The B's Began 2020 In Similar Fashion to How They Ended 2019: With a Loss to an Inferior Team

New Year's Resolutions are usually reserved for people, not sports teams but I guarantee that the Bruins (24-7-11) came into 2020 looking for a fresh start when it came to their mind-numbing struggles in both overtime (2-5) and shootouts (0-6). After blowing a two-goal lead on New Year's Eve in Newark, NJ then losing 3-2 in a laborious six-round shootout to the awful Devils (15-19-6), they started off the New Year with a 2-1 overtime loss this evening at TD Garden to the Blue Jackets (19-14-8). For the fourth game in a row, Boston was held to three goals or less (2-0-2) and not surprisingly, this lack of offense has led to some spotty results.

On the one hand, Columbus came into this contest with a season-best 11-game point streak (7-0-4) but on the other, they were missing their All-Star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (17-10-4) and were forced into playing their terrible backup goalie Elvis (insert your very dated joke here) Merzlikins (31 saves) who had one career NHL win to his ironic name. I feel like I say this all the time but it was tough to pin this loss squarely on Tuukka Rask's (25 saves, 15-5-5) shoulders since the two Blue Jacket goals came via a deflection off a Bruins defensemen then an unstoppable one-timer from point blank range on a 2-on-1.

Another reason that Boston should not have lost this first meeting with the Blue Jackets since the second round of the playoffs last spring is that the Bruins' varsity roster was back with Torey Krug, Charlie McAvoy and David Krejci all returning from brief injury-related absences. This meant no Brett Ritchie (healthy scratch where he belongs), Steven Kampfer (scratched) or Jeremy Lauzon (sent back to Providence) who had all faced New Jersey in one of the most lifeless losses of this campaign for the Black and Gold. Initially, it seemed like the luck had changed for the Bruins in 2020 at least in terms of coach's challenges (that feel like they never win). The Blue Jackets scored 17 seconds into this tilt on the first shot of the game for either club but Gustav Nyquist's goal was overturned after it was ruled that Boone Jenner had bumped into Rask.

Other than a big hit by Joakim Nordstrom of all people, that was about all that happened in the scoreless first period. The B's took a 1-0 lead a little over midway through the second period (at 11:07 to be exact) as David Pastrnak bombed a one-timer on the power play through former teammate Riley Nash's legs and past your favorite Latvian goalie (besides Columbus' backup Matiss Kivlenieks who was called up for the first time with Korpisalo out for an extended period of time). Pasta's NHL-best 30th goal of the season (the 4th season in a row that he's done that) was assisted by Krug and Patrice Bergeron. David has a nine-game point-streak (4 goals, 10 assists) and he is the fastest Bruin to reach 30 goals (in 42 games) since Cam Neely had 30 in 27 games back in 1993-94.

Columbus might not have much anymore (Artemi Panarin left in free agency for the Rangers last summer while Sergei Bobrovsky now plays for the Panthers) but they do possess the top defensive pairing in the league with Jones and Zach Werenski (game-high 27:00 of ice time). Coming off his first career hat trick on Tuesday vs. Florida, Werenski hit the post in the second period. The Blue Jackets tied it at 2:06 of the third period as BC dropout (look it up) Sonny Milano threw the puck in front and had it bounce off Matt Grzelcyk's leg then into the net. Milano's fourth goal of the season was assisted by BC little person Nathan Gerbe and Vladislav Gavrikov which might be the most Russian name that I've ever heard.

Boston has scored a power play goal in nine straight games and they have killed off 22 straight penalties dating back to Dec. 17 vs. LA (8 games) but those are the positive notes. The most troubling fact is that they continue to fail to put teams away in the third which usually is one of their trademark strengths. Merzlikins made two good saves on Anders Bjork then Danton Heinen and shortly after that, Pastrnak hit the post. Columbus is built to play close, longer games (now 6-6 in OT) so it was no surprise when they won it on the first shot on goal in overtime. Pasta missed the net with a re-direct on one end then Jones skated down the other side with Pierre-Luc Dubois and fed him for a one-timer that he put in the top shelf for his 14th goal of the season, 52 seconds into the extra session. Barf.

The Oilers (21-17-5) are here on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) for their only visit of the regular season. They remain a fringe playoff team at best which becomes more of a shame when you realize that they do nothing but continue to waste some incredible years by the best player in hockey-their once-in a generation center Connor McDavid (22 goals, 44 assists) who leads the NHL in points and assists. There are no automatic wins right now for the Bruins as the Devils debacle proved so while I'll concede that they should beat Edmonton, I don't feel super confident about that statement. Since we are all going to be worried sick about the Patriots' dynasty possibly ending for good later that night vs. Tennessee, couldn't the B's just treat all the kids sure to be in attendance to a laugher? Yeah, that would be fun (fingers and toes all crossed).

