Bruins Lose To A Shitbag Team-Hurricanes-But Gain A Swede That Could Help Them

When you lose to a team that came in with seven straight losses, miss out on clinching a playoff spot and most importantly, don't retake possession of first place in the Northeast Division, it has been a rough night. Boston (26-11-4) had everything in their hands but they couldn't get the job done as they lost 3-2 at Carolina's (17-22-2) PNC Arena.

While the B's were faltering against one of the Eastern Conference's worst teams, the Canadiens were getting curbstomped by the Maple Leafs. Montreal ended up losing 5-1 which means that if Boston had won, they would have jumped one point ahead of the Habs.

I guess it wasn't to be; the only thing that should give B's fans a sliver of hope after this punch to the balls is that they were able to sign Swedish forward Carl Soderberg to a three-year deal. He's expected to play on Wednesday and he'll be eligible for the playoffs as soon as he suits up for the Bruins. It is beyond stupid to pin our hopes on a guy that's never played in the NHL, joining a new team right before the postseason but at least he is obviously skilled and he could potentially give Boston more scoring punch which would help balance out their faltering lines.

Milan Lucic scored his first goal in 10 games (his sixth of the season) at 6:07 of the first period from Matt Bartkowski and Jaromir Jagr. Looch tipped Bartkowski's shot from the point past Hurricanes goaltender Justin Peters (28 saves). Boston hadn't recorded a fighting major since March 27 so it was nice to see the Bruins drop the gloves three times in the first period: Shawn Thornton vs. Kevin Westgarth, Zdeno Chara vs. Jay Harrison and Gregory Campbell vs. Nicolas Blanchard.

The Hurricanes spoiled the fun provided by the fisticuffs since Jeff Skinner scored a backbreaking power play goal with 36 seconds left in the first period. He banked it in off Tuukka Rask's (34 saves) pads with assists to Alexander Semin and Justin Faulk.

Jiri Tlusty sneaked one past Rask at 14:04 of the second period from Jordan Staal and Tim Gleason. Boston pushed back as Tyler Seguin tied it at two with his 15th goal of the season, from Andrew Ference at 17:57. A bad line change by Carolina and heady chip by Ference led to Seguin skating in on a breakaway. Let's face it, there's nobody else on the Bruins that we'd rather see in that situation.

Joltin' Joe Corvo provided the game-winning goal against his former employer, Carolina scored its second power play goal at 9:36 in the third period. Corvo one-timed a pass from Marc-Andre Bergeron that Rask would normally stop. Tlusty added an empty-netter with 29 seconds left. Make no mistake about it, given the circumstances I think this was Boston's worst loss of the season.

The Bruins are back at TD Garden for a busy week of four games in seven days-all in Boston. They begin by hosting Ottawa (21-14-6, 4th in Northeast Division) on Monday (7 p.m., NESN). Boston is 4-0 against the Senators this season (all 1-goal games) so they'll go for the season sweep on Monday. Keep in mind that all numbers pointed to them beating the Hurricanes tonight. You never know what'll happen when two of your best players (Patrice Bergeron & Brad Marchand) are out.

Boston still has a chance to catch Montreal since five of their last seven games are at home while the Canadiens play four road games in their last seven contests to close out the regular season.

UPDATE 4/17: Jordan Caron was sent to Providence while Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand return to action for the B's tonight vs. Buffalo.

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For The First Time In Nearly Two Months, The Bruins Have Lost Two In A Row

Call it whatever you want-a funk, a tough stretch, a post All-Star break snooze-the Boston Bruins are currently struggling as much as they have since October concluded.

The B's (32-16-2) fell 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins (30-18-4) this afternoon at TD Garden. It was Boston's sixth loss in its last 10 games.

The NHL trade deadline is three weeks from Monday. A few weeks ago, I would have thought it was silly to even discuss a possible move in depth since the Bruins were on cruise control but now, with a few more sub par efforts, I think GM Peter Chiarelli and Co. will need to think long and hard about making a trade. They don't need a blockbuster but like last season, they could use an infusion of new blood that they can slot into the lineup.

Today's contest was further proof that even without Sidney Crosby, I feel that the Pens are the biggest obstacle between the Bruins and another Eastern Conference championship. They're deep, have plenty of talent, a great goaltender, they're tough and they have an outstanding coach. Pittsburgh seems like one of the only squads that isn't intimidated by Boston's physical play. In fact, they beat up the B's in this one.

I made a promise to myself after last season that I would never again partake in attending 1 p.m. games on Saturdays. I don't have the numbers to back it up but I feel like Boston always sleepwalks through those, can't score goals and usually lose.

The NHL's leading scorer Evgeni Malkin (28th goal of the season) gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal with nine seconds left in the first period. Chris Kunitz and James Neal had the assists but Malkin did the hard work as he fought for the rebound and beat Tim Thomas (26 saves; 22-10-0).

That killer goal gave Pittsburgh energy and public enemy No. 1 in Boston Matt Cooke (9th goal of the season) made it 2-0 at 1:53 of the third period. Dustin Jeffrey and Pascal Dupuis had the assists but once again, Thomas was the victim of a rebound he left basically on the doorstep of the crease.

Marc Andre-Fleury's (28 saves) shutout bid was broken at 6:45 by Joe Corvo. The defenseman, who's been playing awful the last month or so, scored his third of the season thanks to a nice screen by Brad Marchand. Corvo's harmless wrist shot from the point found its way past Fleury. Marchand and Patrice Bergeron had the assists.

Boston pressed for another goal but they never found it. The lack of goal-scoring the past two games (1 total) isn't just because of Nathan Horton's absence but I think it's obvious that as much as we love Rich Peverley, he's not first line material.

The Penguins will play the Bruins twice more in the regular season: March 11 in Pittsburgh and April 3 in Boston.

The Bruins have a tough back-to-back as they travel to Washington D.C. to face the Capitals tomorrow afternoon (12:30 p.m.). In the last game before the All-Star break, the B's lost 5-3 to the Caps on January 24. Before I settle in for Super Bowl 46, it would ease my mind a bit if the B's can get two points.

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Seidenberg's Long-Range Bomb Helps Bruins Score 3 Unanswered Goals, Knock Off Senators

It felt good to have NHL hockey back tonight, didn't it?

The Boston Bruins started the post-All-Star break portion of their schedule by hosting the Ottawa Senators tonight at TD Garden. The B's (32-14-2) spotted the Senators (27-20-6) a 3-1 lead in the second period but the home team rallied for three unanswered goals themselves, capped off by an absurd game-winner by Dennis Seidenberg to win it 4-3.

I'm not sure if Seidenberg saw Craig Anderson leaning or what but his slapper from center ice (really) beat Anderson (26 saves) at 7:09 of the third period. It took a hop off the ice and seemed to curve in-Bend It Like Seidenberg?-but come on, an NHL goaltender can never give up a goal like that, especially in that spot.

Whatever the case, Boston will take it since they mostly struggled through the first and second periods to get their legs back.

Captain Zdeno Chara (8th of the season) gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 11:57 of the first on a screened blast from the point on the power play. The tireless Chara, who was everywhere at All-Star weekend, was assisted by David Krejci and Milan Lucic (who set a perfect screen on Anderson).

Ottawa tried to show that they are a legitimate threat in the Northeast Division by setting a physical tone against one of the toughest teams in hockey, who had beaten them the first two times they met this season. Pumping three straight goals in didn't hurt either.

After Shawn Thornton fought Chris Neil, Adam McQuaid traded blows with Zenon Konopka. Then the Senators tied it at 1 thanks to Colin Greening's (12th of the season) tip of Milan Micalek's pass at 18:40. Filip Kuba (2 assists) had the other helper.

Ottawa poured pressure on Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (30 saves; 21-9-0) in the second period and they were able to score twice more. Kyle Turris (5th of the season) made it 2-1 with a snipe at 7:43 from captain Daniel Alfredsson then Erik Karlsson (8th of the season) beat Thomas between his leg pads, from Neil and Kuba at 13:28.

Milan Lucic gave the B's a big momentum swing by scoring his 18th of the season with 45 seconds left in the second. For once, Lucic showed off good hands by stickhandling into a better shooting position then ripping one past Anderson. Rich Peverley and Chara had the assists on the goal which got the stunned crowd back into it.

Boston finally woke up in the third as Brad Marchand (18th of the season) tied it at 3 with 2:20 gone by with the team's second power-play strike. It was a classic Marchand goal, the result of supreme effort and skill around the net, assisted by Joe Corvo (2 assists) and Seidenberg.

Carolina comes to the Garden on Thursday and it's time that Boston beat them. I guarantee that you didn't know the Hurricanes are 3-0 against the Bruins so far this season. That has to be one of the most shocking numbers in the NHL at the moment. I expect the B's to bring a more complete effort than tonight and finally pick up two points against a team that's going nowhere.

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Bruins Snap Two-Game Skid, Win A Strange One 5-3 In Columbus

I don't catch enough Columbus Blue Jackets games to know if this is the norm or not but I have to say that tonight's contest between them and the Boston Bruins was particularly bizarre.

The B's (18-9-1) snapped a two-game losing streak by winning 5-3 at Nationwide Arena over the Blue Jackets (8-17-4) but they pulled it off under pretty random circumstances.

Where to begin? Well Columbus got out to a 2-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (22 saves) was pulled after two periods, Zdeno Chara was felled with a "lower-body injury" in the second period and didn't return, Joe Corvo scored his first two goals in his Bruins career while Boston's power play finished 3 of 6.

After Shawn Thornton and Jared Boll renewed acquaintances (they fought in the teams' first meeting as well, Nov. 17), Rick Nash (9th of the season) made it 1-0 Columbus at 5:46 when he broke loose from Chara on a breakaway and beat Thomas.

Former Flyer Jeff Carter (5th of the season) doubled the lead at 11:09 when he shoveled in a backhander, on the power play.

Corvo's wrist shot from the point brought the B's back in it at 18:26 of the first period, from Milan Lucic (3 assists) and David Krejci (2 assists).

Boston struck again 45 seconds later, to tie it at 2, and improbably send it into the first intermission like that. Nathan Horton's (8th of the season) snap shot left Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis Sanford (24 saves in his hideous toilet cake blue leg pads) with no chance to stop it. Lucic and Andrew Ference assisted on the goal.

Lucic took a dumb double minor penalty later in the first period but Boston was able to successfully kill it.

Chara's (6th of the season) bomb from the point, gave Boston a 3-2 lead with its second power-play goal of the night. Lucic and Krejci assisted on the goal, 58 seconds into the second frame.

At 16:05, R.J. Umberger (5th of the season) tied it at 3 with a goal that Thomas rarely gives up and undoubtedly would like to have back.

Boston head coach Claude Julien never has to pull the old Montreal Canadiens desperation tactic of pulling the goalie but on this night, it worked wonders. Tuukka Rask (11 saves; 5-4-1) started the third period and didn't allow any goals despite some solid chances for the Blue Jackets.

Corvo scored his second power-play goal at 6:44 from Dennis Seidenberg and Tyler Seguin. Corvo was the most culpable player on goals in the Winnipeg and Florida losses so it was nice to see him get rewarded offensively since he's had a bunch of close calls and near misses this season.

Chris Kelly (11th of the season) added the third power-play goal with 26 seconds remaining. Patrice Bergeron fed him from behind the net for Kelly's underrated one-timer, Brad Marchand had the other assist.

The book is closed on Boston vs. Columbus in 2011-2012 with a shootout victory and tonight's win for the good guys. The only way they would meet again is if they both advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Haha, well I don't think the Blue Jackets will be there.

Things figure to get a little more interesting on Tuesday as the Bruins welcome the Los Angeles Kings, a team they usually only see once or twice a season, to TD Garden. Connecticut native and UMass-Amherst alum Jonathan Quick is one of the top young goaltenders in the league and Bill Simmons' favorite NHL squad also has a bunch of stud young forwards and defensemen. I'm looking forward to what should be an entertaining game.

UPDATE 12/11: Boston Globe Bruins reporter Fluto Shinzawa reports that Chara is expected to miss a week of action (vs. Los Angeles, at Ottawa, at Philly) with a leg injury. Stay tuned for more news on that since the captain never misses action.

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Bruins Are Finding Their Groove, Second Straight Win For Tuukka Rask

Only time will tell if the Edmonton Oilers are going to be a good team this season or if they simply got off to a nice start.

Regardless, the Oilers (9-4-2) came into the TD Garden tonight having won seven of their last eight games. They had the third most points in the NHL but that didn't seem to matter as the Bruins (7-7-0) climbed to .500 for the first time in 2011-12 with a 6-3 victory.

Boston has now beaten Edmonton ten times in a row, dating back to October 2000. It is ironic that the Bruins struggled so much to score to begin the season because they have potted 24 goals (6 per game) in their last four contests.

The B's are riding a four-game win streak and even more promising, they've won Tuukka Rask's (27 saves) last two starts. Even the power-play is starting to come around with two more goals this evening.

Brad Marchand (2 goals) shook off a 10-game goalless stretch, Joe Corvo added three assists, Tyler Seguin (1 goal, 1 assist) continue to put the puck in the net while Nathan Horton had two assists.

Rich Peverley sat out another game with his undisclosed injury and Daniel Paille missed the contest following the surgery for his broken nose. Providence Bruins standout Zach Hamill made the most of his first appearance (this season) with the big club, picking up his third NHL assist. Unfortunately, Andrew Ference left in the second period with an injury and he never returned. If he can't go on Saturday, expect Steven Kampfer to return to the lineup.

With games in Detroit and Chicago this weekend, the Oilers sat their starting goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. It was an all backup occasion with Devan Dubnyk (22 saves) taking on Rask.

Boston took an early 2-0 lead in the first period as Johnny Boychuk (2nd of the season) scored at 7:11 from David Krejci and Horton then Jordan Caron (1st of the season) doubled it with an assist from Hamill. Boychuk's shot was a blast from the point, his specialty; Caron mishit his shot but the pass was so good that a simple redirect got the job done.

Edmonton tied it up with a pair of goals in 29 seconds (12:02 and 12:31). Mark Recchi lite aka Ryan Smith (8th of the season) tipped a shot from the point by Theo Peckham. 2011 No. 1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (7th of the season) finished a feed from 2011 No. 1 pick Taylor Hall.

Boston took control with two unanswered tallies in the second. Marchand (3rd of the season) deflected Corvo's shot from the point on the power-play (Seguin assisted too). Seguin showed he's not afraid to go to the net and he was rewarded with his ninth goal of the season, from Corvo.

Smyth's tap in at 15:18 of the third period brought the Oilers within a goal but no worries, the Bruins had this one in the skate bag. Milan Lucic (8th of the season) got an easy power-play goal thanks to Corvo's gorgeous feed. Horton assisted on Lucic's goal and Marchmont ended it with an unassisted snipe at 17:57 that looked like something he did in the playoffs last spring.

The Buffalo Sabres make their first pilgrimage to Boston on Saturday night. Their Northeast Division rivals still have All-World goaltender Ryan Miller, who's off to a slow start by his impossibly high standards. For whatever reason, the Sabres usually give the Bruins trouble and the games are almost always very competitive.

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Looking Forward: Moving A Puck Mover & Then Replacing Him

Just the mere mention of the phrase turns my stomach. Thinking about it gives me a migraine headache. Talking about it makes my skin crawl.

Last February, Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely and the rest of the Bruins' braintrust sought to solve their power play problems by acquiring the old "puck moving defenseman". That man was Tomas Kaberle, a mid-season addition at the trade deadline who was supposed to "save the power play", a Herculean task indeed.

By now, we all know the story on Kaberle. The only "saving" came thanks to opposing goaltenders repeatedly stopping the Bruins' Pee Wee level attack. His indifference on defense and his lack of production doomed him from the start. Clearly it wasn't all Kaberle's fault but he had a big hand in the Bruins' historically bad power play in the playoffs.

The Bruins, perhaps in spite of Kaberle won the Stanley Cup and even though his minutes were diminished, fans specuated as to what his future would be in Black and Gold. Kaberle was an unrestricted free agent starting last Friday and I certainly didn't see any team matching his four million dollar salary from this past season, much less giving him a raise. I figured with a full training camp, a full year in Claude's system-and a reduced contract-Kaberle could flourish in Boston.

Then along came Carolina. In tune with this offseason's fad of ridiculously overpaying for average talent, the Hurricanes threw a three year, $4.75 million deal at Kaberle. Much like Dallas' offer to Michael Ryder on Friday, this was an offer that the Bruins simply were not going to match. But hey, good for Kaberle. He got his ring, underperformed in his time here and got a raise. Only in America?

The Bruins immediately filled the empty roster spit vacated by Kaberle's departure later on in the afternoon, announcing a trade for Carolina defenseman Joe Corvo. A nine-year veteran, Corvo is most known for his time with the Hurricanes, although there was a brief 18-game stretch where he skated with the Capitals in 2009-10. Corvo was part of the Hurricanes top defensive pairing in 2008-09, when the Canes beat the Bruins in 7 games in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Corvo came with a modest price tag, as the Bruins gave up only a 2012 fourth-round draft pick. He's coming off of a great season as he tied a career-high in points with 40, while scoring 11 goals. Corvo's contract is up after this year so he is in a trial period much like the recently signed Benoit Pouliot.

Corvo will most likely earn a spot on the roster but will have to compete for the sixth D position in camp, as other candidates include Steven Kampfer and Matt Bartkowski. Because the Bruins gave up so little to get him and the fact that he is a UFA after this year, his role on the team is not necessarily set in stone. I won't go so far as calling Corvo an "upgrade" over Kaberle, but I think Corvo can contribute some good things to this club.

As free agency keeps rolling, I am wondering if this is simply a move to shore up the blueline or is Chiarelli up to something bigger?

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Cam Ward and his Conn Smythe trophy say hi

A funny thing happened on the way to winning the 2009 Stanley Cup for the Boston Bruins. Somebody decided to give them a game.

Dreams of a 16-0 streak to the Cup were erased last night as Carolina thoroughly outplayed Boston when it mattered and came away with a 3-0 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at the Garden.

Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward was the story as he stopped all 36 shots in recording his fourth career shutout. It's easy to forget but he was the playoff MVP when Carolina came out of nowhere to win the Cup in 2006.

After a scoreless first period, the second period was when the game was lost for the B's.

At 2:30 Carolina defenseman Joe Corvo blasted a slap shot past a screened Tim Thomas (22 saves). Erik Cole and Eric Staal assisted on the goal.

Just over five minutes later, Matt Cullen scored a short-handed goal for the Hurricanes. Zdeno Chara's bad pass in the offensive zone was the catalyst for an odd-man rush which eventually resulted in the tally. Chad LaRose followed his shot behind the net and then found Cullen alone out front.

LaRose seemed to score again with 0.2 seconds left in the second when he flipped a shot over Thomas' shoulder that hit the post then spun on the goal line. On the ice initially it was called no goal. It took forever to review it (and it looked like a goal on second-tenth viewing) and the refs did not overturn it. This could have been a huge break for Boston but they really didn't do anything about it.

The Bruins outshot the Hurricanes 16-3 in the third and Ward made a couple dandy saves, including a left leg pad save on Michael Ryder during a power play.

Staal scored an empty-netter with 28 seconds remaining.

Game 3 and 4 shifts back to Carolina starting Wednesday night. It's the first real adversity Boston has faced this postseason so time only time will tell how they deal with it.