Despite only scoring a total of two goals so far this week, one has to be very thrilled about the fact that the Boston Bruins have picked up all four possible points to begin their three-game road trip. The only thing that would make it any sweeter would be a win in Calgary, to make it a perfect 3-for-3. Similar to the Oilers and Canucks, the Calgary Flames are an unfamiliar foe to those watching in New England. The Bruins and Flames haven't played each other since Boston's 2006-07 home opener, back on October 19, 2006. That game resulted in a 3-2 win for the Black and Gold, backstopped by Hannu Toivonen.The Calgary Flames enter Thursday's game with Boston on a hot streak. After starting the year 1-3-1, the Flames have now rattled off four consecutive wins, moving up to second place in the Northwest Division with 11 points. Similar to the Bruins, Calgary's last game also ended in a shutout, as Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 22 shots in a 3-0 blanking of the Colorado Avalanche. Needless to say, something will have to give one way or another on Thursday.Calgary's preview is going to start with offense for one reason, Jarome Iginla. The Flames' captain has registered 50 goals in a season twice, and is one of the elite players in the National Hockey League. That being said, it should come as no surprise that Iginla leads the team in scoring with six goals and four assists for ten points. Second place on the Flames belongs to 5-foot-9, Mike Cammalleri. Cammalleri came to the Flames in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings this past summer, and has settled in nicely with three goals and six assists. Next up for the forwards is another offseason acquisition, Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi has six goals (four on the power play) in nine games, but his minus-5 is a bit concerning. Daymond Langkow and newly acquired Rene Bourque are tied with Bertuzzi at six points each, rounding out the top five forwards.Similar to the offense, the Flames also have one of the best defensemen in the league. That is 23-year old Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf leads all Calgary blueliners with six assists and seven points, but is also known for his ability to throw huge hits at oncoming forwards. The Richter Scale might be needed if he and Milan Lucic collide. Joining Phaneuf on the offensive side of things are Mark Giordano and Robyn Regehr. Giordano started with the Flames, went to Russia for a year, and has now come back with three assists in nine games. Regehr has two assists in eight games. Adrian Aucoin has produced points for most of his career, but is off to a slow start with one goal in nine games. To make matters worse, Aucoin's plus/minus currently sits at minus-4. Cory Sarich, Jim Vandermeer, and Adam Pardy finish off the Calgary defense.The trend continues in goal for the Calgary Flames, as they have one of the best there, too. After being a backup goalie for the San Jose Sharks, Miikka Kiprusoff has become the backbone for the Flames. Kiprusoff's last three seasons have seen him put up win totals of 42, 40, and 39, while only sitting out 22 of 246 regular season games. So far this season, the Turku, Finland native is 5-3-1 with a 2.99 goals against average, .897 save percentage, and one shutout. Kiprusoff should be the starter on Thursday, while Tim Thomas would be the smart guess following his two performances this week. If Kiprusoff doesn't go, the backup is 25-year old Curtis McElhinney. McElhinney played in five games a year ago, posting an 0-2 record and a 2.00 goals against average. The majority of his time last season came with the AHL's Quad City Flames, where he went 20-18-2 with a 2.28 goals against average.Taking a look at the American Hockey League, the Providence Bruins suffered their first regulation loss of the season. Chalk this one up to a rough night at the office, as the Baby B's fell 6-0 to the defending Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves. Chicago got things going right away, as Colin Stuart (Mark's older brother) tallied a shorthanded goal 1:09 into the contest. Junior Lessard and Joe Motzko followed that up, giving the Wolves a 3-0 lead after one, knocking Tuukka Rask out of the game. Kevin Regan kept the home team off the board in the second, but was beaten by Motzko, Matt Anderson, and Boris Valabik in the third period for the 6-0 final. Even though he had plenty of offensive support, Ondrej Pavelec was still extremely sharp in net for the Wolves, stopping all 35 shots he faced. Rask and Regan each made 15 saves on 18 shots for Providence.Face-off between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames takes place at 9:00 from the Pengrowth Saddledome for those viewing from the East Coast. Following this game, Boston will have just four road games remaining outside of the Eastern Conference. All four are against teams from the Central Division. The Providence Bruins get to use Thursday as a travel day, as they head from Illinois to Texas. The P-Bruins play the Houston Aeros on Friday, before visiting the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday.Source
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Bruins Look for Perfect Trip Through Western Canada
