Left Wing Brad Marchand Is Rightfully Named The 27th Captain In The History Of The Boston Bruins

 

    Ever since longtime Bruins center and captain Patrice Bergeron officially retired earlier this summer, the obvious question for the team was who would be the next captain of the B's? Fittingly, as training camp opened for Boston this morning at the Warrior Ice Arena in Boston, they unveiled their new captain on social media: left wing Brad Marchand aka Bergy's best friend. Looking back, there really should not have been that much debate on this subject since Brad is the right choice for a number of reasons. Additionally, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and right wing David Pastrnak were named alternate captains for the Bruins ahead of their new era in the 2023-24 season. 

    Most team sports choose captains but I will always subscribe to hockey being the one where it is a more important distinction than any other (with football being second but slightly deluded since teams have a bunch of captains instead of a singular one based on the huge team size). There is a certain honor and prestige about being named the captain of an NHL club that is different from any other. This is not simply about being the best player (cough cough high school) or the oldest/longest tenured (although Marchy does check both of those boxes too), rather it is a combination of leadership, playing ability, a go-to voice for the media (local and national) and overall professionalism in the community. As you would expect for an Original Six team, Boston has been blessed with so many excellent captains over the years with defenseman Zdeno Chara (2006-20) and Bergeron (2021-23) being the recent exemplary guys to fill that lofty position.

    Marchand's growth as a player and a human being has been something to behold. At the age of 35, it is amazing how far he has come in all ways since being drafted by the Bruins in 2006 (3rd Round, 71st overall). It is hard to believe the same maniac that used to lick opponents, who loved nothing more than a good slew foot or cheap shot and always got fined or suspended a few times per season is now this refined person. Everyone grows up at some point (at least you hope so) and just imagine that you had to do so in the public eye. While I am not sure exactly how the Bruins determined the captaincy-I bet it was due to coach and player input-this was a no-brainer.  

    Brad has always been hilarious (like stand-up comic level quality) and he does not shy away from talking after a tough loss but this shows how he has come full circle. He is no longer the scrappy underdog that was happy to play in whatever role as he made an unexpected impact on the 2011 Stanley Cup champions. He is a world class player and this shows how his teammates, coaching staff and front office-the most important people that you work with as a professional athlete-truly think of him. Likewise, being an alternate captain does not carry nearly the same cache as being the captain in hockey but for younger players like McAvoy and Pastrnak, this is a good sign that they are doing the right things behind the scenes coupled with their high level performances on the ice that we can all see for ourselves. Lastly, the lack of racial diversity in the NHL is horrible but at least these three guys are from different countries: Canada (Marchand), United States (McAvoy) & Czech Republic (Pastrnak).

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

 

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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. 

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!

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A Slow Start Doesn't Doom the Bruins as They Find A Way to Hold Off the Free-Falling Sabres, 3-2

The Sabres (10-9-3) got off to a fantastic start this season but they have predictably dropped off a cliff the last few weeks so they served as the perfect foil for the Bruins (14-3-5) tonight at TD Garden as they try to get back into a groove. Buffalo scored first and outshot Boston 12-0 to begin the tilt before the Bruins woke up with three straight goals en route to hanging on for dear life in a harder-than-it-should-have-been 3-2 victory for the home team. Believe it or not, the B's actually haven't lost in regulation at the Garden in 2019-20 (8-0-4) and they improved to 3-0-3 in their past six games. On the other side, the Sabres dropped to 1-7-2 in their last 10 games.

Brad Marchand scored two goals, David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist while Danton Heinen added two assists but there was no question that as Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy pointed out after the game, Tuukka Rask (36 saves) was Boston's best player. Rask is now 10-2-0 this season and he faced a barrage of pucks for most of the contest as Buffalo outshot Boston 38-27 including 17-4 in the first period and 14-9 in the third period. Boston's power play only got two opportunities but they managed to convert on both of them with tallies from Marchand in the second period and Pastrnak early in the third. Along the way, Rask also made one of the best saves of his career as he robbed BU's Evan Rodrigues with a diving stop across the goal mouth that ended with the puck hitting him on the underside of his blocker. Check the interwebs for it!

Buffalo came in with a terrible power play (ranked #24 in the NHL) but they scored on their first one 5:25 into the contest. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen parked his large Finnish body (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) in front of Rask and he was able to stuff in a loose puck. North Chelmsford's Jack Eichel and Victor Oloffson had the assists on Ristolainen's first goal of the campaign. Eichel leads the Sabres with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) and he's one of the best players in the league with nine points (6 goals, 3 assists) in his last six games. He is signed with Buffalo for years to come but you wonder how many more of these fruitless seasons with no playoffs that he can take before he starts to lose his mind. As a local guy (that won the Hobey Baker in his 1 brilliant season at BU), you hope that at some point he can be surrounded by teammates, coaches and a front office worthy of his incredible talent.

The Bruins tied it up on their second shot on goal of the game: Marchand cruised in front of Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark (24 saves, 4-5-1) and he tipped in Zdeno Chara's shot from the point. Pasta had the second assist on Brad's 14th goal of the season. That goal woke the B's up and the crowd got fired up to another level after that as Chris Wagner sort of dropped the gloves with Curtis Lazar after the latter poked Rask who had covered up the puck for a face-off. Boston was lucky that it remained 1-1 after 20 minutes but they came out a much better team in the second period. They outshot the Sabres 14-7 and went ahead 2-1 at 14:45 on Marchand's power play strike. He put in a rebound, assisted by Matt Grzelcyk and Heinen. Marchand is proving that last year's 100 points (a 1st in his NHL career) was no fluke as he has nine points (5 goals, 4 assists) in his last six games and 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in his last 21 games. You don't have to be a Bruins honk to see that he's a top star in the NHL.

The B's were up 2-1 after two periods and that advantage increased to 3-1 at 1:56 of the third. Pasta's power play goal was pretty similar to Marchand's, he put in a loose puck with assists going to Heinen and Patrice Bergeron (who returned after missing 2 games with a lower-body injury). Pasta leads the NHL with 20 goals and he became the fastest Bruin to reach 20 goals since Cam Neely in 1993-94 (who did it in 19 games). Ironically, Rask's worst moment of the evening came very shortly after that show-stopping save. UMass alum and defenseman Brandon Montour beat him from way out with a shot that simply appeared to elude Rask's glove. Montour's second goal of the season was at 12:58, assisted by another Minuteman Brandon Sheary and Rasmus Dahlin. Buffalo had three guys named Rasmus in the lineup tonight, don't forget Rasmus Asplund their fourth line center. Even stranger than that is the fact they come from three different places: Ristolainen is from Finland, Dahlin is from Sweden and Asplund is from Minnesota.

Charlie McAvoy had a wonderful chance to put the game on ice/get his first goal of the season but his backhander on a breakaway went wide of the net. This meant that Boston had to sweat out the last few minutes of regulation, including Ullmark getting pulled for an extra skater but luckily for them, they weren't facing the Capitals or another high-caliber team that could make them pay for allowing a whopping 69 (hi Gronk!) shot attempts (38 on goal, 17 blocked, 14 missed net). It certainly wasn't pretty like their 5-1 blowout in New Jersey on Tuesday but the Bruins will happily take those two points thank you kindly. Another cupcake comes to the Garden on Saturday night (7, NESN) in the form of the Wild (9-11-2)-the second worst team in the Western Conference. Minnesota has won its past two games and they are 5-3-2 in their last 10 which should show you just how terrible they were to start this season.

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Everybody Knows That A Four-Goal Lead Is the Most Dangerous One In Hockey, Wait What?

It's hard for a single sporting event (played early in the regular season) to create a wider range of emotions than what the Bruins (11-3-4) and Panthers (9-4-5) produced tonight at TD Garden for Military Appreciation Night. The first period might have been the most boring in NHL history (slight exaggeration but it was scoreless with 12 combined shots) but the B's followed that with four goals in a thrilling second period for what should always be an insurmountable 4-0 advantage. However, Florida responded with not one, not two (LeBron voice), not three but four goals in the third to send it to overtime. It was a thrilling five minutes that sadly lacked a goal, setting the stage for yet another shootout loss for the Black and Gold (their 2nd in 3 nights and 3rd of the season), 5-4.

