The Bruins & Penguins Did Their Part To Help Viewers Across The U.S. Fall Asleep This Afternoon

 

    It's rare that you would ever confuse a hockey game for a bad soccer game but this afternoon's 1-0 victory by the Penguins (32-14-3 overall, 20-3-2 home) over Boston (27-14-6 overall, 13-8-3 away) at PPG Paints Arena was about as dull as it gets for an NHL late regular season contest between two quality teams. Left wing Jake Guentzel provided the only goal with a perfect one-timer from captain Sidney Crosby and BC's Brian Dumoulin at 4:03 of the third period. His 21st goal of the season stood up as all it would take to beat the Bruins on this day. Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry's (30 saves, 20-8-3) first shutout of the season helped his team vault into first-place in the East Division thanks to their fourth straight win, one point ahead of idle Washington (31-13-4). 

    B's rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (28 saves, 5-2-0) deserved a better fate than what it probably feels like in baseball when you pitch a great outing but the opposing pitcher is only slightly better and earns the win. It was a strange tilt, proven by the fact that the only penalty of the night came from a high-sticking call on Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron late in the third period when Swayman was pulled for an extra attacker. With the loss, Boston fell to 4-3 vs. Pittsburgh this season meaning they only have one matchup left-on Tuesday (7, NESN)-also in the Steel City. I'm thinking that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will get the start for that one possibly facing the Penguins backup goalie UNH's Casey DeSmith but who knows? Needless to say, finishing 5-3 against the Penguins would look and feel way better than going 4-4 vs. them especially after Boston had put themselves in great position to take the season series coming into these final two encounters. 

The Bruins Beat The Penguins 7-5 In Easily The Most Entertaining Game Of The Season For Boston

 

    The Bruins (19-10-5) and Penguins (24-12-2) staged an instant classic of a game this afternoon at the TD Garden. The Penguins scored first and led 1-0 after the first period but then the Bruins erupted for five goals in the second period and they held on for a 7-5 victory that snapped Pittsburgh's five-game win streak and also improved Boston's record vs. them in 2021 to 4-2 with two matchups remaining in the regular season. Left wing Brad Marchand scored his fourth career hat trick and added an assist while right wing David Pastrnak handled his "demotion" to the second line well enough by scoring two goals and adding an assist of his own. The only people who probably didn't enjoy this scintillating tilt were the goaltenders: neither Boston's Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 9-5-3) nor Pittsburgh's Casey DeSmith (21 saves, 9-4-0) were exactly bombarded by pucks but neither guy got pulled as all their season statistics slowly went down the drain. 

    PC's Mark Jankowski tipped in a shot from BC's Mike Matheson for his third goal of the season and a very early (3:24) 1-0 advantage for the Penguins in the first period. We should have known that the second period was going to be bonkers when Boston put in a pair of goals less than a minute into the middle frame. Center Patrice Bergeron bagged an unassisted goal 11 seconds in-fittingly his 11th goal of the season-then Pasta gave Boston its first lead (2-1) 34 seconds after that. Left wing Nick Ritchie and center David Krejci had the assists on Pastrnak's 15th goal of the season. The Pens answered with a pair of goals that helped them regain the lead at 3-2. Left wing Jake Guentzel put in his team-leading 16th goal of the season at 2:45 from center Sidney Crosby and BC's Brian Dumoulin. Center Jared McCann grabbed a power play goal at 5:11 that put Pittsburgh back in front. Guentzel and Crosby notched the assists on his ninth goal of the season. 

    Boston exploded in the final five minutes of the second period as Marchand tied it at three at 14:56: his 15th goal of the season was mostly a result of a great pass by BU's Matt Grzelcyk who patiently wheeled around the net then found his teammate. Right wing Craig Smith (who got to be on the 1st line for the day) was credited with the second assist. From there, the B's used a power play goal of its own to regain the lead for good. Krejci redirected a brilliant look from Marchand at 18:29 for his second goal of the season. Pastrnak got the second assist on his fellow countryman's tally. Marchand was heating up in a hurry as he made it 5-3 at 19:40. Smith and defenseman Charlie McAvoy recorded the helpers on a goal that gave the home team a two-goal spread heading into the final stanza. 

    Pittsburgh never gave up as defenseman Cody Ceci fired in a tricky shot at 4:38 of the third period. Jankowski and center Sam Lafferty had the assists on his third goal of the season that cut it to 5-4 Bruins. After Richie made a great play to knock Matheson off of the puck then he sauced it over to Pastrnak for the one-timer that restored that two-goal lead (6-4 at 13:28). That still didn't deter the Penguins as Crosby scored a shorthanded goal at 18:45 that trimmed Boston's slim lead to 6-5. Guentzel had the only assist on Pittsburgh's captain's 15h goal of the season. Before we could worry for too long that the Bruins were going to blow it, Marchand slid in his third goal of the afternoon at 18:59 into an empty net. BU's Charlie Coyle set up Marchand for the last marker of a truly wild and unforgettable meeting. 

    On paper, next week looks like the toughest one of the season for the Black and Gold: they have five games in seven days including three dates with the Flyers who in case you forgot, they have owned this season to the tune of 5-0-0. Still, the B's are only up four points on them for the all-important fourth spot in the East Division (granted they have 2 games in hand). The Bruins host Philly (17-14-5) on Monday (7, NESN) then they go to the Wells Fargo Center the next night (7, NESN). On Thursday (7, NESN) they travel to the Verizon Center to play the first-place Capitals (24-9-4). After that, the Bruins head back to Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN)-seriously they do-before finally returning to the Garden for another back-to-back when they take on the Caps on Sunday night (7, NESN). I'm exhausted just writing and reading about that insane stretch so I can't imagine actually taking part in it. Just like I would tell the Bruins, rest up and enjoy your Easter, I'll see you all on Monday. 

Injuries & Inconsistency From Many Of Their Top Players Has Caught Up With The Bruins Right Now

 

    Unless you've been paying close attention lately, you might not realize that the Bruins (14-8-4) are a bit of a mess at the moment. Tonight, they began a back-to-back set at the PPG Paints Arena with a 4-1 loss to the red-hot Penguins (18-9-1). Unlike Saturday's lifeless 4-0 shutout loss to the Rangers (11-12-4) at the TD Garden, scoring chances weren't the main issue this evening as the B's outshot the Pens 43-26 but Pittsburgh's goaltender Tristan Jarry (42 saves, 12-7-1) was really tough to beat. Boston actually had more shots on goal in the first period alone (20) than they did all of Saturday (18) but that hardly seems to matter since it once again ended in a loss. The Bruins dropped to 3-5-2 in their last 10 games while the Penguins jumped to five points ahead of them courtesy of their sixth straight win-they are also 8-2-0 in their last 10. 

    The lone goal for the Bruins came on the power play but not from who you'd expect: defenseman Matt Grzelcyk used a screen from left wing Nick Ritchie to score on a wrist shot from the point for his first goal of the season at 6:47 of the first period. Left wing Brad Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak provided the assists that gave Boston an all too brief lead. Matt's former BU teammate center Evan Rodrigues tied it with a true knuckle puck that Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 6-4-2) couldn't glove cleanly before it trickled over the goal line. Right wing Kasperi Kapanen and center Evgeni Malkin had the assists on baby-faced Rodrigues' second goal of the season. Halak allowed another goal that I'm sure he'd like back when Pittsburgh's superstar center Sidney Crosby one-timed a low shot from a tough angle that Jaroslav couldn't contain for some reason. Left wing Jake Guentzel and BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin had the helpers on Crosby's 11th goal of the season at 18:34. 

    Down only 2-1 after the first period, Boston was still in it until Malkin scored a power play goal at 11:40 of the second period. His one-timer from the slot was his eighth goal of the season and it was assisted by Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang. A troubling trend for the Bruins is their lack of scoring punch in March as they've managed one goal or less in five of those seven contests. Yeesh. Guentzel's empty-net goal (his 11th goal of the season) at 19:44 of the third period wrapped it up for the Penguins who improved to a very impressive 12-2-0 at home. 

    Tomorrow's game (7, NESN) brings more uncertainty for the B's because Halak understandably won't start on back-to-back nights (and 3 times in the last 4 days) so it'll either be rookie Dan Vladar making his NHL debut or Providence's Jeremy Swayman-a rookie that went to the University of Maine-who has begun his pro career 7-0-0 in the AHL. For this reason, it's easy to predict that the Penguins will be a heavy favorite in the rematch. Even a pity point (losing in overtime or a shootout) would be a fine result for the Bruins since it feels like they are teetering on the verge of a major slump.

After Two Losses on the Road, Boston Returns Home to Beat Pittsburgh 4-1 In a Playoff-Type Tilt

Up until tonight, it had been a rough week for the Bruins (28-9-12). First, they blew a 5-2 lead in Philadelphia (25-17-6) on Monday then fell to an unexplainable 0-7 in shootouts as Brad Marchand touched the puck but never got control of it on the fruitless last shot attempt. The next night in Columbus (24-16-8) they might not as well have shown up as they got blanked 3-0 by the Blue Jackets and even worse, Tuukka Rask (17-4-6) suffered a concussion from an errant elbow by a nobody that the B's never really responded to. This evening's satisfying 4-1 victory against the Penguins (29-13-5) at TD Garden doesn't erase those losses (or the fact that they placed Rask on IR this afternoon) but at least they gave the Black and Gold not to mention their fans something to feel good about. After all, the Pens entered with a four-game win streak and 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, making them one of the NHL's hottest teams.

What makes this result interesting is that this is essentially a taste of the playoffs for the B's since their next game is Sunday afternoon (12:30, NBC) in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are in Detroit (12-32-3) tomorrow night before the return bout with the Bruins but that hardly counts since the Red Wings are easily the worst team in the entire NHL. In their only other meeting this season which was over two months ago, the Bruins also came out on top with a wild 6-4 victory on Nov. 4 at the Garden. The extra physical play was probably just setting the stage for Sunday yet you couldn't help but think what fun it would be to see these teams meet again this spring in the postseason. The 2013 Eastern Conference Finals is the last time they meet in the playoffs so it's been far too long!

