After 20: Bruins 1 – Habs 0

by Tim Rosenthal http://www.bruinsdaily.com

BOSTON — Courtesy of Tomas Plekanec and Carey Price, Patrice Bergeron gets credit for his second goal of the season on the second Bruins’ power play — which is 1-for-3 — as the Black and Gold take a 1-0 lead after one.

 

• To break down tonight’s goaltending matchup would be an interesting task in it of itself. On one hand Price is looking like a goaltender who is a little sluggish on the second night of a back to back, but is still getting the job done with nine first period saves. On the other end, Tim Thomas is looking like he is auditioning for Dancing with the Stars early making an early save on the first shot of the game while also trying to get out of the way a few minutes later after some sloppy puck handling during a Habs line change. Strange indeed.
• Give the Habs credit. Even though they are being outshot 10-6 and have only generated three scoring chances, the defense has been active with 10 blocked shots.
• Despite being outhit 8-6, the Bruins are using their size against a smaller, speedier Montreal squad to their advantage and drew three first period penalties, converting on one power play too. Again, they can thank Plekanec and Price for the goal, which should also make the Sportscenter “Not Top 10″ plays of the week on both ESPN and TSN.
• Defensively, the Bruins are playing solid in front of Thomas allowing just six shots on goal. They are jumping on every loose puck in front of Thomas and beating the Habs to the corner. Again, this is partly due to Montreal’s second game of a back to back.
• With Bergeron’s first period goal, the Bruins have snapped a six-game skid in which they allowed their opponent to score first.
• As expected, Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban got the most boo’s from the TD Garden faithful. Even ex-Bruin Hal Gill got a mixed reaction when he was acknowledged for his 1000th game during his TV timeout. To put that in retrospect, another ex-Bruin, Joe Thornton, got a nice ovation Saturday night when he was acknowledged for the same feat.

Fantasy Hockey ONE (10/10)

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WASSEL | 10 OCTOBER 2011 

 

Sometimes however it is what you do not expect that steals the show.  Yesterday only had two games but there was plenty of intrigue as the Winnipeg Jets played their first home game and though it was not the result the fans wanted, they had every right to cheer just for hockey.  Canadians are definitely thankful for that as today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

First we will take that “look back” and then look ahead at a somewhat robust seven game schedule on what is also Columbus Day.  Take news and notes and remember THERE ARE SEVERAL 1pm STARTS TODAY, so get your rosters in ASAP.  This always happens on holidays where people just forget about their teams and it comes back to bite them in the rear.

 

A LOOK BACK:

1. Devan Dubnyk, G, Edmonton Oilers – Lost in all the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal buzz (and yes he tied the game late in the third) was the fact that Dubnyk stopped the Penguins at every turn stopping 33 of 34 shots then clinching the win in the shootout (2-1 victory).  Dubnyk seems to be only owned in Yahoo leagues (35%) and is almost nonexistent in ESPN (3.2%).  Something tells me Nikolai Khabibulin will be starting too much longer.

2. Carey Price, G, Montreal Canadiens – All Price did was go into an environment that was an absolute hornets nest and came away with 30 saves on 31 shots in a 5-1 win in Winnipeg.  There was no true way to quiet that crowd, which had not seen NHL hockey in 15 years yet Price played remarkably well in net.  There is a reason why Price is now one of the premier fantasy goalies out there.

3. Tomas Plekanec, F, Montreal Canadiens – Lost in some of the hoopla was the fact that Plekanec had a three point evening when all was said and done.  His goal and two assists were an indication of his strong play throughout the game.  He is going to have to step it up more now with the news that Michael Cammalleri is out for around two weeks with a leg laceration.

 

SCHEDULE TIME:

Monday, October 10, 2011
Teams					Notes
Colorado		at	Boston		1:00 PM | Gameday
Carolina		at	New Jersey		1:00 PM | Gameday
Minnesota		at	NY Islanders		1:00 PM | Gameday
Calgary		at	St. Louis		2:00 PM | Gameday
Phoenix		at	Dallas		6:00 PM | Gameday
Tampa Bay		at	Washington		7:00 PM | Gameday
Vancouver		at	Columbus		7:00 PM | Gameday

 

It is a solid schedule with four afternoon games and yes the action ends around 9:30pm ET which is not bad at all.

 

ONES TO WATCH:

1. Zach Parise, F, New Jersey Devils – Honestly he looked sluggish against thePhiladelphia Flyers on Saturday and we were not the only ones to notice.  The Flyers were hitting him early and often.  Clearly it did not deter Parise but it did slow him down noticeably in our humble opinion.  Today he faces a Carolina team that is a little more porous defensively.  This may be the time to get Parise’s scoring touch going as it feels like it has been a year since he scored a goal.  Actually its very close.

2. That Minnesota First Line – The New York Islanders face quite a test this afternoon at home as they face the Minnesota Wild.  While the Wild’s first line is not like the fear inducing one like when Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux would team up, it is a line that can harass you into mistakes.  Dany Heatley is your classic sniper while Devin Setoguchi has the scrappy ability with enough skill that you have to have.  Mikko Koivu completes the trio very well as he has the ability to score, be the play maker, and be physical when needed.  The Isles will be pushed to the limit.

3. Washington Vs. Tampa Tonight – This one needs little or no introduction.  Simply watch this game and enjoy fantasy hockey fans.  The star power is up there and while this is not Washington-Pittsburgh, it may be damn close.

 

Well good luck with your fantasy hockey teams today and we will be keeping you updated via Twitter.  Out of respect to the holiday, there will be no This Day In Hockey History as that will be posted on Twitter as well.  Enjoy the hockey!