01:00 AM EST on Friday, February 20, 2004

BY DAN HICKLING
Journal Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA -- Left wing Sergei Samsonov was set to return last night from the rib injury that had kept him out of the Bruins' lineup for the last three games.

But "The Stork" had other ideas.

Samsonov returned to Boston during Wednesday's off-day when word came that his wife Meghan had gone into labor two weeks prematurely.

The Samsonovs welcomed their first child, daughter Natasha, who weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

Samsonov is expected to rejoin the club tomorrow in Carolina for the wrapup of the current seven-game road trip.

Corazzini demoted

Rookie winger Carl Corazzini, who was with the club for the last month after being promoted from the Providence Bruins, has been sent back to the P-Bruins.

Providence, which has a three-game weekend coming up, will be happy to get one of its top goal-scorers back.

But according to Boston coach Mike Sullivan, Corazzini is bound to find his way back to the big club.

"I think he showed, not only to himself, but to the organization, that he can play in this league," said Sullivan. "I think he helped us, and he helped himself, too."

Corazzini netted two goals (both in the same game, Jan. 20 against the New York Rangers) and established himself as an effective penalty-killer at a time when Boston's special teams were anything but special.

"He's got great speed," said Sullivan, "and that's probably his biggest asset. That's a big part of the penalty kill. He has the ability to close on people and take away their time and space. He can shut down passing lanes because of his mobility."

A matter of respect

Among the topics of the day discussed in the Bruins' dressing room were the angry complaints made Wednesday by normally even-tempered Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund over what he termed "a (growing) lack of mutual respect" among players.

Naslund, the NHL's leading scorer, was clobbered from behind in a game Monday by Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche, opening a 13-stitch gash in his forehead and leaving him with a concussion.

Moore, a Harvard grad who skates on the Avs' fourth line, was not penalized on the play.

Boston Bruins star center Joe Thornton, who absorbs more than his share of hits, both legal and illegal, isn't sure whether the level of disrespect is rising. But he did say that there should be one standard applied for all players, regardless of their place in the unofficial caste system.

"Obviously, we just want the game to be fair all across the board," Thornton said. "I think all the good players would say they don't want unfair treatment. They just want the game to be called up the middle, without calling it one way for the star players and another for everyone else."

Rugged right wing Martin Lapointe agreed, saying, "It doesn't matter whether it's a guy who scores 50 goals or 20. You've got to play the game the way you play. It's unfortunate that it happened. I'm sure, down deep, guys don't want to hurt anybody. But I don't think you have to let up on a star player. If you've got to go in and forecheck, and give him a clean hit, well, you've got to do that."

Bruins center Craig MacDonald, who also played at Harvard, said that while Moore is hard-nosed, he's definitely not a cheap-shot artist.

"Stevie is a very honest player," MacDonald said. "Very physical. He's grinding it out on the third and fourth lines, and whenever he gets a chance to finish his check, he'll finish his check. In order to stay in the NHL, if you're a third- or fourth-line guy and you don't finish your check, you're not going to be here very long."