I Am Calling It: 2018 Will Be the Year of Bergy

Sometimes in sports, like in everyday regular people life, you just don't have it. Conversely, there are other magical times where you can literally do no wrong. Tonight was one of those latter such times for Bruins icon Patrice Bergeron. He set a career-high with four goals and tied another personal mark with five points as Boston (23-10-6) pillaged Carolina (19-14-8) 7-1 at TD Garden. When you have an unforgettable performance such as that, there are many statistics that you can highlight: Bergy notched his second career hat trick just 5:36 into the second period and his fourth goal a little over five minutes later tied the club record also matched by 16 others. You might not know anything about them, neither do most people in North Carolina (why are they still there?), but the Hurricanes had been playing really well (7-2-1) and they were coming off of a 4-0 shutout in Pittsburgh (21-19-3) on Thursday.

Carolina goaltender Cam Ward got to play 5:43 which is quite impressive when you consider that he started and wasn't forced out of action with an injury. Nope, Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters (which sounds like the name of your dad's boss) had seen enough after Bergeron flipped a shot by his glove side at 3:14 of the first period. Bergeron's 13th goal of the season was shorthanded and assisted by Brad Marchand (4 assists) who must of fooled Ward into thinking that Bergeron was going to pass it to him? Former Carolina great Riley Nash made it 2-0 at 5:43 when he roofed a shot over Ward's (say it with me kids!) glove side. Nash's fifth goal of the season was assisted by Kevan Miller and David Backes. Ward finished with two goals allowed on two shots against which is really remarkable when you think about it for a guy that's won a Stanley Cup.

For a freezing cold second, the Hurricanes had one last breath of life as Jordan Staal tipped in a Teuvo Teravainen shot for a power play goal at 7:09 which cut it to 2-1 Bruins. Norwood native and former BC star Noah Hanifin had the second assist on Staal's 11th goal of the season. This came right after Marchand had a shorthanded breakaway bid stopped by Scott Darling (no relation to Ron, I think). No problem though, Boston's unstoppable offense roared back with a pair of goals at 9:04 and 10:22 of the first period. David Pastrnak whipped in a one-timer (his 1st goal in 11 games) for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Bergeron and Danton Heinen (2 goals, 5 assists in his last 7 games). Jake DeBrusk tipped in Ryan Spooner's shot for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by David Krejci. The B's weren't done though in the first as they polished off their first five-goal frame in nearly 7 years (Jan. 13, 2011 vs. Flyers). Bergeron pumped in a one-timer from Marchand for his 700th career point, how cute!

Even the Chiefs couldn't blow that type of lead, oh wait.... Just in case the Hurricanes had any thoughts of making it competitive, they passed out in a snowbank outside the Garden and collectively froze to death. Bergeron got his hat trick, complete with plenty of hats thrown on the ice (props to the Bruins marketing team for saying hats were 30% off in the team store, America!), thanks to another assist from Marchand at 5:36. Finally, Bergy wrapped it up with one last tally from his uber-talented linemates at 10:45 of the second period. It would have been fun to see Boston score double-digit goals but with another game looming tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports) in Pittsburgh, what was the point? There was nothing left to prove against a beaten opponent.

The Bruins improved to 8-0-2 in their last 10 games, the longest point streak since they went 15-0-1 from March 2-30, 2014. They are 11-1-2 in their last 14 games and 17-3-2 in their last 22 games which last time I checked is pretty damn good. The back-to-back champion Penguins have been a mess this season and believe it or not, if the playoffs started today (I know, I hate those hypothetical statements too.....), they would be left out of the mighty Eastern Conference playoff race. Of course, nobody in the world (probably not even the Hurricanes) would pick Carolina to hold off Pittsburgh for the second Wild Card. This is a proud club with a ton of great players so it's a little early to be writing them off, however the B's have a nice opportunity to inflict more damage on the Pens on national TV on a Sunday night, what could be better than that?

Anton Khudobin (27 saves, 9th win of the season) had the honor of facing his former team today so that Tuukka Rask (14-8-3, 2.09 GAA) will be well rested (remember that Boston's game with Florida on Thursday was cancelled on account of the Bomb Cyclone) for the showdown with Pittsburgh. You'll need to get your Black and Gold fix tomorrow since after that, they are off until Saturday (7, NESN) when they travel to see hapless Montreal (17-20-4) coached by some guy named Handsome Ralph I mean Mr. Potato Head, no it's Claude Julien. The NHL schedule makers were clearly tripping on acid when they put together this upcoming slate for the B's after the mandatory break as they play the Habs three times in eight days. Haha WTF? Boston's next home game isn't until a week from Monday (1, NESN), a Martin Luther King Jr. day matinee vs. Dallas (24-16-3).

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B's Basically Steal Two Points from the Hurricanes With an Improbable 2-1 Shootout Victory

For almost 60 minutes tonight at TD Garden, the Bruins (13-10-1) and Hurricanes (9-9-5) played just about the most boring NHL game that you've ever seen. Then Teuvo Teravainen kicked the puck into his own net with 32 seconds left in regulation, giving the Bruins a much-deserved tying goal (they had 80 total shot attempts!). From there, they battled through a scoreless overtime (Carolina survived a hooking penalty on Viktor Stalberg) and at the end of it all, the B's managed to escape with a 2-1 shootout win after goals by Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak.

Backup goaltender Anton Khudobin (1-3-0) earned the distinction of first Bruins goalie not named Tuukka Rask to earn a victory this season as he made 29 saves. The backups (Subban, McIntyre and him) had been 0-6-0 collectively before tonight. Haha is that bad? They might not have shown it for much of the contest but Boston still owns Carolina (7-0-3 in their last 10 games) including 5-0-2 in their last seven games here against the Hurricanes. One other note for the B's: this was the first time this season that they had rallied for two points after being down after two periods (they had been 0-8-1).

