Marchand Scored Twice & The Bruins Opened The 2021-22 Season With A 3-1 Win Against The Stars

 

    It was not the most thrilling of season openers but it is tough to argue with the final result as the Bruins beat the Stars (1-1) 3-1 this evening at the TD Garden. Left wing Brad Marchand opened the scoring on a penalty shot and he fittingly wrapped it up with an empty-netter. Between those tallies, Dallas center Luke Glendening and B's left wing Jake DeBrusk traded goals. Boston improved to 4-1 in season openers under head coach Bruce Cassidy and they hardly looked rusty as you might expect since their last preseason game was on October 6. Bruins rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves as he begins his first full season in Boston as the No. 1 starter and Boston's penalty kill went a perfect 6-for-6. Stars goaltender Braden Holtby (37 saves) apparently lost many of his super powers vs. the Bruins once he left Washington a few years ago because now he is just another good but not great goalie. 

    Marchand used his sneaky speed to gain a step on the Dallas defense and he got hooked then pushed down by Stars defenseman Ryan Suter to earn the penalty shot at 17:38 of the first period. The last time that Boston's first goal of the year came on a penalty shot was in 2013 when now assistant coach Chris Kelly got it done. Oddly enough for the team who had played a game already this season-a 3-2 win at the Rangers on Wednesday-the Stars came out slow except when left wing Roope Hintz's shot hit the post but thankfully stayed out of the net. Still, Boston leading 1-0 after the first period felt like it should have been more since they outshot Dallas by a huge margin (17-5).

    The Stars came alive in the second period and tied it at one at 9:15 as center Luke Glendening snapped a low shot by Swayman. His first goal of the season was assisted by center Tanner Kero. It was tied at one after two periods but the B's did not take too long in the third period to regain the lead. New center Erik Haula looked like he had the puck bounce off his stick but left wing Jake DeBrusk was right there in front of Holtby to quickly knock it in for the go-ahead goal at 4:43. The other newest Bruin on that line-right wing Nick Foligno-notched the secondary helper. Boston clinched the two points at 18:23 as right wing David Pastrnak found Marchand racing to the net where he was able to flip the puck into the empty cage before Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen awkwardly knocked him over. Haha NESN's Jack Edwards was screaming about it being a slew foot until the replay made him (somewhat) eat his crazy words. 

    Boston's practice that was scheduled for tomorrow was cancelled, giving them more time to get ready for Patriots (2-3) vs. Cowboys (4-1) tomorrow afternoon (4:25, CBS). At Warrior Ice Arena on Monday morning, the Bruins will start preparations for a short two-game road trip with stops in Philadelphia (0-0-1) on Wednesday (7:30, TNT) and then in Buffalo (2-0) on Friday (7,  NESN). Those are two clubs that they have owned for years so we'll see if that continues in their first meetings of this season. I figure that Swayman will face the Flyers and perhaps backup goaltender Linus Ullmark will take on his old team-the Sabres-and make his B's debut in the third game of the season. It certainly does not feel like hockey season yet with the warm temperatures outside plus all the other local teams in action but I'm sure once the weather gets worse, it will be time to focus on the Black and Gold a little more closely. 

Someone Should Probably Tell the Bruins That the NHL Playoffs Start on Tuesday Afternoon

    Did you know that the NHL has returned to action? Most hockey fans are probably aware that the season re-started last Saturday after pausing in mid-March due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, if you are a Bruins fan, the best team in the league before the break has looked nothing like that going 0-3 in round-robin play to drop from the top seed in the Eastern Conference to the No. 4 seed. As a result of Sunday's 2-1 loss to Washington, the B's will meet the Hurricanes in the first-round of the playoffs instead of the Islanders (who they would have met if they had beaten the Capitals). 

    On one hand, with such an experienced team, it's hard to overreact to three games that probably didn't mean all that much. With all the East teams in Toronto for their bubble city and West teams in Edmonton, there is no such thing as home ice in the 2020 NHL playoffs (haha the Maple Leafs and Oilers would surely agree after both were bounced in the round-robin). Then again, of all the major sports home ice has always meant the least in hockey but it still has to be bizarre to play in front of an empty arena. 

    Regardless, a win or two in the past week would have been nice for the B's considering that things really ramp up on Tuesday with the start of the NHL playoffs. They no-showed in a 4-1 loss to the Flyers (who surprisingly went 3-0 to become the No. 1 overall seed in the East) last Sunday afternoon. That was followed by a frustrating 3-2 to Tampa Bay on Wednesday afternoon then today's snoozefest. Most alarmingly, the Black and Gold never led in those three contests. Hell, they never even were in front during their lone exhibition game: a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on July 30. 

