Newest Bruins Help Boston Continue Their Point-Streak (9-0-5 in last 14) vs. Carolina With OT Win

Franchise center Patrice Bergeron is out indefinitely with a small fracture in his right foot and the Bruins (38-15-8) had dropped their last two games of a disappointing 2-3 road trip so they returned to the Hub with a growing sense of frustration and perhaps a small dose of doubt as they come down the stretch in the regular season. Boston was greeted by their longest homestand of the season (6 games) and despite spotting Carolina (27-25-11) an early 3-1 lead in the first period at TD Garden, they managed to rally for a much-needed 4-3 overtime victory thanks to Charlie McAvoy's game-winning goal at 1:08 (his 7th goal of the season, assisted by Riley Nash).

It was a great night for some of the new guys as well with Tommy Wingels bagging a goal and assist in his Bruins debut while Rick Nash also scored a goal (his 1st as a Bruin) in his first home game for the Black and Yellow. The two points coupled with Toronto's (39-20-6) overtime loss at Florida (28-25-6) brought Boston back within a point of second-place in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs own 85 points and the B's have 84 points but Boston still has a whopping five games in hand over Toronto so that's something to bank on. The Bruins trail the Lightning (43-17-3) by five points with only two games in hand so that'll be much more of a challenge to ultimately overcome this spring.

The first period was about as good as it gets in a professional hockey game as the two teams combined for five goals including a pair on the power play (both for Carolina) and a tally with 2.9 seconds left in the frame. Brock McGinn gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 10:01 after he batted in a loose puck on the man advantage, Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk had the assists on his 11th goal of the season. It only took Rick Nash two games into his Bruins career to find the scoresheet (he hit a post in Buffalo in Sunday's forgettable 4-1 loss) with a memorable goal-his 800th career NHL point-that tied it at one. His new linemates David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk provided the helpers on his 19th goal of the season overall at 11:41. After a turnover, Krejci found Nash wide open and he wasn't going to miss from there with Scott Darling (28 saves, 10-16-7) between the pipes.

The Bruins couldn't stay out of the box as David Pastrnak was nabbed for a high-sticking double-minor (4 minutes) and Carolina made them pay as Teuvo Teravainen went top shelf on Tuukka Rask (29 saves, 25-11-4) for a 2-1 Hurricanes lead. Faulk and Victor Rask had the assists on Teravainen's 16th goal of the season. An ugly defensive breakdown led to Sebastian Aho being all alone so Carolina's top scorer doubled his team's lead at 19:04. Teravainen and Derek Ryan assisted on Aho's 22nd goal of the season. Boston got a big boost from Riley Nash's goal at 19:57 which was the result of great patience by him to wait out Darling for a backhander and a killer forecheck by Wingels that started the whole sequence. Torey Krug somehow received a secondary assist (maybe his dad was tonight's official scorer?) on Riley's 11th goal of the season.

As you would expect, things slowed down considerably in the second period. Wingels tied it up with a snipe of his own at 5:34. DeBrusk and McAvoy assisted on his eighth goal of the season, congrats to the former Worcester Sharks legend. Carolina outshot Boston 15-12 in the second period and each club put up eight shots on goal in the third period. McAvoy's goal was the only shot on goal for either team in overtime. You'd be hard-pressed to find two worse overtime teams in the league, coming into this tilt Boston was 2-6 in the extra session while Carolina was 2-7. Keep in mind that Boston's mini-losing streak was nothing compared to the annual second-half tailspin for the Canes who have now lost six games in a row. If I know the Hurricanes though, they'll probably go on a crazy run right at the end but come up like a point or two short of the second Wild Card spot in the East.

