The Canadiens Completely Shut Down the Bruins 3-0 In Their 1st Meeting of the 2018-19 Season

Is any goaltender in the NHL currently worse in first periods than Tuukka Rask (3-3-0)? That might be a slight exaggeration but it feels that way as another slow start by the Bruins' (6-3-2) embattled goalie put his team in a hole that they ultimately never recovered from in an utterly lifeless 3-0 loss this evening at TD Garden. Montreal (6-2-2) has been one of the early surprises in the league this year and while they don't appear to be anything too special, they certainly own Rask (10-16-3 in his career vs. the Canadiens). Conversely, Carey Price (25-11-5 in his career vs. the Bruins) made 33 mostly routine saves for his 1st shutout of the season and 41st of his NHL career.

The Atlantic Division should continue to be run by Tampa Bay (7-1-1), Toronto (8-3-0) and Boston once again this season so it will take awhile longer for me to take the rebuilding Canadiens seriously. There are three more meetings between these ancient rivals in this campaign but for Chapter 1, you have to give it up for Claude Julien's rag tag group of young guys and no-name veterans. Not counting the garbage time empty-netter late in the third period, Montreal's two even strength goals were scored 1:21 apart midway through the first period. On one hand, you could say that gave the B's plenty of time to recover. However, I would contend that the first one was so weak that it deflated the home team, only to be accentuated by another that came via a bizarre scramble shortly thereafter.

Brendan Gallagher's sixth goal of the season was all thanks to Rask who somehow couldn't squeeze his pads against the near side post at 9:18. Quinnipiac's Matthew Peca and Xavier Ouellet had the assists on a shot that any NHL goaltender should be able to stop in their sleep. Tie Domi's little boy Max got in on the fun with his first career goal against the Bruins at 10:39. Artturi Lehkonen was hooked on a breakaway (it would have been a penalty) but before Boston could touch the puck for the whistle, it went to Domi who initially whiffed on his shot but then had enough time to recover and roof it by Rask (20 saves) for his sixth goal of the season (extending his point-streak to 6 games). Former Lightning bust Jonathan Drouin (8 points in his last 7 games) and Lehnkoen had the helpers on what turned out to be an insurmountable lead for the Canadiens.

Just like Claude's old Bruins teams, Boston controlled play in the third (outshooting Montreal 14-4) but ended up with nothing to show for it. The gameplan wasn't sexy but the Habs certainly executed it as they had eight more hits (28-20), five more takeaways (16-11), four more blocked shots (12-8) & one more faceoff win (35-34) than the B's. Boston's fourth-ranked power play also went 0-for-3 which didn't help matters. Jamie "the other" Benn banked in the empty-netter with 28.2 seconds left in regulation to send the traveling Montreal fans home happy. That was his first point of the season and first goal since Dec. 5, 2017.

There is one game left in October for the B's as they visit another upstart club-Carolina (6-3-1) on Tuesday (7, NESN). It's an odd (and very rare) two-game road trip that ends in Nashville (8-3-0) next Saturday night (8, NESN). The good news is that will be followed by what has the potential to be an entertaining four-game homestand against Dallas (5-4-0), Vancouver (6-5-0), Toronto and Vegas (4-5-1) that lasts for a week. Boston is 4-1-0 at home and 2-2-0 on the road so expect those records to balance themselves out a little bit more.

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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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The Red Wings are the Latest Sacrificial Lamb to Visit TD Garden This Season as the Bruins Roll 8-2

It's understandable if you are more locked in on the Red Sox and or Patriots right now but take my word for it: you are going to want to tune in to watch the Bruins (4-1-0) this season when you get a chance. You can already tell that it's going to be a fun year as their top line remains the best group of forwards in the NHL and the rest of their lineup is still filled with intriguing young players and dependable veterans. Detroit (0-3-2) came to TD Garden this afternoon searching for its first win of 2018-19 but they found nothing but a serious beating as the B's destroyed them 8-2 (and it didn't even feel that close).

David Pastrnak scored his second career hat trick (also Boston's second in three games after Patrice Bergeron had one vs. Ottawa on Monday), Bergy had three assists and Brad Marchand added two assists while Jake DeBrusk scored his first two goals of the season. Did I mention that Charlie McAvoy, Anders Bjork and Sean Kuraly also notched their first tallies of the campaign? Yeah, it was that kind of dominant performance for the home team as everything went the Black and Gold's way. They improved to an absurd 15-1-1 in their last 17 games vs. Detroit including a current 10-game point streak (9-0-1).

