B's Have Figured Out How to Play Well At Home, Consistency & The Road are the Next Steps

It's impossible to explain how a team that could beat Nashville 5-3 last Tuesday then Detroit 5-2 tonight (both at TD Garden) could be the same one that no-showed on Saturday in Columbus (a 6-2 loss that was the lowest point of the season). That's what makes the Bruins (19-15-3) so frustrating in 2014-15; when they are motivated and pulling in the same direction, they are capable of beating anyone. Then they have these frequent bizarre lulls where they are awful and get blown out by non-playoff teams.

Boston came into this evening without the services of Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic, who are both "day-to-day" with injuries picked up from the Blue Jackets debacle. They also lost Matt Fraser as he was picked up off waivers by his hometown Oilers. No problem, they've got Jordan Caron and Matthew Lindblad. Haha ugh. Therefore, it was shocking when the B's played their best first period of the season. They pumped in three goals (season-high) and took 19 shots (also a season-high). They got out to a 3-1 lead as Reilly Smith scored on a blast from the point at 2:44 then Gregory Campbell got a hustle goal on a rebound at 16:12 and Carl Soderberg (3 points) tapped one in from Loui Eriksson (2 assists) behind the net 1:13 after that.

Detroit's (19-9-9) opening goal came on Justin Abdelkader's diving backhander when he was falling down at 11:21 that tied it at one. Smith's goal was his ninth of the season, Campbell's was his fourth (first in over a month) and Soderberg grabbed his seventh. The Red Wings have the No. 3 power play in the league so it made sense when they cut it to 3-2 on Tomas Tatar's screened shot at 15:50 of the second period.

The B's bounced back though with a very solid third period of their own. Seth Griffith potted a sweet power play goal at 5:11, his sixth of the season, assisted by David Krejci. The youngster capped it off with a sweet celly but even cooler than that, he had showed off his skills by ripping a snap shot top shelf by Jimmy Howard (40 saves). Boston's season-high 45 shots came in handy and they clinched it with Chris Kelly's empty-netter at 17:34. Tuukka Rask made 28 saves, a much better effort than his sorry relief work on Saturday.

The stupid cliché that the next game is the most important one for the Bruins is actually true. Doubly so when they meet an Atlantic Division rival like the Red Wings or Maple Leafs on Wednesday (7, NESN) aka New Year's Eve. This mini three-game homestand is capped off by the Senators on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). So while you're waiting for the ball to drop either at a bar or some friend's house, make sure to tune in what should be an interesting contest. Each team has a blowout win to their credit: Boston won 4-1 on Oct. 25 at the Garden then got smoked 6-1 in Toronto on Nov. 12. With tonight's results (Toronto lost 3-2 at Tampa Bay), the B's are only two points behind the Leafs and they have each played 37 games so a win by Boston would tie them up.

For the B's, a spot in the top eighth of the Eastern Conference should be all they are thinking about as the regular season nears the halfway point. They have thrown away too many points already to worry about anything bigger than that.

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Anything Goes On A Friday Night In Columbus

Being such a hopeless creature of habit, I will admit that I was completely thrown off by having the Bruins play on a Friday-something which happens about as often as Kim Kardashian covering up his gigantic ass. For two periods tonight at Nationwide Arena, Boston (13-8-0) was terrible as they fell behind host Columbus (6-11-2) 2-0.

Thankfully, the B's had just enough resiliency to rally in a bonkers third period and then eventually win 4-3 in a shootout. Nobody scored through six rounds so rookie Anton Khokhlachev ended it in the seventh with the lone goal in only his second career NHL game. It had all the makings of a trap game with Montreal and Pittsburgh waiting on the horizon not to mention Thanksgiving break.

Beginning tonight, Boston has three games in four days so head coach Claude Julien elected to sit Tuukka Rask in favor of rookie Niklas Svedberg (25 saves). The move was a no-brainer, even when Svedberg gave up a pair of soft goals in the first period. Ryan Johansen blocked Kevan Miller's shot in his own zone then skated on a partial breakaway before letting loose a shot that Svedberg got plenty of but couldn't keep from crossing the line at 9:52. Johansen's seventh goal of the season was unassisted.

