Cue the Hype Machine as the B's Dominate the NHL's Best Team (TB) From Start to Finish, 4-1

Let's get these qualifiers out of the way first: yes, Tampa Bay (49-12-4) was playing on the second night of back-to-back on the road and backup goaltender Louis Domingue (who was 19-4-0 coming in) got the start but whatever. These are the most important facts (at least as far as Bruins fans are concerned): for the first time in NHL history, two clubs entered with 14-game point streaks (12-0-2 for Tampa Bay and 10-0-4 for Boston) but only one continued as Boston (38-17-9) rolled 4-1 against the Lightning tonight at TD Garden. The B's improved to 14-3-0 in their last 17 home games against the Lightning.

It's only one game so it doesn't erase last spring's one-sided second round playoff series (4-1) won too easily by Tampa Bay. However, it makes up for the 3-2 loss by the B's in Tampa on Dec. 6 and with two more meetings in the regular season, it should give the Black and Gold confidence that they can play with that super team. Domingue (37 saves) actually played out of his mind for most of the game and he was the only reason that his gassed teammates were able to hang around until Boston exploded for a trio of goals in just 1:28 in the second half of the third period. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (20 saves, 21-8-5) continued to play some of the best hockey of his life: he has a goals against average of 1.92 and save percentage of .931 during his 16-game point streak (13-0-3).

Tampa Bay's numbers both individually and as a team are pretty ridiculous this far into a campaign: they have 13 more points than the next closest team in the NHL (Calgary) along with the No. 1 power play unit and the No. 1 penalty kill unit. Right wing Nikita Kucherov (30 goals, 74 assists) is the front-runner for the Hart Trophy (MVP) and he leads the league in points while even Domingue had won his last 11 games (longest streak in Lightning history). They had won a franchise-best 10 games in a row before tonight's loss.

After a scoreless first period-highlighted by another David Backes bout and Mathieu Joseph ringing a shot off the post-where Boston outshot them 17-4, the B's went ahead for good thanks to a power play goal by red-hot Jake DeBrusk (7 goals in his last 8 games). Torey Krug (1 goal, 10 assists in his last 11 games) and Rask had the assists on DeBrusk's 21st goal of the season but in truth, it was mostly all thanks to Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman. DeBrusk intended to pass the puck to Brad Marchand next to the Tampa Bay net but Stralman deflected it right into his own goal. Oopsie! Still, Boston had 23 more shots on goal through two periods (32-9) but only led by one goal (1-0) which was troubling to say the least.

The Lightning's best offensive push of the game was right away to start the third period as Kucherov's line acted like they were on a power play when they really weren't and completely hemmed Boston in its own defensive zone. They didn't come away with any goals though but Domingue stood on his head, robbing Joakim Nordstrom and Danton Heinen with incredible saves. Sean Kuraly got sandwiched between a pair of Lightning on a rough hit by Braydon Coburn that sent Boston's fourth-line winger to be evaluated for a concussion. Speaking of the fourth line, Noel Acciari lost two teeth on Tuesday after getting hit in the face with an errant puck but he didn't miss a game. The hockey gods rewarded him with a huge goal at 11:47 that made it 2-0 Bruins. He followed up a shot by linemate Chris Wagner for his third goal of the season. That's when the floodgates finally opened on Domingue as Patrice Bergeron scored on an uncovered wrister from the slot 45 seconds later (his 22nd of the season, assisted by Heinen and Acciari) and Marchand put the bow on it with a goal via a breakaway where the puck actually rolled off his stick before he completed his move. No worries, his 26th goal of the season was assisted by Heinen and Krug at 13:15.

Tampa Bay finally got on the scoreboard at 13:52 as Anthony Cirelli tipped in a shot from the point by Ondrej Palat. His 13th goal of the season saved the Lightning from the embarrassment of getting blanked but that's about all it was good for. This officially closes the month for the B's and what a February it turned out to be: they finished 11-0-2, their first month without a regulation loss since November 2011 (12-0-2). The good times shouldn't end anytime soon either since they have four games left on this homestand and three are against teams currently out of the playoff picture. The mostly nameless Devils (25-31-8) are here on Saturday night (7, NESN) in Marcus Johansson's first meeting with his last employer. The crowds at the Garden have been particularly loud for the last few games and with only 18 games left in the regular season, playoff hockey is right around the corner.

Tweet

Charlie Coyle & Marcus Johansson Make Their Home Debut as the Bruins Pummel the Sharks 4-1

I can't wait for that Bruins-Sharks matchup in the Stanley Cup Final in June, how about you? That scenario is really not that far-fetched but seriously though, these teams somehow managed to play two completely different styles but still wildly entertaining games only eight days apart. Boston (37-17-9) beat San Jose (37-19-8) 6-5 last Monday in OT (the craziest tilt of the B's season) on the road then they returned to TD Garden tonight for the first time in two weeks and humbled the Sharks 4-1. In the meantime, the Bruins extended their point streak to a whopping 14 games (10-0-4) while Jaroslav Halak (19 saves, 17th win of the season) saw his point streak increase to six games (4-0-2).

BU alum and Weymouth native Charlie Coyle played 17:14 in his first home game as a Bruin and Marcus Johansson one-upped that with an assist in his first game as a Bruin. Both guys were acquired within the past week and right away, they make Boston's lineup that much deeper and more experienced. San Jose actually scored first as Logan Couture's fluky touch somehow eluded Halak giving the Sharks a power play goal at 12:47 of the first period. Couture's 23rd goal of the season was unassisted and quickly forgotten as David Krejci answered with a power play strike of his own just 1:52 later. Torey Krug and Brad Marchand had the assists on Krejci's 15th goal of the season, another David Pastrnak-like (remember him?) one-timer from the slot.

I doubt that you will find a more dominating period this season by the B's than the second which is all the more impressive considering that they were up against one of the other elite clubs in the NHL. First of all, they scored three goals and they were in the span of 3:19 midway through the frame. Furthermore, they had the first of three fights (Chris Wagner vs. Barclay Goodrow) as the Sharks started to lose their composure on the last night of their four-game road trip. Charlie McAvoy gave the Bruins their first lead of the game at 9:09 as he went top-shelf on Martin Jones (28 saves, 13th loss of the season). Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen had the assists on McAvoy's fifth goal of the season (he's heating up with 3 in his last 5 games). Before that tally had even been announced yet, it was 3-1 for the home team as Jake DeBrusk finished off some nifty passing with his new linemates-Krejci and Johansson-37 seconds later. DeBrusk's 20th goal of the season was his sixth in his last seven games and it marked the first time in his NHL career that he's hit the 20-goal plateau. Marchand put it out of reach with an amazing shorthanded goal at 12:28 from Patrice Bergeron and Brandon Carlo. He weaved between two defenders (including Erik Karlsson who had aggravated his groin injury yet returned to action) before beating Jones for his 25th goal of the season and 25th shorthanded goal of his Bruins career (tying Rick Middleton for the franchise record).

There were no goals in the third period but plenty of shenanigans and tomfoolery as Evander Kane had the bright idea to jump Zdeno Chara after he took an elbow to the face (no penalty was called on that hit by the way). Kane knocked the giant down which is more than most humans could do but then he was predictably destroyed. For his troubles he received a 10-minute misconduct then later a game-misconduct when he couldn't stop yelling at Chara and the refs. Once a punk, always a punk (albeit a very talented and tough one). The only real cringe-worthy moment of the proceedings was David Backes (who has a long, scary history of concussions) dropped the gloves with goon Michael Haley. Yikes, don't do that anymore David.

This was a perfect way to open Boston's longest homestand of the season (6 games). Things only get more real on Thursday (7:30, NBC Sports) as the undisputed best team in the league-Tampa Bay (48-11-4)-pays a visit to the Garden. The Lightning have won nine straight games and straight up embarrassed most of their opponents but I give the Bruins a puncher's chance since Tampa Bay will be in New York tomorrow night to face the Rangers (27-26-9). Defenseman Kevan Miller is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and he was out tonight for the B's but John Moore subbed in admirably. Tuukka Rask (12-0-3 in his last 15 decisions) will be in goal and it should be an awesome playoff-like atmosphere. Who knows, maybe it'll be another playoff series this spring as well after the Lightning rolled in five games last year in the second round vs. Boston.

Tweet

Who Needs Pastrnak? The B's Double Up the Hawks 6-3 As They Win Their 3rd Game In 4 Days

However it happened (drunkenly?) late on Sunday night somewhere in Boston, the end result was that Bruins (32-17-8) star David Pastrnak (31 goals, 35 assists) is out indefinitely following thumb surgery. This was all revealed to the world on Tuesday morning after morning skate so naturally, the B's weren't affected by this shocking news in the least bit as they thumped the Blackhawks (23-25-9) 6-3 tonight at TD Garden as they have earned points in eight games in a row (5-0-3). No matter that Chicago was the hottest team in the league, having won seven games in a row before this. Eight different Bruins recorded points led by Brad Marchand (goal, 3 assists), David Krejci (2 goals, assist), Jake DeBrusk (goal, 2 assists), Danton Heinen (goal, 2 assists) and Patrice Bergeron (2 assists). Tuukka Rask (23 saves, 18-8-4) gave up a howler of an opening goal but still managed to extend his point streak to 12 games (10-0-2).

Earlier in the season, Alex DeBrincat's "goal" that Rask somehow wasn't able to stop despite the fact that it was right at him from a mile away would have derailed the entire team. That was DeBrincat's 29th goal of the season (9-game point streak), assisted by Dominik Kahun and Dylan Strome at 4:22 of the first period. Boston quickly picked themselves up off the ice by scoring three goals to close out the first period and they added another in the second for a commanding 4-1 advantage. Krejci fittingly tied it with a power-play goal from Pasta's office. His one-timer (13th goal of the season) was assisted by Bergeron (5-game point streak) and DeBrusk at 14:47. 49 seconds later, the Bruins went ahead for good on Heinen's tally. Bumped up to first line for the last few games, Heinen has predictably been a totally different player (who wouldn't be with Bergy and Marchy?). His ninth goal of the season was assisted by Marchand (5-game point streak) and Chara. Before Merrimack College's Collin Delia (31 saves, 6-3-3) knew what hit him, Marchand made it 3-1 at 18:59. Heinen and Bergeron notched the assists on Marchand's 22nd goal of the season.

Boston survived a 5-on-3 penalty kill in the first and Chicago did the same in the second before DeBrusk finally picked up his first goal in over a month (Jan. 8 vs. Minnesota). He deflected in Krejci's pass just as a Bruins power play ended, for his 15th goal of the season with Marchand adding the other helper. Duncan Keith (game-high 23:25) cut the deficit to 4-2 with a blast from the point with 23 seconds left in the second period. Connor Murphy and Kahun had the assists on Keith's third goal of the season. It got interesting for a few minutes in the third as the Bruins allowed Erik Gustafsson to walk right into the slot and fire a snipe by Rask at 4:48. Keith and Patrick Kane (15-game point streak!) had the assists on Gustafsson's 12th goal of the season.

It was a big night for Boston's special teams as their power play scored two goals against Chicago's league-worst penalty kill while the Bruins PK was a flawless 3-for-3. Rookie Peter Cehlarik (4th goal of the season) put in a pretty pass from Heinen and Torey Krug for the other goal on the man-advantage at 7:18. Krejci officially sealed it at 6-3 with another nice goal at 15:42, assisted by Marchand and DeBrusk. This was Bruce Cassidy's 100th win as Bruins head coach (in 166 games) and he did it faster than everyone except good old Tom Johnson back in 1971-72 (138 games).

The B's won't be in the Garden for two full weeks as they head out on a five-game West Coast road trip. They are in Anaheim (21-26-9)-the worst team in the Western Conference that just fired their head coach Randy Carlyle-on Friday (10, NESN) followed by a game in LA (23-28-5) the next night (10:30, NESN). The difficulty should pick up on Monday (10, NESN) as they take on old friend Joe Thornton and the Sharks (34-16-7). After that, they are in Vegas (31-22-4) on Wednesday (10, NESN). It all ends in St. Louis (28-22-5) a week from Saturday afternoon (4, NESN). The Bruins' next home game is two weeks from tonight vs. San Jose (7, NESN). Load up on Red Bull or the energy drink of your choice since there are a bunch of late nights coming up for the Black and Gold.

Tweet

Bruins Just Can't Quit You Overtime, But Hey At Least Now They Are Winning In The Extra Sessions

(30 for 30 voice) What if I told you that the Bruins (31-17-8) have gone to overtime now in five of their last seven games? If that wasn't enough, Boston needed an extra frame in back-to-back days this weekend at TD Garden but odds are they won't be complaining after they walked away with another victory. Brad Marchand (and Matt Calvert's skate) was the hero as the Bruins outlasted an equally gassed Avalanche (22-22-11) 2-1 this afternoon. In the process, they put an end to some embarrassing streaks: this was their first overtime win vs. Avs/Nordiques since March 31, 1992 and their first ever OT win here vs. them. Finally, Jaroslav Halak (35 saves, 14-9-4) picked up his first win in well over a month (Jan. 3 vs. Calgary).

If you are a stats humper like me, here are some more for your personal spank bank: the Bruins improved to 7-1-2 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season, 9-1-2 in Game 2s of three games in four days and a perfect 7-0-0 in matinees. Haha why can't all their games be afternoon contests tightly packed together like this? Colorado has lost their last seven games in a row including three straight in OT (they are a ghastly 1-10 in overtime this season which seems impossible). After a nice start to the season which included a 6-3 drubbing of the Black and Gold way back on Nov. 14 in Denver, they have plummeted back to Earth although they are currently just as close to the Wild Card spots in the Western Conference as they are to the basement.

Colorado's only goal in 64:03 of action came when Nathan MacKinnon flipped in a tight angle shot top shelf on Halak for a 1-0 Avs lead at 19:27 of the first period. Gabriel Landeskog and J.T. Compher had the assists on MacKinnon's 29th goal of the season. After getting outshot 12-7 in the first, the Bruins woke up as John Moore of all people tied it with a shot from the point at 3:40 in the second period. Semyon Varlamov (33 saves, 13-13-8) must have been screened since Moore beat him from some distance for his third goal of the season, assisted by Charlie McAcoy and Marchand. If you are into weird hockey plays (and who isn't?), Moore had another puck go in the net off of his stick but it didn't count due to an obscure rule: the dump-in went off the curved glass by Boston's bench and bounced past Varlamov with 29.1 seconds left in the frame. Apparently, that is a rule and it cannot be reviewed, alrighty then.

Besides having the top two forward lines in the NHL, both of these clubs possess quality power plays (Boston is No. 2 and Colorado is No. 6) but you wouldn't know that from today's yucky performances: the Bruins were 0-for-5 on the power play while the Avalanche were 0-for-4. Are you not entertained? From that perspective, overtime was probably a foregone conclusion and the B's are now 6-6 in the extra five minutes which is way better than the 4-6 mark they sported coming into yesterday's OT victory vs. LA (23-27-5). Halak made a nice save on a backhander by Calvert and shortly after that, Marchand's shot bounced in the goal after it deflected off Calvert's skate. Marchand's 21st goal of the season also extended his franchise record to 14 career overtime goals-the second most for all active players-trailing only Alex Ovechkin (22). Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug provide the assists with the latter running a Patriots style pick play to free up some space for Marchand to shoot from.

Chicago (23-24-9) comes here on Tuesday (7, NESN), Boston's last home game before they head out West for a five-game road trip. The Blackhawks looked like trash on New Year's Day when the Bruins beat them 4-2 at Notre Dame Stadium but surprisingly, they've been on fire lately (winners of 7 straight including Sunday's 5-2 win vs. Detroit). Every point is important at this time of the year and today's two points elevated Boston into third-place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Montreal (31-18-7) and one point behind Toronto (34-17-3) who is playing at the Rangers (23-23-8) as we speak. The B's are riding a seven-game point streak (4-0-3) and another win would feel good as they head out of town for 10 days.

Tweet

Bruins Blow Another Two-Goal Lead in the Third But This Time They Win in OT Thanks to Bergeron

What is it about Patrice Bergeron that makes him elevate his already stellar game to another level when it matters the most? The Bruins (30-17-8) legend was playing in his 1002 career NHL game but before this afternoon's contest vs. LA (23-27-5), he was honored for his 1000th game held earlier this week. Wouldn't you know that he scored the game-winning goal in OT as the B's outlasted the Kings 5-4 in a wild affair that included another two-goal lead in the third for Boston that disappeared. Boston improved to 5-6 in overtime this season while LA dropped to 5-4 in the extra session. It was the first Bruins overtime win vs. Kings since March 22, 2003 (Glen Murray) and the first on home ice since November 2, 1989 (Bob Sweeney).

It was the fourth time in their last six games that Boston had gone to overtime and oddly enough it extended their point-streak to six (3-0-3). Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 17-8-4) didn't have his best performance of the season but nevertheless he has now earned points in 11 straight contests (9-0-2). After a sleepy scoreless first period, you probably didn't expect this explosion of goals but it was still appreciated since Boston has struggled so much to score lately. More importantly, they got the two points against a team that they should beat. The result at least temporarily pulled them into a tie with Montreal (31-18-6) who hosts Toronto (33-17-3) later this evening in a key Atlantic Division matchup.

David Pastrnak was moved to the second line (to hopefully spread around the scoring a little more) and Danton Heinen (goal, assist) got the gift of his life being elevated to the top line with Bergeron (2 assists) and Brad Marchand (goal, assist). Charlie McAvoy opened the scoring at 4:38 of the second period after a slick no-look pass from Bergy went right to his tape for an easy tap-in. Heinen had the other helper on McAvoy's second goal of the season (the other was on Oct. 13!). LA came in with the worst record in the Western Conference which was a little misleading since they were only five points out of the second Wild Card spot. They are sure to make some moves before the trade deadline but unlike a team like the Ducks (21-26-9), at least they haven't completely given up. Something called Alex Iafallo tied it with a power-play goal at 8:13, Alex Martinez and Adrian Kempe had the assists on his 11th goal of the season. The Kings took their only lead of the day soon after that as Anze Kopiter (aka Euro Bergy) slammed in a one-timer at 14:02. Dustin Brown and Dion Phaneuf-other parts of LA's old guard-had the assists on Kopitar's 17th goal of the season.

Boston had been 1-14-2 this season when they trailed after two periods while Los Angeles was 16-1-1 when they led after two so clearly a comeback was in order for the home team. The B's surged ahead with a trio of goals early in the third just 3:22 apart: Heinen put in a rebound (8th goal of the season), David Krejci scored (his 12th goal of the season) after Torey Krug (2 assists) hit the post and Marchand (20th goal of the season) scored his 24th career shorthanded goal (1 behind Rick Middleton for the franchise record). McAvoy and Marchand assisted on Heinen's tally, Krug and Pasta (7-game point streak) had the helpers on Krejci's goal and Bergy worked a beautiful 2-on-1 with Marchy.

Up 4-2 in the third and with Rask on a roll, you figured that this one was over but then again, this is the same club that lost 4-3 in a shootout against the middling Rangers (23-23-8) on Wednesday at MSG after leading 3-1 midway through the third. Former Bruins draft pick Nate Thompson cut it to 4-3 with a one-timer at 9:19, his fourth goal of the season was assisted by Brendan Leipsic (born in Braintree, MA). That was nothing as a scrub called Oscar Fantenberg picked a great time to score his first goal of the season with a one-timer at 15:13 from Drew Doughty (who played a game-high 28:40!) and Tyler Toffoli (who is rumored to be on the trade block).

That all just set the stage for more heroics by Bergeron. He reached 20 goals for the 10th time in his brilliant career as he ripped a shot by UMass' Jonathan Quick (28 saves, 11-13-4) at 2:34 of overtime. Krug had the lone assist on Bergeron's wide-open chance that went low blocker side past Quick into the corner of the net. This was the beginning of a quirky back-to-back set for the B's who host the Avalanche (22-22-10) right back here tomorrow afternoon (3, NESN). Colorado lost 4-3 in overtime at the Islanders (32-16-6) this afternoon and they are in complete free-fall mode (2-6-2 in their last 10 games) after such a bright start to their campaign. Jaroslav Halak (13-9-4) will start vs. Colorado and he could really use a win since he's 0-3-2 in his last five decisions. In fact, his last win was over a month ago (Jan. 3 vs. Calgary).

Tweet

The B's Cap Off Another Memorable Day In Boston Sports History With A 3-1 Win Vs. Islanders

Today was one of those special days in life when basically everything was perfect: global warming blessed Boston with temperatures in the low 60s as the city celebrated the sixth Super Bowl title for the Patriots with another Duck Boat parade. That would be more than enough for most places but in addition to that, the Bruins (29-17-7) put a bow on top of this unforgettable Tuesday with a 3-1 victory against the Islanders (30-16-6)-the leader of the Metropolitan Division who entered as the hottest team in the NHL. Oh and B's legend Patrice Bergeron celebrated his 1000th game by scoring two goals, fittingly the first and last one of the contest.

Coming off of Sunday's 1-0 shutout in Washington (29-18-6) which snapped a soul-crushing 14-game losing streak to the Capitals, Boston was able to prove that was far from a fluke. Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 16-8-4) extended his point-streak to 10 games (8-0-2) with another excellent effort against a high quality opponent that is sure to make the playoffs this spring. After an awesome pregame ceremony with a ton of Patriots (including owner Robert Kraft and Super Bowl 53 MVP Julian Edelman who spiked the ceremonial faceoff), the B's sputtered in the first period as they went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner (24 saves, 16-8-4) is having a career season and he kept it scoreless with some unbelievable saves. Boston made it 1-0 early in the second period as Bergeron was able to poke in a rebound after Lehner stuffed David Pastrnak (5-game point streak). Brad Marchand had the second assist on Bergeron's 17th goal of the season at 2:32. New York started to dominate possession and create a ton of scoring chances later in the frame but Rask was able to hold them off until Jordan Eberle flipped in a power-play tying goal at 16:40. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson had the assists on Eberle's 12th goal of the season.

The Islanders appeared to go ahead early in the third period as Cal Clutterbuck of all people finished a beautiful passing sequence with a snipe past Rask. Luckily for the B's, they challenged it for being offside and that proved to be the right call so it remained 1-1. Goals have been an issue lately for the Black and Gold along with secondary scoring which is why it was great to see rookie Peter Cehlarik tally the game-winning goal at 6:34 of the third. He whiffed on the initial chance and still didn't get a ton of mustard on the second shot but Lehner couldn't keep it out of the net as the puck trickled over the line. Kevan Miller snapped a 13-game scoreless stretch with the lone assist on Cehlarik's third goal of the season.

Matt Grzelcyk got called for two separate penalties on the same play (tripping and slashing) meaning that Boston had to kill off what added up to a double-minor (4 minutes) on him. They did not get burned by New York's mediocre (ranked No. 26 in the league) power play again. Once Lehner left for an extra skater in the final minutes, you knew how this would end: with a Bergeron empty-netter. The way that actually transpired was a pretty cool moment as Pastrnak could have scored on the empty net himself but instead he left a drop pass for the trailing Bergeron-a beautiful sign of respect for one another. Marchand of course started the play and recorded the other assist on Bergeron's 18th goal of the season at 19:05, 3-1 Bruins.

After this tilt, Boston headed for New York to face the Rangers (22-22-8) tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports) at Madison Square Garden. Jaroslav Halak (13-8-2) has lost in his last three appearances and he's 4-4-0 in his last eight decisions so he could really use a win. Remember, New York won 3-2 here on January 19 aka the game when Rask suffered a concussion. New York is not a good team at this juncture but they always seem to give the Bruins a tough game regardless of their record. If you give any credence to stats, the B's have some favorable ones heading into this matchup: they are 7-1-1 this season in Game 2s of back-to-back sets and 6-3-1 in Game 3s when they have three games in four nights. Boston returns home on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) to face the worst team in the Western Conference-the Kings (22-27-4). As always, Beat LA!

Tweet