Hey everyone.

Something's Bruin has been around for 6 months, a very, very short time in terms of a blog. This blog, however, is my life blood and I hope that it shows in the stuff I write. Sure, I may not get every game preview or recap in, but hey, that's life right?

Our good friend Cole Jones at The Other 6 Seconds recommended our site to a network called Bloguin. Apparently Bloguin liked us enough that we were asked to be part of their blogging network.

Don't be scared, Bloguin has already said that we are able to be ourselves, post what we want and express ourselves like we have been doing to date. The only thing changing is the layout.

So don't worry everyone, we've moved!

Unless you were living under a rock last year, you probably heard what happened at the Garden last year between the Bruins and the Stars.

Steve Ott, aka "The Knee Seeking Scud Missile" fought with Shawn Thornton, tangled with Shane Hnidy, was drilled by Andrew Ference (yes, I said that) and basically caused a brawl towards the end of the game. Ott, however, will not be playing tonight due to a flu or as I call it Lucitis.

Last year the Bruins trounced the Stars in Boston to the tune of 5-1.

The Bruins Keys To Winning

1. Effective Special Teams play
- The Bruins power play and penalty kill have been absolutely dreadful to start the season. In their last 3 games, the Bruins are 0-16 on the power play and did not kill a penalty against Colorado or Anaheim. If they are able to be successful on the power play and not give up a shorthanded goal like they did against Anaheim and Washington, then they'll be able to pull this one out.

2. Bring the "Big and Bad" in Big, Bad Bruins.
This year's squad came out with fire in the belly for the Carolina Hurricanes and thus played like the team we've come to know and love. Since then, they've shown flashes of that team but haven't been able to put it together on a consistent basis. If guys like Thornton, Lucic and Begin can bang the bodies around and have great 2-way play by forwards like Bergeron and Savard, it should limit the effectiveness of the Stars attack.

3. Pepper Turco
Turco isn't the guy he was hyped up to be. Turco can be broken and his mental state is anything but strong. Last season, the Bruins were able to pepper him with lots of shots, from both the slot and the point and were able to eventually run him from the game. The Bruins will have to get good shots on Turco and they will be able to beat him.

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As some of you may know, coach Claude Julien made a minor change to the lines for the road trip. Ryder will now play on the 1st line with Sturm and Savard, with Sturm moving to his natural position LW. Lucic will now play with Krejci and Blake Wheeler.

Projected Lineup:
Sturm-Savard-Ryder
Lucic-Krejci-Wheeler
Kobasew-Bergeron-Recchi
Thornton-Begin-Bitz

Chara-Morris
Ference-Hunwick
Stuart-Boychuk

Thomas

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Prediction: Bruins 3 Stars 4 (OT)

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For those who forgot...

It isn't a secret to see that the Boston Bruins are having a dismal start of the season. The biggest issue is their specialty teams, both the power play (0 for 16 their last 3 games) and their penalty kill (8 for 25 on the PK). Today the Boston Bruins announced their plans to release their "special" penalty kill.

"We're really excited about running the C.A.T.O program." GM Peter Chiarelli said in an e-mail he sent out to the press.

After doing some sleuthing, it seems that the C.A.T.O program will be unveiled in Dallas.

After the 2008-2009 season, The Bruins and an unnamed Massachusetts bio chem company developed a type of serum that will allow their players to function at a higher level.

C.A.T.O, which stands for "Chara Ate The Opposition" was highly effective in previous tests, though there were some failures (see: Hal Gill)

It is not sure how this program will work out. We sat with Zdeno Chara to question him about the program.

"Chara get mad. CHARA SMASH!" was the only thing he said before smashing our table into pieces.

How will this make the penalty kill? Probably pretty good.

The Boston Bruins will end their home stand with a record of 2-3 after a disappointing loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Mark Recchi, Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder all put the puck in the net for Boston as they did not maintain a lead at all today.

After the Bruins tied the game at 2 goals a piece, David Jones capitalized on what seemed to be a Bruins line-change mistake and found himself with a breakaway on Tuukka Rask, which he put in top shelf.

The Bruins played some good hockey, despite the score. They were down 2-0 before Recchi and Wheeler tied the game up, but once Colorado went up 4-2, it was a hill to steep to climb.

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

The second line of Wheeler, Krejci and Ryder played extremely well tonight. The line garnered 5 points tonight and was their best line of the night, which is a change of pace because the fourth line of Bitz, Thornton and Begin have been the best on the season.

The Bad

The defense looked confused and were not set for most of the game. The speed of the Avalanche kept the Bruins defensemen scrambling. Andrew Ference and Matt Hunwick played extremely poorly tonight, especially with the David Jones breakaway.

The Ugly

The Bruins specialty teams are anything but special. The power play was once again miserable as the Bruins went 0 for 5 on the man advantage. Also, the Bruins went 0-2 on the PK and now are an eye-popping 8 for 25 on the PK in this young season.

Stat of the day:

The Bruins are 0-16 on the PP in their last 3 games.

Quote of the Night:

"They stunk. I'd rather watch donkey basketball and the court isn't being continually swpet to clear the feces." -My friend Joe via text message.

You know it's a Thursday night because the Bruins are being blown out in a hockey game. If "blown out" isn't your term of choice, you may insert it with "embarrassed", "maimed", "smashed", "annihilated", etc. I will choose to use "blown out".

I know that the season is still in its infancy, but what we've seen is a Bruins team lose two out of three games pretty handily. They've been flat, have played effortless hockey and once the score board tilts to the opposing team, the Bruins can't put it together to come back.

Tonight the Bruins lost their second game of the year in a 6-1 beating by Anaheim. To give Boston credit, they outplayed the Ducks in the first period and started the second period up 1-0 with a nice slapshot by Marco Sturm.

After that, however, it seemed the Bruins decided to give up. Lets take a look at the "Bruins Keys To Winning" from the Ducks/Bruins preview.

Bruins Keys To Winning:

1. Solid Defense - Anaheim has guys that can score (Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Cory Perry, Teemu Selanne) and guys that can make plays (Saku Koivu). To keep this team off of the scoreboard, the Bruins will need their defense to play a tough, disciplined gamer of puck.
* The Bruins defense was anything by solid. In the second period, Anaheim (actually just Selanne) scored within 82 seconds (both on the power play) and never looked back. The Bruins defense looked sluggish, confused and was put to shame by the Ducks forwards.

2. Hard and Heavy Forecheck - The B's have the type of forwards that can bang along the boards and provide a heavy forecheck. Patrice Bergeron, Shawn Thornton and Milan Lucic are just a couple of the forwards who will need to pester the Anaheim defense and keep the puck in the offensive zone. The less opportunities for guys like Ryan and Getzlaf, the better.
* Just non-existent.

3. Strong Power Play - Against the Hurricanes the Bruins went 4 for 8 on the power play (PP). That number is an aberration as no team will constantly put up 50% on the PP, but if they can run a smooth PP consisting of a bevy of shots and possible a goal or two it should put the Ducks on tilt.
- Once the Ducks went up 2-1, Boston had many chances on the power play and were barely able to get shots off, let alone be productive. The Bruins ended up 0 for 6 on the power play AND gave up a short handed goal to Cory Perry at the end of the game.

On that note, what we saw from the specialty unit tonight was absolutely disgusting. Anaheim was able to go 100% on the PP and the PK.
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

The Good

The fourth line played extremely well tonight and Julien rewarded their good play with a shot on the power play. For both losses this season, the fourth line was the best, which is either really good for them or really bad for the rest of the team.

Marco Sturm scored his second goal of the season tonight on a nice slap shop from around the blue-line area. Good to see Sturm get his legs underneath him.

The Bad

Goaltending. Tim Thomas wasn't particularly sharp tonight after the first period, but not all of it is his fault. For both of Selanne's goals, the PK left him high and dry, specifically on the second one.

The Ugly

Special teams, defense, offense, passing...etc. It was all pretty bad tonight.

The Bruins continue their trek to .500 when the New York Islanders come into the Garden on Saturday @ 7:00 pm.

Quote of the night:

"(There are) too many skilled guys not going, and I'll have to deal with the dirty laundry in the dressing room," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "When you need to keep talking about your fourth line being your best line, it doesn't bode well for your hockey team."

The Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks have one thing in common, they both looked terrible in their season openers. The Bruins, however, looked like they turned that awful start around with a 7-2 victory over Carolina.

