The Lowly Kings Tie It Up Late In Regulation Then Shock The Bruins With Kopitar's Overtime Goal

One of Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy's favorite sayings about his team is "starting on time" which means getting off to a good start in the first period. Returning home from a rough four-game road trip (1-3), Boston (21-7-7) didn't do that as they allowed a goal 2:17 into the contest vs. the Kings (15-18-3) who began the night as the worst team in the Western Conference. The B's were able to overcome that though and rallied from a pair of deficits to lead 3-2 in the third period before blowing that lead and subsequent point as LA won 4-3 in overtime on Anze Kopitar's snipe.

When you have 13 more shots on goal (40-27) not to mention 19 more shot attempts (65-46) and 17 more face-off wins (43-26) than your opponent, you simply have to win that game. Also, this should have been the one layup of a four-game pre-Christmas gauntlet of a homestand for the Black and Gold. Their next three tilts involve the Islanders (22-8-2), Predators (16-12-5) and Capitals (24-6-5) and while Nashville isn't what they used to be, those clubs are all light years ahead of the going nowhere Kings. So how did the Bruins lose this one? Well goaltender Tuukka Rask (23 saves, 13-4-4) is now 0-3-1 in his last four starts and he hasn't won since Dec. 1 vs. Montreal (15-12-6). Cassidy and Rask both agreed that he just never made that one key stop when the Bruins had to have it. Instead, something named Matt Roy beat him cleanly with a shot from a few feet inside the blue line to knot it at three with 2:01 left in the third period. The other three goals were tougher to pin on Rask but a top-level goalie in the NHL needs to make a spectacular save here or there.

This wasn't a case from years past where Jonathan Quick (37 saves, 10-12-2) stole two points for the Kings but he was unquestionably better than Rask which shouldn't happen anymore in 2019. You knew that something was off with the B's at the beginning of the game as they were called for too many men on the ice exactly one minute into the action. What the hell? LA has the second-worst power play in the league so obviously they scored on their first opportunity of the evening as Blake Lizotte redirected a pass from Jeff Carter. Lizotte's fourth goal of the season was also assisted by Tyler Toffoli. Boston tied it up at 19:01 of the first period with a power play tally of their own. Danton Heinen used his pregame soccer juggling skills to knock the puck in with his skate. It was quickly reviewed but remained a goal as Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak had the helpers on his sixth goal of the season.

It was a weird game as LA's penalty kill unit (also ranked #30) somehow found a way to score on its second chance. Adrian Kempe was able to skate by a gassed Marchand and Pastrnak for a breakaway then slide a backhander under Rask's pads for his fifth goal of the season (unassisted at 2:45 of the second period) and a 2-1 Kings lead. Patrice Bergeron answered with a snap shot off the post and in at 10:44. Torey Krug had the lone assist on Bergeron's 11th goal of the season (he has 3 goals and an assist in 5 games since returning from his latest lower-body injury). Boston outshot LA 16-8 in the third period and finally took their first (and only) lead at 1:24 as Brandon Carlo threw the puck on net from the point and it went in. Jake DeBrusk and Heinen provided the assists on Carlo's third goal of the season. That should have been enough but I guess that Roy's goal was karma for the softy that Quick had allowed to Carlo. Your guy Nikolai Prokhorkin (who must be so bummed that his fellow Russian Ilya Kovalchuk just got waived by the Kings) had the lone assist on Roy's fourth goal of the season.

They were only credited with three shots on net in overtime but Boston absolutely dominated LA and should have ended it multiple times. Marchand barely missed the net, Quick made two saves on Charlie McAvoy (team-high 26:17 with a game-high 6 shots on goal), he stopped Anders Bjork's breakaway after Sean Kuraly stole the puck and fed it to him and finally, Bergeron shot over the net on his breakaway. LA made the Bruins pay for all their wasted opportunities as Doughty hit Kopitar with a long pass and let Bergeron's brother from a Slovenian mother do the rest. His 14th goal of the season came at 3:23 and it gave Anze 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 21 career games vs. Boston. The Kings improved to 4-2 in overtime this season while the Bruins dropped back under .500 (2-3) in them.

The Islanders are coming off of their most wretched performance of the season as they got blasted 8-3 by the Predators tonight on Long Island so you know that head coach Barry Trotz won't need much to fire up his team. The Isles are 9-5-1 on the road this season so expect a close, low-scoring game (New York has allowed an NHL-low 80 goals this season) on Thursday. Despite tonight's mess, Boston still has only lost once in regulation at TD Garden in 2019-20 (12-1-6) so there is that. The Rangers (16-13-4) have been mediocre for years and the Devils (10-17-5) are completely irrelevant, so if you want a Boston-New York rivalry in hockey, this is it. Sorry Buffalo (16-12-7), Upstate NY and New York City/Northern New Jersey are basically different planets.

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A Strong Third Period & a Shutout By Halak Gives Boston Its Eighth Straight Win, 2-0 vs. Carolina

You know that you are spoiled as a fan of a certain team when you start critiquing wins like they are blowout losses. The Bruins (20-3-5) haven't quite reached that absurd reality level of say the Patriots but they are entering rare territory. Take tonight's 2-0 victory vs. Carolina (16-11-1) at TD Garden as an example of why the Black and Gold are starting to spoil us (at least as far as the regular season is concerned). With no goals in over 55 minutes of regulation, you better believe that there were plenty of low-hanging fruit (what is this soccer?) jokes to be had by the masses. Luckily, the B's turned it on just in time with a pair of goals 1:08 apart to avoid overtime, win their eighth game in a row, extend their overall point streak to 12 games (9-0-3) and their home point streak to 16 games (12-0-4) aka all of 2019/2020 so far.

On a team loaded with so many accomplished veteran players, it often feels like individual Bruins are reaching career milestones in nearly every contest. This was "backup" goaltender Jaroslav Halak's (24 saves, 7-1-3) 500th career NHL game-him and Tuuuka Rask are the only current NHL tandem to both do that-so he marked that special occasion with his second shutout of the season and 49th of his career. Surprisingly, it turned out to be Bostons' first shutout over Carolina since way back on January 17, 2011 (Tim Thomas in a 7-0 blowout on home ice) roughly five months before winning the Cup. Like Halak, David Krejci won't be a Hall of Famer but he's had a really solid career (entirely as a Bruin). He scored Boston's insurance goal which was also his 200th in the NHL.

This was a rematch of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final but truth be told, it would be a shock if Carolina makes it back there anytime soon. That's not to say that they aren't good because they will definitely be in the playoffs again this spring but I doubt that they will get that far then again hockey is more unpredictable than the other three major pro sports in the US (NFL, NBA and MLB). Both teams were called for two penalties-all in the first period-but neither power play could get anything going. The Hurricanes had a great scoring chance early in the second period as veteran left wing Nino Niederreiter hit the post with his backhand shot. Carolina's talented young defensemen Jaccob Slavin thought that he had beaten Halak but his backhander actually went through the side of the net. Seriously, that Hailey's Comet type once in a lifetime occurrence seriously happened in an NHL game.

Boston has been playing a bunch of close contests during this stretch so they obviously must feel confident when they are facing such circumstances. With Hurricanes backup goaltender and former Maple Leafs bum James Reimer (32 saves, 5-5-0) in net, it was only a matter of time before he cracked from the immense pressure of a game on December 3. Not once but twice this evening he stopped shots only to look behind or around him for what he expected to find: a loose puck. The Bruins saved the heroics for crunch time with steady local guy Charlie Coyle redirecting a pass from Brad Marchand (5 goals & 7 assists in his last 8 games; 8 goals & 8 assists in his last 13) at 15:55 of the third period. Danton Heinen started the played by forcing a turnover then smartly funneling it to Marchand along the wall. Coyle's sixth goal of the season gave him 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in his last 12 games. Before Bruins fans had a chance to revive a "Reimer, Reimer" chant, it was 2-0 and game over.

This time Krejci tipped in a shot from the point by Charlie McAvoy. David Pastrnak had the second assist on Krejci's sixth goal of the season that gave him eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in his last six games and 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) in his last 13 games. Not to be outdone by Marchand, Pastrank has 10 points (8 goals, 2 assists) in his last nine games. For the season, Brad leads the team with 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) and Pasta only trails him by one point (25 goals, 18 assists). Not that it really means anything or matters all that much but that race between them for most points could go down to the wire in April.

