As One Bruins Defenseman Retires (Kevan Miller), Another Gets Paid Handsomely (Brandon Carlo)

 

    This week is truly the dog days of the sports calendar with barely anything going on but thankfully, the Bruins gave us not one but two notable pieces of news this morning and this afternoon. First, the sad news: defenseman Kevan Miller is predictably retiring after an NHL career that was riddled with injuries. Next, the much happier news: defenseman Brandon Carlo signed a six-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $4.1 million. Miller finally hanging up his skates at the age of 33 after seven seasons with the black and gold was not a surprise but you have to appreciate a guy who gave everything he had to Boston. Like Miller, Carlo has only ever played for the B's but he is only 24 years old so hopefully he will be here for many more productive years to come. 

When you think about it, these two players have more in common than you might think: they are both big, right-shot defensive-minded defensemen that are tough, dependable and great teammates from all indications. Unfortunately, the other trait that they both share is that they have suffered numerous serious injuries in their time with the Bruins. Miller's career-high for regular season games was 71 in 2015-16 and he only ever came close to that number one other time (68 two seasons later). Carlo has only played five seasons in the NHL but three of them have ended with injuries that forced him to miss the entire postseason (twice) or cut his playoffs short. For Miller, it was his legs and knees that suffered the brunt of such a rough-and-tumble career that started at the Berkshire School in Western MA, then he starred at the University of Vermont before signing with the Providence Bruins in 2011 as an undrafted free agent. For Carlo, it was leg and knee issues that plagued him (he's twice been hurt in regular season finales) before he suffered yet another concussion this past postseason against the Islanders. 

    Ironically, not having either of these guys available against New York was a major reason why the Bruins fell short in six games in their second-round series. If one or both of them were healthy, you have to feel like at least the series would have gone to seven games or perhaps the B's might have squeaked by the Isles. We'll never know but we can only wish that Carlo has better injury luck for the rest of his NHL career. Concussions are so scary because they affect everyone differently and you never know when one can end your career. On a more positive note, Carlo need to look no further than Boston's captain Patrice Bergeron who had a horrifying stretch of concussions very early in his Bruins career but he has overcome that and put together a Hall of Fame career since then. Obviously, I'm not saying that Carlo is headed for the Hall of Fame but when he is on top of his game, he is one of Boston's best defensemen. He is not Charlie McAvoy who is going to get a boatload of money in his first significant pro deal but Carlo should be a big part of their future as the team eventually turns over to younger guys like him.

B's Power Play (3-for-5) Pushes The Caps To The Brink Of Elimination With 4-1 Victory In Game 4

 

    After three straight overtime games to begin the series (not to mention 12 playoff games in a row decided by one goal), the Bruins and Capitals entered Game 4 of their first round series tonight at the TD Garden long overdue for a one-sided victory. Luckily, Boston was that team as they dominated Washington by a score of 4-1 which gives them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Game 5 is on Sunday night (7, NESN) back at the Capital One Arena where the B's will get their first chance at sending the Caps to their third consecutive playoff exit in the first round. Boston has already come a long way from their overtime loss in Game 1 against the Capitals. 

    After a scoreless first period, the Bruins got on the board first as left wing Brad Marchand tipped in a shot by right wing David Pastrnak and BU's Charlie McAvoy at 8:00 for a 1-0 B's lead. The power play goal was Marchand's third goal already in the postseason. The black and gold had never carried a lead into the third period in the first three games so they gave it a whirl in Game 4. They must have enjoyed it since they scored twice very early in the final frame (34 seconds apart). First, Pasta was given too much time and space so he ripped a low shot into the far corner against Capitals rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov (33 saves). McAvoy and center David Krejci had the assists on Pastrnak's first goal of the playoffs at 29 seconds. On the next shift, right wing Jake DeBrusk got sent in on a breakaway but he missed the net with his wayward shot. However, he stayed with the puck and threw it back in front where BU's Charlie Coyle was able to flip in a backhander at 1:03.

        The only reason that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (19 saves) didn't finish with a shutout was because Alexander Ovechkin's power play shot (that caused his stick blade to shatter) went in off defenseman Brandon Carlo's skate at 4:54. Ovi's second goal of the series (and 71st of his postseason career) cut it to 3-1 Bruins with Caps defensemen John Carlson and center Nicklas Backstrom providing the the assists. Getting one more goal was not the main task at hand by that point but I'm sure the Bruins enjoyed one more power play goal just for the hell of it. McAvoy sent a pass to his fellow BU product Matt Grzelcyk and the Charlestown native unloaded on a one-timer that went top shelf by Samsonov. Left wing Taylor Hall added the second assist on Grzelcyk's first goal of the playoffs at 14:50. 

    The only bad news to come from this evening was that a dirty hit by Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov on B's defenseman Kevan Miller left the latter shaken up. Miller went to the hospital for CT scans and further evaluation which means that he might be concussed. Not only was the hit late since Miller had given up the puck seconds earlier but Orlov also leaped at him (both of his skates briefly left the ice) and he caught Miller right under the chin which any boxing fan will tell you is a very vulnerable position. Ironically, former Maple Leafs goon Nazem Kadri was just suspended eight games by the NHL's department of player safety for a similar albeit bigger and worse incident (plus he was a repeat offender) in Game 2 vs. St. Louis that left Blues defenseman Justin Faulk knocked out cold. I'm not predicting anything but we'll have to wait and see if Orlov faces any kind of punishment (fine or suspension) by the league.  

    After winning the last three games in the series, you have to love where the Bruins find themselves at the moment. It's not over yet though against Washington but if the B's get a decent lead on Sunday night, I would not be shocked to see the Capitals sneaky give up. Since they broke through and erased their playoff choker label by winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Caps have reverted back to that earlier stinky form the last few postseasons. Ovechkin is an all-time great player and they have plenty of other very talented guys on their current roster but their goaltending situation is a bit of a mess and their defense is nowhere near Boston's level. Then again, this is the NHL where teams routinely come back from the dead in a playoff series so Boston needs to get rid of Washington ASAP while they have the chance.  

After Going 0-5 Vs. The Bruins, The Sabres Finally Beat Them 6-4 Behind Sam Reinhart's Hat Trick

 

    I'm not going to say that the worst team in the NHL was due for a win but the Sabres (13-28-7) found a way to beat the Bruins (27-13-6) for the first time this season, 6-4 this evening at the KeyBank Center. The loss snapped Boston's season-high six-game winning streak and also their bid for a perfect campaign against Buffalo (now 5-1 with 2 games left to play). It wasn't B's goaltender Tuukka Rask's night (24 saves) either as he got pulled early in the third period and backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak made his first appearance since April 3 after he tested positive for Covid-19. Boston won on Tuesday and last night as well in Buffalo so it's tough to be too hard on them, still any loss to the Sabres these days is a really bad one. 

    Center Patrice Bergeron was a last-minute scratch for the B's with a foot injury (from blocking a shot on Thursday), that meant that BU's Charlie Coyle took his spot on the top line. Boston actually scored first before Buffalo buried them with a barrage of five goals in a row. Defenseman Steven Kampfer made it 1-0 in favor of the black and gold with a snipe off the post and in at 2:15 of the first period. Left wing Taylor Hall and Rask provided the assists on Kampfer's second goal of the season. After going 0-for-11 in the previous two tilts this week against Boston, Buffalo's power play went 2-for-3 tonight. Center Sam Reinhart tied it with a power play tally at 15:40. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and left wing Victor Olofsson had the assists on Reinhart's team-leading 18th goal of the season. 

