B's Use Up All Their Luck Rallying From Down 3-0 in 3rd, Losing 4-3 On Controversial Toews OT Goal

You can only tempt fate so much in sports and in life and lately, the Bruins (20-3-6) had been living on the edge (at least your lame uncle got that very dated Aerosmith reference). Time after time, they pulled points and more than a few wins out of thin air during the eight-game win streak. That came to an end though on Thursday at TD Garden as they fell 4-3 to lowly Chicago (11-12-5) in overtime as Jonathan Toews took down David Pastrnak (legally, I guess) then broke in a breakaway that ended with him sliding the puck under Tuukka Rask (27 saves, 13-2-3) with a backhand shot 54 seconds into the extra frame-the only shot on goal for either team. Connor Murphy had the lone assist on Chicago's captain's fifth goal of the season.

The game could be broken down into three chewable segments: 1) where Chicago jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third period; 2) Boston rallied for an epic comeback with three goals in the third; 3) the no-call and wet fart of a way to end what turned out to be a pretty entertaining contest between two teams going in completely different directions. Fear not, for even though the Bruins' win streak is over, they still managed to breath more life into their overall point streak (9-0-4) and they remain unbeaten at home in regulation this season (12-0-5)-only four games back from their best home start ever (19-0-2 in 1973).

Looking back, this probably served as a classic trap game for the Black and Gold both because of the weak opponent on the schedule this evening and the true Stanley Cup contender coming to visit on Saturday night (7, NESN)-Colorado (18-8-2) to close out their season-high five game homestand. Regardless of the excuse that you choose, they should have been better against the ghost of those great Blackhawks teams from earlier this decade with only Patrick Kane, Toews, Duncan Keith (out with a groin injury), Brent Seabrook, Brandon Saad and Corey Crawford (backup goalie tonight) left over from those powerhouse clubs that won Cups in 2010, 2013 (no Bruins fan sadly will ever forget that one) and 2015.

Rask was also outplayed by Robin Lehner (37 saves, 6-5-3) which should never happen in 2019 or really any year for that matter. Chicago struggles to put the puck in the net (among many other issues) but they somehow scored twice 37 seconds apart late in the first period thanks to their special teams units. Ryan Carpenter put in a rebound at 18:14 off of a save by Rask on Murphy's initial shot. Carpenter's first goal of the season was the third career shorthanded goal of his NHL career and first shorthanded goal allowed by the Bruins this season. After missing the last four games with an injury, the Blackhawks' promising young center Dylan Strome doubled their lead by tipping in a shot by Erik Gustafsson on the power play. Strome's sixth goal of the season was also assisted by Kane who has 11 goals and 14 assists in his last 17 games which is all the more impressive considering the nobodies that dot Chicago's current roster.

Boston's number two ranked power play in the NHL had plenty of chances but they ultimately finished 0 for 4 which is never going to get it done, particularly when you allow a power play tally to the 27th ranked man advantage in the league. Ugh. When Alex DeBrincat (6th goal of the season from Strome and Calvin de Haan) sniped a shot past Rask 17 seconds into the third period for a 3-0 Blackhawks lead, I wouldn't blame you if you decided to change the channel or turned your TV off altogether (who cares about Bears-Cowboys anyway?). It just didn't feel like the Bruins' night, that is until Joakim Nordstrom of all people gave everybody at the Garden something to cheer about with a goal at 1:49 of the third period. Nordstrom's third goal of the season was his first since Nov. 12 vs. Florida but who's counting? David Backes had the primary assist after Lehner stopped his shot but kicked the rebound right to Nordy to put in with Charlie McAvoy getting the other helper.

At that point, it only looked like the Bruins would avoid the embarrassment of a shutout. Pasta got drilled by a possibly suspendable hit from Zack Smith that led to John Moore (making his 2019-20 Bruins debut after off-season shoulder surgery) dropping the gloves in his defense and getting knocked down in the first round. He went right to Boston's dressing room but thankfully returned shortly after that. It would have been pretty depressing if he got a fresh injury that soon, after all he was just doing the right thing by standing up for his star teammate.

Chicago finally looked like one of the worst teams in the NHL when the Bruins applied a little game pressure to them. The Blackhawks were on the power play after a roughing penalty on Charlie Coyle but Chris Wagner broke out for a shorthanded chance that turned into a breakaway when Gustafsson comically blew a tire (lost his footing And-1 mixtape style). Wagner skipped his usual backhand move for a strong forehand into the top corner, his second goal of the season (1st since Oct. 29 vs. San Jose) was assisted by Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelcyk at 15:01. It almost feels routine but at that point, you pretty much knew that Boston would at the very least tie it up. Lo and behold, Torey Krug did the honors as he smashed in a one-timer into the corner of the net after a sweet behind the net feed by Jake DeBrusk. Krug's fourth goal of the season came at 17:27 and it ended up giving Boston that precious point.

It was inevitable that Boston would lose again sometime soon and truth be told, they would always prefer to have that happen against a Western Conference team rather than an Atlantic Division or even Eastern Conference foe. The Bruins currently have the fewest losses in regulation this season and you have to go back nearly two months (Oct. 10 in Denver) for when the Avalanche tagged them with one of those rare defeats (4-2). Colorado has battled through a ton of injuries to some of their better players (Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Andre Burakovsky to name a few) but they should have close to a full lineup for Saturday's showdown with the Bruins. It is the end of a three-game road trip for the Avs but they should have plenty of juice since they have won five straight games (3-2 tonight in Montreal) and they are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games with a 10-5-1 record on the road. Center Nathan MacKinnon (18 goals, 26 assists) is one of the best players in the NHL pushing for a Hart Trophy (regular season MVP) while UMass Amherst product defenseman Cale Makar (8 goals, 20 assists) has to be a front-runner for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year). In other words, you don't want to miss this game even if you have to DVR it cause you have other plans on a Saturday night-what a concept!

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The Bruins Continue To Roll Along While Claude Julien's Canadiens Fall Deeper Into a Pit of Despair

One of the many fun things about sports is how they can almost eerily echo things that happen in anybody's everyday life. Sometimes, a team can play bad but then figure out how to turn the momentum just at the right time to ultimately get the desired result. Is that not similar to when you are having a crappy day but then some simple act of kindness or random thing (a song, a joke, a pet, etc.) makes you smile and suddenly, things are looking up again. This is a long-winded way of pointing out that right now, the Bruins (19-3-5) are on fire while their hated rivals the Canadiens (11-10-6) are falling apart at the seams.

In their third of four meetings of the season (stupid NHL schedulemakers) already, Boston allowed the first goal less than two minutes into the tilt but then used a trio of third period goals to send Montreal away with their eighth straight loss. The 3-1 victory for the B's extended their win streak to seven games and their point streak to 11 games (8-0-3) overall, they last lost in regulation on November 8 in Detroit (4-2)-a entirely forgettable setback that we shall not ever talk about again. Another tell-tale sign of a club that's on a serious roll is when they get unexpected contributions from role players up and down the lineup. Enter David Backes: playing in his first game in nearly a month (Nov. 2 vs. Ottawa was when he got concussed), he scored the game-winning goal midway through the third, on the power play of all things.

The regular season is not even a third of the way through so I'm not suggesting that we start making plans for a Bruins duck boat parade next June quite yet but you have to admit that this team is A) really fun to watch and B) also very easy to root for. The fact that the Black and Gold could even cost Claude Julien his job for the second time in less than three years is deliciously ironic as well. Poor Coach Potato Head aka Handsome Ralph is watching his franchise goaltender Carey Price play like a bum (he entered tonight with a 3.19 goals against average-46th in the NHL-and .897 save percentage-43rd in the league) while their penalty kill unit is similarly awful (30th in the NHL).