Team records don't mean everything in hockey but at least on paper, Chicago (10-12-5) looks like a team that the Bruins should be able to handle rather easily when they visit here on Thursday (7, NESN). Some teams would possibly be looking ahead to Saturday night's (7, NESN) meeting with Colorado (16-8-2) as a possible Stanley Cup Final preview and far sexier matchup. However, with so many veterans and leaders on the team, the B's rarely overlook any opponent so I am confident that they won't ignore the Blackhawks even though most knowledgeable fans probably will given Chicago's mediocrity in recent years. If it helps you get more interested in Thursday's tilt, take a time machine back to the 2013 Stanley Cup Final when Bruins-Blackhawks was everything in the hockey universe.

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A Slow Start Doesn't Doom the Bruins as They Find A Way to Hold Off the Free-Falling Sabres, 3-2

The Sabres (10-9-3) got off to a fantastic start this season but they have predictably dropped off a cliff the last few weeks so they served as the perfect foil for the Bruins (14-3-5) tonight at TD Garden as they try to get back into a groove. Buffalo scored first and outshot Boston 12-0 to begin the tilt before the Bruins woke up with three straight goals en route to hanging on for dear life in a harder-than-it-should-have-been 3-2 victory for the home team. Believe it or not, the B's actually haven't lost in regulation at the Garden in 2019-20 (8-0-4) and they improved to 3-0-3 in their past six games. On the other side, the Sabres dropped to 1-7-2 in their last 10 games.

Brad Marchand scored two goals, David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist while Danton Heinen added two assists but there was no question that as Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy pointed out after the game, Tuukka Rask (36 saves) was Boston's best player. Rask is now 10-2-0 this season and he faced a barrage of pucks for most of the contest as Buffalo outshot Boston 38-27 including 17-4 in the first period and 14-9 in the third period. Boston's power play only got two opportunities but they managed to convert on both of them with tallies from Marchand in the second period and Pastrnak early in the third. Along the way, Rask also made one of the best saves of his career as he robbed BU's Evan Rodrigues with a diving stop across the goal mouth that ended with the puck hitting him on the underside of his blocker. Check the interwebs for it!

Buffalo came in with a terrible power play (ranked #24 in the NHL) but they scored on their first one 5:25 into the contest. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen parked his large Finnish body (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) in front of Rask and he was able to stuff in a loose puck. North Chelmsford's Jack Eichel and Victor Oloffson had the assists on Ristolainen's first goal of the campaign. Eichel leads the Sabres with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) and he's one of the best players in the league with nine points (6 goals, 3 assists) in his last six games. He is signed with Buffalo for years to come but you wonder how many more of these fruitless seasons with no playoffs that he can take before he starts to lose his mind. As a local guy (that won the Hobey Baker in his 1 brilliant season at BU), you hope that at some point he can be surrounded by teammates, coaches and a front office worthy of his incredible talent.

The Bruins tied it up on their second shot on goal of the game: Marchand cruised in front of Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark (24 saves, 4-5-1) and he tipped in Zdeno Chara's shot from the point. Pasta had the second assist on Brad's 14th goal of the season. That goal woke the B's up and the crowd got fired up to another level after that as Chris Wagner sort of dropped the gloves with Curtis Lazar after the latter poked Rask who had covered up the puck for a face-off. Boston was lucky that it remained 1-1 after 20 minutes but they came out a much better team in the second period. They outshot the Sabres 14-7 and went ahead 2-1 at 14:45 on Marchand's power play strike. He put in a rebound, assisted by Matt Grzelcyk and Heinen. Marchand is proving that last year's 100 points (a 1st in his NHL career) was no fluke as he has nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in his last six games and 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in his last 21 games. You don't have to be a Bruins honk to see that he's a top star in the NHL.

The B's were up 2-1 after two periods and that advantage increased to 3-1 at 1:56 of the third. Pasta's power play goal was pretty similar to Marchand's, he put in a loose puck with assists going to Heinen and Patrice Bergeron (who returned after missing 2 games with a lower-body injury). Pasta leads the NHL with 20 goals and he became the fastest Bruin to reach 20 goals since Cam Neely in 1993-94 (who did it in 19 games). Ironically, Rask's worst moment of the evening came very shortly after that show-stopping save. UMass alum and defenseman Brandon Montour beat him from way out with a shot that simply appeared to elude Rask's glove. Montour's second goal of the season was at 12:58, assisted by another Minuteman Brandon Sheary and Rasmus Dahlin. Buffalo had three guys named Rasmus in the lineup tonight, don't forget Rasmus Asplund their fourth line center. Even stranger than that is the fact they come from three different places: Ristolainen is from Finland, Dahlin is from Sweden and Asplund is from Minnesota.

Charlie McAvoy had a wonderful chance to put the game on ice/get his first goal of the season but his backhander on a breakaway went wide of the net. This meant that Boston had to sweat out the last few minutes of regulation, including Ullmark getting pulled for an extra skater but luckily for them, they weren't facing the Capitals or another high-caliber team that could make them pay for allowing a whopping 69 (hi Gronk!) shot attempts (38 on goal, 17 blocked, 14 missed net). It certainly wasn't pretty like their 5-1 blowout in New Jersey on Tuesday but the Bruins will happily take those two points thank you kindly. Another cupcake comes to the Garden on Saturday night (7, NESN) in the form of the Wild (9-11-2)-the second worst team in the Western Conference. Minnesota has won its past two games and they are 5-3-2 in their last 10 which should show you just how terrible they were to start this season.

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The Bruins Mostly Slept Through The First Two Periods Then Fell 3-2 in a Shootout With the Flyers

When the Bruins got out to such an incredible start to this regular season-an unexpected surprise since they went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in June-you had to know that they would hit a slide soon enough. Going winless (0-2-1) in three games probably doesn't qualify them for that mode quite yet but it's plain to see that they haven't been nearly the same team in their last few outings. Tonight, they let the Flyers (10-5-2) score twice in the first period then they rallied in the third to send it to overtime and finally a shootout where they eventually lost 3-2. BU one-and-done Joel Farabee (who was a 1st round pick for Philly) scored the lone shootout goal-his first ever in the NHL-to clinch the two points for the Flyers.

It's tough to spot any opponent in the NHL a two-goal lead but especially one like Philadelphia who has been hot lately (7-2-1 in their last 10 games). Did I mention that the Bruins had a grand total of 10 shots on goal through the first two periods combined? Yuck. The positive that they can take out of this up and down performance is that they earned a point and in head coach Bruce Cassidy's words "we found our game in the 3rd which is something to build on."

The Flyers had actually played last night in Toronto-a familiar 3-2 shootout victory for the visitors-so you would have expected them to be the team with skates full of cement and sandbags in their pants. Nope, Boston could only manage five shots on goal in the first period and five in the second before exploding for 17 in the third. Philadelphia's second forward line made it happen in the opening frame as talented right wing Travis Konecny put in a rebound past Jaroslav Halak (27 saves, 4-1-2) at 13:50. Left wing Oskar Lindblom (3 goals and 4 assists in his last 7 games) and center Sean Couturier (3 goals, 5 assists in his last 7 games) had the assists on Konecny's eighth goal of the season which tied him with Lindblom for the team lead. That tally didn't serve as any sort of a wake up call to the B's as defenseman Philippe Myers had way too much space to blast a shot off the post and in at 17:56. His third goal of the season was assisted by Konecny and Couturier.

The Bruins appeared to get on the board early in the second period when Connor Clifton went to the net and Par Lindholm eventually put the loose puck by Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (26 saves, 6:31). Clifton grazed Hart's leg pad as he went plus Lindholm pushed Hart's pad/the puck over the goal line which sadly you can't legally do. It was a bizarre play since there was never a whistle on the ice but everyone (coaches, players, the crowd, etc.) waited for that to happen but it never did. Halak kept his team in contention by stopping Flyers captain Claude Giroux's backhand attempt on a breakaway.

It took way too long but the Black and Gold finally looked like themselves for the first time since Wednesday in Montreal. They completely dominated the third period as Danton Heinen was the unlikely catalyst for the home team (who got booed off the ice after the 1st period). He collected a puck next to Hart, spun around on his forehand and hit the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season. Charlie Coyle and Zdeno Chara had the assists on Heinen's momentum-changing tally. Brad Marchand tied it up with an absolute snipe at 12:22. Matt Grzelcyk had the lone assist on Marchand's 11th goal of the season. Philly was falling apart like you read about as defenseman Ivan Provorov (who played a game-high 27:26) slashed David Pastrnak on a breakaway. Hart would have none of it though as he stopped Pastrnak's second career penalty shot (he made the other).

