Winter Returns: The Bruins Hung a Snowman (8 Goals) On the Penguins In an Unexpected Blowout

You could watch every Bruins (39-15-8) game in 2017-18, hell probably in the entire NHL and I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't find a more exciting tilt than the one witnessed by all the lucky fans at TD Garden this evening. Pittsburgh's (36-25-4) Olli Maatta scored just 35 seconds into the contest but Boston scored five goals of their own in the first period which tied a season-high (1st period on Jan. 6 vs. Carolina) as they jumped out to a 5-3 lead after one. The B's cruised to an 8-4 win that featured a hat trick by David Krejci (the 4th of his NHL career), a fight of true giants (Zdeno Chara vs. 6-foot-7 Northeastern alum Jamie Oleksiak), three points for David Pastrnak (2 goals, assist), a pair of assists for Brian Gionta and a helper for Nick Holden in their Bruins debuts and another goal by Rick Nash.

Boston's power play was mired in an 0-for-18 slump (they hadn't scored in the past 6 games) and Pittsburgh entered with the top unit so naturally the Bruins potted a trio of tallies on the man-advantage while they held the Penguins' lethal power play silent (0-for-3). Pittsburgh's No. 1 goaltender Matt Murray (concussion) got hurt in practice the other day so right now, they have to rely on the less than imposing duo of UNH alum Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry. DeSmith allowed three goals on five shots in 5:27 so he understandably was pulled right away like he bombed a stand-up comedy routine at the Apollo. Jarry (28 saves, 5 goals allowed) didn't fare much better although truthfully, both guys in net at the same time likely wouldn't have made that much of a difference with the way that the Bruins were putting pressure on the visitors. Boston also improved to 7-0-1 in their last eight home games vs. Pittsburgh.

In three games together, Krejci and Rick Nash have already started to build some nice chemistry. Krejci got his memorable performance started by going to the net and tipping a pinpoint pass from Nash in at 1:45. Chara had the second assist on Krejci's 12th goal of the season. A New Hampshire native, DeSmith showed some nerves when Pastrnak's less than stellar shot fluttered past him and literally spun over the goal-line in slow motion at 2:53 for a 2-1 Bruins lead that they would never relinquish. Brad Marchand and Riley Nash had the assists on Pastrnak's 23rd goal of the season. Rick Nash got the power play party started with an easy tap-in from Torey Krug and Marchand at 5:27 for his 20th goal of the season.

Former Bruins great Phil Kessel scored a fluky goal from no-angle at 9:27 to get the Penguins back within a goal at 3-2 Bruins. Kessel's 27th goal of the season was assisted by Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin. Things continued at a haywire pace as David Backes sniped a shot top shelf at 12:49, his 11th goal of the season which was assisted by Gionta-BC's all-time leading scorer and the former Canadiens captain. Krug extended Boston's lead to 5-2 with a blast from distance at 16:07. Jarry must have been screened on Krug's 11th goal of the campaign, assisted by Pastrnak and Rick Nash. Earlier in the frame, Penguins center Riley Sheahan had scored a goal but it was called back when he obviously kicked it in. He exacted some revenge with 2.2 seconds left by blasting a shot past Tuukka Rask (22 saves; 26-11-4) for his ninth goal of the season, unassisted.

What normally could be a back-breaking goal to allow seemingly had no effect on the B's as Krejci registered a power-play goal of his own at 2:16 of the second period from Holden and Jake DeBrusk. It would be a beautiful thing if these teams met in the playoffs, we got a little taste of that this evening since they clearly still don't like each other. Charlie McAvoy took a hard hit from Hornqvist that left his nose and lip a bloody mess so later, Chara squared off with Oleksiak in what has to be one of the biggest fights (in terms of size of the combatants) in NHL history. Krejci bagged his hat trick by pouncing on a loose puck for another power-play strike at 14:33. Gionta and McAvoy had the assists as the ice was littered with a ton of Bruins hats. Pittsburgh's defense was non-existent as Pastrnak went to the net and scored Boston's final goal at 17:42 for a dream 8-3 lead. Chara and McAvoy had the assists on Pasta's second goal of the game. The third period was basically an open skate, with the only goal coming via a double deflection off two Bruins that started with Maata's harmless shot from the point.

Boston has enjoyed the first two games-both wins-of its six-game homestand and the good times should only continue on Saturday (5, NESN) as they host the long dead Canadiens (24-29-10). This Penguins massacre will be impossible to live up to but throwing a serious beating on Montreal never goes out of style, no matter the time or season. Tonight's win put the Bruins back in second-place in the Atlantic Division, ahead of idle Toronto (39-20-7) who has still played four more games than them. No doubt Rask will want to play better which shouldn't be too difficult of a task to complete since the Habs have scored the third fewest goals in the league (160). Bruins-Canadiens matchups are always fun, but especially on Saturday nights (forget the bizarre early start time) where people have all day to get ready (glug, glug).

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B's Win Season-High 4th In A Row As Khudobin Extends Career-Best Point Streak To 9 (7-0-2)

Tuukka Rask might still be the third highest paid goaltender in the NHL but for the time being, he's lost his starting job to a career backup: Anton Khudobin (7-0-2). Boston (10-7-4) beat Pittsburgh (11-10-3) 4-3 this afternoon at TD Garden on Black Friday as the B's have improbably turned their season around with four straight wins. Khudobin entered today owning the best save percentage in the league (.938 save%) and he was third in goals against average (2.13) so while those numbers went down a bit, he is still riding the best point streak of his career and he even admitted in Boston's dressing room after the game that this was the best run he's had in the NHL, even better than with that vaunted Carolina team in 2014.

It's a little early to be projecting a playoff matchup this spring (and keep in mind that they meet twice more in the regular season with another game in Boston) but you have to admit that it would be fun to see the Bruins and Penguins meet in the postseason since Boston improved to 9-1-2 in their last 12 contests vs. the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. For whatever unknown reason, they have given the Penguins more problems than any other opponent over these last few years. Pittsburgh star Evgeni Malkin (7 goals, 14 assists) missed today's action with an upper-body injury but Brad Marchand (8 goals, 7 assists) was also out for Boston so that's basically an even trade-off.

Besides Khudobin (who only had to make 17 saves), the key to Boston's resurgence lately has been the fact that they've consistently gotten off to better starts. It's no surprise that hockey (just like any other team sport) is easier to play with a lead versus playing from behind all the time. The B's were up 2-0 less than 11 minutes into the proceedings as David Krejci (2nd goal of the season) finished a one-timer from Jake DeBrusk and Peter Cehlarik at 6:13 followed by Sean Kuraly's (3rd goal of the season) similar one-timer at 10:51 from fellow rookie Charlie McAvoy. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan (a South Shore resident and another BU connection) used his timeout after that and truthfully, he probably needed it more late in the game when the B's were hanging on but that's neither here nor there.

