Last Skate of The Day, February 3, 2014.

The Boston Bruins will be without their captain just before the Olympic break. He’ll be representing his home country of Slovakia as their flag bearer. In his absence, they have recalled David Warsofsky from Providence to help them with their needs on the blue line. Here is a little footage from the Bruins showing their newest blueliner in action at practice.  (Boston Bruins)

The Bruins will be taking on the dilapidated Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night. The Canucks were hoping for a positive surge with the return of coach John Tortorella and captain Henrik Sedin. That surge was lackluster at best, as the Canucks were shutout by the Detroit Red Wings. They fell 2-0 at Joe Louis arena, and have given the Winnipeg Jets a chance to call themselves “playoff contenders”. (Vancouver Canucks)

Hopefully, the Bruins will play another sixty minute game and hand the Canucks another solid defeat.

Milan Lucic believes that Vancouver fans are way too hard on Roberto Luongo.  I chuckled when I first read it myself, but he’s completely serious. “He’s managed to keep his game at a high level, and he’s on the Olympic team,” said Lucic earlier this afternoon, courtesy of Comcast.  “He’s still one of the best goaltenders in the league. It shows a lot about his character. I wish him all the best in Sochi. I’m Canadian, right? It’s the only time I’ll cheer for him.” (CSNNE)

It’s safe to say that aren’t many people in Boston who will be cheering for him, especially with the Olympics coming.

Steven Stamkos will be back on the ice on Saturday playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning. His recovery, which can only be described as miraculous is far ahead of most people’s time table for him. He broke his leg on October 11th at the TD Garden, and it appeared his injury was a season ending tragedy. Stamkos will use this time to evaluate if he’s ready to play at the Olympic level. He’s a solid ambassador for the sport, and has proven to be an incredible warrior on the ice. (NESN)

Feb 1, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Chad Johnson (30) during a time out in the second period against the Edmonton Oilers at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports