Easter of Eden Sports Chowdah Update- Bruins Clip Wings to Even Series at 1-1; Red Sox Rally Late Against Baltimore on Sunday Night

BOSTON BRUINS- After stunning the home crowd at TD Garden on Friday night with a late goal in the 3rd period to take a 1-0 win over Boston, the Red Wings were looking to bring the series back to Motown by going up a commanding 2-0 lead over Boston.

Unlike Game 1, the Bruins didn't have to wait long to get on the board- Justin Florek caught Wings netminder Jimmy Howard out of position and he found the back of the net 7 and a half minutes to go in the first period. This had the distinction of not only being Florek's first NHL goal, but the Bruins first tally of the series.

About two minutes later, the Bruins would have a 5 on 3 man advantage for about 20 seconds with Detroit's Jakub Kindl being sent to the bin for interference at the 8:15 mark and Danny DeKeyser getting two for slashing at the 9:54 mark. Although Boston wasn't able to take advantage of the brief 2-man advantage, Reilly Smith put Boston up 2-0 with a power play goal 10:35 into the first period.



However, with 6:40 to go in the second, Detroit cut the lead in half on a goal that ricocheted in and was credited to Luke Glendening, making it a 2-1 game. However, Boston got the two goal cushion back in the final 1:45 of the second period on a Milan Lucic goal. In the opening two and a half minutes of the 3rd, Detroit's Kyle Quincey was given two minutes for roughing and Zdeno Chara would give the Bruins a 4-1 lead thanks to a power play goal 2:27 into the third.

The Bruins go on to win Sunday's Game 2 by a 4-1 final, sending the series over to Detroit knotted up at a game each. Tukka Rask stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced while Jimmy Howard stopped 25 of 29 shots faced. The Bruins were also 2 for 4 on the power play on Sunday afternoon.


Game 3 is set to take place from Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday night with a scheduled start time of 7:30 ET. The game will be televised on NESN, NBC Sports and TSN.

OTHER STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF NEWS- The defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks will have to do without the services of Defenseman Brent Seabrook, who received a suspension from the NHL after a hit on St Louis Blues captain David Backes on Saturday.

Video of the game shows Seabrook targeted Backes' head and at least one skate was off the ice when the Blackhawks defender was setting up for the hit, which came with the Blackhawks leading by a score of 3-2 with less than 5 minutes to go in regulation during Game 2. Seabrook was given a game misconduct and the Hawks were assessed a 5 minute charging penalty. In the dying seconds of regulation, the Blues also pulled Ryan Miller from the net for an additional attacker and that strategy bore fruit when Vladimir Tarasenko beat Corey Crawford with 7 seconds to go in the game, forcing OT in which Barrett Jackman would score the game winner 5:50 into the first OT to give the Blues a 2-0 series lead.

RED SOX- Coming into this weekend's series against Baltimore, the Red Sox were looking to climb out of the AL East basement- even though all of the teams were separated by no more than 2 and a half games on Friday. The series got off to a rough start when the O's manhandled Lackey on Friday night and Baltimore cruised to an 8-4 win over Boston.

On Saturday, Big Papi broke a 1-1 deadlock in the bottom of the 4th with a solo homer. Brock Holt, who was only called up from Pawtucket on Friday, gave the Red Sox some insurance in the bottom of the 7th when he belted a 1-out triple with Mike Carp on first to make it 3-1. Jonathan Herrera then grounded into a fielder's choice, sending Holt home and making it a 4-1 game before Koji Uehara came out of the pen and despite walking Matt Weiters to lead off the 9th, got the next three batters to strike out swinging, ending the ballgame.

Sunday night's nationally televised game on ESPN also marked the 1-year anniversary of the first Red Sox home game after the Boston Marathon bombings, and there was a pregame ceremony to honor the marathon runners, first responders and medical personnel from that fateful day.

Jake Peavy took to the mound on Sunday night and gave up three quick runs to Baltimore in the top of the first- a Nelson Cruz solo homer, a Matt Weiters RBI single and a JJ Hardy RBI sac fly. Meanwhile, Ubaldo Jiminez confounded the Red Sox bats through the first five innings as the O's added to their lead thanks to a 2-out David Lough ground rule double with 2 runners on that made it 4-0 in the 5th while outfielder Adam Jones hit an RBI single with two away in the top of the 6th. That was enough to chase Peavy from the mound and Chris Capuano came in from the bullpen to retire Weiters and prevent any further damage.

However, things were looking promising in the bottom of the 6th after David Ortiz got on board with a 1-out single, followed by Mike Napoli drawing a walk. Johnny Gomes then took a 2-2 Jiminez offering and planted it into the Monster Seats to put the Red Sox on the board and cut the O's lead to 5-3. Zach Britton came out of the Baltimore bullpen to relieve Jiminez and got the next two batters out. Capuano would get the Baltimore batters he faced out in order to give the Red Sox batters another chance in the bottom of the 7th.

After Pierzynski struck out to lead off the inning, Brock Holt singled and then made it to second when O's SS Ryan Flaherty dropped the ball when transferring it from his glove to his hand while attempting the double play on a Grady Sizemore ground ball- something the Red Sox admittedly caught a break on. Dustin Pedroia then singled to load the bases up before Big Papi beat the shift Baltimore had employed against him all night and hit an RBI single to make it a 1-run game. With Evan Meek coming out of the bullpen to relive Britton, Mike Napoli hit a ground ball to 3rd, but instead of trying to get the easy out at first or third, O's 3B Jonathan Schoop attempted to throw home and erase the runner there, but the throw was wide and his error tied the game. Gomes then fouled out and Danielv Nava struck out to end the Boston threat, but the game was tied 5-5.

Baltimore had a credible threat going in the top of the 9th thanks to a leadoff double from Adam Jones, who advanced to 3rd on a Weiters groundout. However, 2B Lombrardozzi would ground out to Andrew Miller and Jones couldn't advance. With two away, Mujica came out of the Boston bullpen in relief of Miller and got outfielder David Lough to strike out on four pitches to end the inning and strand Jones 90 feet away from home.

For the bottom of the 9th, Brian Matusz came out of the pen and got Grady Sizemore to strike out to start off the inning. Dustin Pedroia then belted a fly ball that was just a few inches short of a homer that caromed off the Green Monster in deep left center field [thanks to some fan interference- NANESB!]. After the umpires huddled and the play was reviewed in New York, the call was upheld and instead of a walkoff solo homer, Pedroia was at second with one away. Pedroia then advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch by Matusz with Big Papi in the batter's box. After falling behind 3-0 to Ortiz, O's manager Buck Showalter had Matusz intentionally walk Big Papi before bringing Darren O'Day out of the pen. O'Day struck Mike Napoli in the kneecap with a pitch to load up the bases and John Farrell decided to have Mike Capr pinch-hit for Jonny Gomes.



For a second, it looked as though Carp would end the game with a liner to shallow left field, but O's outfielder David Lough tracked it down for out number two. As Pedroia was returning to 3rd base, Lough made a way offline throw towards home that rattled around the backstop and seizing the opportunity, Pedroia ran home for the game-winning run. The Red Sox come all the way back from being shut out 5-0 to win Sunday night's game with two outs in the bottom of the 9th.

Tomorrow being Patriot's Day, the Red Sox and Baltimore will get underway especially early- 11:05 AM ET- and the game will be televised on NESN. Wei-Yin Chen [2-1; 4.76 ERA] will go up against Clay Buchholz [0-1; 5.51 ERA] to wrap up the 4-game series against the birds. As it turns out, Thursday's contest against Chicago was the last time they'll face an opponent that doesn't call the AL East home until early May. After the Baltimore series, the Yankees will come into town for a 3-game series before Boston head to Toronto for a 3-game series next weekend. On April 29th, the Red Sox will host the Tampa Bay Rays- the first time the two teams have met this season- before hosting Oakland on May 2nd.

Quickie Sports Chowdah Update- May the Schwartz Be With You, Blues Down Blackhawks in 3OT; Lester Pitches Gem on South Side

John K Kim- Chicago Tribune

MLB- After stumbling out of the gate early by being swept by the Brewers and dropping 3 out of four to the Yankees in the Bronx, the defending World Series Champion Red Sox were hoping to get back into the things by stringing together a few road wins against the White Sox. The opening game of the series didn't go their way when Chicago got a walkoff win in the bottom of the 9th thanks to a costly Xander Bogaerts throwing error, but on Wednesday night the Red Sox persevered in 14 innings [but only after Chicago sent an infielder onto the pitcher's mound, as some critics rightfully point out- NANESB!].

The win set up a Thursday evening rubber game, and with both teams having burned through their respective bullpens earlier that morning, they each needed quality outings from their starter to take them deep into the game. The two starters- Lester and Sale- had each taken shutouts into the top of the 6th inning, the only difference was that Lester was throwing a perfect game while Sale has allowed a few base hits and his pitch count was much higher. However, in the top of the 6th, Lester was finally able to get some run support thanks to a solo homer by Xander Boagerts to deep left. However, in the bottom of the 6th, Lester's bid for a perfect game fell by the wayside when he gave up a 1-out single to Tyler Flowers. Fresh off his pitching debut, White Sox 2B Leury Garcia then hit a ground-rule double to right field to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. Adam Eaton tied the game and got Chicago on the board with an infield hit to make it 1-1. However, Lester struck out Semien and got Viciedo to fly out to end the White Sox threat.

In the bottom of the 7th, Adam Dunn led off with a single and after Lester retired Paul Konerko and Alexi Ramirez, Alejandro de Aza hit a double to shallow right that Nava had a hard time corralling. Dunn decided to keep running to home plate, but he was gunned down by Pedroia's relay throw for the 3rd out of the inning.

In the 8th, Ronald Belasario came out of the White Sox bullpen to relieve Sale and led off by walking Jackie Bradley Jr. However, Belasario would then get Dustin Pedroia to hit into a double play ball and get Xander Bogaerts to strike out. Lester, still on the mound in the bottom of the 8th, led off the inning by giving up a single to Tyler Flowers, who then advanced to second on a Garcia sac-bunt. After striking out Eaton, Semien got on board with a swinging bunt and Flowers advanced to third, representing the go-ahead run for Chicago. But Lester got Dylan Viciedo to strike out and end the White Sox threat.

Big Papi led off the top of the 9th and grounded out, but Napoli hit a 1-out single to get on base. This was followed by a pinch-hit single from Mike Carp to give Boston 2 runners on base. David Ross would then take an 0-2 offering and belt a double into right field, driving Napoli home for the tie-breaking run and putting Carp on 3rd. After intentionally walking Nava, the White Sox pulled Belasario and had Scott Downs come out of the pen while Farrell had Grady Sizemore pinch-run for Carp. Jonathan Herrera then pinch-hit for Ryan Roberts and laid down a bunt that he beat out to first, allowing Sizemore to score and give Boston a little bit of insurance heading into the 9th. Jackie Bradley Jr ended the inning by hitting into an unusual double play where he lined out to short and Ross was caught off the bag at 3rd.

Still, the Red Sox re-took the lead heading into the bottom of the 9th and brought Junichi Tazawa out of the pen to close things out. Tazawa got Dunn and Konerko out but allowed a single to Alexei Ramierz [making it 16 games in a row he's hit in, breaking a club record set by Frank Thomas- NANESB]. However, Tazawa got pinch hitter Jose Abreu to ground out, ending the ballgame and giving the Red Sox a 3-1 win and taking two out of three from the Southsiders.

On Friday, the Red Sox will return home to Fenway to face off against Baltimore. John Lackey [2-1; 3.86 ERA] gets the start against Chris Tillman [1-1; 0.84 ERA]. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 ET and the game will be televised on NESN and the MLB Network.


STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS- The 2013-14 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway (although the Bruins aren't in action until Friday night) and already we've got a series out in the Midwest that's raising some eyebrows.



In a wild first period that saw a total of five goals, the Blackhawks jumped out to a 3-2 lead over St Louis and after a scoreless 2nd period, Jaden Schwartz managed to tie the contest back up for St Louis and force OT with a goal with just 1:45 remaining in regulation.

Excpet not only did Schwartz force OT, there were two scoreless overtimes before things were resolved in triple overtime when Alexander Steen beat Cory Crawford to end the game and win Game 1 of the series for St Louis by a 4-3 final. Crawford faced 52 shots on goal for the Blackhawks while Miller faced 42 for St Louis [a busy night in regulation for Tukka Rask, some might say- NANESB!].

Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Bruins series against Detroit is set to start on Friday night. This is Detroit's 23rd consecutive year of playing in the NHL postseason. Puck will drop at 7:00 ET and the game will be televised on NBC Sports, NESN and TSN.

Quickie Sports Chowdah Update- Bruins Shut Out Hawks After Win Streak Snapped; Bills Owner Ralph Wilson Passes Away; NLRB Rules Northwestern Football Players Can Unionize

NHL- Well, the impressive win streak came to an end on Monday night when the Montreal Canadiens won by a 2-1 final in a shootout at the TD Garden- altho' the Bruins point streak remained intact for the time being. Monday night's loss marks the first loss for the Bruins since March 1st when the Capitals doubled them up by a 4-2 final at DC's Verizon Center.

Three captains: Toews, Chara and HOFer Johnny Bucyk post before the game. #CHIvsBOS pic.twitter.com/i0waap6S1d

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 28, 2014

On Thursday night, Boston would host the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks- the first time the Hawks had visited the Garden since their Series-clinching Game 6 at the end of the 2013 season.



Patrice Bergeron got the Bruins on the board with 8:10 to go to open up the scoring on a very crisp and free-flowing game. After a scoreless second period, the Bruins managed to score two goals less at 13 seconds apart from Carl Soderberg and Patrice Bergeron to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead early in the 3rd. That seemed to change the tempo of the game and the Bruins would go on to win by a 3-0 final. Tukka Rask turned aside all 28 shots he faced while Cory Crawford stopped 20 of 23 shots.

