In A Bit Of A Surprise, UMaine's Jim Montgomery Is The New Head Coach Of Your Boston Bruins

 

    Right in time for the Fourth of July long weekend, the Bruins finally figured out who their new head coach will be for this upcoming season: former University of Maine star Jim Montgomery is here on a three-year deal worth around two million dollars per year. Most recently, the man that they call Monty (because everyone in hockey has to have a goofy nickname) was an assistant with the Blues and before that, he was the head coach of the Stars from 2018-20. Unlike the other rumored candidates that the B's had considered-namely David Quinn, Jay Leach and something called Mike Vellucci-Montgomery feels like the best choice to be the Bruins head coach for a couple of reasons. 

    While he wasn't a star by any means, Montgomery played in the NHL for 122 games on five different teams (Blues, Canadiens, Flyers, Sharks and Stars) after being undrafted following a great career at Maine capped off by an NCAA title in 1993 playing with Black Bears legend Paul Kariya. He was a pro hockey player for 14 seasons as he also competed in 451 AHL games. This means that he knows what it takes to grind and make it at the highest level. Additionally, he was a very successful college head coach from 2013-2017 at the University of Denver where he helped the Pioneers win an NCAA title in 2017. 

    He has only been an NHL head coach for less than a season and a half because after leading Dallas to the second round of the playoffs in his first year, he was fired after 31 games the next season because of a serious drinking problem that forced him to go to rehab and reevaluate his entire life. In terms of life-changing experiences, I would imagine that it doesn't get much more real than that so I'm hoping that he would be able to relate to his players on a much deeper level than most other coaches that they've ever encountered in pro hockey. In 113 games in charge of the Stars, he went 60-43-10 and then 7-6 in the playoffs.   

    Jim will have big shoes to fill since the previous Bruins head coach-Bruce Cassidy-quickly became one of the best in the NHL. There is still a good (albeit aging) nucleus in Boston: center Patrice Bergeron, left wing Brad Marchand, right wing David Pastrnak, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goaltender Jeremy Swayman should ensure that even though it feels like they are rebuilding, the black and gold should still be in the postseason in 2022-23. The early word is that his players love Montgomery so perhaps he has a bit of a softer personality than Cassidy who was very open in his criticism of his team and players. The only thing about Jim that is hard to look past is that he's from Montreal originally but I guess that we won't hold them against him. Haha after all, nobody's perfect. 

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. 

The Bruins Cooled Off The Stars-One of the Hottest Teams In the NHL-With a 4-3 Win at the Garden

After not looking anything like the best team in the NHL in their past two outings (blowout 9-3 loss at Vancouver then a 5-2 defeat vs. Calgary), the Bruins (40-13-12) put on a very entertaining performance for their home crowd at TD Garden and came away with a 4-3 victory against the Stars (37-21-6) in the process. Dallas entered the contest in second-place in the Central Division with an eight-game road point-streak to boot (6-0-2). They were also 10-2-2 in their past 14 road games so this was a quality two points for the B's who vaulted seven points ahead of Tampa Bay (40-19-5)-who lost their fourth game in a row, falling 5-2 to Chicago (28-28-8)-for first-place in the Atlantic Division.

Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak each put up two points (goal and assist) but the real talking points for the Bruins since they were much more unexpected had to be David Krejci's first fight since the 2010-11 season (the Cup year, that long ago) and Nick Ritchie had two points (goal and assist) himself in his second game as a Bruin. Ondrej Kase's debut for Boston wasn't too notable (minus-1 in 15:16) as he started out on the second line with Krejci and Ritchie before shifting around. Jaroslav Halak (17-6-6) improved to 6-0 in his past six starts with 31 saves. This could have been a less nervy finish as the Black and Gold had to sweat out the final few moments as they couldn't cash in a bunch of empty-net opportunities and the Stars got a weird bounce off Zdeno Chara's skate which cut it to 4-3 Bruins with 2:24 left in regulation. The B's held on though and put to bed any thoughts of an extended losing streak at least for the time being.

The first period was devoid of much action until near the end of the frame as both clubs converted on power play chances. Dallas defenseman John Klingberg's shot deflected off Chara's stick at 17:38 for a 1-0 Dallas lead. Joe Pavelski had the lone assist on Klingberg's fifth goal of the season (that was changed to what would have been Jamie Benn's 300th career goal, only to revert back to Klingberg). Charlie Coyle tied it with a play that would make any professional baseball player proud: Stars goaltender Ben Bishop (24 saves, 21-14-4) made a save on Torey Krug but Coyle hit the puck out of mid-air with his stick once then a second time for the tying tally. Coyle's 16th goal of the season was also assisted by Marchand.

Knotted at one apiece after the first period, Boston took control with a pair of goals 1:17 apart late in the second period. Stars defenseman Andrej Sekera and B's winger Chris Wagner both hit the post earlier in the second. Krejci (18 penalty minutes on the season entering tonight) threw down with another normally mild-mannered guy-Joe Pavelski (24 penalty minutes before this) and for two guys that never drop the gloves, it was an excellent bout. Krejci got the best of Pavelski as evidenced by his bloody knuckles that had to be repaired in the Bruins dressing room. That obviously fired his teammates up as they scored 2:20 after it. Marchand potted his 26th goal of the season at 14:44 on a sweet feed from Charlie McAvoy. Pasta had the other assist as Bishop was left down and out with no chance to stop Brad's top-shelf bullet. Ritchie's shot from distance might have been tipped by someone or something but ultimately it went down as an unassisted goal for him (his 9th of the season and 1st as a Bruin) at 16:01.