Claude has already been fired once as Canadiens head coach so why not make it twice? Granted, he's still owed a ton of money the next few years so I don't know how willing they will be to get rid of him at this juncture but that's always the obvious move in pro sports when a team is floundering like this. Also, the Montreal media and fans are not exactly the most reasonable and well-adjusted people in the world either which doesn't help his cause.

The only goal that the Habs scored was a direct result of a brutal mistake from captain Zdeno Chara. His defensive partner Charlie McAvoy passed the puck to him behind Boston's net but Montreal third line right wing Joel Armia stole the puck off his stick then flipped a backhander at Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 13-2-2) that ended up in the net after it deflected off of McAvoy's skate. Armia's 10th goal of the season was unassisted and it tied him with that little weasel Brendan Gallagher for the meager team lead. Rask made sure that his team didn't face a bigger deficit as he made a pair of good saves later in the opening frame-on a blast from the point by defenseman Jeff Petry then a one-timer by Armia from the slot.

By turning up the intensity (both emotional and physical) the Bruins started to dig their way back in the second period. Defenseman Connor Clifton knocked over Montreal second line left winger Nick Cousins with a nice hit. Price (31 saves, 10-9-3) made a good save on Chris Wagner's spinning shot from the slot but soon after that, all hell (for all intents and purposes 2019 style) broke loose as Pasta went after Canadiens captain Shea Weber. Jake DeBrusk got taken down by Gallagher while Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo played peacemakers. It all resulted in a power play for Boston (interference on Weber) which they didn't score on. Still, Price almost let a shot by Matt Grzelcyk elude him and the Charlestown native swept the rebound across the goal line (but never over). Montreal still led 1-0 after the second period but you could feel like things were going to change soon enough for the home team.

David Pastrnak scoring the tying goal at 6:16 of third period was perhaps the most predictable part of the whole evening. His NHL-best 25th goal (!!) was a rocket off the post and in. Anders Bjork and Carlo had the assists on Pastrnak's eighth goal in his last eight games. Boston's second power play was the moneymaker as Cousins was called for holding and Backes put in a one-timer from David Krejci and Grzelcyk at 10:29 for his first goal of the season (in his 9th game). With Patrice Bergeron (lower-body injury) out, Backes stepped into Bergy's bumper position on the man-advantage and did a reasonable enough impression of it. The Canadiens quickly folded from there as Jake DeBrusk scored on a one-timer of his own less than three minutes later (at 13:27). Charlie Coyle (3 goals, 7 assists in his last 11 games) had the lone assist on DeBrusk's sixth goal of the season. Jake is starting to heat up a bit himself with six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his last five games. Price was getting the classic Carey Carey chants from the Garden crowd and for old time's sake, Julien's hapless team got called for too many men on the ice thus nullifying the slim chance they had to comeback.

The Bruins get the day off tomorrow then they will have a pregame skate on Tuesday ahead of that night's (7, NESN) meeting with the Hurricanes (16-10-1). Can you say 2019 Eastern Conference Finals rematch? Carolina isn't a great team but they have some talented players and they play generally entertaining games so that should be more interesting than your typical Tuesday night in early December affair. Boston still hasn't lost in regulation at TD Garden (11-0-4) this season and with the way that Pastrnak and Marchand are playing along with the timely things by everyone else, there are many good reasons to tune into the Bruins these days.

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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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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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The Bruins Push The Blue Jackets To The Brink Of Elimination With An Insane 4-3 Victory In Game 5

You could watch a lifetime of hockey and you might never see a more crazy third period in a playoff game than the one that took place tonight at TD Garden. Heading into the frame up 1-0, the Bruins later led 2-0 and 3-1 before the Blue Jackets scored twice to tie it up, setting the stage for David Pastrnak's incredibly clutch tally with 1:28 left in regulation. From there, Boston held on for the extremely important 4-3 win in Game 5 that gives them a 3-2 series advantage. Game 6 is at Nationwide Arena on Monday (7, NBC Sports) as the B's will get a chance to knock out the Jackets once and for all.

Believe it or not (given the final score), the story for much of this contest was the continued dominance of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (33 saves). After playing one of the best games of his NHL playoff career on Thursday (a 4-1 victory at Columbus), he appeared poised to somehow top that with a shutout. In the span of 3:35, Columbus managed to score three goals to erase that two-goal deficit. In the long, storied history of the Black and Gold, this was only the second time ever that they had blown a multi-goal third period lead then recovered to still win it in regulation (1989, division semifinal at Buffalo).

Boston's first forward line (Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand) had been the best in the NHL not only this season but the last few which made their struggles earlier in the series vs. Columbus so puzzling. Were Pastrnak and Bergeron hurt or just in a major offensive drought at the worst possible time? They have certainly answered their critics with the back-to-back crucial wins that they starred in. Marchand (goal, 2 assists) and Pastrnak (2 goals) each had their best games of the postseason and Rask once again outplayed Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (32 saves) who is still making some of the best stops that you'll ever see.

Interestingly enough with the top two power plays left in the postseason (Columbus is #1 & Boston is #2), all seven of the goals came via 5-on-5 action. After a scoreless first period, David Krejci opened the scoring at 1:39 of the second. Who cares if he almost whiffed on the shot which actually helped it fool Bobrovsky? Jake DeBrusk and David Backes had the assists on Krejci's third goal of the playoffs (his 35th career playoff goal that moved him into 7th place on the club's all-time list). Boston doubled its lead at 4:51 of the third period on a Marchand goal and at that point with the way that Rask was completely shutting down the Jackets, you thought that would be more than enough. Bobrovsky robbed Marchand with a spectacular glove save but Brad stuck with it and beat the brilliant goalie with a snipe in basically the same spot. His fifth goal of the postseason was assisted by Quinnipiac's Connor Clifton (his 1st career playoff point!) and Bergeron.

Columbus' ill-fated comeback attempt fittingly started with another shady goal (at least it wasn't the boneheaded no call from Game 4 when the puck clearly went into the netting over the rink before the Blue Jackets scored on the same play). Seth Jones' shot deflected off Matt Grzelcyk's stick and Rask was hugging the near post but he wasn't able to keep it out of the net, apparently. It was called no goal on the ice then after a very lengthy review (and to the dismay of the Garden crowd), it was overturned for Jones' third goal of the playoffs. Zach Werenski and BC's Cam Atkinson had the assists on the goal by Jones who once again nearly played half of the game (he skated a game-high 29:49). 43 seconds later, Pasta ripped a laser by Bobrovsky who barely moved. Marchand had the lone assist but Pasta did most of the work on their 2-on-1; his fifth goal of the postseason was an understandably emotional moment for him after he'd been bashed for the last few weeks by local media and fans alike.

It's a real credit to the Blue Jackets that they still wouldn't die after that (when most other clubs would have) as Ryan Dzingel cut it to 3-2 with a top-shelf shot 51 seconds later. Matt Duchene and David Savard had the helpers on Dzingel's first point of the postseason. Even more unlikely than that, something named Dean Kukan (haha who the hell is that?) tied it up at 13:58 with a blast that went off of Brandon Carlo's skate. It was the first goal-regular season or playoffs-of Kukan's NHL career. Artemi Panarin and Josh Anderson notched the assists on Kukan's tying goal which proved as always that if you give almost any NHL player that much time and space, they can hurt you in a major way. Assuming that you weren't dead already, the B's saved us further heart problems (for now!) since they bypassed (get it?) overtime for the excruciating third straight contest at home.

The Bruins left it to be decided late but doesn't the additional drama make it that much sweeter? Carlo started the winning sequence by stripping the puck from Panarin then Marchand threw it towards the Columbus net where Pastrnak was situated and he re-directed it enough to elude Bobrovsky to the far side. Needless to say, I think that Pasta's first career game-winning goal in the playoffs will be one that he'll never forget.

