After A Brief Comeback, Tuukka Rask Officially Retires With One Very Complicated Bruins Legacy

 

    In my time as a Boston sports fan, I cannot recall a more polarizing figure than Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. No matter if you thought he was great or if you believed he was a complete choke artist, odds are that you were pretty dug in with that particular opinion. I bring this up tonight since earlier this afternoon, Rask put a pin on his ill-fated comeback attempt (which lasted just four starts) and he retired from the B's after his surgically-repaired hip didn't respond like he wanted it to. There are a few things that we can at least all agree on when it comes to Rask's career: Boston's trade for him-flipping mediocre goaltender Andrew Raycroft to the Maple Leafs in 2006-was one of the great steals in franchise history and he was an outstanding goalie at least when it came to the regular season. 

    Tuukka had the tough task of backing up then following a legend-Tim Thomas-but over parts of 15 seasons (all with Boston), he put up some wonderful numbers in the regular season: 308-165-66 with 2.28 goals against average, .921 save percentage and 52 shutouts. He was a two-time All-Star (in 2014 and 2020), won the Vezina Trophy in 2014 and combined with Jaroslav Halak to capture the William M. Jennings Trophy (lowest combined GAA) in 2020. Still for many those stats and accolades feel rather hollow since he never won a Cup as a starter (he was Thomas' backup for Boston's last title in 2011 vs. Vancouver). It's tough to blame him for losing in six games to the better Blackhawks in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final but 2019 vs. the Blues was the one that will sting him and his teammates forever since they lost Game 7 at TD Garden to what should have been an inferior St. Louis club that played over its head all postseason long. 

    Being Finnish also probably helped Rask in some ways to survive here for so long but it also didn't help his cause after tough regular season or especially postseason losses. Other than a well-publicized freak out when he was with the Providence Bruins (AHL) and a few random little incidents in the NHL, Rask was pretty even-keeled on the ice and almost flat-line in postgame interviews immediately after some brutal results. This is another instance where following Thomas who was so emotional was a bit of a curse for Rask. He took his job seriously but unlike many other pro athletes, it was clear that it didn't keep him up at night after he left the rink. While that is a healthy lifestyle choice, it didn't lend itself to desparate Bruins fans that wanted to see a guy that they believed was as passionate about the team as they are, as goofy as that might sound to an outsider. 

    Reputation can be a strange thing since when you look at Rask's playoff numbers, they are way better than you probably remember: 57-46 with .925 save percentage, 2.22 goals against average and seven shutouts. The ironic part about the heartbreaking loss to the Blues is that he had been Boston's best player throughout that postseason and he seemed to be exorcising many personal demons that is until the entire club fell flat on its face in the worst possible moment. Another thing you must consider when you think about Rask's legacy is that he was here for so long and also during such unprecidented success for both the Patriots and Red Sox. Suddenly, championships were all that mattered and we dumped on any players and teams that couldn't get them, even though the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports. I feel like time away from Rask will make us appreciate him at least a little bit more. We are all excited about Jeremy Swayman's potential but he is unlikely to match what Rask did in his long journey with the B's. Thanks for all the good times Tuukka, we just wish that you had gotten it done against St. Louis and then your whole career in Black and Gold would have a completely different final grade to it.

To Open Free Agency, B's Were Very Active But Did They Get Anyone That Will Make A Big Difference?

 

    When free agency opens in any professional sport, most fans just want to see their favorite team be active and engaged. When NHL free agency officially started today at noon, the Bruins were certainly as busy as any club in the league but when you run through all the names of guys that they signed, you are left wondering if any of them will have any type of major impact for Boston. Leaving out the four players that will most likely be stuck in Providence for most of (if not all of) next season, B's GM Don Sweeney brought in six legitimate NHL veterans. The most notable names are goaltender Linus Ullmark (formerly of the Sabres) and forward and former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno. In addition, depth forwards Erik Haula and Tomas Nosek are here too along with defensemen Derek Forbort and Mike Reilly (who was traded to the Bruins before the trade deadline last season).

    Haha is that it? For a team that likes to think of themselves as true Stanley Cup contenders every season, it sure feels like Sweeney was trying to shop at The Dollar Store to get what he needs rather than spending a little more to get some better players. Jaroslav Halak signed with Vancouver and free agent Tuukka Rask is out for awhile following hip surgery so the B's needed a veteran goalie to work with promising young netminder Jeremy Swayman. That's fine and Ullmark had actually put up respectable numbers somehow on the worst team in the league in 2021: 9-6-3 w/.917 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average. He's only 27 years old but did he really need a four-year contract with an annual cap hit of $5 million (faints)?

    Foligno feels a little bit like David Backes light and we all know how that went for the B's. A well-respected leader and dependable player that at 33 is definitely on the back end of his career after being traded to Toronto last season and not making many contributions to that loser franchise. In 49 games last season between the two teams, he had 20 points (7 goals, 13 assists). The former first-round pick (28th overall in 2006) got a two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $3.8 million. Haula is truthfully a journeyman since this will be his sixth NHL team but he is coming off a pretty nice little season in Nashville: eight goals, 10 assists & plus-21. For that, the 30-year-old earned a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $2.375 million. Finally for the forwards, Nosek put up eight goals and 10 assists with a plus-seven rating for the Golden Knights in 38 games. Like Haula, he is 30 and he was signed for two years but with a lower annual cap hit ($1.75 million). Foligno could be insurance if David Krejci doesn't re-sign with Boston while Haula and Nosek should easily replace center Sean Kuraly who signed a four-year contract with his hometown team-the Blue Jackets-earlier today. 

    Reilly was a pleasant surprise in 15 games last season with the black and gold after being obtained from Ottawa as he notched eight assists and was plus-seven. In his first postseason with Boston, he slowed down to four assists and a plus-three rating in 11 games. On a good team (which the Bruins hopefully can still qualify as), he is a third-pair left-shot defenseman that is a solid puck-mover with some offensive ability. The fact that he's 27 is most likely why he signed a three-year deal with an annual cap hit of $3 million. I can't say that I know much about Forbort besides the fact that he's big (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) which is something that Boston really lacks on the back end and he averaged over 20 minutes of ice time last season with Winnipeg. He is 29 and with a three-year deal that carries an annual cap hit of $3 million, I'd guarantee that Sweeney expects him to be much more than Jarred Tinordi who signed with the Rangers this afternoon. 

