Trying to Clinch Home Ice vs. Leafs, B's Give Away a Game Against the Going Nowhere Panthers

How did the Bruins (47-22-9) game against the Panthers (35-32-12) at TD Garden go this afternoon you ask? Well to illustrate how poorly things went for the home team, good old Roberto Luongo (30 saves, 17-16-4) was named the No. 1 star. In other words, I feel bad for anyone that paid to get into this dog's breakfast of a performance by the B's. Hell I go for free (humblebrag) and I still wanted a refund for being subjected to that gross 4-1 win by Florida.

Boston could never really make it interesting as they trailed 2-0 in the first period, got their only goal midway through the second then Tuukka Rask (19 saves, 26-12-5) gave up a soft shorthanded goal that he has to stop when it matters (say in the playoffs in a few weeks). It's tough to get to down though on a team that is tied with Calgary (48-23-7) for the second most points in the NHL. Furthermore, before this no-show, they had won 12 straight games at the Garden and earned points in 14 in a row (12-0-2) here. Likewise, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand saw their 17-game home point streaks end in front of mostly children and their families on a sunny Saturday in late March.

Florida has been an underachieving team for years; at least if you look at their collection of talented young forwards and defensemen, you wonder why they haven't been more of a factor in the Eastern Conference. Truth be told, Luongo and/or their lack of other quality goaltending options have been their biggest issue for why they'll miss the playoffs once again in 2018-19. They have the No. 2 power play in the NHL which isn't the be-all end-all but a top line of Jonathan Huberdeau (2 assists), Aleksander Barkov (assist) and Evgeni Dadonov (2 goals) is pretty nice. Of course, it doesn't help matters that they play in the toughest division in hockey with Tampa Bay (59-14-4), Boston and Toronto (45-25-7) all looking down on them. Carey Price is the only reason they aren't better than the Canadiens (41-29-8) in my humble opinion, how else can you explain why Montreal is a playoff contender and they aren't?

The puck luck was on the Panthers' side all afternoon (side note Boston had been 7-0-1 in matinees this season before this) from start to finish. A loose puck bounced in off of Riley Sheahan at 13:37 of the first period for a 1-0 Florida lead. Dryden Hunt (that can't be a real name) and Milton MA's own Keith Yandle had the assists on Sheahan's ninth goal of the season. A juicy rebound kicked out by Rask led to another goal for the Panthers a little over two minutes later: Dadonov potted the goal (his 27th of the season), from Aaron Ekblad (game-high 25:20 of ice time) and Huberdeau at 15:44.

Fittingly for such a crap performance, Boston's fourth line was the only one cited positively in head coach Bruce Cassidy's post-game remarks. Noel Acciari cut it to 2-1 at 13:12 of the second period after an awesome shift by Torey Krug (tying his career-high from last season with 45 assists) who threw the puck across the ice and the former PC standout put in a working man's backhander. His sixth goal of the season was also assisted by Joakim Nordstrom. B's fans finally had something legitimate to cheer about but Rask managed to end that quickly by allowing Troy Brouwer to beat him blocker side for a backbreaking shorthanded goal at 14:19. BC's Mike Matheson had the second assist on Brouwer's 11th goal of the season.

The Bruins outshot the Panthers 31-23 and had 61 shot attempts (20 blocked, 10 missed net) to their 35 (8 blocked, 4 missed net) but in the end (Lincoln Park voice, sorry that's very dated and quite lame) it didn't matter one bit. Dadonov scored an empty-net goal at 17:41 of the third period and everyone went home slightly upset. Granted it's tough to be that angry on a Saturday unless you are truly a psycho. Even if Toronto (45-25-7) wins as expected tonight at tanking Ottawa (27-44-6), the Leafs would still trail Boston by four points while both have four games remaining in the regular season. That is not an insurmountable lead for the B's but they appear unlikely to blow that while Toronto is all over the place.

Enough of these worthless matchups against clubs that will be sitting on a tropical beach and drinking their faces off by next Sunday. Speaking of which, Boston is at Detroit (30-38-10) tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports) to start their final (Midwest) road trip that also includes stops in Columbus (43-30-4) on Tuesday (7, NESN) and Minnesota (36-33-9) on Thursday (8, NESN) before returning for their home/regular season finale vs. the Lightning next Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). The Red Wings have won four games in a row which I suppose is swell but that franchise is still a hot pile of garbage. Jaroslav Halak (21-10-4) will be in net as the Bruins try to improve on their stellar records this season in Game 2s of back-to-backs (9-2-2) and Game 2s of three games in four days (11-3-2).

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What an Exciting & Enjoyable (Regular) Season That This Has Turned Out to Be for Your Bruins

Help, it's only early March and I'm starting to run out of ways to praise the 2018-19 Bruins. Tonight at TD Garden, for the second game in a row, they spotted their opponent (Florida) a 2-0 lead but nobody will remember that is they rallied for a bonkers 4-3 win that extended their point-streak to 18 games (14-0-4) tied with last season's identical run for the second-longest mark in franchise history (23 in 1940-41). What was particularly nuts about these two points is that the B's (41-17-9) tied it with 36.5 seconds left in regulation on Matt Grzelcyk's bardown blast and Patrice Bergeron was the hero for the millionth time as he scored the game-winning goal with 6.7 seconds left on poor Roberto Luongo (24 saves). Who needs overtime anyway?

Obviously relying on comebacks like this won't be sustainable in the postseason but with guys like David Pastrnak (thumb surgery), Jake DeBrusk (lower-body injury) and Marcus Johansson (lung contusion) currently sidelined with injuries, you take the victories however you can stack them up. Tuukka Rask (22 saves, 23-8-5) had his worst performance in a long time and yet he still managed to extend his own point-streak to 18 games (15-0-3). During that stretch, he has a goals against average of 1.93 and a .931 save percentage. Hi Tuukka haters, how are you all doing? (Crickets).

Fittingly for such a bottom of the barrel franchise, tonight's loss clinched another playoff-less season (for the 20th time in 25 seasons of existence) for the Panthers (28-27-12) not that anyone will likely notice or more importantly care one bit. After a scoreless first period, Florida's No. 3 power play in the NHL flexed its muscles with a pair of goals. First captain Aleksander Barkov (who I just found out tonight is Finnish, wouldn't you think that he's Russian?) tipped in Milton MA native Keith Yandle's wrister for his 29th goal of the season. Jonathan Huberdeau had the second assist on the game's opening goal at 2:48 of the second period. Things got worse for the Bruins and their penalty kill unit as Huberdeau batted a puck out of the air for another power play tally at 6:27. Barkov and Yandle (playing in his NHL-best 782nd consecutive game) had the helpers on Huberdeau's 19th goal of the season. Rask flailed at the slow motion shot with his glove and he got a piece of it but couldn't corral it completely.

Boston responded midway through that frame as David Krejci worked a pretty give-and-go with Danton Heinen for his 17th goal of the season at 10:29. David Backes had the second assist on Krejci's tight angle shot that he still managed to roof over a prone Luongo. At 39, you have to think that this could Luongo's last season in the NHL and when he finally retires, the Bruins and their fans will be sad to see that day since they have owned him for almost eight years now and counting. Bergeron tied it with a shorthanded goal for the second game in a row. Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand had the assists on his 24th goal of the season at 8:50 of the third period. It was a wrist shot from some distance but somehow Luongo couldn't stop it.

