BOSTON -- The suddenly high-scoring Boston Bruins are showing no mercy, even for the departed goalie who led them to the Stanley Cup. Homer Bailey Authentic . Milan Lucic scored twice and the Bruins spoiled Tim Thomas first game in Boston as a visitor with a 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. "I think I mightve enjoyed myself watching the State of the Union more," said Thomas, not a big fan of President Barack Obama, who delivered the speech at the same time as the Bruins were beating the Panthers for the sixth straight time. "No, probably not." In 2011, Thomas didnt accompany his teammates to the White House for the ceremony with Obama marking their championship that year. Boston scored six goals for the third straight game, following road wins of 6-1 and 6-3. The Atlantic Division leaders improved to 5-0-1 in their last six games. Why all that scoring for a team known for its defence? "Weve been able to get out of our zone cleanly and establish the rush," Lucic said. They kept going to the very end, with Carl Soderberg charging into the crease where an angry Thomas swung his stick, hitting Soderberg in the helmet with 4 seconds left. "With less than a minute left in the game and theyre up by four goals," Thomas said, "I took exception to that." Soderberg proclaimed his innocence. "I was just going for the rebound," he said. "We cant stop playing." Even if the opposing goalie was Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with the Bruins in 2011. He spent one more season with them, took last season off and then joined the Panthers. "Tims always going to be a part of this organization for what hes done," Boston coach Claude Julien said, "but we just have to look at him as the opposing goalie." Zdeno Chara, Reilly Smith, Shawn Thornton and David Krejci also scored for Boston, which led 4-0 until Brad Boyes connected for Florida with 2:33 left in the second period. Dmitry Kulikov added a power-play goal for the Panthers 4 minutes into the third. "All four lines are putting the puck in the net," Krejci said. "Thats good to see." Fans applauded lightly when Thomas was introduced as the starting goalie. But after Thornton made it 5-2 just more than 8 minutes into the third period, they derisively chanted, "Thomas! Thomas!" "I didnt really hear it too much," Thomas said. "There were really not a lot of feelings." Thomas played against the Bruins for the first time on Oct. 17 in Bostons 3-2 win at Florida. He travelled with the Panthers to Boston but did not play Nov. 7 in the Bruins 4-1 victory. For the second consecutive game, the Bruins were the early aggressors, outshooting the Panthers 19-8 in the first period. On Monday night, Boston took 18 of the first 20 shots in a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders. Lucic gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 7:41 of the first period on a rebound after Thomas stopped Jarome Iginlas shot from the right circle. Lucic was initially credited with the second goal less than 8 minutes later when Charas 45-foot shot from the right appeared to hit him before bouncing over Thomas and trickling into the net. The scoring was changed when it was determined that the puck hit Thomas glove, not Lucic. But that didnt stop a few spectators from throwing hats on the ice early in the second, thinking Lucic had completed a hat trick when he scored his 15th of the season on a short backhand. Smith made it 4-0 with his team-leading 18th goal at 14:54 of the second on a pass across the slot from Soderberg. He beat Thomas to the open side of the net. "That wasnt (Thomas) best game," Panthers coach Peter Horachek said, "but I dont think there were a lot of solid efforts by many of the players." After Boyes ruined Tuukka Rasks bid for his fourth shutout in 13 decisions, Kulikov made it 4-2. His goal ended an 0-for-43 power-play drought for the Panthers over their previous 13 games and the first two periods Tuesday. Rask finished with 28 saves. NOTES: Sean Bergenheims assist on Kulikovs goal was his 150th NHL point. It came in his 100th game with the Panthers. ... Bruins forward Chris Kelly played for the first time since missing 22 games with a broken leg. ... Boston is 12-2 in its last 14 home games. Chris Heisey Authentic . They won gold today in the womens bobsled competition at the Sochi Games. The Canadian duo finished with a four-run time of three minutes 50. Chris Heisey Red Jersey . Tanaka has certainly lived up to the hype this season, going 10-1 with an American League-best 2.02 ERA. The Japanese right-hander went the distance to win his fourth straight start on Wednesday in Seattle, as he held the Mariners to a pair of runs and six hits.The subject of the NHLs participation in future Olympic Games came up at a join media conference Tuesday in Sochi featuring NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr and IIHF president Rene Fasel. The NHL has not committed to sending players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman continued to throw his support behind the NHLs participation in the Olympics when asked about it in a press conference last week. But, as expected, Bettman said this will be something addressed down the road. "The primary building blocks are logistics of travel, to and from the Olympics," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said afterwards. "It was a big challenge coming to Sochi and it certainly would be a big challenge if we were to go to South Korea. Player insurance is always a factor with the magnitude and length of player contracts these days, an incredible number of assets at risk. "So those were two of the most fundamental things we talked about." Daly added that the NHLs participation this time was helped by the fact that NHL broadcasters CBC and NBC also were Olympic rights holders. But the rights holders have yet to be determined for 2018. "So we havent really given any serious consideration to South Korea at all," Daly said. The players will have a big say on this issue. Fehr promised a full and thorough investigation as to whether continued Olympic participation is what the playerrs want. Joe Morgan Red Jersey. The NHL players volition to compete in the Olympics has been the main driving force behind their participation in the Winter Games. World Cup closer to return Fehr hinted that the two sides are closer to announcing details on a World Cup of Hockey. There hasnt been one played since 2004 and the speculation continues to be the next World Cup could happen as soon as 2016. There was the usual playfulness between Bettman and Fasel. At one point Fasel said there is nothing like seeing the smile of a hockey player when he wins a gold medal. To which Bettman was quick to reply, "Except winning the Stanley Cup." Finally, Daly was asked about expansion. There was a recent newspaper story in Seattle that said the NHL has targeted the city for an expansion team. "I think whenever Im asked that question, I make the same comments," he said. "The Pacific Northwest, we think is a good hockey area. I think the Vancouver Canucks have done extraordinarily well in developing that area as a good hockey market. Doesnt mean were going to expand there, doesnt mean weve made any decisions in that regard. "I said the same thing about Quebec City. I also believe its a very good hockey market with a very strong and passionate fan base. So theres nothing more I can say on expansion than we did [at the NHL Board of Governors meetings] in Pebble Beach, which is at some point in time it might be an appropriate consideration for us to bring to the board. But we havent reached that yet." cheap jerseys from china cheap jerseys ' ' '
