Hitting the Links: Chicken Little/Weekend Edition

I'm not normally one to say the sky is falling, but with every loss the Bruins fall further into a hole that they'll have to make up if they want the chance to defend the Cup come April. Right now the Bruins can't put the puck in the net consistently enough to win games, even when they have a little help from the other team.

  Most of the links for this weekend, at least the Bruins ones, will deal with what can be done to right the ship. As Jack said in his own overstated way, the Titanic is starting to sink. The team that takes the ice Tuesday at home against Ottawa, likely to some boobirds, will probably not be the same team that played in Montreal last night. There's going to be some changes.

  After the jump, lots of trade stuff, Tyler Seguin's weird hip thing that no one seems to understand, and Don Cherry goes after our buddies in Vancouver.

• Your first "Do the Bruins need to make a trade" link, this one from D.J. Bean. [WEEI]
• Claude responds to the trade rumors, but doesn't really say much. I don't think he's on the hot seat just yet himself. [ESPN]
• Tyler Seguin apparently has something called a "congenital hip condition," which sounds like it could be really bad if your mind works like that. It basically predisposes him to hip injuries, although it doesn't seem like a huge issue if he just keeps himself in the shape he's been in. [ESPN]
• Mark Divver of the ProJo with an awesome story on the Habs rivalry and how a lot of Habs fans are still worked up about the Bruins winning the Cup last year. Also includes some good quotes from Jack Edwards. [ProJo]
• It does look like Peter Chiarelli is putting in some calls for forwards. Kyle Turris of the Coyotes and Flames forward Rene Bourque are two names mentioned here. [Pro Hockey Talk]
• The Bruins have been really undisciplined this season, and say what you will about bad calls but that was a terrible penalty Nathan Horton took on the power play tonight with a chance to get back into the game. Teams are goading the Bruins into penalties and it's pretty clearly working. Horton is especially susceptible to it. [NESN]

      NHL News

• Ah, back to the good 'ol days with the Cup. Gary Bettman on all the booing he receives, and how it might just ruin some nice moments. [Puck Daddy]
• Lots of talk about visors and whether they should be mandatory after Chris Pronger took a stick to the eye on a Mikhail Grabovski follow-through. It doesn't look there's much of a timetable for his return. [NHL]
• Pierre LeBrun on making visors mandatory. Personally, I think that players who go without some sort of facial protection are nuts. I get that it might impair your vision for a while because it is an adjustment but it could be a career-saving thing. [ESPN]
• No surprise here: The Nuge is staying in Edmonton, much to Kathryn's delight. Ryan Whitney's tweet is absolute gold by the way, check it out. [Pro Hockey Talk]
• Vancouver is struggling too, and Don Cherry pointed out that they're not blocking many shots, and therefore not "paying the price." He also said that basically everyone hates the Canucks and they're a bunch of whiners. Maybe he's not insane? [Pro Hockey Talk]
• Phil Kessel scored the game-winner to give the Leafs a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh in a big measuring stick kind of game for Toronto. The Leafs sit atop the Northeast Division with 15 points. The Bruins trail them by 9 points.

Hopefully we'll see a good effort and a W as Ottawa comes to town on Tuesday night, even if we might not see the same team.