B's Return Home With Their Moms & Beat the Jets 5-4 Thanks to Pasta's 3rd Hat Trick of the Season

NHL teams figured out years ago that one of the keys to break up the grind of the regular season was to plan fun things like a moms trip and a dads trip at different times in the calendar. It's a simple but also brilliant concept for the players to bond with their family members who they probably don't get to see that much anymore yet all had a key role in them becoming professional athletes. Boston (26-8-11) had their mothers (and Charlie Coyle's sister) with them in Nashville (20-16-7) for Tuesday's rousing 6-2 victory and they were back with their boys at TD Garden tonight for a thrilling 5-4 win vs. Winnipeg (24-17-4). David Pastrnak notched his seventh career hat trick and third in 45 games this season, boosting his NHL-leading goal total to 35 which is insane.

In many ways, this was a schedule loss for the Jets since they had beaten the Maple Leafs (24-15-6) 4-3 in a shootout last night in Toronto then dragged their weary bones here for their third game in four nights. They also were starting backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit (4-5-0, 31 saves) who is a borderline NHLer at best. They don't have a ton of depth-hence why they are clinging to the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with Calgary (23-17-5) and Vancouver (23-17-4) breathing down their necks-but Winnipeg does possess some high-end talent. Their top forward line of Kyle Connor (goal, assist), Mark Scheifele (goal, assist) and Patrik Laine (assist) is one of the best in the league.

Zdeno Chara was a last minute scratch from the lineup as he nurses an infection with his surgically-repaired robojaw. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy noted that the captain is in serious pain (but still had to be talked into sitting out by Cassidy & GM Don Sweeney) and he has a follow-up appointment with a doctor tomorrow but they hope to have him on the upcoming road trip. The Jets scored first as Connor roofed a backhander past Jaroslav Halak (17 saves, 10-4-5) at 7:35 of the first period. Nikolaj Ehlers and Scheifele had the assists on Connor's team-leading 22nd goal of the season. Chris Wagner (game-high 7 shots on goal) had a breakaway but he was stopped by Brossoit before crashing painfully into the post. He was pulled by the concussion spotter but returned to Boston's bench to start the second period. Pastrnak tied it at 17:14 with a one-timer from Joakim Nordstrom. Sean Kuraly had the other assist as Pasta got some minutes with the fourth liners when Wagner was out. David has a 12-game point streak (9 goals, 10 assists) with 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in his last 22 games.

Tied at one going into the second period, things really opened up with both clubs scoring a pair of goals. Andrew Copp tipped in a shot by Josh Morrissey for his 7th goal of the season (100th NHL point) at 6:00. Ehlers had the secondary assist, giving him eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in his last six games. You run out of ways to describe all the absurd goals scored by Pastrnak and his second one was a doozy as he destroyed a one-timer from Torey Krug and Brad Marchand for a power-play goal to tie it at two at 9:41. Jake DeBrusk got a step on everyone and delivered by picking the top corner with a forehand shot on a breakaway for his 12th goal of the season and a 3-2 Bruins advantage at 18:49. Boston's first lead was short-lived though as good old Neal Pionk (who?) scored a power play goal of his own at 19:52. His fourth goal of the season was assisted by ex-Bruin Blake Wheeler (17 points in 21 career games vs. Boston) and Laine (100th career NHL assist). It was 3-3 after two periods but it felt like Boston should be ahead since they had outshot the Jets 24-14.

You would expect tired legs to finally catch up with Winnipeg in the third period but at least initially, they did not as Scheifele banked a shot from behind the goal-line off Halak and in at 7:50 for a 4-3 lead. Scheifele's 22nd goal of the season was assisted by Connor and Dmitry Kulikov. Pasta tied it (because of course he did) after a nifty backhand feed from David Krejci. DeBrusk had the second helper on the memorable goal at 11:13 that sent all the Bruins hats raining down on the Garden ice. After the extended break to clear the hats, the fans didn't have to sit down for long as DeBrusk re-directed a shot by Charlie McAvoy 33 seconds later. Matt Grzelcyk had the other assist on the game-winning tally that gave DeBrusk nine points (6 goals, 3 assists) in his last 10 games.

It sounds silly with a seven-point lead over Tampa Bay (26-13-4) in the Atlantic Division but this was a very important two points for the B's since the Lightning blanked the Coyotes (25-17-4) 4-0 this evening and they are the hottest team in the NHL with nine straight wins (and 2 games in hand). Toronto (24-15-6) is also playing great since they fired head coach Mike Babcock: they are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and nine points behind Boston. With the regular season more than halfway through, the Black and Gold should get used to life on the road as they only have 15 contests left at the Garden.