    Things started to fall apart for the Bruins in the second period as Dahlin made it 2-1 at 6:54 (his 5th goal of the season was assisted by center Riley Sheahan and left wing Tobias Rieder) then center Casey Mittelstadt put the Sabres up 3-1 at 14:17. UConn's Tage Thompson and rookie defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (1st NHL point) picked up the helpers on Mittelstadt's ninth goal of the season. It only got worse for the B's early in the third period as Buffalo continued to pour it on. Rookie right wing Arttu Ruotsalainen gave the Sabres a three-goal lead (something I'm sure they have not experienced too often this season) at 1:14. Center Dylan Cozens and Samuelsson had the assists on Ruotsalainen's fourth goal of the season and his second in two nights. That's when Rask's outing was over and things didn't start much better for Halak since Reinhart got another power play goal at 4:30. 

    That's when Boston mercifully remembered who they are (and who the Sabres are) because they rattled off three straight goals to briefly cut it to a one-goal game (5-4) late in the third. Left wing Nick Ritchie scored his 12th goal of the season at 12:06 (assisted by Kamper and right wing Jake DeBrusk) and it was also his second game in a row with a tally after he had gone 13 consecutive games without one. Defenseman Kevan Miller scored his first regular season goal since December 2017, cutting it to 5-3 at 15:25 (Kampfer and left wing Sean Kuraly notched the assists on that one). I have to admit that I thought Buffalo would blow it when left wing Taylor Hall's attempted pass deflected into the net past rookie goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (36 saves) who was making his NHL debut. Hall famously had just two goals for Buffalo this season and that was already his third in a Bruins uniform with defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center David Krejci registering assists on that goal at 17:12. Boston had plenty of time left to tie it but they couldn't and it was over when Reinhardt put in an empty-net goal at 19:18. 

    I can't imagine how badly that the Bruins wanted to get out of Buffalo after spending at least the past four days there. Their reward is a trip to Pittsburgh (30-14-3) where they will meet the Penguins on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC) and then the rematch on Tuesday (7, NESN). Boston is 4-2 against Pittsburgh in 2021 so this two-game set will close their season series. The Pens are three points ahead of the B's while Boston has a game in hand. If they want to have a chance to catch them, they can't afford to get swept. Conversely, if the Bruins can win both games, the East Division will be complete chaos down the stretch.

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

Suddenly The Bruins Are Flush With Quality Goaltenders As They Beat The Capitals 4-2 In DC

 

    Based on who was in the lineup and who was not, plus the quality of the opponent and the fact that it was on the road are some of the many reasons for why I felt like tonight's 4-2 victory by the Bruins (21-10-6) at the Capital One Arena against the Capitals (25-11-4) was their best win of the season. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (2-0) made his second NHL start and it ended with another win as the University of Maine alum made 31 saves to beat one of the top teams in the league. Left wing Brad Marchand scored his 30th career shorthanded goal while rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and rookie left wing Anton Blidh each picked a fine time to score their first goals of the season. 

    Defenseman Charlie McAvoy remains out with a unknown upper-body injury so UVM's Kevan Miller stepped up in a big way, playing a game-high 25:18 with five hits and five blocked shots. Boston never allowed the Caps to get comfortable as they built a 2-0 lead in the first period, made it 3-0 in the second period then held on as Washington made it tight with a pair of power play goals. Capitals rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov (28 saves, 9-3-1) was not at his best or maybe he's simply no Jeremy Swayman. Lauzon's goal was such a fluke as his nothing shot from the point somehow snuck past the young Russian. Marchand and right wing Craig Smith had the assists on the tally that came only 33 seconds into the game. Blidh's goal was unassisted at 16:02 but the full story is that a turnover behind Washington's goal and a lucky bounce meant that the puck came right to Blidh who was by there to knock it in. 

    What those goals lacked in physical beauty, Marchand's more than made up for with a brilliant shorthanded goal. I'll give you one guess who had the lone assist on his team-leading 19th goal of the season at 4:09 of the second period. It was center Patrice Bergeron of course who registered the only helper on his BFF's insurance tally. Washington made it a one-goal game with a rapid pair of power play goals that were 19 seconds apart later in the frame. They were essentially the same goal as Caps superstar left wing Alex Ovechkin parked himself at the left face-off dot and hammered in a one-timer at 10:08. Defenseman John Carlson and right wing T.J. Oshie picked up the assists on Ovi's 20th goal of the season that also gave him the second most power play goals in NHL history. On the next shift, Oshie scored on a one-timer of his own from the same location. Carlson and center Nicklas Backstrom were credited with the assists on Oshie's 12th goal of the season. 

    Boston held on to that 3-2 lead for much of the third period before Smith thankfully gave them a little breathing room. His power play goal came at 16:55 with center Charlie Coyle and rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril assisting on his seventh goal of the season. With the win, the B's improved to 3-0-2 against the Caps in 2021. They have three more matchups left with the Capitals including on Sunday night (7, NESN) back at the TD Garden. Before that, the Black and Gold head to Philadelphia (18-15-6) for a matinee on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN). It's their last tilt with the Flyers in the regular season which is a shame since they are 6-0-1 against them-after an overtime loss and win earlier this week. As I've said lately, it really doesn't matter which Bruins goaltender starts for them especially against Philly. One more win would be a sweet way to end the extremely lopsided season series with the Flyers. Boston is six points ahead of the Flyers for fourth-place in the East Division with two games in hand. 

The NHL Returns As The B's Win Their Season-Opener 3-2 Vs. The Lowly Devils In A Shootout

 

    It's 2021 and the United States is still in shambles due to Covid-19 and our disgrace of a President who will mercifully be out of the White House next week. On a lighter note, at least we have some NHL hockey back in our lives as we try to get through the pandemic both healthy and sane which coupled together is a tall order. Tonight, the Bruins opened their season at the empty Prudential Center in Newark, NJ against the Devils-who are temporarily in the same division (East) as them-for this abbreviated 56-game schedule. The Bruins led 1-0 going into the third period and 2-1 later in the frame but the Devils tied it up both times forcing a dreaded shootout. In three rounds, left wing Brad Marchand (goal, assist) had the lone tally as the final shooter of the night allowing Boston to survive for a 3-2 victory. It wasn't pretty and it should have been over in regulation (since the Bruins outshot the Devils 37-22) but two points is all that you can ask for.

    There were plenty of changes for the B's since the last time that we saw them when they lost in Game 5 of the second round playoff series vs. Tampa Bay (the eventual Stanley Cup champion) in August: most notably, captain Zdeno Chara is now on the Capitals, defenseman Torey Krug is a highly paid Blue, superstar right wing David Pastrnak is out for a bit longer as he recovers from off-season hip surgery and defenseman Kevan Miller returned to action after missing two years following a pair of broken knee caps. Despite all that, Boston can still count on its core players: goaltender Tuukka Rask (seen for the 1st time since leaving the Toronto bubble early) made 20 saves including a pair of huge stops in overtime, Patrice Bergeron had an assist and he won 73% of his face-offs and David Krejci also added an assist as Boston scored both of its goals on the power play. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has always been viewed as Krug Lite and this evening he performed admirably in that tough role to fill. He played 24:07 (2nd most on the team) including a game-high 5:51 on the power play with a game-high six shots on goal. Who knows if he can maintain that type of workload for a full season but this was a promising beginning for him. 

    With the Bruins only playing the other seven teams (Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Caps, Sabres, Penguins and Rangers) in their new division eight times apiece in the regular season, they would be wise to beat up on the bad clubs which undoubtedly will be headlined by New Jersey who has seemingly been rebuilding for years upon years. With that said, Boston couldn't have asked for a cushier start to this campaign (other than playing at the empty TD Garden) since they also meet the Devils on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) in Jersey for a quick rematch. Jaroslav Halak no doubt will get the start in that one which isn't much of a drop off from Rask while the Devils will probably sit goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (35 saves) in favor of his backup Eric Comrie? 

    The Bruins took a 1-0 lead late in the first period as Marchand went to the net and re-directed a cross-ice from Krejci for the team's first goal of the season. Bergy had the second assist on the goal at 17:40. Assuming that ESPN Classic still exists, this forgettable contest won't be featured on it anytime soon as nothing really notable happened in the second period. Thankfully, things got a little more interesting in the third period as former BC star Miles Wood skated in on a breakaway (during a delayed penalty) and roofed a wrist shot past Rask. The No. 1 overall draft pick from 2019-forward Jack Hughes-had the lone assist on that tying goal at 8:51. Less than four and a half minutes later, the B's answered with what should have been the game-winning goal. It was basically a carbon copy of Marchand's goal expect rather than one of the best players in the league, it came from a complete hack-winger Nick Ritchie. Stationed at the familiar left post, that slob was at least aware enough to place his stick on the ice and put in Marchand's sweet feed to him. Grzelcyk provided the second assist on the go-ahead goal at 13:12. Sadly, it only took 34 seconds for New Jersey to tie it yet again with one of the weirdest goals that I've ever seen. Rookie defenseman Ty Smith's shot took at least three or maybe four deflections before it reached Boston's net. Defenseman Matt Tennyson and Hughes provided the helpers on a goal that Smith won't soon forget, for many reasons. 

    After getting outplayed for much of the game, the Devils finally woke up in overtime and truthfully should have won it at least twice as their best forward-Kyle Palmieri-skated most of the length of the ice on a breakaway before Rask stoned him then later Hughes was stopped in close and center Travis Zajac couldn't find the rebound that was at his feet. Rask made a few good saves in regulation but he really earned his paycheck in overtime and the shootout where he stopped the immortal trio of Nikita Gusev, Jesper Boqvist and Hughes. Shootouts have always been a frustrating weakness for the B's so after Charlie Coyle and Ondrej Kase were stopped, we were all spared from a tediously long shootout by Marchand. Bless you Brad. Nothing less than two more points on Saturday is acceptable, especially if the Bruins face a nameless backup goaltender. Devils defenseman P.K. Subban (game-high 30:18 time on ice!) deserved better in Lindy Ruff's first game behind the bench as New Jersey's head coach.

On The First Day Of Free Agency, Torey Krug Cashes In With Huge 7-Year Deal From St. Louis

 

    Whenever the 2021 NHL regular season begins (tentatively scheduled to be sometime around January 1), it will be so strange to see Torey Krug in a Blues jersey. NHL free agency opened this afternoon and the former Bruin scored by far the most lucrative deal of the day: seven years and a whopping $45.5 million dollars from St. Louis-the team that memorably had beaten Boston in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals in seven games culminating in that brutal Game 7 at TD Garden. Double ouch. As much as it sucks to see Krug leave the Bruins, I doubt there will be many fans that will blame him for getting out of town especially since it felt like a foregone conclusion. He goes from one of the best teams in the league to another top contender and got paid handsomely in the process, what's so wrong with that? 

    Torey grew up in Michigan and went to Michigan State but he became an honorary Bostonian the last few years as he morphed from an undrafted free agent into one of the top offensive defenseman in the league. Apparently, B's GM Don Sweeney did not make a final offer after Krug rejected their joke one last year so what else could Torey do for himself, his wife and his young daughter? I'm just happy that he didn't return home to play for the dreadful Red Wings who are years away from being relevant again. Krug is listed at 5-foot-9 but he's probably an inch or two shorter than that. Along with becoming a much more dependable defenseman in his own zone, Krug worked diligently over the years to sculpt his body into getting as strong as it could be. He's been short his entire life but he hasn't let that define him; rather, his hard work and effort helped transform his game into a skilled skater, passer and shooter. He's ultra-competitive too and winning obviously is very important to him as well.

    His career arc has been especially unique since he only had played in three NHL regular season games (two in 2012 and one the following year) before he quickly became a household name as the Bruins reached the 2013 Stanley Cup Final vs. Chicago. In 75 career playoff games with Boston, he piled up 11 goals and 41 assists which included six power-play goals and 31 power-play assists. In many ways, he was a new wave type of defenseman: the power play/offensive specialist. Through seven full seasons with the Black and Gold, he never had less than 39 points and if it wasn't for the pandemic, he would have reached 50+ points for the fourth straight season. His career-high in goals was 14 which he reached twice (2013-14 and 2017-18), his career-high in assists was 47 (in 2018-2019) and his most points was 59 (in 2017-18). He was also remarkably durable for someone his size since he played at least 64 games in every regular season (other than 61 in the pandemic-shortened campaign).

    Personally, it's a shame that Krug never won a Cup with the Bruins because he had two chances but Boston lost to a fantastic Blackhawks club then choked epically vs. the Blues as we all unfortunately remember. He became a force by 2019 with 18 points (2 goals, 16 assists) in 24 playoff games. His vicious hit against new teammate Robert Thomas (not the lousy Matchbox 20 singer) was a signature moment from that Blues series that would be an all-time play if the B's had won the series. He didn't fight much but when he did, he also had some instant classics in that area that you wouldn't necessarily expect. 

    Boston was eerily quiet today in free agency, their only move thus far has been re-signing injury-plagued defenseman Kevan Miller to a one-year contract worth $1.25 million dollars. Sweeney's annual free agency press conference that was scheduled for this afternoon was pushed back to tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. With perhaps the two other top free agents still available-defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (former Blue) and winger Taylor Hall (rumored to be targeted by the Bruins)-we can only hope that the B's simply needed a little more time to try to get either of those great players to sign on the dotted line. Krug is 29 so I understand why Sweeney did not want to commit for seven more years at such a high price. Still, it would be a real shame if they basically stand pat and don't at least try to improve a roster that is solid but as the champion Lightning showed in the bubble, not nearly good enough to win a Cup at the moment.

    Thanks for all the wonderful memories Torey, you represented yourself very well for your entire Bruins career. You were always an extremely easy guy to root for and you will be missed around here for all that you did both on and off the ice with the B's. Good luck with the Blues (puke). 

The B's Cap Off Another Memorable Day In Boston Sports History With A 3-1 Win Vs. Islanders

Today was one of those special days in life when basically everything was perfect: global warming blessed Boston with temperatures in the low 60s as the city celebrated the sixth Super Bowl title for the Patriots with another Duck Boat parade. That would be more than enough for most places but in addition to that, the Bruins (29-17-7) put a bow on top of this unforgettable Tuesday with a 3-1 victory against the Islanders (30-16-6)-the leader of the Metropolitan Division who entered as the hottest team in the NHL. Oh and B's legend Patrice Bergeron celebrated his 1000th game by scoring two goals, fittingly the first and last one of the contest.

Coming off of Sunday's 1-0 shutout in Washington (29-18-6) which snapped a soul-crushing 14-game losing streak to the Capitals, Boston was able to prove that was far from a fluke. Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 16-8-4) extended his point-streak to 10 games (8-0-2) with another excellent effort against a high quality opponent that is sure to make the playoffs this spring. After an awesome pregame ceremony with a ton of Patriots (including owner Robert Kraft and Super Bowl 53 MVP Julian Edelman who spiked the ceremonial faceoff), the B's sputtered in the first period as they went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner (24 saves, 16-8-4) is having a career season and he kept it scoreless with some unbelievable saves. Boston made it 1-0 early in the second period as Bergeron was able to poke in a rebound after Lehner stuffed David Pastrnak (5-game point streak). Brad Marchand had the second assist on Bergeron's 17th goal of the season at 2:32. New York started to dominate possession and create a ton of scoring chances later in the frame but Rask was able to hold them off until Jordan Eberle flipped in a power-play tying goal at 16:40. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson had the assists on Eberle's 12th goal of the season.

The Islanders appeared to go ahead early in the third period as Cal Clutterbuck of all people finished a beautiful passing sequence with a snipe past Rask. Luckily for the B's, they challenged it for being offside and that proved to be the right call so it remained 1-1. Goals have been an issue lately for the Black and Gold along with secondary scoring which is why it was great to see rookie Peter Cehlarik tally the game-winning goal at 6:34 of the third. He whiffed on the initial chance and still didn't get a ton of mustard on the second shot but Lehner couldn't keep it out of the net as the puck trickled over the line. Kevan Miller snapped a 13-game scoreless stretch with the lone assist on Cehlarik's third goal of the season.

Matt Grzelcyk got called for two separate penalties on the same play (tripping and slashing) meaning that Boston had to kill off what added up to a double-minor (4 minutes) on him. They did not get burned by New York's mediocre (ranked No. 26 in the league) power play again. Once Lehner left for an extra skater in the final minutes, you knew how this would end: with a Bergeron empty-netter. The way that actually transpired was a pretty cool moment as Pastrnak could have scored on the empty net himself but instead he left a drop pass for the trailing Bergeron-a beautiful sign of respect for one another. Marchand of course started the play and recorded the other assist on Bergeron's 18th goal of the season at 19:05, 3-1 Bruins.

After this tilt, Boston headed for New York to face the Rangers (22-22-8) tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports) at Madison Square Garden. Jaroslav Halak (13-8-2) has lost in his last three appearances and he's 4-4-0 in his last eight decisions so he could really use a win. Remember, New York won 3-2 here on January 19 aka the game when Rask suffered a concussion. New York is not a good team at this juncture but they always seem to give the Bruins a tough game regardless of their record. If you give any credence to stats, the B's have some favorable ones heading into this matchup: they are 7-1-1 this season in Game 2s of back-to-back sets and 6-3-1 in Game 3s when they have three games in four nights. Boston returns home on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) to face the worst team in the Western Conference-the Kings (22-27-4). As always, Beat LA!

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Behind Pastrnak's Transcendent Night (3 goals, 3 assists), B's Take a 2-0 Lead In the Series vs. Leafs

It can't possibly be this easy right? Through the first two games of what was expected to be a very tight, competitive series, the Bruins have looked like world-beaters while the Maple Leafs have been anything but ready for primetime. Similar to Game 1, tonight in Game 2 Boston won by four goals yet again (7-3) but this was a little spicier dish at TD Garden as David Pastrnak (3 goals, 3 assists) had the first six-point performance by a Bruin in the playoffs since Rick Middleton (2 goals, 4 assists) on April 18, 1983 vs. Buffalo. The B's took a 2-0 series lead as similar themes from Thursday continued: Boston's power play is unstoppable (2-for-4 tonight and 5-for-10 in the series) and the same can be said for their top line of Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron (4 assists) and Brad Marchand (4 assists) who have already combined for 20 (!) points.

Minus forward Nazem Kadri who was suspended three games for his gutless hit on Tommy Wingels in Game 1, you figured that Toronto would respond with a more solid performance. Haha not so much as the Bruins scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of the contest and they simply cruised from there. Pasta began his bonanza with a sweet spin-o-rama into a backhander for a 1-0 B's lead at 5:26. Torey Krug (3 assists) and Bergeron had the helpers on that highlight reel tally. Jake DeBrusk went hard to the net and was rewarded with his first career NHL playoff goal at 9:46, tipping in a zipped pass from Krug with Bergeron picking up the second assist. Before you could blink, it was 3-0 Bruins at 12:13 as Kevan Miller bagged his first career playoff goal by throwing the puck toward the net and watching it go in off of Nikita Zaitsev's skate. That was all she wrote for Frederik Andersen who faced five shots on goal and saw three of them go by him. Backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney (4 goals allowed, 23 saves) did not fare much better so I'm sure that Leafs head coach Mike Babcock will go back to Andersen to start the must-win Game 3 on Monday (7, NESN) at Air Canada Centre.

DeBrusk's goal was on the power play and Boston's man advantage cashed in again as Rick Nash deposited your garden variety rebound at 15:00 of the first. Nash's first career playoff goal as a Bruin was assisted by Pastrnak and Krug. Toronto actually outplayed Boston in the second period (outshooting them 16-14) and outscored them 2-1 but Tuukka Rask (30 saves) made enough quality stops to keep the B's safely in front. Mitch Marner got the Maple Leafs on the board at 1:22 of the second when he re-directed a pass from Zach Hyman for his first goal of the postseason. David Krejci restored that four-goal Boston lead a few minutes later as he tipped in a shot by Pastrnak for his second goal of the postseason with Marchand providing the second assist. Toronto played with an urgency that they lacked for the first four periods of the series and Tyler Bozak notched his first goal of the playoffs with a sneaky little one-timer from Connor Brown and Morgan Rielly at 9:02 of the second.

Things got a little loose in the third period as Maple Leafs left wing Leo Komarov left with an upper-body injury. Pastrnak completed his hat trick, sandwiched around a meaningless power play goal by James van Riemsdyk (his 1st goal of the series). Anybody seen Auston Matthews? The young Leafs superstar was -2 and so far, he has been held without a point in the first two games. Pasta's hat trick was the first by a Bruin in the playoffs since Krejci did the deed on May 8, 2013 vs. Toronto.

At some point, the real Maple Leafs are going to show up in this series. Maybe? All the pressure is on them now since Boston held serve at home with authority. Things could quickly change if Toronto can win Game 3 and climb back from this pit of misery. However, if the B's can find a way to pull out a victory on Monday, it feels like the Leafs will fold up shop and get ready for the off-season. We were all so scared of this team and thus far, they have been nothing but frauds. What happens in Game 3 should tell us plenty about the mental makeup of the Toronto since all Boston really needs is a split North of the border to return here with a chance to close things out in a Game 5 on Saturday.

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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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Where Were You On Dec. 27, 2017? Aka The Night That Riley Nash Had the Game of His Life

As you were understandably paying more attention to (in no particular order) the holidays, the Patriots, the Celtics or your family, significant other and friends, the Bruins (20-10-5) have become one of the hottest (/best?) teams in the NHL. No worries if you are a little late to the Black and Gold party, they still have 47 games left in the regular season plus playoffs which looks pretty certain so there is plenty of time to get (back) on the bandwagon which should be filling up if we ever survive this upcoming deep freeze throughout New England. Anyways Boston met Ottawa (11-16-8) tonight at TD Garden for the time since last spring's first-round playoff series, won by Ottawa in six tightly-contested tilts (4 in OT where the Sens were 3-1). The B's had dropped six straight regular season games (0-4-2) vs. the Senators as well but you wouldn't know that by the 5-1 post-Christmas beating they dropped on them this evening.

Riley Nash (2 goals, 1 assist) recorded the fourth career two-goal game of his vaunted NHL life and he also tied his career-high in points which he last did on March 2, 2013 vs. Florida (1 goal, 2 assists). Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 12-8-3) continued his amazing in-season turnaround as he has earned his team valuable points in 10 games in a row (9-0-1). His goals against average during that stretch is 1.41 and his save percentage is a whopping .946. Who predicted this when he couldn't buy a win to save his life earlier this campaign? Boston is 8-1-1 in its last 10 games by the way, only Tampa Bay (26-7-2) has been better (9-1-0) lately. Two more good signs that this team is for real: their top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak combined for a grand total of zero points and likewise their power play produced nothing (0-for-2) yet they still pumped in five goals for their home fans (they are 13-5-3 at the Garden).

The Senators look nothing like the (lucky?) team that pushed the Penguins to seven games in the Eastern Conference Final last spring. They are 12 points out of a Wild Card spot in the East and 15 points behind Toronto (22-14-1)-who was leapfrogged by Boston (that still has 2 games in hand) this evening-so what are they waiting for? It's time to start figuring out who they want to keep and build around and which guys can get a decent return in a trade to a contending team. The Bruins got off to a fast start as they led 2-0 just 8:28 into the action: Kevan Miller jumped into the offensive zone for a juicy Craig Anderson (18 saves, 9-12-4) rebound for his first goal of the season (assisted by David Backes and Nash) and then rookie Danton Heinen continued his great stretch (3 goals, 6 assists in his last 9 games) with his 9th goal of the season after a sweet passing sequence by Ryan Spooner and Matt Grzelcyk.

Fredrik Claesson hit Noel Acciari with a dirty head shot (that I bet he'll hear from NHL player safety about in the near future) later in the first period but never fear because Tim Schaller came to the rescue of his former PC and current Bruins teammate. Schaller fought Claesson who was tagged with two majors (for fighting and a check to the head) and he also received a game misconduct. Schaller had no problem getting his second fighting major of the season and he also got a 10-minute misconduct along with a two-minute instigator penalty which was a bit of a head-scratcher. No worries though since Acciari surprisingly returned to Boston's bench to start the second period and ended up playing the rest of the game which was shocking since the hit looked like a textbook place to get a concussion. Maybe not.

Nash broke things open early in the second period as he got in on a breakaway (the 1st of his life?) and beat Anderson with what looked like a routine wrist shot that somehow eluded his glove hand for his third goal of the season, unassisted. Ottawa's only highlight of the proceedings came when Thomas Chabot banged in a one-timer at 3:49 of the second period to cut Boston's advantage to 3-1. Nash scored his second tally on a nice power move that showed off his sneaky decent hands. Anders Bjork had the lone assist on that one. Anderson was never pulled so he had the honor of giving up the last Bruins goal with 1:20 left in garbage time: Backes took a shot that deflected off the end boards and pushed it in the net, nice and easy for his fifth goal of the season. Grzelcyk and Heinen provided the helpers so each had multi-point performances which is swell.

For many reasons (mental and physical), tomorrow night's game in Washington (7:30, NESN) will be infinitely hard than this glorified exhibition. The Capitals (22-13-2) have won their last 11(!) games vs. the Bruins and Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy had already announced this afternoon that backup goaltender Anton Khudobin (8-2-2) will get the start vs. star netminder Braden Holtby after Washington started its backup Philipp Grubauer tonight in a 1-0 shootout loss at the Rangers (19-13-4). Both teams are in the second half of a back-to-back so neither should have much more energy than the other (Charlie McAvoy was the only Bruin to play over 20+ minutes vs. Ottawa but he's Captain America so who cares?), especially after the mandatory three-day break for Christmas. At some point, the B's are going to beat the Capitals again so why can't it be tomorrow night in our nation's capital? Basically everything is going right for the Bruins at the moment so that would be a nice albatross for them to get out of the way before the New Year.

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Heinen Scores His 1st 2 NHL Goals & Khudobin Stands On His Head as B's Beat Sharks 2-1

With one of the best teams in the NHL visiting TD Garden on Thursday, the Bruins (4-3-1) had to play well to earn any points against the Sharks (4-5-0). Naturally, the Black and Gold were led by that dynamic duo of backup goaltender/No. 1 for now Anton Khudobin (36 saves) and Danton Heinen who potted the first two goals of his NHL career as Boston held off San Jose 2-1 in a playoff-type contest. Haha can anyone say Stanley Cup Finals preview? OK that is a complete reach but coming off that terrible 6-5 overtime loss to Buffalo (3-6-2) on Saturday, it was a good sign that the B's looked like a different team. Heinen already became the fourth Bruins rookie to get his first NHL goal in 2017-18, joining Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy and Anders Bjork.

Boston can't match San Jose's overall skill but they outworked them by blocking two more shots (16-14) and recording three more takeaways (13-10). The ice was very tilted in the Sharks' favor, at least according to the referees who awarded them a whopping six power-plays (3 penalties alone on rookie Sean Kuraly) but Boston's penalty kill managed to go 5-for-6 and they erased that power play goal by potting a shorthanded goal of their own (their 2nd of the young season). Heinen gave his team a 1-0 lead at 9:41 of the first period as former Bruins great Martin Jones (31 saves) left a juicy rebound right on his doorstep for the rookie to knock in his first NHL tally. David Backes and Kevan Miller each had assists-their first points of the season-on the shorthanded goal.

The Bruins led 1-0 after the first period but the Sharks tied it at 10:40 of the second as former Boston No. 1 overall pick Joe Thornton (in 1997!) was helped by Khudobin's save which left a loose puck right in the crease. It was Jumbo Joe's second goal of the season (he has a 5-game point streak) and 1398th career NHL point, tying him with Jari Kurri for 20th all-time. Something called Tim Heed (great name) and Thornton's bearded brother Brent Burns provided the assists. Heinen quickly answered at 13:27 when a lucky bounce (a shot that went wide of the net but caromed right to him stationed on the other post) found his stick for an easy tap-in. Brandon Carlo and Tim Schaller assisted on Heinen's second goal of the night that turned out to be the game-winner.

San Jose outshot Boston 37-33 for the contest, including 15-11 in the third period thanks to two late power plays (they pulled Jones for the latter one). Tom Brady gets all the credit around here for being an unparalleled 40-year-old but Zdeno Chara (game-high 26:40 ice time, 8:21 shorthanded) is also a freak of nature and future first ballot Hall of Famer that continues to defy the laws of aging as well. Fresh off a 4-0 win at hapless Montreal (2-7-1 with a goal-differential of -20) this evening, the high-flying Kings (8-1-1) visit the Garden on Saturday night (7, NESN). It should be a fun atmosphere with another quality opponent in town plus a crowd that is sure to be celebrating Halloween a little early (glug, glug). David Krejci (back) will remain out for that tilt but Tuukka Rask (who backed up Khudobin tonight) could potentially return for his first start in nearly two weeks after being in the concussion protocol.

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For the First Time In Three Long Years, Your Boston Bruins are Headed Back to the Playoffs

Great news, internet friends: playoff hockey is coming back to Boston this spring! By virtue of the Bruins' (44-30-6) 4-0 blanking of the Lightning (39-30-10) this evening at TD Garden, Boston clinched its first postseason berth since 2013-14. There are many reasons that the B's are back in the playoffs and goaltender Tuukka Rask (career-high 37th win of the season) has to be near the top of any such list as he made 28 saves in his career-best eighth shutout of the season. That's the most by a Bruins goaltender since crazy Tim Thomas had nine in 2010-11. Boston's season-high win-streak was extended to six games as their defense continues to lock down on opponents in front of their pair of red-hot goalies. PS interim head coach Bruce Cassidy improved to 18-7 since taking over from former head coach Claude Julien. I guess that was a decent move by Boston's front office at the time.

Brad Marchand was rightfully slapped with a game misconduct with 40 seconds left in the first period after a vicious spearing incident with Tampa Bay defenseman Jake Dotchin's groin. It was a low-rent cheap shot that was more typical of Marchand's earlier checkered NHL career. He was given a five-minute major but luckily his teammates picked him up by killing it all off from the first period into the second period. Keep in mind this is the same guy who has been suspended six times and was also fined $10,000 earlier in this campaign. I'd be very surprised if he isn't suspended by the league and the worst part is that it could extend into the postseason.

Boston finished 4-1 against Tampa Bay this season and they grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second period. Drew Stafford put in a backhander top shelf on Andrei Vasilevskiy's (34 saves) juicy rebound at 5:56. David Krejci and Adam McQuaid had the assists on Stafford's seventh goal of the season (his 3rd as a Bruin). David Pastrnak doubled the Bruins' lead when he one-timed Riley Nash's pretty feed at 16:06. Kevan Miller provided the other helper on Pasta's 33rd goal of the season. The B's are now 34-0-2 when leading after two periods so needless to say, the Lightning were cooked when they were down 2-0 headed into the third.

Fittingly from the captain, Zdeno Chara's power play goal at 9:12 basically sealed Boston's postseason ticket. His 10th goal of the season-a one-timer-was assisted by Torey Krug and David Backes. Pastrnak added an empty-netter at 18:58 for the final margin. The Bruins won 20 more faceoffs than the Lightning (36-16) led by Patrice Bergeron's unheard of perfect performance (17-0!).

Ottawa (42-27-10) beat Detroit (32-36-12) 2-0 tonight while Toronto (39-25-15) fell 4-1 at Washington (53-18-8) as well meaning that the B's and Senators both have 94 points but Ottawa has played one less game so they are currently in second-place in the Atlantic Division. Toronto has 93 points and they have also played one fewer contest so they reside in the second Wild Card spot. Neither Ottawa nor Toronto has clinched a playoff spot yet but they are almost guaranteed with the Islanders (38-29-12) and Lightning each on life support.