The Bruins were charged with a too many men on the ice penalty in overtime which is incredibly rare but it occurred with less than 22 seconds left in the extra session so they lived to tell about it. Boston is 0-1 in overtime this season and they dropped to 0-2 shootouts while Philadelphia went to OT for the sixth time this season (1-0 in OT and 3-2 in SO). The Flyers can't get enough of extra hockey since they have needed it in three straight contests and five of their last six games. Coyle, Marchand and Pastrnak were all stopped while Farabee converted on Philly's first shot and Giroux was stopped by Halak. Torey Krug didn't appear in OT or the shootout because he was dealing with an upper-body injury.

Boston's top-ranked power play was never heard from as they only got two chances on the night but nevertheless they couldn't convert on either one of them. On the other end, their penalty kill was flawless (2-for-2). The Bruins still haven't lost in regulation at the Garden (7-0-2) this season while the Flyers moved to .500 on the road (4-4-1). Military Appreciation Night is on Tuesday (7, NESN) as the Panthers (8-4-5) come to town. That is always a fantastic event so hopefully some of those numerous inspirational people that will be honored by the team can also serve as good luck charms as the Bruins try to get back untracked after a frustrating blip on the schedule.

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Boston Wins Its 5th Straight Game, 5-2 vs. Ottawa On An Otherwise Depressing Night at TD Garden

Hockey is an incredible sport that I will put up there with any other in the world in terms of entertainment value, life lessons that it teaches and team bonding that it naturally produces. With that said, since most of the violence has been rightfully erased from the NHL over the last decade, you almost forget that a game built on such breathtaking speed and agility sometimes can produce horrifying collisions. That's the grim backdrop for what otherwise should have been a very enjoyable night on Causeway Street as the B's (10-1-2) used a 3-0 third period to pick up a 5-2 victory against the Senators (3-8-1). Boston has the second best record in the Eastern Conference and the NHL while Ottawa is the worst team in both cases so the two points were a mere formality since the Bruins have now picked up five wins in a row.

Unfortunately, this game will most likely be remembered for one thing only: the scary scene in the first period after Senators rookie Scott Sabourin ran into David Backes and appeared to be knocked out in midair before he hit the ice face-first. Ugh, what a brutal event. He was down and motionless for what felt like an eternity as all of Ottawa and Boston's medical staff attended to him. The good news is that he gave the thumbs up to the crowd as he got wheeled off the ice on a stretcher and Ottawa's PR staff later reported on Twitter that he was alert and talking to the doctors before going to a hospital in Boston. Backes went to the dressing room for what we assumed was just to compose himself but it turned out that he left with an upper-body injury. He's suffered a sickening amount of concussions already in the league so I really hope that isn't the case once again, he'll be evaluated more tomorrow.

It seems secondary to even mention it at this point but there was a game after all and things did happen in it worth noting. The NHL's second star of the month in October-David Pastrnak-picked up right where he left off with a power-play goal just 1:17 into his first tilt in November. His NHL-best 13th goal of the season was also his seventh in the first period already this season and it extended his point streak to 11 games. It actually came off a set play that him and Torey Krug used last season vs. Calgary. Krug banked it off the end boards behind Senators goaltender Craig Anderson (27 saves, 2-5-0) and Pasta raced to it first before dekeing and jamming the puck over the line. Ottawa tied it at 12:04 of the first period when Anthony Duclair put in a one-timer from Logan Brown (who later left with an upper body injury of his own) and Mark Borowiecki.

With the top ranked power play in the NHL along with a penalty kill that isn't too shabby either (#9), Boston loves when games are decided by special teams and this was one of those routine events in today's whistle-happy league. The Bruins were caught with too many men on the ice early in the second period then Brad Marchand was called for two penalties (minor for hooking and double minor for spearing) on the same play. That meant they had to hold off the Senators for 55 seconds of a 5-on-3 then 5:05 of Marchand's temporary stupidity. Spoiler alert: they were able to do it. Granted, Ottawa has the worst power play in the NHL (#31) but it was still impressive nonetheless. Tuukka Rask (30 saves, 7-0-1) remains unbeaten in regulation for 2019-20.

The B's had taken a 2-1 lead earlier in the frame as Pastrnak chose to dish the puck to Patrice Bergeron (6 goals, 8 assists in his last 12 games) rather than take his own wide open shot. Bergeron's sixth goal of the season came at 1:51 and it was also assisted by Marchand (12-game point streak and 11-game assist streak, both career highs). The Senators might be awful and constantly rebuilding but at least they showed more effort than the Sharks for instance last Tuesday. Connor Brown tied it at 3:04 as he threw the puck in front and it bounced by Rask for his second goal of the season, assisted by Borowiecki and Dylan DeMelo (which sounds like the name of a bully at your local high school).

Riding an eight game point streak, I don't think that many Bruins fans were sweating despite the fact that their favorite team was knotted at two heading into the third period. The few doubters were quickly told to shut up for the evening as Boston scored three unanswered goals to clinch it. Danton Heinen started it off with a great individual effort to win the puck along the wall in the neutral zone and eventually find it again out front for his third goal of the season, unassisted at 5:43. Borowiecki took his third penalty of the contest and Marchand immediately made him pay with a one-timer from Pastrnak and Bergeron (his 500th NHL assist, only the 15th active player to reach that mark) at 6:50 for his eighth goal of the season. For good measure, Jake DeBrusk cranked in his best shot of the young season-a one-timer from Heinen at 16:16 for his second goal of the campaign.

Brett Ritchie and Joakim Nordstrom were both out with similar infections (were they hanging out in the Browns' staph infection riddled locker room from a few years ago?) so Peter Cehlarik was recalled from Providence. As usual, he showed no reason why he should featured regularly in the NHL (at least yet) so hopefully one or both of those guys can play in a few days when things should be much more difficult. Boston hosts Pittsburgh (8-5-1) on Monday (7, NESN)-the rare Monday Night Hockey-followed by their first meeting with Montreal (7-5-2) the following night (7:30, NBCSN) North of the border. I thought that Jaroslav Halak would get the start tonight (WRONG!) so I'll lick my wounds from that and guess that he will play against the Canadiens since Rask has a terrible history at the Bell Centre. Don't listen to me though as Jaro will probably start on Monday and Rask will get the start vs. Claude Julien's pukes. Regardless, it probably doesn't matter at the moment since the Black and Gold are absolutely on fire with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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In Their First Meeting Since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final In June, the Bruins Handle the Blues 3-0

The Bruins (7-1-2) will never be able to rewrite their franchise's history. Yes, that was the Blues (5-3-3) that captured the Stanley Cup on Boston's home ice just a few short months ago. Losses in pro sports don't get much more bitter than that but all the B's can do now is move forward and focus on this season that looks quite promising for them. The players, coaches and front office for the Bruins along with their fans will sadly always remember that empty feeling but at least they didn't dredge up more of that bleakness when St. Louis came back to Boston for a much-anticipated early regular season showdown. Tonight in front of a hyped crowd, the B's blanked the Blues 3-0.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (26 saves, 5-0-1) notched his second shutout of the season and the 47th of his NHL career. It was also the second time that Rask has shut out the Blues in his career, the last one coming on November 18, 2014. B's captain Zdeno Chara set the tone right from the start as he rocked Blues hack Oskar Sundqvist with an open ice hit 38 seconds into the contest. As you would expect, it was a chippy affair with both sides picking up six penalties and truthfully, there could have been even a few more whistles.

Boston scored a goal in each frame as they slowly wore down St. Louis. The Bruins won the special teams battle as they scored a power play goal and their penalty kill unit was a shiny 4-for-4. B's right winger David Pastrnak continued on his absolute offensive tear to start 2019-2020 as he potted his NHL-best 11th goal of the season. His power play tally at 14:59 of the first period was assisted by Torey Krug (6 assists in his last 5 games) and Brad Marchand (career-best 8-game assist streak along with a 9-game point streak as well). Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (21 saves, 4-2-3) should have stopped the shot but he wasn't in position in time so he got a piece of the puck but it still managed to trickle over the goal line.

Pasta is now tied with himself from last season for the third most goals in October for a Bruin. Only Phil Esposito (14 in 1973) & something named Charlie Simmer (12 in 1985) had more than him and considering that David has two more games left in the month, I feel like he at least has a good chance to pass his previous best. The Bruins' second goal of the night was undoubtedly their most important in terms of the big picture for this group. Left wing Anders Bjork was one of their top prospects a few years ago but since then, he's suffered a litany of injuries. Still, at 23 he has plenty of time to get his career back on schedule. His first goal in over a year for the Black and Gold (Oct. 13, 2018 was the last time he lit the lamp) was pretty as he skated in on a 3-on-2 and finished a one-timer from Matt Grzelcyk and Danton Heinen.

