Happy Halloween Everybody From the Best Team in the National Hockey League-The Bruins (9-1-2)

I don't root for people to get fired but honestly, the effort submitted by the Sharks (4-8-1) tonight at TD Garden vs. the Bruins (9-1-2) was downright disgraceful. Playing in their fifth and final game of a road trip, San Jose might as well have just skipped the game altogether as they lost 5-1 and got outshot 41-17. Picking up its fourth win in a row, Boston will obviously take it but you have to wonder if Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer will still have a job on Friday when his current club begins a six-game homestand.

To beat the B's right now you have to play your best game and if you take a bunch of lazy penalties, you are utterly doomed. It didn't even matter that San Jose came in with the top ranked penalty kill in the NHL since Boston's number two ranked power play scored twice in the first period and never looked back en route to the comprehensive beatdown that was complete with Brett Richie beating the stuffing out of poor Barclay Goodrow (which sounds like the name of a WWF jobber from the 90s).

After missing the last five games with an upper-body injury, Bruins center David Krejci returned to the second line and made an immediate impact with a power-play tally of his own and an assist. In total, five different guys scored goals for Boston which was a welcome sight for a team that's been overly reliant on its incredible first line last season and into this campaign as well. The new rule is that David Pastrnak has to score in every single game for the Black and Gold and yet again, he didn't waste any time getting his sixth first period goal already in 2019-2020. Patrice Bergeron had an excellent fake shot that forced two Sharks to dive to block it but he slid the puck over to Pasta for a one-timer that went top shelf and hit Martin Jones' (36 saves, 2-6-1) water bottle. 1-0 Bruins at 7:49 of the first period on Pastrnak's NHL-best 12th goal of the season, tying him with Charlie Simmer for the second-most October goals in team history (trailing only Phil Esposito's 14).

Krejci's power play goal was quite similar to his fellow Czech Republic native's (Pastrnak) goal. He was also set up in the left slot and in this case, Torey Krug fed him for a one-timer that he got by Jones. Brad Marchand picked up the other assist (11-game point streak and 10-game assist streak, both career-bests) at 17:51 for the 2-0 Bruins advantage. San Jose's only goal came early in the second period on the power play as well as Brent Burns cranked a shot that seemed to deflect off of somebody or something in front of Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (16 saves, 6-0-1). Even though they got run out of the building, you have to respect Burns who remains one of the NHL's toughest matchups on either end of the ice. Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl assisted on his third goal of the season at 1:31 of the second period. Would you believe that he still played a game-high 26:19 (including 6:24 of shorthanded time)? The guy is Rob Gronkowski type freak of nature with the wacky personality to match.

The B's put this one in the win column with three goals in the second period to close out a really dominant frame where they outshot the Sharks 18-6. Charlie Coyle scored his second goal of the season (and 2nd in as many games) by tapping in Krejci's back-door pass at 5:21. Danton Heinen had the second assist on the goal that came seconds after Hertl exited the penalty box. Jones had been the backup for San Jose's last game and he is their (awful) No. 1 goaltender so he stayed in there despite allowing a breakaway goal to Chris Wagner (his 1st of the season) at 8:31. David Backes had the lone assist (his 1st point of the season) on Wagner's patented backhand move. That was nothing though compared to the embarrassment that Jones must have felt when Brandon Carlo's soft serve floater from the blue line somehow found its way past him and into the net. 5-1 Bruins at 16:50. Wagner and Zdeno Chara notched the assists on Carlo's second goal of the season.

It looked like we were going to get another taste of that delicious Chara-Evander Kane blood feud in the third period but the former Sabre understandably wanted no part of the scariest 42-year-old in the universe. It took until the 11th game (welcome to the new NHL) but Boston finally got its first true fight under its belt. Nobody could have predicted Ritchie (8th fighting major in the NHL) vs. Goodrow (12th fighting major in the NHL) but you knew that somebody was going to drop the gloves in garbage time after there were so many borderline hits and constant chatter after the whistles.

After their first back-to-back of the season last weekend, the Bruins have no practice tomorrow then they'll get back to work on Halloween but their next game isn't until Saturday night (7, NESN) vs. Ottawa (3-7-1)-the second worst team in the Eastern Conference. I'm thinking that Jaroslav Halak will get the start and regardless of who is in net for Boston, they will be huge favorites (not that anybody bets on regular season hockey games). The Senators have been off since beating these same disappointing Sharks 5-2 on Sunday so there will be plenty of time to have these Bruins populating their nightmares. Be afraid NHL, be very afraid.

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Charlie Coyle & Marcus Johansson Make Their Home Debut as the Bruins Pummel the Sharks 4-1

I can't wait for that Bruins-Sharks matchup in the Stanley Cup Final in June, how about you? That scenario is really not that far-fetched but seriously though, these teams somehow managed to play two completely different styles but still wildly entertaining games only eight days apart. Boston (37-17-9) beat San Jose (37-19-8) 6-5 last Monday in OT (the craziest tilt of the B's season) on the road then they returned to TD Garden tonight for the first time in two weeks and humbled the Sharks 4-1. In the meantime, the Bruins extended their point streak to a whopping 14 games (10-0-4) while Jaroslav Halak (19 saves, 17th win of the season) saw his point streak increase to six games (4-0-2).

BU alum and Weymouth native Charlie Coyle played 17:14 in his first home game as a Bruin and Marcus Johansson one-upped that with an assist in his first game as a Bruin. Both guys were acquired within the past week and right away, they make Boston's lineup that much deeper and more experienced. San Jose actually scored first as Logan Couture's fluky touch somehow eluded Halak giving the Sharks a power play goal at 12:47 of the first period. Couture's 23rd goal of the season was unassisted and quickly forgotten as David Krejci answered with a power play strike of his own just 1:52 later. Torey Krug and Brad Marchand had the assists on Krejci's 15th goal of the season, another David Pastrnak-like (remember him?) one-timer from the slot.

I doubt that you will find a more dominating period this season by the B's than the second which is all the more impressive considering that they were up against one of the other elite clubs in the NHL. First of all, they scored three goals and they were in the span of 3:19 midway through the frame. Furthermore, they had the first of three fights (Chris Wagner vs. Barclay Goodrow) as the Sharks started to lose their composure on the last night of their four-game road trip. Charlie McAvoy gave the Bruins their first lead of the game at 9:09 as he went top-shelf on Martin Jones (28 saves, 13th loss of the season). Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen had the assists on McAvoy's fifth goal of the season (he's heating up with 3 in his last 5 games). Before that tally had even been announced yet, it was 3-1 for the home team as Jake DeBrusk finished off some nifty passing with his new linemates-Krejci and Johansson-37 seconds later. DeBrusk's 20th goal of the season was his sixth in his last seven games and it marked the first time in his NHL career that he's hit the 20-goal plateau. Marchand put it out of reach with an amazing shorthanded goal at 12:28 from Patrice Bergeron and Brandon Carlo. He weaved between two defenders (including Erik Karlsson who had aggravated his groin injury yet returned to action) before beating Jones for his 25th goal of the season and 25th shorthanded goal of his Bruins career (tying Rick Middleton for the franchise record).

There were no goals in the third period but plenty of shenanigans and tomfoolery as Evander Kane had the bright idea to jump Zdeno Chara after he took an elbow to the face (no penalty was called on that hit by the way). Kane knocked the giant down which is more than most humans could do but then he was predictably destroyed. For his troubles he received a 10-minute misconduct then later a game-misconduct when he couldn't stop yelling at Chara and the refs. Once a punk, always a punk (albeit a very talented and tough one). The only real cringe-worthy moment of the proceedings was David Backes (who has a long, scary history of concussions) dropped the gloves with goon Michael Haley. Yikes, don't do that anymore David.

This was a perfect way to open Boston's longest homestand of the season (6 games). Things only get more real on Thursday (7:30, NBC Sports) as the undisputed best team in the league-Tampa Bay (48-11-4)-pays a visit to the Garden. The Lightning have won nine straight games and straight up embarrassed most of their opponents but I give the Bruins a puncher's chance since Tampa Bay will be in New York tomorrow night to face the Rangers (27-26-9). Defenseman Kevan Miller is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and he was out tonight for the B's but John Moore subbed in admirably. Tuukka Rask (12-0-3 in his last 15 decisions) will be in goal and it should be an awesome playoff-like atmosphere. Who knows, maybe it'll be another playoff series this spring as well after the Lightning rolled in five games last year in the second round vs. Boston.

