But he frequently misfires on wideopen chances

His commitment to forechecking, responsibility in all three zones, and accountability when on the ice has resulted in him receiving frequent praise from Julien. NAUGHTYBlake Wheeler: In his sophomore season, Wheeler hasn’t fallen too far off in the attack zone, scoring seven goals and picking up 17 total points. He is roughly on pace to match his rookie campaign offensively, but has taken a big step back in his own end.He is a team-worst -9 after finishing last year 36, second in the NHL behind Krejci. For Wheeler to be -9 on a team that has allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL is alarming. He needs to shore up his game in his own zone if he wants to stick with the Bruins.Byron Bitz: All the credit in the world to Bitz for his effort He gives his all every night and does whatever is asked. But, he needs to work on his finishing, both on scoring chances and in fights.When it comes to scoring goals, he seems to have a knack for finding some open space and allowing himself to be an option. But, he frequently misfires on wide-open chances.Julien realized Bitz isn’t the right player to roll with Savard and reshuffled, so the obviousness of Bitz’ lack of touch should diminish.I expect him to flourish in his role with the energy line where he is comfortable. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to take some time with Thornton or team VP Cam Neely and pick up some pointers on how to fight a bit more successfully.No one will ever complain about a player having some jam in his game and being willing to have a go.

But a player who is 6'5" and 215 pounds should be more of a presence when the bell rings.Very minor gripes, not wholly Bitz’ fault, but he plays a role that could be filled by any number of players and needs to develop reasons why he should consistently be that player.Today’s holiday festivities will close with a little “Christmas Karaoke” as a few members of the Bruins family have sent in some “Long Distance Requests and Dedications” this Christmas season.“Walking In a Winter Wonderland”: Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs sends this song out to Mother Nature in preparation for the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. She complied last weekend with a nice little pregame blizzard to set the stage, but Jacobs would love if some more snow was sent over to Fenway in the day leading up to the outdoor game.The stage is set for a beautiful event (“It’s a Beaut, Clark!”) and some nice, non-frigid wintry conditions to combine with Fenway Park’s charm would make this the best Winter Classic to date.“Deck the Halls”: Johnny Boychuk sent this out to Matt Stajan in honor of their big collision Saturday night in Toronto. Boychuk registered the biggest hit of the season so far by a Bruin, decking Stajan as he twirled across the neutral zone with his head down. Fa la la la la la la la la la.“All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”: Duh, it’s a hockey column.“All I Want for Christmas is You”: Savard was seen submitting this request to a few players, namely Ilya Kovalchuk and Teemu Selanne. He will be extremely expensive both to acquire and then sign.A player like Selanne could be had as well, since the Ducks are most certainly heading south for the winter.Happy Holidays, everyone!Or, in the words of Terry O’Reilly…"Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Fight!". New and Existing Customers Will Benefit from Additional Banking OptionMEMPHIS, Tenn.(Business Wire)uMonitor, the innovative financial solution services provider for bankingcustomer acquisition and retention, announced that Hickory Hills, Ill.-basedStandard Bank and Trust has selected its online account opening and fundingsolution, uOpen & uFund.

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