The B's still have plenty to play for in their last two games as they host the Senators on Thursday (7, NESN) and then the Capitals on Saturday afternoon (3, NBC) to close out the regular season. Ottawa is 3-4-3 in their last 10 games and Boston hasn't beaten them all season so this seems like the perfect time to check that off the list which would give them the upper-hand for home-ice in a potential first-round playoff series. It sounds funny to say this after such a weird up and down season, but few teams will want to see the Bruins in the first round. They are playing their most complete hockey of the season and barring a long suspension for Marchand, they should have a full compliment of healthy (enough) players. Game on!

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Rask Returns From 1-Game Absence as B's Pick Up Another Absolutely Critical 2 Points vs. Predators

After picking up a huge 2-1 road win in Brooklyn against the Islanders (35-28-12) on Saturday night, Boston (40-30-6) responded in another must-win situation this evening with a victory in regulation vs. Nashville (39-26-11), 4-1 at TD Garden. Tuukka Rask (24 saves, 34th win of the season) calmed our nerves for a game at least as he returned to stifle Nashville after he missed the Islanders matchup with a shady lower-body injury. Providence Bruin Zane McIntyre was called up on an emergency basis before this contest which set Twitter ablaze during the pregame warmups but it turns out it was only because backup goaltender Anton Khudobin was under the weather.

At roughly the same time, Toronto (36-24-15) beat Florida (33-32-11) 3-2 to stay a point ahead of Boston with a game in hand while the B's temporarily went up three points on the idle Lightning (37-29-9) and four points on the idle Islanders who each have a game in hand. A key to Boston picking up consecutive wins is that they grabbed an early 2-0 lead on Nashville (who were playing the 2nd half of a back-to-back on the road) in the first period. Patrice Bergeron (18th goal of the season) put in a rebound at 2:28 from Zdeno Chara (600th career NHL point) and Brad Marchand. Pekka Rinne (28 saves) has been a very good NHL goaltender for years so I'm sure that he'd love to have David Krejci's goal back. The somewhat weak shot went off Rinne's stick and through his five-hole at 13:52 for Krejci's 22nd goal of the season, assisted by David Pastrnak and Drew Stafford.

Nothing notable happened in the second period so we fast forward to the third where things got interesting when Craig Smith tipped in Roman Josi's shot from the point at 11:16. Ryan Ellis had the second assist on Smith's 10th goal of the season which ended Rask's shutout bid and put plenty of fear in the always nervous Garden crowd. That's when fellow Providence College alum Noel Acciari came through at the perfect time for his first NHL goal: the B's had a 3-on-1 and red-hot Riley Nash (who has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games) fed Acciari for an easy top shelf one-timer at 15:47. Noel got some valuable experience with Boston last season in his first professional year and this was his 24th game this season (he was injured on Jan. 2) so it was a beautiful moment to see the Johnston, RI native score such a memorable tally for his hometown team.

David Backes added an empty-netter (his 17th goal of the season) from Dominic Moore at 18:29 to officially put the Predators away. All that was left to do was watch Kevan Miller drop the gloves with Cody McLeod (2 of the toughest guys in the NHL) and a bunch of other penalties on both teams in garbage time. Overall, it was a fine effort for the Bruins and they'll need another just like it on Thursday (7:30, NBC Sports) vs. Dallas (31-34-11). The Stars have been one of the league's biggest disappointments this season so I'm sure that there is nothing that former Bruin Tyler Seguin and his pissed off teammates would want to do more than put a serious dent in Boston's playoff chances. Now is the time for the B's to put together a win-streak since after the Stars, they also face the Panthers on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). Neither of those teams will be in the playoffs so needless to say, the Bruins have way more on the line than they collectively do.

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B's Stay Hot As Stafford Scores the Game-Winning Goal With 5.6 Seconds Left to Sink the Flyers 2-1

In any sport, to be considered a true contender and more than just a fringe playoff team at best, you have to win games in many different ways (low-scoring, high-scoring, etc.). Boston (36-26-6) outlasted Philadelphia (31-28-8) 2-1 this afternoon at TD Garden in a staring contest that fittingly ended with a very fluky goal. The newest Bruin-Drew Stafford-threw the puck at the net and Flyers defenseman Brandon Manning ended up deflecting it past his own goaltender Steve Mason (25 saves). That game-winning goal was Stafford's sixth tally of the season and second as a Bruin, he has four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in four games with the black and gold. In other words, nice trade deadline pickup by GM Don Sweeney.

Getting the two points and also not letting Philly have any (when they probably deserved at least one) was a huge result not just for the B's but many other Eastern Conference clubs. It brought Boston closer to a playoff berth, keeping them solidly in third-place in the Atlantic Division. For now, Boston is four points ahead of Toronto (30-22-14) who is playing tonight at Colorado (19-44-3) but the Leafs have two games in hand on the Bruins. Boston is three points ahead of the Islanders (32-23-11) who are in St. Louis (34-27-5) and also have two games in hand. Finally, the Lightning (31-26-9) and Panthers (29-26-11) meet tonight in Tampa Bay in essentially an elimination game. If either club loses in regulation (particularly Florida), you could cross them off the list of teams with a reasonable shot to sneak in the top-eight in the East.

This being a Bruins-Flyers game, even with a family friendly start time of 1 pm, you knew that there would be some physical play. Manning and Matt Beleskey ended up dropping the gloves just 2:02 into the contest. The hard hits continued throughout and Boston gained some serious momentum by killing a 5-on-3 Philadelphia power play that lasted for 1:43 in the first. A few minutes later, the Bruins jumped ahead 1-0 on David Pastrnak's power play goal (his 28th of the season). It was a picture perfect set up as he dumped the puck in and Brad Marchand won a battle behind Philly's net which allowed Patrice Bergeron to feed Pastrnak on the doorstep for the one-timer.

Philly had outshot Boston 14-11 in the first period but it was a relatively even frame despite the 1-0 Bruins advantage. The second period was dominated by the Flyers (outshooting the B's 9-4) but luckily for the home team, Tuukka Rask (26 saves) came to play. The Flyers tied it at one at 1:27 as Jordan Weal tapped the puck through Torey Krug's legs after some chaos around Rask (Brandon Carlo had fallen down). Head coach Bruce Cassidy (who is 10-3-0 by the way, 7-1 at home) challenged the play for a possible offside on Wayne Simmonds but it stood as Weal's third goal of the season, from Simmonds and Claude Giroux.

The black and gold turned up the pressure and started to look much better in the third period (after Cassidy had changed some lines with Austin Czarnik and Jimmy Hayes disappearing for all intents and purposes) as they outshot the Flyers 12-4. Beleskey was stuffed after a juicy rebound allowed by Mason early on and it looked like it would be decided in overtime or a shootout. Luckily, Stafford saved his team and their fans from more hockey on this day (keep in mind the Bruins are only 4-4 in OT and 2-2 in shootouts). Kevan Miller had the lone assist on the game-winning goal which came in truly bizarre fashion but the Bruins will obviously take it with a smile and move on.

Another reason why it was such an important result is because the Bruins are off to Canada for a four-game excursion: at Vancouver (28-30-9) on Monday (10:00, NESN), at Calgary (37-26-4) on Wednesday (9, NESN), at Edmonton (35-23-9) on Thursday (9, NESN) then wrapping up in Toronto (30-22-14) a week from Monday (7:30, NESN). The Bruins are still a great road team (17-12-6) and other than the Canucks, those other three teams have a good shot at reaching the postseason. Needless to say, that meeting with the Maple Leafs should be enormously important to both clubs.