Things didn't exactly start out positively for Boston as Sidney Crosby (in his 2nd game back after missing 28 games following muscle core surgery) fired in a laser only 24 seconds into the contest. He returned with four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in Tuesday's 7-3 beating of the Wild (21-20-6) so in that sense, he picked right up where he left out with his seventh goal of the season. Dominik Simon and Jack Johnson (300th NHL point for the veteran defenseman, not the singer from your college days) had the assists on the first shot of the game for either club. Naturally, Boston turned to its third and fourth liners to put them ahead with a pair of goals later in the frame.

Karson Kuhlman is about the furthest thing that you'd find from Crosby-a generational talent-but the Bruins' scrappy rookie returned from missing 32 games of his own with a broken leg. In less than ten minutes of ice time (9:56), he managed to notch two assists (his 2nd multi-point game in the NHL and 1st time he had a pair of helpers) to help spark the offense. Sean Kuraly threw the puck at the net and Kuhlman's net drive did enough to distract Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (26 saves, 16-7-1) with the puck deflecting off a Pittsburgh defenseman. Charlie McAvoy had the secondary assist on Kuraly's fourth goal of the season at 10:03. A little over two minutes later, Par Lindholm tipped in Kuhlman's shot for his third goal of the season.

Things were simmering in the first with five combined penalties and they started to boil over in the second period namely for Torey Krug and Patric Hornqvist. Besides the fact that he stinks, the main reason that Brett Ritchie was placed on waivers yesterday by the B's (for assignment to Providence) is because he didn't step up in a physical way after the Rask injury. Krug is not exactly what you picture when you think of an enforcer but he more than held his own in his fight with Hornqvist late in the second. They were called for matching roughing penalties but that didn't stop them from settling things six seconds after they got out of the box from serving those infractions. With David Krejci out with an upper-body injury, Boston survived another injury scare as Joakim Nordstrom blocked a shot and glided on one leg to the bench in what seemed like serious pain (Patrice Bergeron helped him get to the bench). From there, he briefly sat down then got helped to the dressing room but miraculously he returned and barely missed any time, playing 12:06.

It shouldn't have taken this long to mention him but Jaroslav Halak (29 saves, 11-5-6) played his best game in awhile which was good timing since he'll probably get the other two starts before the All-Star break with Dan Vladar (recalled from Providence today with no NHL regular season experience) serving as his backup. Halak made many fine stops but none were better than the three (Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy thought there were four) saves late in the second when Pittsburgh somehow broke in on a 2-on-0 while they were shorthanded. Halak stoned Bryan Rust once then Northeastern's Zach Aston-Reese at least twice leading the Garden crowd to go crazy (in a good way of course).

Pittsburgh mostly dominated the third period but they had nothing to show for it thanks to Halak. Boston put it out of reach with Bergeron's sweet top-shelf shot at 3:19 from David Pastrnak. It was Bergeron's 20th goal of the season, the seventh year in a row that he's reached that mark and 11th time in his brilliant (and one day Hall of Fame career). Pasta's pass was beautiful too as he spun around by the boards and put the puck right on Bergy's stick without even seeing him there. The NHL's leading goal-scorer was in a giving mood as Pastrnak passed up an empty-netter in the final minute and instead gave it to Marchand who could use that positive reinforcement (especially after he had another puck issue-a shorthanded breakaway ending with him fumbling it away).

Scoreboard watching after the game, the Bruins got some help from the Wild who surprisingly beat the Lightning (28-15-4) 3-2 in regulation. That leaves Boston eight points ahead of Tampa Bay although the Lightning still have two games in hand. Toronto (25-16-7) is a little bit less of an immediate threat since they trail the Bruins by 11 points with only one game in hand on them. No doubt, the B's would love to sweep the season series with the Pens but it won't be easy to complete at PPG Paints Arena where Pittsburgh is 17-5-3 this season. For whatever reason, I feel like Boston's games there in recent years have usually been bonkers.

The Bruins return to the Garden on Tuesday (7, NESN) to host the Golden Knights (25-19-6) who fired their head coach Gerard Gallant yesterday in a move that few saw coming because the team still holds the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. From there, Pastrnak and Cassidy head to the All-Star Game (Rask is skipping it even if he's healthy by then) in St. Louis while everyone else-unless Bergeron or Marchand is an injury replacement for a guy from the Atlantic Division team-gets a legitimate break since the next game isn't until January 31 (8, NESN) at Winnipeg (25-18-4). If the B's can get points in those final two matchups, they'll put themselves in a great spot heading into the stretch drive-the last 31 games of the regular season.

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B's Win Season-High 4th In A Row As Khudobin Extends Career-Best Point Streak To 9 (7-0-2)

Tuukka Rask might still be the third highest paid goaltender in the NHL but for the time being, he's lost his starting job to a career backup: Anton Khudobin (7-0-2). Boston (10-7-4) beat Pittsburgh (11-10-3) 4-3 this afternoon at TD Garden on Black Friday as the B's have improbably turned their season around with four straight wins. Khudobin entered today owning the best save percentage in the league (.938 save%) and he was third in goals against average (2.13) so while those numbers went down a bit, he is still riding the best point streak of his career and he even admitted in Boston's dressing room after the game that this was the best run he's had in the NHL, even better than with that vaunted Carolina team in 2014.

