Bruins 4, Canadiens 3 (SO)

I was a little puzzled by Claude Julien's decision to start Thomas in back-to-back games. But he was 6-2 in his previous 8 starts before last night. Meanwhile, Rask had lost 4 straight, including that 6-0 Buffalo debacle. Thomas also had a 1.26 GAA against the Canadiens and a .964 SV% this season. So that's probably why he started.

It was how he finished that was most impressive. He's undefeated in shootouts this year, and he was stellar in last night's.

The Canadiens are a team in disarray. 6 points behind Toronto for the last playoff spot, with 3 teams to leapfrog over. They don't have a team identity, they don't seem to have any sense of direction. Are they a finesse power play focused team, or are they defensive and opportunistic? It's a little of both, but not enough of either.

The B's took advantage of Montreal's attempt to copy the Rangers by giving up the points on defense. The Habs collapsed and allowed the Bruins' defensemen plenty of time and space to shoot. Eventually Ference took advantage and scored.

The Bruins got careless and lackadaisical at times. That's how Montreal scored their shorthanded goal.

The 3rd period was especially unfortunate for the B's. They tried to play a prevent defense and run out the clock, and there's just no such thing in hockey. Montreal took advantage. The most painful play was Chara's giveaway a few feet from Thomas.

Chara looked out of sorts all night after taking a puck to the chin. And how about those high and mighty Montreal fans applauding his injury? These are the same rabid jerks that complain about hockey not being played the right way. Stay classy, les scum.

The Bruins dominated overtime, though. Seguin froze Carey Price in the shootout, and Tim Thomas did the rest.

This team is having it's good stretches and bad stretches. They haven't strung together 60 minutes of good hockey for a long, long time. But the capability is there.

Hopefully Thomas can re-find his groove. And Marchand is a few posts and crossbars away from scoring a few goals lately.

The Bruins are in Winnipeg Friday night.

-The Commodore

Bruins 4, Predators 3 (SO)

The Bruins needed to win this game. They've been struggling for a month now, entering the game on a 5-6-1 slump. They were utterly dominated by the Sabres in their previous game. They needed to skate hard, play physical, and take care of the puck. They needed to win. And they did all that.

The goals they allowed were the result of unfortunate mistakes, not bad habits. Tim Thomas, for instance, could have stopped Nashville's 3rd goal. But he got up out of the butterfly too early and opened up a huge gap for Mike Fisher to score. Other than that, though, Thomas was fine.

Marchand and Bergeron were playing hard, especially in the 1st. And it eventually resulted in a shorthanded goal. Lucic was skating around like a madman all game and it paid off with the game-tying goal scored 67 seconds away from another loss.

Seguin and Bergeron scored nifty goals in the shootout and it was over.

The Bruins outworked and outplayed Nashville. If not for the occasional miscue, they would have won the game in regulation by 2 goals.

We know how good this team can play. They don't need to be lights out for the remaining 29 regular season games. They just have to be good and continue to practice good habits. Then turn it on in the playoffs.

Bruins host the Rangers Tuesday night in a meeting between the two best teams in the East.

-The Commodore

This Tim Thomas Story Is Getting Annoying

Tim Thomas is at it again, this time he is doing it through his Facebook page...

“I Stand with the Catholics in the fight for Religious Freedom.

‘In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

-- by Martin Niemöller, prominent German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor, best known as the author of the poem First they came....’”

He seems to have something on his mind, but when reports ask him about it he says "That's my personal life,” he said. “I won't be talking about that. It has absolutely nothing to do with the game of hockey.” Of course he is right, and it really sounded like what the Bruins wanted him to say. I can actually picture Neely going to him and saying, "Listen, you can believe whatever you want, but keep it out of the locker room".

The problem here is that once again he has to know how this is going to go with the media. His teammates are now going to be asked about him everyday the rest of the year. Very little of that will have to do with his play. It'll be what do you think of this view and that view. Once again, he has the right to do this, but if you're asking me what's best for the team, I don't think this is it.

On top of that it's really never a good idea to compare things to the Holocaust. America is not turning into Nazi Germany. I will admit my bias here, because religion in general pisses me off when it has anything to do with government, and in general I hate everything about the bible belt.

