Another Outstanding Bruin Calls It Quits As Center David Krejci Retires After 16 Seasons With Boston

 

    For whatever weird reason, it will not get nearly the same amount of fanfare that captain Patrice Bergeron retiring did but the news this morning that fellow Bruins center David Krejci is also hanging up his skates after 16 great seasons with Boston is undoubtedly another big moment in the franchise's long history. Like Bergy, Krech only ever played for the B's in the NHL and he was a 2011 Stanley Cup champion along with a member of the teams that fell just short in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals vs. Chicago and in 2019 vs. St. Louis. Bergeron is a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame and while Krejci probably will not reach that pinnacle, he is a no-brainer to have his number in the rafters at TD Garden which is no small feat given all the excellent players that have competed for the Bruins over the years. 

    After going back to his homeland (Czech Republic) for one season during the pandemic to be around his extended family more, Krejci returned last season for one last go-around with the Bruins. Ever reliable, David totaled 786 career points (231 goals, 555 assists) and was plus-166 (!!!!) with 203 power play points (54 goals, 149 assists) in a whopping 1032 regular season games but what separated him in my eyes was the way that he usually seemed to take his game to the next level in the postseason. If you like clutch players in modern Bruins history (and who does not?), the soft-spoken and unassuming Krejci was likely one of your favorites. In 160 career Stanley Cup playoff games, he had 128 points (43 goals, 85 assists) and he was plus-20 with 37 power play points (13 goals, 24 assists). In addition to that, he twice led the NHL in playoff scoring including in 2011 when he put up 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) on the way to the Cup and in 2013 when he was arguably even better with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in three less contests (22). Krejci was never flashy and especially early in his career, he drove Boston fans crazy when he did not shoot the puck enough in their learned eyes but we came to love him very much in due time.

    I will remember David for his underrated toughness and dependability as well. He was not the biggest or the most physical guy but he managed to suit up in so many games despite battling the typical injuries that accumulate during a normal NHL season. He twice played in 82 games, once in 81, once in 80 and three other times in 75+ games. That speaks to a person that truly loved his craft and took a certain pride in being available as much as he could. In addition to all that, he is one of the best players in the history of the Czech Republic which is a solid hockey country in Europe. When B's star right wing David Pastrnak came to Boston, getting the opportunity to play with Krejci was a dream come true since Krech had been one of his hockey idols growing up as a young Czech. How cool this past season that those two teamed up with their fellow countryman Pavel Zacha (at left wing) for an All-Czech second forward line. Not just a novelty, it was often Boston's most effective line and it had to have helped that they could all speak another language to each other while they were on the ice together. 

    Not to be a downer (however it is my blog so I will say what I want to!) but this is yet another sobering reminder that only a few players remain on the Bruins (or in the NHL for that matter) that were part of their last championship team in 2011: left wing Brad Marchand (who should be Boston's next captain) and left wing Milan Lucic who has been on a bunch of other teams before re-signing here earlier this summer on a cheap one-year deal. To paraphrase former Celtics head coach Rick Pitino, "Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas are not walking through that door fans, and if they do, they will be old and grey." Indeed, 12 years is a long time between titles for a proud Original Six club. Let's hope that the B's do not become a pathetic club like the Canadiens who last won a Cup in 1993 but still hopelessly cling to that since they have done very little that notable since then. Reliving past glory is fine in small doses but it is time for the Black and Gold to add some new positive chapters to their overall spotty resume.

In A Bit Of A Surprise, UMaine's Jim Montgomery Is The New Head Coach Of Your Boston Bruins

 

    Right in time for the Fourth of July long weekend, the Bruins finally figured out who their new head coach will be for this upcoming season: former University of Maine star Jim Montgomery is here on a three-year deal worth around two million dollars per year. Most recently, the man that they call Monty (because everyone in hockey has to have a goofy nickname) was an assistant with the Blues and before that, he was the head coach of the Stars from 2018-20. Unlike the other rumored candidates that the B's had considered-namely David Quinn, Jay Leach and something called Mike Vellucci-Montgomery feels like the best choice to be the Bruins head coach for a couple of reasons. 

    While he wasn't a star by any means, Montgomery played in the NHL for 122 games on five different teams (Blues, Canadiens, Flyers, Sharks and Stars) after being undrafted following a great career at Maine capped off by an NCAA title in 1993 playing with Black Bears legend Paul Kariya. He was a pro hockey player for 14 seasons as he also competed in 451 AHL games. This means that he knows what it takes to grind and make it at the highest level. Additionally, he was a very successful college head coach from 2013-2017 at the University of Denver where he helped the Pioneers win an NCAA title in 2017. 

    He has only been an NHL head coach for less than a season and a half because after leading Dallas to the second round of the playoffs in his first year, he was fired after 31 games the next season because of a serious drinking problem that forced him to go to rehab and reevaluate his entire life. In terms of life-changing experiences, I would imagine that it doesn't get much more real than that so I'm hoping that he would be able to relate to his players on a much deeper level than most other coaches that they've ever encountered in pro hockey. In 113 games in charge of the Stars, he went 60-43-10 and then 7-6 in the playoffs.   

    Jim will have big shoes to fill since the previous Bruins head coach-Bruce Cassidy-quickly became one of the best in the NHL. There is still a good (albeit aging) nucleus in Boston: center Patrice Bergeron, left wing Brad Marchand, right wing David Pastrnak, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goaltender Jeremy Swayman should ensure that even though it feels like they are rebuilding, the black and gold should still be in the postseason in 2022-23. The early word is that his players love Montgomery so perhaps he has a bit of a softer personality than Cassidy who was very open in his criticism of his team and players. The only thing about Jim that is hard to look past is that he's from Montreal originally but I guess that we won't hold them against him. Haha after all, nobody's perfect. 

After A Brief Comeback, Tuukka Rask Officially Retires With One Very Complicated Bruins Legacy

 

    In my time as a Boston sports fan, I cannot recall a more polarizing figure than Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. No matter if you thought he was great or if you believed he was a complete choke artist, odds are that you were pretty dug in with that particular opinion. I bring this up tonight since earlier this afternoon, Rask put a pin on his ill-fated comeback attempt (which lasted just four starts) and he retired from the B's after his surgically-repaired hip didn't respond like he wanted it to. There are a few things that we can at least all agree on when it comes to Rask's career: Boston's trade for him-flipping mediocre goaltender Andrew Raycroft to the Maple Leafs in 2006-was one of the great steals in franchise history and he was an outstanding goalie at least when it came to the regular season. 

    Tuukka had the tough task of backing up then following a legend-Tim Thomas-but over parts of 15 seasons (all with Boston), he put up some wonderful numbers in the regular season: 308-165-66 with 2.28 goals against average, .921 save percentage and 52 shutouts. He was a two-time All-Star (in 2014 and 2020), won the Vezina Trophy in 2014 and combined with Jaroslav Halak to capture the William M. Jennings Trophy (lowest combined GAA) in 2020. Still for many those stats and accolades feel rather hollow since he never won a Cup as a starter (he was Thomas' backup for Boston's last title in 2011 vs. Vancouver). It's tough to blame him for losing in six games to the better Blackhawks in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final but 2019 vs. the Blues was the one that will sting him and his teammates forever since they lost Game 7 at TD Garden to what should have been an inferior St. Louis club that played over its head all postseason long. 

    Being Finnish also probably helped Rask in some ways to survive here for so long but it also didn't help his cause after tough regular season or especially postseason losses. Other than a well-publicized freak out when he was with the Providence Bruins (AHL) and a few random little incidents in the NHL, Rask was pretty even-keeled on the ice and almost flat-line in postgame interviews immediately after some brutal results. This is another instance where following Thomas who was so emotional was a bit of a curse for Rask. He took his job seriously but unlike many other pro athletes, it was clear that it didn't keep him up at night after he left the rink. While that is a healthy lifestyle choice, it didn't lend itself to desparate Bruins fans that wanted to see a guy that they believed was as passionate about the team as they are, as goofy as that might sound to an outsider. 

    Reputation can be a strange thing since when you look at Rask's playoff numbers, they are way better than you probably remember: 57-46 with .925 save percentage, 2.22 goals against average and seven shutouts. The ironic part about the heartbreaking loss to the Blues is that he had been Boston's best player throughout that postseason and he seemed to be exorcising many personal demons that is until the entire club fell flat on its face in the worst possible moment. Another thing you must consider when you think about Rask's legacy is that he was here for so long and also during such unprecidented success for both the Patriots and Red Sox. Suddenly, championships were all that mattered and we dumped on any players and teams that couldn't get them, even though the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports. I feel like time away from Rask will make us appreciate him at least a little bit more. We are all excited about Jeremy Swayman's potential but he is unlikely to match what Rask did in his long journey with the B's. Thanks for all the good times Tuukka, we just wish that you had gotten it done against St. Louis and then your whole career in Black and Gold would have a completely different final grade to it.

B's Avoid Arbitration With Matt Grzelcyk & Re-Sign Him To 4-Year Contract Worth $14.75 Million

 

    Let's just get this out of the way first: Matt Grzelcyk is not Torey Krug and frankly, he never will be. Sure, if you are a lazy sportswriter or fan, you'll look at the two of them and think well they have so much in common (lack of height, left-shot defensemen that are American and in their 20s) which is true but that's where the most obvious similarities end. Krug quickly developed into one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL as proven by his recently signed megadeal with the Blues. Don't misconstrue this: Grzelcyk has plenty of value to the Bruins who inked him to a four-year deal today worth $14.75 million dollars-with an annual NHL cap hit of $3.687500 per year. 

    Boston had a scheduled arbitration hearing with Grzelcyk set for next week so they were smart to get this settled without the help of needless lawyers. You couldn't create a much better local story than Griz growing up in Charlestown (while his dad worked at TD Garden for the bull gang), getting drafted by the Bruins in 2012 (3rd round, 85th overall), playing three seasons at BU then making the B's and over the last three seasons becoming one of their more dependable performers. By almost any measure, the 26-year-old Grzelcyk is coming off of his best season as a pro: he had a career-high in goals (4), assists (17), points (21), power play points (7) and games played (68). In 197 career NHL games, he's put up 10 goals, 44 assists, two power play goals, 15 power play points and a plus/minus of plus-45. In 43 career NHL playoff games, Matt has four goals, six assists, two power play goals and six power play points with a somewhat sketchy plus/minus of minus-10. 

    So much of this contract for Bruins GM is projecting what Grzelcyk can become if he reaches his ceiling. We all hope that his offensive game can round out a little bit more and clearly there will be plenty of time available with Krug gone if he can earn it on Boston's top power play unit. Remember he shows flashes especially in the postseason of some nice skills with some notable tallies using his underrated shot. He's not on track to be a Hall of Famer, probably not an All-Star or maybe even a top pair defenseman but I don't want to diminish Grzelcyk's solid role on a good team like the B's. For one thing, he's a little better defensively than Krug or at least it comes a bit more naturally to him. With his lack of size (listed at 174 pounds), he will also struggle from time to time against bigger forwards around the league (think the 2019 Stanley Cup Final vs. St. Louis). For what it's worth, Krug is 186 pounds so if there's a way that Grzelcyk can bulk up and add a few pounds, I don't think that would hurt his game at all. 

    Finally, Grzelcyk is three years younger than Krug and besides his much more affordable price, that's what makes him such an appealing option for the Bruins as they chase another Stanley Cup whenever next season begins. On any good hockey team, you need stars but you also have to possess plenty of solid middle tier players like Grzelcyk who accept their place on the roster but do everything they can to get the most out of their abilities. This is a nice move by Bruins GM Don Sweeney that won't garner too many headlines nationally but if you are a Black and Gold fan, you can see what Grzelcyk brings to the table every time that he is in the lineup and why Boston did not want to see him leave anytime soon in free agency.

On The First Day Of Free Agency, Torey Krug Cashes In With Huge 7-Year Deal From St. Louis

 

    Whenever the 2021 NHL regular season begins (tentatively scheduled to be sometime around January 1), it will be so strange to see Torey Krug in a Blues jersey. NHL free agency opened this afternoon and the former Bruin scored by far the most lucrative deal of the day: seven years and a whopping $45.5 million dollars from St. Louis-the team that memorably had beaten Boston in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals in seven games culminating in that brutal Game 7 at TD Garden. Double ouch. As much as it sucks to see Krug leave the Bruins, I doubt there will be many fans that will blame him for getting out of town especially since it felt like a foregone conclusion. He goes from one of the best teams in the league to another top contender and got paid handsomely in the process, what's so wrong with that? 

    Torey grew up in Michigan and went to Michigan State but he became an honorary Bostonian the last few years as he morphed from an undrafted free agent into one of the top offensive defenseman in the league. Apparently, B's GM Don Sweeney did not make a final offer after Krug rejected their joke one last year so what else could Torey do for himself, his wife and his young daughter? I'm just happy that he didn't return home to play for the dreadful Red Wings who are years away from being relevant again. Krug is listed at 5-foot-9 but he's probably an inch or two shorter than that. Along with becoming a much more dependable defenseman in his own zone, Krug worked diligently over the years to sculpt his body into getting as strong as it could be. He's been short his entire life but he hasn't let that define him; rather, his hard work and effort helped transform his game into a skilled skater, passer and shooter. He's ultra-competitive too and winning obviously is very important to him as well.

    His career arc has been especially unique since he only had played in three NHL regular season games (two in 2012 and one the following year) before he quickly became a household name as the Bruins reached the 2013 Stanley Cup Final vs. Chicago. In 75 career playoff games with Boston, he piled up 11 goals and 41 assists which included six power-play goals and 31 power-play assists. In many ways, he was a new wave type of defenseman: the power play/offensive specialist. Through seven full seasons with the Black and Gold, he never had less than 39 points and if it wasn't for the pandemic, he would have reached 50+ points for the fourth straight season. His career-high in goals was 14 which he reached twice (2013-14 and 2017-18), his career-high in assists was 47 (in 2018-2019) and his most points was 59 (in 2017-18). He was also remarkably durable for someone his size since he played at least 64 games in every regular season (other than 61 in the pandemic-shortened campaign).

    Personally, it's a shame that Krug never won a Cup with the Bruins because he had two chances but Boston lost to a fantastic Blackhawks club then choked epically vs. the Blues as we all unfortunately remember. He became a force by 2019 with 18 points (2 goals, 16 assists) in 24 playoff games. His vicious hit against new teammate Robert Thomas (not the lousy Matchbox 20 singer) was a signature moment from that Blues series that would be an all-time play if the B's had won the series. He didn't fight much but when he did, he also had some instant classics in that area that you wouldn't necessarily expect. 

    Boston was eerily quiet today in free agency, their only move thus far has been re-signing injury-plagued defenseman Kevan Miller to a one-year contract worth $1.25 million dollars. Sweeney's annual free agency press conference that was scheduled for this afternoon was pushed back to tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. With perhaps the two other top free agents still available-defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (former Blue) and winger Taylor Hall (rumored to be targeted by the Bruins)-we can only hope that the B's simply needed a little more time to try to get either of those great players to sign on the dotted line. Krug is 29 so I understand why Sweeney did not want to commit for seven more years at such a high price. Still, it would be a real shame if they basically stand pat and don't at least try to improve a roster that is solid but as the champion Lightning showed in the bubble, not nearly good enough to win a Cup at the moment.

    Thanks for all the wonderful memories Torey, you represented yourself very well for your entire Bruins career. You were always an extremely easy guy to root for and you will be missed around here for all that you did both on and off the ice with the B's. Good luck with the Blues (puke). 

In Their First Meeting Since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final In June, the Bruins Handle the Blues 3-0

The Bruins (7-1-2) will never be able to rewrite their franchise's history. Yes, that was the Blues (5-3-3) that captured the Stanley Cup on Boston's home ice just a few short months ago. Losses in pro sports don't get much more bitter than that but all the B's can do now is move forward and focus on this season that looks quite promising for them. The players, coaches and front office for the Bruins along with their fans will sadly always remember that empty feeling but at least they didn't dredge up more of that bleakness when St. Louis came back to Boston for a much-anticipated early regular season showdown. Tonight in front of a hyped crowd, the B's blanked the Blues 3-0.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (26 saves, 5-0-1) notched his second shutout of the season and the 47th of his NHL career. It was also the second time that Rask has shut out the Blues in his career, the last one coming on November 18, 2014. B's captain Zdeno Chara set the tone right from the start as he rocked Blues hack Oskar Sundqvist with an open ice hit 38 seconds into the contest. As you would expect, it was a chippy affair with both sides picking up six penalties and truthfully, there could have been even a few more whistles.

Boston scored a goal in each frame as they slowly wore down St. Louis. The Bruins won the special teams battle as they scored a power play goal and their penalty kill unit was a shiny 4-for-4. B's right winger David Pastrnak continued on his absolute offensive tear to start 2019-2020 as he potted his NHL-best 11th goal of the season. His power play tally at 14:59 of the first period was assisted by Torey Krug (6 assists in his last 5 games) and Brad Marchand (career-best 8-game assist streak along with a 9-game point streak as well). Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (21 saves, 4-2-3) should have stopped the shot but he wasn't in position in time so he got a piece of the puck but it still managed to trickle over the goal line.

Pasta is now tied with himself from last season for the third most goals in October for a Bruin. Only Phil Esposito (14 in 1973) & something named Charlie Simmer (12 in 1985) had more than him and considering that David has two more games left in the month, I feel like he at least has a good chance to pass his previous best. The Bruins' second goal of the night was undoubtedly their most important in terms of the big picture for this group. Left wing Anders Bjork was one of their top prospects a few years ago but since then, he's suffered a litany of injuries. Still, at 23 he has plenty of time to get his career back on schedule. His first goal in over a year for the Black and Gold (Oct. 13, 2018 was the last time he lit the lamp) was pretty as he skated in on a 3-on-2 and finished a one-timer from Matt Grzelcyk and Danton Heinen.

After getting marginally outshot in each of the first two periods, the Blues doubled up the Bruins in the third (10-5) but it didn't matter one iota because they could never solve Rask or Boston's outstanding team defense that combined for 11 blocked shots (including 1 that briefly hobbled Chris Wagner). With Halloween right around the corner, it was a drunken good night for B's fans capped off by Brandon Carlo's empty-netter with 48.1 seconds left in regulation. Time will tell but I feel like in a few years, the Blues will be one of those random one-off teams that come about every so often in sports, particularly hockey (the Ducks or Hurricanes come to mind). They win a championship that nobody saw coming then are never really heard from again. Likewise, I doubt that Binnington will become a star but hey, who could have predicted what he and his team pulled off last postseason?

The Bruins have their first back-to-back set of the season as they travel to New York tomorrow night (7, NESN) to play the lowly Rangers (3-4-1) at Madison Square Garden. Nothing like October hockey on an NFL Sunday, am I right folks? Jaroslav Halak (2-1-1) gets the start against a bad team that granted is coming off by far their best showing of the year (6-2 vs. Buffalo on Thursday). Boston-New York is always a rivalry no matter the teams but not so much in the last few seasons since the Rangers have completely fallen off of the map. Boston returns home on Tuesday (7, NESN) for their third game in four nights as they take on the underachieving but talented Sharks (4-6-1).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Blues Pick Up Their 1st Ever Win In the Stanley Cup Final, 3-2 in OT to Even the Series At 1 vs. B's

It only took two games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final to conclude that the Blues are not the Hurricanes. There will be no sweep for the Bruins as St. Louis outplayed them for most of Game 2 and deserved the 3-2 overtime decision that came via the first career NHL playoff goal for defenseman Carl Gunnarsson. For the contest, the Blues outshot the Bruins 37-23 which included a 4-0 advantage in the brief extra session that basically felt like a St. Louis power play the entire time (the Blues had an extra skater on the ice during the game-winning goal since it was a delayed penalty on the Bruins).

The series shifts back to St. Louis for Game 3 on Saturday night (8, NBCSN) and Game 4 on Monday (8, NBC). This result also means that there will be at least one more game at TD Garden this season-Game 5 next Thursday (8, NBC). I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV but I'm guessing that Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will miss some time after he left late in the first period after a nasty hit by Oskar Sundqvist that sent his head crashing into the boards. The Charlestown native went to the hospital and there was no update on his condition immediately following the tilt at Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy's press conference.

As you would expect with so many big bodies and rugged players, the Blues turned up the physicality from Game 1 as they outhit the Bruins 50-31 (a lopsided margin that rarely happens to the B's on their home ice). In addition to that, they were called for two goaltender interference penalties on rookie Sammy Blais and Jaden Schwartz. They were clearly making a concerted effort to be rough with Tuukka Rask (34 saves). Boston's power-play was 1-for-5 just like they were in Game 1 but that is a bit misleading since they clicked on their first one for a goal by Charlie Coyle then went 0-for-4 the rest of the way including a late third period slash on Brayden Schenn.

It was a weird one since Boston led two different times and all four goals before overtime came in the first period. Jordan Binnington (21 saves) had a shaky start as Coyle's power play strike was one that he'd definitely like to have back. Coyle one-timed a pass from Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak for his seventh goal of the postseason. Binnington was too far over to one side to recover enough to stop the average shot that went through his five-hole. The Blues answered back pretty quickly though as defenseman Robert Bortuzzo's shot sneaked by Rask from a tight angle; in real time, I thought that Pat Maroon had tipped it but either it went off of Grzelcyk or I'm simply seeing things in my old age. Tyler Bozak and Gunnarsson had the assists on Bortuzzo's second goal of the postseason at 9:37.

Before that goal was even announced on the PA system, the B's were up 2-1 40 seconds later as Joakim Nordstrom deposited a backhander through Binnington's five-hole. Sean Kuraly caused the turnover and had the lone assist (also a backhander) on Nordy's third goal of the playoffs. Vladimir Tarasenko tied it up at two at 14:55 after he went in a 2-on-1 with Jaden Schwartz. Rask made a couple saves before that but he couldn't stop the Russian's backhander which extended his point-streak to eight games (5 goals, 5 assists). Schwartz (12 goals, 4 assists in his last 17 games) had the lone assist on Tarasenko's 10th goal of the postseason.

St. Louis dominated the second period, outshooting Boston 14-6 but they couldn't grab a lead. Connor Clifton had a rough 20 minutes with a pair of penalties including a double-minor for high-sticking (Schwartz's penalty negated the second half of that). Really the only highlight of the second for the Bruins was an incredible shift by Nordstrom (game-high 5 blocked shots) who got in front of not one but two absolute rockets by Blues hulking defenseman Colton Parayko. That sequence was unforgettable (and luckily Nordstrom didn't suffer a serious enough injury to miss time) as Nordy made one block, hobbled around for awhile as St. Louis kept the puck in the offensive zone and then was able to block another before later Rask tied up the puck to mercifully let his banged up teammate get off the ice.

Boston seemed to find much more of a groove in the third period as the shots were even at nine and both goaltenders made Grade-A stops. The Bruins' top line has not been themselves in these first two games vs. St. Louis (so much so that they were temporarily broken up tonight) but Patrice Bergeron nearly put the B's ahead after a nifty feed by Backes from behind the net. Gunnarsson rang the post-foreshadowing his game-winner-before David Pastrnak was stopped after a faceoff win by Krejci. Still, for most of the third, you could sense that it would take overtime to decide this.

It was the first time since 2016 that a Stanley Cup Final game ended in OT and as is often the case, it did not take very long to end it. I'm pretty sure the puck was in Boston's defensive zone the whole time before Gunnarsson's hard shot through traffic beat Rask. Ryan O'Reilly (who was 11-6 on faceoffs) and Sundqvist (who should be hearing from the NHL Department of Player Safety about that Grzelcyk hit) had the assists on what is undoubtedly the biggest goal in Gunnarsson's life and also one of the most important in Blues history. Playing for over two full periods with only five defensemen for sure caught up to the Bruins but that doesn't hide the fact that they were outplayed basically all game long in every conceivable fashion.

The Blues are here for a reason and anyone who thought that this would be a one-sided series, especially after the relative ease of Game 1's victory, needed this reality check. St. Louis improved to an NHL-best 8-3 on the road this postseason but keep in mind that means that they are only 5-5 at Enterprise Center. Boston was tied 1-1 after two games in the first round vs. Toronto and the same deal in the following round vs. Columbus. Forget Carolina, that team did not belong in the Eastern Conference Final with the Bruins and they were overmatched the whole time.

You could argue that Boston's fourth line has been better than the first and it's not really a stretch to say the same thing about the third line vs. the second. I still believe that the B's are the better team and in this series that should be proven when their depth ultimately is too much for the Blues to handle. I don't worry about such a veteran team getting down about Game 2, they get an extra travel day off so I have no doubt that they will bounce back and play way better on Saturday (like St. Louis did this evening). It's the Stanley Cup Final, you should want a quality series and not a forgettable walkover.

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The Bruins Rallied For A Thrilling 4-2 Victory In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Blues

For two teams (Boston and St. Louis) that had been off for roughly a combined three months since their last contests in the Conference Finals, you have to say that Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final was way more exciting than most would have expected. The Blues built a 2-0 lead a minute into the second period before the Bruins came roaring back (sorry for that bad pun) with a pair of goals in the second and two more in the third to come away with a 4-2 win at TD Garden on a picture perfect Memorial Day. It marked the first time this postseason that Boston actually won a game after they trailed by two goals, the other four times had all resulted in losses.

If you've been paying attention for this entire playoff run by the B's, there were some familiar patterns throughout the 60 minutes that emerged for the home team: the incredible depth of Boston's roster was once again on full display as their first the three stars of the night (as chosen by the NHL's official scorers) were a fourth-line center (Sean Kuraly), a third-line winger (Marcus Johansson) and a third pairing defenseman (Connor Clifton). Also, the Bruins' top-ranked power play managed to score a goal despite starting 0-for-3 and their penalty kill was a perfect 2-for-2. Tuukka Rask barely had to break a sweat after that second goal by St. Louis as he only was forced to make 18 saves for his and the team's eighth straight win.

I don't think it has all that much relevance since we're talking about nearly 50 years ago but I still think it's funny that with tonight's result, the Blues remain winless all-time in the Stanley Cup Final (0-13). I'm certainly not enough of a Bruins honk to say that this series is over (all you have to refer to is last season's Stanley Cup Final when Vegas took Game 1 then proceeded to lose the next four to Washington) but there were a lot of reasons if you root for the Black and Gold to be confident following this first step.

Honestly, both goals for St. Louis could be directly attributed to fatal mistakes by Boston: Brayden Schenn scored the first goal of the series at 7:23 of the first period when he was able to put in a loose puck that multiple Bruins failed to clear out of danger after an initial save by Rask. Jaden Schwartz and Jay Bouwmeester had the assists on Schenn's third goal of the postseason. The shots were even at eight after one frame but it felt like the Bruins should have been up since Jordan Binnington (34 saves) made a couple great saves on one-timers by David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk missed the net on a breakaway and Johansson hit the post with a shot. An unforgivable turnover by Pasta behind his own net was the beginning of the goal that made it 2-0 thanks to Vladimir Tarasenko's snipe (his 9th of the playoffs) from Schenn.

Down 2-0, the Bruins didn't allow themselves or their fans (many of whom had paid obscene amounts of money to be in the building) much time to dwell on the hole that they built as Connor Clifton of all people cut it to 2-1 just 1:16 after Tarasenko's backbreaking goal. The Quinnipiac University product drove to the side of the net and was able to re-direct enough of a pass from Kuraly for the puck to sneak in. Joakim Nordstrom had the second assist on Clifton's second career playoff goal. St. Louis then started to take some very dumb penalties (high-sticking on Joel Edmundson and cross-checking on Oscar Sundqvist) and wouldn't you know it, Boston eventually made them pay dearly for their utter stupidity.

Charlie McAvoy burst through the middle of the St. Louis defensive zone and a pair of Blues defensemen were too slow to react as he beat Binnington with a low shot at 12:41 of the second period that tied it up 2-2. The ex-BU star's second goal of the postseason was unassisted. That extended Boston's power play goal streak to five games and in that span they are 8-for-20 (40%). The Bruins outshot the Blues 18-3 in the second and yet it somehow felt like even more than that. Marchand had two great chances to score late in the stanza as he spun around for a brilliant backhander that was stopped by Binnington and then in the closing seconds, he also hit the post.

Boston kept at it in the third period and they were rewarded by another key goal from Kuraly (all he does is score important goals) that gave them their first lead at 3-2. Noel Acciari fed him a pass across the goal-line and he was able to flip in the rebound for his third goal of the postseason at 5:21 with Zdeno Chara picking up the second assist. The Blues came in with the ninth ranked power play in the playoffs and they looked average in their few chances (including in the 3rd when David Krejci was called for an illegal check to the head). The highlight of Game 1 that will surely be remembered for a long time (assuming that you cheer for the Bruins) was a thunderous hit by Torey Krug on Robert Thomas. Krug had been tangled up for what seemed like five minutes in his own end with David Perron (causing him to lose his helmet) but he returned to the play and lined up Thomas from a mile away.

Blues head coach Craig Berube probably pulled Binnington too early (with 2:13 left in regultion) which allowed Marchand to quickly take out the suspense with an empty-netter at 18:11, his eighth goal of the postseason. Game 2 is Wednesday (8, NBC) and while I expect St. Louis to play much better, I believe that Boston can take it up another level too (at least as far as many of their stars are concerned). For what it's worth, the Bruins are 37-16 all-time in best-of-7 series when they lead a series 1-0 (5-1 in the Stanley Cup Final) while the Blues are 6-24 all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail 0-1 (although they did beat San Jose in the last round after dropping Game 1). The B's are 32-20 in Game 2s when leading a series 1-0 (4-2 in SCF) and the Blues are 14-16 when trailing a series 0-1. As we just saw vs. overmatched Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals, a 2-0 series lead is a huge thing so Boston would love nothing better to put some more pressure on St. Louis by going back to what would be an absolute must-win Game 3 if they trailed 0-2.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bruins Fall to Their Western Conference Clones-the Blues-and Lose Chara to an Undisclosed Injury

Former Blues captain David Backes met his old NHL team for the first time this evening as his Bruins (11-8-0) fell 4-2 to St. Louis (11-6-3) at TD Garden. Boston mustered 41 shots on goal but the combination of Jake Allen's quality start (39 saves) and a lack of scoring touch by the B's meant that it was a frustrating night for the Black and Gold. More worrisome, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara left after skating only one shift in the second period and never returned (head coach Claude Julien had no injury update after the game). Apparently he was hit by Jaden Schwartz which might have caused the departure but honestly, I didn't see it. So I guess we'll have to hold our breath on that until we hear more information from either the Bruins or more likely the most connected NHL reporters (Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, etc).

As is usually the case with these very identical clubs, they combined to produce an entertaining tilt. Backes actually gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 7:44 of the first period with a power-play goal. He tipped in Torey Krug's shot from the point and the puck just got over the line (under Allen's leg pads). Backes' fourth goal of the season was also assisted by David Krejci who now has seven points (1 goal, 6 assists) in his last six games. There were two noteworthy milestones on that tally: it was the 20,000 career goal in Bruins franchise history (only Montreal had reached that before them) and the 100th career NHL assist for Krug.

Both times that the B's took a lead in this game, the Blues responded like you would expect from a good team (despite their 2-5-1 road record coming in). Jori Lehtera tied it at one at 3:23 of the second period. He tipped in Colton Parayko's bullet past Tuukka Rask (24 saves) with Vladimir Tarasenko notching the other helper. Who has been a more pleasant surprise early on this season for the Bruins (given their respective expectations) than Dominic Moore? The former Harvard star made it 2-1 Boston at 8:59 with a gorgeous shorthanded strike. Riley Nash found him for a breakaway and he was able to lift a forehand shot over Allen's glove for his fifth goal of the season (he had 6 all of last season) and second shorthanded marker (which ties a career-high from 2 years ago with the Rangers).

Rask wasn't his normally locked in self from 2016-17 as he let up a pair of juicy rebounds which wouldn't you know it both came back to bite his team (no pun intended). Robert Bortuzzo tied it at two just five minutes later as Rask basically handed the puck right to him and the clunky defenseman was able to slide in a backhander. Patrik Berglund and Parayko assisted on Bortuzzo's first goal of the season. 2:12 after that, Paul Stasny scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal as once again Rask laid a puck out in a dangerous area on a silver Thanksgiving serving tray. Stasny's fifth goal of the season was assisted by Jaden Schwartz and the huge bust known as Nail Yakupov.

Boston came out with renewed energy in the third period and outshot St. Louis 17-7 but they couldn't find that all-important tying goal on Allen. Rask was pulled with 1:48 left in regulation and a face-off in the Blues' defensive zone. Lehtera put it in the win column via an empty-net goal at 18:44. David Perron and Berglund had the assists on Lehtera's second goal of the contest.

It promises to be a weird couple days for the Bruins, especially for the few Americans on the team, as they have a meeting with the Senators (11-7-1) on Thursday night (7:30, NESN). I've been lucky enough to cover the B's for five seasons and obviously I am a life-long fan but I can't ever recall them playing on Thanksgiving. The usual script is flipped too in the sense that they usually have the afternoon matinee on Black Friday at the Garden with the Celtics getting the nightcap. This time around, the Celts host San Antonio in the first game (1, CSN) followed by the Bruins hosting the Flames (8-12-1) that night (7:30, NESN).

I probably won't write anything until Friday so Happy Thanksgiving everybody, hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends!

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It Is Time to Give St. Louis Much More Respect, Because They are One of the NHL's Top Teams

The playoffs are a different story but for now at least, you can reasonably conclude that the Blues (21-11-4) are one of the best teams in the NHL. St. Louis came to Boston for the second night of a back-to-back (they choked away a 3-goal lead in a 4-3 loss in Philly) and they impressively beat the Bruins (19-10-4) 2-0 at TD Garden. It was Boston's first regulation loss since December 7 (3-2 vs. Nashville) and it cost them a chance at first place in the Atlantic Division after Montreal (20-13-3) lost 2-1 to Minnesota. Still, the B's are only one point back of the Habs with a game in hand. Who would have predicted that after their respective starts?

Goaltender Jake Allen made 32 saves for his fifth shutout of the season (tying him with Corey Crawford for the league lead) and 10th of his NHL career. Budding superstar right wing Vladimir Tarasenko tied Dallas' Jamie Benn for the NHL lead with his 22nd goal of the season and rookie Robby Fabbri added the insurance tally.

This was the first time that Boston was blanked in 2015-16 so it shouldn't come as a surprise that it was also the first instance where they didn't have a single power play. When you have the top-ranked power play in the NHL, not giving them at least one chance figures to be an issue. Additionally, they didn't crash the net with their typical fervor, meaning that Allen's shutout could not have been the hardest one of his life.

It was 0-0 after the first period and the only power play of the game occurred late in the second period when Brett Connolly stuck his leg own and tripped a Blues player. St. Louis' power play couldn't take advantage and it was 0-0 after two. There were some chances in that frame as Alexander Steen had hit the post, the Blues bungled a 2-on-1 and Allen stuffed Marchand's backhander following a juicy rebound.

Tyler Randell and Ryan Reaves had a heavyweight bout early in the third that got the crowd into it. A defensive breakdown by Boston led to a breakaway for Tarasenko at 7:35 and the MVP candidate did what he does. Magnus Paajarvi and David Backes (USA, USA, USA!) had the assists. Fabbri's goal at 12:50 was an absolute snipe over Tuukka Rask's (27 saves) shoulder. Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester had the helpers on Fabbri's seventh goal of the season. Truthfully there was nothing that Rask could have done better on either tally, they were simply outstanding plays by talented players.

The B's used their timeout with 2:38 left in regulation and they pulled Rask shortly after that but it wasn't to be. St. Louis earned a big two points that propelled them to second-place in the stacked Central Division and second-place in the Western Conference. The entire NHL is off for the next three days and Boston returns with a back-to-back on Saturday (7, NESN) vs. Buffalo (14-16-4) and Sunday (5, NESN) at Ottawa (17-12-5). It is surprising but they have yet to play either of those Atlantic Division foes so far this campaign, which makes those two particular games mighty important in the old Eastern Conference standings.

Happy Holidays everybody!

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Rask Gets His 1st Shutout of the Season as Bruins Blank Blues 2-0

With one of the best teams in the NHL visiting TD Garden to kick off a huge week, the Bruins picked a good time to play their preferred style of hockey. Boston (12-8-0) shut out St. Louis (12-5-1) 2-0 behind 33 saves by Tuukka Rask for his first shutout of the season (and 24th of his career). Every game seems to bring a different lineup and this was no different as Brad Marchand was scratched but David Krejci returned to action. Through it all, the B's have won six straight games at home.

St. Louis outshot Boston 33-17 which is a little more disparity than the Bruins would prefer but their penalty kill did go 2 for 2. Patrice Bergeron was the recipient of a gift in the first period as Ian Cole's clearing attempt went right to him. Even worse (for the Blues), Brian Elliott (15 saves) was out of position-behind the net-so all Bergy had to do was slot it in the empty cage for his fifth goal of the season. That gives him four goals and five assists in his past eight games.

Boston's other goal had some Cole on it as well since Torey Krug's shot from the point deflected off Cole's knee by Elliott. Matt Bartkowski and Loui Eriksson assisted on Krug's third goal of the season (first since Oct. 21; he missed 4 games). Zach Trotman was sent back to Providence earlier in the day and Adam McQuaid left in the second period after taking a shot off his hand so Bartkowski's role suddenly got that much more important. Since he returned on Saturday vs. Carolina (after 7 DNDs in a row), Bartkowski has looked like a different, more confident guy. Tonight, he was +2 with one hit and one takeaway in 20:52. He'll never be an All-Star or on a top defensive pairing (at least not here) but the B's needed him to be better and he's starting to turn the corner.

The Blues outshot the Bruins 15-3 in the third period but many of those chances were from the outside. Both teams took their timeouts late in the frame and despite a huge advantage in offensive zone time all game, St. Louis could never find the back of the net even when they took Elliott out with a couple minutes left.

Boston travels to Columbus (6-11-1) for the rare Friday night (7, NESN) NHL game. The Blue Jackets are a disaster: in last place in the Metropolitan Division and only one point ahead of the Sabres after getting smoked 5-0 tonight vs. Detroit. The next night (7, NESN), the B's host the Canadiens (14-5-1) and then on Monday (7, NESN) the Penguins (13-3-1) come to the Garden. The Bruins passed their first test and Friday is a good chance to tune up their road record (4-4-0) while giving Niklas Svedberg a start. It's all about Montreal and Pittsburgh, two great litmus tests for Boston before Thanksgiving.

UPDATE 11/19: McQuaid is out for 6-8 weeks after breaking his thumb last night. Poor guy, like last year when he was hurt, the B's have Kevan Miller who is a suitable McQuaid replacement.

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An Overtime Loss to the Blues Isn't the End of the World

Not every point feels the same in the NHL, some are much more difficult to come by and therefore you have to enjoy those differently. Tonight at Scottrade Center was that kind of story as the Bruins lost 3-2 to the Blues in overtime on a goal by T.J. Oshie (go Team USA!). However, Boston (36-16-4) rallied from down 2-0 in the third period against St. Louis (38-12-6)-one of the top teams in the league-to earn a point.

It must be noted that the B's lost both games vs. the Blues this season (3-2 in a shootout at TD Garden) but still gained two points. The way it played out, the valiant comeback was the story line. Of course, I have to mention that Bruins captain Zdeno Chara had skipped this contest to hold Slovakia's flag at the Olympic opening ceremonies-I guess that is a valid excuse.

St. Louis scored first as Alexander Steen's career year continued. Boston's defense gave him too much space and he made them pay with a slap shot by Tuukka Rask (24 saves) at 15:48 of the second period. It was his 28th goal of the season-4th best in the NHL and tied with Sidney Crosby and Patrick Sharp. Ever hear of them?

Rookie Kevan Miller got in Rask's way and it cost them as Jaden Schwartz beat him at 3:32 of the second period for a 2-0 Blues lead. The Bruins poured 24 shots on Jaroslav Halak (Chara's countryman) in the first two periods. They finally cracked him about midway through the third. David Krejci scored at 9:16 from Jarome Iginla and Milan Lucic. It was Krejci's 13th goal of the season.

