With An Eye Toward The NHL Playoffs, Today The Bruins Made A Shrewd Trade With The Capitals

 

    The NHL Trade Deadline is still a week away (next Friday at 3 pm) but Bruins GM Don Sweeney is already making things happen as he swung a three-team deal tonight along with the Capitals and the Wild. Boston acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and right wing Garnet Hathaway while in return Washington received right wing Craig Smith, a 2023 first-round draft pick, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round draft pick. Additionally, the Caps will retain 50% of Orlov's salary. Minnesota sent the rights to forward Andrei Svetlakov to the B's and they will retain 25% of Orlov's salary in exchange for Boston's 2023 fifth-round pick. 

    After tonight's awesome 6-5 comeback win in Seattle (32-20-6), the Black and Gold (44-8-5) continue to earn points at a record setting pace which is nice and all but the postseason in hockey is all that really matters. If you have seen any Bruins-Capitals games in recent years, you are well aware of who Hathaway (a Kennebunkport, ME native and Brown alum!) and Orlov are since they both seem to always play well against Boston. From all accounts, Smith is a great guy but his time here was pretty forgettable with only 33 goals and 45 assists over parts of three seasons. Boston is tight to the salary cap so his name had floated around recently in many trade rumors since he was the most obvious part of the NHL club that could be moved.   

    A left-shot defenseman in the prime of his career at age 31, Orlov is capable of being on a second pairing for a playoff team. The Capitals (28-26-6) have been a bit of a mess so far this campaign but Orlov has not been the issue with three goals and 16 assists in 43 games. He was a second-round draft pick in 2009 (55th overall) and in 686 regular season games, he's amassed 60 goals and 196 assists with a very impressive plus/minus of plus-104. He also as a ton of playoff experience (74 games) with two goals and 21 assists in that time. Perhaps most importantly, he is big enough (5-foot-11 and 214 pounds) to withstand the grind of playoff hockey. 

    Speaking of which, Hathaway at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds is just the type of guy that you hate to play against when the games count the most. He is tough and competes with an edge which the Bruins can always use. After being undrafted, he has carved out a nice little NHL career with four seasons in Calgary followed by parts of four in our nation's capital. He only missed one game for the Capitals this season and put up nine goals and seven assists along with a plus/minus of plus-6. He is not afraid to drop the gloves as evidenced by his 52 penalty minutes in 2022-23 and 473 in his NHL life. Boston's bottom six forwards have been solid (along with basically every other facet of this juggernaut regular season team) but Hathaway is undoubtedly an upgrade over Smith in like every possible way. 

    Sweeney could make another move(s) but if he does not, this is at least a step forward from where their roster was before today. Boston has been said to be in the mix for Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun and Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov but needless to say, it will take much more to obtain probably the two most coveted guys outside of Blackhawks icon Patrick Kane. This evening was the start of a four-game West Coast/Canada road trip for the Bruins that continues in Vancouver (23-30-5) on Saturday night (7, NESN) followed by a back-to-back in Edmonton (8:30, NESN) on Monday then ending with a visit to Calgary (27-20-12) on Tuesday (9, NESN). Either way the team will look different when they return home to TD Garden to take on the Sabres (29-23-4) on Thursday (7, NESN). 

Farewell To Former B's Captain/Future Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara & Thanks For All The Memories

 

    At age 45 (what up Tom Brady?) Zdeno Chara officially retired today after signing one of those goofy one-day contracts as a Bruin and as you would expect, that caused many wonderful moments from his 14 seasons in Boston to come flooding back. In many ways, the man that they call Big Zee is a singular figure not only in Bruins history but also in the NHL as well. He started off as a sideshow since he was the tallest player in league history (6-foot-9!) but through a relentless work effort and desire to be the best, he transformed himself into one of the top defensemen in the NHL (he won the Norris Trophy in 2009) and as great of a leader as you will ever find in sports. You can trace the Black and Gold's return to relevance with him signing here as a free agent: Boston made the playoffs in 11 of his 14 seasons (including 3 Stanley Cup Finals) and they won their lone Cup in the past 50 years in 2011 with him as the captain. 

    In a game built around playing through constant pain and nagging injuries, Chara's toughness and will to win are legendary. Not just because of his enormous size but Zdeno was one of the most fearsome fighters in the league. Additionally, he further cemented his place in Boston sports history by playing in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals vs. St. Louis with a broken jaw that was wired shut. Other than a hockey player, who else does that? The crazy part too is that as intense as he was on the ice, he is a super nice guy if you are not lining up against him. His charity work in this area was incredible while he also did his best to help his wife raise three kids (including twin boys) despite his incredibly demanding schedule. 

    He started his NHL career with the Islanders then he continued to progress in Ottawa before becoming a worldwide star and household name with the Bruins. In the last two seasons, he played for the Capitals and fittingly he closed out his brilliant run with one final campaign as an Islander. He is a no doubt first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer and it will be interesting to see where his post-playing days take him. Chara speaks seven (!) languages and after spending so much time and energy in hockey, it's hard to see him totally walking away from the game. You feel like he could become a great GM or part of a winning front office for an NHL club. Coaching also seems like a good fit although the time commitment for that is exhausting for somebody just coming off a 24-year career in the NHL and with a young family.

    You know that his number 33 will soon be raised to the rafters at TD Garden as well. He played the sixth most games in franchise history (1023) and finished third all-time in points (481) by a B's defenseman behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque (1506) and Bobby Orr (888). In addition to the Norris Trophy, he also won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2011. He was named to NHL First All-Star Team three times along with four times on the NHL Second All-Star Team. He also competed in the NHL All-Star Game six times. In 200 career NHL playoff games, he had 18 goals and 52 assists with an NHL-best 14 Game Seven appearances. In his 14 seasons as a Bruin, he was first in games played (1023), plus-minus rating (+240), penalty minutes (1055) and time on ice per game (24:29). He finished with 148 goals and 333 assists in Boston. 

    We often say this when a great athlete retires but there truly will never be another Zdeno Chara for no matter how much longer we all live. His combination of a booming shot (for years the fastest slap shot in the NHL), ridiculous reach and shutdown defensive skills made him impossible to play against even for many of the game's top players. He is a winner and someone to admire even if you don't follow hockey or sports in general. Chara was always a true professional who did everything the right way and got the most out of his abilities. He also never made excuses and was classy in defeat. We wish him well in retirement and know that we will see him soon, possibly riding his bike around the city. 

Bruins Won Their Fourth Straight Game & Eliminated The Overmatched Caps In Five Games

 

    So it turns out that there really was no need to fear the overrated Capitals after all. The Bruins dispatched of them in only five games after taking Game 5 by a score of 3-1 tonight at the Capital One Arena in DC. After losing Game 1 in overtime and winning the next two games in overtime, Boston dominated in the final two contests as they outscored Washington by a combined score of 7-2. The B's head to the second round of the playoffs for the fourth season in a row-where they'll meet the Penguins or Islanders who are currently tied 2-2-while the Caps head home for the third consecutive year after a disappointing first round exit. For the Capitals, it must feel like a decade or more since they won that elusive Stanley Cup in 2018.

    This was a victory where the Bruins were led by many of their best players: goaltender Tuukka Rask (who was fantastic for the entire series) made 40 saves, captain Patrice Bergeron scored twice and right wing David Pastrnak added a highlight reel goal for the black and gold. This being the NHL playoffs, there was also much lesser known guys like defenseman Jarred Tinordi-he played 19:02 with four hits and three blocked shots in his Bruins playoff debut-who was fantastic in his unexpectedly vital role. It was a weird game as the Capitals outshot the Bruins 41-19 but trailed 2-0 in the third period before they tallied the fastest goal to start a playoff period in franchise history. Rask was not fazed by that and Bergy put it away with another clutch goal in a career full of them. 

    After no goals in the first three games of this series, Pasta is starting to heat up as he had a goal and assist in Game 4 and he matched that production this evening. He made Caps center Nic Dowd look silly when he did a sweet curl-and-drag move around him, drove to the net and wrapped a shot around goaltender Ilya Samsonov (16 saves). Defenseman Mike Reilly had the lone assist on the game's opening goal at 2:28 of the second period. Samsonov would probably want Bergeron's first goal back as it was a snap shot from distance. Reilly and Pastrnak had the assists on Bergy's second goal of the playoffs at 14:05 for a 2-0 Bruins lead. 

    UMass' Conor Sheary provided the lone positive note for Washington in Game 5 when he scored off his own rebound 11 seconds into the third period. He roofed a shot from in close that Rask couldn't react to in time to stop. Center T.J. Oshie and defenseman Dmitry Orlov notched the assists on Sheary's first goal of the postseason. Bergeron's second goal happened at 12:25 and while it was unassisted, he owed plenty of credit for it to Pasta who screened Samsonov at just the right time. 

    In the traditional handshake line after the game, Bergeron and former B's captain Zdeno Chara shared some words and a tight embrace which makes you wonder if that was Z's last NHL game. Boston will be one of the last eight clubs left in the playoffs and you have to acknowledge that they can play with anybody. As far as the Pens and Isles go, I think that besides rooting for a seven-game series, they want to see Pittsburgh (since they completely own them) rather than New York who is less talented but would be a major headache to face in a best-of-seven playoff series. Regardless, they get a few extra days to rest now which is very important if you want to make a serious run to the Cup.

B's Power Play (3-for-5) Pushes The Caps To The Brink Of Elimination With 4-1 Victory In Game 4

 

    After three straight overtime games to begin the series (not to mention 12 playoff games in a row decided by one goal), the Bruins and Capitals entered Game 4 of their first round series tonight at the TD Garden long overdue for a one-sided victory. Luckily, Boston was that team as they dominated Washington by a score of 4-1 which gives them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Game 5 is on Sunday night (7, NESN) back at the Capital One Arena where the B's will get their first chance at sending the Caps to their third consecutive playoff exit in the first round. Boston has already come a long way from their overtime loss in Game 1 against the Capitals. 

    After a scoreless first period, the Bruins got on the board first as left wing Brad Marchand tipped in a shot by right wing David Pastrnak and BU's Charlie McAvoy at 8:00 for a 1-0 B's lead. The power play goal was Marchand's third goal already in the postseason. The black and gold had never carried a lead into the third period in the first three games so they gave it a whirl in Game 4. They must have enjoyed it since they scored twice very early in the final frame (34 seconds apart). First, Pasta was given too much time and space so he ripped a low shot into the far corner against Capitals rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov (33 saves). McAvoy and center David Krejci had the assists on Pastrnak's first goal of the playoffs at 29 seconds. On the next shift, right wing Jake DeBrusk got sent in on a breakaway but he missed the net with his wayward shot. However, he stayed with the puck and threw it back in front where BU's Charlie Coyle was able to flip in a backhander at 1:03.

        The only reason that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (19 saves) didn't finish with a shutout was because Alexander Ovechkin's power play shot (that caused his stick blade to shatter) went in off defenseman Brandon Carlo's skate at 4:54. Ovi's second goal of the series (and 71st of his postseason career) cut it to 3-1 Bruins with Caps defensemen John Carlson and center Nicklas Backstrom providing the the assists. Getting one more goal was not the main task at hand by that point but I'm sure the Bruins enjoyed one more power play goal just for the hell of it. McAvoy sent a pass to his fellow BU product Matt Grzelcyk and the Charlestown native unloaded on a one-timer that went top shelf by Samsonov. Left wing Taylor Hall added the second assist on Grzelcyk's first goal of the playoffs at 14:50. 

    The only bad news to come from this evening was that a dirty hit by Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov on B's defenseman Kevan Miller left the latter shaken up. Miller went to the hospital for CT scans and further evaluation which means that he might be concussed. Not only was the hit late since Miller had given up the puck seconds earlier but Orlov also leaped at him (both of his skates briefly left the ice) and he caught Miller right under the chin which any boxing fan will tell you is a very vulnerable position. Ironically, former Maple Leafs goon Nazem Kadri was just suspended eight games by the NHL's department of player safety for a similar albeit bigger and worse incident (plus he was a repeat offender) in Game 2 vs. St. Louis that left Blues defenseman Justin Faulk knocked out cold. I'm not predicting anything but we'll have to wait and see if Orlov faces any kind of punishment (fine or suspension) by the league.  

    After winning the last three games in the series, you have to love where the Bruins find themselves at the moment. It's not over yet though against Washington but if the B's get a decent lead on Sunday night, I would not be shocked to see the Capitals sneaky give up. Since they broke through and erased their playoff choker label by winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Caps have reverted back to that earlier stinky form the last few postseasons. Ovechkin is an all-time great player and they have plenty of other very talented guys on their current roster but their goaltending situation is a bit of a mess and their defense is nowhere near Boston's level. Then again, this is the NHL where teams routinely come back from the dead in a playoff series so Boston needs to get rid of Washington ASAP while they have the chance.  

For The Third Straight Game, B's & Caps Went To OT But This Time, Craig Smith Won It For Boston

 

    This is getting silly: the last 12 playoff games between the Bruins and Capitals have all been decided by one goal with now eight of those ending in overtime. Tonight at the TD Garden for Game 3 of their first round series, Boston outlasted Washington 3-2 in double overtime with veteran right wing Craig Smith doing the honors with his second career playoff overtime goal which gave the B's a 2-1 series lead. Once again, the Bruins found themselves trailing in the third period before tying it then winning it in the extra session. All three contests in this series have gone to overtime which is crazy. This is a very tough way to live but it is somehow working so far for the black and gold. 

    The big news right before Game 3 started was that Washington's goaltender Ilya Samsonov would start while Pheonix Copley served as the backup and Craig Anderson (who started Game 2) did not even dress. For a guy who had not played since May 1 (due to being in the Covid-19 protocol), Samsonov (40 saves) did not show many signs of rust. Well except for the play that decided the game: he had a chance to the touch the puck behind his net but he hesitated which allowed Smith to swoop in and use a wraparound shot to stuff it in the net at 5:48. Fittingly Smith-who was Bruins GM Don Sweeney's only real notable free agent signed last off-season-was credited with an unassisted tally since nobody on his team helped him per se, that was all thanks to his hustle, speed and determination. 

    After a scoreless first period (which Boston dominated, outshooting Washington 10-4), the Caps built a pair of one-goal leads in the second period which they could not protect. Captain Alex Ovechkin made it 1-0 for the visitors with a one-timer from right wing Anthony Mantha at 8:21. It came on the power play and it was Ovi's first goal of the series. It took the Bruins 56 seconds to respond as left wing Taylor Hall scored a beautiful goal. He took a pass down low from Smith (with UVM's Kevan Miller picking up the other helper) and went backhand to forehand then he put the puck in the top shelf. Very few other B's could have pulled that entire sequence off that he made look so easy for his second goal of the series. Center Nick Dowd put Washington back in front 2-1 at 18:15 as he tipped in a shot from Brown's Garnet Hathaway. It was Dowd's second goal of the series as Boston's goaltender Tuukka Rask (35 saves) was victimized by another tip (or deflection) in the early going of this series. 

    The Capitals turned up the heat in the second period (outshooting the Bruins 16-11) and they tripled Boston's shots on goal total (9-3) in the third period but the black and gold probably did not care one bit since they tied it on left wing Brad Marchand's amazing reaction play. BU's Charlie McAvoy (who played a game-high 33:52) started it by shuttling the puck to captain Patrice Bergeron in the bumper position on the power play. Bergy's shot was deflected but Marchand was there to bat it out of mid-air and straight into the net at 11:32. His second goal of the series made the Garden explode with excitement.

    The B's will have an optional practice tomorrow before they hit the Garden ice on Friday (6:30, NESN) for Game 4. Obviously, that's a huge tilt as well since the difference between leading the series 3-1 or being knotted at two games apiece is enormous. I've accepted that most likely every game in this series will be close like this and perhaps more overtime will be needed to help settle things. Center Evgeni Kuznetsov returned as well this evening from his Covid-19 battle (he had also been out since May 1) so there really aren't any other big moves left for Caps head coach Peter Laviolette to make. It would be nice to see the Bruins carry the momentum from these back-to-back overtime triumphs into Game 4 but then again, I won't hold my breath for that.

The B's Even The Series With The Caps 1-1 After Hall's Clutch Goal & Marchand's OT Game-Winner

 

    As you've probably heard, there is nothing in sports quite like playoff hockey and that roller coaster of emotions was on full display tonight at the Capital One Arena. Boston rallied from a late 3-2 deficit in the third period to tie it on left wing Taylor Hall's first postseason goal in black and gold then star Brad Marchand scored the fastest OT goal in franchise playoff history (39 seconds!) as they won Game 2 by a score of 4-3 against Washington. After losing 3-2 in overtime in Game 1, the Bruins evened the series at one game apiece with Game 3 on Wednesday (6:30, NESN) at the TD Garden. The win snapped a five-game playoff losing streak for the B's dating back to last postseason in the bubble vs. Tampa Bay while the Capitals have now dropped three of their last four playoff games that have gone to overtime. 

