By Giving Away A Two-Game Lead, The B's Are On The Verge Of Yet Another Historic Playoff Collapse

 

    As we are constantly reminded, being a fan of the Bruins is never an easy existence. They can have a once in a lifetime record-setting regular season only to follow that up by struggling mightily to put away an inferior team in its first round playoff series. For the second game in a row, Boston had a chance to eliminate Florida but once again, they could not complete the task as they lost 7-5 tonight at FLA Live Arena in Game 7. This sets up a pressure packed Game 7 on Sunday night (6:30, NESN) at TD Garden which I truly believe is a legacy type contest for Bruins veterans like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci. If they lose, our worst fears will be correct (that the regular season was just a mirage) and it would be more damning evidence that this group has been vastly overrated and winning the Stanley Cup way back in 2011 will feel like even more of a fluke.

    Oh hey, which goaltender do you think that B's head coach Jim Montgomery should start on Sunday? Linus Ullmark (26 saves) is a lock to win the Vezina Trophy but right now, he is completely unraveling both physically and mentally. Boston used him and Jeremy Swayman in a lethal tandem all season and they talked about doing that in the playoffs as well but so far, Ullmark has played every game. I think that Swayman should start in Game 7 but it is rather insane to expect a guy that has been sitting all series long to suddenly step in with the weight of the franchise on his young and slender shoulders. 

    This felt like another game that the Bruins were left chasing the more aggressive and determined Panthers from the start. UMass defenseman Brandon Montour continued his stellar series with a power play goal at 2:01 of the first period. Left wing Matthew Tkachuk and center Aleksander Barkov had the assists on Montour's third goal of the playoffs in which he walked right in and took a low wrist shot by Ullmark. B's left wing Tyler Bertuzzi quickly answered with a power play tally of his own at 6:09. Left wing Brad Marchand and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the helpers on Bertuzzi's third goal of the season where he knocked in a nice feed from Marchy. Ullmark's juicy rebound led to Tkachuk's go-ahead goal that made it 2-1 for the home team at 13:52. Left wing Nick Cousins smartly shot the puck right at Ullmark's leg pads thus creating an easy rebound opportunity that Tkachuk buried for his fourth goal of the postseason. 

    Trailing 2-1 going into the second period, B's right wing David Pastrnak finally reemerged with a filthy between the legs shot for a tying power play goal at 5:42. Marchand and McAvoy had the assists on Pasta's third goal of the series. Boston should have grabbed a 3-2 advantage but defenseman Brandon Carlo's possible goal was waived off for an extremely questionable hand pass call on B's left wing Jake DeBrusk. Naturally, moments later Barkov broke his goalless drought with an easy tap-in at 9:22. Left wing Anthony Duclair and center Carter Verhaeghe picked up the assists on Barkov's first goal of the series. Florida was up 3-2 heading into the third period but nobody could have anticipated how bonkers that final frame would actually turn out to be. 

    Boston briefly had the lead not once but twice in the third period. Bertuzzi and Pastrnak both notched their second goals of the game a little over two minutes apart. Bert fired through a screen of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (29 saves) at 1:31 with the assists going to Carlo and Marchand. Pasta was finally heating up and looking like the 61 goal scorer in the regular season as he one-timed a pass from Bertuzzi for a 4-3 B's lead at 3:53. Marchand had the other assist on another highlight reel strike by Pastrnak in this contest. 

    Besides Ullmark turning into a puddle, Boston's defense is similarly in shambles. First they let some AHL scrub (right wing Zac Dalpe) tie it with a wide open one-timer from the slot at 7:21. Defenseman Eetu Luostarinen and center Anton Lundell notched the assists on Dalpe's memorable first goal of the series. DeBrusk staked Boston to its last lead (5-4) with a shorthanded goal at 10:22. Center Pavel Zacha stripped the puck away from a Panthers defenseman which led to DeBrusk having a mini-breakaway that he finished with a backhander. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov had the other assist on Jake's fourth goal of the postseason. Tkachuk could not be stopped though as the poked in a power play goal just 27 seconds later which tied it at five. Lundell and defenseman Gustav Forsling had the assists on the stunning goal from Florida's emotional leader. Things only got worse from there as Luostarinen got the last go-ahead goal with a high wrist shot that eluded Ullmark. Montour had the lone assist on Eetu's second goal of this series at 14:22. The Black and Gold pushed for a tying goal late in regulation but Bobrovsky made his most important stop of the series as he had a kick save on Pastrnak that led to center Sam Reinhart's empty net goal with 28 seconds remaining. His third goal of the series was assisted by defenseman and noted goon Radko Gudas. 

    You could say that it will be nice for the Bruins to have Game 7 on their home ice but I think that the brave fans who decide to go to it will (understandably) be paralyzed by fear the entire night. Remember that Boston is 1-2 at the Garden in this series and they have lost their last two outings there so yikes. We all remember in 2010 when the Bruins somehow choked away a 3-0 series lead against the Flyers so it would be tough to ever top that but if they lose on Sunday to the Panthers, look out below. It would be a an absolutely terrible finish to what had seemed like it was shaping up to be a very special season for the B's.

Bruins Take A 3-1 Series Lead & Depart Florida With The Panthers' Soul After A Lovely 6-2 Victory

 

    After radio silence for the first three games of this first round playoff series, I just had to chime in today after the Bruins and Panthers treated us sleep deprived young dads to a rainy Sunday afternoon special. Boston kept the momentum rolling from Friday's pivotal 4-2 victory in Game 3 as they won 6-2 today at good old FLA Live Arena to put the Panthers on the brink of elimination facing a 3-1 deficit. The teams get an extra day off (for Florida to start booking those tee times and island vacations?) before they meet again for Game 5 on Wednesday (7, NESN) at TD Garden. After surprisingly crumbling in the third period of Game 2 and getting blown out 6-3, the B's righted the ship with a memorable weekend in the Sunshine State. Neither performance was perfect but they looked much more like the club that had the best record in NHL regular season history. 

    The two main stars in Game 4 for Boston were goaltender Linus Ullmark (41 saves)-shown above challenging Panthers bozo Matthew Tkachuk to a fight in garbage time-along with left wing Taylor Hall (2 goals, 2 assists). Shouts to left wing Jake DeBrusk who also added two goals plus left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (goal, assist) who has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in his first four NHL playoff games and fellow newcomer Dmitry Orlov (assist) who has a point in all four contests. This was a true team win for the Black and Gold as every guy that suited up (and remember that they were once again missing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci) seemingly made a positive contribution. 

    Boston never trailed in Florida this weekend and their much maligned power play scored a goal in the first period and in the second period to stake the Bruins to a 2-0 lead. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (25 saves) was making his first start since March 27 and shocker, he looked rusty. He made a good save but then couldn't cover up the puck which allowed left wing Brad Marchand to knock the puck in at 9:45 of the first period. Center Pavel Zacha and Bertuzzi had the assists on Marchand's third goal of the series. 

    After Tkachuk picked up a stupid cross-checking penalty at the end of the first period, the B's made him pay as DeBrusk finished a pretty passing sequence from Orlov and Hall at 1:52 of the second period. Jake's second goal of the postseason gave Boston a 2-0 lead. Tkachuk briefly made up for his idiocy with a goal at 16:00 of the second period that cut the Bruins' advantage down to 2-1. He made the most of a favorable bounce and put in a sweet shot between his legs before Ullmark could recover. His second goal of the playoffs was assisted by center Carter Verhaeghe and UMass defenseman Brandon Montour.  

    Once again, Boston struck early-this time in the third period-to regain control of the contest. Bertuzzi had an awesome re-direct of a shot by defenseman Brandon Carlo. Left wing Nick Foligno added the secondary assist at 2:26 on Bertuzzi's second goal of the series. Florida briefly made it interesting as center Sam Bennett's power play goal made it 3-2 Boston at 6:11. He went to the net and was rewarded when Ullmark left a rebound on the doorstep. Montour and Tkachuk assisted on Bennett's second goal of the playoffs. The B's wasted little time wrapping it up though as DeBrusk scored a similar tally to Bennett's less than two minutes later at 8:05. Zacha and Hall provided the helpers on that one before Hall clinched it with a beautiful goal via a breakaway. His filthy dangle around a helpless Bobrovsky was a reminder that he used to be an NHL MVP not that long ago. Center Tomas Nosek and Ullmark notched the assists on probably the prettiest goal that a Bruin will score this postseason. For good measure, Hall added an empty netter at 19:31 for the final margin. Rookie left wing Jakub Lauko and Kennebunkport native Garnet Hathaway got their names on the scoresheet with the assists. 

    This is not the NBA and we are talking about the Bruins so even with a commanding 3-1 series lead, this is not fully over quite yet. Still, you have to like their chances to get this done in three possible games. They are clearly better than the Panthers so there is no need to give them any hope and have to go back to Florida for a Game 6. Get this over with on Wednesday and hope that the Leafs-Lightning series (which Toronto currently leads 2-1) goes seven games before you have to face one of those much better teams in the second round.

    

Yet Another Bruins Playoff Run Ends Prematurely With A 3-2 Game 7 Loss To The Hurricanes

 

    The more that time goes by, the more we realize that the 2011 Bruins were the anomaly. For the most part, Boston has been a middling franchise when it comes to the postseason. Sure, they can rack up points in the regular season and they make the playoffs almost every single year but what do they actually do when they get there? Usually not all that much. They lost in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final to the superior Blackhawks and they choked on home ice in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final to the Blues but this afternoon was more of the norm as they quietly exited the first round with a 3-2 loss in Game 7 at PNC Arena against the Hurricanes. It was only the fourth time in the last 20 years of the NHL that the home team won every single game in a series and for the sixth time in this series, Carolina scored first. The usual factors that typically doom the B's were omnipresent: a lack of secondary scoring, shaky defense and the inability to get the big save when they really needed it. Now we wait to see if franchise center Patrice Bergeron leaves the team for good either via free agency or gulp retirement. 

    I don't expect the Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup this summer, they aren't a great team or anything but they were just a little bit hungrier after losing to the Bruins twice in recent postseasons and a little more talented. Boston made it a habit of giving up backbreaking goals late in periods during this series so obviously it continued in Game 7. Carolina caught the Bruins running around a bit with a pretty passing sequence from defenseman Jaccob Slavin to center Max Domi who passed it in front to a wide open left wing Teuvo Teravainen for an easy one-timer/tap-in at 18:36 of the first period. Teravainen's second goal of the playoffs gave the Hurricanes the all-important 1-0 lead. 

    Any thoughts of a good start by the Bruins in the second period were quickly thwarted as Domi made it 2-0 at 3:14 as a shot by defenseman Brady Skjei deflected off center Jordan Staal right to Domi who stuffed it in. It was Domi's first goal of the series as once again, Boston's rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (28 saves) playing in his first career Game 7 had little chance to stop it. The B's finally answered a bit as left wing Jake DeBrusk jumped on a loose puck and flipped a shot past Carolina's goaltender Antti Raanta (27 saves) at 5:04. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Bergeron registered the assists on DeBrusk's second goal of the postseason. Carolina shortly regained that two-goal lead though as Domi became the unlikely hero with his second goal of the game. He was left uncovered in the slot and he one-timed a pass from Teravainen for a 3-1 Canes lead at 10:33. That was quite a gut punch for the Bruins since just before that, left wing Trent Frederic had hit the post with a shot that would have tied the game. 

    The third period was a typical Bruins losing effort as they got plenty of pressure but couldn't find a goal until it was way too late. With Swayman pulled for an extra skater, they cut it to 3-2 when there was less than 22 seconds left in regulation. Left wing Taylor Hall passed the puck back to McAvoy at the point, his shot was deflected but it went to right wing David Pastrnak who was able to throw the puck into the net for his third goal of the playoffs. There was a big scramble right before time ran out with Raanta appearing to make a save on Bergeron in traffic but the game was lost before then for the B's. Carolina advances to play the winner of Rangers-Penguins in the second round while Boston goes home for the another way too long summer.

  

Thanks To Brad Marchand (5 Points), The Bruins Have Evened The Series With The Hurricanes 2-2

 

    In a truly stunning turn of events, the Bruins-Hurricanes first-round playoff series has taken on serious NBA playoff vibes with the home team winning every game so far. Home ice is supposed to be mostly irrelevant in the NHL playoffs but that has been far from the case in this matchup. This afternoon at TD Garden, Boston celebrated Mother's Day by rallying twice and using a brilliant playoff career-best five point (2 goals, 3 assist) performance by star left wing Brad Marchand to take Game 4 by a score of 5-2. After looking dead in the water following losses in Games 1 & 2 at Carolina, the B's evened the series 2-2 with Game 5 set for Tuesday (7, NESN) back in Raleigh, NC. 

    What made this victory quite impressive was that Boston survived without their top two defensemen: Hampus Lindholm (still recovering from that Game 2 concussion) and Charlie McAvoy (put in Covid protocol this morning). This meant that the immortal Josh Brown (-2) played 12:52 in an important playoff game and his team still managed to win despite the fact that he doesn't belong in the NHL. The Hurricanes looked so good in the first two games and the Bruins answered the bell to survive the must-win Game 3 but if Boston wins this series, we will likely look back on Game 4 as a big turning point. Today was when Carolina started to crumble, led by bozo defenseman Tony DeAngelo who jawed with Marchand all day and ended his outing by tossing his stick as Brad scored an empty-netter to make it 5-2 with 35 seconds left in regulation. 

    For the fourth straight game, the Canes scored first as UNH defenseman Brett Pesce skated free in the slot and took a pass from forward Max Domi that he whipped past B's goaltender Jeremy Swayman (24 saves) for his first goal of the playoffs. Center Eric Staal had the second assist on opening tally which came at 14:06 of the first period. That lead was very short-lived though as Bruins captain and center Patrice Bergeron tied it with a backhander at 16:09. His third goal of the series was assisted by Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak. 

    Carolina quickly regained the lead in the second period as Staal one-timed a sweet backhand pass from behind the net by right wing Nino Niederreiter. That made it 2-1 in favor of the Hurricanes 33 seconds into the frame with DeAngelo picking up the second assist (his 5th of the series). Things started to go Boston's way from there beginning with a fortuitous call: left wing Jake DeBrusk tied it at two with a power play goal at 18:44 of the second period. DeBrusk's first goal of the postseason was assisted by Marchand and Bergeron. It appeared like Jake pushed Carolina goaltender Antti Raanta's (23 saves) pad before knocking the puck in through a maze of bodies. Canes head coach Rod Brind'Amour challenged the play but lost it which sent the home team right back on the power play. 

    Marchand made the Hurricanes pay as he ripped a wrist shot over Raanta's glove 44 seconds into the third period. It was a 5-on-3 after Bergy had taken a high stick right above his eye from Canes center Sebastian Aho that made him bleed like an ECW wrestler in the late 90s. That gave Boston its first lead of the contest at 3-2 with center Charlie Coyle and DeBrusk picking up the assists on Marchand's second goal of the series. Pasta put it out of reach with a tap-in from a gorgeous cross-ice feed by Marchand that made it 4-2 Bruins at 5:41. Bergeron had the other helper on Pastrnak's second goal of the series. A great stat about the reunited perfection line: Boston is now 6-0 all-time in the postseason when those three guys record multiple points in the same game. 

    If you believe in momentum in the NHL playoffs, the B's certainly have it at this moment. Remember though, Carolina has home ice advantage so Boston will have to win a game there to advance past this round. For that reason, Game 5 seems like a lovely time to shift this narrative and show that they can also win on the road in a tough environment full of liquored up rednecks. It will be Swayman's first playoff start away from the Garden but I never worry much about him. I realize that Linus Ullmark played better than him down the stretch in the regular season but I still think that the rookie should have started in Games 1 & 2 (not that it would have mattered with how poorly the entire team performed) just like he should have started last postseason with Tuukka Rask falling apart but I digress. All the pressure has shifted to the Hurricanes as they contemplate getting eliminated by the B's for the third time in the last four postseasons. For these reasons and more, Game 5 should be a doozy and it's not a stretch to say that whomever wins that one will probably capture the series as well.

Marchand Scored Twice & The Bruins Opened The 2021-22 Season With A 3-1 Win Against The Stars

 

    It was not the most thrilling of season openers but it is tough to argue with the final result as the Bruins beat the Stars (1-1) 3-1 this evening at the TD Garden. Left wing Brad Marchand opened the scoring on a penalty shot and he fittingly wrapped it up with an empty-netter. Between those tallies, Dallas center Luke Glendening and B's left wing Jake DeBrusk traded goals. Boston improved to 4-1 in season openers under head coach Bruce Cassidy and they hardly looked rusty as you might expect since their last preseason game was on October 6. Bruins rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves as he begins his first full season in Boston as the No. 1 starter and Boston's penalty kill went a perfect 6-for-6. Stars goaltender Braden Holtby (37 saves) apparently lost many of his super powers vs. the Bruins once he left Washington a few years ago because now he is just another good but not great goalie. 

    Marchand used his sneaky speed to gain a step on the Dallas defense and he got hooked then pushed down by Stars defenseman Ryan Suter to earn the penalty shot at 17:38 of the first period. The last time that Boston's first goal of the year came on a penalty shot was in 2013 when now assistant coach Chris Kelly got it done. Oddly enough for the team who had played a game already this season-a 3-2 win at the Rangers on Wednesday-the Stars came out slow except when left wing Roope Hintz's shot hit the post but thankfully stayed out of the net. Still, Boston leading 1-0 after the first period felt like it should have been more since they outshot Dallas by a huge margin (17-5).

    The Stars came alive in the second period and tied it at one at 9:15 as center Luke Glendening snapped a low shot by Swayman. His first goal of the season was assisted by center Tanner Kero. It was tied at one after two periods but the B's did not take too long in the third period to regain the lead. New center Erik Haula looked like he had the puck bounce off his stick but left wing Jake DeBrusk was right there in front of Holtby to quickly knock it in for the go-ahead goal at 4:43. The other newest Bruin on that line-right wing Nick Foligno-notched the secondary helper. Boston clinched the two points at 18:23 as right wing David Pastrnak found Marchand racing to the net where he was able to flip the puck into the empty cage before Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen awkwardly knocked him over. Haha NESN's Jack Edwards was screaming about it being a slew foot until the replay made him (somewhat) eat his crazy words. 

    Boston's practice that was scheduled for tomorrow was cancelled, giving them more time to get ready for Patriots (2-3) vs. Cowboys (4-1) tomorrow afternoon (4:25, CBS). At Warrior Ice Arena on Monday morning, the Bruins will start preparations for a short two-game road trip with stops in Philadelphia (0-0-1) on Wednesday (7:30, TNT) and then in Buffalo (2-0) on Friday (7,  NESN). Those are two clubs that they have owned for years so we'll see if that continues in their first meetings of this season. I figure that Swayman will face the Flyers and perhaps backup goaltender Linus Ullmark will take on his old team-the Sabres-and make his B's debut in the third game of the season. It certainly does not feel like hockey season yet with the warm temperatures outside plus all the other local teams in action but I'm sure once the weather gets worse, it will be time to focus on the Black and Gold a little more closely. 

The B's Even The Series With The Caps 1-1 After Hall's Clutch Goal & Marchand's OT Game-Winner

 

    As you've probably heard, there is nothing in sports quite like playoff hockey and that roller coaster of emotions was on full display tonight at the Capital One Arena. Boston rallied from a late 3-2 deficit in the third period to tie it on left wing Taylor Hall's first postseason goal in black and gold then star Brad Marchand scored the fastest OT goal in franchise playoff history (39 seconds!) as they won Game 2 by a score of 4-3 against Washington. After losing 3-2 in overtime in Game 1, the Bruins evened the series at one game apiece with Game 3 on Wednesday (6:30, NESN) at the TD Garden. The win snapped a five-game playoff losing streak for the B's dating back to last postseason in the bubble vs. Tampa Bay while the Capitals have now dropped three of their last four playoff games that have gone to overtime. 

    Up until their strong finish to Game 2, this felt like it would end on another sour note for Boston with them trailing 0-2 in the series and headed home for the next two contests. Two times in the first period the Bruins took the lead only to see the Caps quickly answer back. They also once again made 39-year-old goaltender Craig Anderson (44 saves) look way better than he should be in 2021. Right wing Jake DeBrusk has definitely put a terrible regular season behind him as he scored for the second straight game. BU's Charlie Coyle started the play by going around the net (while Anderson slid much too far out of the crease) then feeding DeBrusk in front for an easy tap-in. Nick Ritchie had the second assist on the opening tally at 5:05. Boston took a bunch of dumb penalties this evening and it cost them when right wing T.J. Oshie tipped in Alex Ovechkin's weak wrist shot at 6:31. Capitals defenseman John Carlson provided the second assist on Oshie's first goal of the playoffs.

    Boston's top line had been invisible in Game 1 so it was great to see captain Patrice Bergeron snipe a shot past Anderson at 9:21. Right wing David Pastrnak had the lone assist on Bergy's first goal of the postseason. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (36 saves) was good in Game 2 well except for the goal that Washington scored to make it 2-2. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov put the puck on net (or tried to) but the shot deflected off right wing Garnet Hathaway's skate and through a maze of bodies into the net. It was the first career goal for the Brown alum and Maine native with former Canadien Lars Eller (who later left with a lower-body injury and never returned) adding the second helper at 16:42. 

    After a scoreless second period, Hathaway handed the Caps their first lead (3-2) at 7:04. That wasn't a fluke although it started with a ill-timed pinch by Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller which led to a 2-on-1. Orlov fed Hathaway who beat Rask top shelf with left wing Carl Hagelin credited with the other assist. Hall's tying goal was not of the sexy variety that he displayed multiple times late in the regular season but nevertheless, it was highly effective and just as memorable. Right wing Craig Smith and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk had the assists but Hall did the most dirty work as Anderson stopped all of them before Taylor finally found an open space to knock the puck into the net. That huge momentum swing at 17:11 carried Boston through the rest of regulation and into the very brief extra session. The game-ending sequence started when Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon's awful clearing attempt was intercepted by Bruins center David Krejci at Washington's blue line. He shuttled the puck across to Grzelcyk who found Marchand with another cross-ice pass. Brad made no mistake there since he crushed a one-timer that Anderson could not get over fast enough to stop. 

    You cannot emphasize enough how important this victory was to Boston since trailing 0-2 and returning to the pressure of the Garden could have been a tough combination for them to overcome. Luckily, they stepped up at winning time and hopefully cracked the code a bit on the mediocre Anderson. I'd love to say that the B's will win Game 3 in a blowout but the fact remains that the last 11 (!) playoff games between the Bruins and Capitals have all been decided by one goal. Enjoy the beautiful weather tomorrow, watch the goofy Celtics-Wizards Play-In Tournament game (9, TNT) and get ready for what should be a beauty of an event on Causeway Street on Wednesday. 

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.

The Bruins Lost 2-1 To The Capitals In A Completely Meaningless Regular Season Finale

 

    In a goofy scheduling quirk, Boston (33-16-7 overall, 15-9-4 away) had to go to DC tonight to play the Capitals (36-15-5 overall, 17-8-3 home) at the Verizon Center in their final game of the regular season, only to return there on Saturday night (7:15, NBC) for Game 1 of the first round of the NHL playoffs. With almost all of their best players benched, the Bruins' backups and lesser known guys mostly held their own against an almost full-strength Caps lineup but Washington won 2-1 thanks to a last-second goal. Veteran left wing Michael Raffl scored his first goal as a Capital (4th of the season) with three seconds left in regulation to clinch the victory (assisted by defenseman Justin Schultz) and thankfully avoid a needless overtime and/or shootout. Boston finished 4-2-2 against Washington in the regular season which should give them plenty of confidence heading into their fourth ever playoff series against the Capitals. 

    Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (30 saves, 7-3-0) made the start for the B's and besides Raffl's fluky game-winner (over his shoulder from no angle), his only other mistake was coughing up a rebound which led to the tying goal for left wing Carl Hagelin in the second period. He crashed the net and put in the loose puck at 16:15 for his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Brown's Garnet Hathaway and some guy named Zdeno Chara. Washington's rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek (21-10-4) made 24 saves in the victory and the only goal he allowed came earlier in the second period. Center Curtis Lazar drove to the net and was there to re-direct a feed from defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Left wing Jake DeBrusk had the other assist on Lazar's seventh goal of the season at 10:11.

    The Capitals seemed to have run the much bigger risk by having so many regulars play tonight but the Bruins turned out to be the team to suffer an injury as defenseman Jakub Zboril left with an upper-body injury in the second period and he never returned to action. I'd love to tell you when Games 2-4 will be but thus far, Game 1 is all that has been confirmed by the NHL. Regardless of when it all takes place, I think we all know that this is going to be a hell of a series. With the Penguins (37-16-3) facing the Islanders (32-17-7) in the other East Division semifinal, I think that the winner of the Bruins-Capitals series (assuming that they don't have tons of injuries to key players) has a great chance to be the last team standing from the East. That's the thing about playoff hockey though, predictions are useless but the games are always out of this world. Enjoy them everybody, let's hope for a long run for the black and gold.

The Bruins Skated Circles Around The Already Checked Out Rangers, Beating Them 4-0

 

    After back-to-back bloodbaths with the Capitals (34-14-5) earlier this week, the Rangers (26-23-6) limped into the TD Garden tonight and promptly dropped their fifth straight game, 4-0. The Bruins (32-14-7) are playing some of their best hockey of the season and rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (15 saves, 7-2-0) picked up his second career shutout in the victory. Boston scored two goals in the first period and then cruised from there as they took a firmer grip on third-place in the East Division. They are now three points ahead of the fourth-place Islanders (31-17-6) with a game in hand, two points behind the Capitals (34-14-5) and four points behind top-seeded Pittsburgh (36-16-3) with two games in hand. 

    Two of Boston's best and most reliable players helped stake them to that 2-0 lead. Center Patrice Bergeron took a one-timer from left wing Brad Marchand that went in at 7:11 for his 22nd goal of the season & his fourth straight game with a goal. On the power play, BU's Charlie McAvoy doubled the Bruins' lead as he slammed a one-timer from Marchand that went top shelf at 18:35. Right wing David Pastrnak had the second assist on McAvoy's fifth goal of the season. Things did not get better for New York as right wing Jake DeBrusk skated in on a breakaway and scored for a 3-0 lead at 14:01 of the second period. Center David Krejci and left wing Taylor Hall notched the assists on DeBrusk's fifth goal of the season. The final tally for the B's came from defenseman Brandon Carlo who saw his attempted pass deflected into the net when Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (30 saves, 15-14-3) accidentally kicked it in off his leg pad. Carlo's third goal of the season was also assisted by Krejci. 

    These same two clubs meet again on Saturday afternoon (3, NESN) at the Garden as Tuukka Rask (14-4-2) gets the start in net for Boston. With some more rest, New York should perform a little better but will it really matter that much? They have absolutely nothing left to play for this season while conversely, the Bruins are just getting everything finetuned before the postseason begins at some point next week. Boston is 5-2 against the Rangers in 2021 with that one matchup left to go between them.

The Bruins Earned Two Points The Hard Way: With A Gross Shootout Win Over The Hapless Sabres

 

    Typically beating the worst team in a given sport isn't a cause for celebration. However, I will grant the Bruins (22-12-6 overall, 11-6-3 home) a little slack since they need as many points as possible in their current situation therefore a 3-2 shootout win against the lowly Sabres (10-25-7 overall, 6-12-3 away) tonight at the TD Garden will have to suffice. All three of Boston's trade deadline acquisitions were in the lineup for their Bruins debuts: left wing Taylor Hall, center Curtis Lazar and defenseman Mike Reilly are all legitimate NHL players which is more than you can say for some of the scrubs that have been forced into action lately with all the injuries and Covid-19 issues for the B's. 

    Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (21 saves) improved to 3-1 as he stopped both Buffalo shooters (Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson) in the shootout while each Boston shooter-center Charlie Coyle and left wing Jake DeBrusk-found back of the net behind Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski (29 saves, 0-4-2) who relieved starter Linus Ullmark (3 saves) after he suffered an unknown injury less than five minutes into the game. Buffalo led 1-0 at 1:52 of the first period as former Bruin Colin Miller fired a bomb from the point for his fourth goal of the season. Center Dylan Cozens and left wing Anders Bjork (obtained from Boston in the Hall trade) had the assists on Miller's tally. Bruins center David Krejci tied it at one at 13:20 of the first period as Tokarski left a rebound in a dangerous spot and Krejci swept in a backhander for his third goal of the season with defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and right wing Craig Smith notching the helpers. 

    Speaking of Smitty-who was playing in his 700th NHL game-he gave the Black and Gold a 2-1 lead early in the second period at 5:29. The puck had rolled off of Hall's stick when he tried to make a backhand pass but this being Buffalo, they failed to clear it and instead sent the puck right to Smith who fired in his ninth goal of the season. The second period was also notable for a pair of fights: Nick Ritchie took on UMass' Matt Irwin (another former Bruin) before Smith's go-ahead goal and later, Kevan Miller absolutely destroyed poor Tage Thompson. 

    2-1 is an unlikely way to win, even when you're playing Buffalo. The Sabres hung around long enough to tie it at two in the third period on defenseman Rasmus Dahlin's screened shot from the point. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju and left wing Jeff Skinner registered the assists on Dahlin's fourth goal of the season where he found himself wide open before shooting through traffic. Bjork of all people had a great chance to end it in overtime but after making a beautiful move to deke Swayman, he ran out of room and skated past the net because of course he did. The Bruins are 3-0 vs. the Sabres with the gift of five more meetings this season including three in four days next week. 

    Needless to say, the B's will have to be way better if they hope to finally solve the riddle that has been the Islanders (27-11-4 overall, 9-9-2 away) for them in 2021. Boston has lost three times in regulation, once in overtime and once in a shootout against the Isles. They get three more chances to beat them in the regular season starting with a rare back-to-back (against the same club) at the Garden on Thursday (7, NESN) and Friday (7, NESN). New York is eight points ahead of Boston (B's have 2 games in hand though) and in second-place in the East Division. I certainly don't think it'll happen given how the first five contests have turned out but if the Bruins can somehow sweep them this week, that would make the playoff race much tighter all around them.

The Bruins Close The Season Series Vs. The Flyers With Their First Loss In Regulation To Them In '21

 

    Playing in their fourth game in the last six days, I can't blame the Bruins (21-11-6) for losing this afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center against the Flyers (19-15-6). Boston scored first and later tied it up at two but they eventually fell 3-2 as they closed the season series with Philadelphia with a more than solid 6-1-1 record. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (20 saves; 2-1) suffered the first loss of his NHL career as he made his third start in a row. This game meant a whole bunch to both clubs and their postseason aspirations but Philly understandably played like the more desperate group which makes sense because they entered outside the playoff picture. These two points pulled them within four points of the Bruins although Boston still has two games in hand over them.

    B's center Patrice Bergeron (6 goals, 3 assists) has been on fire lately with a seven-game point-streak that he extended with a power play goal at 5:38 of the first period. Right wing Craig Smith and left wing Brad Marchand had the assists on Bergy's 16th goal of the season. He had set up in the slot and even though Smitty's pass was in his skates, he took his time to gather the puck and fire it past Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (30 saves, 11-5-1). Philadelphia tied it at one as right wing Travis Konecny put in a juicy rebound from defensemen Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim. It was Konecny's ninth goal of the season and it came at 11:51 of the first period. The Flyers took their first lead when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere tipped in a shot from Konecny at 17:46 for a power play tally. UNH's James van Riemsdyk added the second assist on Gostisbehere's seventh goal of the season. 

    Boston scored the lone goal of the second period as left wing Jake DeBrusk roofed a shot by Elliott at 11:45. Smith and BU's Charlie Coyle had the helpers on DeBrusk's fourth goal of the season. It's been a brutal season in terms of injuries for B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and unfortunately his bad luck continued as he left late in the second period with an upper-body injury and he never returned. Ugh. Philly center Sean Couturier scored the game-winning goal at 6:59 of the third period as Swayman got caught out of position leaving most of the net for Couturier to shoot at. His 12th goal of the season was assisted by BU's Joel Farabee and van Riemsdyk.

    This hellacious stretch finally ends tomorrow night (7, NESN) for the Bruins as they host the Capitals (26-11-4) at the TD Garden. Boston is 2-1-1 so far this week which includes a 4-2 home win against Washington on Thursday. Washington is in a dead heat with the Islanders for first-place in the Eastern Division as both teams are eight points ahead of the Black and Gold although the Bruins have three games in hand over both of them. Boston is 3-0-2 meaning that they haven't lost yet in regulation vs. Washington in 2021. The other rookie goaltender Dan Vladar is a lock to get the start tomorrow since Swayman needs a break while Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak remain out with an injury and Covid-19 respectively. 

It Took Overtime But The Flyers Finally Beat The Bruins 3-2 In Their Sixth Meeting Of The Season

 

    On Easter Sunday, the Capitals (25-9-4) completed a season sweep (8 games!) of the Devils (13-17-6) which makes sense because Washington is one of the best teams in the NHL and New Jersey is one of the worst-that is when they're not playing Boston (19-10-6). Tonight at the TD Garden, the Bruins put their own unbeaten record on the line against the Flyers (18-14-5) and it finally came to an end as Philly beat them 3-2 in overtime on defenseman Travis Sanheim's goal. The B's dropped to 5-0-1 against the Flyers in 2021 while Philadelphia closed to within three points of them for fourth-place in the East Division (Boston still has two games in hand over them). The same teams meet tomorrow night (7, NESN) at the Wells Fargo Center before they close the season series there on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN). 

    Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc on the Bruins, granted not on the horrifying scale that the Canucks (16-18-3) are currently facing. This afternoon we found out that B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak had tested positive for the coronavirus and with Tuukka Rask still out (back injury), the team was forced to start rookie goaltender Dan Vladar (29 saves, 2-1-1) and dress another rookie Jeremy Swayman as the backup who had never appeared in an NHL game. Left wing Jake DeBrusk played in his first game since March 18 after he was sidelined with Covid-19. This is not to make excuses for Boston's loss this evening, only to point out that there are many things going on with the club both on and off the ice while the pandemic still unfolds all around us. 

    The last time that we saw the Flyers, the Bruins had buried them in the side of a mountain at Lake Tahoe. Things were obviously much different for them tonight than that embarrassing blowout defeat. Right wing Travis Konecny gave them a 1-0 lead at 10:15 of the first period as he put in a rebound. Center Claude Giroux and defenseman Ivan Provorov had the assists on Konecny's eighth goal of the season. Boston tied it at 17:33 on rookie right wing Karson Kuhlman's snipe over Flyers goalie Brian Elliott's (27 saves, 10-5-1) shoulder, off the post and in. BU's Charlie Coyle had the lone assist on Kuhlman's second goal of the season. 

    The Black and Gold notched the only goal in the second period which also gave them their lone lead of the tilt: center Patrice Bergeron one-timed in a nifty pass from right wing David Pastrnak on the power play 46 seconds into the frame. BU's Matt Grzelcyk provided the other helper on Bergy's 12th goal of the season. Philadelphia tied it in the third period with a power play tally of their own: center Sean Couturier's screened snap shot went by Vladar at 6:56. Provorov and BC's Kevin Hayes recorded the assists on Couturier's 11th goal of the season. Sanheim's goal was a lowlight for Bergeron as he tripped himself up skating backwards and trying to play defense on him, leading to a breakaway and the eventual game-winning goal. Sanheim's second goal of the season was unassisted and it came at 3:08. 

    Assuming that Halak is still out for tomorrow's rematch, does Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy choose to start Vladar again or go with Swayman in a very important matchup in terms of playoff implications? I'm not going to hold my breath for Rask to return tomorrow either so I believe it will be one of the rookie goaltenders in net on the road in a really big spot that happens to be the second half of a back-to-back set. On the other side, you wonder if Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault goes back to Elliott or he throws Carter Hart in there who has been nothing but a disaster lately? A Philly win in regulation would bring them within one point of the Bruins. Ruh roh.

UPDATE 4/6/21: Swayman will make his NHL debut tonight while defenseman Kevan Miller & right wing Chris Wagner both return to the lineup. 

The Bruins Finally Discovered First-Hand What A Joy It Is To Play Against The Sabres This Season

 

    The Sabres (6-19-4) are really lucky that there isn't a relegation system in the NHL because they are the worst team in the league by a wide margin this season. Tonight at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo head coach Don Granato's (brother of Tony and Cammi) debut, the Bruins (16-8-4) easily dispatched them 4-1 in their first of eight meetings in 2021. It was the 13th straight loss for the Sabres, a once proud franchise that has become a laughing stock in recent years and a place where good hockey players go to die. Boston won its second game in a row for the first time in over a month (February 12), so you can bet that they are psyched to be playing these bums at just the right time. 

    This morning, it looked like this game might not even happen today since a Bruins player (later revealed to be center Sean Kuraly) entered Covid-19 protocols and the morning skate was promptly cancelled. Not to be outdone, Buffalo didn't have a morning skate either since a member of their hockey staff had entered Covid protocols as well. On a lighter note, it's always a good day when you get to say Greg McKegg's wonderful name and wouldn't you know, he was in the lineup this evening for Kuraly and he tipped in a shot from the point by defenseman Matt Grzelcyk for the first goal of his illustrious Bruins career (2 games and counting!) at 2:56 of the first period. 

    Buffalo's lone highlight of the whole game was early in the second period when right wing Kyle Okposo tied it at one with a shorthanded goal. His shot deflected off Grzelcyk's stick, causing the puck to elude B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak's (23 saves, 7-4-2) glove. PC's Jacob Bryson had the lone assist-the first of his NHL career-on Okposo's first goal of the season. No problem as Boston responded with two goals later in the frame to regain control. First, left wing Jake DeBrusk made the most of some power play time to bat a rebound out of the air and past Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton (33 saves, 1-10-1). Right wing David Pastrnak and center David Krejci (who reached 700 points on the play, only the 8th player in Bruins history to do that) provided the assists on DeBrusk's third goal of the season at 9:15. The real backbreaker for the home team was the next goal as right wing Craig Smith put in a low shot from the slot that Hutton should have stopped. Smith's fifth goal of the season came at 18:36 and it gave the B's a 3-1 lead with Krejci and defenseman Connor Clifton recording the assists.

    Pasta added another power play goal at 4:44 of the third period. His team-leading 14th goal of the season was a rocket of a one-timer from Krejci and left wing Brad Marchand. The shot was hit so perfectly that it went into the net then bounced out. Even in an easy victory like this, the Black and Gold can't seem to avoid injuries right now as left wing Trent Frederic blocked a shot in the first period and didn't return due to a lower-body injury. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said that X-Rays were negative on that so he shouldn't miss much if any time. This evening also marked the NHL debut of undrafted (out of St. Cloud State) free agent defenseman Jack Ahcan. From what I can tell, he's a dollar store version of Torey Krug (remember him?): 5-foot-8, 178 pounds, left shot. In 17:55 of ice time, he had three shots on goal, blocked two shots and had a hit. Who knows what will become of him in the NHL but the Bruins GM Don Sweeney definitely has a very specific type of defenseman (Krug, Grzelcyk, Ahcan, etc) that he is obsessed with. 

    These same clubs meet on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) and I honestly hope that Cassidy gives his temporary backup goalie Dan Vladar his second career NHL start. Think about it, he'll never have a better spot to follow up his amazing debut on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. Even if Tuukka Rask is ready to return, I would hold him out for another game since why would you waste him against this checked out opponent? Ditto for Halak, let him rest up after a very busy stretch for him. Give the rookie another chance to show what he can do/increase his potential trade value down the line.

UPDATE 3/19/21: Four more Bruins (David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Craig Smith and Jake DeBrusk) went into the league's Covid-19 protocols today so tomorrow's rematch in Buffalo and Tuesday's game vs. the Islanders have both been postponed. Ugh, we still can't have nice things in 2021. 

When All Else Fails, The B's Can Usually Count On Their Dominance Over The Rangers This Season

 

    This season has become so much about favorable and unfavorable matchups with certain teams in the East Division: the Bruins (14-6-4) for instance improved to 4-1 against the Rangers (10-12-3) thanks to an easy 4-0 shutout victory this evening at the TD Garden. For all of their noted struggles (0-3-1) against the first-place Islanders (17-6-4) in 2021, the B's are perfect (4-0) against the Flyers (13-8-3) and they are also consistently good against the Rangers too. With Tuukka Rask still sidelined with a mysterious injury (back?), Boston is lucky to employ one of the best backup goalies in the NHL: Jaroslav Halak (6-2-2) who made 27 saves in his second shutout of the season and the 52nd of his career. After being a healthy scratch on Tuesday at the Isles, left wing Jake DeBrusk responded in the proper fashion with a goal while center David Krejci added a goal and an assist of his own. 

    Do I even have to mention the latest exploits of Boston's superb top line? Of course I do. Right wing David Pastrnak got it started with a goal, center Patrice Bergeron had a power play tally and left wing Brad Marchand notched three assists in the win. The Rangers dropped their third straight game as they fall further towards the stinky basement of the East Division. They were never really in this one as they gave up a pair of goals in the first period and then it was 4-0 less than five minutes into the second period. In other words, goodnight everybody! 

    For the second game in a row, Pasta has added a new wrinkle to his offensive attack as he cranked a one-timer from some distance for a 1-0 lead 4:14 into the contest. Marchand and Bergeron provided the assists on Pastrnak's team-high (tied with Brad) 12th goal of the season in just his 17th outing. It was 2-0 late in the frame as Marchand made a ridiculous spin move then pass in front to Bergeron for a close range one-timer. Oh and it was shorthanded, so that was extra fun. Yup, the captain's 10th goal of the season came at 17:34 and if you listened closely, you could already hear the spirit leaving New York's bodies. With a quick flurry of goals in the second period, it was all over even with a ton of time left in regulation.

    Krejci blasted a one-timer on the power-play for his first goal (um yikes!) of the season at 3:31. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk had the primary assist and Marchand added the secondary assist on the goal that made it 3-0 for the Black and Gold. Before former BU head coach Jack Quinn had any time to update his resume on LinkedIn, the B's had increased the lead to an insurmountable 4-0. DeBrusk one-timed a sweet pass from Krejci who had stolen the puck on a strong forecheck behind New York's goal. For years, secondary scoring has been a major issue for Boston and those two guys in particular represent some of their best hopes to get anything offensively from their forwards outside of Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak. 

    For whatever reason, these teams have played nothing but two-game sets this season and that continues with a Saturday afternoon matinee (1, NESN) at the Garden. Unless Rask returns to practice tomorrow, I'd expect Halak to start that tilt as well unless Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy feels so confident against the Rangers that he can give rookie Dan Vladar his first NHL start. The only real hope for New York is that they can get their star forward Artemi Panarin back then but the reality is that they have plenty of other issues that he simply can't solve all by himself.

After Not Playing A Game This Week, The Bruins Were Noticeably Rusty In A 3-2 Loss To The Devils

 

    The Bruins (10-3-2) have been lucky that they have yet to face a real Covid-19 outbreak among their team so far in this cursed season. However, like everyone else in the NHL, they still have been affected by it since so many other teams-like the Devils (6-3-2)-have caused many games to be postponed already. This is the reality of playing hockey in the middle of a pandemic so there is no need to complain about it since in one way or another, every team and player has to deal with it. For the second time in 2021, the B's had an unexpected break from games since their last contest was Saturday's 4-2 loss at the Islanders (8-5-3). Since then, Boston has practiced and waited around until tonight when they finally took the ice again at TD Garden (only their fifth home game of this campaign). Unfortunately, this was all a big set up for saying that the Black and Gold were noticeably rusty in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey. It was the first home loss for the Bruins this season and also the first time that they've dropped back-to-back tilts in regulation.

    I hesitate to call the Devils a good team but in three meetings with the Bruins this year, they have lost in a shootout, beat them in overtime and then this evening's victory so they are giving them some problems for sure. Head coach Bruce Cassidy made the bold move to put superstar David Pastrnak on the second line with his fellow Czech David Krejci at center and Nick Ritchie at left wing. Unfortunately, we barely got to see if that new line had any chemistry as Krejci left in the second period with a lower-body injury and never returned. We knew that Boston's trend earlier this season of rallying from multi-goal deficits was not going to last and the bubble has seemed to have predictably burst on that. After a sleepy and scoreless first period, New Jersey right wing Kyle Palmieri scored his first two goals of the season at 1:34 and 10:39. Center Jack Hughes had a sweet feed on the first goal while defenseman Damon Severson and left wing Jesper Bratt assisted on Palmieri's second tally which came while the Devils were shorthanded. 

    Both of Boston's goals came on the power play as left wing Jake DeBrusk stole a clearing attempt by Palmieri in front of his own goalie MacKenzie Blackwood (25 saves, 4-0-1) and he put a snap shot in the top shelf for his first goal of the season at 12:36 of the second period. The Bruins trailed 2-1 for only a few minutes as center Pavel Zacha finished off a pretty passing sequence with a quick wrist shot by B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 4-1-1) at 15:37 of the second period. Left wing Andreas Johnsson and defenseman Will Butcher provided the helpers on Zacha's fourth goal of the season. 

    The Bruins left it really late for their latest failed comeback attempt as Pasta's shot deflected in with Halak pulled at 18:54. His sixth goal of the season initially looked like it was tipped in by defenseman Charlie McAvoy in front but it turns out that a Devils defenseman was the last one to touch it. Besides McAvoy, Ritchie had the other assist. Pastrnak even got a chance to tie it in the final seconds of regulation but his slap shot from in tight was blocked by Devils defenseman PK Subban, otherwise it very well could have gone in the net.

    There is no practice for the B's tomorrow as they head out for Lake Tahoe-not for a break but to play the Flyers (8-3-3) on Sunday afternoon (2, NBC) in the NHL's latest goofy spot for an outdoor game. The start time was actually moved up an hour tonight since the forecast calls for 45 degrees and bright sun. Haha can't wait for that terrible California fake ice! Boston is 4-0 against Philadelphia this season so obviously they are due to lose to the Flyers at some point. Regardless, hopefully it is a successful event for the league which can always use new fans to watch its mostly regional (Canada and cold places in the U.S.) product. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (6-2-1) will get the start as he tries to stop their modest two-game losing streak before it gets too serious. 

The Bruins Blew 2-0 Lead In The 3rd Period But Recovered To Beat Pens 3-2 In OT On Smith's Goal

 

    For nearly 50 minutes of game action tonight at TD Garden, the Bruins (4-1-1) had a near perfect performance. Left wing Brad Marchand scored a shorthanded goal (the 28th of this excellent career) in the first period and Boston's secret power play weapon Nick Ritchie added a goal on the man-advantage for a 2-0 lead in the second period. Pittsburgh (4-2-1) entered as the league's hottest team as they came in on a four-game win streak after going 0-2-1 to start 2021. The Penguis predictably wouldn't go down that easily as they scored a pair of goals in the the third period-by left wing Jason Zucker and right wing Kasperi Kapanen-to tie it at two and eventually send it to overtime. Luckily for the B's, the newest Bruin-right wing Craig Smith-was able to win the game when he finished a 2-on-0 with center David Krejci, there was a little over 10 seconds left in overtime.

    This could have been a disastrous loss for the home team but instead, it turned into their third straight victory. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 3-1-0) shook off an injury scare to grab his third win of the season. The only real bad news to come out of this contest for the B's was that right wing Jake DeBrusk left in the first period with a lower-body injury and never returned. The play that seemed to cause the discomfort was a textbook hip check by Penguins captain Sidney Crosby delivered near center ice as DeBrusk tried to get into Pittsburgh's defensive zone. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk took warm-ups with the team before the game but ultimately he was a last-minute scratch as he nurses a lower-body injury of his own. 

    Marchand is one of the best shorthanded goal-scorers in the history of the NHL. He took a pass from defenseman Charlie McAvoy (3 assists) and used Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (game-high 29:57 of ice time) as a screen then he ripped a shot by Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry's (33 saves, 2-2-1) glove at 7:41 of the first period. McAvoy had the lone assist on Marchand's team-leading fourth goal of the season. Boston only received three power plays all game long (as opposed to Pittsburgh's woeful 0-for-6 showing!) but they made the most of one in the second period as a 5-on-3 expired. Marchand fired a pass across the crease to Ritchie who was stationed next to the post and simply had to sweep it in. We don't have to complain about what he did in the bubble anymore because Ritchie looks like a different guy with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last three games. All three of his tallies this season have come on the power play as well. 

Speaking of the postseason, the Pens have been eliminated early in their last few playoff appearances which means that while their high-scoring games may work in the regular season, once it changes to the playoffs, it's been a different story lately. After a mad scramble by Rask (and a few saves in the sequence), Pittsburgh finally got on the scoreboard at 9:47 of the third period as veteran forward Jason Zucker was able to find the loose puck and whip it past Tuukka. Center Jared McCann and left wing Drew O'Connor (first NHL point in the NHL debut for the Dartmouth alum) were credited with the assists on Zucker's first goal of the season. Things got a bit sketchy for the Bruins when they allowed the tying goal to Kapanen at 16:44. His first goal of the season was assisted by center Evgeni Malkin and Zucker. The former Maple Leaf was able to use his speed to leave McAvoy in the dust then he went to the net and slid a backhander under Rask. 

    Boston evened their overtime record to 1-1 thanks to a complete defensive breakdown by the Pens (shocking, I know!) that left Krejci and Smith all alone on a breakaway with almost too much time and space to make the correct decision. They passed back and forth before Smith put the puck through Jarry's five-hole for his second goal as a Bruin. You could say that he was due for the goal since he managed to accumulate a game-high seven shots on goal. In another mini-series, these same clubs meet at the same place on Thursday (7, NESN). I'd expect a battle of backup goalies with Jaroslav Halak taking on UNH's Casey DeSmith. Hopefully Grzelcyk can return for the B's and maybe DeBrusk's injury isn't that bad, otherwise those are two sneaky important holes that head coach Bruce Cassidy will have to fix in the lineup.

After Two More Lifeless Periods, B's Wake Up Just In Time For A Wild 5-4 Shootout Win Vs. Flyers

    When they trailed 2-0 after two periods tonight in their pandemic home opener at TD Garden vs. the Flyers (3-1-1), I had little hope that the Bruins (2-1-1) would actually score a single goal, let alone rally for an incredibly entertaining 5-4 shootout victory. Somehow a team that hadn't scored an even-strength goal in its first three games (plus 2 periods) exploded with three of them in the third period along with a power play goal. Of course, they blew a late 4-3 lead but nobody will remember that after goaltender Tuukka Rask (22 saves) was spectacular in overtime and struggling winger Jake DeBrusk scored the lone shootout goal as Boston won its second shootout of the young season. Please note how wretched they were in shootouts last season: 0-7. 

    For a long time, this had all the trappings of another frustrating loss, which would have been the third in a row for the Bruins. They dominated the first period (outshooting the Flyers 14-3) but they had nothing to show for it thanks to Philly's promising goaltender Carter Hart (39 saves). Philadelphia woke up in the second period with a pair of goals from center Claude Giroux and UNH product James van Riemsdyk. Setting up on the power play, Giroux whipped a snap shot over Rask's blocker shoulder at 6:17, a beautiful first goal of the game and his season that was assisted by Ivan Provorov (who played a game-high 30:46 after fellow defenseman Mark Friedman left early with a facial injury and never returned). van Riemsdyk's was almost a power play goal as well since it came a few seconds after another Boston penalty had expired. The B's were running around a bit and JVR was stationed in front to re-direct a pass from right wing Jakub Voracek (3 assists). BC's Kevin Hayes had the other helper that gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead at 17:31. 

    A highly-touted rookie got the comeback started for the B's when forward Jack Studnicka went to the net and put in his own rebound 57 seconds into the third period for his first career NHL goal. Center David Krejci and left wing Nick Ritchie had the assists on the goal that finally kickstarted some life into Boston. Only 1:09 after that, it was tied at two as center Charlie Coyle got to a rebound and cleverly spun around his defender to screen Hart. His low shot was his first goal of the season and it all started with a great play by Craig Smith (1st assist/point as a Bruin) to keep the puck in the offensive zone and fire it on Hart. Defenseman Kevan Miller added his first helper of the season and it was also his first point in ages after back-to-back lost years due to injuries. The Flyers responded with a fluky play that resulted in a temporary go-ahead goal: defenseman Travis Sanheim accidently deflected Voracek's pass off his skate and somehow it found its way past Rask. His first goal of the season was also assisted by center Nolan Patrick at 7:13. 

    Take a breath, this is where things got extra weird on a Thursday night in an empty and silent building. Boston got another quick flurry of goals to regain the lead: Ritchie one-timed a nifty pass from center Patrice Bergeron to tie it at three. Krejci had the second assist on Ritchie's second goal of the season that came on the power play. If that was surprising to say the least, the next tally was doubly shocking as defenseman Brandon Carlo (not known for his offensive prowess either) blasted a rocket for a 4-3 lead and what should have been the game-winning goal. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and left wing Brad Marchand had the assists on his first goal of the season. van Riemsdyk scored the last goal as Rask stopped Voracek's one-timer but JVR was on the doorstep to poke in the loose puck. Hayes had the second assist at 16:28.  

    As you can guess-since they outshot the Flyers 22-10-the Bruins controlled the third but credit Philly for bouncing back in overtime and honestly, they should have won it multiple times if not for some top-notch saves by Rask. Smith and Voracek's shots were both saved in round one of the shootout. Coyle and center Travis Konecny each missed the net in round two. Finally, DeBrusk broke the deadlock with a beautiful deke then shot that settled just under the crossbar. Giroux went last to try to extend it for the Flyers but Rask denied him. What a great win for the Bruins after such a pitiful start, again. These teams will meet again on Saturday night (7, NESN) for what will likely not come close to measuring up to this thriller. Even after tonight's results, Philadelphia remains in first-place in the East Division. Rask earned a rest so expect Jaroslav Halak (0-0-1) to get the start likely against Philly's backup goaltender Brian Elliott (1-0-0) who is a decent journeyman. There's no playoff football on Saturday so that tilt should be on your radar while you're flipping around to different games and shows.

After Quite A Lengthy Wait, The B's Finally Signed Forward Jake DeBrusk To A Two-Year Contract

 

    NHL free agency officially opened a month and a half ago so you are not alone if you basically forgot that winger Jake DeBrusk (a restricted free agent) was still sitting around waiting for the Bruins to hit him up with a contract offer. Naturally, on a sleepy Monday night a few days before Thanksgiving, B's GM Don Sweeney & Co. got it done as they signed DeBrusk to a two-year deal worth $7.35 million. It has to be a relief for Jake after he saw literally hundreds of players from around the league get paid recently while he and his agent patiently bided their time waiting for Boston to make a decision. 

    In many ways, this was an easy move for the Bruins since DeBrusk represents one of their few young forwards who has really shown anything positive lately at the NHL level. He was the middle pick of Boston's infamous three first round selections in the 2015 Draft. Sandwiched around DeBrusk at No. 14 were defenseman Jakub Zboril at No. 13 and right wing Zach Senyshyn. Haha who? Only hardcore Bruins or hockey fans know who those other two guys are since neither has made any kind of impact yet for the B's and they've mostly been stuck wasting away in Providence. 

    Jake just wrapped up his third full season with the Bruins and he's been consistently productive from his rookie year until now. He's scored at least 16 goals and had at least 16 assists in all three seasons. He's also been relatively durable-and almost always worthy of a lineup spot-since he played 70 games in 2017-18, 68 games the following season and 65 in this past Covid-19 shortened schedule. After recording 27 assists in his rookie campaign and 27 goals in his second season, I think that many were understandably a bit disappointed that his game didn't take any noticeable leap in 2019-20 but rather it felt stuck in neutral. 

    His plus/minus has also plummeted from plus-13 in his first year, to plus-two then minus-one. For most of his brief Bruins career, David Krejci has centered DeBrusk on the second line with a revolving door of nobodies at right wing. That's not an excuse for the dip in his numbers but a statement of fact. When you watch Jake over a full season including the playoffs, you see more than a few glimpses of some outstanding tools: game-breaking pace, great hands to get around defensemen and goaltenders in small areas not to mention the clutch plays that he often makes. He's been on the Bruins' second power play unit for much of the last two seasons and he has potted eight goals and seven goals there respectively. He also put up 14 game-winning goals (in the regular season) between his first three years which is nothing to sneeze at.

    The bubble playoffs were not his friend though as he was mostly shut down to the tune of only four points (all goals) in 13 games. That paled in comparison to his rookie season when Boston where he notched six goals and two assists in only 12 games or the next season where they went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and he had four goals and seven assists. He's definitely an X-factor kind of guy and like most teams, the Bruins are always in need of some secondary scoring from DeBrusk as well as many others besides the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

    If you've ever watched Behind The B (NESN's underrated behind the scenes show about the Bruins) or you've caught some of his hilarious post-game interviews, you know that Jake is a character to say the least. Having grown up around the NHL (his dad Louie was a long-time enforcer), he has a great sense of humor-witness the mullet that he has sported for long stretches-and being Canadian the typical down-to-Earth, relatable nature. Playing here generally doesn't bring the same insane pressure as a Toronto or Montreal but for an American market, it's still pretty tough. I wouldn't worry too much though about that being a factor for DeBrusk since he seems well equipped to handling the ups and downs of a professional sports career. With the right attention to details-like getting stronger for puck battles in the corners and better touch around the net-he has the ability to be a 30-goal scorer in the near future. It took way too long to get this done but I think we can all agree that this was a good day for the Bruins.

The Lightning Push The Bruins To The Brink Of Elimination With A Frustrating 3-1 Loss In Game 4

 

    Let's just get this out of the way first: yes Tuukka Rask not being here for his team is a major factor but even with him on the ice, the Lightning would most likely still be in control of this series. After an unexpected day off (thanks to the NHL temporarily pausing the postseason to focus on racial injustice), Tampa Bay resumed its beating of Boston with a 3-1 win in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. How dire are things for the Bruins after they lost their third straight game? Well, they have never rallied to win a series when they are down 1-3. In that dire situation, they are 0-23 in best-of-7 series. Conversely, the Lightning are perfect at closing things out when they are up 3-1 in a series since they are 5-0 in that favorable spot. Woof. Game 5 is on Monday night (7, NBCSN). 

    Boston's margin for error is so small when they matchup with Tampa right now so needless to say, allowing the first goal and finding themselves down 3-0 in the second period is basically a guaranteed loss before its even over. It's easy to rip Nick Ritchie (12 penalty minutes including a 5-minute major for a boarding penalty that led to the 3rd goal) and Jaroslav Halak (23 saves but his customary whiff on a routine glove save) since they both had outings that they surely would like to forget but I think that overlooks a sputtering Bruins offense that has managed to score two goals total in Games 3 and 4 combined. Is that bad? Their lone goal today came with 12:56 left in regulation as Jake DeBrusk used his sneaky fast release to throw a wrist shot through Andrei Vasilevskiy's (29 saves, 9th win of the postseason) five-hole.

    Too often, Boston's power play (1-for-4) or 5-on-5 for that matter was overpassing or simply not hitting the net when they had some great scoring chances. Brandon Carlo actually ventured forward for a pair of opportunities that were predictably stuffed by Vasilevskiy-one of the NHL's best goaltenders. Meanwhile, David Pastrnak had a game-high six shots on goal but none of them found the back of the net which is not good enough from one of the NHL's top goal-scorers this season-no matter what injury he might have. Nikita Kucherov (2 assists) is having a nice series which is totally on brand but Tampa has to be thrilled with its secret offensive weapon: Ondrej Palat who has two goals today & four already in the series including his current three-game goal-streak. Also, Victor Hedman (game-high 27:09)-who is no doubt on the short list of best defensemen in the league-has four points (3 goals, assist) in these four games including another tally this afternoon.

    It's hard to pinpoint one main reason for Boston's struggles on defense in this latest setback because all three goals came in separate and annoying ways: awful coverage in front of the net, an easy stop that Halak has to make every time and a crazy deflection that ended up behind him. Ugh. Brayden Point's filthy stickhandling made Torey Krug look like a fool but truthfully, all five Bruins on the ice (plus Halak) were too slow to react as he hit Palat with a one-timer that he put in the upper corner of the net. 1-0 Lightning at 8:59 of the first period. Things only got worse from there for the B's as Palat's second goal came at 12:29 of the second period. It was another one-timer, this time from Anthony Cirelli and Tyler Johnson with Halak's invisible glove hand the real hero on the shot that was from distance. Boston had nearly killed all of Ritchie's five-minute major but Hedman's harmless shot from the point deflected off Par Lindholm's skate and floated over Halak but under the crossbar. 3-0 Tampa at 18:04 of the second period. Goodnight everybody! Tyler Johnson and Kucherov had the helpers on the goal that likely ended the Bruins' life in the Toronto bubble for all intents and purposes. 

       DeBrusk's fourth goal of the postseason came at 7:04 of the third period to cut it to 3-1 Lightning but it was far too late to have any real effect on the final outcome. Boston's two BU alums that grew up in Masschusetts (Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk) had the assists on DeBrusk's smooth finish. The Bruins actually outshot the Lightning 11-6 in the third but that's a tad misleading since Tampa was just trying to escape with their collective health intact. These B's have more than enough pride and professionalism to show up on Monday and put forth another solid effort but frankly, they are cooked. With no Rask, this isn't exactly a fair fight and you can sense the Lightning get more confident with each goal that they score.

    No matter if this series ends in five games, six games or seven, it feels like we're nearing the end of an era for the B's. I'm not really sure how Rask ever shows his face in Boston again let alone plays another game for the Bruins while 43-year-old captain Zdeno Chara seems on the verge of retirement. Last season was awesome up until Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and then this one was great pre-pandemic as they captured the cursed Presidents' Trophy. Since that time, they went 0-3 in the round-robin (after not taking it seriously enough) which pissed away their top seed, they rolled in five games over the still inept Hurricanes and now they are 1-3 vs. Tampa Bay. Which part of that equation looks like an aberration? There are many valuable pieces left on the team but GM Don Sweeney will have some serious alterations to do during the bizarre offseason (Krug will get a serious pay raise either here or elsewhere). Those are all issues for another day though as Tampa Bay (5-0 in Game 5s in a best-of-7 series when leading the series 3-1) gets their first chance to eliminate Boston (7-16 in Game 5s in a best-of-7 series when trailing in the series 1-3) in two nights.