No Way the B's Want to Play the Sens Again After They Got Swept In the 4-Game Season Series

I think that a few things are nearly certain if the Senators (43-27-10) and Bruins (44-30-7) should meet in the first round of the NHL playoffs starting next week: 1) Boston will have their hands full after Ottawa recorded the first season sweep (4-0) of them in franchise history with a 2-1 shootout win at TD Garden tonight; 2) the games will be close and painfully boring given the neutral zone trap that the Senators love to employ ad nauseum. Ottawa clinched a playoff berth this evening and also jumped Boston to take over second-place in the Atlantic Division. The Senators are up a point on the Bruins and they have a game in hand; the B's can only earn second-place by beating Washington (54-18-8) in Saturday's (3, NBC) regular season finale while also having Ottawa go no better than 0-1-1 in their last two contests.

Toronto (39-26-15) lost 4-1 to Tampa Bay (40-30-10) meaning that the Leafs are stuck in the second Wild Card spot. Toronto has a game in hand on Boston as well but they trail by two points so a Bruins win on Saturday would seal their fate (a 1st round matchup with Washington barring a miracle by the Lightning or Islanders who are still barely alive). Brad Marchand was suspended for two games by the NHL this afternoon so this is the first matchup that he sat out. Boston also lost defenseman Torey Krug to an injury (he was spotted in a knee brace leaving the Garden) early in the first period and needless to say they could have used both of those fast and skilled guys against Ottawa.

The Senators have resembled a war movie in terms of injuries this season as defensemen Marc Methot and Erik Karlsson were both out tonight along with right wing Bobby Ryan. Boston's point-streak extended to seven games (6-0-1) but their win season-best win streak was snapped at six games. During that run, Boston had only trailed for a grand total of 36 seconds so it was a good sign when Drew Stafford wrapped around the net for a power play goal (5th game in a row that they've bagged at least 1) at 10:37 of the first period. Zdeno Chara (4-game point streak) had the lone assist on Stafford's eighth goal of the season (his 4th as a Bruin). Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson (28 saves) looked silly on that goal but true to form this season, the Bruins couldn't beat him after that-they've scored six total goals in the four losses to the Senators.

Former Canucks dirtbag turned Senators trade deadline pickup Alex Burrows scored the tying goal at 7:37 of the second period. Adam McQuaid coughed the puck up right to him and he was able to wire it in past a screened Tuukka Rask (25 saves). Making Ottawa play from behind is what you want to do but Boston has failed to do that collectively for hardly any time this season. When it's tied up or even worse, when the Senators are in front, it is exceedingly difficult to recover since you naturally get frustrated and mentally taken out of your game. After Boston outshot Ottawa 15-10 in a wide-open first period (when they should have scored more than 1 goal), the shots were even at seven in the second and then the Senators choked them out in a sleepy third (7-3). Boston woke up in overtime (the 1st time they'd ever gone to an extra session under Bruce Cassidy) but they couldn't end it there.

Boston fell to 2-3 in shootouts this season while Ottawa improved to 6-4. Stafford, Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak (who was stopped on a breakaway in the 2nd period) all were denied by Anderson. Rask allowed a goal to Kyle Turris (which turned out to be the game-winner) and stopped Derick Brassard. The Bruins will be trying to get home ice on Saturday not to mention avoid the death trap of having to face the Caps in the first round. Washington has already clinched the Presidents' Trophy (best record in the NHL) so that tilt shouldn't mean a damn thing to them. It's easy to picture Washington fielding a lineup of many AHL call-ups and their guys that are normally scratched with hopefully Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby among other stars resting. The B's can only worry about themselves as they have no time to sit any key players (especially with Marchand and probably Krug out) with plenty left to play for.

