Goodnight Philly, you've been great

This postseason run just gets better and better as the Boston Bruins pick up steam with each game.

They won Game 3 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia last night, 4-1, to take a 3-0 series lead.

Game 4 is tomorrow night; only two teams in NHL history have comeback from a 3-0 deficit and the B's are unbeaten with that lead.

So yeah, last night was big. The great news was tempered with the fact that Boston center David Krejci dislocated his right wrist early in the first period on a hit from Mike Richards and he'll be out for the rest of the playoffs. Not good at all.

For now, let's focus on the victory and pray that somehow the Canadiens beat the Penguins. With Krejci, Pittsburgh would still beat Boston. Without him, it's nearly impossible but that's a worry for a different day.

Philly got it's first lead of the series 2:32 into the game when Arron Asham took a feed from Claude Giroux and deposited it past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (34 saves). Blair Betts also assisted.

Only 1:39 later, Boston tied it up when Blake Wheeler perfectly tipped a Matt Hunwick shot from the point. Marc Savard also assisted.

The B's took the Flyers fans out of it just 1:34 later as Miroslav Satan scored from Milan Lucic and Krejci, who started the play before he got blasted by Richards. Satan waited out Flyers goalie Brian Boucher (16 saves) and put a backhander by him for a stunning 2-1 lead.

After a scoreless second period, Mark Recchi ended it with a power-play goal 2:30 into the third period. Zdeno Chara's slap shot was blocked by Boucher but it bounced to Wheeler in front. It ricocheted off Wheeler's chest right to Recchi, who was on the doorstep. You know Recchi has an idea what to do from there as he poked it in. Wheeler had the other assist as he subbed for Krejci on the power-play.

Philadelphia did everything they could to get back into it (and the series) but they couldn't solve Rask or the Bruins' defense which blocked plenty of shots. Patrice Bergeron added an empty-netter with 1:52 left.

I can confidently say that even the B's can't screw this up with a 3-0 lead. It'll be over either tomorrow night in Philly or back home at the TD Garden on Monday. There's no way that Boucher and the Flyers can beat Boston more than twice in a row, let alone four times.

The Bruins run Boston, wait what?

In my life, I've never been more into the Boston Bruins. This was an uninspiring team that barely made the playoffs this season but since the postseason started they've been a completely different squad. They hit, they're tough, they're clutch, they're not afraid of the big moments.

The B's got one step closer to the Eastern Conference Finals (where they haven't been since 1992) with a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 at the TD Garden last night. Boston now has a commanding 2-0 lead with Game 3 in Philly tomorrow night.

Milan Lucic scored the game-winner with 2:57 left in the third after he pounced on a loose puck and fired a low shot past Flyers goalie Brian Boucher (24 saves). David Krejci and Miroslav Satan assisted on Lucic's first goal of the 2010 playoffs.

Twice Boston led by a goal, only to blow it. Johnny Boychuk scored 5:12 into the game off an assist from Patrice Bergeron, who won the face-off right back to him. It's a shot that Boucher would probably like back since it was a long distance, screened shot that he should have stopped.

Mike Richards, the Flyers' best offensive player, tied it at 17:06 from Danny Briere and Ville Leino.

One of the biggest revelations for the Bruins in the playoffs has been Miroslav Satan. He has continued to score huge goals and turn in game-changing plays. Last night was no different as he gave Boston a 2-1 lead in the second period from Blake Wheeler and Dennis Wideman.

Briere tied it up with 25 seconds left in the second period with a snipe over Tuukka Rask's (24 saves) shoulder. Leino and Chris Pronger assisted.

Overall this series is going exactly as most expected: these teams are basically mirrors images with the big difference being in goal; Rask is a budding superstar and Boucher is a journeyman and it's starting to show. Tuukka hasn't been as good so far vs. Philly like he was against Buffalo but he hasn't had to be, Boucher is good for a soft goal every game.

Philly desperately needed last night and since they didn't get it, they'll face a must-win tomorrow night at the Wachovia Center which should be nuts. Lose and they're done, win and they're right back in the series.

