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BITS AND PIECES: AWARD FOR DOUGIE, NO PROGRESS FOR SAVARD

5/3/12: The B's season has been over for a little more than a week now, and not much has gone on. Defense prospect Dougie Hamilton was named the OHL's Defenseman of the Year earlier this week after a 72-point regular season that saw him finish with a plus-37 rating; Hamilton will almost certainly be with the big club next season. Also, Marc Savard was on NHL HomeIce today, where he revealed that he still isn't working out, still has memory issues, and won't be playing hockey in the near future. No real surprise there, but still sad to hear.

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NORRIS NOD FOR CHARA

4/27/12: Despite the sting of the end of the regular season remaning fresh, the B's got a bit of good news yesterday as captain Zdeno Chara was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, the fifth time Chara has gotten such a nod in his career. Chara finished this season with a career-high 52 points, and was tied with teammate Chris Kelly for the third-best plus/minus rating in the league at +33. Chara's competition for the award: Ottawa's offense-first defenseman/fourth forward Erik Karlsson and Nashville's Shea Weber, he of the fearsome playoff beard. I'd love to see Chara win it, as he's a better defenseman than both of those two; however, Karlsson will probably earn a ton of votes for his offensive flair. If he wins, I'll be mad, but won't be surprised.

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GAME 7: WARD'S OT STRIKE ENDS B'S TITLE DEFENSE

4/26/12: There will be no champagne showers, no Duck Boats, no parade, and no bar tab from Foxwoods. Instead, the B's will spend their summer the same way as 28 other NHL teams: wondering what could have been. Joel Ward banged a loose puck past a screened Tim Thomas 2:57 into overtime to beat the Bruins, 2-1, stun the TD Garden crowd and send the Caps streaming onto the ice in celebration. The season-ending play began when Benoit Pouliot attempted to rifle a puck into the Washington zone from center ice, only to have it bounce off the shin pads of Mike Knuble; Knuble collected the puck and rushed up ice in a 2-on-1 with Ward, flipped a backhander on goal that Thomas stopped, only to have Ward, also on the backhand, whack it into the net. Just like that, the Bruins' first title defense in nearly four decades was over. The B's fell behind eleven minutes into the game when Matt Hendricks deflected a point shot past Thomas, but were able to tie it up on a Tyler Seguin goal with 5:33 left in the second. The B's also had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, as a questionable holding call on Jason Chimera put the B's on the power play with under three minutes to go. However, their Achilles heel hurt them again, as they were unable to cash in with the man advantage. All in all, a stunning way to end what has been the most memorable calendar year in nearly a half-century for Bruins fans. It had to end sometime; B's fans are now left wishing it could have lasted just a little bit longer. BHN: Game 7 Wrap-up

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#BERGERON4SELKE

4/23/12: The NHL will be announcing the finalists for its end-of-season awards all week, and there was a black and gold tint to today's announcement: Patrice Bergeron has been named one of the three finalists for the Frank J. Selke award, given annually to the league's best defensive forward. It's the first nomination for Bergeron, who led the entire league in plus-minus this season (+36). Pavel Datsyuk, winner of three of the last four Selke trophies, and David Backes are the other two finalists for the award. It'll be given out on June 20 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Chances are Bergeron will be joined by at least one of his teammates (Zdeno Chara is pretty much a lock for a Norris nomination) out in Sin City.

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GAME 6: SEGUIN (FINALLY) STRIKES IN OT TO FORCE A SEVENTH GAME

4/23/12: Through the first five games of this first round series against Washington, many of the B's top-flight players had been no-shows: Milan Lucic had done nothing, David Krejci looked lost, and, perhaps most distressing, Tyler Seguin looked like he couldn't find the back of the net if his life depended on it. In fact, yesterday's Boston Herald featured the (staggeringly obvious) subheadline of (paraphrasing) "the Bruins are done if the big guns don't get going." Well...better late than never, right? Seguin's first goal of the series 3:17 into overtime gave the B's a 4-3 win over the Caps, forcing a decisive Game 7 at the Garden on Wednesday. Seguin's goal was a result of all of the "big guns" going at once: Krejci forced a turnover in the neutral zone and flipped the puck to Lucic; Lucic hit Seguin in stride with a beautiful pass; and Seguin showed tremendous patience, waiting and waiting until Braden Holtby was down and out before sliding the puck into the net. The goal capped a two-point afternoon for Seguin, as he also assisted on Andrew Ference's third period goal. The B's got 36 saves from Tim Thomas, including another unbelievable stick save, this time on Marcus Johansson. Rich Peverley and Krejci (PPG) scored the other Bruin goals. The B's never trailed in this one, and managed to win despite blowing leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. A good sign for Wednesday night: the aforementioned renaissance of the "big guns," as Lucic, Krejci, and Seguin combined for six points. Oh, and the Bruins have now scored power play goals in consecutive first round games. EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING! No write-up from me on this one, as I watched it on DVR after work and had a ton of stuff to do at work this morning. Expect a blog post of some kind today though.

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GAME 5: LATE (SOFT) GOAL FROM BROUWER PUSHES B'S TO THE BRINK

4/21/12: This afternoon's game almost seemed like two games in one. First, there were the Games 2-4 Bruins, struggling to score and falling behind 2-0 in the second period. Then, there were some new Bruins, an energized bunch that scored twice in 28 seconds to tie the game. However, two big mistakes by the man most responsible for the Cup win last June sunk the B's, as Troy Brouwer's un-tipped wrister from the right wing circle somehow eluded Tim Thomas with under two minutes to play in the third, giving the Caps a 4-3 win and a chance to end the Bruins' title defense tomorrow afternoon at the Verizon Center. Brouwer's goal came after a weak slashing call on Benoit Pouliot, one that most refs wouldn't dare to call in the final three minutes of any game, let alone a playoff game. The B's fell behind 2-0 but surged back on the strength of a Dennis Seidenberg strike 17:21 into the middle frame; on the rush up ice after the goal, Brad Marchand poked a loose puck through Braden Holtby (34 saves) to tie things up. The Caps went ahead again when Thomas kicked the rebound of a Washington point shot directly onto the stick of Mike Knuble for a tap-in 3:21 into the third; however, the B's fought back, getting a power play goal (!!!!) from Johnny Boychuk with 12:13 left to tie things at 3. The teams seemed destined for another overtime game when Brouwer's shot somehow eluded Thomas in the final minutes, stunning the Garden crowd and putting the B's backs against the wall. Simply put, that's a stop Thomas has to make. He missed it, and will hopefully play his heart out tomorrow in an attempt to make up for it. Game 6 is tomorrow at 3 PM, and the B's may be without Joe Corvo, who didn't play after blocking a shot with the inside of his knee, and Patrice Bergeron, who skated limited shifts after an elbow to the face and a collision with Alex Ovechkin left him a bit woozy. BHN: Game 5 Wrap-Up

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GAME 4: RETURN TO BAD HABITS HELPS CAPS EVEN SERIES

4/20/12: Game 3 was probably the B's best game so far this postseason: they played a chippy, physical game, got bodies in front of the net, and made Braden Holtby's life difficult. Their hard work was proof positive that Holtby is as beatable as any other NHL goalie if there's a ton of traffic in front of him. So, knowing that their hard work had led to four pucks behind Holtby, what did the B's do last night? Returned to their Game 1/2 ways, throwing shots on goal from the point and perimeter, and ultimately falling to the Caps, 2-1, essentially turning this series into a best of three. Alex Semin's beauty of a wrister on the power play 18:43 into the second period stood up as the game-winner, as the B's were unable to put one past Holtby in the third. Marcus Johansson scored the first Washington goal, while Rich Peverley beat Holtby five-hole on a 2-on-1 in the first period for the B's lone goal. Tim Thomas made 19 saves, including a couple of dandies to keep things close, and really had no chance on either Washington goal. The Caps' win guaranteed that there will be a Game 6 on Sunday (reportedly at 3 PM), meaning these two teams may play back-to-back matinee games. Whoever wins Saturday's game will certainly have a ton of momentum going into Sunday. BHN: The Morning After (Game 4)

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WOW: BACKSTROM'S SUSPENSION UPHELD, WILL MISS GAME 4

4/18/12: When it was announced at the end of Game 3 that Nicklas Backstrom had received a match penalty for crosschecking Rich Peverley in the face, most people (myself included) assumed the automatic suspension would be overturned, and that Backstrom would be in the lineup tomorrow night. WRONG. In a pretty stunning move, Brendan Shanahan and the NHL elected to uphold the ban, suspending Backstrom for Game 4 in a decision that just might be the beginning of Shanahan running out of patience with the players. In his video (above), Shanahan's key points were that Backstrom approached/engaged Peverley, who was in a defensive position, and that Backstrom's crosscheck was "excessive and reckless."No word on who will replace Backstrom, but early indications are that Dale Hunter is considering John Erskine. I'm sure his presence won't cause things to escalate. No, not at all. BHN Blog: Backstrom Suspended

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GAME 3: CHARA'S LATE GOAL LIFTS B'S

