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2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins, Uncategorized , , , , , Leave a comment

Final Buzzer: Motor City madness as B’s steal 2 points from Wings

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The Boston Bruins got a pair of goals from rookie Frank Vatrano, back from missing the past several contests to injury, and a monster game in net from backup Jonas Gustavsson to stun the Detroit Red Wings on the road with a 3-2 victory in sudden death.

The hometown Wings carried the edge in play for most of the night, but Gustavsson kept them in it after surrendering Pavel Datsyuk’s 300th career NHL goal and another strike from Tomas Tatar in the second period that gave Detroit a 2-1 lead until 1:44 left in regulation.

Vatrano opened the scoring at 7:11 of the first period when he took a Joonas Kemppainen pass out near the high slot and buried a low shot past Petr Mrazek. Former Red Wing Landon Ferraro drew his second assist in as many games with the Bruins after being claimed on waivers Monday.

The goal happened in part because Zdeno Chara swept a rolling puck away from danger after Gustavsson got a piece of a Niklas Kronwall drive that squirted through and was headed for the goal line.

Datsyuk rifled home the equalizer at 2:26 of the middle frame when he took an Alexey Marchenko pass and put the puck past Gustavsson for his second goal of the year. Tatar then added to the lead with his seventh marker, assisted by Riley Sheahan and Darren Helm.

Boston was unable to get much going in the way of sustained offensive pressure and when Vatrano took a poorly-timed tripping call at 14:42 of the final period, it appeared that the B’s might be out of luck on a night when their goaltending was good enough despite a lack of scoring.

However, after killing off the Vatrano penalty, the B’s found life on a deliberate play that developed slowly through the neutral zone between David Krejci and Loui Eriksson. Without pushing the pace, the two passed the puck back and forth before Eriksson gained the zone and then backhanded a pass over to his right. Defenseman Colin Miller was trailing the play and stepped into it, blasting the puck past Mrazek and into the net off the far post to make it a 2-2 game.

In 3-on-3 overtime, the B’s survived some tense moments including a sequence when Eriksson lost his stick and then failed to clear it by kicking at the puck. Tatar nearly ended the game on an odd-man rush with a wide open net, but he heeled the pass and the puck went wide, setting the stage for an improbable duo of Matt Beleskey-Vatrano-Miller combination to win the game.

Beleskey gained the Detroit zone and curled near the left boards, protecting the puck and then dishing up to Miller who had just entered the zone and was out near the middle of the circles. He then made a perfect slap-pass on net, freezing Mrazek, who no doubt expected another “Chiller Driller” to come scorching in. Instead, Vatrano was cutting to the front of the net and he put his stick on the off-speed shot, deflecting it down and into the net for the game-winning score.

The Bruins upped their record to 12-8-1, moving into third place in the Atlantic Division on the night before Thanksgiving. Given how hard this team works despite not having an abundance of high-end talent, they’ve given the fans a lot to be thankful for.

UP

Frank Vatrano- Back in the lineup, the East Longmeadow native tallied his first career two-goal game in the NHL. It’s not just his sublime release and otherworldly stick skills/killer instinct around the net, but he’s added a dimension of speed and is hustling all over the 200-foot sheet of ice. I said it on Twitter, but if you had told me back in March when the B’s signed the impressive 18-goal guy out of UMass that he would score 3 goals in his first 7 NHL *before* December 1st, I would’ve thought that was crazy talk. Vatrano, who previously attended Calgary Flames development camp before signing with Boston, is making anyone who doubted him including all 30 teams that skipped him in the draft three times, look like the ones who lost their marbles.

Jonas Gustavsson- He lived up to his nickname of the Monster tonight with another quality start. It’s obvious that the guy can play…the key to him going forward will be in maintaining his health, as injuries have been stumbling blocks for him in the past. He made some tough stops look pretty routine tonight, and as someone who subscribes to the “less is more” approach when it comes to goalies, that’s a good thing. He’s now 5-1, with a GAA of 2.15 and a save percentage of .920.

Colin Miller- Chiller posted the tying goal and an assist on the winning goal. He seems to be growing and developing by leaps and bounds with each game, as the confidence is getting larger. Sure, he’ll make the odd bad read or poor pinch, but he has the tools to make up for those missteps. He’s already contributing quite a bit at both ends as a raw rookie who saw his first NHL game back in October- just think how good he could be in another 2-3 years.

Claude Julien- Let’s give him credit on this one: is anyone going to say with a straight face that he hates young players when he rolled out a combo of Vatrano and Miller during 3-on-3 OT play along with Beleskey? For all the static he gets, he didn’t staple Vatrano to the bench after the youngster’s bad penalty late in the third period. He recognized that Vatrano and Miller, combined with Beleskey’s edge and energy might make for a good mix and the trio did not disappoint.

Pavel Datsyuk- 300 goals in a Hall of Fame career. At 37, he’s slowing down, but tonight, he showed why he’s been an NHL star for so long. Aside from the fact that the Bruins have been leading the league in allowing career milestones to be reached this season, Datsyuk found the back of the net with an understated, yet impressive strike that captured the essence of his elite hockey sense, talent and a penchant for making magic out of the mundane ever since he came over from Russia after being the 171st overall pick in 1998.