Just 1:38 after Johansen's goal, the Blue Jackets went up 2-0 on Nick Foligno's deflection which actually went off his body. Jordan Leopold took the shot and Johansen had the second assist on Foligno's team-leading 10th goal of the season. Earlier in the frame, Patrice Bergeron's shot was swept off the goal line by a Columbus defenseman.

Svedberg's gaffes had nothing on Sergei Bobrovsky (38 saves) who breathed life into Boston by allowing one of the worst goals you'll ever see in the NHL. To the left of the faceoff dot, Dennis Seidenberg decided to put the puck on the net at 1:28 of the third period and somehow it went in despite not bouncing or doing anything wacky. Matt Bartkowski (who went to nearby Ohio State) and Chris Kelly received the joke assists.

That turned out to be the spark that the B's needed as they tied it at 9:33 on Matt Fraser's re-direct of Bartkowski's slap-pass. Fraser's third goal of the season (1st in 8 games) was also assisted by Bergeron who played it back to Bartkowski at the point. Before you could say full meltdown, the B's were up for the first time (3-2) 1:59 after Fraser's tally. Daniel Paille picked the perfect time to break his slump (1st goal in 37 games!) as he took advantage of the turnover created by Carl Soderberg.

Boston enjoyed that lead for a grand total of 1:15 since Jack Johnson (please read his tragic bankruptcy story) one-timed a pass from Johansen and Foligno. The Bruins quickly bounced back from that devastating goal as they outshot the Blue Jackets 7-1 in overtime. Bobrovsky made up for his poor play by owning overtime. The shootout went on for way too long with not enough goals but you can't argue with the final result.

Columbus is a train wreck so for that reason alone, Saturday (7, NESN) vs. Montreal figures to be way harder. Boston has suffered two humbling defeats (6-4 on Oct. 16 & 5-1 last Thursday) already this season in Montreal so they owe the Canadiens a beating at the Garden. It is a given that the atmosphere will be great, hopefully the game follows suit. Rask has to prove that he can beat Montreal and likewise, his teammates (looking at you Lucic) need to stay focused and not get caught up in the Canadiens' usual garbage.

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Bruins Go Back Over .500 Thanks to 2 Goals from Matt Fraser In 4-2 Win Over Senators

The Bruins were dealt another injury at the strangest time: David Krejci took pregame warmups tonight at TD Garden vs. the Senators but couldn't play so Matt Fraser was in the lineup for the first time since October 18 at Buffalo (only his 2nd game in the last 10). Things worked out for Boston (7-6) though as they beat Ottawa (5-3-2) 4-2 behind the first career multi-point and also multi-goal game by Fraser.

Tuukka Rask also played well, making 29 saves as he improved to 5-4-0. He hasn't been himself for the first month of the season, far from the main reason why the B's have struggled but a key thing to note going forward. For the eighth time in their last nine games, the B's scored a first-period goal, this might explain why they've gone 5-2 in their last seven games (something that caught Rask off guard in the locker room afterwards).

Brad Marchand stayed hot with his third goal in the past two games, and fourth of the season (which sadly leads the team), at 18:54. Patrice Bergeron won the faceoff (not exactly breaking news since he leads the league in faceoff percentage) and pulled it back to Marchand. His shot wasn't that great but it still managed to trickle through Robin Lehner's (26 saves) pads.

As quickly as they grabbed the lead, Boston coughed it up as Dennis Seidenberg turned the puck over in his own end and the immortal Mark Stone went in alone and deked past Rask at 19:32. The Bruins should have been ahead after the first period after they outshot the Senators 10-5 but they weren't.

They took control in the second period thanks to Fraser's big game. Loui Eriksson caused a turnover and then Fraser was there for the rebound at 11:14. Carl Soderberg had the second assist on Fraser's first goal of the season. 1:28 later, Fraser did it again by picking a corner after assists from Soderberg and Zach Trotman. That was the third game in a row (Seth Griffith vs. Minnesota and Marchand at Buffalo) that a Bruin had two goals.

One of the only things about as unlikely as seeing Fraser score a pair of goals was Seidenberg putting one in but that's exactly what happened at 2:08 of the third period for a 4-1 B's advantage. A loose puck went back to him at the point and he fired it into the far side lower corner past Lehner. That was Seidenberg's first goal of the season as well leaving only Daniel Paille, Trotman, David Warsofsky and Joe Morrow as the only Bruins in tonight's contest without a goal this season. Obviously the three young defensemen have an excuse since they were just recently called up from Providence.