Dallas cut it to 3-2 early in the final period as Denis Gurianov tipped in Esa Lindell's shot at 1:18. Jason Dickinson notched the other helper on Gurianov's 19th goal of the season. Boston answered right back as Pastrnak's finished an on-the-tape pass by Ritchie at 3:53 for his NHL-best 46th (!!!) goal of the season. Jeremy Lauzon picked up his first assist of the season as well on what turned out to be Pasta's game-winning goal. Marchand tried to score an empty-netter but it was blocked and other Bruins skated in mud as they tried to end the game. The Stars were undeterred as Miro Heiskanen forced a save by Halak, only to see the puck find a way to get past Halak. Heiskanen's eighth goal of the season was assisted by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin (remember him, ladies of the greater Boston area?). The Bruins swept the two-game season series vs. the Stars after beating them 2-1 in the season opener on Oct. 3. To give you a clue how long ago that was, Boston's two goal-scorers that night are no longer on the team as Brett Ritchie is in Providence and Danton Heinen was traded to Anaheim. The Bruins are 7-0-2 in their last nine games vs. the Stars, something to keep in mind when they meet this June in the Stanley Cup Final.

After practice tomorrow at Warrior Ice Arena, the Bruins will hit the road for three games in Long Island and Florida. Wagner left tonight's game with an upper-body injury so the team will know more about his status for the road trip after he shows up tomorrow in Brighton. They are at the Islanders (35-20-8) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) followed by the Lightning on Tuesday (7:30, NBCSN) and Panthers (33-25-6) on Thursday (7, NESN)-which is always a majority Bruins crowd. New York is the top Wild Card in the Eastern Conference but they have lost their last two games in overtime. The Lightning are playing some of their worst hockey of the season and captain Steven Stamkos is out with an injury while the Panthers are four points behind the Blue Jackets (31-20-14) for the second Wild Card. With all that said, those are three tough opponents and at least two of them will probably make the playoffs this spring so get used to seeing them some more.

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Marchand Rescues Boston In OT From What Would Have Been a Bitter Loss to Overmatched Dallas

Returning home after a 3-2 win at Carolina and frustrating 1-0 loss in Nashville last week, the Bruins (8-4-2) leaned on what has carried them throughout the early goings of the 2018-19 regular season: their vaunted top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask. Pasta scored a power play goal in the first period and Marchand won it with a power play goal (5-on-3) in the extra session as the B's held off the Stars (8-5-1) 2-1 on the always fantastic Military Appreciation Night at TD Garden. Embattled goaltender Tuukka Rask (24 saves; 4-3-0) gave up another dog's breakfast of a goal but bounced back enough not to allow any other goals thus picking up the victory that got him back over .500.

If you watched the game or just by glancing at the box score, you could easily conclude that the Bruins should have won this game by at least two or three goals. They had 73 shot attempts (!) to just 38 for Dallas. The problem was that despite outshooting the Stars 35-25, they had nine more shots blocked (13-4) and missed the net 16 more times (25-9) which is alarming. Old friend Anton Khudobin (33 saves; 2-1-1) deserved better as he did everything that he possibly could to earn his team a hard-fought point. He was sloppy with some rebounds and also benefited from an insanely quick whistle in the second period that would have wiped out an easy goal for Anders Bjork.

Owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and reliever Joe Kelly were apparently all the guys affiliated with the Red Sox that were still in town after their Tour De Force at local sporting events (Celtics game last Thursday and Patriots game last night) so they dropped the ceremonial puck before this contest with the repaired World Series trophy on hand as well. Kelly was wearing a personalized Bruins jersey with red bordering the numbers. It was a weird game as Dallas scored a shorthanded goal at 3:51 of the first period with Roman Polak in the penalty box for interference. Radek Faksa's high-school level shot on net apparently deflected off of Torey Krug's stick (or so he claimed in Boston's dressing room afterwards) but regardless, Rask has to make that save. Miro Heiskanen had the lone assist on Faksa's third goal of the season. What is it with Rask and first periods this season? He had sat on the bench for the past three outings since Jaroslav Halak (4-1-2) has greatly outplayed him in his first campaign with the Black and Gold.

Rask's teammates picked him up though as Pastrnak scored on that same power play, his team-leading 12th goal of the season. Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk had the assists as Dallas for some reason left David wide open (think Bruins vs. Alex Ovechkin in recent years) for a practice type one-timer at 5:11. You wondered if the B's would score another goal all night as Torey Krug rattled the post and Noel Acciari hit the crossbar in the second period. Bergeron had a shot that slid inches wide of the Stars' goal in the third after Khudobin got a piece of it and Bergy later hit the crossbar in overtime (it looked like it went in but I never saw a replay). Marchand's fifth goal of the season came with 31 seconds left in overtime. He waited on the side of the net (looking for a backdoor pass to Bergeron) but ended up picking the low far corner with the game-winner. David Krejci and Krug had the assists as Dallas was called for too many men on the ice and cross-checking 11 seconds apart (talk about a meltdown).

Including the Predators game on Saturday, Boston has five games in eight days so needless to say it is going to be a very busy week. Thankfully, they at least don't have to go anywhere besides Warrior Ice Arena for practices and morning skates as they welcome Loui Eriksson and Tim Schaller back to town not to mention stud rookie Elias Pettersson and the surprising Canucks (9-6-0) to the Garden on Thursday (7, NESN). Sadly, the Sedin sisters are retired so Vancouver is a little tougher to dump on now. Almost as rare as a Monday night tilt, the Bruins are playing in the usual Saturday night time slot (7, NESN) vs. Toronto (9-5-0) followed by Sunday night (7, NESN) vs. Vegas (6-7-1). It'll be interesting to see how many starts each goaltender gets over those three games, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has been abundantly clear that Rask needs to be better to earn more playing time. What a novel idea!

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Whatever Happened to Tyler Seguin? Oh That's Right, Now He's a Perennial All-Star in Dallas

It didn't take a genius to know back on that fateful July 4th (in 2013) when the Bruins traded Tyler Seguin to the Stars, that he would soon become one of the best offensive players in the NHL. No doubt the change of scenery was a good thing since Seguin will never be the main story in a town dominated by the Cowboys and Mavericks (when they're at least somewhat relevant). The Bruins (24-10-8) now only get to see their former No. 2 overall pick in 2010 once or twice a season but somehow, he seems to usually find a way to make B's fans wish that things could have worked out better here for him. In an afternoon matinee at TD Garden on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Dallas (25-17-3) skated off to the rest of their six-game Eastern Conference road trip with a 3-2 overtime victory thanks to the eye-popping talent of Seguin who (of course!) bagged the highlight-reel game-winning goal.

Seguin's tally was obviously a punch to the collective nuts for the Bruins but before that, there were plenty of reasons to be content with this result from their perspective. Boston rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the second period and earned a point for the 13th game in a row (9-0-4). Remember that they had come into today's tilt as the hottest team in the NHL: 8-0-2 in their past 10 games. With the overtime victory, the Stars jumped over Minnesota (24-17-5) for the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. They are a good team with a decent shot to make the playoffs in the always loaded West especially with head coach Ken Hitchcock behind the bench, bringing stability since he's one of the NHL's all-time winningest coaches.

With three more games left this week (Wednesday vs. Montreal, Thursday at Islanders and Saturday in Montreal), this was an Anton Khudobin (9-2-4) joint for the Bruins. He made 29 saves which was fine but Dallas backup goaltender Kari Lehtonen (30 saves) edged him in his first start in exactly a month (a 5-2 loss at New Jersey on Dec. 15). Lehtonen's most recent win was on Dec. 13 (at Islanders). Dallas' usual goaltender Ben Bishop (former University of Maine standout) had made 11 straight starts which seems like a death wish approved by Canadiens head coach Claude Julien but I digress.

Boston is awful in overtime this season (1-6) while Dallas improved to 3-2 in the extra session. The Garden always lacks noise in afternoon starts (sorry kiddos) but still the team is 3-2-1 in them so far in 2017-18. Finally, the B's are 3-2-2 in game 1s (when they have 3 games in 4 days) and they allowed the first goal in consecutive contests for the first time in nearly a month (Dec. 13, 14 & 16).

After a scoreless 1st period, the Stars woke up before the Bruins as they bagged two goals less than five minutes apart. Stephen Johns sniped in a shot at 3:49 for his 5th goal of the season, assisted by Remi Elie and Brett Ritchie. Haha I swear those are all real people and not assumed names made up by the FBI. Former Canadiens bust Alexander Radulov doubled Dallas' lead at 8:15 after Jamie Benn shot the puck via the face-off then the burly Russian was there to pop in the rebound with a backhander for his 17th goal of the season.

Boston's power play was 0 for 4 on the day so they were no help whatsoever. Zdeno Chara got his team back into it though with a patented blast at 16:28 of the 2nd period, cutting it to 2-1 Stars. Charlie McAvoy & Riley Nash assisted on the Captain's fourth goal of the season. Happily this time around, he didn't send anyone to the hospital when they were hit by one of his wayward shot attempts.

Dallas was 20-1-1 when leading after two this season while Boston was 1-9-2 when trailing after two so the home team obviously had their work cut out for them. Ryan Spooner of all people tied it up at 11:21 when his shot in traffic deflected in off a Stars defenseman's skate. Spooner's fifth goal of the season was assisted by David Krejci and Matt Grzelcyk. I thought that the puck had gone off of Jake DeBrusk's body but the ruling never changed, sorry rookie.

Seguin's goal was pretty brilliant as Dallas had an extra skater on the ice during a delayed penalty call. He skated around multiple Bruins who all futilely dropped to the ice to block his shot before he snuck it between Khudobin's stacked pads. His team-leading 22nd goal of the season was assisted by John Klingberg (who paces the league with 35 assists) and his buddy Benn.

Boston beat Montreal (18-20-5) 4-3 in a thrilling shootout that probably few but the true Bruins hardcores actually saw on Saturday night since it was on at the same exact time as the Patriots' blowout of the Titans. With two more games against the Habs this week, the Black and Gold have a real opportunity to bury their biggest rival for good well before the spring is even here. With the back-to-backs, I'm confident that Tuukka Rask will see Montreal again before Khudobin starts against the Isles (22-18-4). After that who knows if Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy would want Rask to play the same club three times in eight days? That's clearly above my pay grade, haha I'm just a lowly blogger that's lucky to be out of my mother's basement.