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The Bruins Continue To Be Terrible at TD Garden This Season (10-12-2) After Falling 4-2 to the Canucks

So far this season if you have gone to any Bruins home games, there is a better than 50% chance that you have left TD Garden unhappy (assuming of course that you cheer for the Black and Gold). Once again, Boston (24-17-5) had a chance to climb up to the .500 mark at home (now 10-12-2) but they couldn't do it as they lost 4-2 to Vancouver (20-17-11) at TD Garden. It was a strange night as neither team was ever called for a single penalty, the first time that happened in a Bruins game in nearly two years (March 6, 2014 vs. Washington).

Basically, the only two things to really remember were all the emotional tributes that they had for Denna Laing (the Marblehead native that played for the Boston Pride and was paralyzed at Gillette Stadium in their game on New Year's Eve) and also Canucks star (and future Hall of Famer) Daniel Sedin scored two goals to become the franchise's leading goal-scorer (348 which helped him pass Markus Naslund who had 346).

Even though they were playing in their fifth game of a six-city road trip, Vancouver never trailed as they scored first and survived two pseudo-comebacks by the B's. Sven Baertschi gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead just 3:27 into the contest as he was able to poke in a shot past Tuukka Rask (23 saves) on a breakaway. Radim Vrbata and Bo Horvat assisted on Baerstchi's ninth goal of the season (Vancouver has points in 13 of the 14 games that he's been on the scoresheet this campaign).

Boston outshot Vancouver 11-4 in the first period and yet they trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes which is never a good sign when you can't take advantage of such a territorial edge. Starter Ryan Miller had the night off so Jacob Markstrom (28 saves) was the Canucks goaltender. Jimmy Hayes beat him at 19:08 of the second period when his shot deflected off defenseman Christopher Tanev's butt and in the net. Hayes' 11th goal of the season was assisted by David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner (who has 6 points in his last 6 games and 12 points in his last 11).

Alex Burrows has faded almost into oblivion (Vancouver's 4th line) but he was able to summon some of his former glory by putting the Canucks up 2-1 at 1:49 of the third period. His wicked turnaround shot went top-shelf on Rask. It was his seventh goal of the season (and his second game in a row with a tally after 24 straight without a goal), assisted by Linden Vey. Less than three minutes later, the Bruins' equivalent of Burrows (granted a much better player these days)-Marchand-knotted it up at two. Marchand's 18th goal of the season (tying him with Patrice Bergeron for the team lead) was assisted by Bergy at 4:15.

Twin brother Henrik is notably absent at the moment with an upper-body injury so Daniel is left to carry the Sedin last name for the next few weeks. He scored the game-winning goal at 7:03 of the third (his 78th career game-winner) by going to the net and putting in a rebound. He equaled Naslund's team-record of 20-goal seasons (10 and counting), assisted by Tanev and Jannik Hansen. Daniel clinched it with an empty-netter at 19:37, assisted by Vey and Derek Dorsett.

The Bruins host the NHL's worst team-the Blue Jackets (17-27-4) on Saturday night (7, NESN). They have to beat Columbus, who already has nothing left to play for in this miserable season and lost 4-2 in Calgary this evening. If I was coaching the B's (which thankfully for everyone, I'm not), I would start Jonas Gustavsson on Saturday just to give Rask a little break. David Krejci returned after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury of his own. He was a little rusty (-1, 7-10 on faceoffs) but Boston is always a markedly better team with him in the lineup. To make room for him, rookie Frank Vatrano (6 goals, 1 assist) was sent back to Providence.

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Congrats To The Vancouver Canucks, The 2011-12 Regular Season Stanley Cup Champs

The biggest game of the regular season in the NHL took place this afternoon at TD Garden. Oddly enough at 1 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, a Stanley Cup Finals rematch occurred with the Bruins hosting the Canucks.

I understand why the NHL chose to keep this away from primetime with the NFL playoffs beginning today as well but a matchup of this magnitude deserved even more of the spotlight. Regardless, the 4-3 win by Vancouver (26-13-3) over Boston (26-11-1) proved once and for all that the Canucks have not and will not change their pathetic style.

