Bruins Face Familiar Foe Tonight Against Edmonton

Sep 24, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward

(67) looks on during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. The Oilers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

While tonight was supposed to be yet another warm, heartfelt reunion with Andrew Ference, the captain of the Oilers will be sitting in the rafters for this game as he serves his 3-game suspension for an illegal check to the head. However, the Bruins will see another familiar face in the Edmonton lineup.

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Puck Prose

Signed by Edmonton during the offseason for a 5-year contract worth $20 million dollars. Pouliot last season with the Rangers put up 15 goals and 36 points in 80 games, and added 10 points in the Stanley Cup Finals. Upon the signing Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish said;

“Pouliot was our most important addition because we needed someone with speed,” MacTavish said. “We talked about size, we talked about increasing our competitiveness and he’s a guy who tracks the puck very well and pressures the puck very well. He’s a great skater and we really felt we needed to add that element.”

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Most fans have forgotten all about the man who donned the #67 jersey, mainly because he was an on-again, off-again skater who, like Marchand, would go through streaks. When he came to the Bruins in July 2011, he had some adjusting to do, coming off of a season where the Bruins eliminated his team (Montreal Canadiens) in the playoffs to go on and win the Cup.  The beginning of the season was slow for Pouliot, adjusting to a new style of play and in result, he made some costly mistakes that had fans calling for his head on a platter. Yet, as the season progressed on, he got comfortable in his skates and stepped up his game.

Perhaps his most memorable moment while sporting the Black and Gold jersey was his between the legs goal he scored against the Florida Panthers in December 2011.  The goal was a short-handed goal where he got the puck right off of the face off, broke through the neutral zone and used his speed to get past the only defender, with a deke he faked out Jose Theodore for this beauty.

After the 2011-2012 season, it was expected that the Bruins would keep Pouliot and sign him to another one-year deal. However, come draft day, the Bruins traded his rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a young defenseman.

“In Philly, we had some great looks. We hit a post, we had a lot of shots on the power play … it’s just a matter of capitalizing. We were there. We just have to dig deep.”Pouliot said after the loss.

Tonight, Pouliot makes his debut in an Edmonton jersey against the Bruins in hopes of helping turn his team around. Through the first 12 games of the season, he has 1 goal and 4 points on the season. Currently, the Oilers are on a 3-game losing streak after dropping to the Flyers last night.  A growing concern for the Oilers is their power play, which currently shows them 2/32 on the season.

“In Philly, we had some great looks. We hit a post, we had a lot of shots on the power play … it’s just a matter of capitalizing. We were there. We just have to dig deep.”Pouliot said after the loss.

With no Taylor Hall in the line up and Maricin being replaced on the blue line with Keith Aulie who was called up from the AHL when word rang down that Ference would be suspended, the Bruins can easily have the upper hand against their old teammate.

As two teams fight to find control along their line ups and generate enough chemistry to right their ships, tonight’s meeting should be one of grit and determination, the key ingredients to a solid game.