Huberdeau wouldn't let his team fold though at least at that point as he spun around to fire a shot past Zdeno Chara and Rask at 10:55. Evgeni Dadonov and Aaron Ekblad had the assists on that shot that seemed to catch Rask by surprise. Boston waited until the last minute to really build the suspense: it started with David Krejci drawing a tripping penalty on Mike Hoffman and eventually Rask came to the bench for an extra skater. Grzelcyk's goal came with one second left on the power play with Marchand and McAvoy registering the assists on his second goal of the season and undoubtedly the biggest of his brief Bruins career. I had complete confidence that the Black and Gold would find a way to win it in overtime but good old Luongo made sure that they wouldn't need to go beyond regulation. Marchand won a puck battle in the corner and fed Bergeron in the slot for his latest highlight reel unforgettable goal. Like any Bruins fan, I'm thankful every day that I get to watch those two fantastic hockey players on my favorite team.

This dream of a six-game homestand (5-0-0) comes to an end on Saturday night (7, NESN) as the Bruins have the honor of hosting the NHL's worst team-the Senators (23-39-6). Anything can happen in this league but I'd be shocked if the B's let up and this incredible points streak ends against that AHL-level club. Sean Kuraly returned this evening after missing the past two games with a concussion and head coach Bruce Cassidy said that DeBrusk could possibly play on Saturday since his latest injury didn't seem too serious. Most importantly, this result pushed Boston four points ahead of Toronto (41-21-5) while both teams have exactly 15 games remaining in the regular season with no head-to-head matchups left. It looks almost like a lock (barring a huge closing run by Montreal and/or an epic collapse by the Leafs) that it will be Boston vs. Toronto for the second year in a row in Round 1 of the playoffs.

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B's Choke Away the Atlantic Division Title & #1 Seed in the East So They'll Face Leafs in Rd. 1

It's been an unexpectedly wonderful 2017-18 regular season for your Boston Bruins (50-20-12) but there is no way to sugarcoat tonight's result: their 4-2 loss to the Panthers (44-30-8) at TD Garden was an unmitigated disaster that ultimately could cost them the chance at the Stanley Cup this spring/summer. A win would have netted the B's many nice things: the Atlantic Division title, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference (with home ice throughout) and perhaps most importantly, a first-round date with New Jersey (44-29-9), a team that they went 3-0 against this season and is undoubtedly the worst outfit to make it from the East. Instead, Boston finished second in the Atlantic Division which means that they'll face Toronto (49-26-7)-one of the best teams in the NHL and a club that went 3-1 vs. their Original Six rivals during this campaign.

The oddest part of this evening is that with so much on the line, the Black and Gold came out flat yet again (an all too common theme lately). Panthers rookie Henrik Borgstrom (who just a few weeks ago was playing at the University of Denver) scored his first NHL goal at 1:22 of the first period, assisted by former Bruins great Frank Vatrano. The Bruins seemed to wake up less than seven minutes later as David Backes deposited a rebound by James Reimer (33 saves, 2 goals allowed). Kevan Miller and David Krejci had the assists on Backes' 14th goal of the season. Vatrano is apparently becoming something of a Bruins killer as he bagged a goal in his second straight game vs. Boston. His one-timer at 16:46 of the first period restored Florida's lead while Jared McCann and Jamie McGinn (say that ten times fast) provided the assists on Vatrano's seventh goal of the season.

The B's successfully flushed a crappy (get it?!) first period down the toilet last night against Ottawa (28-43-11) but it proved to be not nearly as easy against the Panthers who have to be one of the best non-playoff teams in NHL history (they had 96 points, only one less than Columbus and New Jersey). Something called Maxim Mamin (what a great name!) beat Tuukka Rask (22 saves) with another one-timer at 13:33 of the second period for a 3-1 Florida advantage. Reimer stopped Jake DeBrusk on a breakaway later in the frame as the Bruins were still down two goals when the second had mercifully ended.

Boston finally woke up in the third period but it was much too late. Jonathan Huberdeau's double-minor for high sticking on Zdeno Chara sparked a short-lived comeback attempt by the B's as David Pastrnak cashed in with a power-play goal at 9:54. Pasta's team-best and career-high 35th goal of the season was assisted by Patrice Bergeron (3 goals, 6 assists in his last 9 games) and Ryan Donato. Reimer actually left late in the third with a leg injury but Roberto Luongo (8 saves) of all people managed to hang on for the win. Evgenii Dadonov sent Bruins fans running to the exits when he put in a juicy rebound at 18:11. McCann assisted on Dadonov's 28th goal of the season which handed their Sunshine State neighbors (Tampa Bay) the Atlantic Division and top seed in the East.

In the last week or so, the Bruins appeared to be understandably gassed. They lost four out of their last five games which is not exactly what you want to see from a team that will be expected to make a deep playoff run. Still, it sounds like the Nashes (Rick and Riley) should hopefully be back for Game 1 vs. Toronto on Thursday (7, NESN) which would give their forward lines some additional quality depth. Game 2 is Saturday night (8, NESN) with the series shifting to Toronto for Game 3 on Patriots Day (7, NESN) and next Thursday (7, NESN).

Thankfully, I'm not in the prediction business but you are crazy if you think that Bruins-Maple Leafs will be decided either way by a sweep or in five games. This has epic six or seven-game tight playoff series written all over it. Besides Tampa Bay (54-23-5) vs. New Jersey, the other Eastern Conference series are Washington (49-26-7) vs. Columbus (45-30-7) and Pittsburgh (47-29-6) vs. Philadelphia (42-26-14). I would argue that there is nothing in sports better than the Stanley Cup Playoffs so you have to savor all of them that you can get. Like the Bruins, we all could use a little rest before the fun begins on Wednesday for some teams and Thursday for them. See you then.

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Bruins Pummel the Panthers 5-1 to Clinch Home Ice In At Least the First Round of the Playoffs

With the finish line of the regular season in plain sight, the Bruins (49-17-11) are starting to set their laser-like focus on the playoffs while also making sure to get the requisite points that they need to hopefully rest key guys at some juncture in the final week. Boston allowed the first goal of the game this afternoon at TD Garden against the desperate Panthers (39-30-8) but from there, the B's hit them with five straight goals (not to mention countless literal punches to the face) to come away with a satisfying 5-1 victory. With the win, the Black and Gold regained first-place in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division from Tampa Bay (52-22-4) who had destroyed the Rangers (33-36-9) 7-3 last night. The B's also still own a game in hand against the Lightning plus they meet one more time on Tuesday (7:30, NESN) in the Sunshine State as Boston goes for the season sweep (right now they're 3-0 vs. TB).

The only negative part of the contest for Boston was that they somehow suffered two more injuries to important players: center Riley Nash left in the second period after taking a Torey Krug shot to the ear, he received stitches (ouch!) and didn't return. In the third period defenseman Brandon Carlo went down in a heap with the dreaded non-contact injury. He lunged at the puck with his right skate and his right leg/knee seemed to give out. Ugh, it just so happened to occur right by the corner with the paramedics stationed nearby so he was wheeled out on a stretcher.

Jamie McGinn gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 4:59 of the first period after jamming in the puck past Tuukka Rask (30 saves, 34-11-5; 10-0-1 in his last 11 starts). Milton native Keith Yandle (5-game point streak) and Vincent Trocheck had the assists on McGinn's 13th goal of the season. The Bruins responded with two goals later in the first period and three goals in the second to put this away early. Center David Krejci (3 assists) was the catalyst for the B's offense along with rookie winger Jake DeBrusk (2 goals, 1 assist) who returned after missing eight games with an upper-body injury to play on Krejci's line with fellow rookie Ryan Donato (goal, assist).