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Pastrnak Saves the Day (and Maybe Claude Julien's Job) in 4-3 OT Win for B's vs. Wings

When you lose four straight games and see your season quickly going down in flames, there really isn't that much left to say. The Bruins (24-21-6) rallied to tie it in the third period tonight at TD Garden vs. the Red Wings (20-19-9) and won 4-3 in overtime on David Pastrnak's sublime one-timer from David Krejci and Brandon Carlo. Pasta's 20th goal of the season was also his first in 18 games but right now, who's counting? It's only one game and two points but you can easily conclude that was the most vital win of 2016-17 thus far for the B's. After their putrid 6-5 shootout loss in Detroit last Wednesday (where they blew not 1 but 2 three-goal leads), they owed the Red Wings this loss.

This being the Bruins that we're talking about, it obviously didn't come easily. Rather, they took a very hard route to end up victorious in front of a crowd far smaller than a sellout. They had previously been 1-16-3 this season when trailing after two periods while Detroit was 10-3-2 when leading after two. It was the final game of Boston's inaugural mothers' trip and Brad Marchand's mother in particular had plenty to cheer about as her son tied it at three in the third period with his second goal of the game. Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug assisted on Marchand's 19th goal of the season (which temporarily tied him with Pasta for the team-lead) at 8:20 of the third.

In a bizarre but totally true stat (take that alternative facts) Detroit has the NHL's best record in shootouts (6-0!) so the B's were smart to not let it reach that point (they are 2-2 in that goofy way to decide regular season games). Kevan Miller had missed the past four games with one of his endless injuries but he returned tonight and gave us all a taste of the full Kevan Miller Experience. He sniped a shot past Jared Coreau (45 saves) for his first goal of the season (and 1st in 42 games!) at 3:39 of the first period. Tim Schaller and Dominic Moore had the assists while Kevin Hayes (who had been a healthy scratch for the past 7 games) set a good screen in front of Coreau.

The Red Wings didn't record a single shot on goal for nearly the first 11 minutes but they made the first one count. Andreas Athanasiou burned Brandon Carlo and took an outlet pass from Mike Green that he finished on a breakaway with a forehand shot by Rask (23 saves) at 10:59. Niklas Kronwall had the other assist on Athanasiou's 10th goal of the season. Detroit is one of the lowest scoring teams in the league so it certainly didn't help that their top two scorers (Dylan Larkin and Thomas Vanek) were out for this evening's matchup. Marchand made it 2-1 late in the frame by putting in a rebound on the power play at 17:34. Ryan Spooner and Pastrnak had the assists as Boston's power play has connected for 10 goals in its last 11 tilts.

Green tied it at two at 6:25 of the second period as his slap-pass (intended to be tipped by a teammate) went off of Kevan Miller's skate into Boston's net. The ageless Henrik Zetterberg and Maine alum Gustav Nyquist had the helpers on Green's ninth goal of the season. Detroit is a long-shot to reach the playoffs for the 26th season in a row (it's really been that long) but their first three meetings with the Bruins this season have all been tight (Boston won 1-0 in Detroit on Oct. 29). Rask gave up a Malcolm Subban type weak one to Tomas Tatar at 10:51 of the second period that gave the Red Wings their first lead. Zetterberg picked up another assist on Tatar's 11th goal of the season.

It is a credit to Rask though (who left Sunday's blowout loss in Pittsburgh with a migraine headache) that he didn't fold after that. Instead, he never allowed another goal and made many quality saves later in the second, third and even two in the extra session. Boston closes the unofficial first half of its campaign (yes I realize they are well past the halfway point) on Thursday (7, NESN) as they host those high-flying Penguins (30-12-5) who fell 3-0 at home tonight to the Blues (24-19-5). The B's usually play entertaining and close games with Pittsburgh (excluding Sunday's debacle of course) so hopefully that is the case in two nights as they try to get back to .500 at the Garden (11-12-0) this season.

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With No Pastrnak, Bruins Blank the Kings 1-0 Thanks to Rask and Hayes (No, Really)

With David Pastrnak out at least for the next few games after an unexpected minor surgery on his elbow (bursa sac) on Friday, the Bruins' (17-13-3) anemic offense has been put to the test even further. At least this afternoon, they got it done with a result that is basically head coach Claude Julien's dream score. Boston beat Los Angeles (16-13-2) 1-0 this afternoon at TD Garden. Tuukka Rask picked up an easy shutout (his 4th of the season, tying him for most in the NHL) with 18 saves as he improved to 16-5-3 this season. Jimmy Hayes of all people scored the only goal as the Kings never really got much going on with 10 shots on goal through the first two periods.

Both power-plays went 0-for-4 and if it feels like Boston usually has had this type of low-scoring game in 2016-17, it's because they have. It was the 22nd time out of 33 games that they have scored two goals or less, they improved to 9-12-1 in those and 3-0-0 in matinees. Originally the Hayes goal, which came at 4:20 of the first period, was credited to Colin Miller but replays showed that the BC product had tipped the puck before it reached Kings goaltender Peter Budaj (29 saves). It was the second goal of the season for Hayes (and only his 2nd point), the other came back on November 27 vs. Tampa Bay. He's on a hot streak now! Colin Miller and Dominic Moore had the assists on the lone tally of the contest.

Sadly, about as rare as a goal by Hayes these days is an actual fight in the NHL but wouldn't you know the fans were treated to one of those as well. What an early Christmas gift! Kevan Miller dropped the gloves with Kyle Clifford later in the first period and those are each legitimate tough guys. Marian Gaborik (who only has 1 goal in 9 games this season) and Dustin Brown (4 goals in 30 games) were scratches for the Kings who are similarly offensively-challenged as the Bruins. UMass legend Jonathan Quick is out (groin) until at least February so it'll be tough for LA to hold onto a Wild-Card spot in the Western Conference. Granted, that's the least of Bruins' fans worries at this moment. They just want to see the Black and Gold back in the postseason for the first time in three years. It's been way too long!

Boston hosts the reeling Islanders (11-13-6) on Tuesday (7, NESN) at the Garden. Rhode Islander Jack Capuano, the head coach of the Isles, has to be on the verge of getting fired since somehow his team is currently in last-place in the Eastern Conference. It'll be a nice little reunion with former Bruins Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg back in town and isn't that what the holidays are all about? All told, the B's have three games left before a mini-Christmas break (Dec. 24-26). They are at Florida (14-13-5) on Thursday (7:30, NESN) and at Carolina (13-11-7) on Friday (7:30, NESN). Out of a possible six points available next week, I'm thinking that they should grab at least four from that trio of winnable opponents.

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In a Playoff-Like Game (for early March), Capitals Outlast Bruins 2-1 in Overtime on Niskanen's Goal

If we're being positive here (and tonight I feel like going that way), the Bruins (36-23-7) went toe-to-toe with the two best teams in the NHL the last few days on their home ice and earned three out of a possible four points against Chicago and Washington. Tonight at TD Garden, Boston scored first but lost in OT 2-1 to Washington (48-13-4) who in the process picked up their 100th point of the season. Underrated defenseman Matt Niskanen (who is having a great season) scored the game-winning goal at 2:36, his fifth goal of the season from Andre Burakovsky and Marcus Johannson.

Yet again, the B's failed to reach the .500 mark at home (15-16-4) this season (something which they haven't done in 2015-16) and more worrisome, they lost defenseman Kevan Miller to what looked like a serious shoulder injury. He's had problems with his shoulders in recent years and he left early in the second period after Alex Ovechkin hit him from behind into the glass. Ovi was assessed a five-minute penalty for boarding while Brad Marchand picked up a two-minute roughing call for sticking up for his fallen teammate. It was a physical contest as Adam McQuaid and Tom Wilson (who leads the NHL in penalty minutes) fought in the first period.

Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead at 7:11 of the first as Patrice Bergeron opened the scoring for the second straight game. Miller corralled a loose puck at the blue line and kept it in Washington's defensive zone. From there, Lee Stempniak got a piece of the puck before Brad Marchand fired a sweet pass across the goal-line to Bergy for the tap-in (his 26th goal of the season).

