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It was their 196th game in the past eighteen months. Their power-play was once again unproductive, scoring at only a 14% (3-for-23) clip. They’d lost three out of the four playoff games on home ice. The unproven opposing goaltender posted an otherworldly (for a rookie) 2.00 goals against average. Yet, through all that, the Boston Bruins still came within inches of winning their first round series against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday evening.

Less than thirty seconds into the overtime period of game seven, Boston’s sure-handed alternate captain Patrice Bergeron wound up with the puck on his stick while staring at an open Washington goal and a chance to send the Bruins to round two for the fourth consecutive season. Unfortunately, hampered by an upper body injury, Bergeron just couldn’t settle the puck, sending the rubber disk eight inches wide of the yawning net and into the corner.

Only two minutes later, the Capitals would make the Bruins pay for their missed opportunity when fourth line cog Joel Ward backhanded the puck past Tim Thomas to lift Washington to it’s first road victory in a game seven in franchise history.

“It happened so fast, again, as you said, but I knew he was going to take the puck to the net.I was just trying to follow it up just in case there was a puck loose that squirted or a rebound. I just kind of saw it and then gave it one of the hardest whacks I’ve ever given a puck.” – Joel Ward

Becoming the seventh defending Stanley Cup champion in the last nine years to bow out in the first round, summer has commenced on Causeway street much earlier than the Bruins had hoped.

“We we’re used to going you know, all the way. And to be done now it’s like, it’s kind of hard to even understand. It’s like you can’t even believe it’s over right now.” – Johnny Boychuk

For Boston, was it a disappointment? Yes, of course. But was it a choke? Nope.

Let’s call it for what it was: the Washington Capitals deserved to win the series. Their dedication, commitment and desperation far exceeded that of what looked to be an understandably burnt-out Boston squad. In every facet of the game you could logically give the advantage to Washington over the course of the entire seven game set. In a sense, the Capitals beat the Bruins at their own game: they rolled four lines with success, rode timely goaltending, turned their opposition’s mistakes into goals and collectively bought in to their head coach’s strict defensive system.

From top to bottom, the Capitals outplayed the Bruins. It was evident from puck drop in game one. Washington’s top-six forwards (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Laich, Johansson, Brouwer) produced ten of the team’s sixteen goals on the series and added eleven assists. Spearheaded by Russian uberstar Alex Ovechkin and underrated pivot Brooks Laich, the Capitals’ top forwards elevated their play in this series in the way all superstar players should.

Boston’s top two lines (Krejci, Lucic, Seguin, Peverley, Bergeron, Marchand) were a shell of their former selves, picking up only seven goals and nine assists. Perhaps more telling was that the two players who produced the most out of the aforementioned six were a 20-year-old in his sophomore season (Seguin) and a player who was only given a top-six spot in the absence of the injured Nathan Horton (Peverley). Combining for only three goals and eight points in seven games, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand and David Krejci seem to have lost some of the luster that regarded them as “big-time playoff performers”.

Much in the same mold as Boston’s fourth unit in 2011, the Washington grinders proved themselves invaluable in this series, picking up two goals — including Ward’s series winner — and adding four assists whilst continuing to hold their own in the defensive zone as head coach Dale Hunter relied on them to preserve leads late in games. The production and dependability of the Caps’ fourth line (Ward, Keith Aucoin, Mike Knuble) provided Hunter the opportunity to line match and wear down the Bruins over the course of the series — something Claude Julien rode all the way to a Stanley Cup championship just one year ago –.

Boston’s defense corps were strong all series long. The German-born tank that is Dennis Seidenberg once again proved how truly valuable an asset he is for the Black and Gold, holding Ovechkin to only a five point series. The Johnny Boychuk — Andrew Ference pairing did a formidable job while consistently being matched up against the dynamic duo of Alex Semin and Nicklas Backstrom. Even the oft-scratched Mike Mottau impressed in games six and seven while filling in for an injured Joe Corvo. However, what shocked many — including myself — and made the real difference in this series was the strong defensive play of Washington’s blueliners. The surprisingly efficient play of Roman Hamrlik, Mike Green and John Carlson, amongst others, is what allowed the Caps to nearly completely shut down the Boston top-six.

Entering this series, the Bruins were thought to have the greatest advantage in this series between the pipes. It was Capitals’ rookie Braden Holtby — who had only seven games of previous NHL  experience — against the reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe trophy winner Tim Thomas. That’s why they play the games, folks. The 22-year-old Saskatchewan native bested Thomas on the stat sheet in every meaningful category — 2.00 GAA to Thomas’ 2.14; .940 SVG % to Thomas’ .923; and of course wins, 4-3 — and by most accounts was the better goalie in this series.

The players in that Bruins locker room deserve tons of credit for how they handled things after being sent home in the first round for the first time since 2008. They were asked about lingering injuries, a shortened summer, a questionable non-call (for goaltender interference) on the game-winning goal, and  missing important pieces of their roster (Horton, Adam McQuaid). The Bruins were given every opportunity to make excuses. They wanted no part of it. And they deserve an immeasurable amount of credit and respect for that.

At the end of the day — for as cliche as this may sound — it’s time for the city of Boston to “give the Devil his due” and recognize the fact that the Washington Capitals were the better team in this series and deserve to be moving on to round two.

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For the first time in four seasons, the Boston Bruins were unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs, becoming the second straight defending Stanley Cup champion to fall in the first round of their title defense.

It was former-Nashville playoff hero Joel Ward who would strike the dagger into the heart of the 17, 565 Black and Gold clad fans on hand at the TD Garden on Wednesday evening with his first goal of the postseason at the 2:37 mark of overtime. Ironically enough, it was former-Bruin Mike Knuble who would block a Benoit Pouliot dump-in attempt and proceed up the ice to create a scoring chance for Washington. The 31-year-old Ward would make no mistake about it, ending the Bruins’ season with one back-handed flip of the puck into an open Boston goal.

“I went for a change and Knubs (Mike Knuble) made a big block there and I assumed we had a little bit of a break up ice so try to take a chance and I knew he was going to take it to the rack and I just tried to follow it up as best as I could. You know, I just saw the puck laying there and I just took a whack at it and it went in.” – Joel Ward

Things didn’t get off to the start the Bruins had hoped for after a Milan Lucic defensive zone turnover would lead to an open chance from the point for John Carlson. The Natick, MA native fired a wrist shot through a crowd that would be deflected by another former-Bruin, Matt Hendricks, into the Boston net.

In typical Boston fashion, the Black and Gold would not go down without a fight. Late in the second period, it would be game six hero Tyler Seguin who would push home the game-tying goal after diving for a loose puck that had slipped through Washington goaltender Braden Holtby and pushing it into the net.

“I tried going in front of the net and I actually fell and Johnny (Boychuk) shot. I kind of saw the puck laying there so I just dove in and whacked it with my stick.” – Tyler Seguin

After a third period in which the B’s were out-shot 12-6 and the city of Boston held it’s collective breath with each Capitals’ shot, the defending champions were served a gift on a silver platter. With just 2:26 left in regulation, Jason Chimera was banished to the penalty box for holding, and the Bruins had themselves an opportunity to end the series with a power-play goal.

“When you talk about tonight, that’s probably the most frustrating part of our game, was that power play that could have ended the series and the game……. Your power play can win you hockey games, and tonight it didn’t.” — Claude Julien

If there was ever a position in which a struggling power-play could erase all it’s previous woes, it was right then and there. Unfortunately for Boston, the man advantage was once again ineffective, producing zero high quality scoring chances throughout the entire two minutes.

Just one minute into the overtime period, the B’s had yet another chance to end the game – and the series – on their terms, when a loose puck bounced directly onto the stick of Patrice Bergeron who was staring directly at a yawning Washington goal.

“It kind of exploded – just rolled on my stick and the puck was bouncing I just tried to go quick because obviously there wasn’t a lot of time and the puck wouldn’t settle.” – Patrice Bergeron

Uncharacteristically, number 37 sent it wide of the net, allowing the Capitals to convert on a scoring chance of their own just ninety-seven seconds later. The loss marks Boston’s third home-ice defeat in a game seven over the past four seasons as the 2011 Champions have been sent to summertime much earlier than they had envisioned.

“It’s hard to swallow, tough to understand right now. I think obviously it’s going to take us a couple of days to sink that one in, we obviously weren’t ready for being done right now.” – Patrice Bergeron

My Thoughts

– I’ll be back on Thursday and Friday with more fallout from this series and a disappointing end to the Boston season. Locker clean-out day is slated for Friday morning. Be sure to check back then for player reaction and analysis.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Joel Ward (1 Goal/Plus-1 Rating)

2) Tyler Seguin (1 Goal/7 Shots)

3) Braden Holtby (31 Saves)

Series:  Washington WINS 4-3

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Just a quick hit to get you all ready for Game 7 tonight at the TD Garden. If you’d like my full write up on tonight’s pivotal match-up, you can read my “Five Predictions For Game 7″ piece.

Series: Tied 3-3

Location: TD Garden

Time: 7:30 P.M. (EST)

TV/Radio Info: NBC  Sports Network (Emrick, Olczyk, McGuire)– 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers)

Tonight’s Lineup (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS:

Marchand–Peverley–Bergeron

Lucic–Krejci–Seguin

Pouliot–Kelly–Rolston

Paille–Campbell–Caron

DEFENSE:

Chara–Seidenberg

Boychuk–Ference

Zanon–Mottau

GOALTENDER:

Thomas

Rask

Scratches– …… Joe Corvo, Shawn Thornton, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Anton Khudobin

Injuries:

Nathan Horton (Concussion) – Boston’s top right winger was officially ruled out of the 2012 Playoffs by General Manager Peter Chiarelli during a press conference last Wednesday morning.

Adam McQuaid (Upper Body) — In what’s become one of the more unpredictable injuries of the season, Boston’s dependable blueliner will again be absent from the lineup on Wednesday.

Opposing Goaltender: Braden Holtby (6 GP/1.60 GAA)

Prediction:  You can find my full Game 7 written prediction here. I hope you all enjoy.

This will be the ultimate test of will for a Boston club that dealt with and survived an extreme amount of adversity throughout last year’s postseason. Today we will see what the 2011-’12 Boston Bruins are all about in a do-or-die, winner-take-all situation.

