Jimmy Butler (35 Pts, 6 Stls) Is Still A Bad Man As Miami Takes Game 1 Of ECF From Boston 123-116

 

    The roller coaster of emotions that is the Celtics showed no signs of slowing down as they followed up Sunday's Game 7 blowout of the Sixers with a humbling 123-116 loss to the Heat tonight at TD Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami's superstar small forward Jimmy Butler (game-high 35 points, 7 assists, career playoff high 6 steals, 5 rebounds) was predictably brilliant as the Heat used a ridiculous third quarter (where they outscored Boston 46-25) to overcome a 13-point deficit and hang on for a 1-0 series lead. The C's apparently have not learned anything from their past mistakes as they lost Game 1 of the ECF last year vs. Miami and they even gagged away Game 1 against Philly a few weeks ago. The good news is that they obviously won both of those series but how many times can you count on that happening?

    We expect Butler to be a bit of a one-man show but that was far from the case this evening since center Bam Adebayo added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, point guard Gabe Vincent (WHO?) and shooting guard Max Strus both scored 15 points apiece while small forward Gabe Martin and backup point guard Kyle Lowry each notched 15 points off the bench as well. For the home team, their superstar small forward Jayson Tatum had about the quietest 30-point performance that you will ever see. Somehow he did not take a single shot in the fourth quarter as his team tried to rally (outscoring Miami 25-20) and he compounded that with three mind-numbing turnovers including two traveling violations. 

    Boston's star shooting guard Jaylen Brown put up 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists but he also was not much of a factor particularly after his hand started gushing blood late in the contest (seriously, that still hasn't fully healed yet?). Point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 11 assists, 2 steals) had a double-double but he was pretty quiet after a great first half. Center Robert Williams (14 points, 7 rebounds) was in the starting lineup again and came out strong but he was mostly relegated to the bench in the second half which was strange. Backup point guard Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points while guard Derrick White tossed in 11 points off the bench.

    The first quarter was pretty competitive as the Celts led 30-28 and then 66-57 at halftime. The Heat's offense was pathetic in the regular season where they were the lowest scoring team in the league but they have picked it up in a major way during this unlikely playoff run. Still, how do you let Butler and this collection of undrafted nobodies set a franchise record for points in a quarter (on the road no less!)? Miami beat Boston at their own game because they shot better from the field (54.1%-51.9%), hit six more 3-pointers (16-10), they had twice as many steals (12-6) and they committed three less turnovers (15-12). 

    It is impossible to predict anything with the C's this postseason but they did win Game 2 vs. the Sixers so I would expect a better and more focused effort on Friday (8:30, TNT) against the Heat. The difference though between Atlanta, Philadelphia and Miami is that the Heat are not going to just fall apart on their own. This is a very proud group that has been to the Eastern Conference Finals in three out of the last four years and they made the NBA Finals in the 2020 bubble. Boston will have to contain Butler more and make sure that the others do not go off as much as they did in Game 1. Nobody thought that this series would be easy for the Celtics but this was a sobering punch to the mouth right away, good times! 

In Tonight's Episode Of Boston Sports Failure, The Celtics Dropped Game 1 To The Sixers 119-115

 

    So apparently we live in sports hell now. For the second straight night, we were treated to an excruciating setback for the home team as this time the Celtics did the honors by losing Game 1 of their second round playoff series to the Sixers 119-115 at TD Garden. Philly's superstar center Joel Embiid (knee) was out and the Celts were a 10.5 point favorite, therefore no problem right? Nothing is certain though with this ultra talented but bipolar club. Sixers shooting guard James Harden tied his playoff career-high with 45 points (including the dagger go-ahead 3-pointer pictured above). Game 2 is Wednesday (8, TNT) back at the Garden and Embiid could return then, gulp. I am still confident that Boston will win the series but why do they keep making things more difficult on themselves? 

    When we take a step back like Harden (sorry), this result is not surprising at all especially considering how Boston repeatedly stumbled in the first round vs. Atlanta. Despite multiple players that are considered good defenders, their team defense is currently a complete mess. I know that every team scores 100+ points in each game in the NBA these days but this is getting ridiculous for the C's. Besides losing home court advantage right away in this series, the Celtics wasted a fantastic performance by its star small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 39 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) along with a team shooting performance that seems impossible to lose with-58.7% from the floor and 17-of-18 from the free throw line. Turnovers absolutely killed them as they had a whopping 10 more (16-6) than Philadelphia which simply cannot happen in the postseason if you hope to win anything.

    Harden was the headliner but the others on the Sixers also stepped up with the likely NBA MVP sitting on the sidelines. Point guard Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points, power forward Tobias Harris added 18 points and five rebounds while something named Paul Reed had a double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) as Embiid's dollar store replacement. Finally, shooting guard De'Anthony Melton scored 17 points off the bench for Philly. Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown started out fast and finished with 23 points and six rebounds, point guard Marcus Smart added 12 points and seven assists (but also 6 turnovers) and center Al Horford notched 11 points and six rebounds. Guard Malcolm Brogdon (20 points) was great off the bench but he couldn't entirely make up for shooting guard Derrick White's (4 points) worst game of the playoffs and maybe the entire season. 

    In a high scoring first quarter, the Celts couldn't miss and they led 38-31 but it was all downhill from there as the Sixers took each of the final three quarters. Philadelphia cut it to 66-63 at halftime and it was tied at 87 going into the last frame. Philly hit seven more 3-pointers (17-10) and had seven more steals (10-3) than the hosts which led to seven more points off turnovers (20-13). The Celtics pulled down 10 more rebounds (38-28), dished out nine more assists (26-17), they scored 24 more points in the paint (66-42!!!!!) and four more fast break points (14-10) and yet somehow they still found a way to lose on their home court. I refuse to panic and call Game 2 a must-win (YAWN!) but yikes, things would get pretty sketchy if the Sixers can take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Celts Catch Fire In The Fourth Quarter & Win Game 1 Of The NBA Finals, 120-108 Vs. Warriors

 

    It's hard to imagine a much better fourth quarter than what the Celtics conjured up this evening at the Chase Center in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals vs. the Warriors. Boston trailed by 12 points (92-80) going into the final frame before they went absolutely bananas and outscored shell-shocked Golden State 40-16. The C's took Game 1 by a score of 120-108, proving that their lack of rest after the Eastern Conference Finals compared to the Warriors (who had a few more days off after beating Dallas in the Western Conference Finals) did not matter at all. Boston improved to 8-2 on the road this postseason while they also handed Golden State their first loss (9-1) on their shiny home court in the 2022 playoffs. Game 2 is Sunday night (8, ABC) back in San Francisco. FYI, only two teams in NBA Finals history have ever lost Games 1 & 2 at home and as you would assume, neither went on to win the series.

    There were many standouts for the Celts but none was better than their ageless power forward Al Horford (team-high 26 points, 6 rebounds) who hit a career-high six three-pointers. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown heated up in the second half and finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Point guard Marcus Smart added 18 points, five rebounds and two steals while small forward Jayson Tatum was ice cold in terms of shooting (3-of-17) so he was held to 12 points but he notched a career-high 13 assists and added five rebounds. Backup point guard Derrick White had another brilliant performance off the bench as he was a game-high plus-25 with 21 points (5 3-pointers!) in 32 impressive minutes. 

    In the first quarter, Golden State's future Hall of Famer and the best shooter in NBA history point guard Stephen Curry (game-high 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals) was unreal with 21 points including an NBA record six three-pointers. Once Boston figured out that maybe they should cover him and not allow so many wide open looks, he went scoreless in the second quarter and was held to 13 points in the second half. Once Curry cooled off, there wasn't really another Warrior capable of stepping up offensively. Small forward Andrew Wiggins (20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) has definitely improved, shooting guard Klay Thompson (15 points) is understandably working his way back from two ACL tears in consecutive years while power forward Draymond Green (11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) still can't shoot whatsoever (2-of-12 from the floor including 0-for-4 on 3s and 0-for-3 on FTs). The ghost of small forward Otto Porter Jr. put up 12 points off the bench for Golden State. 

