Karma Has Caught Up to the Bruins Over the Last Few Weeks As They Drop Another Winnable Game

When the Bruins (21-7-8) got off to such an unexpectedly great start to this season, one of the main reasons was that they kept finding ways to pull out wins and points from games that they probably should have lost. The exact opposite has happened lately as they have lost seven of their last eight games, including a 3-2 setback to the Islanders (23-8-2) in a shootout tonight at TD Garden. By the way, can the B's just refuse to play in overtime (where they are 2-3 this season) or especially in shootouts (where they fell to an unfathomable 0-5 in 2019-20)? Anything past regulation for them seems like a waste of their time.

Like their 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings (15-18-4) on Tuesday that kicked off this four-game homestand before Christmas, the Bruins dominated the Islanders in terms of shot attempts (62-45) but putting them on net was another story as they had 19 blocked and 14 missed the net so they only registered eight more shots on goal (29-21) than New York. Furthermore, Boston scored first as Anders Bjork had a wrist shot that went top shelf on Semyon Varlamov (27 saves, 12-3-2) at 1:58 of the first period. Charlie Coyle (his first point in 8 games) had the lone assist on Bjork's fifth goal of the season. The B's nearly doubled their lead as Danton Heinen's redirect on a power play went off the post. The teams combined for a sleepy seven shots on goal (4-3 Isles) in the first 20 minutes, yawn.

The low-scoring, tight-checking style favored the Islanders and they grabbed a lead with a pair of goals in the second period. Old friend Johnny Boychuk tied it with a blast from the point (I'm assuming that NESN's maniac announcer Jack Edwards called it a Johnny Rocket for old time's sake) that beat former teammate Tuukka Rask (19 saves, 13-4-5) at 3:26. Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee had the assists on Boychuk's second goal of the season. Varlamov made two huge stops in that frame, including a spectacular diving glove save on Bjork's one-timer followed by a save on Jake DeBrusk's breakaway. As those things seem to often go in hockey, New York took advantage on the other end as Mathew Barzal ripped in a sweet cross-ice feed from Boychuk (his first multi-point game of the season, because of course) at 18:26. It was Barzal's team-leading 14th goal of the season.

Boston has been a great third period team so far this season and this evening was no exception. Boston's power play had been 0-for-3 but when they got a two-man advantage, they came through with a pretty goal by Torey Krug. David Krejci and David Pastrnak (3 goals, 4 assists in his last 6 games) provided the helpers on his fifth goal of the season. There was a scary moment for everybody involved when Patrice Bergeron's errant skate (he was falling to the ice) appeared to graze Cal Clutterbuck's wrist. The rugged Islanders fourth line winger quickly skated off the ice and went down the tunnel to their dressing room. After the game, New York's excellent head coach Barry Trotz reported that Clutterbuck went to the hospital "to get stitched up."

For all the excitement that was mostly lacking in the first 60 minutes, overtime made up for it despite not featuring a game-winning goal for either club. Brad Marchand wheeled around New York's net but his shot was stopped by Varlamov and he later had a backhander skid wide. Pastrnak also crushed a patented one-timer from the slot that Varlamov had to look behind himself to find but he had stopped it. On the other end, Lee was stopped by Rask after a nifty feed from Barzal. Quinnipiac's Devon Toews had a breakaway in the closing seconds but the puck rolled off the defenseman's stick.

The Isles might not score a ton of goals but they have plenty of skilled guys who obviously thrive in the overtime (6-2) and shootout (3-0) formats unlike the Bruins. Eberle and Barzal both scored on New York's first two attempts before Rask stopped Josh Bailey's possible game-winner. For Boston, Coyle hit a post, Pastrnak scored but then Marchand was stuffed to end it. I'm sure that some frustration is naturally creeping into the heads of many Bruins. They have been playing in all these close games lately but coming up on the wrong end of most of them. Surprisingly, it isn't hurting them in the Atlantic Division standings where they still sit 11 points ahead of second-place Buffalo (16-13-7) and 12 points ahead of third-place Tampa Bay (17-12-4) who has three games in hand.

At the moment, the Predators (16-12-6) are two points behind Calgary (18-14-4) for the second Wild Card in the Western Conference. They are also six points behind Dallas (20-12-4) in the loaded Central Division so the Wild Card is probably their best bet into the playoffs this season. Saturday's meeting with Boston is the finale of Nashville's four-game road trip before they head home to host Arizona (20-12-4) on Monday. The Bruins have their own first-place team looming on Monday-the Capitals (24-6-5)-so that contest should be quite meaningful to both teams. Nashville lost 5-4 in overtime in Ottawa (15-18-3) earlier tonight so they were no doubt disappointed in that result and will want a better performance vs. Boston. And yes, Patriots-Bills starts at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon meaning that you'll need to get B's-Preds up on your computer unless you are a master of the remote control.

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Ugh, the Bruins Continue to Pathetically Fold at TD Garden Against the NHL's Worst Teams

Question: how many last-place teams can come into TD Garden in a short amount of time and all leave here with wins? Answer: three (Colorado, Toronto and Islanders). Tonight, Boston (17-14-3) spotted New York (12-14-6) a 3-0 lead in the second period before they finally decided to show a pulse in the third period. By that time it was too late as the Islanders snapped a five-game losing streak (0-4-1) to take the 4-2 decision. It was a nice homecoming for two former Bruins defensemen: Dennis Seidenberg (playing in his first game back in Boston since signing with NY in September) and Johnny Boychuk were both a game-high +2.

Tuukka Rask (16-6-3) has been stellar all season so I guess he was due for an off-night of sorts. He was victimized by two fluky goals and ended up getting pulled for the first time since April 3, 2015 (at Chicago). He finished with 10 saves and three goals allowed. Anton Khudobin made 15 saves in his appearance that began at 13:42 of the second period. He actually picked up his first career NHL point (an assist) but he allowed an Islanders power play goal in the third period that effectively closed the curtain on this one. New York goaltender Thomas Greiss (7-5-0) made a career-high 48 saves as Boston had a season-high 50 shots on goal (95 shot attempts!).

The B's hadn't played since Sunday afternoon's 1-0 win vs. LA, so they were sitting around at home since then and thus there really is no valid excuse for coming out so slow once again. Rask and Brad Marchand ran into each other behind Boston's net, allowing Anders Lee to knock in an early Christmas present at 3:05 of the first period. Lee's team-leading 11th goal of the season was unassisted. Another rare mistake happened a few moments later as Patrice Bergeron got caught up ice, leaving New York with a 3-on-1. Thomas Hickey beat Rask glove-side with a shot at 5:40 for a 2-0 lead. Josh Bailey and Lee had the assists on Hickey's tally.

Boston's offense had two near misses in the second period as Patrice Bergeron and Austin Czarnik each hit the crossbar in quick succession. New York took a commanding 3-0 lead at 6:18 on yet another bizarre strike. Boychuk dumped the puck in Boston's zone, it bounced off the end boards (and eluded Kevan Miller's stick) before Rask got handcuffed by it on the goal-line. Nikolay Kulemin was there to smack it in for his fourth goal of the season.

As we all predicted, Bruins rookie Anton Blidh sparked the comeback attempt when his centering pass intended for goal-machine Jimmy Hayes deflected by Greiss off of Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy's skate. The first goal of Blidh's NHL career was assisted by Brandon Carlo and Khudobin just 3:04 into the third. After rightfully booing the Bruins off the ice to end the second, the Garden crowd finally had something to cheer about and they really got loud for a few minutes after Dominic Moore tipped in Zdeno Chara's shot from the point at 7:12. Moore's eighth goal of the season was also assisted by Hayes (his 1st helper of the season).

New York head coach Jack Capuano (a Rhode Islander) sensed his team falling apart and smartly took his timeout to settle them down. It worked as they were able to hold off the Bruins and get the insurance goal they needed when Lee received another easy tap-in at 13:02. Khudobin lost the puck in his pads with the assists going to Bailey and Leddy. Boston ended up outshooting New York 23-9 in the third. It seemed like they had a power play (a good one though, not theirs) for almost the entire 20 minutes and they put tons of pressure on the Isles but they never completely cracked like you hoped that they would.

The good news for Boston is that they get to go on the road where they are much better (9-5-3) than at the Garden (8-9-0) so far in 2016-17. The B's are in Florida (15-13-5) on Thursday (7:30, NESN) before they wrap up things (sorry) before a brief Christmas break (Dec. 24-26) on Friday (7:30, NESN) in Carolina (13-11-7). Boston is clinging to third-place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of both the Lightning (16-14-3) and Panthers. Needless to say, Christmas will be much more enjoyable for the entire team if they can get three or four points on their mini-Southern road trip.

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Bruins Lose 3-2 to Islanders But That's Overshadowed By Chara's Unknown Injury

All in all, it was a really terrible night for the Bruins. They lost 3-2 to the Islanders at TD Garden but that is the least of their worries since captain Zdeno Chara left in the first period and never returned.

After the game, Claude Julien wouldn't specify if it was an upper body or lower body injury but TSN's Aaron Ward (a former teammate of Chara) was the first to report it was his left knee and he was going to the hospital. Yikes! Ward later said Chara will be out 4-6 weeks with a knee ligament injury and they'll reevaluate it after that to see if he needs surgery.

This was supposed to be Johnny Boychuk's triumphant return to Boston for the first time. He was fine: +1 with one shot and two blocked shots in a team-high 23:18 but few would have predicted that he'd be overshadowed by another ex-Bruin-Chad Johnson. Boston's backup goaltender from last season got the surprise start and made 30 saves to earn his second win of the season. New York's starter Jaroslav Halak has been struggling a little so perhaps a goalie controversy is brewing on Long Island?

Boston (4-5-0) was chasing it all game, going down 1-0 and 3-1 before finally waking up in the third period. The fact that those final 20 minutes were their best of the season was inconsequential since their hapless second period (the worst of the season) buried them. Let's also give credit to New York (5-2-0), their early season success doesn't look like a fluke.

As good teams usually do, the Isles also got their fair share of breaks starting with Frans Nielsen's goal. The puck deflected off Dougie Hamilton's skate right to Nielsen for his first goal of the season at 6:21 of the first period. Bruins backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg (35 saves) had no chance to stop it.

Milan Lucic finally got a goal, it only took him nine games. He tipped in Seth Griffith's pass at 18:21 of the first period with David Krejci providing the second assist (and extending his point streak to five games).

One of the best American players that you never hear about for some reason-Kyle Okposo-made it 2-1 Islanders at 1:30 of the second period. John Tavares had the primary assist, giving him an NHL-high 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists). Okposo followed up his initial shot for the goal, his third of the season.

You knew it was New York's night when scrub Cal Clutterbuck (awesome name) extended their lead to 3-1 at 9:27 of the second period. He was wide open and Martin threw almost a no-look pass to him from behind the net for his first goal of the season.

After getting embarrassed in the second (outscored 2-0 and outshot 12-6), the Bruins showed some pride with a dominant third period. It felt like they were on a power play for basically the entire time with an unreal amount of zone time, unfortunately their finishing resembled the first few brutal games of this season when they couldn't score to save their lives.

It's scary to say it but Chris Kelly is playing the best hockey of at least his Bruins career so he has arguably been their best player in October. Haha I realize that probably explains why they are currently under .500. He also pushed his point streak to five games (tying a career-high) with a timely goal at 9:49 of the third period. Johnson's only juicy rebound (that cost him at least) of the night went right to Kelly who was on the doorstep to put it in. Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson had the assists as they've been Boston's most effective line as well.

Boston has practice tomorrow before they head to Toronto for Saturday night's game at the Air Canada Centre (7, NESN). The Bruins typically own the Maple Leafs (3-3-1) but needless to say, if they lose Chara for a significant amount of time, that could totally shell-shock them (as it seemed to in the 2nd period tonight). He has been remarkably durable in his Bruins career: this is his ninth season with Boston and the most games he's ever missed is five. Ugh, let's hope for the best and that somehow it's not as bad as it sounds.

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Happy Trails to a Great Bruin: Johnny Boychuk

Everyone knew that the Bruins had too many defensemen going into this campaign and worse, they were coming dangerously close to the salary cap so somebody had to go sometime soon. Unfortunately, that was finally sorted out this afternoon as veteran Johnny Boychuk was traded to the Islanders for a pair of second-round draft picks and a conditional third-round pick.

He'll never be an All-Star or on the Canadian national team but Boychuk is the type of guy that you love when he's on your favorite team. He's smart, tough, dependable and always seems to step up in the postseason (13 goals, 14 assists, +20 in 79 career games). He is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer so after five years in Boston, he's gone.

In the prime of his career at age 30, Boychuk is coming off the best season of his NHL life: 5 goals, 18 assists, +31 in 75 games. As always, the Islanders are rebuilding and looking for leaders, particularly on defense where they've employed numerous turnstiles for years. It's ironic that he landed there since the same two teams played last night in a preseason game and watching the Islanders' live stream from their website, their announcers mentioned Boychuk trade rumors repeatedly. I guess they knew something that we didn't.

Bigger picture for the B's, this means that shaky Matt Bartkowski has likely "earned" a spot for 2014-15. I think most fans wanted him off the team but clearly, Boychuk had more trade value to the Isles and could bring a better haul in return. Boychuk won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011 and he will always be remembered fondly in these parts for his huge hits and booming shot (Johnny Rocket!). In many ways, he was an ideal Bruin for this very successful era under Claude Julien.

UPDATE 10/7: The Bruins' roster was set for the opener with Matt Fraser, Bobby Robins and Ryan Spooner all making it while David Pastrnak will start in Providence with Jordan Caron. The biggest news is that David Krejci starts on IR with an undisclosed injury. Malcolm Subban and Brian Ferlin were recalled, Marc Savard went on long-term IR then Gregory Campbell and Anthony Campbell are on non-roster IR. Got all that?

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Matt Fraser Likely Saved the Bruins' Season, Wait What?

Playoff hockey definitely takes years off your life when your favorite team is competing in the NHL postseason but we wouldn't have it any other way, right? In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight at Bell Centre, Boston outlasted Montreal 1-0 in overtime on Matt Fraser's game-winner at 1:19. Yes, you read that correctly: a 23-year-old rookie that was recalled earlier in the day was the main reason that Boston tied the series at two heading back to Boston for Game 5 on Saturday (7, NBCSN).

There really is no way to properly equate how unlikely Fraser was to be the hero but that's one of the million reasons that makes the NHL playoffs superior to any of the other American pro sports-the sheer unpredictability. Johnny Boychuk's shot from the point went wide of Carey Price (34 saves) and bounced up in front of the cage. Carl Soderberg had the first whack at it then Fraser wheeled around the net to poke it in for his first career postseason goal in his first career NHL playoff game. Not a bad night for the other guy from the Tyler Seguin trade (along with Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith).

Tuukka Rask's (33 saves) fifth career postseason shutout wasn't as memorable (at least on his end) as you might expect but he did make a huge save on Brian Gionta's breakaway in the second period. This would have been a horrible loss for the B's, not just because they have never rallied from a 3-1 series deficit in franchise history, but they outplayed the Canadiens for long stretches of this game. Often times, they would dominate possession in Montreal's end but had nothing to show for it. Boston hit the post three more times by Jarome Iginla, Soderberg and Smith. I think that makes nine posts or pipes in the series for them, yikes.

Boston improved to 3-1 on the road this postseason while handing Montreal its first loss (3-1) at the Bell Centre. Game 5 is everything since the teams have alternated wins and losses through the first four games. It would help if the B's scored a power play goal. Again, there were very few penalties (3) but Boston went 0 for 2 on the power play making them 0 for 8 in the series. Technically speaking the team that has scored first is also 4-0.

Fraser and Matt Bartkowski were the two changes to Boston's lineup so expect those to stay the same in Game 5, no need to change the mojo now.

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Montreal Takes Game 1, 4-3 in 2OT

It's only one game but you can feel that the next few weeks are going to be full of some intense NHL playoff games between the blood rival Bruins and Canadiens. Montreal won Game 1 tonight at TD Garden, 4-3 in 2OT on P.K. Subban's power play goal (his second of the game). There is something about Game 1s this postseason that apparently don't agree with Boston as they lost their second in a row. Unlike the one vs. Detroit where they were shut out 1-0, this time they rallied from down 2-0 with three goals in the third period but still came up short.

Boston had 51 shots on goal but Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (48 saves) played about as well as he could plus he was helped out by countless Bruins bungling fantastic chances to score. Montreal built the 2-0 advantage thanks to Subban's power play goal at 11:23 of the first period, a wrist shot through traffic that Tuukka Rask (29 saves) never seemed to pick up.

The Canadiens doubled their lead early in the second period as Rene Bourque beat Rask through his five-hole at 3:38. Boston finally woke up in the third period, in a big way. Reilly Smith cut it to 2-1 at 2:44, his screened shot from the sidewall was his second of the playoffs and it was assisted by Brad Marchand and Dougie Hamilton. Another Bruins youngster stepped up as Torey Krug tied it at two at 6:30 with one of his patented low missiles. His second goal of the postseason was assisted by Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron.

Credit to Montreal as all the momentum in the Garden was on Boston's side but still they scored a go-ahead goal at 12:09: Francis Bouillon (what other team would he be on with a name like that?) slammed one home from former BC star Brian Gionta and Bourque. The third period was basically bananas as the team's traded haymakers; Johnny Boychuk's was the last as he tied it at three at 18:02. His Johnny Rocket was his first goal of the postseason, assisted by Marchand and Loui Eriksson. That bomb from the point caught Price off guard (he barely moved) because he was screened beautifully in front of the net.

As always, this game serves as a reminder that anything can happen in overtime. The B's should have wrapped it up in the first overtime since they outshot the Canadiens 14-6. Two penalties ultimately crippled them though as Daniel Paille was called for tripping with 27 seconds left. Boston killed that off but shortly thereafter, Matt Bartkowski was nabbed for holding. Refs never want to make a call in overtime but these two were so obvious that they had to.

Montreal's power play looked like something to fear (2 for 3) and Boston's had an off night (0 for 2) with not enough chances if we're being honest. It's probably best for the Bruins that Game 2 is so close by on Saturday (12:30, NBC), therefore they don't have to let the pain of Game 1 fester for too long. It's not a must-win but they could really use a victory before they head to the Bell Centre where it is really hard for visiting teams to win.

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Bruins Clinch No. 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference With 5-2 Win Over Flyers

With the 2013-14 regular season rapidly winding down, the Bruins are doing all they can to ensure that their stay in the postseason this spring will be a long one. This afternoon, Boston (53-18-7) clinched the top spot in the East with a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia (39-29-9) at TD Garden. The final score is misleading since it was a 2-2 game late in the third period before the B's scored two quick goals then added an empty netter.

The only thing left for the Black and Gold to accomplish in the regular season is capturing a Presidents' Trophy. That gained some traction as St. Louis lost 4-0 to Colorado meaning the Blues are two points behind the Bruins (with one game in hand). Loui Eriksson had a career-high four points (all assists) as Boston finished 3-0 against Philadelphia a team that they could certainly meet in the playoffs.

The B's never trailed although the Flyers tied it twice before Boston created the separation. David Krejci flipped in a rebound at 15:56 of the first period, his 17th goal of the season assisted by Eriksson and Milan Lucic. Wayne Simmonds made it 1-1 with a power play goal at 14:36 in the second period. Tuukka Rask (24 saves) had made some quality saves and Philly hit a post before they broke through.

Lucic hammered a one-timer past Ray Emery (37 saves) only 19 seconds later as the Bruins took the momentum right back. Krejci and Eriksson assisted on his 23rd goal of the season. Flyers goon Jay Rosehill fought Shawn Thornton earlier in the first but actually showed good hands outside of that as he made a nice move to beat Rask at 16:21.

Overtime beckoned but Boston would have none of it in their penultimate contest at the Garden (in the regular season). Johnny Boychuk cranked a slap shot by Emery following a faceoff win by Patrice Bergeron. It was Boychuk's fifth goal of the season. Lucic had his second goal 31 seconds later, a beautiful passing sequence with Torey Krug and Eriksson resulted in a tip in and two points. Of course Chris Kelly-who else?-bagged the empty netter to give him a fraudulent nine goals (I feel like most of those are from empty netters).

Boston is off until Tuesday (8, NESN) when they'll face Minnesota (40-26-12) at the Xcel Energy Center. After that, they'll be in Winnipeg (35-34-10) on Thursday (8, NESN). It's that time of year where each team has different things to play for: the Wild are basically a lock to make it in the West, the Jets are out and the Bruins are cruising.

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Admit It: the Bruins Were Due For a Loss in Regulation

If you are a realist like me and a Bruins fan to boot, you realize that as good as they are this season, 15-1-1 months like they pulled off in March are insanely difficult to do. That's why tonight's 3-2 loss to the Red Wings are Joe Louis Arena was a sobering reminder that they are human and yes they can lose from time to time (this was their first regulation loss since March 1). By taking the season series 3-1, Detroit (36-26-14) served notice that they'd be a true pain in the ass in the first round of the playoffs should Boston (52-18-6) have to face them.

With a 2-1 lead midway through the third period not to mention outshooting the Red Wings by a wide margin-(35-20) was the final count-this is a game that the B's hardly ever gag away. Credit to Detroit who honestly needed this way more as they try to hold on to a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. It helped them and obviously hurt the B's that Jarome Iginla didn't play (because of either a lower body injury or simply rest for his old bones).

Johnny Boychuk gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 16:50 of the first period with one of his patented Johnny Rockets that got by former Maine star Jimmy Howard (33 saves). Chris Kelly and Brad Marchand assisted on Boychuk's fourth goal of the season.

Detroit's Tomas Tatar tied it at 4:45 of the second period just as Patrice Bergeron's penalty expired. His shot was labeled for the corner, there was nothing that Tuukka Rask (17 saves) could do about it.

The action picked up in the third period as Carl Soderberg's power play goal at 1:10 wrestled back the lead for the B's. Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith assisted on the Angry One Eyed Swede's 16th goal of the season.

The Red Wings responded as another Tomas-Jurco-tied it at 11:06 after a huge pileup in front of Rask's crease. Tatar had the primary assist from kicking the puck over with his skate, all that Jurco had to do was tap it in. Detroit benefitted 1:42 after that from the brilliance of emerging star Gustav Nyquist (who also went to Maine). He was able to steal the puck after Soderberg failed to dump it in deep and then he used his speed to blow past Zdeno Chara who was flat-footed after a sloppy line change.

Boston had won their last nine games on the road (a franchise record) and picked up a point in 16 straight (14-0-2). It's a new month now so time to start some fresh positive streaks. The Bruins get a chance to bounce back right away as they are in Toronto (37-32-8) tomorrow night (7:30, NESN). What more motivation do they need besides the fact that they can shatter the Maple Leafs' postseason dream even further?

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For Whatever Reason, The Bruins Owned the Lightning This Season

The Lightning are a good team or so I've been told: they are 10 games over .500 and Ben Bishop is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. With that said, Tampa Bay (34-24-6) couldn't figure out a way to beat Boston (41-17-5) in the 2013-14 regular season. The B's rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-3 shootout victory tonight at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Reilly Smith won it in the seventh round with the only goal of the entire shootout.

We'll give pity points to Tampa Bay for at least putting up a fight this time, the other games were 3-1, 5-0 and 3-0 so this was something to be more proud of. Still, what is the deal? This was the perfect time to get two points against the B's. The Lightning opened up a 2-0 lead in the second period thanks to goals by Ondrej Palat and Mark Barberio (something that doesn't happen every day) but then they proceeded to immediately cough it up.

Daniel Paille cut it to 2-1 at 6:58 on his ninth goal of the season. Gregory Campbell and Johnny Boychuk assisted on Paille's no-look backhander that squirted through Bishop's five-hole (29 saves). Chris Kelly sprung Carl Soderberg on a breakaway and the Swede calmly put a backhander of his own between Bishop's legs at 8:29 for his 11th goal of the season.

Tampa Bay seemed to bounce back as Valtteri Filppula was wide open in front of Tuukka Rask (17 saves) and was able to put it top shelf at 9:31. Both teams settled down from the frenetic pace but the Bruins were able to tie it at 8:11 of the third period on Johnny Boychuk's blast from the point. Soderberg and Loui Eriksson assisted on his third goal of the season.

Boston started off poorly but later in the contest they hit the post on three separate occasions and also had a goal wrongfully disallowed so them pulling it out felt like cosmic justice of some sort or another.

The Bruins have a back-to-back as they travel to face the Panthers (24-32-7) tomorrow (5, NESN) at the BB&T Center. Expect Chad Johnson to get another start vs. Florida as Boston tries to sweep them as well (5-0).

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Bruins Open 2014 With 3-2 Overtime Win vs. Predators

As expected, Bruins-Predators wasn't exactly an instant classic (think Winter Classic without the outdoors and national audience) but at least Boston sent home their hearty fans with an overtime win as Brad Marchand scored 54 seconds into the extra frame at TD Garden to sweep the season series (2-0) with Nashville. It was a milestone moment for Niklas Svedberg (33 saves) who picked up his first NHL win, he's also the first Swede to ever play goaltender for the B's. Somewhere P.J. Axelsson smiles!

In case you haven't gotten out of your mom's basement all day (zing!), there is a blizzard hitting all of New England so I can excuse many fans for not showing up to the Garden. Still, you have to admit it was a pretty decent turnout for a Bruins-Predators game that was the 41st contest of the season (halfway through).

The first period was devoid of anything notable but former UVM star and Blackhawk Viktor Stalberg gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 18:04 after Svedberg left a juicy rebound in front, one of his only mistakes of the night. Johnny Boychuk tied it at 4:55 of the third period from Ryan Spooner and Carl Soderberg. It wasn't a patented Johnny Rocket per se but his second goal of the season did the trick as he filled the shooting lane and was there for Spooner's on the money sauce.

Jarome Iginla scored his 13th goal of the season at 12:29 and given the way the Preds struggle to score, you felt like that might be enough. I forget when it happened exactly earlier in the season but the tally was a carbon copy of an earlier goal by him: he flies to the net and tips in a crisp pass from Milan Lucic, with David Krejci providing the second assist.

Zdeno Chara has the fastest shot in the NHL-if you're into that kind of stuff-but Shea Weber is right there with him. He showed he can still bring it as he knotted things at two with 5:25 left in regulation. His bomb from the point was an example of what he'll likely be doing for Team Canada (hopefully not against the U.S. though) at the Sochi Olympics.

Marchand's goal game after a sweet dangle that he rarely ever successfully completes. It was his 10th goal of the season and it was assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Dougie Hamilton. Soderberg and Hamilton both returned from injuries tonight and Svedberg was sent back to Providence after the game but he certainly earned another look in the near future by the big club.

Maybe the snow will have temporarily stopped by the time the Bruins host the Jets (19-19-5) on Saturday (1, NESN). It's the final game for Boston of a three-game homestand which precedes a very difficult three-game road trip in California: Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. Needless to say, Boston needs to beat Winnipeg to feel as confident as they can going into next week against three of the top teams in the Western Conference.

UPDATE 1/4: Bruins called up forward Justin Florek, if he plays today vs. Winnipeg it would be his NHL debut.

UPDATE 1/5: Florek was sent back to Providence.

UPDATE 1/6: Florek was recalled on an emergency basis and he'll join the team in Anaheim ahead of tomorrow night's game vs. the Ducks (10, NESN).

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Bruins Drop Out of 1st Place in the Atlantic Division, Fall 2-1 at Canadiens

Normally I would rip the Canadiens and their lame fans to shreds but I lack the venom tonight after watching the Bruins lose 2-1 at the Bell Centre and defenseman Johnny Boychuk get wheeled off on a stretcher with some sort of serious injury (back?) early in the first period. The good news about that is he flew back with the team so their doctors can check him out.

Montreal earned the win and they are now in first place in the Atlantic Division. Granted, the Habs have played two more games than the Bruins but only have one additional point to show for it. Oh well, let's not get the facts caught up in a Stanley Cup parade scheduled for Montreal in December. What's that, they play three more times this season?

The weird part is that Boston dominated in the first period (outshooting Montreal 10-3) and the third period (16-6) but only had one goal to show for it. Conversely, the Canadiens basically saved up all their limited energy for the second period (outshooting Boston 18-7) and it paid off. The Canadiens (18-9-3) scored both of their goals in the frame as they won their second game in two nights to improve to 8-0-1 in their last nine games.

The Bruins (18-8-2) hadn't played in a game since Saturday night which is an eternity in the NHL. Gregory Campbell opened the scoring at 17:35 of the first period thanks to a 2-on-1 with Milan Lucic. His second goal of the season was assisted by Lucic and Dennis Seidenberg (specifically his skate which he used to kick the puck to Looch).

Tomas Plekanec beat Tuukka Rask (25 saves) with a sharp angle shot at 9:16 of the second period. You don't see Rask give up many goals like that but credit to Plekanec who picked a corner, top shelf. He gets paid too you know. Josh Gorges and former BC Eagle star Brian Gionta had the assists. Shawn Thornton and former Ranger Brandon Prust dropped the gloves when it was 1-1 but the fight wasn't anything to write home about.

Just like there always seems to be drama when the B's visit Montreal, Max Pacioretty morphs into a Hall of Famer when he plays Boston. This evening that meant scoring the game-winner at 17:42 of the second period on a backhander through traffic. Raphael Diaz and Brendan Gallagher had the assists.

Sadly, we'll probably have to root for Pacioretty on Team USA at the Olympics which is no fun. Conversely, it should be fantastic to hate on Carey Price (32 saves) who is making a push to be Team Canada's starting goaltender.

Boston gets a breather on Friday but things don't get any easier as they host the Eastern Conference's top team-Pittsburgh (20-9-1, 1st in Metropolitan Division)-on Saturday night (7, NESN) then travel North of the border (again) to Toronto (7, NESN) on Sunday night. The B's and Penguins split their first two matchups this season with each winning on home ice, Boston most recently won 4-3 in OT on Nov. 25 when Torey Krug ended it with his first career overtime tally.

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Bruins Remember Who They Are, Win 4-1 at Carolina

It was very hard to focus on, with Monday Night Football looming nearby, but the Bruins turned in a tidy 4-1 road win tonight at PNC Arena vs. the Hurricanes. Boston (13-6-1) never trailed as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead and won for the fifth time in their last six games. Carolina (8-9-4) got franchise goaltender Cam Ward (26 saves) back from a lower body injury for the first time in almost a month but he couldn't jumpstart a team that screams average.

The third line for the Bruins produced the first two goals as Reilly Smith scored a power play goal at 2:31 of the first period and Carl Soderberg added to the lead later in the frame. Smith's (his 3rd of the season) was the result of a pretty passing sequence between Soderberg and Loui Eriksson that ended with Soderberg feeding it in front of Ward for Smith to redirect.

Soderberg is starting to assertive himself in the NHL, showing all the dynamic skills that made him a coveted free agent coming out of Sweden. At 10:24, he tipped in Dennis Seidenberg's shot from the point. Smith had the second assist and Chris Kelly started the play by winning a faceoff in Carolina's zone and pulling it back to the point. Soderberg's second goal of the season served as the second time in his brief NHL career that he's recorded two points in the same contest.

Boston allowed a last-minute goal in the first period on Friday in Ottawa that ultimately was a major turning point. You couldn't help but think of that when Tuomo Ruutu scored a fluky goal with five seconds left in the first period. It wasn't a good shot but it fooled Tuukka Rask (23 saves) enough to get in the net.

The B's had a fortunate play factor into the most important goal. Ward got moved out of position, leaving a gaping hole in the crease. Sure enough, the loose puck found Johnny Boychuk for his first goal of the season at 10:29 of the third period. Milan Lucic notched an empty-netter for the final margin and his team-leading ninth goal of the season.

Boston is back on the ice tomorrow (7:30, NBCSN) as they visit the Rangers (10-10-0, 3rd in Metropolitan Division). It will be the first time the Original 6 rivals have met since last postseason when the B's beat the Rangers in five games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pittsburgh.

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Happy Halloween from the Bruins, Courtesy of the Ducks

The Bruins were in danger of losing their third straight game and second in as many nights when Zdeno Chara came to the rescue. He scored a power play goal, his second goal of the season, with 2:50 left in regulation. Boston (8-4-0) still had some work to do but after surviving overtime, Jarome Iginla potted the only strike in the shootout as the Bruins outlasted the Ducks (10-3-1) 3-2.

Tuukka Rask (21 saves) started again even though he took the loss in Pittsburgh last night but he didn't seem fazed by the heavy workload. His teammates on the other hand looked dead for the most part (zombie alert!) as they managed one shot on goal in the first period, one! Devante Smith-Pelly had given Anaheim a 1-0 lead 1:52 into the game on a one-timer from Mathieu Perrault and Dustin Penner, before the crowd could settle into their seats with their elaborate costumes.

Carl Soderberg could have found himself back in the press box (as a healthy scratch) soon if he continued to coast but he bought himself some time by scoring his first NHL goal, at 12:45 of the second period to knot it at one. Chris Kelly had sent him in alone and he jammed it over the line past Jonas Hiller (21 saves). With the second assist, Ryan Spooner picked up his first point in the NHL.

The B's fell asleep again, late in the second period as Perreault turned and shot low by Rask who might have been screened. Smith-Pelly and Cam Fowler had the assists. Chara's goal came only eight seconds into the power play that he drew (tripping on Patrick Maroon). David Krejci was on the doorstep but he passed it to Chara who shoveled it in, Torey Krug had started the sequence by keeping the puck in Anaheim's end and shuttling it to Krejci-always a good plan.

It was the first overtime game for the Bruins this season and they normally struggle in shootouts but they got it done. Spooner was stopped, Nick Bonino was denied, Iginla scored, Corey Perry was stopped, Soderberg was stuffed and Ryan Getzlaf shot it off the post to end it. Considering the caliber of opponent and the fact that Anaheim had more rest, this was a very nice two points for the Bruins who lost Johnny Boychuk in the second period and had to play with five defensemen for the rest of the game.

Boston finishes this tough couple days (three games in four nights) at the Islanders (4-5-3) on Saturday (7, NESN). Despite their less than impressive record, New York is much improved (they pushed the Penguins to seven games in the first round of the playoffs last spring) but that's usually a place that the Bruins roll and put up big goal totals.

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Blackhawks Win A Wild Game 4, 6-5 In OT To Even Stanley Cup Final At 2

The Blackhawks proved that like the Bruins, they have the ability to bounce back from crushing losses and that's what makes this series an instant classic. For the third time in the first four games, it took overtime to settle things. Chicago ended up outlasting Boston 6-5 in overtime tonight at TD Garden. Brent Seabrook's game-winner gave the Blackhawks a split in Boston (mirroring the split the Bruins earned in Chicago). Now it becomes a best-of-3 with Game 5 on Saturday (8, NBC) at the United Center.

It's hard to believe since they scored five goals but the B's never actually led in this absurd affair. The Blackhawks blew leads of 3-1, 4-2 and 5-4 but that will be forgotten because they picked up their second overtime victory of the series. On the bright side for Boston, similar to Game 1 they get an extra day of rest heading into Game 5 which served them well before.

This was an NHL game straight out of the 1980s with tons of goals and little resistance from the respective defenses and goaltenders. There were four special teams goals as Chicago scored a power play goal and a shortanded goal while Boston potted two power play strikes.

Michal Handzus converted a turnover and 2-on-1 from Brandon Saad 6:48 into regulation. That was just the start the Blackhawks needed after they were shut out in Game 3 (2-0).

Rich Peverley began the barrage on Corey Crawford's (28 saves) weak glove hand with a power play goal at 14:43 of the first period. His second of the postseason was assisted by Andrew Ference and it was Boston's third power play goal of the series.

Chicago continued to use their speed and skill, beating Tuukka Rask (41 saves) twice more early in the second period. Captain Jonathan Toews finally did something, tipping in Michal Rozsival's shot from the point at 6:33. Patrick Kane scored on a rebound at 8:31, prompting Bruins head coach Claude Julien to use his timeout to settle his team down.

Milan Lucic answered with a backhander off a rebound at 14:43, his sixth goal of the playoffs was assisted by Zdeno Chara. Chicago's third line responded with a goal 49 seconds later and Marcus Kruger got past Rask then jammed it home from the side of the net. The B's refused to go away as Patrice Bergeron cut it to 4-3 with a fluky power play goal at 17:22. Bergeron's eighth of the postseason was the result of the puck bouncing off the glass then the top of the net, Zdeno Chara and Jaromir Jagr got the assists.

Jagr and Bergeron teamed up once again at 2:05 in third period to tie it at four. Jagr controlled the puck behind Chicago's net for a while before finding Bergeron out front where he went glove side.

Chicago snapped its 0 for 14 slump on the power play as Patrick Sharp scored on yet another rebound. The Blackhawks had a two-man advantage for 22 seconds, Jagr's penalty was up but they scored with David Krejci still in the box.

The Bruins did their best Blackhawks impression as they tied it 55 seconds later on Johnny Boychuk's blast from the point, you know where it went by Crawford. Boychuk's sixth goal of the playoffs was assisted by Nathan Horton and Krejci.

Boston had some wonderful chances in overtime: Brad Marchand and Bergeron both shot wide while Rask made a glove save on Kane and Adam McQuaid blocked a shot. Seabrook's goal came on a rather innocent play as the Bruins had a couple chances to either take control of the puck or clear it but they couldn't do it. His shot from the point was low and hard plus Rask might have been screened a bit.

The Bruins shook off a triple overtime loss in Game 1 so this loss hopefully won't rattle them too much. My wish is that they don't reflect on this lost opportunity to really take control of the series and put all the pressure on the Blackhawks.

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Asking for the Penguins: So When Do The Eastern Conference Finals Start?

Who didn't think the Bruins would win Games 1 & 2 in Pittsburgh by an aggregate score of 9-1? Haha Boston followed up Saturday's 3-0 victory in Game 1 with an absurd 6-1 pasting of the Penguins in Game 2 tonight at CONSOL Energy Center. The B's took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals back with them to Boston for Games 3 and 4 at TD Garden.

I'm not just being a Black and Gold honk when I say that this one was over after the first 20 minutes. Boston blitzed Pittsburgh with four goals in the opening frame and the Penguins' revolving door of goaltenders nor turnstiles/parking cones on defense could do anything to stop them.

Other than the final score, this win will be remembered most for Brad Marchand's heroics. He scored on a breakaway 28 seconds into regulation after stealing Sidney Crosby's weak pass attempt and skating in on a breakaway. Pittsburgh's Brandon Sutter finally solved Tuukka Rask (26 saves) at 19:26 but Marchand answered by stomping on the Penguins' throats 25 seconds later. His snipe over Marc-Andre Fleury's glove made it 4-1, it was Marchand's fourth goal of the postseason from Patrice Bergeron and Jaromir Jagr.

Boston has completely exposed Pittsburgh's overrated defensemen, looking at you Kris Letang (-3 in Game 2), and left their pair of overmatched goaltenders-Tomas Vokoun and Fleury in a Zamboni puddle in the corner. Nathan Horton made it 2-0 Bruins at 14:37 after he tipped Torey Krug's shot from the point then followed up his own rebound. David Krejci scored his NHL-best (tied with Chicago's Patrick Sharp) eighth goal at 16:31 after some beautiful passing between Horton and Milan Lucic.

Krejci's goal prompted Vokoun to get pulled but Fleury also allowed three goals (albeit when the game was already out of hand) so how can you choose between those two bums at the moment?

We keep waiting for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jarome Iginla, James Neal, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis or Letang to do something positive but so far, they've combined for a grand total of zero points and they are collectively -19. Is this real life?

Bergeron wrapped it up 27 seconds into the third period after a sublime pass from Jagr. Johnny Boychuk assisted on Bergeron's fourth goal of the playoffs. Boychuk completed the barrage with his NHL-leading (for a defenseman) fifth goal at 18:36 from Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell.

At least the Penguins showed a heartbeat in Game 1, I can't say they did the same in Game 2. It was almost as if they packed it in once Marchand made it 4-1. The pressure of being the Eastern Conference favorites all season appears to have taken its toll on this mentally fragile squad. Many will be quick to compare the Penguins to the Canucks of 2011 but the difference there is that Vancouver won the first two games at home before falling apart in Boston and losing Game 7 on its home ice.

As the Bruins have showed countless times in the past decade alone, anything can happen in the NHL playoffs. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they have really put themselves in a tough spot. We convinced ourselves that they would come out much better in Game 2 but it turned out that they played way worse than Game 1. Pittsburgh is light years ahead of the Rangers in terms of talent and pedigree but if they lose Game 3 on Wednesday (8 p.m., NBCSN), I'm confident the Penguins would similarly roll over and make this a short series.

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Merlot Flavored Fribbles For All!

Remember when the Bruins were down 4-1 in the third period against the Maple Leafs in Game 7? Since Boston rallied for a once-in-a-lifetime 5-4 overtime win, they haven't looked back and continue to gain momentum. Tonight, they put the Rangers on the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 2-1 win at a funereal Madison Square Garden. The Bruins took a 3-0 lead in the series with a chance to sweep New York on Thursday (7 p.m., CNBC).

Daniel Paille had the game-winner on a classic Paille goal at 16:29 of third period. Shawn Thornton tipped Gregory Campbell's shot and it went over Henrik Lundqvist (32 saves) but then somehow took a U-Turn when it was about to cross the goal-line like a putt by Tiger Woods. No worries though as Paille was alert the whole time and was able to knock it in for his second goal of the playoffs.

This was a game that showed all of New York's warts, why they are going to get bounced from the playoffs and in all likelihood, burned out head coach John Tortorella will lose his job this summer. Lundqvist was amazing, a different guy than the one in Game 1 and especially Game 2. He stopped two breakaways in the first period then stood on his head in the second period as Boston blitzed New York (outshooting them 14-5).

The Rangers scored first (for the first time this series) as Taylor Pyatt tipped Ryan McDonagh's shot from the point at 3:53 of second period for his second goal of the postseason. I never got that worried though because the B's were creating so many chances. Eventually, if they kept getting them I felt like it was inevitable that Lundqvist would crack.

Nathan Horton hit the post in the second period but Johnny Boychuk finally solved the code and wristed a shot by Lundqvist 3:10 into the third period. It was the 11th goal for Bruins defensemen this postseason which leads the NHL and Boychuk's fourth goal of the playoffs which is also tops for defensemen. Daniel Paille and Thornton assisted on it with the latter winning a rare faceoff then screening Lundqvist. Boychuk almost added another later in the frame but he hit the post.

Tuukka Rask (23 saves) was victimized by Pyatt's tip in, which I felt like he still should have stopped, but he stepped up to make a big save on Rick Nash late in regulation when the Rangers decided to press for the tying goal. In the series, Rask has allowed half the amount of goals (5) that Lundqvist has given up which I believe speaks to his performance level and also New York's hopeless offense/power play.

The Rangers had the only two power plays of the game but obviously they did nothing with them. That makes them 0 for 10 in the series and 2 for 38 in the playoffs, haha how is that even possible?

Tyler Seguin and Jaromir Jagr once again had great opportunities to get off the schneid but they couldn't do it. That likely won't matter in this round but the Bruins need at least one of those guys to wake up and find their scoring touch if they want to continue winning in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Only three NHL teams have successfully rallied from an 0-3 deficit so what's the worst that could happen? Oh right, the most recent victim of that Scarlet Letter list was the Bruins in 2010 vs. Flyers in Eastern Conference semifinals. This is the same round with the same goaltender but I'm confident Boston will close it out on in four games since New York appears to have checked out on Torts and his dumb ultra-defensive system.

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Bruins Take Control Of Eastern Conference Semifinals Series With 5-2 Pasting Of Rangers In Game 2

Even the best goaltenders in the NHL have off-days as Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (27 saves) can attest to after a 5-2 Bruins win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals this afternoon at TD Garden. This one was more wide open from the start than Game 1 with Boston leading 3-2 after two periods and they added two more goals in the third for a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is Tuesday (7:30 p.m., NBCSN) at Madison Square Garden and it's not hyperbole to say that New York faces a must-win.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (35 saves) played better than his more heralded counterpart for the second game in a row. Both of these teams make it hard on themselves at times when it comes to goal-scoring but so far this series, you wouldn't know it by the way that Boston has scored eight goals in two games.

When the B's are playing at their peak level, they get contributions from all four lines and all their defensemen. It doesn't get much more spread out than today where Boston had goals from three different lines plus another pair of goals from defensemen.

In a series with such outstanding goaltenders and pathetic power plays, I think scoring first is more important than usual. Boston has done it in both games so I don't think it's a total coincidence that they lead the series 2-0. Torey Krug scored his second goal in as many games at 5:28 of the first period. He showed incredible hands to dig the puck out of his skates then shoot it past Lundqvist, Nathan Horton and David Krejci had the assists.

New York answered 2:33 later as Ryan Callahan outraced Dougie Hamilton and skated in a breakaway which he coolly finished by Rask. Boston scored the first goal in each frame as Gregory Campbell (first goal of the playoffs) made it 2-1 at 2:24 of the second period with a sweet backhander. Krug and Adam McQuaid had the assists as Campbell was able to get to the rebound off a Ranger skate.

Once again, the Rangers quickly responded as Rick Nash woke up from his slumber to score his first goal of the postseason. It was a great goal-scorer's move too as he got past Chara then ripped a low, hard shot into the corner 56 seconds after Campbell's goal.

Skating 4-on-4, Johnny Boychuk (3rd goal of the playoffs) scored what turned out to be the game-winner at 12:08 of the second period. Patrice Bergeron started the play by winning a faceoff back to Marchand who found Boychuk for a wrister. Bergeron also screened Lundqvist.

The roof began to cave in on New York 26 seconds into the third period as Marchand scored a similar goal to his overtime winner in Game 1. He went to the net and Bergeron found him for the tip in, Matt Bartkowski had the second assist on Marchand's second goal of the postseason.

I thought the Bruins had the worst power play in the universe until I saw the Rangers. New York was 0 for 5 on the man advantage today, making them 2 for 36 in the postseason and 0 for 21 on the road. Haha how is that possible? When the B's went up by two, I felt confident and after Milan Lucic went beast mode right at Lundqvist and knocked in his own rebound at 12:39 (his third goal of the playoffs), I knew it was all over. Krejci and Dougie Hamilton had the assists.

The Rangers know how to comeback from a 0-2 deficit, in fact they did it against the Capitals in the first round. However, it will be very hard to do that again especially in the following series. That's why Game 3 is so important for both teams: the Bruins can put themselves in great shape with another win or they'll let New York climb right back into the series.

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Maple Leafs Record Their 1st Playoff Win In 9 Years

The Maple Leafs looked like a completely different team tonight in Game 2 at TD Garden than the shell-shocked, overwhelmed squad that lost 4-1 to the Bruins in Game 1 on Wednesday. Toronto got what they came for-a road win-with a 4-2 victory over Boston. Game 3 shifts back to Toronto's Air Canada Centre starting on Monday (7 p.m., NESN).

This was the Maple Leafs' first playoff win since April 30, 2004 and they certainly earned it. Unlike in Game 1, they didn't score the game's first goal but that didn't matter since they hit the Bruins with a three-goal run spanning the second period and start of the third. James Reimer (39 saves) gave up some juicy rebounds all night but the Bruins were only able to capitalize on one of them. He was good enough to notch his first career playoff win.

Tuukka Rask (28 saves) actually played really well with some outstanding stops but there is only so much he can do when his leaky defense is giving up breakaways and not taking care of guys right on his doorstep. It wasn't the reason they lost the game but Boston certainly missed the services of Andrew Ference (suspended for Game 2 after his elbow of Mikhail Grabovski in Game 1). That changed all the defensive pairings, the excellent combo of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg was broken up in favor of Chara and Adam McQuaid; Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk; rookie Dougie Hamilton (playing in his first career NHL playoff game) and Wade Redden. As you'd expect, things didn't go that well. That's why I think Hamilton will be a healthy scratch again in Game 3 when Ference returns.

Speaking of suspensions, don't be shocked if Maple Leafs goon/ladies man Dion Phaneuf misses a game after he elbowed Daniel Paille in a very similar play to what earned Ference a seat on the ninth floor.

Nathan Horton scored a goal for the second straight game, at 1:56 of the second period to give Boston its only lead (1-0). Milan Lucic and David Krejci assisted as Horton drove to the net and was lucky enough to have the puck bounce off his skate (which he didn't mean to do) past Reimer.

Toronto is a Canadian hockey team (you learn something new every day) so just like the Canucks and Canadiens, they have to dive like their life depends on that. There must be something in the water up there. It turned out well in Game 2 since a flop earned a tripping call on Chara which led to Joffrey Lupul's goal at 5:18 of the second period. Lupul tipped a shot from the point and then fought for his rebound, assists went to Jake Gardiner and Carl Gunnarsson.

Lupul gave the Leafs the lead for good at 11:56 with a backhander from Matt Frattin and Phaneuf. For whatever reason, Toronto seemed to win most battles for the puck and they were rewarded time and again.

Things went so well for Toronto that even Phil Kessel managed to score a goal. Seidenberg and Boychuk were caught napping in the Leafs' zone and Nazem Kadri hit Kessel with a stretch pass for a breakaway. He beat Rask 53 seconds into the third period for a 3-1 advantage. Ryan Hamilton had the second assist.

At least the Bruins didn't give up as Boychuk was credited with a goal at 10:35 that appeared to bounce off Seguin (who had screened Reimer). The Bruins had a boatload of chances for the next few minutes but the Leafs hung on and James van Rimesdyk notched his second goal in as many games with a beautiful backhander at 16:53.

Shawn Thornton and Mark Fraser fought with 0.5 seconds left, showing you how nasty this series is starting to get. The Maple Leafs actually had nine more hits (44-35) than the Bruins so that must have been a point of emphasis after they were manhandled in Game 1.

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Do The Maple Leafs Know What They're Getting Into? Game 1 Tells Me That They Don't

Remember when we were very worried about the Bruins the last few weeks? All our troubles seemed to float away tonight at TD Garden in Game 1 as Boston stomped Toronto 4-1 and the final score doesn't even do it justice. The Bruins outshot the Maple Leafs 40-20 and completely dominated for about the last 58 minutes.

UNH product James van Riemsdyk actually gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead at 1:58 with a power-play tap-in after Tuukka Rask (19 saves) got stuck out of position at the side of the net. That prompted the B's to call on one of their best and most consistent players-Wade Redden-for the next two goals. Wait what? Haha that's right, the same scrub that was playing in the AHL earlier this season that they picked up off the scrap heap scored the tying goal at 16:20 and assisted on what turned out to be the deciding marker by Nathan Horton with 12 seconds left in the frame.

James Reimer (36 saves) looked shaky from the start and Redden's goal, assisted by Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille, trickled by him. Playing in his first playoff game since he got hurt in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Horton tipped in Redden's shot from the point. David Krejci had the second assist.

Toronto tried to play physical but that was silly since they're not going to beat Boston at their own game, especially on their home ice no less. Krejci scored on a turnaround shot from the slot at 10:25 in the second period (from Milan Lucic) and Johnny Boychuk rounded out the scoring with a patented Johnny Rocket (copyright Jack Edwards) at 15:44 from Lucic and Krejci.

Things got more chippy in the third period as good old Leo Komarov was called for a 10-minute misconduct then goon Colton Orr (a former Bruin) was called for the same in garbage time. Chris Kelly and Komarov squared off after the final whistle, what better way to celebrate a Bruins ass kicking?

You have to think that Toronto can't play any worse on Saturday (7 p.m., NESN) in Game 2. They hadn't appeared in the postseason for nine years so perhaps this humbling experience got their feet wet in that regard. Whatever the case, the Bruins need to come out with the same intensity to pick up another vital win.

UPDATE 5/2: Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference was suspended for Game 2 after he elbowed Mikhail Grabovski in Game 1. Expect rookie Dougie Hamilton to get back on the ice (after being a healthy scratch) to take his place on Saturday night.

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Bruins Roll 3-1 Over Rangers In 2013 Season-Opener

Bruins fans couldn't ask for much more from their 2013 season-opener against the Rangers tonight at TD Garden. Boston (1-0-0) beat New York (0-1-0) 3-1 thanks to 20 saves by Tuukka Rask, a trio of goal-scorers and two lively fights (by Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell).

About the only thing to complain about was the woeful power-play (0 for 7) but then again, what else is new? The B's have figured out ways to win in spite of that glaring weakness the last few seasons so I guess we shouldn't be too worried about it at this point.

After dominating much of the first period, the B's went up 1-0 at 14:14 when Milan Lucic (1st goal of the season) followed up a rebound on David Krejci's shot. Andrew Ference had the other assist as Henrik Lundqvist kicked it out right to Looch.

Daniel Paille (1st goal of the season) made it 2-0 at 8:20 of the second period when he tipped in a shot by Campbell. Lundqvist got a piece of it but the puck still managed to scoot over the line.

New York finally showed some life four and a half minutes later as Brad Richards (1st goal of the season) used a screen to put a shot past Rask. Rick Nash and Dan Girardi had the assists for the Rangers.

Less than a minute later, Thornton decided to drop the gloves with Mike Rupp. After they fought, Campbell took on Stu Bickel. In both cases, Boston's fighters gave up size to their New York counterparts but that didn't stop them from squaring off three seconds apart.

Playing on his 29th birthday, Johnny Boychuk (1st of the season) gave the Bruins an insurance goal at 8:13 of the third period for a 3-1 lead. Patrice Bergeron (who had the lone assist on the play) screened Lundqvist so that he only saw puck at the last second (if that).

Rask wasn't called on to make any real difficult saves, whereas Lundqvist absolutely robbed Krejci in the third period on one of the best stops that you'll see all season in the NHL.

Boston will try to get a win streak going as they host Winnipeg (0-1-0) on Monday afternoon (1 p.m., NESN) in a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee. The Jets lost 4-1 to the Senators this afternoon at home. With such a short regular season, getting off to a good start (or at least not a bad one) is key. The B's will have to take advantage when they play inferior squads like that.

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