    Up until their strong finish to Game 2, this felt like it would end on another sour note for Boston with them trailing 0-2 in the series and headed home for the next two contests. Two times in the first period the Bruins took the lead only to see the Caps quickly answer back. They also once again made 39-year-old goaltender Craig Anderson (44 saves) look way better than he should be in 2021. Right wing Jake DeBrusk has definitely put a terrible regular season behind him as he scored for the second straight game. BU's Charlie Coyle started the play by going around the net (while Anderson slid much too far out of the crease) then feeding DeBrusk in front for an easy tap-in. Nick Ritchie had the second assist on the opening tally at 5:05. Boston took a bunch of dumb penalties this evening and it cost them when right wing T.J. Oshie tipped in Alex Ovechkin's weak wrist shot at 6:31. Capitals defenseman John Carlson provided the second assist on Oshie's first goal of the playoffs.

    Boston's top line had been invisible in Game 1 so it was great to see captain Patrice Bergeron snipe a shot past Anderson at 9:21. Right wing David Pastrnak had the lone assist on Bergy's first goal of the postseason. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (36 saves) was good in Game 2 well except for the goal that Washington scored to make it 2-2. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov put the puck on net (or tried to) but the shot deflected off right wing Garnet Hathaway's skate and through a maze of bodies into the net. It was the first career goal for the Brown alum and Maine native with former Canadien Lars Eller (who later left with a lower-body injury and never returned) adding the second helper at 16:42. 

    After a scoreless second period, Hathaway handed the Caps their first lead (3-2) at 7:04. That wasn't a fluke although it started with a ill-timed pinch by Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller which led to a 2-on-1. Orlov fed Hathaway who beat Rask top shelf with left wing Carl Hagelin credited with the other assist. Hall's tying goal was not of the sexy variety that he displayed multiple times late in the regular season but nevertheless, it was highly effective and just as memorable. Right wing Craig Smith and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk had the assists but Hall did the most dirty work as Anderson stopped all of them before Taylor finally found an open space to knock the puck into the net. That huge momentum swing at 17:11 carried Boston through the rest of regulation and into the very brief extra session. The game-ending sequence started when Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon's awful clearing attempt was intercepted by Bruins center David Krejci at Washington's blue line. He shuttled the puck across to Grzelcyk who found Marchand with another cross-ice pass. Brad made no mistake there since he crushed a one-timer that Anderson could not get over fast enough to stop. 

    You cannot emphasize enough how important this victory was to Boston since trailing 0-2 and returning to the pressure of the Garden could have been a tough combination for them to overcome. Luckily, they stepped up at winning time and hopefully cracked the code a bit on the mediocre Anderson. I'd love to say that the B's will win Game 3 in a blowout but the fact remains that the last 11 (!) playoff games between the Bruins and Capitals have all been decided by one goal. Enjoy the beautiful weather tomorrow, watch the goofy Celtics-Wizards Play-In Tournament game (9, TNT) and get ready for what should be a beauty of an event on Causeway Street on Wednesday. 

In True Bruins Style, They Wasted A Great Chance To Win Game 1 Vs. The Capitals, Falling 3-2 In OT

 

    The Bruins and Capitals had the honor of opening the 2021 NHL playoffs this evening at the Capital One Arena and Washington took Game 1 by a score of 3-2 in overtime as something called Nic Dowd tipped in the game-winning goal at 4:41. Boston never led but it still felt like a tilt that they should have found a way to win since Caps rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek (3 saves, 1 goal allowed) went down with a game-ending lower-body injury only 13:10 into the first period. In his place stepped 39-year-old veteran journeyman (this is his 5th NHL team!) Craig Anderson-who had only played in four games during the regular season-and he proceeded to stop 21 out of 22 shots for the win. It is only one game so I'm not going to freak out yet but I will say that if Boston loses this series, I'm confident that Game 1 will be a result they would dearly wish to have back. 

    Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (29 saves) was good for much of the night except of course when it counted most which seems to be one of his specialties when it comes to the playoffs. He actually made the initial save on Dowd's tip of right wing T.J. Oshie's shot but the puck bounced off Rask's chest protector directly down to his stick which knocked it into his net. Woof. There are plenty of B's fans who are very tired of Rask these days so I can only imagine how many of them said something along the lines of "I told you so!" in that instance. Washington's chief piece of human garbage Tom Wilson had the secondary assist on what was undoubtedly the biggest goal of Dowd's life. 

    Speaking of Wilson, he also opened the scoring with the first goal of the postseason in the NHL. Ugh, you can't make this stuff up. Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy's stick broke in the offensive zone so the Capitals got a 2-on-1 with Oshie feeding Wilson who picked the top corner over Rask's glove hand. Left wing Daniel Sprong had the second assist at 6:22 of the first period. Boston's fourth line surprisingly provided the timely response for the B's as left wing Jake DeBrusk fired a quick shot after a face-off scrum for the tying goal at 13:10 of the first period. Center Curtis Lazar had the lone assist (his 1st playoff point as a Bruin) as he got the puck back to DeBrusk. That goal is when Vanecek got hurt and Anderson had to come in ice cold and rusty, no pressure.

    Playoff hockey is all about random guys stepping up and the second period was more proof of that as Caps defenseman Brendan Dillon's shot from the point deflected off Bruins defenseman Jeremy Lauzon's stick and past Rask at 8:44. Right wing Anthony Mantha (1st career playoff point) and Capitals icon Alex Ovechkin had the assists on Dillon's first ever playoff goal. Once again, it did not take Boston long to answer though as left wing Nick Ritchie was credited with a power play goal after right wing David Pastrnak's shot went off Ritchie's skate in front of Anderson. McAvoy had the second assist at 16:38 that tied it up at two. 

         Game 2 is set for Monday (7:30, NESN) back at the Capital One Arena and while I would not call it a must-win for the black and gold, it is in that scary neighborhood. Who knows if Vanecek will be able to play then or for the rest of the series but regardless, Boston has to get much more out of their top two lines that were both basically invisible in Game 1. More than anyone, Rask could also use a win since if the Bruins returned to Boston down 0-2 in the series, you wonder if head coach Bruce Cassidy would be tempted to throw rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman in there to turn things around? There is very little separating these clubs so expect a long and tight series, I don't think that there will be many blowouts or one-sided affairs.

The Bruins Lost 2-1 To The Capitals In A Completely Meaningless Regular Season Finale

 

    In a goofy scheduling quirk, Boston (33-16-7 overall, 15-9-4 away) had to go to DC tonight to play the Capitals (36-15-5 overall, 17-8-3 home) at the Verizon Center in their final game of the regular season, only to return there on Saturday night (7:15, NBC) for Game 1 of the first round of the NHL playoffs. With almost all of their best players benched, the Bruins' backups and lesser known guys mostly held their own against an almost full-strength Caps lineup but Washington won 2-1 thanks to a last-second goal. Veteran left wing Michael Raffl scored his first goal as a Capital (4th of the season) with three seconds left in regulation to clinch the victory (assisted by defenseman Justin Schultz) and thankfully avoid a needless overtime and/or shootout. Boston finished 4-2-2 against Washington in the regular season which should give them plenty of confidence heading into their fourth ever playoff series against the Capitals. 

    Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (30 saves, 7-3-0) made the start for the B's and besides Raffl's fluky game-winner (over his shoulder from no angle), his only other mistake was coughing up a rebound which led to the tying goal for left wing Carl Hagelin in the second period. He crashed the net and put in the loose puck at 16:15 for his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Brown's Garnet Hathaway and some guy named Zdeno Chara. Washington's rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek (21-10-4) made 24 saves in the victory and the only goal he allowed came earlier in the second period. Center Curtis Lazar drove to the net and was there to re-direct a feed from defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Left wing Jake DeBrusk had the other assist on Lazar's seventh goal of the season at 10:11.

    The Capitals seemed to have run the much bigger risk by having so many regulars play tonight but the Bruins turned out to be the team to suffer an injury as defenseman Jakub Zboril left with an upper-body injury in the second period and he never returned to action. I'd love to tell you when Games 2-4 will be but thus far, Game 1 is all that has been confirmed by the NHL. Regardless of when it all takes place, I think we all know that this is going to be a hell of a series. With the Penguins (37-16-3) facing the Islanders (32-17-7) in the other East Division semifinal, I think that the winner of the Bruins-Capitals series (assuming that they don't have tons of injuries to key players) has a great chance to be the last team standing from the East. That's the thing about playoff hockey though, predictions are useless but the games are always out of this world. Enjoy them everybody, let's hope for a long run for the black and gold.

B's Showed How Far They've Come in A Week, Beating The Caps 6-3 In Their Fourth Straight Win

 

    The Bruins (25-12-6) have picked a wonderful time of the regular season to start playing their best hockey in 2021. This afternoon at the TD Garden, Boston outlasted Washington (29-13-4) 6-3 thanks to a pair of goals from left wing Brad Marchand (2 assists), center Patrice Bergeron (assist) and center David Krejci. Like most meetings with the Capitals, this turned out to be a wild one complete with cheap shots and plenty of blood but sadly no Zdeno Chara (undisclosed) who hadn't missed a game before that for Washington. Boston scored twice to start the game, Washington responded with three goals in a row from late in the first period to the early in the second period to take a temporary 3-2 lead. Finally, the black and gold shut the door by scoring three more times in the middle frame then adding an empty-net goal late in the third period. After bottoming out in their 8-1 beating at the hands of Washington last Sunday night at the Garden, the B's have completely turned it around since this was their fourth straight victory. Boston took a 1-0 lead at 12:02 of the first period thanks to some great hustle by Marchand. He deflected an attempted pass behind his own net by Capitals defenseman John Carlson (game-low minus-5!) and the puck ended up right on Bergy's stick in front of goaltender Vitek Vanecek (22 saves, 17-9-3). He went around him so easily and finished with a backhander for his 17th goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, Krejci doubled the Bruins lead by going to the net and redirecting a pass from defenseman Connor Clifton. Right wing Craig Smith notched the secondary assist on Krejci's fourth goal of the season at 13:56. Washington got on the board with a goal at 19:50 of the first period. Center Nicklas Backstrom skated in on a breakaway that was stopped by B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (30 saves, 10-4-2) but right wing T.J. Oshie followed it up to knock in the rebound for his 15th goal of the season. 

    As good teams often tend to do, the Caps took advantage of the situation when Clifton was called for his second high-sticking penalty (double minor) of the game early in the second period. First some tic-tac-toe passing led to a sweet one-timer for Oshie right from the slot. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov and Backstrom had the assists on the tying goal at 3:48. The newest Capital right wing Anthony Manta fired in a screened shot at 4:54 of the second period for another power play tally. His 15th goal of the season (and 4th as a Cap, he's scored in every game so far) was assisted by defenseman Dmitry Orlov and center Lars Eller. Marchand tied it at three with his a nifty move by Vitacek that resulted in his team-best 22nd goal of the season at 6:33. Pasta and Bergeron had the helpers with Brad possibly taking the puck off David's stick, oh well! Krejci's second goal was a vintage edition: he deked around a Capitals defenseman before slowly roofing a shot for his fifth goal of the season at 16:02. Smith and left wing Taylor Hall provided the assists on that game-winner. Late in the second period, Boston's top line combined for a gorgeous goal: Marchand and Pastrnak raced in on a 2-on-1 with Pasta eventually dropping the puck back to Bergeron for a one-timer. The captain's 18th goal of the season came at 17:45 of the second period and it gave his club a 5-3 advantage. 

    Marchand closed out his great performance by bagging that empty-netter at 18:16 of the third period, assisted by Pastrnak. Boston has earned at least a point in six of their seven meetings (4-1-2) with Washington this season; they take on the Capitals one more time-the regular season finale for both teams on May 11 (7, NESN) which will probably have some type of playoff implications in it. Winning four out of five games last week was nice and all but I think the Bruins have a good chance to really make a move in the East Division since they play their next three games against the wretched Sabres (12-26-7) at the KeyBank Center: Tuesday (6:30, NESN), Thursday (7, NESN) and Friday (7, NESN). The long five-game road trip concludes with a pair of games in Pittsburgh (28-14-3) next Sunday afternoon (3, NBC) followed by Tuesday's finale (7, NESN). The Bruins are only six points behind the first-place Caps, four points in back of the Islanders (28-13-4) and the Pens lead them by three points. They also have at least two games in hand over all those teams. Boston must pay attention to the Rangers (23-16-6) though who have won four games in a row to remain four points behind the Bruins in fifth-place and show no signs of letting up (7-1-2 in their last 10) anytime soon. 

On The Eve Of The NHL Trade Deadline, B's GM Don Sweeney Rescues Taylor Hall From Buffalo

 

    Thank God for the NHL Trade Deadline because I certainly did not want to write about a depressing 8-1 meltdown by the Bruins (21-12-6) tonight at the TD Garden against the Capitals (27-11-4) anymore than you wanted to read that drivel. Boston's top two goaltenders were out along with their four best defensemen, oh and they were playing their fifth game in seven days so honestly, what did you expect them to do vs. one of the best teams in the league? Nope, the real story came a few hours after that nightmare ended as Boston made two trades: first GM Don Sweeney flipped a third-round draft pick to Ottawa (13-25-4) for a defenseman named Mike Reilly (19 assists in 40 games this season) then he dealt winger Anders Bjork and a second-round pick to Buffalo (10-25-6) for left wing Taylor Hall and forward Curtis Lazar (5 goals, 4 assists in 33 games this season).

    Everybody knew that Hall-the former No. 1 pick by Edmonton in the 2010 Draft (one spot ahead of Boston who selected Tyler Seguin) two-time All Star and MVP in 2017-18 was going to be moved by tomorrow, the question was to which desperate team? This is a guy with all the talent in the world but the Bruins will be his fifth NHL club before he's turned 30 and his fourth (Devils, Coyotes, Sabres, Bruins) in the last two seasons alone. His first and only season in Buffalo was nothing short of a complete disaster since in 37 games he had two goals and 17 assists. How much is that a product of being stuck in a hopeless situation or is it more about him checking out mentally which would be a troubling sign?

    Whatever the case, this is a risk worth taking if you are the Bruins since how many more playoff berths will they have left with goaltender Tuukka Rask, left wing Brad Marchand and centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci among others? It feels like they are on borrowed time at this point so at least this bold move shows the players on the team that they are trying to go for it this season but at the same time not sacrificing much at all off of their current roster or mortgaging their future. Bjork had no real place here with two goals and three assists in 30 games this year so you probably won't even notice that he's gone. 

        Ultimately this comes down to Hall. Does he want to salvage his once very promising career and experience more of the playoffs (he has only appeared in 14 postseason games in his entire career) or keep burning bridges and becoming an NHL vagabond? Boston desperately needs secondary scoring and Krejci hasn't had a good winger to go with him in what feels like ages. It's silly to expect things to go smoothly right away but looking at the upcoming schedule, four of Boston's next seven games are against Buffalo including on Tuesday (7, NESN) at the Garden and six of their next 11 overall. How funny would it be to see Hall destroy the Sabres right away and the Black and Gold to go on a run sparked by him? That's probably wishful thinking but hell, I did not expect to have any hope after watching the B's get embarrassed on their home ice earlier this evening.

Suddenly The Bruins Are Flush With Quality Goaltenders As They Beat The Capitals 4-2 In DC

 

    Based on who was in the lineup and who was not, plus the quality of the opponent and the fact that it was on the road are some of the many reasons for why I felt like tonight's 4-2 victory by the Bruins (21-10-6) at the Capital One Arena against the Capitals (25-11-4) was their best win of the season. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (2-0) made his second NHL start and it ended with another win as the University of Maine alum made 31 saves to beat one of the top teams in the league. Left wing Brad Marchand scored his 30th career shorthanded goal while rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and rookie left wing Anton Blidh each picked a fine time to score their first goals of the season. 

    Defenseman Charlie McAvoy remains out with a unknown upper-body injury so UVM's Kevan Miller stepped up in a big way, playing a game-high 25:18 with five hits and five blocked shots. Boston never allowed the Caps to get comfortable as they built a 2-0 lead in the first period, made it 3-0 in the second period then held on as Washington made it tight with a pair of power play goals. Capitals rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov (28 saves, 9-3-1) was not at his best or maybe he's simply no Jeremy Swayman. Lauzon's goal was such a fluke as his nothing shot from the point somehow snuck past the young Russian. Marchand and right wing Craig Smith had the assists on the tally that came only 33 seconds into the game. Blidh's goal was unassisted at 16:02 but the full story is that a turnover behind Washington's goal and a lucky bounce meant that the puck came right to Blidh who was by there to knock it in. 