Pittsburgh trailed 2-0 after the first period but the Penguins cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal by Jake Guentzel at 1:02 of the second, his team-leading ninth of the season. Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby-ever heard of them?-had the helpers as Pittsburgh cashed in on a cheap hooking penalty on Krejci (granted it was Boston's only infraction). It's tough to beat rookie defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's story just to get here: Charlestown native, BU alum and his dad works on the bull gang (the group that changes the ice, court and concert stages) at the Garden. He added another chapter to his hometown hero legacy with his first NHL goal at 10:31. Krejci and DeBrusk (2 goals and 4 assists in 5 games since he was a healthy scratch) had the helpers as Grzelcyk took his head coach Bruce Cassidy's sage advice and pinched up on the play before beating Penguins goaltender Matt Murray (29 saves) down low.

The Penguins are banged up but they (cliche alert!) still have the heart of a (2-time) champion as they rallied for two goals before that frame was over. Former Bruins great Phil Kessel showed off what is still one of the best shots in the league as he sniped the puck past Khudobin at 14:07 to make it 3-2 Boston. Riley Sheahan and Justin Schultz had the assists on Kessel's ninth goal of the season. Crosby tied it up with a bizarre tally: he knocked the puck off of Khudobin's chest (it was just lying there) and it stood up for his seventh goal of the season after a lengthy review and subsequent reach of a coach's challenge by Cassidy. Patric Hornqvist and another former Bruin-Matt Hunwick-had the assists on a goal that showed off some of Crosby's numerous elite skills (hand-eye coordination, instinct, relentlessness, etc) that have all added up to make him an all-time great player.

Coming off an 11-round shootout in New Jersey on Wednesday (won 3-2 by the Bruins), not to mention it being the afternoon following the biggest eating day of the year (sorry Ramadan), the Bruins wanted no part of overtime or God forbid another shootout. They got all the remaining offense that they would need to put it in the win column as David Pastrnak finished off a breakaway from Riley Nash and Ryan Spooner at 5:06 of the third period. Pastrnak's team-leading 11th goal of the season was helped by Nash's long feed but then it was all Pasta's brilliance since he went backhand to forehand before flipping the puck over Murray's glove hand.

Boston will try to keep the good vibes going as they host the reeling Oilers (8-12-2) on Sunday (5, NESN) before the best team in hockey-Tampa Bay (16-3-2) comes to town on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Network). Cassidy said they're taking the goaltender situation "day-to-day" so I have no idea if it'll be Khudobin or Rask vs. Edmonton. You can see it from both sides: when he has enough breaks in between games, why sit Khudobin before he loses in regulation but Rask will also have to start again at some point or you risk really losing him mentally this season. Wear your old Milan Lucic Bruins jersey on Sunday and silently cheer on Looch after you watch the Patriots (8-2) destroy the Dolphins (4-6) at Gillette Stadium (1, CBS).

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Bruins Head Into the All-Star Break Feeling Much Better After Rallying to Beat the Penguins 4-3

In a sign of dare I say gradual progress, the Bruins (25-21-6) proved that Tuesday's night fantastic overtime win vs. Detroit (20-20-9) was more than a fluke. Tonight, they topped those two points with a rock solid 4-3 victory over the defending champs from Pittsburgh (30-13-5) at TD Garden. What made this particular result even more impressive (besides the fact that the Penguins destroyed them 5-1 on Sunday and had also beaten them earlier in the season) was that Boston spotted them a 2-0 lead in the first period.

The Bruins had lost their physical identity over the last few forgettable seasons but at least in the second period this evening, their emotional side came out against the Penguins (in a good way). They outscored Pittsburgh 3-0 in the second and both teams scored a goal in the third as Boston won consecutive games for the first time in 2017 (Dec. 29-31, 2016 was the last instance) and back-to-back home games for the first time since Nov. 27-Dec. 5 when they won three in a row.

Brandon Carlo had a night to forget for the Bruins: he kicked in Justin Schultz's centering pass for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead at 7:37, picked up a cross-checking penalty that led to Phil Kessel's power play goal (2-0 Penguins lead) and then left in the third period with an undisclosed injury. Woof. Schultz's goal was his eighth of the season and Kessel's was his 15th of the season. Sidney Crosby (ever heard of him?) and Schultz had the helpers on Phil's one-timer that for some reason, Tuukka Rask (19 saves) was way out of position for.

Brad Marchand continued to dominate life (and avoid suspensions as he was fined the maximum $10,000 by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for slew-footing Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall) as he scored another pair of goals (giving him four in the last two games). His shorthanded goal at 1:38 of the second period cut it to 2-1 Pittsburgh and tied him for the league lead with three shorthanded goals this season. It also marked his sixth 20-goal season in the NHL. Patrice Bergeron and Kevan Miller assisted on that one then he tied it at 6:27 by putting in a rebound from David Pastrnak and Carlo.

You knew that it was Boston's night (not really but go with it) when Riley Nash tipped in a shot by Torey Krug at 10:25 of the second for a 3-2 Bruins lead. Nash's third goal of the season was also assisted by Dominic Moore. After that things got a little bonkers as Kessel and David Backes nearly got into a fight then Colin Miller destroyed UMass-Lowell's Scott Wilson in a memorable bout a few minutes later. Since Wilson initiated his own beating, he got a minor penalty which was served by Jake Guentzel. Boston was up 3-2 after two periods and had 1:13 left on the power play in the third which came in handy when Bergy roofed a loose puck past Matt Murray (33 saves). Pasta and Ryan Spooner assisted on Bergeron's 11th goal of the season.

Pittsburgh is certainly a force to be reckoned with, granted they didn't have All-Star Evgeni Malkin (lower-body injury) in the lineup for the first time in 2016-17, so it was no surprise that they refused to fold and instead made it a one-goal game at 10:35 when Patric Hornqvist knocked in a pass from Chris Kunitz for his 12th goal of the season. Boston survived two late penalties (delay of game on Matt Beleskey and tripping on Pastrnak) to earn the much-needed two points. Along with Calgary, the Bruins have played the most games in the NHL so as much as any team, they have to be thrilled to be getting a few days off to rest. Rask, Marchand and their significant others will no doubt enjoy their paid vacations in Los Angeles while everyone else figures to kick back and relax.

Boston returns to action on Tuesday (7:30, NESN) at Tampa Bay (22-22-6) before visiting Washington (33-10-6) on Wednesday (8, NBC Sports). Remember, this is the same club that's 13-9-6 on the road and just got back to .500 at home (12-12-0) with this win. Their next home game isn't until a week from Saturday (7, NESN) vs. the team that appears to be their biggest threat for third-place in the Atlantic Division-Toronto (23-15-9). With only 30 games left in the regular season, it should be an interesting ride for the B's if nothing else.

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B's End 2014 in Disappointing Fashion: Rallying From 2 Goals Down Then Losing in a Shootout

By virtue of their frustrating 4-3 shootout loss tonight at TD Garden vs. Toronto (21-14-3), Boston (19-15-4) made sure that December of 2014 was their first losing month (5-6-3) since February 2012 (5-7-1). There is plenty to say about this one since Boston trailed 3-1 in the second period but rallied in the same frame to tie it then dominated the third and overtime yet still fell short.