Nick Holden's 1st goal as a Bruin (4th of the season overall) tied it at 11:15 as he went to the net and Krejci whirled around to put the puck right on his stick for a sweet re-direct with DeBrusk picking up the second helper. An aggressive forecheck all day by the B's paid off with a couple goals: Panthers defenseman Alexander Petrovic lost the puck behind his own net and Donato was on it to feed DeBrusk for a nifty one-timer at 14:06. Krejci had the second assist on DeBrusk's 15th goal of the season.

It was another tough day at the Garden for James Reimer (15 saves, 5 goals allowed) as Donato made it 3-1 at 1:32 of the second period after Krejci caused a turnover and passed it to the rookie for his fourth goal in seven NHL games. Adam McQuaid fought Michael Haley after that goal but much like in the game itself, the Panthers were beaten in that matchup as well. Reimer allowed a pair of goals that he should have stopped as Patrice Bergeron banged in a rebound at 13:40 of the second (similar to McGinn's goal) for his 29th goal of the season, assisted by David Backes and David Pastrnak (200th NHL point). Good old Roberto Luongo came in after Reimer gave up another leaky tally as he couldn't squeeze Kevan Miller's shot and DeBrusk was on the spot to tap it in at 16:32. It was all Hockey East alums on the assists as Matt Grzelcyk provided the second helper.

Noel Acciari had surprisingly never been in an NHL bout so he got that out of the way in the third period vs. something named MacKenzie Weegar. The Bruins got out of the building fast since they have to play the Flyers (39-25-14) tomorrow afternoon (12:30, NBC) on Easter Sunday. Expect Anton Khudobin to get the start in goal for Boston, I'm not sure if Riley Nash will be back but I highly doubt that Carlo could be available anytime soon. Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy (who won NESN's 7th player award before today's tilt) have both inched closer to a return this week and by chance, the Providence Bruins are in Pennsylvania playing the Lehigh Valley Phantoms so perhaps Paul Postma or another Providence defenseman could be recalled. Head coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned Brian Gionta (who was a healthy scratch today) as somebody that could take Riley's place if he can't go against Philadelphia who currently lead the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference.

Boston only has two home games left, vs. Ottawa (27-39-11) next Saturday night (7, NESN) and against Florida on Sunday night (7:30, NESN)-the makeup game from the snowstorm in January that postponed the game until the last day of the regular season. The Bruins and Panthers had plenty of scrums today and that should be a theme as they also meet in Sunrise, FL on Thursday (7:30, NESN). Today's loss pushed Florida further out of the playoff race as they fell to three points behind New Jersey (40-28-9) for the second Wild Card in the East. Needless to say, the Panthers really needed at least a point today and not only did they fail to get that but they also were humiliated by a determined opponent.

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David Pastrnak is Here to Save Us All from Another Season of Bruins Mediocrity

All night at TD Garden, the Bruins (15-10-1) couldn't shake the Panthers (12-11-3). Three different times Boston scored to take a temporary one-goal lead but each time Florida answered with a tying goal. Luckily for the B's and their fans, they employ David Pastrnak who you may have heard has morphed into one of the best goal-scorers in the NHL (see: his overtime goal that gave Boston a thrilling 4-3 win). Pasta had scored earlier in the contest to make it 2-1 and he potted the game-winner at 1:23 of overtime that will undoubtedly be in every highlight reel for awhile (not just hockey).

It was a big two points for the Bruins since the Panthers entered in a bit of a tailspin (after surprisingly firing head coach Gerard Gallant last weekend and replacing him with GM Tom Rowe). Moreover, with Roberto Luongo (9-8-1) in between the pipes for Florida, Boston had to take advantage of the same bozo from the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals vs. Vancouver. In 38 career games against the Bruins, Luongo fell to 15-17-1. Florida won the Atlantic Division last season but Boston still owns them (10-1-0 in their last 11 games in Boston and 15-2-1 in their last 18 games overall) dating back several years now.

After missing six games with a lower-body injury Bruins captain Zdeno Chara returned with a team-high 23:31 time on ice. There was plenty of action in the first period even though it looked like it would end 0-0. Former BC star Michael Matheson had a shorthanded bid stopped by Tuukka Rask (27 saves; 14-4-1). On the other end, Luongo robbed Ryan Spooner (the subject of trade rumors since he hasn't played well so far this season) with a ridiculous glove save. David Backes' one-timer from the doorstep hit Luongo in the chest and rookie Anton Blidh nearly nabbed his first NHL goal when he redirected Adam McQuaid's slap pass just wide. PC's Tim Schaller gave the B's a 1-0 lead at 18:32 (with his 4th goal of the season) when he one-timed a pass from David Krejci (who was stationed behind Florida's net).

The ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr tied it at 9:44 with a one-timer of his own. Florida's great young franchise defenseman Aaron Ekblad fed it to Jagr for his fifth goal of the season (and 754th all-time, 3rd most in NHL history). Pastrnak helped Boston regain a 2-1 lead at 16:37 with help from a slick feed by linemate Brad Marchand. Patrice Bergeron had the other assist on Pastrnak's 14th goal of the season (3rd most in the NHL). It was only a one-goal advantage but the team records were in Boston's favor after two periods: they were 11-0-0 when leading after two and Florida was 1-7-2 when trailing after two.

Obviously, that one-sided sample will change for the B's at some point and it appeared to be this evening as Alexander Barkov tied it at 7:54 of the third period. Patrice Bergeron turned the puck over in his own zone (something which hardly ever happens) and former teammate Reilly Smith was there to pass it to Barkov for an absolute snipe on Rask. Boston responded a little over five minutes later as Backes tipped in Spooner's shot from the half-wall for his seventh goal of the season. Luongo had just reached his bench when Jason Demers scored one last tally that knotted things at three. Matheson and Vincent Trocheck assisted on Demers' fourth goal of the season which came at 18:31 after a fortuitous bounce off the end boards came right to him and he was able to sneak it by Rask from a tough angle.

Pastrnak's goal in overtime as mentioned above was pure filth, some fine Bruins porn if you will. Krejci held the puck and waited for his fellow Czech to go out of the zone then come back in with speed so when he got the puck he was able to work it around Matheson and then Luongo who went down to the ice a bit early. Pastrnak was able to lift the puck with a forehand shot over Luongo as the Garden crowd exploded. Rookie Brandon Carlo had the second assist on Pastrnak's unforgettable strike (which tied his total goal output from last season).

This was the start of another busy week as Boston is at Washington (14-7-3) on Wednesday (8, NBC Sports) before they host Colorado (9-13-1) on Thursday (7, NESN) and Toronto (10-9-5) on Saturday night (7, NESN). The Capitals are still one of the top teams in the NHL and they always seem to give Boston a tough game, no surprise. The Bruins have won three games in a row and they extended their season-long point streak to five games (4-0-1). The Avalanche are currently in last-place in the Western Conference and the Maple Leafs as always are near the bottom in the East so those are two prime matchups for the B's to continue to bolster their home record (7-5-0). So far, this edition of the Bruins is playing moderately better on home ice, one of their main shortcomings that bit them in the ass last season.

Left wing Matt Beleskey is expected to miss the next six weeks after he hurt his right knee in Saturday's 2-1 win at Buffalo. He had gotten off to a crappy start (2 goals, 3 assists in 24 games) but Boston has very little depth at that particular position so it could be a sneaky important loss for the Black and Gold.

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Bruins Lose Their Fifth Straight Game, 4-1 to the Panthers, Leaving Their Playoff Hopes in Jeopardy

Even in a marathon 82-game regular season, there is never a good time to have a five-game losing streak (all in regulation, their longest such streak in over 6 years) but I'd say that during crunch time of a playoff push is just about the worst possible occasion to completely fall apart. Boston (39-28-8) lost all three of its games in California last week, fell 5-2 to the Rangers (42-24-8) last night at Madison Square Garden and this evening they came home to TD Garden and promptly lost 4-1 to Florida (41-24-9) in another must-win game.

The wonderful pregame ceremony for B's head coach Claude Julien (now the franchise's all-time leader in wins) was one of the only things for Bruins fans to feel good about after Boston failed to gain the all-important season sweep (3-1) of Florida who with the victory went five points ahead of them with a game in hand. As usual this season, a replay didn't go in Boston's favor (same story as the Rangers game) as a possible tying goal by Patrice Bergeron midway through the third period was wiped away and the B's proceeded to disintegrate.

After a scoreless first period, the Bruins broke the deadlock as Ryan Spooner beat Roberto Luongo (34 saves) at 7:42. Frank Vatrano and Loui Eriksson assisted on Spooner's 13th goal of the season (his 1st since March 3 vs. Chicago). Former Bruins great Reilly Smith tied it one at 13:51 as Tuukka Rask (32 saves) couldn't corral a rebound. Victor Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen assisted on Smith's 24th goal of the season (tying him with Jaromir Jagr for the team lead). I know everyone was in favor of it at the time but trading Smith straight up for Jimmy Hayes (13 goals, 16 assists) has been nothing short of a disaster in Year 1. Boston's suddenly useless power play went 0 for 4 and they compounded that by giving up a shorthanded goal to Trocheck at 18:46. Torey Krug got caught up ice and Trocheck was able to roof a shot over Rask's glove. Alex Petrovic had the lone assist on Trocheck's 24th goal of the season.

It has reached the point where I can honestly say after watching so many Bruins goals get called off for various reasons in 2015-16 (offside, goalie interference, no conclusive evidence the puck crossed the line, etc.) that I find it impossible to say what is or isn't a goal anymore in the NHL. Bergeron jammed in a loose puck that clearly was in the net before Luongo fished it out and yet after a lengthy review, the men in stripes deemed it still not worthy (it was ruled no goal initially). Julien has lost his mind over those type of incidents countless times this campaign and the normally unflappable Bergeron was understandably upset.

As you would expect, the momentum flipped and the Panthers quickly put it out of reach as Jokinen tipped in Dmitry Kulikov's shot at 10:56 for a 3-1 advantage (2nd assist to former Bruin Steven Kampfer) and Jonathan Huberdeau's empty-netter at 19:39 ended it. Boston only has seven games left (4 on the road and 3 at home) beginning on Saturday (7, NESN) at Toronto (27-35-11). Yes the Maple Leafs are one of the worst teams in the league but they beat Anaheim (40-23-10) tonight in overtime so it's not like they are a pushover that has given up. The Bruins are at New Jersey (36-31-7) on Tuesday (7, NESN) before a brutal one-two punch of at St. Louis (43-22-9) on Friday (8, NESN) followed by their final road game of the regular season-at Chicago (42-25-7) on Sunday afternoon (12:30, NBC).

If they can survive that gauntlet, their last three favorable tilts are all at the Garden: vs. Carolina (32-28-14) on April 5 (7, NESN), vs. Detroit (37-26-11) on April 7 (7, NESN) and vs. Ottawa (34-33-8) on April 9 (12:30, NESN). The top Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference-the Islanders (39-24-9) have one more point than the Bruins but that's not nearly as relevant as the Red Wings since they are also in the Atlantic Division. Boston is a point ahead of Detroit but the Red Wings have a game in hand which is why that meeting on April 7 seems like it'll be enormously important for both clubs. All that the B's can do is focus on their next game and hope that they can break this killer losing streak otherwise they are going to narrowly miss the playoffs for the second year in a row (which would surely cost Julien his job).

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Bruins Continue Their Domination of the Panthers, Pick Up Easy 3-1 Win at TD Garden

If you enjoy free money (and who doesn't?), throw down a bet on the Bruins the next time that they play the Panthers, particularly if it's at TD Garden. Boston (16-9-3) coasted to a simple 3-1 victory against Florida (14-12-4) this afternoon at TD Garden. With the two points, the B's have won their last nine games in a row at home vs. the Panthers (Florida's last win here was Dec. 8, 2011).

Ryan Spooner scored two goals for the third time in his short NHL career and Tuukka Rask (26 saves) continued his recent wonderful play (6-0-2 in last 8 games with 1.52 goals against average & .948 save percentage). Boston improved to 7-1-2 in its last 10 games and they moved to three points ahead of Florida in the Atlantic Division with two games in hand. It was good to see that the B's didn't suffer a letdown after Wednesday's huge road win in Montreal. They are clearly starting to make progress this season after such a rough start.

Spooner made it 1-0 at 11:35 of the first period when he tipped in Torey Krug's shot from the point. It was Spooner's sixth goal of the season and Krug's 14th assist. Boston's top-ranked power-play did what it does as Spooner cashed in on their first chance in the second period at 8:00. Truthfully, Roberto Luongo (22 saves) should have made the save on a shot that went through his five-hole but nobody on the Bruins or in the crowd was complaining. Patrice Bergeron picked up his 18th assist (he's tied with Patrick Kane for the NHL lead with 15 power play points) and David Krejci notched his team-leading 19th assist on Spooner's second tally of the game.

Old friend Reilly Smith cut it to 2-1 at 13:56 when his shot from distanced trickled through Rask's legs. It was a shot that Tuukka no doubt would want back but he's been so good lately that what could you objectively say about it? Aaron Ekblad had the lone assist on Smith's eighth goal of the season. Brad Marchand wrapped it up with an empty-netter at 18:37, his team-leading 14th goal of the season. Bergeron picked up the assist (he has a 4-game point streak and 17 points in his last 16 games).

This was the start of an important stretch for the Black and Gold since seven of their next nine games are all at the Garden. They'll need their rest the next few days since they host Edmonton (13-15-2)-who has won five straight games-on Monday (7, NESN) which is the beginning of a four-game week. They have a home-and-home with the reeling Penguins (15-10-3) on Wednesday and Friday-who just fired head coach Mike Johnston this morning and replaced him with former Bruins assistant Mike Sullivan-then they host the Devils (15-10-4) on Sunday (5, NESN).

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Bruins Beat Panthers 3-2 to Go Up Six Points on Florida (With 5 Games Left)

It wasn't an instant classic by any means but the Bruins still managed to get exactly what they needed on Tuesday at TD Garden: a 3-2 regulation win vs. Panthers. Boston (39-25-13) survived a poor second period, where Florida (35-27-15) outscored them 2-0, to score the last two goals of the game in the third period. Rookie David Pastrnak tied it at two with a deft tip-in and Milan Lucic was the hero, potting the game-winner with 1:09 left in regulation. The B's closed March on a modest three-game win streak and with seven points in their past four games.

Loui Eriksson gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 16:57 of the first period and simultaneously scored his 20th goal of the season (for the 5th time in his career and 1st as a Bruin). It was a beautiful goal as he waited for Roberto Luongo (26 saves) to go down before lifting a backhander over him from a very tough angle. Carl Soderberg had the lone assist.

I don't know what it is about the second period but it seems like Boston has always played poorly in them this season. Brandon Pirri tied it at one with a power-play snipe from the point, 55 seconds into the frame. Brian Campbell and BC's Jimmy Hayes had the assists on Pirri's 21st goal of the season which was a one-timer that went top-shelf on Tuukka Rask (22 saves).

Former Bruin Brad Boyes made it 2-1 Florida at 12:37 after a total breakdown by Boston. Matt Bartkowski had the puck hop over his stick in the Panthers' end, Boyes skated in on a partial breakaway and squeezed it under Rask's leg pads. Boyes' 13th goal of the season was unassisted and although Bartkowski deserves most of the blame, Rask should make that save in a game of this magnitude.

The Bruins were pressing for the tying goal in the third period and leave it to their 2015 Seventh Player award winner (handed out before tonight's game) to come through with the huge goal. Spooner put the puck on net and Pastrnak was close to the goal but still got a piece of it to fool Luongo just enough. His 11th goal of the season was also assisted by Lucic. The big guy scored one of the most important goals of Boston's season by causing a turnover then having the confidence (and power) to beat Luongo with a low but hard shot from inside the blue line that went split two Panthers defensemen. Milan's 18th goal of the season was assisted by Pastrnak and Spooner.

Now Boston has 91 points while Florida is stuck with 85, each team has five games left so the Panthers really are in a deep hole here. Ottawa (38-26-12) rallied for a 2-1 shootout win in Detroit (40-23-13) which means that the Bruins didn't gain any more distance between them and the Senators but they are only two points behind the Red Wings. Wouldn't you know that the B's are in Detroit on Thursday (7:30, NBCSN) for another huge contest between Atlantic Division rivals. You have to love this time of year!

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Bruins Show Up Just Barely Enough to Beat Panthers 2-1 in Overtime, Thanks Marchy

Usually when you have a long win streak against a team (in any sport really), there is a game or two along the way that you probably should have lost but for some reason you don't. The Bruins didn't play terrible on Tuesday night at TD Garden vs. the Panthers, rather both teams played a complete snoozefest, that is until Brad Marchand won it with a sick goal in overtime for the 2-1 Boston (8-6) victory.

The B's have won nine straight games against the improved Panthers (4-2-4) and four of their last five overall-their best stretch of the season. Other than Marchand's game-winner, the only reason that anyone will remember this forgettable contest is because it was Shawn Thornton's first game at the Garden as a visitor. He had a game-high five hits and more importantly, he received a raucous standing ovation when his personal highlight video was shown. It was truly the loudest it's been here since last postseason and it couldn't happen to a better guy.

After a scoreless first period, Florida took a 1-0 lead at 4:04 of the second period thanks to Jussi Jokinen's one-timer. Boston gave him way too much space to crank a one-timer by Tuukka Rask (18 saves), with assists to another former Bruin Brad Boyes and Aaron Ekblad.

The lead didn't last long for the Panthers though as Patrice Bergeron went top shelf with a sweet wrister for his second goal of the season at 7:29. His linemates Marchand and Reilly Smith had the assists. Bergy has been scuffling in the goal-scoring department so far this season so that tally had to feel extra satisfying.

Florida had a great chance to grab a goal late in the third period but Erik Gudbranson's deflected shot went off the post. Roberto Luongo (23 saves) actually had a pretty decent performance but as a Bruins fan you have to laugh that once again he couldn't get the job done in Boston.

Edmonton (4-7-1) limps into the Garden on Thursday, after losing 4-1 tonight in Philadelphia. The two players that we'd most want to see-Taylor Hall and Andrew Ference-are both out with an injury and a suspension respectively. Still, there is plenty to play for as the B's go for their fourth straight win by fattening up on mostly bottom-feeders of the NHL.

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Bruins Get Humbled by the Canucks, a Crappy End to a Nice Road Trip

After holding off the Maple Leafs then taking care of the awful Flames and Oilers, the Bruins skated into Vancouver with confidence on Saturday night despite all the recent turmoil with injuries, illness and suspensions. Unfortunately, the Canucks (20-10-5) proved why they are the hottest team in the NHL (7 straight wins) as they dealt the B's (22-9-2) a harsh 6-2 beating (that wasn't nearly that close) at Rogers Arena.

Jannik Hansen opened the scoring at 16:37 of the first period by shooting from center ice, the dipping puck eluded a baffled Tuukka Rask. Reilly Smith took advantage of a failed dump-in along the boards to skate in on a breakaway and tuck a backhander past Roberto Luongo (39 saves) at 4:11 of the second period. It was Smith's eighth goal of the season.

From there, the roof caved in on the Black and Gold. David Booth's snap shot beat Rask 1:20 after Smith had tied it then Chris Higgins scored at 8:46 on a rebound. After Yannick Weber of all people scored his first goal of the season at 1:34 of the third period, Rask's night was over. Chris Johnson allowed two goals: to Henrik Sedin (power play) and Chris Tanev (shorthanded).

The only positive for the Bruins is that Smith recorded the first two-goal game of his career (I'm going to say it won't be the last either). He fought for a rebound at 16:43 in the third period, assists went to Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg.

It appeared that Boston suffered another serious injury in the first period when Jarome Iginla's fight with that weasel Ryan Kesler ended with one of Iginla's fingers totally crooked. Ugh, seriously look it up online if you want to be grossed out. Then again NESN spot-shadowed it later in the game so obviously they are clueless. Thankfully, Iginla miraculously recovered (thank you pain killers) and even started the second period. The drugs' after-effects clearly clouded Iginla's mind though as he tried to brawl with Dan Hamhuis in the third period when it was well over.

Tonight was a bucket of crap for the Bruins but they still finished 3-1 on the Western Canada road trip and were able to mostly survive so many issues that would have taken down lesser clubs. Their reward is that the next nine games are all against teams under .500, starting with Calgary (13-15-4, 6th in Pacific Division) on Tuesday (7, NESN) at TD Garden. Normally I would yawn at such a lame few weeks but it is perfect timing for the Providence Bruins I mean Boston Bruins.

UPDATE 12/16: The Bruins recalled forward Craig Cunningham from Providence on an emergency basis. Bad news on the injury front as Daniel Paille has a concussion and Loui Eriksson reportedly is not progressing from his second concussion very well.

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Roberto Luongo is Ready For The Bruins...Wait, He's Sitting Out Tomorrow?

The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks never had much history or bad blood, until last year. Pick your villain.

Aaron Rome leveled Nathan Horton, taking the winger out of the series as a result of a cheap hit at the blue line. Alex Burrows bit the fingers of Patrice Bergeron and Max Lapierre taunted the Bruins by mimicking the incident early in the series. Daniel and Henrik Sedin showed absolutely zero guts, getting bowled over by Tim Thomas and punched repeatedly by Brad Marchand. Lastly, Roberto Luongo talked shit about Thomas and criticized his goaltending style. You know, that same style that won two Vezina trophies in three years.

Quite simply, Vancouver made themselves look like fools both on the ice and off, especially considering the ridiculous riots that transpired in the wake of the Bruins Stanley Cup victory in Game 7.

Roberto Luongo, surprise surprise took himself out of the Bruins-Canucks rematch tomorrow at the TD Garden. Not because of injuries but since he wants backup goalie (and Marblehead, Massachusetts native and BC alum) Cory Schnieder to get the start in his hometown. Riiiight.

Let's document who said what and why Luongo is not starting tomorrow.

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault explained that “Louie just got off a shutout and he’s playing really well. I just decided that Schneider was the guy.”

