It's been almost three weeks since the Boston Bruins last stepped out on the ice, but for the black and gold faithful it's felt like an eternity. For those who can't remember that far back (I don't judge, I can barely remember yesterday), the Bruins rode a four game winning streak into the Olympic break with wins over Montreal (3-0 in Montreal), Buffalo (3-2 in Buffalo), Tampa Bay (5-4 in Tampa) and Florida (3-2 in Florida). It figures that the Bruins hit the Olympic break riding a wave of momentum unseen since 2008, but we (as a fan base) hope the rest has helped cure the ills of our players.

Tuukka Rask will once again start for the Bruins and making his sixth straight start. I don't know why people aren't alarmed that Tim Thomas, who played half of a period in the Olympics, hasn't played an NHL game in a month. Everyone seems to be brushing his "benching" off like it is no big deal. What the hell, people? This is a VERY big deal. You don't sit a Vezina winning goaltender because he's playing well, you bench him because he has been inconsistent and outplayed by a rookie.

What really pisses me off is people who are STILL hesitant to trade Thomas. The way I look at it, if someone wants him, I'll drive his ass to the airport at 3am to catch a red eye flight (because we all know Jacobs' is a cheap prick). I don't get why fans have such a personal attachment to players. Sometimes it seems like the people in this town (in any sport) forget that our fandom should be about the logo/name on the front, not what is stitched into the name plate. Numbers don't mean anything until they're hung into the rafters. I know the Tim Thomas story is cute because he's been through so much to get to where he is at, but if trading him and taking his bloated contract off of the books helps the Bruins, I'm all for it.

Sorry for that, Rask will start in net tonight and face Carey Price, so you know there shall be a good CAAAAREY chant going.

Bruins' Three Keys To Winning

1. Don't Lose Momentum. This is a pretty stupid statement by me, but I'm going to make it anyways. The Bruins must somehow keep the momentum they had before the Olympic break and ride it throughout the rest of the season. These guys need to keep this up because the race between spots 6-13 are only separated by 9 points. A Montreal win means the Bruins fall to 8th place as the Canadiens would leapfrog them in the standings.

2. Play For Your Job. Plain and simple, some of these guys need to start playing like their job is on the line, because it could be. With the NHL trade deadline looming tomorrow at 3pm EST, the Bruins are rumored to be making a splash in the trading pool, hopefully outside of the Steven Kampfer (right?) deal. For those who don't know, Kampfer was traded from Anaheim and is still in college I believe. Honestly, I don't care.

3. Pepper Price With Quality Shots. It seems like every time the Bruins play Montreal, Carey Price puts on his Superman undies and plays like the goalie most thought he would be. In November the Bruins put 43 shots on Price and only one went through, while in December they put 38 on him. He's played well against Boston this season, time to change that.

So I hope everyone enjoys the game tonight. I'll be at the Garden to witness the Bruins (hopeful glorious) return to action. Please don't be shitheads and boo the Canadian National Anthem. Unlike those frogs in Montreal, lets show some class. Also, tune into the 4SportBoston podcast tonight as a slew of Boston bloggers will be calling in to talk about the upcoming trade deadline.

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