No Carrie Underwood At TD Garden But The Bruins Still Provide Some Thrills

After losing its previous two games at TD Garden, the Boston Bruins were on the verge of three setbacks in a row when Nashville's Mike Fisher aka Mr. Carrie Underwood made it 3-2 with 3:32 left in regulation this afternoon.

Boston (34-17-2) stuck with it though as Milan Lucic (20th of the season) tied it with a power-play strike at 18:53 with the goalie pulled and the B's went on to win 3-2 in a shootout against the Predators (32-18-6).

Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron scored the only shootout goals, meaning that it was over in the third round. I usually complain that Saturday matinees are usually terrible for the B's but not today, this was a top-notch contest.

If the Bruins had lost, they would have been the victim of bad puck luck since for the most part, they controlled play from start to finish. Nashville took advantage of a few scoring chances and they leaned heavily on one of the NHL's top goaltenders, Pekka Rinne (38 saves).

This turned out to be one of the most meaningful wins of the regular season given Boston's recent struggles. Lucic was a beast all afternoon and in the shootout, Tim Thomas (19 saves; 23-10-0) was able to forget about Facebook rants for a minute and make two saves.

Nashville is a quality team, I'll predict that they'll win a series or two this spring in the Western Conference playoffs. They're short on goal-scoring but they play to that well with a defensive-minded system.

With the Bruins shorthanded, Bergeron (16th of the season) had given Boston a 1-0 lead at 16:00 of the first period. Brad Marchand made the play happen by chipping the puck ahead then finding Bergeron for a screened one-timer.

Shea Weber (11th of the season), who has the second hardest shot in the NHL behind Zdeno Chara, showed off his cannon by tying it at 7:32 of the second with a power-play slap shot. His defensive partner Ryan Suter had the lone assist on Weber's missle from the point.

NESN didn't bring its A game since their broadcast went out at the end of the first period and for most of the second period. I was left listening to the radio broadcast on the Sports Hub like some 90-year-old and checking Twitter like a fiend (even more than usual).

The third period was wild so thankfully I was able to see it with my own eyes, rather than just hear about it. Both teams scored two goals. Daniel Paille (9th of the season) kicked it off with a diving backhander at 2:55 from Shawn Thornton and Johnny Boychuk.

Patric Hornqvist (17th of the season) tied it at 9:33 from Sergei Kostitsyn and Rinne. It was against the run of play as the puck was in Nashville's end for a while but then they broke out and multiple Bruins defenders were left in the dust.

Fisher's goal was a result of his own rebound off the backboards. Thomas should have stopped that one since the weak backhander went under his pads.

The Bruins will look to carry over this great effort on Tuesday as they host the New York Rangers. Everyone remembers that their first meeting with the Rangers was a classic, won 3-2 by New York in a shootout on Jan. 21 so I have no doubt this one should be superb too. The teams play twice more after that, both at Madison Square Garden and they have to be the odds on favorites to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. They are clearly the top two teams in the East.

So whatever you're doing on Valentine's Day, at least make sure that you have the DVR set for what should be a beautiful hockey game between the Original 6 rivals.

UPDATE 2/12: After the game, Steven Kampfer was sent down to Providence. He's been a healthy scratch the last five games with Boston so this will give him more playing time.

UPDATE 2/13: The Bruins made the interesting choice to call up defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk this morning and not Kampfer. With the trade deadline two weeks from today, makes you wonder if Kampfer is going be be dealt soon. Boston also called up forward Josh Hennessey from Providence.

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Tonight, I'm Ashamed To Be A Celtics Fan

Sure there have been worse losses in terms of point differential in the Big Four era but sitting here in the aftermath, it's hard to remember a much more pathetic defeat than the one experienced by the Boston Celtics tonight.

The Celts (14-12) lost 86-74 to the Toronto Raptors (9-19) at Air Canada Centre in a game that truthfully, wasn't even that close.

Boston lost its second in a row and from the opening tip, they had absolutely no pulse after losing to an average Lakers team last night in overtime at the Garden. The Raptors improved to 3-17 in its last 20 games against the Celtics.

For basketball fans, the best news to come out of this shitshow is that after playing three times in less than a month, these teams won't meet again until the last month of the regular season (Apr. 13 in Toronto). With any luck, Dr. James Naismith will stop rolling over in his grave by then.