It was a slow burn for the poor Red Wings (remember when they used to be good?) as Boston scored once in the first period, three in the second and they closed it out with four in the third. Detroit's backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier (31 saves) had the honor of allowing all eight of those goals since they apparently didn't want to have to use starter Jimmy Howard who played in their last tilt (a 5-3 loss vs. Toronto on Thursday). Tuukka Rask (32 saves) didn't get a shutout which is about the only real minor gripe that even the biggest Bruins hater could point out. Stats are for losers but there were a few notable ones for the B's: Pastrnak scored his 100th career NHL goal and Krejci's two assists gave him 400 in his NHL career.

Pasta opened the scoring with a snipe at 19:09 of the first period. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by Brandon Carlo and Chris Wagner. McAvoy doubled Boston's lead early in the second period (4:44) as he snapped in a quick shot after Bergeron's faceoff win went right back to him. DeBrusk's first goal wasn't a beauty but they all count the same as his backhander squeezed through Bernier's leg pads after a brief breakaway. David Krejci had the lone assist at 11:27. DeBrusk was moved to the right wing on Krejci's line today as Ryan Donato slotted back into the lineup as the left wing with those guys, meaning that Danton Heinen was a healthy scratch. Pastrnak put it out of reach for the hapless Wings with a one-timer at 16:20, from Bergeron and Marchand because of course.

Detroit had a two-man advantage from late in the second period into the third and they were able to mercifully avert the shutout with a power-play goal by rookie defenseman Filip Hronek 21 seconds into the final frame. His first NHL goal was assisted by Tyler Bertuzzi and Maine alum Gustav Nyquist. Boston didn't blink as they scored less than two minutes later (2:05) and it was Pastrnak completing his very predictable (but still quite enjoyable) hat trick. Another lethal one-timer was served up by Bergeron and Marchand (all 3 of them have a 4-game point streak). Other than Toronto's Auston Matthews, who in the league is hotter than those three stars?

Extended garbage time was filled with stat-stuffing as Dylan Larkin scored a shorthanded goal (the 1st that Boston has allowed this season) at 8:23. His third goal of the season was assisted by Frans Nielsen and Nick Jensen. Sadly 5-2 was as close as the Red Wings would get though as Bjork potted an unassisted goal at 10:12, followed by a redirect from DeBrusk at 15:15 (assisted by Carlo and Krejci) and finally, Kuraly beat Bernier from an impossible angle with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. Haha how embarrassing. Kevan Miller and Bjork had the assists on Kuraly's goal that gave the Bruins a snowman (8 goals).

After cleaning up at home on nothing but cupcakes (Senators, Oilers and Red Wings), the Bruins won't be back here until Oct. 25 when they host Philadelphia. In between now and then (also the name of a solid O.A.R. album), they'll visit Canada to play some more average to below average teams as part of a four-game road trip. They are in Calgary (2-2-0) on Wednesday (9:30, NESN) followed the next night (9, NESN) by a visit to Edmonton (1-2-0). Next up, they'll be in Vancouver (2-2-0) on Saturday night (10, NESN) and then they close things out in Ottawa (2-2-1) next Tuesday (7:30, NESN). Winning or at least earning points in three out of four of those matchups should be expected. A clean sweep is within reason too since which of those clubs remotely scares you at all? None, that's what I thought.

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Connor McDavid is Incredible but the Oilers Still Stink as Evidenced in a 4-1 Bruins Victory

Two of the underrated trademarks of the Bruce Cassidy era (already in its third fun-filled season!) with the Bruins (3-1-0) is that they almost always beat the teams that are below them and they usually play well at TD Garden. Those are two positive changes from the end of Claude Julien's tenure here as his team routinely dropped points to garbage teams and likewise, they gave away way too many points on home ice-why they missed the playoffs his last two years. In a weird scheduling quirk, the Oilers (0-2-0) had only played a single game-in Sweden last Saturday-before coming to Boston this evening. You would think that they would be fired up after a crappy opener (5-2 loss to the Devils) but nope, they mostly rolled over in an easy 4-1 win for the B's.

Connor McDavid is undoubtedly the best player in the NHL these days but as last season showed, even he needs some help from his much less talented teammates. Poor goaltending and a crappy defense were Edmonton's biggest issues in 2017-18 and I don't know how much old friend and GM Peter Chiarelli addressed that since it's basically the same flawed group that's returned. It didn't take long for McDavid's singular brilliance to shine through as he scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway at 3:43. Ty Rattie and Darnell Nurse were credited with assists on the play but honestly it was all McDavid since he came from one end of the ice to the other before beating Jaroslav Halak (2-0-0; 25 saves).

That was the only highlight of the entire night for the Oilers though as Boston scored three straight goals in the first period as they cruised to another two points in their third straight win in regulation. Halak has only allowed one goal in his combined two starts so you couldn't ask for much more from the backup goaltender. The Bruins power play had a nice performance as well with a pair of goals on four opportunities. The top line continued to carry the B's which figures to be a bigger issue when they ramp up the competition. If you didn't get enough Bruins-Oilers tonight, the NHL will serve up another helping of it a week from now which is actually Edmonton's home opener as well. Neat.

David Pastrnak has become one of the top young players in the league and best goal-scorers so it was perhaps poetic that he was the one to answer McDavid's goal with an insane goal of his own. He dangled around Northeastern alum Matt Benning and backhanded the puck past Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (28 saves) at 9:20 of the first period. Matt Grzelcyk had the lone assist on Pasta's fourth goal of the season, their first power play strike. Edmonton made the mistake of putting Boston right back on the power play and the Black and Gold made them pay for it. Brad Marchand's intended pass ended up being kicked in by Drake Caggiula at 14:37. Marchand's first goal of the season was assisted by Grzelcyk and Patrice Bergeron. Cassidy had an Alex Cora moment of good luck as Joakim Nordstrom (in the lineup in place of a healthy Ryan Donato) made his coach's move look smart when he redirected a pass from David Krejci just 36 seconds later for his first goal and point as a Bruin.

Other than a couple scraps, that was about all that happened in this tilt. Kevan Miller fought Jujhar Khaira early in the second period followed by David Backes slashing Caggiula to try and get him to drop the gloves. Benning's rough night continued as Sean Kuraly of all people managed to put him through a pane of glass behind Edmonton's goal (luckily it didn't shatter onto the crowd) with a big hit. Bergeron clinched it with a late empty-netter, his team-leading fifth goal of the season. The top line all has points in the past three games and that figures to continue to Saturday afternoon (3, NESN) as another doormat comes to the Garden: Detroit (0-2-2) is still looking for their first win of this campaign and they'll face Tuukka Rask (1-1-0) before we all rush home to watch Game 1 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and Astros (the NHL was smart enough to change the start time after it was originally 7 pm). Expect many similar results to this throughout October as Boston only plays two playoff teams from last year in their 1st 12 games.

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Behind Bergeron's Hat Trick, Bruins Double Up Senators 6-3 In Their 2018-19 Home Opener

It's not up for discussion: October is unquestionably the best time of the year when it comes to pro sports in America. In Boston, we're lucky enough that all four of our clubs (Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics) are all playoff teams these days at the very least and hopefully legitimate title contenders when it gets right down to it. With a weird Columbus Day afternoon start time, the B's (2-1-0) opened their home slate with an entertaining 6-3 victory over the rebuilding Senators (1-1-1) at TD Garden. Patrice Bergeron had a rough off-season complete with a lovely groin surgery which prohibited him from playing in any preseason games but that all seemed to matter little as he bagged his fourth career hat trick and also added an assist.

Boston's top forward line-the best in the NHL last season-is still together and that should continue to send fear throughout the league. David Pastrnak tied his career-high with four points (2 goals, 2 assists) while Brad Marchand followed up his four assist game in Buffalo on Thursday (a 4-0 Bruins win) with three assists. Combined, those three guys were +10 with five goals and six assists. Haha is that good? One of the main issues though for the Black and Gold in the playoffs last spring vs. Tampa Bay is that they became too reliant on that one line. For that reason, there was murmurs that perhaps head coach Bruce Cassidy would break up the band to start this campaign but for now, they aren't going anywhere else.

After last Wednesday's disastrous season-opener in Washington (a 7-0 beating), the B's righted the ship with a solid 60-minute effort against the supposedly up and coming Sabres and this was another step forward in the right direction. Other than the goofy preseason trip to China, Boston shouldn't have any complaints with its early season schedule as 10 of their 12 games in October are against non-playoff teams from last season. In other words, just clean up on the dregs of the NHL and they should be in a very good position to start the winter.

In terms of start to a home opener, the fans couldn't have asked for much more as Bergeron scored 30 seconds into regulation and then followed that up with a power-play goal at 17:12 of the first period for a quick 2-0 lead. Goal #1 was the result of a rare net drive by Pastrnak that allowed Bergy to follow up for an easy rebound, his second goal of the season was also assisted by McAvoy (who tied his career-high for assists and points (3)). The second goal was more suited for a highlight reel as Marchand flipped a nifty backhand pass to Bergeron for a one-timer into the corner of Ottawa's goal past Belmont Hill alum Mike Condon (24 saves). Pasta had the second assist on Boston's second power play goal of the young season.

After such a great first frame, the Senators predictably responded with a much better effort in the second. Ryan Dzingel potted a rebound of his own at 2:21 to cut it to 2-1 B's. His first goal of the season was assisted by Mark Stone and Zack Smith. Condon had a rough homecoming as he allowed a really weak goal to fellow Masshole Chris Wagner (a Walpole, MA native) that made it 3-1 Bruins at 7:08. McAvoy's shot from the point was meekly tipped by Wagner and somehow Condon's glove completely whiffed on the slow-motion shot. Sean Kuraly had the second assist on Wagner's first goal and first point as a Bruin. Tuukka Rask (28 saves) got pulled against the Capitals and Jaroslav Halak earned the shutout in Buffalo, so this was his first game action in five days. Ottawa's second goal was regrettable for the home team as Zdeno Chara served as a screen on Rask, leaving him with no chance to see Dzingel's shot at 12:13 that trimmed Boston's lead to 3-2 (assisted by Dylan DeMelo and Thomas Chabot).

The Bruins might have had a little trouble putting the pesky Senators away but at least they never let them tie it, let alone take a lead at any juncture. Bergeron completed his hat trick at 4:38 of the third period with a bit of luck fit for a king like him. His intended pass went off an Ottawa defenseman's skate and by Condon who was naturally going the other way. Marchand and McAvoy assisted on the goal which came with the requisite hat tossing from the appreciative crowd filled with plenty kids since it wasn't a school day. The last few minutes of regulation were a bit of a gong show as Pastrnak got on the board with a re-direct of Bergeron's backhand sauce at 16:31. Chara had the second assist on Pastrnak's second goal of the season. The ghost of Bobby Ryan stopped by for a goal at 17:03, his first of the season was assisted by DeMelo and Chris Tierney. Finally, Pasta put an exclamation point on a fun day with an empty-netter at 18:22. Marchand provided the lone assist on Pastrnak's fourth point of the game.

It should continue to be an enjoyable week for the Bruins as they get to spend plenty of time at home with their family and friends before they host Edmonton (0-1-0) on Thursday (7, NESN) and then Detroit (0-1-1) on Saturday night (7, NESN). Keep in mind that the Oilers will be traveling back from Sweden, for some reason they played one game over the weekend there (a 5-2 loss to New Jersey) and the Red Wings will be returning from a West Coast trip to California. No matter if it's Rask or Halak between the pipes, these are all teams that the Bruins should beat, especially when they are at the Garden.

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The B's Rallied From Two Goals Down, Only To Lose Gm 4 in OT After Blowing a Third Period Lead

To beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2018 playoff game, it requires a (cliche alert!) full 60-minute effort or in this case even longer than that. Boston did everything they could to tie up their series at two tonight at TD Garden but they still fell short as Tampa Bay defenseman Dan Girardi re-directed a pass from Harvard's Alex Killorn at 3:18 for a bitter 4-3 overtime victory. The Lightning took a commanding 3-1 series lead with the chance to end things on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC) at Amalie Arena. The B's were plagued by another atrocious start on their home ice-spotting Tampa a 2-0 lead less than halfway through the first period-but unlike Game 3, they were able to recover from that.

For the first time since Game 1, Boston actually led for a little while (6:20). Unfortunately, Tampa Bay wasn't a fan of that as Steven Stamkos tied it at three with a wicked one-timer at 12:56 of the third period. His third goal of the playoffs (2nd of the series/1st non-ENG) was assisted by J.T. Miller. The Bruins actually had a few nice shifts to start their first overtime session of the playoffs but they weren't able to cash any of them in. Like the rest of the Lightning goals in Game 4, Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask (24 saves) couldn't do much to stop Girardi's goal. Killorn took the puck down the right side then threw a backhander in front of Boston's net where it deflected off Brian Gionta (no clue why he had a shift that early in OT) and then Girardi got his stick on it. Yanni Gourde had the second assist on Girardi's game-winning goal, extending his point streak to four games.

I wish I could pinpoint a reason why the B's got off to such miserable starts in Games 3 and 4, my best rationale is that they were too tight. Whatever the case may be, the Lightning are ready to go every time so you have to match that or else your season will be over on Sunday night. Rick Nash's turnover led to Brayden Point skating in and splitting both Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy (how does that happen?) before beating Rask for his third goal of the postseason. Riley Nash was a healthy scratch along with Tommy Wingels and Danton Heinen, meaning that Ryan Donato, Gionta and Tim Schaller were in the lineup for Game 4. Rick's rough first period continued when he was called for a tripping penalty and then Chara put the puck over the glass in his own end for delay of game. Tampa Bay had a two-man advantage for 19 seconds which the Bruins were able to weather but they could do nothing to stop Nikita Kucherov's one-timer from Victor Hedman (4-game point streak) and Stamkos at 9:53.

It became a special teams game and Boston's top-ranked power play (in the playoffs) did its job by going 2-for-4. Their comeback fittingly began with a power play goal from David Pastrnak (5-game point streak) at 15:28 of the first period. It was an amazing bit of hand-eye coordination by Pasta since he was able to hit a floating puck out of mid-air before it dropped back to the ice. His sixth goal of the playoffs was assisted by Torey Krug and Brad Marchand (17th multiple-point playoff game). Trailing 2-1 after the first period, the B's were quickly able to tie it at two early in the second thanks to a power play goal by Patrice Bergeron (5-game point streak). His fifth goal of the postseason was assisted by Krug (7th career multiple-point playoff game).

The Bruins grabbed that 3-2 lead in the third period thanks to a brilliant play by their two best players: Marchand went up ice while they were shorthanded and threaded a pass to Bergeron (20th multiple-point playoff game) between two Lightning defenders that the center was able to deflect in for a beautiful goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy (29 saves) had to be stunned since he hadn't seen his team trail in either Game 2 or 3. I hate to harp on the officials-who have been consistently awful all series-but that particular goal felt like some sort of justice for the Black and Gold since they were only shorthanded because of a bogus hooking call on Noel Acciari (big, strong Hedman flopped like an Italian soccer player). After that, basically everything went wrong for the B's as Krug appeared to suffer a serious ankle (or foot) injury after crashing into the boards and a no-call on Kucherov holding McAvoy which led to the Stamkos tying tally set the stage for the first ever playoff overtime game between these clubs.

So here we are, Krug left the Garden on crutches and in a walking boot therefore I doubt that he'll be available on Sunday. Get ready for Nick Holden trying to keep Boston's season alive! For real though, after such an unexpectedly fun and successful campaign for the Bruins, it would be a shame to see it end in five games in Tampa Bay. If I know the B's, I bet that they find a way to get it done in Game 5 only to return to TD Garden and lose in Game 6. Who knows? As you would expect, the numbers heading into Sunday are nothing but grim if you are a fan of Boston: they are 0-22 all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail 3-1 and 7-15 in Game 5s in which they trail in a series 3-1. Conversely, Tampa Bay's small sample size is pretty solid: they are 4-0 in best-of-seven series when they lead 3-1 and 3-1 in Game 5s when leading a series 3-1. Boston is 1-5 when they allow the first goal this postseason while Tampa Bay is 6-1 when they score first so clearly whichever team strikes first on Sunday will likely be a key factor.

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Tampa Bay Jumps Out to Early 2-0 Lead & Never Look Back En Route to an Easy 4-1 Win In Game 3

To state the obvious: the Lightning are not the Maple Leafs. Nope, not one bit. After Boston managed to come away with a 6-2 victory in Game 1 on Saturday at Tampa Bay, the Lightning bounced back with a 4-2 win at Amalie Arena on Monday. As the series shifted to TD Garden, Tampa continued to be the aggressor as they scored twice in the first 3:19 of Game 3 to skate away with a 4-1 win and 2-1 series lead. Like an older brother to a younger brother, the Lightning completely smothered the Bruins in almost every facet of the contest that mattered: earning four more power plays (5-1) and recording eight more shots on goal (37-29).

This sets up what is basically a must-win for the B's on Friday (7, NBCSN) since it's hard to fathom that they could beat the Lightning three games in a row after what we've seen out of Tampa Bay in the past two tilts. Of course, it's hard to beat anybody in the playoffs when you combine for three goals in two games. The Tuukka Rask (33 saves) haters should take a night off since this wasn't his fault at all, in fact it could have been much worse since he made a bunch of saves when the outcome was still to be decided. Tampa's goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy hasn't looked exactly picturesque in this series, but it's tough to argue with his results lately.

It was the first day of 2018 that felt like summer with temperatures around New England well into the 80s so you could excuse some of the Bruins' fans for showing up a few minutes late. The Lightning didn't take pity on us poor untanned Northerners as they scored not one but two goals before Boston could blink. Boston rookie defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made a mistake on a puck flipped into his defensive zone and Tyler Johnson was able to feed Ondrej Palat for an easy goal at 1:47. Palat's third of the postseason was also assisted by Anton Stralman. Giving up the first goal is one thing but another right on top of it is unforgivable, especially on home ice. Palat bagged another at 3:19 by deftly tipping in a shot from Victor Hedman. The ghost of Dan Girardi had his first assist of the playoffs on Palat's third goal in the last two games (2 periods to be exact).

The only time that Boston was really in it was for a brief few minutes late in the first period: they converted their only power play opportunity in only 29 seconds as Patrice Bergeron banged in a sweet one-handed pass from David Pastrnak. Brad Marchand had the second assist on Bergeron's fourth goal of the postseason which cut Tampa Bay's lead to 2-1. The Bruins defense let Rask and the rest of the club down on the third goal as rookie Anthony Cirelli was able to take not one (whiffed), not two (saved by Rask) but three shots that understandably were too much to survive in such a fast sequence. Cirelli's first career playoff goal was assisted by fellow rookie Yanni Gourde and Ryan McDonagh.

You waited for the Black and Gold to make a push in the second but they didn't. David Backes fought Cedric Paquette after Tampa Bay's resident wannabe tough guy jumped Backes who had had boarded Girardi. Paquette ended up with a 10-minute misconduct but that hardly mattered since he is an irrelevant buffoon. The scary part for the Bruins is that the Lightning two best players (and 2 of the top forwards in the NHL)-Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos-have been really quiet. Stamkos got an empty-netter with 41.2 seconds left in regulation, only his second goal of the postseason and amazingly, the first point of the series for Tampa's beastly top line.

To win Game 4 and get back in this series, Boston has to shoot way better than they did in Game 3. Tonight they had a whopping 19 shots blocked and if that wasn't bad enough, they missed the net with another 17 shots. This evening, Tommy Wingels was inserted on the fourth line for Tim Schaller but he didn't do anything notable (-1 in 11:24 with 1 shot on goal, 5 hits and 1 blocked shot). Since the Bruins have scored only three goals in the past two games (with just 1 from a forward), I would give rookie Ryan Donato another chance because putting the puck in the net is his specialty. Adam McQuaid wasn't hurt but only skated 9:46 in Game 3 so perhaps he could be scratched for Nick Holden, not that he would likely change the dynamics of this matchup.

As you can imagine, the numbers don't look great for the B's heading into Game 4: they are 8-23 all-time in best-of-seven series when they trail a series 2-1 and they are 16-15 in Game 4s when trailing a series 2-1. The Lightning are 5-3 all-time in best-of-seven series when they lead a series 2-1 but they are 3-5 in Game 4s when leading a series 2-1. The simple remedy for the Bruins appears to be a fast start in Game 4: put some actual pressure on the Lightning and make them play from behind while the Garden goes bananas. Boston's fans wanted something to cheer about tonight (with Pedro Martinez and Bobby Orr in the house) but the B's hardly gave them anything to truly appreciate and savor.

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