The Bruins Inked Forward Trent Frederic To A Two-Year Extension With A $1.05 Million Cap Hit

 

    It was a very under-the-radar signing that was sadly buried on a summer Friday afternoon but yesterday, the Bruins signed one of their few promising young forwards to a two-year contract extension. 23-year-old Trent Frederic's new deal will cost the team an annual cap hit of just $1.05 million dollars. That is a relative bargain for a guy that is a former first-round draft pick (29th overall in 2016) who made an immediate impact in his first full NHL season (2021) before tailing off near the end of the regular season and being a healthy scratch for all 11 playoff games against the Capitals and Islanders. While it's hard to explain how he didn't appear in a single postseason contest against two big and tough teams like Washington and New York, I am sure that Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy sat Frederic for a specific reason(s). 

In 42 games last season with the black and gold, Frederic had four goals and an assist along with 65 penalty minutes. As you can guess from those modest offensive numbers, he probably will never be on Boston's top line but nevertheless, he can definitely play a key role as many of the Bruins older veteran forwards eventually start to phase out from the club. Freddy isn't afraid of anyone in the NHL: the picture above shows him chirping with Devils defenseman P.K. Subban while he also famously went after Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin. The key for Frederic like many other young players in the league that play with a physical edge is to not cross the line too often. He had a tendency to take some dumb penalties when other teams started to take notice of him and go after the University of Wisconsin product both physically and verbally. 

    The NHL is not nearly as physical as it once was and likewise, the Bruins who were always known for their toughness these days have very few guys that you would consider legitimate tough guys. Trent could be different and a bit of a throwback (that B's fans already have started to fall in love with) because he has the stick skills of a first-round draft pick but the grinding style of a third or fourth-line forward that's a fringe player in the league. I'm certainly not anointing him the next Cam Neely or anything but there is no reason why his ceiling couldn't be something like a Milan Lucic: a big (6-foot-2, 230 pounds), left shot forward that is not afraid to drop the gloves or go to the net to knock in loose pucks. He seems very likable and a good teammate so with some more seasoning at the highest level, hopefully he continues to take the next steps to embrace a much bigger role on the Bruins. 

For The Third Straight Game, B's & Caps Went To OT But This Time, Craig Smith Won It For Boston

 

    This is getting silly: the last 12 playoff games between the Bruins and Capitals have all been decided by one goal with now eight of those ending in overtime. Tonight at the TD Garden for Game 3 of their first round series, Boston outlasted Washington 3-2 in double overtime with veteran right wing Craig Smith doing the honors with his second career playoff overtime goal which gave the B's a 2-1 series lead. Once again, the Bruins found themselves trailing in the third period before tying it then winning it in the extra session. All three contests in this series have gone to overtime which is crazy. This is a very tough way to live but it is somehow working so far for the black and gold. 

    The big news right before Game 3 started was that Washington's goaltender Ilya Samsonov would start while Pheonix Copley served as the backup and Craig Anderson (who started Game 2) did not even dress. For a guy who had not played since May 1 (due to being in the Covid-19 protocol), Samsonov (40 saves) did not show many signs of rust. Well except for the play that decided the game: he had a chance to the touch the puck behind his net but he hesitated which allowed Smith to swoop in and use a wraparound shot to stuff it in the net at 5:48. Fittingly Smith-who was Bruins GM Don Sweeney's only real notable free agent signed last off-season-was credited with an unassisted tally since nobody on his team helped him per se, that was all thanks to his hustle, speed and determination. 

    After a scoreless first period (which Boston dominated, outshooting Washington 10-4), the Caps built a pair of one-goal leads in the second period which they could not protect. Captain Alex Ovechkin made it 1-0 for the visitors with a one-timer from right wing Anthony Mantha at 8:21. It came on the power play and it was Ovi's first goal of the series. It took the Bruins 56 seconds to respond as left wing Taylor Hall scored a beautiful goal. He took a pass down low from Smith (with UVM's Kevan Miller picking up the other helper) and went backhand to forehand then he put the puck in the top shelf. Very few other B's could have pulled that entire sequence off that he made look so easy for his second goal of the series. Center Nick Dowd put Washington back in front 2-1 at 18:15 as he tipped in a shot from Brown's Garnet Hathaway. It was Dowd's second goal of the series as Boston's goaltender Tuukka Rask (35 saves) was victimized by another tip (or deflection) in the early going of this series. 

    The Capitals turned up the heat in the second period (outshooting the Bruins 16-11) and they tripled Boston's shots on goal total (9-3) in the third period but the black and gold probably did not care one bit since they tied it on left wing Brad Marchand's amazing reaction play. BU's Charlie McAvoy (who played a game-high 33:52) started it by shuttling the puck to captain Patrice Bergeron in the bumper position on the power play. Bergy's shot was deflected but Marchand was there to bat it out of mid-air and straight into the net at 11:32. His second goal of the series made the Garden explode with excitement.

    The B's will have an optional practice tomorrow before they hit the Garden ice on Friday (6:30, NESN) for Game 4. Obviously, that's a huge tilt as well since the difference between leading the series 3-1 or being knotted at two games apiece is enormous. I've accepted that most likely every game in this series will be close like this and perhaps more overtime will be needed to help settle things. Center Evgeni Kuznetsov returned as well this evening from his Covid-19 battle (he had also been out since May 1) so there really aren't any other big moves left for Caps head coach Peter Laviolette to make. It would be nice to see the Bruins carry the momentum from these back-to-back overtime triumphs into Game 4 but then again, I won't hold my breath for that.

Suddenly The Bruins Are Flush With Quality Goaltenders As They Beat The Capitals 4-2 In DC

 

    Based on who was in the lineup and who was not, plus the quality of the opponent and the fact that it was on the road are some of the many reasons for why I felt like tonight's 4-2 victory by the Bruins (21-10-6) at the Capital One Arena against the Capitals (25-11-4) was their best win of the season. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (2-0) made his second NHL start and it ended with another win as the University of Maine alum made 31 saves to beat one of the top teams in the league. Left wing Brad Marchand scored his 30th career shorthanded goal while rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and rookie left wing Anton Blidh each picked a fine time to score their first goals of the season. 

    Defenseman Charlie McAvoy remains out with a unknown upper-body injury so UVM's Kevan Miller stepped up in a big way, playing a game-high 25:18 with five hits and five blocked shots. Boston never allowed the Caps to get comfortable as they built a 2-0 lead in the first period, made it 3-0 in the second period then held on as Washington made it tight with a pair of power play goals. Capitals rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov (28 saves, 9-3-1) was not at his best or maybe he's simply no Jeremy Swayman. Lauzon's goal was such a fluke as his nothing shot from the point somehow snuck past the young Russian. Marchand and right wing Craig Smith had the assists on the tally that came only 33 seconds into the game. Blidh's goal was unassisted at 16:02 but the full story is that a turnover behind Washington's goal and a lucky bounce meant that the puck came right to Blidh who was by there to knock it in. 

    What those goals lacked in physical beauty, Marchand's more than made up for with a brilliant shorthanded goal. I'll give you one guess who had the lone assist on his team-leading 19th goal of the season at 4:09 of the second period. It was center Patrice Bergeron of course who registered the only helper on his BFF's insurance tally. Washington made it a one-goal game with a rapid pair of power play goals that were 19 seconds apart later in the frame. They were essentially the same goal as Caps superstar left wing Alex Ovechkin parked himself at the left face-off dot and hammered in a one-timer at 10:08. Defenseman John Carlson and right wing T.J. Oshie picked up the assists on Ovi's 20th goal of the season that also gave him the second most power play goals in NHL history. On the next shift, Oshie scored on a one-timer of his own from the same location. Carlson and center Nicklas Backstrom were credited with the assists on Oshie's 12th goal of the season. 

    Boston held on to that 3-2 lead for much of the third period before Smith thankfully gave them a little breathing room. His power play goal came at 16:55 with center Charlie Coyle and rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril assisting on his seventh goal of the season. With the win, the B's improved to 3-0-2 against the Caps in 2021. They have three more matchups left with the Capitals including on Sunday night (7, NESN) back at the TD Garden. Before that, the Black and Gold head to Philadelphia (18-15-6) for a matinee on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN). It's their last tilt with the Flyers in the regular season which is a shame since they are 6-0-1 against them-after an overtime loss and win earlier this week. As I've said lately, it really doesn't matter which Bruins goaltender starts for them especially against Philly. One more win would be a sweet way to end the extremely lopsided season series with the Flyers. Boston is six points ahead of the Flyers for fourth-place in the East Division with two games in hand. 

The B's Rallied From A 3-0 Deficit But Ultimately Lost 4-3 In OT To The Caps On Ovechkin's Goal

 

    The first meeting between former Bruins (5-1-2) captain Zdeno Chara (plus-1, 1 shot on goal, 6 blocked shots in 20:54) and his new team the Capitals (6-0-3) did not disappoint as Washington won a thriller 4-3 in overtime at Capital One Arena thanks to superstar Alex Ovechkin's 24th career overtime goal (the most in NHL history). Boston had trailed 3-0 late in the second period before a Nick Ritchie power play goal finally woke them up. The Bruins tied it at three in the third period on defenseman Charlie McAvoy's tying goal with less than a minute left in regulation and with goaltender Tuukka Rask (19 saves, 3-1-2) pulled for an extra skater. The point was a nice reward for an amazing comeback by the B's against one of the top teams in the NHL but it still left a sour taste in their mouths I'm sure since Ovi scored 28 seconds into the extra session before they could finish what would have been an epic comeback win on the road.

The reunion with Chara and Ovi's return from Covid-19/his OT game-winning goal rightfully overshadowed what was also a big storyline for the Bruins: their star David Pastrnak (assist, 5 shots on goal, 1 takeaway in 20:29) made his season debut after being deemed healthy from off-season hip surgery. One goaltender was pretty locked in and the other was not, I'll let you guess which one was which: Capitals rookie Vitek Vanecek (40 saves, 5-0-2) was far busier than Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (19 saves 3-1-2) who allowed a few goals (including Ovechkin's) this evening that made you react with frustration. Late in the first period, Caps center Nicklas Backstrom beat Rask for his fifth goal of the season (unassisted at 18:06). He stole the puck from Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (3 assists) and skated it into a high danger area before firing a snap shot past Rask. 

    It was more of the same for the home team in the second period as UNH's Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his first goal for Washington followed by Richard Panik's tip-in that extended the lead to 3-0 Caps at 10:03. Defensemen Brenden Dillon and Backstrom picked up the assists on TVR's screened wrist shot that found its way through a bunch of bodies and into the net. Panik's goal was originally credited to Capitals goon Tom Wilson but instead it was given to the Washington right wing for his first goal of the season. There was only one man to save Boston from this predicament, left wing Nick Ritchie who saw a shot by David Krejci deflected off his leg then into the net. Bergy had the secondary assist on Ritchie's fourth goal of the season which have all come on the man advantage. 

    The Black and Gold continued to carry the play in the third period and they were rewarded for that with a pair of goals. First, left wing Brad Marchand received a sweet pass from McAvoy and fired a shot from close range by Vanecek for his fifth goal of the season at 6:03. Speaking of McAvoy, he was the main reason that the Bruins salvaged a point from this uneven performance. They squandered two power plays in the third period but getting Rask off the ice paid off in a wild sequence: Krejci's stick broke while he was about to shoot, McAvoy had a shot blocked then the puck bounced around near the crease in tons of traffic before he was there to knock it in. Pastrnak had the primary assist (his first point of the season) on McAvoy's first goal of the season at 19:02. Unfortunately for the B's, this game was basically over before it began in overtime since Ovechkin wasted no time ending it. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best goal-scorers in NHL history but given the long distance range of the shot, you'd like to think that Rask at least could have made the initial save. Backstrom and defenseman John Carlson had the assists on Ovi's second goal of 2021. 

    Boston doesn't have to wait too long for a rematch with Washington since the Capitals host them again on Monday (7, NESN). Two points will be just as hard to come by then for the Bruins who figure to have Jaroslav Halak (2-0-1) between the pipes as head coach Bruce Cassidy tries to give Rask enough rest in this sprint of a regular season. If the B's can channel that team that appeared in the third period tonight, they'll be in good shape but then again, Washington can definitely play a more consistent sixty minutes. As we've learned in recent years, when the Caps play at their best, it is a level that the B's generally cannot reach.                                 

A Christmas Miracle: The Bruins Not Only Beat the Capitals, They Destroyed Them 7-3 at the Garden

It didn't matter how it happened, the Bruins (22-7-9) needed a win this evening more than in any other game that they've had so far in 2019-20. The fact that they were taking on the juggernaut Capitals (26-7-5) only made this 7-3 destruction at TD Garden even sweeter. Now Boston can fully rest during the upcoming three-day Christmas break instead of totally dwelling on the last few unfulfilling weeks (where they had lost 8 of 10) of action. They avenged a pair of one-goal losses to Washington-the NHL's top team-earlier this season (3-2 shootout loss here on Nov. 16 and a 3-2 loss in D.C. on Dec. 11) as well.

Not surprisingly, given that the Caps had won 16 of their previous 17 meetings with the B's, Tuukka Rask's (14-4-5, 39 saves) lifetime numbers against Washington were horrific. His only two wins against Washington in his career were shutouts so while he didn't manage that, it was more than enough since Braden Holtby (4 goals allowed on 11 shots on goal) puked on himself early and headed for the showers after one miserable frame of work. This matchup was never really competitive as the Black and Gold jumped ahead with four unanswered goals in the first period alone, took a 5-0 lead in the second and coasted from there. The Capitals are not only uber-talented with a ton of great players but they are also tough and chippy/dirty so they didn't take their rare beating in stride.

Boston's blue line was already missing captain Zdeno Chara (getting maintenance done on his surgically-repaired jaw)-out for the first time this season-before the game had even started. The injuries began to pile up to B's defensemen as Torey Krug left in the second period with an upper-body injury after taking a hard hit from Caps instigator Tom Wilson into the boards. Late in garbage time of the third period, Washington winger T.J. Oshie buried Charlie McAvoy with a clean but very solid check into the half wall by Washington's bench. McAvoy was down on the ice for a bit and when he finally got to Boston's bench, he was on his hands and knees being attended to by the Bruins trainer. Yikes. David Pastrnak even got into it with Wilson in the third period after he was jabbed in his jingle bells by Wilson's errant stick. Ouch.

The special teams of the Bruins dominated as their power play scored twice against Washington's #2 ranked penalty kill unit and their PK was a perfect 5-for-5 plus they scored a goal to boot. Jake DeBrusk got the holiday cheer started early with a power play tally at 5:37 of the first period. His ninth goal of the season was assisted by David Krejci and Matt Grzelcyk. It was a simple play as Jake went to the net then stayed with the puck to knock in the rebound. Boston really took control of the game with a pair of goals 27 seconds apart beginning at 13:29: Brad Marchand scored his first tally in nearly a month (Nov. 27 at Ottawa) and then Anders Bjork put in a shot from the slot to stun the Caps who own the NHL's best record. Brad's goal was on a juicy rebound by Holtby after Pasta put a low hard shot on him. McAvoy had the second assist on Marchand's 19th goal of the season. Bjork's goal was his sixth of the season and Charlie Coyle had the lone assist on it. Tilts aren't over in the first period but Patrice Bergeron's power play (a 2-man advantage for 2 whole minutes!) tip-in at 18:57 made the B's and their fans feel pretty great. Pastrnak had the shot that Bergy deflected for his 14th goal of the season with Krejci picking up the other assist.

Coyle's shorthanded goal at 6:55 of the second period made the Bruins' lead balloon to an almost unfathomable 5-0 advantage. His seventh goal of the season was also the 100th of his NHL career, a nice little milestone for the guy from Weymouth, MA by way of BU. Marchand had his team-leading 34th assist to send Coyle in alone on Washington's backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov (no relation to Sergei?). Boston could use that kind of move and top shelf shot in their fruitless shootouts (where they are 0-5 this season) but I digress for it is the holiday season and there is no need for negativity. Alex Ovechkin (game-high 8 shots on goal & 6 hits) fittingly got his team on the board with a snipe from Wilson and John Carlson (35 assists, good for 3rd in the NHL), his team-leading 23rd goal of the season.

The physical plays were more interesting in the third than the goals (a pair of empty-netters by Krejci and Bergeron sandwiched by Lars Eller's deflection and Maine native Garnet Hathaway taking advantage of a miscommunication by the Bruins defense). Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy thought that the NHL's Department of Player Safety could be busy looking at all the borderline stuff from this game. He joked that if Marchand (a repeat offender himself) had done some of the stuff that the Capitals resorted to tonight, he would definitely be punished for it. Sad but true.

Besides the break, the Bruins couldn't ask for a much more favorable end to 2019. First, they have a home-and-home with the sputtering Sabres (17-14-7) starting on Friday (7, NESN) in Buffalo then back here on Sunday night (7, NESN). Then they spend New Year's Eve afternoon (1, NESN) in Newark, NJ against the wretched Devils (12-19-5)-the second worst team in the Eastern Conference. I'm not going to say three wins or bust for the B's in that tiny stretch but anything less than four or five points would be a disappointment against those clubs. Most importantly, like the Bruins I hope that you enjoy these next few wonderful days with family and friends and Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas to all!

Tweet

B's Lose 3-1 to Caps in Regular Season Finale, Await Either Washington or Ottawa in 1st Round

If the Capitals (55-18-8) don't finally win their first-ever Stanley Cup this summer, they might never get it done. That mildly hot take is a tad sarcastic but come on, does Washington have any real weaknesses? In a game that meant absolutely nothing to the Caps but plenty to the Bruins (44-31-7), Washington still managed to cruise to an easy as pie 3-1 win this afternoon at TD Garden. Boston dropped its last two regular season games so they lost any control over whether they'll finish in third-place in the Atlantic Division or as the second Wild Card (and a certain death penalty vs. Washington). All they can hope is that Toronto (39-26-15) earns no more than two total points in their final two games: vs. Pittsburgh (50-19-11) later tonight and then they host reeling Columbus (49-24-8) to wrap things up tomorrow night.

The B's also suffered what could be another significant injury to their defense as Brandon Carlo (upper-body injury) left in the first period and never returned after a hit by Alex Ovechkin then awkward fall to the ice. Boston has termed defenseman Torey Krug "day-to-day" after he left Thursday's shootout loss to the Senators (44-27-10) but from all accounts, that is being generous since he has a significant right knee injury. Anton Khudobin (21 saves) played for the first two periods before departing because "he didn't feel well." Haha was he hanging out with all the Red Sox that are currently knocked out by the bird flu? BU's Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson made his NHL debut today since PC's Noel Acciari is also out with an upper-body injury. JFK centered the third line for Boston but did barely anything (1 blocked shot, 1-1 on faceoffs in just 8:25 of ice time) of note.

Washington is so skilled and loaded at seemingly every position (keep in mind that defenseman John Carlson and goaltender Braden Holtby both sat out) that many of their goals resemble something you do more frequently in a video game than actually experience in real life. Marcus Johansson (24th goal of the season) scored on a basic give-and-go with Justin Williams as they split Boston's tattered defense at 15:39 for a 1-0 Caps lead. Johansson has 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists) in his last nine games.

The second period had some nastiness as Colin Miller's legs took out Tom Wilson's legs which caused Jay Beagle to take a run at Miller. It was a cheap play that could have resulted in a serious injury since Miller was in a vulnerable position (laying on the ice against the boards) and I wouldn't be shocked if Wilson has a hearing with the league about it. Speaking of which, this was Marchand's second game of his suspension so he is free to play starting in Game 1 of the playoffs next week. Washington has swept Boston the last three seasons (7-0-2) and outscored them 30-11 in the process. The only time that the B's were able to beat backup Philipp Grubauer (21 saves) is when Colin Miller put the puck in a millisecond before Drew Stafford crashed into the net (knocking it off its moorings). The goal was reviewed but stood up, Miller's sixth goal of the season assisted by Stafford.

The tie was short-lived (for 56 seconds) as former BU star Kevin Shattenkirk one-timed a pass from Niklas Backstrom (who leads the NHL in helpers) and Ovechkin at 16:09. Shattenkirk added another goal at 17:31 but it was overturned after Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy used his coach's challenge for goalie interference. It hardly mattered to the Capitals though as they made it 3-1 at 19:10 when Williams completed a pretty passing sequence around multiple helpless Bruins with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nate Schmidt. Tuukka Rask (8 saves) started the third period and that's about all we'll ever say about that forgettable frame. Now all we can do is wait until possibly tomorrow night (the last day of the regular season) for all the scenarios to unfold. The B's have no shot if they face the Caps but a matchup with the Senators is infinitely more winnable despite the fact that Ottawa also swept Boston during this campaign.

Tweet

In a Playoff-Like Game (for early March), Capitals Outlast Bruins 2-1 in Overtime on Niskanen's Goal

If we're being positive here (and tonight I feel like going that way), the Bruins (36-23-7) went toe-to-toe with the two best teams in the NHL the last few days on their home ice and earned three out of a possible four points against Chicago and Washington. Tonight at TD Garden, Boston scored first but lost in OT 2-1 to Washington (48-13-4) who in the process picked up their 100th point of the season. Underrated defenseman Matt Niskanen (who is having a great season) scored the game-winning goal at 2:36, his fifth goal of the season from Andre Burakovsky and Marcus Johannson.

Yet again, the B's failed to reach the .500 mark at home (15-16-4) this season (something which they haven't done in 2015-16) and more worrisome, they lost defenseman Kevan Miller to what looked like a serious shoulder injury. He's had problems with his shoulders in recent years and he left early in the second period after Alex Ovechkin hit him from behind into the glass. Ovi was assessed a five-minute penalty for boarding while Brad Marchand picked up a two-minute roughing call for sticking up for his fallen teammate. It was a physical contest as Adam McQuaid and Tom Wilson (who leads the NHL in penalty minutes) fought in the first period.

Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead at 7:11 of the first as Patrice Bergeron opened the scoring for the second straight game. Miller corralled a loose puck at the blue line and kept it in Washington's defensive zone. From there, Lee Stempniak got a piece of the puck before Brad Marchand fired a sweet pass across the goal-line to Bergy for the tap-in (his 26th goal of the season).

The Capitals picked up the win primarily for two reasons: their backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer (33 saves) was fantastic and they survived a Bruins 5-on-3 for 1:50 in the second period. Washington tied it at one at 13:08: defenseman Karl Alzner re-directed in a pass from Nicklas Backstrom. Alzner's fourth goal of the season was also assisted by Ovechkin. Earlier in the frame, Bruins defenseman Torey Krug had apparently broke his 40-game (really!) goal-less streak but after a lengthy review, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz's challenge paid off: it was ruled no-goal.

Washington has now won its last six games against the Bruins including a season sweep (3-0) that also included a 4-1 win at home on November 5 and a 3-2 win here on January 5. That is something to keep in mind should they meet again in the playoffs. Tuukka Rask (28 saves) fell to 1-8-4 in his career against the Capitals while Washington didn't even have to call on the services of their star goaltender-Braden Holtby-who started last night in New York (a 3-2 Rangers win). Washington is the only NHL team to not lose consecutive games in regulation this season (12-0-1).

After a mostly successful four-game homestand (2-1-1), the B's head out for a back-to-back in the Sunshine State before they return to the Garden on Thursday to play Carolina (29-26-11). On Monday (7:30, NESN) they are at Florida (36-20-8) and on Tuesday (7:30, NESN), they are at Tampa Bay (39-22-4). Those two games could go a long way towards determining the Atlantic Division since the Lightning currently are up two points on the Panthers and three points on the Bruins (Boston has played one more game than both of them). If there is one thing to count on with the Bruins in this wacky campaign, they have been incredibly consistent on the road (21-7-3).

Tweet

We're Still Waiting for the Real Bruins to Show Up This Season

In three games so far this season, the Bruins have scored a grand total of three goals (for non-math majors, that's one per game). We can complain about new lines or other aspects of the team but with that simple stat, it's surprising that Boston (1-2-0) has already won a game. Tonight, they flatlined with a 4-0 no-show against the Capitals (1-0-1) at TD Garden. What made it so disappointing was that they kind of did the same thing, with less gross results, in Thursday's 2-1 loss at Detroit.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice, Nicklas Backstrom, Andre Burkovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov each had two assists and Braden Holtby recorded his 12th career shutout with 29 mostly soft serve saves. It was the first time that Holtby had ever blanked the B's. Ironically, the last time that Boston had been shut out in regular season was basically a year ago (Oct. 10, 2013) vs. Colorado (2-0) which was also the third game of the season.

The disturbing part about this slow start is that the Bruins haven't exactly played the iron of the NHL: Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington are all teams that figure to be battling for some of the last playoff spots in the weak Eastern Conference right down to the wire.

Bobby Robins got into his second fight of the season (both at home) but this one wasn't particularly smart since it was preceded by a kneeing penalty. Ovechkin cashed that in with a patented one-timer from the faceoff dot at 11:26 of the first period on assists from John Carlson and Backstrom. If that wasn't easy enough, Ovi doubled Washington's lead at 18:39 after a simple cycle down low by Backstrom and Karl Alzner left him wide open as he went to the net.

You hate to write them off too soon but with the way they've struggled to put the puck in the net, or even create dangerous chances, it felt like it was over when Mike Green netted Washington's second power play tally at 10:34 of the second period. He was assisted by Kuznetsov and Backstrom on another one-timer that beat Tuukka Rask (17 saves).

Playing with Ryan Spooner and Mark Fraser, Milan Lucic has been a ghost so you know that he's frustrated. Green hit him from behind so Lucic took exception to it and was called for cross checking and a 10-minute misconduct. He might as well have gone after him harder and gotten some more frustration out because that was pointless.

Carlson added the final goal in garbage time, one last one-timer that Rask said was deflected, at 18:46 from Burakovsky and Kuznetsov. Woof. The Bruins were rightfully booed off the ice by the few remaining fans after the game ended.

There is only one way to go from here: up. The B's will try to find their game on Monday afternoon (1, NESN) in their customary Columbus Day matinee-this time against former Bruins great Jarome Iginla and Colorado (0-1-0). Since Rask has started all three games thus far and played every minute, I would expect his backup Niklas Svedberg to make his 2014-15 Bruins debut. Rask isn't the issue by any means but head coach Claude Julien has to be prudent about giving him a break when he can, especially in this busy stretch to start the year (four games in six days).

Boston hadn't lost two straight in regulation since January 7 & January 9 last season. The last time that they dropped three straight in regulation was March 10-15, 2012. Eventually, David Krejci and Gregory Campbell will return (but Johnny Boychuk won't) and the Bruins are bound to start looking like themselves again, right? Even if they don't have those guys on Monday, there is no reason that they can't put these three forgettable contests behind them as they try to play like the team that many picked to win the Eastern Conference.

UPDATE 10/12: The B's made a minor move this morning: sending Craig Cunningham down to Providence and recalling Seth Griffith. This new fourth line changes everything!

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

We're Still Waiting for the Real Bruins to Stand Up

After losing in overtime to Buffalo on Wednesday (I mean really), you had to figure that the Bruins would bounce back in their first game back at TD Garden after the Olympic break. Turns out, Boston (37-17-5) played even worse as they lost 4-2 to Washington (29-23-9) this afternoon.

You'll never win by allowing a pair of power play goals to Alex Ovechkin or letting the Capitals open up a 3-0 lead midway through the game but that's the impossible path that the B's chose for today. Ovi hammered in a one-timer at 18:39 of the first period and made it 2-0 with a similar strike at 2:24 of the second period. Ho hum, he leads the NHL with 43 goals, no big deal.

You knew it wasn't Boston's day when Johnny Boychuk coughed up the puck to Joel Ward who skated in alone on Tuukka Rask and scored at 10:13. At that point, the Bruins finally woke up before they suffered further embarrassment. Patrice Bergeron started the ill-fated comeback attempt with a power play goal of his own, 41 seconds after Ward's crushing tally. It was Bergeron's 17th goal of the season from Dougie Hamilton and Reilly Smith.

The fourth line came through with a goal as Shawn Thornton threw it to Gregory Campbell for a redirect but the puck went flying past Braden Holtby (36 saves) off his defenseman Mike Green. Thornton's fifth goal of the season came at 17:32 from Daniel Paille and Campbell.

One last fatal mistake by a Bruins defenseman cost them as Torey Krug fell down, leading to a breakaway and goal for Eric Fehr at 10:53 in the third. In a weird scheduling quirk, these teams meet again in Boston on Thursday.

Before then, Boston travels to New York to face the Rangers (33-25-3) tomorrow night (7, NBCSN) then hosts the lowly Panthers on Tuesday. The B's need points and fast before the Atlantic Division becomes a race again.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Tyler Seguin Scores In Overtime, Bruins Force Game 7 Back In Boston

It is only right that a series that has been so insanely close from Game 1 to Game 6, would end with the ultimate finale: Game 7 at TD Garden.

The Bruins still never make it easy on themselves but they pulled out a 4-3 overtime win this afternoon at the Verizon Center in D.C. to force Game 7 on Wednesday night (time TBA). Tyler Seguin scored his first goal of the playoffs off a pretty play from Milan Lucic (2 assists) and David Krejci (1 goal, 1 assist) as Boston blew three separate one-goal leads but still prevailed.

Krejci intercepted a bad clearing pass by the Capitals and fed Lucic, who took a hit but released the puck right on time to Seguin. The second-year player was able to beat his defender to the outside then work around Braden Holtby (27 saves). It was a goal-scorer's move that few other guys on the Bruins could possibly make let alone execute in that type of high-stakes game situation.

This series which wasn't that anticipated coming in, has been nothing short of a classic (haha assuming the B's win Game 7). Each game has been decided by one goal (first time in NHL history that the first 6 games have been like that): there have been three 4-3 games, two 2-1 games and one 1-0 game. If that's not enough, this was the third time in six games that they have needed overtime. Basically, if you make it through this series as a Bruins fan without suffering a heart attack, you are in damn good shape.

The Bruins have only played with a lead twice this series (Game 3, Game 6), they've scored first only twice (Game 1, Game 6) and this will be the fifth time in their last six playoff series that they've gone seven games.

It's easy to look back in hindsight because they won but this would have been a particularly brutal way to lose (and crash out of the playoffs) since Boston had two golden opportunities right away in OT: Zdeno Chara had Holtby way out of position but he wasn't able to get a shot off. Then Patrice Bergeron tipped a shot off the crossbar.

The B's played with urgency from the start, illustrated by the fact that Rich Peverley (3rd of the playoffs) scored 5:56 into the first period. He tipped in Andrew Ference's shot from the point with the banged up Bergeron picking up the other assist.

Washington responded less than four minutes later as Mike Green (1st of the playoffs) banked a shot off Greg Zanon's leg and past Tim Thomas (36 saves). It was a bad break, the kind that the Caps have seemingly taken advantage of all series long.

Krejci (1st of the playoffs) scored a power-play goal at 16:48 of the first period from Lucic and Peverley. It was definitely a shot that Holtby would like back since the puck hit him in the chest area but still squirted by him. Regardless, it was huge for the Bruins to get Krejci on the scoresheet and on the man-advantage no less (their second of the series and in as many games).

