Boston Holds Serve & Forces Game 7 (Saturday) Thanks To A 5-2 Win In Game 6 At TD Garden

 

    One of the weirdest playoff series in recent NHL history will fittingly conclude with a Game 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Boston scored first for the first time in the series and never looked back as they cruised to a 5-2 victory tonight at a fired up TD Garden to even the first round series at three games apiece. If you are keeping score, the home team is 6-0 in the series with Game 7 set for Saturday afternoon (4:30, NESN) back at PNC Center. At this point, it is hard to explain how these two teams have played so differently at home versus on the road for these six contests which have been mostly blowouts (the closest margin of defeat was Game 3 a 4-2 triumph by the B's). 

    After missing Games 3-5, Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm returned from a concussion (we think) and had a game-high 24:48 time on ice. Five different B's scored goals and rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (23 saves) posted his third win of the series. After a scoreless first period, Boston let their home fans exhale with a goal early in the second period then a key insurance tally late in the frame. Boston's star left wing Brad Marchand opened the scoring with a wicked snap shot 46 seconds into the second. His team-leading fourth goal of the postseason was assisted by BU's Charlie Coyle and Quinnipiac's Connor Clifton. Weymouth's own Coyle doubled the Bruins' lead at 18:04 as the center put in a rebound (his 2nd goal of the playoffs) from right wing David Pastrnak (dropped to the second line) and Marchand on the power play.

    The Hurricanes briefly made it tight as right wing Andrei Svechnikov cut it to 2-1 Bruins with a nasty top shelf wrist shot at 3:24 of the third period. Center Seth Jarvis had the lone assist on Svechnikov's second goal of the series. Boston's depth guys put this one to bed though as center Erik Haula scored the key goal that boosted the Bruins' lead back to two (3-1). He tipped in defenseman Charlie McAvoy's slap pass for his first goal of the playoffs at 7:08. The wheels started to come off for Carolina's goaltender Antti Raanta as he allowed a soft wrister from the blue line by B's defenseman Derek Forbort to elude him and increase Boston's lead to 4-1. Forbort's first goal since November was assisted by left wing Tomas Nosek at 10:43. Five minutes later, Bruins center Curtis Lazar (who has played a sneaky good series) added an empty-netter for his first goal of the postseason. Left wing Nick Foligno and Nosek recorded the helpers on Lazar's well deserved strike. In garbage time, Svechnikov notched a power play goal which came after Carolina's power play had started 0-for-5 in Game 6. 

    So what's going to happen in Game 7, who the hell knows? You figure that we are long overdue for some overtime or at least a one-goal game. Other than that, you have to assume that Boston will make it a little more competitive than their disastrous first three outings in Raleigh in this series (where they were outscored 15-4). I'll take Swayman over Raanta along with the Bruins' big game experience over the Hurricanes' history of choking against them in recent years. Also, if you are looking for another factor that should favor the road team (for once in this wacky series): all the pressure will be on Carolina who you'll remember led this series 2-0 and then 3-2. On paper at least, Saturday promises to be an awesome day for the NHL as there are three Game 7s (also Lightning-Maple Leafs and Oilers-Kings) which should help juice what has felt like a pretty forgettable first round up until this critical juncture.

The Bruins Lost 2-1 To The Capitals In A Completely Meaningless Regular Season Finale

 

    In a goofy scheduling quirk, Boston (33-16-7 overall, 15-9-4 away) had to go to DC tonight to play the Capitals (36-15-5 overall, 17-8-3 home) at the Verizon Center in their final game of the regular season, only to return there on Saturday night (7:15, NBC) for Game 1 of the first round of the NHL playoffs. With almost all of their best players benched, the Bruins' backups and lesser known guys mostly held their own against an almost full-strength Caps lineup but Washington won 2-1 thanks to a last-second goal. Veteran left wing Michael Raffl scored his first goal as a Capital (4th of the season) with three seconds left in regulation to clinch the victory (assisted by defenseman Justin Schultz) and thankfully avoid a needless overtime and/or shootout. Boston finished 4-2-2 against Washington in the regular season which should give them plenty of confidence heading into their fourth ever playoff series against the Capitals. 

    Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (30 saves, 7-3-0) made the start for the B's and besides Raffl's fluky game-winner (over his shoulder from no angle), his only other mistake was coughing up a rebound which led to the tying goal for left wing Carl Hagelin in the second period. He crashed the net and put in the loose puck at 16:15 for his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Brown's Garnet Hathaway and some guy named Zdeno Chara. Washington's rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek (21-10-4) made 24 saves in the victory and the only goal he allowed came earlier in the second period. Center Curtis Lazar drove to the net and was there to re-direct a feed from defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Left wing Jake DeBrusk had the other assist on Lazar's seventh goal of the season at 10:11.

    The Capitals seemed to have run the much bigger risk by having so many regulars play tonight but the Bruins turned out to be the team to suffer an injury as defenseman Jakub Zboril left with an upper-body injury in the second period and he never returned to action. I'd love to tell you when Games 2-4 will be but thus far, Game 1 is all that has been confirmed by the NHL. Regardless of when it all takes place, I think we all know that this is going to be a hell of a series. With the Penguins (37-16-3) facing the Islanders (32-17-7) in the other East Division semifinal, I think that the winner of the Bruins-Capitals series (assuming that they don't have tons of injuries to key players) has a great chance to be the last team standing from the East. That's the thing about playoff hockey though, predictions are useless but the games are always out of this world. Enjoy them everybody, let's hope for a long run for the black and gold.

The Bruins Ended Their Five-Game & Two City Road Trip (3-2-0) With A 3-1 Victory At Pittsburgh

 

    After losing their last two games in regulation, Boston (28-14-6 overall, 14-8-3 away) looked much more like themselves in tonight's road trip finale-a solid 3-1 win at Pittsburgh's (32-15-3 overall, 20-4-2 home) PPG Paints Arena. It was nearly a shutout for goaltender Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 12-4-2) as the Bruins built up a 3-0 lead then gave up a meaningless garbage time goal to the Penguins with less than three minutes left in regulation. The game also served as a fitting last chapter for a regular season series that was won 5-3 by the B's. They now look ahead to the final eight games of the campaign with a real chance to catch the fading Islanders (29-15-5) who are only a point ahead of them for third-place in the East Division while Boston has a game in hand and one head-to-head matchup left. 

    After the Penguins won 1-0 on Sunday afternoon against the Bruins, it felt destined to be another low-scoring affair (hope you took the under!) as neither team scored in the first period and it remained scoreless late into the second period before center David Krejci potted a beautiful goal. On a play started by Rask, defenseman Charlie McAvoy hit Krejci with a breakout pass and the veteran did the rest by going forehand to backhand then beating Pens goalie Tristan Jarry (28 saves, 21-9-3) with a sizzling backhander. Krejci's seventh goal of the season gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 18:10 and that's where it would stand with 20 minutes remaining.

    After a spirited fight between B's defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and Penguins center Teddy Blueger, Boston scored twice more to put it out of reach. Jarry was forced into an awkward save on right wing David Pastrnak's shot which allowed left wing Brad Marchand to zip to the net and put in the rebound for his team-leading 26th goal of the season. Center Curtis Lazar had the second assist at 9:11. Left wing Taylor Hall turned out the lights on the Pens with a spectacular play that reminded you why he is a former No. 1 overall pick and NHL MVP. He took a pass from Krejci, worked around none other than one of the best players in the world (Sidney Crosby)-like he wasn't even there-then snapped a sizzling shot high blocker side on Jarry. Hall's sixth goal of the season (4th as a Bruin) was also assisted by defenseman Mike Reilly and it came at 12:18.  Center Jeff Carter caught Boston's defense in a messy line change and he blasted a shot off the post and in at 17:39. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by defenseman Kris Letang and right wing Kasperi Kapanen. 