Capitals 2, Bruins 3

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The two most notorious words in sports: Game Seven. The mere mention of the phrase is enough to kick-start the heart of hockey fans across the globe. It’s the most entertaining event in sports for fans with no vested interest in either team playing. But for people who have pledged their allegiance to either of the two sides, it’s an excruciatingly long sixty-plus minutes of heart-in-your-throat action.

On Wednesday evening the defending champion Boston Bruins will look to prolong their title defense in game seven of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Washington Capitals. Here are my five predictions for what you will all see at the Garden this evening.

1) Jordan Caron WILL Be In The Lineup

– With the upper body injury to Patrice Bergeron one could only assume that the Bruins will once again dress sophomore power forward Jordan Caron, at the expense of one of their other bottom-six skaters. The 21-year-old Caron provides Claude Julien with flexibility in case number 37 becomes more severely injured and cannot fulfill his normal allotment of ice-time. Caron has the ability to play a grinding fourth line role but also possesses the required skill set to skate on one of the B’s first two offensive units. While many believe that it will again be Shawn Thornton who will be relegated to the press box as Caron enters the lineup, I am of the opinion that Benoit Pouliot will be the odd man out on Wednesday. After taking a late penalty in back-to-back games, the Alfred, Ontario native seems to have reverted to the player that was a healthy scratch for the Canadiens during last year’s postseason. Whether it be Pouliot or Thornton to take a seat, expect Jordan Caron to be in the Boston lineup on Wednesday.

2) Alex Ovechkin WILL Be A MAJOR Factor

– Held to just one goal in the first six games of the series, the Russian uberstar has been well contained by Boston’s top defense pair of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. However, the Great Eight was buzzing during Sunday’s game six, scoring Washington’s only goal of the third period and creating an abundance of chances for both he and his teammates. I’d expect that to continue tonight with the Capitals’ supremely talented left wing picking up at least one goal for his team on this, the grandest of playoff stages.

3) Braden Holtby Will NOT Crack Under Pressure

– It seems as through Boston sports fans are under the impression that Washington rookie netminder Braden Holtby  is going to “wet the bed” so to speak and come unraveled right before their very eyes on the pressure packed ice of the TD Garden. Those folks could not be more off based in their assumptions. Back in June I remember speaking with a colleague of mine and I told him with confidence that Holtby would have more NHL success than either of Washington’s other 22-year-old goaltenders, Michael Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov has since been dealt to Colorado and while Neuvirth has enjoyed a solid 2011-’12 campaign, he’s been far from a superstar in net.

Through six games of this series the Boston Bruins have learned exactly why I made those remarks about the Saskatchewan native just nine months ago. He’s shown both skill and composure en route to a 1.60 playoff GAA. If he hasn’t cracked through the first six games of this series — even after the Bruins scored two goals in twenty-eight seconds in game five — there is no evidence to suggest that he will turtle tonight, despite it being his first career game seven appearance.

4) Game Seven WILL Be Decided By ONE Goal

– This Bruins vs. Capitals’ series has been history-making, in the sense that is has been the first series in NHL history to have it’s first six games decided by only one goal. This is a tremendously surprising statistic, being that the NHL has been widely recognized as the league with more parity that it’s professional sports counterparts. I believe that tonight will be no different, as these two squads will set another record, making this the only series in history to have all SEVEN games decided by one goal.

5) The Bruins Will Survive

– If last year’s remarkable run to Lord Stanley taught us anything, it’s that the Black and Gold can never be counted out. Amassing five consecutive wins in games in which they’ve faced the possibility of elimination, the B’s have certainly been in this situation before. Just last summer they became the first team in history to win three game sevens en route to a championship. While it does feel a bit different — and maybe not for the better –  for the city of Boston to have confidence heading into a decisive game seven, I have a hard time picking against the Bruins at home in a do-or-die scenario. My pick would be Boston over Washington 3-2 with the game-winning-goal to come late in the third period.

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The 20-year-old former second overall draft choice had been one of Boston’s best defensive forwards throughout the first six games of this series, but simply hadn’t been able to find the score sheet. After a quiet first two periods, number nineteen was buzzing in the third frame, creating a plethora of offensive chances for both he and his team.

“I think in this series we’ve had a lot of chances and opportunities and I haven’t been bearing down and finishing them off and it’s just really nice to get that feeling off your back.” – Tyler Seguin

Boston had previously allowed three one goal advantages to slip through their grasp before Seguin’s fourth career playoff tally would allow them to escape elimination — at least for the time being –.

The B’s would take a 1-0 lead for the second time of the series at the 5:56 mark of the opening period when Rich Peverley deflected an Andrew Ference shot past Capitals’ netminder Braden Holtby. Washington would quickly erase that deficit as less than four minutes later, defenseman Mike Green would unleash a slapshot from the left point that deflected off Greg Zanon and into the Boston net. It would be the first goal for the former Norris trophy candidate since October 22, 2011. Top line pivot David Krejci would wake from his playoff slumber towards the end of the period when he redirected a Milan Lucic pass into the Caps’ net to give the B’s a 2-1 lead as the two teams went to the locker rooms at the first intermission.

It wasn’t until the 19:18 mark of the middle frame that either team would get on the board again as the Capitals would draw even on power forward Jason Chimera‘s first goal of the postseason. Before Chimera could make it down to score, it looked as if he caught Brad Marchand up high with an elbow to the face, causing the B’s 5’9″ agitator to fall to the ice with blood spewing from his face. Whilst many Boston fans were looking for a penalty call, the replay indicated that number 63 simply hit his own face with his stick and the officials on the ice were correct in their decision to let the goal stand.

Just past the midway point of the third period it was Seguin who would rush up the right wing and fire a perfectly placed wrist shot into the mask of Holtby, allowing defenseman Andrew Ference to capitalize on a rebound in front. NHL uber-star Alexander Ovechkin would blast a one timer past Tim Thomas directly off an offensive zone face-off won by Nicklas Backstrom to once again tie the score with less than five minutes left in regulation.

Game seven is slated for Wednesday evening back in the Hub at 7:30 PM.

“It’s been a great series. Washington’s a great team and we were battling. Game 7 at the Garden it’s what we’ve been working for, home ice advantage so we’re going to seize the opportunity.” – Tyler Seguin

Ben’s Three Stars:

1)  Tyler Seguin (1 Goal/1 Assist)

2) Andrew Ference (1 Goal/1 Assist)

3) Alexander Ovechkin (1 Goal/7 Shots)

Series:  Tied 3-3

Next Game: Wednesday April 25, 2012. 7:30 PM. TD Garden, Boston, MA.

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Troy Brouwer’s tie-breaking second tally of the series came at the most inopportune time for the B’s, with just a minute and twenty-seven seconds left on the third period clock. The collective life was completely sucked out of a raucous TD Garden when Benoit Pouliot was banished to the penalty box for what head coach Claude Julien called a “very weak call” of slashing. It wouldn’t be long after that the former-Chicago Blackhawk would streak down the right side wing and beat Tim Thomas with a glove-side wrist shot.

The Bruins had mounted not one but two comebacks prior to Brouwer’s late marker, erasing both a 2-0 and a 3-2 deficit. It began right around the mid-point of the game when Washington would be the first to find the twine.

At the 11:16 mark of the second period the Capitals would take advantage of a befallen Joe Corvo and pin the B’s into their own defensive zone. After a lengthy offensive sequence it would be game four hero Alexander Semin who would push home a rebound to give the Caps a 1-0 lead.

Just over three minutes later, Washington would double their lead after a wrist shot from gritty third line pivot Jay Beagle deflected off the stick of Boston blueliner Johnny Boychuk and past Tim Thomas to make it 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

It was at the end of the period that a two-goal outburst in a matter of only twenty-eight seconds by the Bruins would even the score at two. First it was German defenseman Dennis Seidenberg who would snap a wrist shot past Capitals’ rookie goaltender Braden Holtby to cut the Washington lead in half. On the very next shift Brad Marchand would poke a rebound through Holtby’s five hole to bring the score to a tie.

“I jumped by their forward and Looch (Milan Lucic) made a great pass to the outside and all I was trying to do was get the puck on net and somehow it found the back of the net.” – Dennis Seidenberg

The B’s would face even more adversity after former-Bruin Mike Knuble would corral a Joel Ward rebound and slide it into the Boston net for a 3-2 Washington lead just three minutes into the third period. After a stretch of fourteen consecutive failed power-play attempts, the B’s would finally break through when Johnny Boychuk released a rocket slapshot that blistered right past Holtby and into the Capitals’ net.

Boston would swarm the Washington end for the better part of what was left in the third frame, but it would be the Caps who would come out on top after scoring on a power-play that many felt should not been granted in the first place.

“Tough call.  I will leave it to you guys, but it was a tough call to make at 2:15 in the game.  It is a grind out there.  Sometimes you get the calls and sometimes you don’t. To call that at the end it is disappointing but there is nothing you can do about it.” – Benoit Pouliot

My Thoughts

– The one thing that the B’s have going for them is the simple fact that they’ve been here before. While they didn’t necessarily face an elimination game six on road ice, they did confront (and overcome) numerous occasions in which they were in a must-win situation. Game three in Montreal, game three against Vancouver and game five against the Lighting were all situations in which the Bruins were in desperate need of a victory and were able to come through.

If they’re not prepared, they could become the second consecutive Stanley Cup champion to lose in the first round of their title defense.

“It’s do or die for us, and we have to make sure we leave it all out there and try to force game seven. But we’re in their rink. They’re going to be coming out hard, so we got to be prepared.” – Brad Marchand

“It’s good to know that we’ve been in tough spots before and responded well. Having said that, we got to do that. You got to bring it and do it. It isn’t, it’s not going to be for granted that we’re going to do it. It’s up to us in this room.” — Tim Thomas

It’s certainly an unfavorable situation, but if the 2011 Bruins taught us anything, it’s that you can never count out the Black and Gold.

“We may be in trouble, but we’re not dead.” – Claude Julien

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Dennis Seidenberg (1 Goal/1 Assist)

2) Troy Brouwer (1 Goal)

3) Mike Knuble (1 Goal)

Series:  Washington Leads 3-2

Next Game: Sunday April 22, 2012. 3:00 PM. Verizon Center, Washington, DC.

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“The more we play each other, the more we hate each other.” – Brad Marchand

The above quote, courtesy of the Bruins’ resident agitator and Boston fan favorite, Brad Marchand just about perfectly sums up Monday’s game three between the B’s and Capitals. The animosity between these two Eastern Conference foes had reached a boiling point, and it was obvious to all that the intensity levels of the series had skyrocketed.

It was a seesaw contest at the Verizon Center on Monday, but in the end, the visiting Bruins were able to down the host Caps 4-3 on a late tally from captain Zdeno Chara.

Boston’s towering Slovakian defenseman let loose one of his patented backscratcher slapshots that found it’s way through Washington goaltender Braden Holtby with only 1:53 to play in the game.

“I just tried to put it on the net and keep it low.  I think it was deflected off of one of their player’s stick and went in.” – Zdeno Chara

Things didn’t begin the way the Black and Gold had hoped for as they found themselves down a goal on two separate occasions during the game’s first twenty-one minutes. Russian enigma Alex Semin would be the first to get on the board – tallying the first opening period goal of the series – after firing a wrist shot through Tim Thomas amidst a late period Washington power-play.

The B’s would respond just thirty-five seconds into the middle frame when a Rich Peverley shot deflected off Holtby’s glove and into the Washington net. However, the Caps would immediately answer back on a slapshot goal from captain Alexander Ovechkin, a mere thirteen seconds after Boston had tied the score at one.

Hard work and grit would wind up championing the night in America’s capital city, as evidenced by Daniel Paille’s mid-second period goal in which he corralled a doorstep rebound and pushed it home to once again even the score at two.

“My goal was just a battle by Soupy (Gregory Campbell) and Thorty (Shawn Thornton) in the corner and then got the puck to Zans (Greg Zanon) and Zans shot it right away and me I had a ton of time in front of the net so I thought I’d make a move and I had a wide open net so it was nice to go in.” – Daniel Paille

Another bit of quick-strike offense would benefit the visiting Bruins when wily veteran Brian Rolston dug the puck out of a net-mouth scrum and shoveled it into the Capitals’ net only sixty-two seconds into the third and final period.

The Caps would certainly not go down without a fight,  especially not in their home building in front of 18,000-plus screaming fans all decked out in red hockey apparel. With exactly six minutes left in regulation, the Capitals evened the score at three after Brooks Laich would take advantage of a rare lapse in coverage from the B’s otherworldly defenseman (Zdeno Chara) and beat Tim Thomas on a breakaway.

Boston’s 6’9” captain would quickly atone for his mistake, picking up the game winning goal just more than four minutes later and lifting the B’s to a 2-1 series lead.

My Thoughts

– The Bruins’ ability to remain composed and keep a high level of confidence through the events of allowing a game-tying tally with just six minutes left on the clock and of being forced to play from behind a mere thirteen seconds after evening the score for the first time is truly impressive. Teams that can withstand the pressure of adverse moments are the ones who will make deeper runs into the postseason. The B’s certainly proved that ability during last year’s Stanley Cup run, and Monday’s win went a long way to helping the 2011-’12 Bruins squad form their own playoff identity.

“It’s very important (To stay composed) . This is a battle tested team that’s been through just about every situation possible. When you get into those situations, cooler heads prevail and you just have to continue on with what you do. That’s what we did and we came back with another big goal.” – Brian Rolston

Ben’s Three Stars:

1)Zdeno Chara (1 Goal/2 Assists)

2) Brooks Laich (1 Goal/2 Assists)

3) Chris Kelly (1 Assist/Plus-2 Rating)

Series:  Boston Leads  2-1

Next Game: Thursday April 19, 2012. 7:30 PM. Verizon Center, Washington, DC.

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WASHINGTON, DC– As I make my way down the Eastern seaboard to our nation’s great Capital, the Boston Bruins are preparing for a pivotal game three clash in enemy territory. After Nicklas Backstrom’s double overtime wrist shot lifted the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory at the TD Garden on Saturday afternoon, the series makes it’s way to the Verizon Center all evened up at one game a piece.

X-Factor: In games one and two, the Capitals’ newly implemented defensive strategy truly stymied most of the quality scoring chances that the Bruins would normally account for. Much like Tampa Bay’s infamous 1-3-1 system of a a year ago, the Washington defense has kept any and all Boston offense to the outside. In other words, they are taking away the center of the ice and forcing the B’s to make their attack either down the boards or through the ole “dump and chase” formula. If the Bruins hope to prolong their first Stanley Cup defense since 1973, they’ll need to find a way to crack the Caps’ stingy defense.

Series: Tied 1-1

Location: Verizon Center, Washington, DC.

Time: 7:30 P.M. (EST)

TV/Radio Info: NESN (Edwards, Brickley, Funayama) – 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers)

Tonight’s Lineup (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS:

Lucic–Krejci–Peverley

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Pouliot–Kelly–Rolston

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE:

Chara–Seidenberg

Boychuk–Ference

Zanon–Corvo

GOALTENDER:

Thomas

Khudobin/Rask

Scratches– ….. Mike Mottau, Jordan Caron

Injuries:

Nathan Horton (Concussion) – Boston’s top right winger was officially ruled out of the 2012 Playoffs by General Manager Peter Chiarelli during a press conference Wednesday morning.

Tuukka Rask (Groin) — The B’s back up goaltender is still day-to-day, but has traveled with his teammates to Washington and could be backing up Tim Thomas on Monday.

Adam McQuaid (Upper Body) — In what’s become one of the more unpredictable injuries of the season, Boston’s dependable blueliner will be forced to sit out again on Monday after not making the voyage south to DC.

Opposing Goaltender: Braden Holtby (2 GP/1.00 GAA)

Prediction: After taking a split in the first two games in Boston, the Capitals will likely be re-energized by the fact that they now hold home-ice advantage in the series. Also, the team’s outstanding record from the confines of the Verizon Center should do nothing but increase the Caps’ confidence as they enter Monday night’s showdown. Look for this series to finally see some goal scoring as Alex Ovechkin finally breaks out of his shell, leading the Caps to a 4-2 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

Bruins 2 , Capitals 4

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It was Swedish superstar Nicklas Backstrom who would play the hero role at the 2:56 mark of the second overtime period, capitalizing on a Boston defensive zone turnover and firing a wrist shot past B’s goaltender Tim Thomas to send the Caps to their first victory of this postseason.

Early on, it seemed as if game number two was simply a continuation of game one that took place in Boston on Thursday. Both squads were looking to set the tone through the same type of physical play that defined the series opener.It wasn’t until the 17:57 mark of the second period that the first regulation time goal of the series would find it’s way home.

In one of the most fluky incidents of the season thus far, the Capitals would strike first, attaining their first lead of the series after Troy Brouwer was able to poke a loose puck underneath Tim Thomas and into the Boston goal. Brouwer’s first tally of the postseason would be the first playoff goal surrendered by Thomas since a Max Lapierre marker in the third period of Game 6 during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

The B’s were able to tie the score just past the mid-point of the third period when some hard work and hustle from Benoit Pouliot would result in the Alfred, Ontario native’s first career playoff goal. Pouliot out-raced both Capitals’ defenseman to a loose puck in front of netminder Braden Holtby and managed to flick it into the top shelf of the Washington net.

“I think he (Braden Holtby) tried to poke-check, too, at the same time and I took a whack at it and it ended up in the net. So, like I said, sometimes just put the puck or whack at it – you never know what’s going to happen and it ended up pretty good.” – Benoit Pouliot

For the final minutes of regulation and through an entire twenty-minute overtime period, neither team could find it’s way onto the scoresheet until Backstrom’s wrister in the early going of extra frame number two.

The two squads will depart for Washington on Sunday in preparation for Games 3 and 4, to be played on Monday and Thursday respectively. Returning home with a series split should undoubtedly provide the Capitals with a huge momentum boost, especially considering their incredible home ice record this season (26-11-4).

“It means a lot. Coming home 1-1 instead of 2-0 to the Verizon Center with our own fans and giving ourselves a really good chance at this, it feels really good.” – Marcus Johansson

My Thoughts

– Leading the charge for the B’s through the first two games of this series has been the gritty third line trio of Benoit Pouliot, Chris Kelly and Brian Rolston. Not only has the third unit accounted for both Bruins’ goals in the series and each point accumulated, but it’s also proven it’s collective mettle on the defensive end of the ice. While they were the unfortunate group that were on the ice while the Caps scored their first goal, their collective commitment to defense helped neutralize Washington’s lethal second line (Semin—Backstrom—Johansson) whom they were matched up against for most of the night.

“They’ve been doing a good job for us. They scored our what, only two goals so far? So they’ve been doing a good job for us and we’ve just got to make sure to bear down on chances when we do get them.” – Johnny Boychuk

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Braden Holtby (43 Saves)

2) Nicklas Backstrom (1 Goal/Plus-1 Rating)

3) Benoit Pouliot (1 Goal)

Series:  Tied 1-1

Next Game: Monday April 16, 2012. 7:30 PM. Verizon Center, Washington, DC.

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Things got off to a hot start for the Black and Gold as they created a bevy of scoring chances for themselves in the opening minutes, crashing the crease of Capitals’ rookie ‘tender Braden Holtby. Though neither team could find a way onto the board in the first frame, the B’s held a distinct advantage in momentum as the two teams went to the rooms for the first intermission.

With two minutes and twenty-seven seconds of carryover power-play time, the B’s hoped to kick off the middle period with their first goal of this year’s postseason. Unfortunately for the 17,565 screaming, towel waving Bruins fans in attendance, the Capitals penalty-kill units once again came up big, stopping the B’s on all four of their power-play chances over the course of the night.

“It was good (the Caps’ penalty-kill). We know they have a good power-play and they like to move the puck around. It was real important that we were able to focus on that tonight.” — Nicklas Backstrom

The third period almost seemed like a different game altogether. After out-shooting the Caps by a 26-7 margin through the first forty minutes, the B’s seemed to take their foot off the gas pedal in the third frame. Washington would hold Boston to only three shots on goal during the final twenty minutes of regulation, whilst shoveling nine shots of their own towards B’s goaltender Tim Thomas. The reigning Conn Smythe award winner was on top of his game the entire night, keeping the score tied at zero and sending the game into overtime.

Though Braden Holtby played a near-perfect game all night long in his NHL playoff debut – stopping all 29 shots faced in regulation – the 22-year-old Saskatchewan native couldn’t prevent the Bruins’ first shot of the extra frame from tickling the twine behind him. A mere seventy-eight seconds into the overtime, it would be Chris Kelly who would get to play hero after blasting a slapshot past Holtby to send the B’s to a 1-0 home-ice victory and a 1-0 series lead.