This much was clear yesterday when they mysteriously announced that franchise goaltender Roberto Luongo would get the day off. Yes, Vancouver won today and celebrated like the Jets in their annual September Super Bowl but make no mistake, that team just doesn't get it.

The B's were their own worst enemy as they got too caught up in setting a physical tone and therefore were goaded into dumb penalties. Milan Lucic was given a bogus game misconduct-later rescinded tonight in a baffling NBA-style move-for jumping in to help teammate Shawn Thornton when the enforcer was surrounded by six (no lie) Canucks. Bruins fans could live with that play but Brad Marchand's reckless flip of Sami Salo late in the second period cost Boston dearly as they gave up two goals on those concurrent penalties.

This all played right into Vancouver's hands since they still possess the top power play in the NHL. The Canucks were 4 for 11 on the man advantage, accounting for all their goals, while the Bruins did their best 2011 playoffs impression with an ugly 0 for 7 clip on the power play. That was obviously the difference in the game.

This was the first time in 2011-12 that Boston failed to win (22-1-1) when they scored three or more goals. Not surprisingly, it wasn't Tim Thomas's (32 saves; 17-7-0) best game but who could blame him?

The largest brawl of the game was 3:54 into the first period when the Canucks jumped Thornton. Eventually, Nathan Horton fought something named Dale Weise in a long, emotional bout. Don't ask me how Vancouver got a power play out of that scenario but they did and Ryan Kesler (11th of the season) gave them a 1-0 lead at 5:41. Boston had almost killed that power play but a deflection went right to Kesler and he knew what to do with it.

Marchand (16th of the season) tied it at 14:57 of the first when he took a beautiful pass from Tyler Seguin and put a backhander behind Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider (36 saves). Patrice Bergeron had the other assist.

After Daniel Paille was stoned on a penalty shot, haha he wristed it right into Schneider's glove, Rich Peverley (7th of the season) gave the B's their only lead of the game at 2-1, 7:12 into the second. Benoit Pouliot had the assist on Peverley's top shelf snipe job.

After Tyler Seguin was called for tripping, finger biter Alex Burrows (16th of the season) tied it at two with a power-play goal from Cody Hodgson and Kevin Bieksa at 15:21. Hodgson was originally credited with the goal but apparently Burrows tipped it past Thomas.

Exactly one minute after Marchand's gaffe, Henrik Sedin (11th of the season) scored a backbreaking goal with 13 seconds left in the second period. Yet again, it was a tip-in on a power-play. Alexander Edler and Bieksa had the assists.

Hodgson (10th of the season) scored the game-winner 1:09 into the third when his slap shot went over Thomas's shoulder. Dan Hamhuis had the lone assist on the fourth and final power-play strike.

Boston had no business being in the game at that point but they certainly made it interesting as David Krejci (10th of the season) scored 42 seconds later from Joe Corvo. Alone in front of Schneider, Krejci was able to take two shots before he beat the Marblehead native.

Speaking of Schneider, the former BC star deserves plenty of credit for holding it down despite a 19-10 shot advantage for the Bruins in the third period. There's no doubt in my mind that Luongo would have crumbled under similar circumstances. Local bias aside, Schneider is one of the NHL's top backups and like Tuukka Rask, he would start on many other teams. Hell, he should probably start on his own.

Since the only other times these clubs could meet is in June for the Stanley Cup Finals, that got me to thinking. If the B's make it that far, maybe I don't want to see the Canucks there. Not because Boston won't win but rather I've already had my fill of Vancouver's diving, flopping and embellishment on way too many plays. Boston meets Montreal six times per season. I'd much rather see the Bruins play the Blackhawks or Red Wings, super-skilled North American (that's the key I guess) teams that don't play such a lame style. Just an idea, that is all a long way off anyway.