    After more than a week on the road, the black and gold finally get to return home and who else will they see next but the Sabres (13-30-7 overall, 7-14-3 away) for two more games to close out their season series. The worst team in the NHL is at the TD Garden on Thursday (7, NESN+) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). After losing to them 6-4 on Friday in Buffalo, you can bet that the Bruins figure to be extra motivated to bank four more points and finish 7-1 against the Sabres in 2021. They have so much left to play for unlike Buffalo so I'd be shocked to see them fall again to that clown show of a hockey club. 

Halfway Through The Season Series Vs. Sabres, B's Are Unbeaten (4-0) After Last Night's 2-0 Shutout

 

    With the borderline AHL club that the Sabres (12-27-7) are rolling out there this season, it truthfully doesn't take much to beat them. Still, give the Bruins (26-12-6) credit for staying focused while they play the worst team in the league. Last night at the KeyBank Center, Boston blanked Buffalo 2-0 for their fifth straight win thanks to 32 saves by goaltender Tuukka Rask (11-4-2) who earned his first shutout of the season and the 51st of his NHL career. Thanks to a scheduling quirk in a year that's full of them, this was the first of three straight games between the Bruins and Sabres while Boston will also play these bums five times in their next seven contests. Haha what a gift as they try to lock up a playoff spot and move up in the East Division: the B's are now only four points behind the Capitals (29-13-4) and Islanders (29-13-4) plus just three points behind the Penguins (29-14-3) with two games in hand against all of those clubs.

    As you can probably conclude from the final score, this contest was pretty cut and dry. Boston scored a goal in the first period and a goal in the second period and that's more than they needed to beat a punchless group that went 0-for-6 on the power play. Left wing Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with a sweet backhander at 8:06 of the first period. Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski (39 saves, 2-6-2) left a juicy rebound then Marchand was able to swoop in and finish a backhander top shelf. Right wing David Pastrnak and defenseman Mike Reilly had the assists on Marchand's team-leading 24th goal of the season. 

    Defenseman Connor Clifton's goal at 3:03 of the second period was a classic goal allowed by an awful team. His shot from the point squeaked through Tokarski's five-hole and then for good measure, he kicked it with his skate which gave it just enough momentum to get over the goal line. It was the first goal of the season for the former Quinnipiac star, assisted by left wing Sean Kuraly and center Curtis Lazar (playing in his first game back in Buffalo). After a day off today, these teams return to the ice in Western NY tomorrow night (7, NESN) followed by a back-to-back on Friday (7, NESN). The Bruins are 4-0 against the Sabres with four matchups left this season and needless to say, those are eight easy points that they need to grab like their lives depend on it.

The Bruins Have Finally Figured Out The Islanders As They Beat Them For The Second Night In A Row

 

    It's amazing what the infusion of a three new quality players can do for a hockey team. Suddenly, the Bruins (24-12-6) have new life and are playing great, blanking the Islanders (27-13-4) 3-0 tonight at the TD Garden for their second win against New York in 24 hours. The B's were 0-3-2 against the Isles this season before Thursday and they totally flipped the script the last few nights by outscoring them 7-1. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (25 saves, 4-1-0) recorded the first shutout of his NHL career and I'm going to venture an educated guess that it won't be his last. Boston scored a goal in each period: including another from left wing Taylor Hall, right wing David Pastrnak snapped his goal drought and center Curtis Lazar's notched his first as a Bruin. 

    Boston's opening goal was a backbreaker as weird as that sounds on the surface because there was 2.4 seconds left in the first period when defenseman Mike Reilly threw a pass in front of the net, on the money to Pasta who roofed it over Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (11-4-1, 25 saves). Pastrnak's 17th goal of the season was also assisted by center Patrice Bergeron. That late momentum shift for the home team clearly carried over to the second period as Hall made it 2-0 47 seconds into that frame. He worked a give-and-go with center David Krejci, ending with Hall going to the net and blowing past New York defenseman Scott Mayfield before redirecting Krejci's pass through Sorokin's five-hole for his fourth goal of the season. Defenseman Steven Kampfer earned the secondary assist on Hall's second goal in black and gold. 