     Of course, it's pretty tough to win when you score four total goals in three games and half of those came from Chris Wagner. We all love the Mayor of Walpole but if he is your leading scorer, you are going nowhere fast except home from the postseason. Charlie McAvoy-against Tampa-and Jake DeBrusk-today against Washington-had the other goals if you were keeping track. No Bruins update would be complete without some Tuukka Rask drama and it happened right out of the gate when he was "unfit to play"-the 2020 catch-all term for NHL players-against Philadelphia. He's been OK in his two appearances but he allowed a terrible rebound that led to the late game-winning goal vs. Tampa Bay then he also gave up a backbreaking tally to T.J. Oshie with 16 seconds left in the first period this afternoon vs. Washington. From there, Braden Holtby put together his usual lights out performance vs. Boston, finishing with 30 mostly routine saves. Oh and all-around lowlife Tom Wilson fittingly had the deciding goal for the Caps. 

      Jaroslav Halak was not sharp against the Flyers and Rask played every game in the playoffs last year, so I don't expect there to be a goalie controversy. Boston's top forward line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak were held scoreless in these three games but there's no way they go totally missing like that against Carolina (who swept the Rangers in three games). Zdeno Chara obviously looks all of his 78 years old but hopefully grandpa will pick it up when the games mean something. 

     I don't believe that you can take much from last season's sweep by the Bruins of Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hurricanes were woefully overmatched and thus, the series was never that competitive. If Covid-19 and this current horrifying existence has taught us anything, it's to take nothing for granted. The Penguins got upset by the Canadiens in four games, same as the Oilers against the Blackhawks. Boston will be favored and they should win the series but I doubt it will be a sweep.

    Most importantly, with all the terrible things going on all over the world right now, at least we have these wonderful playoff games to take us away for a few hours. For that, I could kiss NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the lips. Haha just kidding, he's still a smug douchebag. 

    Predicting what will happen is a waste of time but we all know how prideful and hard-working this Bruins group has been the last few years. After coming so close to winning another Stanley Cup last June vs. St. Louis (only to choke in Game 7 at TD Garden), it was remarkable how quickly they put that behind them to have a killer regular season. None of that means anything now though, it's a new season and they have to be ready to go from Game 1, unlike the general malaise that they've been stuck in for the last week-plus.  

Game 1: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NESN

Game 2: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Thursday at 8 p.m. on NESN

Game 3: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Saturday at 12 p.m. on NBC

Game 4: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Monday at 8 p.m. on NESN

 

 

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!

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Halak Wills B's to Near Win vs. NHL's Best (Caps), Only to Collapse Late & Predictably Lose in SO

Jaroslav Halak (4-1-3) already recorded a shutout this season but I doubt that he'll have a better outing than the one that he turned in tonight ironically enough in a losing effort. He made 42 saves as he did everything that he could to earn two points for Boston (12-3-5) but unfortunately, they coughed up a 2-1 lead late in the third period then of course Washington (14-3-4)-the team with the top record in the league-found a way to beat them 3-2 in a shootout at TD Garden. Patrice Bergeron was a late scratch with a lower-body injury so the already Providence Bruins-filled lineup had a huge void in it with David Krejci bumped up to the top line with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

Both teams played in Canada last night (Boston won 4-2 at Toronto and Washington lost 5-2 in Montreal) so it was impressive that they still cobbled together such an entertaining playoff-like contest that was chock full of hits, emotion and incredible skill. The Bruins actually led two different times as Charlie Coyle gave them a 1-0 advantage at 11:32 of the first period after a beautiful feed from behind the net by Danton Heinen. Coyle put a one-timer low past Braden Holtby (21 saves, 10-1-3) for his fourth goal of the season with Charlie McAvoy getting the secondary assist. The Caps tied it less than three minutes later though as Travis Boyd (recalled from Hershey ((AHL)) earlier in the day) scored his first goal of the season at 14:27. He tipped in John Carlson's shot from the point with Brendan Leipsic picking up the second assist. Can we talk about how ridiculous that Carlson has been in 2019/2020? That was his NHL-leading 24th helper of the season which also extended his point streak to six games (1 goal, 8 assists). He has 19 points in his last 19 games (8 goals, 11 assists). Where did this offensive explosion come from? He was always known as a physical, steady defensive defenseman and now this which is mind-blowing.

What this game lacked in total goals, it more than made up for in sheer viewing pleasure. The B's went ahead at 3:30 of the second period after David Pastrnak put in a rebound from McAvoy's one-timer that somehow missed the net but fortuitously bounced right to the leading goal-scorer in the NHL (17 and counting). David Krejci had the second assist since he had passed up a great shooting opportunity of his own to feed McAvoy bombing down the slot. Against the run of play, Boston almost took a 3-1 lead when Pasta tipped Matt Grzelcyk's shot but it went off the post. For shits and giggles, Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson ran into each other in Washington's defensive zone (luckily, they were both fine). The scoreboard said Boston 2, Washington 1 after two periods completed despite the fact that the Caps had doubled the Black and Gold in shots on goal (30-15).

The B's had 1:45 left of a power play to start the third but they couldn't convert (their #2 ranked PP was 0-for-3 on the night). Wilson crushed Chris Wagner with a clean open ice hit and on the other end, McAvoy made an incredible recovery play defensively to knock the puck away from Ovi. Krejci tipped a shot from McAvoy that Holtby just got a piece of and the puck trickled wide of the net. Zdeno Chara and Wilson got matching roughing penalties because someone had to settle Washington's intimidating enforcer down just a bit. Coyle had a partial breakaway but Holtby stopped his backhander. Halak matched that by robbing Ovechkin and Carlson's shot hit the crossbar. With an extra skater on the ice, Washington finally tied it up with 58.6 seconds left in regulation. Oshie one-timed a pass from Kuznetsov (4 goals, 7 assists in last 7 games) from point blank range on Halak. Nicklas Backstrom had the second assist on Oshie's 10th goal of the season.

For the third time in four games (all at the Garden), the Bruins had to decide the outcome in overtime or a shootout which is never a good thing for them. Kuznetsov was stopped on a breakaway and Halak also made a good save on Jakub Vrana as Washington outshot Boston 3-2 in overtime (44-23 for the game!). Once it went to a shootout, you might as well have turned off the lights at the Garden. Boston dropped to 0-4 in shootouts this season while Washington improved to 3-1. The B's could only manage one measly goal in five attempts (Coyle in Round 1), making them 2-for-16 this season which seems almost impossibly bad. Backstrom tied it in the third round and Vrana won it in the fifth round. As he did all game long, Halak deserved better after he made a showstopping save on Ovechkin to start Round four.

With Bergeron temporarily on the shelf and Torey Krug placed on IR this afternoon, the beat up Bruins understandably won't practice tomorrow. They will be back to work at Warrior Arena on Monday before they travel to New Jersey for Tuesday's (7, NESN) meeting with the Devils (7-8-4). For awhile, the B's have owned the Devils so that's a team you want to see on their schedule this week. Ditto for the Sabres (10-6-3) who have come crashing back to Earth after an unbelievable start and they make their first visit of the season here on Thursday (7, NESN). Rounding out the manageable week for the Bruins is the lowly Wild (7-11-2) who visit on Saturday night (7, NESN). They are the worst team in the Western Conference and tied with Detroit (7-12-2) for the fewest points in the NHL. I'm not predicting three easy wins but at least on paper, the B's couldn't ask for three more favorable opponents to see when they have so many unproven guys in the lineup.

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At This Point, I've Accepted the Fact That I'll Never See the Bruins Beat the Capitals Again

It is getting quite comical at this point: no matter how well the Bruins (25-15-4) are playing (winners of 5 straight and 8-2-0 in their last 10 games), they simply cannot find a way to defeat the Capitals (27-12-4). Tonight at TD Garden, they tried their best but couldn't get the job done as Washington skated out of town with a 4-2 victory. The B's dropped to a hard-to-believe 0-11-3 in their last 14 games against the defending champs. Their last home win vs. the Caps was almost five years ago (March 6, 2014).

Backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak (18 saves, 13-7-2) got the start despite the fact that Tuukka Rask (12-8-2) has won his last four outings and is finally playing like the better option that he should be. Boston had a much better performance than the 7-0 Opening Night (Oct. 3) beating that they took in D.C. Still, when you nearly double your opponent in shots on goal (41-22) and win almost twice as many faceoffs (42-22), how do you lose? Halak was not at his best but neither were his teammates that managed to somehow turn a whopping 74 shot attempts (41 on goal, 18 blocked, 15 missed net) into just two goals. I'm no Will Hunting but that's not good enough. Haha sorry, had to do it.

On the other side, the best players from the Capitals all showed up. Captain Alex Ovechkin had two goals, Nicklas Backstrom added another and goaltender Braden Holtby (39 saves, 17-10-2) looked nothing like the guy that's had an uneven first half of 2018/19. In the process of standing on his head against the black and gold, Holtby improved to 16-2-0 in his career against them. The Bruins gave up an early first goal, never led and each time that they scored, they allowed a quick and painful rebuttal by the Capitals.

22-year-old left wing Jakub Vrana is one of the young players that is stepping up for the Caps. He's already reached a career-high in goals (15) and he scored on a breakaway at 6:38 of the first period. T.J. Oshie had the lone assist as Washington led 1-0 after the first despite getting mostly dominated (outshot 17-5). Ryan Donato has been scuffling for much of this season in Boston so it was encouraging to see him score on a beautiful snipe over Holtby's glove at 14:11 of the second period. Torey Krug and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson had the assists on Donato's sixth goal of the season. While the PA announcer was talking about that tally, Washington made it a moot point as Ovi slipped loose in the slot 39 seconds later for his NHL-best 31st goal of the season. The NHL's public enemy No. 1 Tom Wilson had the lone assist on the backbreaking goal.

Boston fell to 1-12-1 when they trail after two periods so when they were down 2-1 headed into the third, we should have already given any fleeting hope that we had left. The B's had 1:53 of a power play that carried over from the second but they couldn't convert on that one. Luckily the Capitals were called for too many men on the ice (served by Ovechkin) shortly after that and the Bruins' No. 3 ranked power play finally cashed in on its fifth opportunity. David Krejci blasted a shot by Holtby at 4:37 that tied it at two apiece. Danton Heinen and David Backes provided the assists on Krejci's eighth goal of the season. This time it took the Caps just over a minute (1:09) to respond. Backstrom beat Halak with a low-hard shot from some distance that truthfully, he would stop when he was on top of his game (he admitted as much afterwards). Oshie and rookie defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler had the assists on Backstrom's 11th goal of the season.

Halak actually made a bunch of quality saves after that to keep the Bruins in it but they never really tested Holtby too much more. Ovechkin ended any suspense that remained as he put in an empty-netter from a faceoff circle in his own defensive zone at 18:25. The good news for the Bruins is that they won't see the Capitals again unless it is in the postseason this spring. We'll worry about that if and when it occurs.

For now, they're onto Toronto (28-13-2) on Saturday night (7, NESN). It's a huge Atlantic Division showdown and the last meeting of the regular season for those Original Six rivals. The B's lead it 2-1 but Toronto is four points ahead of them for second-place and they have a game in hand. Rask will be back in net and it looks like defenseman Charlie McAvoy could make another return from his latest mysterious injury (foot). It's a difficult few days as they come back here to host Montreal (23-17-5) on Monday (7:30, NESN).

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In Boston, The Capitals Leave No Doubt As To Who the Best Team in the NHL is at the Moment

Unlike the pitiful effort that they displayed in Friday's disgraceful 5-1 loss to Montreal in the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium, at least tonight at TD Garden the Bruins (20-14-4) showed some sense of pride. The problem was that they were facing the Capitals (29-7-3), who in case you have been living under a rock happen to be the top team in the league, so they came up short once again 3-2. Boston has lost five out of its last six games as they depart for a pivotal five-game road trip beginning on Friday (7, NESN) in New Jersey.

Joonas Kemppainen returned after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury but Adam McQuaid left early in the second period with what had to be a concussion after Zach Sill boarded him. There was no call on the play but McQuaid appeared to be knocked out after going face-first into the glass. That meant that the Bruins had to play with five defensemen for more than half of the contest. Don't forget that David Krejci remains out with his upper-body injury, Brad Marchand was out (2nd game of his 3-game suspension) and David Pastrnak is back from the World Juniors Championships but for now playing in Providence.

Spotting a 2-0 lead to the Capitals made things infinitely more tough for the goal-challenged Black and Gold. Andre Burakovsky one-timed a pretty cross-ice feed from Evgeny Kuznetsov at 15:01 of the first period. My man Aaron Ness had the second assist on Burakovsky's fourth goal of the season. Kuznetsov doubled Washington's lead at 12:40 of the second period with a power play strike. He walked right in and ripped a shot over Rask's shoulder. Nicklas Backstrom and Matt Niskanen assisted on Kuznetsov's 13th goal of the season.

Scoring two goals against Braden Holtby (25 saves) is a big accomplishment since he's been the best goaltender in the NHL. He is 17-0-2 in his last 19 decisions and if they had the vote right now, he would be a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy (MVP). Loui Eriksson got Boston on the board at 15:26, Brett Connolly and Patrice Bergeron assisted on his 14th goal of the season. When Marcus Johansson put in a loose puck at 10:41 of the third period for a 3-1 Washington lead, you knew that it was over. Dmitry Orlov's shot from the point hit the post and Nate Schmidt had the second assist on Johansson's 10th goal of the season. The Capitals have seven guys with 10+ goals this season, I doubt that any other club can top that.

After Washington's No. 2 power play came through, Boston's No. 1 power play made its presence felt too as Patrice Bergeron scored at 11:52 of the third to cut it to 3-2. Ryan Spooner and Torey Krug assisted on Bergeron's 15th goal of the season (tying him with Marchand for the team lead). Boston fell to 9-11-2 at home in 2015-16 while they are 11-3-2 on the road. They have to hope that bizarre road success carries over the next few weeks since after New Jersey, they'll be in Ottawa on Saturday (7, NESN) night. They are at the Rangers on Monday (7, NESN), at the Flyers on Wednesday (8, NBCSN) and wrap things up in Buffalo on Friday (7, NESN). Even in their current state of disarray, they should win at least two of those matchups. For what it's worth, if the playoffs started today Washington would face Boston. Scary stuff indeed.

