Hitting the Links: It's Not All Bad Weekend Edition

So maybe the sky isn't falling after all. It wasn't perfect, but the Bruins got 2 points yesterday with a 3-2 SO win over the Flyers, with David Krejci, Tyler Seguin, and Patty Bergeron going 3-for-3 on Ilya Bryzgalov in the skills contest.

The Bruins are now back in 2nd in the East, though they're just one point ahead of Ottawa for the division lead and two ahead of Florida. It looks like they're heading for a meeting with the Sens either way. Yesterday's game showed that the Bs can still compete and beat the teams near them at the top of the standings, even with the injuries they're still dealing with. It shows they're not done yet.

Bruins News

• On St. Patty's Day, of course Patty Bergeron was on his game, like he is every other day. [ESPN]
• It's no coincidence that the Bs play better when they're physically involved in the game. That's easy to do against the Flyers, so it's a good matchup I think. [CSNNE]
• Shawn Thornton received a 2-year extension worth $1.1 million per year in Peter Chiarelli's first step towards re-signing the entire Merlot Line. The PD article suggests this is a good deal, any disagreement there? [Puck Daddy]
• The next step for the Bruins is to carry their momentum into Monday night's home game against the Leafs. Based on this season, they probably couldn't have a better situation to do just that. [NESN]
• Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, the shutdown pair from last season's playoffs, were paired together again yesterday. [Globe]

NHL News

• Jaromir Jagr says the Flyers "don't like daylight," explaining their matinee woes. So Claude Giroux= Edward Cullen? [Pro Hockey Talk]
• Big 3-1 win for the Leafs last night over the Sens, doing a favor for the Bruins by allowing them to slide back into the Northeast lead. One of the numerous fights in the game was Mikhail Grabovski against Chris Neil. Yes, you read that right. Also, Sergei Gonchar had his first fight in 13 years. Weirdness aplenty. [TSN]
• Crosby to Malkin on the powerplay just isn't right. 11 in a row for the Pens. They look unbeatable. [Puck Daddy]
• The current projection on the NHL's site has Washington getting the 8 seed, setting up a matchup against either the Rangers or Penguins in what could be a really awesome marketing opportunity for the NHL. You better know the NHL would love to see Pens-Caps in the first round, and really who wouldn't? [NHL]
• You know who's a big fan of Erik Karlsson? Bobby Orr, that's who. Pretty good endorsement if you can get it. [Ottawa Sun]