Makes sense, considering that the Bruins are the best team in the NHL. So Alain, your goalie is coming off of a shutout and is playing well, yet you don't want him playing in the biggest game of the regular season for both teams? I'm not buying it.

So what does Luongo have to say about this? Only exactly what you would expect from the Mr. Deeds butler lookalike.

“Obviously I would have liked to play the game, but in fairness to Cory, he’s from here and he deserves to play this game,” Luongo said. “I’m all for it.

“At the end of the day the win is what matters the most. Cory’s from here and we don’t get a chance to come here very often, it’s a good opportunity to play in front of his family and friends.”

Hey Roberto, you do realize that Cory played in front of the Bruins last year twice during the Finals. You remember, the two games when you got pulled? Just insanity all over the place.

I've already heard chatter from north of the border. People downplaying this move as if this game is just merely one out of 82. Please. Bruins-Canucks in Boston means more now than it ever has, especially for the Canucks. Way to show up and prove that you aren't the softest team in the league other than Montreal.

I caught up with die-hard Bruins fan and All-American everything Carly Benning (@carlybenning23) who emphasized that this was "Luongo's biggest game of the year, and he is throwing away his chance at redemption. EPIC FAIL" Epic fail indeed.

As eloquently as she put it, this reflects poorly on the Canucks. If it was indeed Vigneault's call, it tells us that he does not have confidence in the headcase Luongo coming back to Boston to exorcise his Finals demons. If it was indeed Luongo who decided to sit, this validates everything we have ever said about the man. He's supremely skilled but he has no heart. Either way, expect the Bruins to roll the Canucks up and exact revenge for the Horton hit by making Aaron Rome pay.

Oh wait, he's not playing either.

For the Bruins, Brad Marchand is expected to play after missing last night's game against Calgary with the flu. Also, Thomas got to rest in that contest with Tuukka Rask handling the goaltending duties. Expect the Finals MVP to be locked in tomorrow; even if Luongo is stapled to the bench, Thomas will always remember what the Canucks fraud goaltender said about him.

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Next stop: 1st Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 in Boston Bruins history

It seems only natural that the most exciting playoff run for the Boston Bruins in my lifetime will end in the ultimate finale: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tomorrow night at the Rogers Centre in Vancouver.

Home ice has carried all the weight in the series, making Boston forget its offense at the border while Vancouver loses its will to compete in the Hub. The home teams have won the first six games so the B's hope to break that tomorrow night while also gunning for their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Meanwhile the meek and mild, pale folks of Vancouver are praying that the Canucks grab their first Cup in the franchise's 40 years of existence.

Either way, the Cup will be in the building tomorrow night and the entire hockey universe will be watching one more time.

For the third straight contest, Boston absolutely rolled over Vancouver at TD Garden, taking Game 6 by the score of 5-2. It didn't even feel that close as the Bruins basically guaranteed a winner-take-all Game 7 with a Stanley Cup Finals record four-goal flurry in a span of 4:14 of the first period.

LeBron James is the biggest fraud in the U.S. when it comes to crunch time (like say the fourth quarter of NBA Finals games) but can we agree that Roberto Luongo owns Canada in terms of being pathetic and completely unreliable in the big moment? After crying to the media between Games 5 and 6 about how he wasn't getting enough attention and somehow making fun of Tim Thomas, Luongo deserved all the grief he got.

After giving up three goals and making five saves, he lasted for just 8:35 of Game 6 before he took a seat on Vancouver's bench and called his agent with dreams of a sequel to Mr. Deeds 2. Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider (30 saves; 2 goals allowed) came in for the second straight time in his hometown as Luongo gave up 15 goals combined in two games and less than half of a period.

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has already stuck by his emotionally-shattered Vezina trophy candidate for the start in Game 7 and as a Bruins fan, I say yeah Alain! In his limited sample size, Schneider looks much more calm and capable of not getting overwhelmed by the stakes.

With another great game (36 saves) and a win, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas wrapped up the Conn Smythe trophy (given to the playoffs MVP). It's clear by now that he's completely in Vancouver's heads as they can't bury breakaways or chances that would be sure-fire goals on almost anyone else in the world.

Boston is a team of solid players that are currently excelling at stepping up their games at just the right time. This was beautifully illustrated last night as five different guys scored goals. 10 different players had points for the Bruins and that doesn't even include Chris Kelly (14 of 19 on faceoffs) and Shawn Thornton (game-high 7 hits), who both left their stamp on this performance.

Vancouver has the big stars offensively in Daniel Sedin (1 goal and 3 assists vs. Boston), Henrik Sedin (1 goal, 0 assists vs. Boston) and Ryan Kesler (0 goals, 1 assist vs. Boston) who's clearly hurt but they've been totally held in check by Boston's lockdown defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg.

Brad Marchand (9th of the playoffs, setting a new Bruins rookie record) beat Luongo at 5:31 with a quick snap shot on the high, short side. Mark Recchi and Seidenberg assisted on the goal, Marchand's third in his last four games.

35 seconds later, before the PA announcer had even said the first goal, Milan Lucic scored his fifth of the postseason. It was a soft wrist shot that leaked through Luongo's Paris Hilton-esque five hole. Rich Peverley had the first assist with a nifty drop pass and Johnny Boychuk had the other helper.

Andrew Ference's power-play goal at 8:35 (his fourth of the playoffs) made it 3-0 and signaled the end of Bob Louie's not so excellent adventure. Michael Ryder and Recchi (who had a perfect screen) were credited with the assists.

Only 1:10 into his outing, Schneider gave up a goal to Ryder (his eighth of the playoffs), who tipped home a shot from the point by wait for it, wait for it, TOMAS KABERLE.

Not much transpired in the second period and the Canucks showed a slight pulse as Henrik scored a power-play goal (his third of the playoffs) 22 seconds into the third. His brother and Christian Ehroff assisted on the backhander.

Thomas' shutout was over and Jannik Hansen had a great chance to make it somewhat scary by cutting it to 4-2 but his shot went off the post (haha, that didn't stop the Canucks from celebrating). Replays showed it didn't go in and David Krejci was able to score Boston's second power-play goal of the contest at 6:59 (his 12th of the playoffs from Recchi and Kaberle).

Maxim Lapierre scored in garbage time (his third of the playoffs) at 17:34 from Daniel Sedin and Hansen but there would be no insufferable dancing like in Game 5.

Throw out all the numbers and everything that has happened in this crazy series over the last two weeks. Tomorrow night is all that matters and the Bruins are in a great position to end decades of frustration with the sweetest reward of all: a Stanley Cup on a rival's home ice.

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Roberto Luongo is LeBron James, Tim Thomas not so much

From the Vancouver Sun:

OSTON -Roberto Luongo isn't going to be getting any love from Tim Thomas. Before heading to Boston on Saturday, the Vancouver Canuck goalie told reporters he's had lots of nice things to say about his Boston counterpart, but hasn't been receiving anything in return.

"I've been pumping his tires ever since the series started," Luongo said. "I haven't heard one nice thing he's had to say about me, so that's the way it is." And according to Thomas, that's the way it is going to stay. "I guess I didn't realize it was my job to pump his tires," Thomas told reporters today at the TD Garden. "I guess I have to apologize for that."

Quick question. Has there ever been an NHL player more aware of all the media noise than Roberto Luongo? Usually shit like this is reserved for NBA players and NFL wide recievers. And if you need to be praised, shouldnt your play warrant such glowing words?

I mean, first you criticize Tim Thomas who has outplayed you all series long, and then when asked to clarify, you whine that he hasn't said one nice thing about you all series? Hey dickhead, maybe that's because Thomas is focused on winning a championship for his team, not to validate his "legacy". At this point of the season, if you're worried about praise from the opposition, you clearly aren't as focused as you like to think you are.

Maybe Thomas hasn't praised you because of that whole "12 goals in 2 games" thing. But most likely, it's just because he doesn't give a shit. Luongo, like LeBron James, has this sick obsession with what others say about him, rather than focus on the task at hand. Look at this quote:

Luongo: "But at the end of the day, I'm one win away from winning a Stanley Cup and that's all I really care about now. All the other stuff is noise to me and doesn't really affect what's going to take place for me tomorrow night. To be honest with you, I don't really care."

Oh YOU'RE one win away, just like LeBron last night kept saying I rather than focus on his team. Guys like this are one and the same. Love the press when things are going your way and hate it when there is a sliver of criticism. Its just insane that one guy who has been dominated in this series refuses to accept blame while at the same time, whining that he isn't being praised enough. Stop talking and play hockey, Jesus.

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Canucks blank Bruins 1-0 in Game 5, move one win away from Stanley Cup

I don't know what it is about the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals but neither team can put everything together on the road. As a result, the home team has won the first five games. That's great news for the Vancouver Canucks (who have home-ice advantage) and bad news for the Boston Bruins who cannot find the back of the net North of the border.

Vancouver won 1-0 last night in Game 5 as Maxim Lapierre scored on a lucky bounce and Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (31 saves) put his Game 3 and 4 misery behind him.

Boston trails 3-2 in the series and they have to win at TD Garden on Monday night to send this series back to Vancouver on Wednesday for a winner-takes-all Game 7.

It's hard to explain how the B's could pile up 12 goals on Luongo in Games 3 and 4 at home and yet they've so far combined for two goals in Vancouver over three games (1-0, 3-2 in OT, 1-0).

On the same note, Luongo is seemingly a different guy when he's at home. Instead of a mess, he turns into a competent goaltender capable of winning a big game. I will say that the Bruins didn't really test him that much, other than Chris Kelly hitting the crossbar and Patrice Bergeron putting one off his blocker, but they don't ask you how you get it done at this level (unless your name is Tim Thomas).

Thomas (24 saves) was once again the best player on the ice and he deserved a better fate. Can we agree that he's secured the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) regardless if the Bruins win or lose?

Lapierre scored at 4:35 of the third period after Kevin Bieksa shot it off the back boards intentionally and it took a fortunate bounce to Lapierre who was stationed on the other side of the crease. Lapierre didn't get much on the shot but Thomas was scrambling to get in position so he got a piece but he couldn't completely stop it from going over the line. It was nothing like the Game 2 overtime winner which was all on Timmy. This one was simply a lucky play for that dirtbag Lapierre (his second goal of the playoffs) and shit luck for the B's. Raffi Torres had the second assist.

From the start, it was obvious that the Canucks were a different team since they were throwing their body around, a stark difference from Boston where they reverted back to a soft, Eurotrash style game. At times, Vancouver was still flopping and pretending to be on the verge of death (Lapierre after getting slightly poked by Zdeno Chara in the stomach) so I guess that's totally ingrained in their DNA.

Boston got the first three power plays of the evening, all in the first period, but before you could say Gregory Campbell, they were 0 for 3. Claude Julien put Campbell on the power play for over two minutes of action while rookie Tyler Seguin logged only 12 seconds on the man advantage. This is not why the B's lost and I'm not going to dump on Claude too much at this point but really dude? That head scratching move was compounded by the fact that Seguin was one of the only Bruins that had any jump and speed. Most of the other Bruins looked a step slow, victims of the brutal cross-country travel and a 5 p.m. local start (yes, both teams have the same circumstances).

I'm not going to bank on a Bruins win in Game 6 but all signs point to them getting the job done at home one more time. The most important thing is for Boston to get a lead and put some doubt back in Luongo's mind. This series is not over and I'm confident in the proven fact that Boston has bounced back from every tough loss they've suffered this postseason. You know Thomas will show up and ditto for the Garden crowd. Now we just need the Bruins to pop a few goals in and shift the pressure back to Vancouver.

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Well folks, we got a series now

Since Nathan Horton got knocked out in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals (by a vicious cheap shot by Aaron Rome), the Boston Bruins have outscored the Vancouver Canucks 12-1 and most importantly, they've gone from life support to having all the momentum in the world with a 2-2 series tie heading back to Vancouver.

The B's closed out an extremely memorable two games at the TD Garden with a 4-0 win last night in Game 4 that was every bit as impressive as their 8-1 Game 3 ass kicking. One had to wonder if Boston could carry over the emotional response to Horton's injury. Now, I think everyone has to question whether Vancouver has the balls to not only fight back in this series but avoid choking away a 2-0 series lead.

Perhaps nothing signifies the tenor of this series than the two starting goaltenders. Tim Thomas of the Bruins has been dumped on his whole life and now in the biggest stage of his career, he's showing why he's undoubtedly the NHL's best. On the other end of the rink, we had all heard that Roberto Luongo was the outstanding player that somehow usually screws things up (minus the 2010 Olympics, but Canada was a wagon).

Thomas made 38 saves in Game 4 for his fourth career playoff shutout and the third of this magical run. Luongo had 16 saves and he was mercifully pulled in the third period in favor of Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider (9 saves) by his asleep at the wheel coach Alain Vigneault. Hey, it only came one game too late (since Luongo was left to give up all eight goals in Game 3). As Ryan said, there's no doubt that Louie will be back in there tomorrow night, but yeah, good luck with that. Dude must have the confidence of an ugly porn star at this juncture.

Like every championship team in any sport, Claude Julien and the Bruins can do no wrong right now. Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder picked up the slack on the first line with Horton out and both responded in a big way. Peverley scored twice (his third and fourth of the playoffs) and Ryder (seventh of the playoffs) had another tally.

Brad Marchand continued to be a lovable rat, getting in the Sedin sisters' faces and not backing down from any of the other fake tough guys on the Canucks. Marchand scored the other goal (his eighth of the playoffs, tying a Bruins rookie record).

Peverley opened the scoring with a wrist shot right through Luongo's huge five hole at 11:59 of the first period. David Krejci started the play with a slick one-handed pass while Zdeno Chara had the other assist.

Ryder's goal at 11:11 of the second period was further proof that Luongo was a puddle. It was a long wrist shot that was just slightly tipped by Sami Salo's stick. It went right under Luongo's glove hand. Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly had the assists.

Marchmont ended it with a backhander following some top-notch work behind Vancouver's net by Patrice Bergeron. Again, another shot that Luongo could have stopped if he was on his game.

Finally, Peverley put in his second at 3:39 of the third period after a sweet move by Lucic that left Kevin Bieksa looking for his jock strap. Lucic threw it at the net (he had a great game by the way) and it ricocheted off Peverley's body. The perfect goal for such a hard-working, versatile guy.

For the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years, they'll have to win a game in Vancouver. Why not Game 5? Get a lead, continue to bury Luongo and I think this is over on Monday in Boston. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves though. This series is far from over and the B's know that. Tomorrow is the third consecutive huge game and the Canucks play great at home.

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The Boston Bruins wrote the book on heartbreaking losses

I honestly don't know how many ways I can express the same thought I've had and written down numerous times in the last few years: the Boston Bruins find new and different ways to lose games (and series). It's just what they do. The higher the stakes, the bigger the tragically epic failure.

So while last night's 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals was heartbreaking, I can't say it was surprising. At all. If anything, you almost have to step back and appreciate the carnage since there's nothing like a Bruins flop (ever since the Red Sox got their shit together in 2004) to get the blood boiling in this day and age.

After giving up the winning goal with 18.5 seconds in Game 1, the B's outdid themselves by blowing a 2-1 lead, hanging on for overtime but then losing in 11 seconds (the second fastest goal in playoff overtime history).

Much like the B's always remind you of their inadequacies, the NHL always seems to rear its ugly, deformed head at the worst times. Canucks forward Alex Burrows bit Patrice Bergeron in Game 1 but the NHL didn't suspend him or even fine him. Would you believe that he was Vancouver's best player last night, scoring two goals and having an assist?

So yeah, seeing that lowlife be the one to get the winning goal, putting Vancouver two wins away from its first Stanley Cup in its forty year history is about as painful an ending as any Hollywood hack could concoct for Game 2.

Handing out the blame pie for the OT goal is hard to do. Andrew Ference (who for some reason was out there to start overtime) started off the terrible play by putting the puck off the boards, right to Vancouver. Tim Thomas (30 saves) was the bigger goat though as the came flying way out of control and not only took himself but Zdeno Chara out of position too as Burrows faked a shot, whipped around the net and stuffed it in. When you blame Thomas though, you also must realize that Boston wouldn't be anywhere near the Stanley Cup finals without him. He's the best goaltender in the world right now but like Bill Belichick or anyone else, just because he's great doesn't make him bulletproof when it comes to criticism.

This was a game that the Bruins had to win. They sleepwalked through the first period with Burrows scoring a weak power-play goal (his eighth goal of the playoffs) from Chris Higgins and Sami Salo at 12:12. The shot appeared to handcuff Thomas as it squirted through his body and over the goal-line.

Boston responded with its best period of the first two games in the second. Its two most invisible forwards stepped up: Milan Lucic and Mark Recchi. Lucic tied it at one with his fourth goal of the playoffs at 9:00 from Johnny Boychuk and David Krejci. It was a simple play as Lucic went to the net (what a concept!) and was able to put in the rebound past Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (28 saves).

A Mark Recchi power-play goal was one of the most unlikely scenarios (he hadn't scored one since January, really) entering the game but there he was, getting it done at 11:35 (his third of the playoffs). He tipped in a wrist shot by Chara, Patrice Bergeron also assisted. The goal still doesn't justify Claude Julien sticking with him for all this time when he hasn't shown a pulse on the power-play but I digress.

Vancouver predictably came out on fire in the third period since they realized the importance of the game for their side. Thomas held the fort for a while but it was only a matter of time before the Canucks tied it up. Daniel Sedin came out of witness protection to score his ninth of the playoffs at 9:37 after a sweet feed from Burrows. Alex Edler had the second assist.

I was at a bar for the game and I can admit that I had barely settled in for overtime before it was over (I'm sure most people had the same reaction). It was over before it began and the craziest part was that Boston actually won the opening face-off!

Game 3 is tomorrow night at TD Garden and needless to say, it's a must-win for the B's. Lose and they'll be swept, no question. Win and they can make this somewhat interesting. They've proven through the first two games that they can play with Vancouver. The problem is that the Canucks have stepped up when they needed to while the Bruins have choked badly in two huge spots.

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Canucks score with 18.5 second left, take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals 1-0 over the Bruins

I was getting set for overtime in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals last night at the Rogers Centre. I was going to crack another Sam Summer with my buddy, tweet my overtime winners for both teams to ESPN's John Bucigross and pray that the Bruins could find a way to steal it.

Ryan Kesler, Jannik Hansen and Raffi Torres had other plans though as they teamed up for a goal with 18.5 seconds left in regulation en route to a 1-0 Vancouver win over Boston.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (33 saves) deserved better since he played outstanding, particularly in the third period when the B's started to skate in quicksand and the ice tilted towards the Canucks. The winning goal wasn't his fault at all either as it was the result of a misplay by defenseman Johnny Boychuk, a great pass by Kesler to start the play, Hansen's pass to Torres and his professional finish.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo is a Gold medal winner as we all know and one of the NHL's best but he's prone to giving up weak goals and juicy rebounds. Not last night. He had 36 saves which is a little misleading since Boston only had a handful of great chances.

Since they're so heavily favored and carry the weight of Canada on their shoulders, a loss in Game 1 for the Canucks would have been huge. The pressure would have mounted and who knows how they would react? Now, I'll say that the Bruins need to win Game 2 or else this series might not go past five games.

Two subplots to come out of Game 1: Alexandre Burrows clearly bit Patrice Bergeron's finger in a scrum after the first period ended. We'll have to see if the NHL comes down hard on him or looks the other way during its showcase series. 2) Dan Hamhuis left in the second period with an injury after flipping Milan Lucic near the boards. He's one of Vancouver's top two defensemen so his loss would be a big one.

The Rogers Arena crowd was pumped during the pregame but the B's (and refs) systematically took them out of it. There were a ton of penalties on both sides but each team went 0 for 6 on their power plays.

The good news is that Boston's penalty kill was awesome but they won't keep that up if they continually put Vancouver's lethal power play (28%) on the ice. Ditto for the Bruins' pathetic power play which has now dipped to 7% in the playoffs. They had a four-minute advantage in the first period that they couldn't cash in on despite nine shots and a 5 on 3 in the second period that didn't give them anything tangible except a partial breakaway by the Canucks.

There's an extra day off before the pivotal Game 2 on Saturday night. I have faith that Thomas will play great again but the real question is if the Bruins can solve Luongo and stay out of the penalty box?

What else can you say: Bruins top the NHL's best team, on their own ice

It was the first time in ages (maybe ever?) that I watched a Boston Bruins game at a bar and what better occasion than last night as the Bs visited the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL's best team?

The other overserved patrons in Beverly, Mass and myself were pumped as Boston (35-19-7) pulled it out, 3-1 over the Canucks (39-15-9) at the Rogers Arena.

Hometown hero Milan Lucic had a goal and two assists while goaltender Tim Thomas made 27 saves to improve to 28-8-6.

Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo (22 saves) was fine but the high-scoring Canucks attack could never get going as the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler were all held scoreless.

The game looked destined for overtime but great hustle from David Krejci and Lucic was rewarded with the game-winning goal. Krejci dangled around one of the Sedins in Vancouver's defensive zone, went behind the net then threw it out in front of the goal where Lucic won a battle and flipped it past Luongo for his 27th of the season. Dennis Seidenberg also assisted on the highlight strike.

Manny Malhotra gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead in the first period at 16:58 with assists from Raffi Torres and Christian Ehrhoff. Thomas made the initial save but his defense didn't clear the traffic out of the way and Malhotra was able to score his 9th of the season.

After getting dominated in the first period, the Bruins awoke in the second period and tied it up when Nathan Horton scored his 16th of the season. Lucic and Tomas Kaberle assisted on Horton's goal. Like Malhotra it was the result of hard work in front of the net. The snake-bitten Horton's first shot was stopped as usual but he stayed with it and poked it in.

Patrice Bergeron put it away with an empty-netter with 1:13 left in the third period. Lucic also assisted on Bergeron's 21st of the season.

Boston travels to Edmonton tonight to face the Oilers, the NHL's worst team. Back-to-backs are tough especially on the road but the Bs should have enough talent to get by on this one.