Never Had A Chance: The Isles Blew Out The B's 6-2 In Game 6 To Send Them Home For The Summer

 

    One of the million aspects of hockey that makes it a fantastic sport is that it takes a team to win anything of value, unlike say the NBA where you typically just assemble the most talent and let the victories pile up. Coming into this second round playoff series between the Bruins and Islanders, you figured that it would be close but Boston's playoff experience and better goaltending among other things gave them a slight edge. As it turns out, we could not have been much more wrong as the Bruins led 2-1 in the series then proceeded to fall apart in spectacular fashion by losing the last three game culminating with tonight's pathetic 6-2 defeat at the Nassau Coliseum. The Isles move on to face the Lightning (for the second year in a row) in the NHL semifinals while the Bruins head home wondering what the hell just happened?

    I get that having a rookie goaltender-Jeremy Swayman-make his first NHL playoff start in an elimination game on the road is far from ideal but would he have been worse than an injured Tuukka Rask (23 saves) who admitted after the loss that he'd need surgery soon to repair some unknown issue? Granted, it hardly mattered who was in net for the B's since their defense was in shambles since Brandon Carlo's concussion but Rask definitely did not help matters. New York is not a great team and I'd be shocked if they win the Stanley Cup this postseason but you have to respect their consistency, toughness and ability to share the workload. Islanders head coach Barry Trotz also owned his matchup with Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy all series long as well. It was 1-1 after the first period before defensive miscues and the lack of a bailout save(s) by Rask doomed the black and gold in a nightmare second period where they were outscored 3-0. Boston cut it to 4-2 early in the third period but their offense disappeared with only five total shots on goal in their final frame of the season along with a pedestrian 25 for the entire contest. Woof. 

    Center Travis Zajac gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 8:52 of the first period as he put in a juicy rebound that Rask handed to him while Boston's bumbling defense couldn't locate the puck in time before Zajac smashed it into the net. The veteran's first playoff goal for the Islanders was assisted by defenseman Noah Dobson and center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Left wing Brad Marchand (who was one of the only Bruins that bothered to show up this evening) tied it with a power play goal at 17:36 of the first period. Right wing David Pastrnak faked Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov (27 saves) out of his skates before sliding the puck over to Marchand for the one-timer. Center David Krejci had the second assist on Marchand's team-leading seventh goal of the postseason (Brad also produced at least one point in every game this series). 

    Center Brock Nelson had quite a second period for the Islanders as he gave them a 3-1 lead with a pair of goals 7:19 apart. First, he made B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk look silly by stealing the puck from him and blowing by before finishing a breakaway past Rask. Nelson's fifth goal of the playoffs was assisted by right wing Josh Bailey and defenseman Nick Leddy at 5:20. Rask did himself no favors by playing a puck right to Mike Reilly's skates that Bailey was able to take away and feed to Nelson who this time finished with a backhander at 12:39. If those weren't bad enough, Rask gave up an even worse goal at 16:07 as right wing Kyle Palmieri knocked the puck from Grzelcyk in front of Rask and it went towards the net where somehow Tuukka couldn't stop it. Palmieri's seventh goal of the playoffs was unassisted. 

    Down 4-1 heading into the third period, you wondered if Cassidy would pull Rask for the second game in a row and put in Swayman to I don't know, maybe get a spark or something but nope, he stubbornly kept Rask in until the end of regulation when he needed an extra skater. Marchand bagged another power play goal at 5:38 that was straight out of the Islanders playbook-outworking his opponents and refusing to let up until the puck went into the net. Krejci and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (who took an elbow earlier in the game from Palmieri that was not called) had the helpers on what turned out to be Boston's last goal of the 2021 season. The Islanders added a pair of empty-net goals in garbage time to make the final score feel fittingly even more embarrassing. 

    Where do the Bruins go from here? Good question my friend. It's now been 10 long years and counting since they last won the Stanley Cup. Aside from the one that they choked away two years ago against St. Louis, they have failed to reach the conference finals in seven of the last eight seasons. No matter how much you love Rask (and that percentage of Bruins fans dwindles by the day), I think his biggest supporters have to admit that he'll likely never win a Cup here (or probably anywhere else for that matter). He's a great regular season goalie and generally fine in the playoffs but he doesn't have that other gear or next level to reach in these most important moments. With Swayman waiting in the wings, it feels like the right time to finally move on from Rask-who has been a Bruin his entire NHL career-and pair Swayman with a cheap veteran backup goaltender plus Dan Vladar showed enough this season in a limited capacity to fight for that No. 2 role.

    Rask, Krejci and left wing Taylor Hall (who went completely missing in the last 3 games with zero combined points) are all unrestricted free agents (along with some less notable players) so those will be the key decisions for B's GM Don Sweeney to make over the next few weeks. I'd say that this group isn't that far away from title contention but I feel like we have overrated them for much of the past decade. Yes, they are usually a playoff team but they do not tend to make much noise once they get here. It took the easiest path imaginable to reach the Stanley Cup Final two years ago and of course, they failed in the most Bruins way possible: losing Game 7 at the TD Garden against yet another inferior opponent. Regardless of what happens with those three guys that are listed above, there are still plenty of quality players (both young and old) remaining on this team; Cassidy is a good coach and Sweeney knows what he's doing so in all likelihood, they will be right back in a similar spot like this next season. The real question is if they can put it all together and get past the second round to be considered a true contender once again or if they are simply cursed to live in this Groundhog's Day like existence year after year. 

Not To Alarm You But The Bruins Are In Big Trouble As They Now Trail The Islanders 3-2

 

    Don't look now but the Bruins are one loss away from another second-round exit in the playoffs for consecutive years. In the pivotal Game 5 tonight at the TD Garden, Boston outshot New York 44-19 and yet they still found a way to lose 5-4. How is that even possible? Well, the Islanders were 3-for-4 on the power play, they chased B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (12 saves, 4 goals allowed) after two frustrating periods and they held on as the Bruins tried to rally in the third period from a three-goal deficit (5-2). New York leads this series 3-2 and has won the last two games because they aren't making nearly as many mental and physical mistakes as Boston. It's almost like a rope-a-dope strategy as the Isles wait for the Bruins to shoot themselves in the foot and then they take advantage of it and unlike they B's, they don't waste nearly all of the great chances that fall into their laps. 

      Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (2 saves, 1 goal allowed) did not get to do much in his NHL playoff debut. I'm assuming that Rask will start in Game 6 on Wednesday (7:30) as the B's try to save their season and force a Game 7 on Friday back in Boston. After their worst game of the postseason in Saturday's 4-1 no-show on Long Island, the black and gold responded by coming out flying as right wing David Pastrnak blasted in a one-timer (his 6th goal of the season) from BU's Charlie McAvoy and left wing Brad Marchand at 1:25. I'm convinced that you can't rattle New York as they scored five of the next six goals to take a commanding 5-2 lead. After a terrible slashing penalty on Bruins center Sean Kuraly, the Islanders made them pay right away as center Mathew Barazal scored for the third game in a row. Remember when he was ice cold at the start of this series? That was fun. Defenseman Noah Dobson and right wing Jordan Eberle notched the helpers on the suddenly red hot Barzal's third goal of the postseason. 

    It was 1-1 heading into the second period and that's when the visitors took control with three goals in the frame including two more on the power play. B's killer and right wing Kyle Palmieri made it 2-1 in favor of New York at 4:49 of the second period and on the power play. Right wing Josh Bailey and defenseman Nick Leddy picked up the assists on Palmieri's team-high sixth goal of the season. Marchand tied it at one with a beautiful power move that showed off most of his immense skills. Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40 saves) didn't stand a chance as he stayed anchored in his crease while Marchand went by him and ended with a forehand shot for his sixth game of the season. Pasta and McAoy were credited with the assists on Marchand's sixth goal of the playoffs. This is when the roof started to collapse on the Bruins. A pretty little passing sequence around Rask worked wonders as the Isles took their first lead (3-2) on Bailey's momentum-stopping tally. Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau and left wing Anthony Beauvillier had the helpers on Bailey's fifth goal of the postseason at 14:30. New York's last power play goal came from a snipe by Eberle that went over Rask's shoulder. Barzal and Dobson had the assists on Eberle's third goal of the playoffs at 16:38. 

