However, the web is wide open and Nat Geo is hosting a 10-episode web series which will glimpse into the Eco-friendly life of one of our favorite Boston Bruin defenseman, Andrew Ference, called “Beyond the Puck”. The show premiers TODAY, Thursday February 16th.

Here’s a little blurb from the site:

Andrew Ference, an eco-warrior and NHL hockey player, offers a rare glimpse into his sustainable lifestyle in the new 10-episode web series Beyond the Puck.

But he is not your typical hockey player. Andrew’s an environmental activist, a Stanley Cup champion, the husband of a former professional snowboarder, and father of two girls. He rides his bike to “work” and doesn’t mind being called a tree hugger — he’s just as comfortable checking opponents on the ice as he is teaching kids about composting in elementary schools.

Inspired by his friend, environmentalist David Suzuki, Andrew has embraced an eco-friendly way of life at home and on the road. He’s achieved the ultimate victory in hockey — winning the Stanley Cup — and is ready take on the challenge of inspiring others to care about the planet.

I definitely plan on checking this series out and I don’t think I could urge you enough to. Though I know Bruins fans are dedicated enough to their team to watch without me!

Enjoy!

Photo (attached): Taking the Stanley Cup for a Bike Ride Photograph by National Geographic Channel Following tradition, Andrew gets to spend his day with the Stanley Cup. Players often take the cup to their hometowns, but Andrew decided to lead a parade through Boston on his bicycle.

Nov. 15, Devils at Bruins:

Back-to-back games against prominent Eastern Conference foes could have the Bruins worn out, but they proved last year that that’s often when they’re at their best.

Nov. 23, Bruins at Sabres:

This one is a marquee matchup featuring two of the best goalies in the league, with Ryan Miller between the pipes for Buffalo and Thomas for the Bruins. The Sabres were one of the better teams in the East during the 2010-2011 regular season and this one will have plenty of black and gold sprinkled into the crowd in Buffalo, making for a raucous atmosphere mixed with different fan bases buying NHL tickets.

Dec. 5, Bruins at Penguins:

If you missed your chance to travel to Buffalo in late November, hitting the road to see Sid the Kid and the always formidable Penguins is a great way to make up for it.

Jan. 7, Canucks at Bruins:

After a memorable seven-game Stanley Cup Finals between these two teams, the Canucks come to town looking to get it going against the team that ripped the Cup away from them. This one is going to have a playoff-level intensity.

Feb. 4, Pens at Bruins:

You don’t have to like him, but it’s still fun to watch Sidney Crosby, one of the premier players in the NHL. Both teams should be battling in the Eastern Conference standings at this point, combining for a great home matchup for the Bruins and their fans.

Feb. 15, Bruins at Canadiens:

The Bruins are on the road for a big Eastern Conference matchup featuring two of the most well-known franchises in sports. With the Bruins moving closer to the end of their 2011-2012 regular season schedule, games against Eastern opponents will be crucial.

Mar. 31, Capitals at Bruins:

It’s always a debate as to who is better between Sidney Crosby and the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, which is why a big late season matchup featuring Alex the Great will be enormous.

Apr. 7, Sabres at Bruins:

Wrapping up the regular season, there will be plenty of playoff implications in this one.

As a hockey-loving youngster, the Bruins were the Sun my solar system revolved around. It was a Bruins game I went to while my mom was in the hospital dealing with complications while pregnant with my younger brother (some would say those complications never stopped thanks to having two precocious young boys bouncing around, but I digress.) It was a Pete Peters crystal white Bruins jersey that remains to this day the best Easter present I ever received. I have mentioned this before, but I forced my mother (further adding to her complications) to open car doors for my imaginary friends who were always a member of the Bruins team. Most memorable and influential were my annual trips to Bruins Stanley Cup playoff games with my dad and his business associates. It was ironic that as the weather turned warmer, the sport that took over my winters became the end all and be all of my existence. But such was the case.

From the 1987-88 season until 1991-92, the Bruins advanced to at least the conference final in four of those five seasons. Players like Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin made sure that the Boston Garden was rocking until late May. Along the way, the Black and Gold erased decades of historical persecution at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens and were so successful that a new arena was built. As a kid who dreamt of following in the footsteps of those heroes, tuning in to WSBK or NESN from Rene Rancourt’s bellowing anthem all the way until John Pierson’s last telestrated breakdown of a breakout was as much a part of my daily routine as cross-checking my brother during out games of knee hockey in the basement.

Needless to say, after the 1992 season ended unceremoniously at the hands of Mario Lemieux’s Pittsburgh Penguins, the years became lean. It took 18 seasons and numerous heartbreaks, but finally the Bruins are back on the sport’s grandest stage in the Stanley Cup Final. Of course, the Bruins didn’t do it the easy way, but would Bruins fans have it any other way? After winning the Northeast Division, the B’s spotted the Canadiens a 2-0 lead with two losses at home in the first round. Once the Bruins were able to come all the way back, winning three games in overtime against the Habs – including the clincher in Game 7 – there was reason to think this year would be different. That is, until the second round opponent was penciled in.

Globe Photo

It had to be the Flyers. It just had to be. The 2010 playoffs which looked to be bouncing in Boston’s way – what with the 3-0 lead in the semifinals and then a 3-0 lead in the surprising Game 7 – ended in a heartbeat as the Flyers scored four in a row to complete their epic comeback. And there the Broad Street Bullies were awaiting Boston in the second round, chock full of confidence based on the crazy series one year ago. Three games in, the B’s had another 3-0 lead, resulting in almost every hockey pundit using the same “Has any team up 3-0 been as scared as Boston?” joke. This team was different. Rather than shy away from any comparisons and blank out 2010, the Bruins stared it down and annihilated the Flyers in four games to advance to the conference finals.

Awaiting the Bruins in the East final was Tampa Bay. A talented team, no doubt, but one that didn’t really get the blood boiling. Instead, the goal at the end of the series did that for Bruins fans. Four more wins and the Cup was within sniffing distance. The series, which went the full seven games, was a microcosm of the Bruins’ season in general. A putrid start followed by a furious rally and then missed opportunity. Why shouldn’t any possible Bruins berth in the finals be earned in a Game Seven? There was no more appropriate way for both the franchise and fan base to cross that hurdle. And the game was a beauty. Well-played hockey on both sides, and for once the sole mistake which ended a season was not made by the Bruins. Instead, it was a player whose absence in 2010 (David Krejci) was perhaps the turning point on a potential Cup run finding a guy who was never in the playoffs before this season and was on his way to a third game-winner and second series-winner (Nathan Horton). That goal – and the seven minutes of defense that followed – allowed Bruins fans to celebrate at once the joy of the present, the promise of the future and the familiarity of the past.

