The Bruins host the Lightning tonight. The Bruins are coming off a weekend sweep of the Maple Leafs (7-5 win) and Flyers (4-3 win). Mark Recchi will face his old teammates since being traded on the trade deadline. On the other side, the Bruins will see former Bruins Matt Lashoff (#55), Martins Karsums (#44) and possibly Brandon Bochenski (#27).

Looks like Manny Fernandez will be getting the start tonight. Phil Kessel remains out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury. Steve Kozari and Dave Jackson are the referees.

For more Bruins updates, check out team writer John Bishop on Twitter.

In Other News: The Northeast Division announced their nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the NHL player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."

The Bruins' nominated player is Patrice Bergeron.

Just a year and a half ago, Patrice Bergeron was nearly paralyzed and suffered a severe concussion from a hit from behind. His determination to be back by the 2008 playoffs nearly paid off, as he amazingly would have been ready to take the ice had the Bruins reached the second round last spring. This season, Bergeron suffered yet another concussion but has since returned to approach the high-caliber level of play for which he was known before the injuries. His credo of respect and “playing the right way” is reflected in his style on the ice – always hard, always physical, always clean.

I should be back to updating a bit more this week. Go Bruins!

I attended Bruins practice on Wednesday. I brought my Chuck Kobasew jersey along to get it autographed. I washed it the night before because of some wear and tear that had accumulated over the last couple of months.

Imagine my disappointment when I heard he wasn't skating (more on that later). David Krejci didn't skate either, and I'm stupid to admit that I didn't realize he was missing. I'm also stupid to admit that I confused Blake Wheeler and Byron Bitz at least three times during the skate.

The Bruins focused primarily on their special teams. The penalty killers, including Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, made it difficult for either power play unit to score. Patrice Bergeron netted two goals.

Despite the Bruins clinching the division title, Claude Julien wasn't light on his team, stopping a drill when he didn't like what he saw and speaking with Marc Savard.

Post-practice, the players worked on individual things. Mark Stuart worked on receiving back-hand passes with assistant coach Doug Houda. P.J. Axelsson added another passer and Shane Hnidy alternated with Stuart. Stuart did good and Hnidy, well let's just say at least he worked on it. Zdeno Chara worked on one-timers along with some of the other defensemen, making sure Stuart was far enough away from his back swing. The forwards worked on shooting pucks on Fernandez.

As players left the ice, the five that remained on the ice, shocking me a bit, were Bitz, Matt Hunwick, Steve Montador (I think), Bergeron and Chara. I was definitely surprised to see Bergeron and Chara out there so long. While Hunwick was trying to collect pucks, Bergeron worked on standing in front of the net facing center ice, receiving a pass from assistant coach Craig Ramsay and spinning, back-handing the puck into the open net. Chara and Montador took turns shooting the puck to Bitz, who was parked in front of the net, working on his tip-ins.

I got a few pictures from practice and keep in mind, it's not the quantity but the quality that matters.

You have to admit to breathing a little easier now that the Bruins clinched both a playoff spot and the Northeast division title. They haven't made it easy over the past couple of months, but they did it and fans can relax a bit until mid-April. The only concern is where the Bruins will finish among the other division leaders, but that's for another day.

As for the rest of the NHL, it's going to be a crazy stretch run to end the regular season.

Here's some food for thought with a disclaimer that the following quote is based on the standings prior to Tuesday's results.

Just three clubs have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Sharks, Red Wings, Bruins)

The five clubs ranked fifth through ninth in the Eastern Conference are separated by just six points. (Hurricanes, Penguins, Rangers, Canadiens, Florida)

The six clubs ranked seventh through 12th in the Western Conference are separated by just five points. (Oilers, Predators, Ducks, Wild, Blues, Stars)

The three top clubs vying for first place in the NHL overall standings are separated by just four points.

Personally, I can't remember a time when the playoff races were this tight. I can recall a season when the Bruins missed the playoffs by one point (I vaguely think it was the Hurricanes' fault). But with an average of ten or fewer games left in the season, it's going to be a crazy time of year.

We can't even start thinking about who the Bruins might face in the playoffs as it could/should change every other day. I might be the only Bruins fan to openly admit that I don't want the Bruins to face the Canadiens in the playoffs, only because it's so overdone. I want to see the Bruins face-off with another team, something new and different. That and I couldn't possibly withstand another heartbreak like the finish to the 2004 playoffs because that started the same way. At least we have Claude Julien on our side this time.

I got a little sidetracked there.

As a Bruin fan, it's going to be entertaining to watch as other teams climb and slip in the standings. As for other team's fans, well, I can only imagine how they're doing.

That's what you can call the Bruins after their 4-1 win over the Devils. Michael Ryder, Chuck Kobasew, Marc Savard and Milan Lucic scored for the Bruins. Tim Thomas made 41 saves.

With the win, there is no way for the Canadiens to catch them. So congratulations Bruins!

-- Post From Mobile

The Bruins became the first Eastern team to clinch a playoff spot... And they didn't have to play to do it. On a night when the Canadiens could have been pushed out of the playoffs by the Panthers, the Panthers lost allowing the Bruins to clinch.

The Boston Bruins are idle today but could still become the third NHL club and first in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff berth. The Bruins would clinch a postseason berth if:

* the Carolina Hurricanes get no points against the Washington Capitals
or
* the Florida Panthers get no points against the Columbus Blue Jackets
or
* the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers each get one point in their games against Washington and Columbus, respectively.

The Panthers, up 1-0 late against the Blue Jackets, blew it big time allowing 3 goals (one an empty netter) in the last 2:45 of the game. At least the Bruins only lost in overtime to the Kings on Thursday.

The Bruins face the Devils tomorrow and only three points separate them.

I guess I have been missing a little bit in recent weeks. Perhaps you thought I was traded at the NHL trade deadline. Wicked Bruins Fan traded to... a sunny beach in a warmer climate. That trade I would accept, but other than that, I would activate a no trade clause. I'm not ditching the Bruins anytime soon, even if they are making it a little easier with each annoying loss.

The Bruins still sit atop the Eastern conference with 99 points, but their lead has shrunk considerably. The Devils are breathing down their necks, a mere four points behind them. The Capitals are only five points back. The Red Wings (playoff spot clinched) and Sharks (division clinched) are over 100 points out West or in the Sharks' case, at 100 points. It's a bad time for the Bruins to be slipping, especially when they were considered a President's Trophy favorite not too long ago.

This isn't a slump. The losses are just a little more frequent than fans have been used to this season. The Bruins lose one, win one, lose two, win one. They're balancing things out a little bit better, but it would be nice if the balance was slightly more on the winning side.

Remember that ten game winning streak from December 12th through January 1st? Or how about going 15-1 between November 28th and January 1st? Or 19-2 from November 17th to January 1st? Going back to November 1st, the Bruins went 28-4-1 until the end of 2008. Those were the days.

Since ringing in 2009, the Bruins have gone 17-12-5. They were shutout three times, suffering their first shutout loss of the season on January 6th against the Wild. With 11 games left on the season (6 home, 5 road), the Bruins need to finish on a strong note, playing a full 60 minute game... playing like they did between November and January.

To avoid any insane playoff math with points and games remaining, the easiest way to say it is, the Bruins are currently 19 points out of the playoffs. The most points they can get in the remaining games is 22, which would put them at 121 points. The least is obviously zero, which keeps them at 99.

Side Note: The Capitals, Penguins and Hurricanes only have ten games left. The Flyers have the most remaining games with 13 left on their schedule. The Devils, Canadiens, Panthers and Sabres have 12 games left. The Rangers have 11.

The Bruins' opponents after today's game against the Kings are all Eastern teams. They play the 2nd place Devils on Sunday, then have a six day break. The Bruins will only face two concrete playoff contending teams, the Flyers and Rangers, in their remaining games. I'm calling the Canadiens a bubble team, because they're tied with the Hurricanes in points. The rest of the Bruins' opponents are out of the playoffs and consist of the Leafs, Lightning, Senators (twice), Sabres and Islanders in the season finale on April 12th. So it's not like every game will be against the top eight teams.

I'm not saying the Bruins have an easier schedule than the other playoff bound teams either (because I'm not about to look 9 - including the bubble teams - schedules up right now), but the Bruins could very easily coast into the playoffs if they're on top of their game. They're going to have their work cut out for them either way. Hopefully they start on a good note, stealing two extra points from the West against the Kings.

Simple Math: The Bruins could finish somewhere between 121 and 99 points on April 12th. I could see the Bruins winning at the very least six games, gaining 12 points and giving them 111. Maybe pick up a couple overtime or shootout loss points and make it an even 112 or 114. I'm not going to say whether they'll finish first, second or third until after they face the Devils. It doesn't really matter where they finish among the other division leaders.

It only matters who'll they match up against in the first round of the playoffs. If the playoffs started today it would be the Hurricanes. But the Panthers are only three points behind them in ninth. I wouldn't mind if the Hurricanes make the playoffs. At this point, I rather the Hurricanes and Panthers over the Canadiens making the playoffs any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Go Bruins!

Test post from my cell phone. Will be updating later tonight. Might get some photos up too. Check back.

-- Post From Mobile

Found a guide to each team's 2009 draft picks and because I haven't posted enough today, I thought I would list them here for future reference.

The Bruins currently hold five picks for the 2009 NHL draft. They have picks in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th rounds.

Where did the other picks go? Here's the breakdown.

2nd round - traded with Ben Walter to NY Islanders for Petteri Nokelainen.

4th round - traded with Petr Kalus to Minnesota for Manny Fernandez.

5th round - traded with Nate DiCasmirro to Phoenix for Alex Auld. *Phoenix traded Boston's 5th-round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft (previously acquired) to Ottawa for Brian McGrattan.

The 4th round pick the Bruins have belongs to Philadelphia.

4th round - Philadelphia traded a conditional 4th-round pick and Ned Lukacevic to Boston for Andrew Alberts.

Probably would have liked to see the Bruins acquire a draft pick today, but there's always the actual draft day to deal for some extra draft picks.

The Kings have the most draft picks with 14. The Predators are second with 12 picks. The Sharks have the fewest with 4 picks. There are a number of other teams along with the Bruins that have 5 picks. (This information was before today's trades, so some numbers might have changed.)

Peter Chiarelli held a press conference at 4:30 announcing the Bruins were done dealing. Some comments from that press conference are below.

Chiarelli said the Mark Recchi deal was a little more complicated. It was a hard day today and it had more resistance than other past trade deadlines that he had to work both in Boston and Ottawa. He said cap ceilings and the competitive nature between teams probably account for that.

Chiarelli didn't subtract anything off of the roster other than Petteri Nokelainen who he commends for his services. Nokelainen had a tough year injury-wise.

The Bruins acquired that left handed shot they were looking for along with defensive depth.

Chiarelli is happy with the two acquisitions and the process his staff went through and with what they accomplished today.

Chiarelli is pleased with the fact they increased their depth. He also likes that there will be more competition for ice time among the players now. He thinks that's a good thing.

Steve Montador was on the Bruins' radar during the summer. The experience factor of Mark Recchi was big. Chiarelli always has hope and expectations of retaining a player who has a contract expiring.

The most interesting comments from Chiarelli came at the end when he answered a question about if there were any bigger deals out there. Chiarelli wouldn't comment on how many other trades they were working on, however he was working on three other trades. One of those was a "housekeeping" deal to clear some space. Chiarelli pulled the plug on those.

Overall, not a bad day for the Bruins. They acquired exactly what they were looking for. Some extra cap space might have helped, but it's better to move forward with the team in tact now and worry about the space in the off-season.

Both Recchi and Montador are expected to have their own conference calls. Montador's is taking place now. Recchi's conference call is in another hour. I'll link to those in their respective posts.

The Boston Bruins have acquired Mark Recchi from Tampa Bay. What goes the other way will be announced.

The Lightning acquire defenseman Matt Lashoff and forward Martins Karsums from the Bruins. The Bruins also picked up a 2010 2nd round draft pick from the Lightning.

Recchi, 41, will bring a little more depth up front.

"I have no idea," Recchi told TSN when asked what kind of role he'd play. "When I get there, the coaching staff will fill me in. I don't really care, to be honest. I'll do whatever role they ask."

Recchi has 45 points this season. In the last five games he's played between 15 to 18 minutes. He had five assists in Sunday's game against Calgary. He has played in 140 playoff games and won a Cup in Carolina with Aaron Ward.

Forward Petteri Nokelainen was traded this morning to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Steve Montador. Nokelainen was held out of this morning's practice while the deal was pending.

"He's willing to stick his neck out for the team, bring emotion, and get involved, even if he knows he's going to take some hard knocks," Ference said. "Total character. And very versatile. We talk about [Matt Hunwick] being able to play D and forward. Monty's been doing that for the last few years as well. Very effectively, too."

Bruins fans might remember when Andrew Ference went to Tanzania for Right to Play, Montador was on the trip with him.

The Vancouver native will be reunited with former teammates and current Bruins Andrew Ference, Chuck Kobasew and Stephane Yelle, who all played together with the Calgary Flames.

Montador's salary is $800,000. He wore #5 for the Ducks. His ice time in the last five games has ranged from 15 to 20 minutes. He has 4 goals and 16 assists on the season.

Montador will bring a little spark to the blue line and could probably fit in well on a pair with former teammate Ference.