Fresh Links: Nine Days

The Bruins return to action on Thursday, January 31 against the Flyers at TD Garden. Until then...

• The Bruins go into the break hoping that nine days will be enough for Tuukka Rask to recover. There was already an emergency goaltender waiting in the wings as Jaroslav Halak skated onto the ice, one with an interesting career connection to Rask. Boston Globe
• Rask may have missed his chance at a franchise milestone, but counterpart Henrik Lundqvist stepped up the NHL career wins ladder. TSN
• Four quick bullet points from the loss to the Rangers include sticktaps to Adam McQuaid upon his return to Boston and a link to the tribute video. Bruins Daily
• Reunions- Torey Krug spoke about his former defensive partner, and Matt Grzelcyk faced his former Boston University coach. Patriot Ledger
• Four sequential games with blown leads gets worrisome, Bruce Cassidy noted. (With Video) NESN
• Plagued by long spells of injury to mutiple players, the Bruins are in a playoff spot anyway! WEEI
• And who steps up to help in (heaven forbid) Tuukka Rask’s absence? The Hockey Writers
• Life is good for Chris Wagner, the Pride of Walpole, who is enjoying a career year here at home. Boston Herald
• The David Backes signing serves as a cautionary tale of playing the UFA market. Yahoo
• The NHL is SHRINKING! David Backes has joined a number of older players micromanaging their diets to adapt to a faster NHL game. NHL
• Ever wonder what it is like to stage manage a Bruins broadcast? Meet NESN’s Rose Mirakian-Wheeler and see what her team is conjuring up on game nights. Bonus- a peek at Jack Edwards’ three-monitor setup. Boston Globe
• Standings- the Bruins drop to 11th in the league overall, NHL 6th in the Eastern Conference, NHL and remain 3rd in the competitive Atlantic Division and only one point behind the Maple Leafs, NHL while the Canadiens (now tied with them at 59 points) and Penguins lurk in the two Wild Card spots. NHL (Note- links are NOT static)

Providence Bruins news:

• New acquisitions Gemel Smith and Paul Carey are making their marks. The Hockey Writers
• Zane McIntyre earned the win on Friday as Trent Frederic sniped the winning shootout goal against the Thunderbirds. Providence Journal
• On Saturday, the Bruins lost to the Sound Tigers in another shootout. Fairfield Citizen
• Sunday’s game was rescheduled due to the storm, so the PBruins host the Wolf Pack this afternoon at 3:05 PM. Providence Bruins

Elsewhere around the rink:

• In news of former Bruins: Godspeed George “Red” Sullivan, who served Boston as both a player as well as a scout. Peterborough Examiner Milan Lucic is on a (relative) scoring tear these days, and hello to Matt Benning as well. (Video, 0:56) Streamable, via Reddit
• The Dartmouth men’s hockey team may have been trapped in Ithaca, NY by the snowstorm, but their Twitter game was STRONG! The first sign of trouble @Dartmouth_MIH raised a thorny question @Dartmouth_MIH and prompted a letter to loved ones @Dartmouth_MIH and an update @Dartmouth_MIH and ultimately a desperate plea for supplies @Dartmouth_MIH as the streets of Ithaca were clogged by snow. @Dartmouth_MIH At last they sat for a hearty meal @Dartmouth_MIH while noting that their counterparts from Clarkson were in a similar pickle in Providence. @Dartmouth_MIH Good news! The Big Green were on the move this morning @Dartmouth_MIH having found the silver lining to their gray, wintery cloud. @Dartmouth_MIH (Sticktaps to Raw Charge for the links)
• Ice, ice baby- the Bruins nearest divisional rivals have gone stone cold, and shiver at the thought of the Bruins gaining ground on them. Pension Plan Puppets
• The Canadiens showed off their skills in a fun competition- maybe they should save it for game day? (With video, turn down the volume) BarDown
• There’s more than one way for firefighters to get used to wearing a Scott Pack, I guess... Instagram, via Reddit