After losing at Philadelphia in a lengthy shootout on Tuesday (3-2), it figures that Boston had to decide things in their third shootout of this campaign. Carolina outshot Boston 12-10 in the first period but neither punchless offense could find the back of the net. Former BC star (and Norwood, MA native) Noah Hanifin once again had a good performance in his hometown as he gave Carolina a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 7:37 of the second period. His shot from the point found a hole through traffic with Jeff Skinner and Derek Ryan notching assists on Hanifin's second goal of the season (he has 2 goals, 2 assists and a shootout winner in his 4 NHL games here).

Boston was lifeless for most of the first two periods and the fans even booed them early in the third (totally within their right after paying for that garbage) when they were on a fruitless power-play. Eventually they flipped that proverbial switch with some serious pressure on Cam Ward (34 saves; 7-8-3). Carolina's No. 1 penalty kill unit in the league acquitted themselves well (4-for-4) so the Bruins ended up scoring their lone goal after they had pulled Khudobin for the extra attacker. Torey Krug took the shot from the point and David Backes created some chaos in front of the net which in turn forced Teravainen to freak out and kick the puck like a soccer player. Haha or something like that. Krug's second goal of the season extended his point-streak to three games (1 goal, 4 assists) while David Pastrnak (9 goals, 2 assists in his last 13 games) and David Krejci (3-game point streak with 1 goal and 2 assists) had the helpers.

The B's dominated in overtime as well, outshooting the Hurricanes 6-2 but they still couldn't find the ocean with their shots. Hat tip to Khudobin for stopping Skinner on two breakaway attempts (a 3-on-0 in the second period then a more usual vintage in the extra session). After Tuesday's shootout lasted nine tedious rounds (Boston was 1-for-9), it was nice that the home team decided things with only needing their first three shooters. Something called Jaccob Slavin scored for Carolina in the first round but Khudobin stepped up with stops on Hanifin and Skinner to mercifully end it. Surprisingly, only Brad Marchand failed to score of Boston's three shooters.

The Bruins know that they were lucky to walk away with two points after such a pathetic showing in so many ways. They are at Buffalo (9-9-5) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) as they get their first look at former BU star (and Chelmsford, MA native) Jack Eichel who made his season debut this week after missing tons of time with a severe ankle sprain. The Sabres are improving but that's another club the Bruins own. For the B's there are very few givens anymore left in the NHL so when they meet them, they need to find a way to get a win no matter what. Tuukka Rask has to sleep a little easier tonight knowing that hopefully he won't be run into the ground as Khudobin begins to prove once again that he's a capable backup on a decent team.

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In Essentially a Must-Win Scenario, the Bruins Fall 2-1 in a Shootout to the Hurricanes

With the 2015-16 regular season boiled down to three final home games that will ultimately decide their playoff fate (in or out), Boston (41-30-9) fittingly didn't get the job done on step one but they left themselves a bit of hope as they lost 2-1 to Carolina (35-29-16) in a shootout this evening at TD Garden. The fraudulent point "earned" by the B's ties them with Detroit (40-28-11) and Philadelphia (39-26-13). The problem is that the Red Wings have two games in hand and the Flyers have a game in hand on the Black and Gold. As luck would have it, Detroit hosts Philly tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports Network) as well.

Boston hadn't appeared on their home ice in nearly two weeks but somehow they still were the same group that simply hasn't been able to win here all season-long. Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin made it 1-0 at 18:54 in the first period when his shot from the point beat Tuukka Rask (27 saves). He wasn't screened and the shot wasn't tipped so that's a shot that Rask needs to stop 10 times out of 10. Justin Faulk and BC's Nathan Gerbe assisted on Slavin's second goal of the season (his first since Dec. 8, 2015). The Bruins outshot the Hurricanes 10-8 in the first and had two fruitless power plays. The highlight if you can call it that was a fight between Jimmy Hayes and Brad Malone early in the frame.

The Bruins dominated some more in the second (outshooting the Hurricanes 16-9) but three penalties (including 2 on Loui Eriksson) slowed them down a bit and they still lacked that finishing ability that has eluded them so much lately (other than the first 2 periods in St. Louis and last 2 periods in Chicago). Carolina gift-wrapped a goal to Boston as possibly the worst line change in NHL history led to a breakaway and sweet Peter Forsberg-esque move by Eriksson. Former Hurricane John-Michael Liles assisted on Eriksson's 29th goal of the season at 1:45 of the third period. Zdeno Chara saved the day when he cleared a Brett Pesce shot that trickled by Rask off the goalline.

Carolina had beaten Boston 3-2 in overtime at the Garden on March 10 but this time the B's carried play in the extra session. They outshot the Canes 3-1 but Cam Ward (35 saves) took a trip back in a time machine to about a decade ago and he was really good. He even made a nice diving glove save on Eriksson's rebound. After four scoreless rounds in the shootout, Torey Krug was stuffed and another BC guy (Norwood, MA native) Noah Hanifin ended it with a backhander past Rask. Don't ask me how Brad Marchand, David Krejci or Frank Vatrano weren't any of the five shooters selected by Bruins head coach Claude Julien.

The Bruins will no doubt be paying attention to the Red Wings-Flyers tilt tomorrow night before they host Detroit on Thursday (7, NESN). They'll be rooting for Philadelphia to win in regulation against the Red Wings and I'm pretty sure the B's will reach the postseason if they can beat Detroit and then Ottawa (36-35-9) on Saturday (12:30, NESN). However, as we've learned over and over again with this team, you can't count on any consistently positive results at home.

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Bruins Reach 1st-Place in Atlantic Division for 1st Time This Season, By Losing 3-2 in OT to Carolina

In the most Bruins of 2015-16 way possible, the team has finally reached first-place in the Atlantic Division for the first time all season yet that is little solace to them after they fell 3-2 in overtime tonight at TD Garden vs. Carolina (31-26-11). Something named Philip Di Giuseppe (which sounds like a side character from The Sopranos) had the game-winning goal at 1:30 for the Hurricanes. Boston still hasn't reached the .500 mark at home (15-16-5) but the point earned from their fourth straight overtime contest was enough to propel them ahead of idle Tampa Bay (83 points) and Florida (who beat Ottawa 6-2 to also reach 83 points). The problem is that the Lightning and Panthers both have two games in hand over Boston (38-23-8) but I guess that we'll worry about that later.