This game meant extra since a win would have tied the Bruins up with the Maple Leafs in the standings, instead Toronto is now three points ahead and comfortably in the playoff picture (6th in the Eastern Conference) while Boston sits one point behind Washington for the last spot. Yes, just over half of the regular season remains but the more that time goes by, the harder it is for the B's to make up any ground on all these other clubs in the Northeast Division let alone the East.

Getting out to better starts and having more consistency for the entire game are two general areas that are killing the Bruins. Toronto jumped ahead 1-0 at 10:22 of the first period when Leo Komarov scored on a one-timer from the slot (his 5th goal of the season), assisted by Peter Holland who was behind the net. Phil Kessel drew an ultra-rare penalty shot but Tuukka Rask (18 saves) was able to stop it late in the first period. Kessel is now 1 for 3 in his career on penalty shots while Rask has stopped 4 of 6.

If you were in line getting a beer (it is New Year's Eve after all) or at the bathroom, you probably missed two goals that occurred before the first minute had passed in the second period. Carl Soderberg deflected in Reilly Smith's shot from the point 17 seconds in (his 8th goal of the season), a power play goal that tied it at one. Former UNH star James van Riemsdyk put Toronto in front again 31 seconds later as he finished off a lethal 2-on-1 with Phil Kessel for his 17th goal of the season.

Kessel's power play goal, his team-leading 18th of the season, gave the Leafs a 3-1 lead but this being Toronto, they couldn't handle a lead in Boston (sound familiar?). Jonathan Bernier (25 saves) played the role of James Reimer for the duration of the second as he let in a bizarre pair of goals. That's right, the Bruins got not one but two breaks that led to goals (when has that ever happened this season for them?). David Krejci's shot deflected in off Cody Franson for his fifth goal of the season at 15:28 than 2:03 after that, Torey Krug's centering pass (intended for Krejci) went off Komarov's skate by Bernier for his seventh goal of the season.

Boston outshot Toronto 9-2 in the third and 4-0 in overtime but they couldn't find the game-winner. Mike Santorelli scored in the first round of the shootout, Krug answered in the second then it took Nazem Kadri's goal in the fifth round to end it and send fans on their drunken but merry way. Hey, they cut down on my drinking time!

The Bruins end this huge three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) vs. the Senators (15-14-7) who are in much worse shape than them. Needless to say, Boston has to get two points from that contest, no matter how they obtain them.

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Bruins Return Home For 1 Night Only, Poop The Bed vs. Maple Leafs In a 4-3 Loss

The Bruins (29-15-2) had been gone for over a week for a 1-2 road trip in California and they came home to face the reeling Maple Leafs (23-20-5) at TD Garden. Naturally, Toronto rallied from two early deficits to win 4-3. Boston had beaten them 3-1 and 5-2 earlier this season with the finale set for April 3 in Toronto.

Every writer will mention it so let me be the millionth to talk about how crappy Boston's special teams were. The Bruins were 0-for-3 on the power play and allowed two goals on Toronto's five man advantages.

The first period harkened back to the glory days of the NHL-70s and 80s-when there was an abundance of goals and even a fight between Shawn Thornton and Frazer McLaren. It was Thornton's first brawl since he got back on Saturday in San Jose. Brad Marchand opened the barrage on Jonathan Bernier (38 saves) with a goal at 3:38 off a rebound. Reilly Smith and Patrice Bergeron assisted on Marchand's 11th of the season.

Tyler Bozak answered at 5:52 with a similar goal, off of Tuukka Rask's (22 saves) juicy rebound. Bozak was assisted by Milan Lucic's rag doll-Carl Gunnarssson and Phil Kessel (3 assists). Boston regained the lead at 10:48 after Bergeron's wraparound fooled Bernier and Toronto's defensemen. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by Zdeno Chara and Marchand.

Bozak potted his second goal at 12:47 of the first, this time on the power play to tie it at two. James van Riemsdyk and Kessel assisted on Bozak's goal which came after a cross ice feed left Rask out of position.

Little did we know that Toronto would rattle off two more goals before Boston responded (too late). Jake Gardiner's wrist shot on the power play made it 3-2 at 7:09. JVR got a lucky break a minute into the third when Johnny Boychuk sent him to the moon with a clean but filthy hit. He got hit so hard that one of the gloves flew into the crowd. He got the last laugh though as his routine wrist shot got by Rask a minute into the third period.

The Bruins' fourth line brought its typical energy and they were rewarded with a goal when Gregory Campbell roofed a backhander past Bernier at 9:35. Campbell had hit the post earlier on the same shift so the goal seemed like a gift from the hockey gods. It was his third goal of the season, assisted by Daniel Paille.

Boston outshot Toronto 41-26 for the game so they should have done more with all their scoring chances. They don't have much time to fix things as they visit Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and the Stars (21-18-7, 5th in Central Division) on Thursday (8:30, NESN).

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Bruins Totally Redeem Themselves With A Game 7 OT Win That We'll Never Forget

Even after a lifetime of watching sports, there are always games and moments that stick with you forever. Tonight, the Bruins added themselves to my short-list of epic comebacks as they rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third period at TD Garden then went on to beat the Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime of Game 7. They advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals where they'll have home ice against the New York Rangers, their Original Six rival that they haven't met in the postseason since 1973.

No NHL team had ever lived to see another day after going down by three goals in the third period of Game 7 so it's only fitting that the B's would put themselves in that impossible situation yet still somehow find a way out. Patrice Bergeron was the hero for the B's, he scored the tying goal with 51 seconds left in regulation then the game-winner at 6:05. Boston actually scored the first goal (a key in Game 7s) at 5:39 of the first period as rookie defenseman Matt Bartkowski picked the perfect time to pot his first career goal. It was unassisted following a turnover along the wall by Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Franson.

Toronto answered right away when Franson tied it at 9:35 with a power play goal off a rebound. Franson put the Maple Leafs on his back, scoring the go-ahead goal at 5:48 of the second period with a blast from the point. The Maple Leafs appeared to put it away early in the third as Phil Kessel scored on another Tuukka Rask (24 saves) rebound at 2:09 then Nazem Kadri did the same at 5:29 after a 2-on-1. There can't be one Bruins fan that thought a team who had scored three goals total in almost three games could erupt for three in less than 10 minutes.

Nathan Horton got the momentum turning Boston's way when he scored on a wrist shot (his fourth goal of the series) at 9:18 from Milan Lucic and David Krejci. Toronto and James Reimer (30 saves) wanted to give the B's another goal but Boston didn't seem capable of putting another puck in the net. However with Rask pulled, Lucic (2nd goal of the series) trimmed it to 4-3 following a rebound (Reimer's old friend) on Chara's blast from the point. Bergeron had the second assist. The roof basically came off the Garden when Bergeron tied it, thanks in no small part to Chara's screen of Reimer. Rask was also on the bench for Bergeron's tying goal, the second time all season (Feb. 12 vs. Rangers) Boston scored twice with a goaltender pulled. Krejci and Jaromir Jagr assisted on Bergeron's second goal of the playoffs.