Where to begin? Outside of the playoffs-which are a whole other ball of wax-it's tough to picture the Bruins suffering a worse loss from now until mid-April 2020 when the regular season mercifully ends. The Panthers should be commended for rallying behind backup goaltender Sam Montembeault (15 saves) who came on in relief of Sergei Bobrovsky (19 saves, 4 goals allowed) who was pulled after two periods. Still, Florida isn't exactly Washington or St. Louis, they are probably a fringe playoff team in the Eastern Conference at best. This also painfully extended Boston's losing streak to four games (0-2-2) although they've taken single points in the last two not that anybody feels too thrilled about that.

Every team has bad stretches and maybe that's the biggest explanation at the moment for the B's. The injuries that keep piling up especially to their forwards can't help either: Zach Senyshyn left tonight's game with a knee injury that hopefully isn't too serious since he's looked pretty promising in four games since being recalled from Providence. This is a club that prides itself on closing out games and with so many dependable veterans in the lineup, losses like tonight are super rare but incredibly painful.

The first omen that it was going to be a wacky night was when the lights conveniently went out for a few seconds early in the second period when Florida happened to have the puck in a dangerous scoring position. After Bobrovsky made a few quality saves, Boston found a way to bombard him with four goals just 7:36 apart from the middle of the frame to near the end of it. Obviously David Pastrnak opened the barrage with his NHL-best 16th goal of the season at 11:55. Bergeron had picked off the puck at center ice and fed him for a 2-on-1 with Brad Marchand. In his second game back after missing eight of nine with an elbow infection, Joakim Nordstrom made it 2-0 Bruins at 14:02 with a low snipe on Bobrovsky. Charlie Coyle had the lone assist on Nordy's second goal of the season. Anders Bjork's power play goal at 17:16 was I'm sure the one that Sergei would like to have back since he tipped it with his glove but couldn't snap it closed in time. David Krejci and Marchand had the assists on Bjork's third goal of the season. Finally, the captain Zdeno Chara flipped in a loose puck and topped that off with Jake DeBrusk's (a nice tribute to a sidelined buddy) signature celebration for a 4-0 Bruins lead at 19:31. Krejci had the primary assist after Bobrovsky flat out robbed him and Danton Heinen had the secondary assist on Chara's third goal of the season.

Tuukka Rask's (25 saves, 7-2-2) shutout bid ended 50 seconds into the third period as Aaron Ekblad cranked a one-timer past him. Milton MA native and Cushing Academy alum Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov had the assists on Ekblad's second goal of the season. That didn't seem like a big deal until Boston was whistled for a couple shaky penalties (slashing on Chris Wagner and hooking on Sean Kuraly) that ended up both costing them dearly. UMass alum, Longmeadow MA native and former Bruin Frank Vatrano cut Boston's lead to 4-2 at 5:26 with a one-timer that he snuck under Rask's leg pads. Jonathan Huberdeau had the lone assist on Vatrano's sixth goal of the season. The wheels really started to come off for the B's and the crowd got understandably nervous when Rask gave up his extra soft goal of the game. Mike Hoffman tried to backhand a pass across the crease but it ended up in the back of the net, an unforgivable mistake for Tuukka (which will surely serve as fresh kindling for his usual haters). Hoffman's seventh goal of the season was assisted by Yandle and Huberdeau.

Boston seemed to finally regain some semblance of balance as Coyle hit the crossbar then Sean Kuraly drew a tripping penalty on his former linemate and PC icon Noel Acciari. Florida's penalty kill unit survived that one though and Yandle unbelievably tied it up when he roofed the puck past Rask at 18:21. A huge defensive breakdown led to his second goal of the season, assisted by Barkov and Huberdeau (the 1st star of the game). I'm not going to say it was a foregone conclusion at that juncture since Marchand had a breakaway in overtime (and Rask also stopped Hoffman's breakaway) but when it got to the shootout, you felt like Boston's kryptonite would get them once again like it had on Sunday night vs. Philadelphia. This time they did get a goal in the shootout (Coyle in the 3rd round to extend it) but lost in the fourth round as Hoffman scored and Charlie McAvoy did not. Vincent Trocheck provided the other shootout goal for Florida in the second round.

There is no practice tomorrow for the Bruins which honestly is a good thing since I'm sure the last thing they want to do is get yelled at by the coaching staff for a few hours after this debacle. Instead, they'll be back on the ice on Thursday before traveling to Toronto (9-6-4) for another showdown with the Maple Leafs on Friday (7, NESN). That is sure to be an emotional and competitive game with an even better team-the Capitals (13-2-4)-waiting for them at the Garden on Saturday night (7, NESN). Eventually, Boston will get itself out of this funk and against the Leafs would be as good a time as any to look like themselves again. They have already split the first two games with them this season with each team winning on its home ice. The Caps are another story since no team has owned the Bruins for years quite like them but we'll deal with that come Saturday morning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Home Sweet Home: B's Perfect Start at TD Garden Continues (4-0-0) with a 3-0 Shutout of Flyers

The Bruins (6-2-2) hadn't played at TD Garden in nearly two weeks and they were returning from a bumpy road trip to Western Canada (1-1-2) but you wouldn't know that by the workman-like routine beating of the Flyers (4-6-0) 3-0 this evening. With the win, Boston extended its overall point streak to eight games over Philadelphia (6-0-2) while its home point streak vs. the Flyers is even two games longer (9-0-1).

If you've been paying attention in the early going so far this season, you know that "backup" goaltender Jaroslav Halak has greatly outplayed "starter" Tuukka Rask for Boston. Halak's impressive start to his Bruins career continued as he made 26 saves in his second shutout of the season (the 44th of his NHL career). Zdeno Chara scored two goals, Jacob DeBrusk had the other tally and rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon made his NHL debut. All in all it was a fun night for the Black and Gold as they celebrated "Hockey Fights Cancer."

After a dull first period that featured no goals and both teams could only muster seven shots on goal apiece, the Captain got the party started as Chara's blast from the point found a hole through Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (22 saves) at 13:00 of the second period. Danton Heinen had the lone assist on Chara's second goal of the season. Coming into the game, Boston's power-play unit was ranked sixth in the NHL while Philadelphia's penalty-kill unit was 30th (next to last) in the entire league. Predictably, those trends came to life as DeBrusk's goal at 17:28 of the second was of the power play variety. David Krejci provided a pretty saucer pass that DeBrusk was able to deflect in for his third goal of the season. Oddly enough, he doesn't have any assists yet this year and his other two goals both came in the same contest (10/13 vs. Detroit). Forced into duty with Kevan Miller and Charlie McAvoy out, Steven Kampfer had the secondary assist on DeBrusk's goal which also marked his first point as a Bruin since Jan. 24, 2012 (he's been gone for a long time).

Things got sketchy in the third as Philadelphia was called for six penalties and Boston had four. Kampfer kinda sorta fought Scott Laughton, twice in fact. The first time, Wayne Simmonds came over in the late going and punched Kampfer but somehow only got two minutes for roughing. Chara's second goal was technically on the power play but it always feels a little dirty to say that since it was also an empty-netter (with 22.9 seconds left in regulation). Halak completed his Tour De Force performance with the lone assist on Chara's end-to-end bomb (he shot the puck from his own end boards)-his first point as a Bruin.

Montreal (5-2-2) was expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL in 2018-19 but as you can tell by their record, they're off a surprisingly solid start (despite tonight's 4-3 loss in Buffalo). With a 7 pm start on NESN this Saturday night at the Garden, the first installment of B's-Habs this season will mostly go up against Game 4 of the Red Sox-Dodgers World Series (8:09 1st pitch) which is a shame. Keep in mind (for your remote) that the hockey game will be going on while you suffer through the endless commercials on Fox during the baseball game. With Halloween right around the corner, it'll be nice to have to Coach Potato Head (aka Claude Julien) back in town. Say hi to Handsome Ralph if you see him in the streets.