Boston now has a little bit of a cushion (2 chances to get 1 win) as they enter Game 6. Keep in mind that Carolina is relaxing and waiting for the winner of this series in the Eastern Conference Finals after they finished their sweep of the Islanders last night. Unlike the Leafs series, the Bruins have learned to give themselves some breathing room but make no mistake, they need to do everything in their power to eliminate Columbus as soon as possible. You don't want to see them and especially Bobrovsky in a Game 7 situation.

Some numbers to keep in mind for Monday: the Bruins are 10-16 all-time in Game 6s when they lead a best-of-seven series 3-2 while the Blue Jackets are 0-2 in Game 6s when they trailing a series 2-3. Also, Boston is 21-5 all-time in best-of-seven series when they lead in a series 3-2 and Columbus is 0-2 when they trail in a series 2-3. The B's have won their last two games and what better time to make it three in a row and reach their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2013 (vs. Tampa Bay) than Monday in Columbus?

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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 At Least Temporarily Get Rid of Their Blues (Sorry, Had to Do It), Dispatching St. Louis 5-2

There wasn't a cause for major concern but the Bruins (27-16-5) were having a frustrating week that began with Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal (26-17-5) followed by last night's terrible 4-3 loss in Philadelphia to the tanking Flyers (18-23-6). Going back to last week's latest setback to Washington, the B's were getting tons of shots on goal and scoring chances but not converting those into enough goals to win. Enter the hapless Blues (20-21-5) who are going nowhere and figure to soon be selling off players like you read about. It was far from perfect but the final result was all that matters as the black and gold picked up a closer than it looks 5-2 victory against St. Louis tonight at TD Garden.

Former Blues captain David Backes was a healthy scratch on Wednesday and he took that demotion about as well as anyone with his NHL resume possibly could. That's what made it a truly special moment when the pro's pro scored the tying goal (2-2) in the second period on the power play that ultimately helped the Bruins end the contest with four straight tallies. B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 14-8-3) continued to play his best hockey of the season as he's gone 6-0-1 in his last seven starts. He also tied the franchise record for wins (252) with my man Tiny Thompson.

It was a balanced attack for the B's since five different guys each had a goal and 11 in total registered a point. Boston improved to 17-6-1 at TD Garden this season and 17-4-3 when they score first. Those statistical trends are great but what is most impressive to me is their mastery of the second legs of back-to-back sets (now 7-1-1) and Game 2s of three games in four days (now 7-1-2). Those are all marks of a mature team that doesn't let tough losses get to them or linger into long losing streaks.

After a scoreless first period that was only notable for the rare Zdeno Chara fight (he briefly took on Patrick Maroon), things picked up in the second period as both team scored a pair of goals. David Krejci (5-game point streak) was handing out apples aka assists all game long, beginning with a pretty feed to Torey Krug who was left wide open in the slot for an easy goal at 3:31. Rookie Peter Cehlarik (who had a pair of goals in his season debut vs. Philly) had the second assist on Krug's fifth goal of the season.

Boston is picking up a bad habit of allowing goals shortly after they score and that continued as former Sabre Ryan O'Reilly tied it 52 seconds later. There was a big pileup by Rask in Boston's crease which allowed O'Reilly to flip the puck into the net. His 17th goal of the season was assisted by Jordan Kyrou and David Perron (13-game point streak, currently the longest in the league). St. Louis used seven defensemen and 11 forwards for this tilt, something you rarely see in the NHL. It paid off as the extra defenseman-Carl Gunnarsson-made his presence felt with his first goal of the season. Jaden Schwartz hit the former Leaf for a one-timer that he hammered at 13:36, also assisted by supposed Bruins trade target Brayden Schenn. 2-1 was the only lead the Blues could muster though as Backes tipped Chara's missile from the point at 16:00. Krejci had the other helper on Backes' fifth goal of the season.

Every point is precious with the Bruins, Maple Leafs (29-15-2), Canadiens and Sabres (24-17-6) so tightly bunched in the Atlantic Division so it was nice to see the B's put away the sad-sack Blues (haha what a fitting team name for those bums). Walpole, MA native Chris Wagner scored the game-winning goal with what I'm confident was the prettiest goal of his life. BU's Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson chipped the puck ahead to Wagner who skated in on a breakaway and beat Jake Allen (22 saves, 15-15-4) with a forehand shot-his sixth goal of the season (7 is his career-high, from last season with Anaheim). Charlie McAvoy (game-high +3) wheeled around the St. Louis net and found Brad Marchand for a roof job at 13:12, the insurance tally that sealed the eventual two points. Patrice Bergeron had the second assist on Marchand's 18th goal of the season. Wagner almost bagged a second goal on an empty-netter but his shot hit the post and then he couldn't jam it in. Ah the life of a fourth liner. His buddy Sean Kuraly was able to put it in at 19:08 which made it 5-2 Bruins. Krejci and Wagner had the assists on Kuraly's sixth goal of the season.

The rebuilding Rangers (20-20-7) are here on Saturday night (7, NESN) before the snow is going to bury us all alive on Sunday. It's also Boston's final game before their bye week which is followed by the All-Star break (so far only David Pastrnak is slated to travel to San Jose for the festivities). Former BU head coach David Quinn is in his rookie season behind the bench in the NHL and predictably there have been some growing pains with such an incomplete roster. Before the players get out of town to some warm location, another win would serve them well and get their minds right before the last 33 games of the regular season which are sure to fly by.

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B's Hold Off Sabres 2-1, Earning Their 4th Straight Win While Finishing 3-1 vs. Buffalo This Season

It wasn't exactly the most exciting game of the season but you can't argue that the Bruins (24-14-4) continue to get results. Tonight, they outlasted the Sabres (22-14-6) 2-1 at TD Garden in a contest that carried plenty of weight for both sides. With the two points, Boston is now two points ahead of both the Islanders (23-13-4) and Buffalo who dropped down to the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference while the B's got a little tighter grip on third-place in the Atlantic Division.

Former BU star Jack Eichel has missed the past two games with a dreaded upper-body injury but I'm not going to use that as an excuse since the Bruins have faced an absurd amount of injuries to key players throughout the first half of the season. Boston outshot Buffalo 41-32 and it was a relatively easy outing for Tuukka Rask (31 saves, 11-8-2) who won his third start in a row. Boston also improved to 15-5-0 at the Garden this season while Buffalo dropped back to .500 on the road (9-8-3). This closed the book on the season series with the Bruins winners of three games to just one for the much-improved Sabres. Keep that in mind if they should meet this spring because the Bruins no doubt will feel confident in that scenario.

Secondary scoring has been an issue for the B's most of this season but not this evening as both goals came from lines other than their flawless top trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Nope, just two good-old fashioned even strength goals by a fourth liner (Chris Wagner) and a new second liner (David Backes) who returned from his three-game suspension. Ironically enough, Wagner actually appeared to score a goal 20 seconds into the tilt but it was called no goal due to his linemate Sean Kuraly bumping into Linus Ullmark (39 saves, 9-2-3). Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy challenged it for kicks but of course it was confirmed: no goal.

No worries, Wagner scored at 10:10 of the first period after a turnover by Buffalo in its own defensive zone. Wagner's other linemate Noel Acciari bumped the puck ahead to him and he beat Ullmark for his fifth goal of the season. Boston led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 two minutes into the second period as Backes sniped a shot by Ullmark as he had no choice but to do that as the Sabres gave him a wide open lane to shoot. Backes' fourth goal of the season was assisted by Rask (his 1st of the season), meaning that Boston's goalies have now combined for four assists this season (Jaroslav Halak has 3, 1 shy of the franchise record for goaltenders).

There were only three penalties in the entire game-Buffalo's PP was 0-for-2 and Boston's was 0-for-1-but there would be no shutout for Rask (he hasn't had one yet this season). One of Buffalo's young standout defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen ensured that his team wouldn't get blanked though as he put a beautiful shot top shelf over Rask's glove at 17:22 of the third period. His fifth goal of the season was unassisted. Marchand and Pastrnak had a couple 2-on-1s that surprisingly didn't result in goals but it hardly mattered. Buffalo used its timeout with 1:17 and pulled Ullmark for an extra skater but they weren't going to tie it up anyway. Rask's best save came against Jeff Skinner flying down the wing.

This win-streak should continue at least for a few more days as Boston is off tomorrow before practicing on Monday and facing the Wild (20-17-3) on Tuesday (7, NESN). Minnesota is in Montreal (22-15-5) on Monday so the B's figure to see a tired opponent while they are well rested. Things should be much harder on Thursday (7, NESN) when they play the Capitals (24-12-4)-a team that currently owns them like no other in the NHL-but we'll worry about that starting on late Tuesday night. Until then, be happy that this club continues to make strides and earn points.

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B's Snap Nine-Game Losing Streak (0-8-1) & Beat the Ducks For The First Time In Over Five Years

It has to be the hideous Christmas suits, right? In one of the sneakiest droughts that I can remember, before tonight the Bruins' last win against the Ducks had come on Oct. 21, 2013 (a 3-2 shootout win at TD Garden). After nine fruitless matchups since then (0-8-1), Boston (19-12-4) finally broke that long slump with a complete all-around game in a 3-1 victory at the Garden vs. Anaheim (19-13-5). Coming off Monday's eye-opening 4-0 win at Montreal (17-13-5), the B's followed that up with another solid performance against a fellow playoff contender.

Jaroslav Halak got the start once again and nearly notched another shutout as he made 24 saves in his 11th win of the season. After a scoreless first period, the Bruins scored a pair of goals in the second period and an insurance tally in the third before the Ducks avoided the shutout with a goal in garbage time (late in the 3rd). Interestingly enough, three Bruins recorded career milestones in the win: Torey Krug's assist was the 200th of his NHL career, passing Mike O'Connell for the most by a U.S.-born Bruin; David Backes reached 300 NHL assists and David Krejci hit 600 NHL points.

Boston improved to 12-4-0 at home this season while they cooled off Anaheim (8-2-0 before tonight in their last 10 games) who ended a five-game road trip on a low note. It was all about special teams as the Bruins' power play went 2-for-4 and their penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4. Pasta fittingly enough gave them a 1-0 lead at 8:19 of the second period with a one-timed laser from Krug and Backes. David's team-leading 22nd goal gave him twice as many goals as the next closest Bruin (Marchand with 11). The power play unit was the catalyst again as Krug one-timed in a beautiful pass by Marchand at 18:05 of the second for a 2-0 Black and Gold advantage. Pastrnak had the second assist on Krug's fourth goal of the season.

The B's are now 14-1-0 this season when they have led by 2+ goals so the Ducks might as well have gotten on the plane at that point. It was another one-timer that beat John Gibson (28 saves), this one from Krejci (has he ever had a harder shot?) at 5:21 of the third period. Pastrnak and Marchand assisted on his seventh goal of the season which also extended his point-streak to a whopping eight games (5 goals, 6 assists). Just when I tried to compute how long Halak's shutout streak had lasted in terms of game minutes, Anaheim made that a complete waste of my time. Rookie defenseman Josh Mahura's shot from the point sneaked by Halak, assisted by Carter Rowney at 15:44 which cut it to 3-1.

There are two more games left for the Bruins before they can enjoy a brief Christmas break (Dec. 24-26): they host Nashville (22-12-2) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) and they follow that up with a visit to Carolina (14-14-5) on Sunday night (5, NESN). It seems like it would be tough to sit down Halak at this point but regardless, you can bet that Tuukka Rask (8-7-2) will make an appearance at some point this weekend. The Predators are one of the best teams in hockey but they have been scuffling a bit lately (5-4-1 in their last 10 games) after losing 2-1 at Philadelphia (14-15-2) this evening. Any second game of a back-to-back is difficult but the B's have excelled in them this season and the Hurricanes are having another blah campaign so I expect some sort of result there for the Black and Gold as well.

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Name a Better Boston University Product In the NHL These Days Than Jack Eichel, You Can't!

Massachusetts is not California, Texas or Florida when it comes to grooming professional athletes so while we have a noted advantage when it comes to hockey players (it's cold here for roughly 8 months out of every year), it is still pretty cool to see a hometown guy doing very well at the highest level. Enter Chelmsford MA native and BU one-and-done Jack Eichel who seems to always save his best for when he plays the Bruins. Tonight he had two goals and two assists as Buffalo (20-9-5) doubled up Boston (17-12-4) 4-2 at TD Garden. It's not just the fact that he had a hand in every goal for the Sabres but Eichel did it in a manner befitting a superstar such as himself: two incredible assists, a snipe of a goal and an empty-netter to clinch it. Are you not entertained, Massholes?

After winning three games in a row, the B's had a bummer of a weekend as they lost 5-3 at Pittsburgh (15-11-6) on Friday and followed it up with another zero-point performance. Boston had 67 shot attempts (37 on goal, 14 blocked, 16 missed net) to just 40 for Buffalo (27 on goal, 8 blocked, 5 missed net) so besides Eichel, the Sabres can thank Jeff Skinner (2 goals), Sam Reinhart (2 assists) and Peanuts star Linus Ullmark (35 saves, 7th win of the season) for the victory that split the season series at one game apiece with two more meetings to come.

The Bruins never led in the entire contest but you can't say that they didn't have a good chance as Ryan Donato drew an ultra-rare penalty shot late in the first period. He was hauled down on a breakaway but he slipped taking the penalty shot and Ullmark was able to stop his shot anyway. Things picked up in the second period as Skinner scored his team-leading 23rd goal of the season at 3:18 thanks to a sweet pass from Eichel behind the net. No. 1 pick and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (who is only 18-years-old) had the second assist. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better offseason pickup from last summer in the NHL than Jeff Skinner's trade from Carolina to Buffalo. Two minutes later, Steven Kampfer scored his first goal since his return to Black and Gold as he ripped a shot past Ullmark from Joakim Nordstrom and David Backes. Boston seemed to go up 2-1 late in the frame as Brad Marchand brushed in a loose puck but for some reason, the play was whistled dead before the puck had gone in the net. It was reviewed with the refs concluding after a lengthy delay that it was no goal since it couldn't be reviewed to begin with. Haha OK cool guys, thanks for completely wasting our time.

At the start of the third, Danton Heinen was absolutely robbed by Ullmark who did a full split to make the save. Torey Krug went to the dressing room after taking a puck to the face, something which later happened to Kampfer as well. Eichel's lucky 13th goal of the season came at 5:43, assisted by Reinhart and Dahlin. Krug answered with a goal of his own at 13:21. David Krejci (6-game point streak) did his best Eichel impression with a great feed that led to Krug's slightly mishit but still effective one-timer. His third goal of the season was also assisted by Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (anothe much lesser known BU guy). Buffalo's go-ahead goal came via an eerily similar play by Eichel and Skinner: this time Eichel used a backhander to Skinner for a one-timer that gave him the same amount of goals that he had last season in 48 more games with the lowly Hurricanes. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy did all that he could do-calling a timeout and pulling Rask for an extra skater-but all that happened was Eichel clinched it with an empty-netter at 19:35.

The B's have no time to feel bad for themselves as they are in Montreal (17-11-5) tomorrow night (7:30, NESN) for a huge game with the Canadiens. The winner will be the top Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference while the loser will drop (or in Boston's case remain) in second-place. Jaroslav Halak (9-5-2) figures to get the start for the Bruins who are 1-1 vs. Montreal this season. It'll be Boston's third game in four nights and second half of a back-to-back but at least then their next game isn't until Thursday (7, NESN) vs. Anaheim (18-11-5) at the Garden. The B's haven't been great on the road (6-8-4) but they had perhaps their best road win of this campaign at the Bell Centre: a 3-2 triumph on November 24 thanks to John Moore's game-winner/the only goal of his Bruins career.

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The Bruins Don't Need Patrice Bergeron As Long As They Still Have David Krejci (ducks garbage)!

There is dominating a team for a long stretch of time and then there is completely owning them like the Bruins' (17-10-4) one-sided games with the Coyotes (13-14-2) for the past eight-plus years. No matter if the B's are missing some top players, competing in their third game in four days or even spot Arizona a 2-0 lead, it all ends the same fashion: with a Boston victory. Tonight the Bruins trailed 2-0 almost midway through the second period before exploding for four goals in the span of 4:50 en route to an eventual 4-3 win at TD Garden. If you can believe it, that was the 14th straight win for the Black and Gold vs. the Desert Dogs, now the longest such streak in the NHL.

You have to think that if Arizona was ever going to break that ugly drought (their last two points vs. Boston came back on Oct. 9, 2010 in Prague!), the stars were aligned to do just that this evening. The B's have been great on home ice (11-3-0) but they got off to a slow start in this one as Nick Schmaltz made it 1-0 with a power play goal at 12:22 of the first period. The former Blackhawk's shot went off Tuukka Rask (30 saves, 8th win of the season), off a post and then in for his sixth goal of the season. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and BU's Clayton Keller provided the assists on the bizarre goal. While that tally was being announced, the Coyotes doubled their lead as Nick Cousins beat Rask to the shortside 40 seconds later. His third goal of the season was assisted by Alex Goligoski and Josh Archibald as the Garden crowd started to grow a bit restless. If things couldn't get any worse in the first period for the B's, David Backes took an Ekman-Larsson skate blade to the face which forced him to quickly exit the ice and head to the dressing room for some serious repairs.

Arizona has the top penalty-kill unit in the league which is accentuated by the fact that they've scored a whopping 11 shorthanded goals (!). To give you some context on that absurd number, the next closest team is Calgary (6) while Boston has only one this entire campaign. As such, Boston's power play (which came into the contest ranked 6th in the NHL) went 0-for-3 but that hardly mattered as they reeled off four even strength goals in the blink of an eye. Danton Heinen of all people got the comeback started for the Bruins with a nifty goal at 8:40 of the second period. Jacob Forsbacka Karlsson gave him a sweet backhand saucer pass that he settled with his skate like a soccer player then knocked the puck in past Darcy Kuemper (22 saves). The new look third line's other member Ryan Donato had the secondary assist on Heinen's fourth goal of the season. 33 seconds later on the following shift, David Pastrnak tied it with a beautiful net drive that ended with him tapping in a pass from Brad Marchand with Krejci picking up the other helper on Pastrnak's team-leading 21st goal of the season. 2:18 after that, the first line struck again as Marchand tipped in a slap pass from Pastrnak. Krejci had the second assist on Marchand's ninth goal of the season. Three goals in 2:51 was cool but one more was even better: Marchand banged in a loose puck at 13:30 (becoming the 3rd Bruin with double-digit goals) a nanosecond before getting knocked over with Krejci and Pastrnak obviously getting the assists.

Krejci was playing in his 800th NHL game while Arizona defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson reached the 700 game mark as well. Meanwhile, Coyotes left wing Michael Bunting was competing in his inaugural NHL game and he made it a particularly memorable moment with a goal that cut it to 4-3 Bruins at 15:00 of the second period. Truth be told, it was a save that Rask has to make but we'll forgive him since he came up with some bigger ones later on. That's right, there were a total of five goals in 6:20 of game time so naturally, these clubs followed it up with a scoreless third period. Arizona pressed for the tying goal in the third, outshooting Boston 9-5 in the frame but the B's held on despite a late tripping call on John Moore. McAvoy blocked a shot from his fellow Terrier Keller and Krejci hit the post with a shot that would have clinched it but he also had a key blocked shot of his own in crunch time.

With their three wins in a row, the B's earned six points in the past four days which I'd imagine is more than you or I or anyone else that we know has accomplished since Saturday. A stat that perfectly illustrates this team's collective mental toughness is that they improved to 5-1-1 in Game 3s of three games in four nights this season. They have ten more sets throughout 2018-19 so I doubt that absurd percentage will hold but still, can we just appreciate that for a second? The guys get tomorrow off which I'd say that they've earned before they are back at practice on Thursday and then they fly to Pittsburgh for Friday's (7, NESN) meeting with the Penguins (13-10-6). Boston has matched up well with Pittsburgh for years (yes during the Cup runs) and the Pens were a disaster to start this season before recently getting their shit together (6-2-2 in their last 10 games). The Bruins' next home game is on Sunday (5, NESN) vs. Buffalo (18-9-4) who is two points ahead of them in the Atlantic Division for third-place. Patriots-Steelers of course starts at 4:25 pm so make sure that your DVR and/or the last button on your remote is working properly since you'll be doing double-duty on Sunday night.

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In 2018, Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Is Becoming a Nice Little Rivalry Right Before Our Very Own Eyes

Bruins-Canadiens will always hold a special place in our hearts but over the last few seasons, you have to admit that Boston (15-10-4) against Toronto (20-9-1) has become a sexier matchup in the here and now minus the decades of bad blood and fun history since the Maple Leafs have mostly sucked forever. They already met three times in 2018-19 with the B's taking the latest chapter 6-3 this evening at TD Garden to go up 2-1 in the season series with one more in Toronto on January 12. Boston snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak with a resounding victory, perhaps their best outing of the campaign given that the Leafs scored the final two goals in extended garbage time.

This tilt had a little bit of everything: pretty goals, great saves, physical play and multiple fights. What else do you want in a regular season contest? Toronto came in with the second best record in the NHL but for the second time in a row (5-1 on Nov. 10), Boston absolutely slammed them on their home ice. The six goals scored tied for the second-most by the B's this season (Oct. 8 vs. Ottawa), topped only by their 8-2 beating of Detroit on Oct. 13. Boston took control tonight by scoring the first four goals. Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson made it 1-0 at 11:20 of the first period when he snuck a rebound by Frederik Andersen (22 saves, 6 goals allowed). David Pastrnak and Matt Grzelcyk assisted on JFK's third goal of the season.

Boston's second period had to be one of its best frames of the year: David Backes sniped a power-play goal at 8:54 (his 3rd goal of the season was assisted by Brad Marchand and Torey Krug) and Torey Krug bagged his first goal of the season with a long-range shot, assisted by Marchand and David Krejci (which moved him into 10th place on the team's all-time scoring list) at 17:45. In between that, Nazem Kadri for some reason started a fight with Brandon Carlo who dwarfs him. You knew that it was the Black and Gold's night when Danton Heinen pushed the lead to 4-0 with a beautiful goal-scorer's move at 1:47 of the third period. Ryan Donato and John Moore assisted on only his third goal of the season.

Toronto's defense is still their biggest issue which is why they play so many high-scoring affairs. They finally got on the board thanks to a goal by Travis Dermott at 4:03 of the third, Auston Matthews (5-game point-streak) and Jake Gardiner had the helpers on the pure shot that beat Jaroslav Halak (31 saves, 9th win of the season) cleanly. In old school Leafs fashion, they gave that goal right back 34 seconds later as Krejci scored on a 3-on-1 (his 4th goal of the season) with Pasta and Marchand. Things got silly as Andersen gave up a weak one to Donato shortly after that (6:13) that caused him to get pulled in favor of the immortal Garret Sparks. Donato's third goal of the seaosn was assisted by Heinen and Krug.

Matthews tapped in a goal at 9:30 (his 16th of the season, in 16 games!) that cut it to 6-2. That's when things went a little bonkers as good old Zach Hyman (that is a tough name to live with) hit McAvoy late with a cheap shot. Charlie had just returned on Thursday at Tampa Bay (23-7-1) after missing 20 games with a concussion so you can understand why Grzelcyk dropped the gloves with Hyman. McAvoy went to the Bruins' dressing room but thankfully was cleared to return by the end of the game. A few moments later, Chris Wagner (playing in his 200th NHL game) caught Morgan Rielly with a clean open ice hit (don't do that!) so he fought UMass-Lowell alum Ron Hainsey for shits and giggles. Andreas Johnsson (who earlier in the night refused to fight Sean Kuraly) rounded out the scoring with a completely meaningless power play goal at 12:22, his seventh goal of the season was assisted by Patrick Marleau and Gardiner.

The B's have little time to rest at home as they fly out to Ottawa (13-14-3) for tomorrow's meeting with the Senators (5, NESN). Tuukka Rask will get the start as the Bruins try to start a new win streak. Keep in mind, they are 4-0-1 thus far in the second game of back-to-backs and 3-1-1 in Game 3s when they play three times in four days. The Senators are in full rebuild mode and even though they placed Matt Duchene (groin) and Bobby Ryan (concussion) on injured reserve earlier today, they still managed to beat scuffling Pittsburgh (12-10-6) 2-1 in overtime. More numbers to mull over for tomorrow: Boston is 5-7-4 on the road while Ottawa is surprisingly very good at home (10-5-2). With Arizona (13-12-2) coming to the Garden on Tuesday (7, NESN) the B's have the opportunity to grab some points against non-playoff contenders over the next few days.

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Red Wings Win Their Second Game In a Row vs. Bruins, Which For Them is a Huge Accomplishment

The Bruins (14-8-4) and Red Wings (12-11-3) have been in the same division (Atlantic) now for a little while, they even met in the playoffs a few years back but who could call it anything close to a rivalry other than the fact that they both happen to be Original Six clubs? That is partly because Boston has owned that ass while Detroit's absurd postseason streak finally ended and since then, they've faded into NHL mediocrity. Tonight's 4-2 win by the Wings at TD Garden gave at least a breath of life and a sniff of hope that this unnatural pairing of Boston vs. Detroit could turn into something which is better than nothing, am I right folks?

The Wings had beaten the B's 3-2 in overtime on Thanksgiving Eve and this represented their first regulation win vs. the Black and Gold since Valentine's Day 2016 (a 6-5 win in Detroit). Boston had been 15-1-2 in its last 18 games vs. Detroit including points in 11 straight contests (9-0-2). The Bruins outshot the Red Wings 40-27 but that hardly mattered since Detroit beat them up both physically and on the scoreboard (where it really counts, tough guy). 1-0 was the only lead that Boston would have all night as the Red Wings scored twice in the second period and then closed with the final two goals in the latter half of the third period to earn the all-important two points.

Tuukka Rask (23 saves) suffered his first loss in regulation since his brief hiatus but he couldn't be faulted for two of the three goals that he allowed which came via perfect deflections out in front of him. Maine alum Jimmy Howard (38 saves) was immense, other than a bizarre backhand flip by David Backes that went off his shoulder and into the net with 3.8 seconds left in the first period. Other than empty-netters, I doubt that Backes has scored many flukier goals in his long NHL career. His second goal of the season was assisted by John Moore and rookie Colby Cave (his 1st NHL point).

Keep in mind that Detroit had a goal waved off in the second period so it could have been an even worse frame for the B's if that stood (Rask was bumped trying to get in position). Tyler Bertuzzi tied it at 5:45 when Mike Green's shot from the point took an old double deflection off Michael Rasmussen then him for his ninth goal of the season. For the second time in three days, David Krejci took a big (clean) hit at center ice. At least this time he didn't require another emergency trip to the dentist for repairs. Joakim Nordstrom is far from a fighter but he stood up for his new teammate by dropping the gloves with Red Wings defensemen Dennis Cholowski-who had destroyed Krejci. That was nearly the undercard for a massive line brawl that would have included Rask vs. Howard but the no fun refs tied them up and wouldn't let them go. I think I speak for all blood-thirsty fans when I say boooooooooo. The only above average player on the Red Wings these days-Dylan Larkin-made it 2-1 at 17:36 by putting in a rebound on the doorstep. Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist (another former Black Bear) had the assists on his 10th goal of the season.

It wasn't a banner night for Boston's #2 ranked power play in the NHL (1-for-6) but they knotted it at two thanks to rookie Ryan Donato's tally at 5:31 of the third. His shot deflected off a Red Wing stick but regardless, it was still one of his patented snipes. Donato's second goal of the season was assisted by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug (5-game assist streak). After the shootout game-winner on Thursday and that, it's tough to see him going back down to Providence anytime soon. It looked like it would be another one-goal game that might possibly require overtime but Detroit had other plans as veteran Frans Nielsen tipped in Danny DeKeyser's shot from the point at 11:53 for the go-ahead tally. Nyquist had the secondary assist on Nielsen's first goal of the season. Nyquist completed his three-point night with an empty-netter at 19:33, DeKeyser had the lone assist on his fourth goal of the season.

No practice for the B's on Sunday-the Lord's day-as they'll get back on the ice at Warrior Arena on Monday before travelling to Sunrise, FL to take on the Panthers (10-10-5) on Tuesday (7, NESN). That kicks off a very busy week as the Bruins will be in Tampa (19-7-1) on Thursday (7, NESN) before coming back here briefly to host the Leafs (19-8-0) on Saturday night (7, NESN) before going to Ottawa (12-12-3) the following early evening (5, NESN). It helps when that tough stretch is bookended by doormats like the Panthers and Senators who they should usually beat. Right now, the Lightning and Maple Leafs are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference so both of those contests should be extremely difficult. B's defenseman Brandon Carlo returned this evening after missing the past nine games with an upper-body injury so hopefully between now and game time on Tuesday, nobody on the Bruins slips on a banana peel or falls out of a bunk bed.


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The Maple Leafs Never Trailed In Game 5, Stave Off Elimination With a White-Knuckle 4-3 Victory

Unlike the NBA playoffs where most teams pack it in when they are down two or three games, they say that the toughest thing to do in the NHL playoffs is to eliminate a team and while that old adage is somewhat flawed, it was definitely the case on Saturday night at TD Garden as Toronto beat Boston 4-3 to cut the Bruins' series lead to 3-2. Game 6 shifts back to the Air Canada Centre on Monday (7, NESN). When you look at the final stats, it's hard to believe that the B's lost: they outshot the Leafs 45-21 (including 20-5 in the 3rd) and had six power plays to one for Toronto.

Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (42 saves, 2nd win of the series) was the star for Toronto and he was also helped by the fact that his teammates gave him multiple two-goal leads (2-0 and 3-1) and even a three-goal advantage to play with (4-1). You couldn't help but think of the epic 2013 playoff series between these clubs as Boston cut it to 4-3 early in the third period on Noel Acciari's goal but it wasn't to be as the Leafs held on for the improbable win. After Tuukka Rask was so brilliant in Game 4 (31 saves), it was only befitting of the roller coaster nature of the postseason that the next time out he was nothing like that. He made nine saves and allowed four goals before being pulled although to be fair, you can't really fault him for any of those tallies. At that point, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy was just looking for a way to spark his club and it helped as Anton Khudobin stopped all eight shots he faced in his NHL playoff debut. Before you can say goalie controversy, there is no doubt in the universe that Rask will start Game 6. Haha hopefully playing half of Game 5 will give him a little more energy.

The team that has scored the first goal has won every game of the series and that continued this evening as Connor Brown notched his first career NHL playoff goal at 6:36 of the first period. He batted the puck out of mid-air, assisted by Auston Matthews and Zach Hyman. Before the Bruins knew what hit them, it was 2-0 Toronto as Andreas Johnsson also bagged his first career playoff goal, assisted by Nazem Kadri (who returned from being suspended for Games 2-4) and Jake Gardiner at 10:12. Boston had only trailed once after the first period in the series and that came in Game 3 (their only loss).

The B's had outshot Toronto 15-6 in the first period but things seem to break their way when Jake DeBrusk's shot went wide of the net but David Backes was there to tap it in for an easy power play goal at 9:45 of the second period. Backes' second goal of the series was also assisted by Torey Krug. The problem was that Toronto responded 51 seconds later with a tally from Tyler Bozak (his 2nd of the series), assisted by Morgan Rielly and James van Riemsdyk. It was a backbreaking goal for the B's after it looked like they had swung the momentum back in their favor. JVR roofed one past Rask at 11:55 of the second which ended Rask's night (he basically sprinted to Boston's dressing room after getting off the ice). Mitch Marner (who's been Toronto's best player all series) and Bozak had the helpers on what turned out to be a game-winning goal for the UNH product (JVR).

Sean Kuraly potted a one-timer off a nifty backhander feed from Matt Grzelcyk at 17:18 of the second period. Kuraly's second goal of the series was also assisted by Acciari. Toronto was their own worst enemy for much of this contest as they repeatedly got stupid penalties to put Boston's top ranked power play (in the postseason) back on the ice. In fact, they survived a two-man advantage for 1:34 that ended shortly before Kuraly's goal. Boston was down two goals headed into the third period but with 33 seconds remaining on yet another power play, they had more than a flicker of hope. Boston couldn't have dominated the third in every facet (except on the scoreboard) any more as they outshot Toronto 20-5. Andersen didn't exactly make every save look routine or easy but credit to him for getting the job done. Acciari's classic fourth-liner goal (his 1st of the series; assisted by Tim Schaller and Krug) at 5:58 cut it to 4-3 Leafs but that's how it would end.

Tampa Bay did their job earlier today by knocking out New Jersey (3-1 in Game 5) when they had the first opportunity to do so. That means that regardless of who wins this series, the Lightning are looking at a few days off in the Florida sun. That doesn't sound so bad, huh? You could say that Rask and the B's stole Game 4 in Toronto and despite all the big leads, I think you could also say the same for the Leafs in Game 5. It was in Boston's best interest to end things tonight so needless to say, they really want no part of a Game 7 even though it would be back in Boston on Wednesday. When you have a chance end a series, you have to go for it (see: Winnipeg last night vs. Minnesota).

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The Bruins Rolled to a Surprisingly Easy 5-1 Victory in Game 1 of the 1st Round vs. Maple Leafs

The easiest thing to do after a blowout win (especially in the playoffs) is to overreact and think that things will continue to be that easy. Haha yeah right dummy, get real. The first round of the 2018 NHL playoffs began for the Bruins tonight at TD Garden and what was expected to be a tight contest turned into a laugher as they drubbed the Maple Leafs 5-1. After Toronto tied it late in the first period, Boston took off with a pair of goals in the second period and another pair in the third. The Bruins power play was humming to the tune of 3-for-6 while their penalty kill was 3-for-3.

Leafs center Nazem Kadri should be hearing from the NHL's Department of Player Safety as he destroyed Tommy Wingels in the third period with a very dirty and reckless hit along the boards that was ruled to be charging (major) and a 10-minute game misconduct. Wingels didn't return and it doesn't take a doctor to guess that he probably suffered a concussion (hello, Ryan Donato). Toronto's goaltender Frederik Andersen (35 saves) entered with a 10-1-0 all-time record against Boston but like his teammates, he just wasn't up to the task in Game 1. The Bruins had lost their last three games in the regular season but a few days off seemed to put plenty of jump back in their collective steps. Another reason that the meetings earlier this year probably mean very little: Toronto had been 3-1 against the B's before this evening.

Boston's top forward line of Brad Marchand (goal, assist), Patrice Bergeron (assist) and David Pastrnak (goal, 2 assists) was dominant all night. Marchand entered with no goals in his last 16 home playoff games but he put that lengthy drought to bed quickly with a pretty backhander just 5:28 into the first period. Torey Krug and Pastrnak had the assists on Marchand's 18th career playoff tally and first power play strike of the tilt. The Maple Leafs tied it on a similar goal at 16:52 of the first: a backhander by Zach Hyman after he sped past David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy. Connor Brown and Morgan Rielly (who spells it like that?) had the assists on what turned out to be high-powered Toronto's only goal. After that, the Bruins' superior defense and goaltender Tuukka Rask (26 saves) locked things down.

Boston outshot Toronto 9-7 in the even first frame but they started to take control in the second by outshooting their Original Six foe 16-11. David Backes put the B's ahead for good at 15:43 of the second period when he cleaned up a loose puck by kicking it to his stick blade and lifting it over Andersen. Backes' 14th career playoff goal was assisted by Krejci and McAvoy. The biggest goal of the game and backbreaker to the Leafs was the one that they allowed with 38 seconds left in the second: Pastrnak took a feed from Marchand (and Bergeron) and sniped a shot over Andersen's blocker side before he even had time to fully react. Pastrnak's third career playoff goal was a beauty, a fitting way to firmly take control of the game.

Credit to the Bruins for not taking their feet off the gas in the third as they outshot the Leafs 15-9 and scored two more memorable goals. Sean Kuraly had missed the last seven games of the regular season with an upper-body injury but he announced his postseason presence with a highlight reel goal-Sidney Crosby style-where he basically bunted the puck out of mid-air after Pastrnak had driven to the net and caused a huge pileup. Kuraly's third career playoff goal was also assisted by Chara. Toronto head coach Mike Babcock stuck with Andersen the whole way, even after he gave up a goal to Krejci at 11:29 that went five-hole on him when the Bruins center was behind the net. It was that kind of a mess for Toronto as Krejci bagged his 30th career playoff goal, assisted by Jake DeBrusk (1st career playoff point) and Krug.

I'd be shocked if Saturday's Game 2 (8, NESN) resembles Game 1 in any shape or form. The Maple Leafs will be desperate to get a split at the Garden so expect a much better effort from them (Andersen I'm looking at you). Kadri's likely suspension won't help matters since he's their second line center that plays in every situation, he's basically a poor man's version of Marchand. Likewise, the Bruins are sure to face a little more adversity than they did in this cakewalk. Still, if they can find a way to win Game 2, this series could be over much earlier than anyone would have expected. PS what's better than playoff hockey? I know I say this every year but it's so great to have it back in our lives, the crowd for Game 1 was superb.

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B's Choke Away the Atlantic Division Title & #1 Seed in the East So They'll Face Leafs in Rd. 1

It's been an unexpectedly wonderful 2017-18 regular season for your Boston Bruins (50-20-12) but there is no way to sugarcoat tonight's result: their 4-2 loss to the Panthers (44-30-8) at TD Garden was an unmitigated disaster that ultimately could cost them the chance at the Stanley Cup this spring/summer. A win would have netted the B's many nice things: the Atlantic Division title, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference (with home ice throughout) and perhaps most importantly, a first-round date with New Jersey (44-29-9), a team that they went 3-0 against this season and is undoubtedly the worst outfit to make it from the East. Instead, Boston finished second in the Atlantic Division which means that they'll face Toronto (49-26-7)-one of the best teams in the NHL and a club that went 3-1 vs. their Original Six rivals during this campaign.

