NEWS BY DIVISION
- Northeast GMs still filling roster holes Northeast
- 'Boogey Man' no laughing matter Atlantic
- Halak must prove he isn't all hype Central
- Iginla likes Calgary signings of Jokinen, Tanguay Northwest
- If Kovy stays in the East, then what? Pacific
- FAs not expected to fly Southeast this summer Southeast
COLUMNS
- Drafting well: not an easy task Justin Bourne
- Stock Up, Stock Down Justin Bourne
- Beards And Bruises: The De-evolution of Looks Justin Bourne
| Thomas gets second chance in net |
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| Northeast |
| Friday, March 05, 2010 15:35 |
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Northeast Division notebook: Starting an NHL game for the first time since Feb. 2, Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas collected his first win on Thursday night since a shootout victory at San Jose on Jan. 14. The 3-2 victory against Toronto also ended the Bruins' 10-game home winless stretch. Boston's 0-7-3 home streak was just as staggering as Thomas’s 0-4-2 record since the Sharks win. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner stormed onto the NHL scene in 2006 but has been getting dumped on lately by fans and media.
Perhaps for good reason. He hadn't won a home game since the Winter Classic at Fenway Park and he hadn't won at TD Garden since Dec. 23. "I didn't become a bad goalie,” he told reporters after the win. “Like I said before, I don't think I've played that bad this year. Have I played to the level I did last year? No. But the whole year hasn't gone anything like last year.” His goals-against average is now 2.50 and his save percentage is .915. Bruins coach Claude Julien was impressed by the half a period Thomas played for Team USA against Finland in the semifinals of the Olympics, and decided to give Thomas another chance. Tuukka Rask has been pulling much of Boston’s goaltending duties, starting the last seven straight."When I talked to him the other day, I told him, 'You're a Vezina Trophy winner. You don't go from being a great goaltender to a bad goaltender. So the whole organization here, your teammates, your coaching staff, upper management, we all believe in you and you've just got to go out there and have fun playing again and doing the job that you've always done,' " Julien said. "So it was nice to see him respond well." TORONTO The new-look and much younger Toronto Maple Leafs got some encouragement in Thursday’s loss to the Bruins when three players under the age of 23 teamed up to score. Tyler Bozak’s game-tying goal in the final period was assisted by Nikolai Kulemin and Luca Caputi, and pushed the game into overtime. … "I thought I got better as the night went on," Caputi told reporters after the game. ... Former Boston Bruin Phil Kessel has yet to record a point against his old club this season. ... View the Maple Leafs' pitch booklet for a future NHL all-star game. BUFFALO In his first game after leading Team USA to a silver medal at the Olympics, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller received a 45-second standing ovation from fans in Washington before a 3-1 loss to the Capitals. Miller, who didn’t play in Buffalo’s 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh, picked up right where he left off in the Olympics, stopping 37 of 39 shots. ... After allowing an overtime goal to Sidney Crosby in a 3-2 loss to Canada in Sunday's gold-medal game, Miller was selected the tournament MVP with a 5-1 record and a 1.35 goals-against average in the Olympics. … Although Buffalo (33-20-9) is fifth in the Eastern Conference – six points ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia (33-26-3) – they have gone 1-6-2 since Feb. 1. ... Who's the odd man out of the lineup with the acquisition of RW Raffi Torres from Columbus? According to the Buffalo News' Sabres Edge blog, it could be D Chris Butler, with Steve Montador moving to the blue line from forward. ... On Friday, Lindy Ruff moved into sole possession of third place on the career list for most games coached with one franchise (965). MONTREAL New Montreal general manager Pierre Gauthier didn’t feel the need to make his mark at Wednesday’s trade deadline. Despite calls to overhauling his roster, the Habs only move was ship forward Matt D'Agostini to St. Louis for minor-leaguer Aaron Palushaj. "I told the team that any success we will have this season will come from the group being able to put it together from within," Gauthier told reporters. "It doesn't mean you're telling them there's not going to be any changes, but you are telling them you are not looking to add to the challenge." ... A 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday dropped the Habs to 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, further dimming the team's playoff hopes. ... G Carey Price made 37 saves in the loss. ... The Canadiens continue to possess one of the league's best power plays, converting 24.4 percent of their chances. They've scored four power-play goals during their current four-game winning streak over Saturday's opponent, the Los Angeles Kings. OTTAWA G Pascal Leclaire was yanked from the net on Thursday by head coach Cory Clouston after allowing two goals on five shots in only 6:23. The Senators went on to lose 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. ... Forwards Peter Regin, Ryan Shannon and Jarkko Ruutu are suffering from the flu and were not on the ice for practice Friday at Scotiabank Place, the Ottawa Sun reports. Also absent was centre Jesse Winchester, citing personal reasons. ... Listen to Clouston's post-practice comments. ... During the U.S. national anthem prior to the Wednesday's home game against the New York Rangers, the Scotiabank Place scoreboard video screen showed video of every Canadian gold-medal winner, and even threw in a shot of Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal from Sunday's gold-medal game. |
