Oilers Remind Us to Enjoy the Bruins' Success While They are Near the Top

Neither Wayne Gretzky nor his skanky daughter Paulina is not walking through that door. I know I thought the same thing when the Bruins faced the Islanders last week but the Oilers reiterated this cold hard fact to me: dynasties or great teams in the NHL (or any sport) don't last forever. I use the Islanders and Oilers as an example since no team was more dominant than them in the 80s and early 90s but what have they done since then? Today, Edmonton (18-33-6) came to TD Garden and left with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Bruins (35-16-3) in their back pocket.

Boston swept the two-game season series with Edmonton, outscoring them 8-2. Besides Andrew Ference's return to the Garden and the ultra rare Chad Johnson (22 saves) shutout-the second of his NHL career-there really wasn't much to this one. Frankly the Oilers are a disgrace and I don't know how any of their fans have stuck with them the last decade as they've continually bungled top draft picks or simply not developed them properly. But hey, I hear the weather is great in Edmonton this time of year.

They served as the perfect cupcake for the B's who were licking their wounds a bit after Thursday's lifeless 4-1 loss to the Canadiens. Boston outshot Edmonton 9-2 in the first period but couldn't beat Ben Scrivens (37 saves). That changed in the second period as David Krejci fired a power play shot from the point that deflected off an Oiler and in the net at 2:06. Jarome Iginla and Milan Lucic assisted on Krejci's 12th goal of the season.

Edmonton had to be thrilled to only trail 1-0 heading into the third period but that didn't last for long as Dougie Hamilton made it 2-0 at 6:43. He followed his own rebound and wrapped around the goal-somewhere Johnson flinched-and shot it by Scrivens from a tough angle. It was his sixth goal of the season (2nd in as many games), assisted by Zdeno Chara and Carl Soderberg.

Speaking of the one-eyed Swede, he has really become a solid player for the Bruins. He's played some center the last two games with Chris Kelly returning to the lineup and getting his feet under him. Soderberg put this out of reach at 13:05 when he roofed a snipe of a shot for his eighth goal of the season, 3-0 Boston. Kelly and Matt Bartkowski had the assists.

The Bruins added one more power play goal, their prettiest score of the afternoon, when Torey Krug (12th goal of the season) finished tic-tac-toe passing from Chara and Iginla at 15:42.

Boston wraps up this four-game homestand on Tuesday (7, NESN) vs. Vancouver (27-20-9, 4th in Pacific Division). There are plenty of subplots in that game already: 1) John Tortorella returns from his suspension. 2) It is Chara's last game before he leaves for Sochi (he's the flag-bearer for Slovakia at the Opening Ceremonies). 3) The Canucks smoked the B's 6-2 on Dec. 14 in Vancouver, something which Boston's coaches will be sure to remind the players a few times between now and Tuesday night.

UPDATE 2/3: The Bruins recalled defenseman David Warsofsky from Providence.

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Is There a Bruins Fan Out There That Hasn't Fallen In Love with this Team Yet?

Granted they aren't exactly playing the iron of the much deeper Western Conference but the Bruins are finding ways to win when common sense tells you they shouldn't. Boston held off Edmonton 4-3 tonight at Rexall Place for their fourth straight victory. Backup goaltender Chad Johnson made a career-high 39 saves, Jarome Iginla scored two goals and the B's (22-8-2) built an early 3-0 lead that was too much to overcome for the awful Oilers (11-19-3).

This being Edmonton, home of the worst goaltenders in the NHL, Dennis Seidenberg scored a very weak goal (not that he'll complain) at 10:35 in the first period. His first of the season was a knucklepuck that the immortal Devan Dubnyk had no chance to stop. Iginla doubled the lead at 16:11 when his blast from near the boards (and blue line) went past Dubnyk. His seventh goal of the season was assisted by Seidenberg and David Krejci plus Milan Lucic screened Dubnyk.

The Oilers had given up the most short-handed goals in the NHL so naturally they had to let the Bruins nab one. Brad Marchand one-timed a pass from Patrice Bergeron at at 18:17. It was Marchand's fifth goal of the season.

David Perron might be one of the only guys on the Oilers with any type of fight or character. He battled back with a pair of goals to cut it to 3-2. His wrist shot went top shelf on Johnson at 3:25 then the Bruins' goaltender got caught too far out of the net so Perron wrapped around it and poked in a loose puck for an ugly goal (if you root for Boston) at 17:27.

Maybe the highlight of the whole contest (assuming you don't mind fighting) was Lucic brawling with Luke Gazdic (great name). Iginla couldn't get the empty-netter on Tuesday in Calgary when the whole crowd wanted it but he delivered tonight at 19:16 from Krejci and Kevan Miller (1st NHL assist).

I didn't really notice him much but I guess former Bruin Andrew Ference (now Edmonton's captain) had a good game: +1, one shot on goal, three blocked shots and two hits. I wish him nothing but the best, he was one of my favorite Bruins from the last few seasons.

Boston wraps up this four-game road trip on Saturday (10, NESN) at Vancouver (18-10-5, 4th in Pacific Division). The Canucks have won their last five games heading into tomorrow night vs. the Oilers.

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Bruins' 2013-14 Regular Season Schedule Released

We can all laugh at the NHL's complete lack of good timing, dropping its biggest news in weeks on a Friday afternoon during a heatwave, but there is still something fun with regards to thinking about the Bruins this fall, winter and spring while our minds melt. Thankfully, with a full regular season (forget you lockout), the B's will have a much more interesting slate of 82 games. Plus, they're in a new division (Atlantic) which is the old Northeast plus the Red Wings (yay!), Panthers and Lightning (meh).

Every team in the NHL will meet every possible opponent with the fun starting for real on October 1 and the regular season ending on April 13. The playoffs begin on April 16 and there is a 2.5 week break from February 9-26 due to NHL players competing in the 2014 Olympics in Socchi, Russia. The B's won't be taking part in one of the six outdoor games planned by the NHL this season, more than ever. With an unbalanced Eastern Conference (16 teams) and Western Conference (14 teams), the Bruins will play five games against two teams in their division and four games against five teams in the division (30 games). Then they'll play three games each against the other eight teams in the East leaving 28 games against the West. Hope you got that without picking up an ice cream headache.

Boston's first regular season game is October 3 vs. Tampa Bay. The B's have to be content with their first three games at TD Garden as they host the Red Wings two nights later then the Avalanche on October 10. Assuming he's returned from shoulder surgery, former Bruin Nathan Horton and his new team-Columbus Blue Jackets host Boston for their first road game on October 12. Other highlights of October include the B's welcoming in the Red Wings on Columbus Day afternoon, San Jose comes to TD Garden on October 24 then a great two games in two nights stretch: at Pittsburgh on October 30 then hosting Anaheim on Halloween.

We don't have to wait long for Tyler Seguin's much ballyhooed return to Boston (local bars and clubs should be thrilled) as the Stars play the Bruins November 5 to kick off a five-game homestand (longest of the season) through November 14. The Maple Leafs will be looking ahead to November 9 at TD Garden for a while since it's their first meeting with the B's since their loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last spring. The return of former stars continues as Horton and Columbus play in Boston on November 14. Boston visits the Rangers on November 19 in the first matchup of the season since the B's knocked New York out in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jarome Iginla gets his first crack at the Penguins in the Hub on November 25 as Pittsburgh returns to the place where they were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. Drinking the night before Thanksgiving is always a great tradition and this year it should be even better with the Bruins playing in Detroit. In their usual afternoon game the day after Thanksgiving, the B's take on the Rangers.

The bad news is that we'll have to wait over two months for our first installment of Bruins-Canadiens (December 5 in Montreal) but that means they'll be backloaded which will be enjoyable enough. Speaking of Iggy, he gets to make his first return to Calgary on another team December 10 with the B's as part of a four-game road trip in Canada (December 8-14) which is the longest of the season. That holiday in Canada will be followed with another reunion as the B's head to Edmonton on December 12 to face former Bruin Andrew Ference. Boston wraps things up North of the border in Vancouver on December 14 where they can beat up some more on the Sedin sisters. The NHL is nice enough to gives everybody a break from December 24-26 (take that NBA!) so the Bruins' last game before Christmas is December 23 in Nashville then they return on December 27 vs. Ottawa. I hate New Year's Eve so I'm happy that I already have a built in excuse to beg off the sure to be lame plans and watch the Bruins play the Islanders that night at TD Garden.

The first game of 2014 for the B's will be January 2 vs. Predators. Bruins fans on the West Coast will be treated to what should be three great games in California: January 7 at Anaheim, January 9 at Los Angeles and January 11 at San Jose. Seguin is sure to welcome his old team with open arms in Dallas on January 16 aka Loui Eriksson's glorious return. The Bruins-Blackhawks renew their delicious new rivalry on January 19 in Chicago, sure to be a national broadcast since it's a Sunday afternoon. Boston faces a brutal back-to-back as they return home the next afternoon (MLK Day) to take on the Kings. Boston travels to Philadelphia on January 25, those are always entertaining games. The influx of clowns from Montreal will take place on January 30 with the Canadiens in town.

For all he did for the community, the B's and Boston should do something for Ference when he returns with the Oilers on February 1. With the break for the Olympics, the B's only play five games in the shortest month of the year. They host Ottawa on February 8 in the last game before then and return on February 26 in Buffalo.

It'll be another crazy March for the B's with 17 games (8 home, 9 away). The toughest ticket of the season at the Garden for the Bruins is sure to be March 27 vs. Chicago. For the Bruins, seven games in April ends on the 13th in New Jersey. With training camp beginning on September 11 (rough timing once again), we are not that far away from what should be another excellent season with the defending Eastern Conference champions.

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Hey Jarome Iginla, No Hard Feelings Right Buddy?

I am sure that you've already heard the news since it happened on Friday but I thought I'd wrap up the Bruins' moves from this weekend since many of us (myself included) were in a Fourth of July/long holiday weekend haze. The Bruins and right wing Jarome Iginla agreed to a one-year deal worth $6 million while Nathan Horton signed a seven-year deal in Columbus, Andrew Ference is off to Edmonton for four seasons, backup goaltender Anton Khudobin is now a Carolina Hurricane for at least the next season and Aaron Johnson signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Rangers.

We don't have to rehash all the drama with Iginla a few months ago but you have to admit that it is pretty funny that he ended up in Boston after getting swept by the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals in June. It's all about timing and despite the fact that he's slowing down (he turned 36 last week), he has a good chance to end up on Boston's top line with Milan Lucic and David Krejci now that Horton is officially gone.

Iginla's resume speaks for itself, there is a reason that he'll be in the Hockey Hall of Fame after he retires: he has the third most goals of active players (530) with 576 assists and he's +48 for his career which is great when you consider all the poor teams he played on in Calgary. He has 165 power play goals and 206 power play assists with 13 shorthanded goals and nine shorthanded assists.

The former Flames captain put up seven 30-goal seasons, two 40-goal seasons and two 50-goal seasons with a career-high 52 in 2001-02. Showing how well rounded he is, Iginla has six 30-assist seasons, two 40-assists seasons and two 50-assist seasons with a career-high 55 in 2006-07. He's never had 100 points in a season (who does anymore in the NHL?) but he's come close with 94, 96 and 98 in 2007-08.

You can't expect Iginla to still be the player he was in his prime since he showed signs of age between Calgary (9 goals, 13 assists in 31 games) and Pittsburgh (5 goals, 6 assists in 13 games) last season. Still, he missed four games in the regular season but he played in all 82 for five seasons in a row (2007-08 to 2011-12). It's also easy to forget since he had a goose egg (0 goals, 0 assists) in the Bruins' sweep of the Penguins but before that, he notched four goals and eight assists in 11 games. In 69 career NHL playoff games, he has posted 32 goals and 29 assists.

My guess is that with a full training camp, no worries around the trade deadline over if he'll get dealt and a regular season with the B's, he should be a nice fit at a very reasonable price and the fans will totally forget about all the old drama provided that he plays well. It'll be strange to see Horton and Ference in other jerseys next season. I'm happy that they both got long-term deals since they are good guys that gave everything they had to the Black and Gold. Losing Khudobin was a little surprising but I'm confident the Bruins can find a comparable backup for Tuukka Rask in 2013-14.