The Hurricanes never trailed as their terrible power play (ranked No. 23 in the NHL coming into this evening) made it 1-0 just 5:06 into the game. Elias Lindholm's shot from the point trickled past Tuukka Rask (25 saves) for his ninth goal of the season. Norwood MA native (and BC product) Noah Hanifin and Riley Nash had the assists after Patrice Bergeron had been called for high-sticking. Carolina led 1-0 despite being outshot 8-5 in the opening frame.

Boston tied it at 5:13 of the second period when Patrice Bergeron hit Loui Eriksson with a beautiful cross-ice pass, right on his tape. Eriksson didn't get much on the one-timer, in fact Cam Ward (30 saves) almost stopped it with his paddle, but it still went in the net. Torey Krug had the second assist on Erikkson's 25th goal of the season (also his 5th NHL season of 50+ points). Ryan Spooner had a breakaway for the B's but his backhander went wide; Carolina came back down the other end of the ice and scored as another BC guy (Nathan Gerbe) poked in a rebound at 8:34. Rask made the initial stop on Chris Terry with Nash picking up another helper on Gerbe's third goal of the season. Carolina was up (2-1) heading into the second intermission.

David Pastrnak did what maybe only he could do on the Bruins when he sniped a shot by Ward's short-side at 5:54 of the third period. David Krejci assisted on Pastrnak's 10th goal of the season with a nice stretch pass along the boards, culminating in a glimpse of Pasta's immense potential that we get to see from time to time. By winning in overtime at Florida on Monday (5-4 on Lee Stempniak's goal) and at Tampa Bay on Tuesday (1-0 on Brad Marchand's tally), it felt like the Bruins were due for a loss. Hanifin-who recently turned 19 and is going to be a superstar in the NHL-actually started the winning play by passing back to Ward (when do you ever see that in hockey?) before Hanifin found Jeff Skinner for a breakaway. Once again, Rask had the first shot covered but Di Giuseppe was there to jam in the rebound through Bergeron (who fell back into the net trying to block it).

The Bruins are back in action on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) as they host Johnny Boychuk and the Islanders (37-20-8). Boston has had plenty of success against New York these last few seasons but the Isles are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. New York is in its own divisional race, trying to get second-place in the Metropolitan Division behind Washington with the Rangers two points ahead of them (Islanders have two games in hand though). As B's head coach Claude Julien said after the overtime loss, he expects a better performance from his club on Saturday and so do I. For whatever reason, since the trade deadline Boston has played better against the contenders and slipped a bit against the pretenders (like Carolina, not the band).

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There's No Place Like Home for the Bruins, Especially When It Comes to Garbage Opponents

Right after two horrific losses (6-1 at Toronto and 5-1 at Montreal), that were so bad that I didn't feel like writing about them, the Bruins returned to TD Garden aka their comfort zone. Boston (11-8-0) did what they had to do to beat Carolina (5-8-3) 2-1 this afternoon. Like most of their victories this season, it wasn't an artistic masterpiece by any means but for a team that played so poorly on back-to-back nights, at least this was much more indicative of who they are (or rather who they should be).

The Hurricanes scored first, something which has happened to Boston in five of their last six contests, as Jiri Tlusty tipped in Justin Faulk's shot from the point at 7:05 of the first period and Eric Staal had the second assist. Tuukka Rask (33 saves) earned the first star of the game but there was nothing he could do about that high shot that went even higher off the deflection for Tlusty's team-leading seventh goal of the season.

Fortune was smiling on Boston during their fifth-straight win at the Garden as Seth Griffith tied it at 14:24 on one of the flukiest goals I have ever seen. It started with Andrej Sekera fumbling the puck backwards on some sort of ill-fated pass, that ended up going off Griffith then back off Sekera again and past Cam Ward (23 saves). You'll probably never see a goal like that in the NHL, at least not for many years. Griffith's fifth goal of the season (tying him with Carl Soderberg and Brad Marchand for the team lead) was unassisted but we all know that Sekera deserved something special for that monumental fail.

The Bruins got the game-winner on their own accord. A strong forecheck led to Brad Marchand stealing the puck and feeding Patrice Bergeron for one of his patented quick shots after a turnover. Dennis Seidenberg had the second assist on Bergeron's fourth goal of the season and Reilly Smith did his part by screening Ward.

All that stuff happened in the first period with basically nothing to write home about or remember about the second or third periods. Yay afternoon games! Boston outshot Carolina 14-3 in the second and the Hurricanes returned the favor by outshooting the B's 15-4 in the third but it didn't matter. The key sequence of the game also took place in the first when Boston killed a 5-on-3 for 1:43 just 12 seconds after Tlusty's goal. If Carolina had added another goal or two then, who knows what would have happened?

Finally, the Bruins play another quality team at the Garden on Tuesday (7, NESN)-those have been so few and far between. St. Louis (11-4-1) currently leads the very difficult Central division in the Western Conference and they are 9-1-0 in their last 10 games entering tonight's game vs. Washington.

David Krejci and Zach Trotman were the scratches today, meaning that Matt Bartkowski played for the first time in eight games. He finished +1 with four shots, two hits and a blocked shot which for him is a highlight reel game. Milan Lucic also looked like himself with a game-high six hits, he was way more active than he's been in weeks.

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This Is Getting Too Easy: Bruins Win Their 8th Game In A Row

The win streak hasn't reached double digits yet but it feels like the Bruins haven't lost in about three months. The good times keep rolling and everything is awesome (sorry, had to try that one out) as Boston (45-17-5) beat Carolina (29-29-9) 5-1 this afternoon at TD Garden. Boston's top line combined for eight points: Milan Lucic (1 goal, 2 assists), David Krejci (3 assists) and Jarome Iginla (2 goals) could make a solid case that they are the best forward line in the NHL these days.

