Good Day for BU: Former Terriers Star Sacco Named B's Assistant Coach & Warsofsky Signs 1-Year Deal

There was a time in the not so distant past that Boston University was one of the premier men's college hockey programs in the nation. That has changed with the retirement of legendary head coach Jack Parker. Today, the Bruins kept BU alumni and fans in New England happy as they named former Terriers star (and Medford MA native) Joe Sacco assistant coach and signed defenseman David Warsofsky (another BU product, from Marshfield MA) to a one-year/two-way contract worth $600,000.

Last season, Sacco was sentenced to a year in NHL purgatory as he was an assistant for the pitiful Sabres. It was the crappy way he had to bounce back after being fired from the Avalanche where he served as head coach from 2009-2013. For Colorado, his overall record was 130-134-40 and he won the Jack Adams Award (best coach) in 2010 after leading the Avs to the postseason. He takes over for longtime assistant Geoff Ward who left the B's to take a head coaching job in Germany, um ok? In 13 seasons in the NHL and on five teams (Leafs, Ducks, Islanders, Capitals and Penguins), Sacco amassed 94 goals and 119 assists.

I mentioned Warsofsky not just because he's a local guy but since he seems to have a good opportunity to stick in Boston next season. In six games with the B's last season, he had a goal and an assist. With Providence, he put up six goals and 26 assists. He's basically Torey Krug Lite: 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, good skater and left-handed shot who excels at moving the puck particularly on the power play. At age 24 and with 190 games in the AHL under his belt, this appears to be a big chance for Warsofsky to take the next step in his career.

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Oh Hockey Gods, Please Make All the Injuries Stop with the Bruins

Beating the same team twice in two days is hard enough, now consider what happens when your squad is decimated by injuries. I'm not making excuses for the Bruins after they fell 4-3 to the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre but I think we can cut them some slack considering their insane amount of injuries. This afternoon, it was announced that Dennis Seidenberg will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL/MCL. Then tonight came word that Zdeno Chara was out and day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Ahhhhhh!

Ottawa (16-18-7) never trailed as they jumped ahead 1-0 and 2-1 on Boston (26-11-2) in the first period and 3-2 in the second period before Bobby Ryan scored the game-winner late in the third. Patrick Wiercioch had some puck luck (as they say) when Torey Krug blocked a shot but it caromed to Ottawa's defenseman who deposited it past Tuukka Rask at 7:04. Daniel Paille answered by undressing former Norris Trophy (what a joke) Erik Karlsson and squeezing it by Craig Anderson (29 saves) at 12:06. His fourth goal of the season was unassisted, showing how Paille truly did all the work and then some.

Cory Conacher scored on a street hockey (thanks Jack and Brick!) style tip in at 14:28. After Zach Smith finished a shorthanded 2-on-1 with Erik Condra 29 seconds into the second, that was it for Rask. Good old Chad Johnson came in and actually played well (for him). Jarome Iginla continued his hot streak with a goal from Milan Lucic and David Krejci at 13:51. Iginla's 12th goal of the season came via a tape-to-tape pass by Looch.

For me, the best highlight of the loss for the Bruins was David Warsofsky's first career NHL goal at 6:36 of the third period. It was a snipe, from Johnny Boychuk and Patrice Bergeron with plenty of meaning in terms of the game situation.

Krug's miserable performance (game low -3) was topped off by the biggest mistake of all: he slipped in Ottawa's zone which led to Ryan's breakaway. He beat Johnson with a backhander at 15:25.

The B's get a few days to heal, Carl Soderberg was also out with a concussion, before they host the woeful Islanders (11-21-7, 8th in Metropolitan Division) at TD Garden on New Year's Eve (7, NESN). Forget the biggest amateur night of the year, it is supposed to be freezing as well so stay inside, drink yourself into a near-coma and enjoy B's-Isles.

UPDATE 12/29: Nick Johnson, Zach Trotman and Warsofsky were all sent back to Providence. Haha they're actually playing for the Providence Bruins today, no rest for them.

UPDATE 12/30: The Bruins recalled defenseman Kevan Miller on an emergency basis.

UPDATE 12/31: Johnson was recalled on an emergency basis.

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Under No Circumstances This Season Is A Loss to the Sabres An Acceptable Result

There are bad losses and then there is losing to the worst team in the NHL, in a game where you had the lead in the second period and controlled play for most of the night. The stinkbombs in Detroit and Vancouver will be remembered more since they were more dramatic but Boston's 4-2 loss tonight to Buffalo at the First Niagara Center was plenty depressing enough.

This should have served as Brad Marchand's turnaround to a crappy season (for him) since he scored both goals for the Bruins (23-10-2) but instead, Chad Johnson (19 saves) allowed another backbreaking goal on a cheesy wraparound that should never work in the NHL. The Sabres (9-23-3) aren't having a tough campaign, they are a horrorshow. That's what makes a loss to them so hard to swallow.

Ryan Miller (34 saves) is still toiling away for the Sabres and he's plenty good enough to make him vs. Johnson a complete mismatch. Former University of Maine Star Brian Flynn (a native of Lynnfield, MA) gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead with a pretty shorthanded goal at 16:27 of the first period. He skated in on a breakaway and lifted the puck to the top shelf with a nifty backhander.

Marchand responded with a shorthanded goal for Boston at 1:50 of the second period. After a pass from Johnny Boychuk, he had an open lane and drove down the wing before wristing the puck through Miller's five-hole. It was Marchand's sixth goal of the season.

Just 1:14 later, Marchand gave Boston its first lead at 2-1. This time he one-timed a pass from Patrice Bergeron. The shot wasn't scorching since he seemed to have mishit it but it still worked.

Buffalo had some good luck (probably the first time in history that's ever been written about the Sabres or Bills) when Jamie McBain's shot bounced in off Marcus Foligno's chest. The timing was tough too, 17:11 of the second period so it was a new game.

Stafford's goal came at 14:19 and Tyler Myers (remember him?) added the insurance tally 1:20 after Stafford's game-winner. The B's have a chance to take out their frustrations on the Sabres this Saturday (7, NESN), their next contest. You have to believe that Boston will beat hapless Buffalo at TD Garden but with all these injuries, I guess we shall wait and see.

Shoutout to rookie defenseman David Warsofsky who made his NHL debut for the Bruins. He grew up in Marshfield, MA and went to BU so you have to believe he was a huge Bruins fans growing up. It's always fun to see a local person going somewhere in professional sports.

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