Hub Hockey

Martin St. Pierre Sent Back To Providence, Bergeron Placed On The IR

(St. Pierre scores during last night's game against the Penguins, sealing victory for the B's.)

"Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned center Martin St. Pierre to the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League) and placed forward Patrice Bergeron on injured reserve.

St. Pierre saw action in all five games during the Bruins recent road trip since being recalled on December 20, and recorded one goal and one assist. His first goal as a Bruin came on a shorthanded tally against the Penguins on Tuesday night. The leading scorer for the P-Bruins this season, St. Pierre has registered a 10-25-35 line in 30 games. His 25 assists lead the team and his 10 goals rank tied for second.

The 25-year-old St. Pierre has appeared in 26 NHL games in his career - 21 with Chicago, five with Boston - and has tallied two goals and four assists. Signed as a free agent by the Blackhawks on November 12, 2005, St. Pierre was acquired by the Bruins on July 24, 2008 in exchange for Pascal Pelletier. The 5’9’’, 185-pound Ottawa, Ontario native spent the majority of the 2007-2008 campaign playing for Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford where he earned 21-67-88 totals in 69 games.

In 31 games this season, Bergeron compiled a 4-14-18 line and has 76 goals and 131 assists in 270 career NHL games. He was injured during the Bruins/Hurricanes game on Saturday, December 20.

Winners of nine straight, the Bruins will host the Penguins on Thursday, January 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET" -Boston Bruins Official Press Release

Hub Hockey Opinion: Both the assignment of St. Pierre and the placement of Bergeron on the injury reserve are no surprise to me. I have been waiting for the recall of St. Pierre ever since Aaron Ward and Petteri Nokelainen returned from the IR. Ward has played in the last two games but a move needed to take place for Nokie to rejoin the team. Anyhow St. Pierre has been a solid replacement player in the meantime, and just another example of the Bruins depth. I would have rather seen him stay with the big club due to his performance though which has been overlooked in my eyes but still I see good things from him in the future with this team. As for Bergeron, everyone has been waiting for Bergeron to be placed on the IR ever since he suffered his "mild" concussion versus Carolina on the 20th. I don't see Bergy returning to the team until right after the All-Star Game. All precautions must be taken into account when dealing with Patrice, we don't want a future Lindros.

Bruins Streaking Into 2009 (Penguins Not So Much)

Game Thirty-Six
Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins
December 30th, 2008 @ 7:30PM

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	0	3	2	5
Pittsburgh Penguins	1	1	0	2

(credit: AP Photo/Getty Images)

B's Win Ninth Straight Game & Go Perfect On Five-Game Road Trip
Savard & Wideman Grab A Goal & 2 Assists Each
Martin St. Pierre Gets First Goal As A Bruin
Tim Thomas Wins Seventh Straight Game: 32 Save Night
Axelsson Shines After First Line Promotion (2 Assists)
Lucic Dropped The Gloves In The 3rd (Video)
Pensblog Charlie Silenced By The "Overrated Bruins"

Game Preview: Boston @ Pittsburgh

(How many calls will Cindy Crosby get in her favor tonight?)

Game Thirty-Six
Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins
December 30th, 2008 @ 7:30PM

GAME QUICK HITS:

