Jacobs Lashes Out Against His Bruins

Now that Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs has the cost certainty he fought so hard for, he expects his club to be thriving in the new world of the NHL salary cap.

His best laid plans haven’t turned into the wins he counted on.

After the Bruins were beaten for the sixth straight time last Sunday, Jacobs had seen enough.

“A Bruin stands for something on the ice, it always has,� Jacobs told the Boston Globe. “It’s the win-loss column that’s going to make a difference. We should be leading this division, we’re not. That’s a terrible letdown.�

The Bruins’ 3-2 loss to the Rangers in New York last Sunday sent Boston on its longest skid since February 1997 and sent Jacobs over the edge.

Wanting and pushing for a salary cap throughout the season-long lockout was worth it to Jacobs, one of the most vocal and influential owners in the NHL. The Bruins entered the new financial landscape with only a handful of players under contract and ready to rebuild the roster with plenty of room under the $39-million cap.

So far, it hasn’t panned out.

“There doesn’t seem to be the intensity or the desire or the hard work it takes to play this game,� Jacobs told The Globe. “We think we’ve got great talent on the ice and I believe we do. But they sure aren’t producing at that level and it’s very, very disappointing.�

Boston started the season with five losses in eight games. But the Bruins rebounded and earned points in nine straight games, winning four times and losing five others in overtime.

An OT loss at Philadelphia on Nov. 8 started the six-game slide but the other five defeats were in regulation. It finally ended Wednesday with a 5-1 road victory over Toronto and lifted Boston’s record to 8-10-5 heading into the weekend.

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When the New York Rangers swept through a shootout Tuesday night in Buffalo, it marked just the third time that an NHL team scored three times in the league’s new tiebreaker.

Better yet, it was only the second 3-for-3 performance in 32 shootouts.

Only 9.6 percent of the first 331 games through Thanksgiving were decided by shootout. The Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks each went 3-for-3 to win. The New York Islanders also recorded three goals in a shootout, but they needed nine rounds at Pittsburgh to do it.

The Blackhawks tore through Colorado on Oct. 14 when Tyler Arnason, Tuomo Ruutu, and Pavel Vorobiev beat Peter Budaj in succession.

The Rangers repeated the feat Tuesday against Buffalo’s Mika Noronen and then Daniel Briere after he replaced the injured Noronen following Martin Straka’s goal. Michael Nylander and Jaromir Jagr followed successfully to give New York three straight shootout victories.

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The Carolina Hurricanes weren’t about to keep up their torrid pace all season, even under the best of conditions. A rash of injuries made things even more difficult.

The Hurricanes entered the weekend still on top of the Southeast Division, but they held just a two-point lead over the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who rebounded recently after hitting the skids early.

“There’s no question when you’re missing Glen Wesley and Nic Wallin, and Rod Brind’Amour and Joe Vasicek that it’s going to catch up with you. But it is what it is,� said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette, whose team dropped three straight after a 14-3-1 start. “There’s no sense in complaining about it. Everybody wishes that they were healthy all the time but that’s not the way it is and we have to deal with it.

“Guys are going to get hurt. Hopefully it’s not many and they come back and they’re healthy.�

Ray Whitney also was sidelined this week by a groin injury.

Brind’Amour -- the captain -- missed four games heading into the weekend because of a groin problem. Vasicek (left knee), Wesley (groin) and Wallin (left wrist) were placed on the injured list. Wallin had surgery.