The Bruins have their third installment of a four game homestand, all against Canadien teams, on Tuesday when they host the Winnipeg Jets. The teams have split the first two games with the Jets winning most recently 2-1 on December 6 in Winnipeg. Even if they're without Marchand (likely) and Lucic (not as likely since the misconduct was overturned), I am positive the Bruins will bounce back from today's disappointment and that loss to the Jets.

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The Boston Bruins wrote the book on heartbreaking losses

I honestly don't know how many ways I can express the same thought I've had and written down numerous times in the last few years: the Boston Bruins find new and different ways to lose games (and series). It's just what they do. The higher the stakes, the bigger the tragically epic failure.

So while last night's 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals was heartbreaking, I can't say it was surprising. At all. If anything, you almost have to step back and appreciate the carnage since there's nothing like a Bruins flop (ever since the Red Sox got their shit together in 2004) to get the blood boiling in this day and age.

After giving up the winning goal with 18.5 seconds in Game 1, the B's outdid themselves by blowing a 2-1 lead, hanging on for overtime but then losing in 11 seconds (the second fastest goal in playoff overtime history).

Much like the B's always remind you of their inadequacies, the NHL always seems to rear its ugly, deformed head at the worst times. Canucks forward Alex Burrows bit Patrice Bergeron in Game 1 but the NHL didn't suspend him or even fine him. Would you believe that he was Vancouver's best player last night, scoring two goals and having an assist?

So yeah, seeing that lowlife be the one to get the winning goal, putting Vancouver two wins away from its first Stanley Cup in its forty year history is about as painful an ending as any Hollywood hack could concoct for Game 2.

Handing out the blame pie for the OT goal is hard to do. Andrew Ference (who for some reason was out there to start overtime) started off the terrible play by putting the puck off the boards, right to Vancouver. Tim Thomas (30 saves) was the bigger goat though as the came flying way out of control and not only took himself but Zdeno Chara out of position too as Burrows faked a shot, whipped around the net and stuffed it in. When you blame Thomas though, you also must realize that Boston wouldn't be anywhere near the Stanley Cup finals without him. He's the best goaltender in the world right now but like Bill Belichick or anyone else, just because he's great doesn't make him bulletproof when it comes to criticism.

This was a game that the Bruins had to win. They sleepwalked through the first period with Burrows scoring a weak power-play goal (his eighth goal of the playoffs) from Chris Higgins and Sami Salo at 12:12. The shot appeared to handcuff Thomas as it squirted through his body and over the goal-line.

Boston responded with its best period of the first two games in the second. Its two most invisible forwards stepped up: Milan Lucic and Mark Recchi. Lucic tied it at one with his fourth goal of the playoffs at 9:00 from Johnny Boychuk and David Krejci. It was a simple play as Lucic went to the net (what a concept!) and was able to put in the rebound past Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (28 saves).

A Mark Recchi power-play goal was one of the most unlikely scenarios (he hadn't scored one since January, really) entering the game but there he was, getting it done at 11:35 (his third of the playoffs). He tipped in a wrist shot by Chara, Patrice Bergeron also assisted. The goal still doesn't justify Claude Julien sticking with him for all this time when he hasn't shown a pulse on the power-play but I digress.

Vancouver predictably came out on fire in the third period since they realized the importance of the game for their side. Thomas held the fort for a while but it was only a matter of time before the Canucks tied it up. Daniel Sedin came out of witness protection to score his ninth of the playoffs at 9:37 after a sweet feed from Burrows. Alex Edler had the second assist.

I was at a bar for the game and I can admit that I had barely settled in for overtime before it was over (I'm sure most people had the same reaction). It was over before it began and the craziest part was that Boston actually won the opening face-off!

Game 3 is tomorrow night at TD Garden and needless to say, it's a must-win for the B's. Lose and they'll be swept, no question. Win and they can make this somewhat interesting. They've proven through the first two games that they can play with Vancouver. The problem is that the Canucks have stepped up when they needed to while the Bruins have choked badly in two huge spots.

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