“I think I was probably the most surprised in the building. Like I said, I think it might have went off the defenseman’s stick a little bit and changed up. I was pleasantly surprised to see it go in.” – Chris Kelly

Despite allowing the Caps to take control of the game’s momentum in the third period, the Black and Gold were able to remain confident that they could still find a way to win the game. A lot of that comes from the invaluable experience attained during last season’s phenomenal playoff run, one in which the B’s posted an impressive 4-1 overtime record.

“We know what it’s like. We know how to win those games and it showed tonight.” — Brad Marchand

My Thoughts

– As they’ve done so many times in the past, the Bruins came out early and established a physical tone, something that’s become a trademark of the Black and Gold squad since the dawn of the Claude Julien era. High numbers in both the hits column and the blocked shots category have been common in Boston throughout last year’s run to the Stanley Cup, and during this year’s regular season. It was no different on Thursday as the B’s blocked 22 Washington shot attempts and registered a whopping total of forty hits. However, what made things interesting was the fact that the Capitals didn’t seem to be bothered by the Bruins’ imposing physical style of play. In fact, they embraced it.

“They’re not going to let us push them around. They’re going to push back, especially in the first game of the series. That’s where you set the tempo. They did a great job in pushing back and playing physical too. That’s what we can expect all series long.” – Brad Marchand

Blocking 15 Boston shots and accounting for 29 hits — including a bone-crushing center-ice collision between Alex Ovechkin and Dennis Seidenberg — the Capitals almost exactly matched the Bruins’ physicality. The Bruins did a fantastic job in overcoming the Caps’ physicality, but seem to be in for a lot tougher test then many had previously thought.

– How impressive was Tyler Seguin on Thursday? Seriously. He may not have made it onto the score-sheet (along with almost everyone else on the ice), but his play in other facets of the game were a huge factor in Boston’s game one victory. Matched up against the Caps top line, and the great Alexander Ovechkin, the B’s prized youngster proved his mettle on more than one occasion, shutting down the Great Eight with strong back-checks and solid defensive positioning. It doesn’t take a hockey expert to notice the type of otherworldly skills that number nineteen has in his arsenal, but if the former number two overall draft choice can continue rounding out his game, his potential for greatness can only improve.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Chris Kelly (1 Goal/Plus-1 Rating)

2) Braden Holtby (29 Saves)

3) Tyler Seguin (5 Shots)

Series:  Boston Leads 1-0

Next Game: Saturday April 14, 2012. 3:00 PM. TD Garden, Boston, MA

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After a quiet first period, that saw neither team find the score sheet and the only action coming via some mid-period fisticuffs from Shawn Thornton and Robyn Regehr, the two squads went into the rooms in a zero-zero tie. It was at the 3:15 mark of the second period that Patrice Bergeron would find a wide open Tyler Seguin streaking towards goal for his team-leading 28th tally of the campaign.

“Look at my lineys (linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand), they’re easy to play with and I think if you look at some of my goals tonight, they set most of them up. Very fortunate to play with them and capitalize.” — Tyler Seguin

Late in the frame, the Sabres would draw even on former Bruins’ draft choice Brad Boyes‘ seventh tally of the season. The score would remain tied at one until the mid-point of the third and final frame when Boyes would collect his second goal of the night and eighth of the season. A mere 1:44 later, Buffalo would add to their lead when Jason Pominville corralled a lose puck out of a net-mouth scramble to give the Sabres a 3-1 advantage.

Boston would answer back seventy seconds later when Seguin blasted a slapshot past Sabres’ netminder Jhonas Enroth whilst on the power-play to cut the deficit to one. Saturday’s two-goal performance gives Seguin a total of 67 points (29G/38A) on the season, as he sets the record for being the youngest Boston Bruin in history to lead his team in scoring.

“It’s pretty amazing. It’s definitely an honor. Obviously again, like I was saying before my linemates make the game a lot easier for me.” — Tyler Seguin

With just under eight minutes to play in regulation, the B’s would even the score at three after Brad Marchand sent a backhand roof-job over the glove of Enroth for his 28th of the season.

After playing through a scoreless final seven minutes and through the five-minute overtime, the two squads would be forced to settle it in the shootout. It would be Patrice Bergeron — who enjoyed a three-point night of his own — that would score the only goal of the NHL’s skills competition, securing a 4-3 home-ice victory for the B’s.

My Thoughts

– Despite Saturday’s game not holding any tangible value when it comes to playoff positioning, the Boston Bruins third period effort was truly something to be applauded. In a game with nothing but personal pride on the line, and facing a two-goal deficit with less than ten minutes to play, it would have been easy for any team to “mail it in” so to speak. That didn’t happen at TD Garden on Saturday. The B’s fought and clawed their way back into the game, and eventually took home the two points. A victory like that –no matter the stakes — truly says a lot about a team’s character and resiliency and bodes well for a team poised to defend it’s Stanley Cup Championship.

“We wanted to finish on a good note. We had a tough start, digging out by a couple goals, but we showed the character that we need going into the playoffs. We battled back, and that’s what you have to do if you want to win games. We’re proud of what we accomplished tonight.” – Brad Marchand

“That’s just it. I think we weren’t just willing to just throw in the towel and say, ‘OK, it’s a nothing game. They’ve got a two-goal lead, let’s just finish this game.’ But our guys, after they scored that second goal, there was some life on the bench, some of that bitterness that we got accustomed to hearing, and guys talking about it not being good enough. We had to get ourselves back in this game, and we responded with two big goals and found a way to win in the shootout.” — Claude Julien

Ben’s Three Stars:

1)Patrice Bergeron (3 Assists/Plus-2 Rating)

2) Tyler Seguin (2 Goals/Plus-2 Rating)

3) Jhonas Enroth (38 Saves)

What’s Next?

– After completing the 82-game regular season slate, the Black and Gold will now kick off their Stanley Cup defense on Thursday evening, right back here at the TD Garden against the . The Sabres will return home to Buffalo for a locker clean out after missing the post-season for the first time since 2008-2009.

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Things didn’t begin well for the Black and Gold as Crosby fired one over the glove of Marty Turco after finding himself all alone in front of the Boston net during a 4-on-4 situation. On the play, Pens’ forward Pascal Dupuis picked up an assist to extend his current 15-game point streak, the longest in the NHL for any player this season. Only seven minutes later, Pittsburgh would extend their lead when a fluky bounce would wind up with the puck in the Boston goal, and Pens’ defenseman Paul Martin being credited with his second tally of the season. The B’s would get one back late in the opening frame when Benoit Pouliot made a brilliant deke through the Pittsburgh defense and beat goaltender Brent Johnson upstairs with a backhander.

A mere eighteen seconds into the middle period, David Krejci would set up Milan Lucic for his 25^th goal of the year off a beautiful no-look drop pass in the slot. “He’s definitely got that in his bag of passes. It’s great that he was able to find me” said Lucic during his post-game media scrum.

However, it would be with just under three minutes to go in the frame that things would begin to go awry for the Black and Gold. Assigned two minor penalties in a brief nine second span – both of the highly questionable variety – the B’s suddenly found themselves in a 3-on-5 situation against one of the league’s most deadly power-play units. The Penguins wouldn’t waste any time, quickly pushing two power-play tallies past Turco in a 48-second span. The first came from the stick of James Neal, his team-leading 40^th of the season, and the other came as Sidney Crosby’s second of the night and the seventh of his injury-shortened campaign.

“It’s just unfortunate that we get two men down and they are able to capitalize. It’s just one of those games where we weren’t getting many calls. We’ve just got to…you know, we’re not a bunch of complainers; we’re just going to play through it.” – Milan Lucic

“They got a dangerous power play you got to keep them off it.  Their stars took advantage and at the same time we got to kill those off, but you can’t do anything about it now – they buried their chances.” – Rich Peverley

Pittsburgh would all but end it in the early parts of the final frame after gritty forward Aaron Asham deflected a Craig Adams wrist shot into the Boston net. The B’s would make it close again after Milan Lucic connected with Rich Peverley on a 2-on-1 break to set up number 49’s eleventh tally of the season. However, it would simply be too little, too late as Boston fell 5-3 on home ice to the Penguins.

My Thoughts

– After reliable blueliner Johnny Boychuk went down with an apparent left leg/ankle injury midway through the third period of an essentially meaningless game, I’d expect that the Bruins will proceed with extreme caution in their final two regular season contests, as to avoid any further ailments to key players.

“Those kind of injuries, you’ve got to kind of let the night go by and the next day you get a better idea. We’re keeping our fingers crossed right now that it’s not bad news.” — Claude Julien

If I were to pose a guess, I’d hedge my bets on the B’s calling up a couple of “Black Aces” from Providence a little bit early, in order to give a few veterans some valuable rest. I would not be surprised if a few players — Chara, Seidenberg, Thomas, Bergeron, Krejci to name some candidates — did not even make the trip to Ottawa with the team for Thursday’s tilt with the Senators.

– I had the luxury of speaking with new Bruins’ defenseman and former Michigan State standout Torey Krug following the B’s 5-3 loss. The 5’9″ Livonia, Michigan native logged 18:18 minutes of ice time during his NHL debut, whilst being on the ice for two goals against, and two goals for. On a personal note, the former MSU Spartan certainly seemed like a stand up guy, who was truly relishing the opportunity he’s been given to perform at the NHL level.

“The biggest advice I was given was have fun and be myself. You know, when it comes down to it, it’s just another hockey game and it’s just a level higher. All the guys said, ‘Have fun, you’re going to remember this for the rest of your life,’ and I think I did that.” – Torey Krug

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Sidney Crosby (2 Goals/1 Assist)

2) Kris Letang (3 Assists)

3) David Krejci (2 Assists)

What’s Next?

– Up next for the Black and Gold is what looks to be a first round playoff preview, when they travel to ScotiaBank Place for a Thursday evening showdown with the Ottawa Senators. The Pens will return home to the friendly confines of the CONSOL Energy Center for a contest with the New York Rangers on Thursday.

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“We really look at this as more of a statement game for us because we’ve been struggling, and we had to come out with the kind of effort we had the game before, which is something we haven’t done very much in a long time.” – Claude Julien

Kicking things off with back-to-back shifts of heavy pressure on the Toronto net and perhaps their best full period of play in over two months, the Black and Gold definitely brought their “A-Game” from the get-go on Monday. Accounting for the game’s first eight shots on goal, the B’s would capitalize on exactly half of them, securing a four goal lead midway through the opening frame.

Chris Kelly got it all started when he corralled a Benoit Pouliot feed and slipped it through Leafs’ goaltender James Reimer for his career-high 18^th tally of the season. Not long after, Boston’s fourth line pivot Gregory Campbell would account for his eighth of the year when he caught Reimer napping with a quick wrap-around. It would be Pouliot who would be the next to get on the score-sheet after redirecting a Johnny Boychuk blast into the Toronto goal. Reimer’s short and painful evening would come to a merciful end less than two minutes later when Brad Marchand converted a Bruins’ power-play chance into his 24^th goal of the season.

Opting to bring the Swedish netminder Jonas Gustavsson back out for the second, new Leafs’ bench boss Randy Carlyle’s headache would only get worse as the B’s would put three pucks past the Toronto back-up during the middle frame. It began only 2:31 into the period when Pouliot would put home his second of the night after an ill-timed turnover by Gustavsson behind his own net. Captain Zdeno Chara’s power-play bomb at the 5:45 mark converted the Boston “touchdown” to make it a 6-0 game. Breaking out the cannon of a shot that made him such a beloved hockey figure in the Hub during his first stint with Boston, Brian Rolston increased the B’s lead to 7-0 with only thirty-five seconds left in the middle frame.

Despite a more evenly matched third period, Boston would add yet another tally when Tyler Seguin’s wrist shot found the twine at the tail-end of a 3-on-2 rush by the Bruins. The 8-0 victory completes Boston’s season sweep of the Leafs, taking all six contests between the two Northeast division rivals by a combined 36-10 margin.

“They beat us in every aspect of the game. We made more mistakes than them, we turned the puck over more than them, they out-competed us. Just not acceptable for our group. We have to take responsibility for that.” – Dion Phaneuf

My Thoughts

– Without question, there were more positives to take out of Monday’s victory than of any Bruins’ game in recent memory. Putting eight pucks behind an opposing goalie whilst allowing only thirteen shots on goal is undoubtedly an accomplishment to be lauded for and something that truly illustrates Boston’s commitment to giving a complete effort night in and night out. The entire team seemed to be in top form from the opening puck drop, imposing their will and style of play for the entire sixty minutes, something they haven’t had the luxury of enjoying since a 9-0 throttling of the Flames on January 5.

– Unexpected contributions from the third (and fourth) offensive unit were one of the many reasons the Bruins enjoyed so much success last season. This season, Boston’s depth has been seriously challenged by a plethora of injuries to some key contributors, most notably third line stalwart Rich Peverley. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons behind the B’s recent struggles has been the inability to find any sort of consistency in their third line. Over the course of the past month and a half, a number of players have been slotted alongside the incumbent Chris Kelly, but none have been able to truly embrace the role and enjoy any sort of continued success. However, the newest trio of Kelly, Pouliot and the newly-acquired Brian Rolston seem to have created a perfectly balanced third unit that bench boss Claude Julien can feel confident in using with regularity down the stretch. The trio combined to score four goals and add five assists with a plus-10 rating in Monday’s victory over the Maple Leafs.

“Kells (Kelly), he’s a player that plays in every dimension of the game. He’s great defensively, he can make things happen offensively – he’s a pleasure to play with. Benny (Pouliot),  he’s a tremendously talented kid and I just think we’re supporting each other well and we’re building a little bit of chemistry.” – Brian Rolston

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Brian Rolston (1 Goal/3 Assists)

2) Benoit Pouliot (2 Goals/1 Assist)

3) Johnny Boychuk (1 Assist/Plus-4 Rating)

What’s Next?

– The Black and Gold will now embark on a three-game road swing to the great state of California that will begin on Thursday evening with a late-night clash against the San Jose Sharks. It’ll be a quick turn-around for the Leafs, who will be back in action Tuesday against the New York Islanders.

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Power-Play:  Black Bears (0-5 / 0 %) — Eagles (1-3 / 33 %)

Penalty-Kill: Black Bears (2-3 / 67 %) — Eagles (5-5 / 100 %)

Shots: Black Bears (42) — Eagles (43)

Recap: Things got out to a fast start for an Eagles squad looking to lock down it’s position as the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Boston College threw twenty first period shots towards Maine goaltender Dan Sullivan in the first, scoring on a pair of them to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room after twenty minutes of action. Both goals came off the stick of phenomenal freshman Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames) , who picked up his 18th of the campaign after a defensive zone turnover by Nick Pryor (Anaheim Ducks) and his 19th only seven seconds into his team’s first power-play chance of the night when he capitalized on a net-front scramble created by a wrist shot from the point by Chris Kreider (New York Rangers).

Near the mid-point of the middle frame, Black Bears’ senior captain Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, MA) would cut the Maine deficit in half with a top-shelf backhander just over the blocker of Eagles’ goaltender Parker Milner.

Unfortunately for the hoards of “Mainiacs” that made the trip down to TD Garden for Saturday’s contest, the Eagles would swipe the momentum right back with just over a minute to go in the middle period when Gaudreau found a wide open Pat Mullane in front for his ninth tally of the season. Barry Almeida would later add his 22nd tally of the season into an empty Maine goal with just over a minute to play in the game.

The Eagles used some solid penalty-kill work and some timely stops from junior backstop Parker Milner to hold off the Black Bears in the third period to claim their third consecutive Hockey East Tournament Championship and their fifth in the past six seasons. The win all but assures the squad from Chesnut Hill the number one overall seed in the NCAA Hockey Tournament which is set to kick off next weekend.

Gold Star: (F) — Boston College (Calgary Flames)

— The Eagles’ superstar freshman looked like a man amongst boys on Saturday evening, picking up his 18th and 19th goals of the season during an excellent first period effort. Gaudreau nearly turned the trick twice during the middle frame, before setting up Pat Mullane in front for BC’s third goal of the night.

Black Star: University Of Maine Power-Play Unit

– Entering Saturday’s Conference championship in possession of the nation’s top-ranked man-advantage, the Black Bears were once again expected to dominate in the special teams department after knocking home four power-play tallies in Friday’s win over Boston University. Unfortunately for Maine, the power-play unit just wasn’t the same on Saturday, posting a dismal 0-5 (0.00 %) mark on the night.

What’s Next?: With tonight’s victory, the Boston College Eagles have secured themselves an automatic bid in the NCAA Hockey Tournament. The official selection show is slated to be broadcast on Sunday afternoon on one of the many ESPN Networks.

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The hatred was brewing early on as Flyers’ rookie Zac Rinaldo and Bruins’ fourth line enforcer Gregory Campbell dropped the gloves just two minutes into action, for round one of what many expected to become a ten-round joust between two of the NHL’s heavyweight squads.

“I’m just trying to help out anyway I can, and that situation, I think it was good in front of a home crowd, just to spark a little life into the team.” – Gregory Campbell

Boston would jump out to a 1-0 lead at the 6:23 mark of the opening frame when Chris Kelly collected his 17^th of the season off a Benoit Pouliot rebound. The goal marked the first time the Black and Gold have scored the first goal of a game since a home-ice matinee with the Islanders…..back on March 3. Late in the period, the B’s would double their lead when Tyler Seguin slipped one through the five hole of Ilya Bryzgalov after a sweet little behind-the-net dish from Patrice Bergeron.

“It was really nice to get that first one and then obviously get the second one.  It felt good coming in after the first, it’s something we haven’t had in a while.” – Chris Kelly

After some early pressure and a failed power-play chance kicked off the second period for Boston, rugged blueliner Johnny Boychuk threw down the mitts with former Pittsburgh Penguin Max Talbot for the afternoon’s second edition of the fisticuffs.

Philadelphia would cut the Boston lead in half midway through the second period when rookie forward Matt Read would deflect a Danny Briere wrist shot past Tim Thomas for his 20^th goal of the season, with only two seconds remaining on a Flyers’ power-play.

With less than five minutes to play in regulation, the fears of the 17, 565 Black and Gold supporters in attendance at TD Garden would be confirmed when former Columbus Blue Jacket Jakub Voracek would even the score at two as he deflected a Braydon Coburn shot past Thomas for his 14^th tally of the season.

“It would have been easy for us to let our heads hang and just kind of stop playing. But I think our mindset was good today, we wanted to win this game.” — Dennis Seidenberg

The two sides would then play to a scoreless tie through the remaining four minutes of the third and through the entire five minute overtime period. After the first five participants of the shootout found a way to tickle the twine, Tim Thomas came up with a humongous stop on Danny Briere to lift the B’s to a 3-2 home-ice victory.

“We needed to show up and have a good game at home. Things haven’t been going our way. That’s a polite way of saying it lately. To battle out tonight and come up with a good, solid strong game at home and pull out with two points, is hopefully very big for us moving down the road.” – Tim Thomas

My Thoughts

– While surrendering a two-goal lead in any game is never a good sign for a hockey club, Saturday’s contest seemed to resemble a much more Bruin-like effort than what we’ve seen recently from the Black and Gold. The passes were crisper. They were willing to sacrifice the body to make a play, something that’s been missing over their recent losing streak. The forwards, Milan Lucic in particular, seemed to be a lot stronger with the puck and often created scoring chances for themselves with hard drives to the net.

– On both Philadelphia goals, a Flyer forward out-muscled a B’s defenseman to secure proper position to deflect the puck past Tim Thomas. The B’s must do a better job in front of their netminder if they’d like to build on Saturday’s winning effort.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Patrice Bergeron (1 Assist/Shootout Winner)

2) Matt Read (1 Goal/1 Assist)

3) Tyler Seguin (1 Goal)

What’s Next?

– The B’s will be back at it on Monday evening here at TD Garden when they host Phil Kessel and the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers will travel home for a Sunday afternoon matinee against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Despite more than doubling the Sabres first period shot total, the Black and Gold found themselves down a goal as the two squads went to the rooms for the first intermission.

It was Buffalo captain Jason Pominville who would give his team a 1-0 advantage at the 16:39 mark of the opening frame when he beat Tim Thomas glove side with a slapshot from the left circle. The score would remain 1-0 through the end of the period despite a power-play for each team.

“I was able to let one go and it found a hole. It was nice to get the lead.” – Jason Pominville

The second frame would play out a lot like the first for  a Bruins squad that continued to dominate play, but simply could not solve Buffalo’s back-up netminder Jhonas Enroth for the better part of the period.

The Bruins were finally able to break through when fourth line pivot Gregory Campbell would deflect a Shawn Thornton slapshot past the Sabres’ Swedish ‘tender to even the score at one goal a piece. The game-tying tally came as a result of a blueline turnover from old friend and former Canucks’ pivot Cody Hodgson.

For Campbell, it was his seventh mark of the season and his first since January 22 in Philadelphia. The goal also snapped a nineteen-game pointless streak for the B’s gritty centerman out of London, Ontario.

“Scoring hasn’t been easy to come by this year and in games like tonight and a lot of games that we’ve been in over the past month, secondary scoring can be very useful. And we put of lot of pressure on ourselves. I guess we’ve been getting chances and that’s a positive sign.” – Gregory Campbell

Boston out-shot Buffalo by a slim 9-8 margin during the middle frame and held a 22-14 SOG advantage over the course of the first forty minutes of action.

In the third period, the B’s came out with a bit more pep in their step as they continued their quest for the ever-elusive two-game winning streak. At the 5:31 mark of the frame, it was sensational sophomore Tyler Seguin who would beat  Enroth upstairs, but was unfortunately denied by the stone cold iron of the crossbar. It was the second time of the game that the B’s had been denied a goal by one of the three metal bars surrounding the twine after a Dennis Seidenberg second period snapshot was also stopped by the left post.

After registering only three shots on goal in the first 11:32 of the third, Sabres bench boss Lindy Ruff opted to utilize his timeout. The timeout would not pay immediate dividends for Buffalo as only 1:24 later, the Bruins jumped ahead on Johnny Boychuk’s fourth tally of the season. The Edmonton native jumped on a loose puck in the Buffalo zone and blasted one past Enroth to give Boston it’s first lead of the night.

The B’s extended their lead 2:58 later when David Krejci capitalized on a 2-on-1 break to pot his 18th goal of the campaign.

Boston would hold on to their lead as time expired in the third to pick up a 3-1 victory and record their first set of back-to-back wins since early January.

“You know it’s been a long time, we finally got it. It feels good, I think we deserve it – we’ve played well in the last few games. Even in some of our losses, we played well. But, even if you got to play the same way, then the wins are going to come. We got two in a row so it feels pretty good.” – David Krejci

“Well it’s been over a month now so for us to string back-to-back wins together, it helps our confidence as a team because we have been playing real well the last couple of games, and stringing together a couple of wins here was critical for us.” – Johnny Boychuk

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Johnny Boychuk (1 Goal/4 Shots)

2) Gregory Campbell (1 Goal)

3) Jason Pominville (1 Goal)

What’s Next?

– The Bruins will be back in action on Saturday when they host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. The Sabres will also take the ice on Saturday when they take on the Senators at the ScotiaBank Center in Ottawa.

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Things got off to a hot start for a Bruins’ squad that accounted for six of the first eight shots on goal. It would be former-Islander Brian Rolston who would exact a small amount of revenge against his old squad when he dished a sweet little touch pass to Milan Lucic who would flip the puck past Isles’ netminder Evgeni Nabokov to give Boston a 1-0 advantage. The lead would be however short lived as less than three minutes later, former ninth overall draft choice Josh Bailey would slip behind the Boston defense and slip the puck through Tuukka Rask’s five hole to even the score at one.

For the second game in a row things would turn sour for the Black and Gold as the middle frame got underway. Midway through the period, whilst stopping an off-speed shot from the Islanders’ Matt Martin, B’s netminder Tuukka Rask fell to the ice in what seemed to be a great deal of pain. The B’s solid Finnish back-up and insurance plan for the aging Tim Thomas would be helped off the ice without being able to put pressure on his left leg.”It’s not good. You never want to see somebody go down and have to get carried off the ice. It’s not good to look at. Especially a guy like him who plays such a big role on this team. It’s tough.” said a distraught Dennis Seidenberg during his post-game media availability.  The injury comes at the absolute worst time possible for a Bruins squad slated to play fifteen games over the final 28 days of this month. Any hope of allowing Thomas any extended amount of rest for the impending playoff run has quickly faded if Rask is to miss significant time.

“Tuukka is a real good goaltender. We believe we have two number one goaltenders and to lose him, it’s going to be tough for Timmy (Tim Thomas). He’ll be playing more and it’ll be an extra load for him but I’m sure he’ll be ready for it. He loves challenges and I’m sure he’ll come out on top of this one too.” – Dennis Seidenberg

Shortly after the injury, the Isles would take advantage of another power-play opportunity as Matt Moulson tapped home a centering pass from Frans Nielsen to put New York ahead 2-1 after two periods of action.

After controlling play for the entire first half of the final period, the B’s finally broke through to even the score at two when Tyler Seguin showed the world exactly why he was taken with the second overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year old phenom took an up-ice feed from Zdeno Chara and used his blazing speed to beat both New York defensemen before flipping the puck over Nabokov’s right pad and into the goal. Less than eight minutes later New York would counter with a goal from their own phenomenal young and talented pivot when John Tavares redirected a Moulson shot through Thomas’ wickets to give the Isles a 3-2 edge.

Despite over a minute of a 6-on-5 advantage, by way of a pulled goaltender, the B’s were unable to get a third puck past Nabokov as the veteran Russian ‘tender swallowed up each and every Boston shot to seal a 3-2 New York victory.

The loss extends Boston’s stretch to 51 days without winning two consecutive games while the players in that locker room continue to search for consistency.

“It’s consistency. We’ve been talking about it for a while and I don’t remember the time where we have won back to back games, I think it’s been a little while. It’s something that we need to improve in. I don’t know what the reason is.” – Tyler Seguin

Ben’s Three Stars:

1)  Evgeni Nabokov (32 Saves)

2) Matt Moulson (1 Goal/1 Assist)

3) John Tavares (1 Goal/1 Assist)

What’s Next?

– It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Bruins as they will travel to New York this evening for a Sunday afternoon tilt with Ryan Callahan and the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers. The Isles will return home for a Sunday afternoon contest of their own, when they host Zach Parise and the New Jersey Devils at the Nassau Coliseum.

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Records: New York 26-29-1 (61 Points) , Boston 38-21-3 (79 Points)

Location: TD Garden , Boston, Massachusetts

Time: 1:00 P.M. (EST)

TV/Radio Info: NESN (Edwards, Brickley, Funayama) – 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers)

Last Game: New Jersey Devils 3 , Bruins 4 (OT) ……. Islanders 3 , Philadelphia Flyers 6

Tonight’s Lineup (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS:

Marchand–Bergeron–Rolston

Lucic–Krejci–Seguin

Pouliot–Kelly–Caron

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE:

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Mottau

McQuaid–Zanon

GOALTENDER:

Rask

Thomas

Scratches– …… Andrew Bodnarchuk , Max Sauve

Injuries:

Nathan Horton (Concussion) – Boston’s top right winger remains sidelined with a concussion he suffered back on January 21.

Rich Peverley (MCL) – Peverley will sit out his seventh consecutive game as he continues to rehab his MCL injury.

Andrew Ference (Lower Body)  — The B’s dependable D-man will miss his first game with what’s simply being called a “lower body” injury. 

Last Time We Met: Bruins 6 , Islanders 0

– The last time these two Eastern Conference foes met was back on November 17th at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. The B’s hammered the Isles in that one, winning by a 6-0 score, thanks to a three point night from third line pivot Chris Kelly.

Prediction: After a clutch 4-3 overtime win over New Jersey, I think that the Boston Bruins will be able to finally put together a pair of wins. Look for the Krejci line to stay hot as the B’s pick up the win on home ice.

Islanders 2 , Bruins 5

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Both teams got off to a slow start as the two sides played to a scoreless tie through the first twenty minutes of action, while combining for only 15 shots on goal.

After a failed Bruins power-play midway through the second frame, the Sabres capitalized on a defensive zone breakdown by the B’s. Sophomore forward Tyler Ennis stickhandled around the Boston net before finding a wide open Andrej Sekera in the slot. The upstart offensive defenseman then fired a wrist shot past the blocker of Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask. Despite another second period power-play, the B’s were unable to get anything past Sabres’ goalie Ryan Miller as they went to the intermission with a 1-0 deficit. In four minutes of second period play with the man advantage, Boston could only muster one shot on net. That’s a statistic that surely drew the ire of head coach Claude Julien and was likely a topic of discussion when he spoke to his team during the break.

Early in the third, the B’s were recipients of yet another power-play opportunity after Christian Ehrhoff was whistled for delay of game. Less than a minute into the man advantage, Boston would even the score when captain Zdeno Chara blasted a slapper from the point that found it’s way through a screen and into the Buffalo goal.

The two squads played out the final sixteen minutes and a five-minute overtime period without either team being able to tickle the twine. For the second time in three games in Buffalo this between these two divisional foes, we were headed for a shootout.

Despite a goal in the first round from Krejci, Sabres veterans Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy both put the puck past Rask to give the Sabres the 2-1 win in the shootout. The loss extends the Bruins’ streak of games between consecutive wins to a whopping 19, dating back to January 10^th and 12^th.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Ryan Miller (35 Saves)

2) Chris Kelly (6 Shots, EVEN Rating)

3) Jason Pominville (4 Shots, EVEN Rating)

What’s Next?

– Up next for the B’s as they continue their six-game road trip is a date with the Ottawa Senators at ScotiaBank Place tomorrow evening. The Sabres will be back in action on Saturday as well when they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

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Tonight’s Line-Up (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Kelly–Peverley

Pouliot–Krejci–Caron

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Thomas

Rask

Scratches– …… Bodnarchuk (Healthy) , Hennessy (Healthy) ,Horton (Concussion)

NEWS & NOTES

– Immediately following Tuesday’s contest, the Black and Gold will depart on an 11-day, six-game road trip that will feature stops in Minnesota, St. Louis and Buffalo, amongst others. This road swing, coinciding with the NHL trade deadline only thirteen days from now has lead many to believe that Peter Chiarelli will be looking to make any necessary improvements to his squad sooner rather than later. Thus providing the new players with an opportunity to gel with their new teammates during an extended period of time together. As we saw just one year ago, Chiarelli made moves to acquire Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly and Tomas Kaberle at the onset of a six-game roadie that would see Boston post an astounding 6-0-0 record and kickstart their run to a championship.

– In the wake of recently demoting youngsters Zach Hamill and Steven Kampfer, Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli has opted to call-up a new set of AHLers to bring along for his team’s upcoming road swing. The first of which is defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk. While building an AHL resume of over 250 games played, the  5’11″ blueliner has only appeared in five NHL contests, all of which coming in the 2009-’10 season. The second promotion was given to Brockton, MA native and veteran AHLer Josh Hennessy. The 6’0″ forward is the leading scorer for the P-Bruins this season with 15 goals and 15 assists in 49 games played.

– Tonight will mark the second meeting of the season between these two Original Six franchises. The Blueshirts took home a victory in Boston back on January 21 when Marian Gaborik scored in overtime with only three seconds left on the clock. These two Eastern Conference powerhouses will meet twice more this season, with both games to be played at Madison Square Garden.

– Reports over the past twenty four hours have suggested that Columbus Blue Jackets’ star and Canadian Olympic forward Rick Nash has been put on the trade market, by GM Scott Howson. A perennial all-star, the Blue Jackets’ captain has proven himself as one of the NHL’s elite talents throughout his nine-year career in the league. Now, while I would not be shocked if a deal were to be made that removed the 6’4″ 220-pounder out of Ohio’s capital city, I sincerely doubt that his destination will be Boston. There is no question that Peter Chiarelli has the necessary assets to make such a deal, but his willingness to part with the plethora of young talent that it would take to get Nash into a Black and Gold sweater is still yet to be determined. For example, any sort of trade that would bring a player of Nash’s caliber to the Hub would have to look something like this:

To Boston: Rick Nash, Curtis Sanford

To Columbus: David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Steven Kampfer, 1st Round Draft Pick

Now my question to you is this, would you feel comfortable giving up your inconsistent but highly skilled top-line center, future franchise goaltender and a first round selection for a proven all-star with 45-50 goal potential?

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Both student sections wasted no time in attacking the reputation of the rival school as various chants began erupting from the balcony of TD Garden even before the opening puck drop.

It would be the Eagles who would grab the lead first after former Rangers’ first round draft choice Chris Kreider’s defensive zone work would lead to Pat Mullane’s fourth goal of the season as the 5’11” Junior forward wristed one over the glove of BU netminder Kieran Millan (Colorado Avalanche). The score would remain 1-0 in favor of BC throughout the balance of an opening frame that was evidently dominated by the Eagles.

Unfortunately for the Eagle Faithful, the lead would not last long as Garrett Noonan (Nashville Predators) would knot the score at one when he converted an Alex Chiasson (Dallas Stars) pass during a Terrier power-play. It was a mere 3:31 later that Chris Kreider would put the Eagles back on top when his wrist shot from the right point found it’s way through Kieran Millan and into the BU net.

It wasn’t until the 7:12 mark of the final period that the BU Terriers were able to once again tie the score as it was Norfolk, MA native Garrett Noonan who would once again find the twine to make it a 2-2 game. Despite a plethora of power-plays for both sides, the score would remain tied as the last seconds ticked off the clock. In typical Beanpot fashion, we were once again headed for overtime in a hotly contested game between two heated rivals.

In the overtime period the referees rightfully swallowed their whistles and allowed for a penalty-free extra frame. The extra time was a hockey purists dream; end-to-end high octane action with limited stoppages and a multitude of scoring chances for both sides. As the seconds ticked off the clock it appeared that we were going to be treated to a second period of free hockey.

However, with only 6.4 seconds remaining in the first overtime, Boston College forward Bill Arnold (Calgary Flames) converted the tail end of a textbook 3-on-2 rush when he beat Millan to the glove side after taking a slick cross-ice pass from Stevan Whitney.

As Boston Bruins’ prospect and Eagles’ captain Tommy Cross picked up the Beanpot trophy, Boston College began to celebrate their seventeenth overall and third consecutive tournament championship. Freshman forward Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames) (2G/2A) took home the tournament MVP and Boston University goaltender Kieran Millan was the recipient of the Eberly award, given to the Beanpot’s top netminder.

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With only 3.6 seconds left in overtime in what was perhaps the best and most hotly-contested Bruins’ home-game of the season –far surpassing that of January 7th’s Finals rematch– it was Marian Gaborik who would play the role of hero as he buried a rebound at the tail end of an extended 4-on-3 power-play. Besting B’s all-star defenseman and fellow countryman Zdeno Chara in the battle for the puck, the Slovakian sniper ended Saturday’s action with his second tally of the day.

“He’s (Chara) one of the best, if not the best defenseman in the league. To be out there every shift against him, it’s a big challenge. He’s a big guy, you just try to get in his face and forecheck him because obviously it’s hard to take the body on him because he’s such a monster, but we took advantage their and won the game.” – Marian Gaborik

The goal lifted the Rangers to yet another victory and moved them into a tie (With Chicago) for the most points in the NHL, with 64.

Goaltender Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for the Bruins, who played most of the overtime period on the penalty kill, after defenseman Andrew Ference was slapped with a five minute major and an ejection for sending Rangers’ blueliner Ryan McDonagh crashing head first into the boards. A dangerous hit that will likely make no. 21 the next recipient of a lengthy suspension, courtesy of NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan. McDonagh had to be helped off the ice by the Rangers’ team trainer, and Ference has been informed that he will indeed face a discipline hearing for the hit.

“Well, I’m obviously going as fast as I can to try and get to the puck. I realized I wasn’t going to get there first, he boxed me out, I tried to lean back, but I was going too fast. Obviously it was a dangerous position, so I tried to let up and didn’t let up fast enough.” – Andrew Ference

Despite the notion that McDonagh may have saw Ference coming and turned his body towards the boards, there is simply no defense for a hit like this. In my opinion, it was simply a case of an honest and humble player becoming the unfortunate victim of a bad situation.

“Ference isn’t a dirty player – he’s one of those guys who supports what the league is trying to do as far as minimizing those injuries.” — Claude Julien

However, regardless of such, this type of incident is exactly what the league is trying to eliminate. On a day when the presumably retired Marc Savard was in attendance, it’s next to impossible to find any reason why Ference should avoid a suspension, even for the most die-hard Black and Gold supporters. You can check the video evidence below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Bruins were only able to muster up two goals through over sixty-four minutes of action as they were once again stymied by noted B’s killer Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers’ all-world netminder stopped 32 of Boston’s 34 shots on goal and improved his career save percentage to an other-worldly .947 against the Black and Gold. It was Ference and fellow defenseman Adam McQuaid who would provide the only offense of the day for Boston. Ference on a beautiful backhand move after a slick little cross-ice feed from David Krejci. McQuaid was responsible for the B’s second tally when he fired an off-angle wrister towards the net mouth, where it deflected off Brian Boyle and into the goal.

With the Rangers maintaining their position as top dog in the East, a mere two points ahead of the Black and Gold, Boston players have become fully aware of what to expect from the hard-nosed Blueshirts, now and possibly into the post-season.

“I think the guys they’ve had in the past are maturing as players and are starting to become players in the league, and they have a lot of depth. Not unlike other years, they play a physical game and work hard.” – Adam McQuaid

“I think we were aware that they’re very well-structured defensively, they work hard, they have good goaltending. They work extremely hard, actually, and they’ve got a lot of depth. So no real surprises. It was kind of the game we expected.” – Shawn Thornton

While many may disagree with me on this, I’d be all for it, should these two titans of the East meet up during the great marathon that is the NHL playoffs. Especially if we’re lucky enough to see 4-7 games like this one. Today was an extravagant showcase of hockey at it’s finest, put on by the two clear cut favorites in the Eastern Conference.

KEY STATS

Goals–                       NYR (3)                   BOS (2)

Shots–                       NYR (33)                    BOS (34)

Power-Play–           NYR (1-4)                   BOS (0-4)

Penalty-Kill–           NYR (4-4)                    BOS (3-4)

• Ben’s Three Stars– ….. 3.) Andrew Ference  ….. 2.) Henrik Lundqvist   ….. 1.) Marian Gaborik

What’s Next?

It’ll be a quick turnaround for Boston as they boarded a post-game flight to Philadelphia this afternoon, in anticipation of Sunday’s 3 P.M. matinee tilt with the Flyers. A game that will undoubtedly suffer from poor ratings locally due to the New England Patriots’ AFC Championship game set to be played at the same time. The Broadway Blueshirts will now return home to Madison Square Garden, where they will host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday evening.

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Snakebitten Pittsburgh winger James Neal unloaded two months worth of frustration with a rocket wrist shot from the right half-wall 3:38 into double overtime to give the Penguins a sudden 3-2 win over the Lightning in Tampa Bay tonight and a chance to close out their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series back in Pittsburgh on Saturday at noon EDT.  The game-winning goal was the first-career playoff goal for Neal, acquired shortly before the trade deadline from Dallas to provide a proven scoring threat for the offence-starved Penguins.  Yet the 23-year old power forward who has scored at least 21 goals in each of his 3 NHL campaigns, scored just once and added 5 helpers for his new club in the last 20 games of the regular season and came into tonight’s contest without a goal in his past 16 games and 48 shots.

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While Neal was effective in shootout situations and fulfilled what was expected of him – creating scoring chances, being strong on the forecheck and unleashing exceptionally hard wrist shots – there was an agonizing list of near-misses around the net.  Two nights ago in Game 3, he battled the Tampa Bay defence around the net and hit the post with a shot while Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson was out of position.  Tonight, Roloson was in position but the veteran Tampa Bay netminder and countless others in the building probably were not prepared for the velocity on Neal’s bad-angle shot that won the game for Pittsburgh.

“It’s been a long time; I’ve had a lot of chances,” Neal said after the game.  “As long as you keep shooting, one will find its way into the back of the net.  There was no better time than tonight.  I was just thinking ‘shoot’.”  He was quick to spread the credit to his teammates as well.  “The guys battled all night, with the PK and Flower (Fleury) in net.”

Neal was referring to Pittsburgh shutting down Tampa Bay’s vaunted offence on all four Lightning power plays including the most important penalty kill of the season thus far.  Late in the first overtime period, Craig Adams, one of the team’s top forwards in shorthanded play, was sent to the box for tripping Simon Gagne.  Jordan Staal was instrumental in helping Pittsburgh turn away Tampa Bay, winning the faceoff following the penalty and later blocking a Steven Stamkos shot with his chest.  Staal nearly ended the game earlier in the period, deking his way into Lightning territory and whipping a pass to Arron Asham at the Tampa Bay goalmouth.

Staal also earned the primary assist in the game-winning sequence when he kept the puck in the offensive zone at the blue line by sweeping a backhanded pass to Neal.  Head coach Dan Bylsma later praised Staal’s game tonight as “spectacular”.  The big centre took more faceoffs (35) and won more draws (19) than any other player, dished out 3 hits and led all Pens’ forwards with 28:33 of ice time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pittsburgh opened the scoring, finally snapping their power play drought at 8:14 of the first period when Tyler Kennedy scored on the Pens’ 16th man-advantage situation of the series by snapping the puck past Roloson from the near faceoff dot.  Arron Asham’s hot hands scored his third goal of the series and gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead early in the second period on a wrist shot that trickled through Roloson.  Tampa Bay responded when Martin St. Louis received the puck at the centre line then accelerated past the Penguins’ defence before firing a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury with under three minutes left in the second.

The Lightning sniper nearly tied the game late in regulation when he stripped sure-handed Pittsburgh blueliner Zbynek Michalek of the puck in the Pens’ zone.  He tapped it to Stamkos in the slot but fanned on the return pass with Fleury down and a wide-open net staring him in the face.  However, St. Louis’ chip-in to gain the zone minutes later would lead to the game-tying goal by Sean Bergenheim off a wild scramble in front of a supine Fleury.

That Tampa Bay was able to keep the game tied after sixty minutes is a credit to Roloson.  Pittsburgh outshot the Lightning 40-22 in regulation and 53-31 for the game.

Interestingly, the Penguins have now won their last five road overtime playoff games.  The pedigree in order: Darius Kasparaitis’ famous 2001 Game 7 Conference semifinal winner in Buffalo, Petr Sykora’s triple-OT Game 5 winner in Detroit to stave off elimination during the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, Evgeni Malkin’s bank-shot in Washington to end Game 5 of the 2009 Conference semifinal and Pascal Dupuis’ Conference quarterfinal winner in double-OT of Game 6 at Ottawa last spring.

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Twenty eight days.  Fourteen games.  Ten on the road including a four-game road trip and a five-game road trip.

So what happened during the month from Hades?  Starting with a Super Bowl Sunday matinee shutout loss at Washington until tonight’s dramatic 3-2 overtime win at Boston, the Penguins went 4-6-4.  Despite this stretch of mediocrity and even more names added to the ranks of an already-bloated injured list, the Penguins still only trail Philadelphia by two points in the Atlantic and still lead Washington by four in the Conference standings (though it should be noted Philadelphia has played three less games and Washington two less games than the Penguins).

Rookie Dustin Jeffrey scored a go-ahead second period goal plus the overtime winner this evening at 1:52 of the extra session as the Penguins completed a five-game road trip with a statement-making victory at Boston.  The statement was: “We’re not hanging our heads because of our injuries. We’re still going to compete.”  The Bruins established an early physically-punishing tempo and Pittsburgh responded, accepting and delivering big hits including James Neal’s shoulder-to-shoulder check on Bruins’ behemoth Zdeno Chara.  Boston’s big defenceman opened the scoring by walking uncontested to the high slot and rifling a shot by Marc-Andre Fleury.

But the Pens responded less than three minutes later when Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy collaborated on a 2-on-1.  Kennedy, who has scored 8 goals and 11 points in his last 15 games, caught Tim Thomas leaning and sent one more pass to Jordan Staal who tapped it into the net.  Seventy seconds later, Jeffrey snapped a shot through traffic to give Pittsburgh an abrupt 2-1 lead.  David Krejci evened the score with 33 seconds left in regulation when he one-timed a pass from the low slot with Thomas pulled.

In overtime, Boston defenceman Dennis Seidenberg tried to make an outlet pass to Michael Ryder but Jeffrey picked it off near centre.  Jeffrey streaked down the right wing, curled past a flat-footed Seidenberg then flipped the puck through Thomas to end the game and Boston’s seven game win streak.  It was the fourth consecutive game the Penguins have played that has gone past regulation.  The five-game road trip ended 2-1-2 for the Pens, an acceptable result considering they took 3 out of 4 possible points in the last 24 hours from the two hottest teams in the Conference, New Jersey and Boston.

Thus the Penguins emerged from the month from Hades burned but not engulfed, bloodied but very much alive.  Part of the reason for optimism is that several injured players have either returned to active duty or are close to returning.  Letestu returned triumphantly last Saturday, scoring in a shootout win at Toronto.  Jeffrey, injured in a home overtime win against Los Angeles on February 10, missed six games but also scored in last Saturday’s game, his second contest since returning.  Chris Kunitz, who carried much of the offensvie load in January, suffered an injury around the time of the loss at Washington on Super Bowl Sunday and has missed thirteen games since that day but has skated at several recent practices and could return Tuesday night against Buffalo.

Others who missed time during the last month: Matt Cooke was suspended for four games and Eric Godard for ten games.  Eric Tangradi suffered a concussion from a hit to the head during the infamous fight-filled game at Long Island.  Defenceman Brooks Orpik broke a finger blocking a shot against San Jose and missed all five games of the latest road trip and will be out at least three more weeks.  Fellow blueliner Paul Martin was checked from behind in Chicago and missed four games.

As injured players eventually return to the lineup and as snipers James Neal and Alexei Kovalev and defenceman Matt Niskanen, all added at the trade deadline, acclimatize to their teammates tendencies and the systems and strategies employed by coach Dan Bylsma, the Penguins will likely score and win more often than the past four weeks during the remaining fifteen games in March and April.  Above all, receiving consistently solid goaltending from Fleury remains the overwhelmingly most important factor on which Pittsburgh’s playoff success stands.

As for Crosby, it is pointless to speculate on his potential availability for the remainder of the regular season or playoffs.  Presently, no one knows – not even Crosby himself.  The team’s chances at winning the Stanley Cup are obviously greatly reduced if he does not return but the reconstructed Penguins will be an exciting and competitive team with or without him this spring.

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The Gold Medal Game: forever burned into the memory of every Canadian.  Canada went up early on goals by Jonathan Toews, who clearly shone above any other individual player in the calendar year 2010, and Corey Perry.  Ryan Kesler put the U.S. on the board shortly after Perry’s goal and Zach Parise tied it with a desperate pulled-goalie tap-in with less than half a minute to go in regulation.

Midway through the overtime period, Crosby tried to streak into the American slot but was met by all four U.S. players and forced to the far half-wall.  But Crosby stayed on the puck sliding it to Jarome Iginla in the corner as Crosby rolled off toward the net.

“Iggy!” Crosby screamed.  The pass was right on his tape…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today, Crosby rests and waits to see if he can salvage something, anything, out of a season where he was scaling new heights with ridiculous ease before being sent to the sidelines with a concussion suffered on or shortly after New Year’s Day.  Iginla’s Flames started the 2010-11 season slowly to the point where the Calgary captain was the subject of trade rumours.  Since then, Calgary has made a strong push for the playoffs.

This is what I wrote on the night Crosby scored in overtime, February 28, 2010:

Sidney Crosby was born and bred for this moment.

In a country that elevates its sublimely talented hockey superstars to iconic status, it was only appropriate that out of the many star players populating Team Canada’s roster, the wunderkind from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia would emerge as the one who seized the moment that asked for a hero.

Out of the many, Sidney.  E pluribus, Crosby.

At 2.54 pm local time, with over 15-million alarmed fellow citizens anxiously looking on, Crosby took one small step toward Ryan Miller, flicked the puck past him, then took one giant celebratory leap for Canadian mankind.  OT game-winning goal.  Gold medal-winning goal.  On home ice.  Lights out, Vancouver.

Did you seriously think it would turn out this way?

Of course you didn’t.  After all, Hollywood is an American institution and surely, Canadian hockey fans never believed that a script worthy of an Academy Award next weekend would play out in living colour on the silver screen of Canada Hockey Place.  In a Winter Olympics that has simply been magical for host Canada, it was stretching the bounds of reality to ask for one more storybook, golden moment.  Oh sure, Canadians could envision winning gold in a business-like, non-fairy tale fashion over the United States, and it certainly looked likely when Jonathan Toews scored in the opening frame and Corey Perry scored mid-way through the second period to give Canada a 2-0 lead.

However, when Ryan Kesler cut the lead in half five and a half minutes later on a deft deflection, Doubt cast her dark shadow clouds over sunny Vancouver.  When American Zach Parise scored the tying goal with Miller on the bench during the United States’ last, desperate push with just 24 seconds remaining in regulation time, not only was a storybook golden moment unlikely, it was completely out of the question.  Even the possibility of a business-like golden finish became questionable.

Every Canadian in the arena or watching at home, at the corner pub, or pressed up against the windows of an electronics store looked up and down that home team bench and wondered about all the many talented, battle-tested players and asked the same question: Who would be the one to rescue Canada?  Who would be the overtime hero?

Out of the many, Sidney.  E pluribus, Crosby.

In Canada, there is a reason why we label Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux “hockey icons” and place them on a higher tier than their merely “star” contemporaries.  For Gretzky and Lemieux, their natural gifts, their stratospheric accomplishments and their uncanny ability to succeed in pressure-cooker situations gave them the right to be labelled “icons”.  Crosby traces his hockey ancestry to this royal lineage.  It was Gretzky who tabbed a then 14-year old Crosby, fresh off a 193-point season in Nova Scotia Minor Hockey, as the one who had a shot at breaking his records.  It was Lemieux, the King Penguin, who drafted Prince Crosby and welcomed him into his castle, where they both still reside together.

Icons identify the moment; icons seize the moment; icons create one frozen moment that will be remembered for all time.

Every great achievement Crosby has earned thus far in his still young career was but a prelude to what we witnessed yesterday.  Youngest to score at the World Junior Championship.  Youngest to win a scoring title.  Youngest captain ever.  Youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.  All, mere arrows pointing to this frozen moment that was waiting for him from the day he was born, a prodigy on skates.

Some critics lamented, even as late as Saturday evening, that Crosby was underachieving and not scoring as much as he should in the Olympics.  They wanted Crosby to rediscover his finishing touch in the same manner that Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Rick Nash seemed to do as the tournament proceeded.  What the critics constantly fail to grasp is that there is no need to fret about the performance of icons.  Out of the many stars on Team Canada, some will score in bunches and some will periodically slump.  As we speak, out of the many Canadian teenagers, mesmerized by the hockey that they observed the last two weeks, some will in four years, populate a portion of the next Olympic roster.  Out of the many, there will be stars but likely, no icons.  Out of the many, there will still only be one hockey icon for this generation, ever to the rescue.

Out of the many, Sidney.  E pluribus, Crosby.