IT HAD TO BE BRUINS/CANADIENS

The hockey gods have for the 33rd time pitted the Bruins against the Canadiens in the playoffs. The fast, nimble Canadiens against the lumbering, physical Bruins. A chance for Montreal to avenge their sidelined teammate Max Pacioretty. A chance for Boston to literally add insult to injury.

The Habs won the season series 4-2. But they ended the season 7-7-1 after the Chara/Pacioretty incident. They don't have the high flying skilled players that we've seen them bring in years past. Gionta was their leading scorer with 29, and only three Canadiens scored more than 20. They use their speed for defense, and were a respectable 8th in goals allowed this year.

The Bruins can bring a physical element to this series that Montreal might be able to outrun, but won't be able to match. Chara, Lucic, Horton, Recchi, Boychuk, Marchand, Campbell, Thornton, and McQuaid can all throw their weight around.



The Canadiens' speed will win them some games in this series. The Bruins' strength will win them some games. The difference will be that speed doesn't create fear. Physicality does. And Montreal is very susceptible to fear. They will come down with a bad case of Charaphobia.

One thing the Bruins absolutely must do is kill penalties. The Canadiens were 9 for 28 (32.1%) on the power play against the Bruins this year. Nine of their 20 goals against the Bruins came with a man advantage. If the Bruins can neutralize their power play, they'll win this series. Forwards like Bergeron, Campbell, Paille, and Kelly, along with Ference and McQuaid, all need to step up and focus on the penalty kill. And even though the Bruins scored a lot of shorthanded goals this year, they need to think about clearing the puck and not generating chances.

The Bruins best player is their goalie, Tim Thomas, who set a record for highest save percentage ever at .938. But Montreal has a pretty good goalie too. Thomas' biggest contribution in this series might be on the penalty kill.

I think the Bruins win in 6. But I have doubts. Julien's record in the playoffs is mediocre, and if it goes to 7, the Bruins are screwed. So this is more of a hopeful pick.

SOX TAKE 2 FROM YANKEES

Taking 2 of 3 from New York will make you forget about an 0-6 start. The Sox finally got some hitting, and finally got some pitching. It wasn't the prettiest series win, but I think we'll all take the W's.

John Lackey sucks. We have to come to terms with that. He's a #5 at best. Hopefully, he'll be the only #5 pitcher in this rotation. He's not going to recapture the form he had with the Angels 4 years ago.

I'm worried about Buchholz. He looked so much like his 2009 self on Saturday. He obsessively threw to 1st base. His body language wasn't confident. He's not throwing strikes. And he's struggling the second time through the lineup. It might just be a temporary thing. But he's allowed 5 homers and 8 earned runs already. In 2010, he didn't allow his 5th homerun until July.

The bullpen also looks ugly. I'm getting flashbacks of 2003, when Todd Jones, Brandon Lyon, and Ramiro Mendoza infested the Red Sox pen.

Josh Beckett was simply magical last night. 8 innings, 10 strikeouts, 1 walk, only 103 pitches needed. He retired the last 14 batters he faced. His fastball had bite, his curve was snapping, and he was confident in what he was doing.

The question with Beckett is consistency. We've seen sporadic brilliance like this before. We need to see a steady string of 7+ inning, 2-3 run starts, though. No more of the 5 inning, 4 run clunkers that we've seen him throw so many times. We'll learn a lot from the quality of his next start.

Offensively, it's still kind of ugly. The Sox scored 4 runs from 12 hits and 8 walks last night. That's not good. Pedroia's upped his average to .400, Gonzalez is hitting, and Ortiz is getting by. But there's still some serious slumping in this lineup. They'll snap out of it, though. Crawford hit a few balls hard, just not in the right place.

Sox host the 1-8 Rays starting tonight. Daisuke faces 24 year old Jeremy Hellickson.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

WHO WILL THE BRUINS MEET IN THE PLAYOFFS?

It's not about seeding, it's about matchups. This weekend, we'll find out who will matchup against the Bruins in the opening round of the playoffs. It could be one of four teams: Montreal, Buffalo, the Rangers, or Carolina.

Right now, it'd be Montreal. They're nearly a lock to be the 6th seed. And despite losing the season series to the Habs, this might be the best matchup for the Bruins. The Canadiens have been a terribly streaky team. They're 6-6-1 since the Pacioretty/Chara incident. They're very fast, but they wilt against physical teams.