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Far From a Masterpiece but the Bruins Still Picked Up Their 3rd Straight Win, 2-0 vs. Stars

At this time of the year in an NHL regular season, all that matters is the final result and point accumulation if you are still anywhere close to the playoff hunt. Boston (41-30-6) blanked Dallas (31-35-11) 2-0 tonight at TD Garden in a contest that was a complete snoozefest but B's fans won't be complaining after Tuukka Rask (27 saves) recorded his seventh shutout of this campaign. With those two points, the Bruins pulled to within three points of second-place Ottawa (41-26-9) and remained one point behind third-place Toronto (37-24-15) who both have a game in hand. Tampa Bay (38-29-9) is still three points in back of Boston while Carolina (35-27-14) has leapfrogged the Islanders (35-29-12) to pull four points behind the B's.

Last season's No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Stars have been a dumpster fire basically all year and they have already been eliminated from playoff contention. With a lineup sprinkled with minor league players, they looked the part of a team watching the clock before their miserable journey ends next week. Poor NBC Sports was left with this dog's breakfast of a matchup that lived down to that low billing. Brad Marchand gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 15:14 of the first period after he backhanded in a shot off of Dallas goaltender Antti Niemi's (22 saves) leg pads. David Backes had slid the puck across the goal-mouth to Marchand who potted his career-high 38th goal of the season (the most for a Bruin since Glen Murray's 44 in 2002-03).

Jason Spezza was called for hooking early in the second period and that's when Boston's power play made the Stars pay dearly. Torey Krug went to the net and re-directed a beautiful feed by David Pastrnak for his eighth goal of the season (and 50th point). Marchand had the other assist as he has piled up 83 points so far meaning that he deserves the third and fourth-place Hart Trophy votes that he will receive. Tyler Seguin was back in Boston for a little while (sorry ladies) but he didn't make much of an impact tonight besides two wide open shots in front that somehow missed the net completely both times, like his ex-teammate Rich Peverley used to do oh so many times.

Boston was on its way to an easy victory until Kevan Miller's caught Curtis McKenzie in the face with the blade of his stick. With blood immediately gushing everywhere, Miller had to serve a double-minor (4 minutes) with 8:52 left in regulation. That's when Boston's No. 3 ranked penalty kill unit in the NHL came through against Dallas' horrid power play (No. 20 in the NHL). The Stars had some chances all game long but Rask didn't have to work all that hard for the 37th shutout of his NHL career (his 1st vs. Dallas).

It should be an interesting weekend as the B's host another patsy-the Panthers (33-33-11)-who was officially eliminated from playoff contention tonight thanks to Boston's win. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn't tip his hand but I expect that Rask will get the start on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) here against Florida and then backup Anton Khudobin will get the unenviable task of facing the Blackhawks (49-21-7) on Sunday afternoon (12:30, NBC) at the United Center. I think you have to start Rask in the much more winnable game and each contest is still very important to the B's but Chicago is in the Western Conference so you're not as worried about them at this moment. We shall see, I can only say with certainty that each tilt has to be more entertaining than this evening's slop.

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Tyler Seguin Foreva

For the way that the breakup went down and how he's thrived since then in Dallas, Tyler Seguin will always be that special ex you inevitably think about from time to time. It's doubtful given Boston's system that he would be the MVP candidate here that he's been with the Stars but then again, with that much talent you have to think that he would have figured it out at some point with the Bruins. Giving up on him after two years in the NHL was a big risk that didn't pay off for Boston. Of course, this is all a moot point since he's long gone and former GM Peter Chiarelli who pulled the trigger on that fateful deal is now in Edmonton.

Bruins fans got their yearly reminder of what they are missing as Seguin scored a hat trick (7th of his career, 6th with Dallas) as the Stars (10-3-0) beat the Bruins (6-4-1) 5-3 tonight at TD Garden. Boston's seven-game point streak (6-0-1) and four-game win streak was snapped as they continue to play hideous hockey (1-4-1) at home. They have the third worst home record in the NHL, tied with Colorado and only better than Calgary (1-5-0) and Columbus (0-5-0). Similarly, goaltender Tuukka Rask (3-4-1) continues to be a puddle here. Seguin (8 goals, 12 assists) is now tied with his linemate Jamie Benn (10 goals, 10 assists) for the NHL points lead. Backup goaltender Kari Lehtonen (4-1-0) made 36 saves as Boston outshot Dallas 39-19.

The game began on a grim note as Boston center Chris Kelly broke his femur on a fluke play (3 seconds into his first shift of the night) when his skate got stuck in the ice and his leg got twisted awkwardly. He went straight to Mass General Hospital and will have surgery tomorrow, he's expected to miss six-to-eight months which likely signals the end of his Bruins career (he's a free agent next summer). He's been bashed for years since his contract from Chiarelli was way too much money but he's been a solid player and a really good leader. His veteran presence will be missed by the B's along with all the little things that he does (kill penalties, win faceoffs, block shots, etc.).

Seguin opened the scoring at 5:46 with a sick shot through helpless Kevan Miller's legs. Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn assisted on Seguin's sixth goal of the season (also his 300th career NHL point). Bruins rookie defenseman Colin Miller recorded his own milestone with his first career NHL goal at 7:14. A blast from the point, assisted by Torey Krug and Jimmy Hayes. Boston's top-ranked power play gave them their only lead late in the first period. Loui Eriksson (part of the Seguin deal on July 4, 2013) put in a rebound at 19:35. Torey Krug and Patrice Bergeron assisted on his third goal of the season. You wish that Boston had gotten way more in that trade but at least now, we can agree that Eriksson is a dependable contributer.

Brad Marchand (the NHL's first star of the week) was stopped on a shorthanded breakaway early in the second then Dallas cashed in on a subsequent power play. Seguin scored on a one-timer from John Klingberg and Jamie Benn at 4:37, six seconds after the hooking call on Brett Connolly. The Stars took the lead at 17:18 on rookie defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka's first career NHL goal. His shot from the point through traffic beat Rask, assisted by Valeri Nichushkin and Jordie Benn.

Seguin finished the hat trick at 1:18 on another power play. Krug put the puck over the glass in his own end and 12 seconds later, his former teammate buried another one-timer from the slot. Spezza and Klingberg had the assists. The Stars put it out of reach at 9:13 with their third power play goal (most allowed by Boston since Jan. 4, 2014 vs. Anaheim). Defenseman Alex Goligoski skated in unimpeded for a backhander top-shelf on Rask. Mattias Janmark and Colton Sceviour had the helpers on his first goal of the season.

For window dressing, Eriksson added his second goal in garbage time. Ryan Spooner hit him with a pretty cross-ice feed at 17:45 that cut it to 5-3 Dallas. The Bruins pulled Rask for the extra skater and used their timeout but it didn't matter. They hadn't played since Saturday and they lost to a team that was at Toronto last night (and lost). Ugh. Things won't get any easier for the B's as they are away for three games in four nights later this week: at Washington (8-3-0) on Thursday (7, NESN), at Montreal (11-2-1) on Saturday (7, NESN) and at the Islanders (7-3-3) on Sunday (5, NESN). It's hard to imagine that Boston's spotless road record (5-0-0) will survive that gauntlet of a road trip through the Eastern Conference's iron.

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A 5-3 Loss to the Stars Is Not How You Want to End a Homestand

It has not been a fun couple days for the Bruins after they lost 3-1 to the Canadiens on Sunday night then followed that up with a lackluster 5-3 defeat vs. the Stars tonight at TD Garden. Boston (28-19-7) has lost three of its last four games overall, which is not the feeling you want in your stomach as you head out on a five-game/two-week long road trip to Western Canada and the Midwest in the dead of winter.

The B's were the only team that hadn't allowed a shorthanded goal all season so naturally they gave up not one but two against the Stars (25-21-8). That is impossible to overcome, especially when your best players like Patrice Bergeron (-4) and Zdeno Chara (-3) both play as bad as they ever do and backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg (7 saves, 3 goals allowed) gets pulled after one ineffective period of action.

Things got off to a weird start as Antoine Roussel was called for a cross-checking major and game misconduct only 3:43 into the game after he checked Adam McQuaid in the throat. He has a phone hearing with the NHL on Thursday for that bush league move. Boston couldn't get anything going on the power play all night (0-for-4, 9:00) and Vernon Fiddler took advantage of a bad turnover to score on a shorthanded breakaway at 7:28. The unassisted goal was his seventh of the season.

David Krejci tied it 3:15 after that with an easy tap-in from David Pastrnak and Milan Lucic. It was Krejci's seventh goal of the season. The rest of the first period was The Jamie Benn Show as he blew by Boston's soft defense and roofed one past Svedberg from a tough angle at 14:38 then put in a rebound at 17:53 following a shot that might have gone off Ben Eaves' dong and to Benn. That gave Jamie Benn 18 goals on the season and a 3-1 lead.

Tuukka Rask (20 saves) came in to start the second period and it seemed to help as Bergeron scored on a shorthanded breakaway of his own 26 seconds into the frame. His team-leading 15th goal of the season (tied with Brad Marchand) was also assisted by Marchand. Dallas' defense is atrocious and Kari Lehtonen (41 saves) isn't great either so when Dougie Hamilton tied it at three at 6:42, you figured the Bruins would rally for a win. No problem, right? Hamilton's goal was his ninth of the season, assisted by Chris Kelly and Torey Krug.

Things just didn't shake out as we expected since Trevor Daley's shorthanded goal at 13:42, where he had the speed to get behind Boston's defense and knock in his own rebound, turned out to be the game-winning goal. It was the defenseman's 14th goal of the season and it was unassisted. There was plenty of time left but the Bruins could never find another equalizer.

Hamilton earned a four-minute major for high sticking on Ryan Garbutt (when Daley scored) after he drew blood but the B's power play couldn't sustain any pressure or generate many scoring threats. The third period was more of the same as Boston wasted a tripping call on Jason Spezza. Erik Cole ended it with a bizarre empty-net goal that looked to be headed nowhere near the goal only to curve right in. That summed up the night for both clubs.

The Bruins' next game is on Friday (10, NESN) in Vancouver (29-20-3). That is a winnable game since the Canucks have been scuffling lately as well (5-5-0 in their last 10 games). Monday (9, NESN) in Calgary (30-21-3) will be sneaky tough because they are one of the surprise teams in the league while Edmonton (15-31-9) on Wednesday (10, NESN) is the lone layup and must-win. Boston ends the trip it with the two most difficult games: at St. Louis (35-15-4) on Friday (8, NESN) and in Chicago (33-18-3) on Sunday (3, NBC). Boston won't be home again until two weeks from now vs. Vancouver. By that point, the trade deadline will be less than a week away (March 2). Gulp.

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For One Night Only: The Seguin Trade Doesn't Look So Bad as Bruins beat Stars 3-1 in Dallas

The Bruins and Stars only meet twice this season but Boston (25-16-6) has to be happy with Round 1's result: a much-needed 3-1 road win at American Airlines Arena tonight in Dallas (21-18-7). The B's have now won six of their last seven games and this was a vintage victory for them in terms of dictating their style (timely scoring that's spread out, good defense, strong special teams and great goaltending).

This was one of Tuukka Rask's best games of the season as he put up 36 saves and was helped by the fact that Dallas hit the post at least three times (including once by Seguin who had a game-high 9 shots on goal). Ironically, the one goal he gave up was complete trash. Vernon Fiddler-playing in his 700th NHL game-beat him with a weak backhander that took a slight deflection at 6:46 in the second period. The Jasons (Spezza and Demers) assisted on the only Stars goal.

Former Star Loui Eriksson tied it at 14:17 after one of the prettier sequences of the season for the Bruins. Chris Kelly passed to Carl Soderberg who spun around and hit Eriksson who was wide open coming down the slot. That play actually started behind Boston's net after forcing a turnover. Eriksson beat Kari Lehtonen (24 saves) for his 11th goal of the season. Boston built off that momentum as Gregory Campbell knocked in an ugly but effective goal at 18:27. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by Craig Cunningham and Dougie Hamilton.

Boston took way too many penalties, but luckily their penalty kill was superb (holding Dallas to 0 for 6). Hamilton got the insurance goal that the Bruins needed at 7:41 in the third period. His career-high eighth goal of the season was assisted by another former Star-Reilly Smith.

Tomorrow night (10, NESN) at Colorado (19-18-10) is Boston's final game before the All-Star break. The Avalanche are another flawed Western Conference team that they should beat. It'll be another mini-reunion too with Jarome Iginla and Mark Stuart. Since he's not going to the All-Star Game (only Patrice Bergeron will represent the B's), I think that Rask will get another start. Boston also should benefit from a rejuvenated Brad Marchand who was suspended for the past two games.

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Chad Johnson Propels the B's to 1 of Their Best Road Wins of the Season, Wait What?

I'll be honest, I didn't think Chad Johnson had performances like tonight-32 saves-in him. Granted, neither did Boston's (30-15-2) front office or head coach Claude Julien since his last start was way back on December 19. Regardless, he was great this evening as the Bruins won 4-2 at Dallas' (21-19-7) American Airlines Center.

Boston's top line showed up as well after taking the last four games off (with no points in any of them). David Krejci scored the first goal and Milan Lucic netted the third goal. In addition, Brad Marchand continued to heat up with another goal and Patrice Bergeron clinched it with an empty-netter.

Since they won, we can laugh about it a little more but the B's got absolutely hosed out of a goal by Gregory Campbell early in the first period. A Stars defensemen tried to clear it but the puck went off Campbell's skate and in. I didn't think he had time to react and do that but after watching a replay, the refs reversed the call of goal and said he kicked it.

Krejci scored his 10th goal of the season with four seconds left in the second. Lucic had the lone assist after winning a puck battle in the corner and passing it to Krejci who snapped it by Kari Lehtonen (37 saves). That was Krejci's first goal in six games.

Boston's struggling penalty kill had successfully survived the first four chances they gave Dallas but Erik Cole knotted it at one 1:18 into the third on a man advantage. It came on a nothing play as Tyler Seguin blindly threw the puck on Johnson but Cole was there to re-direct it before it got to him.

Two minutes later, Marchand put the Bruins back ahead for good after some old fashioned hustle. His first shot was stopped but he got to the rebound first and poked it in. Bergeron assisted on Marchand's 12th goal of the season.

Lucic gave Boston a rare two-goal lead with a tip-in of Krejci's wrist shot from the point on the power play. Torey Krug had the second assist on Lucic's 13th goal of the season at 15:46.

Jamie Benn padded his stats and created a few scary moments for Boston with a garbage goal at 18:49. Bergeron's empty-netter at 19:44 surely calmed nerves around New England. It was his 12th goal of the season.

Boston is off for two days before their must-see game on Sunday (12:30, NBC) at Chicago (30-8-11, 1st in Central Division). Tuukka Rask will be rested and ready to go as the teams square off for the first time since the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. I can't think of a better way to pass the time before Patriots-Broncos, can you?

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Tyler Seguin's Run In Boston Comes To An Unexpected End On The Fourth Of July

Odds are that the Bruins very notable trade with the Stars today caught you by surprise since it's the Fourth of July so hopefully you were beating this merciless heat at a pool, beach or on a boat. For once, I wasn't on Twitter so the news that Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and prospect Ryan Button (great name) were dealt to Dallas for winger Loui Eriksson and prospects Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser and Joe Morrow first came to me the old fashioned way-via texts from a couple hockey loving buddies.

After digesting this move for a couple hours and swimming multiple times in the Atlantic Ocean, I have come to a couple conclusions: 1) Boston had to be really sick of Seguin's shit to give away the No. 2 overall pick in 2010 after only three seasons; 2) Eriksson is an underrated player that should shine with the B's in Seguin's spot on the second line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand; 3) don't ask me about the prospects since I can only keep up with so much, check back if they make the NHL.

We had all heard rumors of Seguin's hard partying ways and even though he's only 21, the Bruins were clearly fed up with it and something had to change. Why else would they publicly acknowledge as much last week at the NHL Draft? From the start, Seguin was never a good fit in terms of playing style. He's totally a finesse guy that hates to go in the corners and battle for the puck (a Bruins staple) plus he constantly gets knocked down and relies on one stupid move that rarely works to get by defensemen. Of course he's also wildly talented and has probably only reached a tenth of his potential (relatively speaking) in the NHL.

Seguin led the Bruins in points in 2011-12 (29 goals, 38 assists) so it's hard to explain how the same player (uninjured) was held to 16 goals and 16 assists this season (in 48 games) but even worse only one goal and seven assists in 22 postseason games. It got so bad that he was put on the third line and basically wasn't heard from again save for a couple pretty assists. Peverley had a nice season in 2011-12 (11 goals, 31 assists, +20) and he helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 with four goals and eight assists but he was beyond useless this past season: six goals and 12 assists in the regular season then two goals and no assists in the postseason. See ya later, with a cap hit of $3.25 million through 2014-15 (another awful contract by the B's), Boston can find somebody much cheaper to do similar work.

Ultimately you can't judge a player by a single moment, game or season but I can only guess that Boston predicted the future of Seguin with the Bruins wouldn't improve enough to justify his overpriced contract (salary-cap hit of $5.75 million through 2018-19 season) that they handed out way too soon. Perhaps playing for the Stars, with much less of a spotlight and pressure will do wonders for his on-ice production. Worst case, he continues to be a mess in terms of having a productive lifestyle, doesn't take his job seriously and this past postseason was a precursor of things to come except Dallas won't be in the playoffs!

In terms of Eriksson, I'll admit I know about him mostly from fantasy hockey since the Stars last made the playoffs in 2008 and they are never on national TV. He'll turn 28 on July 16 but he's already played seven seasons in the NHL amassing 150 goals, 207 assists, 82 points in the power play (36 goals, 46 assists), 11 shorthanded points (7 goals, 4 assists) and a plus/minus of +31. He's scored 26+ goals in four seasons with a career-high of 36 in 2008-09. He also racked up 71+ points three years in a row (2009-10 to 2011-12). He only put up 12 goals and 17 assists in 2013 but I can't blame him since playing for a bad team for so long takes the life out of you plus they traded away most of Dallas' best players like Jaromir Jagr and Brandon Morrow. I know he's not physical but you have to be impressed that Eriksson has only missed three games in the past five seasons (all in 2010-11).

It's doubtful that Boston will pick No. 2 again for a long time which of course is a good thing. Still, only time will tell if they simply whiffed on Seguin (assuming he falters with the Stars) or didn't give him enough experience in the Black and Gold to get comfortable and become the star (no pun intended) that we thought he would be.

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Let The Jaromir Jagr Era In Boston Begin (Puts on Mullet, Starts Listening to European Techno)

Screw Jarome Iginla, we've got Jaromir Jagr! Haha that has to be the sentiment for Bruins fans this afternoon since Boston traded forward Lane MacDermid, prospect Cody Payne and a conditional second-round draft pick to Dallas for the 41-year-old Jagr.

Before you say wow he must be really washed up, keep in mind that he had 14 goals and 12 assists this season for the Stars in 34 games and he averaged 18:17 of ice time per game. He has been around forever, he was Pittsburgh's first round pick in 1990 (5th overall) and he played with the Penguins right away. He is the NHL active leader in goals (679), assists (1000) and points (1679) and he should solve Boston's biggest current issue: goal-scoring.

The only thing to worry about with Jagr, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is that the conservative Claude Julien will put him on the third line or not try to get the most out of him that he can (put him with David Krejci!). With all due respect, this isn't Daniel Paille, Jay Pandolfo, Jordan Caron, Gregory Campbell, Rich Peverley, etc. This is one of the best offensive players in NHL history that has put up 78 goals and 111 assists in 180 career playoff games.

Jagr simply has to be on Boston's sputtering first line with Krejci and either Milan Lucic or Nathan Horton. It doesn't really matter which one, since they've both been awful this season by and large, but Lucic or Horton needs to go down to the third line to give the team more balance.

Oh and since we still have almost 24 hours until the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline (tomorrow at 3 p.m.), the B's can't be content to stop here. They have a good chance to win another Stanley Cup as it is but with the addition of another proven forward and especially a defenseman, they'll make their team that much better.

Keep wheeling and dealing Peter Chiarelli.

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2011 Was A Special Year For The Bruins, So Let's All Forget About New Year's Eve

I hope you had a fun New Year's Eve and unlike me, you didn't plan the most overrated night of the year around watching the Boston Bruins visit the Dallas Stars.

For reasons unknown, the B's (24-10-1) were flat from the start and fell 4-2 to the Stars (21-15-1) at American Airlines Center. The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Boston and left a sour taste in what otherwise was an unforgettable year for Bruins fans-the best of my Black and Gold rooting life.

Dallas put up three goals in the first period, including two on the power-play, meaning that it was never really interesting.

Former Bruins whipping boy/playoff hero Michael Ryder made his presence felt by scoring a goal against his old team.

If ever there was a team and player that earned a mulligan in 2011, it was the Bruins and goaltender Tim Thomas (23 saves; 16-6-0). So like a bad New Year's Eve party or night, I'll pretend like this contest never happened. Although two great things occurred: Rich Peverley returned after missing two games with an undisclosed injury and most importantly, NESN's Jack Edwards is finally on Twitter (@RealJackEdwards).

A little more than two minutes into the game, Dallas received a 2-man advantage. They took care of that at 3:21 as Loui Eriksson (13th of the season) scored on a one-timer from Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley.

Tyler Seguin (15th of the season) tied it at one when his shot squirted past Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen (18 saves) at 11:39. David Krejci had the assist.