    What those goals lacked in physical beauty, Marchand's more than made up for with a brilliant shorthanded goal. I'll give you one guess who had the lone assist on his team-leading 19th goal of the season at 4:09 of the second period. It was center Patrice Bergeron of course who registered the only helper on his BFF's insurance tally. Washington made it a one-goal game with a rapid pair of power play goals that were 19 seconds apart later in the frame. They were essentially the same goal as Caps superstar left wing Alex Ovechkin parked himself at the left face-off dot and hammered in a one-timer at 10:08. Defenseman John Carlson and right wing T.J. Oshie picked up the assists on Ovi's 20th goal of the season that also gave him the second most power play goals in NHL history. On the next shift, Oshie scored on a one-timer of his own from the same location. Carlson and center Nicklas Backstrom were credited with the assists on Oshie's 12th goal of the season. 

    Boston held on to that 3-2 lead for much of the third period before Smith thankfully gave them a little breathing room. His power play goal came at 16:55 with center Charlie Coyle and rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril assisting on his seventh goal of the season. With the win, the B's improved to 3-0-2 against the Caps in 2021. They have three more matchups left with the Capitals including on Sunday night (7, NESN) back at the TD Garden. Before that, the Black and Gold head to Philadelphia (18-15-6) for a matinee on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN). It's their last tilt with the Flyers in the regular season which is a shame since they are 6-0-1 against them-after an overtime loss and win earlier this week. As I've said lately, it really doesn't matter which Bruins goaltender starts for them especially against Philly. One more win would be a sweet way to end the extremely lopsided season series with the Flyers. Boston is six points ahead of the Flyers for fourth-place in the East Division with two games in hand. 

Bruins Blow Out The Capitals 5-1 After Another Dirty Hit By Wilson Sends Carlo To The Hospital

 

    Hockey is a violent sport (or at least it used to be) so there are going to be big hits, fights and nasty plays. That's a given but it also goes by an unspoken code of conduct that helps decide what is over the line and thus must be answered for (usually by dropping the gloves). Tonight at the TD Garden, the Bruins (13-5-3 overall, 6-1-1 home) destroyed the Capitals (13-6-4 overall, 6-3-2 away) 5-1 but probably all that anyone will remember is the latest ugly incident involving Washington's goon Tom Wilson. He took a run at Boston's defenseman Brandon Carlo and knocked his head into the glass in a very hard manner. The end result was that Carlo went to the hospital in an ambulance and yet somehow Wilson didn't get called for a single penalty. Thankfully, the B's made him pay later as he fought their newest defenseman Jarred Tinordi in the second period then rookie left wing Trent Frederic sparred with him in the third period. 

    Wilson has been suspended four times by the NHL so honestly I hope that the league gives him a very serious punishment for that totally unnecessary play that could result in a serious injury to Carlo or whomever is on the other end of it. Enough is enough, this guy is an embarrassment to the league. Ok, moving on from that asshat. After Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss, the B's improved to 2-0-2 vs. the Capitals this season-only halfway through their eight scheduled meetings they've notched six out of a possible eight points. Bruins left wing Brad Marchand got it started with a backhander at 14:21 of the first period that made it 1-0 in favor of the home team. Center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the assists on Marchand's team-high 11th goal of the season. 

    The second period is when Boston really started to pull away from Washington by scoring three more unanswered goals in the frame. Frederic re-directed a sweet pass by McAvoy at 6:43. Right wing Craig Smith added the secondary assist on Frederic's third goal of the season. Boston's top forward line combined for a beautiful tally that made it 3-0 at 9:01: center Patrice Bergeron had basically the entire net to shoot at as right wing David Pastrnak's feed went by Marchand and to Bergy who slammed it in for his ninth goal of the season. That barrage concluded with another re-direct-this time it was defenseman Matt Grzelcyk finding Marchand at the side of Washington's net to tap it in.

    Ritchie one-timed a sweet pass from Krejci and right wing Craig Smith at 1:05 for his eighth goal of the season. The tally came a few seconds before Frederic fought Wilson and it was the only marker allowed by backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov (6 saves) who came on in relief of rookie starter Vitek Vanecek (14 saves, 10-5-3) late in the second period. The only thing that prevented B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (31 saves, 5-2-1) from earning the shutout was a goal by Caps right wing Jakub Vrana at 13:36. The snipe was his eighth goal of the season and it was assisted by center Nicklas Backstrom (700th NHL point) and right wing T.J. Oshie. 

    Boston returns to practice tomorrow at Warrior Ice Arena before hosting the free-falling Devils (7-10-2) on Sunday night (5, NESN). New Jersey has lost their last four games in a row and they are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games. I know that they have given the Bruins trouble in earlier meetings this season but the B's should be able to handle them this time around. Center Charlie Coyle surprisingly returned this evening after missing only one game due to the health and safety protocols (maybe he had a false positive?) and if Carlo misses time, I'd expect to see John Moore back in the lineup while he is out. Fingers crossed that Carlo is OK and also that Wilson gets a serious suspension from the NHL, otherwise what are we even doing here? 

UPDATE 3/6/21: Today was a good day as Carlo returned home from the hospital and Wilson was suspended for seven games by the NHL Department of Player Safety. 

For The First Time Since 2006, Zdeno Chara Came To The TD Garden Not As A Bruin But As A Visitor

 

    It still stings that Zdeno Chara is currently playing well for another NHL team and not for the Bruins (12-5-3) who could sure use him right about now with all the injured defensemen that they have had lately. Tonight at the TD Garden he returned with his new club-the Capitals (13-5-4)-for his first trip to Boston as a visitor since 2006 and it was a memorable game (at least for the former Bruins captain) as Washington won 2-1 in a shootout for their season-high fourth straight win. The Caps remain two points ahead of the Islanders (12-6-4) and three points ahead of the Bruins for first-place in the East Division. Left wing Jakub Vrana had the lone goal in the shootout as all three of Boston's shooters (Jake DeBrusk, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand) could not find the back of the net against Caps goaltender Vitek Vanecek (18 saves, 10-4-3).  

    Unlike the Caps, the B's got off to a great start to this campaign but since then they have lost five of their last seven games. The sad reality is that this is how the rest of the regular season will probably go, with Washington chasing an East Division title while Boston jousts with the second-tier teams under this temporary alignment. This was the third of eight meetings between these teams and each has been decided in a different way: overtime, regulation and then a shootout. If you missed the first two periods of this barnburner, consider yourself lucky. Not only was it scoreless after 40 minutes of action but the shots were 11-9 in favor of the Capitals. I think I fell asleep just writing that, ugh. 

    Bruins right wing David Pastrnak had hit the post twice earlier in the game (on the same shot!) and he was the one who not surprisingly put a jolt of life into this yawnfest. Marchand forced a turnover in Boston's end then went into a 2-on-1 with Pasta that resulted in the latter's team-high 10th goal of the season after a sweet re-direct at 1:19 of the third period. Like many leads for the B's in 2021, it didn't last very long though as Washington tied it at 6:14 on center Lars Eller's shot from in close off a rebound that eluded Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask (27 saves, 8-3-3). As you can guess from the save totals, Rask was the busier goalie and he was the reason that the home team walked away with a point since he made a brilliant stop in overtime on defenseman Dmitry Orlov's re-direct that most times results in a goal. 

    Even with no fans in the stands-at least for a few more weeks-the Bruins played a nice tribute video for Chara and he must have felt right at home again as Boston failed in a shootout just like old times. This was a very chippy affair and these teams meet again on Friday (7, NESN) at the Garden so I'd expect more big hits and physical play with possibly a fight or two to top it all off in the rematch. More importantly, the Black and Gold could use a win against the Caps to prove that they are going to be right there with them all spring rather than stuck in their rear view mirror. Center David Krejci and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk each returned to the lineup this evening after injuries forced them to miss time and it also marked the Bruins debut of defenseman Jarred Tinordi-who they had claimed off waivers from Nashville on Saturday. The other big news before the game for the B's was that center Charlie Coyle went onto the league's Covid list (only the 2nd Bruin to have that happen this season after forward Karson Kuhlman) so he'll be out at least for a couple of games.

