Tuukka Rask, on the other hand, couldn't be happier in Boston's North End barn.
For the second time in the last eight days, the Thrashers keeper had to be yanked in the first period against the Bruins as Boston’s offense jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead en route to a 4-0 win over Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Rask, meanwhile, was stellar between the pipes, earning his second shutout of the season and keeping the Thrashers scoreless for the first time this season.
Bruins 4, Thrashers 0
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Dec. 30, 2009
Headliner: Marc Savard picked up a pair of helpers in the first to extend his points streak to five games. The B’s All-Star playmaker now has seven assists in his last five games and 13 on the season.
B's keeper Tuukka Rask was stellar in Boston's final tilt of the 2009 calender year as he kicked aside all 18 shots he faced in the lopsided victory. Rask now has a league-low 1.97 GAA and improved his record to 10-3-2. He has won seven of his last eight starts and hasn't allowed more than two goals in a game since letting in three in Boston's 4-3 win over the Thrashers on Nov. 19.
Grinder: Although he rarely shows up on the stat sheet, Vladimir Sobotka had one of his finest games as a Bruin to earn the Mr. Hustle award. Among his grinding assets, Sobotka showed up superstar Ilya Kovalchuk with relentless forechecking and stepped up to 6-foot-7 big man Boris Valabik after the whistle.
Johan Hedberg came in during the first period to stop the bleeding for the Thrashers, kicking aside 19 of 20 shots and limiting the high-flying B's to just one tally.
Weak Link: Simply put, the Bruins have Ondrej Pavelec’s number. For the second straight game against the B’s — and the second time in just over a week — the Atlanta netminder coughed up three first-period goals at the TD Garden and was yanked before the first horn.
In Atlanta's Dec. 23rd loss to the B’s, Pavelec lasted just 11 minutes after allowing three goals on eight shots. This time around, he was yanked after three goals on seven shots in just under 17 minutes to put his season GAA against the Bruins to 13.00.
Key Moment: Just 13 minutes into regulation, Evander Kane got called for high-sticking on Johnny Boychuck and the B’s struck on the man advantage to go up 2-0. Savard wound up from a rough angle on the right faceoff circle, and after clanging the snipe off the post, winger Marco Sturm was right in front to bang it home to grab momentum early.
What’s Next: No need to re-check the schedule to see what the Bruins have next, as the Winter Classic is officially upon us.
The Flyers, who took down the Rangers 6-0 Wednesday night, will invade the Hub as Fenway Park plays host to the 2010 Winter Classic. Faceoff is set for 1 p.m. on the Fenway infield, weather permitting. The B’s fell 3-1 to the Broad Street Bullies in their last meeting on Dec. 14, with Vladimir Sobotka netting the B’s lone tally.
Centers Mike Richards (31 points) and Jeff Carter (30 points) lead the Flyeres in points while Ray Emory leads the Philadelphia pipe-dwellers with 11 wins. Since their last tilt, the Flyers have welcomed back left winger Simon Gagne to the offensive mix. Gagne has four goals (including a hat trick Wednesday night) and three helpers in six games since returning from a groin injury.
