The second round has begun, and it’s time to see whether the several upset-minded teams can keep their runs going. Four lower seeds made it to the second round, including the #8 Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings have been picked by the majority of our panelists to make it past St. Louis after upsetting Vancouver. The Capitals are also making some noise after dethroning the champs, and Nashville is also looking to move forward on the road against Phoenix.

So check below for the complete picks, and check back once the second round is complete for the results. Continue reading 2012 NHL Playoffs Expert Picks: Second Round »

The first round is over, and it was full of upsets, particularly in the East. There wasn’t too much success overall picking series winners, though series length picks mitigated that somewhat.

The Rangers were the easiest pick to make, though they could just as easily have lost. The Devils were the only other clear majority to pick up a win.

That should make for an interesting second round, but for now, it’s pretty close for the lead in our competition, with four panelists within three points of each other for the lead. With the field of NHL teams shrinking, every point matters, so check below for the results so far, and check back Sunday for the next round of picks.
Continue reading 2012 NHL Playoffs Expert Picks: First Round Results »

It was inevitable.

The Boston Bruins dismal play with a man advantage has finally ended their defense of a championship they won in spite of their ability to capitalize on power play opportunities.  For two years, the Bruins have been less than impressive when opposing teams have one fewer man on the ice.  For two years, the Bruins have been utterly inept in every facet of their power play offense.  And it’s finally caught up to them. Continue reading Power(less) Play Finally Costs Bruins »

1. Misc:

* The better team won
* Bruins played at Washington’s pace and speed letting them dictate tempo and thus forcing their will upon the Bruins
* Bruins needed to make this series a street fight and instead they shot pucks into Capitals shin pads
* Ironic that a shot that was directed toward corner was blocked and led to a 2-on-1
* Never were desperate

2. Offense:

* Bruins had a power play to win it late in third period and threw up on Dean Wormer
* Just not enough firepower
* Chara is the third greatest defenseman in Bruins history and certainly top ten in NHL history – but over seven games you can’t get your shot blocked 100 times
* Why do they finally get the puck below faceoff circle and pass back to point?
* Tyler Seguin, when he is interested, is a superior player
* Seemed to lose every big faceoff – David Krejci lost 10 of 15 faceoffs Continue reading Connelly’s Top Ten: Hey Bruins…The Better Team Won »

All seven games in this series were decided by one goal – the first time in the history of the NHL playoffs. Four of those games needed more than 60 minutes to be decided. Joel Ward was the hero for the Capitals in overtime just 2:57 into the extra set to send Boston home in a 2-1 OT loss. Braden Holtby shined again making 31 saves on 32 shots. Old friend Mike Knuble, who didn’t see much ice time, assisted on the game winner. The Bruins had a chance at the end of the third period on the power play, but did not have a good showing. The man advantage unit went 0-3 on the night

Bruins Offense Not Enough

The Bruins offense this entire series was less than spectacular, they ran into an AHL goalie who got hot and confident at the same time early on in this series. Tyler Seguin scored a dirty goal tying the game in the second period, that is the kind of goal that the Bruins want to see him score more. Continue reading Bruins Can’t Capitalize on Home Ice, Washington Wins Game 7 in OT »

The Bruins had the city of Boston on the edge of their seats all through Game 6 in Washington. The B’s repeatedly gave up their one-goal lead through three periods, but were ultimately victorious in overtime 4-3 thanks top the heroics of Tyler Seguin.

Boston started off strong and broke young goaltender Braden Holtby less than six minutes into the game as Rich Peverley scored his third goal of the series. As has been the case for the series, the celebration was short-lived as the Capitals answered back less than five minutes later on a goal by Mike Green. Dangerously close to going into the first intermission tied, David Krejci netted his first goal of the series as Boston was able to take advantage of a power play (1-5 on the day). It was 2-1 B’s after the 1st period. Continue reading Seguin’s OT Goal Sends Series Back to Boston for Game 7 »

For the Boston Bruins to beat the Washington Capitals, at some point they’ll need to beat Braden Holtby. The rookie goalie has averaged more than 35 saves per night in his first four playoff games, including a dominating 44-save night Thursday that powered the Capitals to a 2-1 victory at the Verizon Center, evening the series at 2-2.

And with every stick-side deflection, glove-side save or body-block, Holtby’s confidence just climbs higher.

A confident Holtby means trouble for the Bruins, no matter how many more shots they take.

Continue reading Bruins Can’t Solve Holtby; Series Heads to Boston Tied »