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Heinen Scores His 1st 2 NHL Goals & Khudobin Stands On His Head as B's Beat Sharks 2-1

With one of the best teams in the NHL visiting TD Garden on Thursday, the Bruins (4-3-1) had to play well to earn any points against the Sharks (4-5-0). Naturally, the Black and Gold were led by that dynamic duo of backup goaltender/No. 1 for now Anton Khudobin (36 saves) and Danton Heinen who potted the first two goals of his NHL career as Boston held off San Jose 2-1 in a playoff-type contest. Haha can anyone say Stanley Cup Finals preview? OK that is a complete reach but coming off that terrible 6-5 overtime loss to Buffalo (3-6-2) on Saturday, it was a good sign that the B's looked like a different team. Heinen already became the fourth Bruins rookie to get his first NHL goal in 2017-18, joining Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy and Anders Bjork.

Boston can't match San Jose's overall skill but they outworked them by blocking two more shots (16-14) and recording three more takeaways (13-10). The ice was very tilted in the Sharks' favor, at least according to the referees who awarded them a whopping six power-plays (3 penalties alone on rookie Sean Kuraly) but Boston's penalty kill managed to go 5-for-6 and they erased that power play goal by potting a shorthanded goal of their own (their 2nd of the young season). Heinen gave his team a 1-0 lead at 9:41 of the first period as former Bruins great Martin Jones (31 saves) left a juicy rebound right on his doorstep for the rookie to knock in his first NHL tally. David Backes and Kevan Miller each had assists-their first points of the season-on the shorthanded goal.

The Bruins led 1-0 after the first period but the Sharks tied it at 10:40 of the second as former Boston No. 1 overall pick Joe Thornton (in 1997!) was helped by Khudobin's save which left a loose puck right in the crease. It was Jumbo Joe's second goal of the season (he has a 5-game point streak) and 1398th career NHL point, tying him with Jari Kurri for 20th all-time. Something called Tim Heed (great name) and Thornton's bearded brother Brent Burns provided the assists. Heinen quickly answered at 13:27 when a lucky bounce (a shot that went wide of the net but caromed right to him stationed on the other post) found his stick for an easy tap-in. Brandon Carlo and Tim Schaller assisted on Heinen's second goal of the night that turned out to be the game-winner.

San Jose outshot Boston 37-33 for the contest, including 15-11 in the third period thanks to two late power plays (they pulled Jones for the latter one). Tom Brady gets all the credit around here for being an unparalleled 40-year-old but Zdeno Chara (game-high 26:40 ice time, 8:21 shorthanded) is also a freak of nature and future first ballot Hall of Famer that continues to defy the laws of aging as well. Fresh off a 4-0 win at hapless Montreal (2-7-1 with a goal-differential of -20) this evening, the high-flying Kings (8-1-1) visit the Garden on Saturday night (7, NESN). It should be a fun atmosphere with another quality opponent in town plus a crowd that is sure to be celebrating Halloween a little early (glug, glug). David Krejci (back) will remain out for that tilt but Tuukka Rask (who backed up Khudobin tonight) could potentially return for his first start in nearly two weeks after being in the concussion protocol.

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In Cassidy's Debut as B's Head Coach, Boston Turns In 1 of Their Better Performances of the Season

Results like tonight are one of the many reasons that the Bruins (27-23-6) have made their fans pull their hair out in frustration over the last few years. Claude Julien was fired on Tuesday and tonight, Bruce Cassidy had his first game in charge at TD Garden vs. San Jose (33-18-4). Naturally against one of the best teams in the NHL, the B's put together a nearly complete effort from start to finish as they won 6-3. It makes you wonder if Julien could even watch it somewhere or has he already moved on?

Regardless, if the Bruins want to sneak into the playoffs this spring, they'll need this type of balanced scoring (5 different goal-scorers) and lethal power play (2 for 3) combined with more aggressive play by their defensemen (Zdeno Chara was out sick which actually didn't hinder them for this game at least) and solid work from Tuukka Rask (23 saves). Cassidy's first order of tangible business was to shake up the lines so David Backes (1 goal, 2 assists) was the lucky guy who got bumped up to the first line with Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 3 assists) and Brad Marchand (empty-netter, assist). Backes had been in a deep slump but he looked like a new player as he scored on a one-timer just 52 seconds into the contest. Torey Krug and David Krejci had the assists on his 12th goal of the season.

Former Bruins No. 1 overall pick Joe Thornton tied it at 7:51 with a top-shelf snipe (his 1st non-empty netter goal of the season), assisted by Tomas Hertl. Boston didn't hang their heads though as Patrice Bergeron put in a rebound from Backes and Brandon Carlo at 15:52 for a 2-1 lead on his 14th goal of the season. The Sharks were called for too many men on the ice and the Bruins made them pay as David Pastrnak (2 goals) hammered in a one-timer from Bergeron (6-game point-streak) for a 3-1 lead at 17:31.

