Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

NHL

Bruins Lose to NY Rangers

by

BOSTON – After winning four straight and clinching a spot in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Boston Bruins have now lost two-of-three to drop to 6-3-1 over their last 10 games. The Bruins have two games remaining in the regular season, Monday against the New York Islanders, at home and Tuesday at Washington.

Embed from Getty Images

On Saturday, Mika Zibanejad scored two of New York’s four third-period goals, and the Rangers finished their 2021 season with a 5-4 victory over Boston. The Rangers ended on a high note and broke a five-game losing streak.

For Boston, forward David Pastrnak scored his 200th career goal, Brad Marchand put in his team-leading 28th, and Patrice Bergeron and Nick Ritchie also scored for the Bruins, who had earned at least a point in their previous six games (5-0-1). Bruins goalkeeper Tuukka Rask stopped 18 shots but allowed the four third period goals.

The Rangers ended a tumultuous week as team owner James Dolan unexpectedly fired team president John Davidson and General Manager Jeff Gorton on Wednesday.

 

Bruins Are In for Lord Stanley’s Cup

by

NEWARK – The Boston Bruins clinched the final slot to compete in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and battled throughout the competitive East Division of the NHL to post a decisive 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. The Bruins (31-14-6) moved into third place, a point (68-67) ahead of the New York Islanders and three behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals with five games remaining.

Embed from Getty Images

“You play for an opportunity to play for the cup, so we’ve accomplished the first part of that — getting into the playoffs,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We had our share of adversity as much with COVID rescheduling and injuries, and using different people, but the flip-side of that — the positive side of that — is you learn a little bit about guys. They get thrown into situations where they have to step up. We came out of it OK.”

Boston team Captain Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal of the season and Boston clinched its fifth consecutive playoff berth with the road victory. Bruins’ No. 1 goalkeeper, Tuukka Rask, stopped 20 shots for his second shutout of the season, supported by Nick Ritchie goal which broke a scoreless tie in the second period.

The Bruins won their fourth straight game and ended the Devils’ three-game winning streak.

Boston had five games remaining, including another match-up against the Devils at Newark tonight.

Bruins Notch Key Win vs. Penguins

by

PITTSBURGH – The Boston Bruins bought another ticket for their roller coaster ride and used it to get back in the win column with a key, 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boston goals by David Krejci, Brad Marchand and newly-acquired Taylor Hall helped the Bruins bounce back from a shutout loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday.

YouTube player

Bruins goalkeeper Tuukka Rask made 25 saves as Boston crept within six points of NHL East-leading Washington and one point of the New York Islanders who stand at No. 3 in a competitive the playoff race in the East Division. The Bruins’ win followed a two-game losing streak which was preceded by six-game win streak (April 13-22).

Boston has eight games remaining in the NHL regular season and their next two games – starting tonight – are against the cellar-dwelling Buffalo Sabres. The following two games are against the New Jersey Devils, a team only two wins ahead of the lowly Sabres.

 

Bruins Defeat Caps, 6-3

by

BOSTON – Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci each scored a pair of goals and goaltender Tuukka Rask made 30 saves to lead Boston to a 6-3 victory over the visiting Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.

Embed from Getty Images

For the Caps, T.J. Oshie scored twice, and G Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves for Washington (29-13-4), which ended its three-game road winning streak.

Bergeron scored a shorthanded goal at 12:02 of the first period to give Boston a 1-0 lead, then Krejci made it 2-0 at the 13:56 mark.

Oshie scored with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to 2-1 after the first.

The game’s momentum swayed towards Washington when Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton was served with a double minor for high sticking, and Oshie scored his second goal at 3:48 of the second period to tie it 2-2, and Anthony Mantha scored at 4:54 to give Washington a 3-2 lead. Mantha has scored in each of his four game for Washington since he was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.

Marchand, Krejci and Bergeron all tallied to provide Boston with a 5-3 lead until Marchand scored his second goal of the game into an empty net at 18:16 of the third period which closed out the scoring at 6-3, Bruins.

 

 

Bruins Shutout Islanders, 3-0

by

BOSTON – Boston’s newly acquired forward Taylor Hall scored for the second time in two nights, while Bruins’ reserve goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman stopped 25 shots in his first NHL career shutout as Boston defeated the Islanders, 3-0, on Friday night at TD Garden. It was Boston’s second win over the New York Islanders in two nights.

Embed from Getty Images

Boston’s David Pastrnak added his 17th goal of the season and Curtis Lazar scored on an empty-net to clinch the Bruins’ third straight win and secure more room from the idle New York Rangers for the East Division’s final playoff spot.

All three of Boston’s trade deadline pickups — Hall, Lazar and Mike Reilly — contributed to the victory in a big way.  In particular, Hall has brought a spark to Boston’s lineup since the 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner was acquired from Buffalo at the NHL trade deadline.

Boston’s Pastrnak scored the game’s first goal with just 2.4 seconds remaining in the first period of play.

The teams meet one final time this season on May 10 in Boston.

 

Rask Back for Bruins’ Win vs Islanders

by

BOSTON – Taylor Hall scored his first goal for Boston and goaltender Tuukka Rask stopped 22 shots to earn his 300th career victory — and his first since February — as the Bruins dominated the New York Islanders and won 4-1 on Thursday night.

YouTube player

Rask had played just once since March 7 because of a back injury. His teammates gave him an easy one, outshooting the Islanders 45-23 — including a 23-7 first period — and getting two goals from Brad Marchand and one from Craig Smith to win their second straight game.

Travis Zajac scored his first goal for New York, and Islanders goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov made 41 saves. The Islanders had won five of their previous six games. They trail the first-place Washington Capitals by two points in the East Division.

Boston, which won the NHL Presidents Trophy as the league’s No. 1 team during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, solidified its hold on the fourth and final playoff berth in the East, but are only four points ahead of the fifth-place New York Rangers.

The Islanders and Bruins meet again in Boston tonight.

Bruins Snap Losing Way in Shoot-Out

by

BOSTON – Boston’s Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk scored in a shootout to push the new-look Boston Bruins. Craig Smith had a goal and an assist, and David Krejci also scored as the Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak. Jeremy Swayman had 21 saves and turned away both Buffalo chances in the shootout.

YouTube player

Rasmus Dahlin and Colin Miller scored for the Sabres, who have dropped three of four (1-2-1). Dustin Tokarski stopped 29 shots in relief of Linus Ullmark, who exited early in the first period with an undisclosed injury.

Coyle went five-hole on his shoot-out turn, and DeBrusk followed to complete the shootout, which was necessitated after Dahlin tied the game at 2 on a one-timer through traffic with 8:07 remaining in the third period.

Boston’s newly acquired Taylor Hall and Buffalo’s Anders Bjork, traded for each other as part of this week’s trade, each had strong chances to score in overtime.

Pro Teams Postpone Games in Minnesota

by

MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL – Monday’s 2:10pm series opener between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins was postponed as a cautionary move by the Twins and local authorities as the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul reacts to the fatal shooting death of Daunte Wright after a police traffic stop in the Brooklyn Center area.

Embed from Getty Images

“Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today’s game.

The decision was made by the Minnesota Twins after consultation with Major League Baseball, and local and state officials. Information regarding the rescheduling of today’s game, and corresponding ticket details, will be released in the near future.

The Minnesota Twins organization extends its sympathies to the family of Daunte Wright.”

The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the NHL’s Minnesota Wild also postponed home games because of a 7:00pm (local) city-wide curfew put in place as authorities brace for another display of civic protests. The Minneapolis area was at the heart of intense protests last Memorial Day weekend after the fatal shooting of George Floyd. A dismissed Minneapolis police officer is currently on trial for that incident which was the root of nation-wide protests last May.

The NBA issued the following statement in announcing the cancellation of the Brooklyn Nets at Timberwolves game:

“The National Basketball Association announced that in light of the tragic events in the Minneapolis area yesterday, tonight’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed. The decision to postpone was made by the NBA after consultation with the Timberwolves organization and local and state officials.

“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Daunte Wright during this difficult time.”

Brooklyn Center police held a news conference and stated the officer that shot Wright Sunday afternoon did so accidentally, confusing a fire arm with a police taser.

 

NHL: Bruins Acquire Hall, Lazar

by

BOSTON – (Source: Official club news release) – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the acquisition of forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forward Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round draft pick.

Embed from Getty Images

Hall, 29, has tallied two goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 37 games with Buffalo this season. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound forward has appeared in 664 career NHL games with Buffalo, Arizona, New Jersey and Edmonton, totaling 220 goals and 362 assists for 582 points. The Calgary, Alberta native was originally selected by Edmonton in the first round (1st overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Lazar, 26, has recorded five goals and four assists for nine points in 33 games this season with Buffalo. The 6-foot, 193-pound forward has appeared in 317 career NHL games with Buffalo, Calgary and Ottawa, totaling 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points. The Salmon Arm, British Columbia native was originally selected by Ottawa in the first round (17th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Bjork, 24, has posted two goals and three assists for five points in 30 games this season with Boston. The 6-foot, 197-pound forward has appeared in 138 career NHL games – all with Boston – totaling 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points. The Mequon, Wisconsin native was originally selected by Boston in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

NHL: Boston Bruins Shore-Up Defense with Trade for Ottawa’s Mike Reilly

by

BOSTON – (Source: Official team news release) – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the acquisition of defenseman Mike Reilly from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Embed from Getty Images

Reilly, 27, has 19 assists in 40 games this season with Ottawa. The 6-foot-1, 199-pound defenseman has appeared in 244 career NHL games with Ottawa, Montreal and Minnesota, totaling eight goals and 64 assists for 72 points. The Chicago, Illinois native was originally selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.