    It would be dumb to make any sweeping conclusions already about this group since odds are that Sweeney still has some tinkering to do both in terms of additional signings and perhaps a few more trades (for instance, backup goaltender Dan Vladar got flipped to Calgary for a third-round pick this afternoon). You also have to remember that he signed Brandon Carlo, Taylor Hall-and to a much lesser extent Trent Frederic-in the past few weeks, who are likely to be more important moves this offseason in the long run when it's all said and done. I'll just leave this here: Jack Eichel is still on Buffalo and while it is probably a pipe dream that he'll ever be a Bruin, we can choose to hold out hope that Sweeney finds a way to acquire him for basically whatever it takes. Can you imagine your excitement level if Eichel was going to be a Bruin for a long period of time? 

The Bruins Fittingly End Their Frustrating Regular Season Series (3-3-2) With One Last OT Loss To NJ

 

        Hopefully after a long playoff run this spring/summer, the Bruins' (31-14-7 overall, 15-8-4 away) struggles with the lowly Devils (18-28-7 overall, 7-18-3 home) in the 2021 regular season will be all but forgotten. However, at the moment it's tough to rationalize how one of the better teams in the league had so many problems with one of the worst clubs from the opening games in January to the final week in May. It still makes no sense whatsoever but at least the madness ended tonight at the Prudential Center as NJ won their home finale 4-3 in overtime against Boston. Left wing Pavel Zacha scored his second goal of the game at 2:42 in the extra session leading to B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (17 saves,  9-6-5) destroying his poor stick against the net then by the Bruins' bench as well for good measure.

    Halak's last start was on April 3 so you can completely understand his frustration. He might not get another start before the postseason and would anybody be surprised if rookie Jeremy Swayman (6-2-0) has taken his job as Tuukka Rask's (14-4-2) backup? Of course, it shouldn't have come to that as the Bruins led 2-1 after two periods on the second night of a back-to-back and 3-2 midway through the third period. When they had playoff seeding to play for and New Jersey had nothing except pride or playing spoiler to motivate them, this needed to end with two more points for the visitors and their fifth straight victory. I guess the only good news to come out of this is that B's head coach Bruce Cassidy can simply get rid of all the Bruins-Devils highlights from this season and move on to other more pressing duties facing his team. 

    It was a great performance by Zacha who began the scoring with a wicked one-timer on the power play for his 14th goal of the season. Child center Jack Hughes and center Nico Hischier had the assists at 8:42 of the first period which turned out to be the only goal of the first frame. The Bruins outshot the Devils 15-9 in the first period but they turned up the heat even more in the second period where they blitzed them 12-4 and more importantly, outscored them 2-0. B's captain Patrice Bergeron tied it with a power play tally of his own at 4:36. He turned around and fired the puck past New Jersey goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (33 saves, 13-16-4). Bergy's 21st goal of the season was assisted by right wing David Pastrnak and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. Boston took its first lead on a fluky play as Grzelcyk tried to put the puck on net with left wing Taylor Hall crashing the cage against one of his former clubs. The puck actually ended up deflecting off of him and into the net, not exactly a top highlight reel play but nevertheless still very effective. Hall's eighth goal of the season was also assisted by center David Krejci at 14:02. 

    Halak did not have any puck luck on his side in this loss either since NJ's tying goal in the third period came off a deflection in front of him that led to an easy tap in for center Jesper Boqvist at 9:10. Defensemen Damon Severson and rookie Marian Studenic picked up the assists on the fourth goal of the season for Boqvist. The black and gold regained the lead thanks to a sweet feed from Pastrnak to an onrushing center Sean Kuraly who knocked it in at 10:42 for the 3-2 Bruins advantage. Defenseman Mike Reilly had the secondary helper on Kuraly's fourth goal of the season. A missed poke check by Reilly proved to be fatal mistake a few minutes later as rookie right wing Yegor Sharangovich was able to skate past him and fire a heavy wrist shot past Halak at 12:41. Rookie defenseman Kevin Bahl provided the second assist on Sharangovich's 16th goal of the season. 

    In overtime, the Bruins were about to be shorthanded but the Devils kept the puck and hemmed them into their defensive zone. Eventually, Boston collapsed under the pressure as Zacha simply drove to the net and roofed a backhander at 2:42. Hughes and defenseman Will Butcher had the assists on the game-winning goal. Boston got the pity point from the overtime defeat and coupled with another gift result from Buffalo (15-32-7)-in the form of a 4-3 shootout victory over the Islanders (31-16-6)-they were able to stay a point ahead of New York for third-place in the East Division. Pittsburgh (35-16-3) rolled 7-3 over the Flyers (23-23-7) so the Penguins are four points clear of the B's atop the East Division. Idle Washington (33-14-5) is two points behind Pittsburgh but two points ahead of Boston in second-place in the East Division. 

    There are only four games left in the regular season for the Bruins (3 at home) and up next, they get to have a two-game set at the TD Garden against the Rangers (26-21-6 overall, 12-11-3 away) who have been eliminated from playoff contention already. Boston hosts the Rangers on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (3, NESN) and once again, they will be fortunate enough to miss New York's best player-star forward Artemi Panarin who is recovering from being ragdolled to the ice by Capitals goon Tom Wilson last night. The Bruins are 4-2 against the blueshirts this season so a win in either matchup will clinch the season series in their favor.

UPDATE 5/5/21: I forgot to mention last night that Bruins center Charlie Coyle left with an undisclosed injury after one shift in the third period and never returned so we'll have to see if he's ready to go tomorrow. 

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. 

B's Had Two Possible Goals Ruled No Goal In The Final Minutes As NJ Once Again Blanked Them 1-0

 

    Well I've certainly had my fill of 1-0 losses by the Bruins (17-9-5) to the Devils (13-16-4) at the TD Garden this season, how about yourself? After losing by that same exact score three weeks ago, Boston suffered a similar fate tonight as they put 40 shots on New Jersey goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (1st shutout of the season, 9-9-1) but none of them could get by him. If that wasn't bad enough, the B's also saw not one but two possible tying goals waved off for various reasons in the final minutes of the game. Therefore, you can understand why I think that this was the most frustrating loss of the season for the Bruins. This isn't the Islanders (22-9-4)-a quality opponent that has a complete hex on them, NJ stinks when they play almost anyone else but you. In fact, they improved to 4-0-1 vs. Boston this season, which is unfathomable, with the only loss coming in a shootout in the season opener two and a half months ago.  

    I could complain about the Black and Gold missing a bunch of important players due to Covid-19 or injuries but that's a pointless exercise given how hard both of those things have hit basically every NHL club at some point already in 2021. Furthermore, with all the testing and protocols in place, I think there's nobody but the guys themselves (Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly) to blame for a positive test. Whatever caused those, it's likely their own fault for choosing to be in sketchy situations. I understand pandemic fatigue-we are all feeling that these days-but you have to do better than being unavailable when your team is floundering and needs you the most. 

    Rant over, the game's lone goal transpired in the first period as New Jersey defenseman Ty Smith threw the puck on net and it deflected off right wing Kyle Palmieri's leg/knee for his seventh goal of the season. Left wing Jesper Bratt provided the secondary assist on the game-winning tally at 16:37. Boston is really struggling to score right now so you can understand why their defense and goalies have kept them in many games that they probably should have lost by multiple goals. Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak (28 saves, 7-5-3) was almost perfect as well but that wasn't good enough in this tight tilt. 

    In the closing moments of the third period with Boston scrambling to get the tying goal, it looked like they had somehow gotten it when captain Patrice Bergeron put in a shot that was immediately reviewed for goaltender interference since center David Krejci appeared to bump Blackwood while they were both digging for a loose puck. Ultimately, it was called no goal after a long review of it. Blackwood's best save of the game was his last one as he absolutely robbed the Bruins by kicking out a deflected puck that was almost over the goal line. From our limited views of it on NESN, there really were no definitive look where you could tell if the puck was ever so slightly over the goal line before he knocked it away with the toe of his skate. 

Boston returns to practice on Monday before another meeting with the Devils on Tuesday (7, NESN) right back at the Garden. They have to find a way to get two points or we might all lose our minds assuming that you haven't already done that. New Jersey is 10-15-3 against the rest of the NHL this season which tells me that they are a terrible team vs. everyone else. This shouldn't be all that complicated (even without some of their best players who remain sidelined), just get it done B's and put these two awful shutout losses behind you for good.

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. 

The Bruins Don't Bother To Show Up In A Lifeless 4-0 Shutout Loss At The Garden Vs. The Rangers

 

    I'm told that there was a hockey game this afternoon at the TD Garden but what we all witnessed on NESN was far from it as the Rangers (11-12-13) turned the tables on the Bruins (14-7-4) and blanked them 4-0, the same score that Boston had beaten them by on Thursday. Woof, B's fans should just be happy that nobody was allowed in the building to watch this garbage, what a pathetic performance by the home team. Boston had a season-low 18 shots on goal which were all stopped by New York's third-string goaltender Keith Kinkaid (1-1). The Black and Gold's normally incredible top line had a terrible outing and Boston's power play was 0-for-5 so it's pretty hard for them to win when both of those things happen in the same tilt. 

    Left wing Jake DeBrusk was a last-minute scratch due to Covid-19 protocols, the perfect follow-up to what we hoped was a slump-busting goal in Thursday's victory. New York really needed a win and they played with that type of desperation from start to finish unlike the Bruins who played like they didn't want to be there. Defenseman K'Andre Miller wired home a strong wrist shot from the point at 3:06 of the first period for a 1-0 New York lead. Right wing Pavel Buchnevich and center Mika Zibanejad provided the assists on his second goal of the season. Up 1-0 after the first period, NY doubled its lead in the second period as BC's Chris Kreider crushed a one-timer from Zibanejad and defenseman Jacob Trouba. It was the team-leading 14th goal of the season for the Boxford, MA native and it came at 5:42. 

    Boston got outshot in every frame so expecting a comeback on this day was simply not a reasonable possibility. Today was Rangers star left wing Artemi Panarin's first game since February 20 (no worries, he was just dealing with the Russian mob trying to blackmail him) and he made an impact as he found center Ryan Strome for another one-timer that ended up in the back of Boston's net. That increased New York's lead to 3-0 at 8:03 of the third period with Harvard's Colin Blackwell picking up the secondary assist on Strome's 10th goal of the season. The final goal for the Rangers was called "a gift" by NESN's color commentator Andy Brickley and I have to agree with his pissed off homer assessment. A lazy turnover right in front of Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak (29 saves, 6-3-2) allowed Buchnevich to pad his stats with his eighth goal of the season, assisted by Kreider at 16:12.

    As you would expect, the Bruins get a day off tomorrow to recharge their bodies and minds before a very busy week that includes four road games in six days. First up, Boston plays a back-to-back in Pittsburgh (17-9-1) on Monday (7, NESN) and Tuesday (7, NESN). The Penguins have won their last five games in a row and they are three points ahead of the B's for third-place in the East Division but at least Boston does have two games in hand. That will be tough, especially since goalie Dan Vladar might have to make his NHL debut in one of those games if Tuukka Rask is still out dealing with back injury that is not getting nearly enough attention. The end of the week is guaranteed to be easier as the B's get their first two matchups of the season against the Sabres (6-16-4) aka the worst team in the NHL. Their best player BU's Jack Eichel is out for awhile dealing with a neck injury while his hapless team is 0-8-2 in its last 10 games. Boston visits Buffalo on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). The Black and Gold typically own the Sabres therefore nothing less than four points from those two contests will be acceptable.

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.

The Bruins Fall To 0-3-1 (All In NY) This Season Against The Islanders After A 2-1 Shootout Loss

   The Bruins (13-6-4), their coaching staff not to mention the front office has to be completely fed up with their struggles against the Islanders (16-6-4) in 2021. Tonight in their final regular season meeting ever at the Nassau Coliseum, the Isles won 2-1 in a shootout for their sixth straight victory. New York improved to a perfect 4-0-0 vs. Boston during this campaign as they found another way to beat the Bruins following a one-goal game, a two-goal game, a blowout and now this. What are the chances that in their next encounter, the B's lose in overtime? These are also clubs that are going in opposite directions since the Isles have won six straight games and they are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games which has enabled them to take over first-place in the East Division. The B's are in a bit of a tailspin going 3-5-2 in their last 10 games dropping them to fourth-place in the East Division. 

    These matchups with New York are difficult enough to begin with but I feel like Boston's struggles vs. them have seeped into their collective heads as well. Make no mistake, the Islanders are a good team but the Bruins seem to become fragile mentally when they face New York. Case in point, this evening the B's were clinging to a 1-0 lead late in the second period when left wing Brad Marchand took matters into his own hands and went after Islanders rookie right wing Oliver Wahlstrom who had hit B's defenseman Connor Clifton from behind. Marchand's heart was in the right place-trying to defend a teammate-but it cost the Bruins dearly as the Isles tied it with a goal by center Brock Nelson on the ensuing power play. His 10th goal of the season came at 16:18 and it was assisted by center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and center Mathew Barzal. It was a textbook passing play that resulted in a one-timer that Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak (26 saves, 5-2-3) had no chance to stop.  

    Up until that tying goal for the Isles, Boston had done most everything right. They led 1-0 on David Pastrnak's power play goal at 19:32 of the first period. Pasta's team-leading 11th goal of the season (and his 400th career point in the NHL) was assisted by Marchand and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. It was a rare long range tally for Pastrnak who was near the blue line when he fired a low shot that seemed to take a slight deflection off an Islander skate. Scoring has been a major issue lately for Boston as they've notched one goal or less in three of their last four games, is that bad? Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov (32 saves, 12-4-3) stopped everything else including a remarkable save on struggling Bruins center David Krejci (0 goals this season) who basically had an open net but couldn't find it as Varlamov made a brilliant diving stop on his rebound attempt. 

    These tilts with head coach Barry Trotz and the Islanders are always a grind and that showed again as Boston outshot New York 12-8 in each of the first two frames before the Isles took over late (9-4 in the 3rd period). The B's outshot the home team 5-2 in overtime but they couldn't end it there. They only needed a standard three-round shootout as New York scored twice (Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier) while Pasta had the lone goal for the Bruins. The good news is that the Black and Gold return home for a two-game set against the Rangers (10-11-3 overall, 5-5-1 on the road) starting on Thursday (7, NESN) and ending on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). Boston is 3-1 against that New York club this season. Goalie Tuukka Rask didn't make the trip to Long Island (lucky him) since he looked like he tweaked something in his back in Sunday's ugly shutout loss vs. the Devils (8-11-3) so hopefully he'll return to the ice for the Bruins who could really use a win or two, something to feel good about during this slide.

Bruins Blow Out The Capitals 5-1 After Another Dirty Hit By Wilson Sends Carlo To The Hospital

 

    Hockey is a violent sport (or at least it used to be) so there are going to be big hits, fights and nasty plays. That's a given but it also goes by an unspoken code of conduct that helps decide what is over the line and thus must be answered for (usually by dropping the gloves). Tonight at the TD Garden, the Bruins (13-5-3 overall, 6-1-1 home) destroyed the Capitals (13-6-4 overall, 6-3-2 away) 5-1 but probably all that anyone will remember is the latest ugly incident involving Washington's goon Tom Wilson. He took a run at Boston's defenseman Brandon Carlo and knocked his head into the glass in a very hard manner. The end result was that Carlo went to the hospital in an ambulance and yet somehow Wilson didn't get called for a single penalty. Thankfully, the B's made him pay later as he fought their newest defenseman Jarred Tinordi in the second period then rookie left wing Trent Frederic sparred with him in the third period. 

    Wilson has been suspended four times by the NHL so honestly I hope that the league gives him a very serious punishment for that totally unnecessary play that could result in a serious injury to Carlo or whomever is on the other end of it. Enough is enough, this guy is an embarrassment to the league. Ok, moving on from that asshat. After Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss, the B's improved to 2-0-2 vs. the Capitals this season-only halfway through their eight scheduled meetings they've notched six out of a possible eight points. Bruins left wing Brad Marchand got it started with a backhander at 14:21 of the first period that made it 1-0 in favor of the home team. Center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the assists on Marchand's team-high 11th goal of the season. 

    The second period is when Boston really started to pull away from Washington by scoring three more unanswered goals in the frame. Frederic re-directed a sweet pass by McAvoy at 6:43. Right wing Craig Smith added the secondary assist on Frederic's third goal of the season. Boston's top forward line combined for a beautiful tally that made it 3-0 at 9:01: center Patrice Bergeron had basically the entire net to shoot at as right wing David Pastrnak's feed went by Marchand and to Bergy who slammed it in for his ninth goal of the season. That barrage concluded with another re-direct-this time it was defenseman Matt Grzelcyk finding Marchand at the side of Washington's net to tap it in.

    Ritchie one-timed a sweet pass from Krejci and right wing Craig Smith at 1:05 for his eighth goal of the season. The tally came a few seconds before Frederic fought Wilson and it was the only marker allowed by backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov (6 saves) who came on in relief of rookie starter Vitek Vanecek (14 saves, 10-5-3) late in the second period. The only thing that prevented B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (31 saves, 5-2-1) from earning the shutout was a goal by Caps right wing Jakub Vrana at 13:36. The snipe was his eighth goal of the season and it was assisted by center Nicklas Backstrom (700th NHL point) and right wing T.J. Oshie. 

    Boston returns to practice tomorrow at Warrior Ice Arena before hosting the free-falling Devils (7-10-2) on Sunday night (5, NESN). New Jersey has lost their last four games in a row and they are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games. I know that they have given the Bruins trouble in earlier meetings this season but the B's should be able to handle them this time around. Center Charlie Coyle surprisingly returned this evening after missing only one game due to the health and safety protocols (maybe he had a false positive?) and if Carlo misses time, I'd expect to see John Moore back in the lineup while he is out. Fingers crossed that Carlo is OK and also that Wilson gets a serious suspension from the NHL, otherwise what are we even doing here? 

UPDATE 3/6/21: Today was a good day as Carlo returned home from the hospital and Wilson was suspended for seven games by the NHL Department of Player Safety. 

Tied Going Into The 3rd Period, The Bruins Epically Collapse Vs. Isles & Fall To 0-3 Against NY In 2021

 

    What is it about the Islanders (10-6-3) that has caused so many problems for the Bruins (11-4-2) early this season? For the third time in 2021, Boston visited Nassau Coliseum and they left with an ugly 7-2 loss that dropped them to 0-3 against New York during this campaign. Things looked promising as Boston scored first and then tied it at two in the second period before falling apart in Celtics-like fashion in a trainwreck of a final frame. The B's have only lost four times in regulation so far this season and three of those have come against the Isles. Boston will get five more chances (including four at TD Garden) to beat New York but regardless of how those turn out, this is not a club that they want to see in the playoffs. 

    Left wing Nick Ritchie staked Boston to a 1-0 lead just 1:02 into regulation. Like most of his goals, this one came by sitting next to the net and simply re-directing a pass. Defenseman Jakub Zboril and center Charlie Coyle had the assists on Ritchie's seventh goal of the season. 1-0 was the only lead of the night for the Bruins and it fittingly didn't last long as New York defenseman Adam Pelech put in a rebound at 3:16 to tie it (his 1st goal of the season was unassisted) and center Mathew Barzal sniped a shot past Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak (30 saves, 4-2-1) at 12:39. Defenseman Nick Leddy and goaltender Semyon Varlamov (34 saves, 9-4-2) had the assists on Barzal's seventh goal of the season. 

    Boston had the lone goal in the second period as right wing Craig Smith worked his way into New York's defensive zone and tried to feed it in front to rookie center Jack Studnicka but the puck instead deflected off an Islanders defenseman's stick and past Varlamov. Smith's fourth goal of the season came at 11:36 and it was assisted by right wing Jake DeBrusk and rookie Urho Vaakanainen. The Isles aren't known for an explosive offense but you could have fooled me with their absurd third period barrage of five unanswered goals. It all started when left wing Anthony Beauvillier stole the puck from rookie left wing Trent Frederic close to Halak and used a backhander to put in the go-ahead goal at 5:41. Another odd-man rush led to an insurance tally for the home team as right wing Jordan Eberle beat Halak up high at 10:45. His eighth goal of the season was assisted by Barzal and left wing Anders Lee. The wheels officially fell off for the Black and Gold at 12:24 as center Jean-Gabriel Pageau got a shorthanded breakaway and put the puck through Halak's five-hole. His eighth goal of the season was assisted by Pelech and it gave the Isles a 5-2 lead as Halak understandably smashed his stick (and broke the blade off) against one of the helpless goal posts. 

    Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy had no choice but to leave Halak out to dry since Boston has a game tomorrow (7, NESN) against the Rangers (6-8-3) at Madison Square Garden and he already confirmed before tonight's game that Tuukka Rask would start in NYC. Lee and BC's Oliver Wahlstrom-the rare Maine native in the NHL-rounded out the scoring for the Isles. The Bruins have dropped three of their last four games overall so the Rangers feel like the perfect antidote to help them get back untracked. The B's also take on the Rangers in a rare Sunday afternoon matinee (12, NBC) so hopefully they can win both installments just like they did two weeks ago in the Big Apple. The Rangers are 3-5-2 at home while the Bruins are 6-3-2 on the road after tonight's defeat in Long Island.

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 Won Their Fifth Straight Game (All On The Road) With A 1-0 Shutout Of The Rangers

 

    It's becoming routine this season that the Bruins (10-1-2) can usually adapt to any style of game and then almost always end up on top by the end of the contest. Tonight at Madison Square Garden, they blanked the Rangers (4-6-3) 1-0 to sweep their two-game set with their new East Division rival. Boston is 9-0-1 in its last 10 games and they have won their last five games in a row (all on the road). Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (21 saves, 4-0-1) notched the first shutout of the season for the B's and the 51st of his long NHL career. Left wing Nick Ritchie scored the lone goal of the tilt and these clubs are already starting to hate each other as they had a pair of spirited fights in the second period. 

    Boston's penalty kill unit also deserves plenty of praise since they went a perfect 6-for-6. After a scoreless first period, things heated up in the second quarter with the Bruins outshooting the Rangers 18-6. Ritchie ended the deadlock with a weird goal: his initial backhander was stopped by New York's goaltender Igor Shesterkin (3-4-1, 29 saves) but somehow his forehand followup squeezed into the net at 9:27. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by center David Krejci and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. One second after the ensuing face-off, Bruins winger Trent Frederic dropped the gloves with Rangers left wing Brendan Lemieux. A few minutes later, Lauzon took on Rangers right wing Pavel Buchnevich who is not a goon by trade. 

    New York's best player Artemi Panarin was out with an undisclosed injury so clearly his teammates missed his excellent offensive ability. It looks like it will be another forgettable season for the Rangers since they continue to be anchored near the basement of the East Division. As a team, they don't score many goals but then again, they don't allow many either. This loss dropped them to 3-4-3 in their last 10 games with a 3-4-2 record on home ice. Two nights after Tuukka Rask (6-1-1) was forced to make a bunch of quality saves, Halak was not nearly as busy plus he did not face the same type of shots from New York. 

    The B's are now 6-1-2 on the road in 2021 and they travel to Uniondale, NY tomorrow night (7, NESN) to take on the Islanders (5-4-3) in their first back-to-back outing of the season. Boston will try to avenge it's only regulation loss: a lifeless 1-0 shutout of their own to the Isles back on Martin Luther King Day at Nassau Coliseum. As per usual, the Isles struggle to score but their defense and goaltending keep them in most games. They are also very physical so thus not an ideal opponent to see in the second half of a back-to-back after a chippy affair. Rask is a lock to be in between the pipes after he got the night off. The Bruins will look to build on their lead over second-place Philadephia (8-3-2) in the division. 

B's Rallied From Another 3-0 Deficit But This Time They Handed The Caps Their 1st Regulation Loss

 

    No lead is apparently safe when you are playing the Bruins (6-1-2) this season. The Capitals (6-1-3) managed to hold off Boston 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night after blowing a 3-0 lead but they weren't so lucky in the second leg of their series at Capital One Arena this evening. Once again, Washington built a 3-0 lead in the second period and the B's came back to tie it in the third period but the plot changed dramatically as they scored twice more in regulation for a bonkers 5-3 victory. Boston's superstar right wing David Pastrnak scored his first two goals of the season, defenseman Brandon Carlo potted the first game-winning tally of his NHL career and the Bruins improved to 5-0-1 in their last six contests while taking three out of a possible four points against one of the NHL's top clubs and their new East Division rivals. 

    Things did not look so hot for the Black and Gold in the first period as the Caps had a goal wiped out for offsides but then they exploded for a pair of goals just 11 seconds apart. Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara made it 1-0 for the home team with a blast from the point. His second goal of the season (and 8th in his career vs. Boston) was assisted by Brown's Garnet Hathaway and center Nic Dowd at 13:26. Shortly after that, something called Daniel Sprong doubled Washington's lead with his second goal of the season. Left wing Jakub Vrana and defenseman Nick Jensen both added assists on Sprong's second goal of the season. 

Boston's power play (0-for-4) could never get going in this game and when they couldn't score on a 5-on-3 for 58 seconds in the second period, you felt like that could have been a fatal mistake. Capitals defenseman John Carlson's bardown snipe turned out to be the thing that finally woke up the Bruins. His fourth goal of the season was assisted by Vrana at 8:35. In his second game of the season, Pasta showed why he tied Caps legend Alex Ovechkin for the most goals scored in the league in 2019-2020. His first goal came at 12:37 when left wing Brad Marchand found him in the slot for a one-timer that he shot by goaltender Vitek Vanecek (28 saves, 5-1-2).  B's defenseman Brandon Carlo had the second assist on the classic Pasta goal.

    Trailing 3-1 going in to the third period, Boston wasted no time making it interesting as Pastrnak cut it to a 3-2 Capitals lead at 6:08. Somehow when he came around the side of the net, he had tons of time and space so good on him for firing a low shot that Vanecek couldn't stop. Rookie defenseman Jakub Zobril and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the assists on Pasta's second goal of the season/night. That was nothing as the Bruins scored three more unanswered goals to wrap it up. Another rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon showed off his (mostly unknown) offensive skills by driving to the net then throwing a backhand pass across the crease to right wing Craig Smith who blasted a one-timer in for a sweet tying goal at 13:07. Left wing Nick Ritchie had the secondary assist on Smith's third goal of the season. At that point, the B's were flying so it was no surprise when they went ahead (albeit thanks to an unlikely guy) on Carlo's roofed one-timer from center Sean Kuraly and right wing Chris Wagner at 17:23. Carlo has never been known for his offensive skills but in his fifth season in the NHL, he is growing more comfortable by the day on that end of the ice. Marchand sealed the best win of the young season for the Bruins with an empty-net goal at 18:34. Center David Krejci had the lone assist on Marchy's team-leading sixth goal of this campaign. 

    You'll notice that I didn't mention Boston's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 3-0-1) until now. After he was bombarded with shots in the first period (15-8), his teammates started to put the clamps down on the home team for the last two frames (outshooting the Caps 25-11). He improved to 3-0-0 in his last three starts and he has only allowed a combined five goals in that time. Rookie winger Trent Frederic made his presence felt in the third period as he fought Washington's Tom Wilson-one of the toughest guys in the league. After the game, multiple Bruins players and head coach Bruce Cassidy all mentioned that moment as being a big part of the win as it understandably fired up the club. The B's stay on the road as they traveled to Philadelphia (7-2-1) to play the Flyers-the top team in the East Division-on Wednesday (8, NBCSN) followed by another meeting on Friday (7, NESN). The Bruins just swept a two-game set vs. Philly at the Garden last weekend but the Flyers have won four games in a row since then so expect a better showing by them.

B's Finish Off Perfect Homestand (4-0) Vs. Teams From PA With 4-1 Lockdown Of The Penguins

 

    With a condensed training camp and no preseason games this year, perhaps we can consider Boston's (5-1-1) first three clunky games-where they went 1-1-1-a warmup to the real action that would soon follow. Let the record show that right after that bumpy opening road trip, the Bruins' first four home games were all wins. After sweeping two games against the Flyers (5-2-1) last week at TD Garden, they followed that up with another sweep-this time vs. the Penguins (4-3-1) which concluded this evening with a 4-1 victory. It was a strange visit to Boston for Pittsburgh who came here on a four-game win-streak, then they lost 3-2 in OT on Tuesday, their long-time GM Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned yesterday (citing the always vague personal reasons) and then tonight they left with the Bruins owning a four-game win-streak of their own. Life comes at you fast as the kids say, haha they still say that right?

    Boston has allowed four goals in its last three games including just three in the Pittsburgh mini-series. They have yet to earn a shutout but except for last Thursday's 5-4 shootout win vs. Philly, the Bruins have allowed two goals or less in every other contest so far in this campaign. Captain Patrice Bergeron led them with a pair of goals while Boston's fourth line came up big with goals by right wing Chris Wagner and center Sean Kuraly. B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (16 saves, 2-0-1) was barely tested which was nice considering that Dan Vladar was his backup for the night with Tuukka Rask resting whatever injury he picked up in Tuesday's win. Speaking of nagging injuries, Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (assist, plus-3 in 12:31) suffered another lower-body injury that forced him to leave early and never return. When considering all the ways that he'd struggle to replace Torey Krug, it looks like Krug's remarkable durability for a guy his size is another thing that Grzelcyk sadly lacks. 

    It didn't take too long for Wagner to get the Bruins on the board as he was quick to a loose puck in front of Pittsburgh's goaltender Tristan Jarry (16 saves, 2-3-1) and he fired it in for his first goal of the season (unassisted) at 6:10 of the first period. The only highlight of the entire proceedings for the Penguins came at 15:03 as defenseman Cody Ceci made a nice move to pull the puck off the wall and into the slot where he beat Halak with a snap shot. His first goal of the season was assisted by right wing Bryan Rust and center Teddy Blueger. You felt like it was going to be a good result for the Black and Gold when they got a completely fluky bounce for the go-ahead goal. Left wing Anders Bjork weaved around a few Penguins and tried to throw a saucer pass to Wagner driving to the net but the puck deflected off a Pittsburgh defenseman then off Kuraly's leg and into the net. His first goal of the season came at 18:53 of the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead. 

    Bergy did what any good leader does: he made sure to put the opposition away without hesitation. He followed up his own shot and put in a backhander at 8:13 of the second period. His team-leading fourth goal of the season was assisted by BU alums Grzelcyk and Charlie Coyle. He capped off the very solid performance for the home team with a power play tally from his famous bumper position. Left wing Brad Marchand fed him for the one-timer while defenseman Charlie McAvoy added the secondary helper. It'll be a much-anticipated two-game set this weekend in DC for the Bruins as they get their first look at their former captain Zdeno Chara (who scored his first goal as a Capital in tonight's 6-3 win vs. Islanders). Washington (5-0-3) hosts Boston on Saturday night (7, NESN) and Monday (7, NESN). The Caps have owned the Bruins more than any other club in recent history. The good news for Boston is that former Washington goaltender Braden Holtby is now in Vancouver which means that they wouldn't see him this season until the Stanley Cup Final. You know it'll be so weird to watch Big Z in another uniform, playing against so many of his former teammates and coaches. 