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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!

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Bruins Blank No-Show Capitals 3-0

Tonight might as well have been a scrimmage in practice since the Bruins didn't really have to do anything (other than show up) to beat the Capitals 3-0 at TD Garden. Washington (29-25-10) had lost the night before in Philadelphia and they played like a team with no energy or spirit. In fact, Braden Holtby (40 saves) had been pulled against the Flyers but he was outstanding against Boston (40-17-5).

This had to be the easiest shutout of Tuukka Rask's career, at least with the black and gold. He only was called on to make 16 saves for his NHL-best sixth shutout of the season. Showing you how non-descript it was, he didn't earn any of the three stars for the game and that didn't even cause you to blink.

The B's got all the offense they would need in the second period. That goal-scoring machine Gregory Campbell tipped Patrice Bergeron's shot at 3:05 for his seventh goal of the season. Matt Bartkowski had the second assist. 5:15 after that, the Swedes connected as Carl Soderberg found Loui Eriksson out in front of the net. Eriksson displayed great hands to lift it over Holtby with little room to maneuver. It was also his seventh goal of the season with Kevan Miller picking up the second assist.

Washington pulled Holtby early to try and generate some offense but predictably that blew up in their faces. Brad Marchand scored an empty-netter, his team-leading 21st goal of the season at 18:26. The teams split the first two meetings and they'll settle things, in the regular season at least, on March 29 in DC.

Like the Red Sox and snow birds from around New England, the B's are lucky enough to get out of here this weekend to enjoy the sun and warmth of Florida. Of course, it's still technically a business trip as they go to Tampa Bay (34-24-5) to check in with Ryan Callahan and Steven Stamkos on Saturday (7, NESN) then its off to Sunrise to play the Panthers (23-32-7) on Sunday (5, NESN). The Lightning are fading fast, they've lost their last three games to fall 12 points behind the Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division.

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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.

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Bruins Suffer Worst Loss Of The Season: Blow 3-0 Lead In Washington & Lose In OT 4-3

Something negative happened tonight to the Bruins that I'm pretty sure won't occur for the rest of the season. Boston (14-3-3) blew a 3-0 lead as they had a dream first period against Washington (9-11-1), then proceeded to fall apart until they lost 4-3 in overtime at the Verizon Center. Eric Fehr ended the misery only 37 seconds into the extra frame by splitting Dennis Seidenberg and Dougie Hamilton before he beat Tuukka Rask (22 saves; 11-2-3).

The incredible first period is what ultimately gave the B's a point and ensured that they still have yet to lose back-to-back games in regulation this season. Coming off the loss to Montreal on Sunday night, they didn't have any sort of hangover as they beat Braden Holtby (30 saves) three times in less than 19 minutes.

Brad Marchand scored on a penalty shot after Alex Ovechkin hooked him when Washington was on the power play at 6:29. It was Marchand's team-high 12th goal of the season and it was credited as a shorthanded goal for the top PK unit in the NHL. Zdeno Chara made it 2-0 at 17:07 after a nice pinch along the boards by him and assists from David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Big Z (who seems more active offensively this season) did the hard work by following his own shot for his fourth goal of the season.

Shawn Thornton and John Erskine fought two seconds after Chara's goal as Washington tried to gain some sort of positive momentum. That was Thornton's first bout since he was dropped by Buffalo goon John Scott. It didn't seem to help when Hamilton added a power play goal, his third goal of the season, at 18:30 from Nathan Horton and Krejci. Somehow the Caps lost him and Hamilton skated in on Holtby before firing a shot past him.

The Captials are desperate for any points that they can get and they played like it. The B's put it on cruise control way too early and paid dearly for it. Former Canadiens dirtbag (redundant I know) Mike Ribeiro got Washington on the board at 5:46 after great work from Ovechkin. Tomas Kundratek scored his first NHL goal when Rask couldn't catch a peek at his slow-motion wrist shot from the point.

It looked like the B's might escape with two points after they woke up a bit in the third but not adding an insurance goal came back to haunt them. Wojtek Wolski tied it at three with 6:05 left in regulation when he took advantage of a shot deflecting off Hamilton's legs right to him.

The things that people will point to as the main reasons the Bruins have lost the last two games: their third line has been horrid and most of their defensemen have been super shaky. Keep those observations in mind since the NHL trade deadline is less than a month away (April 3) in this bizarre season.

Boston returns home on Thursday (7 p.m., NESN) to face Toronto (14-9-0), a team that they have absolutely owned the last few seasons with Phil Kessel North of the border. The Bruins blanked the Leafs 1-0 on February 2 in Toronto. This will be the second of four meetings between the Original 6 and Northeast Division rivals.

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Capitals End Bruins' Season With 2-1 OT Win In Game 7

In many ways, an exit like this was bound to happen. By losing Game 5 on home ice and going down 3-2 in the series, the Boston Bruins effectively took away any leverage they had in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Washington Capitals. They won Game 6 in overtime but still, all the pressure was on them. The Caps had absolutely nothing to lose and nobody believing in them and that's what fueled them to an improbable upset.

Following the familiar pattern from the rest of the series, Game 7 turned out to be a one-goal game (for the seventh time, an NHL record) and it also went to overtime (for the fourth time). Unfortunately for the B's and their fans, the Caps ended their season with a 2-1 OT win tonight at TD Garden.

After Patrice Bergeron couldn't shoot a fluttering puck past Braden Holtby (31 saves), moments later Joel Ward (1st of the playoffs) followed up a rebound by ex-Bruin Mike Knuble and put it past Tim Thomas (25 saves) at 2:57. The whole play started when Benoit Pouliot failed to properly dump the puck into the Washington zone. Knuble was able to block it with his body then skate in on an odd-man rush.

Seeing your favorite team's season end is never easy, especially when you feel like they left money on the table so to speak. Yes the Caps played better than the B's in the series, that's a fact since they went 3-1 on the road. Still, I find it hard to accept that the Bruins aren't a better team when they put it all together. Sadly, they never really looked like themselves for most of this series. That's what happens when you score one goal in four different games.

This series followed some weird patterns: three 4-3 games, three 2-1 games, one 1-0 game. Boston went 2-1 in Washington. The two main reasons that Boston lost were its beyond pathetic power play (2 for 23 in the entire series) and the disappearance of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Brad Marchand for long stretches of games.

The Bruins lost three of the last four games (two on home ice); they were outscored 16-15 while the first and last two games of the series all went to overtime. Boston won the first game but lost the all important final one which meant everything.

Another big factor was that Holtby vs. Thomas was a wash at best, actually check that. The 22-year-old rookie was a hair better than the guy that won the Vezina trophy and Conn Smythe award last season.

The alarming part about Game 7 was that the Bruins came out with hardly any emotion or jump, it was like they forgot this was such an important game. Sitting Shawn Thornton in favor of Jordan Caron for the second straight game probably didn't help in that regard either.

Washington took advantage as Matt Hendricks scored his first career playoff goal by tipping John Carlson's shot from the point at 11:23 of the first period. Jason Chimera had the second assist although it should have gone to Looch who started the whole Benny Hill play by overskating the puck along the boards in his own end.

Other than Dennis Seidenberg, who was Boston's best player all series, Tyler Seguin had a very solid Game 7. He punctuated it with the tying goal at 14:27 of the second period, his second of the series. He followed Andrew Ference and Johnny Boychuk's shots as Holtby left the rebound in the crease and Seguin swooped in to tap it before he was crushed.

There hasn't been a repeat Stanley Cup champion since the Red Wings in 1997-98. The Bruins followed suit of recent history as they became the seventh winner in the last nine years to bomb out in the first round of the playoffs.

I think the only way to look at that is it has become such a grind to survive and win a Stanley Cup that teams naturally have big hangover effects at some point in the next season. Once the playoffs roll around, that squad is naturally more beat up and fatigued mentally and physically.

Don't get me wrong, this is not an excuse. The Bruins should have beaten the Capitals mainly because they are a superior team. The problem was that they didn't show that at any point. They never had a two-goal lead and rarely had a one-goal lead for that matter which only fed into Washington packing it in and playing the defensive game that they wanted after they grabbed a lead.

It will be a much longer and probably more interesting offseason for the Black and Gold. I wouldn't be shocked to see them try to trade Thomas to get some high-end offensive talent. Lord knows they could use it at this point. I love Thomas but how many more great years does he have left in him? Plus, they have Tuukka Rask waiting in the wings and how much longer will he be content as Thomas' backup?

After winning three Game 7s in their magical run last spring, this felt exactly like 2008 (losing Game 7 to Montreal), 2009 (losing Game 7 to Carolina) or 2010 (losing Game 7 to Philadelphia) for the Bruins. Most of all, I'm just sad to have no more rooting interest left in the NHL playoffs. There's nothing better than them in any professional sport; I will still watch but it will only frustrate me when I see all the teams continue to advance that I know the Bruins could have potentially gotten past.

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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 Put The Bruins On The Brink Of Elimination

Coming into this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, on paper it looked like Boston's biggest advantage over Washington was in goal. Surely, Tim Thomas could outplay a third-string rookie (Braden Holtby). Turns out (so far) that we were all wrong.

Once again, Holtby (34 saves) was better than Thomas (28 saves) this afternoon and the Caps took a 3-2 series lead with a 4-3 win at TD Garden.