It's a little early to be projecting a playoff matchup this spring (and keep in mind that they meet twice more in the regular season with another game in Boston) but you have to admit that it would be fun to see the Bruins and Penguins meet in the postseason since Boston improved to 9-1-2 in their last 12 contests vs. the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. For whatever unknown reason, they have given the Penguins more problems than any other opponent over these last few years. Pittsburgh star Evgeni Malkin (7 goals, 14 assists) missed today's action with an upper-body injury but Brad Marchand (8 goals, 7 assists) was also out for Boston so that's basically an even trade-off.

Besides Khudobin (who only had to make 17 saves), the key to Boston's resurgence lately has been the fact that they've consistently gotten off to better starts. It's no surprise that hockey (just like any other team sport) is easier to play with a lead versus playing from behind all the time. The B's were up 2-0 less than 11 minutes into the proceedings as David Krejci (2nd goal of the season) finished a one-timer from Jake DeBrusk and Peter Cehlarik at 6:13 followed by Sean Kuraly's (3rd goal of the season) similar one-timer at 10:51 from fellow rookie Charlie McAvoy. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan (a South Shore resident and another BU connection) used his timeout after that and truthfully, he probably needed it more late in the game when the B's were hanging on but that's neither here nor there.

Pittsburgh trailed 2-0 after the first period but the Penguins cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal by Jake Guentzel at 1:02 of the second, his team-leading ninth of the season. Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby-ever heard of them?-had the helpers as Pittsburgh cashed in on a cheap hooking penalty on Krejci (granted it was Boston's only infraction). It's tough to beat rookie defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's story just to get here: Charlestown native, BU alum and his dad works on the bull gang (the group that changes the ice, court and concert stages) at the Garden. He added another chapter to his hometown hero legacy with his first NHL goal at 10:31. Krejci and DeBrusk (2 goals and 4 assists in 5 games since he was a healthy scratch) had the helpers as Grzelcyk took his head coach Bruce Cassidy's sage advice and pinched up on the play before beating Penguins goaltender Matt Murray (29 saves) down low.

The Penguins are banged up but they (cliche alert!) still have the heart of a (2-time) champion as they rallied for two goals before that frame was over. Former Bruins great Phil Kessel showed off what is still one of the best shots in the league as he sniped the puck past Khudobin at 14:07 to make it 3-2 Boston. Riley Sheahan and Justin Schultz had the assists on Kessel's ninth goal of the season. Crosby tied it up with a bizarre tally: he knocked the puck off of Khudobin's chest (it was just lying there) and it stood up for his seventh goal of the season after a lengthy review and subsequent reach of a coach's challenge by Cassidy. Patric Hornqvist and another former Bruin-Matt Hunwick-had the assists on a goal that showed off some of Crosby's numerous elite skills (hand-eye coordination, instinct, relentlessness, etc) that have all added up to make him an all-time great player.

Coming off an 11-round shootout in New Jersey on Wednesday (won 3-2 by the Bruins), not to mention it being the afternoon following the biggest eating day of the year (sorry Ramadan), the Bruins wanted no part of overtime or God forbid another shootout. They got all the remaining offense that they would need to put it in the win column as David Pastrnak finished off a breakaway from Riley Nash and Ryan Spooner at 5:06 of the third period. Pastrnak's team-leading 11th goal of the season was helped by Nash's long feed but then it was all Pasta's brilliance since he went backhand to forehand before flipping the puck over Murray's glove hand.

Boston will try to keep the good vibes going as they host the reeling Oilers (8-12-2) on Sunday (5, NESN) before the best team in hockey-Tampa Bay (16-3-2) comes to town on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Network). Cassidy said they're taking the goaltender situation "day-to-day" so I have no idea if it'll be Khudobin or Rask vs. Edmonton. You can see it from both sides: when he has enough breaks in between games, why sit Khudobin before he loses in regulation but Rask will also have to start again at some point or you risk really losing him mentally this season. Wear your old Milan Lucic Bruins jersey on Sunday and silently cheer on Looch after you watch the Patriots (8-2) destroy the Dolphins (4-6) at Gillette Stadium (1, CBS).

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Marchand Takes a Bit of a Discount to Hopefully Spend the Rest of His NHL Career as a Bruin

Oh hello friends, sorry for the extended absence over the spring and summer but I'm back here now that the Bruins' preseason has begun. Perhaps if you're good, I'll also sprinkle in some Red Sox playoff stuff, Patriots and Celtics thoughts as well from time to time as long as I'm feeling it. Hours before their first fake game, the Bruins made headlines by agreeing to an eight-year extension with star left wing Brad Marchand worth $49 million (average annual value of $6.125 million per year). He is currently away on Team Canada duty so all we got from Marchand was some hastily assembled quotes and videos from the Bruins media relations team, it'll be fun to hear from the man himself when he gets back soon (after Canada beats Europe in the World Cup of Hockey Final series in Toronto).