Even Chad Johnson (29 saves) is playing out of his mind with a career-best nine-game point streak (8-0-1). The B's continue to bury their rivals in the Atlantic Division-they are 15 points ahead of second-place Toronto-while Pittsburgh has started to slow down a bit allowing Boston to build a three-point lead over them (albeit while the Penguins have a game in hand) for first in the East.

The Hurricanes are supposedly fighting for a playoff spot in the stinky Eastern Conference but you wouldn't know it by the lifeless display they put on. Boston outshot them in each period and Cam Ward made 36 saves which sounds good until you remember that he allowed five goals as well.

Lucic's goal at 15:28 of the first gave Boston a 1-0 lead. His 21st goal of the season (temporarily tying him with Brad Marchand and Iginla for the team lead) was assisted by Krejci who was getting tripped by Eric Staal. For some reason, Ward and his defensemen were way out of position.

Iginla showed off his superb hands and shooting skills in tight quarters with his first goal at 17:24 of the second. His 22nd goal of the season made it 2-0 with assists going to Lucic and Krejci.

The only reason that Johnson didn't earn a shutout is because Alexander Semin's shot deflected off Johnny Boychuk's stick in front. I guess Carolina made it interesting for about nine minutes before the Bruins hit them with two goals in 13 seconds (their fastest pair in 2.5 seasons). Chris Kelly went first, scoring his seventh of the season at 12:49 from Krejci and Dougie Hamilton. Before Ward or the Hurricanes could think to settle down, it was 4-1 and basically over. Somehow Iginla was wide open for about 10 minutes in front of the net so Kevan Miller found him. Lucic had the second assist.

Torey Krug scored the epitome of a garbage time goal as his hard wrist shot from the point sneaked in with less than 10 seconds left in this beating. It was his 14th goal of the season, Carl Soderberg and Gregory Campbell earned the helpers.

Boston hosts Minnesota (35-22-10) on Monday (7:30, NBCSN) aka St. Patrick's Day. Yikes, things could get ugly for the Wild if they get blown out and or puked on by the lovely Bruins fans that will surely have been drinking all day.

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Bruins Beat Hurricanes 3-2 in OT on Krejci's Goal

It shouldn't have gone to overtime in the first place, mainly because the Hurricanes stink, but at least the Bruins were able to fully wake up in the extra session as David Krejci scored at 1:28 to end the proceedings. Boston (15-6-2) remains in first place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Penguins and the B's actually have a game in hand on Pittsburgh as well.

Krejci hadn't scored a goal in his previous seven games so his fourth of the season had to be a little extra sweet given the drought and the way it wrapped up a game for his club. Jarome Iginla did much of the work by getting Cam Ward (35 saves) to commit then sliding it back to Krejci who waited out Ward before roofing the puck. Johnny Boychuk had the second assist.

It's hard not to hate Saturday afternoon games at TD Garden since they are usually terrible and the B's never play any good teams at that unappealing time slot in front of a mostly lifeless (I blame all the children) crowd. Today's contest featured Boston's backup goaltender Chad Johnson (22 saves) vs. Carolina (8-10-5), are you not entertained? The Hurricanes put up more of a fight than Monday on their home ice (a 4-1 loss) but where did that get them? Actually, I take that back. They "earned" that lame point just for getting to overtime.

Andrej Sekara opened the scoring at 5:53 of the first period with a cheap power play goal. His weak wrist shot from the point didn't get tipped or anything wild but it still found its way past Johnson.

"Mr. Power Play" Zdeno Chara answered with a-you guessed it-power play goal, his fourth of the season (all his goals have come on the man advantage). It was one of the few mistakes made by Ward as he kicked out a rebound on Milan Lucic's shot and Chara was there to hit it in. Torey Krug-another power play specialist-had the second assist as Boston took a 2-1 lead.

Somehow someway (thanks Snoop Dogg) youngster Reilly Smith keeps finding ways to contribute offensively. Today, he slipped a backhander past Ward at 13:31 of the second period. That was Smith's fourth goal of the season. The motley crew of Carl Soderberg and Matt Bartkowski assisted on Smith's tally.

A turnover in Carolina's end on the power play led to a breakaway by something called Patrick Dwyer. He tied it at two at 11:10 with his unassisted shorthanded goal.

Mercifully, these teams only meet once more this season (March 15 in Boston). I'm way more interested in the Bruins' next heavily anticipated game: on Monday (7, NESN) vs. the Penguins (15-9-0, 1st in Metropolitan Division). They met on October 30 in Pittsburgh, a game the home team captured 3-2. This should be fun since it is the first time Pittsburgh has been in the Garden since they were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Oh and Iginla changed sides in this fresh new rivalry.

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Anton Khudobin Wins 1st Start Of Season, Bruins Pick Up 1st Road Win 5-3 At Carolina

The B's (4-0-1) continued their great start to the 2013 season with a thrilling 5-3 victory tonight at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. Boston blew leads of 2-0 and 3-1 but Carolina (2-3-0) couldn't rally once the Bruins clinched it with David Krejci's game-winner at 18:10 of the third period followed by Tyler Seguin's empty-netter. Anton Khudobin (29 saves) acquitted himself well in his first start of the season, he did enough to allow Boston to pick up its first road win of the season.

Boston's much-maligned power play scored twice, boosting its season total to three although one was Seguin's so that doesn't really count. Sorry Claude! The Bruins' penalty kill stayed perfect (23 for 23, every other team in the NHL has allowed a power play goal) and they added a bonus: a short-handed goal. Brad Marchand got it started (3rd of the season) with the short-handed tally (Boston's first of the season) just 3:16 into the contest. He was wide open and Zdeno Chara (1 goal, 2 assists) found him with a cross-ice feed that he slammed home past Cam Ward (33 saves). Patrice Bergeron had the second assist. Chara notched a power-play goal (his 2nd goal of the season) less than three minutes later thanks to a screen from Milan Lucic. Krejci and Seguin had the assists on Chara's second goal in as many games.