Every game this series has been decided by one goal and the Capitals have scored first four out of five times.

Washington opened up the first two-goal lead of the series but Boston battled back with a pair of goals in 28 seconds. The Capitals went ahead 3-2 in the third period but the Bruins responded with their first power-play goal of the series. Troy Brouwer (2nd of the playoffs) ended any thoughts of another overtime session as he snapped a shot over Thomas with 1:27 left in regulation. It was extremely deflating since it appeared to be a shot that Thomas would normally stop. No traffic or tips means that there were no excuses. That wasn't the only weak goal that Thomas allowed either.

The B's hit the post twice in the first period: Zdeno Chara rang the crossbar on a power-play and Daniel Paille skated in on a breakaway while Boston was short-handed but he also ended up unlucky.

After no goals in the first, Alexander Semin (3rd of the playoffs) scored on a rebound at 11:16 of the second. Dennis Wideman and Marcus Johansson assisted on the goal. Thomas made a good initial save but neither he nor his defense could clear it out of danger. Despite many bodies between him and the goal, Semin was able to squeeze it through.

The Capitals doubled their lead at 14:27 as Jay Beagle notched his first goal of the postseason. His shot was tipped on the way in but it also went right off Thomas' glove so I think it was one he should have stopped.

Just when it looked like the Bruins had flatlined, Milan Lucic found Dennis Seidenberg (1st of the playoffs) for a pretty goal at 17:21. David Krejci had the second assist. Everyone came out of witness protection (well except for Tyler Seguin) as Brad Marchand (1st of the playoffs) tied it at 17:49. Rich Peverley and Johnny Boychuk assisted on Holtby's token weak one of the contest. Marchand barely poked it but the puck found a hole through Holtby's leg pads.

The difference in the game was the third period. Thomas gave up two bad goals (for him) while Holtby made unquestionably the best stop in the series-a full split to deny Seguin. Old friend Mike Knuble (1st of the playoffs) put Washington up 3-2 at 3:21 when Thomas kicked Joel Ward's shot right to him. John Erskine had the second assist.

Boston snapped a woeful 0-for-16 start on the power play in these playoffs with Boychuk's blast from the point at 8:47. Seidenberg and Marchand picked up the assists. It was surprising to see Holtby get beat on a relatively routine shot from distance like that.

Game 6 is tomorrow afternoon in D.C. (3 p.m., NBC). Patrice Bergeron and Joe Corvo both left with injuries today so who knows if they'll be able to play. Boston has no choice but to win, otherwise it will be an extremely bitter end to a postseason that was filled with so much hope. It starts with Thomas, he needs to be much better. Likewise, their offense needs to show up as well. They can't go out like this.

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Capitals Even The Series With 2-1 Win In Game 4

Hey, has anybody seen Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Tyler Seguin or Brad Marchand?

None of those guys has scored yet in the playoffs and it has added up to a whole lot of frustration as the Capitals beat the Bruins 2-1 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tonight at Verizon Center. The series now shifts back to Boston for Game 5, tied at two games apiece.

Showing how tight it's been: every game has been decided by a goal, neither team has led by more than one at any point and they have both scored seven goals.

With Nicklas Backstrom-Washington's best all-around player-suspended tonight, the B's missed a major opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Instead, they made Braden Holtby (44 saves) look like the best goaltender in the world. The truth was that without getting much net front traffic or players going hard to the cage, the B's didn't have that many great opportunities despite piling up the gaudy shot total.

In Game 3, it seemed like Boston had solved Holtby by scoring four goals, while also gaining control of the series. That proved to be a fluke as the Bruins scored one goal for the third time in four games.

Marcus Johansson (1st of the playoffs) gave Washington a 1-0 lead only 1:22 into the 1st period. After Andrew Ference fell over and Zdeno Chara got caught in the neutral zone, Brooks Laich and Johansson skated in on Tim Thomas (19 saves) for a 2-on-1. Thomas had no chance to stop it as Laich threw a perfect forehand sauce pass to Johansson that he roofed.

Rich Peverley (2nd of the playoffs) answered later in the frame after a 2-on-1 rush for Boston. Gregory Campbell had the assist as Peverley juked a defenseman and beat Holtby through his five-hole.

In the extended time between Games 3 and 4 (2 days), Washington whined constantly about calls. Not surprisingly, they "earned" the first three power-plays of the night. The Bruins were able to kill the first two but after Patrice Bergeron was whistled for a bogus hooking penalty, Alexander Semin (2nd of the playoffs) made them pay late in the second period. Waltham's Keith Aucoin and Alex Ovechkin had the assists but truthfully it was all Semin's work since he just ripped a snipe into the top far corner. Goals like that make you remember how wildly talented but so underachieving he can be.

Boston had one power-play, midway through the third period and they couldn't convert, meaning that they dropped to 0-12 in the series so far with the man advantage.

