Dennis Wideman Burns Old Club, Scoring Winner as Panthers Edge Bruins 3-2 in Rochester
The Bruins drop to 1-1 in the exhibition season. They'll get a shot at revenge in the rematch, as the clubs meet again in their next game back in Boston on Saturday.
Boston fell despite outshooting the Panthers 27-18 in the game. The Bruins posyed an identical 9-6 edge in shots in each period.
Third Period, 17:49, Panthers 3-2: The Bruins get the job done again on the penalty kill, but are running out of time to tie this one up.
Third Period, 15:49, Panthers 3-2: The comeback hopes may have hit a snag, as Shawn Thornton is sent off for holding the stick.
The Bruins will have just over two minutes to tie it if they can kill this one off.
Third Period, 8:34, Panthers 3-2: The Bruins penalty killers come through again, as the sides are back at even strength with Boston looking for the equalizer.
Shots are 5-3 Boston this period and 23-15 overall.
Third Period, 6:34, Panthers 3-2: The Bruins waste the momentum from LoVecchio's goal as Schaefer is called for delay of game, giving Florida another power-play chance.
Third Period, 5:52, Panthers 3-2: The Bruins don't score on the power play, but they have pulled within one as Jeff LoVecchio scored from Zach Hamill.
Nice to see a couple of Providence guys combine for a key goal as the Bruins attempt to mount a comeback in this one.
Third Period, 3:16, Panthers 3-1: Another power-play chance for the Bruins early in the third with Florida's Adrian Foster off for cross-checking.
Third Period, 1:00, Panthers 3-1: Play is under way in the final period. No scoring yet in this frame, but the Bruins have the first two shots on goal in the period. They led 20-12 overall in shots, but Florida leads where it matters, 3-1 on the scoreboard.
End Second Period, Panthers 3-1: The Bruins will have some work cut out for them in the final 20 minutes, as Florida holds a 3-1 lead after two periods.
The Bruins did show some life in the closing minutes of the second, putting the final five shots on net of the period to finish the frame with a 9-6 edge.
Boston is outshooting Florida 18-12 overall, but they haven't been able to solve either goalie. Plante has stopped all sveen shots he's faced since relieving Vokoun, who made 10 saves on 11 shots.
Schaefer hasn't been as sharp for Boston, allowing three goals while making just nine saves. Two of those goals came off David Booth's stick, while former Bruin Dennis Wideman had the other.
Things calmed down in the second period. After two scraps in the first, there were just four minors in the second.
Second Period, 16:50, Panthers 3-1: The Bruins kill off Lucic's penalty to stay in this one as the second period winds down.
The Panthers have a 6-4 edge in shots in the second, but the Bruins still are outshooting them 13-12 overall.
Second Period, 14:50, Panthers 3-1: Now the Panthers get their chance again with the man-advantage as Milan Lucic is sent to the box for interference.
Second Period, 12:39, Panthers 3-1: The Bruins come up empty on the back-to-back power plays, as Florida maintains its two-goal lead.
Second Period, 10:39, Panthers 3-1: The Panthers have changed goalies, bringing in Tyler Plante to play the second half of the game.
Tomas Vokoun finishes with 10 saves on 11 shots, another strong outing for him against the Bruins.
Schaefer stays in goal for the Bruins. He's expected to play the whole game as Tuukka Rask did Wednesday against Montreal.
Second Period, 10:39, Panthers 3-1: It's a real opportunity for the Bruins now, as Michael Frolik is whistled for hooking. That gives the Bruins a two-man advantage for 21 seconds.
Second Period, 8:00, Panthers 3-1: The Bruins have a chance to cut into the deficit as they go on the power play with Weiss sent off for holding.
Second Period, 4:00, Panthers 3-1: Scoring change on third Florida goal. Secondary assist now goes to Stephen Weiss instead of Booth.
Booth still having a big night with two goals, but he doesn't factor in Florida's third goal, scored by former Bruin Dennis Wideman.
Second Period, 1:15, Panthers 3-1: And the Panthers take advantage of the power-play chance, with old friend Dennis Wideman scoring the goal to push the Panthers' lead to two.
Wideman scored on the first shot of the period, with Michael Frolik and David Booth picking up the assists. Booth has now factored in all three Florida goals tonight.
Wideman has to be enjoying this one, scoring against his old club. That matches the man he was traded for, as Nathan Horton scored on his first shot as a Bruin on Wednesday night in Montreal.
Second Period, 0:22, Panthers 2-1: Play is under way in the second period, but just briefly, as Steve Kampfer is sent off for delay of game just 22 seconds in.
Florida with a chance to extend its lead on the power play.
End of First Period, Panthers 2-1: The Bruins head into the first intermission down a goal despite outshooting the Panthers 9-6 in the first 20 minutes.
David Booth has four of Florida's shots, including both of the ones that have gotten past Nolan Schaefer.
Shawn Thornton, Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder each have two shots on goal for the Bruins, while Steve Kampfer scored on his lone shot.
There were a pair of fights and 37 total penalty minutes in that first period.
First Period, 16:57, Panthers 2-1: The Bruins can't stay even for long, as Booth scores his second of the night for Florida to put the Panthers ahead again.
Dmitry Kulikov picks up the assist on Booth's second tally.
First Period, 14:28, 1-1: The Bruins have tied it up, with rookie Steve Kampfer credited with his first goal in his NHL debut.
The Michigan product had to come up with an answer in this one after former Ohio State blueliner Matt Bartkowski had a pair of assists in his debut Wednesday in Montreal.
Michael Ryder picks up the assist. Good sign for Ryder, who needs a strong camp after last year's disappointing season.
First Period, 11:27, Panthers 1-0: Things are getting nasty in Rochester, with the second fight of the night.
Nathan McIver picks up an instigator after taking on Bryan Allen.
First Period, 8:47, Panthers 1-0: Florida strikes first in this one, with David Booth scoring from Michael Frolik and Steve Reinprecht.
Bad for the Bruins, but good to see Booth back after he suffered a severe concussion on a blindside hit by Philadelphia's Mike Richards last year. That hit wasn't quite as dirty as Matt Cooke's shot on Marc Savard, but it did help lead to this year's new penalties for blindside hits.
First Period, 3:16, 0-0: The Bruins get the first power-play chance of the night when Tomas Voukoun is called for delay of game, but the Bruins can't convert on the opportunity.
First Period, 2:16, 0-0: Rookie Lane MacDermid gets in his first NHL scrap taking on veteran tough guy Andrew Peters.
That's a good test for MacDermid. He led Providence with 21 fighting majors last year, but hasn't yet taken on the true heavyweights. Peters might end up staying in Rochester for the regular season, but he's got a lot of NHL experience as a fighter and plenty of size, so it's good to see MacDermid go right after Florida's toughest guy in his first NHL preseason game.
First Period, 2:13, 0-0: Action is under way in Rochester, with no score in the opening minutes.
6:50 p.m.: It's getting close to the start of the Bruins' second exhibition game of the season, this time taking on Florida in Rochester, N.Y.
Here's a look at the expected lineups for the two teams in this one. The Panthers also opened the preseason with a win, beating Carolina 4-1 on Tuesday.
Boston lineup:
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Brad Marchand
Jeff LoVecchio-Joe Colborne-Michael Ryder
Jared Knight-Zach Hamill-Shawn Thornton
Lane MacDermid-Jamie Arniel-Kirk MacDonald
Zdeno Chara-Nathan McIver
Mark Stuart-Steve Kampfer
Jeff Penner-Andrew Ference
Nolan Schaefer
Tuukka Rask
Florida lineup:
David Booth-Stephen Weiss-Michael Frolik
Chris Higgins-Steve Reinprecht-Cory Stillman
Kenndal McArdle-Marty Reasoner-Byron Bitz
Andrew Peters-Adrian Foster-Bill Thomas
Bryan McCabe-Dmitry Kulikov
Bryan Allen-Erik Gudbranson
Keaton Ellerby-Dennis Wideman
Tomas Vokoun
Tyler Plante
6:30 p.m.: Traveling to Rochester isn't one of the more glamorous stops on an NHL schedule, but this preseason excursion has stirred some fond memories for a few Bruins.
Tim Thomas and Shawn Thornton are among the Bruins who toiled in the minors for years before making their NHL dreams come true. A stop in an old barn like Rochester's War Memorial gave them an opportunity to recall some memorable moments from previous trips to Rochester and think about how far their careers have come.
This game is sure to be an enjoyable one for Bruins assistant coach Doug Houda as well. Houda spent the bulk of five seasons patrolling the blue line for the Rochester Americans when their were the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, then served as an assistant there for three seasons before joining the Bruins in 2006.
6:15 p.m.: After sitting out the preseason opener in Montreal on Wednesday, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will finally get to play his first game of the year Thursday night when the Bruins take on Florida in Rochester.
"It's going to be nice to get in a game situation," said Chara before leaving Boston for the two-game trip. "It will be good to play some different teams."
This will be Chara's first game of the year, but it's far from his first taste of exhibition action as he enters his 14th pro season. But even with all the games he's logged, Chara still remembers fondly his first pro game.
"I remember it well," said Chara of his first preseason game. "I was with the Islanders and we played Carolina. I felt a little mixed emotions that night. I was nervous of course, but I was also excited to play my first game."
That game came back on Sept. 13, 1997, and while Chara can recall the nervous energy he had at the start of that contest, he can't tell you much about how it ended. That's because he wasn't around for the end of it.
"I got in a few fights and I got kicked out," said Chara. "I fought [Chris] Murray, who was a tough guy for them, and I don't remember the second guy I fought. I know Kenny Belanger fought Stu Grimson twice, I fought Murray and then somebody else. It was quite a night."
Don't expect Chara to have a night like that again in this one, but he'll probably understand if a youngster like Lane MacDermid gets a little rambunctious in his pro debut against the Panthers.
2 p.m.: After Tyler Seguin, Nathan Horton and Jordan Caron, among others, made
their Bruins debuts in Montreal, the spotlight will turn on some other
new faces Thursday in Rochester.
Joe Colborne, Boston's 2008 first-round pick, will make his
NHL debut, as will 2010 second-rounder Jared Knight, defenseman Steve
Kampfer and tough guy Lane MacDermid.
There will also be plenty
of veterans playing their first games of the season, including captain
Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Michael Ryder and Andrew
Ference.
Colborne will center a line with Ryder and Jeff
LoVecchio, a unit that will be very intriguing to watch as Colborne has a
chance to win a spot with a good camp, while Ryder is facing pressure
to hold on to his after a subpar season in 2009-10.
Krejci
(wrist), Lucic (ankle) and Ference (groin) will all be looking to show
they've put last year's injuries behind them, while 2007 first-round
pick Zach Hamill and Brad Marchand are trying to once again break
through to earn full-time NHL jobs.
Florida will feature some
familiar names in its lineup as well, as former Bruins Dennis Wideman,
Byron Bitz and Marty Reasoner are all expected to play, according to the
Miami Herald. The Panthers will also have veterans like goalie Tomas
Vokoun, forwards David Booth, Stephen Weiss and Chris Higgins and
defensemen Bryan McCabe and Bryan Allen in the lineup, along with rookie
defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who was taken one pick after Seguin at
third overall in June.
8 a.m. After opening the preseason with a 4-2 win at Montreal on Wednesday night, the Bruins get right back into action on Thursday with a 7 p.m. clash with the Florida Panthers in Rochester, N.Y.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said prior to leaving for the two-game trip that he didn't plan to use any of the same players in both games. He's held true to that with the exception of his goalies. Tuukka Rask and Nolan Schaefer will both suit up again on Thursday after dressing Wednesday in Montreal. But after playing all 60 minutes and putting up an impressive 36-save showing against the Habs, Rask will serve as the backup in this one, with newcomer Schaefer getting the start for his first action with Boston.
Tim Thomas did make the trip and returned to practice on Wednesday after resting his surgically-repaired hip the previous day, but he was not expected to play in either of these two games. Matt Dalton, the other goalie remaining in camp, will also not play on this trip.
In addition to those goalies, defensemen Ryan Button, Yury Alexandrov and Joe Rullier and forwards Jordan Knackstedt and Wyatt Smith are the players remaining in camp that will not play in Rochester after also sitting out Wednesday's game, according to the Thursday lineup posted by the Boston Globe after the morning skate.