B's Rallied From Another 3-0 Deficit But This Time They Handed The Caps Their 1st Regulation Loss

 

    No lead is apparently safe when you are playing the Bruins (6-1-2) this season. The Capitals (6-1-3) managed to hold off Boston 4-3 in overtime on Saturday night after blowing a 3-0 lead but they weren't so lucky in the second leg of their series at Capital One Arena this evening. Once again, Washington built a 3-0 lead in the second period and the B's came back to tie it in the third period but the plot changed dramatically as they scored twice more in regulation for a bonkers 5-3 victory. Boston's superstar right wing David Pastrnak scored his first two goals of the season, defenseman Brandon Carlo potted the first game-winning tally of his NHL career and the Bruins improved to 5-0-1 in their last six contests while taking three out of a possible four points against one of the NHL's top clubs and their new East Division rivals. 

    Things did not look so hot for the Black and Gold in the first period as the Caps had a goal wiped out for offsides but then they exploded for a pair of goals just 11 seconds apart. Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara made it 1-0 for the home team with a blast from the point. His second goal of the season (and 8th in his career vs. Boston) was assisted by Brown's Garnet Hathaway and center Nic Dowd at 13:26. Shortly after that, something called Daniel Sprong doubled Washington's lead with his second goal of the season. Left wing Jakub Vrana and defenseman Nick Jensen both added assists on Sprong's second goal of the season. 

Boston's power play (0-for-4) could never get going in this game and when they couldn't score on a 5-on-3 for 58 seconds in the second period, you felt like that could have been a fatal mistake. Capitals defenseman John Carlson's bardown snipe turned out to be the thing that finally woke up the Bruins. His fourth goal of the season was assisted by Vrana at 8:35. In his second game of the season, Pasta showed why he tied Caps legend Alex Ovechkin for the most goals scored in the league in 2019-2020. His first goal came at 12:37 when left wing Brad Marchand found him in the slot for a one-timer that he shot by goaltender Vitek Vanecek (28 saves, 5-1-2).  B's defenseman Brandon Carlo had the second assist on the classic Pasta goal.

    Trailing 3-1 going in to the third period, Boston wasted no time making it interesting as Pastrnak cut it to a 3-2 Capitals lead at 6:08. Somehow when he came around the side of the net, he had tons of time and space so good on him for firing a low shot that Vanecek couldn't stop. Rookie defenseman Jakub Zobril and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the assists on Pasta's second goal of the season/night. That was nothing as the Bruins scored three more unanswered goals to wrap it up. Another rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon showed off his (mostly unknown) offensive skills by driving to the net then throwing a backhand pass across the crease to right wing Craig Smith who blasted a one-timer in for a sweet tying goal at 13:07. Left wing Nick Ritchie had the secondary assist on Smith's third goal of the season. At that point, the B's were flying so it was no surprise when they went ahead (albeit thanks to an unlikely guy) on Carlo's roofed one-timer from center Sean Kuraly and right wing Chris Wagner at 17:23. Carlo has never been known for his offensive skills but in his fifth season in the NHL, he is growing more comfortable by the day on that end of the ice. Marchand sealed the best win of the young season for the Bruins with an empty-net goal at 18:34. Center David Krejci had the lone assist on Marchy's team-leading sixth goal of this campaign. 

    You'll notice that I didn't mention Boston's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 3-0-1) until now. After he was bombarded with shots in the first period (15-8), his teammates started to put the clamps down on the home team for the last two frames (outshooting the Caps 25-11). He improved to 3-0-0 in his last three starts and he has only allowed a combined five goals in that time. Rookie winger Trent Frederic made his presence felt in the third period as he fought Washington's Tom Wilson-one of the toughest guys in the league. After the game, multiple Bruins players and head coach Bruce Cassidy all mentioned that moment as being a big part of the win as it understandably fired up the club. The B's stay on the road as they traveled to Philadelphia (7-2-1) to play the Flyers-the top team in the East Division-on Wednesday (8, NBCSN) followed by another meeting on Friday (7, NESN). The Bruins just swept a two-game set vs. Philly at the Garden last weekend but the Flyers have won four games in a row since then so expect a better showing by them.

The B's Rallied From A 3-0 Deficit But Ultimately Lost 4-3 In OT To The Caps On Ovechkin's Goal

 

    The first meeting between former Bruins (5-1-2) captain Zdeno Chara (plus-1, 1 shot on goal, 6 blocked shots in 20:54) and his new team the Capitals (6-0-3) did not disappoint as Washington won a thriller 4-3 in overtime at Capital One Arena thanks to superstar Alex Ovechkin's 24th career overtime goal (the most in NHL history). Boston had trailed 3-0 late in the second period before a Nick Ritchie power play goal finally woke them up. The Bruins tied it at three in the third period on defenseman Charlie McAvoy's tying goal with less than a minute left in regulation and with goaltender Tuukka Rask (19 saves, 3-1-2) pulled for an extra skater. The point was a nice reward for an amazing comeback by the B's against one of the top teams in the NHL but it still left a sour taste in their mouths I'm sure since Ovi scored 28 seconds into the extra session before they could finish what would have been an epic comeback win on the road.

The reunion with Chara and Ovi's return from Covid-19/his OT game-winning goal rightfully overshadowed what was also a big storyline for the Bruins: their star David Pastrnak (assist, 5 shots on goal, 1 takeaway in 20:29) made his season debut after being deemed healthy from off-season hip surgery. One goaltender was pretty locked in and the other was not, I'll let you guess which one was which: Capitals rookie Vitek Vanecek (40 saves, 5-0-2) was far busier than Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (19 saves 3-1-2) who allowed a few goals (including Ovechkin's) this evening that made you react with frustration. Late in the first period, Caps center Nicklas Backstrom beat Rask for his fifth goal of the season (unassisted at 18:06). He stole the puck from Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron (3 assists) and skated it into a high danger area before firing a snap shot past Rask. 

    It was more of the same for the home team in the second period as UNH's Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his first goal for Washington followed by Richard Panik's tip-in that extended the lead to 3-0 Caps at 10:03. Defensemen Brenden Dillon and Backstrom picked up the assists on TVR's screened wrist shot that found its way through a bunch of bodies and into the net. Panik's goal was originally credited to Capitals goon Tom Wilson but instead it was given to the Washington right wing for his first goal of the season. There was only one man to save Boston from this predicament, left wing Nick Ritchie who saw a shot by David Krejci deflected off his leg then into the net. Bergy had the secondary assist on Ritchie's fourth goal of the season which have all come on the man advantage. 

    The Black and Gold continued to carry the play in the third period and they were rewarded for that with a pair of goals. First, left wing Brad Marchand received a sweet pass from McAvoy and fired a shot from close range by Vanecek for his fifth goal of the season at 6:03. Speaking of McAvoy, he was the main reason that the Bruins salvaged a point from this uneven performance. They squandered two power plays in the third period but getting Rask off the ice paid off in a wild sequence: Krejci's stick broke while he was about to shoot, McAvoy had a shot blocked then the puck bounced around near the crease in tons of traffic before he was there to knock it in. Pastrnak had the primary assist (his first point of the season) on McAvoy's first goal of the season at 19:02. Unfortunately for the B's, this game was basically over before it began in overtime since Ovechkin wasted no time ending it. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best goal-scorers in NHL history but given the long distance range of the shot, you'd like to think that Rask at least could have made the initial save. Backstrom and defenseman John Carlson had the assists on Ovi's second goal of 2021. 

    Boston doesn't have to wait too long for a rematch with Washington since the Capitals host them again on Monday (7, NESN). Two points will be just as hard to come by then for the Bruins who figure to have Jaroslav Halak (2-0-1) between the pipes as head coach Bruce Cassidy tries to give Rask enough rest in this sprint of a regular season. If the B's can channel that team that appeared in the third period tonight, they'll be in good shape but then again, Washington can definitely play a more consistent sixty minutes. As we've learned in recent years, when the Caps play at their best, it is a level that the B's generally cannot reach.                                 

In The Easiest Move That The B's Will Make In 2021, Patrice Bergeron Is Named Team Captain

 

    There are few certainties in life anymore (especially in 2021) but the second that future Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara signed with the Washington Capitals last week, most Bruins fans had the same reaction to what the move meant for Boston in the near future when it came to its leadership core. Big Zee had been the Bruins' captain for all of his 14 years here but naturally, there was a logical choice to be the 20th captain of the B's: center Patrice Bergeron. Today, a few days into its brief training camp, the club finally confirmed what we all knew was going to happen: Bergy is the new captain of the team while left wing Brad Marchand and center David Krejci were appointed as the alternate captains. 