But the Bruins might not finish 3rd. They have a very good chance at earning the #2 seed. The Flyers are currently 2nd. They're 4-4-5 in their last 13, and have lost 4 straight. So the Bruins might face the 7th seed.

Which is currently Buffalo. The Sabres and Bruins have had mixed results against each other this year. And while you might feel confident about meeting Buffalo in the postseason again, remember one key fact: Thomas Vanek was injured in Game 2 of that series. And Vanek owns the Bruins. In 6 games against the Bruins, he's scored 4 goals, and added 3 assists this year. Not to mention Drew Stafford, who scored 7 times against the Bruins this year. And 6' 8" defenseman Tyler Myers will not be pushed around by any Bruin forward.

While the Bruins would be the favorites against Buffalo, it'd be a very tough series.

Then there's the Rangers, who are perhaps the worst matchup for the Bruins. The Rangers have an excellent goalie who has frequently frustrated the Bruins. They play disciplined defense. And now they have some guys who can score. I haven't felt good about a Rangers/Bruins game for 3 years now, and I don't want to see the Rangers somehow sneak into 7th and face the Bruins.

The longshot opponent would be Carolina. The Hurricanes are currently 9th, but have won 7 of 9 to get close. The B's won their season series with the Hurricanes 3-1. All three of those wins came within a 16 day span. Cam Ward isn't as good as he was in 2009, so I think the Bruins would win this series. But the odds of Carolina making it up to the 7th seed are so astronomically slim that it's hardly worth thinking about.

So, I'd prefer the Bruins met the Canadiens. Then the Sabres. Then the Rangers. If the Hurricanes make it, then they'd be better to play than Buffalo or New York.

MAKE IT SIX

The Sox finally got a Quality Start. Jon Lester was superb, throwing 7 shutout innings, working his way out of what little trouble he found himself in. He just didn't get any support. And now the Red Sox are off to their worst start since 1945. And I'm starting to worry.

The bullpen once again failed the Sox. Give Cleveland credit for manufacturing a run, but Bard's inability to throw strikes helped Manny Acta do things like call for a squeeze play.

The only hitter in the lineup doing their job is Adrian Gonzalez. The Sox are getting baserunners here and there, but can't get hits to knock them in. They're now 7/44 (.159) with runners in scoring position this season. They're only hitting .181 as a team, so it's not like they're only struggling in clutch situations. They're struggling to hit in every situation.

Youkilis is pressing too hard. Maybe the thumb is still bothering him, but I think a combination of rust and pent up frustration is why he's swinging so freely, and why he's dropping balls in the field. Remember, he hadn't played a competitive game since August 2nd. He's not exactly mild mannered, either. I think he's trying too hard to force the hits.

The Sox are failing at even the little things. Darnell McDonald's moronically wide turn of 2nd base that ended this game is an excellent example. And Varitek can give all the excuses he wants, but he made a huge mistake last night in not tagging Buck.

The Red Sox need to turn things around at Fenway. It's Opening Day tomorrow, and time to start the season over again. Unfortunately, John Lackey is pitching. He faces Phil Hughes, who struggled in his first start.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

FROZEN FOUR PREVIEW

For the first time since 2005, not a single New England team made the Frozen Four. While that reduces my interest, at least the final will probably be more entertaining than the basketball final. I wouldn't be shocked if teams shot for higher percentages than Butler did.

Before reading further, bear in mind that I was wrong on all four of my Frozen Four picks.

The semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN2 this evening starting at 5, with the Championship game on ESPN Saturday night.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. MINNESOTA-DULUTH BULLDOGS
Playing in St. Paul gives UMD the home ice edge. The Bulldogs also have a pretty good defense and penalty kill. Notre Dame only has a few big scoring threats, and the Bulldogs should be able to shut those down. I also like UMD goalie Kenny Reiter, who acquitted himself well against Union and Yale. I'm picking the Bulldogs to win 3-2.

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES vs. NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX
The Sioux are certainly the most talented team left. St. Paul is home away from home for North Dakota, as they won the WCHA tournament there a few weeks back. They haven't lost since January, and they have arguably the best player in college hockey: Matt Frattin (36 goals, 24 assists in 43 games). Michigan will struggle to keep up with the scoring, and their goaltending isn't a big strength. North Dakota triumphs 5-2.

North Dakota is also my pick to win it all.

BRUINS INCH CLOSER TO #2 SEED

The Bruins are only 2 points out of 2nd in the Eastern Conference after beating the Islanders 3-2 last night. It was a game without stakes, without consequences, and wasn't very interesting. But it was a win.

What drew my attention most was the Bruins' special teams units. They continue to struggle. The PK unit allowed a goal. The Power Play unit failed to move and failed to score, even with a 2 minute 5-on-3. They even allowed a shorthanded goal. But give Michael Grabner and Josh Bailey credit for that one. The Bruins may have won 3-2, but they lost the special teams battle 2-0.

Special teams are so vital in postseason play because most playoff games are played against the boards, within tight coverage, and very little open ice play. When power plays come along, they're a rare opportunity to play with space and time. If the Bruins can't get their PP unit to score, they need to at least tighten up their PK.

I was puzzled to see Seguin, Kampfer, and Hnidy all scratched. This seems like a great chance to give minutes to all three. Perhaps over the weekend.

Daniel Paille has played himself onto the playoff roster. He's been doing all the little things and some big things the past few weeks. He had another excellent game last night.

And how cool is it to see Shawn Thornton score his 10th goal? He, along with Gregory Campbell, are among 6 NHL players to score 10+ times and fight 10+ times this season.

The Bruins play back to back games this weekend, hosting Ottawa Saturday afternoon, and travelling to Jersey on Sunday. Look for guys like Thomas, Chara, Lucic, Recchi, and Bergeron to get at least one game off. Look for Paille, Campbell, Ryder, Thornton, Kelly, and Seguin to get a chance to earn a spot in the starting lineup with some additional ice time.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

DICE-L

I really thought Daisuke was going to turn the Sox' fortunes around last night. He's always done well against Cleveland. And they tend to be free swingers. I was wrong.

He wasn't awful. But in typical Daisuke fashion, even when he does well, he fails to do well for long enough. And while it was the bullpen that ultimately lost this game, Daisuke gave the bullpen a chance to lose it, by only going 5 innings.

And during those 5 innings, he nibbled. And he nibbled. He threw a joke of a 90 MPH fastball right down the middle to Choo, and it was crushed. He nibbled some more. He walked batters. He hit a batter. He allowed 10 baserunners in 5 innings.

But he didn't lose this game by himself. Not by a longshot. Ellsbury struck out 3 times and went 0 for 5. We're still waiting for him to hit. Youkilis went 0 for 4, continuing his struggles. And Varitek messed up a defensive play, turning what should have been an out into a Cleveland run. His mistake of not tagging Buck at the plate was inexcusable for a veteran and a "Captain."

Then the bullpen. That's worrying me more than anything else right now. The starting pitching is what it is. The offense will inevitably improve. Guys like Ellsbury and Youkilis are not sub-.200 hitters. They'll come around. The bullpen, however, has been nothing but a disaster so far. Dan Wheeler was supposed to be the 2nd set-up man alongside Bard. He's allowed 2 homeruns already. And Reyes was supposed to add depth. He's only added mass, and a heavy ERA.

A few bright notes from last night: Gonzalez hit his first homerun with the team. And Crawford got on base, then ran, stealing his first 2 bases of the season.

The rotoation starts all over again, and maybe that's what this club needs. Lester faces Fausto Carmona, who allowed 10 runs in 3 innings against Chicago. First pitch at 12:05 this afternoon.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

STILL WINLESS

So long as the Orioles are in first place, the season hasn't really, fully begun. It's still in that opening phase, in which averages and ERAs range from 0 to the high hundreds. It's not time to panic. It's not time to even worry. It is time to think, though.

And I think Josh Beckett is going to give us a very disappointing year. I know it's just one game, and 3 runs in 5 innings isn't atrocious. But he looked so inconsistent with his pitches. Sometimes the fastball had bite. Sometimes it just floated up there. And when Cleveland stopped swinging early, Beckett started to struggle.

I feel like giving the offense a pass in this one. The Sox tend to struggle against young, unknown, unfamiliar pitchers like Josh Tomlin. And last night's weather in Cleveland was hardly conducive to offense. And free passes are easy to give in April.

But the Red Sox will need to hit in order to win with the likes of Beckett and Lackey on the mound.

And now comes Daisuke, who faces the Indians' Mitch Talbot. I actually think Daiske is going to dazzle in this game.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo