I’ve got you babe. I’ve got you babe.
It’s time to do it all over again. The Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens in a first-round playoff series, with just a little twist from last season. This year, the Bruins will be the heavily favored top seed while the Habs will be the eighth-seeded upstarts.
The Habs were relegated to the eighth spot when they lost to Pittsburgh last night, 3-1. Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has the complete story.
Opinion: I’ll expand on this prediction a little later. But I’ve got …

The Boston Bruins could know the identity of their first-round playoff opponent as early as tonight. If Montreal loses to Pittsburgh, the Canadiens will  be coming to Boston for Games 1 and 2 of the first round next week.
The Habs have struggled through the regular season since January, but they clinched a playoff berth in the Hub Thursday. And center Tomas Plekanec, for one, is looking forward to the postseason as a fresh start. Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette has the story.
Opinion: History aside, the Habs are a better …

This just in from Ottawa: Senators brass was so impressed with the team’s win over the Boston Bruins last night, interim head coach Cory Clouston was given a two-year extension to stay behind the team’s bench.
Obviously, I’m over exaggerating the importance of the win over the Bruins, for those who can’t read sarcasm.
Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen has the full story.
Opinion: The Sens are 19-10-3 since Clouston took over and they have played the way most expected they would all season over that span. So this move makes sense, …

I hate Mikhail Grabovski.
Let’s look at both teams:
Our year so far: We’re awesome. Panthers won last night. I’m telling you man, they refuse to die. We need to hire Jason Statham to terminate some cats.
Their year so far: Not making the playoffs, but Cory Clouston’s done as good a job as any other 17 year old head coach in the NHL.
Good guy updates: Halak’s still in, but Carey’s recovered enough to backdoor him…errr, I mean be his backup. Markov and Schneider are both out, meaning Grabovski and Brad June need to …

It’s been well-documeted that Ottawa turned its season around once Cory Clouston took over for Craig Hartsburg as head coach. The Senators, who host the Boston Bruins tomorrow night, have one of the league’s best records since Feb. 1 — even if it all came too late to make a legit playoff run.
But as Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun points out today, that record could be a little misleading, as the Sens have racked up an 11-3-2 record against other non-playoff teams. As Stevenson explains, Clouston might’ve earned the …

The Ottawa Senators, as the Boston Bruins found out in a hard-fought game last Thursday, are not just rolling over for playoff-bound opponents in the aftermath of their mathematical elimination from contention.
Last night they continued to be a thorn in the sides of clubs higher in the standings than they are, as they down Philadelphia, 4-3 in a shootout with center Mike Fisher burying the game-winner. Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen has the rundown.
The Sens will host the Boston Bruins Tuesday night with thoughts of keeping the Bruins from …

Could the Boston Bruins be headed toward a first-round playoff series with Buffalo? It’s funny, because the Bruins will actually have a say in the matter with games today against the New York Rangers, Montreal Thursday and Buffalo next Saturday, Boston will practically be hand picking its opponent.
The Sabres, four points behind the Rangers for eighth in the Eastern Conference entering today’s action, kept their hopes alive last night with a thrilling overtime win over Washington. Tim Connolly turned a Capitals turnover into the game-winning goal by Jason Pominville. Mike …

It seems like it’s a big day for big signings around the Northeast Division. In addition to the Boston Bruins’ reported signing of veteran goaltender Tim Thomas to a multi-year deal, according to Damien Cox of The Star the Toronto Maple Leafs have won the auction for Denver University free-agent star Tyler Bozak.
Cox reports that Bozak might officially sign with the Leafs as soon as this afternoon. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Bozak posted 5-8-13 totals in 19 games during an injury-riddled sophomre season at DU, but he’s been on scouts’ radars …

Some folks around the NHL might still not believe that the Boston Bruins are in first place in the Eastern Conference and about to wrap up the conference’s top seed.
Ottawa Senators back-up goaltender Alex Auld, who spent the better part of  last season serving in the same capacity for Boston, is not among the surprised observers.
“I think it’s surprised some people, but I wasn’t surprised having been in that room last year,” Auld told TheBruinsBlog.net after his team’s morning skate today at TD Banknorth Garden. “I really feel that last …