In overtime, it's all about getting the puck to the net. Usually, the deciding goal comes on a broken play, lucky bounce, etc. True to form, Bergeron's goal in overtime came following a loose puck and giveaway in front of Reimer. Bergeron put it over the Toronto goaltender who was out of position after a shot got blocked. The two biggest Bruins scapegoats for this series-Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand-showed up on that shift and they were credited with the most important assists of the seven games.

Game 1 vs. New York is Thursday (7:30 p.m., NBCSN) at TD Garden and Game 2 is Sunday afternoon (3 p.m., NBCSN) at TD Garden. The Rangers are coming off their own exhausting seven-game series, they rolled 5-0 against the Capitals tonight in DC (the first game won in the series by a road team). It doesn't get much better than Boston vs. New York (Red Sox vs. Yankees, Patriots vs. Giants), we already had a taste of it with Celtics-Knicks a few weeks ago. It's crazy that it has been so long since the Bruins and Rangers have met in the playoffs. Expect a low-scoring, very physical, long series dominated by the goaltenders. New York's Henrik Lundqvist is one of the best goalies in the NHL and the Rangers can grind teams down with the best of them.

UPDATE 5/14: We still don't know the status of Dennis Seidenberg who only played two shifts last night before getting hurt. Today, Boston called up defenseman Torey Krug from Providence.

Adam McQuaid was nominated for the Masterson Trophy (given to overcoming injuries/adversity), Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Minnesota's Josh Harding were the other selections.

UPDATE 5/15: Patrice Bergeron was nominated for the Selky Award (defensive forward) which he won last season. Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and Chicago's Jonathan Toews are the other impressive choices.

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Extremely Frustrating Results: It's Called Bruins

I'm not counting on it happening anytime soon but I hope that when I have children and I teach them to love the Bruins that by then, the Black and Gold have figured out a way to close out teams and series better. Boston's bad habit has sprung up yet again as Toronto erased a 3-1 series lead with a 2-1 win tonight in Game 6 at Air Canada Centre. That forces Game 7 tomorrow night (7 p.m., NESN) at TD Garden; winner faces Rangers/Capitals who are also locked in a Game 7 tomorrow night as well.

I have trouble logically explaining how the B's could pile up 15 goals in the first four games then only two in the last two games. Yes, James Reimer (29 saves) and his defensemen have improved while Tyler Seguin (0 points in the series) and Brad Marchand (2 assists) have been ghosts all series long. Still, what is it about Boston that made them lack urgency in Game 5 on home ice? At least the effort was there from the beginning tonight but much like the last few painful months of the regular season, they can't score a goal when it counts to save their life.

Tuukka Rask had 24 saves and it was 0-0 heading into the third period. Dion Phaneuf scored his first playoff goal in five years when he deflected Nazem Kadri's shot at 1:48. James van Riemsdyk had the second assist. Phil Kessel added his second game-winner of the series following a rebound at 8:59 from JVR and Cody Franson. For the second game in a row, it took an impossible 2-0 hole in the third for the Bruins to truly wake up.

The best you can say for Boston is that they saved themselves the indignity of having a nobody like Reimer shut them out. Milan Lucic tipped in Jaromir Jagr's pass with 25 seconds left in regulation. It was Lucic's first goal of the playoffs and Zdeno Chara had the second assist.

Boston won twice as many faceoffs (40-20) but Toronto had eight more hits (58-50) and 12 more takeaways (17-5).

Game 7 is when you have to be willing to try anything to get that most important victory of the season. We saw that later this evening as Detroit head coach Mike Babcock shuffled his lines (and this was after they won Game 6) and it paid off as the Red Wings won 3-2 in Game 7 at Anaheim. With that said, I'd love to see Bruins head coach Claude Julien give Jagr a chance on the second line with Patrice Bergeron and either Brad Marchand or Tyler Seguin. One of those last two guys deserves to be demoted to the third line since they've combined for zero goals and two assists (both Marchand's) this entire series. Yuck. Jagr is clearly sick of playing with scrubs like Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley since he doesn't even try to pass it to them anymore and who could blame him?

Julien, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and numerous B's should be feeling the heat to win Game 7 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal (first round) series. The Stanley Cup win was only two years ago but it'll feel like a million if they choke this series away-on home ice no less-against an average team that has no business beating them in a seven game series. Boston has all this big game experience, tomorrow night would be a good time for that supposed advantage to kick into gear. Right now, the Leafs have all the confidence and momentum.

UPDATE 5/13: Andrew Ference is on crutches and in a boot so needless to say, he won't be playing tonight either.

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Bruins Completely Ruin Toronto's First Home Playoff Game In 9 Years, Winning Game 3 5-2

There is no better way to troll Canada than to have an American NHL team go up there and win an important game. In that way, Boston made the U.S. proud tonight as they won 5-2 in Toronto's Air Canada Centre in Game 3, giving the B's a 2-1 series lead.

The Bruins never trailed as they scored the first goal then jumped ahead 4-1 in the second period before letting Tuukka Rask (career-high 45 saves) close it out in the third period when the Maple Leafs bombarded them with shots on goal (18-6).

Speaking of Rask, Toronto goaltender James Reimer (33 saves) is no Rask. Boston's first goal set the tone for him as he allowed Adam McQuaid to score his first career playoff goal on a slap shot from just inside the blue line at 13:42 of the first period. Milan Lucic (3 assists) and David Krejci (1 goal, 2 assists) assisted on the goal that never should have happened. I don't know how Reimer didn't stop it, he wasn't really screened and it wasn't deflected.

Toronto's weak defense was the issue on Boston's second goal as Jaromir Jagr stripped Ryan O'Byrne behind Reimer's net then fed Rich Peverley for a one-timer at 5:57 of the second period. Boston's much-maligned third line cashed in its first goal (and points) of the series.

The Maple Leafs solved Rask with a power-play goal from Jake Gardiner at 13:45 of the second period after the B's failed to clear the puck out of the slot. The good news was that Boston responded like a top team should. Nathan Horton scored a goal in his third straight game, finishing off a one-timer from Lucic that ended up lodged on the camera inside the goal. Krejci had the second assist at 14:35, only 50 seconds after Gardiner's strike.

If that goal by the B's didn't take all the energy out of the building, the next one certainly did as Daniel Paille took the puck away from Phil Kessel on a power play and went in alone for a sweet backhander. That shorthanded goal gave Boston the 4-1 lead at 16:37 that they would never relinquish.

Kessel sort of atoned for his gaffe by scoring a power-play goal 47 seconds into the third period on a rebound. That's as close as the Maple Leafs would get though and Krejci sent the nice people of Toronto streaming for the exits with an empty-netter with 1:17 left in the game.

If Game 1 taught us anything, it's that we can't get too cocky even after a great victory by the Black and Gold. They need to show that they can put efforts like this together consistently, not sporadically. Game 4 on Wednesday (7 p.m., NESN) is a wonderful chance to really take control of this series and put Toronto on the brink of elimination.