The Bruins needed these two points for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that mighty Pittsburgh (36-24-4) is up next on Thursday (7, NESN). As expected, the Penguins' midseason slump was just a mirage as they have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL for weeks (7-2-1 in their last 10 games after Tuesday's 3-2 loss to New Jersey). Boston-Pittsburgh is a playoff series that could very well become reality once again this spring and Thursday's matchup promises to provide a great atmosphere at the Garden (kudos to tonight's crowd that was much better than you'd expect for any game involving Carolina). The Penguins are still the defending two-time Stanley Cup champs so until further notice, they remain the team to beat in both the Eastern Conference and around the entire league. Haha please, I beg of you Hockey Gods, no Pittsburgh three-peat. It doesn't have to be the Bruins (although that would be hunky dory), just anyone but Sidney Crosby and the Pens.

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I Am Calling It: 2018 Will Be the Year of Bergy

Sometimes in sports, like in everyday regular people life, you just don't have it. Conversely, there are other magical times where you can literally do no wrong. Tonight was one of those latter such times for Bruins icon Patrice Bergeron. He set a career-high with four goals and tied another personal mark with five points as Boston (23-10-6) pillaged Carolina (19-14-8) 7-1 at TD Garden. When you have an unforgettable performance such as that, there are many statistics that you can highlight: Bergy notched his second career hat trick just 5:36 into the second period and his fourth goal a little over five minutes later tied the club record also matched by 16 others. You might not know anything about them, neither do most people in North Carolina (why are they still there?), but the Hurricanes had been playing really well (7-2-1) and they were coming off of a 4-0 shutout in Pittsburgh (21-19-3) on Thursday.

Carolina goaltender Cam Ward got to play 5:43 which is quite impressive when you consider that he started and wasn't forced out of action with an injury. Nope, Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters (which sounds like the name of your dad's boss) had seen enough after Bergeron flipped a shot by his glove side at 3:14 of the first period. Bergeron's 13th goal of the season was shorthanded and assisted by Brad Marchand (4 assists) who must of fooled Ward into thinking that Bergeron was going to pass it to him? Former Carolina great Riley Nash made it 2-0 at 5:43 when he roofed a shot over Ward's (say it with me kids!) glove side. Nash's fifth goal of the season was assisted by Kevan Miller and David Backes. Ward finished with two goals allowed on two shots against which is really remarkable when you think about it for a guy that's won a Stanley Cup.

For a freezing cold second, the Hurricanes had one last breath of life as Jordan Staal tipped in a Teuvo Teravainen shot for a power play goal at 7:09 which cut it to 2-1 Bruins. Norwood native and former BC star Noah Hanifin had the second assist on Staal's 11th goal of the season. This came right after Marchand had a shorthanded breakaway bid stopped by Scott Darling (no relation to Ron, I think). No problem though, Boston's unstoppable offense roared back with a pair of goals at 9:04 and 10:22 of the first period. David Pastrnak whipped in a one-timer (his 1st goal in 11 games) for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Bergeron and Danton Heinen (2 goals, 5 assists in his last 7 games). Jake DeBrusk tipped in Ryan Spooner's shot for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by David Krejci. The B's weren't done though in the first as they polished off their first five-goal frame in nearly 7 years (Jan. 13, 2011 vs. Flyers). Bergeron pumped in a one-timer from Marchand for his 700th career point, how cute!

Even the Chiefs couldn't blow that type of lead, oh wait.... Just in case the Hurricanes had any thoughts of making it competitive, they passed out in a snowbank outside the Garden and collectively froze to death. Bergeron got his hat trick, complete with plenty of hats thrown on the ice (props to the Bruins marketing team for saying hats were 30% off in the team store, America!), thanks to another assist from Marchand at 5:36. Finally, Bergy wrapped it up with one last tally from his uber-talented linemates at 10:45 of the second period. It would have been fun to see Boston score double-digit goals but with another game looming tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports) in Pittsburgh, what was the point? There was nothing left to prove against a beaten opponent.

