WILMINGTON, Mass. — After a day off to celebrate their Saturday night win over Ottawa, the Bruins took the Ristuccia Arena ice for practice today minus two bodies.

Both center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Matt Hunwick did not practice with the club. Head coach Claude Julien said that both players were taking maintenance days. Hunwick is expected to practice Tuesday, while Bergeron might not be ready to skate until Wednesday – the date of the Bruins’ next game.

Bergeron’s absence left the Bruins one forward short.

Rask

Just call it a Rask repeat. It sure has a nice ring.

For the second straight week, Tuukka Rask is my Bruin of the Week. The rookie went 2-0-1, including a shootout win over Minnesota, in his three starts for Boston. (more…)

Ryder

BOSTON — The Bruins took back sole possession of first place in the Northeast Division tonight with a 4-3 shootout win over Ottawa at TD Garden.

Michael Ryder scored the only shootout goal and Tim Thomas stopped all four Ottawa shooters. For the complete recap, check out ESPNBoston.com. (more…)

BOSTON — After missing the last six games with an undisclosed upper-body injury (widely reported as a hand injury), Tim Thomas will get the start against Ottawa tonight at TD Garden.

Brian Elliott will be Thomas’ counterpart for the Senators. (more…)

BOSTON — It’ll be an old-fashioned, mano-y-mano battle tonight at TD Garden, as Ottawa and the Bruins meet while tied for first place in the Northeast Division.

And if we’re lucky, the game won’t be decided in an anticlimactic shootout. For a complete preview, check out ESPNBoston.com.

BOSTON — Jamie Langenbrunner beat Tuukka Rask in the third round of the shootout as New Jersey ended the Bruins’ four-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory today at TD Garden.

For the complete recap, log on to ESPNBoston.com. (more…)

Rask

BOSTON — The Bruins are starting rookie Tuukka Rask in goal for the sixth straight game today against New Jersey at TD Garden.

The Devils won the only previous meeting between these clubs 2-1 with Tim Thomas in net for Boston and Yann Danis goaltending for the Devils. Head coach Claude Julien said before the game that Thomas is still day-to-day with an undisclosed (although we know it’s a hand) injury. (more…)

BOSTON — For the second straight season the Bruins are heating up right around Thanksgiving. Today in their annual day-after Turkey Day game at TD Garden, they’ll try to extend their winning streak beyond its current length of four games.

For a complete preview of the Bruins-Devils matchup, check out the Boston Bruins Examiner.

The Bruins’ Thanksgiving Day feast will go down a lot smoother should the team return home with a win over the Minnesota Wild on its ledger to go with Monday’s win at St. Louis.

Don’t let the teams’ current records or the disparate histories of the franchises fool you. Somehow the Bruins are just 1-8-0 all-time against the Wild. For a complete preview of the game, check out the Boston Bruins Examiner.

The resurgent play this season of center Patrice Bergeron should be a benefit to more teams than just the Bruins. If Hockey Canada is serious about constructing a balanced team that can play well over 200 feet for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver this February, Bergeron should be a candidate for a roster spot. (more…)

What a difference a week makes.

One week after they seemed destined for the doldrums after a 4-1 loss on home ice to the New York Islanders, the Bruins completed their first three-game winning streak of the season by riding Patrice Bergeron’s four-point night to a 4-2 win at St. Louis tonight.

For the complete recap, check out ESPNBoston.com. (more…)

There’s a hockey alternative to risking life and limb to go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving this year.

The Cask ‘n Flagon on Brookline Ave in Boston will be hosting “Black … and Gold Friday” for those that want to grab a beer and watch the Bruins take on the New Jersey Devils starting at noon. Free wireless will be provided for those that want to get some online shopping done while watching the Bruins’ annual holiday matinee.

And then they were whole.

If all goes according to plan, center Marc Savard will return to the Bruins’ lineup tonight in St. Louis in an attempt to help his club win three in a row for the first time this season. Coupled with last week’s return of Milan Lucic, the Bruins will finally have their entire 2009-10 lineup on the ice for the first time in more than a month.

For a complete preview of the Bruins-Blues matchup, check out the Boston Bruins Examiner.

Rask

The battle for my Bruin of the Week award was a two-horse race this week, but in the end Tuukka Rask’s heroics in goal were too great to pass up. (more…)

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Could this be a peek at what the Bruins’ lineup will look like in St. Louis now that Marc Savard should be back in the mix?

At today’s practice at Ristuccia Arena, Savard centered a line with Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz. Milan Lucic moved up into a second-line spot with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. With the Blake Wheeler-David-Krejci-Michael Ryder line still in tact, the Bruins skated Daniel Paille, Steve Begin, Shawn Thornton and Vladimir Sobotka in fourth-line brick sweaters. One of those last four will be the healthy scratch.

All seven defensemen and two goaltenders were on the ice for the Bruins, who departed for Monday night’s game in St. Louis and Wednesday’s game in Minnesota after the session.