The Bruins Ended Their Five-Game & Two City Road Trip (3-2-0) With A 3-1 Victory At Pittsburgh

 

    After losing their last two games in regulation, Boston (28-14-6 overall, 14-8-3 away) looked much more like themselves in tonight's road trip finale-a solid 3-1 win at Pittsburgh's (32-15-3 overall, 20-4-2 home) PPG Paints Arena. It was nearly a shutout for goaltender Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 12-4-2) as the Bruins built up a 3-0 lead then gave up a meaningless garbage time goal to the Penguins with less than three minutes left in regulation. The game also served as a fitting last chapter for a regular season series that was won 5-3 by the B's. They now look ahead to the final eight games of the campaign with a real chance to catch the fading Islanders (29-15-5) who are only a point ahead of them for third-place in the East Division while Boston has a game in hand and one head-to-head matchup left. 

    After the Penguins won 1-0 on Sunday afternoon against the Bruins, it felt destined to be another low-scoring affair (hope you took the under!) as neither team scored in the first period and it remained scoreless late into the second period before center David Krejci potted a beautiful goal. On a play started by Rask, defenseman Charlie McAvoy hit Krejci with a breakout pass and the veteran did the rest by going forehand to backhand then beating Pens goalie Tristan Jarry (28 saves, 21-9-3) with a sizzling backhander. Krejci's seventh goal of the season gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 18:10 and that's where it would stand with 20 minutes remaining.

    After a spirited fight between B's defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and Penguins center Teddy Blueger, Boston scored twice more to put it out of reach. Jarry was forced into an awkward save on right wing David Pastrnak's shot which allowed left wing Brad Marchand to zip to the net and put in the rebound for his team-leading 26th goal of the season. Center Curtis Lazar had the second assist at 9:11. Left wing Taylor Hall turned out the lights on the Pens with a spectacular play that reminded you why he is a former No. 1 overall pick and NHL MVP. He took a pass from Krejci, worked around none other than one of the best players in the world (Sidney Crosby)-like he wasn't even there-then snapped a sizzling shot high blocker side on Jarry. Hall's sixth goal of the season (4th as a Bruin) was also assisted by defenseman Mike Reilly and it came at 12:18.  Center Jeff Carter caught Boston's defense in a messy line change and he blasted a shot off the post and in at 17:39. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by defenseman Kris Letang and right wing Kasperi Kapanen. 

    After more than a week on the road, the black and gold finally get to return home and who else will they see next but the Sabres (13-30-7 overall, 7-14-3 away) for two more games to close out their season series. The worst team in the NHL is at the TD Garden on Thursday (7, NESN+) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). After losing to them 6-4 on Friday in Buffalo, you can bet that the Bruins figure to be extra motivated to bank four more points and finish 7-1 against the Sabres in 2021. They have so much left to play for unlike Buffalo so I'd be shocked to see them fall again to that clown show of a hockey club. 

The Bruins & Penguins Did Their Part To Help Viewers Across The U.S. Fall Asleep This Afternoon

 

    It's rare that you would ever confuse a hockey game for a bad soccer game but this afternoon's 1-0 victory by the Penguins (32-14-3 overall, 20-3-2 home) over Boston (27-14-6 overall, 13-8-3 away) at PPG Paints Arena was about as dull as it gets for an NHL late regular season contest between two quality teams. Left wing Jake Guentzel provided the only goal with a perfect one-timer from captain Sidney Crosby and BC's Brian Dumoulin at 4:03 of the third period. His 21st goal of the season stood up as all it would take to beat the Bruins on this day. Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry's (30 saves, 20-8-3) first shutout of the season helped his team vault into first-place in the East Division thanks to their fourth straight win, one point ahead of idle Washington (31-13-4). 

    B's rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (28 saves, 5-2-0) deserved a better fate than what it probably feels like in baseball when you pitch a great outing but the opposing pitcher is only slightly better and earns the win. It was a strange tilt, proven by the fact that the only penalty of the night came from a high-sticking call on Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron late in the third period when Swayman was pulled for an extra attacker. With the loss, Boston fell to 4-3 vs. Pittsburgh this season meaning they only have one matchup left-on Tuesday (7, NESN)-also in the Steel City. I'm thinking that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will get the start for that one possibly facing the Penguins backup goalie UNH's Casey DeSmith but who knows? Needless to say, finishing 5-3 against the Penguins would look and feel way better than going 4-4 vs. them especially after Boston had put themselves in great position to take the season series coming into these final two encounters. 

The Bruins Beat The Penguins 7-5 In Easily The Most Entertaining Game Of The Season For Boston

 

    The Bruins (19-10-5) and Penguins (24-12-2) staged an instant classic of a game this afternoon at the TD Garden. The Penguins scored first and led 1-0 after the first period but then the Bruins erupted for five goals in the second period and they held on for a 7-5 victory that snapped Pittsburgh's five-game win streak and also improved Boston's record vs. them in 2021 to 4-2 with two matchups remaining in the regular season. Left wing Brad Marchand scored his fourth career hat trick and added an assist while right wing David Pastrnak handled his "demotion" to the second line well enough by scoring two goals and adding an assist of his own. The only people who probably didn't enjoy this scintillating tilt were the goaltenders: neither Boston's Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 9-5-3) nor Pittsburgh's Casey DeSmith (21 saves, 9-4-0) were exactly bombarded by pucks but neither guy got pulled as all their season statistics slowly went down the drain. 

    PC's Mark Jankowski tipped in a shot from BC's Mike Matheson for his third goal of the season and a very early (3:24) 1-0 advantage for the Penguins in the first period. We should have known that the second period was going to be bonkers when Boston put in a pair of goals less than a minute into the middle frame. Center Patrice Bergeron bagged an unassisted goal 11 seconds in-fittingly his 11th goal of the season-then Pasta gave Boston its first lead (2-1) 34 seconds after that. Left wing Nick Ritchie and center David Krejci had the assists on Pastrnak's 15th goal of the season. The Pens answered with a pair of goals that helped them regain the lead at 3-2. Left wing Jake Guentzel put in his team-leading 16th goal of the season at 2:45 from center Sidney Crosby and BC's Brian Dumoulin. Center Jared McCann grabbed a power play goal at 5:11 that put Pittsburgh back in front. Guentzel and Crosby notched the assists on his ninth goal of the season. 

    Boston exploded in the final five minutes of the second period as Marchand tied it at three at 14:56: his 15th goal of the season was mostly a result of a great pass by BU's Matt Grzelcyk who patiently wheeled around the net then found his teammate. Right wing Craig Smith (who got to be on the 1st line for the day) was credited with the second assist. From there, the B's used a power play goal of its own to regain the lead for good. Krejci redirected a brilliant look from Marchand at 18:29 for his second goal of the season. Pastrnak got the second assist on his fellow countryman's tally. Marchand was heating up in a hurry as he made it 5-3 at 19:40. Smith and defenseman Charlie McAvoy recorded the helpers on a goal that gave the home team a two-goal spread heading into the final stanza. 