Carolina looked like they might be run out of their own building but they answered with Jamie McBain's (1st of the season) tip-in at 14:50 of the first period from Eric Staal and Alexander Semin. Tim Gleason took one for the team by fighting Lucic after Boston's second goal and before Carolina's first. That seemed to give the Hurricanes some life in their skates.

Nathan Horton (2nd of the season) made it 3-1 with one of the best goals of his Black and Gold career. He gained the puck at center ice, skated around multiple Hurricanes then dangled around the last one before scoring at 15:52 from Chara and Johnny Boychuk. Again Carolina responded, this time they knotted it at three thanks to a pair of goals within 50 seconds of each other. Jeff Skinner (5th of the season) used his own sick move to cut it to 3-2 at 17:55 from Jordan Staal then Chris Kelly's bad giveaway in his own end led to a one-timer from Semin to Eric Staal (4th of the season) at 18:45.

To Boston's credit, they picked it up immensely in the third period. They clearly didn't want to go to overtime for the third straight game, especially with another game tomorrow night not to mention three games in four days and four games in six days this week. Krejci's goal came after a scramble with Dougie Hamilton laying it off to him when most guys, particularly rookies, would have shot it into traffic. Horton had the second assist, capping his solid night.

Tuukka Rask (3-0-1) should be in net tomorrow as the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Devils (3-0-1) come to TD Garden (7 p.m., NESN). Also, expect Adam McQuaid back in the lineup (and Aaron Johnson out) after Quaider missed tonight for "personal reasons." Tomorrow should be a nice early test for the B's, both in terms of caliber of opponent and what they can do in their first back-to-back.

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It is Truly A Special Time To Be A Hartford Whalers Fan, Oh Wait........

If you're looking for the blueprint to beat the Boston Bruins in 2011-12, all you have to do is seek out the Carolina Hurricanes. For some unknown reason, the worst team in the Eastern Conference completely owns the B's.

Carolina (19-25-9) wrapped up the first season sweep (4 games!) in franchise (Hartford Whalers/'Canes) history by dispatching Boston (32-15-2) 3-0 this evening at TD Garden.

The B's submitted arguably their worst effort of the season; Tuukka Rask (28 saves; 11-6-2) actually played pretty well but he couldn't make up for the listless play in front of him. Truth be told it could have been uglier too since Carolina hit the post twice.

Cam Ward stopped an NHL-high 47 shots to earn his third shutout of the season. However, don't be fooled by the gaudy numbers. Boston looked like the team from a few years ago that would constantly settle for shots from the point. Even worse, they didn't get any traffic in front of Ward.

Boston outshot Carolina 22(tied for their most in a period this season)-8 in the first and 20-9 in the third but it was all window dressing. Ward was never really tested. If it's possible to make that many saves and get a shutout but not be too impressive, this was it.

Bruins killer Eric Staal (12th of the season) made it 1-0 at 11:51 after a nice feed from Jiri Tlusty. Johnny Boychuk got a butt end to his midsection so he went down on the play which created the easy chance for the Hurricanes.

Tuomo Ruutu (16th of the season), who could be traded soon, put in a rebound at 16:41 of the second to make it 2-0.

Any thoughts of another two-goal rally by the B's, something they did on Tuesday vs. Ottawa, were quickly erased as Brandon Sutter (12th of the season) put it out of reach at 3:13 of the third.

It's strange to say this but thank God the Bruins don't have to see the Hurricanes again this season (yes I'm assuming they won't make the playoffs). This was only the third time that Boston had been shutout in 2011-12.

This weekend is a vital one for the B's in terms of the Eastern Conference standings since they host Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon then go back to D.C. on Sunday afternoon to face the Capitals.

The last time they played on Dec. 5, the Bruins won 3-1 in Pittsburgh. That was nearly two months ago and the Penguins have been one of the NHL's hottest teams so Boston will need to shake off this funk they've been in lately; they haven't won two in a row in three weeks and they're 4-4-1 in their last nine games.

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Good Thing The Bruins Won't See The Hurricanes In The Playoffs

In a game that was seen live from start to finish by probably a handful of people in New England tonight, the Boston Bruins fell 4-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center.

The best part about this seemingly forgettable game as that I only saw bits and pieces due to the fact that I was over my friend's apartment for the Patriots-Broncos playoff game. Plus, when I wanted to see highlights tonight, it was basically impossible to find them.

Nevertheless, the B's (28-12-1) continued to lose against the Hurricanes (16-23-7) this season. Did you know that Carolina has beaten Boston all three times they've played so far? Of course, the first two were in October so that basically doesn't count.

Boston led 1-0 in the second period and 2-1 in the third period but they couldn't close the deal in the first of a four-game road trip.

After a scoreless first period, Patrice Bergeron (12th of the season) made it 1-0 at 6:13 in the second by cleaning up a rebound by Johnny Boychuk.

Patrick Dwyer (5th of the season) tied it at 1 for the Hurricanes by tipping in Brandon Sutter's shot at 10:30 in the second.

Milan Lucic (16th of the season) gave Boston a 2-1 advantage 1:21 into the third. His snap shot was assisted by David Krejci (he's riding a career-best 11-game point streak, the longest current one in the NHL).

Something named Justin Faulk (4th of the season)-presumably Kevin's brother-tied it at 2 when his shot went over Tim Thomas's shoulder. Tim Brent assisted on the tying goal at 13:58.

Another nobody that I've never heard of named Jay Harrison (7th of the season) added the insurance tally at 18:30 when his shot deflected off Boychuk past Thomas (17 saves; 18-8-0).

Eric Staal (11th of the season) added an empty-netter at 18:58 that was unassisted.

