The Bruins' Start To Free Agency This Weekend Has Been Underwhelming To Say The Least

 

    If you were expecting fireworks (sorry for the tired holiday cliche-it is July 3rd you know!) from the Bruins this weekend, you have no doubt been very disappointed as they entered free agency with a whisper rather than a loud pop. We knew that GM Don Sweeney did not have much money to spend-even after the Taylor Hall trade earlier in the week-but it was a tough pill to swallow to see the three valuable guys that they obtained before the trade deadline last season all quickly end up elsewhere. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov (2 years, $7.75 million AAV) signed with Carolina (no surprise since we knew the Russian would go to the highest bidder no questions asked), winger Garnet Hathaway is now a Flyer (2 years, $4.78 million) and the real kick in the teeth came tonight as word came out that winger Tyler Bertuzzi was going to the Maple Leafs on a very affordable one-year deal for $5.5 million. The other notable Bruin to depart was defenseman Connor Clifton who signed a three-year deal worth $10 million with Buffalo. However, for an undrafted guy from Quinnipiac coming off of a career season, we expected that Cliffy would cash in so good for him and his family.

    Losing Bertuzzi to a division rival is especially frustrating since you had to believe that Hall's trade was likely meant to clear some cap space specifically to try to bring back Tyler. I guess not and no matter if Sweeney or Bertuzzi's agent screwed this up, the bottom line is that he obviously panicked and signed a deal that the B's should have been able to offer before. I'm assuming that they had already moved on and committed elsewhere when Bertuzzi's camp might have come crawling back. Ugh. So who has Boston signed to replace these guys? Well get ready to take a time machine back five to ten years and Sweeney would be having a hell of a time. Of the five main players that the Bruins have signed, the three that you have all heard of are former B's left wing Milan Lucic, former BU/Team USA defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and former UNH star winger James van Riemsdyk. Additionally, former BC forward Patrick Brown (2 years, $800,000 AAV which is the veteran minimum) and forward Morgan Geekie (2 years, $2 million AAV) are the other guys that will join the Bruins next season. 

    35-year-old Looch (who has 3 daughters!) needs no introduction if you are reading this and rumors of him signing with his beloved Boston started to percolate last week. On a one-year deal worth $1 million plus up to $500,000 in performance based incentives, it's hard to dislike Milan's return where he can hopefully anchor the fourth line and bring some toughness along with an edge that the Bruins have sorely lacked in recent years. 34-year-old Shattenkirk-who will make $1.05 million in one season here-used to be one of the best puck-moving defenseman in the league but Boston will be his seventh club after stops in Anaheim, Tampa, NY (Rangers), Washington, St. Louis and Colorado. Still, having him replace Clifton on the third defensive pairing would be ideal for a guy with a boatload of experience (891 career NHL games) not to mention talent-he was the 14th overall pick in the 2007 Draft-and plenty of points (97 goals and 363 assists). Finally, JVR also is here for peanuts (1 year, $1 million) and you will remember him mostly for his successful time as a Flyer, not so much as a Leaf. He is 34 as well and was the second overall pick of that 2007 Draft. He has had a very productive NHL career with 591 points (300 goals, 291 assists) in 940 games. 

    It is easy to see Sweeney's thinking with these moves; he could not get any top players without making a real hockey trade so why not fill in any roster and lineup holes with decorated veterans that he and B's head coach Jim Montgomery can trust from Day 1? At least on paper-which is all we have in early July-I do not know how the totality of these additions and subtractions makes Boston a better team. Granted, hockey is the ultimate chemistry sport so maybe bringing back Lucic's mojo will spark his former teammates like left wing Brad Marchand and right wing David Pastrnak. Last week, Cam Neely admitted that the team is operating like both of their ancient centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron won't be coming back next season but would it kill either of those guys just to make a decision ASAP? This is beginning to get those gross Brett Favre in Green Bay vibes as I cannot stomach another summer of waiting to hear what these guys are going to do. Truth be told, Krejci looked pretty cooked in his return to the Bruins last season so if he decides to retire and/or go back to playing in his native Czech Republic, oh well. Bergy is the trickier one because he can still compete at a high level-as evidenced by his record sixth Selke Trophy that he won last week-but this is getting ridiculous. I can only surmise that behind the scenes, the front office, coaches and players already know his decision, otherwise this does everyone a complete disservice. Rant over.

Taylor Hall Is Sent To Chicago So Boston Can Get Some Salary Cap Relief Before Free Agency Starts

 

    With very little money left available under the salary cap, the Bruins needed to make some moves to clear some space that they hopefully can use on key free agents like winger Tyler Bertuzzi. Boston got what is sure to be a very busy week started this afternoon-with the NHL Awards show, the NHL Draft and NHL free agency all happening-by trading left wing Taylor Hall along with the rights to impending unrestricted free agent left wing Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks. In exchange, the B's received restricted free agent defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula who I had never heard of before now and truthfully, you have no clue who they are either. This was a good old fashioned salary dump plain and simple and hey maybe one of those guys gives Boston some quality depth in Providence (AHL) which they have lacked for years.

    After playing in Black and Gold for parts of three seasons, it is safe to say that Hall's time here was not all that memorable hence why it is fine to say goodbye to him at this juncture. There is a reason why Chicago will be the former No. 1 overall pick in 2010's sixth NHL club. He perhaps surprisingly proved to be a team-first guy with the Bruins but clearly, wins for the most part have not been a big aspect of his career and save for his random one-off Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) season in 2017-18 with the Devils, he has never really lived up to the hype and the eye-popping skills that show up from time to time. In 158 career regular season games with Boston, Hall had 44 goals, 67 assists and he was plus-37 with 12 power play goals. Those are perfectly respectable numbers but in what should be the prime of his career at age 31, he was relegated to the third line last season with the Bruins which is just not good enough no matter how you spin it. If he had showed more consistency, there is no doubt that they would have kept him since his cap hit for the next two years is only six million dollars for each season. 

    Ironically, Hall was one of Boston's few players that really showed up in their very depressing first round exit vs. Florida a few months ago where they lost in seven games after leading the series 3-1. Taylor had eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) against the Panthers and 17 overall (10 goals, 7 assists) in 25 career playoff games for the Spoked B. Foligno was obviously just a throw in to this deal but he might actually bring a little something to the rebuilding Blackhawks as well if they can sign him. He looked washed up in his first season as a Bruin but bounced back last year with twice as many points (26) on 10 goals and 16 assists. The former Blue Jackets captain is a great leader-at least that is what NESN's "Behind The B" has led us to believe-and if he is still interested in playing, he should be helpful for whatever time he spends in Chicago which will soon have Canadian phenom center Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday. 

    One last gut punch for the 2022-23 Bruins occurred tonight in Nashville at the NHL Awards as Boston came away with not one, not two but three major awards as expected. Center Patrice Bergeron extended his league record by winning a sixth Selke Trophy while goaltender Linus Ullmark won his first Vezina Trophy and head coach Jim Montgomery captured the Jack Adams Award in his first year in charge of Boston. Whatever became of their former head coach Bruce Cassidy anyway? Only the Bruins could pull off that nearly impossible feat and yet not advance out of the first round in that particular postseason. Ugh, they will never have a more loaded team than that as Ullmark and right wing David Pastrnak (runner-up to Connor McDavid for the Hart Trophy) were both named to the NHL's First Team while defenseman Hampus Lindholm (remember him?) was on the NHL's Second Team. No matter who is on the roster next season, Boston will still be one of the favorites to win their first Stanley Cup since 2011 but the PTSD caused from last season is sure to last for a very long time with true Bruins fans. 

UPDATE 6/27/23: This morning, Chicago signed Foligno to a one-year deal worth $4 million dollars. It turns out that being Bedard's babysitter is not such a bad life as you try to hang on in the NHL.

Nobody Will Consistently Let You Down Like The B's Who Fell 4-3 To The Panthers In Game 7 OT

 

    In any playoff format-particularly the ultra marathon that is better known as the NHL playoffs-when you have the chance to knock out an opponent, you have to do it. Otherwise, you run the risk of an epic choke job like the latest one suffered by your Boston Bruins. The best regular season team in league history was up 3-1 in their first round series vs. Florida and then they proceeded to fall apart rapidly, culminating with tonight's soul-crushing 4-3 overtime defeat in Game 7 at TD Garden. The B's got what they deserved both this evening and in this series as they came out flat yet again and trailed 2-0 in the second period before they finally woke up. Boston admirably rallied to tie it and even go ahead 3-2 in the third period but obviously they allowed the backbreaking tying goal with a minute left in regulation. Center Carter Verhaegae's series-clinching goal at 8:35 in OT felt like a formality as the Panthers dominated the extra session and now they advance to play the Maple Leafs in the second round (who picked that second round matchup?) while the Bruins are left wondering where it all went wrong? 

    Boston head coach Jim Montgomery made a big change by starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman (27 saves) for the first time in the series and in a vacuum, I would not say that it blew up in his face (because Swayman was OK) but it certainly did not rally the team like I'm sure he hoped that it would. Instead, a group with so much experience and talent seemed to crack under the pressure of such high expectations after a perfect regular season. It is a credit to Florida as well since they were the exact opposite: they never flinched as they won the final three games at the Garden including the last two in overtime. They don't give out MVP awards for a first round playoff series but if they did, UMass alum and Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour would get it as he scored not once but twice in Game 7. He opened the scoring with a power play goal at 12:23 of the first period. Center Anton Lundell and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (33 saves) had the assists on a backhander that Swayman probably should have stopped but it went in for Montour's fourth goal of the series. 

    Any thoughts of the Bruins coming out strong in the second period were quickly extinguished as center Sam Reinhart took a wide open drop pass in the slot and beat Swayman with a high shot at 1:14 for a stunning 2-0 Florida lead. Defenseman Eetu Luostarinen and Lundell provided the helpers on Reinhart's fourth goal of the playoffs. One of Boston's oldest players was the one to finally stem the tide as center David Krejci one-timed in a power play goal at 7:52 of the second period that cut the Panthers' lead to 2-1. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov and center Pavel Zacha assisted on Krejci's first goal of the series. Boston still trailed though 2-1 entering the third period. 

    The B's tied it at two 55 seconds into the third as they scored another power play goal. Left wing Tyler Bertuzzi tipped in Orlov's shot for his team-high fifth goal of the series, assisted by Krejci. Boston soon after gained its only lead of the third period when Bobrovsky allowed a juicy rebound that right wing David Pastrnak was able to follow up for his fifth goal of the postseason and a 3-2 advantage for the Black and Gold. Defenseman Brandon Carlo and Krejci had the assists at 4:11 as the Garden went wild. It would have been great to see the B's build on that lead but they seemed to sit back and try to hang on for dear life rather than take the game by the scruff of its neck. Bobrovsky was out for an extra attacker and the puck deflected right to who else but Montour who put it in for the devastating tying goal. Center Aleksander Barkov and Verhaeghe notched the assists on the biggest goal in Montour's life and one of the biggest in Panthers franchise history. 

    Each team had five shots on goal in overtime but if you watched it, Florida completely dominated zone time and in terms of puck possession. Swayman actually stopped a breakaway by Panthers star left wing Matthew Tkachuk and made a few other quality saves as his petrified teammates mostly stumbled around their defensive zone. After captain and center Patrice Bergeron contemplated retirement for a long time last summer and Krejci returned from the Czech Republic, you have to wonder if they are both done after this latest depressing result. On the one hand, it feels like it would be impossible to go out on this pathetic note after such great Bruins careers but then again, both guys seemed extra emotional leaving the ice after this one. Who knows? It should not have ended like this for the 2022-23 Bruins, they should have done so much more damage in the Stanley Cup playoffs or maybe not since this follows an all too familiar pattern of postseason letdowns for a club that still has only won a single Stanley Cup since 1972 (in 2011). 

By Giving Away A Two-Game Lead, The B's Are On The Verge Of Yet Another Historic Playoff Collapse

 

    As we are constantly reminded, being a fan of the Bruins is never an easy existence. They can have a once in a lifetime record-setting regular season only to follow that up by struggling mightily to put away an inferior team in its first round playoff series. For the second game in a row, Boston had a chance to eliminate Florida but once again, they could not complete the task as they lost 7-5 tonight at FLA Live Arena in Game 7. This sets up a pressure packed Game 7 on Sunday night (6:30, NESN) at TD Garden which I truly believe is a legacy type contest for Bruins veterans like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Krejci. If they lose, our worst fears will be correct (that the regular season was just a mirage) and it would be more damning evidence that this group has been vastly overrated and winning the Stanley Cup way back in 2011 will feel like even more of a fluke.

    Oh hey, which goaltender do you think that B's head coach Jim Montgomery should start on Sunday? Linus Ullmark (26 saves) is a lock to win the Vezina Trophy but right now, he is completely unraveling both physically and mentally. Boston used him and Jeremy Swayman in a lethal tandem all season and they talked about doing that in the playoffs as well but so far, Ullmark has played every game. I think that Swayman should start in Game 7 but it is rather insane to expect a guy that has been sitting all series long to suddenly step in with the weight of the franchise on his young and slender shoulders. 

    This felt like another game that the Bruins were left chasing the more aggressive and determined Panthers from the start. UMass defenseman Brandon Montour continued his stellar series with a power play goal at 2:01 of the first period. Left wing Matthew Tkachuk and center Aleksander Barkov had the assists on Montour's third goal of the playoffs in which he walked right in and took a low wrist shot by Ullmark. B's left wing Tyler Bertuzzi quickly answered with a power play tally of his own at 6:09. Left wing Brad Marchand and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the helpers on Bertuzzi's third goal of the season where he knocked in a nice feed from Marchy. Ullmark's juicy rebound led to Tkachuk's go-ahead goal that made it 2-1 for the home team at 13:52. Left wing Nick Cousins smartly shot the puck right at Ullmark's leg pads thus creating an easy rebound opportunity that Tkachuk buried for his fourth goal of the postseason. 

    Trailing 2-1 going into the second period, B's right wing David Pastrnak finally reemerged with a filthy between the legs shot for a tying power play goal at 5:42. Marchand and McAvoy had the assists on Pasta's third goal of the series. Boston should have grabbed a 3-2 advantage but defenseman Brandon Carlo's possible goal was waived off for an extremely questionable hand pass call on B's left wing Jake DeBrusk. Naturally, moments later Barkov broke his goalless drought with an easy tap-in at 9:22. Left wing Anthony Duclair and center Carter Verhaeghe picked up the assists on Barkov's first goal of the series. Florida was up 3-2 heading into the third period but nobody could have anticipated how bonkers that final frame would actually turn out to be. 

    Boston briefly had the lead not once but twice in the third period. Bertuzzi and Pastrnak both notched their second goals of the game a little over two minutes apart. Bert fired through a screen of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (29 saves) at 1:31 with the assists going to Carlo and Marchand. Pasta was finally heating up and looking like the 61 goal scorer in the regular season as he one-timed a pass from Bertuzzi for a 4-3 B's lead at 3:53. Marchand had the other assist on another highlight reel strike by Pastrnak in this contest. 