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In Essentially a Must-Win Scenario, the Bruins Fall 2-1 in a Shootout to the Hurricanes

With the 2015-16 regular season boiled down to three final home games that will ultimately decide their playoff fate (in or out), Boston (41-30-9) fittingly didn't get the job done on step one but they left themselves a bit of hope as they lost 2-1 to Carolina (35-29-16) in a shootout this evening at TD Garden. The fraudulent point "earned" by the B's ties them with Detroit (40-28-11) and Philadelphia (39-26-13). The problem is that the Red Wings have two games in hand and the Flyers have a game in hand on the Black and Gold. As luck would have it, Detroit hosts Philly tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports Network) as well.

Boston hadn't appeared on their home ice in nearly two weeks but somehow they still were the same group that simply hasn't been able to win here all season-long. Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin made it 1-0 at 18:54 in the first period when his shot from the point beat Tuukka Rask (27 saves). He wasn't screened and the shot wasn't tipped so that's a shot that Rask needs to stop 10 times out of 10. Justin Faulk and BC's Nathan Gerbe assisted on Slavin's second goal of the season (his first since Dec. 8, 2015). The Bruins outshot the Hurricanes 10-8 in the first and had two fruitless power plays. The highlight if you can call it that was a fight between Jimmy Hayes and Brad Malone early in the frame.

The Bruins dominated some more in the second (outshooting the Hurricanes 16-9) but three penalties (including 2 on Loui Eriksson) slowed them down a bit and they still lacked that finishing ability that has eluded them so much lately (other than the first 2 periods in St. Louis and last 2 periods in Chicago). Carolina gift-wrapped a goal to Boston as possibly the worst line change in NHL history led to a breakaway and sweet Peter Forsberg-esque move by Eriksson. Former Hurricane John-Michael Liles assisted on Eriksson's 29th goal of the season at 1:45 of the third period. Zdeno Chara saved the day when he cleared a Brett Pesce shot that trickled by Rask off the goalline.

Carolina had beaten Boston 3-2 in overtime at the Garden on March 10 but this time the B's carried play in the extra session. They outshot the Canes 3-1 but Cam Ward (35 saves) took a trip back in a time machine to about a decade ago and he was really good. He even made a nice diving glove save on Eriksson's rebound. After four scoreless rounds in the shootout, Torey Krug was stuffed and another BC guy (Norwood, MA native) Noah Hanifin ended it with a backhander past Rask. Don't ask me how Brad Marchand, David Krejci or Frank Vatrano weren't any of the five shooters selected by Bruins head coach Claude Julien.

The Bruins will no doubt be paying attention to the Red Wings-Flyers tilt tomorrow night before they host Detroit on Thursday (7, NESN). They'll be rooting for Philadelphia to win in regulation against the Red Wings and I'm pretty sure the B's will reach the postseason if they can beat Detroit and then Ottawa (36-35-9) on Saturday (12:30, NESN). However, as we've learned over and over again with this team, you can't count on any consistently positive results at home.

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Bruins Reach 1st-Place in Atlantic Division for 1st Time This Season, By Losing 3-2 in OT to Carolina

In the most Bruins of 2015-16 way possible, the team has finally reached first-place in the Atlantic Division for the first time all season yet that is little solace to them after they fell 3-2 in overtime tonight at TD Garden vs. Carolina (31-26-11). Something named Philip Di Giuseppe (which sounds like a side character from The Sopranos) had the game-winning goal at 1:30 for the Hurricanes. Boston still hasn't reached the .500 mark at home (15-16-5) but the point earned from their fourth straight overtime contest was enough to propel them ahead of idle Tampa Bay (83 points) and Florida (who beat Ottawa 6-2 to also reach 83 points). The problem is that the Lightning and Panthers both have two games in hand over Boston (38-23-8) but I guess that we'll worry about that later.

The Hurricanes never trailed as their terrible power play (ranked No. 23 in the NHL coming into this evening) made it 1-0 just 5:06 into the game. Elias Lindholm's shot from the point trickled past Tuukka Rask (25 saves) for his ninth goal of the season. Norwood MA native (and BC product) Noah Hanifin and Riley Nash had the assists after Patrice Bergeron had been called for high-sticking. Carolina led 1-0 despite being outshot 8-5 in the opening frame.

Boston tied it at 5:13 of the second period when Patrice Bergeron hit Loui Eriksson with a beautiful cross-ice pass, right on his tape. Eriksson didn't get much on the one-timer, in fact Cam Ward (30 saves) almost stopped it with his paddle, but it still went in the net. Torey Krug had the second assist on Erikkson's 25th goal of the season (also his 5th NHL season of 50+ points). Ryan Spooner had a breakaway for the B's but his backhander went wide; Carolina came back down the other end of the ice and scored as another BC guy (Nathan Gerbe) poked in a rebound at 8:34. Rask made the initial stop on Chris Terry with Nash picking up another helper on Gerbe's third goal of the season. Carolina was up (2-1) heading into the second intermission.