    What's worse than a 4-2 deficit in Game 5 on your home ice? How about going down by three goals early in the third period of said game? The Bruins faced that nightmare scenario as center Brock Nelson fired in a pass from Beauvillier at 1:59. The whole play started when defenseman Adam Pelech jumped up in the air to grab the puck and keep it in the offensive zone. In the regular season, Boston had a bunch of fake comebacks where they would be down by a couple goals and they would begin to rally but fall just short. That's basically what happened for the rest of the third period as Pastrnak scored on another one-timer, this one was from McAvoy and captain Patrice Bergeron. Pasta's one-timer came at 3:48 to cut it to 5-3 New York. It felt like the Bruins had a chance to rally when Varlamov couldn't handle a simple flip shot by center David Krejci (his 2nd goal of the playoffs). Right wing Craig Smith and defenseman Mike Reilly rounded out the scoring with the assists on Boston's final tally at 14:43. 

    As Bruins fans, where do we go from here? The Bruins typically respond well to adversity, therefore I truly believe that they will throw everything they have left into Game 6. Fourth-line center Curtis Lazar left with a lower-body injury and never returned after a nasty collision near center ice. I assume that if he's out, Jake DeBrusk would be back in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch this evening. I want to believe that there's an outside chance that defensemen Kevan Miller and/or Brandon Carlo could also return to action but let's be real, that probably won't happen and for good reason (they both have serious injuries that have already caused them to miss multiple contests). You know that all the Strong Island bros will be out in full force on Wednesday shouting their silly chants so the B's have to be ready to go from the start once again. The Islanders are good but they should not be able to eliminate the Bruins in six games, that would be unacceptable from my perspective.

The Bruins Wasted A Great Opportunity To Take Control Of The Series As They Fell 4-1 To The Isles

 

    Whenever the Bruins have a frustrating loss, particularly in the playoffs, I like to say "the Bruins never making anything easy on themselves." It's not exactly ground-breaking stuff but I think that it applies all too often for the B's. Tonight was the latest example as they lost 4-1 to the Islanders in Game 4 of their second round playoff series. Another win at the Nassau Coliseum would have given them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and that might have meant that they wouldn't have to go back to Long Island. Instead, thanks to their uneven effort, the series is now tied 2-2 and it comes down to a best-of-3 series against the Isles who are the definition of gritty and tough to play against.

    The final score is very misleading, especially if you weren't watching the whole game since New York scored two empty-net goals. There were no goals scored in the first period but it was still pretty crazy since there were two fights (Taylor Hall vs. Scott Mayfield and Jarred Tinordi vs. Matt Martin) and B's star David Pastrnak hit the post on the most wide open look that he'll ever see with a goalie in net. Boston actually led 1-0 when center David Krejci put in a rebound for a power play goal at 3:57 of the second period. His first goal of the playoffs was assisted by left wing Brad Marchand and Pasta. Boston's lead lasted for less than three minutes as Islanders left wing Kyle Palmieri put in a close-range one-timer from center Mathew Barzal. Right wing Jordan Eberle had the other assist on Palmieri's team-leading fifth goal of the postseason.

    Barzal is by far New York's best and most talented offensive player so it was surprising that he did not have a goal in their first eight playoff games this year. He is starting to heat up though at just the wrong time for the Bruins as he scored the lone Islanders goal in Game 3 and this evening he had the game-winner as he batted a loose puck out of the air to make it 2-1 at 13:03 of the third period. Mayfield and fellow defenseman Noah Dobson had the assists on Barzal's second goal of the playoffs. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask made 30 saves so he was one of the few bright spots in the loss for Boston. His counterpart Semyon Varlamov (who improved to 7-2 against the B's this season) had 28 saves but you have to say that the black and gold did not test him nearly enough. Centers Casey Cizikas and Jean-Gabriel Pageau potted the empty-netters for the Isles as the Coliseum exploded at the end of this victory for their beloved home team. 

    Game 5 is on Monday (6:30, NBCSN) at the TD Garden and Game 6 (time TBA) will be back in Uniondale on Wednesday. Needless to say that Monday is the biggest tilt of the season for both clubs. To go up 3-2 thus giving yourself two chances to eliminate the other team is a huge advantage versus being down 3-2 in the series and having to win twice in a row at each venue no less. Don't be surprised if Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy tinkers with his lineup a little bit on Monday. Nick Ritchie has been useless for much of this postseason so why not throw rookie Trent Frederic in there and see if he can provide some type of spark? If nothing else, he would bring energy and fresh legs to a group that looked understandably tired in Game 4 after taking so many tough hits from the Islanders all series long.

B's Rallied From A 3-1 Deficit In The 3rd Period, Only To Lose In Overtime To Even The Series 1-1

 

    After battling for nearly four full periods at the TD Garden tonight in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series, the Islanders took advantage of a brutal turnover by Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon which led to a breakaway and game-winning goal by their fourth line center Casey Cizikas. New York won the game 4-3 at 14:48 in overtime to even the series at 1-1. It was truly a contest that could have gone either way since Boston scored first, then the Isles tallied three unanswered goals in a disastrous second period for the home team (their worst frame of the postseason) before getting the two goals that they needed in a hectic third period to force the extra session. Now the series shifts to the dump known as the Nassau Coliseum that nevertheless should be rocking for Game 3 on Thursday (7:30, NBCSN) and Game 4 on Saturday night (7:15, NBC). 

    The clutch victory by the Islanders snapped Boston's five-game playoff win streak while it also ended New York's four-game losing streak against the B's dating back to the regular season. It ensures that the Bruins will not sweep the Isles (honestly, who thought that would happen?) and they will get at least one more home game at the Garden next Monday (time TBA) for Game 5. BU's Charlie Coyle staked his club to a very early 1-0 lead as he dangled around an Islander and then did the same thing to New York's goaltender Semyon Varlamov (39 saves) for a beautiful goal at 2:38. Coyle's second goal of the playoffs was assisted by left wing Nick Ritchie and right wing Karson Kuhlman (making his playoff debut in 2021). 

    The second period turned into a complete mess for the black and gold as they allowed a pair of power play goals that bookended a rough 20 minutes. Right wing Josh Bailey tied it at one as his attempted centering pass deflected off Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and through goaltender Tuukka Rask's (35 saves) five-hole. Right wing Kyle Palmieri and center Brock Nelson recorded the assists on the power play strike, Bailey's fourth goal of the postseason. New York's next goal I'm sure is the one out of the four in Game 2 that Rask allowed which he would want back the most. He couldn't grab a loose puck in his crease next to a post and Palmieri made him pay by knocking it in for a 2-1 Islanders lead at 11:00. Palmieri has been a Bruins killer for years, going back to when he played on the Devils. Defenseman Nick Leddy and center Jean-Gabriel Pageau had the assists on his fourth goal of the playoffs. Boston's defense let Rask and the rest of the team down on the third goal as they fell asleep in coverage which allowed JGP to drive to the net and one-time in a nifty little pass by left wing Anthony Beauvillier at 17:21. Center Mathew Barzal was credited with the second assist on Pageau's second goal of the playoffs. 

    Many lesser teams would have been unable to put that previous period behind them so quickly but not our Bruins. Nope, they kept grinding and were handsomely rewarded as two of their top players and trusted leaders-center Patrice Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand-had the honors of bagging the goal that flipped the momentum and then the tying goal on the power play. The captain went to the bumper position where Marchand was able to connect with his best friend for a sweet one-timer through some traffic. Right wing David Pastrnak picked up the second assist on Bergeron's fourth goal of the postseason at 10:34. Boston's tying goal was all about Marchand who ripped a low, hard shot at 15:06 of the third period. BU's Charlie McAvoy notched the lone assist on Marchand's fourth goal of the playoffs. True to most playoff overtimes, each team had plenty of scoring chances with New York outshooting Boston 9-6. The fatal mistake by Lauzon was trying to shuttle the puck away from the wall and over to his fellow defenseman Connor Clifton. The problem was that the pass went off another Bruin's skate and thus Cizikas was able to swoop in and use his speed to stay away from Lauzon and everybody else. His first goal of the playoffs (his 1st postseason goal in 6 years) is no doubt one that he'll never forget for the rest of his life.

    With an extra day in between Games 2 and 3-NBA style-B's head coach Bruce Cassidy has chosen to not hold a practice tomorrow. Instead, his team will take an extra breath after their latest overtime work. Before this series began, I felt pretty confident that it would be a long set of games either way. The Islanders got a split in Boston so now they are no doubt all thrilled to get back to their home arena which is one of the loudest and craziest atmospheres in the NHL. The Bruins will have to play much more like the team that rolled in Game 1 vs. the plucky one in Game 2 that ultimately lost despite that awesome comeback in the third period.

2.5 Months Later, The Bruins Finally Beat The Devils Once Again-In A Shootout Of Course

 

It only took five tries but the Bruins (18-9-5) rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits (3-1 and 4-2) to beat the Devils (13-16-5) 5-4 in a shootout this evening at the TD Garden. After losing 1-0 to New Jersey on Sunday night at the Garden, the offenses each exploded tonight as the Devils' was clicking early and Boston's only answer to that was a pair of clutch third period goals by its BU defensemen. There were plenty of scoring chances in overtime but nobody could end it so it went to a shootout where center Charlie Coyle & right David Pastrnak both scored for the B's while goaltender Jaroslav Halak (31 saves, 8-5-3) got better as the game went along, not allowing a goal after late in the second period. Boston improved to 2-3-1 against New Jersey with two more meetings left to go in the regular season. 

    Before the game started, the Bruins got a boost as both left wing Brad Marchand (Covid-19) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (concussion) were each able to return to action after they missed some time recently. Other than the late goals though, it was a game to forget for Boston's defense which turned the puck over a couple times in its in own zone that directly resulted in goals for the Devils. That began right away as Jeremy Lauzon's bad pass went into center Patrice Bergeron's skates and led to New Jersey defenseman P.K. Subban knocking the puck to left wing Miles Wood who fired it in. It was the BC product's 11th goal of the season (he's scored 3 times against Boston in 2021) and it came at 1:28 of the first period.

    New Jersey goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (44 saves, 9-9-2) earned a shutout on Sunday but he returned to Earth in a hurry after his recent success against the Bruins. Left wing Nick Ritchie's wrist shot through traffic beat him at 5:55 of the first period for a 1-1 tie. Ritchie's 10th goal of the season was assisted by center David Krejci and right wing Craig Smith. Illustrating how much trouble they'd had with the Devils, that was the first even strength goal of the season (16+ periods at that point) for Boston against them. The B's got caught flat-footed when center Michael McLeod blew past them for a breakaway then he tucked a backhander into the net at 9:34 of the first period. Right wing Jesper Boqvist and defenseman Ryan Murray had the assists on McLeod's fifth goal of the season. 

    The Devils started the second period on a high note as well when center Travis Zajac tipped in left wing Jesper Bratt's shot for the 200th goal of his Devils (the only team he's ever played for) career. Murray provided the secondary assist on Zajac's fifth goal of the season. Marchand tapped into some frustration by body slamming Bratt a few minutes later then cutting it to 3-2 Devils at 15:48 of the second period. He ripped a wrist shot out of Blackwood's reach for his 13th goal of the season (also his 1st in 9 games but who's counting?). Bergy and Krejci had the assists on his momentum swing of a tally or so we thought that it was at the time. Following a face-off win by Bergeron in his own defensive zone, Lauzon's pass went to New Jersey's right wing Kyle Palmieri who put in his eighth goal of the season (5th against Boston!) at 17:06 of the second period.

    The Black and Gold really couldn't afford another loss to the Devils two days later so it was reassuring to see their great young defenseman Charlie McAvoy step up to put in a juicy rebound at 10:22 of the third period that trimmed New Jersey's lead to 4-3. Smith and Marchand had the assists on McAvoy's fourth goal of the season. A few minutes later at 16:00, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's wrist shot seemed to catch Mackenzie up high by surprise. Just like Ritchie's goal-except in reverse order-Smith and Krejci notched the helpers on the Charlestown native's third goal of the season. 

    I guess that the only way that the Bruins can beat the Devils this year is in a shootout (which is so weird!) since they are 2-0 in those but 0-3-1 in regulation and overtime combined. Halak went a perfect 2-for-2 in the shootout, stopping center Pavel Zacha and Palmieri's attempts. One of the hottest teams in the NHL-the Penguins (23-11-2)-come to the Garden on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) for another two-game set which is all that the B's and Pens have had against each other this wacky season: one in Boston then one in Pittsburgh now another here before one last brief series in Pittsburgh at the end of April. Boston is 3-1 vs. Pittsburgh in 2021 but the Penguins have won four games in a row coming into this and they are 7-2-1 in their last 10. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy hopes to get goaltender Tuukka Rask into the lineup later this week but we'll have to see how his creaky back is feeling.

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.

I Don't Know Why But The Devils Have Owned The B's So Far This Season (3-0-1) After Today's Win

 

    I've already talked extensively this season about how the Bruins (13-6-3) own the Flyers (12-7-3) for whatever reason (4-0!) while the Islanders (15-6-4) similarly have some sort of spell over the B's. As you can tell from all three of those records, they are all good teams therefore at least you can fall back on that fact and there's no shame in losing to them even if the series is one-sided at least for the moment. Conversely, the Devils (8-11-2) blanked the Bruins 1-0 tonight at the TD Garden to improve to 3-0-1 against them in 2021. Nobody could argue that New Jersey is anything more than a bottom-feeder in the East Division, in the Eastern Conference and in the NHL but I guess that when they see the Black and Gold none of that seems to really matter. Boston fired 40 shots on the Devils' backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood (2-3-1) but he stopped all of them for his second shutout of the season. 

    The Bruins outshot New Jersey in every period particularly in the third when they had three times as many (18-6) but that couldn't matter less since the Devils found the only goal of the game late in the final frame. Right wing Kyle Palmieri crashed the net then deflected a shot by center Pavel Zacha from in close at 15:23. Defenseman PK Subban added the second assist on Palmieri's fourth goal of the season. Boston's offense went 0-for-2 on the power play and despite right wing David Pastrnak's career-high 10 shots on goal, they failed to find a way to beat a journeyman goalie. Just like a starting pitcher that loses a pitcher's duel 1-0 (or by a similar low score) in MLB, you had to feel bad for B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (24 saves, 8-4-2) who made one mistake the whole night. Needless so say, it's hard to win when your teammates can't get a single goal for you vs. what should be an overmatched opponent. 

    Next week is another one filled with opponents from New York: the Bruins go to Nassau Coliseum to face the Islanders on Tuesday (7, NESN) followed by a two-game home set vs. the Rangers (10-10-3) on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). The Isles have won five games in a row to take over first-place in the East Division, they are also 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Boston is 4-5-1 in their last 10 games with a 7-4-2 road record while the Islanders are 10-0-2 on Long Island. Today's loss dropped them to 6-2-1 at the Garden while the Rangers are 5-4-1 on the road. The B's are 0-3 against the Isles in 2021-oddly all in Uniondale, NY-so they are due for a win there. They are 3-1 against the Rangers so hopefully that roll continues.

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 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.

Bruins Return From Christmas Break & Lay An Egg Vs. One of the Worst Teams in the NHL (Devils)

Games like tonight are part of the reason why it's so impossibly hard to bet on professional sports for a living (don't worry mom, I'm not talking about myself!). The Bruins (20-14-4) couldn't have been in a much more favorable position-on paper-as they hosted the wretched Devils (13-16-7) at TD Garden where they were 13-4-0. At 3-12-3 on the road, New Jersey was starting its third-string rookie goaltender (MacKenzie Blackwood) and their best player (Taylor Hall) was out with a lower-body injury. Naturally with all those factors seemingly piling up against them, the Devils never trailed as they rolled to a 5-2 victory, their first here since October 26, 2013.

Three of Boston's best players-Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Jake DeBrusk-all returned to action after extended absences due to various injuries. That changed the lines a bit and while they were understandably a little rusty, they didn't give the team the boost of energy that you would expect. It wasn't Jaroslav Halak (28 saves, 12-6-2) best start of the season but his defense also let him down time and again either with breakdowns, turnovers and/or bad penalties. New Jersey basically was up 1-0 at the opening faceoff as defenseman Damon Severson jumped up into the rush and sniped in a goal just 25 seconds into the contest. Andy Greene and Travis Zajac assisted on his fifth goal of the season. The all-important puck luck was on New Jersey's side as well as evidenced by Kyle Palmieri's power-play goal that went off of Brandon Carlo then Halak and in for a 2-0 Devils lead at 15:25 of the first period. Will Butcher and BC's Brian Boyle provided the assists on reported trade target Palmieri's team-leading 19th goal of the season.

New Jersey outshot Boston 12-10 in the first period but the B's woke up in the second as they outshot them 19-9. Chris Wagner cut it to 2-1 as he one-timed a sweet pass from John Moore at 15:07. Danton Heinen had the secondary assist on Wagner's fourth goal of the season. The B's only trailed 2-1 after two periods and they had 1:49 left on a power play so it felt like they would tie it early in the third. Not so much as New Jersey killed off that penalty and shortly thereafter, Blake Coleman was sent in on a breakaway and beat Halak with a great move and backhander. His 10th goal of the season was unassisted and it completely took the life out of Boston's ill-fated comeback attempt (they are now 0-11-1 when trailing after 2 periods). Ryan Donato got cross-checked in the face with no call and Nico Hischier took advantage on the other end as he finished a breakaway of his own at 12:43. BC's Miles Wood and Stefan Noesen assisted on the former No. 1 pick's 10th goal of the season.

The Bruins finally got a lucky bounce to go their way but it was too late when DeBrusk's centering pass ricocheted off Patrice Bergeron's skate for his 12th goal of the season at 17:05. Coleman added the ultra-rare empty-netter/power-play strike at 19:12, assisted by Hischier and Greene. I can't remember too many Grade-A chances but it's tough to argue about his workload as Blackwood made 40 saves in his first NHL win. The result obviously meant a whole lot to the Devils who came into the evening tied with Los Angeles (14-20-3) for the fewest points in the league.

This was the last home game of 2018 for the Bruins and their final road game of the year will be on Saturday night (7, NESN) in Buffalo (21-12-5). The Sabres fell 4-1 in St. Louis (15-16-4) tonight, meaning that loss by the Black and Gold should sting a little more. If they had simply taken care of the hopeless Devils, they would only trail Buffalo by one point for third-place in the Atlantic Division. Instead, even a Bruins win on Saturday will still leave them behind the Sabres by a point. Blah, Halak had won his previous three starts before this loss and Tuukka Rask was awful in Sunday's 5-3 loss at Carolina (15-16-5) so I won't pretend to know who head coach Bruce Cassidy will pick to start that super important tilt in Buffalo. Keep in mind that Boston's next game after that isn't until Tuesday afternoon (1, NBC) but it is the Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium vs. Chicago (14-20-6) so that's something. The next Bruins home contest is next Thursday (7, NESN) vs. Calgary (23-12-3)-one of the NHL's biggest surprises and the leader of the Pacific Division.

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B's Beat Devils 3-2 In Stafford's Debut For Boston

I have never been to that arctic hell hole known as Winnipeg but I can only assume that getting out of there for good has to be one of the best moments of your life. At least that's what new Bruins (34-25-6) right wing Drew Stafford would have you believe after he was named the first star of the game in his debut for Boston, a 3-2 win over New Jersey (25-27-12) tonight at TD Garden. Playing on the third line with Frank Vatrano and Ryan Spooner (Claude Julien's haters), Stafford had an assist, he was +1, a game-high seven shots on goal and four hits in a very productive 14:07 of ice time.

A Weekend at Bernie's style corpse would be an improvement over Jimmy Hayes (2 goals, 3 assists in 49 games this season!) so needless to say that Stafford is already a huge addition if only for the simple reason that it relegated Hayes to the ninth floor as a healthy scratch. Obviously Stafford won't be that good in every game, few teams are more pathetic than the Devils, but this was a promising start for the former Sabre. Also relevant to the B's besides the two points is that backup goaltender Anton Khudobin (15 saves) continued to not be a liability anymore (a drastic change from earlier this season) as he won his third straight start.

Boston improved to 8-2-0 under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy and I'm almost certain (and too lazy to check it) that they haven't had a better 10-game segment in 2016-17. You have to feel bad for Marblehead native and BC alum Cory Schneider (37 saves), besides a few years in Vancouver (where he was never the unquestioned No. 1 goaltender), he's been on a bunch of terrible teams. We think he's one of the best at his position in the NHL but it's hard to really assess when he has yet to compete in a single playoff game as a Devil. For as long as he's been in Dirty Jersey, the once-proud franchise has struggled to score goals which last time I checked is still relevant in terms of winning in hockey.

After a scoreless first period that should have been followed by partial refunds to all the fans in attendance (Boston outshot New Jersey 16-5), there was a flurry by that minimalist standard with three goals in the second frame. Torey Krug gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 7:06 when he hammered in a loose puck for a power play goal. David Pastrnak (5-game point-streak) and Patrice Bergeron had the assists on Krug's sixth goal of the season. The B's appeared to take a 2-0 lead shortly after that as Taylor Hall was in the penalty box for another tripping call. The funny thing is that Hall's penalty had negated a possible goal for his own team but then Stafford's power play goal was overturned for a shaky goaltender interference ruling. Schneider never seemed to control the puck and it was called a goal on the ice but after a lengthy review, the refs said no goal.

A few minutes later New Jersey tied it at one as big and slow Devante Smith-Pelly somehow got on a breakaway and beat Khudobin at 11:48. BC's Steve Santini and Kyle Palmieri had the helpers on Smith-Pelly's fourth goal of the season. The black and gold went ahead 2-1 at 18:25 of the second period as rookie Brandon Carlo got a lucky bounce. His weak backhander was tipped in by New Jersey defenseman Nick Lappin. Bergeron and David Backes assisted on Carlo's sixth goal of the season.

Down 2-1 going into the third period, the Devils didn't go away though as Palmieri tied it after a 2-on-1 with Hall following a blocked shot on Carlo. It was his twentieth goal of the season, giving the American back-to-back 20-goal campaigns which converted to New Jersey terms is like a 30-goal season with most other half-decent clubs. The B's responded quickly in their own right as Vatrano caused a turnover behind Schneider's net then passed to Stafford who fed Spooner for a pretty tap-in. Spooner's 11th goal of the season stood as the game-winner as the Devils never really threatened while the Bruins missed a pair of empty-netters.

When it comes to the jumbled Eastern Conference playoff picture, there won't be many bigger games down the stretch than Monday (7, NESN) as Boston travels to Ottawa (35-22-6). The Senators held off the Blue Jackets (40-17-6) 3-2 tonight so they will come in two points in front of the Bruins with two games in hand. Needless to say, a win by the B's (who are 17-11-6 on the road) would be huge while a Sens victory especially in regulation would be a blow to Boston's hopes of finishing above third in the Atlantic Division. Tuukka Rask (30-15-4) will be well-rested so it should be a good one, a little Monday Night Puck.

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Unlike Last Season, Bruins Decide to Actually Win Their Home Opener 2-1 vs. Devils

The Bruins (3-1-0) continued their promising start to the 2016-17 season as they beat the Devils (1-2-1) 2-1 tonight at TD Garden in their home opener. While the teams that they've beaten so far are not exactly Cup contenders (Blue Jackets, Jets and Devils), anything is better than their horrid 0-3 start last year (all blowout home games). Patrice Bergeron played his first contest of this campaign (after nursing a minor lower-body injury) so of course he scored the game-winning goal with 1:15 left in regulation. His best friend forever Brad Marchand assisted on Bergy's patented one-timer from the slot with David Pastrnak picking up the second helper.

Marchand (3 goals, 6 assists) currently leads the NHL in points while both he and Pastrnak are riding four-game point streaks. It was a good night for Boston's stars as Tuukka Rask made 28 saves. If you missed the first two periods, believe me you won't need to see the highlights of it since there literally weren't any to speak of. All the action fittingly came in the third as Kyle Palmieri put New Jersey ahead at 4:14 with a power-play goal from Damon Severson and Jacob Josefson. The shot apparently was meant to be a pass and even more tricky, it took a slight deflection off of rookie Brandon Carlo's skate for Palmieri's second goal of the season.

The 2016 World Cup of Hockey apparently wasn't a fluke as Marchand is playing like one of the best players in the NHL. He beat Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (34 saves) with a wicked snap-shot top shelf, blocker side at 9:47 that tied it at one. John-Michael Liles and Colin Miller had the assists on Marchand's tally which quite honestly, was all due to his brilliance. With tonight's win, the Bruins now have an all-time record of 47-23-20-1 in home openers.

Boston hosts Montreal (3-0-1) on Saturday night (7, NESN) in what should be a much more entertaining tilt than tonight's mostly forgettable game. It is new Bruins like David Backes Dominic Moore and Carlo's first taste of the Boston-Montreal rivalry and you know that the Garden crowd will be very into it even if it is only late October. Carey Price (27 saves) made his first appearance of the season in the Canadiens' 5-2 victory against the Coyotes (1-2-0) so you can bet that he'll be between the pipes and opposed by Rask. The B's have allowed the first goal in each game this season which makes 3-1-0 all that more impressive. Needless to say, that bizarre trend won't last much longer.

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