Bruins shutout in exhibition opener

From bostonbruins.com:

B's drop pre-season opener

HAMILTON, Ontario - Ed Belfour stopped all 14 Bruins shots in the 30 minutes he played, as the Bruins dropped their pre-season opener to the Maple Leafs 5-0 on Tuesday night. The referees' crackdown on obstruction was apparent, with Boston being assesed 15 penalties during the game. Afterwards, Coach Sullivan addressed the officiating.

"Part of it is going to be a feeling out process," said Sullivan. "We will quickly learn how to play in this system. It was a good chance to evaluate these guys in a game situation. There were some positives, and obviously, there were some negatives."

If there was a positive to highlight, it was the shootout. During the pre-season, all games will feature the newly adopted shootout, with three players from each team participating. The Bruins won the shootout 1-0 on a Patrice Bergeron goal. Joe Thornton and Brad Boyes were the other two shooters for Boston.

"I think it was exciting," said Sullivan. "It's a great way to showcase some of the talent in this league. It's a practical solution to end a game."

Jeff O'Neill, Mariusz Czerkawski, Ben Ondrus, Darcy Tucker and John Pohl scored for the Maple Leafs. Defenseman Alexander Khavanov picked up three assists.

O'Neill opened the scoring at 6:51 of the first period, scoring a power-play goal on a shot from the point past goalie Hannu Toivonen.

The 29-year-old O'Neill spent his first nine NHL seasons with the Carolina franchise, amassing 416 points including 198 goals in 673 games. He scored only 14 times in 2003-04. He was traded to his hometown Leafs in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2006.

Toronto was coming off a 5-2 loss to Ottawa, while Boston was playing its exhibition opener.

Notes: Bruins not on the ice included Glen Murray (sore ankle), Sergei Samsonov (strained back), Nick Boynton (holdout), Alex Zhamnov, Tom Fitzgerald, Shawn McEachern, Ian Moran, Hal Gill, and No. 1 goaltender Andrew Raycroft . . . Toivonen impressed with the Bruins' AHL farm team in Providence, R.I., last winter and is expected to get the backup job to Raycroft. . . Nathan Perrott and Colton Orr, who fought in the AHL last winter, dropped the gloves in an insignificant first-period tussle.

From the Globe: Thornton was game for it - Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Boston Globe, 09-21-05:

HAMILTON, Ontario -- Bruins captain Joe Thornton had to come up with 23 tickets last night for friends and family to watch him play his first NHL exhibition game in two years. The native of St. Thomas, Ontario, (about 90 minutes from Hamilton) suited up against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the exhibition opener and said it was a thrill to finally be back at it.

''I know a lot of people from around this area and they've been dying for hockey for a long time," said Thornton. ''So now they can finally see it. Everyone wants to catch the first one."

Thornton said it was nice to play against someone other than his own teammates, who have been together since full camp opened Sept. 12.

''It's exciting for us," he said. ''We've been playing with and against each other for about 10 days now.

''I think it's exciting for the young guys who are playing their first game, especially against the Maple Leafs. We've got some good young guys coming up, some big defensemen. A lot of guys have left an impression on me."

Thornton had an excellent year away from the NHL. He was on Team Canada's gold medal-winning World Cup squad, then spent a season playing for Davos, which won the Swiss Elite League title. He skated in the World Championships in Austria, with Canada earning a silver medal. He's hoping that experience will help make him a better player and leader at age 26.

''I'm still young and I'm still learning," said Thornton. ''I still want to get better as a player. Gradually, I think I'll become a better captain as time comes. With the guys in the locker room, there are a lot of former captains and former assistant captains and a lot of team leaders."

With the Canadian team, Thornton was around veterans such as Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman, and he tried to absorb as much as he could from them.

''It's nice to be around All-Stars and future Hall of Famers and, obviously, captains of their teams," he said. ''They don't really say too much, because we had the best team winning the World Cup and [placing second] in the World Championships.

''Everyone goes out and does their job and everyone is pretty quiet at what they do. It's interesting how different guys look at games and how they get ready in different situations. It's always nice when you play with elite players, to see how they react."
He said he still cherishes the lessons Ray Bourque taught him when he was just starting out.

''Playing with arguably the best defenseman of all time, you can definitely learn a lot from him, and I did learn a lot from him," he said. ''Playing in these tournaments, you meet so many different guys. They've all been good experiences for me. I've played with some great players, and, obviously, they passed down a lot to me."

Shaky start

The new rules were supposed to result in offensive juggernauts. Last night they did. Well, at least for the Leafs. The Bruins got off to a shaky start at Copps Coliseum, falling behind by a pair of goals in the first period, and it only got worse as they dropped a 5-0 decision. Center Jeff O'Neill beat goalie Hannu Toivonen during a five-on-three advantage with a shot from the right point at 6:51 of the first. Just 1:17 later, right wing Ben Ondrus scored at even strength with a one-timer from the slot. The Bruins had a five-on-three of their own for 1:26 but couldn't convert. Toronto goalie Ed Belfour looked to be in midseason form. In 30:45, he stopped all 14 shots he faced before turning the reins over to J.F. Racine. Both Brad Isbister and Brad Boyes had great chances in the second period but Belfour turned them back. Toronto's third goal, by Mariusz Czerkawski, came at 11:05 of that period. Bruins left wing P.J. Axelsson almost put his team on the board at 17:34 but his shorthanded bid glanced high off the left post. Darcy Tucker made it a four-goal bulge when he scored on the power play with 51.4 seconds left. In the third, Tim Thomas replaced Toivonen, who had 17 saves. Thomas gave up a power-play goal to John Pohl with 2:18 remaining. Boston was its own worst enemy, giving Toronto 14 power plays while having just four.

