Fresh Links: Shorthanded

The Devils host the Northeast Division leading Bruins tomorrow night at 7:00PM on NESN.

• It took a shootout (in which T.J. Oshie notably did NOT score) for the league leading Capitals to beat the injury-decimated Bruins Saturday night. Patriot Ledger
• It was a shootout loss because OF COURSE. Boston Herald
• It’s the shootout, stupid- the numbers are not great for Boston there. 985 The Sports Hub
• Keeping track- let’s not forget how many Bruins are out of action right now, and bear in mind that their return projections vary. Causeway Crowd
• Mull it over- it is kind of hard to be upset about the ultimate result, all things considered. Boston Globe
• Three cheers for Jaroslav Halak, who deserved to be number one on this list of bullet points from the game. Bruins Daily
• Halak nixed 42 of 44 shots- have a look at the shot heat map. Boston Sports Journal
• And wasn’t Charlie McAvoy up to the task of shutting down Alex Ovechkin and his line? Boston Sports Journal
• That “extra gear” his coach was looking for appeared in McAvoy’s performance, especially in the absence of Torey Krug. Boston Herald
• November has been no friend to the Bruins so far. Better now than later in the season. Causeway Crowd
• The Bruins remain perched atop the Flortheast Division. Just let that soak in, and keep it all in perspective- count these few blessings, including the performances of Anders Bjork and Urho Vaakanainen. Botston Globe
• The call has gone out to retrieve Urho Vaakanainen and bring Brendan Gaunce up from Providence. @MarkDivver
• There are compelling reasons NOT to call up Jack Studnicka. Causeway Crowd

NHL Standings:

• The Bruins thankfully have managed to retain the lead the Atlantic Division NHL just ahead of the Canadiens, but trail both the Capitals and Islanders in the Eastern Conference. NHL In the league overall, Boston rose back into to third place behind those two teams. (Standings have been pretty sticky, but links are NOT STATIC) NHL
• Note that David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are still solidly among the Offensive Leaders, and both Marchand and Zdeno Chara are listed among the Plus/Minus leaders. On the netminding side, despite a tough stretch, Tuukka Rask remains in the mix of Goaltending Leaders in all but one category. (Links are NOT STATIC) NHL

Elsewhere around the rink:

• In news of former Bruins: Kris Versteeg is parting ways with the AHL IceHogs, likely marking the end of his career. He bade farewell to Blackhawks fans in a letter. Chicago Sun-Times
• Are you so over the Skillz Competition? Maybe it is time to ressurect ending games with a tie. (Video, 2:55) The Hockey News
• Paul Stewart’s take on the Don Cherry’s situation is nuanced, compared to some. HockeyBuzz
• A former Bruin and Malcolm Subban’s brother are on this list of NHLers whose value has shrunk this season. The Hockey News
• Roberto Luongo will continue being the gift that keeps giving from the offices of the Panthers - dare we hope he and Shawn Thornton chirp each other in the breakroom? Litterbox Cats
• Despite the clarity of league rules, the consternation surrounding the lack of a whistle to allow trainers to attend to head-injured Matt Calvert in Vancouver is rising. Sporting News
• The only certainties in life are death, taxes, and Maple Leafs fans handwringing over yet another team that is less than the sum of its parts. Oh, the humanity! True Blue Leafs
• I see what you did, there, Mats Sundin- he says Auston Matthews and his teammates suffer from being “exposed” in Toronto. Sportsnet
• The only thing more embarrasing that watching Steve Simmons stick his foot in it yet again is watching him subsequently backpedal as Jerry York put his team commitment first. WEEI
• Local lad Cory Schneider is on waivers. Sportsnet