The Bruins improved to 8-0-2 in their last 10 games, the longest point streak since they went 15-0-1 from March 2-30, 2014. They are 11-1-2 in their last 14 games and 17-3-2 in their last 22 games which last time I checked is pretty damn good. The back-to-back champion Penguins have been a mess this season and believe it or not, if the playoffs started today (I know, I hate those hypothetical statements too.....), they would be left out of the mighty Eastern Conference playoff race. Of course, nobody in the world (probably not even the Hurricanes) would pick Carolina to hold off Pittsburgh for the second Wild Card. This is a proud club with a ton of great players so it's a little early to be writing them off, however the B's have a nice opportunity to inflict more damage on the Pens on national TV on a Sunday night, what could be better than that?

Anton Khudobin (27 saves, 9th win of the season) had the honor of facing his former team today so that Tuukka Rask (14-8-3, 2.09 GAA) will be well rested (remember that Boston's game with Florida on Thursday was cancelled on account of the Bomb Cyclone) for the showdown with Pittsburgh. You'll need to get your Black and Gold fix tomorrow since after that, they are off until Saturday (7, NESN) when they travel to see hapless Montreal (17-20-4) coached by some guy named Handsome Ralph I mean Mr. Potato Head, no it's Claude Julien. The NHL schedule makers were clearly tripping on acid when they put together this upcoming slate for the B's after the mandatory break as they play the Habs three times in eight days. Haha WTF? Boston's next home game isn't until a week from Monday (1, NESN), a Martin Luther King Jr. day matinee vs. Dallas (24-16-3).

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"Apparently You Need to Score A Goal(s) to Win Hockey Games At Home, Who Knew?"-The Bruins

The Bruins (23-20-6) were shut out by the lowly Islanders (18-17-8) on Monday and they blew a pair of three-goal leads at Detroit (20-19-7) in Wednesday's crushing shootout loss so naturally they slinked home to TD Garden and lost 1-0 to the Blackhawks (29-14-5) this evening on Causeway Street. What made this loss even more rough (besides the fact that the Bruins were shut out in back-to-back home games for the first time since 2003) is that Chicago's Marian Hossa scored the game-winning goal with 1:26 left in regulation. Is that it for Claude Julien, the NHL's longest tenured head coach? It probably should be but judging by the way that he's skated by consecutive non-playoff appearances, he'll probably get an extension by the end of the weekend.

As usual, the Bruins had way more shot attempts (61-42) but that means little when you can't hit the broad side of a barn with a majority of said shots. The first period was a classic Boston fruitless frame from the last few seasons as they dominated (outshooting Chicago 17-6) but had nothing to show for it. Neither power play made an impact as Chicago was 0-for-3 and Boston was 0-for-2.

This was the end of a long road trip for the Blackhawks and you can bet that this proud team will be squarely in the Western Conference playoff mix this spring as they have been for the better part of the last decade. Corey Crawford had started the last five games so former University of Maine goaltender Scott Darling (12-4-2) made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career. In the battle of Original Six rivals, Chicago notched its 42nd all-time shutout of Boston but only 12th here. More interesting, the Blackhawks' previous shutout in Boston was turned in by Tony Esposito on Jan. 17, 1970 (just 13 years before I was born).

If it feels like Boston has played an inordinate amount of one-goal games (10-8-6), you are correct my friend. This was the second time in this campaign that the B's dropped a 1-0 decision with the game-winning goal being allowed in the last two minutes of regulation (Nov. 17 vs. Minnesota). It certainly wasn't Tuukka Rask's fault (22-11-4), he made 21 saves and no goalie in the world would have stopped Hossa's sweet one-timer. People named Tanner Kero and Vinnie Hinostroza (which sound completely made up) had the assists on Hossa's 17th goal of the season.