Bruins Sweep The Flyers Behind A 6-1 Blowout, Easily Their Best Performance Of The Early Season

 

    Who said that the Bruins (3-1-1) had any offensive struggles whatsoever? Those seem like a distant memory as Boston dispatched Philadelphia (3-2-1) for the second straight game, this time much more decisively to the tune of a 6-1 laugher tonight at TD Garden. After scoring three combined goals in their first three contests, the B's scored four in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory vs. Philly then topped that with a six-pack of goals this evening led by the incomparable center Patrice Bergeron (2 power play goals, assist) and left wing Brad Marchand (2 goals-1 PPG, assist). Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (1-0-1) got the start for the Bruins but he didn't have to do much of anything beyond staying awake since the Flyers only landed 17 total shots on him. 

  B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was out with a lower-body injury but the usually reliable Connor Clifton (plus-1, 4 hits, blocked shot in 18:12) filled in well for him in his season debut. As usual, Bergy and Marchy earned the majority of the headlines with plenty of highlights of their own but there were some notable achievements by other Bruins as well: rookie forward Trent Frederic (plus-2, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits and takeaway in 14:31) and rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril (2 shots on goal, hit and blocked shot in 19:41) each earned their first NHL points/assists while winger Craig Smith (assist, plus-2, 2 shots on goal in 15:00) scored his first goal for the Spoked B. BU's Charlie Coyle found the back of the net for the second straight game, helping Boston win two games in a row for the first time in 2021. 

    Rather than being down by two goals heading into the third period (like they did on Thursday), the B's took a new and much easier approach as they scored first and then closed things out with five unanswered goals. Bergeron got the fun started with a power play goal (his 2nd goal of the season) at 8:09 of the first period. Winger Nick Ritchie (2 assists) and center David Krejci had the helpers as Boston created plenty of traffic in front of Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (20 saves, 2-2-1) which allowed Bergy to brush a tough-angle backhander by him. Up 1-0 after the first period, the only real adversity that the Bruins faced all night-if you can even call it that-was when BC's Kevin Hayes tipped in a shot by right wing Jakub Voracek 1:14 into the second period for his third goal of the season. Just 1:16 after that, Smith nabbed his first tally in the Black and Gold thanks to a sweet spin-around pass from Coyle that left him with a wide open net to shoot at. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon had the second assist on Smith's goal, his first point of the season. Coyle was repaid for his great feed with an equally beautiful look from Frederic. The pride of Weymouth tipped it in for a 3-1 advantage at 17:50 of the second period with Smith notching the other helper. 

    After a few days in Boston where they probably couldn't do much of anything besides play hockey (because of the pandemic and freezing temperatures) and sit alone in their hotel rooms, I'm sure that Philadelphia was understandably ready to get home by the time that the third period came around. Truthfully, they played like a club that was halfway on the bus to the airport for much of that extended garbage time. Marchand made sure of it as he potted his pair of goals 3:46 apart in the frame. First he was the recipient of a ferocious forecheck by Bergeron that led to an easy tap-in at 4:13 for his second goal of the season. The top line's latest right wing-Jake DeBrusk-got the second assist. The wheels completely fell off at that point for the Flyers as they continued to take penalties and the Bruins were more than happy to pay for them. Marchand ripped in a wrist shot at 7:59 for a power-play goal, assisted by Ritchie and Zboril. Bergeron fittingly wrapped it up with a very similar goal to his first one except this time-at 13:33, assisted by Marchand and Charlie McAvoy-it came on the man advantage. 

    As you probably guessed, Boston earned a day off from practice tomorrow so they'll be back to work on Monday morning at Warrior Ice Arena for their first practice ahead of two games at home vs. Pittsburgh (3-2-0). The B's host the Penguins on Tuesday (7, NESN) and Thursday (7, NESN), their first two matchups of the season with superstar Sidney Crosby and his team who are temporarily in the same division (East) as the Bruins. After losing their first two games of the year vs. Philly, the Penguins have rattled off three straight wins. They still score plenty of goals (18) but they also allow even more (21) so expect some high-scoring tilts when these sneaky rivals meet once again in Boston.

The Bruins Waste A Great Opportunity to Get Four Easy Points As They Lose 2-1 In OT At New Jersey

 

    In a shortened season like this one that just began in the NHL, you have to clean up against the inferior opponents that you see on your schedule (like the Celtics have been doing). Unfortunately, the Bruins (1-0-1) didn't seem to get that memo yet as they fell 2-1 in overtime this afternoon against the Devils (1-0-1) at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. It marked the first win for Lindy Ruff (who has been in the NHL for around 80 years) as New Jersey's head coach. Unlike Thursday's season-opener when Boston blew two different leads but saved themselves with a rare shootout victory, this was a game where they simply got outplayed by what is guaranteed to be a bottom-feeder in the Eastern Conference in 2021. Rookie center Yegor Sharangovich scored the game-winning goal with 1.7 seconds left in overtime, his first NHL coming as a result of a fatal defensive breakdown by the B's that this time wasn't stopped by goaltender Jaroslav Halak (29 saves).

    Without David Pastrnak, the Bruins' offense has predictably sputtered. In fact, they still haven't scored an even-strength goal so far this season since today's lone tally came via a shorthanded goal (the 18th of his brilliant career) by captain Patrice Bergeron. It didn't help when winger Ondrej Kase left in the first period with an upper-body injury (concussion?) and never returned, causing head coach Bruce Cassidy to shuffle his already struggling forward lines. Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (27 saves) is decent enough but it's not like Boston really tested him too much in either of these meetings. Don't worry, the NHL's version of Ambien (Bruins vs. Devils) will happen six more times this season! Haha if you're looking to fall asleep fast, just turn on these boring as watching paint dry games.