    Boston's penalty kill was outstanding as New York's power play went 0-for-5. Like any good goalie, Swayman was their top penalty killer as he made a bunch of quality stops. Tuukka Rask got the night off after beating the Islanders on Thursday so fellow rookie Dan Vladar served as Swayman's backup instead. It's not hard to picture that duo being Boston's goaltenders of the (near) future if they both keep this up. All three of the newcomers got on the score sheet so an empty-net goal for Lazar seemed like the perfect way to end this impressive performance. His sixth goal of the season was unassisted at 18:48 of the third period. 

    The B's have won their last three games-all since the trade deadline-and they are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. I'm not saying that they are going to catch the three teams in front of them in the East Division-Pittsburgh (57 points), NYI and Washington (60 points)-but at least now that is more than a pipe dream. After getting humbled 8-1 by the Caps (28-12-4) last Sunday on their home ice, Boston gets another crack at them on Sunday afternoon (12, NBC) back at the Garden. Anything can happen but I'll guarantee that the Capitals won't beat them by seven goals this time around.

The Bruins Earned Two Points The Hard Way: With A Gross Shootout Win Over The Hapless Sabres

 

    Typically beating the worst team in a given sport isn't a cause for celebration. However, I will grant the Bruins (22-12-6 overall, 11-6-3 home) a little slack since they need as many points as possible in their current situation therefore a 3-2 shootout win against the lowly Sabres (10-25-7 overall, 6-12-3 away) tonight at the TD Garden will have to suffice. All three of Boston's trade deadline acquisitions were in the lineup for their Bruins debuts: left wing Taylor Hall, center Curtis Lazar and defenseman Mike Reilly are all legitimate NHL players which is more than you can say for some of the scrubs that have been forced into action lately with all the injuries and Covid-19 issues for the B's. 

    Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (21 saves) improved to 3-1 as he stopped both Buffalo shooters (Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson) in the shootout while each Boston shooter-center Charlie Coyle and left wing Jake DeBrusk-found back of the net behind Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski (29 saves, 0-4-2) who relieved starter Linus Ullmark (3 saves) after he suffered an unknown injury less than five minutes into the game. Buffalo led 1-0 at 1:52 of the first period as former Bruin Colin Miller fired a bomb from the point for his fourth goal of the season. Center Dylan Cozens and left wing Anders Bjork (obtained from Boston in the Hall trade) had the assists on Miller's tally. Bruins center David Krejci tied it at one at 13:20 of the first period as Tokarski left a rebound in a dangerous spot and Krejci swept in a backhander for his third goal of the season with defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and right wing Craig Smith notching the helpers. 

    Speaking of Smitty-who was playing in his 700th NHL game-he gave the Black and Gold a 2-1 lead early in the second period at 5:29. The puck had rolled off of Hall's stick when he tried to make a backhand pass but this being Buffalo, they failed to clear it and instead sent the puck right to Smith who fired in his ninth goal of the season. The second period was also notable for a pair of fights: Nick Ritchie took on UMass' Matt Irwin (another former Bruin) before Smith's go-ahead goal and later, Kevan Miller absolutely destroyed poor Tage Thompson. 

    2-1 is an unlikely way to win, even when you're playing Buffalo. The Sabres hung around long enough to tie it at two in the third period on defenseman Rasmus Dahlin's screened shot from the point. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju and left wing Jeff Skinner registered the assists on Dahlin's fourth goal of the season where he found himself wide open before shooting through traffic. Bjork of all people had a great chance to end it in overtime but after making a beautiful move to deke Swayman, he ran out of room and skated past the net because of course he did. The Bruins are 3-0 vs. the Sabres with the gift of five more meetings this season including three in four days next week. 

    Needless to say, the B's will have to be way better if they hope to finally solve the riddle that has been the Islanders (27-11-4 overall, 9-9-2 away) for them in 2021. Boston has lost three times in regulation, once in overtime and once in a shootout against the Isles. They get three more chances to beat them in the regular season starting with a rare back-to-back (against the same club) at the Garden on Thursday (7, NESN) and Friday (7, NESN). New York is eight points ahead of Boston (B's have 2 games in hand though) and in second-place in the East Division. I certainly don't think it'll happen given how the first five contests have turned out but if the Bruins can somehow sweep them this week, that would make the playoff race much tighter all around them.

On The Eve Of The NHL Trade Deadline, B's GM Don Sweeney Rescues Taylor Hall From Buffalo

 

    Thank God for the NHL Trade Deadline because I certainly did not want to write about a depressing 8-1 meltdown by the Bruins (21-12-6) tonight at the TD Garden against the Capitals (27-11-4) anymore than you wanted to read that drivel. Boston's top two goaltenders were out along with their four best defensemen, oh and they were playing their fifth game in seven days so honestly, what did you expect them to do vs. one of the best teams in the league? Nope, the real story came a few hours after that nightmare ended as Boston made two trades: first GM Don Sweeney flipped a third-round draft pick to Ottawa (13-25-4) for a defenseman named Mike Reilly (19 assists in 40 games this season) then he dealt winger Anders Bjork and a second-round pick to Buffalo (10-25-6) for left wing Taylor Hall and forward Curtis Lazar (5 goals, 4 assists in 33 games this season).

    Everybody knew that Hall-the former No. 1 pick by Edmonton in the 2010 Draft (one spot ahead of Boston who selected Tyler Seguin) two-time All Star and MVP in 2017-18 was going to be moved by tomorrow, the question was to which desperate team? This is a guy with all the talent in the world but the Bruins will be his fifth NHL club before he's turned 30 and his fourth (Devils, Coyotes, Sabres, Bruins) in the last two seasons alone. His first and only season in Buffalo was nothing short of a complete disaster since in 37 games he had two goals and 17 assists. How much is that a product of being stuck in a hopeless situation or is it more about him checking out mentally which would be a troubling sign?

    Whatever the case, this is a risk worth taking if you are the Bruins since how many more playoff berths will they have left with goaltender Tuukka Rask, left wing Brad Marchand and centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci among others? It feels like they are on borrowed time at this point so at least this bold move shows the players on the team that they are trying to go for it this season but at the same time not sacrificing much at all off of their current roster or mortgaging their future. Bjork had no real place here with two goals and three assists in 30 games this year so you probably won't even notice that he's gone. 

        Ultimately this comes down to Hall. Does he want to salvage his once very promising career and experience more of the playoffs (he has only appeared in 14 postseason games in his entire career) or keep burning bridges and becoming an NHL vagabond? Boston desperately needs secondary scoring and Krejci hasn't had a good winger to go with him in what feels like ages. It's silly to expect things to go smoothly right away but looking at the upcoming schedule, four of Boston's next seven games are against Buffalo including on Tuesday (7, NESN) at the Garden and six of their next 11 overall. How funny would it be to see Hall destroy the Sabres right away and the Black and Gold to go on a run sparked by him? That's probably wishful thinking but hell, I did not expect to have any hope after watching the B's get embarrassed on their home ice earlier this evening.

B's Save What Otherwise Was A Rough 24 Hours for Boston Sports Fans With a 3-2 Win vs. Buffalo

The Celtics (22-8) getting waxed 113-97 last night at TD Garden by the Raptors (22-11)-only their second home loss this season and revenge for their beating in Toronto on Christmas-was one thing but seeing the Patriots (12-4) crap themselves this afternoon at Gillette Stadium and falling 27-24 to the hapless Dolphins (5-11) thereby throwing away a bye and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs was downright shocking. Nobody nationally will ever feel bad for Boston sports fans with the unmatched run of success that all of our teams have had in the past few decades but at least locally, we needed a win. Thankfully, the Bruins (24-7-9) were happy to oblige with one of their favorite longtime punching bags-the Sabres (17-16-7)-in town. It was harder than it had to be but Boston held on for a 3-2 win, their third in a row overall and second in three days vs. Buffalo.