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Maple Leafs Record Their 1st Playoff Win In 9 Years

The Maple Leafs looked like a completely different team tonight in Game 2 at TD Garden than the shell-shocked, overwhelmed squad that lost 4-1 to the Bruins in Game 1 on Wednesday. Toronto got what they came for-a road win-with a 4-2 victory over Boston. Game 3 shifts back to Toronto's Air Canada Centre starting on Monday (7 p.m., NESN).

This was the Maple Leafs' first playoff win since April 30, 2004 and they certainly earned it. Unlike in Game 1, they didn't score the game's first goal but that didn't matter since they hit the Bruins with a three-goal run spanning the second period and start of the third. James Reimer (39 saves) gave up some juicy rebounds all night but the Bruins were only able to capitalize on one of them. He was good enough to notch his first career playoff win.

Tuukka Rask (28 saves) actually played really well with some outstanding stops but there is only so much he can do when his leaky defense is giving up breakaways and not taking care of guys right on his doorstep. It wasn't the reason they lost the game but Boston certainly missed the services of Andrew Ference (suspended for Game 2 after his elbow of Mikhail Grabovski in Game 1). That changed all the defensive pairings, the excellent combo of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg was broken up in favor of Chara and Adam McQuaid; Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk; rookie Dougie Hamilton (playing in his first career NHL playoff game) and Wade Redden. As you'd expect, things didn't go that well. That's why I think Hamilton will be a healthy scratch again in Game 3 when Ference returns.

Speaking of suspensions, don't be shocked if Maple Leafs goon/ladies man Dion Phaneuf misses a game after he elbowed Daniel Paille in a very similar play to what earned Ference a seat on the ninth floor.

Nathan Horton scored a goal for the second straight game, at 1:56 of the second period to give Boston its only lead (1-0). Milan Lucic and David Krejci assisted as Horton drove to the net and was lucky enough to have the puck bounce off his skate (which he didn't mean to do) past Reimer.

Toronto is a Canadian hockey team (you learn something new every day) so just like the Canucks and Canadiens, they have to dive like their life depends on that. There must be something in the water up there. It turned out well in Game 2 since a flop earned a tripping call on Chara which led to Joffrey Lupul's goal at 5:18 of the second period. Lupul tipped a shot from the point and then fought for his rebound, assists went to Jake Gardiner and Carl Gunnarsson.

Lupul gave the Leafs the lead for good at 11:56 with a backhander from Matt Frattin and Phaneuf. For whatever reason, Toronto seemed to win most battles for the puck and they were rewarded time and again.

Things went so well for Toronto that even Phil Kessel managed to score a goal. Seidenberg and Boychuk were caught napping in the Leafs' zone and Nazem Kadri hit Kessel with a stretch pass for a breakaway. He beat Rask 53 seconds into the third period for a 3-1 advantage. Ryan Hamilton had the second assist.

At least the Bruins didn't give up as Boychuk was credited with a goal at 10:35 that appeared to bounce off Seguin (who had screened Reimer). The Bruins had a boatload of chances for the next few minutes but the Leafs hung on and James van Rimesdyk notched his second goal in as many games with a beautiful backhander at 16:53.

Shawn Thornton and Mark Fraser fought with 0.5 seconds left, showing you how nasty this series is starting to get. The Maple Leafs actually had nine more hits (44-35) than the Bruins so that must have been a point of emphasis after they were manhandled in Game 1.

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Caron And Seguin Score Twice As The Bruins Still Own The Maple Leafs

Well when else fails this season, we can still count on the fact that the Boston Bruins will not lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to the Garden.

The B's (39-29-3) made it 5 for 5 against their Northeast Division rivals as they won a wild one 5-4 tonight at the Air Canada Centre. Boston gets a chance for a season sweep on March 19 when the Maple Leafs (30-29-7).

No matter if it's the Canadiens, Canucks, Maple Leafs or Jets, beating Canadian teams is always a hell of a lot of fun.

Jordan Caron (2 goals, 1 assist) was the unlikely offensive catalyst for the Bruins while Tyler Seguin scored twice as well. Zdeno Chara and Benoit Pouliot both added two assists.

Tim Thomas (25 saves; 28-15-0) isn't himself but he made just enough stops to survive tonight against a desperate team that's currently outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

The first and third periods weren't particularly notable but the second period more than made up for them since it featured six goals and two fights.

Carl Gunnarsson (3rd of the season) staked Toronto to a 1-0 lead 3:01 into the proceedings when his wrist shot found its way past Thomas.

Playing the best hockey of his young NHL career, Caron (5th of the season) tied it up at 13:58 when he pounced on a rebound from Jonas Gustavsson (28 saves). Pouliot and Joe Corvo had the assists. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's the first goal the three of those guys teamed up on this season.

John-Michael Liles (5th of the season) scored a power-play goal 57 seconds into the second that put the Maple Leafs back ahead at 2-1. Joffrey Lupul and Phil Kessel assisted.

A few moments later, Boston struck back with a pair of goals in 43 seconds. Seguin (23rd of the season) deflected a shot from Chara with David Krejci picking up the other assist. Then Chris Kelly (career-high 16th of the season) scored on another juicy rebound, from Caron and Pouliot.

On the ensuing face-off Shawn Thornton (who leads the NHL with 18 fighting majors) took on youngster Jay Rosehill. Thornton had stitches on Sunday vs. the Rangers after a fight so he got opened up there once again. Later Dennis Seidenberg stood up for a dirty hit by fighting Colby Armstrong. Seids rarely fights but he showed how tough he is by leaving Armstrong sprawled on the ice leaking blood from a cut.

Kessel (33rd of the season) tied it on the power-play at 9:52 with his great release on a snap shot. Caron and Seguin closed out the frame on a high note with Caron tipping a beautiful cross ice feed and Seguin getting all of a one-timer. Chara and Patrice Bergeron then Milan Lucic and Greg Zanon respectively had the helpers.

Things got hairy in the third period when Mikhail Grabovski (21st of the season) was sent in on a breakaway and scored with 6:47 left in regulation. However, Boston was able to protect its one-goal lead and walk out with two points. They snapped a two-game losing streak in the process.

By 12 p.m. tomorrow, we'll know if Marty Turco has cleared waivers and he'll be a Bruin or if another goaltender-needy team (Ottawa, Philadelphia) blocked it. The B's return to TD Garden on Thursday night to face the Buffalo Sabres. Another team on the outside of the playoffs, albeit one that has played itself at least into contention lately. They've beaten Boston the last two times they played after getting smoked twice earlier in the season. The Bruins need to put them back in their place, starting then.

UPDATE 3/7: Turco is at Bruins practice so he's officially part of the team now.

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Zdeno Chara Makes It Easy For Bruins Fans Watching The All-Star Festivities

The 2012 NHL All-Star draft took place tonight in Ottawa with captains Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara sticking tight to their teammates and other obvious connections.

Chara had the first pick overall (after a coin flip) in the second annual draft (which really spices up the weekend) and he took Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk while Alfredsson selected teammate (and fellow Swede) Erik Karlsson.

With his next pick, Chara took teammate Tim Thomas. Alfredsson stuck to his Senator and Swede theme as he also chose Henrik Lundqvist (assistant captain), Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, the Sedin sisters plus Claude Giroux (who grew up in the area) and former Ottawa goaltender Brian Elliott.

Chara made Tyler Seguin sweat for a while but he eventually took him along with former Bruin Phil Kessel. Haha Seguin and Kessel on the same team.

Sharks forward Logan Couture was Mr. Irrelevant but the good-natured youngster seemed to take it in stride. There was no pouting like Kessel last season. After all, he got a new car and a donation to the charity of his choosing so who cares? They are all big boys that should be able to handle it.

Joffrey Lupul (assistant captain) and Jamie Benn are also on Team Chara along with Marian Hossa, Evgeni Malkin, Kimmo Timonen, Corey Perry, Carey Price, Ryan Suter, Jimmy Howard, Brian Campbell, Patrick Kane, Dion Phaneuf, Jarome Iginla, Dennis Wideman, Marian Gaborik and Jordan Eberle.

Team Alfredsson is rounded out by Jonathan Quick, Kris Letang, Steven Stamkos, Shea Weber, Dan Giardi, Keith Yandle, James Neal, Alexander Edler, John Tavares, Scott Hartnell and Jason Pominville.

Chara's rookies are Luke Adam, Raphael Diaz, Colin Greening, Cody Hodgson, Ryan Johansen and Gabriel Landeskog.

Alfredsson's rookies are Sean Courtier, Justin Faulk, Carl Hagelin, Nick Johnson, Matt Read and Craig Smith.

The skills competition takes place on Saturday night, that's the only event that the rookies will participate in.

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Bruins Rebound, Beat Toronto 6-2

David Krejci returned and the new look top line dominated as the Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs (their first regulation loss of the season) 6-2 at the Garden tonight. It was a game that the Bruins had to have, especially given their disappointing start.

After a few minutes of back and forth action, Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves with fellow heavyweight (and former Bruin) Colton Orr. Although it was a fairly even battle, Thornton did a great job setting the tone for the B's tonight.

The Leafs got on the board first when David Steckel scored his first goal of the year off of a great feed from Nazem Kadri (great name). After falling behind yet again, it was up to the B's to bounce back and answer, something that they have struggled with in this young season. Oddly enough, it was the power play that tied the game midway through the first. After Jonas Gustavsson (37 saves) stopped a Zdeno Chara blast, Nathan Horton (2nd of the season) was able to control the rebound and beat the Leafs netminder.

On their next power play opportunity, Chara got another chance to put a laser beam on net, this time taking a nice pass from Andrew Ference (3 assists) and blasting it past Gustavsson from the left faceoff dot for his first goal of the season. All of this was set up by a slick pass from Tyler Seguin (1 goal, 2 assists) to Ference, which took the defense out of position just enough to free up Chara.

Your new first line center Chris Kelly scored his second goal of the year shortly after, taking a centering pass from Milan Lucic and burying the loose puck in the crease. It certainly wasn't the prettiest goal but it's nice to see the Bruins start to get back to their grinding, rush the net style of play.

The second period scoreless but the highlights were a pair of saves by Tim Thomas (26 saves; 3-2-0). The first came on Mikhail Grabovski breakaway attempt, where Thomas made a sprawling glove save while on his stomach. He also stopped a Steckel shot right on the doorstep, preserving the lead for the Black and Gold.

The first line had another goal early in the third when Seguin centered a pass to Lucic, which the struggling winger tapped in for his first of the year. The Bruins added another goal halfway through the third when Patrice Bergeron took a feed from Horton at center ice and skated into the high slot before lifting a wrister that beat Gustavsson high glove side for his first of the season. Just two minutes later, Lucic returned the favor to Seguin by finding him in the slot to put the B's up 6-1, bringing out the "Thank You Kessel" chants that were created last season.

Game Notes

* Is it any coincidence that on the Bruins two power-play goals, the man who drew the penalties was none other than Benoit Pouliot? Clearly he still has some of that Montreal philosophy in him.

* This may be getting redundant at this point but Seguin is the Bruins best player right now. I was impressed with not only his scoring but also his playmaking ability. His feed to Ference that helped set up the Chara goal was a thing of beauty that helped get the defense out of position. It seems as if he is using his skill to not only put the puck on net but also set his teammates up for success. His unselfish play is the thing that first line centers are made of.

* Jack Edwards line of the night: "I'm Peter Pan with a microphone." I could give you this quote in context but it wouldn't be nearly as funny.

* Clearly Julien's new lines were productive to say the least. Each member of the new first line scored and Horton added a goal in his debut on the second line. Steve Kampfer had a hell of a game in his season debut and will look to bring his offensive style of play to the Bruins' blueline.

*Another game, another bubble on the score sheet for Kessel against the Bruins. The NHL's leading scorer was held to just one shot, although he did inspire the Thank You Kessel chant, which I'm starting to loathe.

* I don't know who the new girl is on NESN Daily, but oh my god, she is flawless. Almost makes me forgive NESN for letting Kathryn Tappen leave for the NHL Network.

* Although NESN is owned by the Red Sox, so maybe they actually fired Tappen and made her say that she quit.

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News & Notes Heading Into Tonight's Bruins Game vs. the Maple Leafs at TD Garden

Tonight marks the first Northeast Division game of the season for the Boston Bruins (2-4-0) as the Toronto Maple Leafs (4-0-1) visit TD Garden for the first of six matchups between the teams.

The Leafs are off to a great start, including their comeback 3-2 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets last night at home. Former Bruins whipping boy Phil Kessel (7 goals, 5 assists) is playing some of the best hockey of his life; he leads the NHL in goals and points plus he looks more confident than he's ever been (always an issue).

Bruins center David Krejci is 50-50 to return this evening after missing the last three contests with a mysterious core injury. Defenseman Adam McQuaid (neck) has already been ruled out and he'll miss his third straight game. Steven Kampfer will make his 2011-12 debut as Matt Bartkowski has rightfully been returned to Providence after a lukewarm start.

Regardless if Krejci plays tonight or not, B's head coach Claude Julien has chosen to shake up the top three forward lines. Chris Kelly moves up to the first line where he'll center Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin. Nathan Horton drops to the second line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand; finally, Rich Peverley will go to the third line with Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron. The Fribble Crew-aka the fourth line-of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton remains intact.

With an NHL-low 11 goals (1.67 per game when you discount the shootout goal by Seguin), it was time for Claude to make some changes in hopes of injecting some energy into his lifeless and offensively-challenged team.

Tim Thomas is expected to start for Boston between the pipes while Toronto backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson gets his first action of the season. The B's catch a break there as Maple Leafs youngster James Reimer is one of the best up and coming goalies in the NHL.

UPDATE: Krejci is back, Caron sits in the press box (healthy scratch).

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Good news for the Bruins: no shootouts in the playoffs and probably no Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not particularly good. Granted, they've improved by leaps and bounds over the last few pathetic seasons of their Original Six existence but they'll once again likely miss the playoffs in 2010-11.

