For The Second Time This Season, A Bruins Rookie Goalie-Jeremy Swayman-Won His NHL Debut

 

    With its top two goalies (Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak) unavailable due to an injury and Covid-19 respectively, and rookie Dan Vladar (2-1-1) taking a break after Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers (18-15-5), Boston turned to another rookie goaltender-Jeremy Swayman (40 saves)-to make his NHL debut this evening as they visited Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. At the age of 22, Swayman-who starred at the University of Maine-proved that he belonged at this level (in his 1st year as a pro!) as he battled for the 4-2 victory. Center Patrice Bergeron bagged his sixth career hat trick and left wing Brad Marchand scored his 29th career shorthanded goal and added three assists as the B's picked up one of their most important wins of the season. 

    It's just one game so I don't want to overreact too much but Vladar's first few promising starts and now this stellar debut by Swayman prove that Halak and even Rask should be on notice that their time here could come to a close sooner than many people would think if these talented youngsters continue to develop. Boston's hold on fourth-place in the East Division was fortified as they went up five points on the Flyers. The Rangers (18-15-5) destroyed the Penguins (24-13-2) 8-4 which allowed NY to pull into a tie with Philly leaving Pittsburgh only four points ahead of Boston while the B's have three games in hand on them. 

    It's tough to undersell Swayman's performance but please remember that the best Bruins defenseman by a mile-Charlie McAvoy-was ruled out during pregame skate with an upper-body injury. The Black and Gold improved to 6-0-1 against the Flyers with one meeting left this season (on Saturday afternoon right back in Philly). Bergeron staked them to a quick 2-0 lead as he scored twice in the first period. He put in his own rebound at 7:09, right wing Craig Smith and Marchand picked up the assists on his 13th goal of the season. Philadelphia's goaltender Carter Hart (22 saves, 8-10-4) has had a nightmare of a season and it's safe to say he'd like Bergeron's second goal back. It was a power play goal that came at 17:31 from right wing David Pastrnak and Marchand. Pasta passed to Bergy in the slot and his shot beat Hart five-hole. 

    Philly woke up in a big way in the second period as they outshot Boston 25-7 and they scored twice in quick succession to tie it at two. Right wing Jakub Voracek went to the net and redirected a pass by right wing Travis Konecny at 1:33 for his sixth goal of the season. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere-who recently went unclaimed on waivers (because of his massive salary)-made it 2-2 at 4:03 as he roofed a shot past Swayman. Voracek and defenseman Ivan Provorov had the assists on Gostisbehere's sixth goal of the season.  

    As usual, when it comes to a key moment or play in an important game, the Bruins turned to Marchand and Bergeron and they each delivered once again. Brad's shorthanded goal at 8:21 was a beauty as he skated on a 2-on-1 with defenseman Jeremy Lauzon who patiently waited until the perfect split second to dish it to Marchand who then deked and slid the puck under Hart. It was his team-leading 18th goal of the season with defenseman Connor Clifton notching the second assist. Boston was hanging on to its 3-2 advantage late in regulation when Bergeron scored an empty-netter to put it away at 19:37. Marchand and right wing Chris Wagner provided the assists on the vital insurance tally.

    Getting three out of a possible four points to begin this gauntlet of a week (5 games in 7 days) was a good way to open things for the B's. After traveling to DC, they are off tomorrow before they play at the Capital One Arena on Thursday (7, NESN). The Caps (25-10-4) lost 1-0 to the Islanders (25-10-4) tonight which left those teams in a dead heat atop the East Division. Boston is 2-0-2 against Washington thus far in 2021 and they also host them on Sunday night (7, NESN) in this jam-packed week. I have no idea which of the four goalies that I mentioned above will start next for the B's but honestly, does it really matter? I have faith in all of them and truth be told, I kind of want to see what the younger guys can do with some consistent starts vs. knowing exactly what we're getting with Rask (when he's healthy) and Halak (when he's at his best). 

