Soul-Crushing Losses In the NHL Playoffs? It's Called (Boston) Bruins

There will never be a more wide open path to the Stanley Cup than the one laid out for the Bruins in the 2019 NHL playoffs. The Lightning, Capitals and Penguins all went down in the first round which meant that after they survived a seven game first round series vs. Toronto for the second year in a row, they got Columbus in the second round and they eliminated them in six rugged contests before sweeping the overmatched Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meeting up with the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final on paper seemed like a dream: this after all was a team that was in last place for the entire NHL on January 3. They were here for a reason but with home ice and a wealth of experience on their side, the B's surely would find a way to get their seventh Cup in franchise history and first since 2011, rectifying 2013's loss to the loaded Blackhawks in 2013.

The 2019 Stanley Cup Final is a perfect example of why we love sports: the team that nobody believed in all year (Blues) actually got the job done. Tonight at TD Garden in the first ever Game 7 of the SCF on home ice for the B's, they fell flat on their Black and Gold faces. St. Louis never trailed, scoring two goals in the first period before choking the life out of the Bruins en route to a shockingly easy 4-1 victory that clinched their first Cup in their team's long-tortured history (52 years). This series was unpredictable from start to finish so it was only right that the final chapter followed that same unpredictable route. Boston went 1-3 at the Garden vs. St. Louis, including three straight losses to close it out where they scored a grand total of four goals.

Boston had the top-ranked power play in the playoffs which is great but you can't always rely on that, especially in a Game 7 where only one penalty was called all night (delay of game on Colton Parayko in the first period). St. Louis was the better team 5-on-5 and their top defensemen (Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo and even ancient Jay Bouwmeester) completely shut down the Bruins' so-called perfection line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Who knows if Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington will ever turn into a star but he just set an NHL record for most wins (all 16 in the postseason) by a rookie so it's tough to knock that. Center Ryan O'Reilly earned the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) with 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) which tied for the league lead in the postseason and the most points in the SCF (5 goals, 4 assists). Equally impressive, he helped make Bergeron (who has to be battling some type of injury given his ineffectiveness) turn invisible vs. the Blues. O'Reilly capped off his tour de force with the opening goal in Game 7 and an assist on the final tally which gave St. Louis an insurmountable 4-0 lead late in the third period.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (16 saves) was a shoe-in for the Conn Smythe if he teammates hadn't choked this all away in the biggest moment. He deserved better as he was brilliant and it's tough to dump much on him this evening despite the fact that St. Louis scored on exactly half of its shots on goal (4) in the first. In front of its loudest crowd of the postseason (who paid undoubtedly the highest price ever for a sporting event in Boston), the Bruins came out on fire, outshooting the Blues 12-4 but they had nothing to show for it. Binnington robbed Marchand, he made a nice save on David Krejci's backhander and finally had a spectacular stop on Marcus Johansson. In soccer, they talk about goals that come against the run of play and that's precisely what the Blues got when O'Reilly tipped in Bouwmeester's shot from the point at 16:47 of the first period. Pietrangelo had the second assist (his team-high 16th) on O'Reilly's goal that extended the former Sabre's point streak to six games (5 goals, 4 assists) and that gave him 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in his last eight games.

For the most part, this was a low-scoring series aside from Boston's random offensive explosions in Game 3 (7-2) and Game 6 (5-1) at Enterprise Center. Still, 1-0 in the first period doesn't feel insurmountable. However, the Blues going up 2-0 with 7.9 seconds left in the frame was the definition of a backbreaker. For some unknown reason, Marchand decided to come off for a line change which left Pietrangelo all the time and space that he could ever dream of. The All-World Canadian and Blues captain beat Rask with a backhander for his third goal of the postseason, assisted by Jaden Schwartz who had done absolutely nothing all series. Going into the first intermission down 2-0 instead of the 1-0 it should have been (not to mention tied or even ahead) had to eat away at Boston's fragile confidence.

Boston showed that the pressure was truly getting to them in the second period as they played one of their worst stanzas of the entire season let alone the postseason. They outshot St. Louis 11-6 but there were no Grade A chances and Binnington hardly had to break a sweat. The Blues have to be one of the toughest teams in the NHL to play from behind against too because they love to just continually dump the puck in your end, make you chase it then continually pound you against the glass. The Bruins seemed flummoxed as to how to solve this problem. The team played nervy and you can't blame the fans for being equally on edge.

Comparing comebacks from other sports is silly but we had to cling to memories of the Patriots 28-3 Super Bowl comeback vs. the Falcons as if that meant anything for the B's. They huffed and puffed but could never gain any semblance of control in the game as Binnington extinguished all hope with a brilliant save on Sean Kuraly early in the third period. Brayden Schenn's one-timer at 11:25 made it 3-0 as the first wave of Bruins fans headed for the exits (who could do that after dropping so much money?). Vladimir Tarasenko and Schwartz had the assists on Schenn's fifth goal of the postseason. Salem, MA native and BC alum Zach Sanford had the honor of putting the last nail in Boston's coffin when he scored on a similar one-timer at 15:22. His first goal of the playoffs was assisted by David Perron and O'Reilly. The only thing that prevented Binnington from a joke shutout was Matt Grzelcyk's goal with an extra skater at 17:50 that cut it to 4-1 Blues. He returned to action after being out with a concussion since Game 2. David Krejci had the lone assist on the Charlestown native and BU alum's fourth goal of the postseason.

Earlier this week, Marchand talked about how that 2013 loss to Chicago still haunts him to this day and he already admitted in this postgame that this was the worst loss of his career, a sentiment echoed by another guy that's been a Bruin for a long time (Krejci). The toughest part to swallow from all of this is that St. Louis isn't a super team like the Blackhawks were in 2013. Unfortunately, I feel like in a few years, we'll look back at this Blues team as one of those fluky NHL clubs that somehow finds its way to a Cup that then proceeds to fall off a cliff never to be heard from again. Teams change every year in professional sports so undoubtedly at least one or two Bruins that we like probably won't be on the team next season. Sadly, it also is unlikely that the nucleus of Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Zdeno Chara and Rask that has been so productive in Black and Gold will ever capture another Cup, at least all together. This was their chance to really put a stamp on the franchise and the NHL as a whole. 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final looks a hell of a lot better than 1-2 and frankly 2011 seems like a lifetime ago. The Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports but I have a feeling that this will always be remembered by the Bruins and their fans as the painful one that they left sitting on the table.

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B's Survive Game 6 In St. Louis (5-1) To Set Up the 1st Ever Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final In Boston

The Stanley Cup was in the cookie cutter building (Enterprise Center) but the dopey people of St. Louis were left very disappointed tonight as the Bruins came into town and skated back to a real city with a very impressive 5-1 victory to tie the Stanley Cup Final series at three games apiece. That means that an epic Game 7 will be on Wednesday (8, NBC) at TD Garden and would you believe that in the long (and sometimes glorious) history of the B's, they've never hosted a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final? Needless to say, no work will be done in Boston or around New England on Wednesday for the entire day and it should be an absolutely incredible atmosphere from start to finish.

After not leading in either Game 4 or Game 5 (where not coincidentally their PP was scoreless each time), Boston eradicated both of those trends that were dragging them down. Also, the first line decided to show up with a pair of timely goals by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy did his best Red Sox manager Alex Cora impression from last October (ie. pushing all the right buttons) as he put rookie winger Karson Kuhlman in the lineup for the first time since April 30 and of course, the undrafted rookie from Minnesota-Duluth came through with a key goal (his 1st career NHL playoff goal). Finally, goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves) further cemented his lock on the Conn Smythe Trophy (postseason MVP)-win or lose in Game 7-with yet another brilliant performance in a run chock full of them.

Led by their head coach Craig Berube who prefers his barbaric hockey straight out of the Stone Age, the Blues just can't help but commit stupid penalties time and again. That's why it's on the Bruins and their top-ranked power play in the postseason to take advantage. St. Louis outdid themselves early tonight with a pair of infractions (boarding on Brayden Schenn and delay of game on Ryan O'Reilly) that gifted Boston their first 5-on-3 of the entire postseason. The Black and Gold made the most of that golden opportunity as Marchand blasted in a one-timer from Pasta and Torey Krug at 8:40 of the first period. It was Marchand's ninth goal of the postseason (which tied him for the team lead with Charlie Coyle and Patrice Bergeron) and his 13th point (5 goals, 8 assists) in the last 13 games. The Little Ball of Hate leads the league with 23 points this postseason. Pastrnak (10th) and Krug (NHL-best 16th) both reached double-digit assists in the playoffs, mostly thanks to Boston's usually unstoppable power play.

For the entire contest, the B's outshot the Blues 32-29 but St. Louis predictably had their biggest push (outside of a nervy start by the visitors) in the second period when they outshot the Bruins 10-8. Conversely, the Blues' power play couldn't be much more of a liability: they went 0-for-4 (including 0-for-2 in the 2nd) this evening which added to their series ledger makes them a Claude Julien coached team-esque 1-for-18 in these six games. Yuck. Rask's best save of this one came in the second period with some help from a post and Charlie McAvoy. Alex Pietrangelo's backhander hit the post then Rask with some sort of Jedi mindtrick was able to find the puck with his glove behind his back (no seriously, this happened) and McAvoy was able to bat it away once it reappeared.

When it came to winning time-the 3rd period-Boston's veteran experience showed up in a major way as they closed out St. Louis to the tune of 4-1 over the last 20 minutes. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (27 saves) got handcuffed by a bouncing shot by Brandon Carlo that beat him (with a screen in front by Kuhlman) from just inside the blue line that you expect any capable NHL goalie to stop in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Carlo's second goal of the postseason was assisted by Jake DeBrusk for a 2-0 lead at 2:31. Any chance of a St. Louis comeback was extinguished by one of the most unlikely participants-Kuhlman-who became the 21st Bruin to score this postseason, tying an NHL record. John Moore is the only Bruins skater that has played this postseason who hasn't scored so I fully expect him to bury a huge goal on Wednesday with the way that this has been going.

Kuhlman sniped a wrister right under the crossbar from David Krejci at 10:15 of the third period. The only time that the Blues could beat Rask tonight came with the help of a video review (at least the NHL got that call right): O'Reilly's shot snuck over the goal line right before Rask got over to it and pushed it back over the line. O'Reilly has been St. Louis' best player this series as he picked up his seventh goal of the postseason at 12:01, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo (their other top stud) and that weasel David Perron. Pastrnak quickly helped Boston regain that three-goal lead at 14:06. Marchand sauced a beautiful backhand pass to him and he waited for Binnington to make the first move before he flipped it in for his ninth goal of the postseason with Sean Kuraly picking up the other helper. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara (and our Robot Overlord until further notice) officially clinched the victory with an empty-netter at 17:41. His second goal of the postseason made him the second oldest ever player (42) to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Final, trailing only former teammate Mark Recchi (43) who scored three goals in the 2011 SCF vs. Canucks.

At this point, there really isn't that much left to say (sorry Dave Matthews Band) but don't worry there is plenty of time before the opening puck drop on Wednesday night. This is the first time since 2011 that the Final has gone the distance and as all New Englanders (should) know, that's when Boston rallied from down 3-2 in the series to capture the Cup with an unforgettable win in Vancouver for Game 7. It seems odd to say this given the embarrassment of riches that Boston sports teams have delivered over the past decade plus but the last Game 7 of a championship series here was way back in 1984 for Celtics-Lakers.

Obviously, it's been a pretty back-and-forth series vs. St. Louis and while the Blues have proven to be a worthy (albeit extremely dirty) foe, I maintain that when the Bruins play their A game, the Blues can't match it. Keep in mind that St. Louis has been way better on the road this postseason (9-3) than they have at home (6-7) while the B's are a modest 7-5 at the Garden this postseason. Must resist the trite cliche that every bozo will be spouting until then (anything can happen in a Game 7!), ugh now I need to take a shower to wash that grime off. This has been quite an unpredictable series not to mention postseason for the Bruins and all we can hope is that they embrace this incredible opportunity to win the seventh Cup in franchise history on their home ice in front of their irrationally loyal and passionate fans.

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With A Huge Boost By The Refs, The Blues Beat the Bruins 2-1 In Game 5 to Take a 3-2 Series Lead

There is nothing that puts me to sleep faster than complaining about referees or officials in any sport, at any level (kids, high school, college, pros, etc). It is the low-hanging fruit that any slob can grab onto when their favorite team (God forbid!) loses a game. With that said, when you see something like the clown show that transpired in Game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the Bruins and Blues tonight at TD Garden, it would be a disservice not to at least mention what actually happened. St. Louis held on for a 2-1 win and took a 3-2 series lead thanks to a no-call (midway through the 3rd period) that Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy termed "egregious."

Wouldn't you know that turned out to be the game-winning goal as the B's finally got on the board late in the third down 2-0 but they ran out of time and ultimately paid the price for going 0-for-3 on the power play and wasting 38 other shots that were stopped (some barely) by Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. It is truly a shame that a tilt with such high stakes and that featured a ton of thrilling action between the hits, saves and top-notch plays on both sides had to be decided by a garbage goal by David Perron (who else?) that shouldn't have counted after Tyler Bozak tripped/slew-footed Noel Acciari right onto his head in Boston's defensive zone.

This also wasted a Herculean effort by Bruins captain Zdeno Chara who broke his jaw on Monday in Game 4 at St. Louis. Being the cyborg that he is, some dental work at the Enterprise Center followed by surgery between games allowed him to play 16:42 this evening. Cassidy dressed seven defensemen (Steven Kampfer made his first appearance of the SCF) and sat David Backes for the first time since the Columbus series. As was the case for much of this series thus far, the B's couldn't muster nearly enough scoring chances 5-on-5 and now that their power play isn't going 4-for-4 (like in Game 3) every night, they are shit out of luck and making Binnington look way better than he is, juicy rebounds and all.

The first period was one big wasted opportunity for the Bruins as the crowd naturally went bananas every time that Chara was shown on the Jumbotron and Boston came out on fire, outshooting St. Louis 17-8. Tuukka Rask (19 saves) wasn't tested nearly as much as Binnington in the opening stanza nor the entire contest but he made some big saves when he had to. Brad Marchand continues to be mostly invisible as the best he could was take a shot that deflected off the crossbar. Like a prize fighter that takes an opposition's best body blows then counter-punches their way to victory, the Blues followed the same recipe for their second win in a row (the 1st team to do that in this SCF).

Ryan O'Reilly has been a force on faceoffs all series (19-9, 68% tonight) but his offensive output has really picked up with a pair of goals in Game 4 followed by the opening tally in Game 5. BC's Zach Sanford has gone from a healthy scratch for most of the playoffs to a key contributor to St. Louis who squeezes all the offense that it can get from a team of many plumbers and few skilled laborers. Sanford won a puck battle behind Boston's net and backhanded a nifty pass out front to O'Reilly who swung around Rask and finished a backhander of his own 55 seconds into the second period. His sixth goal of the postseason extended his point-streak to four games (3 goals, 3 assists) while also giving him nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in his last six games. Alex Pietrangelo (who played 27:55) had the other assist-his team-leading 14th of the postseason-on O'Reilly's goal.

Boston outshot St. Louis 8-6 in the second but it was played at much more of a Blues pace as they basically are grinding the Bruins into dust before our very own eyes. The only real scoring chance for the B's was a great one by Marcus Johansson: he found himself wide open in front of Binnington but his backhander missed the net. Ironically given how the third period and game-winner played out, the Blues almost bagged what would have been another super controversial goal. With time winding down in the frame, goon Oskar Sundqvist held Torey Krug's arm which led to Pietrangelo having a lane to the net with Rask down and out of position trying to anticipate the shot. Major props to David Krejci who's done very little in the SCF but he pulled a Michael Ryder from the 2011 first round series vs. Montreal as he blocked a shot with his body that would have gone in.