The Bruins improved to 3-0 vs. the Sabres this season with sadly only one more meeting left: March 13 in Buffalo. Additionally, the B's built their Atlantic Division lead back to double-digit points, in this case 10 points ahead of second-place Toronto (21-14-5) just one game away from exactly halfway through the regular season. Boston coasted to a 3-0 victory in Buffalo on Friday thanks to the 50th career NHL shutout of Jaroslav Halak's (9-3-4) career. This evening, Tuukka Rask (15-4-5, 24 saves) got the start and while he wasn't as sharp as Halak had been, he still managed to outduel Linus Ullmark (11-10-3, 19 saves) who oddly enough played in both games while backup goaltender Carter Hutton rotted on the bench.

It was a strange game for the B's who are now 14-1-8 at the Garden. They were outshot 7-2 in the first period yet led 1-0 after the first 20 minutes of action. David Pastrnak staked his team to a 1-0 advantage with his NHL-best 29th goal of the season at 12:39. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron had the assists as Bergy started the play by winning a puck battle along the boards and pushing the disc ahead to Marchand who skated in with Pasta on a 2-on-1. Pastrnak roofed a beautiful wrist shot past the diving Ullmark. Victor Olofsson hit the crossbar for Buffalo in the first period, a theme for the Sabres as Curtis Lazar also rang a shot off the crossbar late in regulation.

Buffalo got a lucky bounce to tie it at one at 6:37 of the second period. Rask stopped Rasmus Ristolainen's initial shot but Zdeno Chara ended up putting the puck in his own net as he hit it off the back of Rask's skate. Sam Reinhart and former Bruins playoff hero Marcus Johansson had the assists on Ristolainen's fourth goal of the season. Jake DeBrusk was benched in the first period by Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy for lack of hustle (failing to attempt to block a shot) but he responded with a pair of power play goals that were ultimately the difference in the final outcome of the contest. Torey Krug is on IR with an upper-body injury and Charlie McAvoy has also missed the last two games with what I suspect is a concussion so Steven Kampfer has received some rare consistent playing time in the NHL. Credit to him for making the most of it with his first two-point performance in almost nine years (he had a goal and assist on Jan. 13, 2011!). He took a shot that DeBrusk re-directed for his 10th goal of the season at 2:37 with Pasta getting the second assist. Just 18 seconds later, Ullmark gave up a brutal goal as DeBrusk's attempted centering pass actually snuck in the near post that old Linus wasn't up against tight enough. David Krejci and Kampfer had the assists on DeBrusk's second tally.

The Bruins have had trouble recently closing games out on home ice but this time, they were able to get it done in regulation without the need of their worst enemy: overtime and/or a shootout where they are hopeless in both. Of course, there were some nervy moments as Lazar put in a loose puck to cut it to 3-2 at 5:08 of the third period. Rask gloved the first shot but the puck popped loose nearby where Lazar was able to take advantage of that mistake. Boston survived a tripping penalty by bum Brett Ritchie in crunch time. This was another two points where Boston's special teams units carried them with not only DeBrusk's two power play goals (Sabres PK is #28, is that bad?) but their penalty kill was a flawless 3-for-3 (granted Buffalo's PP is #19 in the NHL).

Connor Clifton left in the second period with an upper-body injury of his own but Cassidy didn't think it was too serious. I also saw McAvoy talking in the hall after the game so he's probably not too far off from returning to action. There is only one game left in 2019/this decade for the Bruins which seems crazy to say: Tuesday afternoon (1, NESN) at terrible New Jersey (13-19-6). Thankfully they don't have to spend New Year's Eve in Newark which sounds like the script for a cheesy late-night horror movie on Cinemax. Boston's next home game is also their first of 2020-Thursday (7, NESN) vs. Columbus (17-14-8). They also host Edmonton (20-17-4) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) so hopefully the Patriots Wild Card home game (talk about an oxymoron) is either that night or on Sunday. Either way, this is a forgiving stretch against four non-playoff teams in a row (5 games since they played Buffalo back-to-back) which should help the Bruins rack up points. Let me be the first to tell you (albeit a few days early), Happy New Year!

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