Tyler Seguin, left, and Nathan Horton, right, celebrate a goal.

Well, if you stayed up until Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals ended, in triple OT, you suffered along with the rest of us. But after the game was over and done with, I heard many looking for a scapegoat and there have been quite a few names that have come up. Dennis Seidenberg, for reaching down to pick up his glove in the third 20 minute overtime period or Kaspers Daugavins, for not shooting the puck when he had Crawford down and out of position, among a few others. But along with those murmurs there has been some disgruntled fans about a one Tyler Seguin, the second overall pick in the 201o NHL draft.
“He’s not physical.” “He shies away from real contact.” “He can’t finish.” “He just doesn’t have ‘it’.” The “it” they’re referring to, I’m presuming, is the ability to produce and get on the score sheets. And my personal favorite, “trade him for someone who can get the job done.” Now I’m not going to make excuses for him, just give those who think these things some food for thought.

And I’ll start with this. For a lot of the regular season I could see the obvious struggles in his game like anyone. Through 48 games Seguin had 16 goals and 16 assists, giving him 32 points. He was ranked 9th in the NHL in shots on goal, with 161, but only managed to bury 9.9% of them. Those are frustrating numbers for anyone, especially when he is supposed to be a superstar. And especially when he scored 25 goals and got 15 assists in 29 games for the EHC Biel during the lockout early this season.

But let me bring you back to 2011-2012. Tyler Seguin had 29 goals and 38 assists, leaving him with 67 points in the regular season. That was enough to lead the team in points and goals. He was a +34 and was ranked number 2 in the NHL, behind linemate Patrice Bergeron. But he had some minor struggles in the postseason, playing 7 games and only netting two goals and an assist. The first goal was in OT of Game Six against the Washington Capitals, and the second in Game Seven, but the Bruins were not able to advance. Seguin showed then and there he could work in Claude Julien‘s system, so the argument of him not fitting into it is obviously wrong. It’s true Julien hasn’t exactly helped him excel but he’s been able to work in it.

Back to the present, the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Seguin has played 17 games and only has one goal and four assists to show for it. He is ranked 4th in

(photo credit: Steph Phillips)

the league in shots on goal, with 62, but again can’t bury his chances. These numbers may be a result of his linemates, Rich Peverly and Chris Kelly and only averaging 16 minutes of ice time a game. Peverly has 0 points in 14 games and Kelly 0 points in 21 games. I see him still creating chances and playing good every game. In Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals he made a beautiful pass to Patrice Bergeron and would get the assist on the powerplay goal. With Nathan Horton day-to-day with an upper body injury,and if Seguin stays on the top line, we may see him finally burying the chances he gets.

My least favorite argument anyone makes against Tyler Seguin may be the comparison to Taylor Hall, who went right before him, number one overall, in the 2010 NHL draft. The Edmonton Oilers drafted Hall and he has been playing excellent in the system he’s in so far. This year Hall played three less games than Seguin and had 16 goals and 34 assists. But he’s also playing with number one overall picks in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nial Yukapov. Along with Sam Gagner, Jordon Eberle, and Ales Hemsky. Not to mention the Oilers organization has worked on building an offensive system for the past 4 or 5 years. But even with that offensive power, Hall has never seen playoff action. No one can compare these two in the playoffs because no one knows how Taylor Hall will play. Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall are two different types of players, playing in two different types of systems.

As of right now, Tyler Seguin isn’t where I wanted or where I expected him to be either. But it takes quite a while to develop a player into what you want him to be and into an NHL star. So right now, I don’t think Tyler Seguin is at his peak, but I don’t think he’s as awful as everyone is making him seem. Give him some time and linemates that can help him produce, and you may see some decent numbers.

So we didn’t want to be in this place, but here we are game day of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. The Bruins currently lead the series 3-1 and today once again have the chance to end the series and take the fourth win. The difference between this game and the last is that New York now has a win under their belt and is looking to use this towards regaining the momentum in the series. But the bottom line is that Boston had a few bad bounces go the NY way and couldn’t regroup in time to pick up the win. The past is the past, game four was game four, but now it’s a new day and a new game.

Tyler Seguin finally snapped his playoff lull (Credit: Slidingsideways/ Flickr)

B’s Bounce Back:
Boston knows how to win and they know how to lose. They know what it’s like to have a lead in a series and suddenly watch it go away. And guess what? They’re not looking to watch that happen again. With the negative of Game Four comes many positive things. Tonight is all about ending this series and moving onto the next round for Boston. A positive is Tyler Seguin finally getting his first LONG OVERDUE playoff goal. In a time like this contributions from all four-lines are clutch. Also, the Bruins managed TWO power play goals and as we know in Boston PP goals are few and far. The Bruins have been the better team for three and a half games this series and need to shut down the Rangers tonight.

New Life for New York:
A win for New York was necessary but not only was it a win, it was a home win. Now the Rangers head to Boston for Game  Five where they have yet to win post season. They will keep their same lineup from Game Four meaning Brad Richards will once again be a healthy scratch. But the Rangers know they can’t rely on Tuukka Rask letting soft goals in again and are going to actually have to play if they want to win.

Who’s Hot:
Torey Krug is the hottest rookie the Bruins have right now. In his first four NHL playoff games has three goals, including a power play goal. It’s safe to say Krug will be sticking around Boston for next season and not playing in Providence with the B’s AHL affiliate.

The game is on today/tonight at 5:30 pm and you can check it out on NBCSN!
For the Rangers side of things check out Black and Blueshirts!
BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

With tonight being Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semi’s between the Boston Bruins, there are two possible outcomes of the game. The first (and obviously the best) is that the Bruins can go up three games to zero and have a chance to clinch the series on Thursday. The second is the Rangers get their long overdue second win and get their first win of the series, meaning there would definitely be a game five. So now you can see why I’m so pro option one!

Will Krug have another big game? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Both teams started off today with an optional skate, with most of the Bruins taking part in the skate. Claude Julien had some time with the media this am and let it be known that though Wade Redden and Dennis Seidenberg have been skating with the team, they will not be in the lineup tonight. Seidenberg, on a positive note, seems like he’ll be ready to go soon enough.

Be Better Bruins (well some of you):
As we know there have been some stars of this series thus far cough cough Torey Krug, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask cough cough. But there’s been a few that just haven’t shined so bright and I’m looking at you Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, and Tyler Seguin when I say that. The third line struggles seems to be a common theme this season for the Bruins but the playoffs are not the time for that.

On his line, Kelly said:

“We want to stay positive and stay up; obviously it’d be nice to contribute”  (Via Bruins Twitter)

Both Kelly and Peverley have continued to be great faceoff wise but are losing ice time due to every line being a little bit better. And then there’s Seguin. Seggy has had a lot of chances to score during these playoffs but has yet to hit the back of the net. A little more push from this line and I think we’ll see some scoring.

Digging out the Rangers:
When you’re down two games, the only way to go is up right? At least that’s what Coach John Tortorella thinks about his team. He notes that though they lost on Sunday, that they played a lot better from Game One. This is the second series in a row that the Rangers have gone down two. But they came from behind in the last series to beat the Washington Capitals so I expect us to see a new team tonight in New York.

Goalie Showdown:
Though he’s not a Vezina finalist, Rask has been the star for the Bruins thus far. While the team gave up turnover after turnover, Rask stood strong in his net stopping puck after puck. The reason the Bruins were able to hold onto to their lead is due to the tremendous effort in net from Rask. On the other side IS a Vezina finalist who’s finding himself in a strange position. Sunday was the first time in 151 games that Henrik Lundqvist gave up five goals. He also appeared to  have injured his shoulder but in the playoffs everyone gets bumped up. Lundqvist is a goalie goal there’s no disputing that so expect him to shake off Game Two and be back in fighting shape for tonight.

Rookies Rookies Rookies:
The odds are that once again the rookies will be getting the start for Game Three for the Bruins. But this is no longer something to be concerned about as these three rookies are outshining some of the vets. Krug as I mentioned before has scored two goals in two goals, and the only current B’s player to have done that in his rookie year was Seguin. Then there’s Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton. All three defensemen have contributed to scoring in some way in this series and as they get more comfortable on the playoff ice, so does their confidence.

Puck drops tonight at 7:30 and you can check out the action on NBCSN!
For the New York side of things check out Black and Blueshirts!

The Boston Bruins Game 7 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a thing of history after the B’s overcame a 4-1 deficit to take the game in overtime. Anyone that follows Boston hockey knows never to stop believing in the team and it paid off.

Will Barkowski have another huge game tonight? (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Now we’re in the semifinals facing off against the New York Rangers in what is sure to be another spectacular series. With the Bruins having the higher seed in standings, they once again have home ice advantage and with that the fans of the TD Garden. Tonight is Game 1 in Boston.