Down 1-0 heading into the third, Bruins fans were understandably nervous since their team did very little to inspire confidence in them that they would figure out a way to cobble together some offense. Boston finished with 65 shot attempts (15 blocked, 11 missed net) which is an absurd sum when it only results in one measly goal. As you can probably guess even if you didn't see a second of the game, they were clearly squeezing their sticks too tight and not burying the looks that they normally would. Charlie McAvoy had a 2-on-1 but he missed the net, earlier on that same shift he had bumped into teammate Jake DeBrusk. Colton Parayko had a shot hit the post and Rask kept his team in it with a big save on Ivan Barbashev.

There is deflating (the Patriots have no idea what you're talking about) and then there's seeing such an obvious penalty go uncalled and then directly lead to a soul-crushing goal. Perron's seventh goal of the postseason was assisted by O'Reilly and the main offender-Bozak. There was a delay after the goal as plenty of water bottles and rally towels were thrown onto the ice. I'll never condone that type of idiocy but imagine paying hundreds of dollars to see that group blindness by some of the supposed best referees and linesmen in the league?

This being the Bruins, they couldn't just go quietly into the night. Nope, they were required by law to make it interesting with Jake DeBrusk's one-timer at 13:32 from Torey Krug (who got a high-stick in the face and Boston was about to go on another power play). DeBrusk's goal was only his fourth of the postseason and you can tell how much he and Krejci have been struggling that they were the line to lose a forward (Backes) in the lineup shuffle. St. Louis could have put this to bed earlier as Rask made a game-saving stop on Vladimir Tarasenko and after DeBrusk's goal, Perron had a breakaway but missed the net. After it took a couple tries, Rask was able to eventually get pulled for an extra skater and Cassidy used his timeout but Boston couldn't take advantage of multiple faceoffs in St. Louis' defensive zone with time running out.

So here we are: another Game 6 with the Black and Gold facing elimination (see 1st round at Toronto) this postseason. On the other end, St. Louis is bidding for their first Stanley Cup in 52 years of forgettable existence. Gee, do you think that you'll be tuning in on Sunday night (8, NBC)? Even through all of their success with this strong nucleus of players (Chara, Bergeron, Marchand, Rask, Krejci, etc.), I've always said that the Bruins will often find the most difficult path to get something done. Why should this campaign be any different? I have no idea what will happen in Game 6 but would it surprise you at all if the B's found a way to win to send it back to Boston for an epic Game 7 on Wednesday? Of course, before we start worrying and/or daydreaming about that scenario, they have to take care of business on the road in what should be a crazy environment of its own. All I ask is that whatever result happens on Sunday that the refs stay out of the spotlight and fade to the background where they belong. This is not the NBA, I never want to be focusing this much on them in the Stanley Cup Final.

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The B's At Least Temporarily Get Rid of Their Blues (Sorry, Had to Do It), Dispatching St. Louis 5-2

There wasn't a cause for major concern but the Bruins (27-16-5) were having a frustrating week that began with Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to Montreal (26-17-5) followed by last night's terrible 4-3 loss in Philadelphia to the tanking Flyers (18-23-6). Going back to last week's latest setback to Washington, the B's were getting tons of shots on goal and scoring chances but not converting those into enough goals to win. Enter the hapless Blues (20-21-5) who are going nowhere and figure to soon be selling off players like you read about. It was far from perfect but the final result was all that matters as the black and gold picked up a closer than it looks 5-2 victory against St. Louis tonight at TD Garden.

Former Blues captain David Backes was a healthy scratch on Wednesday and he took that demotion about as well as anyone with his NHL resume possibly could. That's what made it a truly special moment when the pro's pro scored the tying goal (2-2) in the second period on the power play that ultimately helped the Bruins end the contest with four straight tallies. B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 14-8-3) continued to play his best hockey of the season as he's gone 6-0-1 in his last seven starts. He also tied the franchise record for wins (252) with my man Tiny Thompson.

It was a balanced attack for the B's since five different guys each had a goal and 11 in total registered a point. Boston improved to 17-6-1 at TD Garden this season and 17-4-3 when they score first. Those statistical trends are great but what is most impressive to me is their mastery of the second legs of back-to-back sets (now 7-1-1) and Game 2s of three games in four days (now 7-1-2). Those are all marks of a mature team that doesn't let tough losses get to them or linger into long losing streaks.

After a scoreless first period that was only notable for the rare Zdeno Chara fight (he briefly took on Patrick Maroon), things picked up in the second period as both team scored a pair of goals. David Krejci (5-game point streak) was handing out apples aka assists all game long, beginning with a pretty feed to Torey Krug who was left wide open in the slot for an easy goal at 3:31. Rookie Peter Cehlarik (who had a pair of goals in his season debut vs. Philly) had the second assist on Krug's fifth goal of the season.

Boston is picking up a bad habit of allowing goals shortly after they score and that continued as former Sabre Ryan O'Reilly tied it 52 seconds later. There was a big pileup by Rask in Boston's crease which allowed O'Reilly to flip the puck into the net. His 17th goal of the season was assisted by Jordan Kyrou and David Perron (13-game point streak, currently the longest in the league). St. Louis used seven defensemen and 11 forwards for this tilt, something you rarely see in the NHL. It paid off as the extra defenseman-Carl Gunnarsson-made his presence felt with his first goal of the season. Jaden Schwartz hit the former Leaf for a one-timer that he hammered at 13:36, also assisted by supposed Bruins trade target Brayden Schenn. 2-1 was the only lead the Blues could muster though as Backes tipped Chara's missile from the point at 16:00. Krejci had the other helper on Backes' fifth goal of the season.

Every point is precious with the Bruins, Maple Leafs (29-15-2), Canadiens and Sabres (24-17-6) so tightly bunched in the Atlantic Division so it was nice to see the B's put away the sad-sack Blues (haha what a fitting team name for those bums). Walpole, MA native Chris Wagner scored the game-winning goal with what I'm confident was the prettiest goal of his life. BU's Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson chipped the puck ahead to Wagner who skated in on a breakaway and beat Jake Allen (22 saves, 15-15-4) with a forehand shot-his sixth goal of the season (7 is his career-high, from last season with Anaheim). Charlie McAvoy (game-high +3) wheeled around the St. Louis net and found Brad Marchand for a roof job at 13:12, the insurance tally that sealed the eventual two points. Patrice Bergeron had the second assist on Marchand's 18th goal of the season. Wagner almost bagged a second goal on an empty-netter but his shot hit the post and then he couldn't jam it in. Ah the life of a fourth liner. His buddy Sean Kuraly was able to put it in at 19:08 which made it 5-2 Bruins. Krejci and Wagner had the assists on Kuraly's sixth goal of the season.

The rebuilding Rangers (20-20-7) are here on Saturday night (7, NESN) before the snow is going to bury us all alive on Sunday. It's also Boston's final game before their bye week which is followed by the All-Star break (so far only David Pastrnak is slated to travel to San Jose for the festivities). Former BU head coach David Quinn is in his rookie season behind the bench in the NHL and predictably there have been some growing pains with such an incomplete roster. Before the players get out of town to some warm location, another win would serve them well and get their minds right before the last 33 games of the regular season which are sure to fly by.

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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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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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It Is Jack Eichel's World, We're All Just Living In It

In case you didn't know, blowing a two-goal lead in the third period of any type of hockey game is very bad. What about one of the worst teams in the NHL closing out said contest with five unanswered goals you say? The Bruins (19-11-4) were up 3-1 on the Sabres (15-16-4) tonight at TD Garden, with dreams of jumping into first-place in the Atlantic Division as Montreal lost 3-1 in Washington but then the home team completely fell apart in a stunning 6-3 loss. Buffalo's last two goals were empty-netters but you get the picture. North Chelmsford MA native and BU alum (can you say that after 1 year on campus?) Jack Eichel had a decent pro debut in Boston: two goals and two assists.

Coming back from the Christmas break, the Bruins were in control most of the way that is after Evander Kane put in a rebound at 5:13 of the second period to make it 1-0 Sabres. The enigmatic Kane's eighth goal of the season was assisted by Tyler Ennis and Eichel. Jonas Gustavsson (23 saves) got the start against former Bruin Chad Johnson (30 saves) and for a while, it looked like he'd pick up his seventh win of the season, no sweat. Matt Beleskey answered 36 seconds later, tipping in Kevan Miller's shot for his fifth goal of the season. Loui Eriksson had the second helper on Beleskey's tally. Patrice Bergeron gave Boston its first lead at 2-1 when he beat Johnson five-hole (more like 10-hole on that one) at 7:05 of the second. Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara assisted on Bergeron's 12th goal of the season.

David Krejci's beautiful individual effort-he batted his third shot in a row out of mid-air-extended the Bruins' lead to 3-1 at 6:59 of the third period and all seemed well in the Hub. Eriksson picked up his second assist of the night on Krejci's 10th goal of the season. Krejci became the fourth Bruin to reach double-figures in goals this campaign: Marchand (15), Eriksson (13) and Bergeron. Ryan Spooner is the next closest to that mark with eight goals.

All hell started to break loose in the final 10 minutes of regulation as Ryan O'Reilly cut it to 3-2 at 10:21. A rebound off the end-boards caromed right to him and he deposited the puck for his 13th goal of the season. Mike Weber and Cody Franson had the assists on the pricey free agent's innocuous goal. Fate was on Buffalo's side (has that ever been said before?) when Eichel's shot went in the net off of a Bruin skate just 39 seconds later. Jake McCabe had the lone assist on Eichel's 10th goal of the season.

Good old Jamie McGinn had what turned out to be the game-winner at 14:24, a backhander from O'Reilly and Zach Bogosian that was his eighth goal of the season. The No. 1 star of the night-Eichel-and No. 3-O'Reilly boosted their point totals with the empty-netters and the Sabres were on their merry way (sorry about that).

With the loss, Boston also dropped below .500 at the Garden (8-9-2). The good news for them is that they are right back at it tomorrow night (5, NESN) in Ottawa (17-12-6). The Bruins are 11-2-2 on the road and Tuukka Rask will be in net. Haha plus Max Talbot returns from his two-game suspension, game-changer! The Senators have been off since Wednesday and a win tomorrow against the B's would pull them into a tie. From the Things Can Always Be Worse Department: Montreal has lost six games in a row and they remain one point ahead of Boston (who has 3 games in hand).

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Somebody Cue Up Brass Bonanza for My Man Jean-Sebastian

Stanley Cups aren't won in October but maniac head coach Patrick Roy seems to have a good young team coming together in Colorado. The Avalanche (4-0-0) continued their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive 2-0 win this evening at TD Garden vs. the Bruins (2-1-0). For a while, Boston played like a team that hadn't faced an opponent since Saturday. When they turned up the heat, Jean-Sebastian Giguere (39 saves) was there for his 37th career shutout. He's been around so long that he's the last Hartford Whaler standing the NHL. He was their first round draft pick way back in 1995.

Boston's best scoring chances came in the first period when Johnny Boychuk and Chris Kelly both hit the post. Colorado scored a backbreaking goal with 40 seconds left in the frame as Ryan O'Reilly (Terry's grandson?) tipped in Andre Benoit's shot from the point. Tuukka Rask (28 saves) couldn't stop it since O'Reilly was right in front of him.

Shawn Thornton did his best to boost some energy in his team with a second period scrap with massive Patrick Bordeleau. Milan Lucic also wanted to punch somebody but smartly enough, no one on the Avalanche wanted to be his punching bag. Lucic was tagged with a 10-minute misconduct that ultimately didn't cost the Bruins much.

Matt Duchene hit the post twice in one sequence (forehand then backhand) late in the third period when it was 1-0 so he was justly rewarded by the mighty hockey gods when he outraced Patrice Bergeron for a loose puck and scored an empty-netter with 26 seconds left in regulation. That made it 2-0 and send Bruins fans streaming for the exits. Boston had pulled Rask but they could never find the equalizer or much pressure after dominating most of the third. It was a frustrating night for the home team as Loui Eriksson was earlier hit with an embellishment penalty that was weak at best.

Getting out of town for a mini-road trip (1 game) should help the Bruins bond with their new teammates. They play the Blue Jackets (2-1) on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN). Less time off and more consistent games should help Boston find a rhythm in the early going. After two good performances last week against Tampa Bay and Detroit, perhaps this was a trap game we should have seen coming. The Avalanche were a tough matchup with their speed, the B's tried to beat them up physically but obviously that didn't work.

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