After getting marginally outshot in each of the first two periods, the Blues doubled up the Bruins in the third (10-5) but it didn't matter one iota because they could never solve Rask or Boston's outstanding team defense that combined for 11 blocked shots (including 1 that briefly hobbled Chris Wagner). With Halloween right around the corner, it was a drunken good night for B's fans capped off by Brandon Carlo's empty-netter with 48.1 seconds left in regulation. Time will tell but I feel like in a few years, the Blues will be one of those random one-off teams that come about every so often in sports, particularly hockey (the Ducks or Hurricanes come to mind). They win a championship that nobody saw coming then are never really heard from again. Likewise, I doubt that Binnington will become a star but hey, who could have predicted what he and his team pulled off last postseason?

The Bruins have their first back-to-back set of the season as they travel to New York tomorrow night (7, NESN) to play the lowly Rangers (3-4-1) at Madison Square Garden. Nothing like October hockey on an NFL Sunday, am I right folks? Jaroslav Halak (2-1-1) gets the start against a bad team that granted is coming off by far their best showing of the year (6-2 vs. Buffalo on Thursday). Boston-New York is always a rivalry no matter the teams but not so much in the last few seasons since the Rangers have completely fallen off of the map. Boston returns home on Tuesday (7, NESN) for their third game in four nights as they take on the underachieving but talented Sharks (4-6-1).

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B's Are At Another Level Than The Canes Right Now As They Grab A 2-0 Series Lead With 6-2 Win

Look, no team ever wins eight games in the Stanley Cup playoffs by accident or as a complete fluke. With that said, through two games in the Eastern Conference Final, Carolina has appeared completely overmatched in nearly every possible way as Boston blasted them 6-2 this afternoon at TD Garden on Mother's Day. The win gives the Bruins a 2-0 series lead-for the first time this postseason-as they have won five straight playoff games for the first time in six years (the last time they reached the Stanley Cup Finals).

I won't take full credit for this theory/future hot take until it actually happens but it isn't far-fetched to say that Toronto will be the best team that Boston plays in the Eastern Conference this postseason. How bizarre that it took the Bruins seven games to outlast the Leafs then they slowly improved and managed to take out the Blue Jackets in six games and what if they eliminate the Hurricanes in five games or heaven forbid a sweep? These are the type of thoughts that cross your mind when you watch the Black and Gold score 10 straight goals (going back to Game 1) and build a ridiculous 6-0 lead before the Hurricanes mercifully scored a pair of garbage time goals.

They are still six games away from a Stanley Cup but Boston has already tied an impressive mark: 19 different Bruins have scored goals (in only 15 games!) this postseason which both leads all playoff teams and also ties a franchise record from way back in 1988. Think of Game 2 as a systematic beatdown by the B's since they notched a pair of tallies in each frame and saw their top-ranked play go a perfect 2-for-2 while holding Carolina's pathetic power play (#14 in the playoffs) to 0-for-4. Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek seems noticeably rattled (take a number on that team) as he has already allowed 10 goals in this series. I have no idea why the Canes head coach Rod Brind'Amour left him in for the entirety of Game 2, wouldn't you want to see if backup goalie Curtis McElhinney (who won Games 3 & 4 against the Islanders when Mrazek was hurt) could give you a spark?

You could sense that it might be a long day for the Canes right off the bat as the first goal scored by the B's was a soft one: Matt Grzelcyk's shot from the slot somehow sneaked through Mrazek's pads for a 1-0 advantage at 15:22 of the first period. Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle had the assists on Grzelcyk's second goal of the playoffs. The next goal was on Carolina's slow to react defense as Jake DeBrusk scored Boston's first power play goal of the contest by outhustling his opponents. Mrazek stopped his first shot but DeBrusk stayed with it and boxed out the highly touted (at least offensively) Jaccob Slavin. David Pastrnak and Torey Krug had the assists on DeBrusk's third goal of the postsesason at 18:32.

Things only got worse for Carolina in the second period as Quinnipiac's Connor Clifton bagged his first NHL goal (regular season or playoffs) at 3:46. Johansson had all day to make a decision with the puck and he caught a break as his intended pass to Clifton bounced off a Hurricane skate which allowed Clifton to shovel the puck into the net with Mrazek out of position. Danton Heinen had the other helper on Clifton's memorable tally (in terms of his young career). Grzelcyk showed off his stickhandling skills on the way to his first career two-goal performance by finishing a backhander from his BU homie Charlie Coyle and Krug at 17:56.

It was a laugher before Boston scored its two final goals early in the third period: David Backes poked in a loose puck at 1:10 (his 2nd goal of the postseason was assisted by David Krejci and Krug) then Danton Heinen beat Mrazek with a backhander (his 2nd goal of the playoffs) of his own at 4:32 after a sweet feed from Patrice Bergeron and Coyle. If you care (which you probably don't), Carolina's goals were a tip-in by Justin Williams and basically an empty-netter by Teuvo Teravainen following a brutal turnover by Tuukka Rask (21 saves).

Former Bruin Dougie Hamilton continues to look overmatched to a crazy degree and the fans in the Garden are more than happy to let him know about it with some "Dougie, Dougie" chants whenever they get a chance. This is where I'm supposed to caution everybody that Carolina trailed Washington 0-2 in the first round of this postseason before winning Game 3 and eventually the series in seven games. With that said, Game 3 on Tuesday (8, NBCSN) in Raleigh is a must-win for the Canes or else they are done.

As you can imagine, the numbers are on Boston's side in this situation as well: they are 20-11 all-time in Game 3s when leading a series 2-0 while the Hurricanes are 3-4 in Game 3s when trailing a series 0-2; furthermore, Boston is 24-7 all-time in best-of-7 series when they lead 2-0 and Carolina is 2-5 all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail 0-2. Even if those mean nothing to you, just watch the games (or the highlights) and objectively tell me who looks like the more confident team that is firing on all cylinders and which one looks like they have run out of gas? I rest my case.

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In Game 2, the Bruins Reverse Things On the Leafs and Even the Series With a Dominant 4-1 Victory

Even by its crazy standards, the first few days of the 2019 NHL playoffs have been absolutely bonkers. Who had the Lightning, Jets and Penguins all down 2-0 after the first two games of their series? For that reason, tonight was at least somewhat reassuring for Bruins fans as the team that looked nothing like themselves in Thursday's lifeless 4-1 Game 1 loss returned to TD Garden tonight and pummeled the Maple Leafs by the same exact score. Now the series shifts to Toronto for Game 3 on Monday (7, NESN) and Game 4 on Wednesday (7, NESN). We are guaranteed at least one more playoff game at the Garden-Friday (7, NESN).

The momentum swings within periods in a playoff contest are typically wild so it was nice to see Boston once again score first this evening but increase that to 3-0 midway through the second before Toronto avoided the shutout with a goal in the third by chief agitator Nazem Kadri (more on that bozo later). David Backes was inserted into the Game 2 lineup after being a healthy scratch for Game 1 and surprisingly Marcus Johansson was a last-second subtraction due to an unknown injury. Besides his predictable game-high seven hits, Backes made his presence felt immediately as he stole the puck behind Frederik Andersen's net (37 saves) and fed Charlie Coyle for his first playoff goal (8th career playoff goal in the NHL) as a Bruin at 4:44 of the first period. What a moment for the hometown guy (Coyle) who grew up in Weymouth and went to BU before being acquired earlier this season in a trade from Minnesota.

Boston doubled its lead with a beautiful goal from some of their most skilled guys: Brad Marchand beat Andersen five-hole at 16:04 of the first period after David Pastrnak spun around and found him with a sick backhand pass after spinning around a Toronto defenseman. Marchand's first goal of this postseason was also the 22nd of his career with Torey Krug picking up the second helper. You knew that was officially Boston's night and not bumbling Toronto's when William Nylander gifted Danton Heinen what had to be the easiest (not counting empty-netters) goal of his professional career. Nylander coughed up the puck right next to Andersen and all Heinen had to do was poke it in at 10:39 of the second period for the 3-0 Bruins advantage. His first goal of the postseason and second of his career was unassisted.

The only negatives for the B's in Game 2 were worrisome injuries to Krug (possible concussion after he got rocked by Jake Muzzin) and Connor Clifton (undisclosed). This forced Boston to play with only four defensemen for part of the third period. After the game, head coach Bruce Cassidy didn't offer many specifics on those guys but he admitted that Steven Kampfer and possibly John Moore (if he's healthy enough to play) could be ready to jump into action for Game 3. Otherwise, they could be forced to call up somebody from Providence.

As usual, Kadri was in the middle of everything (both good and bad) for Toronto. He took a big hit from DeBrusk late in the second period then he basically jumped DeBrusk in the third after Jake had blasted Patrick Marleau with a clean hit. DeBrusk was banged up to begin with so his health will be another question mark for Monday. Given Kadri's recent history of stupidity (he was suspended last year in the playoff series vs. Boston for a game), he's already been offered an in-person hearing from the NHL Department of Player Safety at a date and time TBD. Like Marchand (who at least has cleaned up some of that grime from his game), Kadri is a valuable player not just a goon. It figured that he deftly deflected in Travis Dermott's shot from the point at 10:44 of the third period. Kadri's first goal of the postseason was also the third of his playoff career with Nylander picking up the second assist.

Any thoughts of a Toronto comeback were put to bed with a power play goal by Patrice Bergeron (2nd game in a row that he's done that) at 15:03. He has such an innate sense for putting in loose pucks around the net with Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk assisting on the 33rd playoff goal of his storied career. A Kadri suspension would have a major effect on Toronto which isn't super deep to begin with after its top two forward lines not to mention Austin Matthews' continued invisibility. Tuukka Rask (30 saves) had a really solid night for Boston, another good sign moving forward. The crowd at Scotiabank Place will be very loud for Games 3 and 4 but that shouldn't be a major issue for an experienced club like the Bruins. Taking a 2-1 series lead would also flip the pressure onto Toronto after their surprising Game 1 triumph. Regardless, I think I know what you'll be watching on Monday night.

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The B's Are On The 2nd-Longest Point Streak In Team History (15-0-4) After A 3-2 Win vs. Ottawa

This isn't a complaint but simply a statement of fact: the Bruins (42-17-9) haven't lost a game in regulation for so long (Jan. 19 vs. Rangers) that their streaks and numbers are starting to pile up enough to give you a bit of an ice cream headache even while it remains winter outside in chilly New England. Boston closed out a spotless six-game homestand (6-0-0) for only the second time in franchise history (they also did that last season) with another last-minute victory, this time it was 3-2 vs. Ottawa (23-40-6) at TD Garden. David Krejci-who is having the definition of a career revival type of campaign-was the latest hero for the B's as he tipped in Danton Heinen's shot/pass with 44.7 seconds left in regulation.

Boston's aforementioned 19-game point streak is the second-longest in team history, now trailing only the 1940-41 team's ridiculous 23-game stretch (15-0-8-0). Furthermore, their 10-game home win streak is their longest since a 14-gamer from Oct. 25, 2008-Jan. 1, 2009 and their home point streak is up to 12 games (10-0-2) now which is their best since a 15-game span (13-0-2) from Oct. 31-Dec. 27, 2014. Do you need to lay down for a little while?

It's hard to have an instant classic game against the worst team in the NHL so the Bruins predictably slogged through the mud to get these two precious points against the hopeless Senators. Remember when Ottawa nearly made the Stanley Cup Final two years ago? Haha talk about falling off of a cliff since then. When you see the tilted shot attempts totals (63-35 in favor of the B's) you understand that they probably should have beat those bums by at least a couple goals but if you watched the Saturday night tilt, you could at least explain some of that away since the Bruins hit not one, not two but three posts/crossbars in the second period alone.

Speaking of the second, that's when notable things started to happen after the first period had nothing but four penalties in it. Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 10:11 with a power play goal. He roofed a shot by Craig Anderson (28 saves) into the top of the far corner of the net for his 28th goal of the season, assisted by Torey Krug and Patrice Bergeron. They are great wherever they play but Marchand and Bergeron are both riding six-game point streaks overall and 15-game point streaks at home. It took the pathetic Senators less than a minutes to tie it at one though as Jean-Gabriel Pageau (could you imagine a guy with a name like that playing on a non-Canadian club?) whipped a shot off the post and by Tuukka Rask (17 saves, 24-8-5). Brady Tkachuk-who went to BU for one season and is better known as Keith's son and Matthew's younger brother-had the lone assist on Pageau's third goal of the season.

To increase the dramatic effect of another comeback by the home team, Boston even let Ottawa lead for a few minutes in the third period. Wasn't that sweet of them? Tkachuk was able to pounce on a loose puck near the crease and put in a backhander (assisted by Chris Tierney) for his 16th goal of the season at 2:46. Tkachuk is basically an honorary Masshole (he grew up in Arizona but his dad is from Medford and also starred at BU before a great NHL career) but the Bruins got a tying goal from a true Masshole: Walpole's favorite son Chris Wagner. He redirected a shot by Krug (who tied Craig Janney for the most points-283-by a U.S.-born player in Bruins history) that almost stopped it was going so slowly but Anderson somehow couldn't react in time to make the save. Charlie McAvoy had the second assist on Wagner's 11th goal of the season; what a gem of a free agent that he's been, bravo B's GM Don Sweeney.

Just like Florida on Thursday, you knew that one way or another Boston wasn't losing this game once it was deadlocked late in the third. They waited until the last minute again but that only serves to make it sweeter (or more intoxicating on a Saturday night). It's tough to tell what Heinen's intention was on the play but truth be told, if Krejci had not have touched the puck, I believe that it still would have gone in anyway so what's the difference? Matt Grzelcyk had the second assist on Krejci's (6 goals, 10 assists in his last 12 games) 18th goal of the season. Rask has his own 19-game point streak (16-0-3) alive and well complete with a goals against average of 1.94 and a save percentage of .929 during this insane run (his last regulation loss was Dec. 23 at Carolina, he hasn't fully lost in 2019!).

As you would expect following such a long homestand, the B's will not see their own beds very often in the next few weeks. In fact, of their 14 remaining games in the regular season, only four of them will be on Causeway Street. Seven of the next eight games are on the road starting with an intriguing matchup in Pittsburgh (36-23-9) tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports). That's followed by a trip to Columbus (38-27-3) on Tuesday (7, NESN) and a flight to Winnipeg (40-23-4) for Thursday's showdown (8, NESN). Boston's next home game is a week from tonight (7, NESN), St. Patrick's Day eve, vs. the Blue Jackets. After that, Boston departs for another road trip (4 games). At this moment, we won't worry about that since these next four games over the next week are all against teams currently in playoff position.

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What an Exciting & Enjoyable (Regular) Season That This Has Turned Out to Be for Your Bruins

Help, it's only early March and I'm starting to run out of ways to praise the 2018-19 Bruins. Tonight at TD Garden, for the second game in a row, they spotted their opponent (Florida) a 2-0 lead but nobody will remember that is they rallied for a bonkers 4-3 win that extended their point-streak to 18 games (14-0-4) tied with last season's identical run for the second-longest mark in franchise history (23 in 1940-41). What was particularly nuts about these two points is that the B's (41-17-9) tied it with 36.5 seconds left in regulation on Matt Grzelcyk's bardown blast and Patrice Bergeron was the hero for the millionth time as he scored the game-winning goal with 6.7 seconds left on poor Roberto Luongo (24 saves). Who needs overtime anyway?

Obviously relying on comebacks like this won't be sustainable in the postseason but with guys like David Pastrnak (thumb surgery), Jake DeBrusk (lower-body injury) and Marcus Johansson (lung contusion) currently sidelined with injuries, you take the victories however you can stack them up. Tuukka Rask (22 saves, 23-8-5) had his worst performance in a long time and yet he still managed to extend his own point-streak to 18 games (15-0-3). During that stretch, he has a goals against average of 1.93 and a .931 save percentage. Hi Tuukka haters, how are you all doing? (Crickets).

Fittingly for such a bottom of the barrel franchise, tonight's loss clinched another playoff-less season (for the 20th time in 25 seasons of existence) for the Panthers (28-27-12) not that anyone will likely notice or more importantly care one bit. After a scoreless first period, Florida's No. 3 power play in the NHL flexed its muscles with a pair of goals. First captain Aleksander Barkov (who I just found out tonight is Finnish, wouldn't you think that he's Russian?) tipped in Milton MA native Keith Yandle's wrister for his 29th goal of the season. Jonathan Huberdeau had the second assist on the game's opening goal at 2:48 of the second period. Things got worse for the Bruins and their penalty kill unit as Huberdeau batted a puck out of the air for another power play tally at 6:27. Barkov and Yandle (playing in his NHL-best 782nd consecutive game) had the helpers on Huberdeau's 19th goal of the season. Rask flailed at the slow motion shot with his glove and he got a piece of it but couldn't corral it completely.

Boston responded midway through that frame as David Krejci worked a pretty give-and-go with Danton Heinen for his 17th goal of the season at 10:29. David Backes had the second assist on Krejci's tight angle shot that he still managed to roof over a prone Luongo. At 39, you have to think that this could Luongo's last season in the NHL and when he finally retires, the Bruins and their fans will be sad to see that day since they have owned him for almost eight years now and counting. Bergeron tied it with a shorthanded goal for the second game in a row. Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand had the assists on his 24th goal of the season at 8:50 of the third period. It was a wrist shot from some distance but somehow Luongo couldn't stop it.

Huberdeau wouldn't let his team fold though at least at that point as he spun around to fire a shot past Zdeno Chara and Rask at 10:55. Evgeni Dadonov and Aaron Ekblad had the assists on that shot that seemed to catch Rask by surprise. Boston waited until the last minute to really build the suspense: it started with David Krejci drawing a tripping penalty on Mike Hoffman and eventually Rask came to the bench for an extra skater. Grzelcyk's goal came with one second left on the power play with Marchand and McAvoy registering the assists on his second goal of the season and undoubtedly the biggest of his brief Bruins career. I had complete confidence that the Black and Gold would find a way to win it in overtime but good old Luongo made sure that they wouldn't need to go beyond regulation. Marchand won a puck battle in the corner and fed Bergeron in the slot for his latest highlight reel unforgettable goal. Like any Bruins fan, I'm thankful every day that I get to watch those two fantastic hockey players on my favorite team.

This dream of a six-game homestand (5-0-0) comes to an end on Saturday night (7, NESN) as the Bruins have the honor of hosting the NHL's worst team-the Senators (23-39-6). Anything can happen in this league but I'd be shocked if the B's let up and this incredible points streak ends against that AHL-level club. Sean Kuraly returned this evening after missing the past two games with a concussion and head coach Bruce Cassidy said that DeBrusk could possibly play on Saturday since his latest injury didn't seem too serious. Most importantly, this result pushed Boston four points ahead of Toronto (41-21-5) while both teams have exactly 15 games remaining in the regular season with no head-to-head matchups left. It looks almost like a lock (barring a huge closing run by Montreal and/or an epic collapse by the Leafs) that it will be Boston vs. Toronto for the second year in a row in Round 1 of the playoffs.

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Cue the Hype Machine as the B's Dominate the NHL's Best Team (TB) From Start to Finish, 4-1

Let's get these qualifiers out of the way first: yes, Tampa Bay (49-12-4) was playing on the second night of back-to-back on the road and backup goaltender Louis Domingue (who was 19-4-0 coming in) got the start but whatever. These are the most important facts (at least as far as Bruins fans are concerned): for the first time in NHL history, two clubs entered with 14-game point streaks (12-0-2 for Tampa Bay and 10-0-4 for Boston) but only one continued as Boston (38-17-9) rolled 4-1 against the Lightning tonight at TD Garden. The B's improved to 14-3-0 in their last 17 home games against the Lightning.

It's only one game so it doesn't erase last spring's one-sided second round playoff series (4-1) won too easily by Tampa Bay. However, it makes up for the 3-2 loss by the B's in Tampa on Dec. 6 and with two more meetings in the regular season, it should give the Black and Gold confidence that they can play with that super team. Domingue (37 saves) actually played out of his mind for most of the game and he was the only reason that his gassed teammates were able to hang around until Boston exploded for a trio of goals in just 1:28 in the second half of the third period. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (20 saves, 21-8-5) continued to play some of the best hockey of his life: he has a goals against average of 1.92 and save percentage of .931 during his 16-game point streak (13-0-3).

Tampa Bay's numbers both individually and as a team are pretty ridiculous this far into a campaign: they have 13 more points than the next closest team in the NHL (Calgary) along with the No. 1 power play unit and the No. 1 penalty kill unit. Right wing Nikita Kucherov (30 goals, 74 assists) is the front-runner for the Hart Trophy (MVP) and he leads the league in points while even Domingue had won his last 11 games (longest streak in Lightning history). They had won a franchise-best 10 games in a row before tonight's loss.

After a scoreless first period-highlighted by another David Backes bout and Mathieu Joseph ringing a shot off the post-where Boston outshot them 17-4, the B's went ahead for good thanks to a power play goal by red-hot Jake DeBrusk (7 goals in his last 8 games). Torey Krug (1 goal, 10 assists in his last 11 games) and Rask had the assists on DeBrusk's 21st goal of the season but in truth, it was mostly all thanks to Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman. DeBrusk intended to pass the puck to Brad Marchand next to the Tampa Bay net but Stralman deflected it right into his own goal. Oopsie! Still, Boston had 23 more shots on goal through two periods (32-9) but only led by one goal (1-0) which was troubling to say the least.

The Lightning's best offensive push of the game was right away to start the third period as Kucherov's line acted like they were on a power play when they really weren't and completely hemmed Boston in its own defensive zone. They didn't come away with any goals though but Domingue stood on his head, robbing Joakim Nordstrom and Danton Heinen with incredible saves. Sean Kuraly got sandwiched between a pair of Lightning on a rough hit by Braydon Coburn that sent Boston's fourth-line winger to be evaluated for a concussion. Speaking of the fourth line, Noel Acciari lost two teeth on Tuesday after getting hit in the face with an errant puck but he didn't miss a game. The hockey gods rewarded him with a huge goal at 11:47 that made it 2-0 Bruins. He followed up a shot by linemate Chris Wagner for his third goal of the season. That's when the floodgates finally opened on Domingue as Patrice Bergeron scored on an uncovered wrister from the slot 45 seconds later (his 22nd of the season, assisted by Heinen and Acciari) and Marchand put the bow on it with a goal via a breakaway where the puck actually rolled off his stick before he completed his move. No worries, his 26th goal of the season was assisted by Heinen and Krug at 13:15.

Tampa Bay finally got on the scoreboard at 13:52 as Anthony Cirelli tipped in a shot from the point by Ondrej Palat. His 13th goal of the season saved the Lightning from the embarrassment of getting blanked but that's about all it was good for. This officially closes the month for the B's and what a February it turned out to be: they finished 11-0-2, their first month without a regulation loss since November 2011 (12-0-2). The good times shouldn't end anytime soon either since they have four games left on this homestand and three are against teams currently out of the playoff picture. The mostly nameless Devils (25-31-8) are here on Saturday night (7, NESN) in Marcus Johansson's first meeting with his last employer. The crowds at the Garden have been particularly loud for the last few games and with only 18 games left in the regular season, playoff hockey is right around the corner.

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Who Needs Pastrnak? The B's Double Up the Hawks 6-3 As They Win Their 3rd Game In 4 Days

However it happened (drunkenly?) late on Sunday night somewhere in Boston, the end result was that Bruins (32-17-8) star David Pastrnak (31 goals, 35 assists) is out indefinitely following thumb surgery. This was all revealed to the world on Tuesday morning after morning skate so naturally, the B's weren't affected by this shocking news in the least bit as they thumped the Blackhawks (23-25-9) 6-3 tonight at TD Garden as they have earned points in eight games in a row (5-0-3). No matter that Chicago was the hottest team in the league, having won seven games in a row before this. Eight different Bruins recorded points led by Brad Marchand (goal, 3 assists), David Krejci (2 goals, assist), Jake DeBrusk (goal, 2 assists), Danton Heinen (goal, 2 assists) and Patrice Bergeron (2 assists). Tuukka Rask (23 saves, 18-8-4) gave up a howler of an opening goal but still managed to extend his point streak to 12 games (10-0-2).

Earlier in the season, Alex DeBrincat's "goal" that Rask somehow wasn't able to stop despite the fact that it was right at him from a mile away would have derailed the entire team. That was DeBrincat's 29th goal of the season (9-game point streak), assisted by Dominik Kahun and Dylan Strome at 4:22 of the first period. Boston quickly picked themselves up off the ice by scoring three goals to close out the first period and they added another in the second for a commanding 4-1 advantage. Krejci fittingly tied it with a power-play goal from Pasta's office. His one-timer (13th goal of the season) was assisted by Bergeron (5-game point streak) and DeBrusk at 14:47. 49 seconds later, the Bruins went ahead for good on Heinen's tally. Bumped up to first line for the last few games, Heinen has predictably been a totally different player (who wouldn't be with Bergy and Marchy?). His ninth goal of the season was assisted by Marchand (5-game point streak) and Chara. Before Merrimack College's Collin Delia (31 saves, 6-3-3) knew what hit him, Marchand made it 3-1 at 18:59. Heinen and Bergeron notched the assists on Marchand's 22nd goal of the season.

Boston survived a 5-on-3 penalty kill in the first and Chicago did the same in the second before DeBrusk finally picked up his first goal in over a month (Jan. 8 vs. Minnesota). He deflected in Krejci's pass just as a Bruins power play ended, for his 15th goal of the season with Marchand adding the other helper. Duncan Keith (game-high 23:25) cut the deficit to 4-2 with a blast from the point with 23 seconds left in the second period. Connor Murphy and Kahun had the assists on Keith's third goal of the season. It got interesting for a few minutes in the third as the Bruins allowed Erik Gustafsson to walk right into the slot and fire a snipe by Rask at 4:48. Keith and Patrick Kane (15-game point streak!) had the assists on Gustafsson's 12th goal of the season.