    Golden State led 32-28 after the first quarter but Boston picked it up in the second quarter (28-22) to lead at halftime by two points (56-54). Things started to look bleak in the third quarter when the Warriors led by as much as 15 points and they outscored Boston 38-24. Just when you thought that it was beginning to get out of hand, the C's kept chipping away and hitting three-pointers to stay within shouting distance. Still, nobody could have expected that stunning turnaround in the fourth quarter. Boston shot six percent better from the field (50%-44%), they hit two more three-pointers (21-19) and two more free throws (13-11) and dished out nine more assists (33-24) than Golden State. The C's scored eight more points in the paint (34-26) than the Warriors and 11 more points off turnovers (21-10). It'll take more than one loss to rattle Golden State though since Curry, Thompson and Green were all part of three championship squads in recent seasons with the Warriors. Boston will have to play even better to steal Game 2 and come home with a dream 2-0 lead in the series. You can count on the Warriors playing a much better and more complete game than this on Sunday night.

After Milwaukee's 101-89 Win In Game 1, Boston Is Going To Have Their Hands Full With The Bucks

 

    I was told that the Celtics had a clear path to the NBA Finals now and that they should waltz past the Bucks in their second round playoff series. Yeah not so much as Milwaukee came out in Game 1 this afternoon at TD Garden and punched them in the mouth, taking the opener 101-89 behind their superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's second career playoff triple double (24 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks). After sweeping the pathetic Nets in the first round, Boston had been off for nearly a week but that's not an excuse as they suffered their first loss of this postseason. The Celtics' two stars-small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals)-were both not nearly good enough to beat the defending world champions. 

    The scary part for the C's is that Giannis didn't even play that well offensively, shooting 9-for-25 from the field and missing five free throws (6-of-11) but he still affects the game in so many ways which is why he is currently the best basketball player on the planet. With small forward Khris Middleton out for the series, many people think that Milwaukee lacks another star behind Giannis which might be true but it hardly seemed to matter when point guard Jrue Holiday was awesome with a game-high 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Bucks big man Bobby Portis added a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while that lowlife Grayson Allen notched 11 points and three steals off the bench. 

    Boston lacked any answers with Tatum and Brown each having lackluster performances. Center Al Horford had a double double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while point guard Marcus Smart had 10 points, six assists and two steals. Backup point guard Derrick White was the only other Celtic in double figures with 10 points off the bench. The Celtics' defense gets plenty of hype but on the road, the Bucks held them to a ridiculous 33% shooting from the floor while they grabbed six more defensive rebounds (44-38), made three more steals (11-8) and turned the ball over five less times (18-13) than the sloppy home team. Time and again, Boston shot themselves in the foot as Milwaukee scored 21 more points off turnovers (27-6), 20 more fast break points (28-8) and five more second chance points (19-14). Finally, the Bucks also bullied them to the tune of 14 more points (34-20) in the paint as well.

    After doing basically whatever they wanted vs. Brooklyn, the Celtics appeared stunned to be pushed around so much by Milwaukee. In fact, the Bucks led really from start to finish: 27-24 after the first quarter, by 10 points at halftime (56-46) and 78-70 going into the fourth quarter. It's tough to call a Game 2 a must-win but would you like the Celts' chances of winning the series if they went to Milwaukee down 2-0? Me neither. You have to bank on Tatum and especially Brown being better on Tuesday (7, TNT) while Holiday doesn't figure to play so well. It will tell us plenty about Boston by how they respond to their first significant adversity of this postseason. Are they true contenders or just front-running frauds? Stay tuned on that.  

Instant Classic: Celtics Beat The Nets 115-114 In Game 1 On Jayson Tatum's Buzzer-Beating Layup

 

    For the Celtics, the 2022 NBA playoffs began this afternoon at TD Garden vs. the Nets and when it was over, we were all treated to an Easter miracle. Boston had led by as much as 15 points (84-69) in the third quarter before unraveling in the fourth quarter as Brooklyn outscored them 29-19. Thankfully, the C's made one final winning play to escape with a thrilling 115-114 victory (their first playoff buzzer-beater since Paul Pierce vs. Miami in 2010!) in Game 1 of the first round. Celts shooting guard Jaylen Brown (23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) started the sequence by driving to the basket before finding point guard Marcus Smart (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) who surprisingly passed up a hero three-pointer and threaded a pass to Boston's superstar small forward Jayson Tatum (team-high 31 points, 8 assists, 2 blocks) for a spinning layup as time expired. 

    This would have been a crushing loss for the home team and we all know in the NBA how important home court is along with the outcome of Game 1s. We got the full Kyrie Irving experience as the Nets mercurial point guard dropped a game-high 39 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals while he also made fun of the TD Garden crowd and flipped them off on multiple occasions. Happy Ramadan everybody! Kyrie probably won't have a better game in this series while conversely his fellow star Kevin Durant (23 points, 6 turnovers) could never really get things going. What are the odds that Brooklyn's normally unstoppable power forward shoots 9-of-24 from the field again vs. Boston? Answer: highly unlikely. 

    The unexpected star for the Celtics in Game 1 was center Al Horford (20 points, 15 rebounds) who was forced to play 41 minutes at age 35 with Robert Williams likely out for this series. The Nets bench is not one of the strengths of their team but they outscored the Celtics 30-17. Boston killer and ageless point guard Goran Dragic had 14 points and five rebounds while bouncy power forward Nic Claxton added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks (while he went 1-for-5 on free throws). One of the main reasons that the C's were able to survive this contest was their dominance on the glass: they had 14 more total rebounds (43-29) including nine more offensive boards (14-5). Boston is not the biggest team in the league but against Brooklyn, they have to take advantage of their size around the basket. 

    Boston led 29-28 after the first quarter and it was tied at 61 at halftime. The Celtics got rolling in the third quarter (35-24) before their offense mostly disappeared in the fourth quarter. This being the NBA, Game 2 won't happen until Wednesday (7, NBC Sports Boston). After losing in five games last season to Brooklyn in the first round (the Nets are 3-0 all-time in playoff series vs. the C's), Boston will have to flush this result and get focused on the next matchup. Durant and Irving are spectacular talents but let's be honest, the rest of the Nets (including first-time head coach Steve Nash) are much less impressive. The Celts are deeper, play better team basketball and have a legitimately qualified head coach in Ime Udoka. Then again, the league has always been and will always be superstar driven so we have to hope that Tatum and Brown at least play Durant and Irving to a draw. PS is there any chance that Kyrie leaves his Four Seasons (I'm assuming Brooklyn is staying there) hotel suite for anything but practice these next few days? Haha he will be booed non-stop no matter where he shows up around the city this week.

In True Bruins Style, They Wasted A Great Chance To Win Game 1 Vs. The Capitals, Falling 3-2 In OT

 

    The Bruins and Capitals had the honor of opening the 2021 NHL playoffs this evening at the Capital One Arena and Washington took Game 1 by a score of 3-2 in overtime as something called Nic Dowd tipped in the game-winning goal at 4:41. Boston never led but it still felt like a tilt that they should have found a way to win since Caps rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek (3 saves, 1 goal allowed) went down with a game-ending lower-body injury only 13:10 into the first period. In his place stepped 39-year-old veteran journeyman (this is his 5th NHL team!) Craig Anderson-who had only played in four games during the regular season-and he proceeded to stop 21 out of 22 shots for the win. It is only one game so I'm not going to freak out yet but I will say that if Boston loses this series, I'm confident that Game 1 will be a result they would dearly wish to have back. 

    Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (29 saves) was good for much of the night except of course when it counted most which seems to be one of his specialties when it comes to the playoffs. He actually made the initial save on Dowd's tip of right wing T.J. Oshie's shot but the puck bounced off Rask's chest protector directly down to his stick which knocked it into his net. Woof. There are plenty of B's fans who are very tired of Rask these days so I can only imagine how many of them said something along the lines of "I told you so!" in that instance. Washington's chief piece of human garbage Tom Wilson had the secondary assist on what was undoubtedly the biggest goal of Dowd's life. 

    Speaking of Wilson, he also opened the scoring with the first goal of the postseason in the NHL. Ugh, you can't make this stuff up. Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy's stick broke in the offensive zone so the Capitals got a 2-on-1 with Oshie feeding Wilson who picked the top corner over Rask's glove hand. Left wing Daniel Sprong had the second assist at 6:22 of the first period. Boston's fourth line surprisingly provided the timely response for the B's as left wing Jake DeBrusk fired a quick shot after a face-off scrum for the tying goal at 13:10 of the first period. Center Curtis Lazar had the lone assist (his 1st playoff point as a Bruin) as he got the puck back to DeBrusk. That goal is when Vanecek got hurt and Anderson had to come in ice cold and rusty, no pressure.

    Playoff hockey is all about random guys stepping up and the second period was more proof of that as Caps defenseman Brendan Dillon's shot from the point deflected off Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon's stick and past Rask at 8:44. Right wing Anthony Mantha (1st career playoff point) and Capitals icon Alex Ovechkin had the assists on Dillon's first ever playoff goal. Once again, it did not take Boston long to answer though as left wing Nick Ritchie was credited with a power play goal after right wing David Pastrnak's shot went off Ritchie's skate in front of Anderson. McAvoy had the second assist at 16:38 that tied it up at two. 

         Game 2 is set for Monday (7:30, NESN) back at the Capital One Arena and while I would not call it a must-win for the black and gold, it is in that scary neighborhood. Who knows if Vanecek will be able to play then or for the rest of the series but regardless, Boston has to get much more out of their top two lines that were both basically invisible in Game 1. More than anyone, Rask could also use a win since if the Bruins returned to Boston down 0-2 in the series, you wonder if head coach Bruce Cassidy would be tempted to throw rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman in there to turn things around? There is very little separating these clubs so expect a long and tight series, I don't think that there will be many blowouts or one-sided affairs.

What A Way To End Game 1: Bergeron Scores The Game-Winner As Boston Beats Carolina 4-3 In 2OT

       After the 2020 NHL playoffs started yesterday afternoon with an absurd five overtime game (fourth longest contest in league history) between the Lightning and Blue Jackets-won 3-2 by Brayden Point and Tampa Bay)-it pushed Game 1 between the Bruins and Hurricanes from last night to an 11 a.m. start this morning. This being 2020, the silliness of course continued with a double overtime contest between Boston and Carolina. Thankfully, the Apocalypse might be upon us but at least Patrice Bergeron is still Patrice Bergeron and he won it at 1:13 of double overtime after a beautiful sequence with linemates Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. It was a bit of redemption for Boston's top line that was completely shutdown in the Stanley Cup Final last year vs. St. Louis and hadn't gotten going in last week's "preseason" games as Marchand termed them.

      Bergeron's overtime tally was the fourth in his career, giving him the new franchise record and moving ahead of Terry O'Reilly and Mel Hill who both had three. Also, Bergeron's two points (goal, assist) pushed him in front of David Krejci (goal) for second most playoff points (106) in team history. Finally, Patrice has 41 career playoff goals which is now the fourth best as a Bruin. Bottom line, this would have been a tough loss for the B's since they outshot the Canes 40-28 and truthfully should have won this in regulation given all the great scoring chances that they squandered. 

     Even though they swept the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, this is not the same overmatched Carolina club. This series is sure to be harder than that for the Bruins to win but you still have to realize that the Hurricanes' goaltending situation and defensemen are both suspect at best. Petr Mrazek made 36 saves but if the B's (namely Jake DeBrusk) could have hit the target a little better, he would have been pulled after allowing five or six goals. Matt Grzelyck also had a shot hit the crossbar then post on the same play, haha that's basically impossible to do. So how did the Hurricanes last until double overtime? Well, Tuukka Rask (25 saves) was not particularly sharp, Boston's power play was useless (0-for-4) and Pastrnak had a brutal turnover leading to a shorthanded goal by the immortal Brock McGinn which sounds like the name of an 80s teen movie villian.  

    Every doomsday scenario has to be considered in this insane time to be alive so don't be shocked if Jaroslav Halak starts for the Bruins, mostly because Game 2 is tomorrow night (8, NESN) and remember that Game 3 is an early start on Saturday (12 p.m., NBC). Rask played every game last postseason but that doesn't seem feasible this time around since if the B's keep advancing, they're bound to play back-to-backs which are typical of the regular season but not the playoffs. 

    Neither team could really hold a lead since Carolina opened the scoring at 13:02 of the first period on Joel Edmundson's blast but from there, they rallied from brief 2-1 and 3-2 deficits. The former Blue's first goal of the postseason was assisted by Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Pasta quickly answered with his first goal of the playoffs at 17:45, the result of a pretty cross-crease feed from Marchand and second assist to Bergy.

    Mrazek allowed a bunch of juicy rebounds all game long (one of his specialties) and Boston was able to take advantage of that early in the second period. He failed to cover up a loose puck which allowed Charlie Coyle to swoop in and fire it past the basically vacant net. Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour challenged the play but it stood as Coyle's first postseason goal at 4:38 of the second period. The first lead in five games (including the exhibition vs. Columbus) lasted for a grand total of 21 seconds as Boston got a power play from the challenge that didn't work but Pastrnak promptly coughed the puck right up to McGinn who skated in on a breakaway and beat Rask up high with a backhander. Woof.

    Once again, a blunder by Mrazek led to another Bruins go-ahead goal though when Ondrej Kase (who was great all day) fired a relatively easy shot that Petr kicked directly to Krejci. In his patented calm manner, he wheeled around the Hurricanes' goaltender and flipped the puck in for his first goal of the playoffs 59 seconds into the third period. Charlie McAvoy (team-high 33:45) had the other assist for the B's. The one Carolina goal that you could really blame Rask on was fittingly the tying one in the third period: something named Haydn Fleury (subbing in for Sami Vatanen who was "unfit to play" along with Mr. Overtime Justin Williams) threw a wrist shot on net from just inside the blue line and it somehow went in. Granted, there was plenty of traffic in front which surely obstructed Rask's view but come on, it wasn't a Zdeno Chara slap shot over 100 mph. Former Panthers great Vincent Trocheck had the lone assist on Fleury's shaky tying goal that came at 9:49. 

    Much of the first overtime was the same story for Boston: missed opportunities. They outshot Carolina 11-6 and drew the lone penalty of either overtime-Brady Skjei held Charlie Coyle late in the 1st OT. Bergeron's goal was the only shot by the Bruins in double overtime and who better to end it than him-one of the best players in Bruins history. The whole sequence was Bruins porn as Brandon Carlo started the rush, Pastrnak gave the puck to Marchand at center ice, Brad gave it back to David then he dropped a backhander to Patrice. Of course, Mrazek looked like he was on a slip and slide as he slid over too far to have a chance to stop Bergy's low, hard shot into the corner of the net.  

    Looking ahead to Game 2, the numbers favor the Black and Gold: they are 32-21 all-time in Game 2s when leading a best-of-7 series 1-0 while the Canes are 10-14 in Game 2s when they trail 0-1 in a best-of-seven series. Furthermore, Boston is 37-17 all-time in best-of-seven series when they lead 1-0 and Carolina is 6-7 all-time in a best-of-seven series when they trail 0-1. Obviously 2020 is bonkers and with no travel or fans, these historical figures might not mean as much as they typically do. We shall see but at least playoff hockey is back in a big way for the B's after today's awesome victory.

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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Well The Bruins Aren't Going to Sweep the Red Wings, That's For Certain

This might be the easiest Bruins game recap that I've ever written. Tonight they dropped Game 1 of the first round to Detroit, 1-0 at TD Garden. The result wasn't that surprising if you watched the game because Boston took way too long to find itself and by the time they did, it was in the third period.

Red Wings superstar Pavel Datsyuk made an incredible move to get open then snap a shot past Tuukka Rask (23 saves) at 16:59 of the third period. He was assisted by Johan Franzen. That's all that Jimmy Howard (25 saves) needed as he posted his third career playoff shutout.

There is no need to panic (yet) for Bruins fans but I will say that I think Game 2 on Sunday (3, NBC) is basically a must-win. I had a hunch this series would go six or seven so I felt like the Red Wings would win a few games but the B's really don't want to be down 2-0 then going on the road.

Boston's top line was mostly non-existent and the second line was just ok. The defense pairings and last two forward lines were remodeled as Chris Kelly (back), Daniel Paille (concussion), Matt Bartkowski and Kevan Miller (both have flu, I think) were all surprisingly out. It's not like any of those guys is irreplaceable but losing them all at the same time means that the Bruins don't have the depth they normally display.

The B's will also have to change their gameplan a bit in later games too since they didn't possess the puck nearly enough or go on the power play (once). It's nice that they had eight more hits (34-26) than the Red Wings but Detroit didn't seem to mind at all as they owned the puck which is the most important aspect of hockey besides scoring goals which they could also improve on.

UPDATE 4/19: Milan Lucic was fined $5000 (most allowed under CBA) for spearing Danny DeKeyser in the groin last night, Happy Easter!

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