David Pastrnak did what maybe only he could do on the Bruins when he sniped a shot by Ward's short-side at 5:54 of the third period. David Krejci assisted on Pastrnak's 10th goal of the season with a nice stretch pass along the boards, culminating in a glimpse of Pasta's immense potential that we get to see from time to time. By winning in overtime at Florida on Monday (5-4 on Lee Stempniak's goal) and at Tampa Bay on Tuesday (1-0 on Brad Marchand's tally), it felt like the Bruins were due for a loss. Hanifin-who recently turned 19 and is going to be a superstar in the NHL-actually started the winning play by passing back to Ward (when do you ever see that in hockey?) before Hanifin found Jeff Skinner for a breakaway. Once again, Rask had the first shot covered but Di Giuseppe was there to jam in the rebound through Bergeron (who fell back into the net trying to block it).

The Bruins are back in action on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) as they host Johnny Boychuk and the Islanders (37-20-8). Boston has had plenty of success against New York these last few seasons but the Isles are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. New York is in its own divisional race, trying to get second-place in the Metropolitan Division behind Washington with the Rangers two points ahead of them (Islanders have two games in hand though). As B's head coach Claude Julien said after the overtime loss, he expects a better performance from his club on Saturday and so do I. For whatever reason, since the trade deadline Boston has played better against the contenders and slipped a bit against the pretenders (like Carolina, not the band).

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Bruins Squeak Out a 2-1 Overtime Win at Hurricanes, Thanks to Pastrnak & Rask

It was a great day overall for the Bruins (38-25-13): rookie David Pastrnak was the hero as they pulled out a thrilling 2-1 overtime win at Carolina (28-36-11) tonight at half-empty PNC Arena. Meanwhile, Florida (35-26-15) helped them out big-time by winning 4-2 at Ottawa (37-26-12). That put Boston back into eighth-place in the Eastern Conference, three points ahead of the Senators (who still have a game in hand).

The Panthers are four points behind Boston but on another positive note, the B's are only three points behind the Red Wings and Capitals. Most importantly, now they truly control their own playoff destiny from here on out. Boston got all four points that it needed this weekend with back-to-back wins (something they've struggled to attain) against the Rangers and Hurricanes; going back to Thursday vs. Anaheim, five points out of six is not bad for three games in four days.

Tuukka Rask (31-19-12) returned from his scary bout with a migraine headache on Saturday to make 30 saves and earn the win. Rookies scored both goals for the Bruins as Ryan Spooner beat former Boston backup goaltender Anton Khudobin (29 saves) with a quick and low just 2:21 into the tilt. Pastrnak and Adam McQuaid assisted on Spooner's seventh tally of the season.

As they have too often to count this season, Boston let an inferior team hang around and it cost them (at least temporarily). Former BC star Nathan Gerbe used a top-shelf shot to put one past Rask with 22 seconds left in the second period, tying it at one apiece. Chris Terry and Harvard's Danny Biega assisted on Gerbe's eighth goal of the season.

Both teams hit the post and each went 0 for 3 on the power play so it was not a surprise to see it proceed to overtime. Pastrnak's 10th goal of the season had to be one of the most memorable in his young life. Through traffic and without more than a quick glance, Carl Soderberg's backhand pass went right to his tape and he proceeded to crush a one-timer low between Khudobin's five-hole. Torey Krug had the second assist on Pastrnak's third game-winning goal of the season (tied for 3rd most on the team).

For all intents and purposes, Tuesday (7, NESN) could serve as a virtual elimination game for the Panthers. If Boston beats them in regulation at TD Garden, Florida would be six points back with only five games left in the regular season. That's not impossible to overcome but rather unlikely. The B's have no choice but to keep their heads down and to try to keep grinding out results in the final few weeks of their 2014-15 campaign.

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Let the miserable bastards in Buffalo enjoy a little glory for once in their lives

Well hopefully the Buffalo Sabres don't make the playoffs this spring but if they do, fingers crossed they don't face our beloved Boston Bruins.

Why am I afraid of such a mediocre team? Maybe because they match up well with the Bs and have now beaten them three out of five times this season after last night's 4-2 win at the TD Garden. One more meeting between the Northeast Division rivals left.

After playing very good hockey for the past few weeks, Boston (26-14-7) was due for a poor effort and last night's flat performance fit the bill.