• The Bruins will travel to Pittsburgh tonight in hopes of getting their ninth straight win and go perfect on their five game road trip which will close out 2008. The only problem may be a lack of motivation that the B's have shown in their last two games. Both games did result in wins for the Black & Gold, but the teams performance has been lack luster. Truthfully I think the B's have been more then lucky to walk away from each game with a win and that is something that may not happen against a tough Penguins team.
• Tonight will be the second match-up between the Bruins and Penguins this season. The first game took place way back on October 20th, when the Penguins defeated the Bruins during their home opener in the shootout. Since then though the B's have gone 13-1 at home and have the second best record in the league. Look for some ORIGINAL Black & Gold revenge tonight.
• Milan Lucic has been bumped to the third line while P.J. Axelsson has been upgraded to play wing alongside Kessel and Savard tonight. Hopefully this is just  a wake up call for Lucic by Coach Julien because seeing Axelsson on the first line makes me literally sick. Not to mention I think the absense of Lucic on the first line will make things harder on Savvy and Kessel, considering they no longer have an enforcer with a scoring touch.
• Penguins defenseman, and former Bruins red-headed stepchild, Hal Gill will return to his team tonight for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury on December 6th.
• Career milestone night in Pittsburgh. Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby will both set a milestone tonight the second they step on the ice. Tonight will mark Staal's 200th career game in which he will set the record as the youngest player to do so. Crosby on the other hand will be playing in his 250th career game.
• Penguins Injuries: Sergei Gonchar (IR - shoulder), Tyler Kennedy (IR - knee), Mike Zigomanis (undisclosed injury), and Kris Letang (undisclosed injury).
• Bruins Injuries: Andrew Ference (IR - broken tibia), Marco Sturm (IR - knee), Patrice Bergeron (concussion), and Petteri Nokelainen (arm).
• Tim Thomas (15-3-3) and Manny Fernandez (12-2-1) have both been on fire in the net for the Bruins this season. Currently, both goaltenders rank within' the top four keepers in the league in goals against and save percentage this season. Not to mention both are riding win streaks right now, not seeing a loss between the two since December 10th. Not sure who will start tonight, but I am expecting Thomas since Manny started Sunday in Atlanta.
• The Penguins will likely start Marc-Andre Fleury (11-6-2). Fleury ranks 33rd in goals-against average and 24th in save percentage this season yet still leads all Eastern Conference goaltenders this year in voting for the All-Star Game. Just another reason why fan voting has become a joke.
• The Penguins have lost three straight games at the Mellon Arena and are below .500 when playing in front of their home fans.
• David Krejci is currently riding an eight game point streak that has seen him total 5 goals and 10 assists.
• The NE Patriots will not be making a trip to the playoffs this season even after finishing the season with a 11-5 record. So why am I mentioning this here? Simply because I am calling it now that with the Pats out and the Bruins recent success, that we are about to see even more bandwagon fans in Boston.
• Stanley Cup Of Chowder: the next Iron Ref Champion? That's right, SCOC is in the finals of the Hugging Harold Reynolds Iron Ref competition. Voting has already begun and even though this looks to be a landslide victory for a fellow Bruins blogger, make sure you still vote. VOTE HERE!
• Jack Edwards is my hero. Edwards is currently being featured in the NHL Tournament of Announcers over at Puck The Media. So far Jack has made it to the second round as a #8 seed and with help I can see him "dangling" his way all the way to the championship. VOTE FOR EDWARDS NOW!

GAME PREDICTIONS:
(post your predictions in the comments section)

• Chris: Bruins 3-1

BRUINS BLOGROLL GAME PREVIEWS:

• Boston Bruins Official Preview
• NESN: First Shift
• Stanley Cup of Chowder

TSN Week Twelve Power Rankings

(credit: TSN.ca)

"It may have sounded like Blake Wheeler was asking for the moon in his contract demands coming out of the University of Minnesota, but full credit to the top goal-scoring rookie for backing it up. Key Injuries: C Patrice Bergeron (concussion), LW Marco Sturm (lower body), D Andrew Ference (leg), D Aaron Ward (ankle).

My Opinion: Could the B's go 12-1-0 in December? Only one more game to go and we will soon find out. The Bruins most recent week of success invovled three-game wins and a three-day Christmas break. The Bruins are currently on an eight-game win streak and have gone 4-0-0 on thier current five-game road trip. Tuesday marks the last game of December and 2008 for the Bruins and it is against their toughest compitition of the month, the Penguins. Can the B's hit 60-points going into 2009?

Ryder Helps B's Continue Win Streak Again

Game Thirty-Five
Boston Bruins @ Atlanta Thrashers
December 28th, 2008 @ 5:00PM

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	0	1	1	2
Atlanta Thrashers	1	0	0	1

(credit: AP Photo/Scott Cunningham)

Michael Ryder Scores Game Winner On Back-To-Back Nights
Bruins Extend Win Streak To 8-Games (4-0 On 5-Game Road Trip)
32 Save Night For Fernandez Equals Another Win
Kessel Scores His 22nd Goal (Bypasses His Last Year Point Production)
Aaron Ward Returned!

Game Preview: Boston @ Atlanta

(Ilya Kovalchuk celebrates his 500th career point by wearing his favorite dress.)

Game Thirty-Five
Boston Bruins @ Atlanta Thrashers
December 28th, 2008 @ 5:00PM

GAME QUICK HITS:

• The Bruins might have defeated the Canes last night but there was nothing special happening in that victory. Honestly, the Bruins are lucky to have won since they got outplayed basically the whole game. Just think, what kind of game would it have been if a few of those Canes pipe dingers actually made it in the net? After that sloppy performance the Bruins have no time for mistakes since they take on the Thrashers tonight.
• The Bruins and Thrashers have already met three times this season, all matches ending in favor of the B's. Most recently the two teams met for a home-at-home series on the 12th and 13th of December. In the first game, the Bruins dominated the action and cruised to a 7-3 victory. The next night the Thrashers came out ready to win but did not succeed, getting dropped by the Bruins 4-2. Could tonight be any different or will the B's once again crush the Thrashers and their 2nd worst record in the NHL?
• The Bruins come into tonight's game with a 10-1-0 record in December and are currently riding a seven-game win streak. Not to mention the fact that they have gone 3-0-0 so far on their five-game road trip, outscoring their opponents 12 to 5.
• Andrew Ference and Marco Sturm will definitely miss today's game, both are currently on the Bruins injury reserve list. Aaron Ward and Petteri Nokelainen are both questionable but were activated from the IR earlier this week and have traveled with the team for the current road trip. Finally, Patrice Bergeron is still recovering from the concussion like symptoms caused by a hit in last Saturday's game versus the Canes. No word on when Bergy will return.
• The Thrashers will only be missing defenseman Garnet Exelby whom fractured his leg against the Ottawa Senators on the 16th. The Thrash will be getting back center Erik Christensen though, who has been out of action since December 2nd.
• Tonight's man advantage breakdowns could become the x-factor during this game. The Bruins are currently ranked 3rd on the power play and 13th on the penalty kill, moving up 4 spots since yesterday after killing off four penalties last night. But the Thrashers haven't been as lucky this season. While their power play unit seems to be pretty solid being ranked 8th in the league. It's their league worst penalty kill that will be a problem. Look for the Bruins to take advantage of this all game.
• Michael Ryder has finally found his "scoring touch" again and is on a 10-game point streak, including 8-goals and 2-assists.
• Tim Thomas won his sixth straight game last night against Carolina. Thomas (15-3-3) looks to have rebounded from his worst performance of the year, which was aganist Toronto on the 18th where he let up 5-goals in two periods. Since then he has only allowed 2 goals against in two appearances, while recording a shutout in one game. Hard call on Claude's part though since Manny Fernandez (11-2-1) has been just as strong in the net recently. But I would think he would go with Thomas today and stick with the hot keeper.

GAME PREDICTIONS:
(post your predictions in the comments section)

(Congrats to Hub Hockey reader bigkniht37 for predicting yesterdays score correctly.)

• Chris: Bruins 5-1

BRUINS BLOGROLL GAME PREVIEWS:

• Boston Bruins Official Preview
• NESN: First Shift

Bruins Drop Canes 4-2 (Again)...

Game Thirty-Four
Boston Bruins @ Carolina Hurricanes
December 27th, 2008 @ 7:00PM

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	0	2	2	4
Carolina Hurricanes	1	1	0	2

(credit: AP Photo/Getty Pictures)

Game Winner: Ryder Gets 13th Goal Of The Season
Wheeler Scores Twice, Leads All Rookies In Scoring With 13 Goals
Bruins Win Seventh Straight Game (Longest Streak Since 1993)
Just Another Day In the Office For Tim Thomas: 29 Saves
Savard Connects For Two Assists Despite His Lines Struggles

Jack Edwards: 12 Days Of Christmas

Game Preview: Boston @ Carolina

(Why I Hate The Hurricanes Reason #84: Kid Rock Supporters)

Game Thirty-Four
Boston Bruins @ Carolina Hurricanes
December 27th, 2008 @ 7:00PM

Welcome back Bruins faithful... First off, I hope everyone had a safe and good Christmas/Festivus/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. On my end Christmas was great. Honestly though, you really can't complain about a holiday that has so much meaning behind it yet has simply turned into a two-day drinking marathon where people give you presents and envelopes filled with money (cards may be included). I mean I walked away from Christmas with enough gift cards to allow me to dine like a champion for a month. And I mean the Tim Thomas paraphernalia I got was not to shabby either (ranging from autographs to a new Thomas 3rd jersey). But now I must get back down to business. So I sit here this morning hung-over and now dizzy from trying to stare down a computer screen but I promised a return today so here I am. Now let's get down to business..

