BRUINS WIN 7TH STRAIGHT

The last time the Bruins won 7 in a row was 1993. Since the start of November, the Bruins are 21-2-1, which is simply astounding.

The Canes have actually put up some solid efforts against the Bruins this season. Reminiscent of a few years ago when the Whalers would suck unless they were playing the B's.

Carolina finished the 1st period with a 1-0, as the Bruins looked a bit rusty. Blake Wheeler scored twice in the 2nd - he now leads NHL rookies in that category - but Carolina evened things up. Through the first 2 periods, the Hurricanes outshot the Bruins 25 to 12.

The 3rd period was one of the best 20 minute stretches I've seen from the Bruins lately. They killed a pair of penalties that came back-to-back, and even generated some shorthanded opportunities. They hit a few posts and crossbars before Marc Savard set-up Michael Ryder.

Savard is simply a magician with the puck. The way he draws attention, and diverts defensemen and goalies is unreal. He then disguises his passes until it's too late for the defense to react. In this instance, Michael Ryder had half an empty net to shoot at and give the Bruins a 3-2 lead. This was Ryder's 10th goal in 13 games.

Chuck Kobasew ended an 11 game scoring drought with an empty netter, which was also set up by Savard.

The Bruins stay in Dixie as they play the Thrashers in Atlanta Sunday evening at 5. The B's are 2-0 against Atlanta this season, and 9-1-0 against the Southleast Division.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker

BOWL PREDICTIONS: PART III

More bowl predictions. All these games are on Saturday, except the Independence Bowl, which is on Sunday.

Meineke Car Care Bowl
Charlotte, NC
West Virginia vs. North Carolina

Essentially a home game for UNC. Both teams come into this game 8-4, but WVU has explosiveness on offense in Pat White. I think he leads the Mountaineers to victory in his last game. WVU 27, UNC 17


Champs Sports Bowl
Orlando, FL
Wisconsin vs. Florida State

Weird to see neither of these teams ranked. The Badgers had a losing record in the Big Ten, which is sad. They also lost to Michigan, which is suicidal sad. They needed overtime to beat 1-AA Cal-Poly. FSU isn't a powerhouse, but 3 of their 4 losses were to ranked teams (Florida, BC, Georgia Tech). They even beat #19 Virginia Tech. The Seminoles can lose half their team to suspension/arrest and still pull this one out. FSU 38, Wisconsin 21.


Emerald Bowl
San Francisco, CA
Miami (FL) vs. California

Cal beat #17 Oregon and #18 Michigan State this season, and was 7-0 at home. This game is right in their backyard, 9 miles from campus. Miami beat Virginia Tech, but lost to every other decent ACC team. They were 3-3 on the road, with wins against Duke, Virginia, and Texas A&M. The Golden Bears win one for the Pac-10 in this matchup, 41-21.


Independence Bowl
Shreveport, LA
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech

Tech may have lost 14-7 to Army, but NIU's biggest win was over Bowling Green. Plus the game is very close to Tech, so I'll give them the edge. 30-28. More points scored than viewers.

BRUINS AND CELTICS ARE UNSTOPPABLE

Ho hum. Another Sunday afternoon. Another Bruins victory. Another Celtics win.

The Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3, winning their 5th straight, 10th in their last 11, and 19th in their last 22. Blake Wheeler scored 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of play. The rookie now has 11 goals on the season.



The Blues made it a game for the first 2 periods. It wasn't until Marc Savard netted his 11th of the season late in the 2nd to make it a comfortable 5-3 Boston lead.

Phil Kessel extended his point streak with 2 assists. David Krejci added to his total with 3 more helpers.

But the bad news is that Patrice Bergeron was diagnosed with another concussion. No official word yet as to how long he'll be out for. But with the extended absence of Marco Sturm and Bergeron, the Bruins lose a lot of depth at forward. PJ Axelsson was on the power play unit Sunday afternoon for crying out loud.

The B's continue their road trip in New Jersey Tuesday night.

The Celtics were in Boston and won their 18th straight thanks in large part to 26 points from Rajon Rondo. Ray Allen added 18, Paul Pierce 17. KG had 12, along with 8 assists. Kendrick Perkins also had 12 points to go with his 12 rebounds.



Although the score was uncharacteristically high for a Celtics game, a win is a win is a win. And this one was far from ugly. It was simply played at a faster pace.

The C's are also in action Tuesday night as they host the 76ers.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Bill Boyce
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

WINTER WONDERLAND

The snow showed up, but the Arizona Cardinals did not. It's kind of a sham that Arizona has clinched a divisional title, and the Pats still need help just to make the playoffs. Then again, New England got to feast on the NFC West this season, going 4-0, and outscoring them 124 to 62. In other words, the Pats are 6-5 against teams that aren't in the NFC West.



The Pats put up a grotesque 514 yards of total offense, which is even more impressive when one considers the weather.

Cassel was once again outstanding, throwing 20 completions in 36 attempts for 345 yards and 3 scores. But the story of the day was the ground game. The Pats rushed the ball 42 times for 189 yards, 2 TDs and 4.4 yards per carry. If you exclude the kneel downs at the end of the game, it was 4.8 per carry. Jordan and Morris provided the 1-2 punch, combining for 166 yards.



The absence of LaMont Jordan earlier in the year cannot be overlooked. He literally doubled his carries for the season from 20 to 40 Sunday afternoon. The Pats were 4-4 in games he missed.

It's hard not to be excited after a 47-7 win. But this was an Arizona team that fell 35-14 to the Vikings last week. So let's not get too crazy. And what chance does a team from Glendale have in 20 degree freezing rain anyway?

The Pats win the AFC East with a win next Sunday and a Jets win over Miami. They can also clinch a wild card spot with a win and a Baltimore loss to Jacksonville.

Pats @ Bills next Sunday at 1. Forecast looks like temps in the low 30s and "Few" snow showers, but that can change fast in Western New York.

Sources:
ESPN.com
Weather.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Stephan Savoia
AP Photo/Winslow Townson

BOWL PREDICTIONS: PART II

I'm making shallow, vague, uninformed, thoughtless predictions of every Bowl game this year. These games are from Sunday to Friday.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
December 21st
New Orleans, LA
Southern Miss vs. Troy

Sun Belt Champion Troy against a 6-6 Southern Miss team. Southern Miss is closer to New Orleans, only about 2 hours away, but that's about all they have going for them. Troy wins 38-20. The girl is Diane Kruger, who played Helen of Troy in Troy.


San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
December 23rd
San Diego, CA
#9 Boise State vs. #11 TCU

The Pac-10 didn't have enough eligible teams for this game, so it is WAC vs. Mountain West. And what a matchup we'll get to see because of it. Boise State finally gets tested, and tested hard. TCU is 10-2. Those losses were on the road to #1 Oklahoma, and #6 Utah (13-10 score in that game). I think they derail Boise State's perfect season and win 38-35.


Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
December 24th
Honolulu, HA
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame

There's only one word to describe Notre Dame... pathetic. This will be the 10th straight bowl that the Irish lose. Hawaii is hard to beat in Honolulu, but they would win this game if it were in South Bend, Alaska, or Mars. Notre Dame sucks. Hawaii 103, Notre Dame -2.


Motor City Bowl
December 26th
Detroit, MI
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan

FAU went 6-6 playing in the Sun Belt Conference. CMU was 8-4 in the stronger MAC. CMU's also playing 150 miles from their campus. Prediction: CMU 34, FAU 6. (The picture is of swimsuit model Shay Lyn, a CMU alum) CMU is in a bowl game and Michigan isn't! HAHAHAHAHA!

BRUINS WIN A CRAZY ONE

The Bruins allowed their most goals of the season. They also scored their most. NESN's Jack Edwards described the game best, calling it an "accordion." Boston went up 2-0, then Toronto made it 2-1. Then the B's went up 5-1, and Toronto came back to make it 5-4. The Bruins finally pulled away for good in the 3rd.

David Krejci, Phil Kessel, and Marc Savard were the offensive lead the offensive onslaught. Krejci recorded his first career hat trick, and the 3rd hat trick for the Bruins this season. The young Czech scored 6 goals and 21 assists in 56 games last season. This year he has 11 goals and has already matched the 21 assists in just 31 games.



Phil Kessel extended his point streak to 16 consecutive games. He also had an assist. He's 3rd in the NHL with 21 goals.

Marc Savard assisted on 3 goals and knocked one in on his own. He's 3rd in the League in assists.

Marco Sturm scored the Bruins' first goal 36 seconds into the game in his return from a neck injury. But he left early with a "lower body injury" which could mean just about anything.

After the 2nd period, Tim Thomas was pulled and replaced by Manny Fernandez. It was the first time a Bruins goalie's been replaced mid-game this season. Most of the goals in the 2nd period weren't Thomas' fault, but he was starting to get shaky in net. The moved worked out as Manny Fernandez made some great saves in the 3rd and stopped all 13 shots he faced.



I wouldn't be shocked if Fernandez is in net Saturday night when the Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Bruins have scored the most goals in the NHL (114), and have also allowed the fewest (72).

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

BOWL PREDICTIONS: PART I

It's one of my favorite times of year. The overly complicated NFL playoff races, hockey and basketball are in full swing, college basketball is about to start conference play, and it's Bowl Season. Oh yeah, plus there's Christmas and junk.

I'm making shallow, vague, carefree, and most likely incorrect predictions for each and every Bowl game this year. Here's the first batch. All these games are on Saturday.

EagleBank Bowl
Washington, DC
Wake Forest vs. Navy

First time this bowl's being played, because we really needed more Bowls Games. Navy is essentially playing at home, only a few miles from Annapolis. Wake Forest is one of 10 ACC teams going bowling, which speaks more to the mediocrity of the conference then anything else. 6 of the ACC's 12 teams were 4-4 in conference play.

Prediction: Navy rolls over the Deacons 31-13


New Mexico Bowl:
Albuquerque, NM
Colorado State vs. Fresno State

Neither of these teams are very good, but Colorado State plays in the tougher Mountain West Conference, so I'm giving the Rams the edge in this one. CSU 27, FSU 21.


magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl
St. Petersburg, FL
Memphis vs. South Florida

The game's in Tropicana Field, but it's essentially a home contest for the USF Bulls. South Florida should be able to handle the 6-6 Memphis Tigers, especially in St. Pete. USF 41, Memphis 17.


Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas, NV
#16 BYU vs. Arizona

Brigham Young lost to #11 TCU, and #6 Utah. Both on the road. And that's it. They beat Washington and UCLA earlier in the season, so they've handled Pac-10 teams before. Both schools are about 400 miles from Vegas, and should fill the 36,800 seat Sam Boyd Stadium. I think it's kind of funny that the biggest Mormon school in the country will be playing in Vegas. BYU is going to win this game, and win it easily. BYU 52, Arizona 17.

PATRIOTS PLAYOFF PICTURE

The bad news is that the Pats don't control their own destiny. They can win out, finish 11-5, and miss the playoffs. The good news is that the help they need can come from several different places.

Currently, there are four teams vying for two spots in the AFC. The Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins are tied atop the AFC East. The Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, and Ravens are tied for the 2nd and final AFC Wild Card spot. The Jets, Dolphins, and Ravens all have better conference records than the Pats. In the event of a tie, the Pats lose.

All of this assumes the Patriots win their last two games. If they don't, they're out.

The best shot is the Wild Card. Since the Dolphins and Jets play each other in Week 17, one of them will knock the other one out of the Wild Card race. This leaves just the Pats and Ravens. Baltimore has to play the 9-5 Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday night. That's a real tough game. We all saw what the Cowboys did to the Giants. Then Baltimore finishes their season at home against the lowly Jaguars.

The Pats can also slip in if the Colts lose their last two games. Indy is at Jacksonville Thursday night, then they host Tennessee in Week 17, so it isn't much of a stretch.

The Pats can stay in the division race if either (or both) the Jets and Dolphins lose in Week 16. The Jets are at the 3-11 Seahawks, and the Dolphins are at the 2-12 Chiefs. If the Jets lose, then the Pats need them to be the Dolphins in Week 17. If the Dolphins lose, then the Pats need them to beat the Jets in Week 17. If they both lose, then it doesn't matter who wins in Week 17.

If the Jets and Dolphins both win this weekend, the Pats would need them to tie each other in Week 17 in order to win the AFC East.

So this weekend the teams to root for are:

New England over Arizona (duh)
Dallas over Baltimore
Jacksonville over Indianapolis
Seattle over New York
Kansas City over Miami