Coming off a career-season (37 goals, 23 assists and +21 in 77 games), Marchand's NHL value has never been higher. He's second on Team Canada in scoring (3 goals, 2 assists) and this should calm down those recent rumors that popped up the last few days about him going to Pittsburgh to play with his temporary linemate Sidney Crosby (ever heard of him?). At 28, Marchand is in the prime of his career and with Patrice Bergeron by his side wherever he goes, the B's have a spectacular 1-2 punch locked up now for awhile. They have been on the same forward line for years with the B's and Crosby is centering them on Canada, why mess with success?

Of course, a true cynical Bruins fan would like this move but then rightfully question what the hell they are doing with their defensemen? They really never changed anything over the off-season to address by far their biggest need-on the back end. Marchand, Bergeron, David Krejci, David Backes, David Pastrnak, etc should provide plenty of offensive firepower but unless many of the young defensemen step up in a big way, it's hard to see the B's being that much better than they've been these last two frustrating seasons (where they've missed out on the playoffs each time by losing the final contest).

Conversely, it's promising to see a core player that still believes in the Bruins' shaky front office and coaching staff, enough so to leave millions of dollars on the table that he undoubtedly could have gotten elsewhere. This was a very fair deal for what Marchand is currently worth and what that could increase to over the next few seasons if he keeps bumping up his production. It's easy to forget at times but Boston really isn't that far away from a Stanley Cup (2011), another Finals appearance (2013) and a Presidents' Trophy (2014). Marchand was an integral part of all those teams and if the Black and Gold are ever going to return to those glory days anytime soon, he no doubt will be a huge reason why. With this contract will come much more pressure on Brad but he typically is the type of player that thrives under those circumstances so I'm confident that he won't change anything about his game that got him here in the first place.

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Bruins Blank Penguins 2-0 For Their Fifth Straight Win (Making Them 8-1-1 in The Last 10 Games)

Remember a few short weeks ago when even the biggest Bruins honk felt like they were going nowhere for the rest of this ill-fated season? My how things have changed since today's 2-0 win by Boston (36-22-10) at CONSOL Energy Center vs. Pittsburgh (39-19-10) was their fifth straight victory (best current streak in the NHL) and left them 8-1-1 in their last 10 games (tied with Rangers for best mark). The Bruins are now tied with the Capitals for seventh-place (82 points) in the Eastern Conference and only five points behind the Red Wings (37-19-11) who are also faltering at this most important time.

Sure the B's caught two enormous breaks since Sidney Crosby was in pregame warmups but didn't suit up because of an undisclosed injury while Evgeni Malkin played a grand total of five shifts before leaving with a mysterious injury of his own. Chris Kelly had hit him which seemed to cause the injury but it was a clean, routine play and nothing dirty by any means. Still, the Bruins wouldn't have taken advantage of that earlier in the season so it was nice to see them continue to get the job done in any number of ways. Once again, they rode Tuukka Rask (30 saves; 3rd shutout of the season) who has been one of the league's best over the last month-plus.

The other thing that went Boston's way happened before the game began as the Penguins started backup goaltender Thomas Greiss (28 saves) in order to rest Marc-Andre Fleury for a matchup vs. Detroit on Sunday. Greiss was fine except that he allowed a rather soft goal to Milan Lucic at 9:53 of the first period. David Pastrnak and Dougie Hamilton assisted on Lucic's low wrist shot that should have been stopped but went in for his 15th goal of the season.

Really not that much else happened the rest of the way which was fine with the Bruins. Boston's power play was 0 for 4 but they held Pittsburgh to 0 for 3 so that was basically a draw. Captain Zdeno Chara clinched it for Boston with a rink-long empty-netter when there were 38 seconds left in regulation. Gregory Campbell assisted on Chara's seventh goal of the season which made it 2-0 for the visitors.

Ironically enough, the B's are in DC tomorrow night (7:30, NBCSN) to face the Capitals (36-23-10). Boston has played one less game than Washington so a win against them on Sunday would give them some extra space. It is the second leg of a back-to-back (when you'd normally play the backup goalie) but I believe that Rask will make another start since the game is so important in the Wild Card standings.

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Penguins Beat Bruins 3-2 In Overtime On Malkin's 2nd Goal of the Game

It is a cold reality but I guess we should be somewhat content that the shorthanded B's were able to take a point against the juggernaut Penguins tonight at TD Garden. Playing with what feels like half a team that rightfully belongs in Providence, Pittsburgh (14-4-2) beat Boston (13-9-1) 3-2 in overtime at TD Garden on Evgeni Malkin's goal just 32 seconds in.

Brad Marchand returned after missing three games with an undisclosed injury but David Krejci and Chris Kelly remained out. Boston made the curious decision to send Seth Griffith back to Providence this afternoon while Matt Fraser was a healthy scratch. That meant that their first-round pick from this past draft, David Pastrnak, made his NHL debut at the ripe old age of 18 (he's the youngest player to appear in the NHL this season). He only ended up playing 7:53 so his contributions were understandably limited. Furthermore, it's hard to say what they wanted out of Jordan Caron (3:35) and Alex Khokhlachev (2:53) when they each played five total shifts in the entire contest.

