BOSTON -- The Washington Capitals do not have all the answers for getting around Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zdeno Chara, so maybe they're trying to kill the 6-9 defenseman with compliments.
"Best defenseman in the league," said head coach Bruce Boudreau after Thursday morning's skate at TD Garden.
"Big, strong, longest stick in the NHL -- one of the best d-men in the game," said tonight's nemesis, Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin.
"Probably the toughest player to go against in the league," said Ovechkin disher Nicklas Backstrom.
After losing three straight games for just the third time this season, the Boston Bruins were facing elimination on Sunday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins, behind a 19-save shutout by Tim Thomas, managed to keep their season rolling with a commanding 4-0 win at TD Banknorth Garden.
Following Boston's 4-1 loss in Carolina on Friday, head coach Claude Julien made mention that his team picked a bad time to be playing its worst hockey of the season, getting outscored by a 10-3 margin during its three-game skid. For one night, all of that was forgotten as the Bruins played a relatively perfect game in every phase.
The Bruins and Hurricanes enter their Eastern Conference semifinal coming off completely different opening round wins.
On one hand, Boston absolutely dominated a hapless Canadiens squad with a clean four-game sweep. On the other hand, Carolina had to go seven games with the Devils, including a nail-biter in the deciding game that saw the Hurricanes tie it, and win it, in the final two minutes of regulation.
On paper, the Boston Bruins should be heavily favored against the Montreal Canadiens in their first round playoff series. The Bruins are the top seed in the Eastern Conference and finished only a point away from the Presidents' Trophy. On the other side, the Habs struggled through much of the second half of the regular season and fell to eighth place in the conference.
None of those facts were evident in the series opener between these two teams in Boston tonight.
Newsmakers in the NHL is a weekday morning attempt to clear yesterday's rebounds and look to the day ahead.
Blue Jackets 2, Predators 1:Raffi Torres may only have 12 goals this season, but he sure has a knack for getting them when they count. His goal at the 4:05 mark of the third period in Columbus' 2-1 win over Nashville was his sixth game-winner of the season, helping get the Blue Jackets back in the win column after dropping three of their past four games. Steve Mason turned aside 21-of-22 shots in net to earn his 32nd win of the season.
When the Penguins entered the third period of Sunday's game against Boston trailing, 3-2, they had the Bruins exactly where they wanted them.
Thanks to a four-goal rally, including two from Chris Kunitz, who registered his second career hat trick, the Penguins pulled out a 6-4 win over the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The Boston Bruins are currently the best team in the NHL, and with the trade deadline less than 72 hours away, they're apparently looking to make a blockbuster deal to solidify their status as the odds on Stanley Cup favorite.
On Saturday, a report surfaced that the Bruins were close to a deal for Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger. On Sunday, the rumors continued as the Boston Herald reported the Bruins made an offer for Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle. NESN picked up on this rumor and called it a "monster" offer.
During All-Star Weekend, we found out that Boston's Zdeno Chara had the hardest shot in All-Star History. His blast of 105.4 mph during the skills competition set a new record, besting Al Iafrate's mark. Last night, the Bruins were in Philadelphia and Flyers netminder Martin Biron got a first hand look at Chara's slapshot. During the third period, Chara took a pass from Michael Ryder and fired a slapshot at the net. It hit Biron square in the mask and knocked him down for a bit. Biron would stay in the game after getting looked at by the medical staff. Have a look at the video while I go add this to my list of reasons I have a lot of respect for goaltenders.
With the NHL All-Star break officially over, 22 teams will be back in action on Tuesday night. Safe to say that the most anticipated match of the evening will take place in Boston where the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins will host the Washington Capitals. The Southeast Division-leading Caps are in second place in the conference, 10 points in back of the Bruins.
BOSTON -- The Washington Capitals do not have all the answers for getting around Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zdeno Chara, so maybe they're trying to kill the 6-9 defenseman with compliments.
After losing three straight games for just the third time this season, the Boston Bruins were facing elimination on Sunday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins, behind a 19-save shutout by 
On Thursday, the NHL 
On paper, the Boston Bruins should be heavily favored against the Montreal Canadiens in their first round playoff series. The Bruins are the top seed in the Eastern Conference and finished only a point away from the Presidents' Trophy. On the other side, the Habs struggled through much of the second half of the regular season and fell to eighth place in the conference. 
When the Penguins entered the third period of Sunday's game against Boston trailing, 3-2, they had the Bruins exactly where they wanted them. 
The Boston Bruins are currently the best team in the NHL, and with the trade deadline less than 72 hours away, they're apparently looking to make a blockbuster deal to solidify their status as the odds on Stanley Cup favorite. 
With the NHL All-Star break officially over, 22 teams will be back in action on Tuesday night. Safe to say that the most anticipated match of the evening will take place in Boston where the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins will host the Washington Capitals. The Southeast Division-leading Caps are in second place in the conference, 10 points in back of the Bruins.