Martin Jones (9 saves, 3 goals allowed) was pulled after the first period and something called Aaron Dell came in for San Jose. Former UMass defenseman Justin Braun cut it to 3-2 at 1:08 of the second period as his shot from the point deflected in off Carlo for his third goal of the season. Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau assisted on his third goal of the season (and 100th NHL point). Once again, the B's didn't seemed fazed as Tim Schaller also broke a long goal-less slump with a key goal at 13:04 from Riley Nash and Dominic Moore. Schaller's seventh goal of the season was his first in over a month (last one was January 8 at Carolina).

San Jose took a late tripping penalty in the second period and Pastrnak put the game out of reach after some beautiful passing by Bergeron and Marchand. His 24th goal of the season temporarily gave him the team-lead at 19:11. Not much happened in the third period: your boy Timo Meier scored in garbage time for the Sharks and Marchand (6-game point streak) got his empty-netter to tie Pastrnak with 24 goals.

This was an easy game for the Bruins to get up for, they simply had to show that they had some pride left. Now the question is if they can sustain it on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) vs. Vancouver (24-24-6) and on Sunday night (7:30, NBC Sports) vs. Montreal (30-17-8). I'd love to see Rask get a break against the Canucks since he certainly could use it and that appears to be one of the only logical games left that backup goaltender Anton Khudobin possibly could win. We shall see. Cassidy has to feel some sense relief for getting that first win out of the way, now we can start to judge what the team really has after they come off of the emotion that was guaranteed to surround this night.


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The Bruins Still Can't Put Together Consistently Good Efforts at Home This Season

At a certain point after watching a team win a game then lose the next one almost every time in the same season, you start to think that maybe said team isn't particularly good. Rather than focusing on what they could or should be, maybe you have to conclude that as currently constructed, that's who they are. Enter your 2015-16 Boston Bruins. Coming off a nice win over the Red Wings on Saturday, the B's (8-8-1) were their own worst enemy in a 5-4 loss to the Sharks (10-8-0) tonight at TD Garden.

It was 2-2 after the first period and Boston even led 3-2 early in the second before they allowed three straight goals by San Jose (including 2 on the power play) to take control. Patrice Bergeron gave the Bruins and their fans some hope in the third with Boston's second power-play goal of the game (his 7th goal of the season) cut it to 5-4 at 6:28 but they couldn't complete the comeback against Martin Jones (25 saves) who was a Bruin for five days over the summer before being traded to the Sharks.

Boston's top-ranked power-play can't mask the fact that their penalty kill is atrocious (No. 30 in the NHL). San Jose's power play was No. 28 entering this contest but you wouldn't know it by the way that they took advantage of the Bruins' stupid mistakes and sloppy all-around play. Tuukka Rask (23 saves) still can't figure things out at the Garden this season and the Sharks jumped ahead 42 seconds into the game. Joe Pavelski put in a rebound from Melker Karlsson and Thornton for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.

The Bruins tied it less than nine minutes later as Tyler Randell tipped in Dennis Seidenberg's shot from the point at 9:20 for his third goal of the season. Boston's first power-play was successful as Brad Marchand banked a backhander off one of Jones' leg pads at 11:50. Marchand's sixth goal of the season was assisted by Zdeno Chara and Brett Connolly. My man Joonas Donskoi had Paul Martin's harmless shot from the sideboards bounce off him and in at 15:18 to tie it at two apiece.

The B's had one last lead, 3-2 at 1:53 of the second period thanks to Loui Eriksson's one-timer (his sixth goal of the season) from David Krejci and Seidenberg. Karlsson's one-timer at 5:56 (his 2nd goal of the season) from Thornton and Pavelski tied it at three then San Jose's power-play took advantage of a too many men on the ice penalty on Boston and tripping on Ryan Spooner. Patrick Marleau notched his 999th career NHL point with a power-play tally at 8:56 when he knocked in a rebound for his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns. The wheels started to fall off for Boston when Thornton (who's not exactly known for his shooting ability) hammered in a one-timer at 9:21 from Pavelski and Burns for his third goal of the season.

There are two more chances for the Black and Gold to get things straightened out on home ice this week where they are 2-6-1 this season. They host the Wild (10-4-3) on Thursday (7, NESN) and Maple Leafs (6-9-4) on Saturday (7, NESN). Minnesota is a good team but with star center Zach Parise out with a knee injury, they predictably aren't the same. Toronto is still a dumpster fire so there is no excuse to ever lose to that clownshow franchise.

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Bruins Pick Up Their Best Win of the Young Season: 5-3 Over Sharks

I'm happy to say that it's time to find a new way to make fun of the Bruins this season. After they were so pathetic for the first five games in terms of goal-scoring, they have awoken lately capped off by tonight's 5-3 win over the Sharks at TD Garden.

Boston (4-4) reached the .500 mark while setting a season-high in goals and scoring 4+ for the third straight game. It was also their best victory since San Jose (4-2-1) had been playing great hockey before the end of this arduous five-game road trip.

Milan Lucic tied a career-high with three assists while Torey Krug (1 goal, 2 assists) tied a career-high for points and David Krejci (1 goal, 1 assist) also had multiple points. Boston received goals from three different lines plus a defenseman and their power play even sprung to life with a pair of goals in the first two periods.

Three different Bruins scored their first goals of the season so fittingly, Brad Marchand opened the proceedings with a power-play snipe at 13:57 of the first period from Lucic and Krug. Logan Couture answered with a power play goal of his own at 16:28 when he tipped in Patrick Marleau's shot, also from caveman Brent Burns.

Boston regained the lead early in the second period as Krug whipped in a power play goal at 6:54 from Lucic and Krejci. Couture tied it at 16:52 after Marleau fed him right in front of Tuukka Rask (31 saves). Boston lost their focus for a minute as former Bruins No. 1 draft pick (in 1997!) Joe Thornton batted a Joe Pavelski pass out of the air 37 seconds later. Former UMass star Justin Braun had the second assist.

San Jose had been 4-0-1 entering the third period this season with a lead and Boston was 0-3-0 when they trailed going into the final frame but both those numbers got flipped. Rookie Seth Griffith tied it up at 4:50, putting in a rebound from Lucic and Krug at 4:50 for his first career NHL goal. Good timing right? I'm not going to make too much out of it but it was nice to see a Bruins young player step up and take advantage of a great opportunity.

This was only the third game of the season for Gregory Campbell but he showed his value to the B's with a key goal, the game-winner in fact as he tipped in Daniel Paille's shot at 10:42 after a strong forecheck. Krejci's empty-netter with 25 seconds left in regulation put the finishing touches on a solid two points against a quality Western Conference (still the far superior conference) opponent.

The B's figure to have their hands full again on Thursday (7, NESN) as they host the New York Boychuks (4-2-0), I mean Islanders. It's Boychuk's first game against the Bruins since his stunning trade a few weeks ago so he will surely get a huge ovation at least at the start of the game. The Isles fell 5-2 to the Maple Leafs tonight but they've looked really good thus far so I bet they'll bounce back from that disappointing result.

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Bruins Can Take Something Positive Out of the California Trip After a 1-0 Win in San Jose

An 0-3 road trip by the Bruins in California would have been borderline disastrous (in terms of perception) and something they would have to talk about for the rest of the season. Instead, Boston (29-14-2) showed some mental toughness this evening with a 1-0 win vs. San Jose (28-12-6) at the SAP Center. PS this was only the second loss in regulation at home for the Sharks this season, why is it so hard to win in California?

Tuukka Rask (22-11-2) made 26 saves in his NHL-best fifth shutout of the season. After losing 5-2 to Anaheim and getting pulled after three goals in a 4-2 loss to Los Angeles, Rask needed this win more than anyone on the Bruins to show that he's not breaking down or in a true slump. The fact that he did this against his Finland teammate Antti Niemi had to give him some extra motivation, he should be the starter in Sochi.

This wasn't a particularly exciting contest except for Carl Soderberg's goal at 12:25 of the third period. Loui Eriksson's shot was deflected to Soderberg and he was able to bang in the rebound past Niemi (21 saves) for his sixth goal of the season. Eriksson recorded an assist in his first game back since December 7. If that date sounds familiar, it was also when Shawn Thornton lost his mind and beat the hell out of Brooks Orpik. Ironically, Thornton returned to the lineup tonight too.

Rookie Kevan Miller fought goon Mike Brown for his first career NHL fight (the 10th Bruin to drop the gloves this season which has to be at or near the top of the league) in the second period. Patrice Bergeron hit the post earlier in the third period on a Bruins power play. With the win, Boston swept (2-0) San Jose in the season series after a 2-1 win at TD Garden on October 24 (David Krejci scored in the last second of play).