4/17/12: Obviously, it had to happen this way: the first two games of this series saw four goals total, so it figures that Game 3 featured a veritable offensive explosion, with the teams combining for seven tallies. Seven!With 18 minutes gone in the third, both teams down a man, and the Bruins having seen their late 3-2 lead evaporate just four minutes earlier, Zdeno Chara wound up for a slapper. As Chara, who undoubtedly wanted to make up for the misplay that led to the Caps' third goal, prepared to fire, the Bruins had something they haven't had much of this series: bodies in front of Braden Holtby. As Chara's slapper whistled its way towards the cage, it glanced off of the stick of Caps defenseman Roman Hamrlik, who was covering one of those bodies near the crease, and into the net for the game-winner as the B's beat the Caps 4-3 and took a 2-1 lead in the series. The 4-on-4 goal came just after a big-time scrum in which Milan Lucic, locked up with Matt Hendricks, found himself face-washed from behind by noted tough guy (sarcasm)Karl Alzner; after Lucic tried to get at Alzner but was restrained, Alzner made a "crybaby" gesture at Lucic. Karl, you poked the bear. Things got even chippier at the end of the game, when Alex Ovechkin took a run from behind at Rich Peverley, and Backstrom one-upped his teammate by crosschecking Peverley in the face, earning himself a match penalty. Backstrom is, by the book, suspended until the NHL rules on his situation, but it's highly unlikely that he actually misses a game. The B's overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 in this one, and got goals from Peverley, Daniel Paille, and Brian Rolston in addition to Chara's game-winner. Tim Thomas, undaunted by the OH SO CLEVER Obama signs and masks in the crowd, made 29 saves, including a game-saver on Jay Beagle with the score knotted at 2 late in the second. Holtby looked human, particularly on Peverley's goal, finishing with 25 stops. Also, Jason Chimera speared Brad Marchand in the Brads last night. From behind a referee. What a punk. Game 4 is back at the Verizon Center on Thursday. BHN: Game 4 Quick Take and The Morning After

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GAME 2: BACKSTROM'S 2OT STRIKE EVENS THE SERIES AT 1

4/16/12: As Saturday's Game 2 wore on, the question of whether or not we'd ever see more than one goal per game in this series went from a joke to being a legitimate inquiry. The two teams played another airtight, locked-down game, with each side allowing just a single goal after 180 minutes of play. However, taking advantage of a Johnny Boychuk/Andrew Ference misplay, Nicklas Backstrom rifled a wrist shot from the left face-off circle past a screened Tim Thomas 2:56 into the second overtime to give the Caps a 2-1 win and even the series at a game apiece. Patrice Bergeron won the face-off that led to the game-winner, but Marcus Johansson pushed forward and got between Ference and Boychuk; Johansson's stick-check made Boychuk flub his clearing attempt, and the forward then outhustled both defenders and found a wide-open Backstrom in the circle. Backstrom didn't miss, blowing a wrister past the screened Thomas to end it. The Caps took the first in-game lead of the series when they got on the board late in the second period on a weird goal from Troy Brouwer, and were in control until Benoit Pouliot's hustle play with seven minutes left in the third tied things at one. Both teams traded chances in the overtimes, but as was the case on Thursday night, it came down to one team making a mistake. Game 3 is on Monday night in our nation's capital.What do the B's need? The first line to actually show up, Tyler Seguin to end the disappearing act, and some traffic in front of Braden Holtby, for starters. BHN: Game 2 Quick Notes

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PANIC BUTTON: KREJCI ABSENT FROM PRACTICE

4/13/12: It's Friday the 13th, and if you wanted a bad sign, here's one: David Krejci is missing from the Bruins' practice this morning, increasing speculation that he may have suffered some kind of injury from that falling pane of glass last night. The B's still haven't said anything about it, so chances are we won't know more until the team speaks with the media at the conclusion of practice. Still, not a very good sign... UPDATE: The Patriot Ledger's Mike Loftus has some quotes from Krejci, who said he's got a bit of a sore neck but "feel[s] pretty good," and will probably play tomorrow. Good news, but I still think we might need to find Mohawk Man and have a word with him...