Ottawa made the final result slightly more respectable as Mika Zibanejad (a member of the current NHL All-Name team) potted a goal at 15:43 after a turnover by Milan Lucic. BU's Alex Chiasson had an assist while fellow Terrier Eric Gryba played in his 100th NHL game. Somewhere Jack Parker smiles.

This was the start of an important month for the Bruins since they play 12 games overall including nine at the Garden. What's more, most of them are against bottom feeding teams. Boston is home for the next week plus as they have three more games here starting with a matchup with Shawn Thornton and the Panthers (4-2-3) on Tuesday (7, NESN). After that, they host the Oilers on Thursday then the Devils on Monday. I hereby dub it reunion week with Andrew Ference on Edmonton along with Jaromir Jagr and Michael Ryder on New Jersey.

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David Krejci Isn't Going Anywhere For A While

With training camp only a few weeks away and players already returning to Boston for informal sessions, the Bruins have plenty of business to attend to before the regular season starts in a month. First up was re-signing top-line center David Krejci since his current deal expired after 2014-15. Boston signed him to a six-year extension worth $43.5 million which makes him the highest paid player on the team. It includes a no-movement clause through 2018-19 and a limited no-trade clause in the final two years.

Krejci is 28 and coming off maybe his best season (out of 7) with the B's: 19 goals, 50 assists (most points on the B's) and a league-leading +39. He struggled in the postseason with only four assists in 12 games with no goals and a plus/minus of -3. Take a number though as most Bruins didn't play up to their capabilities when they got bounced in the second round by Montreal.

The knock on him was that he coasts through the regular season and then turns it on the playoffs. He led the NHL with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in 2013 as the B's reached the Stanley Cup Final and lost to the Blackhawks in six games. Also, he paced the Bruins with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) when they won the Cup in 2010-11 after beating Vancouver in seven games.

You can argue about if he should be the highest paid guy over Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask or Zdeno Chara but just remember: it's not our money. Krejci is a very solid player that every other club in the league would love to have. He was a perfect fit with Milan Lucic and Jarome Iginla on Boston's top line last season. We'll see if he and Lucic can develop that same chemistry with whomever gets the promotion to the first line this season (please not Loui Eriksson).

Not many people say it but I think it's a legitimate concern with Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli that he gets a little too attached to his own players thus overpaying them both in terms of years and money on a given contract. Again, I don't think that's the case here though since Krejci is a special player.

Now all that's really left to do is re-sign restricted free agents Torey Krug and Reilly Smith. Boston has all the leverage with those young guys so that shouldn't be an issue getting them to come back. Looking ahead to 2014-15 (I know, I know) Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille, Carl Soderberg, Johnny Boychuk, Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartkowski are all unrestricted free agents. Then Dougie Hamilton is a restricted free agent as well so don't be surprised if one or more of them is moved at some point this season.

UPDATE 9/5: Forward Matt Fraser agreed to a one-year, two-way deal for this season. Right now, there are two open forward spots on the Bruins' roster so don't be shocked if he makes the roster on the third or fourth line. Additionally, veteran forward Ville Leino got a training camp invite where he will battle Simon Gagne to see who is more washed up.

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Matt Fraser Likely Saved the Bruins' Season, Wait What?

Playoff hockey definitely takes years off your life when your favorite team is competing in the NHL postseason but we wouldn't have it any other way, right? In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight at Bell Centre, Boston outlasted Montreal 1-0 in overtime on Matt Fraser's game-winner at 1:19. Yes, you read that correctly: a 23-year-old rookie that was recalled earlier in the day was the main reason that Boston tied the series at two heading back to Boston for Game 5 on Saturday (7, NBCSN).

There really is no way to properly equate how unlikely Fraser was to be the hero but that's one of the million reasons that makes the NHL playoffs superior to any of the other American pro sports-the sheer unpredictability. Johnny Boychuk's shot from the point went wide of Carey Price (34 saves) and bounced up in front of the cage. Carl Soderberg had the first whack at it then Fraser wheeled around the net to poke it in for his first career postseason goal in his first career NHL playoff game. Not a bad night for the other guy from the Tyler Seguin trade (along with Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith).

