Lets get two facts straight: I love Milan Lucic and I LOVE Shawn Thorton … so last night’s game was an early Christmas present to me.

 Shawn Thorton: Two goals. One fight.
Milan Lucic: Initiator of a straight up melee.
And I was fortunate enough to be one of the 17,565 fans there to witness the most electric game of the season thus far. Worth a mention, every home game in the 2010 calendar year has been played in front of a sell-out crowd – the first time that has happened since 1972 (the Bruins won the Stanley Cup that season).

Shawn Thorton got things started two seconds after the puck dropped, trading punches with Atlanta Thrasher Eric Boulton. He then went on to score his 6^th goal of the season on a one-timer in the 2^nd period and his 7^th with a backhander in the 3^rd. His seven goals marks a career high for Thorton. Crowds were chanting his name as time ticked down, begging for the chance at a hat trick (or, at the very least, a Gordie Howe hat trick). He was named first star of the game.

What Milan Lucic lacked in points last night, he made up for in penalty minutes (22).
Fifteen minutes into the 3^rd, Freddy Meyer drilled Looch at the blue line and was immediately ambushed by Andrew Ference. This set off a series of fights that left five Bruins with game misconducts. Ference turned his attention to Anthony Stewart, Horton squared off against Evander Kane (aka: the guy who dropped Matt Cooke) and Mark Savard went toe to toe with Bryan Little in a battle of their own. Ference left the ice with blood dripping from his left eye. After being separated by referees, Lucic received a match penalty for punching Meyer in the face. When all was said and done, 98 PIMs were totaled.

Patrice Bergeron scored his 300^th point last night on a short-handed goal in the 1^st and Michael Ryder netted the game-winner on a power play in the 2^nd. The Bruins earned a much needed two points for their 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.
In the words of Jack Edwards, “tonight they have beaten them, and they have beaten them up!”
Merry Christmas to me.