Bruins look to get back on track vs. Blue Jackets

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Jan 21, 2010 9:00 AM EST in Game Previews

The Bruins will be looking to bounce back from Monday's embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at TD Garden. The Bruins have lost 6 of their last 8 games since the Winter Classic (2-5-1), while the Blue Jackets are also struggling at the moment, having lost 4 of their last 5 contests. So, to sum things up: both teams could desperately use a win right now.

Know Your Enemy

Columbus Blue Jackets (19-24-9)

Head Coach: Ken Hitchcock

SB Nation's Left Coast Hockey Blog: The Cannon

Leading Goal Scorers:

Rick Nash

#61 / Left Wing / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 218

Born: Jun 16, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Rick Nash	23	24	47	-12	37

Goaltending:

Steve Mason

#1 / Goalie / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 6-4

Weight: 212

Born: May 29, 1988

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Steve Mason	36	1936	11	16		107	3.32	971	864	.890	2

Mathieu Garon

#32 / Goalie / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 6-2

Weight: 192

Born: Jan 09, 1978

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Mathieu Garon	25	1223	8	8		57	2.80	593	536	.904	2

Injury Report

Boston Bruins Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Marco Sturm	leg	01/19/2010
Byron Bitz	undisclosed	01/19/2010
Steve Begin	undisclosed	01/19/2010

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Andrew Ference	groin	01/06/2010
Marc Savard	knee	01/08/2010

Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mike Commodore	knee	01/20/2010

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Rostislav Klesla	groin	12/01/2009

Notes:

- The Bruins called up Adam McQuaid on Wednesday before sending him back down to Providence later in the day to make room for Drew Larman, who made the trip up I-95 from Providence.

- Marco Sturm left practice early on Wednesday, while Byron Bitz and Steve Begin sat out.

- Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien expressed his concern with Dennis Wideman's recent play:

"He's got to have a better compete level," said Claude Julien. "That's what makes him a great player. He should easily be a top-two -- three at worst -- defenseman for us. He's not close to that right now. He knows it. We know it. He's got to pick up his game."

"We're almost 50 games in now," Julien said. "It's time to take charge of the situation and bring your intensity level up. If you want to play like a 5-6, maybe that's what you're going to get ice time-wise. It's pretty simple. We've got to do the right things for our hockey club. He needs to pick up his game. He knows it. He wants to. He's got to understand that his intensity and compete level have to be better."

"Those habits that we're talking about have to start in practice. If you let things go by in practice as not a big deal, then why do you think they'll be corrected in a game? That's part of management," said Julien. "We've got to take some of that responsibility as coaches to get those guys to perform at that level. I'm not excluding myself from that either. It's up to me to keep pushing them. I've got to find a way to get this guy to perform, because he's too good of a player for us to watch him play that way."

- Quotes from Claude Julien about Dennis Wideman following Wednesday's Practice (via Boston.com)

- Ways to tell your season is not going very well: The top two news stories on your team's website are about a new donut and a children's movie about a hockey playing tooth fairy.

- Old friend Milan Jurcina is on the Blue Jackets roster.

- Toucher & Rich are supposed to be on the ice for one of the intermissions as part of Heart Health Night.

- For more on tonight's game from a Blue Jackets fan perspective, check out The Cannon.

- The puck drops at 7:00 and will air on NESN. The Public Skate open thread gets underway at 6:30.

Today's Obligatory Embarrassing Blue Jackets Fan YouTube Video

They have disabled the embed code for this video, but you can check it out by clicking HERE

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Comments

The Cannon did one of those “Game Threads for Haiti” which are popular on SBN for their game against the Flyers. Good stuff, and they raised 55+ dollars at .05/comment, and then the flyers site Broad Street Hockey is working on matching it, I’m not sure how much they raised.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Jan 21, 2010 10:21 AM EST reply actions

Georges Laraque just got bought out by the Habs.

Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)

by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Jan 21, 2010 10:33 AM EST reply actions

Damn it, now my Winter Classic Parade float is no longer accurate!

by Arenacale on Jan 21, 2010 11:08 AM EST up reply actions

It’s impressive to me how much of a whipping boy Wideman has become. I’m struggling to think of one singular player on any team who is so much the focus of the fans’ disdain (Maybe Price after the 1st round last year, and I’m sure I’ll get plenty of other candidates in replies). Wideman hasn’t been great but if anyone thinks that dropping him is really going to make the team that much better, they’re delusional.

by Arenacale on Jan 21, 2010 11:14 AM EST reply actions

Vesa Toskala on the leafs. But dropping him probably would make that team better.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Jan 21, 2010 11:17 AM EST up reply actions

No argument there.

by Arenacale on Jan 21, 2010 11:20 AM EST up reply actions

Anyone in Toronto, except White or that other goalie

Trading Wideman, if it brought a good scoring would be of benefit. At this point Wideman is a 4 or 5 or 6th defenceman. If we can get a good scorer for the equivilent of a 4 or 5 D? That’s a good trade, right? I am wondering two things about Wideman…either 1) he’ s hurt and we don’t know about it (doubt because I don’t think that CJ would call him out like he did) and 2) he’s only good when playing paired with an elite D like he did all of last year with Chara. Heck, maybe he’s really a 5 guy that you also trot out on the PP. If that’s the case, he’s waaay overpaid. I’d unload him for a scorer if possible.

Of course that rumor I heard yesterday about Phaneuf maybe coming our way would be effing huge. Please God, send Dionne Phaneuf to the B’s.

by eyebob on Jan 21, 2010 12:17 PM EST reply actions

Aaron Ward was paired with Chara a fair amount last year, and now he sucks in Carolina.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Jan 21, 2010 1:09 PM EST up reply actions

And just how would you expect the B’s to clear $6.5 mil for Phaneuf?

by Arenacale on Jan 21, 2010 1:11 PM EST up reply actions

I’d take the Dion that earned that contract for that amount (ha!) but not the current incarnation.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Jan 21, 2010 1:27 PM EST up reply actions

Hey, :I didn't say I could make the numbers work

I only said that it was a rumor floating around. My guess would be that it would be a 3-way trade involving Wideman going somewhere and Phaneuf coming here. That may be the only way that that works, unless they trade Phaneuf for Thomas, which I couldn’t see them doing….numbers-wise.

by eyebob on Jan 21, 2010 4:58 PM EST up reply actions