Gill shrugs it off

Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said reports that the team is attempting to trade veteran blue liner Hal Gill to open up salary cap space for Nick Boynton are without merit. ''There's no truth to that whatsoever," said the GM. Gill said he heard the rumors but didn't put much stock in them after speaking with O'Connell. ''I talked to him and he said not to worry about it, so I won't worry about it," said Gill. ''This is a funny game where if something happens and they can't turn it down, then they're going to deal me. If you can't sign a guy, do you trade someone to make room for him? We don't know how that's all going to pan out." O'Connell added that there was nothing new on Boynton . . . Coach Mike Sullivan said forward Dave Scatchard's groin pull isn't minor. ''Right now he's week to week," Sullivan said. ''We'll have to see. He'll go through his rehab this week and we'll go from there." . . . Neither defenseman Brian Leetch nor assistant general manager Jeff Gorton made the trip; both were with wives who were giving birth. It is the third child for Leetch and his wife, Mary Beth, who were in New York City, and the second for Gorton and his wife, Cyndi.

From the Herald: B's come up empty in opener - Stephen Harris, Boston Herald, 09-21-05:

HAMILTON, Ontario – It was no surprise that the Bruins' preseason opener last night at Copps Coliseum was a penalty-filled affair. All the preseason games in the ``new'' NHL are going to feature a lot of whistles as players and referees adapt to the tighter rules.

But the experienced lineup of the Toronto Maple Leafs took far better advantage of the numerous infractions, scoring four power play goals (in 15 tries) in an easy, 5-0 victory.

"That's going to be part of the exhibition season, trying to understand the parameters of the rules, what is and isn't a penalty,'' B's coach Mike Sullivan said. "We're really going to have to rethink how we defend. It's obviously hard to have success when you have that much time in the penalty box.''

The game was played in front of a crowd of more than 17,000, a remarkable throng that makes it obvious the return of hockey is far, far more important here than it is south of the border.

Rookie B's goaltender Hannu Toivonen had a shaky debut, yielding four goals on 21 shots in two periods of work, making the B's addition last week of veteran Tim Thomas look like a wise move. Toivonen gave up goals to Jeff O'Neill, Ben Ondrus, Mariusz Czerkawski and Darcy Tucker. Thomas played the final 20 minutes and looked calm and confident.

Veteran Toronto netminder Eddie Belfour stopped all 14 shots he faced in just half a game of action. In contrast to the succession of Toronto power plays, the B's enjoyed only five of their own.

Tough guy Colton Orr handled himself well in a first-period fight with rugged Nathan Perrott. The bout concluded with Orr flinging Perrott to the ice.

P.J. Axelsson played a very strong game, and just missed while killing a penalty late in Period 2 when he stole an Eric Lindros pass and ripped a shot from the slot off the left post.

In the postgame shootout, which will be held after every preseason game to prepare for the new overtime format, Patrice Bergeron scored the only goal for the B's while Joe Thornton and Brad Boyes were both stopped. Thomas stopped all three Toronto shooters.

No progress on Boynton

General manager Mike O'Connell had nothing new to offer on the status of unsigned free agent defenseman Nick Boynton yesterday.

It might have seemed logical for Boynton's agent, Anton Thun, to make the drive from Aurora, Ontario, to Hamilton to meet with the GM, but it didn't happen.

The two men have not talked since last week, said O'Connell, who reiterated his position that the Bruins are not going to raise their offer (thought to be some $1.7 million) and the next move is up to Boynton.

No rush on Scatchard

Center Dave Scatchard is expected to miss at least the first five exhibition games with a pulled groin muscle.

"I don't know what the timetable is for him,'' O'Connell said. "We're not going to rush him.''

O'Connell said wingers Sergei Samsonov (back strain) and Glen Murray (sprained ankle) will miss the first two games, but could play this weekend.

The Bruins host the New York Islanders Friday at the TD Banknorth Garden, then face the Isles in Manchester, N.H., the next night, before visiting Manhattan and the Rangers Sunday evening. . . . Hal Gill was among those who did not play last night. . . .

The Bruins brought 32 players on the two-game trip. The only players not to travel were those who are injured and defenseman Brian Leetch, who was in New York with wife Mary Beth awaiting the arrival of the couple's third child.

The Leetches weren't the only expectant parents. Assistant GM Jeff Gorton's wife, Cindy, gave birth to the couple's second child, Sam. . . .

The B's will be in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., tonight to face the Penguins. Rookie sensation Sidney Crosby will make his pro debut.