Gabbo Tricks Tuukka In OT, Bs Lose First

The Bs were able to overcome a shitty first period last night and twice came back to tie the Rangers down at MSG but ultimately fell, 4-3, when Marian Gaborik potted his third goal of the game in OT. The first had a “it’s gonna be a long night” feel to it but a much different Bruins team took the ice for the second period.

Dougie Hamilton brushed off an early miscue then recorded his first NHL point when his bomb of a shot from the top of the slot was tipped by a camped-out Brad Marchand…and the Bruins actually scored a power play goal. A very active Milan Lucic tied things up at 2 before the Bs fell behind again before Nathan Horton’s first of the year beat Henrik Lundqvist from far out to re-tie it.

In OT, Chris Kelly sent a pass that knuckleballed past Andrew Ference at the point and Gaborik swiped and took off with all alone. Rask made a great first save but the skilled forward batted the puck out of mid-air on his second bid to give the Blueshirts their much-need first win of the year.

While the Bs didn’t play their best 60 minutes, they once again utilized their trademark resilience to grind out a point on the road against a pre-season Cup favorite. Of course that doesn’t happen without this Tuukka save. Not the worst thing in the world. Next up are the Isles tomorrow at the Garden.

A few more buds for your bowl…

*Great to see smilin’ Nathan Horton get back on the scoresheet. He had a pretty sweet release on his goal and looked like the same guy as before his last concussion.

*Last night’s NBCSN telecast kicked off “Wednesday Night Rivalry” on the network. The history between the two Original Six rivals will be approaching 90 years but recently the only animosity between the teams has been during the regular season. The Giants and Patriots have played each other in the playoffs more in the last 39 years than the Bruins and Rangers have. Just a fluky thing that the two haven‘t squared off since “Goats Head Soup“ came out. But imagine how much the hate would ramp up in the playoffs? Even better, if that proposed re-alignment that would give us four, non-conference divisions ever comes to fruition, the two could potentially meet in the Stanley Cup Final. The last time that happened, Bobby Orr won his second Cup in three years when the Bruins knocked off the Rangers on the MSG ice.

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*Speaking of NBCSN/NBC, the network has been a godsend to NHL fans for its slate of games, highlights, and late night show, among other things. If you don’t have or don’t want to pay for the NHL Network/Center Ice package, NBCSN can get you up to speed every night. We’ll never have the blanket coverage of Canada down here, but NBC is committed to the cause.

*Nobody shoots post-whistle pucks on Darth Quaider’s watch. Interesting that he got an extra two for roughing. Looked to me that Brian Boyle could have least taken a dash of mustard off the shot once he heard the whistle. But he let it rip off 54’s shin to set off the Bs’ defenseman. McQuaid was later whistled for boarding when he tapped Dan Girardi from behind and Girardi jumped into the glass like he was celebrating an OT game-winner. Naturally, the color guys missed/ignored the embellishment. Not because they’re biased but because they suck.

*The Bs dominated at the dot last night, winning by a 36-17 margin. Patrice Bergeron won 12 of 15 draws for an 80% clip. Tyler Seguin, who clanged a shot off the post, won both that he took.

*Lane McDermid and Dennis Seidenberg were the scratches. The German has the ol’ LBI (lower body injury) and was sporting a large ice pack on a lower extremity after the home opener though he was getting around fine. Aaron Johnson again filled in for him and performed fine in his absence.

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