    Pittsburgh never gave up as defenseman Cody Ceci fired in a tricky shot at 4:38 of the third period. Jankowski and center Sam Lafferty had the assists on his third goal of the season that cut it to 5-4 Bruins. After Richie made a great play to knock Matheson off of the puck then he sauced it over to Pastrnak for the one-timer that restored that two-goal lead (6-4 at 13:28). That still didn't deter the Penguins as Crosby scored a shorthanded goal at 18:45 that trimmed Boston's slim lead to 6-5. Guentzel had the only assist on Pittsburgh's captain's 15h goal of the season. Before we could worry for too long that the Bruins were going to blow it, Marchand slid in his third goal of the afternoon at 18:59 into an empty net. BU's Charlie Coyle set up Marchand for the last marker of a truly wild and unforgettable meeting. 

    On paper, next week looks like the toughest one of the season for the Black and Gold: they have five games in seven days including three dates with the Flyers who in case you forgot, they have owned this season to the tune of 5-0-0. Still, the B's are only up four points on them for the all-important fourth spot in the East Division (granted they have 2 games in hand). The Bruins host Philly (17-14-5) on Monday (7, NESN) then they go to the Wells Fargo Center the next night (7, NESN). On Thursday (7, NESN) they travel to the Verizon Center to play the first-place Capitals (24-9-4). After that, the Bruins head back to Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN)-seriously they do-before finally returning to the Garden for another back-to-back when they take on the Caps on Sunday night (7, NESN). I'm exhausted just writing and reading about that insane stretch so I can't imagine actually taking part in it. Just like I would tell the Bruins, rest up and enjoy your Easter, I'll see you all on Monday. 

Unless They Make Some Moves By The Trade Deadline, B's Aren't Going Anywhere This Season

 

    It's not quite as dire for the Bruins (18-10-5) this season as the Celtics but make no mistake, they have major issues of their own that need to be addressed or else they'll be fortunate to make the playoffs in 2021 where they would be promptly knocked out rather quickly. Tonight at the TD Garden, they hosted the Penguins (24-11-2) in the start of a two-game series. The Penguins easily took round one by a score of 4-1 for their fifth win in a row (and their first here since 2015!) as Pittsburgh cut the season series to 3-2 in favor of the B's. Boston never led in this listless performance as the Pens scored twice in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. The Bruins cut it to 2-1 midway through the third period but Pittsburgh answered right back then put in an empty-net goal to clinch it. 

    With the way that Boston's offense is struggling right now it doesn't take opposing goaltenders much to shut them down. Pittsburgh's goalie Casey DeSmith (30 saves, 9-3-0)-a NH native & UNH product-was solid all night as he won his third straight start. The Bruins have a rough mix right now of young guys who either aren't ready to contribute much yet at this level or maybe they're just not that good to begin with. Adding that to all the overrated and/or floating veterans and you can see why Boston is pretty much locked into the fourth seed in the East Division should they reach the postseason.

        After a scoreless first period, the B's got some bad news that defenseman Brandon Carlo (playing in his 2nd game in almost a month after sustaining a concussion) suffered an upper-body injury and wouldn't return to action this evening. The Penguins must have as many college hockey alums on their roster as any other current team in the NHL. Hockey East had a big second period for them as Northeastern's Zach Aston-Reese and BC's Mike Matheson each scored a goal that staked Pittsburgh to a 2-0 lead which against Boston might as well be 5-0. Aston-Reese took a great feed from PC's Brandon Tanev to redirect it in at 2:01. Center Frederick Gaudreau (any relation to Johnny?) had the other assist on Aston-Reese's eighth goal of the season. Matheson's was more of an outstanding individual play as he used his speed to get around the Bruins defense and beat rookie goaltender Dan Vladar (19 saves, 2-1-0) for the 2-0 lead. Center Anthony Angello and defenseman Cody Ceci provided the helpers on his third goal of the season that came at 13:02. 

    Left wing Brad Marchand has been one of the only Bruins forwards lately that has had any consistent jump in his game. That's why it figured that he would score their only goal. He roofed a wrist shot by DeSmith for his 14th goal of the season (tied with David Pastrnak for the team lead) at 11:14 of the third period. Center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Jakub Zboril notched the assists on that lone highlight of the game for the Bruins. Less than two minutes later after a weak turnover by Pasta in the neutral zone, left wing Jason Zucker finished a beautiful pass from BU's Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Marcus Pettersson. His fifth goal of the season was at 13:07 and it served as a kind of backbreaker to the home team. Left wing Jake Guentzel padded his stats with an empty-netter-his 15th goal of the season at 17:51 for a 4-1 margin. Some guys named Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby happened to have the assists on that final tally. 

    These same teams will practice tomorrow in the city: the Bruins will be at Warrior Ice Arena and the Penguins who knows, maybe at BU (where their head coach Mike Sullivan used to coach) before they play again on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). If Tuukka Rask is still unavailable, it'll be Jaroslav Halak in net for the B's. Through injuries, illnesses and slumps, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy has had to constantly shuffle his lineup and I don't expect the matinee to be any different in that regard. Center Sean Kuraly and left wing Jake DeBrusk were skating at practice the last few days so perhaps they can finally return from their bouts with Covid-19. The Bruins are 2-2-1 on this seven-game homestand that feels pretty pivotal in their season. 

As We All Predicted, Rookie Dan Vladar Was Fantastic In His First NHL Start For The Bruins

 

    After a rough stretch, the Bruins (15-8-4) were in desperate need of an energy boost. They got it tonight at PPG Paints Arena as they beat Pittsburgh (18-10-1) 2-1 behind 34 saves (including a show-stopping paddle save on a stunned Colton Sceviour) from rookie goaltender Dan Vladar in his first career NHL start. How improbable was this result? Well, the Penguins had won six games in a row along with their last seven consecutive contests at home against Boston. A third-round pick in 2015 (75th overall), Vladar's only other NHL appearance was mop-up duty in one loss last postseason against the Lightning. He's tall (6-foot-5) and could use a trip to the North End (185 pounds?) but the lanky 23-year-old Czech made it all work against one of the league's top teams. 

    This matchup on the second night of a back-to-back set felt like a playoff game for many reasons, beginning with the final score. Once again the B's scored first as superstar right wing David Pastrnak finished a breakaway with a nifty backhander through Penguins goaltender (and UNH alum/NH native) Casey DeSmith's five-hole. Pasta's team-high 13th goal of the season came just 3:20 into the first period and it was assisted by left wing Brad Marchand whose pass sprung him and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk picked up the second helper. Penguins left wing and one of my all-time favorite PC alums Brandon Tanev answered at 15:22 of the first period when he put in a rebound from the doorstep. BU center Evan Rodrigues and right wing Kasperi Kapanen had the assists on Tanev's seventh goal of the season.

