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The Carolina Hurricanes host the Bruins (and the Bruins' father figures) at 7:00PM tonight
- It's a dad, dad, dad, dad world- at least for a few days. It's payback for all those cold morning drives to the rink, and a chance to meet, mingle, and enjoy time with family.[Bruins.NHL]
- He Was Expendable. But after keeping him anyway, the Bruins find that Claude Julien has squeezed the maximum out of the mixed bag that management left him to work with.[TheBostonGlobe]
- Expectations are a bit bloated for Brett Connolly, who is still relatively green. Take a lesson from what the Bruins nearly gave away when Ryan Spooner (who is the older of the two) was dangled as a trade to Buffalo.[WEEI]
- Jimmy Hayes has bounced back from a stint on the fourth line to make magic with Spooner.[PatriotLedger]
- There has been a contract counteroffer made to the Loui Eriksson camp by the Bruins. Keep your fingers crossed.[WEEI]
- The new benchmark for Eriksson's value is the Andrew Ladd trade back to Chicago, which also included former Bruin Matt Fraser.[MassLive]
- Looking back at the Penguins game, David Pastrnak's energetic play sparked the offense. Bonus: The Podcast To Be Named Later. (Audio, 53:42)[Hockeybuzz]
- Seth Griffith might just be the trade bait to bring what the Bruins need. But then again...[TodaysSlapShot]
Elsewhere around the rink:
- Speaking of dads, Ryan Kesler's was not above promising a prize to his young son for focusing on an often overlooked skill. Kesler has been a battler ever since.[PlayersTribune]
- Among players now lost to their teams for the season due to injury are the Canadiens' Jeff Petry and Tom Gilbert [CTVNews] along with the Maple Leafs' Joffrey Lupul and James van Riemsdyk.[TheHockeyWriters]
- There is an orderly, 20-step process to observe as a team moves toward a trade. Sean McIndoe explains.[Sportsnet]
- Do a focus on analytics and a changing game mean it is now curtains for NHL "role players?"[TheGuardian]
- When a player hoping for the NHL chooses to go the college route, does second-guessing becomes second nature? Jimmy Vesey reflects on choosing Harvard first.[PlayersTribune]
- What bit SBNation in the butt in a recent longform article debacle is allowing the contributor's reputation and background ("input") to trump the actual editorial process and ultimate content of the piece in question ("output.")[SportingMadness]