2:08 after Krejci's goal, Brad Marchand tied it on his 18th goal of the season, assists to Johnny Boychuk and Torey Krug. Krejci's goal was prettier since it the end of a sweet passing sequence. Marchand's was simply a rebound that he put in from a tough angle. Regardless, they're all worth the same. I felt like the B's would pull it out since they possessed all the momentum but the Blues handed them their first OT loss of the season (they had been 4-0).

This is it, Boston wraps up play before the Olympic break on Saturday afternoon (3, NESN) vs. Ottawa (26-21-11, 6th in Atlantic Division). No doubt the Bruins want a good taste in their mouth when many of them will be off for 2.5 weeks. It's all about beating the Senators before some much deserved rest then warp speed through the final 25 games in the regular season.

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Bruins-Blues Wouldn't Be a Bad Stanley Cup Final in June

The NHL would do backflips to have a Bruins-Blackhawks rematch in the Stanley Cup Final but after tonight's excellent regular season game between St. Louis and Boston, we can be sure that Blues-Bruins wouldn't be a bad consolation prize (television ratings be damned). The only downside of this evening's proceeding at TD Garden was that it had to be decided in a lame shootout. St. Louis (15-3-3) beat Boston (14-6-2) 3-2 as they scored twice (Alexander Steen and Derek Roy) in the shootout and the Bruins only managed one goal (Patrice Bergeron). Death to the shootout (picks up pitch fork, lights torch)!

I've said for years that St. Louis is basically the Western Conference equivalent of Boston so it was nice to see it up close with my own eyes. Haha I was right after all! The Blues don't have many stars or big names but they have a bunch of solid hockey players. Jaroslav Halak (29 saves) is probably their biggest question mark when they inevitably get into the playoffs but at least tonight he was very good.

Gregory Campbell scored his first goal of the season, a one-timer that he almost whiffed on at 18:20 of the first period from Torey Krug and Daniel Paille. Campbell had been playing better the last few weeks so it was nice to see him finally get rewarded. Now only Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski are the only Bruins regulars without goals to their name in 2013-14.

Before you had a chance to take a breath, the Blues had responded with an equally weird goal of their own. Derek Roy's pass wasn't deflected but somehow it still went through Tuukka Rask's (24 saves) pads at 18:51. Rask might not give up a softer goal this season, it was shocking to see the puck go in following such a nothing play.

St. Louis took that momentum and added to it when David Backes tipped in Kevin Shattenkirk's shot from the point at 16:04 of the second period. In this instance, Boston was the team to dust themselves off and tied it up shortly thereafter. Crazy Carl Soderberg wristed one by Halak at 18:41 (his third goal of the season), from Reilly Smith and Chris Kelly.

It was Boston's third game in their last four nights but they dug deep and summoned plenty of energy in the third period and overtime. The problem was that they couldn't solve Halak. In OT: Loui Eriksson had what felt like an hour before he shot it wide of the net and Soderberg was stuffed on a breakaway. Roy also had a breakaway for St. Louis but his shot went off the crossbar and out of play.

They were disappointed to only get one point tonight when they probably deserved one more but the B's have a good chance to accumulate points this week since four of their next five games are at TD Garden. It starts with a very winnable meeting with Carolina (8-10-4, 5th in Metropolitan Division) who they just beat 4-1 on Monday in their home arena. Expect Chad Johnson to get a rare start in a game that you definitely don't want to attend or even watch assuming you have something better to do.

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Former Bruins Center Adam Oates One Of Four Players Elected To NHL Hall Of Fame In 2012

One of my earliest memories of watching Boston Bruins games on Channel 38 with the legendary announcers Derek Sanderson and Fred Cusick was seeing center Adam Oates dish out ridiculous assists to Cam Neely, Ray Bourque and numerous other teammates.

Today, Oates was rewarded with a spot in the NHL Hall of Fame in Toronto. He'll be inducted along with Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin and Pavel Bure on November 18. The crazy part was that Oates was also named head coach of the Washington Capitals this afternoon as well. I bet that's probably never happened before in NHL history, haha talk about winning the day. This comes after he was an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils who lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals earlier this month.

He was only on the Bruins for parts of six seasons (1992-97) but he deserves his spot along hockey's elite after a 19-year career on seven different teams (Red Wings, Blues, Bruins, Capitals, Flyers, Mighty Ducks and Oilers). His 1079 assists are the sixth most in NHL history and he also added 341 goals.

Oates had by far his best season in the NHL while he wore the Black and Gold in 1992-93 which is why I hope and pray that he'll wear a Bruins sweater in the Hall of Fame. Get this, he put up 45 goals and 97 assists for an absurd 142 points including 24 points on the power-play. He followed that up with his second-best season in 1993-94: 32 goals and 80 assists. He missed some of 1994-95 but he bounced back with 25 goals and 67 assists in 1995-96. Clearly the NHL was much more wide open then, sadly nobody puts up those kinds of numbers nowadays.

Obtained by the B's on February 7, 1992 after they dealt Craig Janney and Stephane Quintal to the Blues, Oates was traded out of town on March 1, 1997; he went to Washington along with Rick Tocchet and Bill Ranford for Jim Carrey, Jason Allison and Anson Carter. A four-time NHL All-Star (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997) he performed well in the playoffs too: 42 goals and 114 assists in 163 games.

Another childhood staple was buying and then constantly playing the NHL video games for Sega Genesis and winning way more than the Bruins did in real life at that point in time. Oates was always on the first line and he usually had the puck on his stick; true to form, he couldn't score at all but he sure could feed Neely, Bourque, Al Iafrate, Dave Reid, Shawn McEachern, Joe Juneau, etc. for some sweet one-timers which was one of the easiest ways to get goals.

Congrats to Adam on his new gig and his long overdue reward for an outstanding professional career. Funny aside: as far as I know his will be the first and only autograph I have of a sports Hall of Famer. Haha he appeared at the now defunct Herman's Sporting Goods at the North Shore Mall in Peabody when I was in grade school. I remember getting him to sign a black and white photo. Also, he had one of the great mullets in Bruins history: Greasy, long and curly. Just like the ladies love it.

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