This was such a bitter loss since the C's had already beaten the Raptors, one of the worst teams in the NBA, by 23 and 36 points respectively earlier this season. I will allow a hiccup to most teams once in a while but as I said last night, Boston should never lose to Toronto under any circumstances.

I thought the Big Four had more pride than this; they all "played" tonight but this is the type of setback that can be the precursor to big changes on a squad.

DeMar Derozan had a game-high 21 points for Toronto. Jose Calderon (17 points, 14 assists) and Amir Johnson (12 points, 12 rebounds) both had double-doubles, James Johnson scored 14 points and Aaron Gray grabbed 11 rebounds (in 18 minutes!).

Boston was playing short-handed, without Jermaine O'Neal, Keyon Dooling and Sasha Pavlovic not that those three guys would have made any difference whatsoever. Kevin Garnett had 17 points and eight rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 12 points and Brandon Bass put up 10 points and seven rebounds. Mickael Pietrus added 11 points off the bench.

Rajon Rondo was MIA, maybe they left him at the border since he only could manage five points, seven assists, five rebounds and five turnovers. I don't know if he's still hurt, mad because of trade rumors or the All-Star Game snub but he appeared completely disinterested tonight.

Let's all hope that things turn around on Sunday afternoon as the Celtics return home to face the Chicago Bulls, who I think are the best team in the Eastern Conference. Boston will put forth a much better effort but it's going to take their best execution of the season thus far to have a shot at knocking off Derrick Rose and Co.

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Lakers Survive 88-87 In OT Against Celtics

Well you can't say that the Boston Celtics didn't have many chances to beat the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at TD Garden.

In the first of two regular season meetings in the NBA's best rivalry, the Celts (14-11) squandered three chances to win it: once in regulation and twice in overtime as they fell 88-87 to the Lakers (15-11).

Boston's five-game winning streak was snapped and Los Angeles has now won four straight at the Garden. The Celtics will visit the Staples Center on March 11 (a Sunday afternoon) in the only other game this season. I'd pray for a Boston-Los Angeles NBA Finals but I think Celtics-Clippers is more likely than Celtics-Lakers.

After Pau Gasol (25 points, 14 rebounds) tied it up late with an offensive rebound and putback, the Celtics had a chance for basketball's version of a walk-off win. Yet for some reason, they went for a 3-pointer (even though it was tied) and Mickael Pietrus (9 points) was the guy that took the last shot in regulation. His prayer didn't have a shot of going in.

In overtime, Paul Pierce (18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) could have put Boston up by one but his jumper fell short. Ray Allen (22 points, 6 rebounds) got the rebound but his last-second layup attempt was swatted away by Gasol. It was a frenetic finish to an overall sloppy but entertaining contest.

There are two main reasons why the Celtics lost: 1) they attempted five free throws in 53 minutes. I didn't know that was possible in the NBA and at home. 2) Kevin Garnett (12 points, 12 rebounds) was an ice cold 6 of 23 from the floor.

Andrew Bynum had 16 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in the win while Matt Barnes had 11 off the bench for Los Angeles. Former Celtics great Troy Murphy had nine rebounds.

Rajon Rondo-the subject of an absurd Bynum for Rondo trade rumor-had 14 points and seven assists. Brandon Bass had eight points and five rebounds off the bench.

These teams helped to point out the other's glaring weakness: LA is going nowhere with Derek Fisher (0 points, 2 assists) and Steve Blake (5 points) as its main point guards. Likewise, Boston still lacks a center with a pulse as Jermaine O'Neal (2 points, 6 rebounds) was toasted by the best power forward-center combination in the NBA (Bynum and Gasol).

The 2012 NBA All-Star game reserves were announced today and only Pierce was named from the Celtics. It's the 10th time he's made it. Garnett missed out after making 14 in a row. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Rondo and/or Allen are injury replacements since other guys in the East are bound to get hurt with two weeks left before All-Star weekend in Orlando.

The Celts hit five more threes (6-1) but the Lakers hit 10 more free throws (15-5) and grabbed 10 more rebounds (55-45). Boston had nine more assists (22-13) and 11 more fast break points (17-6). LA had eight more points in the paint (46-38) and five more points off turnovers (13-8).

Boston led 26-22 after one quarter and 47-45 at halftime. Los Angeles went ahead with a solid third quarter (22-17) but the Celts (18-15) rallied in the fourth.

It's a quick turnaround, welcome to the NBA in 2011-12, as the Celtics go to Toronto to face the Raptors tomorrow night. Even with old legs and short rest, I expect Boston to throttle Toronto, an awful team that they've already dominated twice this season.

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Sabres Hand Bruins Their Worst Loss Of The Season, 6-0 In Buffalo

There are stinkbombs, which happen from time to time in the grueling regular season of any sport, and then there is the brontosaurus turd distributed by the Boston Bruins tonight in Buffalo.

Playing a team that they had already beaten twice this season, that had basically nothing to play for, the B's (33-17-2) flatlined as they lost 6-0 to the Sabres (23-24-6) at the First Niagara Center.

It was Boston's worst loss since March 6, 2008 (8-2 vs. Toronto) and the first time this season that they lost by more than three goals.

I'm going to keep this brief since I could care less about Buffalo and there were really no highlights for Boston besides a couple nasty fights from Shawn Thornton and Adam McQuaid.

The Sabres scored twice in each period, forcing Claude Julien to yank Tuukka Rask (7 saves) after the third goal-early in the second. Tim Thomas (16 saves) didn't fare much better as he also allowed three goals.

Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller (15-15-3) made 36 saves for his third shutout of this forgettable season for Captain America.

Jason Pominville led Buffalo with two goals, Ville Leino and Andrej Sekera had two assists apiece, Tyler Ennis had a goal and an assist while Christian Ehrhoff, Patrick Kaleta and Drew Stafford had the other tallies.

The Bruins got robbed of a Milan Lucic goal in the first that would have tied it at 1 when the referees said Rich Peverley interfered with Miller. It was as bad a call as you'll ever see (even the NBC Sports announcers admitted that) but Boston never regained its composure after that so no excuses.

These teams meet three more times, so expect many more brawls, starting with the next matchup two weeks from Friday back in Buffalo.

Boston fell to 5-6-1 in its last 12 games. They haven't won two in a row since January 10 and 12. We all expect them to rebound at some point but it will be tough since Nathan Horton is still out with a concussion and David Krejci is scoreless in his past four contests despite Julien moving him all around.

The Bruins have a few days to get after it in practice before they host Nashville on Saturday afternoon (another damn 1 p.m. start, they suck in those). Then the Rangers come to town on Valentine's Day before Boston heads out on a six-game road trip from Feb. 15-25. Odds are that's when any trade deadline (Feb. 27) deals will go down since it will give new players time to adjust while they can focus more on building chemistry on the road, where there are less distractions.

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Paul Pierce Passes Larry Bird For 2nd All-Time In Celtics Career Scoring Mark

Tonight, Paul Pierce etched his name further in the record books as one of the greatest Boston Celtics in franchise history.

He dropped 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as he passed Larry Bird for second all-time in career scoring for the Green. Boston (14-10) won its fifth straight, 94-84 over the Charlotte Bobcats (3-22) at TD Garden on a night that was all about Pierce.

John Havlicek is No. 1 all-time with 26,395 points, Pierce is second with 21,797, Bird is No. 3 with 21,791, Robert Parish is No. 4 with 18,245 and Kevin McHale is No. 5 with 17,335.

The former 10th overall pick of Boston in the 1998 draft (IE. right after I graduated from eighth grade!) has had a turbulent 13 years. The pudgy former Kansas star has grown up before our eyes both on and off the court. Plus, you have to give him a ton of credit for sticking with a team that was often terrible. He was rewarded with the NBA title in 2008 and he helped the C's reach the Finals again in 2010. More than anything, I'll always remember Pierce for a few things: 1) his clutch ability, 2) his durability and 3) his underrated all-around game.

Hell the Celtics wouldn't be where they are right now, winners of nine of their last 10, if it wasn't for Pierce. Once he got in shape this season, he helped drag them out of irrelevancy by playing some of his best basketball in years. I wouldn't say this for most guys since I think it's corny but Pierce deserves to be a Celtic for life.

This particular game was anti-climatic since it's whole purpose was just to see Pierce pass Bird; everybody knew that the Bobcats-the NBA's worst team-wouldn't beat the Celtics no matter what.

Kevin Garnett had his second consecutive 20+ point game (first time since the beginning of last season) with 22 points and seven rebounds. Ray Allen added 17 points while Rajon Rondo had 10 points, 14 assists and zero turnovers. Brandon Bass put up 13 points off the bench.

Ironically, Garnett (23,659) and Allen (22,583) both have more career points than Pierce at the moment. Extra credit to the Truth though for getting it done with one team while those guys have been on multiple squads in their illustrious careers.

I feel bad for Kemba Walker. The rookie guard from UConn is stuck on a team that is awful and going nowhere (in the standings) for a while. He had 16 points and seven rebounds, imagine if he was on the Knicks or in another good market? Reggie Williams led the Bobcats with 21 points while Derrick Brown had 20 points (10 of 10 shooting) off the bench and Byron Mullens notched 11 points.

After forcing numerous 3-pointers in the first half to get the record, Pierce finally came through with 10:22 left in the third quarter as he drained a three from Rondo that put Boston up 48-40.

I'd run through more of the details from the game but you already got all the information you need. It's best to avoid thinking too much about the Bobcats, they'll make your brain hurt.

Things figure to pick up on Thursday since the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant come to Boston for the only time this season (barring a Finals rematch). Pierce got this record out of the way so they can just focus on beating their most hated rival. Should be an entertaining contest, the Lakers are decent since Kobe is still Kobe plus Andrew Bynum is healthy and Pau Gasol is solid as always. The problem is that Derek Fisher still starts at point guard and LA's bench might be the worst in the NBA.

Greg Stiemsma will be with the Celtics all season since his deal is now guaranteed. He's good insurance as a backup center for when zombie Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox are hurt which will certainly happen.

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The Saga (Of Ross Ventrone) Continues

It feels weird to say it since the loss in Super Bowl 46 is still so fresh (it was only two nights ago) but the New England Patriots have officially begun their offseason.

Today, the team made its first moves since the Super Bowl as they signed seven guys to futures contracts. In addition, head coach Bill Belichick also announced what we all knew already: that Josh McDaniels will be the offensive coordinator next season. I'm so excited about that, I think I might drive Bill O'Brien to Happy Valley (home of Penn State). Good luck with that Bill!

The guys signed were mostly practice squad heroes but its headlined by wide receiver Tiquan Underwood-who will forever be known as the guy cut on the eve of the Super Bowl-and safety Ross Ventrone. The other five are linebacker Markell Carter, wide receiver Britt Davis, offensive lineman Matt Kopa, defensive end Aaron Lavarias and linebacker Mike Rivera.

It promises to be a busy offseason for the Patriots. The 2012 NFL Draft combine is back in Indy in a few weeks (starting Feb. 22), free agency opens on March 13 and the Draft itself begins on April 26. I mention that since New England possesses two first-round and two second-round picks. Let's all start thinking positive thoughts that they'll use all of those or package them to move up for once, rather than trade down like always.

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Zach Hamill Put On Waivers By The Bruins

Today the Bruins placed forward Zach Hamill on waivers. If he clears them, he will be sent back down to the Providence Bruins.

This move was totally expected if you pay attention to the B's on a daily basis. Hamill played a season-low 8:19 in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh and then he was a healthy scratch yesterday in Washington, D.C. Jordan Caron had been recalled from Providence and he had basically taken Hamill's place, at least until Nathan Horton returns from his latest concussion.

I'd like to say that Hamill is close to making a real impact in the NHL but I just don't see it, so far. In 16 games with Boston this season, he has 0 goals, 2 assists and he's +3 with 13 shots on goal. It's pretty tough to play that many games with this team and have offensive numbers that are so low.

He's still only 23 but the clock is ticking on Boston's first-round pick from 2007 (8th overall). Hamill is small (5-11, 173 pounds) so he isn't particularly strong on the puck and he doesn't seem to fit the Bruins mold of a physical, tough player. Sure he has skills but he'll never see the ice under Claude Julien if he can't be more responsible in his own end, not to mention have the ability to play on the penalty kill and power play.

All we can do is hope that with more playing time in Providence, against competition that's more on his level, he can excel and therefore build his confidence back up. I'm guessing it's not too high at the moment. It's not time to give up on Zach Hamill but right now, Boston just doesn't have any use for him.

It wouldn't shock me at all if he gets dealt at the trade deadline (February 27). Perhaps a change of scenery would do him some good; he would be better suited for an uptempo offensive style that's less reliant on throwing checks. Plus, he wouldn't feel the pressure that he no doubt is under with the team that drafted him. Something to keep in mind as the trade deadline approaches, maybe Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli can flip Hamill for somebody Boston needs more.

UPDATE 2/7: Hamill cleared waivers (nobody in the NHL claimed him) so he'll go to Providence.

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