B's Stage Another Huge Rally, Beat Flyers 4-3 In OT On Bergy's PPG After A Hat Trick By Pastrnak

 

    It's only 10 games into the season but it feels like the Bruins (7-2-1) have done something remarkable in basically every win so far. Tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, it was another epic comeback as Boston trailed 3-1 more than halfway through the third period yet somehow rallied to tie it up very late then win it in overtime thanks to David Pastrnak's ninth career hat trick, three straight power play goals and captain Patrice Bergeron's (3 assists) overtime game-winner. Philadelphia (7-2-2) fell out of first place in the East Division after its third loss in a row against the B's. The Flyers must be wondering what they have to do to beat them, apparently they didn't catch any of Boston's weekend series in DC where the Black and Gold came back from down three goals in each contest.

    Pasta is a freak since he followed up Monday's two goal effort with a hat trick. He's only played three games this season but he already has piled up seven points (5 goals, 2 assists). His fingerprints were all over this win since he scored 12 seconds into the game, cut it to 3-2 with a power play goal then tied it with goaltender Tuukka Rask (22 saves, 4-1-1) off for an extra skater with 15 seconds left in regulation. If that wasn't enough, he had the primary assist on Bergeron's goal 31 seconds into overtime that sealed another incredible victory for the Bruins. 

    Philly is a good team but they are clearly shook by the B's. Between losing two games in Boston two weekends ago and this evening, they had regained their balance and reeled off four straight wins. Outside of the Bruins, they are 7-1-0 against everyone else thus far in 2021. It's silly to rank losses but I would venture a guess that this was the toughest one to swallow since when you lead 3-1 in the third period at home (even if there are no fans), that has to be a win no matter what. BC's Kevin Hayes continues to play well against his hometown team as he tied it at one with a one-timer at 15:29 of the second period. His sixth goal of the season was assisted by defensemen Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers. 

    Tied 1-1 going into the third period, the Flyers were by far the better team to start the frame as right wing Jakub Voracek put Philadelphia up 2-1 at 1:03. His third goal of the season was assisted by Sanheim and UNH's James van Riemsdyk (who has also been a Bruins killer for years now). BU's Joel Farabee was coming off his first career NHL hat trick and he gave Philly a two-goal lead with a thunderous one-timer on a two-on-one with center Scott Laughton at 8:41. JVR had the second assist on Farabee's sixth goal of the season. Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (31 saves, 4-2-2) has been in net for each of these losses against the B's but you can't pin this one on him. Blame his stupid teammates who took three penalties in the third period alone which when you are facing one of the top power plays in the league, is simply a recipe for disaster. 

    Pasta's first goal looked like a set play as he took a stretch pass from defenseman Charlie McAvoy then went around Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and drove to the net before jamming the puck in. Bergeron's had the secondary assist on the second fastest goal in the NHL this season to start a game. His second goal was a thing of beauty as left wing Nick Ritchie did a touch pass to Bergeron in front of the net and Bergy made the unselfish decision to slide it to Pasta who roofed it at 12:05. The hat trick was more about a lucky bounce that enabled the puck to get to him but he still had to have the magic hands to bat it out of the air and into the goal with a bunch of other bodies around him. Left wing Brad Marchand and Bergeron had the assists on the tying tally. The Flyers have nobody but themselves to blame as Laughton was called for interference with less than eight seconds left in the third period.

    These teams meet again on Friday (7, NESN) in Philly and thanks to Buffalo's Covid-19 outbreak (they would have played in Boston on Saturday and Monday), it'll be the Bruins' last game until next Wednesday at the Rangers (3-4-2). The Flyers have lost in a shootout, in a blowout and in overtime vs. the Bruins this season so what's next on their bingo card? Perhaps losing a one-goal game in regulation? We'll see if they have the mental toughness to respond to another brutal loss to their East Division rivals. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (3-0-1) should get the start for Boston and maybe Philadelphia will see if its backup goalie Brian Elliott (3-0-0) can give them a spark. I'm guessing that Hart could use a day off against the B's but hey, what do I know?

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.

Ugh, Not Again: The Bruins Blow Another 3rd Period Lead & Lose 3-2 In Overtime to the Flyers

Right before their bye week, the Bruins (27-17-7) played like a team that was ready for a break. Since they have returned from nine days off, they have been the same team that cannot get out of its own way as they dropped to 1-2-3 in their last six games with a 3-2 overtime loss this evening to Philadelphia (22-23-6) at TD Garden. The Flyers have won six straight games including a pair against the Bruins eight days apart. Losing 4-3 to the Jets (33-16-2) in a shootout on Thursday also hurt but the gift point from that one combined with the point tonight meant that Boston pulled ahead of idle Montreal (28-18-5) for third-place in the Atlantic Division.

It started off as a nice performance for Boston's special teams as they scored a power play goal in the first period but it ended in flames as the Flyers scored a tying goal in the third period on the power play and then defenseman Travis Sanheim won it with a snipe on the power play in the extra session. Did I mention that Philadelphia entered with the worst power play in the NHL? Tuukka Rask (14-8-4) returned to action from his concussion and he made 38 saves so it's tough to pin this loss on him since his team was outshot 41-25 (28-15 in the last 2 periods and 5-0 in OT).

Boston's top line has not skipped a beat but just like earlier in the season, secondary scoring has become a major issue for the B's. David Pastrnak gave Boston a 1-0 lead just 3:05 into the contest as he slammed in a one-timer from Torey Krug. Brad Marchand (6-game point-streak) had the other helper on Pasta's 29th goal of the season. It feels like the Bruins have allowed way too many breakaways lately and that burned them as Claude Giroux got behind their defense and tied it up at 19:16 of the first period. Jakub Voracek had the lone assist on Giroux's 15th goal of the season.

With such elite stick skills not to mention plenty of speed, Pastrnak isn't known for getting too many greasy goals (ie. right in front of the net) yet there he was in the second period, tipping in Patrice Bergeron's shot past Flyers rookie goaltender Carter Hart (23 saves; 8-5-1). Zdeno Chara had the second assist on Pasta's 30th goal of the season. It's the third straight season that David has scored 30+ goals and he's the fastest Bruin to reach that mark since Cam Neely (30 goals in 27 games) way back in 1993-94. Pasta had 34 goals two years ago and 35 last season so I think it's a good bet that he'll surpass both of those marks and he has a very realistic shot at 40 for the first time in his NHL career.

I didn't think that it deserved a penalty let alone a penalty shot early in the third period but the referees disagreed as they awarded the latter to the immortal Scott Laughton after he got breathed on during a breakaway (or hooked by John Moore). Rask made it a moot point though with a blocker save on the penalty shot. Boston hadn't been called for a penalty all game until Sean Kuraly was nabbed for holding the stick later in the frame. Oskar Lindblom tied it at two with a power play goal that ticked off of Kevan Miller in front of Rask at 10:36. Voracek and Sanheim assisted on Lindblom's seventh goal of the season.

Take your pick which is the more depressing stat: the Flyers were 1-20-3 when trailing after two periods this season or the fact that they were 1-6 in overtime? Philly always seems to go on these crazy win streaks at various points of every campaign but then again, they are just as liable to lose six games in a row. Marchand was called for tripping in overtime and he was one second away from stepping back on the ice when Sanheim ripped in his fifth goal of the season at 2:56. Sean Couturier (who was 16-7, 70% on faceoffs) and Travis Konecny had the assists on Sanheim's memorable tally in his 100th NHL game. For the Bruins, it was David Backes' 900th NHL game and Brandon Carlo's 200th.

No practice for the B's tomorrow as they try to regroup mentally. They'll be back on the ice for practice on Saturday morning before flying out to our nation's capital. They play Washington (27-17-6) on Sunday afternoon (12:30, NBC), a nice appetizer before Celtics-Thunder and Super Bowl LIII (Patriots vs. Rams) later that night. Boston has lost roughly 54 consecutive games to the Capitals so I would say that they are long overdue for two points against the defending champs. What better way to get out of this rut than by clearing that hurdle that has dogged them for years now ? Boston returns to its home ice next Tuesday (7, NESN) vs. the Islanders (29-15-5) who lead the Metropolitan Division and have the second best record in the Eastern Conference. Who saw that coming?

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No Matter the Obstacle Thrown In Front of Them This Season, The B's Keep Racking Up the Wins

Not to sound like your grandpa or some internet contrarian but it wasn't always like this with the Bruins (42-15-8). For many years, they weren't exactly known for exciting games let alone routinely pulling off insane comebacks or finishes to grab two points like they're going out of style. Yet here we are: with Patrice Bergeron (broken foot), Charlie McAvoy (sprained knee) and David Backes (suspended 3 games) all out, Boston continues to get the job done despite mounting odds against them. Tonight at TD Garden, they allowed a power play goal to the Flyers (34-23-11) only 1:38 into the contest. Also, they gave up a shorthanded goal but who cares? They still came out on top, 3-2, thanks to Brad Marchand's third straight game-winning tally-this time with 22 seconds left in regulation. It's been that kind of homestand for the B's who will try to go a perfect 6-for-6 when this wraps up on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) vs. Chicago (29-31-8).

Tuukka Rask (31 saves, 27-11-4) had missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but he returned to face a team that he absolutely owns (now 14-2-3). Meanwhile, Boston improved to 11-1-2 in their last 14 games vs. Philadelphia including two victories this season with one more in the city of Brotherly Love coming up. Philly had lost to Pittsburgh (39-25-4) 5-2 last night so they entered on the second half of a back-to-back, meaning that rookie backup goaltender Alex Lyon (24 saves, 2-2-0)-the pride of Yale-got the start for them. The Flyers put forth a legitimate effort though, outshooting Boston 33-27 and playing well enough to beat most NHL teams with a similar performance. It's unlikely to happen but how happy would the Black and Gold be to meet the Flyguys in the playoffs this spring?

Kevan Miller got called for a high-sticking double minor right off the bat and the Flyers' No. 17 ranked power play converted nine seconds later. Jakub Voracek put in a rebound for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by rookie Nolan Patrick (No. 2 pick last summer) and Claude Giroux (tied for NHL lead along with Voracek for assists-57). Riley Nash should receive the 7th Player Award for the B's this season since who saw this kind of production coming from him? Since Bergeron went down last week, he has not been out of place at all with Marchand and David Pastrnak on Boston's top forward line. Life of Riley tied it up at 9:14 when he backhanded a loose puck a split second before Pastrnak could do the same. Miller had the second assist on Nash's career-high 13th goal of the season.

Speaking of random guys coming out of nowhere, who thought that Brian Gionta had anything left after you saw him in the Pyeongchang Olympics on the mediocre Team USA full of has-beens and never-weres? He has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in his first four games in a Bruins sweater. Tonight, he put them ahead-2-1-late in the first period (at 19:34) with a breakaway goal from the other grey beard-Zdeno Chara with Tommy Wingels picking up the other helper. Gionta's first goal as a Bruin was a pretty one too as he beat Lyon with a backhander.

Jori Lehtera somehow found tons of space on the penalty kill nearly midway (at 7:21) through the second period and he went right at Rask before jamming it between his pads. Lehtera's third goal of the season was assisted by Valtteri Filppula and that goon Radko Gudas. Each goaltender made some solid saves after that (Lyon on Rick Nash and Rask on Ivan Provorov) but not much else really transpired until Marchand's late game heroics. Philly head coach Dave Hakstol challenged the last goal for offsides but it was ruled onside. Marchand got right to the net so he was in prime position when the puck squirted along the goal-line, all he had to do was tap it in for his team-leading 29th goal of the season. Pastrnak-who also had a chance to knock it in-and Chara provided the assists on what has to be an NHL 1st Star of the Week campaign for Mr. Marchand.

Back-to-backs are never easy, especially when you play the same team two days in a row but that's the challenge facing the B's when they take on the low-flying Hawks this weekend including Sunday in the Chi (12:30, NBC). Other than Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, you probably won't recognize most of the players on Chicago this ill-fated season. They are rebuilding and therefore look nothing like the dynasty from earlier this decade. As always, they serve as a fine lesson that you have to enjoy these special teams in sports when you get them since you don't know exactly when the next one might show up (it could be years or even decades later).