Ryan Miller reminded the U.S. why they fell in love with him last winter during the Olympics as he made 38 saves for the Sabres (21-20-5).

No flat, unexplainable loss would be complete without Tuukka Rask between the pipes and poor Tuukka had 29 saves but he continued to struggle to find wins. I have no idea why the same team can play so well in front of Tim Thomas but then completely flip a switch when Rask gets the occasional start. Weird.

Things looked promising when Dennis Seidenberg gave the Bs a 1-0 lead at 11:01 of the first period on a slap shot. Mark Stuart and Marc Savard had assists on Seidenberg's fourth goal of the season and Nathan Horton did something with his life by screening Miller.

Buffalo goon Cody McCormick tied it up 1:04 into the second period when his shot went off the post and back to him, all he had to do was fling it in. Tim Connolly and Tyler Ennis had the assists.

Gregory Campbell continued his hot scoring touch with his seventh of the season, giving Boston another lead, this time 2-1 at 4:51 of the second period. It was the result of tic-tac-toe passing from Shawn Thornton to Blake Wheeler to Campbell.

Pint-sized BC alum Nathan Gerbe tied it up on a power play later in the second period with help from Tyler Myers and Ennis. Gerbe found himself wide open out front and he let it loose before Rask had a chance to square it up.

Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, who seem like Bruins killers, finalized this victory with third-period goals. Vanek's was at 5:13 when he skated in on a 2-on-1 and shot it rather than pass. Pominville's went off his skate (unintentionally) as he got to the net for Vanek's centering pass (Jochen Hecht also had an assist).

Only three more games left until the All-Star break and Boston heads out on a mini two-game West Coast trip. They'll play an afternoon game in Colorado tomorrow against the Avalanche who are unknown nationally but they can put the puck in the net.

For Boston

Boston College men's hockey finally got over the hump and won the national championship, beating Notre Dame 4-1 in Denver last night.

The Eagles (24-11-8) had lost in the last two finals. It's their first title since 2001 and third in program history.

Junior forward Nathan Gerbe made up for losing the Hobey Baker (what a joke) by scoring two goals and dishing out two assists. He had five goals and three assists in the two Frozen Four games.

Freshman goalie John Muse made 20 of 21 saves for the win.

After a scoreless first period, Boston College jumped on Notre Dame (27-16-4) in the second with three straight goals. Gerbe scored off a one-timer then three minutes later he scored a ridiculous diving goal after the puck ricocheted off the back boards. Joe Whitney made it 3-0 after his shot deflected off an Irish defender's skate.

Notre Dame's Kevin Deeth caught the Eagles on a line change and broke the shutout. In the third, a controversial call turned out to be the play of the game. Notre Dame scored when the puck went off Kyle Lawson's skate, right outside the crease. After a lengthy review, the goal was overturned as they ruled that Lawson had kicked it.

It was a bum call and it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if it was 3-2. Notre Dame later rang a shot off the crossbar. With that said, BC was the better team all night.

Even worse for the Irish, BC scored 35 seconds later as Gerbe hit Ben Smith with a no-look pass from behind the net and Smith 's shot took a crazy bounce off a defender and past the ND goalie.

Boston College had too much speed and Gerbe was clearly the best player on the ice and in the tournament. He was electric every time the puck was on his stick. It didn't help that Notre Dame was 0 for 8 on the power play with just five shots.

It was BC head coach Jerry York's second title at the Heights.

They Aren't Frauds in Hockey

Say what you will about Boston College athletics but their men's hockey program is a beast.

For the third straight year, the Eagles will play in the national championship game, thanks to a 6-1 whitewash of North Dakota last night in Denver.

Boston College scored four goals in the first period and held a 6-0 lead before the Fighting Sioux (28-11-4) scored a garbage-time goal with a minute and change left in the game.

Eagles junior forward and Hobey Baker finalist Nathan Gerbe had a monster game with three goals and an assist. His goals were short-handed, power play and even-strength. He follows in the recent trend of pint-sized BC forwards. Gerbe can skate with the best of them though, he blew by the bigger and slower Sioux defenseman constantly.

Boston College freshman goalie Johnny Muse made 28 saves, badly outplaying North Dakota senior (and Hobey Baker finalist) Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, who had 19 saves.

North Dakota has now lost to BC three years in a row in the Frozen Four. It's going to be a long off-season in Grand Forks.

Believe it or not, BC will face Notre Dame in the final tomorrow night. The first No. 4 seed to make the Frozen Four, the Irish advanced to the championship by defeating top-seed Michigan, 5-4 in overtime.

So wake up Grandpa and the boys down on State Street, Boston College is playing in a championship game. Hopefully, it ends up better than the last two (where they lost to Wisconsin and Michigan State respectively). Drinks on me if at Rogies if the Eagles do it.