The oddest part of this evening is that with so much on the line, the Black and Gold came out flat yet again (an all too common theme lately). Panthers rookie Henrik Borgstrom (who just a few weeks ago was playing at the University of Denver) scored his first NHL goal at 1:22 of the first period, assisted by former Bruins great Frank Vatrano. The Bruins seemed to wake up less than seven minutes later as David Backes deposited a rebound by James Reimer (33 saves, 2 goals allowed). Kevan Miller and David Krejci had the assists on Backes' 14th goal of the season. Vatrano is apparently becoming something of a Bruins killer as he bagged a goal in his second straight game vs. Boston. His one-timer at 16:46 of the first period restored Florida's lead while Jared McCann and Jamie McGinn (say that ten times fast) provided the assists on Vatrano's seventh goal of the season.

The B's successfully flushed a crappy (get it?!) first period down the toilet last night against Ottawa (28-43-11) but it proved to be not nearly as easy against the Panthers who have to be one of the best non-playoff teams in NHL history (they had 96 points, only one less than Columbus and New Jersey). Something called Maxim Mamin (what a great name!) beat Tuukka Rask (22 saves) with another one-timer at 13:33 of the second period for a 3-1 Florida advantage. Reimer stopped Jake DeBrusk on a breakaway later in the frame as the Bruins were still down two goals when the second had mercifully ended.

Boston finally woke up in the third period but it was much too late. Jonathan Huberdeau's double-minor for high sticking on Zdeno Chara sparked a short-lived comeback attempt by the B's as David Pastrnak cashed in with a power-play goal at 9:54. Pasta's team-best and career-high 35th goal of the season was assisted by Patrice Bergeron (3 goals, 6 assists in his last 9 games) and Ryan Donato. Reimer actually left late in the third with a leg injury but Roberto Luongo (8 saves) of all people managed to hang on for the win. Evgenii Dadonov sent Bruins fans running to the exits when he put in a juicy rebound at 18:11. McCann assisted on Dadonov's 28th goal of the season which handed their Sunshine State neighbors (Tampa Bay) the Atlantic Division and top seed in the East.

In the last week or so, the Bruins appeared to be understandably gassed. They lost four out of their last five games which is not exactly what you want to see from a team that will be expected to make a deep playoff run. Still, it sounds like the Nashes (Rick and Riley) should hopefully be back for Game 1 vs. Toronto on Thursday (7, NESN) which would give their forward lines some additional quality depth. Game 2 is Saturday night (8, NESN) with the series shifting to Toronto for Game 3 on Patriots Day (7, NESN) and next Thursday (7, NESN).

Thankfully, I'm not in the prediction business but you are crazy if you think that Bruins-Maple Leafs will be decided either way by a sweep or in five games. This has epic six or seven-game tight playoff series written all over it. Besides Tampa Bay (54-23-5) vs. New Jersey, the other Eastern Conference series are Washington (49-26-7) vs. Columbus (45-30-7) and Pittsburgh (47-29-6) vs. Philadelphia (42-26-14). I would argue that there is nothing in sports better than the Stanley Cup Playoffs so you have to savor all of them that you can get. Like the Bruins, we all could use a little rest before the fun begins on Wednesday for some teams and Thursday for them. See you then.

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Everything Left to Play For In Game 82: B's Win & Lightning Lose in OT So Boston Can Be #1 Seed

In such an arduous regular season (82 games), it is always ironic when so much can still hinge on the finale. The Bruins (50-19-12) are happy to find themselves in that enviable position though as the eyes of the entire NHL will be on them tomorrow night since they host Florida (43-30-8) in the last game before the playoffs begin on Wednesday. Boston got off to a slow start but woke up with plenty of time left to beat hapless Ottawa (28-43-11) 5-2 this evening at TD Garden. Minutes later, things got much more interesting for the B's as Tampa Bay (54-23-5) lost 3-2 in overtime at Carolina (36-35-11) leaving the Lightning with only one more point than Boston. That means any type of win for the Black and Gold (in regulation, overtime or a shootout) will give them the Atlantic Division crown, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and perhaps most importantly, they would avoid Toronto (49-26-7) in the first round.

After the Bruins had lost their last three games in a row, it felt like they were destined to finish second in the Atlantic Division and thus meet the Maple Leafs in what would be a very difficult battle. Instead in keeping with the general magic of this campaign overall, they took care of their business while Tampa Bay simultaneously peed down their collective legs. Only Buffalo (25-45-12) finished with a worse record than Ottawa in 2017-18, making last season's improbable postseason run feel like it was a decade ago. Superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson (9 goals, 53 assists) could be gone this summer and if that's the case, talk about a franchise without a direction. All that Ottawa could do tonight was play spoiler and they did that well enough, for about 20 minutes of game action.

My man Ryan Dzingel staked the Senators to a 1-0 lead in the first period as he finished a passing sequence from Matt Duchene and BC's Colin White for his 22nd goal of the season at 12:31. That's really all that happened in the first frame as Ottawa outshot Boston 10-9 and the B's looked completely lifeless. Under former head coach Claude Julien, that might have extended for the next period or the rest of the tilt but Bruce Cassidy's guys have a way of almost always responding to adversity (even that which has been created solely by themselves).

The Bruins scored three unanswered goals in the second to take a commanding 3-1 lead. David Pastrnak tied it with a one-timer and power-play goal at 8:08, his 34th goal of the season (tying Brad Marchand for the team lead) was assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug. 51 seconds later, Tommy Wingels put Boston ahead as his shot hit the post and then Ottawa's third-string goaltender Daniel Taylor (30 saves) had the puck bounce into the net off his glove. Wingels' ninth goal of the season was unassisted. After Anton Khudobin (26 saves in his 16th win of the season) made an absurd save with a full split, rookie Danton Heinen's wicked snap shot gave Boston a 3-1 advantage at 17:01. Talk about scoring depth, his 16th goal of the season was assisted by Brian Gionta and Adam McQuaid.

Dzingel cut it to 3-2 at 7:07 of the third period with a nifty move, assisted again by White and another rookie-defenseman Christian Wolanin-who just turned pro out of the University of North Dakota. The fourth line for the Bruins has been really solid and dependable all year so it was fitting that they provided what basically amounted to the clinching goal. Noel Acciari was sent in on a breakaway by his fellow PC Friar Tim Schaller and he beat Taylor for his 10th goal of the season. Zdeno Chara had the secondary assist on the huge insurance tally at 18:09. Another guy-David Backes-that deserved a goal after all that he's been through this season had the honor of sending the Senators home for good with an empty-netter at 19:17. His 13th goal of the season was assisted by Heinen.

The Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention earlier on Saturday so I doubt that their minds will be really too focused tomorrow night what with vacations to plan (although if you live in Florida, do you really need to get away?) and off-seasons to begin as soon as possible. Boston last earned the top seed in the East in 2013 when they captured that cursed Presidents' Trophy. No need to worry about that since Nashville (53-18-11) already wrapped it up days ago. More than just a label or a number, tomorrow's contest means so much because a win would allow the B's to open against the Devils (44-29-9), the second Wild Card (ie. the lowest seed) in the East. New Jersey has put together a very surprising season to reach the playoffs for the first time in six years but who would rather face Toronto than them? Outside of Taylor Hall who should be in the running for the Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL MVP), who else do you fear? The Bruins won't need any additional motivation as they take on the Panthers in front of their home crowd one more time before Game 1 versus whomever on Thursday.

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