Dennis Wideman

Matthieu Perreault, Chris Borque and Cody Eakin — all in top contention for the Washington Capitals' final regular season roster spot — combined for six points Monday in a 3-1 preseason victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Perreault had a goal and an assist, Borque had three assists, and Eakin scored a goal. All contributed on Eakin's goal that made it 2-0 in the first period as they make their cases for a place on the Capitals' talented-stock team. Dennis Wideman added a power-play goal in the first.

If anything, Chris Kelly figured his shot was tipped, or deflected, or that something had sent it flying in a direction he hadn't intended. He was rushing down the left side all by his lonesome, just barely a minute into overtime, when Capitals defenseman Dennis Wideman crept into the picture, stretching out his stick desperately, trying to make Kelly's look at least slightly a less clear one. On a night when the Bruins pumped shot after...

Splicing wins together as if stringing popcorn and cranberries into Christmas garland, the Bruins put together another win last night, 4-2 over the Atlanta Thrashers, for their 11th consecutive victory on Causeway Street. "As long as we have the fans on our side," said goalie Manny Fernandez, after making 20 stops before a sellout crowd of 17,565, "we won't allow ourselves to be pushed around in our house. " Michael Ryder scored twice (Nos. 9 and 10), and Phil Kessel (league-high 15-game scoring streak)

OTTAWA - There are 23 first-round picks among this season's NHL All-Stars. Then there's Dan Girardi . The Rangers defenseman is New York's equivalent to the Bruins' Rich Peverley - an undrafted and unheralded Ontario kid who rode buses in the ECHL before hitting the big time. Girardi is the only undrafted All-Star. So far this season, he is proving to 29 other clubs that he was worthy of at least a low-round pick. Girardi leads all players by averaging 27 minutes 22 seconds of ice time per game, more than two minutes more than Bruins strongman Zdeno Chara logs per...

ST. PAUL — The Bruins concluded their draft yesterday in a manner befitting a Stanley Cup champion that is in good cap shape and boasts a strong returning roster — by doing nothing out of the ordinary. General manager Peter Chiarelli fielded calls throughout the weekend, but in the end he didn’t make any moves. The Boston contingent lounged in the far right corner of the floor — a privilege from winning the Cup — and filled their prospect bin with five more youngsters who someday hope to match the achievements of their 2010-11 predecessors.

Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Dennis Wideman scored in a 2:53 span of the third period, erasing a 2-0 deficit and leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ovechkin also added an insurance goal — making it four in 4:34 — and Wideman added two assists for the Capitals, who have scored 12 third-period goals in their last six games. They have 46 in the final period this season — among the most in the NHL. After a surprisingly slow start this year, Ovechkin appears to have found his range.

A nod. That’s all it took. In last night’s second period, when the Bruins were on a four-on-three power play, David Krejci carried the puck out of the left corner and locked eyes with Dennis Wideman. Krejci motioned, with a shake of his head to the left, where he wanted the defenseman to go: the front of the net. Given how much swagger Krejci was playing with, Wideman was sure to listen. “When he’s got it going, the puck finds him,’’ Wideman said. “When he’s got the puck on his stick, he’s dangerous.

PHILADELPHIA - Cool heads and hot hands added up to an impressive 60 minutes last night for the Bruins, a 6-3 win over the Flyers paced by a pair of Glen Murray goals, 4 points by Marc Savard (1-3 -4), and the continued solid work of rookie Tuukka Rask in net. But what's a night with the Flyers if not at least a little sordid and controversial? A month after Patrice Bergeron was felled by a menacing, cheap hit by Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones, the Bruins saw defenseman Andrew Alberts get blasted into the boards by a Scott Hartnell cheap shot late in the second period.

BUFFALO - On Saturday, in his debut as a Bruin, Alex Auld saw his defense choke off the Toronto attack. The Maple Leafs got off only 26 shots, with perhaps a third of those bona fide scoring chances. Last night was far different. The fast-moving Sabres, who put up a 7-spot on San Jose Saturday, had their skates whirring and their sticks blasting. Buffalo poured 45 shots on Auld, who responded by stopping all but one, leading the Bruins to a 4-1 victory before 18,302 at HSBC Arena.

Zdeno Chara, virtually stapled to Carolina center Eric Staal like the shadow stitched to Peter Pan, has been a virtual black hole for opponents during the playoffs. Enter Chara's space? Offenses venture there only to wither and die. But last night, the Hurricanes proved that the 6-foot-9-inch strongman isn't a goal-eliminating cyborg after all. In the second period, Chara was on the ice when Staal, pointless against the Bruins in five previous matches this season, fed Joe Corvo at the point for the game's first goal.

Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Dennis Wideman scored in a 2:53 span of the third period, erasing a 2-0 deficit and leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ovechkin also added an insurance goal — making it four in 4:34 — and Wideman added two assists for the Capitals, who have scored 12 third-period goals in their last six games. They have 46 in the final period this season — among the most in the NHL. After a surprisingly slow start this year, Ovechkin appears to have found his range.

Matthieu Perreault, Chris Borque and Cody Eakin — all in top contention for the Washington Capitals' final regular season roster spot — combined for six points Monday in a 3-1 preseason victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Perreault had a goal and an assist, Borque had three assists, and Eakin scored a goal. All contributed on Eakin's goal that made it 2-0 in the first period as they make their cases for a place on the Capitals' talented-stock team. Dennis Wideman added a power-play goal in the first.

ST. PAUL — The Bruins concluded their draft yesterday in a manner befitting a Stanley Cup champion that is in good cap shape and boasts a strong returning roster — by doing nothing out of the ordinary. General manager Peter Chiarelli fielded calls throughout the weekend, but in the end he didn’t make any moves. The Boston contingent lounged in the far right corner of the floor — a privilege from winning the Cup — and filled their prospect bin with five more youngsters who someday hope to match the achievements of their 2010-11 predecessors.

MINNEAPOLIS — Yesterday, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, who headed the club that advanced to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, chucked a grenade into his dressing room. First, Holmgren traded Jeff Carter to Columbus for Jake Voracek, the No. 8 pick in tonight’s draft, and a third-rounder. Then, Holmgren wheeled captain Mike Richards to Los Angeles for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, and a 2012 second-round pick. “You knew something was coming, and it came,’’ said Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli.

WILMINGTON — The fantasy began nearly two years ago, as soon as the Avalanche air-mailed him from Colorado to Causeway Street. “Boy, would that be something to play with Chara,’’ Johnny Boychuk mused. “We’d just be beasts together. Crush guys, take slap shots. It’d be unbelievable.’’ Now the man whom he respectfully calls “our captain, our leader’’ dresses a stick’s length away from him at Ristuccia Arena and Boychuk, his stylistic soulmate, is paired with Zdeno Chara for massive minutes every night.

A nod. That’s all it took. In last night’s second period, when the Bruins were on a four-on-three power play, David Krejci carried the puck out of the left corner and locked eyes with Dennis Wideman. Krejci motioned, with a shake of his head to the left, where he wanted the defenseman to go: the front of the net. Given how much swagger Krejci was playing with, Wideman was sure to listen. “When he’s got it going, the puck finds him,’’ Wideman said. “When he’s got the puck on his stick, he’s dangerous.

After a two-goal burst to start the night devolved into giveaways, failed races for pucks, and ragged play, Claude Julien did what comes naturally to a coach disappointed with his team's play. He let his players know it. "It was kind of a wake-up call when he came in after the second," said Martin St. Pierre. "He challenged us. We had to rise up. " A dead-weight Ottawa club bumbled through the first five minutes as if eager to see first-year coach Craig Hartsburg, on the hot seat in Ottawa, replaced by the first intermission.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Last night, for the final time in the regular season, the Bruins skated off the ice, dropped off their sticks to be packed, and trudged into the dressing room. "Good season boys," Marc Savard said to his teammates. "Long season. But we made it. " Several minutes after the finale, coach Claude Julien addressed his players. From behind the closed doors, a loud cheer and applause could be heard in the adjacent hallway at Nassau Coliseum. "I congratulated those guys for a really good regular season," said Julien, whose team goes into the books with a 53-19-4-6...

If the Rangers lose in regulation to Philadelphia tonight, the Bruins are in the playoffs. Or with just one more win of their own — tomorrow against Carolina at home or at Washington Sunday — they are also guaranteed a postseason spot. The Bruins, who have bolted ahead of Montreal into sixth place, are on the cusp of playing well into April, thanks to a 3-1 win over Buffalo last night before 17,565 fans at TD Garden. But they’re not officially in. “Not yet. Not yet,’’ said Zdeno Chara.

WASHINGTON — For a player who seemingly prevented Washington’s first goal, got the Bruins going with a strike of his own late in the first period, and logged the second-most ice time (28:39) on an injury-wracked blue line, Dennis Wideman deserved a better fate than watching from the penalty box as the Capitals won in overtime last night. But 20 seconds after he was called for high-sticking Tomas Fleischmann, Wideman had the most helpless feeling in the Verizon Center as he saw Alexander Semin tee off a shot that bounced off the leg of Brooks Laich, who then shoveled...