DOWN

Ryan Spooner- Did not see much action in the final 10 minutes of regulation or overtime. For a player with his speed and skills, the team wants more from the 2010 second-rounder. Regardless of the less productive and successful performance at 5-on-5, Spooner has the ability to raise his game when challenged and has rebounded when sat down in the past. Sometimes we forget that he’s still just 23, and his 11 points in 21 contests is a little off his pace from a year ago, but when he’s on his game, there aren’t many more dangerous forwards on this team than No. 51.

 

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Bruins claim Landon Ferraro off waiver wire

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Pierre LeBrun of ESPN reported this hour that the B’s have put in a successful waiver claim for winger Landon Ferraro, who was put on the wire  by the Detroit Red Wings yesterday.

The 24-year-old was Detroit’s top choice, 32nd overall (in the early second round) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft out of the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. He is, as most already know, the son of former NHL forward and current TSN analyst Ray Ferraro, who owns the single season WHL goal scoring record of 108 goals in 72 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1983-84.

The younger Ferraro came out of junior (Red Deer and the Everett Silver Tips) with the reputation for having good speed and puck skills/shot- he scored 37 goals in his draft season but injuries derailed him in subsequent years and he never again approached that mark. He scored 27 goals in 70 games for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins a season ago and netted his first NHL marker against Carolina last spring. In 10 games this year with the Wings, he had no points. In 17 career NHL games, he has just the one goal.

Here’s a quick excerpt on him from Red Line Report’s 2009 Draft Guide:

Rank: 38 “Has the ability to score in a variety of ways- off the rush with a solo effort, near the circles with a 1-timer, or jumping on rebounds outside the crease. Terrific shooting accuracy and a super-quick release. Has tremendous hand/eye coordination to tip and deflect shots for goals. Excellent hockey sense allows him to be in the right place for scoring chances.”

This is not a bad move to try and see if Ferraro can benefit from a change of scenery and help Boston in the process. He’s a smart, offensively gifted player but on the downside, is average size-wise and doesn’t excel in playing a 200-foot game. In that regard, he’s an atypical Bruins player. Well, hold the phone on that, maybe…

Given that he was the 32nd overall player in 2009 (taken seven spots after Jordan Caron and one pick ahead of Ryan O’Reilly), he’s worth a roll of the dice as a waiver claim. What this means in terms of who goes down is yet to be determined, but Max Talbot might be headed back to Providence.

Here’s an interview with Ferraro during Wings camp a few months ago:

 

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins , , , Leave a comment

Final Buzzer: Bruins, Rask blank resurgent Leafs

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The Boston Bruins benefited from a superb goalie duel between Tuukka Rask and James Reimer, winning a second consecutive home game for the first time this season in sending the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs away in a 2-0 contest.

The game was scoreless going into the final five minutes, as both teams waged a see-saw battle that began with a good, uptempo pace from the opening puck drop and continued throughout, with just a couple of penalties to slow the momentum.

This was hockey the way it was meant to be played, even though there was just one goal scored with a netminder between the pipes- Brad Marchand’s empty-netter in the waning seconds made sure the Leafs didn’t send the TD Garden faithful into a panic with late-game heroics.

Reiner stopped Boston’s first 35 shots on him and has reinvented himself after buying into the head trajectory concept, which is gaining momentum with goalies around the NHL. In a word, it comes down to this: tracking. By tracking the puck by leading your save movement with the head and maintaining a visual at all times before the shot, at the time of save and through completion of its trajectory on the rebound, Reimer is on a hot streak, having entered the game with a .951 save percentage since pushing Jonathan Bernier out of the Toronto crease.

Alas, Reimer’s excellence in net was not enough for the Leafs, as Matt Beleskey won a puck battle down low late in the third period, dishing the puck out to Zach Trotman at the right point. Trotman faked a shot to freeze his man, then slid the puck over to his d-partner Zdeno Chara. Instead of shooting, Chara had a lane to the net and took it- skating about 15 feet in and uncorking a hard snapshot that beat Reimer through the wickets with traffic in front.

The Boston captain’s third goal of the season was all the Bruins needed.

In net, Rask was good when he had to be, making several key stops on Leafs forward Shawn Matthias, including a first period breakaway when Colin Miller lost an edge on a reverse crossover at his own blue line, allowing Matthias to walk in alone.

Chara4

Zdeno Chara had a great night in the Boston victory (photo courtesy of Alison M. Foley)

UP-

Zdeno Chara- Big Zee gets a lot of flak on my Twitter feed as a diminishing star who is not the player he once was, but tonight, he reminded us all of why he’s a future Hall of Famer. He played a snarly game, doling out hits and cracking Toronto pest Leo Komarov in the back with his stick during one sequence. During a scrum between Marchand and James van Riemsdyk, Chara locked up with Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf and dearly wanted to fight him, something Phaneuf seemed all too happy to let the officials keep from happening. Then with a little under five minutes left, Chara unleashed a bomb from the slot to win the game. Life means that certain sports fans will adopt a “what have you done for me lately?” attitude and there’s not much you can do about that. People are entitled to their opinions, and while Chara’s best years are behind him, it was nice to see him at the top of his game on this night.

Tuukka Rask- The Leafs have been kicking themselves ever since trading him to Boston nearly a decade ago, and Rask posted his 28th career shutout- good for fourth all-time in Boston franchise history behind Cecil “Tiny” Thompson, Frank “Mr. Zero” Brimsek and Tim “Timmy” Thomas. It’s been a tough year for Rask, but he came up big when his team needed him, and he was pretty quiet in the net, keeping things simple and making the saves look pretty routine. It was a nice change of pace from the off-kilter Rask we’ve seen more often than not this year, and goes to show that when he’s on, he’s one of the best in the game.

Brad Marchand- Marchand played a great game. He had a highlight reel sequence in the opening frame when he screwed Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly into the ice on an inside-out move, then decked Reimer, ultimately losing the puck off his stick before he could get a shot off. During a collision with Komarov that looked worse than it was, van Riemsdyk went to him and Marchand dropped the gloves, pulling the much-larger JVR to the ice and getting a roughing penalty in the process. He played with speed, energy and grit all night and didn’t get too out of control, which is usually the only issue with him. His ENG was icing on the cake of a solid night overall.

Zach Trotman- I tweeted that he’s my unsung hero for the past week-plus for steady, effective play since getting a chance to skate regularly in the lineup again. He’s never going to be a top defenseman or two-way threat, but Trotman has the size, mobility, smarts and character to be a serviceable defender at this level. He was unfairly banished to the press box after having to debut on opening night with Matt Irwin, who had a disastrous two-game performance that caused Trotman to pay a larger price, missing about a month of games as a healthy scratch. But, the former Lake Superior State standout didn’t sulk or complain- he just kept working at it and was ready to go when his chance came. NESN analyst and colleague Billy Jaffe takes it a step further, saying that Trotman has been among the team’s best defensemen since returning to the lineup. Not bad for the last overall selection in 2010…

ZachTrotman1008

Zach Trotman has been an unsung hero for Boston since getting another chance to skate regular minutes (Photo courtesy of Alison M. Foley)

Matt Belesekey- His point totals are nothing to write home about, but this guy is a quintessential Bruin in the way that he blasts around the ice doing the little things. I think the production will start to flow more in the coming games, but you certainly notice the guy and he made the right play on Chara’s winning goal. If he doesn’t win that battle for a loose puck, maybe this game gets to OT and we have a completely different outcome. Luckily for Boston, he didn’t lose and a few seconds later, Chara’s rocket was tickling the twine.

James Reimer- He’s a good guy off the ice and you have to give him credit for reinventing himself on a team that started horrendously. I don’t know that he’s for real- we saw a similar run back when he debuted and captured Toronto’s collective hearts in early 2011 when he was called up and stymied NHL shooters before coming back to earth and battling injuries in subsequent seasons. And of course- he was in net against Boston in the 2013 playoffs for that agonizing overtime defeat in Game 7. Tonight, he did everything in his power to give his team a chance to steal a couple of points.

No downers tonight. The Bruins got an important win for their psyche and are sitting in one of the two wild card spots as we speak. There’s still much hockey to be played, but given the way things started, I think most people will take that.

 

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Lauzon helps send Russia down in defeat in CHL Subway Series

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Jeremy Lauzon attracted some attention with a goal and two-assist performance in the final game of the  annual CHL Subway Series showcase. In the second of two QMJHL vs Russia contests, the first of which was won by the Russians, the Quebec League stormed back for a decisive victory, giving the CHL a 5-1 edge in games for 2015.

Here are some highlights featuring Lauzon’s point shot, which stood up as the winner.

http://canadarussia.chl.ca/video/index/id/3e427cd42a04b4aaf96540a7c65b9b48

Lauzon also does a post-game interview. His English isn’t the greatest, but give him marks for trying, at least. He’s getting some good practice before he gets to Boston, and I think he’ll make the big club at some point in the next 3-4 years, maybe sooner.

http://canadarussia.chl.ca/video/index/id/5ce5cb1d089ea257d63615bbda72a64b

I’ve been watching Lauzon quite a bit this season and I like that he plays a lot of minutes and in all situations for Rouyn-Noranda. He’s the lead sled dog on that Huskies club, and he uses his skating, vision and smarts to advance the puck smartly and distribute well in the offensive zone. He’s getting a good chunk of his assists this year by getting pucks in on net from the point; his teammates are deflecting those shots or putting in rebounds. Lauzon’s goal scoring is down from a year ago when he led all Quebec league draft eligible d-men with 15 (he just scored his fourth of the season Friday night), but he’s getting ready to blow by his career-best for points in a fraction of the games. You can check out his most updated stats here at HockeyDB.

My chief publisher boss and our Quebec scout at Red Line Report loved Lauzon for the 2015 NHL draft, rating him 59th on the RLR independent rankings. In hindsight, we should have had him higher- he looks like a stud. It’s going to be hard for him to make Team Canada’s Under-20 World Jr. Team next month, but he’s making a case to get a look and stranger things have happened.