Daley benefited immensely on a crazy bounce when his harmless shot bounced off Thomas' back and over the goal line at 16:59. Tom Wandell had the assist.

Apparently nobody on the B's ever noticed that Ryder makes one move-a toe drag-despite all the practices and games with him. It worked as he scored his 15th of the season, a power-play goal at 19:20 that really gave Dallas control at the end of the first.

Once again, the last minute of a period proved to be fatal for Boston as Wandell (2nd of the season) scored at 19:00 from Adam Burish and Jamie Benn. With a 4-1 lead at the end of two, the Bruins were in the unfamiliar position of playing from way behind.

No excuses for Boston managing only 11 shots in the first two periods. They woke up much more in the third but by then, it was far too late.

Milan Lucic (13th of the season) scored on a one-timer at 1:08 from Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg. It was a powerful shot from the middle of the slot; it would be wonderful to see Looch get more points from that area. He does most of his work from in closer to the net.

Dallas and Boston had games in the past few seasons that were filled with brawls but all we got tonight was a minor bout between Jake Dowell and Gregory Campbell late in the third that was over almost as soon as it started.

This bizarre three-game road trip which strangely enough took a week (plus travel time) ends on Wednesday in Dirty Jersey as the Bruins visit the Devils. It's the second of four meetings between the teams, Boston won 4-3 at TD Garden on November 15.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY, THANKS FOR READING!

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Mikey Does Dallas

Well that didn't take long.

Michael Ryder inexplicably earned seven million dollars for a two-year contract on the first day of NHL free agency for the summer of 2011. This shouldn't come as a shock to Bruins fans, as there was no chance that the B's would match that offer.

I wrote the other day that Ryder would be worth a look at 2-2.5 million a year but 3.5? See ya later.

The Bruins now don't have to worry about Ryder's contract counting towards the salary cap, giving the Bruins additional spending money should they choose to use it this offseason. With the departure of Ryder and Recchi, the B's will most certainly look towards the free agent market to fill that void.

Ryder will be remembered in Boston as a wildly inconsistent player, a sniper who seemed to choose when he wanted to turn his game up. He was a proven player in the playoffs though, including this year where he scored (8 goals, 9 assists) and played above average defense throughout. His play in the Montreal series, especially his glove save on Gionta endeared him to Bruins fans and may have saved the season. I would've liked to have him back for cheap money but he saw his opportunity to cash in so good for him.

I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Seriously.

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Fight Night in Boston

I have no idea what got into the Boston Bruins last night. A team that usually exhibits little heart got into three fights vs. the Dallas Stars in the first four seconds of the game at the TD Garden.

You can have NHL Center Ice (which I do not) and you can watch every NHL game this season but I doubt you'll ever see a more exciting or crazy period than the first. I've never seen anything like it (and probably never will again) as the Bs had four fights and jumped ahead 4-0 before they eventually held on for a 6-4 win.

For two teams that only play once or twice a season, it's hard to believe that the bitter feelings from two seasons ago could carry over to last night but that looked to be the case. The teams had a similar shitshow game in October 2008 in Boston.

As the game began, Gregory Campbell took on goon Steve Ott (most penalties in the league) one second into the action. Campbell took a beating and received a nasty gash on his face/nose but he returned soon after that cause hey, he's a hockey player.

One second later, Shawn Thornton fought Krys Barch with Thornton scoring the takedown. Finally, two seconds later Adam McQuaid absolutely blew up Brian Sutherby in a quick, Jersey Shore style brawl.

Oh and Andrew Ference one-punched Adam Burish ("one shot kid!") a few minutes later to complete the crazy beginning. Today, Burish went on IR.

Not only did the Bruins (30-15-7) beat the Stars (30-17-5) physically but they almost ran them out of the rink. Milan Lucic (his 21st of the season) scored 35 seconds into the game from David Krejci and Nathan Horton.

Then Patrice Bergeron put in a pair of goals (18th and 19th), from Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi both times. Former Bruins goaltender Andrew Raycroft was pulled after Bergeron's first goal, giving him a night's work of 1:20 (haha!).

Thornton put Boston ahead 4-0 late in the first period with a snipe that admittedly, Keri Lehtonen (29 saves) should have had but he probably thought he had a quiet night on the bench ahead of him. Daniel Paille and Zdeno Chara assisted on Thornton's eighth of the season.

Dallas began to wake up in the second period as Karlis Skrastins scored from Burish.

The Stars cut it to 4-3 in the third period as Brendan Morrow (short-handed) and Brad Richards showed why they each are over 20 goals this season.

This would have been an epic collapse for the Bruins (something which they specialize in) but thankfully, Tuukka Rask (30 saves; 5-10-1) made enough stops and Tyler Seguin broke his 10-game scoreless streak.

Again it was a soft one from Lehtonen but who cares? Seguin has been scuffling for a while now and seeing him get his eighth of the season (from Michael Ryder and Blake Weeler) at 5:31 was great.

Marchand capped it off with an empty-netter at 17:40 from Bergeron (who missed a hat trick bid) and Recchi. Their on fire line combined for nine points in the game.

The only bad news coming out of the game was that Paille was suspended four games after his dirty, Matt Cooke-esque hit. It's a fair punishment but don't get me started on how Cooke got off the hook last season.

I am going to Bruins-San Jose Sharks tomorrow afternoon at the TD Garden. I know there will be a letdown from last night but hopefully the Bs can send Joe Thornton and the Sharks home without any points.