BOSTON — For more than two months, Boston Bruins goaltender Manny Fernandez didn’t taste victory.

After he made 24 saves in a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay tonight at TD Banknorth Garden, he earned his second straight win in just four nights.

“Well, it certainly feels good,” he said after the victory. “You start to wonder, but again, this just shows the kind of team we have. For them to realize that kind of effort is needed, it’s unbelievable. They played terrific in front of me tonight. Tell you what, the way we killed that 5-on-3, I think that might have been it. They got me over the hump and that post in the third. It felt good to have a post go my way.”

Fernandez’s first win in this streak wasn’t one he’d want to send to the Hall of Fame, as he allowed five goals in a 7-5 win over Toronto. This win was more his style. (more…)

Kobasew

BOSTON — Have you ever seen a guy score a goal when his stick gets knocked from his hands?

Before tonight, Chuck Kobasew was among those who would’ve answered that question in the negative. But his tally that put the Bruins ahead, 3-0, with 6:25 left in the second period of their 3-1 win over Tampa Bay at TD Banknorth Garden involved a bit of magic with his stick.

With the Bruins on a power play, Zdeno Chara released one of his patented rockets from the point. And let’s let Kobasew describe the rest.

“I was just going to the net trying to get a piece of it. Z got it pretty good; he blew the stick right out of my hands. I think it ping-ponged in after that. I didn’t see it. But it wasn’t pretty,” said the winger, who has now reached 20 goals in a season for the third time in his NHL career.

Tampa Bay head coach Rick Tocchet wasn’t all that impressed.

“I’ve  seen it all. We could do a David Letterman top 10,” he said. “That might be No. 5. That’s not even top five.”

Chara gave credit Kobasew for the recovery on the play and Kobasew joked that he has to work on his wrist strength. But when Chara was asked by another reporter if that was the first time he knocked a player’s stick out of his hands with a shot, he declared “No.”

Thornton

BOSTON — After his team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1, tonight, Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien elaborated as much as he could on what kept winger Shawn Thornton from battling the Lightning at TD Banknorth Garden.

“It’s very minor. It’s to the point where we had some healthy bodies and said, ‘OK, let’s sit him out for this one here,’” said the coach. “But it’s very minor and it kind of happened this morning at practice. Hopefully we’ll see him on the ice tomorrow or maybe after.”

Thornton had appeared in the Bruins’ first 75 games. Now only Zdeno Chara, Mark Stuart, David Krejci and Marc Savard have played in every Bruins regular-season game.

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins won their fourth in a row with a 3-1 downing of the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at TD Banknorth Garden.

You can read the complete recap at Yahoo!

The Bruins are now just four points away from eliminating the Washington Capitals from contention for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and earning home-ice advantage throughout the East playoffs. The magic number is three over the New Jersey Devils.

The Bruins also now have seven 20-goal scorers for the first time since the 1995-96 season, as Chuck Kobasew and Blake Wheeler both registered their 20th goal.

BOSTON — For the second time in three games, goaltender Manny Fernandez will get the start for the Boston Bruins, who host the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Banknorth Garden. Fernandez earned his first win in more than two months Saturday night in Toronto.

Here are the Bruins’ lines and D pairs, as per warm-ups:

Axelsson-Savard-Wheeler
Recchi-Bergeron-Kobasew
Lucic-Krejci-Ryder
Bitz-Yelle-Montador

Chara-Ward
Ference-Wideman
Stuart-Hunwick

I’ll pass on winger Shawn Thornton’s status as soon as we get word. Thornton skated with the club this team. UPDATE: Winger Shawn Thornton is out with an undisclosed injury.

Check back after the game for complete coverage, and during the game be sure to check out my live blog at NESN.com.

Lashoff

BOSTON — A former first-round pick in his third full year of pro hockey, defenseman Matt Lashoff is finally getting a chance to skate a regular shift in the NHL.

Of course, he’s doing it for Tampa Bay not Boston, which selected him 22nd overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Lashoff and fellow former Boston prospect Martins Karsums are both getting a better opportunity to establish themselves at the game’s highest level ever since they were deal to the Lightning for Mark Recchi March 4.

Both will get a chance to send a message to the Bruins tonight at TD Bannorth Garden in the first match-up between the teams since the trade.

“I think when it happened, it was almost like a weight off my shoulders,” Lashoff said after his  team’s morning skate today. “It felt, not so much relief, but I felt like something was lifted and I felt good. Coming down here, when I got on the ice, it was a little more confidence, a bit more pressure.” (more…)

BOSTON — It’s a bit ironic that just days after the Boston Bruins enjoyed another physical battler with Philadelphia and Flyers defenseman Randy Jones was nearly felled by a hit from behind, today it was announced that Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is the club’s nominee for the 2009 Masterton Trophy.

While others might want to see Jones get hit or the Bruins take revenge for the hit the Philly defenseman threw at Bergeron in October 2007, causing a  Grade 3 concussion, Bergeron has never held any ill will toward Jones  above or beyond his distaste for any opposing player that’s trying to defeat the Bruins.

“I’m not that type of guy. He seemed like he didn’t mean to do it; he was feeling bad,” said Bergeron today after the club’s morning skate. “Still, I think it’s a hit from behind. I never felt really (I wanted) revenge. I felt frustrated all year that I couldn’t play, but that was pretty much the main thing.” (more…)

Kessel

BOSTON — The injury that’s keeping Boston Bruins winger Phil Kessel out of the lineup right now is still undisclosed, but today head coach Claude Julien offered an update on the third-year forward’s status.

