Loss To Canadiens Drops Bruins To Last Place In Eastern Conference

I promise in this post or in subsequent Bruins posts this season to avoid referring to a Stanley Cup hangover or general malaise.

With that out of the way, can we all agree that Boston's (3-6-0) forgettable start to the 2011-12 season has gone from unfortunate to disaster in less than ten games? Montreal's (3-5-2) first trip to TD Garden didn't serve as much more than another punch in the gut as the Canadiens came away with a 2-1 win tonight.

Somehow a team that played last night and on Monday looked fresher and more energized than one that hadn't played a game since Saturday night. Weird right?

The biggest issue by far right now for the B's is goal scoring (sound familiar?). Yes, Habs goaltender Carey Price (29 saves) can sometimes make cameo appearances as a top NHL goalie but this evening, the Bruins made him look like Patrick Roy in his prime. Next thing you know, Boston head coach Claude Julien will be introducing him for Price's Hockey Hall of Fame induction.

Boston had plenty of chances but they can't seem to do basic goal scoring things like putting a puck over a goalie's pads on the ice or shooting blocker side rather than glove side.

Two ugly streaks were nipped in the bud by the B's in the first period. Patrice Bergeron's (2nd of the season) power play goal at 14:05 served as the first time in seven contests that Boston scored first. I don't know the number (I'm assuming it was bad) but a power play strike for them is always huge and extremely unlikely.

Speaking of unlikely, the goal was a complete gift as Bergeron lost the face-off in Montreal's zone but it was hit right back at Price who wasn't ready for it (even though it wasn't coming too fast at all). The rare hockey own goal.

Montreal's Erik Cole-their key free agent signing over the summer-tied it at 10:27 in the second period with his second of the season. He tipped Jaroslav Spacek's pass with David Desharnais getting the second helper. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (33 saves) was great for most of the game and as is usually the case when he gives one up, it wasn't his fault.

The juicy subplot of the second period was Habs defenseman P.K. Subban and Bruins agitator Brad Marchand going off for matching holding penalties then matching delaying the game penalties. The third time proved to be the charm as they finally dropped the gloves and treated the fans to an entertaining (albeit crappy) fight.

B's defenseman Adam McQuaid returned to action tonight and while he played well in the first period, his mistake in the third period basically cost Boston two points. His pass for Bergeron was behind him in Boston's zone which led to a Montreal rush. Tomas Plekanec's (3rd of the season) first shot was blocked by McQuaid but he couldn't stop the second and neither could Thomas. Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges assisted on the game-winner at 10:46.

The teams will travel North of the border tomorrow for Saturday night's return bout in Montreal. Boston absolutely needs to win that one in any way possible after tonight's disappointment.

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Hurricanes Pick Up Their First Win Of Season, At The Bruins' Expense

It is less than a week into the 2011-12 NHL season so pardon me if I can't quite work up a lather yet about the Boston Bruins' lame beginning.

The defending Stanley Cup champs have gotten off to a slow start; their first road game of the season was tonight at the RBC Center in Raleigh Center and the host Hurricanes (1-2-1) picked up their first win with a 3-2 triumph over the B's (1-3-0).

With seven goals in four games, it's clear that putting the puck in the net has been Boston's biggest issue so far. Let's not forget that the power play is still a hot mess, off to a rousing 1 for 18 start (picking up where they left off in the playoffs).

David Krejci missed the game with a midsection injury so Tyler Seguin got the bump up to center on the first line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton flanking him. Boston still needs Krejci but for one game at least, Seguin (1 goal, 4 shots, 7 of 9 on face-offs) was a more than suitable replacement.

B's goaltender Tim Thomas (1-2-0) got his third start and yet again, it wasn't his fault that his team failed to get two points. He made 31 saves but was the victim of some bad luck and a shaky defense in front of him.

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward (26 saves) showed why he's one of the more underrated guys at his position with a strong showing.

After a scoreless first period, Carolina opened the scoring 42 seconds into the second frame with a power-play strike from defenseman Joni Pitkanen (1st of the season). Former Bruins great Tomas Kaberle and Jussi Jokinen assisted on the goal. Pitkanen was by the face-off dot and he took forever to fake a shot twenty times before finally unleashing a low one that found its way past Thomas. It appeared like Erik Staal screened Thomas on the play, regardless he should not have been able to park there so easily.

Boston bumbled through three straight scoreless power play chances and predictably, they didn't get a call the rest of the night (the B's had the last three penalties).

