Bruins to Face Philly in Round 2

Now that the Bruins have sprayed all over yet another of Ryan Miller's dreams, and the Canadiens have (unbelievably) dismissed the Capitals, it has been determined that the Bruins will play the Flyers in Round 2.

I'm pleased the B's didn't draw the playoff-hardened Penguins. However, the Flyers rode past the Devils with an unexpectedly outstanding goaltending performance by Brian Boucher, and that doesn't sit right with me. Maybe it's his year - that happens sometimes.

The Bruins will have Marc Savard back in the lineup after his concussion. He will most likely be on a line with Sabotka - who has totally come into his own in the playoffs - and Michael Ryder. Maybe having one of the best passers in the league on his line will spark some consistent offense from Ryder.

I think there will be a period of adjustment for Savard, especially if Bergeron is an example; Bergeron was medically cleared and played fine, but it was a few months before he regained his all-star play.

I also think it will be tough for Savard to go from sitting on the bed eating torillas to playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Bruins first game against the Flyers is Saturday afternoon. A weird matinee start.

Bruins Down the Sabres in Double OT

Tonight's match up was as hard hitting as playoff hockey should be. The Sabres and the Bruins both played like they realized what was on the line.

This game had so much to enjoy, its hard to know where to begin. Ooof.

The Bruins were down 2-0 going into the third. They had carried the play for long stretches of the first two periods, but they had also needed Rask to bail them out.

Early in the 3rd period, the Bruins got a powerplay goal, and then scored another soon after, to tie the game with about 10 minutes left. Back and forth chances finished out the game, and the first overtime solved nothing.

In the second overtime the Sabres took a Too Many Men penalty (in the 2nd overtime!), and on that powerplay, Michael Ryder skated out of the Bruins' end, dodged an open-ice hit and gained the Buffalo zone along the boards. He then threaded a perfect pass to Miro Satan floating down through the high slot.

Satan basically out-waited Miller, dipping to his right as Miller dropped and sliding a backhand into the net (which was oddly stuffed with 3 players). Satan's celebration included a little jump, which was nice to see.

It is pretty crazy that the Bruins came back to win this game. They've been down at least 1-0 in every game in the series, and came back from 2-goals-down twice.

Also, for a team that had one of the worst powerplays in the league all year, it seems bizarre that they'd get 2 powerplay goals tonight (including the overtime winner).

Bergeron was superhuman all night, as was Chara. Rask, obviously, kept the Bruins in the game all night with crazy acrobatics - including a diving blocker save late in the 3rd. Mark Recchi again played like a man half his age but with all 42 years of hockey wisdom. Sobotka, of all people, was strong tonight, too.

Krejci, Begin and Sturm especially need to be playing at a much higher level. The Bruins really need the second and third line players to be contributing if they are going to have continued playoff success.

Now up 3 games to 1, the Bruins will look to finish out the Series in Buffalo on Friday. Should be an amazing game!

Bruins Win Game 3 - Take 2-1 Lead in the Series

Tonight, the Bruins played three solid periods of hockey, set the pace of the game for the most part, and earned the home win.

It was very satisfying, if you're a B's fan.

Regular readers (all fifteen of you or whatever) will know that I am a huge fan of an uptempo forecheck coupled with rub-out defense, and that I think the Sabres are a 'barometer' team for the Bruins - a way to assess how the B's are really playing.

So this series has been entertaining for me, with a lot of body contact and speedy finesse, basically making the skilled guys operate in a maelstrom. The Bruins have been the better team for 2.5 of the games, but could have lost all three, really.

Tonight's hero, of course, is Mark Recchi, who set up the winning goal by solidly body-checking the Sabres defenseman away from the puck, and feeding a great pass out to Patrice Bergeron in the high slot. Every shift that guy earns his paycheck and defies his age.

But the real story in this series has been the goaltending. Ryan Miller and Tuukka Rask are playing phenomenally and covering areas of the net that would have seemed impossible 20 years ago. Post to post craziness. Toe kick-out shoulder shrug rebound saves. The works.