         Much like Chara before him, Bergeron needs no introduction since he's been here for so long (since 2003!). This is the only NHL home that he has known and we've all been lucky enough to see the 18-year-old kid from Quebec grow into a married father of three while also becoming one of the top two-way forwards (check the four Selke Awards) in the world. He won a Stanley Cup in 2011 and has been with the team for two other trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 vs. Chicago and 2019 against St. Louis. From covering the Bruins for the past eight seasons, I'd love to tell you that Bergeron isn't as perfect (and I hate that word) as you'd like to believe but he really is annoyingly nice, classy and good at everything in the universe. 

    There are captains in every sport but for whatever reason (the physicality of it plus the sheer amount of games?), the role of captain in hockey feels more important than in any other sport. Yes, it's notable in football too but each football team has a bunch of captains that come from each part of the team-offense, defense and special teams. Alternate captains are basically vice presidents, a goofy title that really means nothing other than it's ceremonious. The captain is the face of the hockey team both on and off the ice, always is expected to talk to the media after a game win or lose (lucky him!), gets to lift any team trophy first and is the most respected voice in the dressing room. 

    In an Original Six franchise like the B's, the history is always incredible when something notable like this happens. Boston has appointed captains for nearly 100 years and now Bergeron joins such Bruins legends like Ray Bourque, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly, John Bucyk and Milt Schmidt to name a few. There is no doubt that Bergy will be the captain for the rest of his career in Boston which hopefully is the only NHL club that he ever plays for. There really weren't any other legitimate options for captain: Marchand is a great player and hilarious but not a true leader while Krejci is a solid veteran but pretty quiet so if there was even an actual vote for this position, it was probably a landslide in Patrice's favor. 

    By the way, the abbreviated 56-game NHL regular season begins in less than a week-next Wednesday-with Boston opening up on a three-game road trip to New Jersey on Thursday (7, NESN) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) before going to the Islanders on Monday (5, NBCSN). Where else would you want to be in mid-January than North Jersey and Long Island? Out of the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles, it promises to be a bizarre year and I hadn't mentioned that the Bruins are in a new temporary division designed to limit travel during the pandemic. For this season, they are in the same division as the Capitals, Sabres, Islanders, Devils, Rangers, Flyers and Penguins. Gone from their old Atlantic Division schedule are the Canadian teams (Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa) along with Detroit and the teams from Florida (Panthers and Lightning). Get used to seeing the divisional teams way too often since those are the only opponents the Bruins will face before the playoffs. Haha that is not confusing at all, got it?

2020 Goes Out With Another Boston Sports Shocker: Zdeno Chara Will Be A Capital In 2021

 

    This one really hurts. Much like the world burning to the ground all around us, 2020 has been nothing short of a nightmare for Boston sports fans too as the year started with Red Sox superstar Mookie Betts getting traded to the Dodgers where he promptly helped them win their first World Series title since 1988. Next, the greatest quarterback in NFL history left the Patriots as Tom Brady signed a free agent deal with the Buccaneers. Things have been a little bumpier for TB12 than Mookie but heading into the final week of the regular season, Tampa (10-5) has already clinched their first playoff spot since 2007 and they are playing their best football of the season while the Patriots (6-9) have quickly turned into a punchline. If those things weren't enough, the guy who was truly the heart and soul of this city (particularly since David Ortiz retired)-defenseman Zdeno Chara-today signed a one-year deal worth $795,000 with the Capitals. WHAT. THE. FUCK. 

    Since NHL free agency opened in September this year due to the pandemic, the more time that dragged on, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Zee wanted to return for his 15th season as the Bruins captain but B's GM Don Sweeney and the front office were done with him. Before this news came out today, there had been rumors about Chara retiring and getting a player personnel type job with the club right away. Well it turns out that he still wants to play and while you won't find me arguing that he's anything close to the guy that was a six-time NHL All-Star or Norris Trophy winner (for best defenseman) in 2009, I believe he has a valuable role on any team by virtue of his peerless leadership not to mention his willingness to teach and support others around him.

    Even in one of the best hockey markets in the U.S., the Bruins had become almost irrelevant in the late 1990s and early 2000s. When they spent money for once and signed Chara in 2006 (immediately making him the captain) along with center Marc Savard in free agency, the team's fortunes slowly started to turn for the better. The greatest travesty of this whole situation is that he only won a single Cup in Boston. This wasn't a Ray Bourque situation where he would never win here so they did another Bruins legend a solid by shipping him off to the Avalanche where he could parachute in for a Cup run. Boston beat Vancouver in seven games in 2011 for that lone Stanley Cup then fell to the loaded Blackhawks in 2013 (6 games) before choking on their home ice in Game 7 vs. St. Louis in 2019. You'll remember that was the time that Chara broken his jaw in Game 4, then had surgery to wire it shut and played in Games 5-7 like a complete savage. We'll probably never know but I truly believe if they had won it against the Blues, it would have been the perfect time for him to retire on top. 

    Now, the future Hall of Famer that will someday have his No. 33 retired in the TD Garden rafters, plays for one of Boston's toughest rivals who happens to be in their temporary division during this bizarre 56-game regular season that starts two weeks from tonight. Ugh. It obviously wasn't about the money for the Bruins or Chara since he's playing for barely over the league minimum salary. I don't fault Boston for wanting to move on and see what else they have in the pipeline in terms of younger left-shot defensemen. With that said, you're telling me that he couldn't have been dropped down to the third defensive pairing? The whole timing of it is weasely on Sweeney's part too since they couldn't have told him he wasn't in their future plans when they returned from the bubble rather than lead him on for months only to bail at the last second. Instead, he has to go to a new team after he became an institution here for all the right reasons. 

    Anyone who has been around professional hockey players will tell you that most are incredibly down-to-Earth, funny, hard-working and smart human beings. Don't get me wrong, of course I love Brady but let's be real: the guy lived in a Chestnut Hill mansion then got the hell out of here whenever the Patriots' postseason was over. I don't blame him and he also did tons of great charity work (Best Buddies) while he was here but there is no comparing him to Zee in that regard. Chara lived close enough to the Garden that he could bike to work which he did from time-to-time. For a guy from rural Slovakia, he fit in and understood the passion (and general insanity) of what makes this area great when you are winning and very tough to deal with when you and/or your team are thought to be underperforming.

    Selfishly, I'm bummed that I won't get to cover him anymore day-to-day although truthfully this season figures to be just dinky Zoom calls with the media. For the past eight seasons, I had the privilege of going to Bruins games which included access to the dressing room and press conferences. I could talk for days about all the great people I met and incredible memories that I have collected along the way. People on the outside always want to know who is hard to deal with but honestly in hockey locker rooms, that is extremely rare besides the occasional (and completely justified) language barriers. Chara always stood out for more for than just the obvious reasons: his absurd size (the NHL's tallest ever player at 6-foot-9). He is incredibly honest and thoughtful and win or lose, he would always talk for a long time. This guy was drafted by the Islanders in 1996 (3rd round, 56th overall) and made his NHL debut with them the next season. Like Brady, he currently plays with many guys that could be his kids, that's how wide the age gap can be when you are still playing professional sports at age 43. His work ethic remains unparalleled: the Bruins always have a fitness test in training camp and despite all his other duties (he and his wife have three kids including twins), he always showed up in phenomenal shape. 

    The two sides of Chara are fascinating as well: on the ice, he is one of the scariest players in league history given his strength and the punishment that he can hand out all on his own. Couple that with the gentle giant persona that he is off the ice, for example handing out treats to homeless shelters from Mike's Pastry on Thanksgiving and going above and beyond in terms of hospital visits and connecting with sick children and people that can get so much joy just from being around him for a few moments. Center Patrice Bergeron is a lock to be the next captain of the Bruins and he will no doubt be a great one but there will never be another Chara on a Boston team for as long as we live. He is such a unique person with countless skills and abilities that extend way beyond playing hockey at the highest level. Thanks for all the wonderful memories Zee, we can't wait to see you in the Hall of Fame wearing the black and gold spoked-B. 

Someone Should Probably Tell the Bruins That the NHL Playoffs Start on Tuesday Afternoon

    Did you know that the NHL has returned to action? Most hockey fans are probably aware that the season re-started last Saturday after pausing in mid-March due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, if you are a Bruins fan, the best team in the league before the break has looked nothing like that going 0-3 in round-robin play to drop from the top seed in the Eastern Conference to the No. 4 seed. As a result of Sunday's 2-1 loss to Washington, the B's will meet the Hurricanes in the first-round of the playoffs instead of the Islanders (who they would have met if they had beaten the Capitals). 