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward made 33 saves in the win. Carolina is one of the worst teams in the NHL but I bet they'll beat the Bruins more than anybody else in the regular season. Weird. Right now, three of Carolina's 16 total wins are against Boston.

The Bruins head further south and will look to bounce back on Monday night when they face the Panthers. The last time those teams faced off (Dec. 23 at TD Garden), Boston hung an 8-0 beating on Florida. I'll venture to guess that it will be more competitive this time around.

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Hurricanes Take Second Straight Over Bruins, Boston Loses Control With 72 Penalty Minutes

The 2011-12 Boston Bruins are a team without an identity right now and one that is struggling desperately to find consistency.

Their four biggest issues at the moment are scoring, maintaining focus, playing well in front of backup goaltender Tuukka Rask and of course the power-play.

In tonight's 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes (3-2-1) at TD Garden, the B's (2-4-0) were plagued by the first three of those said problems. The silver lining was that they snapped the horrid 0-for-22 stretch on the power-play.

Boston has yet to post back-to-back strong efforts let alone wins so it should come as no surprise that they also fell to 1-3 on home ice. Yes it would be easy to blame the referees for some shady calls against the Bruins (72 penalty minutes, 4 game misconducts), but if we're being objective it was mostly their own fault.

The B's outshot the Hurricanes 34-23 and hit two posts (by Joe Corvo and Jordan Caron) to one (Brett Sutter) for Carolina but that all doesn't matter.

Carolina knocked off Boston for the second time in six days and this time, goaltender Cam Ward (33 saves) was nearly flawless. Rich Peverley (3rd of the season) finally scored a goal in front of Tuukka (19 saves), the first he's received in two starts, notching a power-play strike at 10:59 of the third to cut it to 2-1. Dennis Seidenberg and Corvo (who survived a nasty hit/fall in the first period) had the assists.

Chris Kelly sparked the team with a fight against Sutter that occured only 29 seconds before Peverley's screened snapshot went by Ward. For a guy that's not known as a fighter at all, this was Kelly's first in a Bruins uniform, it was good to see that somebody cared enough to step up when the team is playing like garbage.

Just as the crowd finally got into it, Nathan Horton picked up a dumb penalty 31 seconds later trying to goad Hurricanes supposed toughguy Tim Gleason into a fight. It didn't work and Carolina got the last laugh as Horton plus Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic (not to mention Zdeno Chara in the second period) were all tagged with 10-minute misconducts.

The Hurricanes took advantage with a pair of 5-on-3 goals by Eric Staal (3rd of the season) at 13:26 and Tuomo Ruutu (1st of the season) at 14:58 to put it away.

Anthony Stewart (2nd of the season) got Carolina off to a quick start as he scored off a rebound just 2:47 into the first period. Joni Pitkanen (2nd of the season) doubled the lead at 10:19 in the second period on a blast from the slot.

This was a really strange game and nothing illustrates that more than the fact that Bruins head coach Claude Julien got ejected late in the third period since he'd seen enough of the one-sided calls. It was nice to see that kind of emotion out of Claude, it marked the first time he was ejected in Boston.

Would you believe me if I told you the B's have only scored a pitiful 11 goals in the first six games? Yuck. Their next game is Thursday as old friend (haha yeah right) Phil Kessel (the NHL's leading goal-scorer with 7 goals) and the Toronto Maple Leafs come to the Garden. Let's hope for a better performance from this team.

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Hurricanes Pick Up Their First Win Of Season, At The Bruins' Expense

It is less than a week into the 2011-12 NHL season so pardon me if I can't quite work up a lather yet about the Boston Bruins' lame beginning.

The defending Stanley Cup champs have gotten off to a slow start; their first road game of the season was tonight at the RBC Center in Raleigh Center and the host Hurricanes (1-2-1) picked up their first win with a 3-2 triumph over the B's (1-3-0).

With seven goals in four games, it's clear that putting the puck in the net has been Boston's biggest issue so far. Let's not forget that the power play is still a hot mess, off to a rousing 1 for 18 start (picking up where they left off in the playoffs).

David Krejci missed the game with a midsection injury so Tyler Seguin got the bump up to center on the first line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton flanking him. Boston still needs Krejci but for one game at least, Seguin (1 goal, 4 shots, 7 of 9 on face-offs) was a more than suitable replacement.

B's goaltender Tim Thomas (1-2-0) got his third start and yet again, it wasn't his fault that his team failed to get two points. He made 31 saves but was the victim of some bad luck and a shaky defense in front of him.

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward (26 saves) showed why he's one of the more underrated guys at his position with a strong showing.

After a scoreless first period, Carolina opened the scoring 42 seconds into the second frame with a power-play strike from defenseman Joni Pitkanen (1st of the season). Former Bruins great Tomas Kaberle and Jussi Jokinen assisted on the goal. Pitkanen was by the face-off dot and he took forever to fake a shot twenty times before finally unleashing a low one that found its way past Thomas. It appeared like Erik Staal screened Thomas on the play, regardless he should not have been able to park there so easily.

Boston bumbled through three straight scoreless power play chances and predictably, they didn't get a call the rest of the night (the B's had the last three penalties).

When Carolina's Anthony Stewart (1st of the season) scored 3:42 into the third (from Tim Brent and Tim Gleason) on a shot that trickled past Thomas at the post, I was firing off an angry Tweet but Seguin interrupted my venom with a sick top-shelf wrist shot just 25 seconds later. It was his first of many this season, from Horton and Adam McQuaid. It was a juicy glimpse of what Seguin can do when he has room to shoot.

Something called Jiri Tlusty (1st of the season) iced it with his game-winner at 13:32 from Brandon Sutter and Patrick Dwyer. He was unmarked in the slot and made Thomas and Co. pay for that.

Boston was about to go on another ill-fated power play but Patrice Bergeron hit Brad Marchand with a nice cross-ice feed for a one-timer and the Bruins' second goal (Marchmont's second of the season). Former Hurricane Joe Corvo had the second assist at 16:35.