The Caps tied it two with 42 seconds left in the second period on a bizarre play. Brad Marchand spun and took a flop in Washington's defensive zone, trying to get a call, but he didn't and the Capitals ended up with a rush up the other end. Nicklas Backstrom found Jason Chimera (1st of the playoffs) with a pretty backhand saucer pass that the goon just had to tap in. Dennis Seidenberg was caught behind Chimera and Thomas sold out thinking Backstrom would shoot. People freaked out on Twitter that it should have been a penalty but honestly, Marchand can't pull that type of Montreal Canadiens type crap. Hopefully he'll learn from that mistake.

Ference (1st of the playoffs) scored a clutch goal at 11:57 of the third, following up a rebound from Seguin's shot. Unfortunately, Thomas gave up a soft goal to Alex Ovechkin (2nd of the playoffs) at 15:08 to tie it up once again and eventually force overtime. Yes, Boston gave Ovechkin a ton of space in the shooting lane but he didn't exactly rip it. The puck went through Thomas' five hole, much like Troy Brouwer's game-winner in Game 5, it was one that Thomas has to stop if the Bruins are going to advance.

Thank God that these teams and the fans get a couple days off before Game 7. If they played again tomorrow or even Tuesday, they would be dead. After playing two wild 4-3 games the last two days, we all get a chance to take a breath and allow the proper hype and buildup for what should be an awesome Game 7.

Joe Corvo missed today's game with a knee injury so Mike Mottau took his place. The other Boston move was replacing Shawn Thornton with Jordan Caron. Plus, Tuukka Rask was Thomas' backup for the first time in the series.

Clearly, Wednesday night will almost certainly be a one-goal game. I would be shocked if it's not very tight either way. Overtime is a real possibility too. Beyond that, who knows? There is nothing better than a Game 7 in the NHL playoffs so let's all enjoy it as much as possible. You can never be sure who will step up and be the hero or likewise, be the goat. Boston is 1-2 at home so far but I can guarantee that the Garden will be electric on Wednesday. As always in big games, the Bruins will rely on their leaders: Thomas, Chara and Bergeron to set the tone. If they all play like they are capable of, the B's will be hard to beat.

UPDATE 4/24: Bruins-Capitals Game 7 on Wednesday will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Bruins Answer The Bell, Solve Holtby In 4-3 Thriller

Three games into the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Boston Bruins finally proved that Capitals rookie goaltender Braden Holtby isn't the second-coming of Patrick Roy. Not yet at least.

Tonight at Verizon Center, Boston beat Washington 4-3 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead. After scoring two goals combined in the first two games, the B's were able to get traffic in front of Holtby (25 saves), roll four lines (that all had tangible contributions) and grab their first lead(s) of the series.

For the third consecutive game, this one looked to be headed for overtime but Bruins captain Zdeno Chara saved Boston from that dicey scenario with a clutch goal at 18:07 in the third period. Patrice Bergeron and Dennis Seidenberg assisted on Chara's first of the playoffs, a one-timer that was a low missile that Holtby could not stop.

Washington scored the first goal but Boston was able to rally twice (down 1-0 and 2-1) to tie it and eventually take a 3-2 lead. The Capitals scored with six minutes left in regulation, a backbreaking goal on a truly putrid defensive breakdown by the B's.

Alexander Semin (1st of the playoffs) scored a power-play goal with four minutes left in the first period. His screened wrist shot found its way past Tim Thomas (29 saves) with assists from Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin.

After a slow first period, the Bruins woke up early in the second as Rich Peverley (1st of the playoffs) squeezed one past Holtby 35 seconds in. It was a save that the rookie should have made, the first semi-soft one he's allowed thus far. Nevertheless, a first line forward for Boston finally produced a goal. Chara and Andrew Ference had the helpers.

Before I could even tweet about that goal, Washington scored 13 seconds later. Laich's flip/dump pass found Ovechkin and his shot was deflected by Seidenberg past Thomas. Ovie's first of the playoffs was also assisted by Roman Hamrlik.

Daniel Paille (1st of the [playoffs) made sure Boston wouldn't face another deficit after two periods. He scored on a rebound at 9:38 with assists to Greg Zanon and Gregory Campbell.

A good sign for Boston is that they had jump to start the third and scored an early goal, again. Brian Rolston (1st of the playoffs) scored on another juicy rebound by Holtby. Funny how average a goaltender can look when you get some bodies in his field of vision and don't settle for 50-foot shots. Chris Kelly and Chara assisted on Rolston's first playoff goal for Boston since 2004.

Laich (1st of the playoffs) tied it at 3 after a home-run pass from Nicklas Backstrom found him alone by the Boston bench. He skated in on Thomas and roofed a forehand shot. Mike Green had the second assist.

Game 4 is on Thursday night in D.C. so these teams will have an extra day off to let the hatred build. I didn't think the Capitals had it in them but I guess their head coach Dale Hunter has brainwashed them into taking cheapshots (Examples: Jason Chimera spearing Brad Marchand in the balls and Backstrom picking up a 10-minute match penalty at the final whistle). By the rulebook, Backstrom will miss Game 4 but Hunter said in his postgame comments that he thinks the NHL will rescind it. We shall see about that. Oh and Karl Alzner (who?) made fun of Milan Lucic by making a crybaby hand gesture after a scrum. Haha have fun dealing with that crazy Karl.

There's a big difference between being up 3-1 in a series or tied 2-2 so I have faith that the Bruins will be focused and as a result, they'll play well. Please for the love of God, can they score a power play goal? They were 0 for 5 this evening which makes them 0 for 11 in the playoffs.

UPDATE 4/17: Backstrom had his disciplinary hearing today and his suspension is upheld, he will miss Game 4 on Thursday for his cross-check of Rich Peverley at the end of Game 3. Huge loss for the Caps and a really dumb play by him.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Capitals Earn Two Points The Hard Way

If you fell asleep or passed out for the first 2+ periods of tonight's Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game, you're in luck if you woke up in the third period.

That's when the action really picked up as a scoreless game became 2-2 in a span of less than 11 minutes. Boston (45-28-4) rallied from a 2-0 deficit that looked fatal but Washington (39-31-8) held on in overtime and won 3-2 in a shootout at TD Garden.

Matt Hendricks, Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich (game-winner) scored in the shootout for the Capitals while Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron had the Bruins goals.

Boston picked up a point but their three-game winning streak was snapped just the same. Washington ended the season series 3-1 against Boston, something which should give them confidence should these teams meet in the postseason (a first-round date is certainly possible).

Believe me when I tell you that nothing happened in the first two periods save for Adam McQuaid getting hurt (concussion?) on Jason Chimera's charging penalty in the first (14 strides!) and Caps goaltender Tomas Vokoun left with an injury (groin?) of his own.

Boston was also missing Dennis Seidenberg who was out with an infection from a cut on his leg.

Chimera got a 5-minute major and a game misconduct but the B's weren't able to take advantage of the extended power-play opportunity.

Two mistakes by Boston led to both Washington goals in the third. At 7:59, former Bruin Dennis Wideman (11th of the season) was allowed to slip into the offensive zone and he wristed a shot by Tim Thomas (21 saves; 33-20-0). Marcus Johansson and Alex Ovechin assisted on the goal.

Just 1:55 later, the Capitals seemed to put this one away and get back into eighth place in the Eastern Conference thanks to a 2-on-1 finish by Johansson (14th of the season) from Ovechkin.

The Bruins beat the Capitals by one second as they scored a pair of goals in 1:54. David Krejci (21st of the season) was the first to solve Michal Neuvirth (19 saves) as he redirected Zdeno Chara's shot at 16:50. Milan Lucic had the second assist.

Andrew Ference (6th of the season) tied it at 2 with a slap shot at 18:44. Krejci had the lone assist on the rare Ference goal.

Chris Kelly forced a solid stop by Neuvirth shortly after Ference's strike. Boston had all the momentum going into overtime but they weren't able to score in the extra frame.

Boston will get a full dose of New York this weekend as they travel to Long Island on Saturday to meet the Islanders then they face the Rangers at MSG on Sunday night.

Surprisingly, the Bruins are 1-1 against the Islanders with New York winning 3-2 on March 3 at the Garden. They haven't given up on this season either (even though they aren't going anywhere). The Islanders beat the Penguins 5-3 both nights of a home-and-home this week. Expect Marty Turco to get a start this weekend, more likely Saturday.

UPDATE 3/30: McQuaid didn't make the trip to New York so he's out for this weekend's games. Seidenberg is day-to-day meaning that he could potentially play.

UPDATE 3/31: With Buffalo's loss to Pittsburgh tonight, the Bruins clinched a playoff spot for the fifth straight season under Claude Julien. He has never missed the postseason in Boston.

Tweet


Follow @RichSlate

Tim Thomas & Bruins come back down to Earth

After beating the Washington Capitals the first two times they played this season and with Tim Thomas off to the best start in franchise history, both steaks were bound to come to an end sooner or later.

They both went down last night at the Verizon Center in Washington DC as the Captials (9-4-0) beat the Bruins (7-3-0).

Washington scored three goals in the second period, which forced Claude Julien to yank Thomas (22 saves). Of course, the B's scored three goals in a frantic third period comeback but the Captials - the San Jose Sharks of the Eastern Conference - can still score some goals and they got the game-winner in the third period before an empty-netter put this one in the win column.

Defenseman Tyler Sloan began the Caps' second period barrage with a blast from the point, 59 seconds into the frame. He was assisted by Tomas Fleischmann.

Mike Green made it 2-0 with a nice move, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The key goal was by Alex Semin, late in the second period, as he went on a shorthanded odd man rush and slammed home a feed from Green.

With Tuukka Rask (12 saves) in between the pipes in the third period, you have to give the Bruins credit for not giving up.

Michael Ryder sparked the three goal flurry with a power play goal (poking home a rebound with a backhander) at 3:07 from Mark Recchi and Dennis Seidenberg. Less than a minute later, Nathan Horton scored another power play goal, this one from Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic.

One of the most unlikely sources tied it up as Shawn Thornton scored on a pretty backhander, following a 2-on-1 breakaway. Brad Marchand and Mark Stuart assisted.

Washington goaltender Michael Neuvirth (11 saves) was pulled at that point, for rookie Braden Holtby (4 saves), who had never played before in the NHL.

At 13:25, Caps defenseman John Carlson scored the game-winner from Eric Fehr and Boyd Gordon and then Ovechkin (from Backstrom and Jeff Schultz) whipped in the empty-netter.

The B's are back home tonight as they host the St. Louis Blues.