Game 48: This Was Not Just The Last Entry of the Season....

This could have very well been my last individual game entry of this blog. I understand that no one really reads this. Lets be honest, I'm realistic. At this point, this blog has served its purpose and I had a lot of fun doing it. I may do a round-by-round recap of the playoffs, but as of now this will be my last post for some time.....

We have finally reached the conclusion of the 2013 NHL season. Even though this was a condensed and shortened season, this 48-game schedule provided us with some of the most memorable games we have seen in recent memory. 

As for the Boston Bruins, they had to play one last game while the rest of the league planned for either the postseason or the offseason. They were in action back at home on Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators. 

Yes, technically the Northeast Division belonged to the Montreal Canadiens this season, but four teams from the division made the playoffs, including the Senators. Would this also be what we see in the first round of the playoffs? There would be 60 minutes standing in the way of that answer.

The Bruins recorded victories in all four meetings heading into this game, but all were one-goal games and two required either overtime or a shootout. The Sens have been a tough team to play against and they will be here for years to come. Boston was set to have its hands full on this night as well with the recent return of Erik Karlsson. He missed ample time with an Achilles laceration. 

Tuukka Rask got the final regular season start in goal for the Bruins in this game. All other spots in the lineup remained the same as the previous game.

In the first period, both teams were evenly matched right down the middle. The Bruins and Senators each had good scoring chances and they were piling on the hits. For the B's, they seemed to be challenging Senators goaltender Robin Lehner much more, but could not break through. Instead, they were victims of dumb penalties once again. Ottawa was able to break through on a goal by Erik Condra to take the lead.

The Senators pretty much controlled the puck possession for most of the second period, which was somewhat surprising considering the number of scoring chances the Bruins had to begin the game. After the Sens increased their lead on a goal scored by Jared Cowen, the Bruins finally broke through with a power play goal to cut the deficit in half. Wade Redden took a monster hit to send the puck in front of the net for Rich Peverley to tap home. The big hits kept occurring throughout the game. Old-school hockey at its best.

Once the third period started, Boston picked up right where it left off with the scoring. Dennis Seidenberg blasted a shot from the top of the zone to tie the game. From that point on, Ottawa took over the game. They put heavy pressure on the Bruins to the point where they could not have clean breaks out of their own zone. Two late goals by the Senators gave them the 4-2 victory over the Bruins.

Bring on the playoffs. The Stanley Cup playoffs will begin this upcoming week for the Bruins when they face the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gold Star: Kaspars Daugavins...For the first time in a Bruins sweater, he actually used his speed and made his presence known.

Black Star: Carl Soderberg...What an awful performance by the new forward. His sloppy play stood out more than the shaky defensive effort by the Bruins, and that is saying something.