You can only keep Sidney Crosby and Malkin in check for so long, even in the best of times, which made it utterly predictable that Crosby opened the scoring at 3:33 with a backhander on a rebound from Tuukka Rask (30 saves). Harvard's Craig Adams and Kris Letang had the assists on Crosby's ninth goal of the season.

Pittsburgh led 1-0 after the first period but Boston tied it early in the second on Milan Lucic's tap-in from Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg at 1:43. Lucic has been lost without Krejci so it was nice to see him pick up his fourth goal of the season on Eriksson's slick pass. The Bruins took the lead only 28 seconds later as rookie Joe Morrow scored his first career NHL goal. Marc-Andre Fleury (27 saves) was screened while Dougie Hamilton and Simon Gagne were credited with the assists on Morrow's wrister from the point.

The B's had not one but two possible goals called off upon replay this evening. In the first period, Patrice Bergeron hit the puck in with what was determined to be a high stick. That seemed like the right call but the second one was much more shaky. In the following frame, the puck deflected in off Soderberg's body before Lucic knocked the net off of its mooring. The refs ruled that Soderberg used his glove which was not obvious at all.

Malkin and Crosby took over even further as Malkin tied it at two. His low but hard shot beat Rask to the nearside at 9:42 of the second period on the power play for his ninth goal of the season. Letang and Crosby had the assists on that tally. After the scoreless third period, where the Penguins outshot the Bruins 12-4, all Pittsburgh needed was one rush in overtime to end it. Crosby went blazing up the left wing before firing a one-timer over to Malkin who caught Rask in scramble mode going side-to-side (who could blame him?).

Boston is now off until Friday (7, NESN) when they host Winnipeg (10-9-3). The trend for the Bruins so far this season has been to beat the bad and average teams and then to lose against the good ones. However, it's tough to see them topping many teams in their current state of disarray with all the injuries and underachieving individuals. The scary part is that after that they go to the West Coast for four games in six days including the dreaded California trio of Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.

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Bruins Beat Penguins 4-3 in Overtime on Krug's Laser

The B's certainly have enjoyed not deciding things in regulation lately. Boston (16-6-2 overall, 10-3-2 home) went to overtime for the third game in a row at TD Garden and for the second consecutive game they skated off as winners as Torey Krug beat Marc-Andre Fleury 34 seconds into the extra session. The last couple minutes could best be described as bonkers since Pittsburgh (15-9-1 overall, 5-6-1 road) tied it with 0.3 seconds left on Sidney Crosby's (who else?) goal.

In past years, the Bruins would have never recovered from such a painful choke in regulation but this is a new team (we think). Tuukka Rask (28 saves) kept them in it when they were outshot 10-5 in the first period and 11-8 in the second period. Boston actually grabbed a 2-0 lead as Loui Eriksson scored on a breakaway and backhander at 12:27 of the first period and Reilly Smith added a power play goal a little over three minutes later. Eriksson's goal-his fifth of the season-was assisted by Carl Soderberg. Smith's fifth goal of the season was assisted by Soderberg and Eriksson, a beautiful passing sequence by three guys with serious chemistry.

James Neal came to play as he cut it to 2-1 37 seconds into the second period following a turnover by Boston in their own end. Similar to Smith's goal, he was alone in front and Jussi Jokinen found him. Rask had no chance to stop it. Once again, Neal was the culprit who tied it at 11:09 of the third period on a rocket of a one-timer from Jokinen. The puck handcuffed Johnny Boychuk and the Penguins were all too happy to take advantage.

Zdeno Chara didn't want to go to overtime as he put the B's back ahead 3-2 at 14:45. His shot from the point was tipped mistakenly by Crosby with Milan Lucic screening Fleury in front. You had the feeling something bad would happen to Boston in the final minute when they couldn't clear the puck out with Pittsburgh having the extra skater on the ice. It's not like Crosby will miss from a few feet away from the cage either.

The Bruins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, they will next play in Detroit on Wednesday (7:30, NESN). Where else would they prefer to spend Thanksgiving Eve? Boston gets rewarded (I guess?) with a back-to-back at the Garden: Friday afternoon vs. Rangers and Saturday night vs. Blue Jackets.

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Hey Penguins: Don't Poke The Bear Or Something

Repeat after me Bruins fans: it's only one game, it's only one game, good. Boston beat Pittsburgh 3-0 tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Consol Energy Center. The B's basically did everything they could have hoped for and right away, they put all the pressure (as if it wasn't already) on the Penguins. Game 2 is Monday (8 p.m., NBCSN).

What we felt was Boston's only real advantage coming into the series turned out to be the truth in Game 1: Tuukka Rask (29 saves) recorded his first career playoff shutout while Tomas Vokoun (27 saves) wasn't good enough, leaving a few costly rebounds which the B's made the most of.

The Bruins top line of Milan Lucic (assist, +2), David Krejci (2 goals) and Nathan Horton (1 goal, 2 assists) was outstanding. Krejci added to his NHL-leading total (7 goals, 12 assists) further cementing his legacy as a truly clutch player whenever the postseason rolls around.

The difference between Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron was obvious already: Crosby is the best hockey player in the world but much like LeBron in the NBA he still takes the low-rent tactic of whining about everything 24/7. Meanwhile, Bergeron never fights but when the Penguins tried to be tough at the end of the second period he ended up brawling with Evgeni Malkin. That is a true leader, all Crosby could do was talk trash to Zdeno Chara with a referee safely between them.

Speaking of bush league, it only took Matt Cooke a little more than one period to show us that he'll never change. Shame on the pathetic Penguins fans and media that pretend he's reformed. It reminds me of Celtics honk media members saying that Rajon Rondo became a leader. Cooke took a run at Adam McQuaid and got a game misconduct for hitting from behind early in the second period. McQuaid was shaken up but soon returned to the ice after going to the dressing room.

Pittsburgh hit the post three times but Rask seemed to get in their heads as the game went on. Krejci gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 8:23 of the first period, assisted by Horton and Andrew Ference (first action since Game 5 vs. Maple Leafs). Ference started the play by driving to the net and Krejci's shot trickled through Vokoun's pads after the puck hit Paul Martin's skate and deflected.

Krejci made it 2-0 at 4:04 of the third period after his shot was blocked by Vokoun but popped high in the air around the crease. Like Daniel Paille in Game 3 vs. Rangers, Krejci's alertness and hustle paid off with his second goal-also assisted by Horton. Mr. Playoffs aka Horton iced it with a goal less than four minutes later from Lucic and Gregory Campbell. Once again, Vokoun's juicy rebound ended up in the back of his net.

An enjoyable aspect of this contest was the obvious disdain both clubs have for each other. Interestingly enough, this came after both enjoyed a week off. Crosby was pissed, probably cause he played terrible by his lofty standards (-2) and he took it out on poor Tyler Seguin in garbage time. Crosby chopped Seguin's legs with a slash, his second penalty of the night. I guess Cooke is really rubbing off on Sid the Kid.

This win means that Boston is 3-0 in Game 1s during the postseason. They also broke Pittsburgh's six-game win streak over them dating back to last season. Regardless, you can guarantee that the Penguins will play much better in Game 2. However, if the B's can somehow find themselves on top again well then Pittsburgh would certainly be reaching for the nearest panic button.

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Welp, The Penguins Are Certainly The Class Of The Eastern Conference (At This Moment)

For whatever reason, the Bruins have been very competitive in their first two games against the Penguins this season (both this past week) but they have yet to figure out how to get two points. On Tuesday, they blew a 2-0 lead at CONSOL Energy Center and lost 3-2, today at the same tough venue they fell 2-1.

Pittsburgh (22-8-0) has won nine games in a row, they've beaten Boston (19-5-3) both times without the incomparable Evgeni Malkin and this afternoon, backup goaltender Tomas Vokoun (31 saves) beat Tuukka Rask (16 saves; 14-3-3). On Tuesday, B's backup goaltender Anton Khudobin took the loss.

The Penguins never trailed as Sidney Crosby (13th goal of the season) connected on a one-timer at 12:06 of the first period from Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis had the second assist. Tyler Seguin (10th goal of the season) had the Bruins' lone goal after Johnny Boychuk's shot from the point deflected off a Penguin right to Seguin at 16:38. Patrice Bergeron had the second assist.

Three guys from Beanpot schools teamed up for Pittsburgh's game-winner as Joe Vitale (Northeastern; 1st goal of the season) dove for a beautiful diving shot over Rask, Craig Adams (Harvard) and Brooks Orpik (Boston College) had the assists at 19:28. It's hard to totally blame Rask on Vitale's goal since the initial shot had deflected off Andrew Ference but it wasn't the hardest shot (speed wise) and Rask fumbled it right to Vitale.

It was a tight game the rest of the way that had a playoff-type feel. The NHL would be in for a real treat if these teams met in the playoffs this spring, ratings would be excellent. They'll play once more, finally in Boston, on Friday, April 19.

Of more concern for the Bruins is the health of David Krejci. He took a Boychuk slap shot right off his knee cap late in the third period and had to be helped off the ice and into the dressing room. Losing him for a significant period of time would be tough, especially with Chris Kelly (their third line center) also out indefinitely with a broken leg.

This kicked off a four-game road trip for Boston, up next they hit Canada for three games beginning with Tuesday (8 p.m., NESN) in Winnipeg (15-11-2, 1st in Southeast Division). The Bruins have topped the Jets in their first two games this season (2-1 in a shootout and 3-2) but Winnipeg has been playing very well lately (6-3-1 in their last 10). At Ottawa and Toronto won't be easy either since they are both still in the top six of the Eastern Conference. The B's won't be back at TD Garden until next Monday against the Maple Leafs.