Anaheim (0-1-1) opened the season against San Jose and quickly saw themselves staring at a 4-0 hole after two periods. They eventually lost to San Jose 4-1. Tuesday they met with the Minnesota Wild, and despite carrying a 3-0 lead into the third period, lost the game 4-3 in overtime.

Boston (1-1-0) didn't fare to well in their opener either after getting slapped around by Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Unlike Anaheim though, the Bruins dominated in their second game against the Carolina Hurricanes, winning 7-2.

Last season the Bruins brought the whooping stick on the Ducks, defeating them 6-0. Michael Ryder and Chuck Kobasew had 2 goals a piece in the game and Tim Thomas had 35 saves for the shutout.

I am looking at something similar this time around. Anaheim has the talent to be a very good team, but it seems their goaltending is something less than desirable. My guess is Jonas Hiller will get the start in net for Anaheim because Jean-Sebastien Giguere started Tuesday in Minnesota.

Bruins Keys To Winning:

1. Solid Defense
- Anaheim has guys that can score (Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, Cory Perry, Teemu Selanne) and guys that can make plays (Saku Koivu). To keep this team off of the scoreboard, the Bruins will need their defense to play a tough, disciplined gamer of puck.

2. Hard and Heavy Forecheck
- The B's have the type of forwards that can bang along the boards and provide a heavy forecheck. Patrice Bergeron, Shawn Thornton and Milan Lucic are just a couple of the forwards who will need to pester the Anaheim defense and keep the puck in the offensive zone. The less opportunities for guys like Ryan and Getzlaf, the better.

3. Strong Power Play
- Against the Hurricanes the Bruins went 4 for 8 on the power play (PP). That number is an aberration as no team will constantly put up 50% on the PP, but if they can run a smooth PP consisting of a bevy of shots and possible a goal or two it should put the Ducks on tilt.

Projected Bruins line-up:

Milan Lucic-Marc Savard-Marco Sturm
Blake Wheeler-David Krejci-Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi-Patrice Bergeron-Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton-Steve Begin-Byron Bitz

Zdeno Chara-Derek Morris
Matt Hunwick-Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart-Andrew Ference

Tim Thomas

Predictions:

Anaheim Ducks 1 Boston Bruins 4

Anaheim goals: Bobby Ryan

Boston goals: Milan Lucic, Chuck Kobasew, Marco Sturm (2)

It appears that Milan Lucic has signed a 3 year extension that will keep him with the Boston Bruins, or so the Bruins twitter account tells us. Check that, I just got a text from the Bruins saying the same thing.

Did you just hear that? Boston just let out a collective cheerful glee.

Lucic being kept in the fold for three years (2012-2013 season) means a few things:

1) The future captain gets to stick around for awhile.
2) One less headache when the season is over and all those contracts are up.

Ok, maybe it is just a couple.

In all honesty here, having Lucic around for three years is huge for this club. He is as close to the heart and soul of a team as anyone can be. Lucic provides a spark that no one else on the team can and is clearly a fan favorite because of this.

He brings a certain energy and fearlessness that hasn't been on the team since Neely left us. Seeing a deal like this shows us, the fans, that the Bruins management is smart and knows that not only can they win this year but in the future as well.

I can leave work with a smile on my face tonight!

I received an e-mail regarding a great raffle regarding the Winter Classic. The details of the grand prize are listed below:

• Entry Deadline: 11AM EDT, October 20th, 2009 (The winning ticket will be selected the same day).
• Tickets are $2 each (minimum purchase of 5 tickets).
• Winner will receive 2 tickets to the NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New Year's Day; where the Boston Bruins will take on the Philadelphia Flyers (January 1, 2010, Game Time To Be Determined)
• Winner and guest will spend New Year's Eve in Boston and enjoy a one night stay at the Harvard Club of Boston; located in Back Bay on Boston's Picturesque Commonwealth Avenue (Single Room, Double Occupancy, December 31, 2010)
• Winner and guest will enjoy dinner at the Eastern Standard Restaurant in Kenmore Square
• Winner will receive 2 passes to First Night in Boston
• Winner will receive a cash prize in the amount of $433.69 to mitigate the Winner's tax liability that results from winning the raffle. This prize is withheld and paid, on behalf of the Winner, directly to the IRS ($358.42) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ($75.27)

You can purchase raffle tickets here. All proceeds will benefit the Travis Roy foundation and Celebrities for Charity. Please go to their website for any information about their organization. It's a great cause folks!