The name of the game in modern hockey is having defensemen who can skate, pass, score and defend across the board. While Lauzon is not an elite talent, he has no discernible weaknesses anywhere. The NHL has quite a few of these solid citizens who do everything well and are key contributors. Those who know me well understand that I don’t like to make NHL comparisons, but I will make an exception in Lauzon’s case just to give an idea of the *type* of impact/style he *might* bring to Boston one day if he makes it- think NY Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh. Two-way threat who will make hits and block shots, but who also has the skills to boost the production from the blue line.

 

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins, Loui Eriksson , , , Leave a comment

How Swede it is- Eriksson hatty, Gustavsson sharpness key in B’s win

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The Boston Bruins beat the Minnesota Wild Thursday night by a 4-2 score thanks in large part to Loui Eriksson’s hat trick (he now has 9 goals on the season) and solid play between the pipes by backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson.

The win was significant also because it was only the third victory on home ice this season for Boston, which was an important two points for the team to get on the heels of Tuesday night’s loss to San Jose at the TD Garden. Additionally, that the B’s beat the Wild, the ranking modern expansion era nemesis for Boston, was an important moral win for a team that will take positives in any form these days. It was only the third time since Minnesota joined the league for the 1999-00 season that the B’s had beaten the Wild, which is a remarkable statistic when you consider the success the Bruins have had since 2008.

With defenseman Kevan Miller on the shelf after suffering an upper body injury in the third period against the Sharks, the B’s got a boost with the return of Colin Miller who had missed the previous couple of games to injury.

The story of the night was the play of Boston’s two Swedes- Eriksson and Gustavsson- who paced the home team to a solid win on home ice. For Eriksson, it was his third career three-goal game, and Gustavsson upped his record with Boston to 4-1, a 2.20 GAA and .915 save percentage. He’s making a case to see more ice, which could let Tuukka Rask get a little time to work through his struggles right now. Not surprisingly, I’m seeing some Twitter chatter mocking Rask and elevating ‘Gus’ but still believe Rask is not only a superior goaltender to Gustavsson but he’s capable of infinitely better play than he’s demonstrated to date. This is not a goaltender controversy per se and it would be absurd to argue for Gustavsson to push Rask aside at this juncture, but Gus has played well enough to perhaps get the next game or two and see what he does with the opportunity.

Loui’s first goal of the night happened when he threw the puck at the net from the near the left wing boards and it appeared to hit Brett Connolly and bounce in past Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk. In actuality, the puck hit Wild forward Jason Pominville’s skate who was locked up with Connolly and backing in towards his net, meaning the goal belonged to Eriksson, his seventh of the year.

The second goal happened on the power play, when Torey Krug took the puck in from the blue line and near the top of the left circle put a hard pass into the slot where Patrice Bergeron was set up. Bergeron then moved the puck over to Dubnyk’s left and Eriksson buried it for his second of the game.

Eriksson completed the natural hat trick when he finished off a nice give-and-go with David Krejci to close out the scoring. It all started with a good save by Gustavsson and a heads-up pass from Matt Beleskey to spring Krejci and Eriksson on a 2-on-1 in the neutral zone.

As for Eriksson, he’s continuing a fine season in which he currently sits third on the team in scoring with nine goals (team lead) and 17 points in 18 games.

Eriksson was never going to provide the superstar potential Tyler Seguin took with him to Dallas and that was a known risk Boston was taking when they dealt the 21–year-old in 2013. However, this version of Eriksson was the guy the Bruins felt like they were getting back as part of a larger package that to date has not turned out as hoped.

Eriksson’s play this season has made GM Don Sweeney’s job a tough one, as he will have to decide whether Loui is part of a solution going forward past 2016 or if the team should trade him at or near the deadline to get what could be a pretty significant return. We’re too early in the season to figure out whether Boston will be in a position to make a trade or will be better served sticking with him, but one thing is for sure: Eriksson is doing the things we had always seen from him in Dallas. You know what you have in the guy, so if you give that up for the uncertainty of future returns in the form of prospects and/or draft picks, you might just find yourself wishing the team had stuck with Eriksson instead.

It’s no doubt a debate that will continue to be had and heat up after the Winter Classic when playoff positions will start to solidify and we will better know if Eriksson can sustain his impressive scoring pace.

Beleskey and Krejci played superb games as that line carried the night- it’s another sign that while this Bruins team might lack the talent on paper to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, they’re going to show up and give a top effort most nights.

 

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No final buzzer tonight

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Sorry, friends- having a busy week and not able to post a final buzzer game recap tonight.

Will be back to cover the next B’s game after missing the last two, but if I don’t watch the entire contest, there isn’t any point trying to pretend/pass off less than a complete effort.

Thanks for the understanding-

KL

2015-16 AHL season, 2015-16 CHL season, 2015-16 NCAA season, Alexander Khokhlachev, Anders Bjork, Austin Czarnik, Boston Bruins prospects, Brandon Carlo, Cameron Hughes, Colby Cave, Daniel Vladar, Danton Heinen, Emil Johansson, Jack Becker, Jake DeBrusk, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, Jesse Gabrielle, Linus Arnesson, Malcolm Subban, Matt Benning, Matt Grzelcyk, Noel Acciari, Peter Cehlarik, Providence Bruins, Rob O'Gara, Ryan Donato, Ryan Fitzgerald, Sean Kuraly, Seth Griffith, Zachary Senyshyn, Zane McIntyre , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Bruins Prospects Update 11/16/15

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It has been a tough season for the goalies in Providence.

Malcolm Subban missed just about a month with a lower body injury suffered before the start of the year and has been mediocre at best (and that might be putting it mildly) since returning to the lineup. Zane McIntyre is a gamer, but he’s undergoing  a challenging transition, which only further underscores the folly and foolishness displayed by some who really thought he should just waltz into the NHL backup spot behind Tuukka Rask without having seen a single shot at the pro level. McIntyre is a terrific competitor and will eventually right the ship, but he’s struggling at the AHL level right now.

As for Subban, much bigger things are expected of him, and the 2012 first-rounder needs to start showing more consistency in his preparation and execution. If the B’s had toyed with the idea of trading him in order to get a nice return, they can shelve those plans, because Suban’s value is down is right now. He needs to get back to basics.

Austin Czarnik returned to the Providence lineup and not a moment too soon with Alex Khokhlachev now out with a bad hand. The diminutive former Hobey Baker finalist picked up where he left off, tallying a goal and assist in three games.

The NCAA prospects had another big week, which included a 2-goal, 4-point night from Ryan Fitzgerald and Wiley Sherman’s first career NCAA goal in his second year with Harvard. BU center Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson had another strong weekend and is getting positive reviews by NHL scouts who all point to the uncommon maturity of his game for one in just his first collegiate season. NU defenseman Matt Benning got his second goal of the year, significant in that he went all of 2014-15 without scoring once, though still managed to lead the Huskies in scoring from the blue line.

AHL

Alex Khokhlachev, C Providence Bruins

GP- 11 Goals- 4 Assists- 9 Points- 13 Penalty Min- 2 +/- 6

Hand injury; did not play.

Austin Czarnik, C Providence Bruins

GP- 7 Goals- 2 Assists- 5 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 6 +/-  5

Czarnik returned to the lineup after missing seven games; if he can stay healthy, he’ll infuse the Providence lineup with much-needed speed, skill and energy.

Tommy Cross, D Providence Bruins

GP- 10 Goals- 0 Assists- 7 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 25 +/- -4

Chris Casto, D Providence Bruins

GP- 14 Goals- 0 Assists- 7 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 12 +/- -9

Seth Griffith, RW Providence Bruins

GP- 7 Goals- 2 Assists- 4 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 4 +/- -3

Colby Cave, C Providence Bruins

GP- 14 Goals- 5 Assists- 1 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 4 +/- -4

Colton Hargrove, LW Providence Bruins

GP- 11 Goals- 3 Assists- 1 Points- 4 Penalty Min- 8 +/- -2

Expected to be more of an enforcer type of forward this season, Hargrove has been one of the more consistent players providing scoring from the lower lines.

Anton Blidh, LW Providence Bruins

GP- 14 Goals- 4 Assists- 0 Points- 4 Penalty Min- 8 +/- -1

Noel Acciari, C Providence Bruins

GP- 14 Goals- 1 Assists- 2 Points- 3 Penalty Min- 7 +/- -3

Former Bishop Hendricken and Providence College captain scored his first career professional goal over the weekend.

Linus Arnesson, D Providence Bruins

GP- 14 Goals- 0 Assists- 1 Points- 1 Penalty Min- 0 +/- -2

Malcolm Subban, G Providence Bruins

GP- 5 MIN- 304 GA- 19 GAA- 3.75 Spct- ..850 W- 1 L-3 OTL 1

Zane McIntyre, G Providence Bruins

GP- 8 MIN- 480 GA- 26 GAA- 3.25 Spct- .875 W- 2 L- 3 OTL- 3

 

OHL

Zach Senyshyn, RW Saulte Ste Marie Greyhounds

GP- 20 Goals- 10 Assists- 5 Points- 15 Penalty Min- 2 +/- -6

 

QMJHL

Jeremy Lauzon, D Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

GP- 19 Goals- 3 Assists- 24 Points- 27 Penalty Min- 34 +/- +19

Jakub Zboril, D Saint John Sea Dogs

GP- 16 Goals- 3 Assists- 4 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 20 +/- 2

 

WHL

Jake DeBrusk, LW Swift Current Broncos

GP- 14 Goals- 6 Assists- 14 Points- 20 Penalty Min- 13 +/- -3

Groin injury; DNP

Jesse Gabrielle, LW Prince George Cougars

GP- 19 Goals- 14 Assists- 6 Points- 20 Penalty Min- 29 +/-  1

Big week for Gabrielle, who scored three goals and five points in three games and continues to turn heads in the WHL. By comparison he had 10 goals and 19 points in 33 games with the Regina Pats after a mid-season trade last season. He’s well on his way to beating all of his previous career highs.

Brandon Carlo, D Tri-City Americans

GP- 11 Goals- 1 Assists- 7 Points- 8 Penalty Min- 32 +/- -3

Carlo is injured and did not play this past week.

 

NCAA

Ryan Fitzgerald, F Boston College Eagles (HEA)

GP- 9 Goals- 7 Assists- 6 Points- 13 Penalty Min- 27 +/- 13

Anders Bjork, LW University of Notre Dame (HEA)

GP- 10 Goals- 2 Assists- 8 Points- 10 Penalty Min- 2 +/- 10

Danton Heinen, LW Denver University Pioneers (NCHC)

GP- 10 Goals- 4 Assists- 4 Points- 8 Penalty Min- 0 +/- 4

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, C Boston University Terriers (HEA)

GP- 10 Goals- 3 Assists- 8 Points- 11 Penalty Min- 8 +/- 2

2 goals and 2 assists in 2 games over the weekend put JFK second on the team in scoring behind Sharks prospect Danny O’Regan.

Ryan Donato, C Harvard University (ECAC)

GP- 6 Goals- 3 Assists- 2 Points- 5 Penalty Min- 6 +/- 3

No points in two games played for Donato this week.

Sean Kuraly, C Miami University (NCHC)

GP- 12 Goals- 1 Assists- 4 Points- 5 Penalty Min- 12 +/- -6

The Miami captain finally got off the schneid to record his first goal of the season over the weekend.

Matt Grzelcyk, D Boston University (HEA)

GP-4 Goals 2 Assists- 2 Points- 4 Penalty Min- 10 +/- 3

Cameron Hughes, C University of Wisconsin (Big Ten)

GP- 10 Goals- 1 Assists- 3 Points- 4 Penalty Min- 2 +/- -2

Matt Benning, D Northeastern University (HEA)

GP- 11 Goals- 2 Assists- 2 Points- 4 Penalty Min- 15 +/- -9

Wiley Sherman, D Harvard University (ECAC)

GP- 6 Goals- 1 Assists- 2 Points- 3 Penalty Min- 4 +/- 2

Sherman tallied his first career NCAA goal in game No. 43 for the Crimson.

 

Rob O’Gara, D Yale University (ECAC)

GP- 6 Goals- 0 Assists- 2 Points- 2 Penalty Min- 8 +/- 2

 

Europe

Peter Cehlarik, LW Lulea (Sweden)

GP- 14 Goals- 3 Assists- 3 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 0 +/- -2

Emil Johansson, D HV71 (Sweden)

GP- 16 Goals- 0 Assists- 2 Points- 2 Penalty Min- 12 +/- -2

Maxim Chudninov, D St Petersburg SKA (Russia)

GP- 24 Goals- 5 Assists- 4 Points- 9 Penalty Min- 71 +/- -5

USHL

Jack Becker, C Sioux Falls (USHL)

GP- 15 Goals- 2 Assists- 4 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 0 +/- -3

No points in three games for the 7th rounder since last update.

Daniel Vladar, G Chicago (USHL)

GP- 9 MIN- 490 GA- 19 GAA- 2.33 Spct .912 SO- 1; 1-4-2

Vladar’s only action last week came in 21 minutes of relief of a losing effort, where he allowed no goals.

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins , , Leave a comment

Final Buzzer: B’s struggle at home again after taking 2-0 lead on Avs

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One of the bigger issues confronting the 2015-16 Boston Bruins is not just the problems the team has at earning points on home ice, but its a penchant for blowing leads in three of those crucial early season contests.

Losses after jumping up by two goals against Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and now Colorado have ended in disaster, as the Bruins dropped a 3-2 game Thursday night at the TD Garden.

A return to the ice by veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg was spoiled by a Colorado comeback after Boston blew a 2-0 lead taken in the first six minutes of the game. The Bruins did not score again the rest of the contest.

First period goals by Zdeno Chara and Ryan Spooner were countered by strikes from former Bruin Carl Soderberg (assisted by former Bruin Jarome Iginla) and Rejean Beauchemin, who tied the game with just 29 seconds left in the opening period.

Colorado coach and old Boston nemesis Patrick Roy challenged the Chara goal just 1:12 into the game for a crease violation, but was unsuccessful in the attempt to have the captain’s second goal of the season negated.

The two teams played through a scoreless second period, with both Tuukka Rask and Reto Berra making some key stops for their clubs. At 5:46 of the second period, Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog was ejected for a blindside head hit on Brad Marchand. The B’s were unable to score on an extended power play (after he took a roughing penalty in response), but Marchand remained in the game and seemed to suffer no ill effects despite already suffering a concussion earlier this season.

Colorado took the lead in the third period when Kevan Miller coughed up the puck near the Boston blue line to Mikhail Grigorenko, who skated towards Rask before sliding a cross-ice feed to Matt Duchene, who buried it for his seventh goal of the season. Miller

The B’s were unable to find the equalizer after pulling Rask for the extra attacker.  From the sounds of it, a lack of offensive zone time and puck possession throughout the game doomed them to another home disappointment for the Boston faithful. The crowd let them know, too- as boos rained down on the players with a few minutes remaining in the contest and the defense having trouble getting the puck out the zone and up the ice on the attack.

Sorry, folks- was in and out of this one and did not catch the entire contest, so no Ups and Downs tonight…I’ll only post that when I see the entire contest, but prior commitments prevented me from giving the game my complete attention. Perhaps that is for the best.

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Bruins sign DeBrusk, Lauzon & Senyshyn to ELCs

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Zachary Senyshyn Photo credit: Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Zachary Senyshyn Photo credit: Aaron Bell/OHL Images

The Boston Bruins announced today that the team has signed Jake DeBrusk, Jeremy Lauzon and Zach Senyshyn to three-year entry-level contracts.

When you factor in the already signed Jakub Zboril and Brandon Carlo, that means five of Boston’s picks in the opening two rounds of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft are now under contract.

What this means: Not a whole lot, other than the fact that the B’s don’t have a thing to worry about in terms of losing any of these players to re-entering the draft if they weren’t to agree to deals by June 1, 2017. All five players are back with their junior clubs, which means the Bruins can’t summon them for any kind of action until their amateur seasons are over. Once they finish their major junior play, Boston can move them to Providence on ATOs to finish out the season- there are usually a handful of games left in the AHL regular schedule if a CHL team is eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, a few more than that if the junior team fails to make the postseason.

The new ELCs do not count against Boston’s 50-contract limit while the players are in junior, so by signing at or close to the max, the players get security and so do the B’s in knowing that the kids are in the fold.

This also underscores the early success that these three in particular have had in the new season- all have been productive, and while DeBrusk is currently rehabbing a lower body injury after blocking a Joe Hicketts shot in a game last week, both he and Senyshyn were mentioned as potential candidates to take a run at the 2016 Team Canada World Jr. squad. DeBrusk turned 19 last month, so this is his last shot at playing in the storied tournament. Once he turns 20, he is ineligible.

Senyshyn, who despite his 10 goals with the Soo this season, is still considered a long shot, gets another chance to make the 2017 WJC, and he might just do that with another year under his belt.

Overall, signing these youngsters is a good sign for Boston. The only unsigned player from the six picks in the top-52 is BU Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, but the team won’t sign him anytime soon. To do so would mean he gives up his NCAA eligibility and turns pro, and there is no need to rush the youngster. One player who might be up soon for contract consideration is Prince George forward Jesse Gabrielle, who was drafted by the B’s in the fourth round and was named WHL Player of the Week earlier this season.

Lauzon has cooled off a bit after his blistering offensive start, but he continues to impress as a top two-way defenseman in the Quebec league.

 

2015-16 AHL season, 2015-16 CHL season, 2015-16 NCAA season, Boston Bruins prospects , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Bruins Prospects Update 11/09/15

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With only one game on the Providence schedule, a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver affiliate Utica Comets, there isn’t much in the way of AHL updates this week. Unfortunately for Boston, Alex Khokhlachev suffered an unknown injury to his hand, and per Mark Divver of the Providence Journal is in Boston being seen by a hand specialist to determine the extent of it. The hits just keep on coming. Rugged forward Colton Hargrove got the lone goal of the week down on the farm, his second in eight games this year.

Frank Vatrano is off the list for now while he is up with Boston, but his 10 goals in 10 AHL games served as a nice springboard for his callup to the big club and his first NHL goal against Montreal.

Also injured out in the WHL are 2015 picks Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo, neither of whom played last week.

The NCAA prospects form the bulk of the system nucleus beyond the AHL guys and it was a busy week for them, with Ryan Donato, Danton Heinen and Ryan Fitzgerald all continuing to score for their clubs. Anders Bjork is quietly having a productive sophomore year with the Fighting Irish, with 9 points already in just eight games.

The bigger news in college play this past weekend was Matt Grzelcyk’s return to action after May knee surgery. He scored goals in his first two games for BU this weekend, quite a departure from a year ago, when he went well into 2015 before tallying his first goal.

AHL

Alex Khokhlachev, C Providence Bruins

GP- 11 Goals- 4 Assists- 9 Points- 13 Penalty Min- 2 +/- 6

The reported hand injury is something to monitor going forward. With Austin Czarnik still out since game 4 of the new season, the Providence forward depth has taken a hit.

Tommy Cross, D Providence Bruins

GP- 8 Goals- 0 Assists- 7 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 25 +/- -3

Chris Casto, D Providence Bruins

GP- 11 Goals- 0 Assists- 6 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 8 +/- -7

Austin Czarnik, C Providence Bruins

GP- 4 Goals- 1 Assists- 4 Points- 5 Penalty Min- 6 +/- 4

Seth Griffith, RW Providence Bruins

GP- 6 Goals- 2 Assists- 3 Points- 5 Penalty Min- 0 +/- -4

Colby Cave, C Providence Bruins

GP- 11 Goals- 5 Assists- 0 Points- 5 Penalty Min- 2 +/- -4

Colton Hargrove, LW Providence Bruins

GP- 8 Goals- 2 Assists- 1 Points- 3 Penalty Min- 6 +/- -2

Hargrove scored the lone goal of the week for Providence, which came in a 5-1 loss to Utica.

Malcolm Subban, G Providence Bruins

GP- 3 MIN- 179 GA- 13 GAA- 4.35 Spct- ..847 W- 1 L-2

Zane McIntyre, G Providence Bruins

GP- 6 MIN- 362 GA- 20 GAA- 3.31 Spct- .882 W- 2 L- 2 OTL- 2

OHL

Zach Senyshyn, RW Saulte Ste Marie Greyhounds

GP- 18 Goals- 10 Assists- 4 Points- 14 Penalty Min- 2 +/- -6

Senyshyn’s one goal scored this past week was a memorable one against Saginaw Spirit. Be sure to check out the video on the update I posted here on him Saturday.

QMJHL

Jeremy Lauzon, D Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

GP- 17 Goals- 3 Assists- 21 Points- 24 Penalty Min- 34 +/- +19

Quiet week for Lauzon, who was held pointless in two games.

Jakub Zboril, D Saint John Sea Dogs

GP- 13 Goals- 3 Assists- 4 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 20 +/- 1

Zboril had a goal and assist this week, plus some roughing penalties and also got into the plus column.

WHL

Jake DeBrusk, LW Swift Current Broncos

GP- 14 Goals- 6 Assists- 14 Points- 20 Penalty Min- 13 +/- -3

DeBrusk took a hard shot to the groin area and has not played since.

Jesse Gabrielle, LW Prince George Cougars

GP- 16 Goals- 11 Assists- 4 Points- 15 Penalty Min- 25 +/- 2

Brandon Carlo, D Tri-City Americans

GP- 11 Goals- 1 Assists- 7 Points- 8 Penalty Min- 32 +/- -3

Carlo is injured and did not play this past week.

NCAA

Ryan Fitzgerald, F Boston College Eagles (HEA)

GP- 8 Goals- 5 Assists- 4 Points- 9 Penalty Min- 27 +/- 11

Fitzgerald returned to action and scored a goal after sitting out a game for a match/DQ penalty last week, which carries an automatic one-game suspension. If nothing else- Fitzgerald is scrappy and intense- plays with a real chip on his shoulder.

Anders Bjork, LW University of Notre Dame (HEA)

GP- 8 Goals- 2 Assists- 7 Points- 9 Penalty Min- 2 +/- 9

The 2014 fifth-rounder is tied for the team lead in scoring as a sophomore after posting 22 points in all of last season.

Danton Heinen, LW Denver University Pioneers (NCHC)

GP- 8 Goals- 4 Assists- 4 Points- 8 Penalty Min- 0 +/- 5

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, C Boston University Terriers (HEA)

GP- 8 Goals- 1 Assists- 6 Points- 7 Penalty Min- 6 +/- 1

Ryan Donato, C Harvard University (ECAC)

GP- 4 Goals- 3 Assists- 2 Points- 5 Penalty Min- 2 +/- 4

The 2014 second-rounder is off to a great start at Harvard. He posted his first two-goal game (one was an empty-netter) against Brown University in a win over the weekend.

Cameron Hughes, C University of Wisconsin (Big Ten)

GP- 10 Goals- 1 Assists- 3 Points- 4 Penalty Min- 2 +/- -2

Matt Grzelcyk, D Boston University (HEA)

GP-2 Goals 2 Assists- 1 Points- 3 Penalty Min- 6 +/- 2

The Terriers got a big boost with the return of their captain, who tallied a goal and assist in his first game of the season Friday night in a win over Northeastern.

Matt Benning, D Northeastern University (HEA)

GP- 9 Goals- 1 Assists- 2 Points- 3 Penalty Min- 13 +/- -9

Wiley Sherman, D Harvard University (ECAC)

GP- 4 Goals- 0 Assists- 2 Points- 2 Penalty Min- 0 +/- 3

The 6-foot-6 defenseman is still looking for his first NCAA goal, but is off to a solid statistical start with two helpers in his first four games after posting three in 37 games as a freshman.

Sean Kuraly, C Miami University (NCHC)

GP- 10 Goals- 0 Assists- 3 Points- 3 Penalty Min- 10 +/- -4

Rob O’Gara, D Yale University (ECAC)

GP- 4 Goals- 0 Assists- 1 Points- 1 Penalty Min- 2 +/- 0

Europe

Peter Cehlarik, LW Lulea (Sweden)

GP- 12 Goals- 3 Assists- 3 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 0 +/- -1

Emil Johansson, D HV71 (Sweden)

GP- 14 Goals- 0 Assists- 1 Points- 1 Penalty Min- 12 +/- -2

Maxim Chudninov, D St Petersburg SKA (Russia)

GP- 24 Goals- 5 Assists- 4 Points- 9 Penalty Min- 71 +/- -5

USHL

Jack Becker, C Sioux Falls (USHL)

GP- 12 Goals- 2 Assists- 4 Points- 6 Penalty Min- 0 +/- -3

Daniel Vladar, G Chicago (USHL)

GP- 8 MIN- 469 GA- 19 GAA- 2.43 Spct .907 SO- 1; 1-4-2