SOX FINALLY GET BIG HIT

It took 11 innings, and countless missed opportunities, but Adrian Gonzalez finally got the big hit that propelled the Sox to victory last night/early this morning. Angels pitchers issued 11 walks and gave up 8 hits, but Sox' hitters were useless with runners in scoring position, finishing 2 for 18. Gonzalez's 11th inning double, and a 2 run single from Ellsbury in the 6th were the only hits with RISP for the Sox.

Beckett continued to master the strike zone. His only significant miscue came in the 8th, surrendering a 2 run homer to Torii Hunter. In his last three starts, Beckett's pitched 22 innings and allowed only 3 runs (1.23 ERA). At the moment, he's the Ace of the staff. Which is good because Buchholz looks shaky.

Will it last? I don't know. But right now, Beckett is my first choice for a must-win game.

This is the first time the Sox have strung two road wins together. Better late than never.

Jon Lester faces Dan Haren tonight. Haren is 4-0, but he's another righty. So that's nice.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

BRUINS WIN DESPITE NEVER LEADING

The Bruins spent the week in Lake Placid, NY. Then came out placidly last night, taking 30 minutes to properly wake up. During that time, Montreal unleashed 30 shots against Thomas and took a 3-1 lead. In the second half of the game, they beat Montreal 4-1. It was far from pretty. It was quite painful at times. But you had to love the ending.

I was fed up with Ryder being in the lineup. He hadn't contributed anything and I wanted Seguin to get a chance. I like being wrong sometimes. Ryder scored twice. His breakaway goal in the 2nd might have been more important than his OT winner, because it kept Montreal from pulling too far away.

For both his goals, Ryder was beautifully set-up by his teammates. Kaberle made himself useful and found Ryder with a zone stretching pass to trigger his breakaway. And linemates Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley ground out the possession that resulted in Ryder's second score.

Kelly now has 2 goals, 2 assists, and is +3 in this series. He's the type of guy that randomly has a huge impact in the playoffs. He's accustomed to physical play, he's an adept penalty killer, and he's always involved.

But give Ryder credit for the quality of his shots. His first goal was a snipe over Price's glovehand. His second shot came after he hesitated a fraction of a second. Price stretched his legs wide to get to the post, opening up the hole that Ryder shot through.

Bergeron continues to be the best Bruins' skater in this series. 5 points so far. Another great night in Game 4.

Andrew Ference is the type of guy who can decide a series for you. He can be that bad, and be that good. We've seen him make boneheaded mistakes, and brilliant plays. From shift to shift, the Bruins' fortunes have turned based on what guys like him have done. Last night he took a few hits to move the puck, then wound up in the high slot, and blasted a bullet past Price.

The PK unit may have allowed a goal, but they were excellent in their one kill of the game. Montreal had a golden opportunity to win it late in regulation, thanks to an iffy interference call on Seidenberg. But the PK was intelligently aggressive. Chris Kelly again having an impact.

I'm still waiting for the first line to show up. Lucic, Krejci, and Horton have combined for 2 goals, 0 assists, and are each -2 in this series. Last night, Krejci deked himself out of an unbelievable scoring chance. It was actually three chances in one play, and he messed up all of them. He could have one-timed at a half-empty net, instead he curled toward the crease. He could have forehanded a shot between Price's widely stretched legs, instead he went to the backhand. He could've backhanded a shot over Price's legpads, instead he lost control of the puck.

Then there's Lucic, who looked half-dead on most his shifts. When he did skate, he was electrifying. But for the most part he's still drifting around, barely noticeable on the ice. He played about 17 minutes last night. Do you believe that? How often did you notice he was out there?

So now it's a best-of-three series. The B's need to protect their house. They need to do something on the Power Play. The first line needs to score, or at least grind out good possessions. Guys like Bergeron and Kelly need to continue their good play. And Chara needs to bring his physical game. It doesn't get easier from here.

Game 5 Saturday night in Boston.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

STANLEY CUP ROUNDUP: DAY 7*

All 16 teams remain alive, though some are barely clinging to life. The quality of hockey seems to increase every game, and as teams start to face elimination, we're seeing that desperate ferocity that makes for really entertaining hockey.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 7, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 2
Vancouver leads series 3-1

The Hawks staved off elimination with an offensive onslaught against a sluggish Vancouver team. Chicago's defensemen got involved in the offense, as both Duncan Keith and Brian Campbell scored. The Blackhawks power play, which helped propel them past Vancouver in last year's playoffs, also woke up, scoring 2 goals. This series hadn't been as brutally violent as last year's, until the 3rd period. 92 penalty minutes were issued in that frame, including six misconducts. Game 5 should be exciting.