First let me say that I have been a fan of the black and gold for most of my life. To be completely honest, I was raised a Habs fan. My family is French Canadian and, up until my generation, spoke French as a first language. My Meme Masse was cousins with the great Jacques Plante, who would leave the family tickets whenever the Habs visited the Red Wings but with 18 kids to look after, she never took her cousin up on the offer. One of the earliest pictures of me has me dressed in a Montreal Canadiens onesie with a Habs stick next to me. I can still recall my dad telling me stories about the bleu, blanc et rouge's glory days with players the likes of LaFleur, Boom Boom Geoffreion, The Rocket and the pocket Rocket. I looked forward to the nights when CBC would show a Habs game over rather than the usual Maple Leafs game on Saturdays nights.

That all changed one night when I was about 5 or 6. It was Saturday night and the Canadiens were taking on the black and gold. I was mesmerized by a young defenseman who was dominating the Habs, shutting them down every time they tried to cross the Bruins blue line. That game changed my life and from then on, much to my dads dismay, I was a Bruins fan. That young man who wore number 7 for the Bruins (and eventually his now retired 77) changed the way I looked at how hockey was played. Ray Bourque became my childhood hero and remains, to this day my favourite hockey player of all time. I modeled the way I played after Bourque, right down to the way I lifted my trailing leg when I took a wrist shot. Too small to play defense, I became a defensive forward and, to some extent, excelled in that role all the way up to high school and a very brief stint in Jr. C. (I played 2 games for the Windsor Royals) before a knee injury finally caught up with me and I couldn't perform at a high level anymore.

Ray Bourque and the Boston Bruins became my life. I watched, hoping for a miracle when the Bruins took on the powerhouse Oilers in the 1987-88 Stanley cup finals and again in 1989-90 only to be heartbroken. I watched with pride when Bourque scored the game winning goal in the 1996 All Star game in Boston and was named game MVP and I literally cried tears of joy when I finally got to see Bourque raise the cup over his head (albeit in a Avalanche jersey.) When I found out my wife was pregnant, the first thing I did was jumped online and ordered a Bruins toddler jersey for my daughter. Much like my father before me, I will try to raise my daughter a Bruins fan. So far it seems to be working despite my wife's best efforts to keep her from liking hockey at all. I've supported the Bruins through the dark days that were the late 1990's, never waivering in my commitment to the team. I'm elated now that the Bruins are once again on top of the league and hope that we will see the B's bring home a cup within the next couple of seasons.

It's been a long journey from my early days as a forced Habs fan but its all been worth it. Being sandwiched between Leafs nation and Hockeytown (that is the topic of future blog) it's not always easy to follow my team. Usually it's done through an internet radio stream of the Bruins game, although I do get to see at least 8 games a year on TV when the Bruins come to visit the Leafs. I had planned on flying to Boston this season to catch a Bruins game at the Gahden for the first time ever but, slashed hours at work dashed that dream but, I will one day make it to see my beloved black and gold (hopefully by then Pez will have his house and let me stay there for free.)

My love for the Bruins has no bounds. I can't imagine how my life would have been had I never watched that game between the Bruins and Habs. I'm often criticized for being a B's fan rather than supporting the local team(s) but there is nothing I'd rather be but a fan of he big bad Bruins.

Every month or so, Something's Bruin will be doing a debate section where two of our writers will debate a certain topic regarding the Boston Bruins. We will also have a poll corresponding to topic in question so you can have your say in the matter as well.




YES. First off I truly believe that Looch is going to be captain of this team one day. He's a natural leader and he shows that in his willingness to do what it takes to spark his team. Whether it be taking on a guy bigger than him in a bout of fisticuffs or putting a guy through the glass with one of his punishing checks (Hey Mike Van Ryn, Milan says hi!), this guy bleeds leadership.

Looch captained the Vancouver Giants to the Memorial Cup when he played junior in the WHL. He was one of the biggest pieces of the Canadian world junior team when they dominated the tournament on their way to gold and, while he didn't have a letter on his chest for that tournament, I don't think you could find one person cheering on the red and white who would say he wasn't one of the leaders of that squad.

You can argue that giving a player as young as Looch a leadership role when he is so young can stunt a players growth but, if you look at Lucic's progression over the past two seasons, I don't think this would be the case. Lucic is already a fan favorite and he's dealt with that transition, from being a guy no one really knew too much about, to seeing his name on the back of every other jersey in the Garden, in stride.