The past. In a strange way, that is what this journey over the past two months has been about and what excites me most about the next two weeks. Friends of mine on Facebook have followed my countdown from 16 to 4 at the moment, with the last four wins using pictures of great Bruins to signify one less victory to score to bring back the Cup. Before Game Seven against the Lightning last week, I watched highlights from the last Game Seven the B’s played in the conference finals against New Jersey in 1988. Everyone has that moment from their youth which signifies their first true sports memory. For me, it was that game against the Devils. I remember my mom having a work party at our house and all the men ditching their wives to gather around the TV. I remember a few of the guys baffled I knew all the lime combinations and was so intense. I remember one of my heroes, Ray Bourque coming in to take a faceoff after the center was kicked out and winning it perfectly back to Rick Middleton who scored. Most of all, I remember my favorite player at the time, Craig Janney, stealing a pass, breaking in alone and deking out Sean Burke for the goal that sealed the deal. Amazingly, he was tripped up after the goal and proceeded to sail through the air afterwards – just like Bobby Orr did in 1970.

The memories haven’t stopped since that night. Maybe the steadfast belief of the young that things will never change is true. I spoke with my best friend since first grade on Friday night. We talked about all those years of heartache and how this is just like when we were young. Then I asked him to be one of my groomsmen in my wedding. Next, I called my younger brother. Still a tinge mad that my dad took him to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in 1990 which went three overtimes and was a classic, we cried about the Bruins being back in the finals again. Then, we cried some more when I asked him to be my Best Man at my wedding. It wasn’t me and my brother in our matching Bruins sweaters in the basement throwing our sticks in the air at the same time Reggie, Cam and LB did, but I know that from almost 500 miles away, we both had our sweaters on and were experiencing the same emotions.

John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

All types of people have spent a lot of time the past five days offering predictions and prognostications about what will happen once the puck drops in Vancouver Wednesday night. Do I have any clue what will happen? Absolutely not. I do think the Bruins have the better defense and the Canucks have the better special teams, but does that mean Tim Thomas will pitch four shutouts and the Sedins will score 15 power play goals? Nope. Truth be told, I don’t want to have a prediction. I grew up thinking the Bruins will win the Stanley Cup every year. Hell, I still do. But, 18 years of being wrong at that prediction has effectively retired me from that. Instead, I offer a challenge to Bruins fans. One that will be difficult for all of us.

Enjoy this.

If the 7,678 days which have passed since the Bruins lost to Edmonton to close out the 1990 Cup Finals have taught Bruins fans anything, it is this – experiences like this do not come along often. Instead of worrying about Tomas Kaberle and Milan Lucic, step back and appreciate that it was our team which was a featured player in Media Day on Tuesday. It is the Spoked-B all over NBC, Versus, NHL Network and the thousands of pieces of merchandise available. While it is unfortunate that tickets to the three games at the Garden look to cost upwards of $800 just to get in the door, also keep in mind that TICKETS TO GAMES 3, 4 AND 6 OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL IN BOSTON COST THAT MUCH. Will it break our hearts if it isn’t the Bruins who hoist the Cup? Yes, it will. Will it erase the fact that the Bruins won three series-clinching games on home ice, took over the Boston sports scene and created such a stir that Bill Belichik was standing and waving a rally towel during games? Not in my mind.

The City of Boston, the loyal legion of Bruins fans and the team we all care for with a passion hard to describe is set to play the game under the watch of not just our region, but the entire hockey world. They deserve it, their play in the first three rounds shows that. At the same time, we deserve it. Our relationship with the Bruins, whether it is from a day in 1985 when you watched the Bruins and Winnipeg Jets battle in a cramped Boston Garden while your mom and future Best Man were engaged in their own battle or from a Mother’s Day in 1970 when a young Bobby Orr flew through the air, has brought us to this point.

Where things go from here, only the parties directly involved can shape. I know that my television would be tuned to NBC Wednesday night regardless of who was in the Stanley Cup Final. But to know I will be donning my sweater, putting on my hat and eating my usual pregame meal has me smiling as wide as Nathan Horton.

Enjoy the ride, Bruins fans.

Still, there is lots of work left to do in order to make this team a true Stanley Cup caliber squad. That work continues on Friday with the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft. The Bruins have the second overall pick that night and carry on with more picks in rounds 2-7 on Saturday. Of course, the cherry on top of this draft pick sundae is that second pick – guaranteed to be either big, sturdy sniper Taylor Hall or smart, skilled center Tyler Seguin. Whether you are on Team Taylor or Team Tyler, there is no doubting that the B’s are slated to land what amounts to a franchise player. Which player dons the Black and Gold will come down to who Edmonton chooses with the first pick — that is, if the Bruins can’t sway the Oilers to trade picks.

Before about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Bruins had two of the first 15 picks in the draft, coupling their own pick at No. 15 with the second choice they acquired from the Maple Leafs in the Phil Kessel trade. However, with the Horton deal, they stand with just the early pick. All season long, the B’s have staved off calls to deal that valuable choice and are set to reap the rewards for that patience.

Already, fans of the team and residents of the blogosphere are questioning why the Bruins would include the No. 15 pick in a trade this close to the draft. The debate between prospect and NHL-ready player is waged in every war room and every fan base this time of year, and with good reason. Mock drafts expound the virtues of the young players and the thought of “what could be” sometimes tickles ones fancy more than the reality of “what is”.

Time will tell if Gregory Campbell is worth the 15th pick.

One school of thought on the Horton trade is that it breaks down into two mini deals. The first was Horton for Wideman and the second being Campbell for the 15th pick this year and the third rounder in 2011. This thinking is logical, as clearly Horton and Wideman are the centerpieces of the trade while Campbell, if signed is a nice depth addition on the third/fourth lines and in sandpaper department. Now, what is on everyone’s mind is whether Campbell is worth a potential top player who could be drafted at No. 15 and another player next season.

Campbell’s skill set notwithstanding, who says that the 15th pick is a surefire hit? In fact, who says that any pick is a guarantee? While marketing teams and ticket sales groups love the idea of selling a high draft pick, coaches and GMs are looking for players that can help them win right away. While Hall or Seguin are certainties to start the season in Boston and contribute right away, the probability of the 15th pick having a bigger impact on the 2010-11 or even 2011-12 Bruins than Campbell is low.

With that in mind, this is a good segue into something that has been cooking for a week or so. With the draft coming up, I was looking back over the past drafts by the Bruins back to 1994 and finding some of the best picks made by the team and some they may wish they had back. Looking back like this is fun as it shows you some of the times the Bruins lucked out with who they chose and some times they zigged when they should have zagged.

We will skip the 2009 draft as it is still way too early to judge that draft. For each year from 2009 back to 1994, we will look back at some picks the Bruins made and whether or not they were the right call. In addition, we will take a look at some picks other teams made late in drafts that show just how much of a crapshoot this whole process is. The Bruins won’t be judged poorly unless they made what could be called a bad choice when a star player was then taken shortly thereafter. Basically, we are looking 5-10 picks after a Bruins choice to find players who were at least in the discussion (or should have been).

2008:

Bruins Choice: Joe Colborne, C – 16th pick
Redo Choice: John Carlson, D – 27th pick by Capitals

This is a tough redo at this point because Colborne hasn’t played higher than collegiate hockey with Denver so far. However, there are multiple players drafted after him who have seen NHL ice time already. Included in that list is Carlson, the consensus choice to lead America’s defense corps in international competition for the next decade. He won gold with the U.S. junior team this winter and has already won two Calder Cups with Washington’s AHL affiliate, Hershey. He was a +6 in seven playoff games with the Caps this year and is primed for full-time NHL run next season. The Bruins obviously weren’t the only team to miss on Carlson, so there’s that. However, Colborne will need to turn his 6-5 frame into a front-line center to match the projected performance of Captain America.

2007:

Bruins Choice: Tommy Cross, D – 35^th pick
Redo Choice: P.K. Subban, D – 43^rd pick by Canadiens

While it is hard to argue with choosing a local kid as the Bruins did with Connecticut native and current B.C. player Cross, his chronic knee injuries have to be giving the Bruins concern. He injured his knee playing baseball in high school and reinjured it during his freshman season. Last year, he played in 38 of 42 games and had 10 points, so maybe he is working his way back. Subban played just two games so far in his NHL regular season career, but suited up for 14 of Montreal’s playoff contests and went for eight points. In 56 junior games in the 2008-09 season, he had 76 points in 56 games while playing +47 hockey. You never want to congratulate the Habs or anything, but they made a good choice here.

2006:

Bruins Choice: Levi Nelson, C – 6^th Round, 158^th pick
Redo Choice: Viktor Stalberg, LW – 6^th Round, 162 pick by Maple Leafs

Very difficult to harshly judge a draft where the Bruins chose Phil Kessel fifth overall and then selected Milan Lucic 50^th overall. Also have to remember that the four picks above Kessel were Erik Johnson, Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Backstrom. If any one of those four players had slipped down to Boston, who knows where this team would be right now. Instead we slide deep down the draft board to the sixth round, where faulting teams is just getting on them for guessing wrong. The B’s went with Levi Nelson in the sixth round, a 5-11 center from Canada who struggled to find a role with the team’s minor league affiliates. He had 61 points in his final junior season, but just 10 points over his one season­ in the ECHL and AHL. Stalberg, a hulking winger from Sweden, had 14 points in his first 40 NHL games this year and is looked to as a key factor in Toronto’s rebuilding process. For a team in search of punch and size up front, Stalberg would have been a great find late in the draft.

2005:

Bruins Choice: Petr Kalus, C – 2^nd Round, 39^th pick
Redo Choice: Paul Stastny, C – 2^nd Round 44^th pick by Avalanche

This is a draft where the Bruins had about four picks they may want back. In

the first round, they chose Matt Lashoff 22^nd and watched T.J. Oshie go two picks later to the Blues. In the fourth round, the Bruins chose Jonathan Sigalet, a defenseman from Bowling Green. Five picks later, the Coyotes chose Keith Yandle from Cushing Academy. Both are slick, puck-moving defensemen, but only one (hint: not Sigalet) is playing top-four minutes in the NHL. Right after Yandle was chosen, the B’s selected Vladimir Sobokta. A fine player for the B’s, two choices later the Blackhawks selected Niklas Hjalmarsson from Sweden. He is another top-four defenseman right now in the NHL while Sobotka fights to find a full-time niche in Beantown. The big misplay was going with Kalus in the second round over Paul Statsny. Kalus ended up playing nine games with the Bruins, scoring four goals. He was traded to Minnesota for Manny Fernandez in 2007 and has played all of two games for the Wild. Maybe the Bruins were scared of Paul Stastny after his brother Yan was a bust, but it has to hurt watching Paul turn into a 20+ goal/70+ point player in Colorado. Stastny was a key player on the U.S. Olympic team this year and would be a beautiful fit in the middle for the Bruins. The bonus for the Bruins in this year? Toronto took our franchise goalie, Tuukka Rask, one pick before the B’s selected Lashoff in the first round. Then, they traded Rask to the Bruins for Andrew Raycroft. Thanks Leafs!

2004

Bruins Choice: No real bad choices…
Redo Choice: Have to wish that they didn’t trade 5^th round choice Kris Versteeg for Brandon Bochenski

B's Found Gold in 2nd round with Krejci

The Bruins didn’t have a first round choice in 2004, trading it to the Capitals for Sergei Gonchar. Thus, it must pain the Bruins now to watch Mike Green whirl around for the Caps with a choice they made two spots after the B’s would have picked. However, this draft was a pretty good one for the Bruins despite no first-rounder. Late in the second round, the B’s went back-to-back and selected David Krejci and Martins Karsums. Krejci, obviously is a top-flight center in waiting and a focal point of the Bruins’ offense. Karsums played six games for the B’s before getting traded to Tampa Bay for Mark Recchi. That is pretty good value on two second round picks. In the seventh round, the Bruins chose Matt Hunwick who has been one of Boston’s rare late-round steals as he slides into a role among the top six in Boston. In addition, fifth overall pick by Phoenix Blake Wheeler has been a contributor for two seasons with the Bruins and 16^th overall pick by the Islanders Petteri Nokelainen had two seasons with the Bruins and fetched Steve Montador for the playoff push in 08-09.

2003:

Boston Choice: Mark Stuart, D – 21^st overall
Redo Choice: Mike Richards, C – 24^th overall by Flyers

Bergeron was another 2nd round gem in '03

Let me get this out of the way first – I like Mark Stuart. When he is in the line up his intensity, defensive work and physicality help set the tone for the Bruins as a team. He is a future captain and already a great leader. That being said, this draft of 2003 is widely considered one of the best classes in the history of the NHL and there are players taken after Stuart who are better than him. My choice would be Richards. He is already a captain in the NHL and consistently hovers around 30 goals and 75 points while playing a physical, defensive game at the pivot. Richards does everything and the fact that he slipped to No. 24 has about 18 teams kicking themselves. Another player taken after Stuart was Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler at No. 23. Another big center, Kesler may have fell victim to Boston having Joe Thornton on the team back then. But, in 2010, Kesler’s 75 points and 104 PIM would have looked great in Black and Gold. However, the Bruins made up for missing out on those two-way centers when they drafted Patrice Bergeron in the second round. A probable future captain of the Bruins, Bergeron has done it all for the B’s in his career with 99 goals and 280 points despite missing almost all of one season with his serious concussion. There were some late steals in this draft, with San Jose taking Joe “Big” Pavelski in the 7^th round and Chicago taking 2010 Stanley Cup hero turned trade bait Dustin Byfuglien in the 8^th round. Even Ottawa made a good pick with the second-to-last selection of the whole draft, finding goalie Brian Elliot with pick No. 291. All he has done is post a 46-26-13 record in two full seasons.

2002:

Bruins Choice: Vladislav Evseev, LW – 2^nd Round, 56^th overall
Redo Choice: Matt Stajan, C – 2^nd Round, 57^th overall by Maple Leafs

The Bruins have not had much luck over the years drafting Russians with only Sergei Samsanov being a plus pick. The Evseev choice was no different. The B’s went with the 6-2 winger from Moscow who had 10 total points in Russia that season and 12 total since then. Stajan on the other hand, has been a serviceable winger for the Leafs and Flames, with 239 points over six seasons on some bad teams. While that pick wasn’t the best outcome for the Bruins, the rest of the draft wasn’t much better. The team took Hannu Toivenen with the 29^th overall pick and the goalie never got on track in Boston, losing his job to Tim Thomas before being traded for the ghost of Carl Sodeberg. Two choice from that draft have made noise for the Bruins, but were chosen by other teams. Johnny Boychuk was selected by Colorado with the 61^st overall pick and just signed a new two-year extension with the B’s. Recently dispatched Dennis Wideman was chosen in the eighth round by Buffalo, and some Bruins fans may argue that was too high. All in all, a forgetful draft weekend for the B’s brain trust.

