News & Notes Heading Into Tonight's Bruins Game vs. the Maple Leafs at TD Garden

Tonight marks the first Northeast Division game of the season for the Boston Bruins (2-4-0) as the Toronto Maple Leafs (4-0-1) visit TD Garden for the first of six matchups between the teams.

The Leafs are off to a great start, including their comeback 3-2 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets last night at home. Former Bruins whipping boy Phil Kessel (7 goals, 5 assists) is playing some of the best hockey of his life; he leads the NHL in goals and points plus he looks more confident than he's ever been (always an issue).

Bruins center David Krejci is 50-50 to return this evening after missing the last three contests with a mysterious core injury. Defenseman Adam McQuaid (neck) has already been ruled out and he'll miss his third straight game. Steven Kampfer will make his 2011-12 debut as Matt Bartkowski has rightfully been returned to Providence after a lukewarm start.

Regardless if Krejci plays tonight or not, B's head coach Claude Julien has chosen to shake up the top three forward lines. Chris Kelly moves up to the first line where he'll center Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin. Nathan Horton drops to the second line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand; finally, Rich Peverley will go to the third line with Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron. The Fribble Crew-aka the fourth line-of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton remains intact.

With an NHL-low 11 goals (1.67 per game when you discount the shootout goal by Seguin), it was time for Claude to make some changes in hopes of injecting some energy into his lifeless and offensively-challenged team.

Tim Thomas is expected to start for Boston between the pipes while Toronto backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson gets his first action of the season. The B's catch a break there as Maple Leafs youngster James Reimer is one of the best up and coming goalies in the NHL.

UPDATE: Krejci is back, Caron sits in the press box (healthy scratch).

Follow @RichSlate


Tweet

Steven Kampfer Injures His Knee, MRI Results Await Today

Sad news out of the Bruins-Senators preseason game last night at TD Garden. Defenseman Steven Kampfer suffered a knee injury in the third period and didn't return. I was listening on the radio to the game (while I did a Fantasy NHL draft, haha I'm so cool!) but Dave Goucher and Bob Beers (the excellent B's radio guys) made it sound like it was rather serious.

Kampfer is getting an MRI today but it sounds like at least for now, Matt Bartkowski has won the battle for the seventh spot. It's obviously not the way anyone wants it to happen, through an injury, but that's how it goes in such a physically demanding sport.

From James Murphy's story on ESPNBoston.com
“He suffered a knee injury. Left knee and that’s basically all we have right now for specific details,” Julien said. "He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow so we’ll find out a little bit more on his condition.”

Will the injury to Kampfer decide the race for the seventh defenseman slot?

“I don’t know if it settles it,” Julien said. “We’ll find out tomorrow how severe it is and is he going to be two months or is he only going to be a few weeks? And if he is, then it can still be a battle going on there.”

Julien said he thought both Bartkowski and Kampfer played well Thursday night.

“They’re both pretty good,” Julien said. “Actually, I thought Kampfer was having a real good night skating and moving the puck and [Bartkowski] is still there. There’s some things that I think he has to continue to work on and he’s got good size. He’s a solid skater, but every once in a while he gets caught with maybe not moving the puck quick enough and those are just little things that he has to continue to work on.

"But having said that I like both their games.”

With any luck, it's nothing too serious and Kampfer can get back out there soon to continue his development as one of the Bruins' better puck movers and offensive-minded defenseman.

UPDATE: CSNE reports he sprained his knee in the collision and he's expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Looks like Bartkowski will be with the big club for at least the first few weeks of the 2011-12 season.
Follow @RichSlate


Tweet