The Looch era is coming sooner rather than later. I think giving Lucic an "A" now will only help him make the transition to captain of an NHL team. Whether Looch is wearing a letter on his chest or not, I don't think there there are any Bruins fans out there who will deny Looch is one guy they look upon to lead this team.

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NO. Lucic should not be wearing an “A” on his chest this season. I know that everyone feels that Milan Lucic is “the guy” when it comes to the future of the Bruins and I agree with that statement. In due time, he will be wearing the "C" on his chest should Zdeno Chara go for greener pastures, but that time isn’t now.

Lucic is still a young player and infusing an “A” on his sweater adds to much pressure, something I don’t think he is ready to handle. Milan has tons of promise. He is a tough, gritty power forward that can score when put in the right situation. He mans a front line of Marc Savard and Marco Sturm and does it very well, but he still has some things that he needs to work on. Lucic’s skating is probably his biggest flaw as he doesn’t skate very well.

Another reason I feel he doesn’t deserve to wear the “A” this season is because of the players around him. This team is loaded with veterans that deserve to wear the “A”, players like Savard, Wideman and yes, even Patrice Bergeron, because they all bring something different to the table. Each player does something better that someone else on the team doesn’t. Savard is a great playmaker, Bergeron may be the best 2-way forward on the team and Wideman is probably their best defender after Chara.

Again, I can see the “A” coming in the future for Lucic. I just don’t think that he is ready based on the team around him. When Joe Thornton was drafted, he was given the “C” right away and how did that turn out? Adding undeserved pressure onto a 21 year old kid could very well crumble him.

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So what do you think? Do you think Lucic should be wearing an "A" on his sweater this season or should he wait until he is a little older and his skills have matured? Please answer our poll and/or leave comments!

Team	1st Period	2nd Period	3rd Period	Final
Carolina Hurricanes	0	1	1	2
Boston Bruins	3	3	1	7

Wow. Just wow.

Not many people would've predicted that the Bruins would dominate the Hurricanes in every aspect of the game last night. Much like the playoff series last year, many folks expected this game to be a tough and gritty defense that showcased good goal tending, great defense and tooth-jarring fights.

We got that, albeit, from only from one team.

After the terrible performance during the Bruins home opener against Washington, Boston needed to come out and establish themselves as the team everyone saw finish number one in the Eastern Conference last season.

If you read my Carolina/Bruins preview, there were three keys to the game that I felt needed to happen for the Bruins to win.

Bruins Keys To Winning:

1. An effective power play unit.
- The Bruins had 5 chances at the power play and they mustered 1 shot on goal. That's absolutely pathetic. If you expect to win in the NHL, you need to have an effective power play unit so teams are fearful of making a mistake.

*Both power play lines were outstanding last night. The Bruins went 4/8 on the power play with Hunwick, Savard, Ryder and Wideman all contributing to goals. What both lines did differently compared to Thursday was move to puck in the zone and more importantly move without the puck. Savard's goal happened because he was moving without the puck and had a great opportunity.

2. Better defense.
- The Bruins have one of the better defensive groups in the NHL, but this isn't just about those six. The play that sticks out in my mind is where Ovechkin out muscled Milan Lucic to score for the Capitals. You need all 5 skaters on the ice playing defense at a high level. A good defense leads to a good offense.

*Last night the Bruins played a good physical game and the defense from every player was in good to high quality. They limited shots on Carolina's power play and shut down players who killed them in the playoffs like Samsonov, Larose and to a lesser extent, Staal. Like I mentioned, the Bruins have one of the best (if not the best) defensive group in the NHL and they showed it last night.

3. Hit the net!
- I'm not talking about the number of shots on goal, because if you're playing fundamental hockey, those will come. What really pissed me off on Thursday night was watching the seemingly tens of shots (in good scoring chances) miss the net. I believe Ryder had 3 of them alone. If you want to win, you have to capitalize on scoring chances.

*There isn't much to say about this one. The B's capitalized on their opportunities.

Seven different players (Savard, Ryder, Wheeler, Wideman, Hunwick, Sturm and Thornton) scored goals for Boston and thirteen Bruins ended up on the score sheet (which ties last season's highest total).