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Wrapping Up A Wonderful Season For The Bruins

The Bruins had their final interviews this afternoon at TD Garden as they packed their stuff and headed out for a shortened summer vacation. The most interesting part of this day is all the hidden injuries that are revealed to the media: the showstopper was from Patrice Bergeron who on top of all his other serious maladies suffered a punctured lung after Game 6 and was in the hospital until tonight. Zdeno Chara (hip flexor), Dennis Seidenberg (hamstring) and Jaromir Jagr (head and back) were the other key players with major injuries. Nathan Horton is set for surgery on his shoulder this offseason.

Boston GM Peter Chiarelli actually admitted that he told defenseman Andrew Ference and Jagr (free agents to be) that they won't be back in the Hub next season. You knew that Jagr was just a rental when they obtained him at the trade deadline and with Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton all pushing for minutes, Ference's time was up. Still, it is a real shame to say goodbye to the pro athlete in Boston that has embraced the city more than any other currently here. Of course that doesn't mean much if he can't play but Ference is everything you'd want in a veteran leader: tough, smart, great with the media and steps his game up when it matters the most. He played with the Bruins for seven years and won a Cup in 2011 as well as reaching the Stanley Cup Final this season. I will always be a Ference fan.

Signing Horton is a priority and obviously Bergeron is going to get a long-term extension to hopefully keep him with the Bruins for his entire career. Finally, Boston's main goal in the next few weeks is to sign Rask to a huge deal. He earned it with a great playoff run, proving that he is a franchise goaltender for them to build around.

UPDATE 6/29: Horton told Chiarelli that he's going to test free agency and won't sign a contract with the Bruins. Ugh.

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Hey Penguins: Don't Poke The Bear Or Something

Repeat after me Bruins fans: it's only one game, it's only one game, good. Boston beat Pittsburgh 3-0 tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Consol Energy Center. The B's basically did everything they could have hoped for and right away, they put all the pressure (as if it wasn't already) on the Penguins. Game 2 is Monday (8 p.m., NBCSN).

What we felt was Boston's only real advantage coming into the series turned out to be the truth in Game 1: Tuukka Rask (29 saves) recorded his first career playoff shutout while Tomas Vokoun (27 saves) wasn't good enough, leaving a few costly rebounds which the B's made the most of.

The Bruins top line of Milan Lucic (assist, +2), David Krejci (2 goals) and Nathan Horton (1 goal, 2 assists) was outstanding. Krejci added to his NHL-leading total (7 goals, 12 assists) further cementing his legacy as a truly clutch player whenever the postseason rolls around.

The difference between Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron was obvious already: Crosby is the best hockey player in the world but much like LeBron in the NBA he still takes the low-rent tactic of whining about everything 24/7. Meanwhile, Bergeron never fights but when the Penguins tried to be tough at the end of the second period he ended up brawling with Evgeni Malkin. That is a true leader, all Crosby could do was talk trash to Zdeno Chara with a referee safely between them.

Speaking of bush league, it only took Matt Cooke a little more than one period to show us that he'll never change. Shame on the pathetic Penguins fans and media that pretend he's reformed. It reminds me of Celtics honk media members saying that Rajon Rondo became a leader. Cooke took a run at Adam McQuaid and got a game misconduct for hitting from behind early in the second period. McQuaid was shaken up but soon returned to the ice after going to the dressing room.

Pittsburgh hit the post three times but Rask seemed to get in their heads as the game went on. Krejci gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 8:23 of the first period, assisted by Horton and Andrew Ference (first action since Game 5 vs. Maple Leafs). Ference started the play by driving to the net and Krejci's shot trickled through Vokoun's pads after the puck hit Paul Martin's skate and deflected.

Krejci made it 2-0 at 4:04 of the third period after his shot was blocked by Vokoun but popped high in the air around the crease. Like Daniel Paille in Game 3 vs. Rangers, Krejci's alertness and hustle paid off with his second goal-also assisted by Horton. Mr. Playoffs aka Horton iced it with a goal less than four minutes later from Lucic and Gregory Campbell. Once again, Vokoun's juicy rebound ended up in the back of his net.

An enjoyable aspect of this contest was the obvious disdain both clubs have for each other. Interestingly enough, this came after both enjoyed a week off. Crosby was pissed, probably cause he played terrible by his lofty standards (-2) and he took it out on poor Tyler Seguin in garbage time. Crosby chopped Seguin's legs with a slash, his second penalty of the night. I guess Cooke is really rubbing off on Sid the Kid.

This win means that Boston is 3-0 in Game 1s during the postseason. They also broke Pittsburgh's six-game win streak over them dating back to last season. Regardless, you can guarantee that the Penguins will play much better in Game 2. However, if the B's can somehow find themselves on top again well then Pittsburgh would certainly be reaching for the nearest panic button.

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Bruins Blank Lightning 2-0, Inch Closer To Northeast Division Crown

If the Bruins played only Florida teams, at TD Garden, they might never give up a goal again let alone lose. Haha unfortunately the suckbag Panthers and shitbum Lightning's seasons end this weekend. For now though, Boston will take all the points they can get against the Southeast Division Sisters of the Poor. Tonight, the Bruins beat the Lightning 2-0 at TD Garden.

Boston and Montreal both have 61 points but the Bruins have two games left while the Canadiens only have one. Tuukka Rask (30 saves; 19-9-4) earned his second shutout in as many starts and his fifth of the season (which ties his career-high from 2009-10). The Bruins' (28-13-5) offense was still MIA for the most part but this time, their requisite two goals was more than enough against Tampa Bay (18-25-4) who probably mailed it in weeks ago.

For the first time in a while, this felt like a Bruins type of game since everyone on the team seemed to be throwing their body around. Plus, Andrew Ference dropped the gloves with former Bruins great Benoit Pouliot and Milan Lucic played his best game in weeks (maybe months) complete with a beating thrown to poor Keith Aulie. Looch even created some scoring chances with his physical play.

Rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton was a healthy scratch (get used to it, that might happen in the playoffs too) but that didn't stop him from winning the Seventh Player Award as voted on by the Black and Gold fans. It is given out to the Bruins player that goes "above and beyond the call of duty and exceeds expectations." He's had a nice season but it really should have gone to Daniel Paille. I didn't vote so maybe that would have made all the difference.

Boston notched both its goals in the second period. Dennis Seidenberg took a drop pass from Brad Marchand and fired in his third goal of the season at 4:22. Tyler Seguin had the second assist. Paille reached double digits in goals (tying him with David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron!) at 13:31 thanks to a sweet one-timer from Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton. Fribbles for all!

It's only right that this absurd schedule wraps up with games in back-to-back nights for old time's sake. Boston travels to Washington (26-18-3) on Saturday night (7:00 p.m., NESN) then they makeup the Senators game that was supposed to be on Patriot's Day on Sunday night (7:30 p.m., NESN) at TD Garden. The game on Saturday means plenty to Boston but the Capitals clinched the Southeast Division so expect them to rest Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby (if they're smart). The Senators are in the playoffs (they clinched a spot tonight) but their seed is still up in the air. The final game in the NHL's regular season and the only one on Sunday could go a long way toward determining the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

UPDATE 4/26: Rookie defenseman Matt Bartkowski was assigned to Providence, who are getting ready for the AHL playoffs to start this weekend.

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If Only The Bruins Could Play The Hurricanes In The Playoffs Or At Least Every Week

That was exactly what the Bruins needed: after playing tight, low-scoring games almost all season, they exploded for a season-high six goals tonight in a 6-2 beatdown of the lowly Hurricanes at TD Garden. Boston (25-9-4) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second period so I'll forgive them for allowing two meaningless goals in the third to Carolina (16-20-2).

Ironically, Tuukka Rask (17-6-4) was the first star on a team with 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) because he was forced to make a season-high 40 saves. The Hurricanes showed their only signs of life in the very beginning as they outshot the Bruins 7-0 in the first few minutes. That meant nothing though as Rich Peverley (1 goal, 1 assist) followed up his own rebound that fittingly went off the glass, for his fifth goal of the season at 3:51 from Dennis Seidenberg (career-high 3 assists) and Andrew Ference (1 goal, 1 assist).

Brad Marchand (2 goals) stuffed in a rebound from Gregory Campbell (2 assists) and that was the end of Justin Peters' (4 shots, 2 goals) night at 7:58. Things didn't get much better for Dan Ellis (4 goals allowed) as Marchand potted his second goal (team-leading 16th of the season) at 17:20 after Jaromir Jagr went around the net and threw it in front.

You knew it was Boston's night when Ference deflected a shot in (his 3rd goal of the season) off his hand and Jordan Caron scored his first goal of the season in the second period for a commanding 5-0 lead that might as well have been 10-0.

Something named Patrick Dwyer and another anonymous bum called Drayson Bowman ruined Rask's shutout in the third period after some sloppy rebounds but the Bruins fans went home happy since Nathan Horton's goal (his 13th of the season) was the last one of the contest. He tipped in Dougie Hamilton's perfect pass that was right to his blade at 16:56.

It is a busy week (like always this season) for the Bruins with three games in four nights but their opponents aren't exactly a murderer's row: they go to New Jersey (15-14-10) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network) then return to the Garden on Thursday (7 p.m., NESN) to play the Islanders (19-16-4).

No matter how those winnable games go, they can take heart in the fact that they play the Hurricanes again-on Saturday in Raleigh, NC. Since they scored five goals against them the first time they met in January, put me down for seven this weekend.

UPDATE 4/9: It appears that the Bruins have signed their Swedish man of mystery, winger Carl Soderberg to a multi-year deal. Still waiting for the team to actually make it official, can't just trust the slob beat writers.

UPDATE 4/11: Nevermind, the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation blocked Soderberg's move to Boston. Thanks guys.

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The Bruins' First Line Drops By For A Productive Visit

One of the more incredible aspects of the Bruins' excellent start to this season is that they have completely weathered Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton being ghosts in so many games. Saturday afternoon served as a reminder to how dangerous the B's (19-4-3) can be when those guys are engaged and playing their physical style. Boston rolled to an easy 4-1 win over Washington (11-15-1) at TD Garden.

There was something for every hockey fan as the B's scored pretty goals, beat up the hapless Capitals in three fights (Brad Marchand vs. Mike Ribeiro, Horton vs. Matt Hendricks and Adam McQuaid vs. Hendricks) and received stellar goaltending by Anton Khudobin (32 saves; 5-2-0). It was exactly the type of performance they needed to build up the first line's shaky confidence heading into a monster game tomorrow afternoon (12:30 p.m., NBC) in Pittsburgh.

Horton made it 1-0 at 14:12 of the first period on a one-timer from Lucic and Zdeno Chara. It was Horton's eighth goal of the season but first since February 28. Lucic set a career-high with three assists and he found David Krejci for another one-timer and goal just 3:03 after Horton's tally. Horton had the second assist on Krejci's seventh goal of the season.

Washington deserved to get blanked but the hockey gods allowed them one gift when Krejci banked one in off Johnny Boychuk's skate, past Khudobin at 1:24 of the second period. It was a pretty awful moment that was quickly forgotten when Andrew Ference picked up his first goal of the season less than seven minutes later. Horton created the goal with a pretty drop pass, Krejci had the other assist as his relay to Horton started the play.

Rich Peverley potted a backhander (his 4th goal of the season) on the power-play at 2:41 of the third period, an early St. Patrick's Day Eve miracle. Lucic and Krejci had the assists. Today's game was really chippy, these teams clearly don't like each other. Too bad that their next meeting-April 27 in DC-is the regular season finale and by then, both teams could have nothing to play for. That's assuming that Washington doesn't wake up in time to make a run at the playoffs.

For Bruins fans, it doesn't get much better than tomorrow's game (OK, being in Boston would be perfect) as the Bruins visit the Penguins (21-8-0, 1st in Atlantic Division). You might remember Pittsburgh from their 3-2 win over Boston on Tuesday at the Consol Energy Center, after the B's blew a 2-0 lead. The Penguins are the top team in the Eastern Conference and hottest team in the NHL with eight straight wins after today's 3-0 shutout of the Rangers. As long as Montreal doesn't win tonight in New Jersey, it will pit the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

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Bruins Start To Leave The Hub: Seguin, Krejci & Ference Set To Play In Europe

One day after the NHL announced that they are canceling preseason hockey in September, three prominent members of your Boston Bruins have reportedly signed contracts overseas.  Can Kathryn Tappen join the KHL Network?

