B's Use Up All Their Luck Rallying From Down 3-0 in 3rd, Losing 4-3 On Controversial Toews OT Goal

You can only tempt fate so much in sports and in life and lately, the Bruins (20-3-6) had been living on the edge (at least your lame uncle got that very dated Aerosmith reference). Time after time, they pulled points and more than a few wins out of thin air during the eight-game win streak. That came to an end though on Thursday at TD Garden as they fell 4-3 to lowly Chicago (11-12-5) in overtime as Jonathan Toews took down David Pastrnak (legally, I guess) then broke in a breakaway that ended with him sliding the puck under Tuukka Rask (27 saves, 13-2-3) with a backhand shot 54 seconds into the extra frame-the only shot on goal for either team. Connor Murphy had the lone assist on Chicago's captain's fifth goal of the season.

The game could be broken down into three chewable segments: 1) where Chicago jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third period; 2) Boston rallied for an epic comeback with three goals in the third; 3) the no-call and wet fart of a way to end what turned out to be a pretty entertaining contest between two teams going in completely different directions. Fear not, for even though the Bruins' win streak is over, they still managed to breath more life into their overall point streak (9-0-4) and they remain unbeaten at home in regulation this season (12-0-5)-only four games back from their best home start ever (19-0-2 in 1973).

Looking back, this probably served as a classic trap game for the Black and Gold both because of the weak opponent on the schedule this evening and the true Stanley Cup contender coming to visit on Saturday night (7, NESN)-Colorado (18-8-2) to close out their season-high five game homestand. Regardless of the excuse that you choose, they should have been better against the ghost of those great Blackhawks teams from earlier this decade with only Patrick Kane, Toews, Duncan Keith (out with a groin injury), Brent Seabrook, Brandon Saad and Corey Crawford (backup goalie tonight) left over from those powerhouse clubs that won Cups in 2010, 2013 (no Bruins fan sadly will ever forget that one) and 2015.

Rask was also outplayed by Robin Lehner (37 saves, 6-5-3) which should never happen in 2019 or really any year for that matter. Chicago struggles to put the puck in the net (among many other issues) but they somehow scored twice 37 seconds apart late in the first period thanks to their special teams units. Ryan Carpenter put in a rebound at 18:14 off of a save by Rask on Murphy's initial shot. Carpenter's first goal of the season was the third career shorthanded goal of his NHL career and first shorthanded goal allowed by the Bruins this season. After missing the last four games with an injury, the Blackhawks' promising young center Dylan Strome doubled their lead by tipping in a shot by Erik Gustafsson on the power play. Strome's sixth goal of the season was also assisted by Kane who has 11 goals and 14 assists in his last 17 games which is all the more impressive considering the nobodies that dot Chicago's current roster.

Boston's number two ranked power play in the NHL had plenty of chances but they ultimately finished 0 for 4 which is never going to get it done, particularly when you allow a power play tally to the 27th ranked man advantage in the league. Ugh. When Alex DeBrincat (6th goal of the season from Strome and Calvin de Haan) sniped a shot past Rask 17 seconds into the third period for a 3-0 Blackhawks lead, I wouldn't blame you if you decided to change the channel or turned your TV off altogether (who cares about Bears-Cowboys anyway?). It just didn't feel like the Bruins' night, that is until Joakim Nordstrom of all people gave everybody at the Garden something to cheer about with a goal at 1:49 of the third period. Nordstrom's third goal of the season was his first since Nov. 12 vs. Florida but who's counting? David Backes had the primary assist after Lehner stopped his shot but kicked the rebound right to Nordy to put in with Charlie McAvoy getting the other helper.

At that point, it only looked like the Bruins would avoid the embarrassment of a shutout. Pasta got drilled by a possibly suspendable hit from Zack Smith that led to John Moore (making his 2019-20 Bruins debut after off-season shoulder surgery) dropping the gloves in his defense and getting knocked down in the first round. He went right to Boston's dressing room but thankfully returned shortly after that. It would have been pretty depressing if he got a fresh injury that soon, after all he was just doing the right thing by standing up for his star teammate.

Chicago finally looked like one of the worst teams in the NHL when the Bruins applied a little game pressure to them. The Blackhawks were on the power play after a roughing penalty on Charlie Coyle but Chris Wagner broke out for a shorthanded chance that turned into a breakaway when Gustafsson comically blew a tire (lost his footing And-1 mixtape style). Wagner skipped his usual backhand move for a strong forehand into the top corner, his second goal of the season (1st since Oct. 29 vs. San Jose) was assisted by Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelcyk at 15:01. It almost feels routine but at that point, you pretty much knew that Boston would at the very least tie it up. Lo and behold, Torey Krug did the honors as he smashed in a one-timer into the corner of the net after a sweet behind the net feed by Jake DeBrusk. Krug's fourth goal of the season came at 17:27 and it ended up giving Boston that precious point.

It was inevitable that Boston would lose again sometime soon and truth be told, they would always prefer to have that happen against a Western Conference team rather than an Atlantic Division or even Eastern Conference foe. The Bruins currently have the fewest losses in regulation this season and you have to go back nearly two months (Oct. 10 in Denver) for when the Avalanche tagged them with one of those rare defeats (4-2). Colorado has battled through a ton of injuries to some of their better players (Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Andre Burakovsky to name a few) but they should have close to a full lineup for Saturday's showdown with the Bruins. It is the end of a three-game road trip for the Avs but they should have plenty of juice since they have won five straight games (3-2 tonight in Montreal) and they are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games with a 10-5-1 record on the road. Center Nathan MacKinnon (18 goals, 26 assists) is one of the best players in the NHL pushing for a Hart Trophy (regular season MVP) while UMass Amherst product defenseman Cale Makar (8 goals, 20 assists) has to be a front-runner for the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year). In other words, you don't want to miss this game even if you have to DVR it cause you have other plans on a Saturday night-what a concept!

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The B's Cap Off Another Memorable Day In Boston Sports History With A 3-1 Win Vs. Islanders

Today was one of those special days in life when basically everything was perfect: global warming blessed Boston with temperatures in the low 60s as the city celebrated the sixth Super Bowl title for the Patriots with another Duck Boat parade. That would be more than enough for most places but in addition to that, the Bruins (29-17-7) put a bow on top of this unforgettable Tuesday with a 3-1 victory against the Islanders (30-16-6)-the leader of the Metropolitan Division who entered as the hottest team in the NHL. Oh and B's legend Patrice Bergeron celebrated his 1000th game by scoring two goals, fittingly the first and last one of the contest.

Coming off of Sunday's 1-0 shutout in Washington (29-18-6) which snapped a soul-crushing 14-game losing streak to the Capitals, Boston was able to prove that was far from a fluke. Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 16-8-4) extended his point-streak to 10 games (8-0-2) with another excellent effort against a high quality opponent that is sure to make the playoffs this spring. After an awesome pregame ceremony with a ton of Patriots (including owner Robert Kraft and Super Bowl 53 MVP Julian Edelman who spiked the ceremonial faceoff), the B's sputtered in the first period as they went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner (24 saves, 16-8-4) is having a career season and he kept it scoreless with some unbelievable saves. Boston made it 1-0 early in the second period as Bergeron was able to poke in a rebound after Lehner stuffed David Pastrnak (5-game point streak). Brad Marchand had the second assist on Bergeron's 17th goal of the season at 2:32. New York started to dominate possession and create a ton of scoring chances later in the frame but Rask was able to hold them off until Jordan Eberle flipped in a power-play tying goal at 16:40. Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson had the assists on Eberle's 12th goal of the season.

The Islanders appeared to go ahead early in the third period as Cal Clutterbuck of all people finished a beautiful passing sequence with a snipe past Rask. Luckily for the B's, they challenged it for being offside and that proved to be the right call so it remained 1-1. Goals have been an issue lately for the Black and Gold along with secondary scoring which is why it was great to see rookie Peter Cehlarik tally the game-winning goal at 6:34 of the third. He whiffed on the initial chance and still didn't get a ton of mustard on the second shot but Lehner couldn't keep it out of the net as the puck trickled over the line. Kevan Miller snapped a 13-game scoreless stretch with the lone assist on Cehlarik's third goal of the season.

Matt Grzelcyk got called for two separate penalties on the same play (tripping and slashing) meaning that Boston had to kill off what added up to a double-minor (4 minutes) on him. They did not get burned by New York's mediocre (ranked No. 26 in the league) power play again. Once Lehner left for an extra skater in the final minutes, you knew how this would end: with a Bergeron empty-netter. The way that actually transpired was a pretty cool moment as Pastrnak could have scored on the empty net himself but instead he left a drop pass for the trailing Bergeron-a beautiful sign of respect for one another. Marchand of course started the play and recorded the other assist on Bergeron's 18th goal of the season at 19:05, 3-1 Bruins.

After this tilt, Boston headed for New York to face the Rangers (22-22-8) tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports) at Madison Square Garden. Jaroslav Halak (13-8-2) has lost in his last three appearances and he's 4-4-0 in his last eight decisions so he could really use a win. Remember, New York won 3-2 here on January 19 aka the game when Rask suffered a concussion. New York is not a good team at this juncture but they always seem to give the Bruins a tough game regardless of their record. If you give any credence to stats, the B's have some favorable ones heading into this matchup: they are 7-1-1 this season in Game 2s of back-to-back sets and 6-3-1 in Game 3s when they have three games in four nights. Boston returns home on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) to face the worst team in the Western Conference-the Kings (22-27-4). As always, Beat LA!

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Bruins Win Their 1st Shootout of the Season, 2-1 vs. Islanders Thanks to Marchand, Rask & Donato

With a lineup that has been absolutely decimated by injuries, odds are that the Bruins (14-7-4) aren't going to set the NHL on fire in terms of goal-scoring anytime soon. However, Bruce Cassidy's mentally tough group still keeps finding ways to win as they showed in Thursday's 2-1 shootout victory vs. Islanders (12-9-4) at TD Garden. Tuukka Rask (6-4-2) made 29 saves-including six in overtime-as Boston outlasted New York in its first shootout appearance of 2018-19.

Rask's comeback story is an easy one to identify (even if we'll never know what the real issue for him was) but these two points were also courtesy of rookie forward Ryan Donato who was recalled from Providence on Wednesday. In his first game with the B's in nearly a month (10/30 at Carolina), he managed to score the lone goal for either side in four rounds of the shootout.

As you would expect from a tilt that featured only two goals in 65 minutes of action, there really wasn't too much to talk about from regulation and overtime. Anders Lee had the goal for the Isles that made it 1-0 at 12:17 of the first period. Rask stopped the first shot from last season's Rookie of the Year Mathew Barzal but left the rebound on the doorstep for the Notre Dame product to knock it in for his eighth goal of the season. Defenseman Scott Mayfield had the second assist on what turned out to be New York's only real highlight of the contest.

Both teams only had one power play for the entire game and while the Bruins were able to hold off the Islanders terrible power play (ranked 24th in the NHL) in the second period, the same couldn't be said for Boston's excellent man-advantage (ranked 3rd in the NHL) which cashed in its only chance a few moments later. Torey Krug started the play but David Pastrnak did most of the leg work by beating an Islander in their offensive zone then dishing a backhand pass right on the money to Brad Marchand who smacked in the one-timer at 12:09 of the second. It was Marchand's seventh goal of the season, fittingly also his first in the past seven games (how much does he miss his best buddy Patrice Bergeron?).

The B's probably should have won without needing overtime or a shootout as they outshot the Isles 34-23 through three periods. Still, Barry Trotz's (it's so weird to see him leave the Capitals for this middling franchise) team dominated the extra session as they outshot the home team 6-2 but couldn't convert on two breakaways. New York even had a goal waved off (and held up under review) after one of their players interfered with Rask in the crease. For a team that's seen many similar calls go against them this year, the Black and Gold were happy that at least that one didn't flip on them.

Barzal, Brock Nelson, Valtteri Filppula (playing in his 900th NHL game) and Josh Bailey were all stopped by Rask in the shootout. Jake DeBrusk and Pasta couldn't beat Lehner while Marchand failed at his opportunity to end it. No matter as Donato ended a long night (that began with Rick Middleton's #16 going to the rafters) with a nifty (get it?!) backhander along the ice. The Garden was not nearly full anymore when that happened (it was a school night after all) but those that stuck around were treated to a nice moment for a local guy trying to make his mark.

Saturday night (7, NESN) will already be the third meeting of the season between the Bruins and Red Wings (11-11-3). Boston destroyed them 8-2 here on October 13 then fell 3-2 in overtime in Detroit on the night before Thanksgiving. No matter who is in or out for the B's, I still feel confident that they can find a way to beat the mediocre at best Wings. Boston defensemen Brandon Carlo (upper body) and Charlie McAvoy (concussion) appear close to returning and it sounds like the former could play against Detroit.

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Somewhere the Falcons Feel Their Pain as the Bruins Blew a 3-goal Lead & Lost in OT to Buffalo

With so many young players in the lineup every game not to mention numerous injuries that seem to befell them daily, the Bruins (3-3-1) are in no position to switch gears into cruise control at the moment. The Sabres (2-5-2) were coming off a 4-2 loss to Vancouver (3-3-1) on Friday so when they went down 4-1 in the second period at TD Garden on Saturday night, it appeared to be an easy victory lining up for the B's. Unfortunately that wasn't the case at all as Buffalo rattled off four straight goals including Ryan O'Reilly's game-winner in overtime to take a shocking 5-4 victory back to God's Country (Upstate NY).

Anton Khudobin (37 saves) will never be a starting goaltender on a good NHL team, that's just a fact. He is the classic backup goalie that can occasionally catch fire but more often than not, he won't be counted on for anything other than uneven results. Granted, Buffalo outshot Boston 42-31 in the contest, including 15-6 in the third period and 6-0 in overtime so it's tough to pin that loss all on him. Adam McQuaid is out for eight weeks with a broken leg (surgery on Monday) and Kevan Miller was a late scratch with a mangled hand. Who had six games being all that the most injury prone players in the NHL would last in 2017-18? Meanwhile, Colin Miller continues to develop in Vegas. (Huge sigh while throwing my arms in the air).

David Krejci took warmups with the B's tonight but also sat at the last-minute which didn't help the Black and Gold since he had six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in the first six games. Paul Postma and Rob O'Gara made their season debuts for the Bruins (in Postma's case his first ever game for Boston) while Matt Beleskey (0 points in 6 games) was re-inserted into the lineup. Boston opened up a 2-0 lead in the first period as David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand (power-play) continued their race for the team scoring lead as both guys notched their fifth goals of the season. Tim Schaller and Charlie McAvoy assisted on Pasta's fluky jam-shot by the immortal Robin Lehner (27 saves) while Marchand didn't need any help on his.

Marchand made it 3-0 B's 37 seconds into the second period with assists to Anders Bjork and McAvoy. At that point, Buffalo could have easily packed it in and got ready to watch the Bills game tomorrow but veteran Jason Pominville cut it to 3-1 at 8:01 with a snipe from Ryan O'Reilly, his fifth goal of the season. Pastrnak tallied another weird goal-off your boy Matt Tennyson's leg-for a 4-1 Bruins advantage at 11:22. Riley Nash and Torey Krug had the assists as it felt like either Marchand or Pastrnak would get a hat trick for the home crowd. Chelmsford's Jack Eichel deposited a rebound past Khudobin at 16:07 to give the Sabres a breath of life. Marco Scandella and Justin Bailey had the helpers on the former BU star's fourth goal of the season.

Still when you face a nothing team like Buffalo with a three-goal lead or up 4-2 after two periods, you have to put them away. No excuses. Boston couldn't do that though as former Bruins great Benoit Pouliot fired in a loose puck at 6:55 to draw Buffalo within one goal for the first time since the first period. Sam Reinhart and Jake McCabe were credited with assists on Pouliot's first goal of the season (how is he still in the NHL?). For whatever reason, the B's looked like the gassed team that played the night before as Buffalo outworked them for the tying goal at 17:52. Evander Kane potted his sixth goal of the season, off a goal-mouth scramble and the assists went to McCabe and Pominville.

Boston's power play scored for the fifth time in seven contests this campaign but they didn't draw any penalties after early in the second period. Buffalo wasn't ever on a power play in overtime, it just felt like it as the puck was seemingly in Boston's end the entire time. Khudobin was shaky all night, most of his saves weren't exactly masterpieces which in turn made you think that every shot was going in. Torey Krug pushed a Sabre into Khudobin on O'Reilly's goal so the referees reviewed it for awhile but it ultimately held up. O'Reilly made a brilliant play, going 360 degrees from behind the net to his backhand shot. His third goal of the season was unassisted.

The crappy taste from this OT loss will most likely linger for days since the Bruins won't be back in action until Thursday (7, NESN) when they host San Jose (3-4-0). In his press conference after the loss, Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy said that Krejci and Miller are each probable to return then but with the way that their players are dropping like flies, we'll have to hope that all the important guys are bound in bubble wrap this week lest they get hit by a meteor or a drone. The Bruins simply cannot afford anymore injuries to key players this early in the season.

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If Only the Bruins Could Play The Sabres Like Once Every Week, They'd Be in Good Shape

As the Bruins (20-15-4) have proven over and over again already this season, especially when they're at TD Garden, they can't underestimate anyone after they've lost to a bunch of bottom-feeder last-place teams. For whatever reason, the Sabres (13-15-8) are just what ails them since with today's 3-1 New Year's Eve matinee victory, the Black and Gold swept the season series with Buffalo for the first time in either team's franchise history. Of course, keep in mind that when there were fewer clubs in the NHL, the Atlantic Division rivals used to meet up to eight times a season which looking back on it now is pretty funny.

This was a feel-good moment for the B's as they captured back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly a month (Dec. 1, 3, 5), Patrice Bergeron continued to heat up offensively (3 goals in 5 games) while Ryan Spooner (3 goals, 4 assists) and Torey Krug (7 assists) each extended their point streaks to five games apiece. Tuukka Rask (26 saves, 19th win of the season) continued his mastery of the Sabres as he improved to 13-5-1 in 21 career games vs. Buffalo. Boston had won 4-2 in Buffalo on Thursday but they paid a price for those particular two points as David Backes is now out indefinitely with a concussion.

One of the guys that will counted on for more production with Backes out is Frank Vatrano who has been moved up to the second line. He gave Boston a 1-0 lead just 1:28 into the contest with one of his signature quick release shots. Zdeno Chara assisted on Vatrano's second goal of the season (2 goals, 2 assists in 5 games) that fooled Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner (25 saves). Seeking some payback from Thursday when he got bloodied by William Carrier's cheap shot punches while they were tied up by the refs, Adam McQuaid drilled Johan Larsson with a clean hit (that dislocated the left wing's wrist).

Bergy doubled the Bruins' lead in the second period with a one-timer from Spooner and Brad Marchand at 7:04 on the power play. Bergeron had been a ghost in terms of goal-scoring for much of the early going so it's been nice to see him find his game lately. Lehner had started his New Year's Eve drinking early or something as Tim Schaller's harmless backhander beat him at 9:29 of the second period for a commanding 3-0 Bruins advantage. Three goals scored by Boston can feel like double that with their struggles to find the back of the net and couple that with how well Rask has played. The Bruins are now 14-2-1 when they lead by 2+ goals in 2016-17. Krug and Austin Czarnik assisted on Schaller's fifth goal of the season that had to feel a little sweeter against his former team.

As you probably noticed lately, the NHL has done everything in its power to outlaw fighting so even though Kevan Miller and Evander Kane wanted to fight each other later in the second, not to mention many other chippy moments throughout the proceedings, the linesmen and referees weren't having any of it. I understand they want to eliminate needless injuries (most notably concussions) from fights but one of the things that makes hockey so great is the ability to settle things after a cheap play.

North Chelmsford, MA native and BU one-and-done star Jack Eichel always seems to do something when he's at the Garden so he didn't disappoint his friends and family with a one-timer at 19:38 of the second that he hammered past Rask. His seventh goal of the season was assisted by Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart. This was the first time in this campaign that Bergeron has scored in consecutive games and Boston's sputtering power play is slowly figuring things out with goals in four of their last five.

Nearly halfway through the season, Boston still finds itself in third-place in the Atlantic Division. They have 44 points like Ottawa (20-12-4) but the Senators have played three less games. Also, the Bruins are four points ahead of Tampa Bay (18-15-4) going into their meeting with Carolina this evening (Lightning will have 1 game in hand after that). Boston is back at .500 at home and five games over .500 on the road (11-6-4) so I suppose it's good news that they head out of town for five of their next six games.

This week is another one that at least on paper isn't too scary: at reeling New Jersey (14-16-7) on Monday (7, NESN), they host Edmonton (19-12-6) on Thursday (7, NESN) in Milan Lucic's latest return, at Florida (15-14-8) on Saturday (7, NESN) and at Carolina (16-12-7) on Sunday (5, NESN). The Bruins should get points in all of those road games and even though the Oilers have been unexpectedly good this season, I still don't fear them.

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Bruins Beat Sabres 2-1 in Overtime Thanks to Brad Marchand's Penalty Shot

One of my favorite parts about sports is the unpredictable nature of them, meaning that you never know exactly what you're going to see in a given game at any time. For a franchise that has been around for as long as the Bruins (since 1924), you know it has to be something pretty special when they complete any kind of first in team history. Tonight, the B's (28-18-6) held off the Sabres (21-26-6) 2-1 in overtime at TD Garden as Brad Marchand won it with a goal off a penalty shot. Before that, Boston had never won an overtime game as a result of a successful penalty shot.

Don't let that last part fool you, most of the contest was rather dull despite a high shot total (38 for both clubs) but at least the Bruins found a way to sweep the home-and-home with lowly Buffalo while also closing the season-series at a respectable 3-1-0 mark. The win vaulted Boston into a fourth-place tie with Tampa Bay (the Lightning have the edge on them since they have played one fewer game). Boston is one point behind the Rangers and two points ahead of Detroit in the very jumbled Eastern Conference.

This was the 12th time this season that the B's have gone to overtime (they improved to 2-5 in it) and ninth time for the Sabres (2-2 in OT). If it feels like Boston has been in many one-goal games lately, they have since four of their last six have required an extra frame. The penalty shot came about since Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was called for hooking Marchand who had a clear path to goaltender Robin Lehner (36 saves; 2-3-1) on a breakaway at 2:32. As you'd expect, the Sabres didn't agree with the call but Marchand made it a moot point with a sweet move from his forehand to his backhand before he roofed it for his team-leading 24th goal of the season. He is still red hot with four goals in his last three straight games and 10 points overall (9 goals, 1 assists) in his last 10.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead at 12:22 of the first period on a pretty shot fake by David Pastrnak led to an easy tap-in for Loui Eriksson. David Krejci started the play by forcing a turnover in Buffalo's defensive zone. Eriksson's 16th goal of the season was his first since January 13 at Philadelphia (9 games ago). Pastrnak picked up his seventh assist of the season while Krejci's 27th assist (1 goal, 5 assists in his last 6 games) tied him with Ryan Spooner for the team lead.

As usual, the Sabres aren't going anywhere this season but I will say that for once they have plenty of hope for the near future. One of their many talented youngsters-Sam Reinhart-tied it at 10:53 of the second period when he backhanded in a rebound from Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (37 saves; 19-15-5). Jamie McGinn and Ryan O'Reilly had the assists on Reinhart's 14th goal of the season.

Boston's No. 2 ranked power play has slowed down significantly in the last few weeks but at the same time (and much to head coach Claude Julien's delight), their penalty kill has risen to No. 4 in the NHL. Indeed, this evening the Bruins' power play was 0 for 2 but the penalty kill was 3 for 3 so there is that. The Bruins improved to 12-13-3 at the Garden this season and they can finally reach .500 for the first time at home when they host Milan Lucic and the Kings (31-17-3) on Tuesday (7, NESN). It's a big game for Boston because after that, they leave on a season-long six-game road trip. They have been a great road team in 2015-16 (16-5-3) but they have to continue to accumulate points on their home ice in order to reach the postseason.

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Hey Bruins Fans, Are We Having Fun Yet?

If you feel as though every Bruins game is like the movie "Groundhogs Day," you are not alone my friend. Hockey is a simple game, especially when your team almost never can generate more than two goals of offense. Tuukka Rask (29 saves) is still a very good goaltender and Boston's (15-13-2) defense is generally solid enough but they won't make the playoffs even in the JV Eastern Conference with their disappearing act when it comes to scoring goals. Ottawa (12-12-5) is a mess, they came into Saturday afternoon at the Garden with a new head coach Dave Cameron (in his 2nd game) and 2-7-1 in their last 10 contests. Naturally, the Senators rallied twice and eventually beat Boston 3-2 in a shootout.

With Zdeno Chara back for his second game, David Krejci remains the only major Bruin sidelined by an injury (sorry Adam McQuaid). Nobody would argue his importance to the team but it's not like he's Sidney Crosby or Steven Stamkos, meaning that Boston shouldn't completely fall apart without him in the lineup. They have way too many veterans and guys that have produced in the NHL to score two goals or less in seven out of their last nine games. In many ways given their earlier injuries and constant struggles this season, it's a miracle that they are still above .500 and clinging to a one-point lead over Florida and Washington for the seventh spot in the East (I just puked writing that wretched sentence).

Boston took a 1-0 lead at 11:45 of the first period on about the most unlikely scenario: a shorthanded goal (their 3rd of the season) by rookie Craig Cunningham. It was also his first career goal and point in the NHL. Chara assisted on it and honestly, Robin Lehner (29 saves) should have saved the routine shot that somehow went through his five-hole. Props to Cunningham for using his speed-something foreign to most Bruins-to win the race to the loose puck.

When your whole team is scuffling, it seems like every mistake is magnified. Brad Marchand turned the puck over in the second period and the end result was a breakaway and tying goal for Mika Zibanejad. Rask got faked out of his skates by the Swede who was assisted by Mike Hoffman. The B's responded with a fight between Milan Lucic and something called Mark Borowiecki then another random goal-scorer: Loui Eriksson. Kevan Miller found Eriksson in front and for once, he finished a great chance for his fifth goal of the season. His Swedish homeboy Carl Soderberg had the other assist.

Ottawa got another lucky bounce in the third period on the power play as Kyle Turris' shot from the point deflected off Mark Stone's skate, Rask saved that but David Legwand was there to put in the rebound at 4:17 for his sixth goal of the season. Another reason that Boston can't score is that they have the fewest power plays in the league. They only earned one this afternoon to three for the Senators, not surprisingly it didn't amount to anything for the home team.

After a scoreless overtime, Zibanejad and Brad Marchand traded goals before Bobby Ryan ended it in the third round of the shootout with a nice deke of Rask. The Bruins are gone for another week: they are at Nashville (19-7-2) on Tuesday (8, NESN), in Minnesota (15-11-1) on Wednesday (8, NBCSN) and wrapping up in Winnipeg on Friday (8, NESN). All three of those teams are currently flat out better than them at this juncture so it promises to be a tense trio of games. The Bruins' next home game is a week from Sunday vs. Buffalo. They need to figure things out quickly or else there will be changes (I think?) so they don't fall out of the playoff picture, something that appeared unfathomable coming into this season of high expectations.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ready Or Not Bruins, Here Come The 2013 NHL Playoffs

If we're being honest here (which is what I strive for besides entertaining the unwashed masses), the Bruins didn't really deserve to win the Northeast Division this season. They were so terrible down the stretch that even though Montreal was in the same boat, the Canadiens won their last game (4-1 on Saturday night in Toronto) while the Bruins couldn't hold up their end of the bargain as they lost 4-2 to the Senators tonight at TD Garden.

The makeup of the Patriot's Day game against Ottawa and the final game in the 2013 NHL regular season determined that the Bruins will be the No. 4 seed which still means that they get home ice at least in the first round. Game 1 is Wednesday at the Garden and Game 2 is Saturday, times TBA.

Not winning the division probably won't mean much because facing Toronto (the No. 5 seed) rather than the Islanders (No. 8 seed) or Senators (No. 7 seed) somehow feels less daunting. Still, if Boston (28-14-6) continues to play like this (3-5-2 in their last 10 games) with two goals in seven of their last eight games, then the opponent they face is ultimately meaningless.

With the margin for error so small when you're scoring two goals or less, the B's really put themselves in a bind as Eric Condra gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead on a rebound at 16:59 of the first period then Jared Cowen's blast from the point at 10:33 of the second period found its way past Tuukka Rask (18 saves).

The B's showed some life as Rich Peverley beat Robin Lehner (34 saves) with a power play goal at 19:56 of the second period. Peverley's sixth goal of the season was assisted by Wade Redden (4th assist) and Dennis Seidenberg (13th assist). Redden's stretch pass allowed Peverley to use his speed along the boards and his low shot beat Lehner to the far post. Plays like that are why you'll see Redden in the lineup when the playoffs begin, not all the Bruins defensemen have that ability to make those types of passes/plays.

Seidenberg tied it up only 14 seconds into the third period with a top-shelf rocket past Lehner. Milan Lucic (20th assist) and Kaspars Daugavins (3rd assist; 1st point as a Bruin) had the helpers on Seidenberg's fourth goal of the season. Lucic is starting to look like himself again, he had a major heavyweight bout with Chris Neil late in the first period.

Boston had to win in regulation to face the Islanders or in OT/shootout to get a rematch with the Senators so Jean-Gabriel Pageau's (great name by the way) game-winner at 16:26 ultimately decided the first round matchups in the Eastern Conference. Kyle Turris scored an empty-netter with 37 seconds left to send the crowd streaming toward the exits like it was a Lakers playoff game.

The good news for the B's is that they can erase all the mediocre play of the last month with a strong showing in the playoffs. I still stubbornly believe that they can beat anyone in the East, except maybe Pittsburgh. They went 3-1-0 against Toronto in the regular season which I get is meaningless now but the Maple Leafs (who hadn't made the playoffs in 9 years) shouldn't scare anyone if the Bruins show up and play their style complete with more than two goals a game.

UPDATE 4/29: Game 1-Bruins vs. Leafs, 7 p.m. on Wednesday; Game 2-Bruins vs. Leafs, 7 p.m. on Saturday; Game 3-Bruins at Leafs, 7 p.m. on Monday; Game 4-Bruins at Leafs, 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

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Poor Senators, All They Can Do Is Lose To The Bruins By One Goal In Every Possible Way

A busy day for the Bruins was wrapped up in the best manner: they beat the Senators 3-2 at TD Garden. Boston (23-8-4) will have to change up its lines with Jaromir Jagr on the team now but in maybe their last game together, David Krejci (1 goal, 1 assist), Milan Lucic (2 assists) and Nathan Horton (game-winning goal) were dynamite.

Ottawa (19-11-6) has one more chance to beat the Bruins in the regular season, thus far they've lost all four meetings and making it more painful each one has been by a single goal (2 in regulation, 1 in OT, 1 in shootout). This was one of the more exciting games of the season since Boston had a season-high 50 shots on goal and Ottawa had 47 shots on goal. Haha the shots in the first period were 22-19 in favor of Boston which more resembles the final totals from some of their boring contests of late.

Anton Khudobin (45 saves) and Robin Lehner (47 saves) might be backup goaltenders but they were both superb in this one. Khudobin earned the back-to-back start after his shutout in Buffalo on Sunday night and even though he allowed a goal 2:48 into the first period, he still came out on top. Ottawa's Colin Greening had the opening score as Boston was caught running around in its own end.

Krejci answered 40 seconds later by tipping in Zdeno Chara's shot from the point for his ninth goal of the season. Lucic had the second assist. Tyler Seguin sent the Garden crowd into hysterics with a spectacular goal just 1:01 later after a give-and-go with his BFF Brad Marchand. It was Seguin's 12th goal of the season.

After a scoreless second period as things calmed down only in terms of goals, Ottawa's Andre Benoit tied it at 1:55 with a shot that initially didn't seem to go in as Khudobin dove wildly like Tim Thomas. On replay, it was clear that it hit the back of the bar in the goal and came out even faster so it was ruled a goal.

Horton delivered his 12th goal of the season (four straight games with a goal) thanks to a juicy rebound on Lucic's shot with Krejci credited with the second assist. Boston survived a 6-on-4 with 34 seconds left as Johnny Boychuk was called for interference.

The only negative news for the Black and Gold to come out of today was that Patrice Bergeron got elbowed in the second period and never returned. As can be expected in that type of situation, neither his teammates nor head coach Claude Julien wanted to elaborate on what happened to him which should set off plenty of hysteria since Bergeron has a history of concussions. Not to mention the fact that he's one of their most important players that does seemingly everything well.

Jagr will be in a Bruins uniform, wearing his customary No. 68 on Thursday (7 p.m., NESN) at the Garden as the B's host the Devils (15-12-9). An interesting subplot is if Khudobin will get his third start in a row or if Julien goes back to Tuukka Rask.

UPDATE 4/3: The only move the B's made today was trading for scrub defenseman Wade Redden from St. Louis in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick. It becomes a sixth-round pick if he plays a game in the playoffs but don't count on that. He is awful and nobody wanted him the last few years so even though he might be better than Aaron Johnson and Matt Bartkowski, why would they throw them into this race?

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli gave a vague update on Bergeron, saying that he has a "moderate concussion," whatever that means. This is his fourth career concussion (that we know about) so let's see how long this one keeps him out.

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Bruins Pick Up Great 2-1 Win At Ottawa

It's no secret that the Bruins haven't been themselves lately, they have suffered a rash of injuries and forgot how to put the puck in the net with any regularity. For one night at least, Boston had plenty of reason to be happy since the B's (20-6-3) won 2-1 against the Senators (16-9-6) at Scotiabank Place.

Dennis Seidenberg prevented overtime by scoring a clutch goal, his first of the season, with 1:04 left in regulation. His slap shot from the point was assisted by Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. Ottawa goaltender Robin Lehner (27 saves) played well but all we'll remember is that he didn't make the timely stops when he needed to.

Anton Khudobin (6-2-0) continued to solidify his role on the team with 27 saves. He's won four of his last five starts and this victory helped snap Boston's two-game losing streak which doesn't sound like a big deal to most clubs but the B's were pressing a bit this past week or so.

Props to David Krejci for playing through what had to be immense pain. He only missed one game after taking Johnny Boychuk's slap shot right off his knee on Sunday. I didn't know he was that tough, this proves plenty to me and all the other doubters. No Euroweenie in there Felger. Rich Peverley was a healthy scratch for the first time in his Black and Gold career as head coach Claude Julien tried to shake things up with his team that had scored one goal in each of the last two contests. Ryan Spooner started in Peverley's place on the third line.

The Senators broke the boring deadlock at 4:55 of the second period when Kaspars Daugavins wristed a shot over Khudobin's glove. Daniel Paille responded with a much needed goal (his 6th of the season) for the Bruins before the period expired. Boychuk and Gregory Campbell had assists on Paille's wrister that trickled over the line after it ate Lehner up like you read about.

This was the third time that Ottawa has lost by one goal to Boston this season, at least this version didn't include overtime or a shootout (both of which they've tasted before). These Northeast Division "rivals" will meet twice more, April 2 & 15 at TD Garden.

The B's close their four-game road trip (that has felt like a month) on Saturday (7 p.m., NESN) at Air Canada Centre against the Leafs (16-12-3). Toronto is 0-2-0 against Boston in 2013.

UPDATE 3/22: Matt Bartkowski was called up from Providence on an emergency basis, for Boychuk.

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Bruins Rally For A 3-2 Shootout Win In Ottawa

They have only played twice so far this season (with three more meetings on the Lockout-infused horizon) but the Senators must be wondering how they can beat the Bruins since they've lost both games in heartbreaking fashion. Tonight, Ottawa (13-8-5) jumped out to a 2-0 lead 7:18 into the contest but that was all the offense they could muster as Boston (17-3-3) rallied for a 3-2 shootout win at Scotiabank Place.

Tuukka Rask (13-2-3) had 30 saves, including three in the shootout as the B's grabbed two points at the start of their insane week: five games in seven days with two back-to-backs. It was Boston's third win in a row. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci scored in the shootout for Boston. Senators goaltender Robin Lehner (33 saves) lost to the Bruins for the second time in less than two weeks after Bergeron beat him in overtime on February 28 for a 2-1 win at TD Garden.

Sloppy play in their own end gift-wrapped a pair of goals from the Bruins to the Senators. Guillaume Latendresse scored his first goal of the season just 55 seconds into the game (quickest goal Boston has allowed this season). Adam McQuaid couldn't clear a pass that handcuffed him and Latendresse took advantage. Kyle Turris put another loose puck in the top shelf after Boston fumbled it behind their own net. Chris Phillips had assists on both Ottawa goals.

The Bruins' fourth line had probably their best game of the season as Shawn Thornton scored his second goal of the season with 44 seconds left in the first period after an extended shift in Ottawa's zone. Zdeno Chara had the lone assist. Daniel Paille was sprung for a breakaway in the second period and he finished it for his fifth goal of the season, assists to David Krejci and McQuaid.

It was a chippy game too, something to remember when they play again on March 21. McQuaid hit Chris Neil awkwardly into the boards in the first period so he had to fight something called Patrick Wiercioch. Neil appeared to be seriously hurt at first but he recovered enough to return to the game and dish out a completely unnecessary knee-to-knee hit on Chris Kelly in the second period. Kelly couldn't put any weight on it as teammates and the Bruins' trainer helped him off the ice, he didn't return in the third period.

Kelly made the trip to Pittsburgh with the team but I really doubt that he'll be able to play tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., NESN) vs. the Penguins (18-8-0, 1st in Atlantic Division). Pittsburgh has won five games in a row to reach second place in the Eastern Conference. It'll be interesting to see if Rask gets the start (something that Claude Julien hates to do in back-to-backs) again since it's hard to see Anton Khudobin getting thrown to the wolves aka the NHL's highest scoring team on their home ice no less. It should be one of the best regular season games between two of the real contenders in the East.

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Bruins Beat Senators 2-1 In The Most Boring Overtime Game In NHL History

Even when they haven't played their best so far this season, the Bruins are still finding ways to get points and usually wins. After returning home from their longest road trip of the season, Boston (13-2-2) outlasted Ottawa (12-6-3) 2-1 in overtime tonight at TD Garden.

Patrice Bergeron's tip-in was the game-winner as he just deflected Dennis Seidenberg's shot enough to have it go through Senators rookie goaltender Robin Lehner (44 saves) and cross the goal-line.

The victory was Boston's fifth in a row and they snapped Ottawa's five-game win streak in the process as well. To say this game was dull would be the understatement of the year. The B's were credited with 46 shots on goal but honestly they had very few decent chances that my tired brain can remember. Meanwhile, Tuukka Rask (11-1-2) continued to make his case as one of the NHL's best goaltenders as he had a routine 30 saves.

For such an ugly contest, it is only fitting that all three goals were greasy as hockey players like to say. Nathan Horton (7th goal of the season) basically whiffed on a shot but it still beat Lehner at 5:48 in the second period. Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic had the assists. The Senators responded in the most impressive fashion possible: they broke Boston's 26 straight penalty kills streak. The immortal Jim O'Brien (not the former BC basketball coach) poked in a rebound at 14:38.

Lucic could have cost his team the game when he was called for closing his hand on the puck (a new rule) with 32 seconds left in regulation. Luckily, Boston killed that off and experienced further good fortune on Bergeron's seeing-eye shot.

The main reason that this game sucked was because Ottawa has lost almost all its best players to injuries so they have to resort to playing a particularly conservative style to survive. A boring game should be the furthest thing from our minds on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m., NESN) as the NHL's highest scoring team-the Tampa Bay Lightning (9-10-1, 3rd in Southeast Division) invade the Garden. Boston won 4-2 in Tampa Bay last Thursday. These teams always play exciting games against each other so Saturday should be no exception in the Lightning's first visit to Boston this season.

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It's Tough To Win Hockey Games When You Don't Score Any Goals

I suppose with the law of the averages, the Ottawa Senators were bound to beat the Boston Bruins at some point.

After losing the first four times they played in 2011-12 (including on Saturday in Ottawa), the Senators (34-23-8) came to TD Garden tonight and blanked the Bruins (37-21-3) 1-0 to pull within one point of the Black and Gold for first place in the Northeast Division.

These seem to be two teams headed in opposite directions: the Bruins have lost four of six while the Senators have won six of their last seven. This was the fourth time in the last 10 games that the B's were shut out.

The good news for the B's is that they have four games in hand compared to the Senators. Plus, they can turn the calendar to March before their next game which is a must since they were shut out five times in the year's shortest month. It's no surprise then that Boston still hasn't won consecutive games since mid-January.

The best offensive defenseman in the NHL, Eric Karlsson, provided the game-winner with a power-play strike at 14:44 of the first period. Karlsson's 15th of the season was assisted by Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (37 saves; 26-13-0) was outstanding but he had no chance on the goal since he was screened by multiple players from both teams including Daniel Alfredsson who was right in front of him when Karlsson blasted it from the point.

Ottawa goaltender Robin Lehner (32 saves), recently called up from the AHL, recorded his first NHL shutout. He made some nice stops but truth be told, the B's didn't have many quality chances. Boston's power-play continued to be a mess, going 0 for 4.

New Bruins Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau made their debuts but neither had much of an impact. Greg Zanon was in the press box but he will see plenty of ice time on Thursday when Boston hosts New Jersey. The Bruins are 3-0 so far this season against the Devils (14-5 goal differential) but I'll be careful making any predictions since I learned my lesson with what turned out to be a reverse lock this evening.

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