I'm not going to say time ran out on the Bruins since it never really felt like they'd ever tie it before regulation ended.

McQuaid ran head first into the boards (how many times has he done that in the last year?) in the third and didn't return. Don't be surprised to see him held out of the next game with Matt Bartkowski getting another shot after being a healthy scratch for the last three contests.

It won't get any easier as the B's will remain on the road the next few days before meeting the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. After failing to really show up against two subpar teams (Carolina and Colorado), expect Boston to at least make a game of it in Theo Epstein's new home.

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Fear not, Tim Thomas is still in the zone

There would be no post-All-Star break hangover for Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins.

After spending all weekend in North Carolina for the All-Star festivities, Thomas and Zdeno Chara got to spend a few extra days there as their teammates met up with them for last night's game at the RBC Center vs. the Carolina Hurricanes.

All in all, it was great to have some real hockey back as Thomas (24 saves; 25-5-6) continued to play like a man possessed and the Bruins (29-15-7) likewise played well with a playoff-like 3-2 win over the Hurricanes (25-20-6).

With the victory, Boston clinched the season series (three out of four) but let me be the first to say that I feel like they're going to see Carolina in the playoffs this spring and that is not something to look forward to since they're a solid team with a very good goaltender in Cam Ward (30 saves).

The goaltender duel between Thomas and Ward was expected. What was surprising for the Bs was who decided to hit the back of the net: namely Nathan Horton and Daniel Paille. It had been 11 games since Horton had scored a goal and Paille (who is arguably the last man on the roster) scored his first of the season. A nice reward for two hard-working players.

After a scoreless first period, that was only notable for a rare Milan Lucic fight (vs. Jay Harrison), Paille scored at 4:14 of the second period from Chara and Shawn Thornton. Paille tipped Chara's shot beautifully past Ward. It's ironic that he got a goal since in the first period he hit the post and later in the game he had a wide open shot which he put right in Ward's pads. Such is the life of Daniel Paille.

Jamie McBain tied it for the Hurricanes at 11:25 of the second from Sergei Samsonov and Erik Cole. McBain was in the right place (next to Thomas) when the puck magically found him through traffic.

Boston put it away with a quick pair early in the third period from Horton (assisted by David Krejci and Chara) and Patrice Bergeron (from Mark Recchi and Andrew Ference). Horton picked up a goal-scorer's goal, roofing it quickly over Ward while Bergeron took advantage of a Brad Marchand screen to get his 17th of the season.

There were some tense moments as Carolina's Joe Corvo scored on the power-play at 8:05 (from Cole and Samsonov) but Thomas stood on his head and Boston was able to come home with two points.

The Bs have another big test tomorrow night as they host the Dallas Stars, quietly one of the Western Conference's best team. I was shocked when I looked at their record at how well they've been playing. I'm interested to see what they're all about.

In case you've been living in an igloo, Tim Thomas is doing ridiculous things this season

The NHL should schedule more back-to-back, home and home series' between teams to spice up the regular seasons which admittedly can get dull at times.

After waxing the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday in an MLK matinee, the Boston Bruins went to the RBC Center last night in Raliegh, North Carolina and came away with an impressive two points thanks to a 3-2 win.

It was no surprise that the Hurricanes (22-18-6) came out looking like a different team, but even more predictable than that was the fact that Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (43 saves) stole the show for what feels like about the 30th time already this season.

Carolina outshot Boston (26-13-7) 45-28 but thanks to the soon-to-be two-time Vezina trophy winner and some timely scoring (from Brad Marchand and the game-winner from Milan Lucic), the Bs came home still in second place in the Eastern Conference and first in the Northeast Division.

After Mark Stuart got his first goal of the season on Monday, his fellow backliner wanted a taste too so Johnny Boychuk scored 2:04 into last night's contest on a power play. Michael Ryder and Marc Savard assisted on the patented bullet from the blue line ("Johnny Rocket"-as crazy Jack Edwards rightly dubbed it). They changed the goal to Savard in the second period but then they changed it back to Boychuk, um ok?

Jussi Jokinen tied it up for the Hurricanes at 18:39 in the first period on the power play from Eric Staal (one of the two All-Star captains next weekend) and Joe Corvo.

Carolina goaltender Cam Ward (25 saves) could have taken a nap or gone to get a drink in the second period as the Hurricanes buzzed with a 19-9 shot advantage. When Thomas blanked them for those 20 minutes, you had a feeling that he might steal this one for the Black and Gold.

Marchand put Boston up 2-1 (his 10th of the season) at 3:55 in the third period after some great hustle to track down the rebound from Zdeno Chara's shot. Mark Recchi also had an assist by winning the face-off and knocking it back to Chara.

Chad LaRose tied it up at 9:19 from Tuomo Ruutu and Jeff Skinner. Carolina had a bunch of chances in that sequence and LaRose was in the right spot to sweep it in.

Two and a half minutes later, Recchi and Lucic teamed up for the game-winner. Recchi drove behind the net (making the Hurricanes defense think he would try a wraparound) before he passed it out front to Lucic who buried his 17th of the season-tying his career-high from two seasons ago. Steven Kampfer also assisted on Boston's second power-play goal of the night.

The Bs come home to host the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night.

Assuming he's healthy, it's time to give Marc Savard the green light

Every year, the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday to shoppers) the Bruins have a home game that begins at noon.

Yesterday, they faced the Carolina Hurricanes in that matinee. I've been to that early game before and I wanted to go this year but I can't explain how happy I am that I saved my time and money this year.

Carolina (10-10-2) blanked the Bruins (12-7-2) 3-0 at the TD Garden in a completely lifeless effort by Boston.

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward stopped 37 shots for the shutout but his workload wasn't that strenuous since so many of the Bruins' chances went right into his glove.

Boston came into the game with the top-ranked penalty kill unit so it made perfect sense that all three goals they gave up were power-play goals by Carolina, who had terrible power-play numbers.