They head out tomorrow for a three-game trip against Metropolitan Division opponents starting with a visit to the Barclays Center on Saturday night (7, NESN) to face the Islanders (27-12-3). They are off on Sunday (when they should have been watching the Pats visit the Chiefs, sigh) but get a tricky back-to-back on Monday (7, NESN) at Philadelphia (23-15-6) followed by Columbus (21-15-8) the next night (7, NESN) to wrap things up. Boston's next home game is a week from tonight (7, NESN) against Pittsburgh (26-12-5) who has played well lately (7-2-1 in their last 10 games) even with superstar Sidney Crosby out for an extended period of time with a core muscle injury.

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The Bruins Return from Their Long Break, Go Toe-to-Toe With The Jets But Lose 4-3 In a Shootout

The Bruins (27-17-6) hadn't played a game in over a week and David Pastrnak was the only member of the team that went to the All-Star Game in San Jose last weekend so the team was understandably energized in their first game back tonight at TD Garden. Winnipeg (32-16-2)-the No. 2 team in the Western Conference-had lost 3-1 in Philadelphia (21-23-6) on Monday but they bounced back with a 4-3 shootout win against the B's. It hasn't been long or deep enough to be termed a tailspin but Boston is in a slight funk (1-2-2 in their last 5 games).

20-year-old Trent Frederic, Boston's first-round pick from 2016 (29th overall), made his NHL debut and it was a memorable one as he destroyed Brandon Tanev in a second period fight thus endearing himself to Bruins fans even if he never does a thing for the rest of his career (slight exaggeration but not really). Boston's first line was still dominant and they scored all three goals but it wasn't enough as the Jets rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits before surviving a third-period tying goal and overtime to come out with the two points. UMass-Lowell's Connor Hellebuyck (36 saves, 22-14-1) showed why he's thought of as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL while young left wing Kyle Connor scored two goals for Winnipeg plus he bagged the only goal in the shootout.

Tuukka Rask is on IR (concussion) but it sounds like he could return later this week. They need him too since Jaroslav Halak (24 saves, 13-8-3) lost for the fourth straight game that he's appeared in (including the relief outing for Rask after he got hurt vs. Rangers). It didn't take long for Patrice Bergeron (2 goals) to make his presence felt as he one-timed a pass from Brad Marchand (3 assists; 5-game point streak) and David Pastrnak for a 1-0 Bruins lead at 9:49 of the first period. Hellebuyck had stopped a similar shot initially but he had no chance on Bergeron's 15th goal of the season. The teams traded power play goals later in the frame as Josh Morrissey blasted a shot through traffic at 13:53 to make it 1-1. The criminally underrated Mark Scheifele had the lone assist on Morrissey's sixth goal of the season. The B's went into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead though thanks to Pastrnak's one-timer from Marchand and Torey Krug. Pasta's team-leading 28th goal of the season wasn't that different than the snipes that helped him win the shooting accuracy contest at the All-Star Game.

It took a little while for Winnipeg to find their legs (they were outshot 20-8 in the first period) but they woke up in the second period thanks to a pair of bouts: Kevan Miller vs. Adam Lowry and Frederic vs. Tanev. The Jets outshot the Bruins 9-5 in the second and that shift in momentum carried over to the third thanks to Connor. He scored a pair of goals 34 seconds apart, a swift kick to the groin of the Black and Gold who had three chances to pick him in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft but they passed each time, ugh. First he split the Bruins defense and finished a breakaway with a snap shot past Halak at 4:27. His 20th goal of the season was assisted by former Sabre Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot. Next, he found himself alone and front where he was able to roof a shot in from Scheifele and old friend Blake Wheeler (who is 2nd in the NHL with 53 assists!).

Bergeron saved the day as usual with another goal, this time at 11:39 which tied it at three. Marchand and Pastrnak had the assists on his one-timer that he didn't get much wood on but it still somehow went in. Boston had been 4-5 in overtime while Winnipeg was 6-1 but neither team generated too many great chances. In the shootout for Boston, Jake DeBrusk (picked ahead of Connor), Pastrnak (Hellebuyck made a beautiful stop with the toe of his skate) and Marchand were all unable to find the back of the net. Connor went first for the Jets, scored and that's all that they needed.

The B's get a chance at revenge on Thursday (7, NESN) as they host the Flyers (21-23-6) who beat them 4-3 on Jan. 16 in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia is still way behind Pittsburgh (26-17-6)-10 points to be exact-for the second Wild Card spot but they have won five games in a row after Tuesday's 1-0 victory at Madison Square Garden vs. Rangers (21-21-7). Hopefully, Rask is cleared to play and picks up where he left off. Halak isn't getting the job done right now and as we've seen for years, the team has less than zero confidence in Zane McIntyre (who was just called up from Providence on an emergency basis) to do anything at the NHL level.

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McAvoy Celebrates His 20th Birthday the Only Way He Knows How: By Winning a Hockey Game

I find it hard to fathom that many people have had a more memorable 20th birthday on this Earth than Bruins rookie stud Charlie McAvoy. He is not only one of the best young defensemen in the NHL but also one of the most electric players in general so it made perfect sense that he would play a key role in tonight's 2-1 shootout win vs. Winnipeg (20-10-6) at TD Garden. With the game on his stick in the fourth round (after Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers hit the post), McAvoy calmly fired a low shot past former UMass Lowell legend Connor Hellebuyck (32 saves).

The Jets have been one of the pleasant surprises in the NHL this season and even with this shootout loss, they are still tied with Nashville (21-8-4) and St. Louis (20-10-6) for first place in the Western Conference's mighty Central Division. Winnipeg's captain and leading scorer is old friend Blake Wheeler (9 goals, 32 assists) who unbeknownst to probably most of his haters in Boston has completely transformed his game into one of the top American players in the league. Tuukka Rask (season-high 37 saves, 10th win of the season) and Hellebuyck had the hockey equivalent of a pitcher's duel going as they went through the first two periods without allowing a goal.

Winnipeg superstar Patrik Laine hit the post in the first period with one of his patented snipes and you'll here more from him in a moment. Bruins defenseman Torey Krug finally broke the ice with an unassisted goal (his 6th of the season) at 8:16 of the third period. A loose puck was flung in his direction by a silly Jets defenseman and Krug made him pay with a blast from the point that finally eluded Hellebuyck. Less than a minute later (9:13 to be exact), Laine tied it up with his team-leading 18th goal of the season. Boston was in scramble mode and that's never a place you want to be in with Laine in your vicinity. He beat Rask top-shelf, assisted by Ehlers and Thrasher/Jet for life Bryan Little.

When it was officially going to overtime, you had to laugh since Boston was 1-4 in the extra frame this season which was a better record than Winnipeg's stinky 0-5. Both teams had some golden opportunities in overtime (Winnipeg outshot Boston 6-4 then and 38-33 for the entire contest) but ultimately this had to be decided by that cheesy format. Little went first for the Jets and scored while Marchand (playing through a nasty flu virus that forced teammates Riley Nash and Ryan Spooner to sit out tonight's action) was stopped. Laine couldn't find the back of the net again vs. his fellow Finn and David Pastrnak tied it up. Mark Scheifele and Patrice Bergeron couldn't convert in round three which sent it to round four.

The B's have a good thing going right now-7-2-1 in their last 10 games-and they have pulled within two points of the Leafs (21-14-1) for second-place in the Atlantic Division with a whopping three games in hand. Boston has one more tilt before Christmas break (when every club gets 3 days off) as they host sputtering Detroit (13-14-7) on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). A win there would be the perfect way to send the team into the holidays. David Krejci missed his third game in a row which meant that rookie center Colby Cave was an emergency recall from Providence this afternoon and he became the third Bruin to make his NHL debut this season (joining Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk). It's a tough call which Bruins goaltender should get the start against the Red Wings since Rask is 7-0-1 in his last eight games and backup Anton Khudobin is coming off a 36-save shutout of the pitiful Sabres (8-19-7) on Tuesday. Anything can happen in wacky Saturday afternoon games but whoever Cassidy chooses, shouldn't find it too difficult to get another two points for the Black and Gold.

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Bruins Skate to Just About the Easiest 4-1 Win that You've Ever Seen, Apparently Against the Jets

I'm told that Saturday night there were two NHL teams competing at TD Garden but from what I saw there was only one. Boston (11-7-0) beat Winnipeg (9-9-2) 4-1 which doesn't even do it justice since the Jets managed only 12 shots on goal (!) for the entire contest. That was the fewest that the B's had allowed since Nov. 24, 2001 (Toronto) and the fewest that an opponent had here since way back on Jan. 12, 1981 (Minnesota). We'll forgive Tuukka Rask (11 saves, 11-2-0) for not getting a shutout since he probably fell asleep in the crease multiple times. Boston picked up its third straight win at home which seems like way more than that if you remember how wretched they were at the Garden last season.

Boston outshot Winnipeg 14-4 in the first period and even had a two-man advantage for 33 seconds but the Jets escaped with a scoreless frame. They weren't so lucky in the second period as the Bruins blitzed them with three goals. Matt Beleskey scored on a one-timer (his 2nd goal of the season) from Joe Morrow and Dominic Moore at 2:01. Brad Marchand notched his sixth goal of the season at 11:37 after captain Zdeno Chara hit him with a perfect stretch pass off the boards. Marchand lost the puck for a split-second as he went from forehand to his backhand around former Bruin Michael Hutchinson (34 saves) but he was able to recover in time to sweep it in the corner of the net. The B's put it out of reach with Patrice Bergeron's power play goal at 17:00. The one-timer was Bergeron's third goal of the season (snapping a 6-game scoreless stretch) and it came on another 5-on-3 advantage, assisted by David Krejci and Chara.

The Jets hardly ever showed any life, as evidenced by the fact that they didn't record their 10th shot on goal until there was less than nine minutes left in regulation. They were somehow fooled again by another stretch pass as Torey Krug found Tim Schaller at 1:41 of the third period for a 4-0 lead. Schaller's third goal of the season was also assisted by Austin Czarnik. If Rask could have recorded another shutout, he would have been tied with Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk for the NHL lead. Instead, he'll have to settle for tied with Montreal's Carey Price for the most wins in the league. Your boy Adam Lowry displayed a sliver of pride for Winnipeg as he banged in a loose puck at 17:20. Rookie phenom Patrik Laine and Toby Enstrom each assisted on Lowry's fifth goal of the season.

The B's got back over .500 at home this season (4-3-0) and they'll hope to keep that rolling as they host the Blues (10-6-3) on Tuesday (7, NESN), the Flames (7-11-1) on Friday (7:30, NESN) and the Lightning (12-6-1) in next Sunday's matinee (1, NESN). Keep in mind between passing out in food coma glee on Thanksgiving night that the Bruins will be in Ottawa (10-7-1) that evening (7:30, NESN) to entertain us all. What says Happy Thanksgiving more than a game against the Senators? The meetings with St. Louis are always rare but usually solid (since they play very similar styles) plus this will be the first time that former Blues captain David Backes plays against his old team so that'll be interesting.

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Safe to Say That Wasn't Quite the Start That the Bruins Wanted to 2015-16

With their top two defensemen (Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg) sidelined for the start of the season, the Bruins' most glaring weakness became even more bleak. Their 6-2 loss to Winnipeg tonight at TD Garden will only increase the panic for Boston fans with high-octane Montreal (on Saturday night) and Tampa Bay (on Monday afternoon) coming to town this Columbus Day long weekend. Would you believe that the B's actually led 1-0 after a pretty decent first period?

Yeah, it was all downhill from there as the Jets outscored them 3-0 and scored three more in the third after Boston briefly cut it to 3-2. Tuukka Rask (26 saves) wasn't at fault so much as his awful defense which time and again let him down. Conversely, Boston generated plenty of scoring chances but couldn't finish (a huge problem last season) and therefore made Ondrej Pavelec (29 saves) look like a quality NHL goaltender which is not the easiest thing in the world to do.

Things began on a good note for the home team as David Krejci scored just 5:36 into the first. David Pastrnak stole the puck behind Winnipeg's net then passed to Krejci (with the help of a Jets' skate) and he calmly finished on his backhand. The goal was determined to be unassisted but I thought Pastrnak should have gotten credit for his hard work, oh well. The Jets tied it at 5:26 of the second period on a one-timer by Mark Scheifele from Dustin Byfuglien. Matt Irwin did not have a good debut for the Bruins as he was stripped of the puck leading directly to Winnipeg's second goal by Blake Wheeler (his one-timer was assisted by Andrew Ladd) at 9:17. The Jets punctuated a strong frame with tic-tac-toe passing that ended with a goal by former Sabre Drew Stafford, assisted by Adam Lowry and Ben Chiarot at 17:39.

To Boston's credit they came out with some energy to start the third and were quickly rewarded as David Pastrnak scored on a sweet wrist shot that beat Pavelec up high from a tight angle. Matt Beleskey (his 1st point as a Bruin) and Kevan Miller had the helpers on what was the first of hopefully many goals by the young Czech winger. As fast as you could say we miss Johnny Boychuk, the Jets put it away with a pair of goals. Irwin got caught up ice leading to a 2-on-1 break for Winnipeg and Chris Thorburn's shot went in Boston's net off of Krejci's stick (similar to an own goal in soccer) at 5:17. If that wasn't ugly enough, rookie Nicolas Petan scored in his first career game when fellow rookie Andrew Copp's pass bounced in off the heel of his skate at 9:51. Burmistrov's empty-netter with 3:38 left in regulation sent the disappointed Bruins fans streaming for the exits.

Montreal kicked off its campaign with a 3-1 win at Toronto last night. They will be well rested and ready to go on Saturday against their bitter rivals that they have owned for the last couple years. If we're being positive, things can't get much worse for the Bruins than they were this evening. Then again, the Canadiens are expected to be one of if not the top team in the Eastern Conference yet again so it could very well be another blowout on Causeway Street on Saturday (7, NESN). Just in case, you better start drinking early this weekend to ease the possible pain.

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Bruins Close Out November With 2-1 Overtime Win Against the Jets

With all their injuries and poor individual performances, it is remarkable that Boston still managed to go 8-3-1 in November. The Bruins (14-9-1) wrapped up the month with a sometimes thrilling but mostly dull 2-1 overtime triumph vs. the Jets (12-9-4) at TD Garden. Dougie Hamilton's first career overtime goal was the difference as Boston left for a critical four-game West Coast trip on a high note.

None of that would have been possible if the B's penalty kill hadn't been successful at the end of regulation (and 30 seconds into OT) after Brad Marchand took a high sticking double minor. Tuukka Rask (35 saves) also was a hair better than former Providence Bruin Michael Hutchinson (36 saves) who has emerged as Winnipeg's No. 1 goaltender this season.

The Jets took a 1-0 lead at 16:24 of the first period on monster Dustin Byfuglien's power play goal. His shot from the point got by Rask after it deflected off Matt Bartkowski's knee pad. It was Byfuglien's fourth goal of the season, assisted by Evander Kane and Mark Scheifele.

There was some question as to if Boston would ever answer this evening but Milan Lucic tied it 3:05 into the final frame. For the second straight game, he scored a goal as he gets used to life on a line with Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson. Soderberg threw it in front and Lucic drove the net so he was able to redirect it past Hutchinson for a pretty tally, his fifth of the season. Hamilton had the second assist on that goal.

Hamilton's goal was also a good one as Soderberg worked it back to him and his shot fluttered past Hutchinson up high. It was his fifth goal of the season and Eriksson had the other assist on it.

Boston is off until Monday but that comes with a major caveat since their game in Anaheim (10, NESN) kicks off a three-games in four-nights stretch and four-games in six-days. It is a brutal trip against the Ducks (14-5-5), Kings (12-6-5), Sharks (10-10-4) and Coyotes (9-11-3). San Jose and Arizona are both pretty mediocre but unfortunately those come at the back end of their week in California and Arizona. Maybe they can shack up with the Patriots who will be hanging out there before their meeting with the Chargers?

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Anybody But Blake Wheeler, I Beg Of You

The Bruins pissed away a chance to be tied for first place in the Northeast Division tonight in Winnipeg. Boston (19-6-3) held a shaky 1-0 lead in the third period but the Jets (16-12-2) scored three times (including an empty-netter) in the final 8:16 for a 3-1 win at the MTS Centre. The Jets had 16 more hits than the Bruins (33-17), a disparity that never happens to the B's in that manner.

In not even three weeks, Boston has somehow managed to blow leads in the third period four times. For comparison's sake, they didn't do that once last season (32-0-0) when leading after two periods. Ugh. Well at least former Bruin Blake Wheeler scored twice for Winnpeg, oh wait that just makes me more depressed since he was a complete stiff in Black and Gold.

Offense was a real struggle for the B's with David Krejci out and their defense wasn't helped by the fact that Adam McQuaid hurt his shoulder in the first period and never returned. Boston had been lucky for the first month plus not to suffer any injuries but now they are coming nearly every game (Kelly, Krejci, McQuaid). Ryan Spooner, playing his second NHL game, couldn't coax anything out of Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic while the third line continued to exist solely on the side of milk cartons (they still have those right?).

Boston's lone goal was truthfully a gift since a pass around the boards ended up on Brad Marchand's stick alone in front of the Jets' goal. He deposited his team-high 13th of the season in eight seconds, the fastest goal to start a period for the B's all season. After that, Ondrej Pavelec (27 saves) put the clamps on while Tuukka Rask (22 saves; 14-4-3) allowed a tip-in by Wheeler at 11:44 to tie it. Jordan Caron's bonehead hooking penalty made him the goat on that play. Rask had to do better on the game-winner when he couldn't squeeze Grant Clitsome's (poor guy) shot and Evander Kane was there for the rebound 57 seconds after Wheeler's goal.

This is the first time in 2013 that Boston has lost consecutive games in regulation. They will look to regroup in Ottawa on Thursday (7:30 p.m., NESN) against the Senators (16-8-6, 3rd in Northeast Division) who continue to defy the odds by hanging in there despite all their calamitous injuries. Ottawa only trails Boston by three points heading into that game and the B's have won the first two games (in OT and a shootout) but then again, they had won the first two meetings with Winnipeg before this evening.

UPDATE 3/21: McQuaid has a left shoulder strain and he's expected to miss 3-4 weeks. I suppose it could have been worse but that's another obstacle for the Bruins to overcome in the injury department. That means Aaron Johnson will be on the third defensive pair with Andrew Ference.

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The Bruins Do Just Enough To Come Away With A 3-2 Victory In Winnipeg

It wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination or even pretty really but what do you expect when you play such a nondescript and boring bunch like the Jets? The Bruins (9-2-2) won 3-2 tonight at Winnipeg's (5-8-1) MTS Centre. After opening their five-game road trip with a weird 4-2 loss to the Sabres on Friday, this was a nice way to respond against a bad team.

Boston rallied twice as Winnipeg jumped out to a 1-0 lead and 2-1 advantage before Brad Marchand scored the game-winner on a Bruins power play. Yes, a power play. Tuukka Rask (7-1-2; 22 saves) outdueled the immortal Ondrej Pavelec (23 saves) and received a fine stroke of luck when Winnipeg's chance in the dying seconds of the game literally rolled across the goal line but not in. Whew.

The Jets scored both goals on sloppy work by the Bruins defense-something that is sadly becoming a pattern in the last few weeks. Alex Burmistrov was positioned right by Rask to put a rebound in at 1:43 of the second period for a 1-0 Winnipeg lead. Tyler Seguin (remember him?) tied it at 10:57 after tipping Zdeno Chara's shot from the point for his third goal of the season. Patrice Bergeron had the second assist but Seguin deserves credit for battling all game and going into the corners (for once) to dig out loose pucks. Finally, he seemed engaged and it might have been his best game of the season.

The last 27 seconds of the second period was bananas as the kids like to say since Evander Kane scored on another rebound by Rask-this time Nathan Horton got caught napping in coverage-at 19:37. It looked like the B's would head into the dressing room with a 2-1 deficit but mighty Daniel Paille tied it with his second goal of the season, a fancy tip in of Johnny Boychuk's shot from the point. Chris Kelly had the other assist at 19:58 as Boston was completely revived.

Marchand earned a tripping call on Ron Hainsey nine seconds into the third period and it should have been a penalty shot as well. Thankfully, we don't have to bitch about or even remember that non-call since Marchand scored 27 seconds later from Bergeron and Chris Bourque. Marchand's backhander (his team-leading eighth goal of the season) gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead which was all they needed.

Up next, Boston visits Tampa Bay's (7-6-1, 2nd Southeast Division) on Thursday night (7:30 p.m., NESN) at Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Lightning are the highest scoring team in the NHL (3.9 goals per game) but they have been wildly inconsistent since their goaltending (Anders Lindback and Mathieu Garon) has been bipolar. Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis are both tied for third in the NHL with 21 points. These teams would have met last Saturday but the blizzard forced the game to be moved to April 25 at TD Garden.

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Bruins Hold Off Jets 2-1 In Shootout, Start 2-0 For The First Time In 11 Years

After the excitement of Opening Night against the Rangers wore off, the Bruins (2-0-0) lacked the jump & ruthless skill of that win but they still managed to find a way to beat the Jets (0-1-1) 2-1 in a shootout this afternoon at TD Garden.

Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron had the goals in the shootout and Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (2-0-0) made 26 saves plus two vital stops in the shootout to earn full two points.

Winnipeg actually scored 1:58 into the game as something called Chris Thorburn (1st of the season) followed a rebound from Paul Postma's shot from the point. Jim Slater had the other assist.

Brad Marchand (1st of the season) tied it at 14:12 off a spectacular feed from Tyler Seguin, who had stolen the puck in Winnipeg's zone then dished it to Marchand for an easy tap-in past Ondrej Pavelec (26 saves).

Both teams mostly sleepwalked through the rest of the contest, the B's somehow hit the post a whopping four times. It's hard to explain how a team could be so good on the penalty kill (9 for 9 this season) yet so awful on the power play (0 for 9) but that's the Bruins for you. Their penalty kill really bailed them out today, not allowing a goal even when Winnipeg had two power plays in overtime.

Besides Rask (who's given up two goals in 125 minutes), Dougie Hamilton has to be the biggest positive so far for Boston. With Dennis Seidenberg (lower body injury) out this afternoon, the rookie skated with Zdeno Chara and ended up with the second-most ice time on the team (23:27). Plus, the first line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton hasn't racked up the points yet but they've had tons of chances which is a good sign.

Boston is at New York's (0-2-0) Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m., NBCSN), a game which the Rangers desperately need after getting blown out (6-3) by Pittsburgh on their home ice Sunday night. An 0-3 start for an Eastern Conference heavyweight would be rough.

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You Know The Bruins Are In Trouble When They Make Blake Wheeler Look Good

It's been over a month (Jan. 10 & 12) since the Boston Bruins last won two games in a row.

Their inconsistent stretch of play continued on Friday night as they lost for the second time this season in Winnipeg. Former Bruin Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists as the Jets (28-26-6) kept their playoff push going with a 4-2 win at the MTS Centre.

The Bruins (35-19-2) couldn't use the momentum from their shootout win in Montreal on Wednesday as they crumbled in the NHL's smallest but likely loudest arena.

The season series ends 2-2 as both teams won twice on their home ice.

Tuukka Rask (21 saves; 11-8-2) showed why his starts have been diminishing lately as he dropped his fifth straight decision.

Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec (31 saves) shut the door as Boston tied it up twice but never led. Bryan Little put it away with the game-winner and an insurance tally in the third period.

Alex Burmistrov (12th of the season) opened the scoring for the Jets at 1:59 of the second. His wrist shot up high and glove side, caught Rask by surprise or at least that's how it looked. It was a shot I'm sure Rask would like to have back as it seemed to eat him up. Former Bruin Mark Stuart and Kyle Wellwood had the assists.

Mr. Invisible Jordan Caron (3rd of the season) finally did something as he sniped a goal at 6:10 from Chris Kelly. I had no idea he had that type of shot, maybe because he's never taken one outside of five feet from the net.

Wheeler (11th of the season), aka Mr. Offsides in his Bruin days, made it 2-1 at 15:50 when his wrist shot went through Rask's five-hole. Dustin Byfuglien and Evander Kane assisted on another one that Rask should stop if he wants to be considered a No. 1 goaltender.

David Krejci (12th of the season) picked up his first point in eight games when he tied it at two 49 seconds into the third. Tyler Seguin and Milan Lucic had the assists as Krejci put it over Pavelec from in tight. Maybe that will get him going, he's done nothing since Nathan Horton went out of the lineup.

Little's first goal (15th of the season) was the fault of Boston's defense as they all watched as he went for the rebound, untouched, and flipped it by Rask. Wheeler and Andrew Ladd assisted on that at 4:16.

Just 2:04 later, Little sealed it off a nice feed from Wheeler. Tobias Enstrom had the other assist.

Patrice Bergeron had a great chance to cut it to a one-goal game after that but he shot it right in Pavelec's glove.

The B's face the Minnesota Wild for the only time this season on Sunday afternoon (3:30 on NBC) in the Twin Cities. Boston needs to sure up many things: their leaky defense, their goaltending and they need to put the puck in the net more often. Other than that, things are going swell.

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Winnipeg Blows Three Leads, Loses 5-3 To The Bruins Thanks To A 3-goal 3rd Period

On the surface, a home game against the Winnipeg Jets in January doesn't sound like anything special for a Boston Bruins fan. However, tonight was a prime example of how when you tune in on any given night, you can see something remarkable.

The Bruins (27-11-1) rallied three times against the Jets (20-17-5) and outscored them 3-0 in the third period to post a 5-3 win at TD Garden but all anyone will remember is Shawn Thornton's performance.

This was the first of five games that Boston didn't have Brad Marchand. It didn't seem to matter as like they have all season, the Bruins found a way to get it done despite missing a key player.

Boston's main enforcer-Thornton-earned a penalty shot in the second period after jumping out of the penalty box and collecting the puck. I admit that the holding call that led to the penalty shot was pretty lame but it was no worse than the same bizarre whistle for hooking that led to Winnipeg's Chris Thorburn taking a penalty shot in the first period.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (29 saves; 10-4-1) stuffed Thorburn's weak backhand attempt but Thornton managed to beat Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec (37 saves) with a nifty toe-drag, dangle and a hard backhander. It was a special moment for Thornton, his fourth goal of the season tied it at two while Boston was shorthanded.

Jets captain Andrew Ladd (14th of the season) gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead at 16:53 in the first period when he tipped in a shot from the point by Zach Bogosian.

Nathan Horton (13th of the season) tied it at one at 19:20 thanks to his net drive and a crisp feed from Milan Lucic (2 assists). Linemate David Krejci (2 assists; points in nine straight games) had the other assist.

The second period was a big one for former Bruins as Blake Wheeler put the Jets ahead 2-1 and Mark Stuart fought Thornton in a lengthy brawl. Wheeler's (9th of the season) tip in 31 seconds into the frame was thanks to Tobias Enstrom's shot.

After Thornton tied it then squared off with Stuart, the Jets took their final lead at 11:11 as Eric Fehr (1st of the season) took advantage of a bad giveaway in his own end by Joe Corvo. Fehr's shot also deflected off Corvo's skate past Rask.

It only took 6:41 into the third for the B's to vault ahead by two. This should come as no surprise since Boston is statistically the best third period team in the NHL (+37 goal differential after tonight). Horton scored eight seconds into the period after another easy tap in from close range. Krejci had the primary assist with Lucic providing the other assist.

Tyler Seguin (17th of the season) electrified the Garden with a game-winning goal at 3:06. Patrice Bergeron (2 assists) won the puck at the blue line and sent Seguin into the zone with a step on Winnipeg's defense. He didn't disappoint by tucking a backhander past Pavelec.

For good measure, Benoit Pouliot (8th of the season) made it 5-3 with a power-play tally at 6:41 from Bergeron and Rich Peverley. Pouliot's first shot hit the post but it bounced back to him and he was able to fight off a defenseman and scored on the rebound.

Montreal returns to the Garden and things haven't gotten any better for the Habs since they last appeared in Boston, a 3-2 loss on December 19. They are in last place in the Northeast Division and 12th place overall in the Eastern Conference. After losing the first two in the series, the Bruins have won the past two contests. The February 15th game in Montreal is the last regular season meeting and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there will be no chance to see the Canadiens in the playoffs.

This means, we should all savor Thursday night when a rested Tim Thomas will get a chance to shutdown Monteal. It wraps up a four-game homestand for the Bruins, all against Canadian opponents.

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The Greatest Night In Winnipeg Sports History: Jets Knock Off Bruins, 2-1, Snapping 15-Game Point Streak

By playing the second night of a back-to-back (after a late night flight to Winnipeg from Pittsburgh) and without Tyler Seguin (who was benched for missing a team breakfast), the Boston Bruins had every excuse to roll over to the Jets at MTS Centre tonight.

