Happy Halloween, Boston Bruins fans! It's too bad we can't get the treat of knowing the NHL lockout is close to ending, but in the meantime, here are some goodies from what the Bruins in Europe have been up to recently.
Also, all of these teams will be taking breaks during the first part of November due to tournaments like Finland's Karjala Cup and Germany's Deutschland Cup. Think of these breaks as kind of like All-Star Game breaks.
Patrice Bergeron: Returning to HC Lugano's lineup after healing from a hand injury, Bergeron went to work, getting a goal and two assists as Lugano lost 4-3 on Oct. 30. Yes, he had something to do with every single goal Lugano scored.
Lugano's break is from Nov. 4 to 12.
Zdeno Chara: HC Lev Praha's first game featuring a new head coach went fairly well at first on Oct. 29. Lev put up a 2-0 lead and that second goal came from Chara scoring on the power play, a familiar sight for Bruins fans. But then Metallurg Novokuznetsk started to fight back, tied it up and held the tie through the end of regulation before winning in overtime 3-2.
Lev's break runs from Nov. 4 to 13.
Andrew Ference: Ference and HC Mountfield faced David Krejci and HC Pardubice on Oct. 28. Though Ference didn't get on the score sheet, Mountfield won 5-2. Then, while on a day off, Ference took a tour of a Budvar beer brewery. Check out that stein!
Mountfield's break will be from Nov. 3 to 13.
Chris Kelly: Kelly is joining his nine fellow Bruins by signing in Europe. He has chosen HC Red Ice Martigny of the Swiss National League B, the second tier league behind National League A. The team was founded in 2008 by the merger of HC Martigny and HC Verbier-Val des Bagnes. Kelly's contract is valid through November and can be renewed on a monthly basis if necessary.
According to this release--Google Translated from German--he could join the team after their early November break, which runs from Nov. 4 through 12, ends.
Anton Khudobin: It has not been a good month for HC Atlant Moscow Oblast. After losing their last game of the month, plus the two games before it, that officially means their month of October boasted just one win. That was all the way back on Oct. 8.
Atlant now has a break spanning today through Nov. 13. Perhaps when they return, it will be with some new personnel, like when HC Lev Praha got a new coach after a string of losses.
David Krejci: As mentioned above, HC Pardubice and Krejci played Ference and HC Mountfield on Oct. 28. Though Pardubice lost, Krejci was the one who scored both goals for the visitors.
Pardubice's break will be from Nov. 5 to 13.
Rich Peverley: Peverley had a goal and two assists for JYP Jyvaskyla on Oct. 27, but the team was beaten 5-4 in a shootout. Their next game on Oct. 30 was also a loss, this one 3-1 in regulation with Peverley scoreless. Even with those two losses, JYP is still in first place in the SM-liiga. Peverley is also getting a new teammate soon: Lars Eller from the Montreal Canadiens.
JYP's break is scheduled from Nov. 4 to 15.
Tuukka Rask: After HC Energie Karlovy Vary took a 2-0 lead against Rask and HC Plzen on Oct. 28, the home team exploded for five unanswered goals and won 5-2. There are still two more games left for Plzen to play before their break, which will run from Nov. 5 to 14, but I know I'm happy to see Rask feeling better and manning the pipes again.
Tyler Seguin: Seguin had an assist in EHC Biel's 4-3 loss on Oct. 27 and another assist in their 7-4 loss on Oct. 30. That most recent game was the first for Seguin's new teammate, Patrick Kane, another young NHL star with a Stanley Cup championship to his name. Kane put up a goal and assist.
Seguin is already planning to visit North America during Biel's break from Nov. 4 to 15.
Read previous Bruins in Europe updates:
Emma Harger is a Boston Bruins fan whose Czech is improving--now she can recognize the days of the week.
