The Bruins Began Their 2023-24 Regular Season Campaign With A 3-1 Victory Vs. The Blackhawks

 

    It seems like only yesterday that the Bruins were choking away a 3-1 series lead and losing another excruciating Game 7 on their home ice, this time to the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs last spring. You cannot blame Boston's fans for having even more PTSD after the Bruins made the best regular season in NHL history nothing but a useless footnote. With that said, it is time to move on with our lives and focus on a new season for the Black and Gold. Additionally, with how terrible the Red Sox and Patriots are these days, we need the B's and the Celtics to be the title contenders that we believe them to be. Tonight, the B's hosted the Blackhawks (1-1-0) at TD Garden and they turned in a solid performance that resulted in a satisfying 3-1 win for the home team. 

    The league schedule makers did the Bruins a favor since Chicago had played last night (an unexpected 4-2 triumph in Pittsburgh). The Blackhawks received an early boost by their young phenom and the No. 1 overall pick center Connor Bedard who scored his first career goal at 5:37 of the first period with a nifty wraparound. Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (20 saves) was a little slow to react and the baby-faced 18-year-old Canadian corralled a rebound and quickly twisted around the cage to net what will be the first of likely hundreds of goals in the NHL. Former Bruins Taylor Hall-who later left with an upper body injury following a check from B's defenseman Brandon Carlo-and Ryan Donato (the pride of Harvard) provided the assists on Bedard's historic tally. Chicago's lone lead was brief though as Boston tied it up less than six minutes later. Left wing Trent Frederic deftly tipped in Carlo's shot from the point at 11:22. Rookie center Matthew Poitras picked up the second assist, the first career point for a 19-year-old who burst onto the scene at Boston's training camp and earned himself a surprise spot in the opening lineup. 

    It was knotted at 1-1 after the first period but the Bruins slowly started to take over against the understandably tired Blackhawks in the second period. They took a 2-1 lead midway through the frame that served as an early dose of Bruins porn for their always thirsty fans. Old friend and left wing Milan Lucic made his triumphant return to the Garden with a nice backhand assist to right wing David Pastrnak who ripped a low shot past Chicago's backup goalie something named Arvid Soderblom (30 saves) at 13:09. After scoring a career-high 61 goals last season, it is unlikely that Pastrnak will reach that lofty height this time around but as long as he can bag 40+ goals, the Bruins will take it. Boston led 2-1 heading into the third and you had a feeling that Chicago was gassed out. 
    Each club was 0-for-3 on the power play so the B's had to wait until the Blackhawks pulled Soderblom for an extra skater to finally put this one to bed. In his first official contest as captain Bruins left wing Brad Marchand won a puck battle along the wall and unselfishly gave up the puck to Pastrnak for an easy empty-net goal at 19:04. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy registered the second assist on David's second goal of the night. Overall, it was a fun game for the B's who saw two of their recent draft picks make their NHL debuts: center John Beecher and right wing Jakub Lauko who teamed up with Lucic on the very effective fourth line.

    Boston will practice for a few days before their next matchup-on Saturday night (7, NESN)- Nashville (0-1-0) pays them a visit. Following that matchup with another Western Conference club, the B's are off to California (San Jose, LA then Anaheim) and a return date with Chicago as their first road trip of this season is four games long. We are a few weeks away from Halloween so the weather is still pretty decent in New England and unless you are a hardcore fan, it is hard to focus on the Bruins this early. However, winter will be here soon enough and the Pats could be the worst team in the NFL so local sports fans need a team to put our unrealistic hopes on. Hello Bruins (and Celtics)! Longtime Bruins centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are now retired plus there is a decent amount of new faces on this roster. Last season was a forceful reminder that the regular season in hockey is mostly useless other than qualifying for the playoffs. Regardless, the NHL postseason does not start for a long time so we need entertainment until then and this likeable group should fill that void very well indeed.

At This Point, I've Accepted the Fact That I'll Never See the Bruins Beat the Capitals Again

It is getting quite comical at this point: no matter how well the Bruins (25-15-4) are playing (winners of 5 straight and 8-2-0 in their last 10 games), they simply cannot find a way to defeat the Capitals (27-12-4). Tonight at TD Garden, they tried their best but couldn't get the job done as Washington skated out of town with a 4-2 victory. The B's dropped to a hard-to-believe 0-11-3 in their last 14 games against the defending champs. Their last home win vs. the Caps was almost five years ago (March 6, 2014).

Backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak (18 saves, 13-7-2) got the start despite the fact that Tuukka Rask (12-8-2) has won his last four outings and is finally playing like the better option that he should be. Boston had a much better performance than the 7-0 Opening Night (Oct. 3) beating that they took in D.C. Still, when you nearly double your opponent in shots on goal (41-22) and win almost twice as many faceoffs (42-22), how do you lose? Halak was not at his best but neither were his teammates that managed to somehow turn a whopping 74 shot attempts (41 on goal, 18 blocked, 15 missed net) into just two goals. I'm no Will Hunting but that's not good enough. Haha sorry, had to do it.

On the other side, the best players from the Capitals all showed up. Captain Alex Ovechkin had two goals, Nicklas Backstrom added another and goaltender Braden Holtby (39 saves, 17-10-2) looked nothing like the guy that's had an uneven first half of 2018/19. In the process of standing on his head against the black and gold, Holtby improved to 16-2-0 in his career against them. The Bruins gave up an early first goal, never led and each time that they scored, they allowed a quick and painful rebuttal by the Capitals.

22-year-old left wing Jakub Vrana is one of the young players that is stepping up for the Caps. He's already reached a career-high in goals (15) and he scored on a breakaway at 6:38 of the first period. T.J. Oshie had the lone assist as Washington led 1-0 after the first despite getting mostly dominated (outshot 17-5). Ryan Donato has been scuffling for much of this season in Boston so it was encouraging to see him score on a beautiful snipe over Holtby's glove at 14:11 of the second period. Torey Krug and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson had the assists on Donato's sixth goal of the season. While the PA announcer was talking about that tally, Washington made it a moot point as Ovi slipped loose in the slot 39 seconds later for his NHL-best 31st goal of the season. The NHL's public enemy No. 1 Tom Wilson had the lone assist on the backbreaking goal.

Boston fell to 1-12-1 when they trail after two periods so when they were down 2-1 headed into the third, we should have already given any fleeting hope that we had left. The B's had 1:53 of a power play that carried over from the second but they couldn't convert on that one. Luckily the Capitals were called for too many men on the ice (served by Ovechkin) shortly after that and the Bruins' No. 3 ranked power play finally cashed in on its fifth opportunity. David Krejci blasted a shot by Holtby at 4:37 that tied it at two apiece. Danton Heinen and David Backes provided the assists on Krejci's eighth goal of the season. This time it took the Caps just over a minute (1:09) to respond. Backstrom beat Halak with a low-hard shot from some distance that truthfully, he would stop when he was on top of his game (he admitted as much afterwards). Oshie and rookie defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler had the assists on Backstrom's 11th goal of the season.

Halak actually made a bunch of quality saves after that to keep the Bruins in it but they never really tested Holtby too much more. Ovechkin ended any suspense that remained as he put in an empty-netter from a faceoff circle in his own defensive zone at 18:25. The good news for the Bruins is that they won't see the Capitals again unless it is in the postseason this spring. We'll worry about that if and when it occurs.

For now, they're onto Toronto (28-13-2) on Saturday night (7, NESN). It's a huge Atlantic Division showdown and the last meeting of the regular season for those Original Six rivals. The B's lead it 2-1 but Toronto is four points ahead of them for second-place and they have a game in hand. Rask will be back in net and it looks like defenseman Charlie McAvoy could make another return from his latest mysterious injury (foot). It's a difficult few days as they come back here to host Montreal (23-17-5) on Monday (7:30, NESN).

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In 2018, Bruins vs. Maple Leafs Is Becoming a Nice Little Rivalry Right Before Our Very Own Eyes

Bruins-Canadiens will always hold a special place in our hearts but over the last few seasons, you have to admit that Boston (15-10-4) against Toronto (20-9-1) has become a sexier matchup in the here and now minus the decades of bad blood and fun history since the Maple Leafs have mostly sucked forever. They already met three times in 2018-19 with the B's taking the latest chapter 6-3 this evening at TD Garden to go up 2-1 in the season series with one more in Toronto on January 12. Boston snapped a season-worst three-game losing streak with a resounding victory, perhaps their best outing of the campaign given that the Leafs scored the final two goals in extended garbage time.

This tilt had a little bit of everything: pretty goals, great saves, physical play and multiple fights. What else do you want in a regular season contest? Toronto came in with the second best record in the NHL but for the second time in a row (5-1 on Nov. 10), Boston absolutely slammed them on their home ice. The six goals scored tied for the second-most by the B's this season (Oct. 8 vs. Ottawa), topped only by their 8-2 beating of Detroit on Oct. 13. Boston took control tonight by scoring the first four goals. Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson made it 1-0 at 11:20 of the first period when he snuck a rebound by Frederik Andersen (22 saves, 6 goals allowed). David Pastrnak and Matt Grzelcyk assisted on JFK's third goal of the season.

Boston's second period had to be one of its best frames of the year: David Backes sniped a power-play goal at 8:54 (his 3rd goal of the season was assisted by Brad Marchand and Torey Krug) and Torey Krug bagged his first goal of the season with a long-range shot, assisted by Marchand and David Krejci (which moved him into 10th place on the team's all-time scoring list) at 17:45. In between that, Nazem Kadri for some reason started a fight with Brandon Carlo who dwarfs him. You knew that it was the Black and Gold's night when Danton Heinen pushed the lead to 4-0 with a beautiful goal-scorer's move at 1:47 of the third period. Ryan Donato and John Moore assisted on only his third goal of the season.

Toronto's defense is still their biggest issue which is why they play so many high-scoring affairs. They finally got on the board thanks to a goal by Travis Dermott at 4:03 of the third, Auston Matthews (5-game point-streak) and Jake Gardiner had the helpers on the pure shot that beat Jaroslav Halak (31 saves, 9th win of the season) cleanly. In old school Leafs fashion, they gave that goal right back 34 seconds later as Krejci scored on a 3-on-1 (his 4th goal of the season) with Pasta and Marchand. Things got silly as Andersen gave up a weak one to Donato shortly after that (6:13) that caused him to get pulled in favor of the immortal Garret Sparks. Donato's third goal of the seaosn was assisted by Heinen and Krug.

Matthews tapped in a goal at 9:30 (his 16th of the season, in 16 games!) that cut it to 6-2. That's when things went a little bonkers as good old Zach Hyman (that is a tough name to live with) hit McAvoy late with a cheap shot. Charlie had just returned on Thursday at Tampa Bay (23-7-1) after missing 20 games with a concussion so you can understand why Grzelcyk dropped the gloves with Hyman. McAvoy went to the Bruins' dressing room but thankfully was cleared to return by the end of the game. A few moments later, Chris Wagner (playing in his 200th NHL game) caught Morgan Rielly with a clean open ice hit (don't do that!) so he fought UMass-Lowell alum Ron Hainsey for shits and giggles. Andreas Johnsson (who earlier in the night refused to fight Sean Kuraly) rounded out the scoring with a completely meaningless power play goal at 12:22, his seventh goal of the season was assisted by Patrick Marleau and Gardiner.

The B's have little time to rest at home as they fly out to Ottawa (13-14-3) for tomorrow's meeting with the Senators (5, NESN). Tuukka Rask will get the start as the Bruins try to start a new win streak. Keep in mind, they are 4-0-1 thus far in the second game of back-to-backs and 3-1-1 in Game 3s when they play three times in four days. The Senators are in full rebuild mode and even though they placed Matt Duchene (groin) and Bobby Ryan (concussion) on injured reserve earlier today, they still managed to beat scuffling Pittsburgh (12-10-6) 2-1 in overtime. More numbers to mull over for tomorrow: Boston is 5-7-4 on the road while Ottawa is surprisingly very good at home (10-5-2). With Arizona (13-12-2) coming to the Garden on Tuesday (7, NESN) the B's have the opportunity to grab some points against non-playoff contenders over the next few days.

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Red Wings Win Their Second Game In a Row vs. Bruins, Which For Them is a Huge Accomplishment

The Bruins (14-8-4) and Red Wings (12-11-3) have been in the same division (Atlantic) now for a little while, they even met in the playoffs a few years back but who could call it anything close to a rivalry other than the fact that they both happen to be Original Six clubs? That is partly because Boston has owned that ass while Detroit's absurd postseason streak finally ended and since then, they've faded into NHL mediocrity. Tonight's 4-2 win by the Wings at TD Garden gave at least a breath of life and a sniff of hope that this unnatural pairing of Boston vs. Detroit could turn into something which is better than nothing, am I right folks?

The Wings had beaten the B's 3-2 in overtime on Thanksgiving Eve and this represented their first regulation win vs. the Black and Gold since Valentine's Day 2016 (a 6-5 win in Detroit). Boston had been 15-1-2 in its last 18 games vs. Detroit including points in 11 straight contests (9-0-2). The Bruins outshot the Red Wings 40-27 but that hardly mattered since Detroit beat them up both physically and on the scoreboard (where it really counts, tough guy). 1-0 was the only lead that Boston would have all night as the Red Wings scored twice in the second period and then closed with the final two goals in the latter half of the third period to earn the all-important two points.

Tuukka Rask (23 saves) suffered his first loss in regulation since his brief hiatus but he couldn't be faulted for two of the three goals that he allowed which came via perfect deflections out in front of him. Maine alum Jimmy Howard (38 saves) was immense, other than a bizarre backhand flip by David Backes that went off his shoulder and into the net with 3.8 seconds left in the first period. Other than empty-netters, I doubt that Backes has scored many flukier goals in his long NHL career. His second goal of the season was assisted by John Moore and rookie Colby Cave (his 1st NHL point).

Keep in mind that Detroit had a goal waved off in the second period so it could have been an even worse frame for the B's if that stood (Rask was bumped trying to get in position). Tyler Bertuzzi tied it at 5:45 when Mike Green's shot from the point took an old double deflection off Michael Rasmussen then him for his ninth goal of the season. For the second time in three days, David Krejci took a big (clean) hit at center ice. At least this time he didn't require another emergency trip to the dentist for repairs. Joakim Nordstrom is far from a fighter but he stood up for his new teammate by dropping the gloves with Red Wings defensemen Dennis Cholowski-who had destroyed Krejci. That was nearly the undercard for a massive line brawl that would have included Rask vs. Howard but the no fun refs tied them up and wouldn't let them go. I think I speak for all blood-thirsty fans when I say boooooooooo. The only above average player on the Red Wings these days-Dylan Larkin-made it 2-1 at 17:36 by putting in a rebound on the doorstep. Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist (another former Black Bear) had the assists on his 10th goal of the season.

It wasn't a banner night for Boston's #2 ranked power play in the NHL (1-for-6) but they knotted it at two thanks to rookie Ryan Donato's tally at 5:31 of the third. His shot deflected off a Red Wing stick but regardless, it was still one of his patented snipes. Donato's second goal of the season was assisted by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug (5-game assist streak). After the shootout game-winner on Thursday and that, it's tough to see him going back down to Providence anytime soon. It looked like it would be another one-goal game that might possibly require overtime but Detroit had other plans as veteran Frans Nielsen tipped in Danny DeKeyser's shot from the point at 11:53 for the go-ahead tally. Nyquist had the secondary assist on Nielsen's first goal of the season. Nyquist completed his three-point night with an empty-netter at 19:33, DeKeyser had the lone assist on his fourth goal of the season.

No practice for the B's on Sunday-the Lord's day-as they'll get back on the ice at Warrior Arena on Monday before travelling to Sunrise, FL to take on the Panthers (10-10-5) on Tuesday (7, NESN). That kicks off a very busy week as the Bruins will be in Tampa (19-7-1) on Thursday (7, NESN) before coming back here briefly to host the Leafs (19-8-0) on Saturday night (7, NESN) before going to Ottawa (12-12-3) the following early evening (5, NESN). It helps when that tough stretch is bookended by doormats like the Panthers and Senators who they should usually beat. Right now, the Lightning and Maple Leafs are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference so both of those contests should be extremely difficult. B's defenseman Brandon Carlo returned this evening after missing the past nine games with an upper-body injury so hopefully between now and game time on Tuesday, nobody on the Bruins slips on a banana peel or falls out of a bunk bed.


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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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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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Donato's Debut Was Everything You Could Have Hoped For (G, 2 As) but Columbus Wins In OT

Normally, a Monday night in mid-March against Columbus (40-28-5) isn't a typical setting for a memorable moment in Bruins (45-17-9) history but fans at TD Garden were treated to something special this evening. Boston's prized prospect Ryan Donato (son of Ted) skipped his senior season at Harvard to sign a two-year entry-level deal with the Bruins on Sunday night and wouldn't you know, there he was on the second forward line vs. the Blue Jackets with David Krejci and Danton Heinen after Rick Nash was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Wearing Milan Lucic's old #17 jersey, the Scituate MA native and Dexter alum put together quite an NHL debut as he scored a goal and had two assists as Columbus pulled out a wild 5-4 victory in overtime. He's the first Bruin to have a multi-point outing in his first NHL game since Jarno Kultanen had three assists on Oct. 5, 2000. It was the eighth straight win for the Blue Jackets that also snapped a seven-game home win streak for the Bruins.

The Blue Jackets improved to an incredible 8-1 in overtime this season while the Bruins fell to 5-7 in the extra session. Coming off their best win of 2017-18 (3-0 at Tampa Bay on Saturday night), Boston couldn't match that masterful defensive effort as Columbus rallied from a 3-1 deficit and picked up two vital points as they took over the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The single point for the B's left them three points behind the Lightning (49-19-4) with a game in hand. Columbus struck first as Bruins killer Thomas Vanek as always made his presence felt by stealing the puck and feeding Boone Jenner who had the good fortune of deflecting the puck in off his knee at 4:15 of the first period for his 11th goal of the season (6-game point streak).

Boston trailed 1-0 after the first period but they came out flying in the second with three straight goals. Donato wasted no time bagging his first NHL goal as he worked a perfect give-and-go with Torey Krug and Heinen for a wicked one-timer at 5:41. Less than two minutes later, Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with a beautiful backhander that went top shelf on Columbus' backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (34 saves, 8-7-0) for his team-leading 31st goal of the season, assisted by David Pastrnak and Kevan Miller. It looked to be Boston's night when Riley Nash banged in a rebound for a power play goal at 16:32, his 15th tally of the season. Donato and Marchand had the assists for what has to be the recipient of NESN's 7th Player Award this season. Who has overachieved more than Riley Nash in this campaign, particularly with Patrice Bergeron out? The Blue Jackets answered 25 seconds later though as BC dropout Sonny Milano tapped in a pass from Ryan Murray. Captain Nick Foligno had the second assist on Milano's 12th goal of the season.

Simply so they don't have to continue to face his wrath, the Bruins should consider signing Vanek at some point in his career. I feel like he's a free agent every summer and/or available at each NHL trade deadline. He tied it at three at 5:38 of the third period with a textbook re-direct of Markus Nutivaara's shot. Jenner had the secondary assist on Vanek's 20th goal of the season. The Blue Jackets kept the momentum going as former Blackhawk Artemi Panarin whipped a shot by Tuukka Rask (20 saves, 30-11-5) at 11:30 for his 22nd goal of the season after a clean faceoff win by Foligno went right to his linemate. It didn't take the Bruins long to bounce back (hi Big Sean!) since David Krejci tied it 20 seconds later on a nifty little one-timer from Donato and Heinen for his 17th goal of the season.

Marchand had a breakaway early in overtime but despite plenty of contact from Columbus rookie forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, there was no penalty shot or even an infraction called. I say this as a fan of hockey not just a honk for the Bruins but what other player wouldn't have drawn a whistle there? That seemed like a perfect example of Marchand's checkered history costing him in a pivotal moment which is a shame to say the least. Former BC star Cam Atkinson won it for the Blue Jackets at 2:55, his 17th goal of the season (13 points in his last 12 games) was assisted by Murray and Alexander Wennberg.

Boston barely had time to unpack at home for a few days as they head right back on the road for another four-game road trip. They begin with two teams right outside the Western Conference playoff picture (at St. Louis on Wednesday then at Dallas on Friday) before closing with two teams that are more firmly situated in there (at Minnesota on Sunday night and at Winnipeg next Tuesday). The Bruins' next home game isn't until a week from Thursday (7, NESN) when they host Tampa Bay in what should be another huge matchup that could go a long way towards determining who wins the Atlantic Division. Bergeron (broken foot) skated today and while he, Zdeno Chara (upper-body) and David Backes (laceration behind his right knee) are out against the Blues (39-28-5), it sounds like they might return at some point on this trip.

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