The B's (17-8-1) ultimately lost 2-1 to the Jets (12-11-4) but in defeat, they showed the balls of a champion (which they are, duh). After going 14-0-1 in their past 15 games, Boston tasted its first regulation loss since way back on Oct. 29 (in Montreal).

It took the game of Ondrej Pavelec's life (season-high 39 saves) to stave off Boston as they did everything but score the tying goal in the third period. The Bruins outshot the Jets 40-35 but it felt like even more than that, NESN keeps track of chances and there's no doubt Boston owned that category.

Tuukka Rask (33 saves; 4-4-1) was the toughluck loser as he was victimized by a shot he should have stopped and then a defensive lapse from his normally air-tight teammates.

Former Blackhawk and current Jets captain Andrew Ladd (9th of the season) beat Rask at 18:21 of the first period on a snipe that truthfully Rask could have stopped if he hugged the post better. Johnny Oduya and Pavelec assisted on that goal.

For the second night in a row, the fourth line for the Bruins came up with a vital goal. This time it was Shawn Thornton (2nd of the season) doing the honors as he tied it up at one, 3:16 into the third period. Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell assisted on a goal that I believe deflected off Thornton's hand.

Only 1:34 later, Bryan Little won a face-off then skated into the Boston zone unabated since Boston defenseman Joe Corvo got caught up ice. Little's goal (his 8th of the season) was unassisted and it turned out to be the game-winner.

The B's come home to face the surprise team of the Eastern Conference and probably the NHL in general, the Florida Panthers, on Thursday at TD Garden. The game should be a good early season litmus test to show if the Panthers are contenders or just Toronto South from the Southeast Division.

Seguin should be in the lineup assuming he doesn't skip out on Claude Julien's omelets on Thursday in Boston. Likewise, Tim Thomas most likely will get the start after getting a breather tonight.

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Bruins Spot The Jets An Early 2-0 Lead But Eventually Rally For A 4-2 Win

After their 10-game winning streak was snapped yesterday afternoon against the Detroit Red Wings, it was predictable that the Boston Bruins would suffer a bit of an emotional letdown as the Winnipeg Jets made their first visit since the franchise moved from Atlanta.

It was a homecoming of sorts as former B's Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart returned to TD Garden after getting shipped out before last season's trade deadline. The Jets (9-10-4) scored two goals halfway through the first period for a 2-0 lead but the Bruins (14-7-1) woke up in time to notch a 4-2 win thanks to four unanswered goals.

Boston has now picked up points in 12 straight games, their longest streak since 2004.

Chris Kelly was the first star thanks to two goals and nearly the hat trick on an empty netter. Tim Thomas (11-4-0) shook off the rough start to record 40 saves.

Evander Kane (10th of the season) gave the Jets a 1-0 lead at 9:31 by driving to the net and tucking a pretty backhander past Thomas. Dustin Byfuglien and Wheeler had the assists.

39 seconds later, Byfuglien (5th of the season) made it 2-0 with a seemingly harmless shot from the point. The problem for Thomas was that he was screened and probably never saw the puck until it was too late. Jim Slater (great name) and Jason Jaffrey had the assists.

At that point, Bruins head coach Claude Julien smartly took a timeout to settle his team down. They had completely sleepwalked through the first 10 minutes and paid dearly for it. Thankfully, the B's woke up after that.

Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec (32) is one of the worst starters in the NHL so it wasn't a shock that Boston eventually found some holes in his pads. Winnipeg actually outshot Boston 42-36 but after that early flurry, it felt like the Bruins had way more chances.

Zdeno Chara (4th of the season) cut it to 2-1 at 16:38 with a power-play goal from David Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg. In live action and when I saw the replay, I thought Milan Lucic tipped it but regardless, he got in Pavelec's way which was good enough. It was big for Boston to get a goal before the period ended so they didn't have to stare at a 2-0 deficit any longer.

The B's went ahead with a pair of goals in a great second period. Another special teams tally, this time shorthanded at 7:28 tied it up as Chris Kelly (8th of the season) was the beneficiary of some great individual work by Rich Peverley. Peverley worked around a Jets defenseman, went to the net and while his shot was saved, the rebound popped right out to Kelly. All he had to do was tap it in.

Kelly scored the game-winner at 16:26 thanks to a one-timer. Benoit Pouliot had the main assist, finding Kelly with a cross-ice feed that he slammed in. Peverley notched the second assist.

In the third, Thomas kept his team in the lead with a couple outstanding kick saves before Brad Marchand (8th of the season) ended it with an empty netter at 18:51.

Boston closes out November (crazy right?) on Wednesday with a game in Toronto. Then the Maple Leafs come to the Garden on Saturday night. In their two previous meetings so far this season, the Bruins are 2-0 and have outscored the Leafs 13-2. We can only hope they keep that insane pace up against Phil Kessel and Co.

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