Rookie Jeff Skinner scored with 16 seconds left in the first period from Tuomo Ruutu and Joe Corvo. That goal was costly since Boston had owned the period (12-6 shots advantage) and deserved a better fate.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (18 saves) couldn't stem the tide as Boston lost its third game in its last four overall.

Lately, they've been falling behind and counting on improbable third period comebacks. That simply won't last and it's not a winning strategy.

Ruutu scored at 11:09 in the second period from Ian White and Joni Pitkanen.

Nathan Horton hit two posts for the Bruins (he's been very unlucky lately) and Jussi Jokinen ended it with his goal at 7:52 in the third period from Eric Staal (on his butt) and Skinner.

Boston travels to Atlanta to face the Thrashers tomorrow afternoon. Tuukka Rask should get the start and with any luck, the Bruins should handle an inferior opponent.

Scott Walker banged your mom

Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. I could cry about how the Bruins could have won the Stanley Cup this season but then again, did anyone think they'd make it this far? Nope.

Still, to comeback from down 3-1 in the series and have Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at home, last night's 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes will hurt for awhile. Oh and the fellow who scored it should have been suspended before the last game, but that's neither here nor there.

The Bruins have only themselves to blame as they disappeared in Games 2-4. Carolina is a veteran, experienced team with an All-World goalie and the better team over seven games advanced as they usually do.

Things looked good early as rookie Byron Bitz (the pride of Cornell) gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the first after assists from David Krejci and Michael Ryder.

It was no surprise that Rod Brind'Amour answered 6:17 later as he deflected Dennis Seidenberg's blast from the point, past B's goalie Tim Thomas (34 saves). Joni Pitkanen also had an assist.

Sergei Samsonov once again scored a clutch goal against his former team, as he gave Carolina a 2-1 lead in the second. Pitkanen gave him a sweet pass that he just had to redirect past Thomas. Frantisek Kaberle started the rush up ice and had the other assist.

6:19 into the third, Milan Lucic tied it at two after some fine work from Marc Savard and Phil Kessel.

Both teams had some great chances in the overtime and it looked like it might be headed to an even more intense second OT.

That's when Scott Walker batted a rebound out of the air, into the net. Ray Whitney had flipped it on goal and Thomas should have caught it cleanly. You could also say that his defensemen should have done a better job clearing Walker out, but shit happens, right? Seidenberg had the other assist on the goal that ended the Bruins' season.

In the off-season, I'd love to see the Bruins pick up a few more, younger defensemen and another veteran forward or two (in the Mark Recchi mold). This team is very, very close to a Cup winner and I think when you put Tukka Rask (the Providence Bruins star goalie) in Manny Fernandez's place, you have a solid team from top to bottom.

The question next season for Boston will be was this season a fluke or the start of something special?

Will the real Boston Bruins please stand up?

Call it a hangover from the first round cakewalk or simply two straight dogshit efforts, whatever the case the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Boston Bruins, 3-2 last night in overtime to take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After a piss poor display in Game 2, you had to figure that the B's would bounce back at the RBC Center. Not so much. Carolina outshot them 41-23 and Boston was frankly lucky just to get it to overtime.

Milan Lucic put the Bruins up 1-0 in the first period with assists to Dennis Wideman and Marc Savard.

Carolina answered in a big way with two goals late in the second period.

With 3:11 left in the period, Eric Staal scored an unassisted power play goal after stripping the puck from Boston defenseman Steve Montador behind the Bruins' net.

1:09 later, old friend Sergei Samsonov one-timed a nice pass home from Scott Walker (Jussi Jokinen started the sequence).

At 9:03 in the third period, Mark Recchi tied it at two with a deflection of a Chuck Kobasew shot. Montador also assisted.

The Hurricanes buzzed the Boston end for most of the game but Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (38 saves) played great as he kept his team in it.

Boston actually had a few prime chances at the beginning of overtime but Cam Ward (21 saves) shut them down. Just 2:48 into overtime, Jokinen scored by poking home a rebound of a Samsonov shot. Tuomo Ruutu also had an assist.

To see Boston play not one but two consecutive terrible games in a row, at this time in the season, is surprising to say the least but it happens. Detroit (the best team in the West) also faces a 2-1 deficit on the road against the Ducks tonight.

The B's have to find their game in a hurry tomorrow night or else they'll be going back to the Garden, down 3-1 to a very solid club.

Cam Ward and his Conn Smythe trophy say hi

A funny thing happened on the way to winning the 2009 Stanley Cup for the Boston Bruins. Somebody decided to give them a game.

Dreams of a 16-0 streak to the Cup were erased last night as Carolina thoroughly outplayed Boston when it mattered and came away with a 3-0 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden.

Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward was the story as he stopped all 36 shots in recording his fourth career shutout. It's easy to forget but he was the playoff MVP when Carolina came out of nowhere to win the Cup in 2006.

After a scoreless first period, the second period was when the game was lost for the B's.

At 2:30 Carolina defenseman Joe Corvo blasted a slap shot past a screened Tim Thomas (22 saves). Erik Cole and Eric Staal assisted on the goal.

Just over five minutes later, Matt Cullen scored a short-handed goal for the Hurricanes. Zdeno Chara's bad pass in the offensive zone was the catalyst for an odd-man rush which eventually resulted in the tally. Chad LaRose followed his shot behind the net and then found Cullen alone out front.

LaRose seemed to score again with 0.2 seconds left in the second when he flipped a shot over Thomas' shoulder that hit the post then spun on the goal line. On the ice initially it was called no goal. It took forever to review it (and it looked like a goal on second-tenth viewing) and the refs did not overturn it. This could have been a huge break for Boston but they really didn't do anything about it.

The Bruins outshot the Hurricanes 16-3 in the third and Ward made a couple dandy saves, including a left leg pad save on Michael Ryder during a power play.

Staal scored an empty-netter with 28 seconds remaining.

Game 3 and 4 shifts back to Carolina starting Wednesday night. It's the first real adversity Boston has faced this postseason so time only time will tell how they deal with it.