Congrats to Buffalo Sabres center Samson Reinhart who scored the gold medal game winning goal for Team Canada against Russia on Monday night in Toronto.
It marks the second season in a row that a Buffalo Sabres prospect has scored the tournament clinching goal gold medal goal. It was Sabres D Rasmus Ristolainen who scored the gold medal winning goal in Malmo Sweden last January.
Team Canada defeated Russia 5-4 in a frenetically paced game.
Reinhart tied his teammates Connor McDavid and Nic Petan for the tournament goal scoring lead. Each Canadian forward recorded 11 points in the WJCs. Remarkably Reinhart recorded points in all seven games that Canada played in the tourney.
The Sabres selected Reinhart second overall (Kootenay) in the 2014 entry draft.
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In the NHL, as in life, you pass the same people moving up the ladder that you meet on the way down.
Right now, the once mighty Boston Bruins are circling the drain. They are in a free fall the likes of which their fans haven’t seen in nearly a decade. What’s happened to cause their downward spiral?
I think that it’s an attitudinal shift. Opponents don’t fear the Bruins today like they did a few years back. They are a more benevolent team to play against today. They are kinder and gentler. The Bruins are no longer the big, bad, bully on the block.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that there is panic in the streets in Boston. Hell, there’s even talk about whether or not the Bruins should trade away Milan Lucic away.
Zdeno Chara is 39 years old and his body is breaking down. Johnny Boychuk was traded. Shawn Thornton is now a Florida Panther. Brad Marchand doesn’t intimidate or scare opponents. Tuuka Rask has become a mere mortal goaltender. The Bruins have an embarrassing goal differential of -4. They have struggled to score 104 goals for and have allowed a bloated 108 goals against. Last season, the Bruins piled up 117 points largely due to their opportunistic offense that scored 261 goals for while allowing only 177 goals against. Remember when Tyler Seguin used to be a Boston Bruin? The Bruins traded away their franchise torch bearer just because he acted like a typical 19 year old Canadian kid. Seguin is on pace to score 50 goals this season. They traded a rock star just after he helped them to win a Stanley Cup championship. Flawed thinking much?
Yeah, that happened.
Before the holiday roster freeze started on December 27, Chiarelli was seen scouting in person in Buffalo and in Chicago. He was watching the play of three forwards: Drew Stafford, Chris Stewart, and T.J. Oshie. Since that time Oshie’s offensive game has ignited and it’s safe to say that he is no longer being shopped around the NHL. Oshie scored 5 goals last week, including a hat trick and was voted one of the NHL’s top three players of the week. For weeks, the general sentiment among Bruins faithful is for GM Peter Chiarelli to shake up the status quo. Things are so bad right now from a morale standpoint that Jack Edwards, their play-by-play man, is calling for players to be traded.
If this is a movie, the GM walks into the room and tells 3 guys they've been traded. But it's reality:Have to find a spark. LEADERSHIP, boys
— Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) January 4, 2015In pre-cap days, Harry Sinden would trade a player just for effect to shock life into a team playing this way. 11 minutes, 0 SOG v Carolina.
— Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) January 4, 2015
The Bruins are 4-2-4 in their last 10 games and are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
It’s time for Chiarelli and Sabres GM Tim Murray do a low down and dirty deal. Boston can’t score goals and they can’t keep pucks out of their net. They need help. Tim Murray has a couple of solutions in Drew Stafford and Chris Stewart. Take your pick, Pete.
Say what you will about Stafford and Stewart. Both are playing on expiring contracts and will be UFA in July. It’s not likely that they will be re-signing with Buffalo. Chiarelli would be wise to snatch one of the two right now. What the hell does he have to lose? His team is in a deep slumber and it’s in need of some serious shock therapy. A trade with a division rival may be the panacea for what ails the Bruins right now. Stafford has scored 30 goals in the NHL and he has 6 goals and 20 points on an offensively anemic Sabres team that is locked in the McEichel Sweepstakes. Stewart has scored 28 goals in his NHl career and has 5 goals and 5 assists this season. He provides physicality and pugnacity, two things that the Bruins are sadly lacking in right now.
At what price Stafford or Stewart?
Edmonton grabbed from Pittsburgh a first rounder in the McDavid draft and a roster forward for David Perron. If I’m Tim Murray, I ask Chiarelli for prospect David Pastrnak who played well for the Czechs at the World Junior Hockey Championships. If Chiarelli balks at the Pastrnak ask, I’d ask for forward Reilly Smith and a 2nd rounder in this year’s draft.