    Boston defenseman Jarred Tinordi was in the middle of everything as a big hit on Penguins star Evgeni Malkin in the first period ended his night early. Later, he was on the other end of a monster collision with Tanev in the second period that resulted in Tinordi leaving with an upper-body injury and Tanev was wrongly assessed a boarding call and game misconduct penalty. The domino effect of this was that B's defenseman Charlie McAvoy ended up playing more than half of the game (30:16) which is insane in the regular season but what else could Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy do? The Black and Gold can't afford another injury to a defenseman so let's hope that Tinordi is alright. They are already missing Kevan Miller (of course), Brandon Carlo, Jeremy Lauzon and John Moore to various injuries so a journeyman that they just got off of waivers a few weeks ago is actually very important for the time being. 

    Another rookie for Boston came through with the game-winning goal as left wing Trent Frederic's floating wrist shot through major traffic found its way past DeSmith at 7:07 of the third period. Frederic's fourth goal of the season was assisted by defenseman Jakub Zboril and center Patrice Bergeron. With the victory, Boston improved to 3-1 against Pittsburgh this season and they pulled back within three points of them for third-place in the East Division (the Pens have still played 2 more games than them). The Bruins couldn't pick a better time to play the Sabres (6-18-4)-who are by far the worst team in the entire league. The B's are in Buffalo on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) to take on a sorry excuse for an NHL team that has lost 12 straight games. It sounds like goaltender Tuukka Rask could return for one of those games but there's a little less of a rush now knowing that Vladar more than earned another start at some point this season.

Injuries & Inconsistency From Many Of Their Top Players Has Caught Up With The Bruins Right Now

 

    Unless you've been paying close attention lately, you might not realize that the Bruins (14-8-4) are a bit of a mess at the moment. Tonight, they began a back-to-back set at the PPG Paints Arena with a 4-1 loss to the red-hot Penguins (18-9-1). Unlike Saturday's lifeless 4-0 shutout loss to the Rangers (11-12-4) at the TD Garden, scoring chances weren't the main issue this evening as the B's outshot the Pens 43-26 but Pittsburgh's goaltender Tristan Jarry (42 saves, 12-7-1) was really tough to beat. Boston actually had more shots on goal in the first period alone (20) than they did all of Saturday (18) but that hardly seems to matter since it once again ended in a loss. The Bruins dropped to 3-5-2 in their last 10 games while the Penguins jumped to five points ahead of them courtesy of their sixth straight win-they are also 8-2-0 in their last 10. 

    The lone goal for the Bruins came on the power play but not from who you'd expect: defenseman Matt Grzelcyk used a screen from left wing Nick Ritchie to score on a wrist shot from the point for his first goal of the season at 6:47 of the first period. Left wing Brad Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak provided the assists that gave Boston an all too brief lead. Matt's former BU teammate center Evan Rodrigues tied it with a true knuckle puck that Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 6-4-2) couldn't glove cleanly before it trickled over the goal line. Right wing Kasperi Kapanen and center Evgeni Malkin had the assists on baby-faced Rodrigues' second goal of the season. Halak allowed another goal that I'm sure he'd like back when Pittsburgh's superstar center Sidney Crosby one-timed a low shot from a tough angle that Jaroslav couldn't contain for some reason. Left wing Jake Guentzel and BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin had the helpers on Crosby's 11th goal of the season at 18:34. 

    Down only 2-1 after the first period, Boston was still in it until Malkin scored a power play goal at 11:40 of the second period. His one-timer from the slot was his eighth goal of the season and it was assisted by Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang. A troubling trend for the Bruins is their lack of scoring punch in March as they've managed one goal or less in five of those seven contests. Yeesh. Guentzel's empty-net goal (his 11th goal of the season) at 19:44 of the third period wrapped it up for the Penguins who improved to a very impressive 12-2-0 at home. 

    Tomorrow's game (7, NESN) brings more uncertainty for the B's because Halak understandably won't start on back-to-back nights (and 3 times in the last 4 days) so it'll either be rookie Dan Vladar making his NHL debut or Providence's Jeremy Swayman-a rookie that went to the University of Maine-who has begun his pro career 7-0-0 in the AHL. For this reason, it's easy to predict that the Penguins will be a heavy favorite in the rematch. Even a pity point (losing in overtime or a shootout) would be a fine result for the Bruins since it feels like they are teetering on the verge of a major slump.

B's Finish Off Perfect Homestand (4-0) Vs. Teams From PA With 4-1 Lockdown Of The Penguins

 

    With a condensed training camp and no preseason games this year, perhaps we can consider Boston's (5-1-1) first three clunky games-where they went 1-1-1-a warmup to the real action that would soon follow. Let the record show that right after that bumpy opening road trip, the Bruins' first four home games were all wins. After sweeping two games against the Flyers (5-2-1) last week at TD Garden, they followed that up with another sweep-this time vs. the Penguins (4-3-1) which concluded this evening with a 4-1 victory. It was a strange visit to Boston for Pittsburgh who came here on a four-game win-streak, then they lost 3-2 in OT on Tuesday, their long-time GM Jim Rutherford abruptly resigned yesterday (citing the always vague personal reasons) and then tonight they left with the Bruins owning a four-game win-streak of their own. Life comes at you fast as the kids say, haha they still say that right?

    Boston has allowed four goals in its last three games including just three in the Pittsburgh mini-series. They have yet to earn a shutout but except for last Thursday's 5-4 shootout win vs. Philly, the Bruins have allowed two goals or less in every other contest so far in this campaign. Captain Patrice Bergeron led them with a pair of goals while Boston's fourth line came up big with goals by right wing Chris Wagner and center Sean Kuraly. B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (16 saves, 2-0-1) was barely tested which was nice considering that Dan Vladar was his backup for the night with Tuukka Rask resting whatever injury he picked up in Tuesday's win. Speaking of nagging injuries, Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (assist, plus-3 in 12:31) suffered another lower-body injury that forced him to leave early and never return. When considering all the ways that he'd struggle to replace Torey Krug, it looks like Krug's remarkable durability for a guy his size is another thing that Grzelcyk sadly lacks. 

    It didn't take too long for Wagner to get the Bruins on the board as he was quick to a loose puck in front of Pittsburgh's goaltender Tristan Jarry (16 saves, 2-3-1) and he fired it in for his first goal of the season (unassisted) at 6:10 of the first period. The only highlight of the entire proceedings for the Penguins came at 15:03 as defenseman Cody Ceci made a nice move to pull the puck off the wall and into the slot where he beat Halak with a snap shot. His first goal of the season was assisted by right wing Bryan Rust and center Teddy Blueger. You felt like it was going to be a good result for the Black and Gold when they got a completely fluky bounce for the go-ahead goal. Left wing Anders Bjork weaved around a few Penguins and tried to throw a saucer pass to Wagner driving to the net but the puck deflected off a Pittsburgh defenseman then off Kuraly's leg and into the net. His first goal of the season came at 18:53 of the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead. 