It was a big night for Boston's special teams as their power play scored two goals against Chicago's league-worst penalty kill while the Bruins PK was a flawless 3-for-3. Rookie Peter Cehlarik (4th goal of the season) put in a pretty pass from Heinen and Torey Krug for the other goal on the man-advantage at 7:18. Krejci officially sealed it at 6-3 with another nice goal at 15:42, assisted by Marchand and DeBrusk. This was Bruce Cassidy's 100th win as Bruins head coach (in 166 games) and he did it faster than everyone except good old Tom Johnson back in 1971-72 (138 games).

The B's won't be in the Garden for two full weeks as they head out on a five-game West Coast road trip. They are in Anaheim (21-26-9)-the worst team in the Western Conference that just fired their head coach Randy Carlyle-on Friday (10, NESN) followed by a game in LA (23-28-5) the next night (10:30, NESN). The difficulty should pick up on Monday (10, NESN) as they take on old friend Joe Thornton and the Sharks (34-16-7). After that, they are in Vegas (31-22-4) on Wednesday (10, NESN). It all ends in St. Louis (28-22-5) a week from Saturday afternoon (4, NESN). The Bruins' next home game is two weeks from tonight vs. San Jose (7, NESN). Load up on Red Bull or the energy drink of your choice since there are a bunch of late nights coming up for the Black and Gold.

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Bruins Blow Another Two-Goal Lead in the Third But This Time They Win in OT Thanks to Bergeron

What is it about Patrice Bergeron that makes him elevate his already stellar game to another level when it matters the most? The Bruins (30-17-8) legend was playing in his 1002 career NHL game but before this afternoon's contest vs. LA (23-27-5), he was honored for his 1000th game held earlier this week. Wouldn't you know that he scored the game-winning goal in OT as the B's outlasted the Kings 5-4 in a wild affair that included another two-goal lead in the third for Boston that disappeared. Boston improved to 5-6 in overtime this season while LA dropped to 5-4 in the extra session. It was the first Bruins overtime win vs. Kings since March 22, 2003 (Glen Murray) and the first on home ice since November 2, 1989 (Bob Sweeney).

It was the fourth time in their last six games that Boston had gone to overtime and oddly enough it extended their point-streak to six (3-0-3). Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 17-8-4) didn't have his best performance of the season but nevertheless he has now earned points in 11 straight contests (9-0-2). After a sleepy scoreless first period, you probably didn't expect this explosion of goals but it was still appreciated since Boston has struggled so much to score lately. More importantly, they got the two points against a team that they should beat. The result at least temporarily pulled them into a tie with Montreal (31-18-6) who hosts Toronto (33-17-3) later this evening in a key Atlantic Division matchup.

David Pastrnak was moved to the second line (to hopefully spread around the scoring a little more) and Danton Heinen (goal, assist) got the gift of his life being elevated to the top line with Bergeron (2 assists) and Brad Marchand (goal, assist). Charlie McAvoy opened the scoring at 4:38 of the second period after a slick no-look pass from Bergy went right to his tape for an easy tap-in. Heinen had the other helper on McAvoy's second goal of the season (the other was on Oct. 13!). LA came in with the worst record in the Western Conference which was a little misleading since they were only five points out of the second Wild Card spot. They are sure to make some moves before the trade deadline but unlike a team like the Ducks (21-26-9), at least they haven't completely given up. Something called Alex Iafallo tied it with a power-play goal at 8:13, Alex Martinez and Adrian Kempe had the assists on his 11th goal of the season. The Kings took their only lead of the day soon after that as Anze Kopiter (aka Euro Bergy) slammed in a one-timer at 14:02. Dustin Brown and Dion Phaneuf-other parts of LA's old guard-had the assists on Kopitar's 17th goal of the season.

Boston had been 1-14-2 this season when they trailed after two periods while Los Angeles was 16-1-1 when they led after two so clearly a comeback was in order for the home team. The B's surged ahead with a trio of goals early in the third just 3:22 apart: Heinen put in a rebound (8th goal of the season), David Krejci scored (his 12th goal of the season) after Torey Krug (2 assists) hit the post and Marchand (20th goal of the season) scored his 24th career shorthanded goal (1 behind Rick Middleton for the franchise record). McAvoy and Marchand assisted on Heinen's tally, Krug and Pasta (7-game point streak) had the helpers on Krejci's goal and Bergy worked a beautiful 2-on-1 with Marchy.

Up 4-2 in the third and with Rask on a roll, you figured that this one was over but then again, this is the same club that lost 4-3 in a shootout against the middling Rangers (23-23-8) on Wednesday at MSG after leading 3-1 midway through the third. Former Bruins draft pick Nate Thompson cut it to 4-3 with a one-timer at 9:19, his fourth goal of the season was assisted by Brendan Leipsic (born in Braintree, MA). That was nothing as a scrub called Oscar Fantenberg picked a great time to score his first goal of the season with a one-timer at 15:13 from Drew Doughty (who played a game-high 28:40!) and Tyler Toffoli (who is rumored to be on the trade block).

That all just set the stage for more heroics by Bergeron. He reached 20 goals for the 10th time in his brilliant career as he ripped a shot by UMass' Jonathan Quick (28 saves, 11-13-4) at 2:34 of overtime. Krug had the lone assist on Bergeron's wide-open chance that went low blocker side past Quick into the corner of the net. This was the beginning of a quirky back-to-back set for the B's who host the Avalanche (22-22-10) right back here tomorrow afternoon (3, NESN). Colorado lost 4-3 in overtime at the Islanders (32-16-6) this afternoon and they are in complete free-fall mode (2-6-2 in their last 10 games) after such a bright start to their campaign. Jaroslav Halak (13-9-4) will start vs. Colorado and he could really use a win since he's 0-3-2 in his last five decisions. In fact, his last win was over a month ago (Jan. 3 vs. Calgary).

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The Bruins Lose to the Rangers In Their Last Game Before the Bye Week & Rask Suffers a Concussion

Well it is safe to say that this was not how Boston (27-17-5) wanted to go into its bye week. They lost 3-2 to the Rangers (21-20-7) tonight at TD Garden, meaning that against the Flyers (19-23-6), Blues (21-21-5) and New York in the span of four days (with two games at home), they were only able to walk away with two out of a possible six points. The All-Star Game is next Sunday in San Jose and unless Patrice Bergeron gets voted in, David Pastrnak will be the only Boston representative there which is actually a good thing in terms of rest.

Slumps and bad results will happen from time-to-time but the main issue stemming from this evening was that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (6 saves) was concussed on a scary play in the first period. Up 1-0, Boston gave up the tying goal 1:04 after that as Rangers rookie left wing Filip Chytil went flying towards the net and stickhandled around Rask before barrelling into him. Chytil's ninth goal of the season was unassisted but nobody cared. Rask lay on the ice for a long time then was gingerly helped up then off the ice balanced by the arms of some teammates. Backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak (11 saves, 13-9-2) was summoned with 1:23 left in the first.

New York is 3-0-1 now in its last four games vs. Boston but things looked positive earlier on as Danton Heinen redirected a pass from linemate Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson at 17:28 of the first period for a 1-0 B's lead. The Bruins had been 17-4-3 when they scored first this season but that didn't hold up in this one. Before Heinen's sixth goal of the season, the Bruins showed a nice little tribute video for defenseman and Stanley Cup champion Adam McQuaid who was traded to the Rangers during training camp in September. Boston's power play was a mess all night (0 for 5 including a double-minor where they could barely generate anything). What made that even more painful is the fact that New York came in with one of the worst penalty kill units in the league (27th).

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (27 saves, 15-12-7) has always been a Bruins killer as evidenced by his 28-13-2 career record against them. This matchup was no different as he made a bunch of quality saves and it also helped that his teammates blocked 12 shots while Boston missed the net a whopping 15 times as well. Mika Zibanejad gave the Rangers their first lead of the contest when he tipped in Brady Skjei's shot at 5:22 of the second period. Mats Zuccarello had the second assist on Zibanejad's 16th goal of the season.