Despite only scoring a total of two goals so far this week, one has to be very thrilled about the fact that the Boston Bruins have picked up all four possible points to begin their three-game road trip. The only thing that would make it any sweeter would be a win in Calgary, to make it a perfect 3-for-3. Similar to the Oilers and Canucks, the Calgary Flames are an unfamiliar foe to those watching in New England. The Bruins and Flames haven't played each other since Boston's 2006-07 home opener, back on October 19, 2006. That game resulted in a 3-2 win for the Black and Gold, backstopped by Hannu Toivonen.The Calgary Flames enter Thursday's game with Boston on a hot streak. After starting the year 1-3-1, the Flames have now rattled off four consecutive wins, moving up to second place in the Northwest Division with 11 points. Similar to the Bruins, Calgary's last game also ended in a shutout, as Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 22 shots in a 3-0 blanking of the Colorado Avalanche. Needless to say, something will have to give one way or another on Thursday.Calgary's preview is going to start with offense for one reason, Jarome Iginla. The Flames' captain has registered 50 goals in a season twice, and is one of the elite players in the National Hockey League. That being said, it should come as no surprise that Iginla leads the team in scoring with six goals and four assists for ten points. Second place on the Flames belongs to 5-foot-9, Mike Cammalleri. Cammalleri came to the Flames in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings this past summer, and has settled in nicely with three goals and six assists. Next up for the forwards is another offseason acquisition, Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi has six goals (four on the power play) in nine games, but his minus-5 is a bit concerning. Daymond Langkow and newly acquired Rene Bourque are tied with Bertuzzi at six points each, rounding out the top five forwards.Similar to the offense, the Flames also have one of the best defensemen in the league. That is 23-year old Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf leads all Calgary blueliners with six assists and seven points, but is also known for his ability to throw huge hits at oncoming forwards. The Richter Scale might be needed if he and Milan Lucic collide. Joining Phaneuf on the offensive side of things are Mark Giordano and Robyn Regehr. Giordano started with the Flames, went to Russia for a year, and has now come back with three assists in nine games. Regehr has two assists in eight games. Adrian Aucoin has produced points for most of his career, but is off to a slow start with one goal in nine games. To make matters worse, Aucoin's plus/minus currently sits at minus-4. Cory Sarich, Jim Vandermeer, and Adam Pardy finish off the Calgary defense.The trend continues in goal for the Calgary Flames, as they have one of the best there, too. After being a backup goalie for the San Jose Sharks, Miikka Kiprusoff has become the backbone for the Flames. Kiprusoff's last three seasons have seen him put up win totals of 42, 40, and 39, while only sitting out 22 of 246 regular season games. So far this season, the Turku, Finland native is 5-3-1 with a 2.99 goals against average, .897 save percentage, and one shutout. Kiprusoff should be the starter on Thursday, while Tim Thomas would be the smart guess following his two performances this week. If Kiprusoff doesn't go, the backup is 25-year old Curtis McElhinney. McElhinney played in five games a year ago, posting an 0-2 record and a 2.00 goals against average. The majority of his time last season came with the AHL's Quad City Flames, where he went 20-18-2 with a 2.28 goals against average.Taking a look at the American Hockey League, the Providence Bruins suffered their first regulation loss of the season. Chalk this one up to a rough night at the office, as the Baby B's fell 6-0 to the defending Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves. Chicago got things going right away, as Colin Stuart (Mark's older brother) tallied a shorthanded goal 1:09 into the contest. Junior Lessard and Joe Motzko followed that up, giving the Wolves a 3-0 lead after one, knocking Tuukka Rask out of the game. Kevin Regan kept the home team off the board in the second, but was beaten by Motzko, Matt Anderson, and Boris Valabik in the third period for the 6-0 final. Even though he had plenty of offensive support, Ondrej Pavelec was still extremely sharp in net for the Wolves, stopping all 35 shots he faced. Rask and Regan each made 15 saves on 18 shots for Providence.Face-off between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames takes place at 9:00 from the Pengrowth Saddledome for those viewing from the East Coast. Following this game, Boston will have just four road games remaining outside of the Eastern Conference. All four are against teams from the Central Division. The Providence Bruins get to use Thursday as a travel day, as they head from Illinois to Texas. The P-Bruins play the Houston Aeros on Friday, before visiting the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday.Source
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