For some unknown reason, Toronto (36-32-10) has given Boston (43-23-11) fits this season and last night's 4-3 shootout win at TD Garden for the Leafs wrapped up a 4-2 season series in their favor.

The Bruins didn't even play that poorly, albeit they gave up two one-goal leads, but it's clear that shootouts are still their biggest weakness. So let's thank the Gods and Gary Bettman that the stupid gimmick is not used in the playoffs.

Joffrey Lupul led Toronto with two goals and an assist while Phil Kessel had two assists in the win. Rookie goaltender James Reimer (19-8-4) continued to play well for the Maple Leafs, stopping 35 shots in the win.

Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist for the Bruins while goaltender Tim Thomas (33-10-9) made 28 saves in the loss that still earned Boston the fraudulent one point.

Luke Schenn gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead at 7:06 of the first period as his shot took a lucky bounce of Tomas Kaberle's skate and past Thomas.

Boston exploded for three goals in the second period. Marchand tied it up at 1 just 2:09 into the frame with his fifth shorthanded tally of the season (21st goal overall). He intercepted the puck at center ice, then skated in, fended off a Toronto player and beat Reimer. One of Marchand's best plays of the season in what has been a superb rookie campaign for Marchmont (inside joke).

David Krejci was the recipient of tic-tac-toe passing, scoring his 13th of the season at 3:08 from Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton.

Lupul evened it at 2 with a power-play strike at 7:06 from Kessel and Tyler Bozak. It was a nice feed from Kessel and Lupul basically whiffed but it went off his skate (unintentionally).

Andrew Ference gave Boston it's final lead at 3-2 with his 3rd of the season at 8:31. He jumped up on the play and his quick release coupled with a key deflection fooled Reimer. Marchand and Patrice Bergeron assisted.

These two teams clearly don't like each other and their constant battles after the whistle morphed into a heavyweight fight as Lucic took on Jay Rosehill in a lengthy bout in the second period.

Lupul tied it at 3 at 7:53 of the third period from Kessel and Schenn. A poor clearance by Boston put the puck on Lupul's stick and he roofed it over Thomas.

Nobody could find the back of the net in overtime, despite a bogus penalty shot awarded to Toronto, so the teams went to the shootout.

Tyler Seguin, Michael Ryder and Rich Peverley all were unsuccessful for Boston and Nazem Kadri beat Tim Thomas for the winner.

With the point, the Bruins are guaranteed of at worst tying for the Northeast Division title with Montreal.

Boston hosts Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. As I said last weekend after their no-show against the Rangers, the Bruins are horrible in afternoon games but you have to believe they have some extra motivation in this one.

This man will helped break a 39-year drought, or something

I don't know which was more disappointing last night: the Boston Bruins' 4-3 gag reflex loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs or the trade that they made following the game.

I'm sure Chris Kelly is a decent player and a good guy but he got caught in the Bruins' impeccable timing as all day there were rumors of Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle getting dealt to the Bruins. He would sure up the power-play (a big weakness) and give us a puck-moving defenseman which makes us all weak in the knees.

Sadly, Boston's front office doesn't know how to make a big splash properly so even if that or something grander is in the works, you have to do that first. Trading for Kelly, a defensive center from the Ottawa Senators, for the minor fee of a second-round draft pick means nothing.

Kelly will be on the third line but explain how he's any different from Gregory Campbell or Daniel Paille?

Moving on. You had to know that ex-Bruin Phil Kessel was due for a goal against his former team. It turns out, he doubled his pleasure and fun as he and teammate Mikhail Grabovski both put in a pair of goals in Toronto's (24-27-6) comeback victory over Boston (31-9-7) at TD Garden.

The Bs lost their third straight and this one was inexcusable since they were playing a bad team and had a 3-2 lead with under seven minutes left in regulation.

Paille gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 8:04 of the first period when his pass deflected off a Maple Leaf skate. His second of the season was assisted by Mark Stuart and Campbell.

Kessel tied it up and broke his extended slump when he batted a rebound out of mid-air at 17:22 in the first period. It was his 20th of the season, on the power play from Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lupul.

Grabovski made it 2-1 at 4:35 in the second period from Mike Komisarek and Carl Gunnarson.

Campbell tied it up at 18:34 in the second period with a power-play goal (his 8th of the season) from Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder. Like Kessel before him, Campbell showed his quick hands by batting it out of the air.

Patrice Bergeron put Boston ahead 3-2 at 9:08 in the third period and his 20th of the season looked like it would be a fitting game-winner. Adam McQuaid and Mark Recchi assisted but Bergeron did the grunt work by fighting through a hit and putting the rebound past Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer (32 saves).

However, Tim Thomas (24 saves) and the Bruins couldn't keep the lead as Kessel (another power-play goal, from Lupul and Kaberle) and Grabovski (with 1:01 left in regulation, from Clarke MacArthur and Phaneuf) each undressed Boston defenders with individual moves and beat Thomas.

It was a bitter loss, one of the worst of the season, and that rancid taste was just added by the intrigue and then disappointment in the Bruins' trade. There's 12 more days (Feb. 28) before the trade deadline and it's clear this team needs more skill to get anywhere in the playoffs which is all that matters.

Boston will play six straight games on the road, starting with a back-to-back in Long Island tomorrow vs. the Islanders then Friday night in Ottawa (Chris Kelly night?).

Time for the Bruins to play better and beat all these crappy teams.

Bruins give away a win in Toronto

I'm not saying that the Boston Bruins really deserved to win last night since the Toronto Maple Leafs outplayed them for most of the game but still, the B's were 42 seconds away from wrapping up a nice road win at the Air Canada Centre.

Instead, they gave up the tying goal to Kris Versteeg (with 19 seconds left on Patrice Bergeron's penalty) with 42 seconds left in the third period and then they lost in a shootout 3-2.

Boston (14-8-3) still gets the bogus point from making it to the shootout but the fact that Phil Kessel had the deciding goal in that dumb format makes this one tougher to swallow. Oh and we have Toronto's (9-12-4) first round pick for next season too (hell of a trade there Brian Burke) so the more losses the better, much like the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (40 saves; 13-2-2) did not earn a loss by any means. As usual this season, he stood on his head and made as crazy uncle Jack Edwards termed them a flurry of "ridiculous saves."

Nathan Horton broke out of his 10-game scoring slump with an unassisted goal at 4:48 of the first period.

Shawn Thornton got his sixth fighting major of the season after he squared off with AHL callup Jay Rosehill less than four minutes after Horton's goal.

The Leafs' Carl Gunnarsson tied it up at 15:53 of the first period after a lucky bounce and nice passing from teammates Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri.

After a scoreless second period, Gregory Campbell looked to be the hero for the Bruins (his dad must have been so pumped) in the third period when he finished a nice feed from Tyler Seguin (who got it from Johnny Boychuk). Campbell started the play by keeping the puck in the Toronto defensive zone then Seguin hit him with a tidy backhander and he whipped in a wrist shot at 6:08.

In the shootout, Kadri led off and scored but Seguin answered it (he is awesome at shootouts). After Nikolai Kulemin and David Krejci were stopped, Kessel scored and Michael Ryder did not.