INJURY UPDATES:

• Andrew Ference skated for the first time since fracturing his tibia yesterday during the Bruins "post-holiday" practice. Ference had not touched the ice since November 13th. He is still not expected back until after the All-Star break.
• Marco Sturm has been improving from the knee injury he sustained on the 13th against the Leafs. But there is still no word on whether he will be play anytime soon. There have been rumors spreading that Sturm may miss a significant amount of the rest of the season and that a possible surgery could be required to repaid the swelling knee. This is a tough break for Sturm who was out for almost a month prior to this incident when he went down against the same team on November 12th with a concussion.
• Aaron Ward and Petteri Nokelainen have both been activated from the injury reserve and will join the team on their three-game road trip, that starts tonight in Carolina. This now leaves Sturm and Ference as the only Bruins left on the injury reserve.
• Patrice Bergeron is still recovering from the concussion he sustained during the B's last meeting against Carolina. All signs are pointing towards a quick recovery but you can not blame the Bruins for making sure he is 100% before stepping on the ice again. Last I heard on his status was that he was still suffering from headaches during the Christmas break.

GAME QUICK HITS:

• Tonight marks the second meeting between the B's and Hurricanes this season. These two teams met for the first time last Saturday in Boston. The Bruins ended up winning that game 4-2, but the Canes were able to impress me in the loss. Especially the outstanding goaltending by Cam Ward. Since then though Eric Staal has caught fire and been a one man wrecking ball. But after a poor performance as a team last night (Staal took home a hat-trick) against the Thrashers, I don't see the bruins win streak ending tonight.
• This season has been about numbers for the Bruins and nothing is changing today. The B's currently rank first in goal scored and second in goals against in the league. Not to mention they own the most road wins by any other team in the league and have eleven players above plus-10 in plus/minus.
• Phil Kessel had his point streak come to an end on Tuesday in New Jersey at 18-games. Will Kessel come out tonight and try to start a new streak.
• Speaking about streaks, Milan Lucic currently has the longest Bruins point streak at 8-games.
• The Bruins as a team are riding a streak of their own, winning their last six games (longest win streak this season).
• Tonight's man advantage breakdowns look to be highly in the Bruins favor. The B's rank 2nd (26.6) in the league on the power play to the Hurricanes 23rd (14.9) ranked squad. While on the penalty kill the Bruins rank a mediocre 17th (81.1), but still beat out the 26th (77.3) ranked Canes PK unit.
• Will Shawn Thornton score again? Thornton has got 4 of his 10 career goals against the Canes, his 10th coming last Saturday.
• No word on who will be starting in net for the Bruins tonight, but if history repeats itself and Claude Julien sticks with his performance based rotation then it will be Tim Thomas. Thomas is 14-3-3 this season and is ranks 2nd in goal against average, save percentage and shutouts. Timmy's last shutout came in his last start against a hot Devils team. On the other end of the ice will be Cam Ward. Ward has a 12-8-3 record this season and has won 4 of his last 5 games (loss to the Bruins) but was roughed up last night by the Thrashers and allowed 4 goals.

GAME PREDICTIONS:
(post your predictions in the comments section)

• Chris: Bruins 5-3

BRUINS BLOGROLL GAME PREVIEWS:

• Boston Bruins Official Preview
• Stanley Cup of Chowder
• NESN: First Shift

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays Hub!

Hey Hub, Just wanted to wish every a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and let everyone know I will be taking off until Saturday. But I will be back bright and early Saturday to get ready for the Bruins game versus the Hurricanes. Anyways, have a fun and safe holiday and wish the best to you and your families. Go Black & Gold....

(A Holiday Present To All Bruins Fans From: Andrew Savage)

Save Of The Year?

