Fresh Links: Dark Arts Edition

<p><b>The Boston Bruins must have boiled up a cauldron of magic in their dressing room at the first intermission.  </b></p>

<ul>

<li> First things first. The first period contained only one shot from the Bruins. Carl Soderberg tallied his first NHL goal with the help of an assist that represented Ryan Spooner's first NHL point. Cold starts are a problem. [<a href="http://bostonherald.com/sports/bruins_nhl/boston_bruins/2013/11/ugly_start_but_good_end_result_for_bruins">BostonHerald</a>]</li>

<li> Little battles were sequentially won to set up Zdeno Chara 's power play goal... [<a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/bruins/post/_/id/14001/chara-lucic-help-bs-finish-off-ducks">ESPN</a>]</li>

<li> ... good decisionmaking by Torey Krug set up the chance. [<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/10/31/bruins-beat-ducks-shootout/CGRYpqmMdY00jWEIQYtDzL/story.html">TheBostonGlobe</a>]</li>

<li> The callup of Spooner and moving Chris Kelly to the wing juggled the third line, and despite Soderberg's leaden start and costly turnover, the trio managed to pot a goal. [<a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/bruins/post/_/id/13994/spooner-soderberg-make-their-presence-felt">ESPN</a>]</li>

<li> Soderberg had a full-circle sort of night. [<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/10/31/bruins-carl-soderberg-pots-first-goal-win-over-anaheim-ducks/K86OKNRXvw7YJ0sdRglb7K/story.html">TheBostonGlobe</a>]</li>

<li> Johnny Boychuk was injured as he crashed into the boards, and was unable to rejoin the game. [<a href="http://bigbadblog.weei.com/sports/boston/hockey/bruins/2013/10/31/johnny-boychuks-status-unknown-after-crashing-into-boards/">WEEI</a>]</li>

<li> Here are five takeaways from last night, and the Bruins' season so far. [<a href="http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131101/SPORTS/311010336">SouthCoastToday</a>]</li>

<li> Short on time? Here are just three quick takeaways. [<a href="http://www.bruinsdaily.com/2013/10/31/three-takeaways-bruins-ducks/">BruinsDaily</a>]</li>

<li> Tuukka Rask tops this ranking of NHL goalies. [<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockey/opinion/2013/10/behind-the-mask-tuukka-rask-stays-on-top.html">CBCSports</a>]</li>

<li> The Shanabanhammer has fallen on John Scott, for real this time. Scott's first-time disciplinary status after 217 career hits was cited as proof that his mere height could not be used as an excuse in his cheapshot on Loui Eriksson. [<a href="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=473124&catid=60">NHL</a>]</li>

</ul>

<p><b> Elsewhere around the rink: </b></p>

<ul>

<li> Musical chairs? Max Talbot has been swapped for Steve Downie. [<a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=435516">TSN</a>]</li>

<li> Elliotte Friedman's thirty thoughts. Apparently NHL GMs favor penalizing teams, not just players, for dirty hits. [<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockey/opinion/2013/10/30-thoughts-nhl-gms-want-teams-to-pay-for-players-violations.html">CBCSports</a>]</li>

<li> The surest sign of Movember is seeing George Parros' clean-shaven face. [<a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeParros/status/395949227022356480">@GeorgeParros</a>]</li>

<li> Here are 21 takes from around the league and of the NHL season so far. [<a href="http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2013/11/01/dave-lozos-bag-skate-21-hot-takes-observations-and-thoughts-about-the-first-month-of-the-season/">BackhandShelf</a>]</li>

<li> Safety first! The Calgary Flames now require players to wear protective skate boot caps after losing two players to shot-blocking injuries. [<a href="http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/10/31/calgary-flames-make-protective-skate-caps-mandatory-in-wake-of-key-injuries">CalgarySun</a>]</li>

<li> Finding fancystats boring? Check out the new benchmark, the "Corgi!" [<a href="http://peerlessprognosticator.blogspot.com/2013/10/cheerless-talks-fancystats.html">PeerlessPrognosticator</a>]</li>

</ul>