The Capitals picked up the win primarily for two reasons: their backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer (33 saves) was fantastic and they survived a Bruins 5-on-3 for 1:50 in the second period. Washington tied it at one at 13:08: defenseman Karl Alzner re-directed in a pass from Nicklas Backstrom. Alzner's fourth goal of the season was also assisted by Ovechkin. Earlier in the frame, Bruins defenseman Torey Krug had apparently broke his 40-game (really!) goal-less streak but after a lengthy review, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz's challenge paid off: it was ruled no-goal.

Washington has now won its last six games against the Bruins including a season sweep (3-0) that also included a 4-1 win at home on November 5 and a 3-2 win here on January 5. That is something to keep in mind should they meet again in the playoffs. Tuukka Rask (28 saves) fell to 1-8-4 in his career against the Capitals while Washington didn't even have to call on the services of their star goaltender-Braden Holtby-who started last night in New York (a 3-2 Rangers win). Washington is the only NHL team to not lose consecutive games in regulation this season (12-0-1).

After a mostly successful four-game homestand (2-1-1), the B's head out for a back-to-back in the Sunshine State before they return to the Garden on Thursday to play Carolina (29-26-11). On Monday (7:30, NESN) they are at Florida (36-20-8) and on Tuesday (7:30, NESN), they are at Tampa Bay (39-22-4). Those two games could go a long way towards determining the Atlantic Division since the Lightning currently are up two points on the Panthers and three points on the Bruins (Boston has played one more game than both of them). If there is one thing to count on with the Bruins in this wacky campaign, they have been incredibly consistent on the road (21-7-3).

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Who Needs The Oscars If You Can See the B's No-Show at Home for the 100th Time This Season?

This is my fourth season covering the Bruins but I can sense that 2015-16 has been special in a certain way since I feel like I am living in the movie "Groundhog's Day." Every time that I come to TD Garden, I dream that this is the occasion when Boston (34-23-6) will actually put together a win-streak at home but then I usually go home disappointed after another horrid showing by the Black and Gold. Tonight, the Lightning (36-22-4) entered with the exact same amount of points (74) as the B's (with a game in hand) but they left little doubt as to who was the better team as they skated away with an easy 4-1 victory.

As usual, it was a strange contest here as Boston actually scored first but proceeded to allow four straight goals (including 2 on the power play and a penalty shot) to put it out of reach just halfway through regulation. Kevan Miller scored at 6:01 into the first period when his screened shot from the point went in past Tampa Bay's excellent goaltender (and former Maine Black Bear) Ben Bishop (32 saves). Jonas Kempainen won the faceoff and had the primary assist while Landon Ferraro picked up the second helper on Miller's fifth goal of the season.

Zac Rinaldo was placed on waivers today by the Bruins but somehow he could also play (explain that to me, better yet don't) in this tilt. He was called for an illegal check to the head of Lightning forward Cedric Paquette (who briefly went to the dressing room afterwards). Harvard hockey alum Alex Killorn tied it at 11:19 with a power play tally that such was a snipe that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (26 saves) had little chance to stop it. Anton Stralman and Ryan Callahan assisted on Killorn's 12th goal of the season. Before you could say Crimson, Tampa Bay struck again as Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid hilariously fell down at the opposing blue line which allowed the Lightning to have an ultra-rare 2-on-0. Killorn fed Callahan for his ninth goal of the season at 14:39, they don't come much easier than that.

Tampa Bay was up 2-1 after the first period and Patrice Bergeron was nabbed for goaltender interference after bumping Bishop midway through the second. Seven seconds into their second power play, the Lightning once again only needed one shot (kid!) to make the Bruins pay. Callahan tipped in Stamkos' rocket from the point with Stralman picking up the second assist. Boston had no answer as Stamkos earned a penalty shot less than two minutes later when he was hooked down by Brad Marchand. It was the third penalty shot taken by Stamkos this season but he improved to 2 for 6 in his career on them. Rask had faced one another penalty shot this campaign (Feb. 16 vs. Columbus' Alexander Wennberg) and he is 4 for 8 in terms of stopping them. Stamkos' 28th goal of the season came at 10:04 and it extended his goal-streak to six games (7 goals, 2 assists).

We are mere hours away (3 pm on Monday) from the NHL Trade Deadline mercifully being over. Boston had done a pretty good job of not being distracted by it, that is until this evening when they flat-lined. More importantly, the Bruins' power play was 0 for 6 and if they make the postseason this spring, their special teams can't have outings like that or it promises to be a very short stay.

Loui Eriksson and many of the other B's will surely be anxious until that time passes. It's hard to predict what Boston's front office will do since this is GM Don Sweeney's first go-round so we don't have a track record to look back at in regards to his moves (or lack of deals) at the deadline. As the Bruins have been all season-long, they are an extremely flawed team that never makes any sense from game-to-game. Their latest blowout loss to a fellow Eastern Conference "contender" had to leave a bitter taste in everyone's mouth associated with the club.

Besides the deadline, it's another busy week on Causeway Street as Boston hosts Calgary (26-31-4) on Tuesday (7, NESN), the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks (39-20-5) on Thursday and then the best team in the Eastern Conference-the Capitals (45-12-4) on Saturday (7, NESN). The Bruins have to beat the Flames because any point earned against the two top teams in the league should be incredibly hard to come by.

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Bruins Return Home With Nothing Left In the Tank, Lose 3-2 to the Predators

It is no use to complain about the rigors of an NHL schedule; there are countless tough stretches for every club and the Bruins (14-9-3) are currently going through that as they just returned from a Western Canada road trip (3 games in 4 days) and had to play Nashville (14-8-5) tonight at TD Garden. Boston made it more competitive than it probably deserved to be before falling 3-2, snapping their season-high eight-game point streak (6-0-2). Then again, the Predators outshot them 33-17 so perhaps Jonas Gustavsson (30 saves) should get most of the credit for keeping it close.

Boston actually led 1-0 in the first period and 2-1 in the second period but they couldn't sustain it and actually went over 34 minutes during the game between shots on goal (even-strength). It was a penalty-filled rare Monday night game with 10 penalties called on Boston and six on Nashville. There were also two fights as Brad Marchand grappled with Roman Josi and rookie Tyler Randell took on Eric Nystrom, both in the second period. Nashville power play went 2 for 7 while Boston's was 1 for 3, one of the key differences in the final result.

Fittingly for such a strange contest, it was a battle of backup goaltenders as Gustavsson took on UMass Lowell product Carter Hutton (15 saves). Kevan Miller gave the B's an early 1-0 lead at 4:13 of the first when his shot deflected in the Nashville goal off of Colton Sissons' skate. David Krejci and Matt Beleskey assisted on Miller's second goal of the season (1st since Oct. 14). Nashville took advantage of a 4-on-3 late in the frame as Josi scored his first of two goals, from scummy Mike Ribeiro and Shea Weber at 19:35.

Boston's power play answered midway through the second when Loui Eriksson tipped in a beautiful cross-ice pass from Ryan Spooner at 10:53. Patrice Bergeron assisted on Eriksson's 10th goal of the season (9th time in his career). Josi showed some more of his offensive skills on the power play 27 seconds later as he went to the net and beat Gustavsson to tie the game at two with his seventh goal of the season.

The Predators continued to dominate possession-wise in the third period so it was only a matter of time before they went ahead for good. The unlikely hero was Viktor Arvidsson who deked around Gustavsson and put the puck in the net, after Miller had fallen over retreating in his own zone. Arvidsson's third goal of the season was assisted by former Sabre Cody Hodgson and Weber (who has 3 goals & 5 assists in his last 4 games).

For Rivalry Night, Boston travels to Montreal (19-6-3) on Wednesday (7:30, NBCSN)-their last meeting before the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium on New Year's Day. With Carey Price out again with a lower-body injury, Tuukka Rask and the B's are due to play well for once up North. After that, they return to the Garden to host Florida (13-10-4) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN).

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