The Bruins will try to recover from this swift kick in the balls with a few days off before they host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, the start of a three-game home set.

"Thank you Kessel!"

As I said last week after I attended the Boston Bruins' season opener, their fans get it and that's what makes going to their games the best experience offered by the four Boston professional teams at the moment.

Another tangible example of this is the chant the TD Garden crowd came up with last night after Tyler Seguin gave Boston a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Thank you Kessel!" Over and over, they sarcastically serenaded the former Bruins forward who was in town with his new team. Trading Kessel to Toronto last season, gave Boston the Leafs' first round pick in 2010 which turned into Seguin.

Getting rid of Kessel was a no-brainer, since he's a one-dimensional, enigmatic player that will always fail on the big stage when the games really matter. I'm not going to induct Seguin into the Hockey Hall of Fame just yet but for just 18 years old, the kid is filthy.

Seguin received the good news after the game that he won't go back to Juniors this season, he's with the big club to stay this season.

In seven games against the Bruins, Kessel has one point (an assist) and he's a -6. How do you spell fraud?

Oh yeah, the B's (5-2-0) shutout the Leafs (5-3-1) 2-0. The other big story line was Tim Thomas (5-0-0), who right now is the NHL's best goaltender. He only had to make 20 saves in his second shutout of the season, which is a credit to the outstanding defense in front of him.

Dennis Seidenberg looked like the guy the B's stole from Florida last season, leading Boston with six blocked shots. He also assisted on Seguin's goal.

Patrice Bergeron opened the scoring with a power play goal with 41 seconds left in the first period. The one-timer was Bergeron's first goal of the season and the 100th of his career. Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic assisted on that one.

Seguin's goal was also a pseudo one-timer as he snapped home a pass from Seidenberg. Michael Ryder also had an assist.

Nathan Horton was tossed out of the game in the second period after he fought Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Horton was upset that Phaneuf punched him while they were sprawled out on the ice. So Horton can score a ton of goals, he's tough and not afraid to throw down with fighters? Somebody order me a Horton t-shirt jersey!

Boston goes to Ottawa tomorrow night and you have to believe that Thomas will get the start. Bruins head coach Claude Julien has to ride the hot hand while he has it. Clearly, Thomas will come back to earth at some point but let's get his trade value as high as possible since he's one of the few pieces they can move and will bring interest around the NHL.

Phil Kessel, now there's a haircut you can set a watch to

In a scheduling quirk by the NHL, the Bruins and Maple Leafs played twice in six days in Boston. Boston embarrassed Toronto 7-2 on Saturday and last night, they let them hang around a little more but still dispatched them 5-2 at the TD Garden.

You almost feel bad for Phil Kessel, who was held scoreless in his first two games back in Boston. Then you remember how much money he's making to do nothing but score a few goals and you reassess things.

After stumbling around for much of the early season, the B's (16-9-5) have found their game to the tune of 8-1-1 in their last ten and first place in the Northeast Division.

Boston jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second period as three completely random players found the back of the net: Mark Stuart (from Johnny Boychuk, Daniel Paille), Derek Morris PPG (Zdeno Chara, Michael Ryder) and David Krejci.

Toronto (10-14-7) scored two quick goals in the third period to make it somewhat interesting. Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin were the two Eastern Europeans out of central casting to score for the Maple Leafs. Mark Recchi put it away with a pair of late goals for the Bruins.

With 2:37 left in the game, Recchi scored a power-play goal from Blake Wheeler and Krejci then he had an empty-netter from Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm.

Tuukka Rask continued to prove why it's Tuukka time as he improved to 9-2-2 with 32 saves. Injury or not, Tim Thomas has earned his seat on the bench and Rask deserves to be the starter for the time being. Kudos to Bruins coach Claude Julien for realizing this early.

The B's will travel to Long Island tomorrow night to take on No. 1 pick John Tavares and the Islanders.

Boston Bruins? I remember you

I chose not to blog after Friday night's debacle when both the Bruins and Celtics failed to show up in critical playoff games.
Last night more than made up for it as the Bruins kept their season alive with a 4-0 shutout of the Hurricanes, the Celtics won on a buzzer-beater by Big Baby and the Red Sox won a series vs. the Rays in exciting fashion (as Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth).

After playing awful in Games 2-4, the Bruins finally returned to form at the Garden. Phil Kessel scored twice, Zdeno Chara inspired (and had two assists) while Tim Thomas stopped 19 shots for his first career playoff shutout.

Mark Recchi scored a power-play goal (from Chara and Dennis Wideman) at 14:48 in the first period. Recchi deflected Chara's wrist shot between Cam Ward's (36 saves) legs.

Kessel scored his first of the game less than four minutes later after a cross-ice feed from Savard. Milan Lucic also assisted.
With his second goal, this one in the second period, Kessel ensured there would be a Game 6 back in Carolina. Like a basketball player filling the lane, Kessel was able to put in a rebound from Savard and Chara.

For all his hard work and thundering body checks, Lucic was also rewarded on the score sheet as he completed the scoring in the third period with a slap shot. Michael Ryder and Patrice Bergeron notched the helpers.

To win tomorrow night in Raleigh, the B's will have to play the tough, physical game they displayed last night. They also got bodies to the front of the net which clearly disrupted the normally dominant Ward.

Any extra motivation Boston needed was provided by two dumb Carolina plays: Jussi Jokinen slashed Chara in the back of the leg and Scott Walker sucker-punched Aaron Ward. Jokinen will be targeted no doubt and Walker will likely be out of action for awhile after a suspension.

It can't be this easy, right?

There is apparently no such thing as a layoff affecting NHL hockey teams in the playoffs. All three squads that swept first round series, won in the first game of round two.

The Boston Bruins had nine days between games but they came out last night in Game 1 vs. the Hurricanes and dominated from start to finish, en route to a 4-1 win at the Garden.

After cruising past Montreal, the B's were facing a team that basically stole Game 7 from the New Jersey Devils. Common sense was that Boston would be rusty and Carolina would be playing well after their dramatic win. Eh, not so much.

Just 1:34 into the game, David Krejci deflected in an Aaron Ward shot. Michael Ryder also assisted.

Basically the only time the Hurricanes showed life Game 1 was at 18:50 of the first period when Jussi Jokinen finished off a rush with Ryan Bayda and Joni Pitkanen assisting.

In the second period, Marc Savard (from Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic) and Ryder (unassisted) gave Boston a commanding 3-1 lead. Savard whipped a shot from the slot past Carolina goalie Cam Ward (20 saves). Ryder's was a spectacular individual play as he stole the puck at the Canes' blueline, skated in and snapped a shot over Ward's glove hand.

Tim Thomas (26 saves) had a relatively quiet night in goal. It was nice to see that the break didn't seem to effect the probable Vezina trophy winner one bit.

In the third, Savard put it away after a nice drop pass from Kessel.

Game 2 is tomorrow night at the Garden. I'm not going to say it's a must win for Carolina since they'll play better at home but you don't want to go down 2-0 to the Bruins right now. They look phenomenal.