waves away protest from Kris Commons after failing to spot Jo

After having missed the playoffs the last two season, the Boston Bruins are focused on getting back in 2016-17.It was an interesting offseason for GM Don Sweeney. The Bruins added veteran depth and leadership at forward (more on that below) but lost veteran forward Loui Eriksson, who signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks. The Bruins bought out the contract of veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who recently signed a one-year deal with the New York Islanders. Finally, after six seasons in Boston, veteran unrestricted free-agent forward?Chris Kelly returned to the?Ottawa Senators, with whom he spent his first seven seasons.Heading into the season, the defense remains a mystery in front of goaltender Tuukka Rask. The Bruins could still acquire a solid, young blueliner via the trade market. If not, they will rely on their current defensive core and hope their blueliners stay healthy and find ways to be productive.If the Bruins get off to a slow start, coach Claude Julien could be on the hot seat and Sweeney might make a coaching change.Best new facesBoston added veteran forwards David Backes and Dominic Moore, along with veteran backup goalie Anton Khudobin. Backes, the former captain of the St. Louis Blues, signed as a free agent and will add depth down the middle and be a strong voice in the locker room, which the Bruins have lacked the past few seasons.With forward Frank Vatrano sidelined three months because of a foot injury, rookie Danton Heinen, 21, has a chance to earn a roster spot. The former University of Denver standout?could skip the minors and have an immediate impact in Boston because he has the hockey IQ and ability to do so. If not, he will develop his pro game in the AHL with Providence. Heinen is not used to the heavy NHL schedule, and hell need to be consistent in order to stick. So far, he has played well in training camp. Forward Austin Czarnik, 24, has played well during camp and could be a solid replacement as a penalty killer for Kelly. Czarnik is versatile, and that could serve him well.Biggest unknownsWhere Backes will play remains a question. Having David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Backes as the teams top three centers gives the Bruins a lot of depth. That could mean Matt Beleskey and David Pastrnak?play with Krejci. With Eriksson gone, finding chemistry for Krejci will be key. Julien could put veteran centerman Backes on Krejcis right side or move Ryan Spooner to the wing and keep Backes as the third-line center. Krejci had offseason hip surgery, so it will be interesting to see what kind of success he can have this season.Defenseman Adam McQuaid is healthy to start the season, and the Bruins will need him to remain that way in order to be successful. How much does veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara, 39, have left in the tank? Playing for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey -- and reaching the finals -- should help the captain get off to a strong start, but if fatigue sets in down the stretch, that could be a factor.Sure thingsIf theres one sure thing in the NHL, its Bergerons consistent play. Bergeron and Marchand were outstanding for Team Canada during the World Cup, along with linemate Sidney Crosby, as they led their team to a championship. If their play during the best-on-best tournament was any indication of how theyll face this season, both Marchand and Bergeron could be in the top 10 in scoring in the NHL in 2016-17.Marchand, who recently signed an eight-year deal worth $49 million to remain with the Bruins, should carry his success from the past season (37 goals) and his play in the World Cup into this season. ?Rask will be Rask. Hell play his 55 to 60 games and be solid in the majority of them. He has been durable since taking over the No. 1 job during the 2013 lockout-shortened season.PredictionThe Bruins will not go a third season without making the playoffs and will earn a wild-card spot. It wont be easy for them, but they will make a strong push down the stretch and finish with a postseason berth. Fifth in the Atlantic. Nikola Jokic Nuggets Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Will Barton Jersey . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. http://www.nuggetsproshop.com/Malik-Beasley-Nuggets-Jersey/ . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Carmelo Anthony Nuggets Jersey . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Gary Harris Nuggets Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said.Referee Steven McLean says he is honoured to be given the opportunity to officiate at this weekends Scottish Cup final between Rangers and Hibernian at Hampden Park. The FIFA official, who was in charge of the Scottish League Cup final between Aberdeen and Inverness CT two years ago, says lessons learned from a match at the National Stadium last season will stand him in good stead this Saturday, live on Sky Sports.McLean was the man in the middle during the 2015 Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and Inverness when Caleys Josh Meekings handled the ball on the line but neither a penalty nor a red card were awarded. Inverness went on to win the game 3-2 and advance to the final where they beat Falkirk 2-1.Speaking to Sky Sports Scotland, McLean says: This is absolutely massive. It is the pinnacle for any Scottish referee.Its a great privilege, a great honour and its a special match so I am absolutely delighted to be appointed to this fixture. Steven McLean waves away protest from Kris Commons after failing to spot Josh Meekings handball The League Cup final was a speciial occasion as well but everybody wants the Scottish.dddddddddddd Its the big one. Its going to be a great occasion, a great experience and one I am very much looking forward to.Asked if the match affords him the chance to atone for his error during last years semi-final, he added: Of course. We learn from all experiences.Obviously that was an incident that was missed, it was disappointing on the day and I take ultimate responsibility for it. But we have a referee team and we share responsibility so its important that we learn from those incidents.But we use our experiences from both positive incidents and negative incidents just to move forward and use it as a learning opportunity and hopefully I have used that in the last season to perform well.I had a really consistent performance level this season and I think I have benefitted from all my experiences in my career and that is what has enabled us to be in this position. Also See: Hibs fixtures Hibs stats Scottish Champ table Rangers video Rangers fixtures Rangers stats Sky Bet Club Get a ￡10 free bet! ' ' '