Bruins clinch first playoff series at home since '99

David Krejci had a career year last season for the Bruins and he was rewarded handsomely for it.

That player was nowhere near the TD Garden or on the road with the B's this season; he was near the top of the long list of underperforming Bruins all year. Finally in the Olympics he seemed to find his game with the Czech Republic.

Since then, he's been a changed player and he stepped up with his best game of the season last night (2 goals, 1 assist) as the Bruins held off the Sabres 4-3 to take Game 6 and their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

It's up in the air who they'll play next: if Montreal upsets Washington in Game 7, the Bruins get Philly, if the Caps win, Boston will play Pittsburgh.

Boston's co-mvp's of the series Mark Recchi (1 goal, 1 assist) and Tuukka Rask (27 saves) stepped up once again with primetime performances.

I was genuinely worried that if the Bruins lost last night, they wouldn't win in Buffalo for Game 7. However, Boston scored first (for the first time in the six games) and they made Buffalo chase them all night.

Krejci opened it up with a power-play goal at 13:39 of the first period. He redirected Recchi's perfect pass by Ryan Miller (28 saves). Matt Hunwick also assisted.

With a 4-on-3 power play early in the second period, Boston cashed in once again (6 for 22 in the series; Buffalo was 0 for 19) as Krejci found Recchi by the side of the net with a cross ice feed. Patrice Bergeron also assisted.

Just when it looked like Boston might win this one with some breathing room, Dennis Wideman remembered how much of a nightmare he was this season. His terrible giveaway in the B's zone led to Patrick Kaleta's goal at 6:34 to cut it to 2-1 Boston.

The third period was crazy as Boston looked to have it wrapped up again when Krejci one-timed a pass from behind the net by Milan Lucic (Miroslav Satan also assisted). Just 22 seconds later, Michael Ryder flubbed a pass in his own zone to former BC star Nathan Gerbe, who one-timed it home.

Wideman made up for his earlier gaffe when he threw a puck to the net that Lucic whiffed on but Satan was on the doorstep to shovel it in, another clutch goal from the mid-season pickup.

Thomas Vanek scored with 1:13 left but it was too late. Boston couldn't score when the Sabres pulled Ryan Miller but it didn't matter. The B's are moving on to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second season in a row.

After choking in seven games last season to the underdog Hurricanes, they'll either be huge underdogs against the Penguins or slight favorites against the Flyers. I'm just pumped that there's more playoff hockey to watch from this suddenly very likable team.

For once in their miserable existence, everything falls into place for the Bruins (relatively speaking)

Since they beat the Hurricanes on Saturday, the Bruins went into yesterday's regular season finale in DC with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference locked up. With Buffalo's loss to New Jersey last night, the Bruins will travel to the Sabres beginning on Thursday night in the series matchup that any Bruins fan was rooting for.

On paper, game #82 didn't mean a thing and therefore it made sense to sit Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi and Tuukka Rask, four players that'll get heavy minutes in the playoffs.

With that said, seeing Boston (39-30-13) pull out a 4-3 shootout win over the mighty Capitals (54-15-13) at the Verizon Center turned out to be one of the best moments of the season. It gave the B's momentum heading into the playoffs, riding a three-game winning streak.

It was a best case scenario for Claude Julian and the B's as two complete frauds decided to drop by: Michael Ryder scored twice and Marco Sturm also had a goal. Backup goalie Tim Thomas, last seen getting pulled early in two of his last three appearances, got the win and Miroslav Satan had the game-winner in the shootout.

Alexander Semin scored his 40th goal of the season, 2:23 into the game. However, Ryder bounced back with a pair of goals in the first period. Milan Lucic and callup Zach Hamill (first NHL point) had the assists on the first one while Dennis Wideman assisted on the second which was a power-play strike.

Ex-Bruin Mike Knuble continued to do damage against his old team, tying it up in the third period with his 29th goal of the season. That's right, Mike Knuble would be far and away the Bruins' leading goal-scorer this dog's breakfast of a campaign, yuck.

Sturm tied it with 4:18 left from David Krejci. Thomas stopped both Capitals shots in the shootout and Krejci scored before Satan iced it with a sweet backhander.

I've said before that Buffalo is not that good and I'll stick by that. Ryan Miller is the best goalie in the NHL and the Bruins have the worst offense, not only in the playoffs but in the NHL, so that's the key matchup. If the B's can somehow survive that, they'd likely meet the Devils in the second round and even that isn't so scary.

Nothing's ever easy in the Hub of hockey

Like a villain in a bad horror movie, maybe the newest Nightmare on Elm Street, the Boston Bruins stubbornly refuse to die.

They're going to make the playoffs (fingers crossed) but they'll undoubtedly do it in the most ass-backward way possible. That's their MO; this is a team that hasn't won a Stanley Cup in 38 years and counting.

Thanks to last night's 3-1 win over the Sabres at the TD Garden, the B's (37-30-13) have 87 points and are in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference with two games remaining. Montreal is tied with Boston but they have only one game left. Philadelphia has two games left but they're a point behind the B's and Habs.

If the playoffs started today, Boston would face Buffalo (44-26-10) which is a much more favorable matchup than the Capitals or Penguins.

Even with all-world goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Ryan Miller, the Devils and Sabres respectively are teams that the Bruins have a much better shot at in the first round. If they play Washington or Pittsburgh, goodnight. You shouldn't even bother watching.

Derek Roy gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead in the first period with assists from former BC star Nathan Gerbe and Drew Stafford.

Miroslav Satan, who has really picked up his game lately, tied it early in the second period with an assist from David Krejci.

It was a gift win since the Sabres chose to sit Miller in favor of Patrick Lalime. However, the Bruins will take any break they can get.

Dennis Wideman, surprise surprise, scored the winning goal early in the third period. A shot from the point assisted by Vladimir Sobotka and Blake Wheeler (who's still alive apparently).

Mark Recchi clinched it with a goal late in the third period, from Zdeno Chara (playing with a facemask to protect his broken nose) and Milan Lucic. Recchi expertly tipped Chara's shot from the point.

Tuukka Rask made 31 saves to improve to 21-12-5 with a ridiculous GAA of 1.97 and a save percentage of .931. Boston is already guaranteed a top 3 pick in the upcoming draft (thanks to the Phil Kessel trade with Toronto) and if they can luck into the top 2, they'll have a stud offensive player to pair with Rask, who truly is the franchise right now.

The B's host the Hurricanes tomorrow afternoon before a matinee in DC on Sunday against the Caps. Carolina can only be a spoiler and hopefully with the presidents' trophy wrapped up, Washington sits all their good players. Realistically, the B's need to win at least one of the games and get a tie to feel comfortable that they can avoid the eighth spot.

Tuukka Time for once and for all

By all accounts Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas is a great guy. That's all well and good but professional sports are a cold business and Thomas is not getting the job done this season.

Boston is lucky though because in rookie goaltender Tuukka Rask, they have the present and future of the franchise.

Rask (18-10-4, NHL-best 2.02 GAA) was the centerpiece of the B's (33-27-12) 4-0 win last night at Philips Arena in Atlanta as he recorded his fourth shutout of the season.

Since Boston came in only one point ahead of the Thrashers (32-30-11) for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference (and the right to be pummeled by the Caps), you could say without hyperbole that last night was one of the most meaningful wins of the season.

It was downright refreshing to see the B's show up for once when it counted as David Krejci (from Michael Ryder and Dennis Seidenberg) put Boston ahead 1-0 in the first period with his 15th goal.

A couple minutes after the first goal, Shawn Thornton threw down with Thrashers goon Eric Boulton. It seems like the Bruins have been fighting more lately which is never a bad thing.

Milan Lucic (his 8th) gave the B's a 2-0 lead in the second period with a one-timer from Krejci. Then Miroslav Satan (his 6th) scored the dagger of the game with four seconds left in the second period when he tipped Zdeno Chara's blast from the point.

When Steve Begin (his 4th) scored off a juicy rebound from Atlanta goalie Johan Hedberg early in the third period the rout was on.

Boston will look to keep the momentum going as the Tampa Bay Lightning come to the TD Garden tomorrow night for another must-win by the Black and Gold.

Give it up for Dennis Wideman

As I've said recently, Tim Thomas has had an awful season but it pales in comparison to Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman.

After a career-year last season (50 points and an amazing +32), Wideman can't get out of his own way this season. He has just 22 points and a team-worst -16. His biggest skill is moving the puck up ice and being a mobile defenseman but countless times this season lazy passes and getting caught too far up in the offensive zone have invaded Wideman's game.

Therefore it was nice to see Wideman have a positive effect in yesterday's 2-1 Bruins (32-27-12) win over the New York Rangers (31-32-9) at the TD Garden.

The win kept the B's one point ahead of the Atlanta Thrashers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

It seemed like the millionth time that these boring-as-watching-pain-dry teams played this season so it was nice that they spiced it up with some fights and chippy play.

As per usual with both teams, goals were at a premium so it was only fitting that they came from some unlikely sources.

Miroslav Satan gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second period off a one-timer from Andrew Ference. Johnny Boychuk also assisted.

Wideman scored the game-winner in the third period with a backhand shot from Vladimir Sobotka and Milan Lucic.

Michael Del Zotto scored for the Rangers with 3:04 left but Tuukka Rask (23 saves) held the fort down for the win.

Boston travels to Atlanta tomorrow night for an eighth-place showdown.

Party on Wayne, Party on Garth

By attending last night's Bruins-Blackhawks game at the TD Banknorth Garden, I was able to see what a Stanley Cup contender looks like up close.

Chicago (31-10-3) fell behind 2-0 less than halfway through the first period but didn't flinch as they rattled off five straight goals en route to a 5-2 win.

The Blackhawks came in the with the NHL's best record and it was quite refreshing to see a team that can roll out four solid lines, defensemen that can skate and love to join the rush and strong goaltending. In short, while I was obviously rooting for the Bruins (22-14-7), you have to appreciate greatness and I wouldn't be surprised if the Blackhawks make it even further in the playoffs than last spring (Western Conference Finals). This was a case of the Bruins simply not having the horses to match up with another team.

The game got off to an ominous start for Bruins fans as top-line center (and the only above-average offensive player) Marc Savard crumpled along the boards and left the game with a leg injury. He'll have an MRI today.

Blake Wheeler continued his superb play of late as he tipped home a Derek Morris shot for a power-play goal and a 1-0 Bruins lead. Johnny Boychuk also assisted on that strike.

The good vibes continued when new guy Miroslav Satan scored his first for Boston, a snap shot from in close on Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi (19 saves). Wheeler assisted on that goal. It was much earlier than usual but the Bruins' two-goal ceiling had been reached and therefore the remaining 52 minutes were quite predictable.

Duncan Keith, a fantasy stud and one of the NHL's best defensemen cut it to 2-1 with a laser slap shot from the point. Before the first period was over, Chicago tied it up as fourth-line forward Tomas Kopecky scored on tic-tac-toe passing.

Two more goals in the second period by the Blackhawks (Andrew Ladd tapping one in after Boychuk couldn't clear it from the crease and a screen shot by Keith) led to Tim Thomas (20 saves) getting the hook from Claude Julien in favor of Tuukka Rask. It wasn't Thomas' fault but it was probably best to save him from further damage. The game was over at that point.

After the burst at the beginning of the game, Boston failed to have almost any other quality scoring chances (getting outshot 36-21) and Patrick Kane stopped beating up cab drivers for a minute to score one last goal for Chicago late in the third period.

The B's host the Rangers tomorrow afternoon and Savard has already been ruled out, meaning his injury is probably very serious. Ugh.