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No Matter the Obstacle Thrown In Front of Them This Season, The B's Keep Racking Up the Wins

Not to sound like your grandpa or some internet contrarian but it wasn't always like this with the Bruins (42-15-8). For many years, they weren't exactly known for exciting games let alone routinely pulling off insane comebacks or finishes to grab two points like they're going out of style. Yet here we are: with Patrice Bergeron (broken foot), Charlie McAvoy (sprained knee) and David Backes (suspended 3 games) all out, Boston continues to get the job done despite mounting odds against them. Tonight at TD Garden, they allowed a power play goal to the Flyers (34-23-11) only 1:38 into the contest. Also, they gave up a shorthanded goal but who cares? They still came out on top, 3-2, thanks to Brad Marchand's third straight game-winning tally-this time with 22 seconds left in regulation. It's been that kind of homestand for the B's who will try to go a perfect 6-for-6 when this wraps up on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN) vs. Chicago (29-31-8).

Tuukka Rask (31 saves, 27-11-4) had missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but he returned to face a team that he absolutely owns (now 14-2-3). Meanwhile, Boston improved to 11-1-2 in their last 14 games vs. Philadelphia including two victories this season with one more in the city of Brotherly Love coming up. Philly had lost to Pittsburgh (39-25-4) 5-2 last night so they entered on the second half of a back-to-back, meaning that rookie backup goaltender Alex Lyon (24 saves, 2-2-0)-the pride of Yale-got the start for them. The Flyers put forth a legitimate effort though, outshooting Boston 33-27 and playing well enough to beat most NHL teams with a similar performance. It's unlikely to happen but how happy would the Black and Gold be to meet the Flyguys in the playoffs this spring?

Kevan Miller got called for a high-sticking double minor right off the bat and the Flyers' No. 17 ranked power play converted nine seconds later. Jakub Voracek put in a rebound for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by rookie Nolan Patrick (No. 2 pick last summer) and Claude Giroux (tied for NHL lead along with Voracek for assists-57). Riley Nash should receive the 7th Player Award for the B's this season since who saw this kind of production coming from him? Since Bergeron went down last week, he has not been out of place at all with Marchand and David Pastrnak on Boston's top forward line. Life of Riley tied it up at 9:14 when he backhanded a loose puck a split second before Pastrnak could do the same. Miller had the second assist on Nash's career-high 13th goal of the season.

Speaking of random guys coming out of nowhere, who thought that Brian Gionta had anything left after you saw him in the Pyeongchang Olympics on the mediocre Team USA full of has-beens and never-weres? He has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in his first four games in a Bruins sweater. Tonight, he put them ahead-2-1-late in the first period (at 19:34) with a breakaway goal from the other grey beard-Zdeno Chara with Tommy Wingels picking up the other helper. Gionta's first goal as a Bruin was a pretty one too as he beat Lyon with a backhander.

Jori Lehtera somehow found tons of space on the penalty kill nearly midway (at 7:21) through the second period and he went right at Rask before jamming it between his pads. Lehtera's third goal of the season was assisted by Valtteri Filppula and that goon Radko Gudas. Each goaltender made some solid saves after that (Lyon on Rick Nash and Rask on Ivan Provorov) but not much else really transpired until Marchand's late game heroics. Philly head coach Dave Hakstol challenged the last goal for offsides but it was ruled onside. Marchand got right to the net so he was in prime position when the puck squirted along the goal-line, all he had to do was tap it in for his team-leading 29th goal of the season. Pastrnak-who also had a chance to knock it in-and Chara provided the assists on what has to be an NHL 1st Star of the Week campaign for Mr. Marchand.

Back-to-backs are never easy, especially when you play the same team two days in a row but that's the challenge facing the B's when they take on the low-flying Hawks this weekend including Sunday in the Chi (12:30, NBC). Other than Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, you probably won't recognize most of the players on Chicago this ill-fated season. They are rebuilding and therefore look nothing like the dynasty from earlier this decade. As always, they serve as a fine lesson that you have to enjoy these special teams in sports when you get them since you don't know exactly when the next one might show up (it could be years or even decades later).

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