Thomas has the right to do this. I have less of a problem with this (other then stupidly comparing this to the Holocaust) then I had with him ditching the team at the White House appearance. It's his Facebook page, he can right whatever he'd like, but as a team leader he should know what comes next, and this is just a stupid distraction and in my opinion again is a selfish act. I am sick of having to talk about his politics and how if affects the team, and their poor play of late isn't going to make this story go away any faster.

Bruins 4, Capitals 1

I didn't see the Bruins game on Sunday. On Saturday, they played with some bad habits. They turned the puck over, the defense didn't play actively in the 3rd, and all the forwards seem to be slumping. The goalies are cold too.

So while I didn't see the 4-1 win against the Capitals, I think the Bruins have improved some of their bad habits. Certainly Tim Thomas' 35 saves on 36 shots is a good sign. And the forwards have once again decided to get involved on offense. Lucic, Marchand, Seguin, and Peverley scored the goals on Sunday.

The B's are in a mid-season funk. Winning 4-1 is a good way to start getting out of it.

Bruins at Sabres Wednesday night.

-The Commodore

Bruins 4, Senators 3

There was some speculation that Thomas wouldn't start last night. This speculation came from the same "experts" who concocted the Thomas trade rumors. They thought that the Bruins were so perturbed at Thomas' snub of Barack Obama that the B's would trade the reigning Vezina and Conny Smythe winner. It's amazing how much power a media fabricated story can think it has.

It would be ludicrous for the Bruins to trade Thomas, and silly of them to not put him in net last night, especially considering his 16-3 record against the Senators. Ottawa haven't beaten the Bruins since November 2010 and Thomas has been a key reason.

Thomas wasn't stellar, but his teammates were in the 3rd period. Once again, the B's stole victory from the jaws of a shootout or defeat, thanks to their unwavering effort in the 3rd period.

The Bruins won battles in the 3rd. They didn't turn the puck over. They once again conquered the final period, and that's been the key difference between them and all the other top Eastern Conference teams.

Bruins host the Hurricanes Thursday night. They're 0-3 against Carolina, so this could be a good test.

-The Commodore

Peter Chiarelli Puts The Kibosh To Tim Thomas Trade Rumors

"Not trading him," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said in an email to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. "I have not talked to anyone and I don't plan to."

I was so sick of hearing these stupid rumors from ESPN insider I think I was starting to bold. Yes, the ownership of the Bruins were not a fan of him skipping the White House, because it took away from the team. It did, it became a story about Tim Thomas, but it doesn't change the fact that Tim Thomas is the best goaltender in the league and it's going anywhere.

Yes, I was one of the people who didn't like that he did it. I thought it was disrespectful, and I was worried (and it turned out rightfully so) that the whole event would end up being about Tim Thomas instead of being about a team winning a Stanley Cup. In the end thought, it's over and done with and I don't think it's something that is going to divide the locker room. Even if it did, ask any hockey player, and they will tell you goalies are just fucking weird. It's ALWAYS the case. They go do their own thing, it's almost like a kicker on a football team except 1,000 times more important.

This is a dead issue, and I love that Chiarelli came out and said this because these ludicrous trade rumors needed to stop.

Team Chara 12, Team Alfredsson 9

When Zdeno Chara retires as a player, maybe he should consider being a GM. His top 6 forwards in this game were Corey Perry, Jarome Iginla, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, and Pavel Datsyuk. That's pretty impressive, even for an All-Star team.

There was also a line that featured Tyler Seguin alongside Phil Kessel. They both had an assist on Team Chara's 12th goal, scored by Maple Leaf Joffrey Lupul.

The star of the show was Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson, who scored twice in a losing effort.

The show was slightly stolen by the Trencin Express. That's what I'm calling the combination of Hossa, Gaborik, and Chara. All three of whom are from Trencin, Slovakia. Gaborik won the MVP with 3 goals and an assist. And Chara was +7. Chara also won the hardest shot contest, once again breaking his own record with a 108.8 mph blast.

The All-Star Game is usually a torturous snuff film for goalies, but Tim Thomas held his own. He's now 4-0 in All-Star Games, getting the 'W' in all 4 he's played in. He allowed 3 goals on 21 shots, which doesn't sound great, but his 18 saves were the most among all six goalies. His .857 save percentage was also the highest. Only he and Carey Price broke the .800 barrier. And some of his saves were simply brilliant. You could tell he wanted to show off his talent as much as the forwards.

As unpolished and even awkward as he seems when answering questions from the press, he is comfortable to the utmost when between the pipes.

Bruins host the Senators Tuesday night.

-The Commodore

NHL All-Star Teams Selected

There's really only two interesting parts of the NHL's All-Star weekend: the draft, and seeing whether or not Chara can break his own fastest shot record. Last night was the draft, with Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and former Senator Zdeno Chara picking teams.

Not surprisingly, all the Slovaks and Bruins wound up on Chara's team. All the Swedes and Senators found their way to Alfredsson's team. Carey Price will also be on Team Chara. So will Dennis Wideman. No Canucks wound up with Chara.

But Phil Kessel did. I'm so glad Kessel is not on the Bruins. He puts up impressive numbers (except against the B's), but he's such an awkward creep. Chara's assistant captain for the draft was Toronto's Joffrey Lupul, so the Maple Leaf connection saved PK81 from more shame.

So Tim Thomas, Tyler Seguin, and Zdeno Chara will be on the same team. I'm going to predict that Thomas will allow 4 or 5 goals (no defense in the All-Star Game), Chara will win Fastest Shot, and Seguin will get a hat-trick.

-The Commodore

Capitals 5, Bruins 3

There are times when the Bruins seem to lose patience with the Julien system. That's when they try making passes through opponents, instead of making more conservative decisions. I think last night we saw some impatience by a few Bruins, who tried making something out of nothing, and wound up giving golden opportunities to the Caps, who took full advantage of them.

Washington's third goal came when Boychuk attempted a D-to-D pass, even though he had no space, neither did Chara, and Mathieu Perrault was hot on his heels. Perrault easily intercepted the pass and scored.

Washington's fourth goal, the game-winner, came after McQuaid telegraphed a D-to-D pass in the offensive zone. The ensuing Capitals' possession eventually resulted in a goal. Had McQuaid made a better decision, then the scoring opportunities would have never happened.

The Bruins' formula for success is a combination of intense effort and intelligent decisions. Last night, the effort was there, but the intelligence wasn't.

And no, I don't think Thomas not going to the White House had anything to do with this loss. Although, since he's going up to Canada's capital for the All-Star Game, I wonder if he'd refuse to meet Canada's Prime Minister, if invited.

Bruins don't play a meaningful game until next Tuesday, when they host the Senators.

-The Commodore

Tim Thomas Practices Free Speech, Gets Attacked For It

Most of the Bruins went to the White House yesterday, to be honored by President Barack Obama for winning the Stanley Cup. And by most, I mean all of them except Tim Thomas. Even Kaberle was there.

Peter Chiarelli says that Thomas informed him he wouldn't attend the event months ago, citing political differences with Obama. Thomas is a conservative, and seems like a Tea Party conservative.

I'm sorry folks, but that's his right to not go. I personally would have gone, even though I'm a conservative too. I don't like Obama, but I don't hate him. And going to the White House and meeting the President would be a cool thing to do.

Then again, if I hated Obama and the Federal government, why would I want to go through the trouble of going through White House security, just to stand behind him as he made a speech and had a photo op? That doesn't sound like a fun afternoon if you really hate the guy.

I'm getting pissed off at people criticizing him over this.

"He put himself above the team."

"He disrespected the office of the Presidency."

I don't think he put himself or his politics above the team. It's not like Thomas refused to play a game because Obama was in attendance. He didn't go to a photo op in the White House. How does that hurt the team? I don't think his teammates are going to be pissed at him. I can't imagine Shawn Thornton staring angrily at him across the locker room, saying "We needed you yesterday, Timmy. Why weren't you there for us?"

Did he disrespect the Presidency? I guess he did. He certainly didn't show an overwhelming respect for the office. Then again, it doesn't seem like he has much love for any Federal office. And can you blame him? Are we happy with our government's performance this past decade?

Here's the statement he made about not attending the event:

"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

"Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

"This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT"

You might disagree with his ideological beliefs. You might think that despite his feelings, he should have gone and been in the background of pictures of the President. But to lose respect for him because he exercised his right to free speech? That seems hyper-judgmental, and un-American.

Some people criticize athletes for not expressing their beliefs. Some criticize them for expressing them too much. Tim Tebow, for instance, was praised by millions for vocalizing his faith. He was also criticized by millions for doing so. But ultimately it's his right to say what he wants, how he wants to. It's a fundamentally important part of this country that we're free to express our beliefs.

Of course, that also means that people are free to express their dislike for what Thomas did. And I'm free to call them childish for doing so.

And if this becomes a distraction for the team, then they must not have been very focused to begin with. Knowing this team, they'll probably rally around Thomas and his right to express his political beliefs. The media has already tried turning this into a big deal, and that tends to galvanize teams, uniting them against a common outsider (the media), not dividing them.

I for one did not lose respect for Thomas yesterday. Because I don't care about his political beliefs, or how he expresses them. I don't know Tim Thomas personally, and don't care to. I like him because he's a good goalie. I respect him because as a good goalie. As for his politics, so long as he stops the puck, I don't give a fuck.

And to those who are criticizing his credentials as a teammate, all I can say is that videos speak louder than words. Here's him sticking up for Aaron Ward in 2009.



I'm pretty sure Thomas would have stuck up for Ward even if Ward had voted for Obama (of course Ward is Canadian so he probably didn't).

Tim Thomas didn't want to meet the President. Just because Obama is the President doesn't mean that people should accept every invitation he extends. Thomas doesn't like the Federal government in general, so why should he spend a day with the head of the government if he doesn't want to? This has become a much bigger deal than it really is. I think Obama has moved on and has other things to worry about. I think the Bruins are focused on their game in Washington tonight. The only people harping on this are the media looking to rake some muck, and judgmentalists who like saying what other people should and shouldn't do.

-The Commodore

Tim Thomas Says F Off Obama

So everyone is up in arms about Tim Thomas not going to the White House. Our own BMack said, "Never thought I'd say this, but I lost some respect for Tim Thomas today". A lot of people on twitter also have the share the same feelings too. Why would you lose respect for a guy who did what he wanted to?

I have said many times, I don't care about politics. I don't vote and assume things will turn out the way I want to. I'm not knowledgeable enough to have a credible opinion, so I feel I shouldn't vote. It would be the same thing as me voting on the NHL All-Star game.

A couple athletes haven't gone to the White House and they include Ozzie Guillen and James Harrison. Given that the are both crazy and James Harrison didn't go because he said, "This is how I feel -- if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl. As far as I'm concerned, [Obama] would've invited Arizona if they had won."

So who cares about reasoning.

Personally I would have gone because it would have been cool to see the White House, but everyone should have no problem with Tim Thomas not going to it. If he didn't want to go, he didn't want to go. People in Boston should care more about him stopping slap shots than his political views.

Bruins 4, Devils 1

The Bruins have an uncanny ability to turn up their intensity, focus, and dominate the 3rd period of games. If games only had 2 periods, the B's would be in the middle of the pack in the Conference. But thanks to their 3rd period play, they're one of the best teams in the NHL.

It was more of that last night. The Bruins recorded the first 10 shots on goal. Thomas didn't have to make a save until about 10 minutes into the period. And by then, it was 3-1 Bruins.

Ference had a snipe that Brodeur couldn't see thanks to his own teammate trying to clear Paille out of the slot. Horton had a tip in after some nice wing to wing to wing passing on the Power Play. And Campbell's goal came after a cross-corner dump in, a Jersey turnover, and a flurry of shots and rebounds off Brodeur.

This year the Bruins have pounced on teams when there's blood in the water. They've scored 2 goals in 1 minute 14 times this year. That's absurd. Last season, they'd score a goal and then play defensively, even relaxing a little bit. This year, they score one goal, and the next line wants to add to the total.

It must be demoralizing on an opponent.

Kelly added an ampty-netter. He has 14 goals this year. His career high is 15.

It wasn't a clean game, but it was a well-deserved win. The Bruins played it tight all game, then pulled away in the 3rd period. And Tim Thomas looks to be back to his A-Game.

Now they get to host the Rangers, whose owner is already talking about his team winning the Cup. Don't think that hasn't caught the attention of the Bruins.

B's vs. Rangers Saturday afternoon.

-The Commodore

Lightning 5, Bruins 3

In a span of 4 days, the Bruins have lost to the 4th and 5th place teams in the Southeast Division. These are the 14th and 15th teams in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins, an elite team, lost because they were outworked. It's that simple.

What makes the Bruins elite is that they play within a system, and they work just as hard, if not harder than their opponent. Remove the work, and they're not elite.

I'm sure they'll turn things around within the next few games. They always have under Julien. They go through stretches of bad play like this. Stretches when Lucic's passing is as accurate as Tim Tebow's. Stretches when only two or three forwards look like they know how to do anything. Stretches when they commit silly penalties in the offensive zone.

I'd like to see more Tuukka Rask for the next few games. Thomas hasn't looked bad, but he hasn't looked great. Tuukka's been red hot, and the B's should take full advantage of it.

As I said, I'm sure this stretch is just a stretch. We've seen this team struggle then suddenly turn things around. I'm pretty sure that in a few months, I'm not going to be remembering the January 17th loss to the Lightning.

Bruins play the Devils in Jersey on Thursday. Then they host the Rangers and visit the Flyers on the weekend. That's the 6th, 1st, and 4th place teams in the Conference right there. That should be enough to wake the B's up from this winter slumber.

-The Commodore

Bruins 2, Canadiens 1

In the aftermath of the Canucks game, I'd forgotten how much I hate the Habs. I'd like to thank P.K. Subban for reminding me.

The Bruins didn't dominate this game. But still found a way to win. The heroes of the game included Tim Thomas, Milan Lucic, and a panel of the end boards behind Carey Price.

Thomas was insanely brilliant. He made so many tough saves at moments when Montreal was vigorously attacking the Bruins' goal. He also bailed out a few B's after they'd made mistakes with the puck.

The best athlete in the world named Tim does not have the last name Tebow. It's the goalie for the Bruins.

One thing the Bruins struggle with when playing Montreal is their speed. The Bruins seem to underestimate Montreal's ability to quickly close passing lanes. And that leads to deflected passes and turnovers. Thomas neutralized Montreal's edge in this area.

Lucic played a physical game all night long. And he wound up scoring the Bruins' only non-lucky-bounce goal. It came when Krejci was able to cycle the puck to Horton along the boards. Lucic was in the slot, being tokenly covered by Tomas Plekanec, and P.K. Subban was preoccupied with holding Krejci against the boards. Lucic scored a sweeping backhand goal and it was the difference in the game.

Subban was targeting Krejci all night. He finally crossed the line with an elbow to the head. I don't care if Subban gets suspended or not. I'm just glad Krejci is OK, and that Andrew Ference stood up for his teammate.

Subban's legs must be made of jelly, because as strong as he is, when someone nudges him his legs give out. He collapsed into a heap once Ference arrived, then looked like an O.W.S. protester being arrested, offering no resistance at all as Ference dragged his limp corpse around the ice. Then he cowered into the fetal position. He's pathetic. Montreal fans love him. Speaks volumes about their fanbase.

As a weird sidebar (sidebar from a Bruins' perspective, at least), the Canadiens traded Mike Cammalleri mid-game to Calgary. Cammalleri made some remarks 24 hours earlier about the team not having a winning attitude. I don't know if he was traded for those remarks or if he was traded because he hasn't been that good this season. Whatever. They do seem like an aimless team, and it's weird to hurriedly trade someone who publicly points that out.

The Bruins start a 4 game, week long roadtrip in Carolina Saturday night.

-The Commodore

Stars 4, Bruins 2

The Stars came into this game with a mission. They'd been struggling, they wanted to make a statement, and they wanted to do it by being aggressive with their counter-attack and trying to get underneath the Bruins' skin. They accomplished all this.

The Bruins have been making mistakes and playing sloppy periods even when they've been winning games. Saturday night's loss saw more mistakes than usual, a bad bounce, and an opponent that did a good job of taking advantage of those mistakes.

Dallas went up 3-1 in the first. Their second goal came when Milan Lucic drifted too low in the offensive zone, instead of remaining up high while both his linemates were battling for the puck down low. The Stars scored when the puck bounced on Thomas' backside, but they had the opportunity for such good fortune because Lucic made a mistake and a breakaway ensued.

Dallas' third goal came when Chara was sitting in the box after a foolish retaliatory penalty. He did get lightly cross-checked, but there's no way the refs will miss the 6' 9" guy turning around and compressing an opponent in front of the net.

Thomas was also rusty. He hadn't played since the 19th, due mostly to the Bruins playing a very light schedule the last 3 weeks. Thomas' biggest (and perhaps only) limitation is that he's not the type of goalie that can play 75 games in net then be good to go for the playoffs. It's a tough balancing act to keep from getting worn out and also keep him from getting rusty.

One thing I loved about this game, which reminded me why I love this team, is how angrily they played at the end of the 2nd and into the 3rd period. Lucic unleashed two huge hits in the final minutes of the 2nd. Then scored at the start of the 3rd. The Bruins played a strong game in the 3rd, they just dug themselves too big a hole in the 1st and 2nd.

I think they'll be motivated to start their next game off the right way. That game will be Wednesday night in New Jersey.

-The Commodore

Rodgers Wins AP Male Athlete of Year

"Rodgers is the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year, chosen by members of the Associated Press, after he turned in an MVP performance in the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in February and then went on to lead his team on a long unbeaten run this season (CBS Sports)."

Rodgers run has been pretty epic. The rest of the voting went as follows...

"Rodgers received 112 votes out of the 212 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander finished second with 50 votes, followed by tennis standout Novak Djokovic (21), Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton (6) and NASCAR champion Tony Stewart (5)."

While it's hard for me to argue that didn't Rodgers deserved the award there is a name missing here that really pisses me off... Tim Thomas. Listen, I get it, hockey isn't the biggest sport in the world, but Thomas won the Vezina Trophy (best goalie in NHL), went on to have a record setting playoff run, won the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), and won the Staleny Cup. He was the first goaltender to win the Stanley Cup, Vezina, and Conn Smythe trophies in the same season since 1974, and yet he isn't even mentioned on the list? I think that's bullshit. Especially when I could make the argument he deserved it over Rodgers.

Bruins 6, Flyers 0

Zdeno Chara returned to the Bruins lineup and his impact was felt early and often. He was challenged to a fight 2:13 into the game. He scored a goal about 6 minutes later. And he completed his fourth career Gordie Howe hat-trick 7 minutes into the 2nd. Horton was an assist shy of accomplishing the feat.

This was a big test for the Bruins, and they Aced it. The Flyers had won 7 straight, they were atop the Eastern Conference standings, and this was the team that beat the Bruins on Opening Night, partially dampening the B's banner raising celebration. The Bruins got some revenge, and made a huge statement with this win.

The B's scored with deflections and rebound goals. Seguin's was the prettiest of the bunch, and it should have been stopped by Bobrovsky. But as ugly as the goals were, they were the products of good play and puck possession. Also, the Bruins' defensemen were excellent at getting shots at net. Those either went in, were deflected, or were juicy rebounds.

I have to give Julien tons of credit for getting this team to play this well on Saturday. They were flat in Ottawa, and instead of coming to Boston, then going to Philly, the B's stayed in Ontario. Claude gave the team a day off. I'm sure some guys relaxed, some guys went out and blew off some steam. But they all came back reinvigorated.

The Bruins had a full hour of penalties. That's bound to happen in a game against a rival like Philadelphia with a lopsided score. Horton's fighting major means that 10 different Bruins have dropped the gloves this season. That's more than half the skaters on the team.

Lucic got a boarding major, and it was a dirty hit. Thankfully everyone was okay, but I think a suspension is in order. It was a classic case of a defenseless player being checked between the numbers and into the boards.

Tim Thomas recorded his 30th career shutout and 4th of the season. He made some brilliant saves throughout the game. We all know the Tim Thomas story, but it's worth repeating. Drafted in 1994, didn't make his first start until January of 2006, didn't get his first shutout until later that month, and he now has 30. If Dominek Hasek and Martin Brodeur somehow had a son, and he was a late-bloomer, his name would be Tim Thomas.

The Bruins are now on top of the Conference, a month after being stuck in the bottom. They host the Canadiens tonight. Montreal is reeling, having lost 8 of their last 11. They also just fired their coach. This is a good chance to improve the Bruins' already impressive 9-2 divisional record.

-The Commodore

Bruins 5, Senators 2

This was a sleepy game. Both teams played the night before, both had to travel. Neither team played very well, nor with intensity. Both teams made mental errors. The decisive difference was that Tim Thomas is a much better goalie than Craig Anderson.

Timmy looked much more comfortable and poised than his last start in Columbus. He made some big saves, he moved across the crease with speed and grace. He faced 49 shots and stopped all but 2 of them. And the second one probably should have been blocked by Joe Corvo.

The Bruins scored some breakaway goals, taking advantage of Ottawa's mistakes. But they made plenty of their own. Thankfully the Bruins have Tim Thomas, and the Senators only have one Daniel Alfredsson and one Jason Spezza. If time of possession were kept as a stat, the Senators would have dominated the category. I don't mind short possessions that end in breakaway goals, but the B's didn't take care of the puck in their own zone or in the neutral zone, and often didn't even get the puck into the offensive zone.

But, we are in the middle of December, 30 games into a long regular season. It was a back-to-back game against an opponent that can be beaten with less than 100% effort. And ultimately, it was a win. The Bruins' 20th win. Which ties them with Minnesota for the most in the NHL. The B's are 9-2-0 in the Northeast Division. They're one of 3 teams with 100+ goals scored. And they've only allowed 61.

They face one of the other 100+ goal teams on Saturday, in a matinee against the Flyers.

-The Commodore

Bruins 5, Blue Jackets 3

It wasn't a boring game, that's for sure. Physical. Fast. The winning team pulled its goalie. Joe Corvo scored 2 goals (2 more than he's scored in his last 31 games). Lucic was maybe the Bruins' worst player in the 1st, then their best in the 2nd. Fights. Breakaway goals. It was just a weird, wild game.

The Bruins came out on top though, in the latest example of how difficult it is to keep them pinned once they've been knocked down. Columbus was up 2-0, and the Bruins scored twice within a 45 second span to tie it. It was the 10th time this season that the B's have scored multiple goals within a minute.

Thomas got pulled for the 3rd period. He wasn't awful in the first 2, but he did seem disheviled. His movements were more frantic than usual. The breakaway goal he allowed to Umberger was very soft. His first soft goal of the season. Rask came in and was excellent. He stopped all 11 shots he faced.

Joe Corvo finally scored. His offensive contributions have been few and far between this year. And while his defense hasn't been bad, he was brought here to contribute on offense too. He's finally on the board with 2 goals.

Chara also scored. Then he hurt his leg. Word is that he'll miss three games. He's only missed 12 in the 5+ seasons he's been a Bruin. I'm very glad it doesn't seem very serious because he's the team's most valuable skater (6 goals, 13 assists, +18 against the opponents' top lines).

Bruins host the LA Kings Tuesday night.

-The Commodore

Bruins 3, Penguins 1

This game had playoff intensity with regular season officiating. Nevertheless, the Bruins made a statement last night that they are clearly the best team in the Eastern Conference.

To borrow something from Belichick and the Patriots, the Bruins scored because they took what the Penguins gave them. Campbell's goal was very dirty, Pouliot's came from a turnover, and Seguin's resulted from taking advantage of Pittsburgh's aggressive penalty killing.

Speaking of penalty killing, the Bruins entered this game with the 6th best PK unit (statistically) in the League. And mathematically speaking, they killed 5 of 5 penalties last night. But they spent over 3 minutes killing 5-on-3 penalties. That's something that the stats don't quite show. I'll take the Bruins' PK over any other in the NHL.

The Bruins scored because they took what Pittsburgh gave them. And Pittsburgh scored only once because the Bruins didn't give them much of anything. Tim Thomas made a season high 44 saves. Chara was Chara. Seidenberg was brilliant. Ference was good. Everyone did their job defensively. Krejci hit two posts.

This was a tight, tough game, determined by the slimmest of margins, and the Bruins were clearly better.

The B's are in Winnipeg tonight.

-The Commodore