Thomas Blanks The Devils In Return

Game Thirty-Three
Boston Bruins @ New Jersey Devils
December 23rd, 2008 @ 7:00PM

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	0	0	2	2
New Jersey Devils	0	0	0	0

(credit: AP Photo/Reuters Pictures)

"Tim Terrific" Gets Shutout & Fourth Straight Win Tonight
Lucic Nets Game Winner Off Re-Directed Chara Shot
Krejci Pops In Empty Net Goal To Seal Up Victory
Phil Kessel's Point Streak Ends At 18-Games
Bruins Win 6th Straight Game: Longest Win Streak Of The Season
Bruins Are In First Place: Merry Christmas!

Game Preview: Boston vs. New Jersey

(The Devils are going to need more than karate lessons to slow down the B's.)

Game Thirty-Three
Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils
December 23rd, 2008 @ 7:00PM

GAME QUICK HITS:

• Happy Holidays (and Festivus) everyone! The Bruins are traveling to New Jersey tonight to play one last game before a three-day holiday break. Tonight's game is the second of the Bruins five game road trip and will be the first of four match-ups between the B's and the Devils this season. The Bruins come into tonight riding a five-game win streak while the Devils have their own three-game streak going as well. This is the third time this season that the Bruins have flirted with a six-game win streak.
• The Bruins look to get their 25th win of the season tonight, a feat that we didn't see until the 24th of January last season.
• Let's talk about the significant emergence of the injury bug for the Bruins in this early season. Currently, the B's have placed Patrice Bergeron, Petteri Nokelainen, and Aaron Ward on the injury reserve. While needing to resort to the long-term IR for both Marco Sturm and Andrew Ference.
• On the other end of the ice, the Devils will be missing John Madden, Bryce Salvador, and Martin Brodeur.
• Tonight's starting goaltender for the Bruins, looks to be Tim Thomas (13-3-3) who has won his last four starts. Thomas was roughed up in his last start though, being pulled from the game after giving up five goals in two periods against Toronto.
• The Devils will start a streaking Scott Clemmensen (11-3-1) of Boston College alum fame. Clemmensen has been on fire this season making up the best he can for the absence of future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. Clemmensen has only one regulation loss in his last twelve starts.
• Streaking B's! Phil Kessel currently has an 18-game point streak, while David Krejci has begun his own streak which sits at 5-games.
• Patrice Bergeron Update! Bergy is currently at home and resting. He was admitted to Mass. General Hospital following Saturday's game as a precaution due to his past with concussions. He is said to be fine and has been improving everyday. Nothing looks to serious but as a fan, I hope this does not mean the bright career of Bergy has now turned into that of a one Eric Lindros.
• Former Providence Bruin and finance of NESN's own Kathryn Tappen, Jay Leach will be joining the Devils roster tonight. Leach has seen a hefty amount of ice time and been in a fair number of fights since being recalled by the Devils. Hopefully, Leach will inspire Tappen to dress her age and to stop stealing grandma sweaters from the Good Will bin before games. (Thanks for the head's up on this Brett!)
• (noteworthy) The Devils are the closest team to the Bruins when it comes to the 5-on-5 goals against/for ratio this season. Along with this the Devils among the bottom of the pack when it comes to the power play (20th) and penalty kill (26th), so look for them to try and stay out of the box while matching lines with the B's.

GAME PREDICTIONS:
(post your predictions in the comments section)

• Chris: Bruins 3-2

BRUINS BLOGROLL GAME PREVIEWS:

• Boston Bruins Official Preview
• Stanley Cup of Chowder

ESPN Gets Something Hockey Related Right?

ESPN released their weekly NHL Power Rankings yesterday and even though we are officially in the 11th week of the season and they are only at the 9th, they still got something right. ESPN is just another "well respected" sports media outlet to have the Bruins sitting as the number one team in the NHL this week. Yesterday I announced that TSN listed Boston as the top team in their power rankings also this week. Who would have thought before the season that this is where we would be sitting nearing the All-Star break? Tonight the B's are playing for their 25th win of the season, a feat we did not see the Bruins achieve until the 24th of January last season.

(click to view full sized image)

"Even without some of their top forwards in the lineup against the Blues on Sunday, the Bruins won again, and Phil Kessel extended his points streak to 18 games (14 goals, 14 assists, plus-13)." -ESPN Power Rankings

TSN Week Eleven Power Rankings

(credit: TSN.ca)

"Kept the pressure on the Sharks for top spot and, when the Sharks slipped up, the B's continued to excel, taking over top spot. The Bruins have won 10 of the last 11 games, with not a single one-goal game in that span. Key Injuries: C Patrice Bergeron (concussion), LW Marco Sturm (lower body), D Andrew Ference (leg), D Aaron Ward (ankle)."

My Opinion: The Bruins have won thier last five games and have only seen defeat once in December thus far. Phil Kessel currently has an 18-game point streak and his 21 goals ranks him third in the league. David Krejci is riding a 5-game point streak and has 5 goals and 12 assists in December. Milan Lucic leads the league in hits this season. Blake Wheeler will be a name that is tossed around a lot as a Calder Cup contender. Micheal Ryder has finally caught fire and found his goal scoring touch again. And now the Bruins are ranked first overall by TSN in this weeks "Power Rankings". This has been a great year so far and seeing this has made me forget about all the shoveling I have done in the past three days...

Goal Of The Year Candidate?

St. Louis Feels The Blues After Loss To Boston

Game Thirty-Two
Boston Bruins @ St. Louis Blues
December 21st, 2008 @ 6:00PM

	1	2	3	F
Boston Bruins	3	2	1	6
St. Louis Blues	2	1	0	3

(credit: AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

Blake Wheeler Scores Twice In First 5-Minutes Of The Game
Bruins Kick Off 5-Game Road Trip With A Win
Krejci & Kessel Keep On Producing (5 Assists Combined)
Manny Gets Second Straight Start & Third Straight Victory
Bruins & Streaks Go Hand-In-Hand Lately: 5th Straight Win
Chara Has One Of His Best Games Of The Year Tonight

Bergeron Status Update

"Boston, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli issued the following statement today regarding Bruins center Patrice Bergeron:

After first being treated at the TD Banknorth Garden yesterday, Patrice was diagnosed as having sustained a concussion, and was admitted to Mass General Hospital under the care of Dr. Peter Asnis.

"Since being admitted to MGH Patrice has undergone extensive testing, and all of the results have come back normal. When examined this morning, his condition had improved greatly over last night, and he was released from the hospital. There is no timetable for his return to the ice."" -Bruins Official Press Release

Bergeron Silences The Garden (Again)

This was the scary moment during today Bruins/Hurricanes match-up that knocked Patrice Bergeron out of the game and also silenced The Garden. (As seen in the video above) When I was watching the game and the camera first panned back to Bergy laying face down on the ice I immediately started having bad flashbacks to October 27th last year and Randy Jones. Thank god though that this does not look anywhere near as serious, since Bergeron did skate off the ice on his own will. There have been no new updates on his condition since the game, but I will keep you informed on whatever I hear. In the meantime let's all hope that Patrice can have a quick recovery and that he will be okay.

B's Recall St. Pierre, Sturm Back On LTIR

"Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced Saturday that the club has recalled center Martin St. Pierre from the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League) and placed forward Marco Sturm on long-term injured reserve. St. Pierre will join the team after the Bruins’ Saturday matinee against the Hurricanes and travel with the club on their upcoming road trip to St. Louis and New Jersey. Sturm, meanwhile, is out indefinitely due to injury.

The leading scorer for the P-Bruins this season and second leading scorer in the AHL, St. Pierre has recorded a 10-25=35 line in 30 games. His 25 assists lead the team and his 10 goals rank tied for second. This is St. Pierre’s first recall to Boston this season.

The 25-year-old St. Pierre has appeared in 21 NHL games in his career - all with Chicago - and has tallied one goal and three assists. Signed as a free agent by the Blackhawks on November 12, 2005, St. Pierre was acquired by the Bruins on July 24, 2008 in exchange for Pascal Pelletier. The 5’9’’, 185-pound Ottawa, Ontario native spent the majority of the 2007-2008 campaign playing for Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford where he earned 21-67=88 totals in 69 games.

Sturm has appeared in 19 games this year for Boston and recorded 7-6=13 totals with a +9 plus/minus rating. Sturm led all Boston goal-scorers last year with 27 tallies.

The Bruins embark on a five-game road trip following this afternoon’s game against Carolina, as they will play the Blues in St. Louis on 12/21, the Devils in New Jersey on 12/23, the Hurricanes in Carolina on 12/27 the Thrashers in Atlanta on 12/28 and the Penguins in Pittsburgh on 12/30 before hosting the Penguins on New Year’s Day." -Bruins Official Press Release