Wednesday's game will obviously be huge and the Bruins should expect a far more combative Sabres team.

Of Note: in Saturday's 5-3 win, Recchi became the third oldest player to score an NHL playoff goal; when the Bruins win Game 3 of a playoff series they've gone on to win 70% of the time.

Bruins Clinch Playoff Berth, Set NHL Record

The Bruins beat the Hurricanes this afternoon, in what could be among the top 5 weirdest Bruins games in history, and secured themselves a place in the post-season.

The B's set a record for scoring 3 shorthanded goals on a single penalty kill, opening up the second period in record breaking fashion.

However, the Bruins then allowed Carolina to score 2 goals in under 3 minutes and found themselves fending off the 'Canes until Carolina drew a penalty.

With Tuukka Rask on the bench for the extra attacker an errant pass drifted toward the open Bruins' net, forcing Patrice Bergeron to speed back and rescue the puck from the goal-line. Crazy!

Bottom line is that with the win, the Bruins officially claim the 6th place in the conference. I believe it is still undetermined who they will play.

I must say that over the last half-dozen games, the Bruins have been performing at a higher level more consistently. They've finally started hitting and forechecking and it vastly improves their game. Scoring is still an issue, but if you own the puck enough, at least the chances will come.

Tomorrow's game against Washington is both meaningless and significant.

Bruins Look Solid in Key Win Against Buffalo

The Bruins just finished playing the best 3rd period they've played all season, and took a very important win away from the Sabres.

Contrary to the boos in the crowd, Dennis Wideman had a great game, blocking shots, giving and taking hits, and scoring the game-winner.

Tuukka Rask looked solid in nets, making key saves look easy and keeping the Bruins in the game against some sporadic (but intense) pressure from the Sabres.

This was one of the rare home wins for the Bruins, and also one of the few times this season that they've come back to win after trailing.

Once again, I have to say that Buffalo, like Washington, looked beatable all night. The Sabres may have had Lalime in net tonight, but it was the defensemen having their passes deflected, or the forwards being out hustled for the puck that won the game for the Bruins. Lalime played fine.

Having just seen the last two games, I would much rather the Bruins play Washington or Buffalo in the playoffs, rather than New Jersey. NJ plays a variation of the Bruins style and I think the B's have a better chance exploiting the differences in the Caps' and Sabres' systems.

So, this win gives the Bruins 87 points. The Canadiens, having lost to the Hurricanes tonight, remain at 87 points as well. Thank you, sweet Carolina.

The Flyers aren't playing tonight, so they bummmp down to 8th with 86 points and the Rangers in 9th with 84. These two teams play a home-and-home to finish the season, just to keep things interesting.

The important point, however, is that the Bruins keep 3 points between themselves and 9th spot. That elbow room will help in these last few games.

Bruins Lose to Caps, Gain Critical Point in Standings

Former Bruin, Brooks Laich, got Washington’s overtime goal against the B’s last night, scoring on a 4-on-3 powerplay.

By getting to overtime the Bruins were able to gain a single point, bumping them into 7^th spot - ahead of the Flyers and just behind the Canadiens – but not able to grab the two points that a win would’ve given them.

While the Bruins really needed those two points, I was really pleased with how they played.

Given that the Capitals have such a massive point advantage (31 points over the B’s, as of this morning), I was impressed by how the Bruins dominated most of the play and kept the pressure on the Caps throughout the game. Jose Theodore is absolutely beatable in nets for the Caps, and they play like 5 forwards on the ice.

Last night’s match-up is a likely possibility for the first round of the playoffs (providing the Bruins even make it in) and while the B’s will be hard-pressed to beat anyone with such lacklustre scoring power, their hard-forecheck / defensive system clearly caused problems for the Capitals.

The Bruins play Buffalo on Thursday (which should be brutal), the Hurricanes on Saturday, and then the Caps again on Sunday to finish out the Season. It is likely that they’ll need all three games to determine their post-season fate.