“We’re going to see him come back with the team here at some point this week. We anticipate that he should be playing again early next week,” Julien said after his team’s morning skate at TD Banknorth Garden.

Kessel did not practice with the team last Friday and then did not go with the team to Toronto and Philadelphia over the weekend. It’s widely believed the injury is upper-body in nature, but that’s pure speculation. Kessel was spotted walking around the Garden this morning on two legs and with no visible sign of the injury.

Price

In their never-ending quest to make Carey Price the savior of all hockey, the Montreal media today — in the person of Herb Zurkowsky of The Gazette — is now back on the Price bandwagon.

Of course, less than a week ago they were very much off the Price bandwagon. So were the fans. And Price knows it.

“People will say things my entire career,” he’s quoted in Zurkowsky’s piece. “But it seemed like I was being compared to Patrick Roy one week and (former Boston netminder) Jim Carey the next. You don’t pay attention, or it’ll eat you alive.”

MK: Give Price props for remembering The Net Detective, but he can’t compare to Carey because he’ll probably never win a Vezina.

Elsewhere around the division:

•Ottawa might be in the mix for free agent Tyler Bozak, along with two thirds of the league.

•Head coach Ron Wilson wants his Toronto club in better shape.

•The Buffalo Sabres are still in the playoff race because of their depth.

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins have held their morning skate at TD Banknorth Garden in preparation for their game tonight with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The lines looked like this:

Axelsson-Savard-Wheeler
Recchi-Bergeron-Kobasew
Lucic-Krejci-Ryder
Thornton-Yelle-Bitz

Both goaltenders, plus all eight defensemen (with Steve Montador rejoining their group for the opening drills), also skated. Montador switched to a white forward’s jersey at one point midway through the skate.

Phil Kessel, out with an undisclosed injury, was not on the ice and was spotted walking underneath the stands at the Garden in street clothes without any sling on his arms.

BOSTON — Well, at least they’ll have a chance to win the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year.

That’s about all the Tampa Bay Lightning have to hang their hat on after their season of disaster. They signed Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Vaclav Prospal and Mark Recchi thinking they’d completely make over their team and rise into the top eight. Some media types even bought the hype — probably distracted by the mullet (briefly employed Barry Melrose) — behind the bench.

What has unfolded, however, has been 180 degrees away from what the Lightning planned. They arrive at TD Banknorth Garden tonight for their battle with the Boston Bruins in 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference. Sure, ’08 No. 1 pick Steven Stamkos has found his game with 19-22-41 totals and veteran forwards Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis have both reached 25 goals for the sixth straight season. But the bright spots are outnumbered like a liberal in Montana by the things that have gone wrong. (more…)

The Boston chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, of which I am the chapter chairman, tonight is pleased to announce that center Patrice Bergeron is the Boston Bruins’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy.

The Masterton Trophy is presented each year to the player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” All 30 chapters of the PHWA nominate one player and the overall winner is voted on at the conclusion of the regular season. The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas June 18.

Bergeron was overwhelmingly voted the nominee because he “not only displayed great courage and determination in returning from his career-threatening injury, but he also has again established himself as an elite talent. All the while, he has gone about his business with the utmost class and sportsmanship, on and off the ice.”

I’ll have more on Bergeron and the Masterton nomination after the morning skate tomorrow.

Montador

If the March 4 trade deadline had been a speed- dating party, Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli would’ve had every box on his checklist marked off once he got past Steve Montador’s table.

The fact is, the 29-year-old Montador is a perfect fit for this Bruins club. An excellent skater with puck-moving abilities and an offensive flair, Montador is as adept at playing forward as he is his natural defense position. He recently recalled to TheBruinsBlog.net that prior to last season he played at least one game a year at forward. Last season with Florida, he played about two fifths of the season up front – albeit unwillingly at first.

“Once I accepted the situation last year, I actually started enjoying it and having success. So, probably just like anything …” said Montador, who this season with Anaheim and Boston has posted 4-17-21 totals. “Being a D, it’s nice to be on the other end of it – sitting at a different part of the bench, doing different drills. I mean it’s like I’m a fan again of the game, just seeing everything for the first time, enjoying it, trying new things, being in situations you’re never in. It’s all fresh. And that’s what I really enjoy about it. It’s a new opportunity. It’s a chance to get better at something I’m not as familiar with. Now when I step into it, there’s no problem.” (more…)

Tocchet

The Tampa Bay Lightning might be an ornery bunch when they land at TD Banknorth Garden for their match-up with the Boston Bruins Tuesday.

That’s because after the club’s 3-0 loss to Ottawa Sunday, interim head coach Rick Tocchet basically challenged his team’s manhood.

“I’m just from the old school. When you get pushed around, you have to push back,” Tocchet said in Damian Cristodero’s recap in the St. Pete Times.

MK: Something tells me the Bruins will have to keep their heads on swivel and Shawn Thornton will have to be ready for anything because the Lightning will be looking to answer their coach’s call. After all, all signs point to the Lightning removing the interim tag and keeping Tocchet behind the bench. So the players will want to please their probably long-term bench boss. Plus, when you can’t match up against a team skill-wise, physical play can be a great equalizer.

Cristodero also reports on the Lightning surpassing 300 man-games lost to injury.

Knuble

Today the Atlantic Division nominees for the 2009 Masterton Trophy were announced by that division’s chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, and Philadelphia Flyers winger Mike Knuble was among those named.

Prior to his time with the Flyers, Knuble spent three seasons with the Boston Bruins. The Northeast Division nominees, including that from the Bruins, will be named after 11 p.m. tonight. The Masterton goes to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” All 30 teams nominate one player and the national winner is voted on by the PHWA. The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards in June. (more…)