The Bruins wasted a great defensive effort as they nullified the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Artemi Panarin, etc. To not get at least a point from that contest seems cruel but somehow fitting with how this season has begun to circle the drain with three straight losses. Will we see any changes behind Boston's bench or on their roster by the next time that we see them on Sunday afternoon (3, NESN) at Pittsburgh (29-11-5)? Time will tell but look out for the Penguins who hung a TD & PAT at Carolina (21-17-7) tonight in a 7-1 whitewashing. The defending champs are an NHL-best 19-2-2 at PPG Paints Arena and they have scored the most goals (164) in the league. Haha maybe it'll be the old reverse lock for Claude and his boys?

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Chara Returns but Nothing Stops the Chicago Steamroller from Winning Its 8th Straight Game

I still can't get over how enjoyable it has to be these days for Blackhawks fans. Their team has it all: skill, brawn, speed, depth, good goaltending, solid coaching, etc. Further proof that Chicago (20-8-1) is a machine was proven tonight at TD Garden as they held off Boston (15-13-1) 3-2. The Blackhawks opened up a 3-0 lead in the second period and were able to withstand a ton of pressure by the desperate B's who saw the return of captain Zdeno Chara after nearly two months away (knee injury).

Chicago won its eighth straight game (longest streak in the NHL this season) and the fact that the immortal Scott Darling (32 saves) was the No. 1 star (and deservedly so) shows that they can put virtually anybody in the net and he'll succeed. Starter Corey Crawford is out with a leg injury but it clearly hasn't slowed his team down one bit. Oh and the Blackhawks first two goals were scored by something called Klas Dahlbeck and former BC Eagle Ben Smith.

Dahlbeck's one-timer from Smith and Marcus Kruger at 9:10 of the first period was the Swede's first career NHL goal. I can't wait to tell my grandkids about that, haha "I saw Klas' first NHL goal, I was there!" Like any good fourth-liner, Smith hunted down a rebound at 18:43 and snapped it by Tuukka Rask (18 saves) before he had time to react. Goon Dan Carcillo and Kruger assisted on Smith's third goal of the season.

The Bruins started to wake up in the second period (outshooting the Blackhawks 10-7) as Patrice Bergeron hit the post but when Patrick Kane roofed it for a 3-0 lead at 13:19, you knew it was over given Boston's typical struggles to score against quality opponents or anyone really. Kane's 13th goal of the season was assisted by Kris Versteeg.

For the B's to have any sliver of hope, they needed a goal before the second period was over and Reilly Smith delivered at 18:37. Brad Marchand's pass from behind Chicago's net hit the outside of the goal before Smith banged it home. That deflection was probably enough to throw Darling off the scent. Patrice Bergeron assisted on Smith's seventh goal of the season.

The third period was one of Boston's best of the season (outshooting Chicago 10-2) but like so many other times already, they fell short despite a ton of effort and glorious chances. Torey Krug cut it to 3-2 Blackhawks at 12:17 after an awesome individual play by Milan Lucic (who earlier in the frame had hit the post). Looch split two defensemen then passed it back to Krug for the one-timer, his fifth goal of the season. Andrew Shaw wasn't amused as he cross checked Lucic well after the play which resulted in a fight with Chris Kelly. Wait what? Haha yes mild-mannered Chris Kelly dropped the gloves for the first time since the 2010-11 regular season.

Jonathan Toews was hit awkwardly into the boards by Dennis Seidenberg midway through the second period but even though he clearly had a concussion (apparently nobody remembered his history) the Blackhawks let him stay out there. It was stunning then but quite predictable when he didn't return to start the third period. Hopefully he's ok. I don't think Seidenberg deserves to get suspended but we already know that player safety will take a look at it. He's so strong and Toews was caught in an awkward position that the hit ended up being worse than I'm sure it was intended. On Seideberg's side is the fact that he's never been fined or suspended.

After nearly two weeks between home games, Boston is at the Garden once more-on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) they face Ottawa (11-12-5) who is a complete mess after firing head coach Paul MacLean earlier this week. Then it's off on another week-long three game (Nashville, Minnesota and Winnipeg) road trip for the Black and Gold. They need points before they start falling too far behind all the Eastern Conference teams that are playing well.

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