Former Bolt Strikes Twice

The Bruins lost to the Rangers 3-2, but at least Brett Connolly made up for lost time by scoring both Bruins goals.

• Kirk Kuedeke explains why he believes that what we saw last evening will be what we see from the Bruins going forward. The good news is that he saw a lot to like in several players' performances.  [ScoutingPost]
• The Ryan Spooner line giveth, the Spooner line taketh away: Despite scoring both goals, they were on ice for two Rangers tallies as well. Jonas Gustavsson 's performance garnered his coach's praise- but will it be enough to seal the deal?   [TheBostonGlobe]
• Brett Connolly wants to prove that last night was no fluke, having waited a long time for the chance.  [BotonHerald]
• It has been awhile since the Bruins' fourth line was anything to cheer for. Claude Julien believes this may change with a combination of Zac Rinaldo /  Max Talbot / Joonas Kemppainen / Chris Kelly .  [TheBostonGlobe]
• And the Gustavsson / Jeremy Smith decision will come down to the wire. Bonus: Kevan Miller speaks about playing against another former PBruin as a youth, only to meet again as pros. [NESN]
• Zdeno Chara continued his solo workouts out on ice this morning (alone except for the ever vigilant coach John Whitesides, that is.)  [WEEI]
• The month of October opens with a number of interesting Bruins, PBruins, and other hockey-related storylines outlined here.  [BruinsDaily]
• This source holds a dim view of the Bruins' prospects for a successful season this year.  [LastWordOnSports]
• On a cheerier note, Milt Schmidt is still racking up awards, he can now count a Globies Lifetime Achievement Award among 'em. Pete Frates, Liam Fitzgerald, and the late Thomas Menino were also feted.  [TheBostonGlobe]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• Dive into Sean McIndoe's briefing on the seven NHL teams likeliest to get rilly, rilly good draft picks...  [Grantland]
• ... and he continues to the mediocre seven, perhaps more deserving of our pity for either trending down or simply being not bad enough for a leg up.  [Grantland]
• Caveat Emptor: NHL Gamecenter is about to auto-renew, do you know what you're getting (or not) for your money?  [PensionPlanPuppets]
• Check in on Jack Jablonski's progress, he is not sitting still despite being wheelchair bound. (Video, 2:39)  [SportingNews]
• Former Bruin Daniel Paille joins a bunch of NHLers now being released from PTOs. A very few are still getting looks from other teams. Also, Andrew Ference faces a struggle for ice time in Edmonton (link in article.)  [SportsIllustrated]
• The new 3-on-3 overtime looks to be a keeper. Also, the NHL will be ready for video to aid the planned coach's challenge by opening night. We know because the Bettman says so.  [TSN]
• Turning to Twitter to name a baby? Much could have gone wrong, but it didn't for a change!  [TheStar]
• Already? Mike Babcock had sharp words for his forwards following his team's second straight shutout loss in preseason.  [TSN]
• Greet the new month with a look back at the top Tweets of September.  [Sportsnet]
• Steve Moses (of Leominster, MA) has been assigned to the AHL Milwaukee Admirals after lighting up the KHL and subsequently being signed by the Predators.  [TheScore]
• So, do you find value in Hockey-Graphs? Now you can put your money where your mouth is.  [Hockey-Graphs]