FAN RUNS ON FIELD, SECURITY RUNS FAN INTO FIELD

You have to love the security guy getting cheered as he returns to his post. Perfect form on that tackle.

THOMAS SAVES THE DAY (52 TIMES)

#46 may have scored the game-winner, but it was the 46 straight saves made by Tim Thomas that truly won this game for the Bruins. The Flyers dominated the 3rd period and the Overtime, outshooting the Bruins 32-12 in that span. But Thomas was impenetrable. Finally, a miscue by Kimmo Timonen, plus plenty of open ice because half of each team was changing, gives Krejci the chance to win the game. And it was a perfectly placed shot.

Krejci and Thomas were obviously the stars of the game, but let's not forget Dennis Seidenberg. He was a well deserved +3, on the ice for all three of the Bruins' goals. In Game 1, he made an impact on offense. Last night, he made an impact on defense. So many big clears, poke checks, hits, battles won. He's +7 in this series, and there's a reason for that.

Krejci has been producing. As are the 2nd and 3rd lines, which each provided a goal last night. Horton's been an OT hero. Now, if only we could find Milan Lucic. Where is he? It's been 9 playoff games without a goal. And he ended the regular season riding a 10 game scoreless streak. 6 assists in his last 18 games. And it's not as if he's focusing on his physical game, either. He's just a ghost on the ice. He was out there for 24 minutes. I noticed him for maybe 24 seconds.

And the Power Play is just sad to watch. Marchand scored his goal because he moved around, opening a passing lane for Bergeron to find. The Bruins' forwards need to move around, not just shift within their little zones of operation. Especially since the Flyers are focused on taking away the points. Sending Recchi or Bergeron up to the high slot might not be a bad idea, either. It'd either create room for the forwards down low or the defensemen on the blue-line.

I know, I know, I'm being negative. The B's just took 2 games from Philly in Philly. They've won 6 of 7. But I've seen this team go 2-0 up on the Flyers before.

Then again, we didn't have Tim Thomas before. Goaltending, by itself, cannot win an entire series. But it can steal a game. Thomas stole one last night. Thankfully it wasn't played in Quebec, or the Montreal PD would be after him.

Playoff series are frequently won by the slimmest of margins. Think about where Boston would be if they didn't score 3 OT goals against Montreal. Think about one OT shot by P.K. Subban bouncing off a skate and past Thomas. The Bruins would be golfing.

This series will be determined by something like goaltending (which favors Boston) or special teams (which favors Philadelphia). At the moment, however, Tim Thomas is the difference between these two teams.

Game 3 Wednesday night in Boston.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

BRUINS GROUND FLYERS

You have to be happy, as a Bruins fan. This team does have some differences from last year's. Tim Thomas, for instance. He made a huge stop early in the 3rd to keep it 1-1. If Philly takes a lead there, who knows how momentum swings. Krejci missed the last 4 games of the series last year, he had 2 goals and 2 assists. Seidenberg was also hurt, and he had a monstrous game, pinching in on offense.

Then there's newcomers like Horton, Campbell, and Marchand. Marchand looks better and better with each playoff game he plays.

But we went up 1-0 last year. The Flyers are not pushovers. They stay even-keeled, and they're already over this loss. These are not the Canadiens. The Canadiens could be affected by a 3 goal deficit, or an unfortunate sequence of events. The Flyers don't care.

The Bruins' Power Play is still painful to watch. Is there a rule that allows teams to decline a Power Play, I think the Bruins should do that. They struggle with entry, and when they do take the zone, they stand still.

I'm happy with this result. But it has to already be put in the past for the Bruins.

Game 2 tonight.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

It was a little over a minute a minute after Horton scored the game-winner when I realized that I hadn't been breathing since the goal was scored. I was that excited, that relieved, that exhausted.

Now to the game. It was far from pretty for either team. Or for the refs. There was finally a goal scored while the Bruins had a man advantage. Unfortunately, it went the wrong way. The Canadiens dove a few times, got a few calls, but were eventually hurt by a dive. Then one of the Bruins' leaders made a silly mistake, the Habs capitalized, and to Overtime it went.

But it was Nathan Horton, a newcomer to the playoffs, who scored the winning goal. He scored 3 times in the series, and was the only first-liner to really imprint himself on this series. In the regular season, when Horton was scoring, the Bruins were nearly unstoppable. When he slumped, they had to grind games out. In other words, he's a key to the Bruins' success.

Beating the Canadiens is just extra sweet. Not only is it a rivalry with tons of history, but the Canadiens play a completely different style of hockey from the rest of the NHL. Habs fans bitch and moan about other teams playing dirty, not "playing hockey the right way," then the Canadiens dive and flop like a bunch of Brazilian soccer players. That's not hockey being played the right way. It was perfect justice that Hamrlik dove to steal a call, and Kelly took advantage of the 5-on-4 to score.