Tyler Seguin, who just signed a monster extension that keeps him in Boston for six more years, has signed with EHC Biel, a club in the Swiss League.  Seguin would have been entering his third professional season, and a year overseas should help his production (depending on the party scene out there).

Joining Seguin in European action is defenseman and environmentalist Andrew Ference.  Ference, a Bruin since 2007, will report to HC Ceske Budejovice on October 7th, a team that I will hopefully never have to type again on this blog. It's in the Czech Republic.

David Krejci is also close to an agreement with HC Pardubice, a team in his native Czech Republic.  Goalie Anton Khudobin has joined HC Atlant Moscow Oblast (awesome name) of the KHL.  Dennis Seidenberg also told Joe Haggerty that he is planning on playing in Germany as well on a team with his younger brother.

Many players are flocking to Europe to play (and get paid) with leagues like the KHL who cover up to 65% of players salaries.  I for one am glad that players are staying active, however lets hope there are no injuries or any other nonsense.  Actually scratch that, I hope the NHL comes back before these guys get a chance to fall in love with Europe.

UPDATE 9/24: The mass exodus continues as Tuukka Rask will sign with HC Plzen of the Czech Republic and forward Rich Peverley will head to Finland to play for JYPin.

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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.

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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.

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Enjoy Missing The Playoffs Montreal

Let me be the first to say: smell you later Montreal, enjoy not making the playoffs this season.

The Boston Bruins did their best to end the regular season series with their biggest rival positively as they won 4-3 in a shootout tonight at the Bell Centre.

Boston (35-18-2) was in control, up 3-1 heading into the third but credit Montreal (23-25-10) for rallying with two goals and forcing overtime. However, the Bruins got the last laugh as Tyler Seguin scored the only shootout goal and Tim Thomas (26 saves; 24-11-0) stopped all three Canadiens shooters.

After losing the first two in October, the B's won the final four against the Habs. It was standard procedure that the finale had to feature some batshit crazy incidents. For instance, four goaltender interference penalties were called in the second (two on each team). Montreal fans proved that they're still the worst in the NHL as they cheered when a puck hit Zdeno Chara in the face, causing him to get stitches. Frankly, I am happy to say goodbye to those clowns who fell to eight points out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Besides the two points, the best part about the victory for Boston was that so many guys that had been cold woke up and made big plays. Just look at who scored the goals: Andrew Ference, Benoit Pouliot and Patrice Bergeron. In short, it was a great way to start their longest road trip of the season.

After Adam McQuaid and Ryan White traded heavy punches, Ference (5th of the season) made it 1-0 at 17:09 of the first from Brad Marchand (more on him later).

Mathieu Darche (5th of the season) tied it at 1 with a shorthanded tally (first one Boston had allowed this season, the last team to give one up) at 1:39 of the second. He drove to the net and P.K. Subban put it on his stick for the redirection.

Pouliot (9th of the season) pulled off a typical Pouliot move: amazing and completely out of nowhere. He put the puck through a Montreal player's legs than put it through Carey Price's (31 saves) legs. Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley had the assists.

At 14:33, Bergeron (17th of the season) increased the lead to 3-1 as he roofed a tough angle shot over Price. The power play goal was assisted by Seguin and Chara.

The second period ended with some more controversy about a Marchand hit. He clipped Alexei Emelin not as blatantly as the one in the Canucks game, but he'll likely be hearing from Brendan Shanahan again.

The Canadiens almost rallied for an epic win as Max Pacioretty (24th of the season) snuck a shot by Thomas at 3:34 and Erik Cole (22nd of the season) tied it at 11:12 thanks to Chara's mind-numbing giveaway.

It was an ugly game but the Bruins got the job done which is all that matters after they were completely outplayed last night against the Rangers. Up next, Boston travels to Winnipeg on Friday. The Jets beat the B's in Winnipeg back in December (2-1 on Dec. 6) but Boston paid them back with a 5-3 win Jan. 10 at the Garden.

There is no question that Tuukka Rask will get the start since Thomas played the last two nights, something which doesn't often happen. Unfortunately, it looks like Peverley will miss some time since he left with a knee injury tonight and never returned. Hopefully it's not too serious.

UPDATE 2/16: Peverley was sent home for further examination. He was injured on a knee to knee hit by former Bruin Hal Gill.

Marchand will not be fined or suspended for his hit which apparently was enough of a hip check to only merit a two-minute penalty. Still, with less than a second on the clock and the puck far away from Boston's goal, he needs to be a little smarter than that.

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OT Thriller: Rangers Beat Bruins 3-2 In Possible Eastern Conference Final Preview

There aren't many NHL regular season games that get hyped up since with 82 to select for every team each year, you need to pick and choose what to devote extra time and attention to.

When the top two teams in the Eastern Conference-the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers-met this afternoon at TD Garden, it was the first time the Original 6 rivals had faced off in 2011-12. Not surprisingly, the game was spectacular even though the B's (30-13-2) came up on the short end as the Rangers (30-12-4) won 3-2 in overtime on Marian Gaborik's goal with four seconds left.

I had the same feeling after this one that I did when the Bruins lost to the Red Wings in a shootout the day after Thanksgiving. I want more, specifically in the playoffs. New York is a real threat in the East and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them and Boston as the top two seeds. Therefore an Eastern Conference Final between them (Boston vs. New York) wouldn't be too much to ask.

Other good news is that these teams will meet three more times in the regular season, starting Valentine's Day back at the Garden. Then Boston goes to New York on March 4 and April Fool's Day (both Sunday afternoon national games).

After a scoreless first period, that was still filled with action, the Rangers got on the board first at 1:31 into the second when captain Ryan Callahan (16th of the season) jumped out of the penalty box and beat Tuukka Rask (30 saves; 11-5-1).

Heavyweights Shawn Thornton and Mike Rupp fought less than two minutes later and although it was a split decision, Boston seemed to gain more momentum from the scrap. Andrew Ference (4th of the season) scored a goal for the second straight game as he took a pass from David Krejci and made a pretty move to his backhand to work around Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves). Milan Lucic had the second assist.

Gaborik (24th of the season) made it 2-1 at 14:30 after a blocked shot bounced right to him and needless to say, he knew what to do with it.

Another Bruins defenseman scored, always a good sign, as Adam McQuaid (2nd of the season) and his regal mullet whipped a wrist shot from the point. Rich Peverley and Ference had the assists.

The third period was scoreless as both teams pressed for the game-winner. Ference was whistled for a game-misconduct at 1:50 in overtime as he charged into Ryan McDonagh when the Rangers defenseman had his back to him close to the boards. It was an ugly hit and Ference admitted as much after the game. McDonagh left with an injury but he's lucky it wasn't more serious; as for Ference, the B's already recalled Steven Kampfer so they clearly think that Ference (who has a conference call with the NHL tomorrow) will get suspended for at least a game.

Boston successfully killed the 4-on-3 power play for over three minutes but Gaborik had three chances to beat Rask and you can't allow that many to a guy with his type of skills. Tuukka made two unbelievable saves but he wasn't able to squeeze the second one, Gaborik stuck with it and was rewarded with a clutch goal. Rask was understandably frustrated and his old temper showed itself when he smashed his goalie stick against the goal afterwards.

The Bruins hit the road for another tough test against the other true contender in the Eastern Conference: the Philadelphia Flyers. They'll play at 3 p.m. tomorrow, meaning that nobody and I mean nobody in New England will be watching it live since that's when Patriots-Ravens kicks off. Oh well, I look forward to watching it later tomorrow night on DVR.

You have to think that the Flyers will show up this time after getting waxed 6-0 on December 17 at home against the Bruins. It's another possible playoff preview. Philly won't have any extra rest over Boston since they played the Devils this afternoon and won 4-1.

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It Only Takes 1 Period For The Bruins To Wake Up & Morph Into Themselves Again

Down 1-0 after two periods tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, the Boston Bruins were in desperate need of a spark or else they'd return home having lost three of their last four games (all on the road, two against bad teams).

Thankfully, the B's (30-13-1) responded like championship teams do. They potted four goals in the third to take a 4-1 win over the Devils (26-18-2). It was a stellar end to what had been a rocky road trip.

The two points ensured that Boston has still yet to lose back-to-back road games this season, a pretty remarkable statistic.

Petr Sykora (12th of the season) gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead at 18:29 of the first. It was a backbreaker for many reasons; it came off yet another defensive zone miscue by the Bruins and it was also late in the period. Dainius Zubrus stole the puck behind the net and fed Sykora, who was able to beat Boston goaltender Tim Thomas (30 saves; 19-9-0).

Gregory Campbell earned the Gordie Howe hat trick (fight, goal, assist). He fought some scrub named Brad Mills (not the Astros manager) in the first then assisted on the game-tying goal in the third and scored the marker that made it 3-1. Not a bad night for Colin's little boy.

I have no idea what changed for the B's in the third but I was a big fan since they closely resembled the freight train that ran through the NHL in November and December. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur (21 saves) looked good in the first two periods but he was nowhere to be seen in the third as Boston bombarded him with quality scoring opportunities.

Andrew Ference (3rd of the season) tied it up 3:01 into the third with a pretty slap shot over Brodeur's glove. Shawn Thornton and Campbell had the assists.

The mercurial Nathan Horton-who's hot right now-netted the game-winner at 7:10 on the power play. His 17th of the season was all thanks to David Krejci's sweet pass, all he had to do was tap it in. Rich Peverley (back after missing two games) had the other assist.

For the 14th time this season-according to NESN's Jack Edwards-the Bruins doubled up by scoring another goal in less than a minute, at 7:45. Campbell (5th of the season) knocked in a rebound after an outstanding shift by his linemates Thornton and Daniel Paille.

Chris Kelly's (14th of the season) empty-netter sealed it at 19:13 and it also put him one away from a career-high in goals, before the All-Star break no less.

It's amazing what one period can do for a team. This win should give the Bruins a much better feeling as they head into their biggest game and stretch of games so far this season.

They host the New York Rangers-1 point ahead of them, 1st in the Eastern Conference-on Saturday afternoon. It's the first time the Original 6 foes have met in 2011-12. Boston goes to Philadelphia on Sunday, visits the White House on Monday and plays the Capitals in D.C. on Tuesday before getting a much deserved rest for the All-Star break.

UPDATE 1/20: Steven Kampfer and Jordan Caron were assigned to the Providence Bruins for the weekend. The Baby B's have three games this weekend so it will give these youngsters plenty of ice time, something they won't get in Boston anytime soon (barring injuries or suspensions).

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Bruins Pick Up Their Third Straight Win Against The Canadiens, 2-1 At TD Garden

How much of a mess are the Montreal Canadiens this season? Well they pulled a bush league move that I've never even heard of by trading forward Michael Cammalleri to the Calgary Flames for forward Rene Bourque, between periods of a game.

The best part is that Cammalleri likely got shipped out of town because he ripped the Canadiens organization the other day for their "losing mentality". Just great stuff.

This all happened tonight as the Habs (16-20-7) fell 2-1 to the Bruins (28-11-1) in a meeting that was a complete snoozer as far as this storied rivalry goes.

Boston recorded its third straight win against Montreal-after starting the season with two consecutive losses-thanks to a fluky goal from Jordan Caron, a nice backhander from Milan Lucic and 33 saves by Tim Thomas (18-7-0).

The fact that Vancouver was here last weekend and also that the Canadiens sit 18 points behind the Bruins in the Northeast Division took some juice away from this matchup.

Of course, P.K. Subban had to do something cowardly while he was at the Garden so he chose to give David Krejci a forearm shiver to his head. Andrew Ference jumped all over Subban but all the Canadiens defenseman could do was lay on the ice with his hands covering his head. Really.

Caron was a surprise addition to the lineup after getting called up from Providence yesterday. He took Zach Hamill's spot. 1:23 into the proceedings, Johnny Boychuk's dump in took a crazy bounce off the back boards leaving Montreal goaltender Carey Price (28 saves) totally out of position (somewhere Roberto Luongo lectures the media). Caron (2nd of the season) got an easy tap-in with Zdeno Chara picking up the second assist.

After a scoreless second period, Lucic (15th of the season) scored the game-winner at 3:43 of the third on a backhander. Nathan Horton set him up from behind the net and Krejci (points in 10 straight games) had the other assist.

Ference was tagged with two penalties so the Canadiens took advantage as Yannick Weber (4th of the season) ended Thomas's shutout bid at 12:46 with a screened blast from the point.

This concluded a four-game homestand for the Bruins, all against Canadian teams. They went 3-1 and now they head out to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. Hopefully nothing too crazy happens because I'll be watching only be watching bits and pieces of it between commercials during the Patriots-Broncos game.

Boston has one final game in Montreal, on February 15, but after that they can bid adieu to an opponent that is going nowhere fast this season. I'd be shocked if the Canadiens made the playoffs. At least they have a bunch of other professional teams and sports to focus on up there, oh wait.

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Paille Scores Twice As Bruins Win 5-2 In Ottawa

You'll be hard-pressed to find a team in the NHL with more depth than the Boston Bruins.

For the second game in a row, they were without captain and defensive stalwart Zdeno Chara but it didn't seem to matter as the B's (20-9-1) beat the Senators (14-14-4) 5-2 tonight at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

Tim Thomas (14-5-0) made a season-high 47 saves and Daniel Paille scored a pair of third-period goals as the Bruins picked up their third consecutive win (and second in back-to-back nights). Eight players had points for Boston which didn't have a power play and killed off all five man-advantages for Ottawa.

In the first real notable action of the night, heavyweights Matt Carkner and Milan Lucic squared up for a solid bout at 11:46.

Boston survived a slow start as Thomas made some nice saves early in the first period. Rich Peverley (6th of the season) appears to have rediscovered his goal-scoring touch as he potted his second in as many games. His wrist shot at 12:10 from Andrew Ference (2 assists) and Joe Corvo beat Senators goaltender Craig Anderson (24 saves).

Ageless Daniel Alfredsson (8th of the season) tied it at 4:23 of the second period thanks to a nice feed from linemate Jason Spezza. I know Ottawa made that one random run to the Stanley Cup Finals but it's a shame that Alfredsson has never been on a consistent contender because he's a great player. His wrist shot was similar to Peverley's.

Chris Kelly (12th of the season, 3 away from his career-high) put Boston up 2-1 at 13:47. The tally put the B's ahead for good and fittingly it occurred on a classic Kelly goal-his 200th NHL point. After Johnny Boychuk's big shot from the point, Kelly was there to put the rebound in. Peverley had the second assist.

Adam McQuaid picked up a game misconduct for an ugly knee-to-knee hit on Nick Foligno. It was awkward since Foligno was about to skate by and Quaider clearly stuck his knee out at Ottawa's blue line. He's a tough but honest player so I doubt there was any intent to injure. Anyway, after skating off gingerly, it was nice to see Foligno return shortly after that.

In the third period, Patrice Bergeron (6th of the season) was the beneficiary of a bad giveaway and lucky bounce which sprung him on a partial breakaway. He scored at 4:54 to give the Bruins an insurmountable two-goal lead (3-1).

For the 11th time this season (which has to be near the top of the NHL), the B's scored a pair of goals in under a minute as 56 seconds later Paille (4th of the season) scored on a breakaway of his own. Shawn Thornton and Ference assisted.

Spezza (10th of the season) made the score a little more respectable with a goal at 15:55 but Thomas will probably never blow a three-goal lead in the third.

Paille got his second with 1:04 left, an absolute snipe over Anderson's shoulder from Bergeron.

The Bruins improved to 2-0 vs. Ottawa thus far this season with an aggregate score of 10-5 over their Northeast Division foe.

Not sure if they came home tonight or will wait until tomorrow morning to return but Boston should have a quiet couple days with some light practices before they travel to Philadelphia.

Saturday afternoon's game should be a treat as the top two teams (currently tied) in the Eastern Conference square off. As an added bonus, the Flyers are part of HBO's 24/7 with the Rangers that began airing tonight so you have to assume their cameras will be rolling for Saturday's huge matchup. It's the second of four meetings between the two powerhouses that could very likely see each other in the playoffs once again. Philly won the season opener 2-1 at TD Garden on Oct. 6.

UPDATE 12/15: McQuaid wasn't suspended for his kneeing incident, he was fined $2500 today by the NHL.

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Bruins Return To Where They Hit Rock Bottom & Show How Much They Have Changed

I will never say it is easy being a Boston sports fan. On nights such as this one, we have to come up with a gameplan so that we can fully enjoy a Bruins-Canadiens game and the Patriots on Monday Night Football.

By watching the first period of the Bruins and then catching up on DVR at halftime, during commercials and after MNF had ended, I was able to glean some of the essence of Boston's (12-7-0) 1-0 win at the Bell Centre over Montreal (9-9-3).

Sure I could complain about not being able to fully appreciate another classic performance by B's goaltender Tim Thomas (9-4-0, 33 saves) who posted his second straight shutout, but when your favorite team has won nine in a row, does all that noise really matter?

This victory was particularly significant, winning streak aside, because the Bell Centre is where the B's truly hit rock bottom: on October 29 to be exact. After losing that night, the second of a home and home with the Habs, the Bruins fell to 3-7-0. They turned the calendar to November and they have yet to lose since then.

Most impressively, after falling to last in the Eastern Conference and the Northeast Division, Boston pulled themselves to the top of their division tonight along with third in the Eastern Conference. Not bad work for 21 days (when the streak began).

By all accounts, Thomas stole this game as Montreal outshot Boston 33-18, including 15-5 in the third period. The Canadiens had a power-play to end it as Rich Peverley picked up a cross-checking penalty but they couldn't convert (0-for-4 on the night).

Montreal goaltender Carey Price (17 saves) wasn't tested nearly as much but he failed to stop the one shot that turned out to be the difference.

B's defenseman Andrew Ference (2nd of the season) was the unlikely offensive star as he scored the game-winner at 15:41 of the first period. Sadly, there were no unintentional birds to be had. Montreal was about to be called for a penalty when Peverley found Ference jumping up from the blueline. He roofed/sniped it over Price's shoulder. Chris Kelly had the second assist.