I'm not ready to say that Game 5 at TD Garden (3 p.m., Saturday) is a must-win for the Black and Gold but that's not too far off. They have to find a way to score goals and likewise, they need the aforementioned invisible stars to show up. They just have to play their physical, hard-nosed game and make sure to crash the net while using the emotion that is sure to be in the building with their home crowd. Otherwise, they'll be in serious trouble down 3-2 and headed back to D.C. on Sunday.

Whether it means inserting Jordan Caron, Mike Mottau (for Joe Corvo) or Adam McQuaid (although I don't think he's healthy enough) into the lineup or shifting Chris Kelly or Brian Rolston (two of their better forwards in the series) up a line or two, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bruins head coach Claude Julien throw some different wrinkle at the Capitals on Saturday. Why not? It's clear that this current group isn't doing nearly enough against an opponent that's honestly not that good, one that they should handle way more easily.

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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.

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Backstrom Scores In Double Overtime, Capitals Even Up The Series At 1

Two goals in 144 minutes of action isn't going to cut it if the Boston Bruins want to advance out of the first round of the 2012 NHL playoffs.

Nicklas Backstrom scored at 2:56 (assisted by Marcus Johansson) into the second overtime this afternoon as the Washington Capitals took Game 2, 2-1 at TD Garden. The series is now even at one and Boston has their hands full.

Let's start with the fact that Braden Holtby (43 saves) followed up his great Game 1 performance with an even better one. Benoit Pouliot tied it at one with 7:47 left in regulation which means that in the first two games, only him and Chris Kelly have scored goals for the B's. Not Tyler Seguin, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, etc. That has to change, fast.

Tim Thomas (37 saves) played very well and he was screened on the game-winner plus it was a fluttering puck.

After a scoreless first period, you could feel that this would be another low-scoring affair after Game 1 was 1-0 in OT. Troy Brouwer broke the deadlock with 2:03 left in the second period on a bizarre play. The puck rolled in on Thomas and he tried to cover it up but he couldn't. Brouwer was there to sweep the gift in, with Alex Ovechkin and Karl Alzner getting the assists.

Typical of Pouliot, his goal was a beauty as he beat Holtby to a loose puck and was able to poke it by him before they bumped into each other. Brian Rolston and Chris Kelly (only guys on the Bruins with multiple points, really) assisted on the electrifying goal which woke up the Garden.

There is no need to panic since the Bruins for the most part are playing fine. Still, you can't help but realize that they could as easily be down 2-0 in this series as they could be up 2-0. I guess 1-1 is fitting. Washington is much more committed to defense than I ever would have imagined and Holtby is legit. It would really help the Bruins if they can get a lead (something they haven't had yet) in Game 3 and make the Capitals play from behind, something Boston excels at (holding leads).

The series shifts to D.C. and Game 3 is Monday night at 7:30 p.m. (NESN).

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Kelly's OT Winner Delivers Game 1 To The Bruins

Are you ready for another unforgettable ride with the Boston Bruins?

Chris Kelly scored 1:18 into overtime tonight as the B's blanked the Washington Capitals 1-0 at TD Garden in Game 1 of their quarterfinal series.

It's been a pulsating start to the 2012 NHL playoffs as four of the seven games so far have gone to overtime. The defending Stanley Cup champs were able to stay focused when other teams might have become discouraged.

Caps rookie goaltender Braden Holtby (29 saves) was excellent, although I think he'd love to have another chance to stop Kelly's shot. Benoit Pouliot sprung Kelly on a partial breakaway and he was able to snipe it in the far corner from some distance. Brian Rolston had the other assist on the winning goal. I'm not saying it was an easy save or a bad shot but Holtby did make some more difficult stops earlier in the night.

By picking up his sixth career playoff shutout, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (17 saves) was able to stay awake despite only facing seven shots in the first two periods. After carrying the play for the first two frames, Boston watched as Washington (9-3 shot advantage) looked like a different team in the third.

It being the postseason, the Bruins' woeful power-play from last spring appeared to carry over as they went 0 for 4, including a 4-minute advantage. Plus, they picked up a 2-minute penalty on the Capitals right after the 4-minute one expired so they basically had six straight minutes of a power-play, yet it yielded no goals.

If Washington was going to steal a game in Boston, this was the blueprint for such an upset. They didn't allow the Bruins too many good chances (even though they outshot the Caps 30-17) and for the most part, they were able to match Boston's physicality. Alex Ovechkin was clearly a marked man as he was hit hard on nearly every shift, sometimes two or three times.

Game 2 is Saturday afternoon at TD Garden (3 p.m. on NBC). Boston doesn't have to change anything, I expect Washington to play like the more desperate team in that one. The Bruins already proved that they can win a low-scoring game so don't be surprised if it opens up more as the series progresses.

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