Boston fell to 1-14-2 when trailing after two periods despite the fact that they tied it up early in the third period. Brad Marchand one-timed a Pastrnak feed from close range, 2-2. Patrice Bergeron had the other assist on Marchand's 19th goal of the season. Again, New York had a timely response as Zibanejad bagged the game-winning goal on the power play at 9:05. With a screen in front of Halak, he was able to whip a hard shot past him, assisted by BU's Kevin Shattenkirk and Zuccarello. Not much else transpired after that besides McQuaid beating the hell out of Chris Wagner after he mistakenly thought that the Bruins' fourth-liner had taken a run at right Jesper Fast (sadly, he hadn't).

The other nice part about the break for the B's is that when they return-their first practice back here is a week from Monday-they get two more games at the Garden. They host one of the NHL's best teams-the Jets (31-15-2) on Tuesday (7, NESN) before they get a return meeting with the Flyers on Thursday (7, NESN). Let's all think good thoughts for Rask who was 6-0-1 in his last seven starts and on the verge of setting Boston's franchise record for wins (he's stuck on 252). Halak was great at the beginning of the season when Tuukka was shaky but lately he's been much more the journeyman that his NHL resume would seem to indicate.

Stay safe in the snowstorm everybody in New England and root on the Patriots tomorrow (6:40, CBS) at top-seeded Kansas City in their eighth straight AFC Championship Game. We all need a little break from hockey for a bit before coming back for the final 33 games of the regular season that will surely fly by as it always does.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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B's Win Their Season-High Fifth Straight Game, 4-0 vs. Dog-Tired Wild As Rask Picks Up 1st Shutout

In the sports business (I feel like a complete tool saying that), this was a perfect example of what is known as a scheduled loss for the Wild (21-18-3) who arrived late last night after a 1-0 victory in Montreal (23-16-5). Every team has to go through these brutal stretches so Boston (25-14-4) showed no mercy as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and coasted to an easy 4-0 win. With that result, the Bruins have won five games in a row-their longest stretch since last season's six-gamer (Feb. 27-March 10).

B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (12-8-2) has returned from his personal abyss earlier this campaign as he posted his first shutout with 24 mostly routine saves. This seems to follow his usual routine of early-season struggles followed by returning to form in the middle of the calendar. Now, the B's hope that he can play better down the stretch than he normally does. It was another big game for Boston's special teams unit as their power-play (currently ranked 4th in the NHL) continues to dominate. They scored two power-play goals and the penalty kill unit went a perfect 3-for-3. They are 12th in the league but continue to show signs of improvement.

Hockey players always talk about bounces and for this game, they all went Boston's way as they scored what many would call a trio of fluky tallies. Danton Heinen decided to appear for once and he scored his first goal in nearly a month (Dec. 11 vs. Arizona). He tipped in John Moore's shot at 5:23 for his fifth goal of the season with Torey Krug picking up the second assist. Brad Marchand made it 2-0 Bruins at 11:29 as Patrice Bergeron's shot caromed off the back boards right to him. You also must give Marchand credit for getting the shot off while multiple Wild swarmed him. Moore had the second assist (his 1st career multi-point game as a Bruin) on Marchand's 16th goal of the season. Boston had an abbreviated power play late in the first and they cashed in as Bergy's shot that was going wide of the net once again went off Jake DeBrusk's chest (think of a soccer player) and by the immortal Alex Stalock (23 saves). DeBrusk's 14th goal of the season was also assisted by Marchand-his 30th of the season.

There was one last weird goal that went the black and gold's way as Marchand's pass to Bergeron during a second period power play went in off his skate. It wasn't on purpose so Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau didn't even see a reason to challenge it. This was the 14th multi-point game of the season for Marchand, 12th for Bergeron and seventh for Krug. Rask's shutout was the 42nd of his long NHL career plus it was also his 250th win. It took 23 games but Boston finally notched a goose egg vs. Minnesota, leaving Nashville and Vegas as the only other active clubs that they have not shut out yet.

This win-streak and all the good feelings around the team gets put to the test on Thursday (7, NESN) as the defending champs-the Capitals (26-12-4)-are here for what looks like a huge tilt. Washington has completely owned Boston for years and who could forget the embarrassing 7-0 beating that they threw the B's back on Opening Night (Oct. 3)? Thus far there has been no Stanley Cup hangover for the Caps who lead the Metropolitan Division and are tied with Toronto (27-13-2) for the second most points in the Eastern Conference.

It's a fitting way to close out what has been a wildly successful homestand for the Bruins (3-0). Head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn't commit to a starter vs. Washington but he sounded like he was leaning towards Jaroslav Halak (13-6-2) who last played on Thursday and hasn't started against the Capitals as a Bruin. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy is expected to skate with the team instead of on his own tomorrow, another step closer to his eventual return to action. He and Joakim Nordstrom (broken leg) are the only Bruins regulars that are out at the moment, therefore they are mercifully close to that elusive full lineup that we all dream about.

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Santa Bergeron (2 goals, 2 assists) Returns Right In Time to Save Christmas For The Bruins

I'm sure that I don't say this aloud often enough but games like today remind me why it's so fun to cover the Bruins and special players like future NHL Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron in particular. He had been out since November 16 with multiple injuries to his ribs and sternum but as usual, he delivered big-time in his return game with two goals and two assists as Boston (20-12-4) knocked off Nashville (22-13-2)-one of the NHL's true heavyweights-5-2 this afternoon at TD Garden. The B's have won three games in a row while the Preds go into Christmas break with a lump of coal in their skates after dropping their last four games.

The final score is misleading since this was a back-and-forth affair with Boston grabbing two leads then Nashville answered right back before the Bruins scored three consecutive goals to close out a dominant third period (outscoring the Predators 4-1 including an empty-netter). Jaroslav Halak (28 saves, 12-5-2) continued to play great as he's allowed a total of three goals in his last three starts combined all against playoff clubs (Montreal, Anaheim and Nashville) this past week. Boston's special teams continued to perform at a high level as well since the power play was 2-for-3 and the penalty kill was 2-for-2.

Bergy obviously opened the scoring at 15:10 of the first period when he took a pass from Charlie McAvoy, went from backhand to forehand and beat Pekka Rinne (27 saves, 14-8-1) for his 10th goal of the season. Brad Marchand had the second assist as Bergeron became the fourth Bruin this season to reach double-digit goals (David Pastrnak, Marchand and Jake DeBrusk). Boston improved to 13-4-0 at the Garden this season (2nd best home mark in the Eastern Conference behind Tampa Bay) and 13-4-0 when they score first. After McAvoy had a goal incorrectly wiped out for goalie interference on David Backes, Johansen tied it at one at 13:01 of the second period, an average shot that Halak normally stops with no issue. Craig Smith (not the fat guy that played basketball at BC) and Roman Josi had the assists on Johansen's sixth goal of the season.

After back-to-back stupid penalties by the Predators at the end of the second period (interference on Johansen and roughing on Mattias Ekholm) that nullified their own power play and gave Boston a 5-on-3 for 1:05 to start the third, the B's predictably made them pay. Nashville managed to kill the first penalty but before the second was over, Bergeron put the Black and Gold ahead 2-1 at 1:44. Danton Heinen (the new temporary right wing on the 1st line) and Pastrnak both whiffed on the puck but were still credited with assists as Bergeron was the guy to score on a similar forehand roof job like his first goal. Former Senators great Kyle Turris knotted things at two with a shot off the post and in at 9:17. His sixth goal of the season was assisted by Josi and Miikka Salomaki (most Finnish name ever?).

It was a great all-around performance by Boston's best players as Marchand's power play goal-that turned out to be the game-winner-made it 3-2 Bruins at 11:23. His 12th goal of the season was a one-timer that came from Pasta and Bergy. Marchy returned the favor to Pasta with an assist on his own one-timer via a 2-on-1 at 14:09 for a 4-2 Bruins advantage. Pastrnak's team-leading 23rd goal of the season was an interesting one since Marchand's pass was a bouncer so he barely got anything on the shot which probably helped it elude Rinne. I figured that Bergeron would get the requisite hat trick with an empty-net goal by hard-workin' Sean Kuraly instead did the honors at 18:01 for his second goal of the season, assisted by McAvoy and Halak (his 2nd of the season!).

Just one game-tomorrow at Carolina (5, NESN)-separates the B's from Christmas break (Dec. 24-26). By the time that they meet, the Hurricanes (14-14-5) could be under .500 as they host Pittsburgh (17-12-6) this evening. Four wins in a row and a .500 record on the road (currently 7-8-4) would be a pretty great way for the Bruins to get rewarded for their recent strong play. It feels like they usually win in Carolina and beat the Whalers I mean Hurricanes in general so I would expect a quality effort with Tuukka Rask (8-7-2) in between the pipes. Their next home game is on Thursday (7, NESN) vs. atrocious New Jersey (12-15-7) who for now reside in the basement of the Eastern Conference.

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