    On one hand, with such an experienced team, it's hard to overreact to three games that probably didn't mean all that much. With all the East teams in Toronto for their bubble city and West teams in Edmonton, there is no such thing as home ice in the 2020 NHL playoffs (haha the Maple Leafs and Oilers would surely agree after both were bounced in the round-robin). Then again, of all the major sports home ice has always meant the least in hockey but it still has to be bizarre to play in front of an empty arena. 

    Regardless, a win or two in the past week would have been nice for the B's considering that things really ramp up on Tuesday with the start of the NHL playoffs. They no-showed in a 4-1 loss to the Flyers (who surprisingly went 3-0 to become the No. 1 overall seed in the East) last Sunday afternoon. That was followed by a frustrating 3-2 to Tampa Bay on Wednesday afternoon then today's snoozefest. Most alarmingly, the Black and Gold never led in those three contests. Hell, they never even were in front during their lone exhibition game: a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on July 30. 

     Of course, it's pretty tough to win when you score four total goals in three games and half of those came from Chris Wagner. We all love the Mayor of Walpole but if he is your leading scorer, you are going nowhere fast except home from the postseason. Charlie McAvoy-against Tampa-and Jake DeBrusk-today against Washington-had the other goals if you were keeping track. No Bruins update would be complete without some Tuukka Rask drama and it happened right out of the gate when he was "unfit to play"-the 2020 catch-all term for NHL players-against Philadelphia. He's been OK in his two appearances but he allowed a terrible rebound that led to the late game-winning goal vs. Tampa Bay then he also gave up a backbreaking tally to T.J. Oshie with 16 seconds left in the first period this afternoon vs. Washington. From there, Braden Holtby put together his usual lights out performance vs. Boston, finishing with 30 mostly routine saves. Oh and all-around lowlife Tom Wilson fittingly had the deciding goal for the Caps. 

      Jaroslav Halak was not sharp against the Flyers and Rask played every game in the playoffs last year, so I don't expect there to be a goalie controversy. Boston's top forward line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak were held scoreless in these three games but there's no way they go totally missing like that against Carolina (who swept the Rangers in three games). Zdeno Chara obviously looks all of his 78 years old but hopefully grandpa will pick it up when the games mean something. 

     I don't believe that you can take much from last season's sweep by the Bruins of Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hurricanes were woefully overmatched and thus, the series was never that competitive. If Covid-19 and this current horrifying existence has taught us anything, it's to take nothing for granted. The Penguins got upset by the Canadiens in four games, same as the Oilers against the Blackhawks. Boston will be favored and they should win the series but I doubt it will be a sweep.

    Most importantly, with all the terrible things going on all over the world right now, at least we have these wonderful playoff games to take us away for a few hours. For that, I could kiss NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on the lips. Haha just kidding, he's still a smug douchebag. 

    Predicting what will happen is a waste of time but we all know how prideful and hard-working this Bruins group has been the last few years. After coming so close to winning another Stanley Cup last June vs. St. Louis (only to choke in Game 7 at TD Garden), it was remarkable how quickly they put that behind them to have a killer regular season. None of that means anything now though, it's a new season and they have to be ready to go from Game 1, unlike the general malaise that they've been stuck in for the last week-plus.  

Game 1: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NESN

Game 2: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Thursday at 8 p.m. on NESN

Game 3: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Saturday at 12 p.m. on NBC

Game 4: Bruins vs. Hurricanes, Monday at 8 p.m. on NESN

 

 

A Christmas Miracle: The Bruins Not Only Beat the Capitals, They Destroyed Them 7-3 at the Garden

It didn't matter how it happened, the Bruins (22-7-9) needed a win this evening more than in any other game that they've had so far in 2019-20. The fact that they were taking on the juggernaut Capitals (26-7-5) only made this 7-3 destruction at TD Garden even sweeter. Now Boston can fully rest during the upcoming three-day Christmas break instead of totally dwelling on the last few unfulfilling weeks (where they had lost 8 of 10) of action. They avenged a pair of one-goal losses to Washington-the NHL's top team-earlier this season (3-2 shootout loss here on Nov. 16 and a 3-2 loss in D.C. on Dec. 11) as well.

Not surprisingly, given that the Caps had won 16 of their previous 17 meetings with the B's, Tuukka Rask's (14-4-5, 39 saves) lifetime numbers against Washington were horrific. His only two wins against Washington in his career were shutouts so while he didn't manage that, it was more than enough since Braden Holtby (4 goals allowed on 11 shots on goal) puked on himself early and headed for the showers after one miserable frame of work. This matchup was never really competitive as the Black and Gold jumped ahead with four unanswered goals in the first period alone, took a 5-0 lead in the second and coasted from there. The Capitals are not only uber-talented with a ton of great players but they are also tough and chippy/dirty so they didn't take their rare beating in stride.

Boston's blue line was already missing captain Zdeno Chara (getting maintenance done on his surgically-repaired jaw)-out for the first time this season-before the game had even started. The injuries began to pile up to B's defensemen as Torey Krug left in the second period with an upper-body injury after taking a hard hit from Caps instigator Tom Wilson into the boards. Late in garbage time of the third period, Washington winger T.J. Oshie buried Charlie McAvoy with a clean but very solid check into the half wall by Washington's bench. McAvoy was down on the ice for a bit and when he finally got to Boston's bench, he was on his hands and knees being attended to by the Bruins trainer. Yikes. David Pastrnak even got into it with Wilson in the third period after he was jabbed in his jingle bells by Wilson's errant stick. Ouch.

The special teams of the Bruins dominated as their power play scored twice against Washington's #2 ranked penalty kill unit and their PK was a perfect 5-for-5 plus they scored a goal to boot. Jake DeBrusk got the holiday cheer started early with a power play tally at 5:37 of the first period. His ninth goal of the season was assisted by David Krejci and Matt Grzelcyk. It was a simple play as Jake went to the net then stayed with the puck to knock in the rebound. Boston really took control of the game with a pair of goals 27 seconds apart beginning at 13:29: Brad Marchand scored his first tally in nearly a month (Nov. 27 at Ottawa) and then Anders Bjork put in a shot from the slot to stun the Caps who own the NHL's best record. Brad's goal was on a juicy rebound by Holtby after Pasta put a low hard shot on him. McAvoy had the second assist on Marchand's 19th goal of the season. Bjork's goal was his sixth of the season and Charlie Coyle had the lone assist on it. Tilts aren't over in the first period but Patrice Bergeron's power play (a 2-man advantage for 2 whole minutes!) tip-in at 18:57 made the B's and their fans feel pretty great. Pastrnak had the shot that Bergy deflected for his 14th goal of the season with Krejci picking up the other assist.

Coyle's shorthanded goal at 6:55 of the second period made the Bruins' lead balloon to an almost unfathomable 5-0 advantage. His seventh goal of the season was also the 100th of his NHL career, a nice little milestone for the guy from Weymouth, MA by way of BU. Marchand had his team-leading 34th assist to send Coyle in alone on Washington's backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov (no relation to Sergei?). Boston could use that kind of move and top shelf shot in their fruitless shootouts (where they are 0-5 this season) but I digress for it is the holiday season and there is no need for negativity. Alex Ovechkin (game-high 8 shots on goal & 6 hits) fittingly got his team on the board with a snipe from Wilson and John Carlson (35 assists, good for 3rd in the NHL), his team-leading 23rd goal of the season.

The physical plays were more interesting in the third than the goals (a pair of empty-netters by Krejci and Bergeron sandwiched by Lars Eller's deflection and Maine native Garnet Hathaway taking advantage of a miscommunication by the Bruins defense). Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy thought that the NHL's Department of Player Safety could be busy looking at all the borderline stuff from this game. He joked that if Marchand (a repeat offender himself) had done some of the stuff that the Capitals resorted to tonight, he would definitely be punished for it. Sad but true.

Besides the break, the Bruins couldn't ask for a much more favorable end to 2019. First, they have a home-and-home with the sputtering Sabres (17-14-7) starting on Friday (7, NESN) in Buffalo then back here on Sunday night (7, NESN). Then they spend New Year's Eve afternoon (1, NESN) in Newark, NJ against the wretched Devils (12-19-5)-the second worst team in the Eastern Conference. I'm not going to say three wins or bust for the B's in that tiny stretch but anything less than four or five points would be a disappointment against those clubs. Most importantly, like the Bruins I hope that you enjoy these next few wonderful days with family and friends and Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas to all!

Tweet