    Besides Ullmark turning into a puddle, Boston's defense is similarly in shambles. First they let some AHL scrub (right wing Zac Dalpe) tie it with a wide open one-timer from the slot at 7:21. Defenseman Eetu Luostarinen and center Anton Lundell notched the assists on Dalpe's memorable first goal of the series. DeBrusk staked Boston to its last lead (5-4) with a shorthanded goal at 10:22. Center Pavel Zacha stripped the puck away from a Panthers defenseman which led to DeBrusk having a mini-breakaway that he finished with a backhander. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov had the other assist on Jake's fourth goal of the postseason. Tkachuk could not be stopped though as the poked in a power play goal just 27 seconds later which tied it at five. Lundell and defenseman Gustav Forsling had the assists on the stunning goal from Florida's emotional leader. Things only got worse from there as Luostarinen got the last go-ahead goal with a high wrist shot that eluded Ullmark. Montour had the lone assist on Eetu's second goal of this series at 14:22. The Black and Gold pushed for a tying goal late in regulation but Bobrovsky made his most important stop of the series as he had a kick save on Pastrnak that led to center Sam Reinhart's empty net goal with 28 seconds remaining. His third goal of the series was assisted by defenseman and noted goon Radko Gudas. 

    You could say that it will be nice for the Bruins to have Game 7 on their home ice but I think that the brave fans who decide to go to it will (understandably) be paralyzed by fear the entire night. Remember that Boston is 1-2 at the Garden in this series and they have lost their last two outings there so yikes. We all remember in 2010 when the Bruins somehow choked away a 3-0 series lead against the Flyers so it would be tough to ever top that but if they lose on Sunday to the Panthers, look out below. It would be a an absolutely terrible finish to what had seemed like it was shaping up to be a very special season for the B's.

Bruins Take A 3-1 Series Lead & Depart Florida With The Panthers' Soul After A Lovely 6-2 Victory

 

    After radio silence for the first three games of this first round playoff series, I just had to chime in today after the Bruins and Panthers treated us sleep deprived young dads to a rainy Sunday afternoon special. Boston kept the momentum rolling from Friday's pivotal 4-2 victory in Game 3 as they won 6-2 today at good old FLA Live Arena to put the Panthers on the brink of elimination facing a 3-1 deficit. The teams get an extra day off (for Florida to start booking those tee times and island vacations?) before they meet again for Game 5 on Wednesday (7, NESN) at TD Garden. After surprisingly crumbling in the third period of Game 2 and getting blown out 6-3, the B's righted the ship with a memorable weekend in the Sunshine State. Neither performance was perfect but they looked much more like the club that had the best record in NHL regular season history. 

    The two main stars in Game 4 for Boston were goaltender Linus Ullmark (41 saves)-shown above challenging Panthers bozo Matthew Tkachuk to a fight in garbage time-along with left wing Taylor Hall (2 goals, 2 assists). Shouts to left wing Jake DeBrusk who also added two goals plus left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (goal, assist) who has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in his first four NHL playoff games and fellow newcomer Dmitry Orlov (assist) who has a point in all four contests. This was a true team win for the Black and Gold as every guy that suited up (and remember that they were once again missing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci) seemingly made a positive contribution. 

    Boston never trailed in Florida this weekend and their much maligned power play scored a goal in the first period and in the second period to stake the Bruins to a 2-0 lead. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (25 saves) was making his first start since March 27 and shocker, he looked rusty. He made a good save but then couldn't cover up the puck which allowed left wing Brad Marchand to knock the puck in at 9:45 of the first period. Center Pavel Zacha and Bertuzzi had the assists on Marchand's third goal of the series. 

    After Tkachuk picked up a stupid cross-checking penalty at the end of the first period, the B's made him pay as DeBrusk finished a pretty passing sequence from Orlov and Hall at 1:52 of the second period. Jake's second goal of the postseason gave Boston a 2-0 lead. Tkachuk briefly made up for his idiocy with a goal at 16:00 of the second period that cut the Bruins' advantage down to 2-1. He made the most of a favorable bounce and put in a sweet shot between his legs before Ullmark could recover. His second goal of the playoffs was assisted by center Carter Verhaeghe and UMass defenseman Brandon Montour.  

    Once again, Boston struck early-this time in the third period-to regain control of the contest. Bertuzzi had an awesome re-direct of a shot by defenseman Brandon Carlo. Left wing Nick Foligno added the secondary assist at 2:26 on Bertuzzi's second goal of the series. Florida briefly made it interesting as center Sam Bennett's power play goal made it 3-2 Boston at 6:11. He went to the net and was rewarded when Ullmark left a rebound on the doorstep. Montour and Tkachuk assisted on Bennett's second goal of the playoffs. The B's wasted little time wrapping it up though as DeBrusk scored a similar tally to Bennett's less than two minutes later at 8:05. Zacha and Hall provided the helpers on that one before Hall clinched it with a beautiful goal via a breakaway. His filthy dangle around a helpless Bobrovsky was a reminder that he used to be an NHL MVP not that long ago. Center Tomas Nosek and Ullmark notched the assists on probably the prettiest goal that a Bruin will score this postseason. For good measure, Hall added an empty netter at 19:31 for the final margin. Rookie left wing Jakub Lauko and Kennebunkport native Garnet Hathaway got their names on the scoresheet with the assists. 

    This is not the NBA and we are talking about the Bruins so even with a commanding 3-1 series lead, this is not fully over quite yet. Still, you have to like their chances to get this done in three possible games. They are clearly better than the Panthers so there is no need to give them any hope and have to go back to Florida for a Game 6. Get this over with on Wednesday and hope that the Leafs-Lightning series (which Toronto currently leads 2-1) goes seven games before you have to face one of those much better teams in the second round.

    

It Finally Happened: The Bruins Signed David Pastrnak To An Eight-Year Contract Extension

 

    It took way too long to get it done but nobody will remember that factoid now that the B's and their franchise right winger David Pastrnak agreed to a long awaited contract extension on Thursday. Pasta-who is well on his way to a career best regular season-inked an eight-year deal through the 2030-31 campaign with an annual NHL cap hit of $11.25 million (making him the highest paid Bruin in team history and the highest paid right wing in league history). All in all, it was another fantastic day for the Bruins (48-8-5) who also traded for Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi this morning (a move that had to be made with winger Taylor Hall going on long term IR and winger Nick Foligno also going on IR this afternoon) then pummeled the Sabres (31-25-4) 7-1 this evening at TD Garden to reach 100 points faster than any other club in NHL history. Is it playoff time yet? 

    David is still only 26-years-old so theoretically just hitting the prime of his playing ability after being drafted late in the 2014 NHL Draft (25th overall) and competing all nine seasons of his career with the B's. He leads the runaway best team in the league in goals (43), assists (40) and points (83). It is his third career 40-goal season and the first 50 piece looks well within reach (it would be Boston's first since Cam Neely in 1993). For his career, he is in the rarified air of averaging more than a point per game with 283 goals and 304 assists in 571 games. 

    Like any great player, Pasta will ultimately be defined by what he does in the postseason and how many Stanley Cups he wins. People understandably get on him for some memorable no shows in the playoffs but 74 points (30 goals and 44 assists) in 70 career playoff games doesn't sound so bad, does it? The future for the B's is almost as bright as this current dream run of a regular season. Now they have Pastrnak, star defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm along with versatile forward Pavel Zacha signed to long term deals which paired with either Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman in net means that this team isn't going anywhere for awhile. 

    Boston GM Don Sweeney is having a hell of a few weeks with another sneaky good trade that didn't force him to lose anyone from his NHL roster. Bertuzzi was obtained for a 2024 first-round pick (top-10 protected) and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Detroit will also retain 50 percent of Bertuzzi's salary. He is a 28-year-old left wing with three 20-goal seasons on his NHL resume including a career-high 30 goals and 32 assists last year. Playing for the Red Wings since he broke into the league in 2016-17 sadly meant that he has yet to play in a single NHL playoff game. Barring injury, that will change next month as he figures to be in the lineup for the Bruins once the playoffs begin.

Red Wings Win Their Second Game In a Row vs. Bruins, Which For Them is a Huge Accomplishment

The Bruins (14-8-4) and Red Wings (12-11-3) have been in the same division (Atlantic) now for a little while, they even met in the playoffs a few years back but who could call it anything close to a rivalry other than the fact that they both happen to be Original Six clubs? That is partly because Boston has owned that ass while Detroit's absurd postseason streak finally ended and since then, they've faded into NHL mediocrity. Tonight's 4-2 win by the Wings at TD Garden gave at least a breath of life and a sniff of hope that this unnatural pairing of Boston vs. Detroit could turn into something which is better than nothing, am I right folks?

The Wings had beaten the B's 3-2 in overtime on Thanksgiving Eve and this represented their first regulation win vs. the Black and Gold since Valentine's Day 2016 (a 6-5 win in Detroit). Boston had been 15-1-2 in its last 18 games vs. Detroit including points in 11 straight contests (9-0-2). The Bruins outshot the Red Wings 40-27 but that hardly mattered since Detroit beat them up both physically and on the scoreboard (where it really counts, tough guy). 1-0 was the only lead that Boston would have all night as the Red Wings scored twice in the second period and then closed with the final two goals in the latter half of the third period to earn the all-important two points.

Tuukka Rask (23 saves) suffered his first loss in regulation since his brief hiatus but he couldn't be faulted for two of the three goals that he allowed which came via perfect deflections out in front of him. Maine alum Jimmy Howard (38 saves) was immense, other than a bizarre backhand flip by David Backes that went off his shoulder and into the net with 3.8 seconds left in the first period. Other than empty-netters, I doubt that Backes has scored many flukier goals in his long NHL career. His second goal of the season was assisted by John Moore and rookie Colby Cave (his 1st NHL point).

Keep in mind that Detroit had a goal waved off in the second period so it could have been an even worse frame for the B's if that stood (Rask was bumped trying to get in position). Tyler Bertuzzi tied it at 5:45 when Mike Green's shot from the point took an old double deflection off Michael Rasmussen then him for his ninth goal of the season. For the second time in three days, David Krejci took a big (clean) hit at center ice. At least this time he didn't require another emergency trip to the dentist for repairs. Joakim Nordstrom is far from a fighter but he stood up for his new teammate by dropping the gloves with Red Wings defensemen Dennis Cholowski-who had destroyed Krejci. That was nearly the undercard for a massive line brawl that would have included Rask vs. Howard but the no fun refs tied them up and wouldn't let them go. I think I speak for all blood-thirsty fans when I say boooooooooo. The only above average player on the Red Wings these days-Dylan Larkin-made it 2-1 at 17:36 by putting in a rebound on the doorstep. Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist (another former Black Bear) had the assists on his 10th goal of the season.

It wasn't a banner night for Boston's #2 ranked power play in the NHL (1-for-6) but they knotted it at two thanks to rookie Ryan Donato's tally at 5:31 of the third. His shot deflected off a Red Wing stick but regardless, it was still one of his patented snipes. Donato's second goal of the season was assisted by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug (5-game assist streak). After the shootout game-winner on Thursday and that, it's tough to see him going back down to Providence anytime soon. It looked like it would be another one-goal game that might possibly require overtime but Detroit had other plans as veteran Frans Nielsen tipped in Danny DeKeyser's shot from the point at 11:53 for the go-ahead tally. Nyquist had the secondary assist on Nielsen's first goal of the season. Nyquist completed his three-point night with an empty-netter at 19:33, DeKeyser had the lone assist on his fourth goal of the season.

No practice for the B's on Sunday-the Lord's day-as they'll get back on the ice at Warrior Arena on Monday before travelling to Sunrise, FL to take on the Panthers (10-10-5) on Tuesday (7, NESN). That kicks off a very busy week as the Bruins will be in Tampa (19-7-1) on Thursday (7, NESN) before coming back here briefly to host the Leafs (19-8-0) on Saturday night (7, NESN) before going to Ottawa (12-12-3) the following early evening (5, NESN). It helps when that tough stretch is bookended by doormats like the Panthers and Senators who they should usually beat. Right now, the Lightning and Maple Leafs are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference so both of those contests should be extremely difficult. B's defenseman Brandon Carlo returned this evening after missing the past nine games with an upper-body injury so hopefully between now and game time on Tuesday, nobody on the Bruins slips on a banana peel or falls out of a bunk bed.


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