"I thought we played well enough to give our team a chance to win," Julien told the media. "This is one of those nights that throughout the course of the season that you lose a hockey game probably because the other team got one extra bounce going their way."
That was pretty much the sentiment all around and also interesting was Tim Thomas telling the media that even after the Devils scored with 1:26 left in the game, he still thought the team would pull it out, a confidence he admitted he and his mates didn't have only four games ago.
"I guess that's confidence building," he said. "But," he then quipped, "confidence can only take you so far."
That is true. But hopefully the Bruins can maintain that confidence because they will need it Saturday against an Edmonton team that — at last look — had a 5-2 lead on Detroit in the second period.
Thanks for joining us here at our Live Bruins Blog and be sure to check back here Saturday when the Bruins face the Oilers in a 1 p.m. matinee on NESN.
End of game, Devils 2-1: A very disappointing loss here for the Bruins tonight as they fall 2-1 to a tired Devils team with Martin Brodeur on the bench for a night off.
Backup Yann Danis was really solid with 31 saves, but once again, the Bruins looked like they took part of the night off. They just can't seem to string wins together this season and sustain any kind of momentum. We'll post a wrap-up soon after we get quotes and postgame reaction.
Third period, 0:20, Devils 2-1: The Bruins have called a timeout and pulled Tim Thomas. Mark Recchi also hit the crossbar with a long shot that may have been deflected a few seconds ago.
Third period, 1:26, Devils 2-1: Danius Zubrus, a former Hab, has given the Devils the lead. Zubrus poked in the puck after Tim Thomas blocked an initial shot, but failed to keep the rebound between his pads.
Third period, 3:02, 1-1: David Clarkson and Tim Thomas were just yapping at each other after Thomas made a save. The Bruins need a little jump-start here to avoid their third overtime and (possible) shootout in a row. Maybe Thomas will get them going?
Third period, 6:27, 1-1: I forgot to note that the Bruins are 2-0-1 when tied after two periods of play and the Devils are 2-1-0.
Third period, 9:19, 1-1: It's till tied here and we have a TV timeout.
So during the last intermission we were discussing the recent "Mini-One-On-One" goal that made the highlight reels all over the place and Billy O'Flaherty said he once watched Corey Perry, Robbie Schremp and Simon Gagne pull off moves like that during a practice. Apparently, the talented trio was a line on a team in England during the lockout and looked more like lacrosse stars than hockey players. I would love to see that pulled off in an NHL game someday, not just in practice.
Third period, 19:00, 1-1: We're underway here for the third period in front of a just-announced sellout crowd at the TD Garden.
Sorry for the lack of an intermission report. I had a great conversation with Kevin Stevens and Billy O'Flaherty, Director of Pro Scouting for the Florida Panthers. I will fill you in in a bit.
End of second period, 1-1: The Bruins had a late scoring chance at the final horn there, but Yann Danis was up to the challenge and he has looked solid in his first start with 24 saves thus far. The Bruins and Devils are all tied after two.
Second period, 2:09, 1-1: The Devils are on their first power play tonight after Zdeno Chara is sent to the box for tripping.
Second period, 7:31, 1-1: Lots of scouts here are saying that Tim Thomas still doesn't look right and that the Clarkson goal in the first was really his fault.
I agree on the goal tonight, partially, but overall Thomas has looked much better in his last two starts.
Second period, 13:36, 1-1: The Bruins seem to have that jump back this period. I'll be interested to see if Blake Wheeler can get it going again like early last season. He scored in the shootout win at Ottawa on Saturday.
Second period, 17:28, 1-1: Patrice Bergeron is en fuego, folks. Bergeron just tied the game with his fourth goal of the season. Marco Sturm and Zdeno Chara had the helpers. That is Bergeron's third point in four games.
Second period, 19:39, Devils 1-0: Bryce Salvador is in the sin bin again, this time for tripping. He seems to be trying to help the Bruins, so hopefully they oblige.
First intermission, Devils 1-0: Some quick tidbits before we start playing here again.
The Bruins are 1-3-0 when trailing after the first period and New Jersey is 3-0-0 when leading. Uh-oh.
The Bruins have now scored only two goals on their last 12 power plays.
End of first period, Devils 1-0: A really fast period there. The Bruins were outshot 13-12 in the period, but as I said, they need to get that power play going. They need to get bodies down low and blast those shots through the Devils defense.
So as I alluded to earlier, Claude Julien compared David Clarkson to Milan Lucic and it was because Clarkson is a rugged, physical player that has the ability to pot some goals as well. He's another one of the new wave of power forwards. Scouts drool over him and New Jersey is lucky to have him.
First period, 1:02, Devils 1-0: The Bruins still trail here as they once again fail to convert on the power play. They really need to start peppering Yann Danis with shots out there. It is his first game this season and he must be a bit nervous.
First period, 4:44, Devils 1-0: The Bruins are on the power play thanks to a Bryce Salvador hooking call. This is the area in which the Bruins need to improve most.
First period, 6:35, Devils 1-0: The Devils take the lead on a goal by David Clarkson, a player Claude Julien compared to Milan Lucic earlier today. Nicklas Bergfors and Bryce Salvador had the helpers.
First period, 7:30: Just spoke to Bruins PR staff and while I don't have the record for minutes to start a game without a stoppage in play, Matt Chmura and Eric Tosi did say that last year the Bruins were in a game that didn't stop until there was eight minutes left in the first period and that "wasn't even close" to the record they were told.
First period, 13:03: Wow! This is the first stoppage in play. Has to be some kind of record? At this pace, we'll be out of here to see Pedro Martinez strike out the side in the second or third inning!
First period, 16:30: We are underway here at the TD Garden and there's a very fast pace to the game so far. Lots of skating.
7:00 p.m.: Hello from high above the ice at the TD Garden as we're set for the Bruins-Devils here tonight as the Bruins look for their first consecutive set of wins this season. Here's what the lineups look like for tonight:
Bruins
Forwards
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–Michael Ryder
Marco Sturm–David Krejci–Mark Recchi
Daniel Paille–Vladimir Sobotka–Blake Wheeler
Shawn Thornton–Steve Begin–Byron Bitz
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Derek Morris
Andrew Ference–Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart–Matt Hunwick
Goalie
Tim Thomas
Devils
Forwards
Zach Parise-Dainius Zubrus-Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian
Rolston-Travis Zajac-Ilkka Pikkarainen
Niclas Bergfors-Rob
Niedermayer-David Clarkson
Andrew Peters-Rod Pelley-Matt Halischuk.
Defensemen
Bryce Salvador-Johnny Oduya
Colin White-Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser-Andy Greene
Goalie
Yann Danis
Ready for faceoff. Enjoy the game!
12:30 p.m.: Good afternoon and welcome to another Bruins Live Blog. The Bruins (5-4-1) will welcome the New Jersey Devils to the TD Garden on Thursday night.
The Devils (6-4-0) are coming off a lackluster effort in a 4-1 loss to the Sabres on Wednesday but are 5-0-0 on the road. Of course, the Devils' trap-like system provides a great road game, so the Bruins will have to be patient and stick to their game plan. This may not be a high-octane type of game, but if you're a fan of solid defense, hard hitting and great goaltending, then this will be the game for you.
This game should also be a good indication of whether or not the real Bruins are back. The Bruins are 2-0-1 in their last three games and have showed tremendous heart and work ethic, but can they carry that on a consistent basis? We will see in this one and over the next few games as the Bruins look to build their first winning streak of the season.
So, stay with us here as we bring you updates from the TD Garden.