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Marchand Comes Through Twice in the Clutch for Biggest B's Win of the Season: 3-2 vs. Flyers in OT

The Flyers (28-25-13) have to be left wondering what they have to do to beat the Bruins (32-22-10) this season after Boston stunned them in a 3-2 overtime victory this afternoon at TD Garden. The problem is that unless they might in the playoffs this spring (which is unlikely to say the least), they'll have to wait until next season to snap a six-game losing streak vs. the Bruins.

Philly picked up a point at least but now they trail Boston by five points and even worse, the B's have two games in hand over them. The Flyers really needed those two points if they want to steal that eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins improved to 8-3 in overtime this season while the Flyers fell to 5-6 in the extra session.

After losing the first two meetings of the season, Philly looked poised to get two huge points on the road when something named Chris VandeVelde tipped in Nick Schultz's shot from the point at 15:30 of the third period. His ninth goal of the season was also assisted by Brayden Schenn. That's when Brad Marchand went to work: he tied it with a power-play goal (6-on-4 with Rask pulled) with 15 seconds left in regulation then won it with a backhander off Michael Del Zotto's skate with 1:08 left in OT.

Those were his 20th and 21st goals of the season, he's scored 20+ goals in four of his five years in the NHL (the only time that he didn't was during the 2012-13 lockout shortened season). Dougie Hamilton and Loui Eriksson assisted on Marchand's tying tip-in goal which almost brought down the Garden. Max Talbot picked up his first point as a Bruin and Ryan Spooner had the second assist on Marchand's game-winner.

For the seventh straight game, Boston scored the first goal. Zdeno Chara had a power-play tally at 7:07 of the first period from Hamilton and Patrice Bergeron. I thought initially that Bergeron might have gotten a piece of it but it stood for Chara's sixth goal of the season. Philly answered with a power-play strike of their own: Jakub Voracek whipped a shot from the slot off the post and in at 9:43 of the second period. His 20th goal of the season was assisted by Mark Streit and Claude Giroux.

Steve Mason (34 saves) really didn't deserve to lose because he was great basically all game and Tuukka Rask (29 saves) played well aside from VandeVelde's goal that trickled in. With Detroit (36-16-11) on tap tomorrow afternoon (12:30, NBC) back at the Garden, I'd be shocked if Bruins head coach Claude Julien started Niklas Svedberg over Rask. The Red Wings are currently in fifth-place in the East and nine points ahead of Boston. It is far from an ideal situation but if Rask is up for it, you have to keep playing him given the Bruins' shaky position in the standings.

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The Bruins Are Really On A Roll Headed Into The Postseason, Oh Wait......

What the hell is wrong with the Bruins? The Northeast Division title and No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference have been laid out on a silver platter (as opposed to a silver Cup) but they can't seem to get out of their own way. Tonight, Boston (27-13-5) played maybe its worst game of the season in a wretched 5-2 loss to Philadelphia (21-22-3) at Wells Fargo Center.

Other than Nathan Horton, who hasn't been anything above average this season, the B's don't have any major injuries to use as an excuse so what is it that's caused them to go 1-4-1 in their last six games? Lack of goal-scoring certainly has hurt them but this loss was all about an endless array of turnovers by the Bruins.

The only good news is that the Canadiens are playing even worse. They lost 3-2 at New Jersey tonight so Boston is still in control with one more game left than Montreal but the same amount of points (59).

Scott Hartnell gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 1:40 of the first period, that's how long it took the Bruins to make a fatal mistake. The Wade Redden tied it with his first goal as a Bruin at 4:54 with assists to Jaromir Jagr and Carl Soderberg. Redden was rewarded after his net drive following Steve Mason's (39 saves) juicy rebound, his followup was in the air and crossed the line before Philly could clear it.

For all intents and purpoes, Philadelphia clinched this with a pair of goals seven seconds apart in the second period. Yes, seven seconds. First Matt Read batted a rebound out of mid-air then Zdeno Chara had the hockey equivalent of an own goal (soccer) when he banked an awful pass attempt off Anton Khudobin's skates into the net.

Jakub Voracek made it 4-1 early in the third period but David Krejci cut it to 4-2 with a nifty move for his 10th goal of the season. One more time, the B's were caught with their hockey pants down only 13 seconds later as Redden's turnover gift-wrapped a goal to Simon Gagne.

It might be time to sit Chara for a game or two, the big guy is clearly exhausted (rightfully so) and not himself. If the Bruins are going to play this bad with him in the lineup then what's the difference? They return to TD Garden on Thursday (7:30 p.m., NESN) to host the Lightning (17-24-4). Tampa Bay isn't going to the playoffs so you'd think that they would be a pushover however Philadelphia is going nowhere but they rolled over the B's.

There is no secret formula but with the playoffs starting a week from tomorrow, Boston needs to wake up before they head to another first-round exit like last season against Washington.

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You Didn't Think The Bruins Would Lose At Home On St. Patrick's Day, Did You?

Since they were riding their longest losing streak of the season-four games-it wasn't hyperbole to say that today's game was the most important so far for the B's in 2011-12.

As always with the Philadelphia Flyers, it was physical, it got nasty and Boston (41-27-3) ended up on top with a 3-2 shootout win this afternoon at TD Garden.

The Flyers (41-22-8) gamely rallied from a 2-0 hole on St. Patrick's Day but the Bruins converted all their of their shootout attempts and Tim Thomas (30-18-0, 4th season of 30+ wins; 27 saves) stuffed Daniel Briere to end it. Thomas is a perfect 6-0 in shootouts this season and the Bruins wrapped up a 3-1 season series vs. the Flyers.

After no-showing last time out in Florida on Thursday, a game I admittedly didn't watch any of, the B's came out today with their best period in ages. It only took 1:55 for Gregory Campbell and Zac Rinaldo to fight, before many Bruins fans had probably sat down with their cups of Guinness.

For the first time in eight games, they scored the first goal (which always helps) as Chris Kelly (17th of the season) followed a Benoit Pouliot rebound at 6:23. Brian Rolston had the second assist.

Tyler Seguin (25th of the season) made it 2-0 at 17:07 thanks to a nifty goal-line feed from behind the net by Patrice Bergeron. Brad Marchand had the other assist.

Philadelphia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov (31 saves) entered as the NHL's hottest goalie and he played more like that after the first period.

I wouldn't call it a fight, it was more like an ass-kicking when Johnny Boychuk absolutely demolished Max Talbot, who didn't return after that, early in the second.

Impressive Flyers rookie Matt Read (20th of the season) cut it to 2-1 at 9:16 of the second. He tipped in Briere's shot, Matt Carle also had an assist.

It looked like Boston might escape in regulation but Philly tied it up with 4:17 left on another tipped goal, this time by Jakub Voracek (14th of the season). Braydon Coburn and Read had the assists.

After no goals in overtime, shooters on both teams couldn't miss. In order: David Krejci, Read, Seguin, Claude Giroux and Bergeron all scored. Then Briere didn't, game over and Thomas rightly celebrated like it was a playoff game.

Two bits of good news from later in the day: 1) Toronto beat Ottawa 3-1 so Boston held its one-point lead in the Northeast Division (with two games in hand). 2) The Bruins signed a two-year extension with Shawn Thornton. It makes perfect sense for them to lock up one of their leaders both on and off the ice; you won't find many better teammates or tougher guys in the NHL. I'm pumped that Thornton will be around for two more years since he's one of my favorite Bruins.

The Maple Leafs come to the Garden on Monday. The B's will look for the very rare season sweep (six games) against their divisional rival. Two more points would be key before the Black and Gold head to the West Coast for three games (Sharks, Kings, Ducks) later in the week.

UPDATE 3/19: The Bruins announced Thornton's two-year extension today. Terms were not disclosed although reports peg it at $2.2 million.

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Bruins Raise Banner, Drop Season Opener 2-1

In a night filled with pageantry and emotion, the Bruins let their foot off the gas late in the first period, allowing two quick goals en route to a 2-1 loss on Opening Night to the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.

New Flyers netminder Ilya Bryzgalov made 22 saves and got the win thanks to two goals in 47 seconds for the new look Flyers (1-0). Both Flyers goals came in the last minute of the first period, when the Bruins became a bit lackadaisical on defense.

The Bruins began the game with a jolt of energy, earning several scoring chances and dictating the pace of the action. They got on the board early in the first as Brad Marchand scored on a beautiful backhand during the Bruins first power play.

He was set up by a beautiful feed through the entire neutral zone by Tyler Seguin, who I thought had a hell of a game. Although the Bruins (0-1) would have several other scoring chances, especially on the power play (1 of 5), that is all that the B's would get. New defenseman Joe Corvo had the other assist on Marchmont's tally (interesting note: he had the last goal in Game 7 at Vancouver and the first goal of this season).

The Flyers got on the board when Claude Giroux took a pass from the returning Jaromir Jagr and then proceeded to undress Zdeno Chara before beating Tim Thomas (27 saves) on a nifty breakaway move.

Just 47 seconds later, new Flyer Jakub Voracek corralled a loose puck, pirouetted to his right and lifted a wrister past Thomas to give the Broad Street Bullies a 2-1 lead with what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

The Bruins had a few legit scoring chances after that including a botched 2-on-1 that saw Chris Kelly unable to capitalize on another crisp dish from Seguin in the first, and an open net opportunity for Nathan Horton that was quelled by Kimmo Timmonen's stick.

Overall it was an entertaining game but the Bruins left a lot on the table, especially on the man advantage. Unlike last year however, the Bruins' man advantage actually looked pretty good. They did a great job moving the puck and getting a lot of chances from different areas on the ice. However, they could not capitalize on their opportunities throughout the night.

Boston gets back to work on Saturday night as they host another team they beat in last season's playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning (who they defeated in an epic seven-game Eastern Conference Final).

Game Notes

* The raising of the banner was one of those sports moments that I will never forget. The ceremony itself started with a montage of the Bruins' magical playoff run on the jumbotron, accompanied by a cylindrical canvas that was placed over the center ice circle, displaying images from the season while the video played. After the montage was complete, the canvas dropped, revealing the championship banner. Really well done.

* The Bruins got a chance to show the home crowd the Cup on the ice afterwards, as each member briefly raised the cup for the people in attendance. As someone who hates seeing a team win a championship at the visitors arena/field, I thought this was a cool moment for the team as well as the fans. They also inserted "the sheriff" Shane Hnidy into the celebration along with former alternate captain Mark Recchi, both of whom were in uniform.

* After a few words from Jeremy Jacobs (yes fans still booed him), Cam Neely, Peter Chiarelli and Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference took the mic and presented Recchi with the revered Bruins ' Starter jacket. Great stuff.

* When it came time to raise the Banner, the B's were joined by former Bruins like Pie Mackenzie, Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson, Kenny Hodge, Johnny Bucky and the 93-year-old Milt Schmidt. They alluded to it on the Versus broadcast, but you really never see a passing of the torch like that anymore. Just a perfect ending to the ceremony.

* I thought Corvo looked really good in his first game with the B's. He skated with the first PP unit, alongside Chara and really did some nice things. Rather than posting up at the blueline, he carried the puck towards the high slot and even set up on the halfwall, looking for passing lanes down low while simultaneously looking towards Chara for the big bomb.

* Seguin looked good too and will certainly get more time on the PP unit if he keeps playing like he did tonight. His feed to Marchand in the first was beautiful and hopefully it will only be a matter of time before he's skating on the second line. He also set up Chris Kelly in the first and brought a more physical presence to his game tonight. Good to see.

* After the game, I started to watch the Vancouver-Pittsburgh game on Versus and what I saw was hilarious. Just like the Bruins had the Stanley Cup at center ice, the Canucks had some hardware as well. Only it was their individual awards that they won last year, just days after being humiliated by the Bruins. Good to know that their heads are still in the right place.

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