When Carolina's Anthony Stewart (1st of the season) scored 3:42 into the third (from Tim Brent and Tim Gleason) on a shot that trickled past Thomas at the post, I was firing off an angry Tweet but Seguin interrupted my venom with a sick top-shelf wrist shot just 25 seconds later. It was his first of many this season, from Horton and Adam McQuaid. It was a juicy glimpse of what Seguin can do when he has room to shoot.

Something called Jiri Tlusty (1st of the season) iced it with his game-winner at 13:32 from Brandon Sutter and Patrick Dwyer. He was unmarked in the slot and made Thomas and Co. pay for that.

Boston was about to go on another ill-fated power play but Patrice Bergeron hit Brad Marchand with a nice cross-ice feed for a one-timer and the Bruins' second goal (Marchmont's second of the season). Former Hurricane Joe Corvo had the second assist at 16:35.

I'm not going to say time ran out on the Bruins since it never really felt like they'd ever tie it before regulation ended.

McQuaid ran head first into the boards (how many times has he done that in the last year?) in the third and didn't return. Don't be surprised to see him held out of the next game with Matt Bartkowski getting another shot after being a healthy scratch for the last three contests.

It won't get any easier as the B's will remain on the road the next few days before meeting the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. After failing to really show up against two subpar teams (Carolina and Colorado), expect Boston to at least make a game of it in Theo Epstein's new home.

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Bruins Register Their First Win Of 2011-12

You have to give the NHL schedule makers credit; even though they weren't able to get the Montreal Canadiens in town for when the Boston Bruins raised their Stanley Cup banner from the 2010-11 season, having the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning at the TD Garden for the first two games of the 2011-12 season was pretty sweet.

After understandably sleepwalking a bit on Thursday vs. Philly, the B's (1-1-0) looked like a different team tonight as they beat the Lightning (1-1-0) 4-1. After facing their opponents from the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Finals in succession, you wish that the Vancouver Canucks were up next (they're not) but you can't complain.

Rich Peverley led Boston with two goals (his first two of the season) while Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand added two assists apiece. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (1-1-0) picked up his first win of the season thanks to a tidy 25 save effort.

Tampa Bay played in Carolina last night (winning 5-1) and they seemed to leave all their energy there, along with starting goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Mathieu Garon (38 saves) got the start and showed why he backs up a guy that turns 42 this week (!). The B's outshot them every period and finished with a wide advantage in shots (42-27), something that rarely happens that much for the defensive-minded Bruins.

The game was full of penalties but neither team could take advantage as Boston was 0 for 6 and Tampa Bay was 0 for 5 on the power play. Marchmont's power play goal on Opening Night feels like a lifetime ago. Speaking of the Lightning, it only took about one period to remember how they play Montreal's typical slimy style. All talk and flopping, no backing it up physically. It's pathetic and with the talent they have, utterly despicable.

The first period was scoreless, Peverley cashed in at 2:04 of the second period when Marchand's shot hit both posts and bounced right to him on the doorstep. Johnny Boychuk had the second assist.

The always pesky Martin St. Louis tied it up only 1:16 with the 300th goal of the his career, beating his former teammate (Thomas) at UVM. Ryan Malone and Vincent Lecavalier assisted on St. Louis' goal as a turnover in the neutral zone led to a breakaway.

Daniel Paille (first of the season) put the Bruins ahead for good as he tipped in Adam McQuaid's shot from the point at 4:58 of the second. Seguin started it with a pretty drop pass to Darth Quaider. Side note, I'm kicking myself for not drafting Seguin in either of my Fantasy leagues, he already looks so much more comfortable in just his second year in the NHL.

David Krejci (first of the season) got on the scoreboard with a goal at 3:07 of the third period from Milan Lucic and Seguin. It was a pure snipe from a guy that led the B's in goals during the Stanley Cup run (that'll be good trivia some day).

Peverley and Co. ended it as he scored his second goal at 8:43 from Patrice Bergeron and Marchand. Putting Peverley on the second line (in Mark Recchi's place) has made that trio (Bergeron, Marchand, Peverley) so much more dynamic. Right now, they look better than Boston's top line (Lucic, Krejci, Nathan Horton) but that's neither here nor there.

Benoit Pouliot had his first game in a Bruins uniform as he was on the third line instead of Jordan Caron. It was a very small sample size (7:42, 14 shifts) but I have to say I liked what I saw from the former first-round pick of Minnesota. The ex-Canadien had two shots and two hits so you can't argue about that production in such limited time.