UPDATE 3/18: Looks like Krejci isn't too hurt, he's day-to-day although the B's called up Ryan Spooner from Providence for tomorrow's game against the Jets.

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Bruins Lose To Penguins, But Who Cares?

Since tonight's game was essentially meaningless to the Boston Bruins, I won't waste much of your time or mine.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (49-25-6) came into TD Garden still looking for home-ice advantage (the No. 4 seed) and so beating the B's (47-29-4) 5-3 was important to them.

Pittsburgh went up 2-0 in the first period, Boston battled back to tie it at 2 in the second before the Penguins rattled off three straight goals to take it. Backup goaltender Brent Johnson made 26 saves for the Penguins.

Sidney Crosby scored twice in the win while Paul Martin, James Neal and Arron Asham also had goals for Pittsburgh. Boston's goals were provided by Benoit Pouliot (15th of the season), Milan Lucic (25th of the season) and Rich Peverley (11th of the season).

Andrew Ference fought Neal late in the second, leaving the smaller Ference with some cuts on his nose and face although to his credit, he was able to take down Neal at the end.

One of the hardest parts about times like this in the NFL or NHL is that you can't scale back the violent nature of the sports. This isn't MLB or NBA where a team can completely coast once they've clinched. That's what makes it so brutal when things like tonight transpire: Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk left in the 3rd period after a nasty (but unintentional) knee-to-knee collision. It'll probably be a few days before we know how bad it truly was but it didn't look good at all. If he's out for a significant amount of time in the playoffs, that's a big loss since he's one of Boston's most reliable defensemen.

I hope you all savored what could possibly be Marty Turco's (22 saves) last game in the Black and Gold. The only other real notable part of this one from a Bruins perspective is that we witnessed Torey Krug's NHL debut. He was solid, the former Michigan State captain is as tiny as advertised but he seems to skate really well for a blueliner.

Before the game, Tyler Seguin received the 7th player award (which is supposed to go to the player who exceeds expectations). How a No. 2 pick can win that is beyond me, Chris Kelly rightfully deserved it although it's a completely useless award, voted on by the fans, so who cares?

The Bruins travel to Ottawa on Thursday. Tim Thomas got some much needed rest tonight and I would expect him to sit out against the Senators too. We might see Anton Khudobin's first NHL start. That's basically the only reason that I will pay any attention to that one.

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Bruins score as many goals vs. Penguins as they would have in a month last season

So far, this season by the Boston Bruins seems like a reward for their long suffering fans who watched last season end in such utter disgrace.

The games still don't mean much now but how can you not be excited by the way the Bs are playing? It's like they are a completely different squad (with only a few new faces) from the one that struggled so mightily last season to put the puck in the net.

Trailing in the second or third period doesn't mean anything as last night showed. Boston (8-3-1) was down 4-2 heading into the third at Pittsburgh's (7-8-1) CONSOL Energy Arena but rallied for five straight goals in a rousing 7-4 victory.

The most impressive stat was that 15 of 18 Bruins registered points in the game. Mark Recchi (1 goal, 2 assists), Patrice Bergeron (2 assists) and Nathan Horton (1 goal, 1 assist) led the way with multiple points.

Tim Thomas (42 saves) did not have his best performance but at least he was much better than Penguins goaltender Brent Johnson (26 saves).

The first period set the stage with a frenetic pace and a pair of fights. Arron Asham opened the scoring for Pittsburgh with a rebound off an Evgeni Malkin (2 assists) shot. Piece of shit Matt Cooke also assisted.

Shawn Thornton fought Eric Godard and two seconds later, Gregory Campbell squared off with Maxime Talbot.

The brawls seemed to fire up the Bruins as Recchi tied it up a few minutes later with a power play goal. Tyler Seguin set him up with a great cross ice feed and after Recchi's first shot was stopped, he stayed with it and roofed it for his first goal of the season. Bergeron also assisted on it.

Brad Marchand gave Boston a 2-1 lead later in the first period with an unassisted snipe and then Penguins defenseman (and BC product) Brooks Orpik tied it up with assists to Malkin and Sidney Crosby (1 goal, 2 assists).

In the last five minutes of the second period, Chris Kunitz (from Kris Letang and Crosby) and Crosby on the power play (from Alex Goligoski and Letang) put Pittsburgh up 4-2.

As they showed last week against the Capitals (before eventually falling 5-3), third period deficits don't faze the Bruins.

Horton (from Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Hunwick) and Zdeno Chara (from Jordan Caron - first NHL assist - and Recchi) scored 15 seconds apart to tie it up not even five minutes into the third period.

From there, it was all Boston as Thornton (from Campbell and Adam McQuaid) and Blake Wheeler (from Recchi and Michael Ryder) were the unlikely combo to score the most important goals. Milan Lucic wrapped it up with an empty-netter from Horton and Bergeron.

After losing two in a row and looking like they were going down again last night, the comeback was a great sign of things to build on. Boston comes home tonight to host bitter rival Montreal in the teams' first meeting this season.

I'll be there, I'm pumped for my first Bruins-Canadiens game. The clown Canadiens fans show up in big numbers which always makes it a great atmosphere.