Tipping Point

Moving right along... Thursday in Buffalo marks game one of a home and home against the Buffalo Sabres.

• Stop me if you've heard this before... the Bruins frittered away a two goal lead in their loss to the Maple Leafs.[BostonGlobe]


• An evening that might as easily have ended in another shutout for Tuukka Rask turned into a loss due to a montage of shoddy defensive coverage.[TheBostonGlobe]


• Curb your enthusiasm, this is not looking like a team that will making a splash in the postseason. Only the sub-par competition in the division is keeping them in this so far.[WEEI]


• Take five... talking points about last evening's loss. David Krejci was a gamechanger, both for good and not-so-good.[WEEI]


• The third period is just kryptonite for the Bruins, as that late December game against Buffalo exposed.[NESN]


• Landon Ferraro is going through a lull in production, and spoke about what he and his linemates need to do to contribute.[BostonHerald]


• Cheer up, Kirk Luedeke has issued his annual Top 10 Prospects report, with some observations, comparisons, and reminiscences. He defends his opinion that Zane McIntyre has a higher ceiling than Malcolm Subban. (Audio, 40:18)[ScoutingPost]


• Joe Tasca spoke with Subban, who has been in a hot streak of late in Providence and is now in Boston backing up Rask. (Audio, 10:37)[PBruinsThisWeek]


• And in this bullet-point assessment of the PBruins performance over the weekend, the Good column finally outweighs the Bad and the Ugly.[ProvidenceJournal]


• Jeremy Jacobs has looked deep into the crystal ball, and sees a number of trends in pro sports that will affect all aspects of Delaware North's business interests.[WGRZ]


• China has its eye on hockey, and a partnership with a Chinese manufacturer and the Bruins looks to promote the game and heighten visibility among children who may become the first wave of Chinese-born players.[SouthCoastToday]

Elsewhere around the rink:

• A pioneering group of teenagers are among the first wave of Chinese players to take to the ice, on equipment their parents bought used while on business trips abroad.[TheGlobeAndMail]


• Speaking of the Maple Leafs, their rebrand has resulted in tweaked logos for both them and the Marlies- have a look.[TheHockeyNews]


• Dennis Wideman is facing a hearing that will focus on the safety of officials...[TheHockeyNews]...might he be destined to boomerang back to Boston once his current troubles with the league are past? Which Bruins may head west in exchange?[Hockeybuzz]


• This week's Thirty Thoughts touches on the Wideman affair as well.[Sportsnet]


• Have a look at this list of trade bait, and check out who's at number three.[TSN]


• Hey hockey parents! The key to your little player's success begins with Skittles! Well, it did for Johnny Gaudreau, who also offers advice for the smaller-in-stature set.[PlayersTribune]


• SACRILEGE! This assessment of NHL Awards candidates does NOT think Patrice Bergeron is a lock for the Selke this year![GlobeAndMail]


• Godspeed Russian prospect Alexander Orekhov, who succumbed to a serious injury caused by taking a puck to the neck.[TheHockeyNews]


• Semyon Varlamov has had his day in court, and even the verdict being in his favor doesn't really bring closure.[MileHighHockey]