The Bruins are back at it on Monday afternoon (Columbus Day) as the Colorado Avalanche come to TD Garden. Expect Tuukka Rask to get the start as head coach Claude Julien has pledged to give Thomas more rest during the regular season.

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Bruins Raise Banner, Drop Season Opener 2-1

In a night filled with pageantry and emotion, the Bruins let their foot off the gas late in the first period, allowing two quick goals en route to a 2-1 loss on Opening Night to the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.

New Flyers netminder Ilya Bryzgalov made 22 saves and got the win thanks to two goals in 47 seconds for the new look Flyers (1-0). Both Flyers goals came in the last minute of the first period, when the Bruins became a bit lackadaisical on defense.

The Bruins began the game with a jolt of energy, earning several scoring chances and dictating the pace of the action. They got on the board early in the first as Brad Marchand scored on a beautiful backhand during the Bruins first power play.

He was set up by a beautiful feed through the entire neutral zone by Tyler Seguin, who I thought had a hell of a game. Although the Bruins (0-1) would have several other scoring chances, especially on the power play (1 of 5), that is all that the B's would get. New defenseman Joe Corvo had the other assist on Marchmont's tally (interesting note: he had the last goal in Game 7 at Vancouver and the first goal of this season).

The Flyers got on the board when Claude Giroux took a pass from the returning Jaromir Jagr and then proceeded to undress Zdeno Chara before beating Tim Thomas (27 saves) on a nifty breakaway move.

Just 47 seconds later, new Flyer Jakub Voracek corralled a loose puck, pirouetted to his right and lifted a wrister past Thomas to give the Broad Street Bullies a 2-1 lead with what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

The Bruins had a few legit scoring chances after that including a botched 2-on-1 that saw Chris Kelly unable to capitalize on another crisp dish from Seguin in the first, and an open net opportunity for Nathan Horton that was quelled by Kimmo Timmonen's stick.

Overall it was an entertaining game but the Bruins left a lot on the table, especially on the man advantage. Unlike last year however, the Bruins' man advantage actually looked pretty good. They did a great job moving the puck and getting a lot of chances from different areas on the ice. However, they could not capitalize on their opportunities throughout the night.

Boston gets back to work on Saturday night as they host another team they beat in last season's playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning (who they defeated in an epic seven-game Eastern Conference Final).

Game Notes

* The raising of the banner was one of those sports moments that I will never forget. The ceremony itself started with a montage of the Bruins' magical playoff run on the jumbotron, accompanied by a cylindrical canvas that was placed over the center ice circle, displaying images from the season while the video played. After the montage was complete, the canvas dropped, revealing the championship banner. Really well done.

* The Bruins got a chance to show the home crowd the Cup on the ice afterwards, as each member briefly raised the cup for the people in attendance. As someone who hates seeing a team win a championship at the visitors arena/field, I thought this was a cool moment for the team as well as the fans. They also inserted "the sheriff" Shane Hnidy into the celebration along with former alternate captain Mark Recchi, both of whom were in uniform.

* After a few words from Jeremy Jacobs (yes fans still booed him), Cam Neely, Peter Chiarelli and Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference took the mic and presented Recchi with the revered Bruins ' Starter jacket. Great stuff.

* When it came time to raise the Banner, the B's were joined by former Bruins like Pie Mackenzie, Bobby Orr, Derek Sanderson, Kenny Hodge, Johnny Bucky and the 93-year-old Milt Schmidt. They alluded to it on the Versus broadcast, but you really never see a passing of the torch like that anymore. Just a perfect ending to the ceremony.

* I thought Corvo looked really good in his first game with the B's. He skated with the first PP unit, alongside Chara and really did some nice things. Rather than posting up at the blueline, he carried the puck towards the high slot and even set up on the halfwall, looking for passing lanes down low while simultaneously looking towards Chara for the big bomb.

* Seguin looked good too and will certainly get more time on the PP unit if he keeps playing like he did tonight. His feed to Marchand in the first was beautiful and hopefully it will only be a matter of time before he's skating on the second line. He also set up Chris Kelly in the first and brought a more physical presence to his game tonight. Good to see.

* After the game, I started to watch the Vancouver-Pittsburgh game on Versus and what I saw was hilarious. Just like the Bruins had the Stanley Cup at center ice, the Canucks had some hardware as well. Only it was their individual awards that they won last year, just days after being humiliated by the Bruins. Good to know that their heads are still in the right place.

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Hide Your Girlfriends: Brad Marchand Re-Signs!

From EspnBoston.COM

The Boston Bruins and restricted free agent Brad Marchand have reached agreement on a two-year, $5 million deal, sources told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun.

The 23-year-old gets $2 million this season and $3 million next season. The left winger had been skating with the Bruins at captain's practice even without a new deal in place.

He took to the ice again Wednesday at Ristuccia Area in Wilmington, Mass., but left without talking to reporters. Marchand had a solid rookie season (21 goals, 20 assists) but stepped it up in the playoffs, providing 19 points in 25 playoff games, including two goals and an assist in the Cup-clinching Game 7 victory in Vancouver.

"I am a part of this team and there's no reason for me not to be," Marchand said Monday. "I want to be here and I want to show them I'm in shape and I'm ready to go this year. I'm just waiting to see and get it done here."

We'll that took way longer than it should have.

There was never any doubt in my mind that the Bruins and the charismatic winger would reach an agreement, especially after the one man Ozzfest he had in the weeks following the Stanley Cup victory. I was never worried about a team like Columbus or Nashville swooping in and blowing him away with an outlandish offer. Besides, he was a restricted free agent anyway, so the Bruins had the ability to match or beat any offer.

The only thing I was slightly worried about was if a contender like Philly stepping in and trying to make a statement. Looks like we don't have to worry about that for now.

I was happy to read reports about Marchand at captains' practice before signing his deal, showing just how team oriented he is. It speaks to his character that he didn't hold out during camp or bitch and moan about playing here like Kessel did when he was here.

His ego was clearly not an issue, as he could have very easily held out (and maybe got more money) to go elsewhere. The B's front office did a great job locking him up for relatively cheap money, as thy continue to strengthen their nucleus of talented young players.

This two-year $5 million dollar deal keeps him in Boston where he can hopefully sustain and hopefully improve on his breakout 2010-11 season. He earned a spot on the secpnd line with Bergeron and Recchi and will certainly return to his role as antagonist this season. I truly believe he can be a 30-goal a year type of player, especially if second year winger Tyler Seguin joins him and Bergeron on the new-look second line.

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39 years of misery are gone for the B's as they capture their first Stanley Cup Final since 1972

When the Boston Bruins lost three straight Game 7s over the last three postseasons, who would have ever expected that the team could make such a drastic leap in 2010-11?

Honestly, any B's fan had to have serious doubts that head coach Claude Julien, GM Peter Chiarelli, not to mention owner Jeremy Jacobs would ever be in charge of the team when they finally broke their long Stanley Cup drought.

Yet here we are, the day after Boston snapped a 39-year skid and picked up the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup with a thrilling 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the Rogers Arena.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas picked up the Conn Smythe trophy (playoff MVP) with one final masterpiece, 37 saves, as the B's picked up the first road win of the series for either squad in the Original Six team's first ever Game 7 in the Finals.

Patrice Bergeron (2 goals) and Brad Marchand (2 goals, 1 assist) were the offensive catalysts in the deciding game for a team that didn't have the name recognition of the Canucks but proved that heart, will and effort can sometimes trump talent in this wonderful sport.

One more time, Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo (17 saves), the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Kesler and Co. cracked under the relentless pressure of the Bruins and the enormity of the moment.

It's also fitting that Boston's fourth line (Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton) was the key to the game as they were able to calm the Bruins down in the first period as Vancouver predictably came out on fire. Thomas held the fort but the toughness of the fourth line was able to impose itself on the Canucks and that's when the game started to flip.

Bergeron scored his fifth goal of the playoffs at 14:37 of the first period as Marchand shook loose in the corner after a Bergeron faceoff win then threw it to the middle for him and a one-timer. Luongo barely moved, showing that he was ready to poop his hockey pants like everybody in New England hoped and dreamed of heading into Game 7.

Marchand (10th of the playoffs, setting a Bruins rookie record) scored a classic Marchmont ("I don't like Marchmont, I don't even understand why he's on the team,") goal at 12:13 of the second period. Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi (playing his last NHL game and going out a three-time champion) assisted on the tally but it was all Marchand. He wrapped around Vancouver's net on his backhand and stuffed it on Luongo. The fraud they call Bob Louie had it tied it but then he kicked it in with his leg pad.

If you thought that goal was soft or leaky, and it was no matter what term you prefer, I have never seen anything in an NHL game like Bergeron's second goal that sucked the life out of British Columbia and Rogers Arena. At 17:35, Bergeron came in on a shorthanded breakaway and was hooked down. He didn't even shoot the puck but it kept moving forward. Luongo is huge but for some reason he was more worried about the bodies coming at him then his job (you know, to stop the puck) and as a result, the puck went in. Haha, one of the most absurd goals I've ever seen in my life in any sport with goals (hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.). Seidenberg and Campbell assisted on Bergeron's goal that sealed the Cup even with more than a period remaining.

I said in the third period that Thomas would get another shutout (his fourth of this magical run) not that I was going out on any sort of limb. This was a team of destiny, as cliche as that sounds. How else to explain becoming the first NHL team to win three Game 7s in the same postseason?

Marchand put the punctuation mark on it with an empty-netter (tying the second highest goal total for a rookie in a postseason) at 17:16 and the party was on in Boston which rightfully regains its moniker as City of Champions (three Super Bowl titles, two World Series trophies, NBA title and a Stanley Cup in a ten-year span).

Like children (or so I'm told), it's impossible to rank championship runs for your favorite teams, especially when you've seen them all win in the last seven years (kisses ground). With that said, it's hard to picture a much sweeter and fulfilling run than this one we were lucky enough to witness.

They did it! The Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup champions, I never thought I'd live to see that day.

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Well folks, we got a series now

Since Nathan Horton got knocked out in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals (by a vicious cheap shot by Aaron Rome), the Boston Bruins have outscored the Vancouver Canucks 12-1 and most importantly, they've gone from life support to having all the momentum in the world with a 2-2 series tie heading back to Vancouver.

The B's closed out an extremely memorable two games at the TD Garden with a 4-0 win last night in Game 4 that was every bit as impressive as their 8-1 Game 3 ass kicking. One had to wonder if Boston could carry over the emotional response to Horton's injury. Now, I think everyone has to question whether Vancouver has the balls to not only fight back in this series but avoid choking away a 2-0 series lead.

Perhaps nothing signifies the tenor of this series than the two starting goaltenders. Tim Thomas of the Bruins has been dumped on his whole life and now in the biggest stage of his career, he's showing why he's undoubtedly the NHL's best. On the other end of the rink, we had all heard that Roberto Luongo was the outstanding player that somehow usually screws things up (minus the 2010 Olympics, but Canada was a wagon).

Thomas made 38 saves in Game 4 for his fourth career playoff shutout and the third of this magical run. Luongo had 16 saves and he was mercifully pulled in the third period in favor of Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider (9 saves) by his asleep at the wheel coach Alain Vigneault. Hey, it only came one game too late (since Luongo was left to give up all eight goals in Game 3). As Ryan said, there's no doubt that Louie will be back in there tomorrow night, but yeah, good luck with that. Dude must have the confidence of an ugly porn star at this juncture.

Like every championship team in any sport, Claude Julien and the Bruins can do no wrong right now. Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder picked up the slack on the first line with Horton out and both responded in a big way. Peverley scored twice (his third and fourth of the playoffs) and Ryder (seventh of the playoffs) had another tally.

Brad Marchand continued to be a lovable rat, getting in the Sedin sisters' faces and not backing down from any of the other fake tough guys on the Canucks. Marchand scored the other goal (his eighth of the playoffs, tying a Bruins rookie record).

Peverley opened the scoring with a wrist shot right through Luongo's huge five hole at 11:59 of the first period. David Krejci started the play with a slick one-handed pass while Zdeno Chara had the other assist.

Ryder's goal at 11:11 of the second period was further proof that Luongo was a puddle. It was a long wrist shot that was just slightly tipped by Sami Salo's stick. It went right under Luongo's glove hand. Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly had the assists.

Marchmont ended it with a backhander following some top-notch work behind Vancouver's net by Patrice Bergeron. Again, another shot that Luongo could have stopped if he was on his game.

Finally, Peverley put in his second at 3:39 of the third period after a sweet move by Lucic that left Kevin Bieksa looking for his jock strap. Lucic threw it at the net (he had a great game by the way) and it ricocheted off Peverley's body. The perfect goal for such a hard-working, versatile guy.

For the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years, they'll have to win a game in Vancouver. Why not Game 5? Get a lead, continue to bury Luongo and I think this is over on Monday in Boston. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves though. This series is far from over and the B's know that. Tomorrow is the third consecutive huge game and the Canucks play great at home.

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Bruins annihilate the Canucks 8-1 to get back in the series but it comes at a huge price

Well this has gone up about 12 notches in terms of intensity.

It's one thing for Alexandre Burrows to bite Patrice Bergeron's finger in Game 1 (which went unpunished by the NHL) or Maxim Lapierre to mock Bergeron in Game 2, but things took on a much more serious tone with the actions in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night at TD Garden.

The Bruins roared to an 8-1 win, getting them back in the series and cutting Vancouver's lead to 2-1. However, it came at a big price as Boston's first line winger Nathan Horton was blindsided by Canucks scrub defenseman Aaron Rome.

Horton was carted off on a stretcher and spent the night in Mass General. He has movement in all his extremities but also a severe concussion for his troubles. He's done for the rest of the Finals while Rome was suspended for the rest of the series.

I've never been more upset over a play in my life (real talk) and that's why I waited until now for some of the venom to wear off before I blogged. Still, it was a reprehensible play by a team that gets scummier and dirtier by each period.

I couldn't be more proud of the way that the Bruins responded to that incident which happened only 5:07 into Game 3. Rather than just turn it into a bloodbath, they hit Vancouver where it really hurts: on the scoreboard. They also played with a real edge, not backing down to any challenge and when the score was safely secure, they proceeded to beat the hell out of the Canucks in the third period (145 penalty minutes combined, second most in Finals history).

Seeing Boston explode for eight goals (second most in Finals history) after struggling to score two goals combined in Games 1 & 2 was the most surprising part of last night's blowout.

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas (40 saves) erased Game 2's bitter ending with another strong performance. Conversely, Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (30 saves) was extremely shaky as he allowed four goals in the second and third periods.

Don't ask me why Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault let Luongo take his beating in the third period. I certainly enjoyed it though, hopefully it has a carryover effect to Game 4 which is also a must-win for the B's.

Shawn Thornton made his first appearance in seven games, stepping in for the ineffective Tyler Seguin. I didn't like the move when it broke on Twitter right before the puck dropped but Claude Julien looked like a genius (for once). Thornton only played 5:50 before he received a bogus game misconduct in the third (for being too tough?) but he very clearly gave the Garden and his team a jolt of energy. He threw a huge hit right on his first shift and also drew a penalty that led to a power-play goal.

Haha yup, this game was so crazy that Boston scored two power-play goals and two shorthanded goals and I didn't even mention it until now. And for the record, Vancouver's All-World power play is 1 for 16 in the first three games of the series.

After a scoreless first period that was all about the Horton incident, the Bruins woke up with a goal 11 seconds into the second period. Andrew Ference's shot from the point had eyes and it got through traffic past Luongo. Ference's third of the playoffs was assisted by Rich Peverley and David Krejci.

Recchi had his second power-play goal in two games at 4:22. His attempted pass was deflected in off Ryan Kesler's skate. Recchi's fourth of the playoffs was assisted by Michael Ryder and Ference.

From there, Brad Marchand turned in the play of the game. Boston was shorthanded and Marchand stole the puck from one of the Sedin sisters in his defensive zone. He chipped it off the boards to himself and beat a defender before coming in on Luongo. He waited him out and then roofed it (his seventh of the postseason), a stunning beauty of a goal at 11:30.

Krejci's snipe at 15:47 (11th of the playoffs, assisted by Ryder and Zdeno Chara) ensured that the Bruins weren't going to be swept and there would be a Game 5 on Friday in Vancouver.

Daniel Paille's shorthanded goal at 11:38 (his third of the postseason) of the third was a great reward for a stellar game from the penalty kill specialist.

Jannik Hansen (third of the playoffs) broke Thomas' shutout at 13:53 off assists to Raffi Torres and Lapierre.

Boston stepped on Vancouver's throat with three goals in the final 2:21 of Game 3. Recchi (from Marchand and Patrice Bergeron), Chris Kelly (fifth of the playoffs from Paille and Chara) and Ryder (sixth of the playoffs, on the power play from Tomas Kaberle) had the honors.

Game 3 was incredible (other than Horton's injury) from a Bruins fan's perspective. However, Boston has to bring that same energy and physical play to Game 4 or this series will be over soon with the result none of us want. The Canucks are collectively rattled and the B's have to keep that momentum going. Get a goal early on Luongo and I like their chances to even this up.

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