The Bruins will look to extend this win streak to double-digits on Wednesday as they also wrap up this three-game road trip in Buffalo. You remember what happened the last time these division rivals met?

That was when Milan Lucic knocked Ryan Miller over. I'd say expect retaliation on the Sabres' part but they didn't do anything that night to stand up to Looch so who knows? It's hard to predict what that fraud Lindy Ruff and his charges will do.

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Bruins Make It Eight In A Row With A 6-0 Beating Thrown To The Lowly Islanders

The Boston Bruins steamroller shows no signs of slowing down in November of 2011.

With a 6-0 blowout of the Islanders (5-9-3) tonight at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the B's (11-7-0) won their eighth straight game. During this perfect November (8-0-0), Boston has scored 6+ goals in five of the contests. In total, they've outscored their opponents 42-14 during this stretch.

This means that Boston is on its longest winning streak since three years ago (10 in a row). Tim Thomas (23 saves; 8-4-0) posted his second shutout of the season and 28th of his career, putting him third on the Bruins all-time list.

In picking up their second win in less than two weeks against New York (12-2 combined scores), the Bruins are now officially the NHL's hottest team as the Rangers lost 4-0 to Montreal this evening, snapping an eight-game winning streak of their own.

This was all about two periods: the first and the third. Boston quickly took control with three goals in the first then they ran up the score with three goals in the last 10 minutes.

Neither Rick DiPietro (10 saves), the pride of Winthrop, MA nor Anders Nilsson (14 saves) stood much of a chance in goal for the Islanders as 10 Bruins recorded points. DiPietro didn't get hurt which is a miracle for him but he only lasted one period; Nilsson was called on for his first NHL duty in the second and third.

Patrice Bergeron began the barrage with a goal (his fourth of the season) at 7:08 from Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand. Can we agree that is one of the best lines in the NHL right now? Good. Seguin laid out a sweet backhand feed that Bergeron slammed in from close to the New York goal.

Nathan Horton's power play goal (his sixth of the season) at 12:24 was officially unassisted but DiPietro deserves some credit for giving it right to him with a pathetic Martin Brodeur clearing attempt impression.

Chris Kelly (sixth of the season) ended the first with an unassisted snipe at 18:45.

If you slept through the second period, you didn't miss anything. The third period was when the action continued. At 10:25, Andrew Ference picked up his first goal of the season with a screened shot from the point, Joe Corvo and Kelly had the assists.

Kelly got his second of the night at 12:54 with a classic Chris Kelly goal. He was parked right in front of the goal and his first shot was stuffed on the line but he stuck with it and was rewarded. Milan Lucic and Horton assisted on that one.

Zdeno Chara (second of the season) had the final goal and it was probably my favorite as the Captain roofed it over Nilsson at 18:15 with assists to Marchand and Gregory Campbell.

Tonight was the start of a three-game road trip for the Bruins and it figures to get much tougher with stops in Montreal (Monday) and Buffalo (Wednesday) remaining, the other two real contenders in the Northeast Division (sorry Toronto and Ottawa). Losing 2-1 and 4-2 against the Canadiens at the end of October served as the kick in the ass that Boston desperately needed, they haven't lost since then.

The B's have found their game and it's time to go to the Bell Centre to throttle their most intense rival.

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Bruins Are Finding Their Groove, Second Straight Win For Tuukka Rask

Only time will tell if the Edmonton Oilers are going to be a good team this season or if they simply got off to a nice start.

Regardless, the Oilers (9-4-2) came into the TD Garden tonight having won seven of their last eight games. They had the third most points in the NHL but that didn't seem to matter as the Bruins (7-7-0) climbed to .500 for the first time in 2011-12 with a 6-3 victory.

Boston has now beaten Edmonton ten times in a row, dating back to October 2000. It is ironic that the Bruins struggled so much to score to begin the season because they have potted 24 goals (6 per game) in their last four contests.

The B's are riding a four-game win streak and even more promising, they've won Tuukka Rask's (27 saves) last two starts. Even the power-play is starting to come around with two more goals this evening.

Brad Marchand (2 goals) shook off a 10-game goalless stretch, Joe Corvo added three assists, Tyler Seguin (1 goal, 1 assist) continue to put the puck in the net while Nathan Horton had two assists.

Rich Peverley sat out another game with his undisclosed injury and Daniel Paille missed the contest following the surgery for his broken nose. Providence Bruins standout Zach Hamill made the most of his first appearance (this season) with the big club, picking up his third NHL assist. Unfortunately, Andrew Ference left in the second period with an injury and he never returned. If he can't go on Saturday, expect Steven Kampfer to return to the lineup.

With games in Detroit and Chicago this weekend, the Oilers sat their starting goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. It was an all backup occasion with Devan Dubnyk (22 saves) taking on Rask.

Boston took an early 2-0 lead in the first period as Johnny Boychuk (2nd of the season) scored at 7:11 from David Krejci and Horton then Jordan Caron (1st of the season) doubled it with an assist from Hamill. Boychuk's shot was a blast from the point, his specialty; Caron mishit his shot but the pass was so good that a simple redirect got the job done.

Edmonton tied it up with a pair of goals in 29 seconds (12:02 and 12:31). Mark Recchi lite aka Ryan Smith (8th of the season) tipped a shot from the point by Theo Peckham. 2011 No. 1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (7th of the season) finished a feed from 2011 No. 1 pick Taylor Hall.

Boston took control with two unanswered tallies in the second. Marchand (3rd of the season) deflected Corvo's shot from the point on the power-play (Seguin assisted too). Seguin showed he's not afraid to go to the net and he was rewarded with his ninth goal of the season, from Corvo.

Smyth's tap in at 15:18 of the third period brought the Oilers within a goal but no worries, the Bruins had this one in the skate bag. Milan Lucic (8th of the season) got an easy power-play goal thanks to Corvo's gorgeous feed. Horton assisted on Lucic's goal and Marchmont ended it with an unassisted snipe at 17:57 that looked like something he did in the playoffs last spring.

The Buffalo Sabres make their first pilgrimage to Boston on Saturday night. Their Northeast Division rivals still have All-World goaltender Ryan Miller, who's off to a slow start by his impossibly high standards. For whatever reason, the Sabres usually give the Bruins trouble and the games are almost always very competitive.

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