Tuukka Rask's (33 saves) fifth career postseason shutout wasn't as memorable (at least on his end) as you might expect but he did make a huge save on Brian Gionta's breakaway in the second period. This would have been a horrible loss for the B's, not just because they have never rallied from a 3-1 series deficit in franchise history, but they outplayed the Canadiens for long stretches of this game. Often times, they would dominate possession in Montreal's end but had nothing to show for it. Boston hit the post three more times by Jarome Iginla, Soderberg and Smith. I think that makes nine posts or pipes in the series for them, yikes.

Boston improved to 3-1 on the road this postseason while handing Montreal its first loss (3-1) at the Bell Centre. Game 5 is everything since the teams have alternated wins and losses through the first four games. It would help if the B's scored a power play goal. Again, there were very few penalties (3) but Boston went 0 for 2 on the power play making them 0 for 8 in the series. Technically speaking the team that has scored first is also 4-0.

Fraser and Matt Bartkowski were the two changes to Boston's lineup so expect those to stay the same in Game 5, no need to change the mojo now.

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Bruins Deliver Season's Beatings to the Predators

Heading into a much-needed three day break around the league, you couldn't ask for a better effort from the Bruins as they went to Nashville's Bridgestone Arena tonight and handed the Predators a 6-2 blowout loss. Like in Edmonton a few weeks ago, Boston (25-20-2) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period but Nashville (16-17-4) cut it to 3-2 in the third period. The B's made sure to put this away so they could truly enjoy their downtime this week.

Jarome Iginla had two goals for his 96th career two-goal game in the NHL (think about that) but Reilly Smith (1 goal, 2 assists), Carl Soderberg (1 goal, 2 assists) and Ryan Spooner (3 assists) stole the Hall of Famer's thunder (not that he minds) with three point games of their own. In total, 10 different Bruins found their name on the scoresheet and Tuukka Rask managed to stop 32 shots for another win.

There are bad starts and then there is Nashville allowing three goals in the first 10:47 of the opening period. Iginla tipped in Zdeno Chara's shot from the point at 1:16 for Iggy's ninth goal of the season. Milan Lucic had the second assist. Shortly after that, Adam McQuaid traded bombs with Eric Nystrom. I wouldn't recommend getting into a fight in your first game back from an injury but clearly McQuaid is going to do what he wants.

Boston's second goal was about as big a gift as they'll unwrap all season: Soderberg's dump in was completely bungled by goaltender Carter Hutton and Mark Fraser was there to record his first goal as a Bruin at 5:59. Spooner had the second assist. Smith kicked off an incredible night for Boston's power play (for once, that wasn't sarcasm) with a goal at 10:47 from Soderberg and Spooner. It wasn't the best angle but Smith was able to roof it by Marek Mazanec for his 12th of the season (tying Lucic's team lead).

Craig Smith ended Rask's shutout bid early, at 11:35 of the second period. His power play goal was the direct result of Rask's juicy rebound off Seth Jones' blast. Craig Smith's goal at 3:25 of the third period made you certainly wonder if the B's were going to fall apart. Thankfully, they didn't as Iginla redirected a pass out of the air at 5:01 from David Krejci and Torey Krug. 49 seconds later, Soderberg's one-timer from Spooner and Smith gave Boston a commanding 5-2 lead on his fifth goal of the season.

The star of tonight's episode of Behind the B-Brad Marchand-sent Nashville fans home with a garbage time tally at 15:54. His eighth goal of the season was also assisted by Smith. Boston is off until Friday (7, NESN) when they host Ottawa (15-17-7, 6th in Atlantic Division) at TD Garden. The next night, the same teams meet in Ottawa.

UPDATE 12/24: The Bruins assigned defenseman David Warsofsky and forward Nick Johnson back to Providence, which has to mean that Dougie Hamilton and more so Daniel Paille could return this weekend vs. Ottawa. In other Bruins news, Shawn Thornton's appeal of his 15-game suspension was upheld. Merry Christmas Eve!

UPDATE 12/27: The Bruins called up goaltender Niklas Svedberg for the first time in his career. It's a weird move because the last thing we knew, Tuukka Rask and Chad Johnson were healthy. Haha maybe one of them got hurt on Christmas with their family?

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