they beat the Sabres, 2-0, Sunday night at First Niagara Center.

The win was Boston’s first in their last three games and gave them 48 points, which puts them one point behind the Canadiens for the Northeast Division lead. Both teams have played 34 games.

The game was scoreless through the first two periods before Krejci got the Bruins on the board by burying a rebound from a Horton bid in front. Matt Bartkowski sent the pass to Horton in the zone to set up the goal, giving him his first NHL assist in 12 career games. Horton made it 2-0 shortly after by beating Ryan Miller in front off a feed from Krejci. Horton now has goals in three straight games and has 11 on the season.

Khudobin made 26 saves in the victory.

The Bruins will return to Boston and host the Senators Tuesday at TD Garden.

For more Bruins coverage, visit weei.com/bruins.

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Barry Pederson on D&C: ‘I think [Bruins] are going to make a deal’ 03.27.13 at 9:45 am ET
By Annie Maroon   |  No Comments

Barry Pederson of NESN joined Dennis & Callahan on Wednesday morning to discuss what the Bruins might do before the trade deadline, what price they should pay for a player like Jarome Iginla, and why Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic are struggling to produce.

“I think they believe, the way they are constructed right now, they feel they have the potential to win, but I think there’s a lot of question marks,” Pederson said. “They need to get their offense going. They need to get their power play going.”

Pederson said the Bruins could be justified in giving up Malcolm Subban, another highly regarded prospect and a draft pick for Iginla if they’re confident they can sign Iginla to a multi-year deal. He also brought up Martin St. Louis as a possible trade target for the Bruins.

“I think he’s got a lot more to give and he would probably like to win another Cup,” Pederson said of St. Louis. “I just love his game, and I think the Bruins’ fans do as well. He can play all three positions. He may be small in stature, but as we have seen, he is a guy that gives it. He’s got great intensity. He brings offense. He makes your power play better. I think he would love to play in this system with this team. And they’re in the selling mode. That’s another name to me that’s very intriguing. [Compared to Iginla] I think the price with St. Louis would be a little bit more.”

Whether or not the Bruins deal for one of the bigger names on the market, Pederson said he thinks GM Peter Chiarelli will either do something to bolster the top six forwards or add depth to the defense, or both.

“I think they’re going to make a deal,” he said. “[AdamMcQuaid‘s injury puts you in a tough position. Chris Kelly, you don’t know how he’s going to come back from that injury … The other thing we have to remember is, this is the first time since the last collective bargaining agreement that next year’s salary cap is going lower. If you’re a seller, you may be better off now making a deal now than waiting for the summertime when everybody has to do it.”

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Ryan Spooner to center Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton vs. Jets 03.19.13 at 2:09 pm ET
By DJ Bean   |  2 Comments

Ryan Spooner has only played one career NHL game, but it appears his second one will carry a ton of responsibility.

Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters in Winnipeg Tuesday that Spooner, who was called up Monday on an emergency basis from Providence, will start on Boston’s top line Tuesday against the Jets, centering Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton in place of the injured David Krejci. Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe noted during Tuesday’s morning skate that Spooner was also working with the Bruins’ top power play unit with Lucic, Horton, Dougie Hamilton and Tyler Seguin.

Spooner played 5:29 in his NHL debut last month against the Canadiens.

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Karl Alzner on bully tactics: Bruins would never let that happen to Tyler Seguin 03.16.13 at 4:57 pm ET
By Mike Petraglia   |  16 Comments

Adam McQuaid pounds Matt Hendricks in a third period fight Saturday. (AP)

Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner says the Bruins were dirty and cheap in double teaming on a fight against Matt Hendricks in the third period of Boston’s 4-1 win over the Capitals Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Hendricks was cornered by Adam McQuaid and Shawn Thornton and eventually fought McQuaid at center ice.

“That’s the biggest joke I’ve ever seen in my life, the fact that they let those guys corner a guy like that. For all they know, Henny has a broken hand and can’t fight. If we had done that to [Tyler] Seguin with [John] Erskine, you think they would’ve let that happen? Questionable, very questionable.”

Can the Capitals do anything to respond?

“Go after one of their guys, guess that the only thing you can do,” Alzner said. “But we’re probably not going to do that because we’re not that kind of team but that’s the only thing you can do.”

There’s a back story to the Hendricks’ fight.

Hendricks got into it with Nathan Horton late in the second period, when Horton took a stick the forehead, resulting in several stitches. That angered the mild-mannered but physically imposing Horton.

“I was yelling at him, like three times,” Horton said. “I yelled at him and he didn’t look at me. Then he just kind of sprinted at me and caught me with my gloves [down]. Maybe he did hear me. I just didn’t think he did because he wasn’t looking at me.”

As for the third period, when Thornton and McQuaid cornered him, “Nobody’s going to want to go with Thorty,” Horton said. “He’s pretty scary, but we’ve got a tough team. Everybody’s got each other’s back.”

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Putting up a good fight: Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton big as Bruins overwhelm Capitals at 3:40 pm ET
By Mike Petraglia   |  5 Comments

Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin (35), stops Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera during the first period. (AP)

Milan Lucic had a career-high three assists and Nathan Horton scored once, added two assists and had a fight for a “Gordie Howe hat trick” as the Bruins outmuscled the Capitals, 4-1, Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Anton Khudobin stopped 32-of-33 shots for the Bruins, who won for the fifth time in six games and improved to 19-4-3, good for 41 points in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Penguins, who beat the Rangers Saturday afternoon.

Another Saturday, another quick start by the Bruins. One week after scoring three goals in five minutes against the Flyers, the Bruins scored twice in a three-minute span late in the opening period. Lucic skated behind Michal Neuvirth and fed Horton in the low slot from behind the net. Horton fired the shot pass the Caps goalie for the game’s first score.

Three minutes, three seconds later, it was Lucic again in the role of playmaker, as he centered a pass for David Krejci, who beat Neuvirth for a 2-0 lead.

Khudobin had a big first period, facing just eight shots but making several key saves to protect the lead, including a pair of stops on Alex Ovechkin and a glove save on Marcus Johansson.

The Capitals cut the Boston lead in half just 84 seconds into the second on a fluke goal. Johnny Boychuk played a puck to the left of Khudobin and the puck went right to Krejci, who tried passing it across the crease but the puck went through Khudobin for a Washington goal.

Moments after a great sprawling glove save by Khudobin on Nicklas Backstrom, Andrew Ference wristed a shot past Neuvirth for his first goal of the season and a 3-1 lead. The Bruins then established their physical presence in the game as Brad Marchand took exception with the play of Mike Ribeiro and beat him badly in a fight in the Bruins zone. That was followed less than a minute later by a bout in which Horton landed several blows to Matt Hendricks. Horton, with a goal, assist and fight completed the so-called Gordie Howe hat trick.

The Bruins iced the game on the power play, as Rich Peverley scored on a center from Lucic, just eight seconds after Jack Hillen was whistled for high sticking. Adam McQuaid handled Hendricks in another tussle at center-ice in the third period as the Bruins put away the win.

The Bruins outhit the Capitals, 35-24, on the day. The Bruins also increased their league-leading penalty kill, increasing their streak to 27 straight kills. They are 95-for-102 this season on the penalty kill.

The Bruins have little time to celebrate as they play in Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon, five days after allowing three goals in four minutes in a 3-2 loss Tuesday night.

For more from DJ Bean and Mike Petraglia at the Garden, visit the Bruins team page at weei.com/bruins.

Read More: Alex Ovechkin, Anton Khudobin, Boston Bruins, Gordie Howe hat trick Print  |  Email   | Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
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