Boston returns to TD Garden on Tuesday (7, NESN) to face the Maple Leafs (21-20-5, 6th in Atlantic Division). Toronto's season is unraveling (four straight losses) so the Bruins have to be careful not to let them get back on the winning track.

UPDATE 1/12: The Bruins sent forward Mark Fraser back to Providence.

UPDATE 1/14: Dougie Hamilton has a concussion so he's out for tonight's game vs. Tornto (7, NESN).

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Bruins Steal Two Points vs. Sharks Thanks to Krejci's Game-Winner With 0.8 Seconds Left

After the bush league crap pulled by John Scott last night, it was refreshing to enjoy a hockey game for hockey reasons, in October no less. The Bruins pulled out an improbable win as David Krejci scored with 0.8 seconds left in regulation for a 2-1 victory over the Sharks at TD Garden. San Jose (8-1-1) entered without a loss in regulation and plenty of rest while Boston (7-2-0) had played the night before and had to fly back (albeit a short trip) to face the NHL's top team.

Tuukka Rask (38 saves) beat his Finnish homeboy Antti Niemi (15 saves) as truthfully San Jose dominated most of the game but that doesn't matter since the B's earned the two points at the end. It didn't feel like there would be enough time left but Adam McQuaid put a shot on net that Krejci beautifully redirected for his second goal of the season. Milan Lucic had the other assist on Krejci's buzzer-beater (who knew those existed in hockey?).

San Jose came out flying in the first period, outshooting Boston 16-3 but Rask held the fort as they say. The Bruins actually got on the board first too which was shocking. Jarome Iginla potted his first as a Bruin (one night after it looked like he did that but it was wiped away by Lucic's tip in). Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg assisted at 18:48 as Iginla somehow snuck it by Niemi from no angle.

There is a reason the Sharks entered as the NHL's highest-scoring team, Patrick Marleau tied it up just 18 seconds into the third period after Rask let up a rebound to him. Marc-Edourard Vlasic had the assist on San Jose's lone goal.

Selfishly, I was happy that the Bruins and Sharks didn't go into overtime because I wanted to watch the World Series but there is no way I could have predicted that excellent ending. It helps take a bit of the sting away from the Red Sox' 4-2 loss in Game 2. The B's are off tomorrow but they host the Devils (1-5-4) on Saturday (7, NESN) in another game that goes up against the World Series (Game 3 starts at 8:07 on Fox). The Devils are off to a terrible start but former Bruins Michael Ryder and Jaromir Jagr are putting up points so it'll be fun to see them back at the Garden.

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The More Desperate Team (The Sharks) Wins

It is lazy journalism and reporting to say that the Boston Bruins were simply tired from their cross-country flight to the West Coast.

No, they didn't lose to the San Jose Sharks 2-1 tonight at the HP Pavilion because of the time change and a long plane ride. They lost simply because the Sharks (37-27-10) played like the more desperate team while the Bruins (42-28-3) lacked that same type of energy. The Sharks also swept the season series 2-0.

San Jose needs every point they can get just to make the ultra-competitive Western Conference playoffs. Joe Pavelski (27th of the season) scored 3:57 into the game thanks to a bad defensive zone turnover by Milan Lucic. Former Bruin Joe Thornton intercepted it and fed it to Patrick Marleau who was robbed by Tim Thomas (25 saves; 31-19-0). Pavelski was on the doorstep for the rebound.

This game flew by, with only two penalties combined between the two teams. Former UNH star Daniel Winnik (6th of the season) scored his first goal as a Shark at 2:17 of the third period, the game-winner. Andrew Desjardins (No. 69 in your program, haha really) had the assist as Winnik went top shelf with a snap shot.

The B's made it interesting when Zdeno Chara (11th of the season) banked one in off Antti Niemi's (16 saves) pads with 3:15 left in regulation. Chris Kelly and Brian Rolston assisted on Big Z's goal, the captain was appearing in his 999th career NHL game.

Truthfully, Boston had no business coming that close. They were outshot 27-17 (17 was a season-low for them and season-low allowed by San Jose) and the Sharks had 12 more takeaways (16-4). I don't buy into the tired legs theory since the Bruins outhit the Sharks 40-13. A fatigued team wouldn't have a discrepancy like that. Plus, they hadn't played since Monday night and that was an 8-0 scrimmage vs. Toronto.

The Bruins' journey through California stops in Los Angeles where they'll play the equally desperate Kings, who are also on the cusp of the Western Conference playoffs. Boston beat LA 3-0 on December 13 at the TD Garden.

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Local Guy Overshadows Joe Thornton's Return To Boston In 4-2 San Jose Win

Well the Boston Bruins are still looking for their first win streak in the 2011-12 season.

Tonight, former No. 1 pick and franchise center Joe Thornton returned with the San Jose Sharks and they beat the Bruins 4-2 at TD Garden.

It wasn't April or May but Thornton mostly disappeared like he's been known to do in the playoffs. Sure he assisted on Joe Pavelski's (4th of the season) goal 1:12 into the game but after that, Jumbo Joe was barely heard from save for a nice highlight package on the Jumbotron (no pun intended) from his days with the spoked B.

This game marked the sixth time in a row that the Bruins have allowed the first goal. They also fell to 2-4 at home and they never led in this one despite a valiant rally in the third period.

The real hero for the Sharks (3-3-0) was Essex, MA native and Boston College alum Benn Ferriero (1st of the season) who netted the game-winning goal at 8:48 of the third period.

In a very weird way, I felt like a proud parent when Ferriero's hustle to a rebound resulted in a diving goal. He was the only pro athlete from the coverage area of the newspaper I used to work for (the Gloucester Daily Times) and that motivated me enough to sponsor his page on hockeyreference.com (look it up) last spring. So while I never enjoy seeing the B's (3-5-0) lose, on this night it didn't feel quite as bad.

You wouldn't know that San Jose was the team that played back-to-back nights on the road. They had more jump than Boston from the start and that resulted in a 1-0 lead after the first which increased to 2-0 at 8:54 of the second when Logan Couture (1st of the season) scored on a nifty pass from Martin Havlat, Ryane Clowe had the second assist.

I don't usually recommend any athletes on Twitter but you have to follow Couture (@logancouture39), he's one of the funniest and most honest pro athletes I can think of.

Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves for the second straight game, this time against Jim Vandermeer, and as usual it served as a wake-up call to his teammates and the crowd.

The B's tied it up with a flurry of goals in 29 seconds early in the third. First Milan Lucic (2nd of the season) scored a classic Looch goal by stealing Antti Niemi's (37 saves) pass behind his own net then wheeling around and beating multiple defensemen and Niemi to shovel it in. Chris Kelly and Patrice Bergeron assisted on that goal.

Tyler Seguin started and finished the next one as he blocked a clearance attempt by a San Jose defenseman then started a 2-on-1 with Lucic. Seguin (3rd of the season) was the recipient of the final pass and he roofed it past Niemi who had no time to react. Kelly had the second assist.

As my friend said after the game, "Lucic and Seguin are going to make sweet music together this season." I couldn't say it any better myself, they appear to be a great match and I hope to see them on the same line for years to come.

Patrick Marleau (1st of the season) added an empty-netter with five seconds left. Boston wasted a serviceable but not great performance by goaltender Tim Thomas (26 saves).

I think I've found the clue to solving the Bruins' woes so far this season: It's all about scoring more than two goals. When they've scored 3+ they are 3-0 while they are 0-5 when they have scored two (twice), one (twice) or none(0-1). It's no secret that head coach Claude Julien's system makes Boston way more strong when playing with a lead since between Thomas and their defensive ability, it's hard to come back on them. Conversely, with their up and down scoring, it's much tougher to play from behind as we have already seen time and again.

The good news is that it should not be hard for the Bruins to focus on their final two games in October: a home and home series with Montreal. The team that everybody loves to hate comes to Boston on Thursday while the B's travel to the Bell Centre on Saturday. All would quickly be forgiven if the Bruins can beat the reeling Habs (1-4-2) twice in three nights.

UPDATE 10/23: Jordan Caron has been sent down to Providence where he'll get much more ice time. He didn't played bad for the Bruins to start this season but I guess they prefer Benoit Pouliot over him at the moment. Keep your head up Jordan!

UPDATE 10/24: Caron returned to B's practice today so he just went down to Providence for one game while Boston had a lengthy break (four days) between games. Expect him to be with the Bruins on Thursday as they host the Canadiens, although he'll most likely be in the press box as a healthy scratch.

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Bruins with a lifeless effort against the Sharks

I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe it's because the unwashed masses haven't been liquored up enough at the local watering holes but something seems off when you go to a Boston Bruins game on a Saturday afternoon.

It's the second time this season I've gone to a 1 p.m. start on a Saturday and once again, the Bruins lost. This time it was a completely lifeless effort, a 2-0 loss to former golden boy Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks.