2001:

Bruins Choice: Shaone Morrisonn, D – 19^th overall
Redo Choice: Tim Gleason, D – 23^rd overall by Senators

Clearly the Bruins were in the mindset of choosing a defenseman in the first round and went with the big Morrison over Gleason. May want a mulligan on that one. Not that Gleason is the second coming of No. 4, but he is a solid NHLer who has the ability to dish the puck a bit while locking things down is his own end. He was an Olympian this February and is currently wasting away in Carolina. Morrisonn, on the other hand, is underachieving with the Capitals after the B’s dealt him away for Gonchar in ’04. Nothing against Morrisonn, but he is more of a Andrew Alberts-type player and those guys shouldn’t be first round choices. Other interesting choices from that draft were the Flyers taking newly minted top-two defenseman for the Bruins Dennis Seidenberg in the sixth round while the Avalanche found former 30-goal scorer Marek Svatos in the seventh round.

2000:

Bruins Choice: Lars Johnson, D – 7^th overall
Redo Choice: Anyone

In sticking with the rules established before, it is hard to find a single player taken 5-10 picks after the Bruins missed on Johnson with the seventh pick who would have been any better. Maybe Ron Hainsey who was taken 13^th by Montreal, especially of the B’s were going defenseman there. A look later in that first round finds some late steals in Brooks Orpik by Pittsburgh at No. 18 and Niklas Kronwall at No. 29 by Detroit. Both have won Cups and excelled on the international stage. The Bruins had two first round picks that season and went back to Sweden to nab Martin Samuelsson at No. 27. Teams that swing and miss on two first rounders in one year tend to struggle and that is what the Bruins did for a while. However, those two bad choices may not even sting as much as what transpired deep down in the seventh round. The Bruins chose Chris Berti with the 204^th pick. The big guy never played above Juniors. With the next pick, the Rangers went out and found 177 career wins and an Olympic gold medalist in Henrik Lundqvist. Again, 28 other teams missed on King Henrik, but to see him go the pick after the Bruins choose makes it hard to swallow.

1999:

Bruins Choice: Greg Barber, RW – 7^th Round, 207 overall
Redo Choice: Henrik Zetterberg, LW – 7^th Round, 210 overall by Detroit

Henrik Zetterberg was one of two Henriks two slip past the B's

Hard to get all over the Bruins for making bad choices in the seventh round, but man would it be great to have had Harry Sinden pick up Zetterberg back in ’99. However, instead of his 475 career points in just 506 games, the B’s went with Greg Barber. How a guy who starred for the Victoria Salsa of the BCHL was a bust is beyond me, but he had a nice career at Denver before toiling in the AHL, ECHL and UHL for a few years. In the first round that year, the Bruins chose Nick Boynton with the 21^st pick in front of the Garden crowd which watched Brian Burke pull off the heist of that draft to take both Sedin twins. Other picks of note were Dallas’ choice of B.C. High star Mike Ryan in the second round and Buffalo finding a Vezina Trophy winner with its selection of Ryan Miller in the fifth round.

1998:

Bruins Choice: Ryan Milanovic, LW – 6^th Round, 165 overall
Redo Choice: Pavel Datsyuk, C – 6^th Round, 171 overall

By now, the fact that the Red Wings practically built their dynasty on late finds and great scouting is well known. The fact that they did so right after the Bruins choices should begin to grate on people. This one saw the B’s go with 6-2 winger Ryan Milanovic from Kitchner. Not sure why he was drafted in ’98 because that year he had one goal and nine points. The next year he went for 15-18-33 with 114 PIMs so maybe he was projected to be a good enforcer, who knows. What I do know is that a reach on the fine Russian Datsyuk would have been a better call. 592 points, +176, two Stanley Cups, three Selke and three Lady Byng trophies later, we all can agree that Datsyuk would have been a better choice. However, the Bruins always fail when taking Russians so he would have stayed in Mother Russian and never been heard from.

1997:

Bruins Choice: Sergei Samsonov, LW – 8^th overall
Redo Choice: Marian Hossa, RW – 12^th overall to Senators

Nothing against the Magical Muscovite, but his career with the Bruins was a bit underwhelming and Hossa has been a key ingredient on three-straight Cup finalists including the champions this year. Hossa has evolved his game as he ages, but still finishes around 70 points a season while playing exceptional defense. Productivity in his own end was never one of Samsonov’s better traits, but you can’t overlook the fact that he won Rookie of the Year honors in 97-98. However, you have to assume if it was Hossa arriving along with top pick Joe Thornton in that draft, things would have turned out better for the Bruins. This draft also saw two current B’s taken, Shawn Thornton in the 7^th round by Toronto and Andrew Ferrence in the 8^th round by Pittsburgh.

1996:

Bruins Choice: Jonathan Aitken, D – 8^th overall
Redo Choice: Derek Morris, D – 13^th overall by the Flames

While there may not be many Bruins supporters wishing they had Derek Morris for the last 14 years, he would have been a more valuable choice than Aitken. Morris has 869 games of NHL service while Aitken played 44 (only three with the Bruins). On the plus(minus?) side is that this draft’s first round was pretty weak overall. A lot of okay players, but the two best may be Danny Briere who was taken 24^th by Phoenix and Marco Sturm who went 21^st to San Jose. Both are fine players, even first-liners, but they aren’t what teams are looking for as sure-fire top picks. Bruins fans will be interested to note that the B’s chose someone named Eric Naud with the first pick of the third round while the Islanders chose Zdeno Chara three picks later. Naud played 27 games with one goal for the Providence Bruins in 1997-98 before languishing in the ECHL for a while. Chara is now the backbone of the Bruins defense and a former Norris Trophy winner.

1995

Bruins Choice: Kyle McLaren, D – 9^th overall
Redo Choice: Jarome Iginla, RW – 11^th overall to the Stars

Iginla would have been a good Neely follow up

Another one of those “nothing really wrong with the Bruins’ pick, but man I wish they chose this guy” selections. McLaren had a fine career for the Bruins on the backend, with about 20 points a year and some physical play. He never seemed to be fully healthy and was traded to San Jose while holding out in the 2002-03 season. However, it is very difficult to not drool at the thought of Iginla patrolling Cam Neely’s place at the Garden. As good a leader as there is in hockey, Iginla has 920 points in 1,024 games with 726 PIMs. He led the NHL in scoring in 2001-02 and has two gold medals in his pocket. If not Iginla, how about J.S. Giguere who was chosen 13^th by Hartford and backstopped Anaheim to a Stanley Cup? Bruins fans will note that Marc Savard was chosen in the fourth round by the Rangers and P.J. Axelsson was selected in the 7^th round by the Bruins. The finding of Axe that late is one of Boston’s rare success stories in the later stages of the draft. He went on to an 11-year career with the Bruins and was one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Late in his career, it seemed like coaches tried to turn him into a first-line guy to make up for Marc Savard’s defensive issues at the time, and that turned some fans on him. That is unfair to P.J. who was played out of position by coaches looking to find lightning in a bottle. In his role as a shut-down winger, there were few better, just ask Jaromir Jagr.

1994

Bruins Choice: Daniel Goneau, LW – 2^nd Round, 47^th overall
Redo Choice: Patrik Elias, LW – 2^nd Round, 51^st overall by the Devils

Goneau never signed with the Bruins, re-entering the draft to be chosen 48^th by the Rangers in ’96. He finished with 15 points in 53 games over three partial seasons with the Rangers. Elias, on the other hand, has 754 points in 880 games with the Devils with two Stanley Cups. While people talk about the ’03 draft as a great first round, this 1994 draft may have as much depth as any in history. The Quebec Nordiques made sure Colorado had some players to go with Joe Sakic and company after they made the move by drafting Chris Drury and Milan Hjeduk in the 3^rd and 4^th rounds. Future NHL captains Sheldon Souray and Chris Clark also went in the third round. In the fifth round, the Stars chose Marty Turco who went on to win 262 games over nine seasons in Dallas. In the sixth round, Ottawa stumbled upon its captain, Daniel Alfredsson who has compiled 992 points over 1,002 games in Ottawa. In the 10^th round, Detroit chose Tomas Holmstrom who has 118 goals over the past five years and 214 over his 13-year career in Motown. Tyson Nash and Richard Zednik were also taken in the 10^th round in ’94. Mr. Irrelevant, Kim Johnson (chosen by the Islanders) just finished this season with the Blackhawks and has played 739 career NHL games.

Tim Thomas was a 9th Round pick in '94 by the Nordiques

However, the craziest find from this draft is the ninth round, or “Goalie Paradise”. The following goalies were taken in the ninth round: Tim Thomas (No. 217 – QUE), Johan Hedberg (No. 218 – PIT), Evgeni Nabakov (No. 219 – SJS), Tomas Vokun (No. 226 – MTL) and John Grahame (No. 229 – BOS). If you add up the wins, you get 879 wins from those five goalies found in a round of the draft that doesn’t exist anymore. Also of note, three of those goalies – Thomas, Nabokov and Vokun are available this offseason.

There you have it, a long list of cautionary tales as the Bruins head into the draft this weekend. History shows that the second overall pick is a sure bet to be a very productive, if not franchise-caliber, player. However, it would be of the Bruins’ best interest to find more players ready to be long-standing NHLers at the bottom of the draft.

How was your offseason, Bruins fans? Get all that stink from the way the playoffs ended washed off? Put away the 2009-10 Playoffs rally towels? Give a gentle nod and pat on the back to all your Celtics fan friends? Good. The epic collapse at the hands of the Flyers is in the past. Instead, the future of the Boston Bruins is upon us. With a few offseason moves under his belt, Peter Chiarelli looks towards Los Angeles and the 2010 NHL Entry Draft this weekend.

Peter Chiarelli will be a busy man this week.

With two of the top 15 picks in the draft, Chiarelli has a chance to make an instant impact on the organization and add the pieces that will have the Bruins a legitimate factor in who hoists Lord Stanley’s Cup next June. Make no mistake about it, the Bruins are not too far off from the Chicago Blackhawks, and the right sequence of moves this offseason can put in place a system that leads to the first Stanley Cup title since 1972.

This is actually possible. One thing that kept coming back to me while watching the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs is how the Bruins were not too far removed from the teams competing for the Cup. Obviously, the ability to win one of four against Philadelphia would have proven that, but the B’s would still have had to defeat Chicago. Were the Bruins really capable of beating the ‘Hawks this year? As constituted during the actual playoff run, no. The loss of David Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg made that a tough mole hill to climb. However, breaking down the Bruins as they may appear in 2010-11 and the Blackhawks team that is currently in possession of the world’s biggest shot glass shows some pretty good comparisons if you are a Bruins fan.

So, before we get into the upcoming draft and the picks, trades and signings on the horizon for the Bruins, let’s look at the players who are currently under contract/likely to be resigned and compare them to the Blackhawks group which just won the Cup.

Goaltending:
This is the area in which both teams are the closest. Entering the 09-10 season, both the B’s and ‘Hawks had a veteran goaltender making a big salary and a young Finnish goalie pushing for playing time. By the end of the season, the young upstarts had pushed the high-priced vets to the pine and were primed to carry their team through the playoffs. Tuukka Rask outplayed the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in Boston while Antti Niemi knocked Cristobal Huet out of the crease. Of course, Niemi went all the way while Rask seemed to fatigue a bit towards the end of the Flyers series. That isn’t a poor reflection on Rask, but moreso on his defense’s inability to keep play out of his zone. Niemi wasn’t called upon to be the world-beater Rask was against Buffalo and for parts of the Flyers series, but he was right there to make the stops he was called upon to make. Rask had the best GAA in the league in the regular season while Niemi was fourth. Clearly, each team has a young goalie to build around for the future. The good news for the Bruins is that Rask is locked up through the 2011-12 season where he will still be a restricted free agent. Niemi is due for arbitration this offseason and will add even more pressure to an already tight payroll in Chicago. Both teams will be looking to find takers for the old, pricey backups as Thomas is due $5 million for each of the next three seasons while Huet is due $5.625 million until the end of 2011-12.

Defense:
As stated above, one of the reasons Niemi had a lower save percentage and wasn’t getting the same highlight reel love Rask did in the playoffs is because the defense in front of him was doing a better job holding off opposing attacks. However, when looking at the top 6-7 of the two teams, when healthy, the Bruins aren’t far off from what is widely considered the best group of defensemen in hockey. The Bruins boast a legitimate No. 1 defenseman in Zdeno Chara. The 2009 Norris Trophy winner is a shutdown defenseman who draws opposing teams’ best forwards on a nightly basis. The Blackhawks have one of those in Duncan Keith. The prohibitive favorite to usurp Chara as the Norris winner

The B's need someone to take over like Duncan Keith

this week, Keith averaged 28:11 of ice time in the playoffs, while scoring 17 points. He had 69 points in the regular season and was +21. Where the Bruins were lacking for most of the season was a complimentary part to go with Chara on the top pairing. They found that guy in Dennis Seidenberg at the trade deadline. In 17 games with the Bruins, he had nine points and, more importantly, he was a +9 while averaging 23 minutes a night. The Bruins understood how valuable he was, signing him through 2013-14. They hope he can be the Brent Seabrook to Chara’s Keith in the upcoming years. Seabrook was another play +20 for the Hawks in the regular season and he and Keith were the best pairing in the NHL, also suiting up together for Team Canada in the Olympics. The difference between the two teams is Brian Campbell. Don’t get me wrong, Campbell is a very good player who the Bruins would take in a second. He is not worth over seven million dollars however if he is your No. 3 defenseman. Campbell’s contract is a big reason the Hawks are over the cap with only 14 players signed for the upcoming season. Of course, they just won the Cup so I don’t think anyone minds too much.

The point is, once you get past the shutdown pairing each team has coming back, there are similar parts. With the trade of Dennis Wideman, the Bruins will likely turn to Johnny Boychuk as the puck-mover while Mark Stuart will be the rock in front of the net, keeping space clear for Rask. Andrew Ferrence and Matt Hunwick will need to gel as a pair, allowing the Bruins to use all three groupings. That is where Chicago was so good defensively, taking care of both its own end and the transition game on each pairing. In the Final, Philly played their bottom pair maybe three minutes a game. Chicago could roll all three all game. The Bruins need to do that in order to be successful.

Forwards:
Now, if anyone tries to tell you the Bruins have the forwards to skate with the Flyers in a goal-scoring contest, they are delirious. However, that is not to say both teams did not try to line things up similarly, just with the ‘Hawks having better talent at the top this season. Take a look at the top lines for both teams. The Blackhawks had Bruiser/Crease Presence (Dustin Byfuglien)-Heady Center/Playmaker (Jonathan Toews)-Finisher (Patrick Kane). The Bruins were hoping to enter the season with a similarly fashioned line of Milan Lucic-Marc Savard-Marco Sturm. Of course, only Sturm’s mother and wife would say he is as good as Patrick Kane, but he is capable of scoring when healthy. The reason the top line of Chicago worked so well is that everyone did their jobs perfectly. Byfuglien went for 17 goals and 34 points with 94 PIM while clearing space in the zone for Toews to feed Kane and vice versa. Think about how the Bruins were as an offensive unit when Kessel was playing with Lucic and Savard. That is what a top line should be in the NHL. The Bruins spent too much of this past season having to create something from nothing due to injury or subpar talent. Hopefully, this won’t be the case next season. With Tuesday’s trade for Nathan Horton, the Bruins may have found their sniper on the right side to put the biscuit in the basket.

Bergeron's two-way game can carry a team.

The second line for Chicago was Sandpaper (Tomas Kopecky)-Versatile Two-Way Player (Patrick Sharp) – Veteran Goal Scorer (Marian Hossa). A line that was just as capable of scoring as it was to shut you down. Sound familiar? While Daniel Paille may never be called a sandpaper-type player, his 19 points was equal to Kopecky’s 21. Patrice Bergeron and Patrick Sharp are about as similar as you can get, with a jack of all trades. Mark Recchi plays the Hossa role, scoring the goals and committing to defense.

Again, when it comes to third lines, both organizations fashioned them in similar veins. The only difference was that Chicago’s wingers (Andrew Ladd and Kris Versteeg) weren’t as streaky as Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler were for Boston. Ladd and Versteeg combined for 37 goals and 45 assists while Ryder and Wheeler went for 36 goals and 35 assists. However, if I asked you which pairing you would choose for your team, no doubt you would want Chicago’s. That would be a fair choice, but in terms of money and production, the two sets of wingers are quite equal. In the middle, the Bruins have a burgeoning superstar in David Krejci while Chicago has David Bolland. Both are 24 and on the cusp of stardom in the NHL. Overall, these two units are a wash as well.

Rounding out the forward groups on each team were crash and bang fourth lines. The Bruins group of Enforcer (Shawn Thornton) – Veteran Defensive Player/Penalty Killer (Steve Begin)-Young Agitator (Vladimir Sobotka) would match up quite nicely with Chicago’s Ben Eager-John Madden-Troy Brouwer/Adam Burrish. Both sides valued the ability to agitate and protect while receiving supplemental contributions from this group on penalty kills. Both coaches could roll their fourth lines over the boards throughout the game without too much worry in regards to defensive liability. That is a lucky asset to have in the NHL, especially when hoping to keep your top players fresh in a playoff series. Another part of Tuesday’s deal with the Panthers, Gregory Campbell should slide in nicely on this line. He is all pest, averaging about 55 PIMs a season while pissing off the entire Southeast Division.

Anyways, this doesn’t mean that the Bruins are simply going to roll to the championship next season. What it does mean, however, is that this next stretch is the most important of Peter Chiarelli’s tenure in Boston. On Friday night, he will likely add two players expected to be not only building blocks of a Stanley Cup-caliber team but immediate factors. He has to try and turn some contracts (Tim Thomas, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ferrence are candidates) into

Has Tim Thomas played his last game in Boston?

offensive punch. He has to put together a defensive corps of 7-8 players who compliment each other and allow each player to utilize his skills. There are many ways to accomplish the task at hand. The easiest way is to stay put at No. 2 and No. 15 and add young talent. Another way is to package that No. 15 pick with either players from the organization currently or with other picks and move up to get back into the top 4-10 range. Or, much like Toronto did with Boston last year, dangle those picks for players already established in the NHL. Chiarelli, Neely and the gang are playing coy right now, but there is no doubt that the 617 area code will be one of the most used from the floor in Los Angeles this weekend.

However, before we get all doom and gloom about the loss of Krejci, the way the Bruins again plugged on with a limited bench for the whole game needs to be applauded. For the second game in a row, the B’s lost a significant contributor on offense early in the first period. In Game 2, it was Marco Sturm who was lost to injury on the first shift of the game. On Wednesday, Krejci played 2:45 before he was run over in open ice by Mike Richards, leading to a dislocated wrist that will knock Krejci out for the playoffs. Being a hockey player, Krejci still managed to have the whiplash of his hit send the puck to Milan Lucic at the blue line and Lucic then hesitated and fed a pass to a streaking Miroslav Satan who scored Boston’s second goal in 1:34 to wipe away an early Philly lead. So, Krejci’s last play of the 2009-10 season was similar to many over the campaign, a selfless assist on a key Bruins goal.

Also knocked out in the first period was Adam McQuaid, who went down with a leg injury. While McQuaid is not as valuable as Krejci, no team wants to lose a defenseman in the early stages of a game. He only played 1:49 and forced the trio of Dennis Wideman, Johnny Boychuk and Zdeno Chara to all be over 25 minutes in ice time for the game. If McQuaid cannot go tonight, expect Mark Stuart to be back in the lineup. Stuart has been out with a hand injury and is awaiting clearance on an infection that has been lingering to get back into a game. He has been skating the last week or so and should be ready physically to play 12-15 minutes tonight. If Stuart isn’t cleared, look for Andy Wozniewski or Andrew Bodnarchuk to get the nod. If so, there will be extra pressure of the top four to play big minutes and for the Bruins to end this series tonight.

The reason the Bruins are in position to close out the series in four games is because they came out and whupped the Flyers in Philly on Wednesday. An old, but true, adage in the playoffs of any sport is that “a series doesn’t truly begin until a team wins on the road”. Home ice is so important and having control of that allows a team to feel like it is in a series no matter what the score. Countless Flyers fans I discussed the series with before it began and even in the hours leading up to Game 3 said that all they needed was one win in Boston because the Flyers would overwhelm the B’s in Philly and win all three games. My friend Rich, who sold me his second ticket for Wednesday’s game spent the better part of the three hours we were tailgating in the parking lot explaining to me how the Flyers would be so juiced up by their crowd and a chance to get back in the series that the Flyers would score in the first five minutes and pull away for a 5-2 win. To some extent, he had a point. I have been to many Flyers games, including a few playoff games during my three years living in Philadelphia, and the crowd at a Flyers game does get insane and they do give that team a jump. It was allowable to expect the same thing to happen on Wednesday. And it did. Aaron Asham converted a 2-on-1 with Claude Giroux 2:32 into the game to give the Flyers their first lead of the series and send the crowd into a frenzy. Every person in the building with an orange jersey on was feeling “Okay, now we have a lead and the crowd is into it and the Bruins now know what it feels like to be the underdog in this series. We have it under control”. However, before the Flyers could even rest on their accomplishment, Blake Wheeler scored his first of the playoffs on a slick deflection of a Matt Hunwick shot 1:39 later. Then Satan scored his fifth of the playoffs shortly thereafter and the lead was evaporated before the first TV timeout.

The second period was Tuukka Time as Tuukka Rask made 15 saves to keep the Bruins in the lead. The Bruins were defending the end I was sitting in that period and I was able to watch all those saves. He was a cool and calm as ever in that period, never appearing to be rattled or uncertain of where he was position-wise in the goal. Unlike the first two games of the series, the Bruins did not allow Philly to get back in the game with a late goal, even killing off two penalties in the period.

In the third, Mark Recchi came back to haunt his old team with a vintage Rex-style power play goal 2:50 into the period. He collected a loose puck off a Chara bomb, and tucked it past Brian Boucher to give the Bruins a two-goal lead. The B’s would kill off two Delay of Game penalties for shooting the puck over the glass in the third as Rask made eight more saves, giving him 34 on the night. The B’s stuck to defense in the third, understanding that protecting the lead was just as important as adding to it. The B’s took just three shots in the third period, scoring on two of them.

As it stands, the Bruins are one win away from advancing to their first conference final since 1992. They don’t need to go far to understand that a 3-0 lead is completely insurmountable as anyone in Boston knows, so don’t expect the B’s to lift up in terms of intensity and drive. A win tonight gives the Bruins at least four days off as the Canadiens-Penguins series will go until at least Monday. Many Bruins, especially the top four defensemen and forwards like Bergeron, Recchi and Satan have been playing a lot of minutes in the first nine games of the playoffs and could use a good break to recharge and prepare for what will be the biggest playoff series for the Bruins since that ’92 conference final against Mario Lemieux’s Penguins team.

The Flyers are in a vulnerable state right now, knowing that their season is on the brink. However, they must have watched the Red Wings put a licking on the Sharks while down 3-0 last night and understand that all they have to do is win one game to get a good feeling back. The wild card here is the Philadelphia crowd. There was a mass exodus from the Wachovia Center even before Bergeron scored the empty-netter on Wednesday. As passionate and supporting as the Philly crowd can be, they are known to turn on their team quickly when things go wrong. If the Flyers come out and crash and bang early, get the crowd up in a dander and take a lead, the Philly Phaithful will have the feathers up and think they can take over the series. On the flip side, if the Bruins do what they have been doing so far in the series and secure an early lead, the “Boooooch” cheers for Boucher will definitely turn into “Boooooo” and things could get ugly quickly. The Bruins need to understand that there is a higher goal than just winning this series. Engaging the Flyers in what will no doubt be dirty play if the series appears to be over can only lead to injury/suspension for the Bruins. All hands will need to be on deck in the Eastern Conference Final whether or not the Penguins or Canadiens are the opponent. Players like Chara and Lucic are too valuable at this moment to be lost because they got tangled up with Dan Carcillo or Scott Hartnell.

To wrap up today, here is the Game 3 Pop Culture Comparison…

For the Flyers, things started out pretty good in Game 3, they were on fire and playing with a little spice to their game. One could almost say that the Flyers were warm and salty, just like a Philly Soft Pretzel. Go anywhere in the city and you will likely find a food cart selling “Philly’s Best Pretzel!” for $0.50. And depending on when you get said pretzel, it might actual have some good qualities. However, the later in the day you get one, the more likely it is that instead of a warm, toasty pretzel, you are about to get involved in a stale or soggy piece of dough that no one really wants. The Flyers were both ends of the spectrum on Wednesday. The first three minutes were like a freshly baked pretzel – hot and pleasing to the buyer. However, each shift after Asham’s goal was like that last one in the bin at 4 p.m. – a sorry excuse for a treat and unfulfilling to the masses.

The Bruins, however, were like my personal favorite offering at Dunkin Donuts – the Boston Crème donut. The first three minutes were like the tenuous process of getting the donut out of the bag – difficult to get things going because the counterperson undoubtedly put the donut in upside down and it is now stuck to the bottom of the bag. However, once things settle down there is nothing better. The combination of the chocolate frosting on the outside and the Boston Crème filling on the inside is a powerful 1-2 punch, much like Krejci and Satan have been this postseason. Now, some of the pressure will fall on Bergeron to be the crème filling to Satan’s chocolate frosting, but the feeling here is that he is up to the challenge.

Finally, a beard update. As it stands right now, I am ranked in a tie for 40^th on the Bruins Beard-A-Thon list with $50.00 pledged, behind the top-ranked Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys who has $6,230.00 pledged. I have updated a new picture with how the growth is going, and I must say I am pretty impressed.  Once again, all the proceeds from the contest go to the Boston Bruins Foundation which is a great cause. And don’t forget that one person who pledges will be selected to received a $20 gift certificate from our friends at SupahFans.com. Click here to pledge.

Check out more from TuukkaTime tomorrow night on the On The Ice Show!

The Bruins have the 2-0 lead and are in control of the series, but it is not like they have been far and away a dominant team. The B’s have never trailed over the two games, but couldn’t put the Flyers away in either game until late in the contest. Two plays the other way over two games and the Flyers could be heading back to Philly with a 2-0 lead.

Not that the Bruins should feel lucky to be ahead in the series. They have earned that right with great starts and even better finishes. However, the middle of the game is also important and the B’s need to work on that.

In Game 2, the Bruins twice allowed the Flyers to score late in a period to tie the game. Rather than take a lead into intermission, the B’s gave the Flyers life. The second period goal that Danny Briere scored was especially tough to swallow. The Bruins failed to get anything going on a power play that came about due to a Briere hooking penalty and then watched as he snuck in down the right side and snapped a laser past Tuukka Rask with 25 seconds left in the period. The reaction from Claude Julien said it all as he was disgusted that his team would lapse into slumber at such a key moment. One cliché that is abundantly accurate in the playoffs is that “every shift matters” and you can’t take any off. The Bruins did that late in the period and paid the price.

Out of the break, though, the Bruins turned it on again in the third period and outshot Philly 11-5. Michael Ryder had a good chance early, but Brian Boucher turned everything aside until there was less than three minutes left. The Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Miro Satan line came through again, this time with Lucic getting the game-winner. The sequence started with a good forecheck by Lucic to force the defense into a dangerous clear attempt. The puck bottlenecked in the corner and then the second clearing push deflected up in the air and right to Lucic who was manning the high slot in his defensive role. With his back to the goal, Lucic turned and fired a slapper that was behind Boucher before he even saw it to give the Bruins the lead. Just good, solid hockey from that line which has clicked since the middle of the Sabres series. Satan and Lucic now have three game-winners between them out of Boston’s six wins. The trio has a total of 20 points over eight games.

Heading into the series, the injuries to Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne were key points when people were making the choice as to who would win the series. Those two are big components of Philly’s offense who factor into the power play and penalty kill as well. What wasn’t mentioned was how the loss of Carter would impact the face off dot. In Game 2, the B’s had a 38-26 advantage in draws. Mike Richards, who won 14 draws in the opener was 5-for-21 on Monday. With Carter out, Briere had first crack at second-line center and was moved out for Game 2 after looking more lost than Dr. Jack Sheppard in his own zone on Saturday. Philadelphia’s mismanagement of faceoffs in its own zone has led directly to a pair of Bruins goals – both involving Patrice Bergeron. ON Saturday, he won the draw back to Dennis Wideman (after Richards was kicked out of the draw on a false start) and then Bergeron got the rebound when he was unmarked in the crease. On Monday, Bergeron won the draw back cleanly and no Flyer picked up Johnny Boychuk who snuck across the top of the circle and fired a wrister past Boucher. Boston’s ability to win a big faceoff has given them control of play more than the Flyers and allowed the Bruins to dictate the course of the game.

Speaking of courses, after last night’s game, certified cementhead (Note: All respect mentioned for Carcillo in the last column no longer exists) Dan Carcillo claimed after the game that Marc Savard tried to turn his finger into an appetizer last night during a post-whistle scrum. Now, excuse me if I have trouble believing the words that come from the one of the biggest divers, whiners and embellishers in the playoffs not wearing a Penguins jersey, but I am having trouble smelling what the Car Bomb is cooking. Before I get too far, I also want to state that I don’t completely disregard what he is saying. Is it possible that Savard took a chomp? Sure. No one has ever accused Savard of being a choir boy on the ice. He enjoys chirping and sticking as much as anyone in those little meetups after whistles. The situation in question came about after Savard “slashed” Boucher’s glove in an attempt to get at a rebound in the second period. After the whistle, Carcillo and Kimmo Timonen came at Savard pretty hard and took him to the boards. It looked like for most of the scrum Carcillo had his glove in Savard’s face and then as players converged it is hard to see what happened. After things settled down, Carcillo’s gross mug came out saying “he bit me” while pointing his finger at the ref to show him those deadly, non-blood inducing or permanent mark-leaving chompings. Here is my point. If Savard had bitten Carcillo, why would Carcillo not have just leveled Savard? If the action was so egregious, so against the honor code that Carcillo clearly lives by (see his head shot to Steve Begin earlier in the game followed by crumpling like his head was chopped off on the retaliatory cross check) then Carcillo would have responded to show Savard how “real men” play the game.

Is biting okay? No. Carcillo has somewhat of a point there, that biting another player’s finger while in a scrum like that is not cool. However, Savard is claiming that Carcillo was jamming his slimy digits into his mouth and pulling at Savard’s teeth. These skirmishes shouldn’t be conducted like the bottom of football piles where everyone is pulling and punching on anything they can find. Hockey has long held itself to the standard of settling things with fists to face. If Carcillo is going to be mad that Savard closed his teeth around his fingers, maybe he shouldn’t be trying to jam them down his throat to begin with.

Okay, that is more talking about biting and jamming things into a player’s mouth than I ever wanted to write about here, so let’s move forward to today’s “Pop Culture Comparison”.

For Game 2, we are moving away from television and into the music industry. Today’s category is “Songs from 1990s Rappers Turned Academy Award Nominated Actors”

Will Smith came to fame as The Fresh Prince back in the 1990s, not only combining with DJ Jazzy Jeff on many great songs, but also leaving West Philadelphia (where he was born and raised) for Beverly Hills. After his TV run ended, Smith went on to a great movie career with two Oscar nominations to his credit so far and one great – but nominationless – performance in Independence Day. While his lifestyle and song list at the moment isn’t as edgy and hip as it was back in the 90s, he is still producing music at times and staying true to his family. One of those songs that have come out in recent years is “Just the Two of Us” an ode to his son. While the relationship between Mike Richards and Danny Briere is not one of father and son (although I could picture Richards carrying Danny B around in one of those things they carried Carlos around with in The Hangover) they are the only two players up front who have shown up so far this series for the Flyers. As Big Willie Style says in the song, “Just the two of us, we can make it if we try …Just the two of us, building castle in the sky … Just the two of us, you and I,” that has been the offensive firepower for the Flyers so far. Briere, much to my chagrin, has two goals and two assists so far, as does Richards. Besides that, the Flyers have four assists from the other 10 forwards. No goals from any other forward. Claude Giroux, masterful in the first series, is 0-fer so far. James van Riemsdyk, who had 15 goals in the regular season, has one assist all postseason and no points in two games this series. If the Flyers are to get back in this series, they will need more from that supporting cast to help out Richards and Briers.

Around the same time that Will Smith was telling the cabbie, “Yo Homes, smell ya later”, Marky Mark was lounging on the other side of rap, bringing the energy and anger while urging the masses to keep feeling those “Good Vibrations”. And that is exactly what is being felt at the TD Garden these days. The Bruins are 5-0 at home in the playoffs, taking full advantage of a new-found home-ice advantage. The B’s had the worst home record of any team that made the playoffs during the regular season and too often saves their biggest disappointments of the season for the home crowd. Now, in the second season, it is second life for the B’s as they are scoring big goals, making big saves and keeping the crowd into it. As Marky Mark says, “It’s such a good vibration … It’s such a sweet sensation.” In the Buffalo series, when the Bruins were not scoring first, the crowd never got down. The chants of “Let’s Go Bruins!” and the serenading of the goalies after any goal have to be echoing down to the teams on the ice. Already, the goals from Miro Satan against the Sabres, and Savard and Lucic against the Flyers have to rank in the top five of goals scored in the Garden (Ray Bourque’s goal in the 96 All-Star Game and Savard’s winner against Montreal in 2008 being the other two). Boston is a hockey town whether it wants to admit it or not. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, the Bruins were the hottest ticket in town as the other three teams stunk. Today, the people who grew up on that team are in their 50s and 60s and have children who they raised to be Bruins fans who grew up on Bourque and Neely. There is a third generation who only know heartbreak and mediocrity before these last three years of excitement. But those young fans have heard the stories of what it is like when the Garden is rocking with good vibrations from a Bruins playoff win. Last week, the whole fan base got to celebrate a series win on home ice for the first time since 1999. Now, they are prepared for more. As the good prophet Marky Mark implores, “If you ain’t in it to win it … the get the hell out.” It is safe to say that there were 17,000 strong in it to win it in the stands last night.

Now, the series heads down to Philly. The Flyers always play well on home ice in the playoffs and their crowd is going to feel like it has an important role to play in keeping the team afloat. Wednesday is expected to be 85 degrees and sunny all day so expect plenty of tailgates and a very fired-up crowd. The Flyers cannot let this series get to a 3-0 Bruins lead. The Bruins must understand that a win by the Flyers makes this series a toss-up again for all intents and purposes. Will there be any carryover from Carcillo’s carnivorous claims? How quickly will things get out of hand if the Bruins score a few quick goals? Will the Flyers having last change give them a chance to set the matches they want and keep Richards away from Chara? How will Tuukka Rask handle the most vicious crowd he has ever played in front of? All important questions. More importantly, will I survive my trip to the game? A full report will come your way on Thursday and hopefully live updates throughout the day from the parking lot at Wachovia Center.