Tonight was exhibit A proving why I don't gamble on sports-excluding Fantasy, March Madness pools and trips to Vegas of course. You'll be hard-pressed to find another game this season where the Boston Bruins will be more heavily favored.
However, this was what gamblers term a reverse lock. The Columbus Blue Jackets came in to the TD Garden as the worst team in the NHL and they used a goalie-Curtis Sanford-who was making his first start of the season. They give up the most goals and the B's have climbed the charts to No. 2 in scoring per game. So of course, Boston (10-7-0) had to grit its collective truth through a 2-1 shootout win over the Blue Jackets (3-13-2).
Oh and by the way, Boston picked up their seventh straight win mostly thanks to goaltender Tuukka Rask (30 saves) who improved to 3-3-0 with his best effort of the young season. And please, don't tell me he's getting traded. Rask is the future whenever Tim Thomas decides to retire or loses his ability. Backup goalies, that have starting experience, that are as good as Rask don't come around often.
After a boring and scoreless first period, Columbus actually took the lead 1-0 at 2:49 as something called Derek MacKenzie (3rd of the season) tipped in a shot from the point on the power-play. Gregory Campbell was one second away from getting out of the penalty box.
Adam McQuaid, who was drafted by the Blue Jackets, tied it 1:35 later when his screened shot found its way in. On the replay, it appeared that Rich Peverley tipped it but the honk Garden scorers probably felt bad for McQuaid who rarely gets points and gave him his first tally of the season.
The only other real action of the frame was when Shawn Thornton (5th fighting major in 17 games) took on Jared Boll in a fight that wasn't exactly the Rumble in the Jungle. Still, their was some obvious venom as both guys screamed at each other after the dustup and as they were escorted to their respective boxes.
Sanford (26 saves) played way better than everyone but his family and close friends could have ever dreamed. Neither team could put the puck in the net despite some great opportunities for both sides.
Overtime was similarly full of chances but nobody could end it so it went to Boston's second shootout (win in Chicago) to decide it. Tyler Seguin and Rick Nash went first but both were stuffed. Peverley gave the B's a 1-0 advantage but Mark Letestu tied it.
After David Krejci scored, Rask stoned Antoine Vermette to seal the win.
It wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination but Boston got the two points and that's all that matters. Along with the Rangers, who have somehow won seven in a row, the Bruins are unquestionably one of the NHL's hottest teams.
This was the close of a resounding success of a homestand: five wins in five games. Boston is 7-0-0 in November. The Bruins will now head out on a three-game road trip (Long Island, Montreal and Buffalo) that kicks off on Saturday night against the Islanders. Boston began the homestand with a 6-2 win over the Isles on November 7.
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