It’s expected that it will be Tuukka Rask versus Henrik Lundqvist in net. Yes that means the B’s will have to get back Vezina winner and goalie god Lundqvist but it’s doable. King Henrik has a career 1.67 goals against average and .943 save percentage in 30 career games against the Bruins. Six of those games have been shutouts. He is also currently on a series shutout streak of 120 minutes because in the Rangers last series against the Washington Capitals he didn’t allow goals in either Game 6 or 7.

Noticeably absent from Bruins scoring during the first series was both Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin but it’s not for lack of shots on net. Out of all players in the NHL, Seguin had one of the most shots on net during round one. Unfortunately none of them were able to register for goals. If Seguin wants to score he’ll need to figure out how to get past defenders not relying on just speed because obviously he’s fast. For Marchy, he needs to get back to his “nose faced killah” agitator ways. In regular season the pair scored 34 goals in 48 games. Marchand left the ice this am with what looked like an injury but is expected to be in the lineup tonight.

The Bruins will be relying on younger d-men to carry to team thanks to slew of injuries to the veteran players. Dougie Hamilton and Matt Barkowski were huge in the Game 7 win, with Barkowski even scoring his first NHL goal. They will need to continue to bring that impact with this new series. New to the lineup is Torey Krug who is expected to play tonight. Krug has been a star for the Providence Bruins and tonight has the chance to prove himself in the NHL ranks.

This series isn’t going to be easy for either team. Both clubs are gritty and play a similiar style of hockey aka aggressive so needless to say I wouldn’t be surprised if it came down to a game 7.

With tonight being the first game, a tone will be set and at the end of 60 minutes (ideally) one team will have a game advantage. Puck drops tonight at 7:30 and you can check it out on NBCSN! Unfortunately this means no more commentary from the great Jack Edwards but you can follow his twitter for all his thoughts on the game (which are sure to be hilarious/amazing).

BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

The Boston Bruins took Game one over the Toronto Maple Leafs and are looking to go for win number two. The B’s played a full 60-minutes Wednesday and came out on top 4-1. It was the first time in a while that all four lines of the Bruins stepped up and the win displayed that. While it looked like a complete domination against Toronto, I’m not counting them out.

Tonight the game will end with the B’s being up by 2 games and carrying the momentum that goes with that or the Maple Leafs tying up the series.

(Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Bruins Change It Up:
With Andrew Ference being suspended for tonight’s game, the Bruins have no choice but to change up their defensive pairings that were so successful Wednesday night. Ference is a player that isn’t afraid to make his presence known against any team and Coach Claude Julien has the job of putting someone in his place that will take on that responsibility. So tonight either Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, or Aaron Johnson will be back in the lineup in place of Ference. If I’m betting on this, I think Dougie will make his NHL playoff debut as he is the one out of the three who has had the most ice team this season. Also in terms of defense, Adam McQuaid was paired with Zdeno Chara at yesterdays practice which means Quaider could be potentially facing off against Toronto’s top line tonight.

Another thing to note is Wednesday Rich Peverley was a healthy scratch for the forwards so there’s a chance he’ll jump back into the lineup as well.

Toronto Takes a Step Back:
It’s no secret that the Maple Leaf’s didn’t leave Game One feeling like they gave it their all. They were out shot 40-20 and simply outplayed. But that game is in the past now and they Leafs are looking to make a comeback tonight. Most of the Toronto players are newbies when it comes to playoffs and the team has said that those nerves have been shaken off and their ready for Game Two.

The Maple Leafs will be without defenseman Mike Kostka after he broke his finger in the second period of Game One. Either Ryan O’Byrne or Jake Gardiner will be added into the lineup for Game 2. Also, expect to see some line changes for the Maple Leafs.

Bergeron Line FTW:
It’s no coincidence that every time Phil Kessel was on the ice with his line, the Patrice Bergeron line was also there. Bergeron along with Tyler Seguin, and Brad Marchand have been one of the B’s most consistent lines all season and they continued that pressure in Game One. Kessel, who lead Toronto with 20 goals and 52 points during the regular season was limited to just one shot in under 14 minutes of ice time on Wednesday. Bergeron, who is easily one of the best two-way players in the league, can be blamed for that.

Who’s Hot?
Boston players Milan Lucic and David Krecji. Looch has one goal and five points in the past three games, while Krejci has two goals and five points in four games. Krejci was the player of the game for the Bruins and was sporting their “player of the game Army Ranger’s jacket” after the game.

Expect Tuukka Rask to get the start for the Bruins as he was nothing but solid Wednesday night.

Puck drops TONIGHT at 7pm and you can check it out on NESN!

BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

So playoffs are here and obviously I’m super excited hence the “leggo” in the title. With such a speedy shortened season, we found regular season for the Boston Bruins end Sunday. Well now it’s Wednesday and the quest for Lord Stanley’s cup has officially become. It all starts tonight and it starts against round one opponent the Toronto Maple Leafs. Eastern Conference Quarterfinals LEGGO (yes I’ve now mentioned this word three times).

Boston sits in the fourth seed for the Eastern Conference while Toronto ended up right behind them in fifth. All that separated the teams was a mere five points. Both teams had the opportunity to place higher but they stumbled to the finish of regular season losing more than winning. But it’s playoffs now so that’s all a thing of the past.

Expect Horty to be back in action TONIGHT! (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Let it be known that this is the first time since 1974 (14th overall) that both teams have met in Stanley Cup Playoffs aka this is a pretty big deal. I’m talking Original Six rivalry big deal!

Redemption Time:
Remember that time the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago? That was pretty great…no that was amazing. Remember that time they lost in the Quarterfinals to the Washington Capitals last season? Yeah, not so great. The Bruins are looking to go much further in the playoffs like Stanley Cup Finals further. But to do so they need to put the regular season slump in the past and rely on Bruins hockey to go the distance.

Toronto on the other hand is in the playoffs for the first time since the 2004 playoffs. They were eliminated that year second round thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s nine years of no playoffs aka I expect the Maple Leafs will be hungry for victory with Boston being the first victim.

THANK YOU KESSEL!
Expect to hear this said quite often this week Maple Leaf’s fans. Sorry I’m not sorry in advance! One of the obvious key points in this match up will be former B’s player Phil Kessel and current B’s player Tyler Seguin. Let me refresh your memory in case you forgot. Back in September of 2009, Kessel was traded to Toronto for three draft choices, two of whom turned out to be first-rounders. Those first rounders are Seggy and rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton, both of which have been key for the Bruins this season. In 16 games against Toronto, Seguin has 10 goals and six assists. Expect to see plenty of Kessel related signs in the TD Garden tonight and through out the series.

It’s Officially Tuukka Time:
Back in 2011, Tim Thomas was a playoff goalie god for the Bruins while Tuukka Rask was backup chillen. With Thomas out of the picture, it’s Rask in position number one for the B’s, and needless to say he has big shoes to fill. His regular season record is Vezina worthy for sure (check out my nominee preview today on Intermission Report), and I think he’ll be reliable tonight and for the rest of the playoffs for the Bruins. In his last 14 games, he hasn’t allowed more than two goals more than six times. In regular season he finished with a .929 save percentage and 5 shutouts.

Key Players Return:
Both teams will be getting some pretty necessary key scorers back from injury. For Boston, it’s Nathan Horton who has missed the past five-games with an upper body injury. Horton as we all remember was clutch for the Bruins in their 2011 Stanley Cup run and I have no doubt that he will be just as influential this time around. Jaromir Jagr should also be back in action for the B’s after missing both games this past weekend with flu-like symptoms. Jagr, the ever so amazing veteran, has been an ideal offensive fit for the B’s and should be extra beneficial during the playoffs. Toronto will have Tyler Bozak back in action who missed the last two games due to an upper body injury. Bozak finished his season with the Leafs with 12 goals and 16 assists

So tonight is Game one and with Boston having the home-ice advantage, it’s being played at the TD Garden!

Here’s a look at the rest of the schedule (so you can play your life around it like me!):
Game 2 @ Boston: Saturday May 4, 7:00pm
Game 3 @ Toronto: Monday May 6, 7:00pm
Game 4 @ Toronto: Wednesday May 8, 7:00pm
Game 5 @ Boston: Friday May 10, 7:00pm
Game 6 @ Toronto: Sunday May 12 (if needed)
Game 7 @ Boston: Monday May 13 (if needed)

Puck drops at 7pm TONIGHT and you can check out the game on NESN!
BELIEVE IN BOSTON!

Patrice Bergeron (Photo Credit: Steph Phillips)

Tonight prior to the start of the Bruins game they announced the winners for the Eddie Shore, Elizabeth Dufresne, John Bucyk and Three Stars Awards. 

The Eddie Shore Award is given to the player that shows exceptional hustle and determination throughout the duration of the season. It almost goes without saying that the recipient of this award for the 2013 season is Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron has once again been an integral part of the Bruins team and without his stellar faceoff percentage and offensive prowess, the Bruins wouldn’t be in the playoffs.

The next award given was the Elizabeth Dufresne, given to the player who was the most outstanding player at home throughout the season. Once again, Patrice Bergeron was called upon. His home-ice statistics for this season: 8 goals, 13 assists, +20 rating in 20 games. He averaged 14:26 of ice time and took 419 faceoffs, winning 280 of them for a 66.8% overall. There was also a $25,000 donation made to the OneFund Boston Foundation with this award.

The recipient of the John Bucyk Award is awarded to the player for outstanding service in the community along with a $1,000 donation to a charity of the players’ choice. This year’s recipient for his contributions to charitable endeavors, Gregory Campbell.

Last but not least came the Three Stars Awards, given to the team’s top three performers of the season that  contributed most to team’s success throughout the year. Star #3 of the year went to Tyler Seguin who ranked 4th on the team in points and second in goals with 32 and 16 respectively. Star #2, Patrice Bergeron who by the end of tonight’s game will have locked up #1 with his faceoff percentage for best in the league. The Boston Bruins #1 Star of the season, Tuukka Rask, earning himself 5th in the National Hockey League with his 1.97 goals against average and a save percentage of .930 ranking him 3rd in the league.

Earlier this week the team also announced this year’s 7th Player Award recipient, being awarded to Bruins rookie defenseman Dougie Hamilton, a player who fans voted exceeded the expectations set for him this season.

There’s only one trophy left for the Bruins to win and after tonight’s game, they have to play their hearts out and bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston. We are after all, BOSTON STRONG.

Today the Boston Bruins took to the ice against the Florida Panthers with one thing in mind: picking up a win. As the season comes to a close, the Bruins have been less than stellar lately. Whether it be because of emotion or injury, it was time for the B’s to get back on track. Today they looked to end their four-game losing streak while the Panthers are looking to preventing losing four of four on their roadtrip.  Tuukka Rask would start his second game in two days opposite the Panthers Jacob Markstrom. 

Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid would both be out of lineup with injuries, meaning Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton would make their way back in.

Rask earned the shutout today! (Credit: Flickr/Slidingsideways)

It took only 3 minutes and 3 seconds into the first period for the Bruins to get the first goal of the game. Jaromir Jagr would score his second goal as a Bruin with Chris Kelly and Carl Soderberg getting the assists. Jagr has two goals and six assists in just nine games with the black and gold. And lets not forget that Soderbergs assist was his NHL point. I have a feeling that’s the first of many. That would be the lone goal of the first period but it was clear that the B’s knew they needed to come out of this game with two points. Also, I would like to point out that Rask was playing yet another solid game stopping all seven shots on net.

Second period came around with the B’s fighting off the remainder of a Rich Peverley slashing penalty. Florida would be unable to get any goals past Rask and we would be back to an even game. The Bruins would get a chance to go on the power play and though they wouldn’t register any goals, they did get many shots on net. 8 minutes into the second the B’s were outshooting the Panthers 10-1. With 6:27 left in the period Dougie Hamilton would score his fifth of the season with a drive from the right point that was a thing of beauty. That goal would not have happened without Shawn Thornton on the assist keeping that puck in the offensive zone the entire time.

Coming into the third it should be noted that the B’s are 14-2-2 with a two-goal lead going into the final period. With 1:22 remaining in the game, the Bruins sealed the win with an empty net goal from Brad Marchand assisted by his lineys Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron. Marchand leads the team with 18 goals. And with that the Bruins snap their losing streak. Rask earned his 15th career shutout with 28 saves today.

The three stars of the game are 1. Rask, 2. Jagr, 3. Hamilton.

After the game the Bruins took part in their annual “shirts of their back” ceremony. The jerseys usually go to season ticket holders. Hower with recent events, the ticket holders opted for their jerseys to go to first responders that helped during the Marathon bombings and all of the events that took place in Boston this past week. This ceremony was truly inspiring and is further reason why I love my Boston Bruins!

B’s are back in action Tuesday night in Philly against the Flyers.

So the Boston Bruins didn’t win the Jarome Iginla signing, but tonight they’ll face off against him and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the TD Garden with two points on the line. The Bruins have recently joined the Pens in the Eastern Conference Playoffs but are still trying to fight off the Montreal Canadiens for first in the Northeast Division. This is the last time the two teams will meet in regular season this year. However there is a chance they could have a rematch come playoff time.

Brad Marchand rejoined the B’s following a concussion (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

Bruins Refocused:
Naturally playing Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres was tough for the Bruins as it was the first major sports event in Boston since the Marathon bombing. Emotions were high for players and fans alike but the B’s weren’t able to pick up the win after a come from behind win from Buffalo. You can bet tonight they will be more focused on picking up a win especially since Pittsburgh has won the past two games this season. In their last three the B’s have been winless BUT they have recently regained two key players back into the lineup by the names of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. They reunited with their linemate Tyler Seguin and the three seemed like they were never apart.

Penguins Powering Through Injury:
Despite being without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins are well on their way to securing the Eastern Conference title. They have won five in a row and a win tonight against the Bruins would take away the B’s chance of top stop of the Eastern Conference. As of right now the Penguins are four points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for the top overall seed in all the teams.

Looch Out?
In practice yesterday, Claude Julien had Milan Lucic practicing on the fifth line meaning there’s a chance he’ll be a healthy scratch tonight. This should be no surprise to anyone watching this season as Looch has slipped tremendously and isn’t his usual gritty self. If Lucic is scratch it’s expected that newly acquired Swedish prospect Carl Soderberg will get the start. If that is the case it will be Soderberg’s Bruins debut.

Puck drops at 7pm and you can check out all the action on NESN!

*Both teams will be wearing jerseys that have “617″ and ”Boston Strong” patches that will be auctioned off for One Fund Boston.

After losing to rival Montreal, the Boston Bruins knew they would have to come out on top against the Carolina Hurricanes. With so few games remaining in the season, the B’s are so close to clinching the playoff’s but to do so they need wins. Chris Kelly would return to the lineup the featured some player swapping. Tyler Seguin would move to the third line with Kelly while Gregory Campbell would center the second line.

Tuukka Rask would get the start opposite the Canes Jusitn Peters.

Two goals tonight for Marchand! (Credit: Flickr/ Slidingsideways)

The first period would kick off with Rich Peverley ending his 10-game goalless streak with a goal at 3:51. Pevs was able to get passed Peters with the wraparound goal with the assists going to Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference. Four minutes later Brad Marchand would notch his 15th goal of the season thanks to a perfect set up from his linemates Campbell and Jaromir Jagr. With that Justin Peters would be pulled after allowing two goals on four shots and  Dan Ellias would step up in net. Marchy wasn’t done for the period  because with 2:40 to go in the period he would score. Jagr and Seidenberg would each get assists on that. This is Marchand’s 8th career two goal game.

Second period would start just like the first did with a Bruins goal! This time it was Andrew Ference with his third of season. Seids and Soupy would get the assists on that review goal. This would be the third assist for Seidenberg and his first three point game as a Bruin. Just so we’re keeping track the Bruins are now up 4-0 against Carolina. Halfway through the second, Jordan Caron would make it a five goal lead with his first goal of the season. Caron’s liney’s Peverley and Shawn Thornton would get the assists for that beauty of a goal. With 21 shots on goal thus far, the B’s have scored five. Carolina has 30 shots on net but none managed to get past Rask. Tonight marks first four-goal and five-goal leads this season for Boston.

Third period wasn’t as exciting. In fact it dragged quite a bit. It dragged just like Eric Staal’s skate when he tried to kick in a goal with 10ish minutes remaining. Pretty sure that just added to the Canes frustrations BUT they would score at 10:03 thanks to a goal from Patrick Dwyer, his seventh of the season. So it wouldn’t be a shutout for Rask. 45 seconds later Drayson Bowman would score making this a 5-2 game. With 3:04 remaining, the Bruins would find the back of the net yet again with Dougie Hamilton setting up Nathan Horton for his 13th of the season. The Bruins now have six goals and this is the most they’ve scored in a game all season. Milan Lucic would also get an assist on that.

Now the Bruins won and that’s great but there are a few things that they need to work on. Rask may have stopped 40-of-42 shots but he shouldn’t have to face that many if the defense was doing their job. And I think it’s best that I don’t speak of our ever terrible power play.

Hey a win is a win and the Bruins have proved that on home ice they do pretty well. The boys are back in action Wednesday in New Jersey to take on the Devils.