PK Subban is a hell of a hockey player. But his diving is just an embarrassment. He's a strong dude. Yet David Krejci apparently can manhandle him. So can Gregory Campbell. It's just sad to watch a talented player like that resort to such childish tactics.

While I'm thrilled to eliminate the Canadiens, there's still plenty of room for improvement that needs to be addressed by the time the Flyers series starts. The Power Play actually got worse last night. Not only did they fail to score, they allowed a goal.

The nature of the shorthanded goal was what pissed me off. The Bruins struggled with entry, so they tried a gadget play. Seidenberg's supposed to back-pass to Recchi in the center, which will cause the Montreal defenders to stand up at the blue-line. But Montreal was going to yield entry. There was no need for the trickery. And it was incorrectly timed anyway. The pass came too early, Recchi couldn't handle it, and Montreal tied the game with a shorthanded goal.

The Bruins are the first team to ever win a 7 game series without scoring on the Power Play.

Bergeron's penalty was also inexcusable. 180+ feet from his own net, late in a game, with a 1 goal lead, he doesn't need to be flailing his stick around like that.

The first line needs to show up. The big players need to make big plays. Krejci is useless. He had another golden opportunity tonight, with half a net to shoot at, but his backhander went way over the crossbar. Lucic made a smart pass to find Horton for the game-winner, but he's still floating, still waiting around for something to happen. He needs to make things happen. He used to seek contact. Now he's almost avoiding it.

The Power Play and first line need to contribute. The defense can't afford anymore giveaways. The Flyers are better than the Canadiens. Much better. Sure, the Flyers' goaltending is questionable, but their forwards are relentless. The Canadiens were dangerous on the PP and on the counter-attack. The Flyers are ALWAYS dangerous.

I'll revel in this victory for a few days. But the Flyers are next. Improvements need to be made. Meanwhile, the Canadiens can...

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

THERE WILL BE 7

NESN's Andy Brickley (whom I'm a big fan of) remarked that he didn't think the better team won last night. I don't know what game he saw, but I didn't see the Bruins as being the better team. Montreal didn't really dominate, but they never screwed up, never gave the Bruins big chances, and when the B's had opportunities, they were squandered. The Habs were the better team.

This game was questionably officiated. While I understand Lucic getting a minor, even a major, for what he did, I don't see how an ejection was justified. Lucic and the Bruins get punished because Spacek put himself in a vulnerable spot and Lucic didn't hold back a check. How many times have we seen the Canadiens pull back a check in this series?

Then again, what has Lucic done in this series? Was his absence the difference in this game? I don't think so.

The Bruins cost themselves a number of penalties on their own. Too many men. Later, a delay of game. These are perhaps the most avoidable penalties of all, and yet the Bruins committed them, and both led to 5-on-3 goals.

And let's not forget that the refs screwed up a call that would have resulted in a Canadiens goal. If anything, the Bruins got a bit of luck in this game.

Then the B's own Power Play, which continues to struggle. The Bruins are the only team in the playoffs not to score a PP goal. Think about that. Multiple teams are already eliminated, and they all scored a PP goal. Poor entry, poor possession, that's been the story with the Bruins on the man advantage.

Under Julien, the Bruins are now 2-8 when they can eliminate their opponent. That's 2-8 against teams they've already beaten three times. Julien, in his career, is 1-3 in Game 7s. I'm more than a little worried. Game 7 tonight.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

STANLEY CUP RECAP: DAY 12*

Things keep getting more and more intense. More OT games, more surprises, more teams fighting for their playoff lives. There's been at least one OT game for 6 straight days, which is one shy of tying the NHL record set in 2001

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 8, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 2
Pittsburgh leads series 3-2

Stamkos finally scored in this series, netting 2. Gagne and Kubina also scored twice, their first goals of the series. And Lecavalier scored only his second goal of the series. The Penguins have done a good job shutting down most of Tampa Bay's top weapons. This 8 goal explosion shouldn't worry them too much. The Lightning only scored 9 in Games 1 through 4.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS 3, NEW YORK RANGERS 1
Washington wins series 4-1

I thought New York's goaltending would be enough to beat Washington. I was wrong. Michal Neuvirth was the star goalie of the series with a .946 save percentage, 1.38 GAA, and a shutout. But that was against a poor Rangers offense. Washington joins Detroit among the teams already in the 2nd round.

BOSTON BRUINS 2, MONTREAL CANADIENS 1 (2OT)
Boston leads series 3-2

Playoff series are sometimes won and lost by the slimmest of margins. The Bruins have scored 2 more goals than the Canadiens in the last 9 periods of hockey. And that's all it takes to go from 2-1 down to 3-2 up.

LOS ANGELES KINGS 3, SAN JOSE SHARKS 1
San Jose leads series 3-2

Jonathan Quick rebounded for LA with a 51 save effort after back-to-back 6 goals allowed outings. LA's biggest advantage over San Jose is their goaltending. With Quick on his A-Game, the Kings are a better team. Anything less than stellar, though, and San Jose looks to be superior.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 5, BUFFALO SABRES 4 (OT)
Series tied 3-3

The Flyers are, without a doubt, the toughest team to eliminate. Without Jeff Carter, essentially without Chris Pronger, and using 3 goalies in a series, they're still alive. It's because they stay even-keeled when they're down. Danny Briere now has 5 goals in this series, and Brian Boucher is probably the best relief goalie in the NHL. Game 7 Tuesday night in Philly.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS 4, ANAHEIM DUCKS 2
Nashville wins series 4-2

Teemu Selanee was basically the only Anaheim player to show up for this series. He scored his 6th goal in this game, but none of his teammates did much of anything. Nashville's goaltending, defense, and timely offense was enough to win the first playoff series in their franchise's history. Nashville is team #3 to earn a spot in the 2nd round, and does anyone in Tennessee care?

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 4, VANCOUVER CANUCKS 3 (OT)
Series tied 3-3

I lost all respect for Roberto Luongo last night. After he got pulled in two games, the Canucks decided to start Cory Schneider. Luongo, like a bitch, spent most of the game in the dressing room. His teammates are out on the ice, trying to win a playoff series against the Stanley Cup champs, and he's back in the locker room playing pocket pool. Schneider tore/strained/pulled a muscle trying to save a penalty shot, and Luongo went in. He then sucked. And it was his mistake that cost the Canucks the game. And in Stanley Cup storybook fashion it was Ben Smith who scored the game-winning goal. He played 6 regular season games and scored once. Now he's played 5 playoff games and scored twice. He played with Schneider at BC.

Tonight's games:
7:00 PM - Penguins @ Lightning (Pittsburgh leads series 3-2) - Versus
10:00 PM - Sharks @ Kings (San Jose leads series 3-2) - Versus

SOX IN HEAVEN AFTER SWEEPING ANGELS

The Sox are only one game below .500 and they owe it all to the Angels. Remember last year? The Sox owned Anaheim, going 9-1 against them. So while I'm happy the Sox are now only 3.5 behind the Yankees, and have a record that's not too shameful, beating the Angels is old news.

Lackey beating the Angels doesn't impress me. But Daisuke beating them does. Then again, Daisuke's problem has been consistency, and two great starts don't demonstrate that a consistency problem has been solved. I'm not aboard the Daisuke bandwagon yet. And won't be for some time.

One thing the Sox have thoroughly demonstrated with this 8-1 run, is that pitching wins. Even if half the lineup is slumping, even if the bullpen is shaky, good starting pitching makes winning easy. Crawford is still hitting below his weight, Lowrie's the only guy hitting over .300, and it seems like a new middle-reliever struggles in every game. But the wins keep coming so long as the starts are good.

To continue this roll, Buchholz needs to step up. He's lost his confidence, he's been obsessing with baserunners, and allowing homeruns. The offensively challenged (3rd fewest runs scored in baseball) Orioles present Buchholz with an opportunity to re-establish his place in this rotation. He's the only starter yet to register a Quality Start.

He faces 3-1 Zach Britton Tuesday night in Baltimore. And yes, Britton is a lefty.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

CELTICS ADD TO MADISON SQUARE'S HISTORY OF LOSING

New Yorker's talk up their arena so much. Just because it's old, antiquated (why is it so poorly lit for hockey games?), and lots of college basketball gets played there, New Yorkers think MSG is "historical" even magical/mythical. But I guess if I were a Knicks fan, I'd brag more about my building more than my team.

The Celtics disposed of the Knicks on Sunday. And even though I'm not confident in a deep playoff run for the C's, I'm not surprised that the Knicks were so easily defeated. Maybe the games were close, and maybe the Knicks had a valiant 4th quarter effort yesterday to make things interesting, but when did they ever have control of this series? And look elsewhere. The Heat lost to the 76ers yesterday. Isn't that a bit more disappointing than only winning by a few points?

I don't think the Celtics have the depth, or the health to win it all this year. They can still go deep, simply because guys like Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and KG are so ludicrously clutch. And Rondo has stepped it up, as well. So while I don't think we'll be celebrating Banner #18 in Boston, I won't turn down the opportunity to celebrate a triumph over a team from New York.

Besides, anything is possible.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo