ESPN.com -- NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell made the announcement Wednesday at the general managers’ meeting in Boca Raton, Fla. Penguins general manager Ray Shero also confirmed the news to ESPN.com via e-mail.

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Matt Cooke has escaped suspension for a hit to the head of Marc Savard that knocked out the Boston Bruins center.

Cooke delivered a blindside hit with his shoulder to Savard in the third period of Sunday’s game. Savard was taken away on a stretcher and has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion. He is out indefinitely, and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has said Savard possibly could miss the remainder of the season.

Doctors will continue to evaluate Savard during the next several days before determining how long the star center might be out.

Campbell told reporters he needed to remain consistent in his decision — he also did not suspend Philadelphia center Mike Richards for a similar hit on Florida winger David Booth on Oct. 24. That hit resulted in a Grade 3 concussion that sidelined Booth for 45 games. His first game after the hit was Jan. 31.

Should he have been suspended? Absolutely. If you watch the video you can clearly see him raise his elbow, but whatever, what’s done is done. I am actually glad he didn’t get suspended. The Bruins play Pittsburgh again in eight days. Had he been suspended, he likely would have missed out on that joyous reunion. I can forgive the Bruins for not retaliating that night for many reasons; they had a chance at two points, no one really knew what happened, blah blah blah. But now, a week and a half later, if someone doesn’t die on the 18th than I am done with this team. They have played like a bunch of little bitches this year and this is the exact thing they can use as a rallying point. When they are playing aggressive hockey, this team is no different than the one they would put on the ice last year. But for whatever reason, they have gone soft. Use this emotional even, kick some ass next week, and ride the high throughout the end of the season.

- Chris

Despite the general public’s want and need to bash on the Bruins, forgotten team has now pulled off a 5-2-3 record over their last ten games. The men in gold started the season slow and weren’t helped out by the injuries to Mark Savard and Milan Lucic. They have been quietly putting together a good run should be getting ready to play their best hockey now that Lucic and Savard are back.

Hopefully this means people will stop talking about the Phil Kessel trade. Ever since he left town there have been Bruins haters all over town shitting on the ownership and management for sending away our only pure scorer. The slow start to the season did nothing but fuel the hater’s fire and actually make them think they were right. Whenever there was a game in which the offense played poorly, it didn’t take long to find someone saying Phil Kessel would have won the game for them. Well here is the thing, he wouldn’t have. Yes, it would have been helpful to have a sniper on the ice but when you lose such huge pieces of the team in Savard and Lucic for any period of time there are going to be struggles. Combine that with David Kreci coming down with the swine flu for a week and that’s three of your most important players. Obviously it isn’t going to be easy during that stretch.

But the Bruins survived, and luckily their struggles came early on. Savard and Lucic should be back to full strength soon and we will really see what this team can bring to the table. One player that has really impressed in Savard’s absence was Patrice Bergeron. Getting a chance to play on the first like he has really stepped up to the challenge leading the team with 18 points (7 goals 11 assists). It has taken him a long time, but it seems like he has finally gotten over that rough stretch of concussions he suffered.

The Bruins next play tonight at Minnesotta at 8pm.

- Chris

We are introducing a new feature here on the Pulse in the form of a weekly podcast covering the week that was. This will be recorded along with The Booze from BoozeWorthy.com with selected guests each week. This was a first attempt, so it’s obviously sloppy, but we will get better. It can’t be any worse than ‘EEI and they have millions of listeners every day.

Here is the link, enjoy.

- Chris

Note: This article was originally written and posted on www.Boozeworthy.com

If you listen to 98.5 today you are probably going to hear a bunch of douche bags with a sports chub yell in their trademarked whiny voices about “how unbelievably lucky the Bruins were to come away with a victory Thursday night.” Actually, first you will hear them bash Belichick for the 5th straight day, but then you will get an earful of shit about the Bruins. In their glass-is-never-full kind of world they don’t recognize a break through as big as this.

In case you were caught up in that dream matchup between the Dolphins and Panthers on Thursday Night Football, you should know that the Bruins played last night. Despite all the progress they have made with Boston sports fans over the past two years, it seems that a less-than-stellar start has brought the critics running out of the woodwork.

Through the first 20 games of this season the boys in black and gold had not played like a championship caliber team. Before the puck was dropped last night, the Bruins record stood at 8-8-4 with a -5 goal differential on the season. They had managed to score first in only 6 of those 20 contests and were coming off a 3 game losing streak that included a heartbreaking loss to the Penguins in which they lead with 0.4 seconds remaining in the game. Facing a team on a 4-game win streak, the Bruins stood on the brink of dropping below .500 Thursday night.

So when the Bruins came out with guns blazing and headed to the locker room with a 2-0 lead after one period, I began to wonder if we had regained our mojo. Had the return of Milan Lucic given the team the kick in the ass it needed? Were we about to turn things around?

Maybe not. The Thrashers wasted no time knotting the game at 2 in the second period. However, a quick response from Michael Ryder put the B’s back on top before the period’s end. The score remained 3-2 for most of the 3rd period, but with under a minute to play, the Thrashers pulled their goalie. The extra attacker would prove to be the difference as the puck found the back of the net with 41 seconds left. I sat there at that moment, wondering why I was not surprised.

As the overtime began, I cringed at the thought of losing the game. Though I would never admit this in defeat, it felt like a must-win. We couldn’t afford another heartbreaking loss so soon. Falling below .500 would have been another uphill battle. We needed someone to come through in the clutch, despite our horrible track record in shootouts. Who better than Patrice Bergeron to answer the bell? He is the one guy who has played at his best all season. He is the whatever-it-takes kind of player we need as we claw our way back up the standings. When all is said and done, I hope we look back on his shootout goal as a major turning point in the Bruins’ season. There is a lot of hockey left to play and I hope the moral victory tonight is a sign of things to come.

- The Booze

After skating for the first time since October 19, Marc Savard and the Bruins are close on agreeing to a seven-year extension for around $39 million. The veteran center is returning from a broken foot and has been the play-maker for this Bruins team the past four seasons and has been severely missed since being injured. If the extension is for seven years then that will mean that Savard will be 39 when his contract is up. Thirty-nine is old for an athlete but for players in the NHL it is not uncommon for a player to play well into their forties.

Savardis coming off one of his best seasons in the NHL in which he accumulated 88 points with 25 goals and 63 assists while having a plus-25 rating. So far this season he has four goals and three assists in seven games. He also has two of the team’s nine power-play goals while playing a third of the games.

This past Sunday it was reported by the Boston Globe that the team and Savard wanted to get the deal done before Thanksgiving with the original deal being worth $6-$6.5 million a year over four or five years, but that has now been expanded to seven years. I think that it’s a good idea to sign him to an extension as he has been one of the best core players in Boston in a couple of years and when he’s around the team plays much better. He is one of the best play-makers in the league and that’s what makes him so good. I know that seven years is a long time but while he has been in Boston he has never had any major injury problems, besides the broken foot. He is a classy, durable player and with him around until the 2016-17 season he should lead the B’s to the Stanley Cup at least once, I hope.

As far as returning to the ice, if he practiced today then there is a slight chance that he could suit up tomorrow against Atlanta. I don’t see that happening so quickly but he should return very soon and with Milan Lucic back as well, the Bruins are starting to look familiar again.

By Greg Petersen

For all those people who thought that the Bruins broke out of their scoring slump and losing streak last week were completely wrong. Last night the B’s lost to the New York Islanders 4-1 at home, while nearly giving up a hat-trick. It was Boston’s third loss in a row and things do not look to be getting any better as they begin a four game stretch out on the road. The only good thing is that Milan Lucic is expected to return to the ice on Thursday in Atlanta. Continue Reading…

For the Bruins, they have a had a hard time winning to start the season and a lot of people are starting to look down on them as being overrated. Well last night they proved that they are able to score and to beat a good team. With Mark Recchi and Zdeno Chara scoring a power-play goal apiece in the first period, the Bruins were able to jump out on the division leading Buffalo Sabres (9-4-1) and win by the score of 4-2. With the win, the Bruins improved to 7-7-2 on the year, good for third in the Northeast Division. Continue Reading…

As if the Bruins needed any more bad news related to injuries their leading goal-scorerMarc Savard goes down for at least four weeks due to a broken foot. This comes right after Milan Lucic goes down for 4 to 6 weeks with a broken finger. Also missing tonight’s game is Shawn Thornton with an undisclosed injury. Luckily enough Dennis Wideman makes his return tonight after missing the last three games with an injured shoulder. The Bruins are falling apart and doing it fast. They started the year off slow and now all this. If they can get by with all the injuries and are still considered to be one of the top teams in the East then they could still be in a good position for the rest of the season. There are two players that come to mind that need to step up with all the injuries and they are Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

After scoring 31 goals four seasons ago and then 26 goals three years ago, Bergeron has been hampered with injuries and a reduction in playing time. Before Savard came to town Bergeron pretty much ran the team and now with Savard out Bergeron has to step it up. As of right now, Bergeron has scored a goal for the Bruins against the Nashville Predators so maybe he is starting to take his opportunity and help his team win.

As for Krejci, I saw him as coming in this season in being that goal scorer the Bruins really need after the loss of Phil Kessel and so far he has disappointed. Krejci has yet to record a goal, but he does have three assists on the year. He had a break out year last season when he scored 22 goals and 51 assists for 73 points, also recording six game-winning goals. For him to only have three points, innow eight games, is not good enough, especially with Savard out. Bergeron looks like he is going to fill in very well, but Krejci, on the other hand, needs to step it up. I know that he is coming off hip surgery but he should be back at full strength by this point and he still hasn’t preformed like the player he was last season. This test for the Bruins will be tough but Coach Julien should keep his players in line and hopefully win some games before it’s too late.

By Greg Petersen

For anyone following the Bruins thus far this season knows that Lucic out for 4-6 weeks due to a broken index finger is a huge loss. The casual Bruins fan knows that Milan Lucic is the best young fighter that the Bruins have and he rarely losses those fights. His most notable hit was last year when he hit a Montreal player through the glass at the TD Banknorth Garden. Well he is a lot more than that to this team. Lucic scored his first career NHL hat-trick last year in the month of October and added nine points in the playoffs against the Montreal Canadians and the Carolina Hurricanes. Nine points (three goals and six assists) in 10 games in the playoffs is pretty good for someone known more for his fighting rather than his scoring. The Bruins lost again on Saturday to the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 to bring their record to 3-4-0 on the year. The Bruins have struggled with their chemistry this season and have not got into the grove that they were in last season. Now with Lucic out for at least a month, they will need someone to step up to get the rest of the team motivated and to help on the offensive end. Lucic really got the team, and the crowd, into games with his emotional stlye of play and he will be missed.

The Bruins also sent Chuck Kobasew to the Minnesota Wild over the weekend for Craig Weller,Alexander Fallstrom and their second-round draft pick in 2011. The Bruins didn’t get much in this trade as both Fallstrom and Weller are not very strong impact players. The move was prompted by the poor playing of Kobasew and the Bruins, in order to shake things up in hopes for a change. I would’ve liked to have kept Kobasew but after watching the games, it really seemed like he wasn’t doing much to contribute. The Bruins next play on Wednesday at home against the Nashville Predators (2-4-1).

By Greg Petersen

So Chris covered why the Pats faltered against the Broncos, but he did miss out on a major point. If Gostkowski had made that 40-something yard field goal to put the Pats up 20-10 then they probably would’ve won the game. I know that Gostkowski has been a great kicker for the Pats and even made a 53-yarder earlier in the game, but it’s the easier field goals that are just as important. The Pats did lose a game that they should’ve won, but their offense failed to convert and the defense couldn’t keep up. They still have a tough test ahead of them with the Tennessee Titans, even though they are 0-5 they are still a team looking to redeem themselves.

On the other hand, the Sox ended their season on a very low note. Actually Papelbon ended their season. I was not impressed with Papelbon all season and he fulfilled my discomfort when he gave up our season in the top of ninth on Sunday. The Angels are a good team, but they will not win the World Series. The Sox had a deep team that seemed to fall apart for the past month. I hate to say that I lost faith in them since the beginning of September, but it was hard to see them going far when their ace kept giving up home runs and the team kept getting shut out on offense. Like I had said before, they had one of the most inconsistent offenses in all of baseball this season and that was clearly shown against the Angels as they struggled to put up more than a run, and when they did the bullpen lost it for them. I was not surprised they had lost, but I did want them to win. I just don’t think that they had the consistency to compete in a five-game series.

Also, I am sick of Papelbon and I fully anticipate the Red Sox shopping him this winter. Billy Wagner has said that he wants to close next season and that he will find a team that will give him that opportunity. Well he might not have to look far if the Sox do indeed trade Papelbon. Paps has expressed his desire to be the best closer in the game, and to be paid like one. We have paid him plenty of money over the past couple of years, and he clearly wants more even though he walked a career-high 24 batters this season. His command has not been there and his numbers don’t exactly indicate how he pitched, but I don’t think he looked comfortable this season. After his remarks about the possibility of playing for the Yankees, it looked as if he didn’t want to pitch for the Sox anymore. I say get rid of him when his stock is still fairly high and use Wagner in the closer role next year with Daniel Bard as the setup man until he is completely comfortable closing out games. Bard is the future closer for the Red Sox, even with or without Papelbon, Bard is the perfect closer and should emerge as the front runner next year. If we traded Paps, we could get a decent player in return or just save a lot of money in order to retain Jason Bay who has said that he wants to test the free-agent market. If there is one thing the Sox need, it is a big bat and Bay is able to provide that, even though he batted .267 on the year. The Red Sox also need a fourth outfielder, or a third if Bay leaves. There is always the possibility that the Sox go after Matt Holliday, but I would rather have Bay in left. If the Sox lose out on both players than they better look for a trade, because there not many notable free agent outfielders this offseason. Baldelli and Kotsay will be there but after them are: Wily Mo Pena, Gabe Kapler, Gary Sheffield, Bobby Abreu, Vladimir Guerrero (who’s on a decline), Randy Winn and Xavier Nady. Not too much to pick from.

The Red Sox are all set for their rotation next year and that is pretty impressive for a team who just lost in the first round of the playoffs. They are set to have Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Buchholz and probably Wakefield back. They could go out and get another starter for the back-end of the rotation and long-relief appearances and they probably will. Our bullpen is all set, unless they do trade Paps. Okajima, Ramirez, Delcarmen, and Bard will all be back but they could use Wagner as well. So the Sox do have a lot of work to do this offseason. They also have to make decisions on both Varitek and Gonzalez.  

On another note, the Bruins have not looked good at all to start off the season. They lost again yesterday against the Colorado Avalanche by the score of 4-3. The B’s had a great come from behind victory as they were down 3-0 to the New York Islanders Saturday night and came back to force a shootout. They won the shootout, but were not very impressive the first two periods. To start off the season, they got blown out by the Capitals, looked great against the Hurricanes, were killed by the Ducks, came back against the Islanders and then failed to comeback against the Avalanche. The B’s have the talent to be a strong team in the NHL, but sitting at 2-3-0 they are currently third in Northeast Division. Their best line right now consists of Steve Begin, Byron Bitz, Shawn Thornton, Matt Hunwick, and Andrew Ference. That is their fourth line and seems to be the most effective right now. The team has not been successful on the power-play that will certainly hurt them. They also started the year on a five-game home-stand, which does not look like it has helped them at all. Now they have to go on the road and hopefully come back to that form that helped them become the best team in the East last year. They next play the Dallas Stars (1-0-3), should be a win for the Bruins.

Well that sums up the Boston sports for the weekend, the Celtics beat the Nets 100-93 Sunday to improve their preseason record to 2-1. They play the Nets again tonight in New Jersey.

By Greg Petersen