    Bergy did what any good leader does: he made sure to put the opposition away without hesitation. He followed up his own shot and put in a backhander at 8:13 of the second period. His team-leading fourth goal of the season was assisted by BU alums Grzelcyk and Charlie Coyle. He capped off the very solid performance for the home team with a power play tally from his famous bumper position. Left wing Brad Marchand fed him for the one-timer while defenseman Charlie McAvoy added the secondary helper. It'll be a much-anticipated two-game set this weekend in DC for the Bruins as they get their first look at their former captain Zdeno Chara (who scored his first goal as a Capital in tonight's 6-3 win vs. Islanders). Washington (5-0-3) hosts Boston on Saturday night (7, NESN) and Monday (7, NESN). The Caps have owned the Bruins more than any other club in recent history. The good news for Boston is that former Washington goaltender Braden Holtby is now in Vancouver which means that they wouldn't see him this season until the Stanley Cup Final. You know it'll be so weird to watch Big Z in another uniform, playing against so many of his former teammates and coaches. 

The Bruins Blew 2-0 Lead In The 3rd Period But Recovered To Beat Pens 3-2 In OT On Smith's Goal

 

    For nearly 50 minutes of game action tonight at TD Garden, the Bruins (4-1-1) had a near perfect performance. Left wing Brad Marchand scored a shorthanded goal (the 28th of this excellent career) in the first period and Boston's secret power play weapon Nick Ritchie added a goal on the man-advantage for a 2-0 lead in the second period. Pittsburgh (4-2-1) entered as the league's hottest team as they came in on a four-game win streak after going 0-2-1 to start 2021. The Penguis predictably wouldn't go down that easily as they scored a pair of goals in the the third period-by left wing Jason Zucker and right wing Kasperi Kapanen-to tie it at two and eventually send it to overtime. Luckily for the B's, the newest Bruin-right wing Craig Smith-was able to win the game when he finished a 2-on-0 with center David Krejci, there was a little over 10 seconds left in overtime.

    This could have been a disastrous loss for the home team but instead, it turned into their third straight victory. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 3-1-0) shook off an injury scare to grab his third win of the season. The only real bad news to come out of this contest for the B's was that right wing Jake DeBrusk left in the first period with a lower-body injury and never returned. The play that seemed to cause the discomfort was a textbook hip check by Penguins captain Sidney Crosby delivered near center ice as DeBrusk tried to get into Pittsburgh's defensive zone. Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk took warm-ups with the team before the game but ultimately he was a last-minute scratch as he nurses a lower-body injury of his own. 

    Marchand is one of the best shorthanded goal-scorers in the history of the NHL. He took a pass from defenseman Charlie McAvoy (3 assists) and used Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (game-high 29:57 of ice time) as a screen then he ripped a shot by Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry's (33 saves, 2-2-1) glove at 7:41 of the first period. McAvoy had the lone assist on Marchand's team-leading fourth goal of the season. Boston only received three power plays all game long (as opposed to Pittsburgh's woeful 0-for-6 showing!) but they made the most of one in the second period as a 5-on-3 expired. Marchand fired a pass across the crease to Ritchie who was stationed next to the post and simply had to sweep it in. We don't have to complain about what he did in the bubble anymore because Ritchie looks like a different guy with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last three games. All three of his tallies this season have come on the power play as well. 

Speaking of the postseason, the Pens have been eliminated early in their last few playoff appearances which means that while their high-scoring games may work in the regular season, once it changes to the playoffs, it's been a different story lately. After a mad scramble by Rask (and a few saves in the sequence), Pittsburgh finally got on the scoreboard at 9:47 of the third period as veteran forward Jason Zucker was able to find the loose puck and whip it past Tuukka. Center Jared McCann and left wing Drew O'Connor (first NHL point in the NHL debut for the Dartmouth alum) were credited with the assists on Zucker's first goal of the season. Things got a bit sketchy for the Bruins when they allowed the tying goal to Kapanen at 16:44. His first goal of the season was assisted by center Evgeni Malkin and Zucker. The former Maple Leaf was able to use his speed to leave McAvoy in the dust then he went to the net and slid a backhander under Rask. 

    Boston evened their overtime record to 1-1 thanks to a complete defensive breakdown by the Pens (shocking, I know!) that left Krejci and Smith all alone on a breakaway with almost too much time and space to make the correct decision. They passed back and forth before Smith put the puck through Jarry's five-hole for his second goal as a Bruin. You could say that he was due for the goal since he managed to accumulate a game-high seven shots on goal. In another mini-series, these same clubs meet at the same place on Thursday (7, NESN). I'd expect a battle of backup goalies with Jaroslav Halak taking on UNH's Casey DeSmith. Hopefully Grzelcyk can return for the B's and maybe DeBrusk's injury isn't that bad, otherwise those are two sneaky important holes that head coach Bruce Cassidy will have to fix in the lineup.

After Two Losses on the Road, Boston Returns Home to Beat Pittsburgh 4-1 In a Playoff-Type Tilt

Up until tonight, it had been a rough week for the Bruins (28-9-12). First, they blew a 5-2 lead in Philadelphia (25-17-6) on Monday then fell to an unexplainable 0-7 in shootouts as Brad Marchand touched the puck but never got control of it on the fruitless last shot attempt. The next night in Columbus (24-16-8) they might not as well have shown up as they got blanked 3-0 by the Blue Jackets and even worse, Tuukka Rask (17-4-6) suffered a concussion from an errant elbow by a nobody that the B's never really responded to. This evening's satisfying 4-1 victory against the Penguins (29-13-5) at TD Garden doesn't erase those losses (or the fact that they placed Rask on IR this afternoon) but at least they gave the Black and Gold not to mention their fans something to feel good about. After all, the Pens entered with a four-game win streak and 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, making them one of the NHL's hottest teams.

What makes this result interesting is that this is essentially a taste of the playoffs for the B's since their next game is Sunday afternoon (12:30, NBC) in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are in Detroit (12-32-3) tomorrow night before the return bout with the Bruins but that hardly counts since the Red Wings are easily the worst team in the entire NHL. In their only other meeting this season which was over two months ago, the Bruins also came out on top with a wild 6-4 victory on Nov. 4 at the Garden. The extra physical play was probably just setting the stage for Sunday yet you couldn't help but think what fun it would be to see these teams meet again this spring in the postseason. The 2013 Eastern Conference Finals is the last time they meet in the playoffs so it's been far too long!

Things didn't exactly start out positively for Boston as Sidney Crosby (in his 2nd game back after missing 28 games following muscle core surgery) fired in a laser only 24 seconds into the contest. He returned with four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in Tuesday's 7-3 beating of the Wild (21-20-6) so in that sense, he picked right up where he left out with his seventh goal of the season. Dominik Simon and Jack Johnson (300th NHL point for the veteran defenseman, not the singer from your college days) had the assists on the first shot of the game for either club. Naturally, Boston turned to its third and fourth liners to put them ahead with a pair of goals later in the frame.

Karson Kuhlman is about the furthest thing that you'd find from Crosby-a generational talent-but the Bruins' scrappy rookie returned from missing 32 games of his own with a broken leg. In less than ten minutes of ice time (9:56), he managed to notch two assists (his 2nd multi-point game in the NHL and 1st time he had a pair of helpers) to help spark the offense. Sean Kuraly threw the puck at the net and Kuhlman's net drive did enough to distract Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (26 saves, 16-7-1) with the puck deflecting off a Pittsburgh defenseman. Charlie McAvoy had the secondary assist on Kuraly's fourth goal of the season at 10:03. A little over two minutes later, Par Lindholm tipped in Kuhlman's shot for his third goal of the season.

Things were simmering in the first with five combined penalties and they started to boil over in the second period namely for Torey Krug and Patric Hornqvist. Besides the fact that he stinks, the main reason that Brett Ritchie was placed on waivers yesterday by the B's (for assignment to Providence) is because he didn't step up in a physical way after the Rask injury. Krug is not exactly what you picture when you think of an enforcer but he more than held his own in his fight with Hornqvist late in the second. They were called for matching roughing penalties but that didn't stop them from settling things six seconds after they got out of the box from serving those infractions. With David Krejci out with an upper-body injury, Boston survived another injury scare as Joakim Nordstrom blocked a shot and glided on one leg to the bench in what seemed like serious pain (Patrice Bergeron helped him get to the bench). From there, he briefly sat down then got helped to the dressing room but miraculously he returned and barely missed any time, playing 12:06.

It shouldn't have taken this long to mention him but Jaroslav Halak (29 saves, 11-5-6) played his best game in awhile which was good timing since he'll probably get the other two starts before the All-Star break with Dan Vladar (recalled from Providence today with no NHL regular season experience) serving as his backup. Halak made many fine stops but none were better than the three (Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy thought there were four) saves late in the second when Pittsburgh somehow broke in on a 2-on-0 while they were shorthanded. Halak stoned Bryan Rust once then Northeastern's Zach Aston-Reese at least twice leading the Garden crowd to go crazy (in a good way of course).

Pittsburgh mostly dominated the third period but they had nothing to show for it thanks to Halak. Boston put it out of reach with Bergeron's sweet top-shelf shot at 3:19 from David Pastrnak. It was Bergeron's 20th goal of the season, the seventh year in a row that he's reached that mark and 11th time in his brilliant (and one day Hall of Fame career). Pasta's pass was beautiful too as he spun around by the boards and put the puck right on Bergy's stick without even seeing him there. The NHL's leading goal-scorer was in a giving mood as Pastrnak passed up an empty-netter in the final minute and instead gave it to Marchand who could use that positive reinforcement (especially after he had another puck issue-a shorthanded breakaway ending with him fumbling it away).

Scoreboard watching after the game, the Bruins got some help from the Wild who surprisingly beat the Lightning (28-15-4) 3-2 in regulation. That leaves Boston eight points ahead of Tampa Bay although the Lightning still have two games in hand. Toronto (25-16-7) is a little bit less of an immediate threat since they trail the Bruins by 11 points with only one game in hand on them. No doubt, the B's would love to sweep the season series with the Pens but it won't be easy to complete at PPG Paints Arena where Pittsburgh is 17-5-3 this season. For whatever reason, I feel like Boston's games there in recent years have usually been bonkers.

The Bruins return to the Garden on Tuesday (7, NESN) to host the Golden Knights (25-19-6) who fired their head coach Gerard Gallant yesterday in a move that few saw coming because the team still holds the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. From there, Pastrnak and Cassidy head to the All-Star Game (Rask is skipping it even if he's healthy by then) in St. Louis while everyone else-unless Bergeron or Marchand is an injury replacement for a guy from the Atlantic Division team-gets a legitimate break since the next game isn't until January 31 (8, NESN) at Winnipeg (25-18-4). If the B's can get points in those final two matchups, they'll put themselves in a great spot heading into the stretch drive-the last 31 games of the regular season.

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Monday Night Hockey (B's vs. Pens) > Monday Night Football (When It's Cowboys vs. Giants)

Outside of holidays (which usually have sleepy afternoon start times) and playoff games in the spring, there are never too many Bruins home games on Monday nights during the regular season. Everybody knows that Mondays are the worst day of the week so it's nice to have something to reward us at the end of those miserable 24 hours. Doubly so when it's such an entertaining contest like the one that Boston (11-1-2) and Pittsburgh (8-6-1) had this evening at TD Garden. The Bruins scored the first three goals to chase Pens goaltender Matt Murray (8 saves) then watched the Penguins score four in a row in the second to take a 4-3 lead before closing it out 6-4 thanks to a 3-0 third period. Boston has won six games in a row and they have points in 10 straight games (8-0-2).

As you would expect from such a gong show, there was a ton of highlights, lowlights and everything in between for both clubs. Murray put his team in a major hole early by allowing a soft goal to Jake DeBrusk, then Brad Marchand knocked a puck in the net out of mid-air (a new lead-off hitter for the Red Sox if Mookie Betts gets traded?) and David Pastrnak beat him shortside early in the second for the quick hook. DeBrusk's third goal of the season at 5:24 of the first period was technically unassisted by Kris Letang coughed the puck up right to him and Jake beat Murray down low to the far side. Marchand's ninth goal of the season came at 13:05 of the first and it was assisted by Pasta and Zdeno Chara. It was the beginning of Marchand's second five-point (2 goals, 3 assists) performance in his last four games (also Oct. 27 at NYR). It also extended his career-best point streak (13) and assist streak (12-most for a Bruin since Marc Savard in 2007!). The B's led 2-0 after one and when Pastrnak bagged his NHL-leading 14th goal at 4:22 of the second, this felt like another routine two points for the home team. Marchand and Carlo assisted on Pastrnak's tally that extended his point streak to 12 games (14 goals, 15 assists) which tied a career-best from two years ago (Nov. 22-Dec. 16, 2017).

Murray has probably been playing too much anyway (already his 12th start in 15 games) so it's not wonder he played like a guy that's fatigued. I couldn't tell you much about his backup Tristan Jarry (12 saves) but that move certainly flipped the momentum in Pittsburgh's favor. Suddenly, Boston kept giving up breakaways and Grade A scoring chances as the Penguins outshot them 21-5 in the second period (the most shots on goal allowed by the B's in a period in over a year). Dominik Kahun got the rally started with a one-timer at 5:35. Jared McCann and Justin Schultz had the assists on Kahun's third goal of the season which gave him five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in his last three games. Kris Letang hit Nick Bjugstad with a beautiful stretch pass and he cut it to 3-2 at 9:56. BC's Brian Dumoulin had the second assist on the former Panther's first goal of the season. Pittsburgh was flying up and down the ice, showing off their elite skill like when Evgeni Malkin (in his 2nd game back from injury) fed Bryan Rust with an absurd backhand tape-to-tape pass and the former Notre Dame star tied it at 15:59. Alex Galchenyuk had the second helper on the speedy Rust's second goal of the season.

You would have thought that was a perfect time for Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy to make use of his timeout but since it's still early November, he decided to let it play out and unfortunately, that decision backfired spectacularly. Coming out of the penalty box, North Easton MA native and Harvard product John Marino received an errant pass right on his stick, walked in on a breakaway and tucked one home past Jaroslav Halak (40 saves, 4-1-1) with 3.4 seconds left in the second period for his unforgettable first NHL goal. The stunned Bruins fans had no choice but to boo them off the ice as they went to the dressing room trailing 4-3. With a back-to-back looming in Montreal, Boston wanted no part of overtime or a shootout so they got the job done with a strong finish.

Leave it to some of their biggest stars to put this wild game to bed. Torey Krug one-timed a laser top shelf on Jarry from Marchand at 8:14 to tie it up at four apiece. Krug's second goal of the season (1 goal, 8 assists in his last 9 games) was also assisted by David Krejci. Brad got the game-winner with a fortuitous bounce following a wicked snap shot: the puck went off a post, ricocheted off Jarry's back and over the goal-line before Sidney Crosby (game-low minus-4!) could prevent that from happening. Marchand's 10th goal of the season was unassisted at 18:03 and it sent the Garden into delirium. Fittingly Mr. Steady himself Patrice Bergeron ended it with an empty-netter at 19:46. His seventh goal of the season (4-game point streak and 15 points in his last 13 games) was assisted by Krejci and Marchand.

Boston has already faced Toronto (7-5-3) twice this season and I'm not the first one to say that the Bruins-Leafs rivalry has been juicier the last few seasons than B's-Canadiens (7-5-2) mostly because Montreal has been an afterthought in the league. Of course, it won't feel like that tomorrow night (7:30, NBCSN) in the first encounter of this campaign at the Bell Centre with Tuukka Rask (7-0-1) in net for the Black and Gold plus former Bruins head coach Claude Julien aka Handsome Ralph behind the bench for the Habs. Boston had to work harder than they would have liked tonight after going up by three goals but they are such a professional team that I bet they find a way to get up for Montreal because duh.

Charlie McAvoy left the game late in the third period after crashing head first into a post on Boston's net. Cassidy thought it was only a cut and not a concussion which would be a relief while Krug also suffered a grizzly flesh wound on his chin after Rust's skate accidentally caught him when they were tangled up in the net following another collision. Cameron Hughes made his NHL debut on the fourth line for Boston and with David Backes and Par Lindholm both out with upper-body injuries, I'm guessing that he'll get another game (not that he really did much vs. Pittsburgh).

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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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Bruins Use Strong 3rd Period (3-0) to Demolish the Penguins 5-1 & Sweep the 3-Game Season Series

One of the major storylines for the Bruins this season has been the stunted development of second-year right wing David Pastrnak. After getting injured early in the season, going to the World Junior Championships again with Czech Republic and rehabbing in Providence, he finally seems to be settling in. Tonight, he scored two goals as Boston (33-22-6) beat Pittsburgh (30-21-8) 5-1 at TD Garden. Thanks to the win, the B's swept the season series (3-0) with the Pens and outscored them 14-3.

It was the Pasta Show early on as he was awarded a penalty shot with four minutes left in the first period and used a stop and start move to throw off Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (24 saves). Boston led 1-0 after the first period and Landon Ferraro dropped the gloves with UMass-Lowell alum Scott Wilson 1:42 into the second period. Shortly after that, Pastrnak doubled the Bruins' advantage after Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maata pulled a Kevan Miller and handed the puck right to him in front of the Penguins' net. Pastrnak waited until Fleury went down and put the puck around him for his eighth goal of the season at 3:12. He has four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in his last four games and it was his third career two-goal game.

Tuukka Rask (41 saves; 23-17-5) probably deserved a shutout as the only "shot" that beat him came off the skate of Penguins winger Tom Kuhnhackl. Rask kicked out a big rebound of rookie Oskar Sundqvist's shot and Kuhnhackl made a hockey stop directly into the puck at 4:07 of the second period. It was reviewed but the call stood since the referees felt like it didn't constitute a distinct kicking motion. Boston's buzzard's luck when it comes to reviews and coach's challenges this season has been unbelievably poor. Kuhnhackl's second goal of the season was also assisted by Trevor Daley.

With Boston up 2-1 after two periods, it appeared to be another white-knuckle finish at the Garden (where they improved to 13-15-3 this season) until the Bruins finished with a flourish of three goals in 4:53. Jimmy Hayes tapped-in a pretty feed from Ryan Spooner at 10:34. The former BC star's 13th goal of the season was also assisted by Adam McQuaid (game-high 4 blocked shots). For once, Boston made the other team crumble in crunch time as Ferraro scored on a breakaway at 14:26 from Dennis Seidenberg. His fourth goal of the season was his first point in 26 games (an assist vs. Pittsburgh on Dec. 18). Finally, Brad Marchand knocked in a rebound 1:01 after Ferraro's goal for his team-leading 31st goal of the season. Amazingly enough, he's tied with former Bruin Tyler Seguin for the fourth most goals in the NHL. Torey Krug and Patrice Bergeron had the last helpers.

The Bruins dads were in the locker room after the game as they will head to Carolina (28-23-10) along with their sons for Friday's contest (7, NESN). It's a cool little perk for the team during an arduous season and surely something that the fathers look forward to every year. The B's are 20-7-3 on the road but the Hurricanes have been surprisingly decent in 2015-16 so that is no gimmee although Carolina is at Toronto on Thursday so they'll be in the second leg of a back-to-back. Two more points there would be nice for the Black and Gold who return home for a rare Sunday night (6:30, NBCSN) meeting with Tampa Bay (34-22-4) who is currently tied with Boston (although they own the tiebreaker with a game in hand).

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Bruins Blank Free-Falling Penguins 3-0, Tuukka Rask Picks Up His 4th Shutout of the Season

There were only two games in the NHL tonight so that meant much of the hockey world got to see two teams on national TV (NBCSN) that are headed in opposite directions. Boston (17-9-4) beat Pittsburgh (15-12-3) 3-0 at TD Garden behind 34 saves by goaltender Tuukka Rask for his fourth shutout of the season (tied for NHL lead) and 30th of his career. Seven different Bruins had points, led by Jimmy Hayes and Ryan Spooner who each put up a goal and an assist. These same teams will be back at it on Friday (7, NESN) at Consol Energy Center.

Boston is 6-1-3 in its last 10 games and this win vaulted them into second-place in the Atlantic Division (tied with Detroit, with 1 game in hand) and fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. Conversely, Pittsburgh is stuck in fifth-place in the Metropolitan Division and 11th-place in the East. The Penguins have suffered an epic bout of injuries, terrible luck and general poor karma that tends to permeate around bad teams. Still, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel in the fold, it's hard to believe that the Penguins could be tied with the Maple Leafs for the third fewest goals scored (68) so far this season in the league.

Even early on, you had a feeling that it was the Bruins' night when Max Talbot of all people scored his first ever goal for Boston (in his 29th game) at 9:52 of the first period. Adam McQuaid and Hayes assisted on Talbot's goal that was a snipe (haha for him at least) over poor Jeff Zatkoff's (26 saves) glove. Boston doubled its lead at 4:00 of the second period when Spooner's pass bounced in ever so slightly off of Hayes who drove to the net just as Bruins head coach Claude Julien had told him to. New Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan (formerly of the Bruins, BU and Marshfield MA) challenged it to see if Hayes interfered with Zatkoff but he didn't so it held up. Colin Miller had the second assist on Hayes' fifth goal of the season (the former BC star had just 1 assist in his last 14 games).

Pittsburgh dominated the second period, outshooting Boston 18-4, but they had nothing to show for it. That had to be extremely frustrating for the Penguins and each club seemed to basically go through the motions in the third period. Spooner clinched it with the ultra-rare power play/empty-net combo platter goal at 17:17. Patrice Bergeron (6-game point streak) and Loui Eriksson assisted on Spooner's eighth goal of the season.

Adam McQuaid escaped serious injury in the second after he took a wayward puck to his face. He skated off quickly with his hand over his mouth and headed straight to the dressing room for some repairs. There were some chippy plays on both sides but only four penalties were called on Pittsburgh and three on Boston with no fights (maybe since Zac Rinaldo went on IR yesterday). Expect that to change on Friday, especially if Pittsburgh is losing again and in desperate need of a spark.

Rask has been on fire lately, he is 7-0-2 in his last nine games with a 1.36 goals against average, .955 save percentage and three shutouts. He's playing his best hockey of the season along with most of his teammates. It only took nearly 2.5 months but Boston is finally .500 at home (7-7-2) this season, haha progress! They remain one of the best road teams (10-2-2) in the NHL while Pittsburgh is 8-5-2 at home. It's hard to say with a straight face that any game before Christmas is a must-win in the NHL but if the Penguins have any pride, Friday is basically that.

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Bruins Blank Penguins 2-0 For Their Fifth Straight Win (Making Them 8-1-1 in The Last 10 Games)

Remember a few short weeks ago when even the biggest Bruins honk felt like they were going nowhere for the rest of this ill-fated season? My how things have changed since today's 2-0 win by Boston (36-22-10) at CONSOL Energy Center vs. Pittsburgh (39-19-10) was their fifth straight victory (best current streak in the NHL) and left them 8-1-1 in their last 10 games (tied with Rangers for best mark). The Bruins are now tied with the Capitals for seventh-place (82 points) in the Eastern Conference and only five points behind the Red Wings (37-19-11) who are also faltering at this most important time.

Sure the B's caught two enormous breaks since Sidney Crosby was in pregame warmups but didn't suit up because of an undisclosed injury while Evgeni Malkin played a grand total of five shifts before leaving with a mysterious injury of his own. Chris Kelly had hit him which seemed to cause the injury but it was a clean, routine play and nothing dirty by any means. Still, the Bruins wouldn't have taken advantage of that earlier in the season so it was nice to see them continue to get the job done in any number of ways. Once again, they rode Tuukka Rask (30 saves; 3rd shutout of the season) who has been one of the league's best over the last month-plus.

The other thing that went Boston's way happened before the game began as the Penguins started backup goaltender Thomas Greiss (28 saves) in order to rest Marc-Andre Fleury for a matchup vs. Detroit on Sunday. Greiss was fine except that he allowed a rather soft goal to Milan Lucic at 9:53 of the first period. David Pastrnak and Dougie Hamilton assisted on Lucic's low wrist shot that should have been stopped but went in for his 15th goal of the season.

Really not that much else happened the rest of the way which was fine with the Bruins. Boston's power play was 0 for 4 but they held Pittsburgh to 0 for 3 so that was basically a draw. Captain Zdeno Chara clinched it for Boston with a rink-long empty-netter when there were 38 seconds left in regulation. Gregory Campbell assisted on Chara's seventh goal of the season which made it 2-0 for the visitors.

Ironically enough, the B's are in DC tomorrow night (7:30, NBCSN) to face the Capitals (36-23-10). Boston has played one less game than Washington so a win against them on Sunday would give them some extra space. It is the second leg of a back-to-back (when you'd normally play the backup goalie) but I believe that Rask will make another start since the game is so important in the Wild Card standings.

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Bruins Celebrate Being Halfway Done w/Reg. Season by Winning 3-2 in OT at Penguins

We are living in the movie Groundhog Day: for the fourth straight game, the Bruins went to overtime. The key difference tonight at CONSOL Energy Center is that unlike the previous three contests, where they fell in either overtime or a shootout, Boston (20-15-6) decided to get the two points as Patrice Bergeron tipped in Milan Lucic's shot at 2:43 for a thrilling 3-2 win over the Penguins. What's more, that victory put the Bruins in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Even though they seem to usually match up well with them, the Penguins (24-10-6) are one of the top teams in the East. That's what made this Boston's best win of 2014-15 (this was Game 41 of 82). You can't logically argue against the fact that Pittsburgh deserved better as they outshot Boston 39-24 (although B's owned overtime, 5-2) and saw Beau Bennett hit the post earlier in the extra session.

Bergeron's 10th goal of the season (and 2nd of the game) took a while to review since at first glance he appeared to tip the puck with a high stick. However, it was called a goal on the ice and thankfully it remained that way with Torey Krug picking up the second assist.

The alarming trend continued for the B's of poor starts that lack any kind of emotion. Bennett scored 3:37 into the game as he put in a sneaky pass from Evgeni Malkin that caught everyone including Tuukka Rask (37 saves) by surprise and out of position. Simon Despres had the other assist on Bennett's second goal of the season.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara has been playing like he is in quicksand (apparently he's human too) but he still managed to tie it at 17:57 of the first period with a blast from the point that beat Marc-Andre Fleury (21 saves). It was the captain's third goal of the season with assists to Reilly Smith and David Krejci.

It was a good sign that in such an important game, Boston's best players stepped it up a notch. Bergeron made it 2-1 at 15:37 of the second period with a snipe that went over Fleury's shoulder. Daniel Paille and Lucic had the assists. Boston kept the lead after two periods but Malkin quickly erased it with a laser that whizzed by Rask 14 seconds into the third. That was Geno's 18th goal of the season, assisted by Christian Ehrhoff.

The B's are 1-5-1 in the second legs of back-to-backs so far this season but they'll have as good a chance as ever to change that tomorrow night (7, NESN) as they host the Devils at TD Garden. New Jersey (15-20-7) was off tonight but they are bad and going nowhere this season so if Boston wants to make the playoffs, they need to win against that type of overmatched opposition. If all else fails, they should kidnap Jaromir Jagr while he's in the building and get him back on the Bruins.

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Penguins Beat Bruins 3-2 In Overtime On Malkin's 2nd Goal of the Game

It is a cold reality but I guess we should be somewhat content that the shorthanded B's were able to take a point against the juggernaut Penguins tonight at TD Garden. Playing with what feels like half a team that rightfully belongs in Providence, Pittsburgh (14-4-2) beat Boston (13-9-1) 3-2 in overtime at TD Garden on Evgeni Malkin's goal just 32 seconds in.

Brad Marchand returned after missing three games with an undisclosed injury but David Krejci and Chris Kelly remained out. Boston made the curious decision to send Seth Griffith back to Providence this afternoon while Matt Fraser was a healthy scratch. That meant that their first-round pick from this past draft, David Pastrnak, made his NHL debut at the ripe old age of 18 (he's the youngest player to appear in the NHL this season). He only ended up playing 7:53 so his contributions were understandably limited. Furthermore, it's hard to say what they wanted out of Jordan Caron (3:35) and Alex Khokhlachev (2:53) when they each played five total shifts in the entire contest.

You can only keep Sidney Crosby and Malkin in check for so long, even in the best of times, which made it utterly predictable that Crosby opened the scoring at 3:33 with a backhander on a rebound from Tuukka Rask (30 saves). Harvard's Craig Adams and Kris Letang had the assists on Crosby's ninth goal of the season.

Pittsburgh led 1-0 after the first period but Boston tied it early in the second on Milan Lucic's tap-in from Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg at 1:43. Lucic has been lost without Krejci so it was nice to see him pick up his fourth goal of the season on Eriksson's slick pass. The Bruins took the lead only 28 seconds later as rookie Joe Morrow scored his first career NHL goal. Marc-Andre Fleury (27 saves) was screened while Dougie Hamilton and Simon Gagne were credited with the assists on Morrow's wrister from the point.

The B's had not one but two possible goals called off upon replay this evening. In the first period, Patrice Bergeron hit the puck in with what was determined to be a high stick. That seemed like the right call but the second one was much more shaky. In the following frame, the puck deflected in off Soderberg's body before Lucic knocked the net off of its mooring. The refs ruled that Soderberg used his glove which was not obvious at all.

Malkin and Crosby took over even further as Malkin tied it at two. His low but hard shot beat Rask to the nearside at 9:42 of the second period on the power play for his ninth goal of the season. Letang and Crosby had the assists on that tally. After the scoreless third period, where the Penguins outshot the Bruins 12-4, all Pittsburgh needed was one rush in overtime to end it. Crosby went blazing up the left wing before firing a one-timer over to Malkin who caught Rask in scramble mode going side-to-side (who could blame him?).

Boston is now off until Friday (7, NESN) when they host Winnipeg (10-9-3). The trend for the Bruins so far this season has been to beat the bad and average teams and then to lose against the good ones. However, it's tough to see them topping many teams in their current state of disarray with all the injuries and underachieving individuals. The scary part is that after that they go to the West Coast for four games in six days including the dreaded California trio of Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.

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Shawn Thornton Suspended For 15 Games After His Gutless Attack on Brooks Orpik

It took the NHL almost a week to come to their decision (no rush guys) but I'm sad to say that they made the right choice as they suspended Bruins winger Shawn Thornton for 15 games following his brutal punchout of Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik. It is the longest regular season suspension handed out by VP of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan.

I really haven't heard too much blowback from Bruins fans following this incident last Saturday night at TD Garden. Even if you are a huge Bruins honk, it is basically impossible to justify Thornton's slew foot of Orpik (who's not a fighter) followed by two punches right to his face when he was helpless on the ice.

The unfortunate part of this has to be what it will make people around North America think about Thornton moving forward. In New England, we know what a good guy he seems to be and how he's an honest player that never could be called dirty before that (he's never been fined or suspended). I fear that his legacy for many non-Bruins fans will be this and that is really too bad (granted I totally understand) considering the nice career he's put together including two Stanley Cups.

Thornton has already missed three games this week and Boston meets Vancouver tonight (10, NESN) in the final game of their four-city Western Canada road trip. It sounds like he might appeal the decision but I'd be surprised if the NHL changes anything about it. They really strung this out so you have to believe that they agonized over the suspension length. I guess we'll have to wait and see.


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Could Anything Else Have Happened in Boston's Thrilling 3-2 Over Pittsburgh?

Can we just fast forward to another Eastern Conference Finals between the Bruins and Penguins? You know it's going to come down to that again, right? Oh well, I guess we'll have to let tonight's chock-filled game tide us over until then since it was the third and final installment of the regular season meetings (B's won 2 of 3). Boston (19-8-2) beat Pittsburgh (20-10-1) 3-2 thanks to two goals in the final 1:29 but all anyone could talk about was Shawn Thornton knocking out Brooks Orpik.

It all started in the first period when Orpik went high on Loui Eriksson, a hit that wasn't deemed penalty worthy yet resulted a second concussion this season for the Swede. Later in the frame, Brad Marchand was tripped by Sidney Crosby and scummy James Neal happened to skate by him and knee Marchand in the head. Don't worry though, Neal said after the game that it was an accident. The next part was especially ugly as Thornton went after Orpik and punched him when he was on the ice and thus couldn't really defend himself. Orpik was knocked out cold and had to be carted off on a stretcher. The good news there is that he's flying back to Pittsburgh with his teammates after a trip to the hospital.

Thornton will be suspended, possibly for six games or more since he has an in-person (never a good sign) meeting with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. Neal has a phone meeting which means he could get a game or two (keep in mind he's a repeat offender while Thornton has never actually been suspended).

Oh yes, there was a hockey game too. Chris Kunitz was credited with a power play goal (it is the giving season) which was actually an intended pass that bounced in the net off Zdeno Chara's skate at 6:33 of the first period. Reilly Smith answered at 10:13 with his sixth goal of the season as Patrice Bergeron stole the puck and fed him for a slap shot that Marc-Andre Fleury (18 saves) had no chance to stop.

Speaking of that dirtbag Neal, he can certainly score goals on top of all his bush league tactics. He got another fluky power play goal when he popped out of the penalty box and found a hole in Tuukka Rask's (28 saves) pads at 13:13.

Boston looked out of it but then that's when they usually respond, especially at the Garden. David Krejci tied it at two at 18:31 of the third period with his fifth goal of the season after Rask had been pulled for an extra skater. Zdeno Chara was screening Rask while Milan Lucic and Jarome Iginla had the assists. 1:16 later (with 13 seconds left in regulation) captain Zdeno Chara took a pretty pass from Smith and put a snap shot in the corner. Marchand had the second assist on Chara's seventh goal of the season.

With all this craziness, the B's had to hop on a flight for Toronto since they are playing the Maple Leafs (16-11-3) tomorrow night (7, NESN). I think Rask will sit although maybe with Eriksson, Thornton and Chris Kelly (lower body injury that nobody saw) all out, Bruins head coach Claude Julien elects to go with his stability. We shall see, everyone get some sleep.

12/8: The hits keep coming, Kelly has a broken right fibula from Pascal Dupuis' slash. He was placed on long-term IR and is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks (this happened last season too). Adam McQuaid also went on IR so forwards Matt Fraser and Ryan Spooner were called up from Providence and will be in the lineup tonight in Toronto. Keep in mind Boychuk is out indefinitely, the Bruins say a week but I'll believe it when I see it with his back injury that looked pretty serious.

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