The Bruins next game is against Anahiem on Thursday October 8, 2009 at the TD Garden.

The Bruins and the Hurricanes are about to drop the puck in 2 hours. Both Boston and Carolina are looking for its first win of the season as both teams lost at home. Boston was embarrassed by a high flying Washington Capitals team 4-1 in the Garden while the 'Canes were shutout 2-0 by Philadelphia.

This years Carolina team is a team that hasn't had much change. Cam Ward now has a 6 year contract extension and Carolina did add a few pieces in players like Aaron Ward and Stephan Yelle. Actually, there are 4 former Bruins who are now Hurricanes (Ward, Yelle, Alberts and Samsonov).

For those who tried to forget, the last time these two ended a game it was Carolina celebrating their overtime Game 7 win over the Bruins. The win sealed a trip to Pittsburgh for the Eastern Conference Finals where the Pens would win and eventually win the Stanley Cup.

From the limited game I saw on Thursday night (see previous post for explanation), the Bruins need to step up their game on all aspects of hockey if they want to beat a good Carolina squad. Even though "all aspects of hockey" is a pretty broad term, there are a few things I feel need to be improved on if the B's want a chance to win.

Bruins Keys To Winning:

1. An effective power play unit.
- The Bruins had 5 chances at the power play and they mustered 1 shot on goal. That's absolutely pathetic. If you expect to win in the NHL, you need to have an effective power play unit so teams are fearful of making a mistake.

2. Better defense.
- The Bruins have one of the better defensive groups in the NHL, but this isn't just about those six. The play that sticks out in my mind is where Ovechkin out muscled Milan Lucic to score for the Capitals. You need all 5 skaters on the ice playing defense at a high level. A good defense leads to a good offense.

3. Hit the net!
- I'm not talking about the number of shots on goal, because if you're playing fundamental hockey, those will come. What really pissed me off on Thursday night was watching the seemingly tens of shots (in good scoring chances) miss the net. I believe Ryder had 3 of them alone. If you want to win, you have to capitalize on scoring chances.

I hope you, Mr. Reader, are reading this and at the end of number 3 think to yourself "well no shit Pezell, every team must do this to win". Well no kidding, the reason they are up there is because the Bruins didn't do this!

If the Bruins are able to execute on 2 our of 3 of these, they will win.

Prediction:

Carolina 2 Boston 3

Carolina goals:
Staal, Larose

Boston goals:
Savard, Ryder, and Wideman

I want to apologize to everyone for falling off the face of the Earth on Monday. I didn't blog, I didn't tweet and I pretty much didn't do anything regarding my blog, which includes my planned "Know Your Bruin" pieces and great debate which will still be posted in the coming days. My step-mother passed away on Monday 9/28 @ 2:00am. After 3.5 years of battling various types of cancer, she is know at peace and I feel I owe it to my readers to explain my absence.

Now lets get down to hockey. I was in the car this morning, listening to the local FM sports show and a guy called saying "tonight is the night where the Bruins will get revenge on Scott Walker and drive him into the ice."

What?

If anyone thinks that the first thing on the Bruins mind is revenge, well than clearly you didn't watch any of the opener on Thursday. Savy, Chara and the boys don't care about what happened between Aaron Ward and Scott Walker last year.

1. Ward isn't on the team anymore.
2. It wasn't as much as a cheap shot as everyone thought it was.

Now, I know I'll catch flak for that last comment but lets be serious. You're looking at a guy who wants to throw fisticuffs, it's time to put those dukes up before you catch one in the kisser.

If Boston is focused revenge against the Hurricanes for the Scott Walker punch and NOT the Game 7 loss to the Hurricanes than they can just pack in the season because they're focused on the wrong things.

Against Washington the Bruins may have played a total of 10 minutes of hockey. The team went 0/5 on the power play and had 1 shot on goal. They played very poor defensively, missed assignments and even looked absolutely dreadful on the penalty kill (Washington went 2/4 on the PP from my count).

For anyone thinking it is time for revenge, you need to remove your head from your ass because the Bruins have a lot...A LOT more to work on than just trying to bury Scott Walker for a punch he landed on an ex-teammate.

"This is not the same team you're going to see on the ice night after night. That I can guarantee," Julien said. "As a home opener, it's certainly not what you want to demonstrate. We have a chance to redeem ourselves soon. Hopefully the guys take advantage of that."