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ECQF GAME 1: KELLY'S OT HEROICS LEAD BRUINS PAST CAPS

4/13/12: When one thinks of a game against the Washington Capitals, "low-scoring" and "grind it out" aren't exactly the first phrases that come to mind. So when the Bruins found themselves in a 0-0 tie for over 60 minutes last night, everyone knew someone was going to have to step up. Chris Kelly, horribly underrated and overlooked all season, was that guy, blasting a slapshot past Braden Holtby just 78 seconds into overtime to give the B's a 1-0 victory in Game 1. The winning play began when Tim Thomas kicked out a shot from Marcus Johansson, and Joe Corvo, who had a very solid game, flipped the puck up to Brian Rolston. Rolston hit Benoit Pouliot in stride, and Pouliot hit a streaking Kelly, whose wicked slapper (one that may have been deflected by Dennis Wideman) beat Holtby clean. Holtby was very impressive, making 29 saves and silencing, at least for one night, those who doubted he could be leaned on in this series. However, the one mistake he made cost the Caps the game, and gave the B's the start to the series that they were looking for. Thomas was terrific as well, staying sharp despite facing just seven shots through two periods and standing tall when the Caps peppered him with nine in the third. Game 2 is on Saturday at 3 PM. Something tells me we might se a bit more offense in that game. The only bit of bad news last night came during the celebration after Kelly's goal, as a pane of glass popped out and landed on David Krejci, hitting him in the head and sending him tumbling down to the ice. Krejci skated off on his own, but the team hasn't released any word on his condition. BHN: Quick Hits (last night) and Game 1: The Morning After

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BRUINS VS. CAPS: FIRST ROUND PREVIEW

4/12/12: The playoffs are under way. The mocking Photoshops have already been posted. The puck is about to be dropped on another postseason of Bruins hockey. Before the B's and Caps kick things off tonight, check out our preview of the series. See which team has what advantages, what the key match-up will be, and whether or not the B's will advance to the second round for a fourth-straight year. BHN: Round 1 Preview

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B'S RULE HORTON OUT

4/11/12: No real surprise, but disappointing news today: the B's announced that they have ruled Nathan Horton out for the remainder of the playoffs as he's still suffering from concussion-related symptoms. According to NESN's Naoko Funayama, Peter Chiarelli said that Horton, who skated last week, took a "step forward, then [two] steps back," forcing the team to shut him down. Horton hasn't played since being hit by Tom Sestito on Jan. 22. It's a shame that Horton has missed so much time, and that fans won't see him take part in another moment like the one above for quite a while. In all likelihood, the B's will skate Rich Peverley on the top line in Horton's place. Hey, it worked out OK last year.

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MIKE GREEN AND ROMAN HAMRLIK: ENTREPRENEURS

4/10/12: Remember the Sedins' business venture from last spring? Turns out they've got some company in the ranks of NHLers-turned-businessmen. BHN: The Entrepreneurial Spirits of Mike Green and Roman Hamrlik

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B'S SIGN TOMMY CROSS

4/10/12: It's been quite a few days for Tommy Cross: on Saturday, he captained Boston College to another national championship, and today he signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins. Cross, who was drafted by the B's in 2007, will report to Providence and is expected to play on Friday night. The signing doesn't really come as much of a surprise, as Cross was a senior; however, it's always good to get prospects in the fold. Cross' Boston College teammate, Chris Kreider, is apparently leaving the heights as well, cutting his college career short to sign with the New York Rangers.

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PREVIEW: TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE REGULAR SEASON SERIES

4/9/12: The past doesn't always matter that much when it comes to playoff series. After all, the B's lost every regular season game against Montreal back in 2007-2008 yet still pushed their first round series to seven games. This season against the Caps, the B's posted a record of 1-2-1, winning once in D.C. and falling both times at the Garden. Before the series starts, take a look back at the teams' four game series. BHN: B's-Caps Regular Season Series

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ROUND 1 DATES/TIMES RELEASED

4/9/12: The NHL announced the dates and times for its first round series on Sunday, and the B's and Caps will kick things off at the Garden on Thursday night. Three of the first four games will be on NESN locally, while all playoff games will be broadcast nationally on either NBC, NBC Sports, or CNBC. Basically, if you have cable and don't live in New England, you'll still be able to see the games. One interesting note: if this series goes six games, games five and six will be played on back-to-back days (Saturday in Boston, Sunday in Washington).

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THE CAPS ARE COMING

4/7/12: Both Florida and Washington won today, giving Florida the Southeast Division title and locking the Caps into seventh place. You know what that means? BIG MONEY WIDES IS COMING TO TOWN. The B's will face Washington in the first round for the first time since 1998, a series the Caps won in six games. Buckle up, folks. The B's will have their hands full. I'll have my preview up on Monday or Tuesday. Have a great Easter!

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WELCOME TO LONG ISLAND: A RECAP

4/3/12: This past Friday/Saturday, myself and two friends made the trek down to Long Island to meet up with four other friends and take in Saturday's B's-Islanders tilt. It was a trip filled with hatred for Connecticut, out-of-shape guys in morphsuits, bad directions by Google, expensive tolls, and more. Check out the whole story and a review of the Nassau Coliseum experience. BHN: Behind Enemy Lines- Long Island, NY

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