    New Jersey had their first lead of the season as BC's Miles Wood (who fought Kevan Miller to start the game after he ran into Tuukka Rask twice on Thursday) scored for the second straight game. He tipped in rookie defenseman Ty Smith's shot from the point with the second assist going to promising young center/child star lookalike Jack Hughes. Trailing 1-0 deep into the second period, the B's turned to a familiar duo for another memorable shorthanded goal: left wing Brad Marchand fended off Palmieri in Boston's zone then skated in with Bergy before passing it to his best friend who wasted no time letting a low and hard shot past Blackwood. You knew this one couldn't be decided in regulation once again and another shootout looked likely until Sharangovich found the puck on his stick with a step on B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. His snap shot went under Halak's pads and quite honestly, he didn't have much of a chance to stop it. In the third period, Halak had stopped Palmieri on a breakaway so what more do you want from him? 

    Winger Anders Bjork got his one-game audition on Boston's top line and it didn't go well, shocker. He had no shots on goal, no hits, no blocked shots and no takeaways in 10:58 of ice time. That is hard to do especially since most of that was with Bergeron and Marchand on the ice with him. I doubt that Kase will be available on Monday (5, NESN) when the Bruins travel to face the Islanders (1-1) at Nassau Coliseum with a special Martin Luther King Day start time. Rookie winger Jack Studnicka should be back in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch this afternoon following his chance on the top line on Thursday. Rask will get the start but goaltending is the least of Boston's worries at the moment. New York is a very stingy defensive team (much like them), so it'll be tough to get their offense untracked without the help of their strong special teams.

Thus Concludes Boston's Disappointing Stay In The Toronto Bubble As TB Beats Them In 5 Games

 

    You'd be hard-pressed to find a more bizarre stay in the NHL postseason than the one just completed by the Bruins in the Toronto bubble. They weren't ready to go and went 0-3 in round-robin play before beating the Hurricanes in five games then falling in five games to the Lightning (the same story from 2 years ago!) in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Fittingly, the series-clinching victory for Tampa Bay was extra painful for Boston as the Lightning battled them for nearly two full overtime sessions before Victor Hedman sent the B's home to their families and friends with a shot through a Pat Maroon screen at 14:10 in double overtime. The Lightning won 3-2 as they kept their perfect overtime record (5-0) going this postseason while the Bruins (1-2) dropped their second overtime contest of the series (they also lost 4-3 in Game 2). 

    Any season-ending loss is going to hurt for awhile but Boston will be kicking themselves since you could argue that Game 5 was their best performance overall against Tampa Bay. They outshot the Lightning 47-35 and Jaroslav Halak (32 saves) deserved a better fate since he saved his best outing of the playoffs for this bitter defeat. The Black and Gold never led in Game 5 and they needed a clutch goal from David Krejci with 2:33 left in regulation just to send it to overtime in the first place. After scoring six goals in the first two games of the series, Boston's offense mostly disappeared to the tune of four total goals in their last three games. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay scored 19 goals in five games (obviously with a big boost from their 7 in Game 3). 

    After missing Games 2-4 with an injury, the Lightning's second best defenseman Ryan McDonagh returned to action and played 31:50 with six hits and three blocked shots. As it turned out, Tampa didn't even need its great captain Steven Stamkos (out with a core muscle injury all postseason) to get past Boston. Nikita Kucherov also got banged up tonight and only played 9:09 but it still didn't really matter since the Lightning outworked, outsmarted, outhustled and simply outplayed the Bruins for much of Games 2-5. 

    Ondrej Palat scored a goal for a fourth straight game which tied a Lightning franchise record in the playoffs. He tipped in a shot by BU's Kevin Shattenkirk at 4:21 of the second period for a 1-0 Tampa lead. Blake Coleman added the second assist on Palat's fifth goal of the postseason/series. David Pastrnak tied it with a sweet one-timer at 12:38 of the second period. His third goal of the postseason was thanks to a great feed from Krejci with the second helper going to Patrice Bergeron as Andrei Vasilevskiy (45 saves) had no chance to stop the laser that actually hit the camera mounted in the back of his net. 

    Another fortuitous deflection for Tampa-this time from Anthony Cirelli-gave the Lightning a 2-1 advantage at 12:03 of the third period. Hedman had the initial shot and Brayden Point (6-game point streak) notched the second assist on Cirelli's third goal of the postseason. Boston finally got some puck luck of their own to get the tying tally. Zdeno Chara's shot was tipped by a Lightning player right to Krejci who was parked out front for an easy goal. Connor Clifton added the other assist on Krejci's fourth goal of the postseason (and 40th all-time which tied John Bucyk for fifth-most in franchise playoff history). Boston came out on fire in the first overtime (outshooting Tampa Bay 11-7 in the first 20 minutes) but they started to lose steam when Krejci was correctly whistled for tripping halfway through it. They survived that but never really could recover as the Lightning outshot them 7-1 in double overtime before Hedman-who played a game-high 38:25-put the B's out of their misery with more assists for Shattenkirk and Point.

    I'm sure that many lazy Bruins fans and/or media members will put much of the blame for losing this series on Tuukka Rask's slender shoulders. While they certainly would have had a better chance to beat Tampa with him, the Lightning were truthfully the superior club in almost every possible way. As I said before, Boston's offense evaporated as the series went along and every time their defense made a mistake, it felt like Tampa Bay was right there to make them pay. There is no shame to losing to the Lightning-one of the best teams in the NHL by any measure-but this was a rather depressing way to see a Presidents' Trophy winner go out so easily. The B's had such an outstanding regular season and then for whatever reason, the time off really hurt them since they could never find that extra gear when they needed it most. 

    We have no idea when the next Bruins season will begin and likewise, there are many unsettled issues surrounding the team now that they are officially done for 2019-20. Do they re-sign their unrestricted free agents in Torey Krug, Chara or Joakim Nordstrom? What about their young restricted free agents Jake DeBrusk (23) and Matt Grzelcyk (26)? Losing in five games to the Lightning in the second round shows that Boston has to find a way to get younger. Drafting well and developing their own prospects would definitely help in that regard. Oh and it also shines a light on the fact that last season's Stanley Cup Final loss to St. Louis in Game 7 will probably represent the last true run with this same core group of players. That was their golden opportunity to win another Stanley Cup and it only gets harder as the years pass by, they all get older and more worn down from the grind of long NHL careers. 

    

    

    

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.