SAN JOSE SHARKS 6, LA KINGS 5 (OT)
San Jose leads series 2-1

44 seconds into the 2nd period, the Kings scored to make it 4-0. The Sharks pulled Niemi, and looked dead. But by the end of the period, it was 5-5. Devin Setoguchi scored the OT game-winner and the Sharks completed a monumental comeback, the likes of which has only happened 4 times in Stanley Cup history. That's why the NHL Playoffs are so exciting. One btilliant period of hockey could be the difference in this series. As the Sox are out West this week, do yourself a favor and watch bits of Game 4 of this series on Thursday night while the Sox game is in a commercial break.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Capitals @ Rangers (Washington leads series 2-1) - Versus
7:00 PM - Penguins @ Lightning (Pittsburgh leads series 2-1)
7:30 PM - Flyers @ Sabres (Philadelphia leads series 2-1)
8:30 PM - Ducks @ Predators (Nashville leads series 2-1)
10:30 PM - Red Wings @ Coyotes (Detroit leads series 3-0) - Versus

NOT WORTH STAYING UP FOR

Well John Lackey registered his first good start of the season. Not so surprising considering his record in Oakland and against AL West teams. Oakland also has a poor offense. It's just a shame that the Sox' batters and bullpen had to let such a fine start go to waste.

Is it me, or are 90% of starting pitchers lefthanded these days? It seems like every day the Sox are facing a southpaw. And therefore half the lineup is either on the bench or ineffective.

The Sox managed a mere 5 hits, all of them singles. They were 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position. We've seen them hit against Toronto's stable of forgettable pitchers, but against good arms, they're really struggling. When Lowrie and Pedroia aren't getting 3 hits a game, there's little chance for any scoring.

I don't understand why Lackey was lifted after only 93 pitches through 6 innings. Was it to save his confidence? Take him out of a game while he's doing well, instead of risking a confidence crushing collapse? I hope not. He was cruising. And the Sox' bullpen sucks. Wheeler did well, but then Okajima put the game out of reach.

The bullpen is still my biggest concern. All five starters have given at least one impressive performance. Except Buchholz, and he'll likely cut through Oakland's lineup this afternoon. And hitters like Youkilis and Crawford will assuredly raise their averages well over .200. But this bullpen... who knows? They might be this terrible for the duration of the season.

Buchholz faces Gio Gonzalez at 3:30 Eastern. Gio is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA. And yes, he's a lefty.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

KG FOR THE W

In both these games, the Celtics and Knicks have been essentially equal for 47 minutes. Then in those final 60 seconds, the Celtics are clearly the superior team. And while I still have some concerns about the C's, both in this series and in any future series, they've proven to be far more clutch than the Knicks.

It was Ray Allen on Sunday. Last night it was Garnett. Having so many experienced, big game players is quite a luxury. One that most other teams don't have. KG's lead-taking shot, followed shortly by his game-winning steal was quite literally the difference in this game. The difference was clutchness.

We shouldn't dismiss the previous 47 minutes of play. Rajon Rondo deserves praise for his 30 points. And when Ray Allen got shots, he nailed them. On the other hand, there were some worrying aspects to this game.

The Knicks only got 18 minutes from Stoudemire, and still this game was evenly matched. Carmelo exploded for 42. And the Knicks collected 20 offensive rebounds. A huge chunk of their offense came from second chance baskets.

I don't see New York coming back from 2 games down. They'll win one or two in this series, but they're not poised or refined enough to do more than that. However, the Celtics long-term prospects aren't good unless Rondo continues to rampage, Allen continues to drain threes, the bench contributes more, and the overall defense improves.

Game 3 Friday night in New York.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

ROAD WARRIORS

The Bruins looked so much looser last night in Montreal. Maybe that's why they're so good on the road. They made a few mistakes (a too many men penalty, for instance), but nothing as grievous as their giveaway gifts in Games 1 and 2. The offense played with more intelligence, and the defense was sound. The result was a 4-2 victory.

The offense wasn't amazing. They just made better decisions. They didn't let Price play the puck too often. And the one time they did, Peverley did a great job of charging the net, and was in perfect position to capitalize on a rare Price error.

The B's didn't score highlight reel goals. In fact, they squandered three different 3-on-1 opportunities. The goals were opportunistic, and a bit lucky at the end. Though that luck came after some solid play. That's how it works in the playoffs. Montreal's 2 goals were similarly fortunate, a pair of seeing eye backhanders that found Thomas' minuscule 5-hole.

The defensemen were excellent on the other side of the ice. Chara returned, and wasn't as physically commanding as we're accustomed to, but was still solid. Ference, Seidenberg, and Boychuk were all excellent. As was Bergeron.

Krejci finally did something, scoring thanks to a perfect pass from Bergeron and some good play by Seidenberg. Horton got a right place, right time goal. I'm still waiting for Lucic to show up. He had a nice steal off Subban which gave him a breakaway opportunity. But he's still drifting around, hoping for something to happen, instead of making it happen.

The power play has yet to score. Last night, the Bruins either struggled with entry, or made silly plays in the offensive zone, not valuing possession. Marchand's no-look pass behind him, which allowed Montreal to clear, for example.

Thankfully, Montreal's power play hasn't been very effective either. They've scored once in 12 chances. Last night Bergeron, Paille, Boychuk, Campbell, Chara, Seidenberg, Marchand, and Kelly all played great on the PK. It's no coincidence that two of the Bruins goals came just after big penalty kills. Now if only the PK can maintain that, and the power play contribute just an occasional goal here and there, this series would flip on its end.

I'm tired of seeing Michael Ryder on the ice (and have been for 2 years). Why not give Seguin a shot?

The officiating in the series has been dreadfully inconsistent. But that's what happens in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The refs are still figuring out what to call and what not to call. Holding is never called (except on Recchi last night). The leeway for interference expands. But negligible hooks still get called. It is what it is. Thankfully, the refs didn't buy all of Montreal's diving last night, and swallowed their whistles in the last 5 minutes.

So the good news is the series will come back to Boston. Maybe that's bad news too, considering the Bruins' road record. Game 4 is in Montreal on Thursday night.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

RAY ALLEN, FOR THREE

The Celtics played their game. They controlled the tempo, kept it a low scoring contest, and the clutch shooting of Ray Allen came through in the end. Give an assist to Doc Rivers' ability to draw up an inbounds play.

I'm still not overly enthused with the Celtics, as they're lack of an inside game was more than a little frustrating. It seems like all 5 c's stand around the arc, pass it to each other, hope for an open look, then hope the shot falls. That means Ray Allen's shooting percentage will dictate the result of the game. And nothing against Ray Ray, but it's not smart to rest everything on one man's shoulders. Then again, it does mean that one man can carry the team.

And Glen Davis needs to shut up. He's a backup talking trash about Amare Stoudemire's offensive play. Stoudemire might not play defense, but he averaged 25.3 points per game this year. Davis is lucky to see that many minutes.

Game 2 Tuesday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

FIRE CLAUDE JULIEN NOW

Fundamentals. Protecting the puck. Breaking out of your zone. Hard wraparounds. This stuff's not complicated. But to Claude Julien's Bruins, it's rocket science.

Every Montreal goal in this series has come thanks to a Bruins' defenseman giving the puck away in a dangerous area. Five times. And it's been a problem with this team, no matter who the defensemen have been, since Julien took over. I still have nightmares about Carolina's forecheck in the '09 playoffs.

The Bruins don't seem to realize that the Habs are trying to intercept the puck from them. Not only are the Canadiens skating faster than the Bruins, they're thinking faster.

On the other end of the ice, Recchi, Marchand, and Bergeron finally got one past Price. That's not too complicated either. Get him to move side to side, and block his vision. One thing you can't do is lazily dump the puck into an area that he can play it or smother it. Hard wraparounds, and cross-corner dumps. And someone apart from the dumper has to be skating into the zone with speed. Too many Bruins' possessions ended with soft dumps that Price easily fielded.

And the power play. Special teams are extremely important in the postseason, and are often the difference between losing a series and winning it. The B's are 0/7 on the power play, 6/7 on the kill. Had Chara been on the ice Saturday night, maybe they'd be 7/7 on the kill. I'll get into that later.

David Krejci is not a playoff forward. He's not a scorer. He's not a grinder. He had a golden chance to slip a backhander over Price in the 2nd, which would have made it a 2-2 game, and would have swung all the momentum to Boston's side. But he dangled, whiffed, and was generously rewarded with a shot on goal in the box score. Krejci also found himself completely owned by P.K. Subban on the boards (unless Subban was trying to induce a call). Krejci can't score. He can't win battles. There aren't any great point-guard, "distribution" type players in Stanley Cup history. Those players get 50 assists in the regular season, then disappear in the playoffs.

At least Krejci is trying, though. Where was Milan Lucic? I saw him drifting around the faceoff dots as Krejci was struggling behind the net. Lucic has become the Bruins' best scorer, but he needs to remember his physical roots. He shouldn't be trying to slip into a seem while Krejci's 178 pound frame is being manhandled. Lucic has been a ghost this series. That's okay for the Michael Ryders of the world, but Lucic is better than this.

Now to Chara. Getting medical information during the Stanley Cup playoffs isn't easy. All we know is that he has a virus, and he was dehydrated. He skated in warmups on Saturday, then the coaches decided to bench him, deeming him unable to play.

What's the virus? It better be serious. Because Chara is the heart of this team. He doesn't have a good playoff record. But without him, this team cannot win anything. He's my 2nd favorite player behind Thomas, but if I find out that he just has a touch of flu, I'll never forgive him. Nothing short of the Hantavirus will suffice.

The B's go up to Montreal tonight. Chara's still questionable. The Bruins play better on the road, but Montreal plays good with a lead. Whoever scores first will win Game 3.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo