Sep 23, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Boston Bruins left wing
Simon Gagne(12) misses a chance to score a goal against Montreal Canadiens goalie
Dustin Tokarski(35) as defenseman
Andrei Markov(79) defends during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins (1-3-0) are away from the TD Garden tonight. They are trying to right the ship after three straight losses early in the season. They’re taking on the Detroit Red Wings(1-1-0), who are also hungry to get two more points on the board. Both teams lost to goals scored on them in the final minute, Boston against the Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit against the Anaheim Ducks.
“You don’t get any moral victories in this league, obviously. Both Boston and us have both lost right in the last second there recently. Both teams really need wins. Should be fun.” – Detroit head coach Mike Babcock
The Bruins have only scored four goals in their first four games. To compensate for this the B’s have started to focus on crashing the net, getting into those ‘dirty’ areas, and scoring however they can. While no one in Boston is willing to hit the panic button just yet, the urgency for points is present in the locker room.
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“I think you have to be desperate,” said Bruins forward Reilly Smith. “If not, you’re just going to keep on rolling over in the wrong direction. So we’ve got to turn it around now, because points at the start of the year, they’re pretty crucial.”
The Bruins are hoping the signing of Simon Gagne will be part of the process in turning things around. Gagne was asked to stay around after the end of training camp. (That surely signaled that the B’s front office wasn’t one hundred percent behind sure of their opening night roster.) This will be his first NHL game since April 27, 2013. It’s also his eight hundredth career NHL game tonight.
Puck Prose
Simon Gagne will start tonight on the fourth line for Boston. He will be occupying the slot formerly owned by Shawn Thornton. The B’s have tried combinations in the previous games to strike the right balance between grit and skill. This time around, it looks like the B’s have chosen to lean towards skill with the placing of Gagne. He does bring serious experience and a fresh pair of ‘outside eyes’ to the Bruins. Hopefully, this will help the B’s notch their second win.
“But it’s special, you know,” said Gagne after practice this morning. “Not having a chance to play last year, sitting at home, watching games on TV was difficult and now to be back after almost a year and a half, it will mean a lot to me and my family, and it was a big challenge in front of me when I decided to get back at it in April, working out back home.”
“It was a long road, but now it’s finally here and I’m looking forward to that special game tonight.”