Since the Bruins (30-16-7) had their most exciting game of the season on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, it was predictable that there was a big letdown. Still, it had to be one of the most boring contests of the season since Boston never really did anything against San Jose (28-19-6).

Antti Niemi (26 saves) held the fort, which wasn't too hard while the Sharks scored the only goal they needed in the first period. Rookie stud Logan Couture scored on the power-play (his 23rd of the season) with a weird backhander at 7:22 from Ryane Clowe and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Adam Mcquaid fought Ben Eager late in the first period and that was probably the highlight of the day for the Bs.

Devin Setoguchi scored an empty-netter (his 11th of the season) with three seconds left (from Clowe and Niclas Wallin) to seal it.

Boston goaltender Tim Thomas made just 16 saves in his quietest game of the season in terms of action.

The Bruins get back at it on Wednesday as they host the Montreal Canadiens. I'm thinking they won't have as much trouble getting up for that one against their bitter rival.

It's too bad nobody saw this gem of a win

Without a doubt, I'm sure the only people in New England that saw the Bruins' thrilling 2-1 shootout win in San Jose last night were me, a few of my friends, hopeless alcoholics, drug addicts, strip club owners and bartenders. And that's a shame because wins like this, especially with the current hand they've been dealt, are rare indeed for the B's.

Tim Thomas played like the Vezina trophy winner of last season, stopping a season-high 41 shots, Zdeno Chara scored the only goal in the shootout and for one night, you could forget that we use to have Joe Thornton (a future MVP) and then we shipped him away for a bag of pucks and some broken sticks.

Daniel Paille gave Boston (23-16-7) a 1-0 lead in the second period after an assist from Shawn Thornton. San Jose (30-10-8) defenseman Rob Blake had the rebound of Paille's shot go off his skate and past Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov (30 saves).

It didn't take San Jose long to tie it as Thornton stuffed in a rebound, assisted by Dany Heatley and Boyle.

After a scoreless but very exciting third period and overtime session, it went to a shootout which Chara solved by cranking a slap shot from 10 feet away.

If the Bruins can manage at least a point tomorrow afternoon vs. the Kings, it'll be a .500 West Coast road trip. Joy.

Revisiting one of the worst trades in sports history

With all the success the Boston Bruins have experienced this season, its easy to forget (especially for recent bandwagon jumpers) how much former GM Mike O'Connell screwed the B's on November 30, 2005.

The former No. 1 overall pick and face of the franchise, center Joe Thornton, was traded to the San Jose Sharks for essentially some sticks and a bag of pucks: Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart.

Boston wasn't going anywhere with Thornton but that wasn't his fault since his supporting cast was usually terrible to mediocre at best. Since he's switched coasts, he's won an MVP trophy but still hasn't found much success in the playoffs.

With all these storylines floating around and hopefully O'Connell getting a break from flipping burgers last night to watch, the Sharks-the top team in the Western Conference-came to Boston last night to skate at the TD Banknorth Garden.

San Jose (37-7-7) scored four unanswered goals in the third to take a convincing 5-2 win over Boston (39-9-7).

A pass-first offensive player, Thornton scored a goal in the third period barrage. it wasn't exactly a thing of beauty as it deflected off his skate (but he didn't kick it) into the net.

Things looked good for the B's in the first when Milan Lucic potted a pair of goals (from Marc Savard and Dennis Wideman and Petteri Nokelainen respectively), sandwiched around a power-play goal from Sharks defenseman Rob Blake (Marc Edouard-Vlasic and Ryane Clowe assisted).

Neither team could find the net in the second period as each has top-notch goaltenders. San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov improved to 28-6-6 with 28 saves while Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (24-6-5) made 26 saves in the loss.

Patrick Marleau started the Sharks' run in the third, tying it at two with helpers from Christian Ehrhoff and Clowe.

Milan Michalek put San Jose up 3-2 from Dan Boyle and Clowe. Thornton's strike put it in the win column at 4-2 and finally, former BU star Mike Grier scored an empty-netter for the 5-2 final.

It was a disappointing result and to make matters worse, the walking wounded continue to pile up for the Bruins. Michael Ryder had surgery to fix his orbital bone and he's expected to miss 3-4 weeks. During last night's contest, Nokelainen was poke in the eye with an errant stick and was forced to leave the game while Chuck Kobasew wrenched his knee.

Boston will hit the road to face New Jersey on Friday night; many people would probably be surprised to know that the Devils are currently No. 2 in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the more hyped Capitals.