Part of the reason the game seemed so brisk and open was that there were only three penalties throughout Thursday night's game- the Blackhhawks went 0 for 2 while the Bruins went 0 for 1.

The Bruins hit the road once again this weekend for back to back games. On Saturday afternoon, they'll return to Washington DC's Verizon Center to take on the Capitals. Puck is scheduled to drop at 12:30 PM and the game will be televised on NESN. On Sunday, the Bruins will travel up to Philadelphia for a 12:30 game that will be nationally televised on NBC.

NFL- Ralph Wilson, the sole owner of the Buffalo Bills, has passed away at age 95 in his Grosse Pointe Shores, MI home. Wilson, who grew up in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan law school before enlisting in the US Navy in WWII. After the end of the war, Wilson took over his family's successful insurance and invested in manufacturing and mining throughout Michigan and was a minority stakeholder in the Detroit Lions.

In 1959, Wilson reportedly got wind of the oilman Lamar Hunt's plans to establish the American Football League to compete with the NFL and wanted in. The Buffalo Bills officially became an AFL team in October 1959 and have remained in Buffalo ever since. Wilson reportedly even lent money to the Patriots and Raiders in the early years of the AFL, ensuring that the none of the organizations in the AFL folded between its 1959 inception and the 1969 merger with the NFL.

Wilson was also something of a pioneer- as early as 1972, he begrudgingly allowed the naming rights to the Orchard Park, NY stadium the Bills called home to be leased to Buffalo-based Rich Foods. When the agreement lapsed in 1998, the stadium was simply referred to as Ralph Wilson Stadium

Although considered a 'small market' team, the Bills had their heyday in the 1990s when they won four straight AFC titles- only to lose four straight Super Bowls. The team's poor performance in recent years coupled with Wilson's ailing health and playing one 'home' game a season in Toronto's Rogers Centre starting in 2008 led to speculation that the team was preparing to move north of the border and become Canada's first NFL franchise. In 2009, Wilson was elected to the pro-football Hall of Fame as one of the founding members of the AFL, although he was notably absent from an October 2009 ceremony during halftime between the Bills and Browns where he was to receive his Hall of Fame ring.

However, even though Wilson left no clear heir apparent, Wilson made arrangements to extend the team's lease on Ralph Wilson stadium through at least 2019.


ELSEWHERE IN THE AFC EAST- The New York Jets and free-agent QB Michael Vick have agreed to a 1-year $5 million contract. Vick and last season's starter Geno Smith are expected to compete for the starting spot after the Jets cut former 1st round draft pick Mark Sanchez. Vick had finished the 2013 campaign for Philly on the bench with 7 TDs, 3 INTS and 1,215 yards in 7 games. Interestingly, shortly after the Jets announced the signing of Michael Vick, the Eagles announced that they had signed Mark Sanchez to a 1-year, $4 million contract.

One of the top draft picks of the NFL's 2001 draft, Vick spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons until his name came up in a narcotics and dogfighting investigation in Virginia. In 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to charges of operating an illegal dogfighting operation on his property and spent 23 months in a federal penitentiary. In 2009, the Philadelphia Eagles gambled and signed a recently-released Vick who would go on to lead the Eagles to the playoffs as well as leading the NFC in a number of offensive categories.


NCAA FOOTBALL- In a decision that will likely send shockwaves throughout NCAA Football, the Chicago office of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that football players for Northwestern University can unionize. District director Pete Sung Ohr ruled that because of the time commitment required and on-field performance being tied to some of the scholarships the university awarded.

The ruling contradicts a number of case laws in which courts have established that student-athletes are not considered employees in the eyes of the law. However, the scope of the NLRB's ruling is somewhat limited, applying to only 17 of the more than 100 universities they compete against. Not only does this week's NLRB ruling seem to establish a different set of rules for private colleges with a football program than public ones, many of the arguments made in favor of unionization directly contradict the rationale behind why scholarships aren't taxed, ESPN's Darren Rovell points out. Assuming the NLRB's decision does in fact survive an appeal, this means that the tax implications alone could make unionization unfeasible.

Sports Chowdah Update- Boston Ruins, Chicago Clinches Stanley Cup With Pair of Late Goals; Tigers Motor Past Sox in 4-Game Series

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

STANLEY CUP FINALS- A lot can happen in 17 seconds. On Monday night at the TD Garden, a defensive collapse in the span of 17 seconds decided the outcome of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Bruins came into Monday Night's Game 6 losing their last two games and needing a win to force a Game 7 in Chicago on Wednesday night. Game six seemingly got off to a good start with the Bruins pressing the Chicago defense, with Boston outshooting the Blackhawks 12-6 in the first period. Chris Kelly got the Bruins on the board in the first with a goal at the 7:19 mark.

The Blackhawks started out the second period much stronger and Jonathan Toews got Chicago on the board at the 4:24 mark with an unassisted tally.

It wasn't until there was 7:49 remaining in regulation that the Bruins managed to break the deadlock thanks to a Milan Lucic goal, putting Boston up 2-1 with the clock ticking down. With less than two minutes to go, it appeared as though the series was headed to a Game 7 in Chicago's United Center. The Blackhawks pulled the Corey Crawford- a move that seldom pays off- with less than 90 seconds to go. In this case, it didn't pay off because Crawford was barely on the bench when Bryan Bicknell got one past Tukka Rask to tie the game up with 1:16 to go in regulation, deflating the crowd at the TD Garden. All of 17 seconds later, Rask was caught out of position and Dave Bolland managed to find the back of the net, essentially putting the dagger in any hopes for even an OT to force game 7.

So as Chicago celebrates their second Stanley Cup in three seasons, the Bruins are left to contemplate a monumental collapse in the final minute of a do-or-die championship game.

Chicago goes on to win by a final of 3-2 and win the series 4 games to two to hoist the Stanley Cup at the Garden on Monday night. Patrick Kane, who was also on the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion squad, was awarded the Conn Smyth trophy [The NHL's award for playoff MVP- teammate Jonathan Toews received the honor in 2010- NANESB!]. Corey Crawford stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced in Game 6 while Rask turned aside 28 of the 31 shots he faced, but none so critical as the ones allowed in the final 90 seconds of regulation. Instead of a Game 7 on Wednesday, a parade for the triumphant Blackhawks is scheduled for Chicago's loop on Friday.

Meanwhile, after a lockout-shortened season, its back to the drawing board for the Bruins (and everybody else for that matter) with the start of a much longer 2013-2014 campaign looming around the corner versus a months-long lockout and a season that never happened.

RED SOX- After getting off to a promising start last week by sweeping a day/night doubleheader with the Rays, Boston took to the road for what turned out to be a disappointing road trip against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

On Thursday's opener, Lackey gave up all of two runs in his seven innings of work, and altho the Red Sox would take the 3-2 lead on a Big Papi RBI single in the top of the 8th, only to have the Tigers win on a walk-off Jhonny Peralta 2 run homer in the bottom of the 9th.

Boston cruised to a fairly easy 10-6 win on Friday night thanks to Shane Victorino's 5 RBIs. However with Clay Buchholz going onto the DL last week, on Saturday baseball was denied a Buchholz [9-0] vs Max Scherzer [10-0] matchup and instead the Tigers set the tone early as Victor Martinez put Detroit on the board with a grand slam in the 1st inning in what would be a 10-3 rout for Detroit.

On Sunday, the Red Sox had a chance for the series split after taking a 4-3 lead into the 7th, but the Tigers tied it up after Andrew Miller brought home the tying run on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch to Peralta. In the bottom of the 8th, the Tigers would take the lead thanks to a Torii Hunter sac fly and 2-RBI single from Prince Fielder to make it 7-4. Although the Red Sox would get a run back in the 9th thanks to a Gomes RBI double with two away, it was too little too late as Detroit goes on to win by a 7-5 final.

The Red Sox will return to Fenway on Tuesday night for their second interleague series at home, a quick two game homestand against the Colorado Rockies, who are tied with the San Diego Padres for second place in the NL West. Ryan Dempster [4-8; 4.23 ERA] will get the start against Colorado's Juan Nicasio [4-3; 4.78 ERA]. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM and the game will be televised on NESN.

OTHER RED SOX NEWS- The Red Sox have traded infielder Pedro Ciriaco to the San Diego Padres for a player to be names later. Although the speedy utility player had a paltry .216 batting average in 28 games with Boston this year, Ciriaco is batting .333 with four stolen bases and four RBI in 11 games with San Diego so far this season.

Clay Buchholz has been places on the 15 day DL retroactively, starting June 9th. Buchholz has been sidelined since the first week of this month with shoulder and neck discomfort and is expected to throw in the bullpen starting on Wednesday. If the bullpen sessions go well, the Red Sox will likely have him pitch for one of their minor league affiliates before coming back on the Boston roster.


Meanwhile, C David Ross has been placed on the 60 day DL with concussion-like symptoms and the Red Sox sent 3B Will Middlebrooks down to Triple A Pawtucket.

ELSEWHERE IN THE AL EAST- The Red Sox aren't the only AL East team suffering from a rash of injuries. Although they came out of spring training expecting to miss a number of starters through mid-season, but instead of healing, even more starters have been placed on the DL.

The latest is former Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis, who missed most of May with a lumbar spine strain and returned to the lineup for a few weeks before complaining of discomfort again during the Yankees west coast road trip last month. After being examined by a specialist, the Yankees announced that Youk will require surgery and will miss anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks to recover.

Perennial All-Star SS Derek Jeter was expected to return around the All Star break, but that timetable has been moved back. Both outfielder Curtis Granderson and 1B Mark Texiera returned from the DL only to return after apparently re-aggravating their injuries a few weeks apart from each other.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS- Somebody break up the Blue Jays!

After being mostly a non-factor in the American League East this season, the Blue Jays put together a franchise-best 11 game winning streak and 15 of their last 19 to put them back within striking distance of the AL East lead. Although they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, the Jays are within five games of first place.

The resurgent Jays will travel to Fenway to face the Red Sox once Boston finishes their two game series against Colorado.

Doubleheader Sports Chowdah Update- Rask Shines in Game 3; Double Trouble- Ortiz, Doubront Stand Out Seperately in Sweep of Fenway Doubleheader

Harry How/Getty Images

STANLEY CUP FINALS- With the series heading to Boston for Game 3, the Bruins looked to build on some of the momentum they picked up from their overtime win in Chicago on Saturday night- despite the lackluster first period in which they were outshot 19-4.

Even before the puck dropped for Game 3 on Monday, the Bruins got an unexpected assist in the form of Chicago head coach Joel Quinnville scratching forward Marian Hossa from the lineup.

All the scoring for this one took place in the second period, and- fortunately- it was all Boston. Fresh from scoring the overtime game winning goal in Game 2, Danny Paille got the Bruins on the board just over two minutes into the second frame.

Then, with 5:55 remaining in the period, the Bruins got their second power play goal of the series thanks to Patrice Bergeron, with Jarg and Chara getting the assists. Time had just expired on a 5 on 3 man advantage for the Bruins [interestingly, the Bruin's penalty kill unit successfully killed a 5 on 3 penalty for 1:17 against Chicago for Game 1- NANESB!]. While the Blackhawks managed to pressure Rask and the Boston D much more effectively (including a shorthanded opportunity), Rask turned aside 10 shots on goal in the 3rd period, including this one from Andrew Shaw from point blank range on a Blackhawks power play in the 3rd. Boston goes on to win by a final of 2-0 and takes a 2-1 series lead against Chicago. Tukka Rask turned aside all 28 shots faced while Chicago's Corey Crawford stopped 33 of 35 faced on Monday night. The Bruins will look to take a commanding 3 game lead over Chicago tomorrow night. Game 4 will get underway from Boston on Wednesday night at 8:00 ET and will be televised on NBC and CBC.

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

RED SOX- With Baltimore taking three out of four games from Boston over the weekend series at Camden Yard, the Red Sox returned to Fenway on Tuesday for another divisional matchup on Tuesday- a day/night doubleheader against the Rays. Game one was the makeup date for the April 18th game that was rained out at Fenway. In a bit of irony, Tuesday's makeup game was delayed for nearly 3 hours by.....wait for it........rain.

In Game 1, Dustin Pedroia got the Red Sox on the board in the 1st inning with a sac fly. Big Papi got it done for Boston in Game 1 with singles, including a 2-RBI single to make it 3-1 Boston in the bottom of the 3rd. Ortiz then drove home Victorino with an RBI single in the bottom of the 5th to make it 4-1 before the skies really opened up.

When play resumed nearly three hours later, Junichi Tazawa came on in relief of starter Alfredo Aceves and retired the side. In the bottom of the 6th, Jacoby Ellsbury had a 2-out triple and came home on a Victornio triple to make it 5-1 Red Sox- that would end up being the final for Game 1.
While Game 2 starter Felix Doubront has a winning record, his high ERA was cause for some concern amongst Red Sox faithful. Daniel Nava got the scoring started pretty early for Boston with a solo homer that landed in the Red Sox bullpen in the bottom of the 2nd. Doubront, as it turned out, pitched a gem for Game 2, going 8 complete innings- his longest outing of the season- while giving up three hits and walking six batters. Unfortunately, Doubront would not get a decision as Andrew Bailey would come out of the bullpen and give up a solo homer to Rays LF Kelly Johnson to tie the contest up at 1-1. Johnson was he first batter Bailey faced in the 9th, but he would get the next two batters out before walking Ben Zobrist and getting Evan Longoria to ground into a fielder's choice. With the game tied at 1-1, the Rays sent Joel Peralta out to try and get the game into extras. That wasn't meant to be as after walking Nava to open up the inning, he had to face former Ray Johnny Gomes, setting up this.

The Red Sox win it by a 3-1 final thanks to Gomes' walkoff two run blast in the bottom of the 9th. The win gives the Red Sox the sweep of the doubleheader and gives them some breathing room against the O's, who handily beat Detroit on Tuesday.

Wednesday's game will have the Rays' Jeremy Hellickson [4-3; 5.67 ERA] go up against Ryan Dempster [4-7; 4.21 ERA]. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 ET and the game will be televised on NESN.

Stanley Cup of Sports Chowdah Update- Overtime Pays for Bruins in Game 2 of Cup Final; Red Sox Hang on For Season's First Win at Camden Yards

Charles Rex Arbogast

STANLEY CUP FINAL- Despite an additional day off after Game 1's triple overtime loss at the United Center to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins appeared slow and listless against the Western Conference champs in the first period.

The Blackhawks pretty much spent much of the opening frame camped out on the Boston end of the ice and got on the board when Patrick Sharp buried one behind Rask just after a mad scramble in front of the net where Rask couldn't corral the rebound with at the 8:38 mark. Boston was outshot in the first period by a total of 19-4 and Rask did well just to keep it a one goal game. For a little bit of perspective, this would be the first time Boston had trailed in regulation since the opening period of the deciding Game 5 against the NY Rangers on May 25th.

A much different Bruins team would take to the ice for the second period and after being held scoreless for the entire playoffs, Bruins C Chris Kelly would give Boston the equalizer five minutes into the second period. In that same second period, the Bruins defense would hold the potent Chicago offense to four shots on goal.

Nothing was decided in the 3rd period, so the crowd at the United Center and viewers were treated to their second straight overtime game in the Stanley Cup finals. However, unlike Wednesday night's Game 1, this would not be a triple overtime affair. Six minutes into sudden death OT, Daniel Paille got his first goal of the series to break the deadlock.

The win sends the series off to Boston deadlocked at one game each. Tukka Rask turned aside 33 of 34 shots faced- allowing no goals after Sharp's first period tally- while Corey Crawford stopped 26 of 28 shots faced on the night. After killing a 2-man advantage for a total of 1:17 in Game one, Boston's penalty killing continues to impress, with the Blackhawks going 0-3 on the power play Saturday night. Of course, the flip side of that is that is the Bruins went 0-2 on the power play in Game two. With everything knotted up at 1-1, Game 3 will get underway on Monday night from the TD Garden at 5:00 and will be televised on the NBC Sports Network and CBC.        

Patrick Semansky- AP Photo

RED SOX- The Bruins weren't the only one going to extra-time this week. Despite jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning on Monday, the Red Sox needed 14 innings to get past the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Boston took two out of three from the Rays before heading to Baltimore to start off a 4-game series against the O's. Game one went to thirteen innings, with Baltimore ultimately prevailing by a 5-4 margin. On Friday night, Ryan Dempster pitched well, but it wasn't enough as Boston was shut out by a 2-0 final. On Saturday afternoon, the O's jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead against Boston, but after a leadoff single by Dustin Pedroia in the top of the 4th and a strikeout by Big Papi, the Red Sox got on the board thanks to a Mike Carp solo homer. Johnny Gomes then singled with only one away before coming home on a Stephen Drew RBI double with two away. Iglesias grounded out to end the inning, but the damage had already been done and the Red Sox took a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the 5th, Jacoby Ellsbury would come home on a Dustin Pedroia RBI groundout to make it 4-2 Red Sox and in the top of the 6th, Johnny Gomes belted 1-out solo homer to make it 5-2 Boston and give the Sox some insurance. After pitching 7 complete innings and allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, John Lackey left the game and was replaced by Koji Uehara, who struck out the side in the bottom of the 8th. However, things didn't go so smoothly as Uehara left and Andrew Bailey came on to close out the game in the bottom of the 9th. After giving up a leadoff single to Adam (NOT Pac Man) Jones, 1B Chris Dsvis struck out, but O's catcher Matt Weiters belted a 2-run homer to make it a 1-run game. Shortstop JJ Hardy would then single and the winning run came to the plate in the form of Ryan Flaherty, but he would hit into a double play and end the ballgame, giving Boston their first win at Camden Yard on the season.

Mike Carp went 1 for 3 with a homer and two RBI while Johnny Gomes went 2-4 with a homer and an RBI in Saturday's win. Sunday's game will feature Jon Lester [6-3; 4.12 ERA] going up against Miguel Gonzalez [4-2; 3.71 ERA]. First pitch is at 1:35 ET and the game will be televised on NESN.

The Quick and the Dead Sports Chowdah Update- Bruins Halt March of the Penguins With Sweep, Will Face Blackhawks in Stanley Cup Final; We're No Angels- Sox Face Off Against Struggling Halos at Fenway

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

BOSTON BRUINS- For the second time since 2011, the Boston Bruins are headed for the Stanley Cup finals. And like the memorable 2011 campaign, the clinching game was a 1-0 affair.

Much like Wednesday night's 2OT thriller at the Garden, this was more the kind of game I had anticipated from the Pittsburgh Penguins- low scoring and, at times, physical.

After going scoreless through the first two periods, defenseman Adam McQuaid opened (and closed, as it turns out) the scoring five minutes into the 3rd period with this:



Not bad for a guy who was hospitalized at Mass General with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome during the lockout.

There's a school of thought in the NHL that a two goal lead is actually the most difficult to maintain, the rationale being that being up by multiple goals breeds overconfidence and complacency- leading to panic, confusion and demoralization should the game once again be tied.

However, I'm willing to guess that those on the Boston Bruins roster (both this year and in 2011) will tell you that a 1-0 lead with more than 10 minutes to go in the 3rd is the most difficult lead to maintain.

With the clock ticking down, the Penguins mounting a spirited counterattack late and the crowd at the Garden chanting "We want the Cup!", Tukka Rask turned aside every shot he faced on Friday night. Perhaps the most emblematic was when the Penguins pulled Vokoun for the extra attacker late in the 3rd and with the final seconds ticking away, Rask gloved a last second shot from Pens RW Jerome Iginla as time expired. For those of you who remember, Iginla spurned a trade from Calgary to Boston at the last moment and instead opted to join the Pittsburgh Penguins as trade deadline loomed.

Rask turned aside all 22 shots he faced on Firday night while Vokoun stopped all but one of the 21 shots he faced. With no more Greg Campbell for the rest of the season, the Bruins slotted in LW Kaspars Daugavins, who had two shots on goal Friday night.

The 4-game sweep of the Penguins earns the Bruins the Prince of Wales trophy and their second trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 2011....not bad for a season that almost didn't happen!

For its part, the Penguins were 0-15 on the power play throughout the series and outscored by a composite 12-2 through the four games. Some describe Pittsburgh's getting swept from the Eastern Conference finals as a 'collapse' but I think that undersells the Bruins and their accomplishments considerably. They clearly got under the Pens' collective skin in Game 1 and never let up.

Of course, there would be a little bit of a waiting game involved to see who Boston would face in the 2013 Stanley Cup finals, which leads us to..

ELSEWHERE IN THE NHL- The Bruins and Pens weren't the only ones who had some double OT action going on in the Conference finals.

With fifteen seconds to go in the third and the defending Stanley Cup champion LA Kings down by a goal, Los Angeles pulled netminder Quick for an extra attacker. Nine times out of ten, this move NEVER works (even with a full minute remaining on the clock) but nobody bothered telling LA's Anze Kopitar or Mike Richards that.

The (almost literally) last second goal by the Kings tied the contest up at 3-3. Although that appeared to suck the life out of the crowd at Chicago's United Center it would be the Blackhawks who had the last laugh in double OT thanks to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Chicago wins the Western Conference finals in five games and the Bruins had to wait barely 24 hours to find out who they'd face in the Stanley Cup championship. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:00 ET from the United Center and will be broadcast on NBC, the CBC and XM channels 92 and 212. This will be the first time since 1979 that the Stanley Cup finals will feature two Original 6 teams going head-to-head.

MLB- After Friday night's contest against the Angels was rained out, the Sox and Halos split a doubleheader at Fenway, setting up a rubber game for Sunday afternoon. Ryan Dempster would be trying to get his second straight win while Angels starter Joe Blanton was looking for his second win of the season.

The Angels drew first blood with two away on the top of the first thanks to a two out Albert Pujols solo homer. In the bottom of the 3rd, Daniel Nava brought Jacoby Ellsbury home on a one out RBI single. Pedroia would follow that up with a single of his own, setting the stage for Big Papi to belt a 3-run homer to give Boston the 4-1 lead.

3B Alberto Callaspo would cut the Boston lead in half by leading off the 4th with a solo homer. In the bottom half of the frame, Mike Carp reached 2nd safely on Callaspo's throwing error and then advance to 3rd on a wild pitch from Blanton. Ellsbury would then bring him home with an RBI triple before the Angels got the 3rd out to make it a 5-2 Boston lead.

In the top of the 5th, Angels outfielder Mike Trout led off the inning with a double and come home on a 2-out Mark Trumbo RBI single to once again bring the Angels within two runs at 5-3. Blanton pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 5th while Dempster would get the Angels in order to start off the 6th inning.

However, the Red Sox would once again get some insurance when C Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Carp led off the bottom of the 6th with back to back solo homers to make it 7-3.

The Red Sox would break the game wide open in the bottom of the 7th when Saltalmacchia belted a 3 run homer to make it 10-3. Although the Angels would get a few runs back, the Red Sox would cruise from there and go on to win by a final of 10-5.

Saltalamacchia went 2-4 with 2 homers and 4 RBI while Big Papi went 2-4 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. Dempster pitched 6 complete innings allowing six hits, three earned runs and struck out six for his fourth win of the season.

After winning sox of their last eight, the Red Sox will hit the road once again- taking on the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana field on Monday night. John Lackey [3-5; 2.79 ERA] is scheduled to start against Tampa Bay's Alex Cobb [6-2; 2.39 ERA]. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 ET and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Break A Leg Sports Chowdah Update- Campbell Gone, But Bruins Take 3-0 Series Lead in Eastern Conference Finals; Big Papi Makes Rangers Pay

Steve Babineau/Getty Images

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS- To be honest, this was the kind of game I was expecting from Pittsburgh all along.

Although the Bruins got out the early 1-0 lead against Pittsburgh in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Garden on Wednesday night, this would not be a repeat of Monday night's game 2 blowout.

David Krejci put the Bruins on the board with a quick even strength goal- his 9th of the postseason- just 1:42 into the first period, the Bruins first shot of the game as it turned out. After that, getting one past Pittsburgh's Tomas Vokoun was about as easy as getting one past a brick wall.

Not quite nine minutes into the second, Chris Kunitz got the Penguins on the board with an even strength goal. With the game tied at 1-1 and the Penguins on the power play late in the second, Bruins F Greg Campbell slid down to block a Evgeni Malkin shot before getting back up and limping around for another 40 seconds- attempting to block another shot and chipping the puck out during the remainder of his shift. As it turned out, the shot broke Campbell's right leg and the forward will miss the remainder of the season.

With the game deadlocked at 1-1 and both Rask and Vokoun turning aside everything that came their way in the 3rd, the game headed to overtime. Despite a trio of power plays in the first OT, the Bruins still weren't able to get anything by Vokoun and the game remained deadlocked 1-1 heading into the second OT.

With just under five minutes remaining in the second overtime, it almost looked as though we'd be heading for a 3rd OT until this happened.

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Patrice Bergeron ended Game 3 on a tip in that got past Vokoun to give Boston the 2-1 win and a seemingly commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

Rask turned aside 53 shots throughout the night (29 of those shots coming in the 3rd period or OT) while Vokoun stopped 38. Neither team capitalized on the power play, with the Bruins going 0-5 and the Penguins going 0-6. The Bruins have a chance to sweep the Penguins and punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final with a Game 4 win on Friday night. Game 4 will get underway Friday night at 8:00 ET from the Garden with the game being televised on the NBC Sports Network and the CBC.

As an aside, let me just pose the question: How big was Wednesday night's win? Think about it- instead of Pittsburgh cutting the series lead in half with no Campbell, the Bruins are now firmly in control of their own destiny and one game away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final.

ELSWHERE IN THE NHL- A go-ahead goal from Chicago's Marian Hossa early in the 3rd period broke a 2-2 deadlock and handed the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings their first home loss of the postseason on Thursday night. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford turned aside 19 of 21 shots faced and Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell also scored for the Hawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Like the Bruins, one more win separates the Blackhawks from a return to the Stanley Cup. Should both the Bruins and Blackhawks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, this will be the first time since the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals that two Original Six teams will be in the Championship game.

Charles Krupa- AP Photo

RED SOX- After exploding for 17 runs on Monday, the Red Sox bats were fairly quiet against Texas starter Alexi Ogando and the Rangers bullpen on Wednesday night. Boston managed only five hits and left 8 runners on base in their 3-2 loss against the Rangers, setting up a rubber game for Thursday night.

Serving as the Rangers DH, Jeff Baker got the Rangers out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second with a shot off of Jon Lester. In the top of the 3rd inning, former Red Sox 3B Adrian Beltre would add to the Texas lead with a 1-out solo homer [the Red Sox were fortunate it wasn't a 2-run blast as 1B was thrown out attempting to stretch a single into a double to lead off the inning- NANESB!].

The Red Sox finally got on the board and cut into the Texas lead after a 2-out 2-RBI double by Dustin Pedroia off of Rangers starter Derek Holland in the bottom of the 3rd. Things would look promising for the Red Sox in the bottom of the 5th after Ellsbury belted a ground-rule double to start off the bottom half of the frame. Gomes singled to left to bring Ellsbury within 90 feet of home, but was tagged out by Texas catcher AJ Pierzynski at home when he tried scoring on a fielder's choice off the bat of Pedroia. Big Papi then hit into a double play to end the inning and seemingly kill the Red Sox momentum.

In the bottom of the 7th, Ellsbury once again led off the inning with a double off of Texas reliever Robbie Ross. Gomes followed that up with a single, and while Pedroia struck out, Ross walked Ortiz to load the bases. Rangers manager Ron Washington then pulled Ross for former Blue Jay Jayson Frasor, and this time Ellsbury came home to tie the game on a fielder's choice hit by Mike Napoli. Although Daniel Nava would strike out to end the inning, the Red Sox bullpen would pitch two shutout innings against Texas.

Michael Kirkman came in to pitch the bottom of the 9th for the Rangers and immediately gave up a leadoff double to the deepest part of the park to Johnny Gomes. Ron Washington then counter-intuitively had Kirkman walk Pedroia so they could pitch to Big Papi. Big Papi responded by doing this:

Instead of the Rangers running the risk of any hit from Pedroia bringing home Gomes and Texas losing by a 4-3 final, Big Papi blasts the first pitch he sees into the Texas bullpen for the 6-3 win. The Red Sox take two out of three from the AL West leaders, wrapping up the regular season series in dramatic fashion.

Despite leaving 10 runners stranded, the Red Sox had a pretty good night in the batter's box. Both Gomes and Ellsbury went 4-5 on the night and Big Papi's 3-run homer was his first hit of the evening. Neither starter factored into the decision- Andrew Bailey was credited with the win and Kirkman gets the loss.

The Red Sox will next host the Anaheim Angels over the weekend, with Felix Doubront [4-2; 4.88 ERA] will get the start against the Angels' Tommy Hanson [2-2; 4.19 ERA]. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 ET [weather permitting- NANESB!] and the game will be televised on NESN.

NBA FINALS- Despite the advanced age of some of their marquee players and nine days off, the San Antonio Spurs showed no signs of rust in Thursday night's opening game of the 2013 NBA Finals. The last time LeBron James faced the Spurs was the 2007 NBA finals when he was still with Cleveland. Despite professing to be fifty times better, his triple double on Thursday night wasn't enough to get the Eastern Conference champs past the Spurs. San Antonio point guard Tony Parker had 21 points on the night- 10 of them coming in the 4th quarter as the Spurs rallied, but none more important than this one late in the 4th.

Parker quiets the home crowd with a late buzzer-beater to give the Spurs some insurance. San Antonio wins Game 1 of the NBA finals by a final of 92-88.

Quickie Sports Chowdah Update- Grimm Prognosis for Rangers in Game 1 at Fenway; MLB Expected to Dish Out Suspensions Over "BALCO East" Clinic; Fit For a King- LA Shows Signs of Life in Western Conference Final

AP Photo/Elise Amendola

RED SOX- If Ryan Demptser was worried about getting some run support in pursuit of only his third win of the season, the Red Sox bats put those concerns to rest quickly on Tuesday night's home game against the Rangers.

Rookie Texas starter Justin Grimm lasted only 1⅔ innings and surrendered eight earned runs, and the Red Sox were just getting started. Among the second inning highlights was rookie Jackie Bradley Jr hitting his first career homer- a 2-run blast to make it 4-0 at the time. After Grimm gave up a single to Daniel Nava and walked Mike Carp, the Rangers starter got Dustin Pedroia to fly out before Big Papi belted a 2-RBI triple off of him into the triangle at center field. Ortiz hardly had time to catch his breath from ambling around the bases before coming home on a Mike Napoli sac fly. Grimm would then give up a double to Saltalamacchia before getting the hook from manager Ron Washington.

Boston would jump on top by an 8-0 margin in the second inning and never look back from there. After getting swept by the Rangers in Arlington last month, the Red Sox teed off on Grimm and the Texas bullpen, notching 19 hits in their 17-5 win over the Rangers. There were literally too many hits to count, but the highlights included a slumping Stephen Drew going 4-5 with a homer and 2 RBI, Mike Carp going 3-4 with a homer and 3 RBI, Jackie Bradley Jr's going 1-5 and with 3 RBI- including his first career homer- and Big Papi's first triple since 2011. The 17 runs represents a season best from the Red Sox.

Dempster went 7 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs and striking out six for just his 3rd win of the season and Jason Frasor is the only pitcher out of the Texas bullpen who didn't allow a hit on Tuesday night.

As gratifying as the win was, it still only counts as one game and the two teams will go back at it on Wednesday night. John Lackey [3-5; 2.96 ERA] is scheduled to get the start against Alexi Ogando [4-2; 3.08 ERA]. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 ET and the game will be televised on NESN and ESPN2.

ELSEWHERE IN MLB- The head of a Miami-area clinic accused of supplying performance enhancing drugs to MLB players has agreed to be interviewed by the league, which will likely result in some big-name suspensions according to ESPN.

Tony Bosch, founder of the now-shuttered Biogenesis of America, reached an agreement this week to cooperate with MLB's investigation, two sources told "Outside the Lines," giving MLB the ammunition officials believe they need to suspend the players.

One source familiar with the case said the commissioner's office might seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and other players, the penalty for a second doping offense. The argument, the source said, is the players' connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous statements to MLB officials denying any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another.

Sources said Bosch will meet with MLB officials in New York on Friday to begin sharing information and materials. He is expected to meet with lawyers and investigators for several days. The announcement of suspensions could follow within two weeks.

Sources said discussions between Bosch and MLB were delayed while Bosch's lawyers spoke to the U.S. Attorney's office to get a sense of what sort of legal jeopardy Bosch might face. Before he would agree to a deal, sources said, he wanted an assurance that MLB could help mitigate any criminal exposure. MLB officials promised to do what they could, but do not have the power to stop a federal criminal investigation.

Investigators have had records naming about 20 players for more than a month. But without a sworn statement from Bosch that the records are accurate and reflect illicit interactions between the players and the self-described biochemist, the documents are little more than a road map.

Besides Rodriguez and Braun, other players named in the Biogenesis client list include Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Nelson Cruz, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero and many others who are identified by codename.

A spokeswoman for Yankees 2B Robinson Cano's foundation also appears on the client list, but according to MLB sources, the New York infielder is in no immediate danger of suspension.

The New York Yankees likely anticipated the news about the Biogenesis client list- at least as far as A-Rod was concerned. Over the weekend, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made comments expressing his disappointment in the third baseman who signed a new 10-year $275 million contract in 2007. Yankees GM Brian Cashman also stated in an interview that A-Rod clearly hadn't lived up to his massive contract. It's likely these statements were made during the series against the Red Sox over the weekend to preempt any announcement from MLB regarding A-Rod's involvement in the Biogenesis labs scandal.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS- Although they fell into a quick 0-2 hole in the Western Conference finals, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings remain undefeated at home in the postseason, and Tuesday night was no different.

Like Game 1 of the western Conference Finals, the Kings got out to an early 1-0 lead. However, unlike Game 1, Los Angeles was able to maintain their lead- although it looked somewhat tenuous in the 3rd period.

Justin Williams put LA on the board just 3:21 into the game and Slava Voynov got what would prove to be the game-winner six and a half minutes into the second period. Midway through the second period, Chicago's Duncan Keith hit Jeff Carter with a high stick. Carter would leave the game and require multiple stitches while the Blackhawks are waiting on word from director of player safety Brendan Shanahan on whether or not Keith will receive a suspension.

Chicago got on the board and cut the lead in half in the closing seconds of the second period on an unassisted goal by Bryan Bickell. Kings netminder Jonathan Quick would be kept busy in the third, but Dwight King would clinch the game late for LA as he tallied an empty-netter to put the Kings on top 3-1.

The series will resume will LA trailing 2 games to 1 on Thursday night. Wednesday night's NHL action will feature the Game 3 of the Eastern conference finals from Boston as the Bruins look to go up 3-0 on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

NBA- After a decisive 7th game against the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat are the Eastern Conference champions. The Heat bested the Pacers by a 99-76 final in Game 7 on Monday night. Miami's LeBron James led scoring for the Heat with 32 points, 8 rebounds and four assists on the night.

The Heat will face the San Antonio Spurs, who completed a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies a week prior to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Game one is set for Thursday night in Miami and will get underway at 9:00 ET. The game will be televised on ABC.

OTHER NBA NEWS- Point guard Jason Kidd has announced his retirement from the NBA this week. Kidd was named co-rookie of the year along with Grant Hill back in 1995 and was an all-star ten times throughout his 19 year career. In addition to leading the NBA in steals in 2002 and assists per game in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004, Kidd also won a gold medal with the US Men's Olympic basketball team during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

After playing for the Cal Golden Bears, Kidd played for the Mavericks, Suns, Nets and most recently, the New York Knicks.

Quickie June Boom Sports Chowdah Update- Bruins Steel Eastern Conference Opener From Pittsburgh; Bronx Bombed- Victorino Notches Grand Slam As Bats Come Alive Against Pinstripes

Gene J Puskar- AP

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS- The Eastern Conference Finals got off to a good start for the Bruins on Saturday evening as David Krejci got Boston on the board just over 8 minutes into the first period with an even-strength goal that beat Pens netminder Tomas Vokoun.

While there was no scoring in the second period, the game took a turn for the feisty when Boston archenemy Matt Cooke was given a five minute major and ejected after his hit from behind on Adam McQuaid.

With the Bruins still leading 1-0, period number two closed out with a scrap between Evgeni Malkin and Patrice Bergeron. This was in addition to Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby jawing skyward at Boston Captain Zdeno Chara- although, sadly, the altercation didn't become physical.

Four minutes into the third period, the Bruins doubled their lead over the Pens thanks again to David Krejci. Right before the eight minute mark, Nathan Horton decided he wanted to get in on the action and beat Vokoun to make it a 3-0 lead, giving the Bruins even more insurance not even halfway through the 3rd period. However, given Rask's outstanding performance in net Saturday night, Krejci's first goal would be all the Bruins needed. Boston takes Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals from Pittsburgh in the Consol Energy Center by a 3-0 final. Tukka Rask turned aside all 29 shots he faced on Saturday while stopped 27 of 30 shots faced. Both teams went 0-4 on the power play, as well.

Game 2 will get underway on Monday night from Pittsburgh at 8:00 ET and will be televised on NBC Sports or the CBC depending on where you're trying to watch the game from.

ELSEWHERE IN THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS- After trailing early to Los Angeles, the Chicago Blackhawks scored two unanswered goals to go on and win by a 2-1 final in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Marian Hossa scored late in the second for the game-winning goal and Corey Crawford stopped 21 of 22 shots faced in the Blackhawks Game 1 win on Saturday afternoon. Game 2 will get underway on Sunday at 8:00 ET and the contest will be televised on NBC Sports Network and TSN.

Paul J. Bereswill

RED SOX- One night after CC Sabathia stymied the Red Sox bats, Boston flexed their offensive muscle against starter Phil Hughes and the Yankees bullpen.

Although he came into Saturday night's game with a high ERA, Boston starter Felix Doubront had a winning record and his career ERA against the Yankees (2.78 heading into tonight) than his career ERA of 4.86.

Doubront struggled early, walking three batters and allowing two hits in the first two innings, but the Yankees were unable to capitalize on those opportunities.

It was a different story for the Red Sox though- Jackie Bradley Jr led off the top of the 3rd with a double, followed by a sinfle from Daniel Nava. Mike Carp then got the Red Sox on the board with an RBI double to make it 1-0 Boston. After Hughes struck out Pedroia, the decision was made to intentionally walk David Ortiz. With the bases loaded, the Mike Napoli made the Yankees pay for that by belting a 2-2 Hughes offering into the bullpens in right-center field. The grand slam put Boston up by a score of 5-0.

The Yankees got a run back in the bottom of the 4th on a sac fly, but Boston would blow the game wide open in the top of the 8th with a 3-run Daniel Nava homer. The Red Sox would touch up the Yankees bullpen for three more runs (including a Stephen Drew solo homer) for an 11-1 win. This evens up this weekend's series at 1-1, with the rubber game set for Sunday night with Clay Buchholz [7-0, 1.73 ERA] against Hiroki Kuroda [6-3; 2.39 ERA]. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball with first pitch scheduled for at 8:05 PM ET.



NCAA BASEBALL- After winning their first Big East baseball title in nearly 20 years, the UConn Huskies advanced to the NCAA regionals in Blacksburg, VA. After winning the opening game against host Virginia Tech on Friday by a 5-2 final, the Huskies were downed by the Oklahoma Sooners in 12 innings by a 5-3 final.

The Huskies will face a rematch with Virginia Tech on Sunday in the double elimination tournament- a loss means that a trip to Omaha is out of the question while a win still puts them in the hunt.

UConn is the only Division I New England school to qualify for the NCAA baseball tournament this season.

Glass Half Phill Sports Chowdah Update- Red Sox Split Interleague Series With Phillies; Stanley Cup Runneth Over- Four Most Recent NHL Champions Advnace to Conference Finals

Matt Slocum/AP

RED SOX- The Red Sox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Phillies on Thursday night thanks to a 2-RBI single from Mike Carp and 2-RBI double from Saltalamacchia.

The Phillies would respond in the bottom of the first by getting two back on a 2-run Delmon Young homer, but after cutting the Boston lead in half, that would be as close as Philadelphia would get. Johnny Gomes would belt a solo homer to make it a 5-2 Boston lead in the top of the 6th and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury would end up stealing a club record five bases on Thursday night as the Red Sox would continue adding to their lead. This included a Big Papi solo shot in the top of the 7th followed by three more runs in the top of the 9th thanks to an RBI Groundout from Steven Drew and RBI double from Saltalamacchia and Iglesias to make it 9-2 Boston.

Junichi Tazawa and Andrew Bailey would close out the 9-2 win for the Red Sox and Franklin Morales would win his first start of the season for Boston. Saltalamacchia would go 2-5 with 3 RBI and while Gomes and Ortiz both homered for the Red Sox, the real story of the night was Ellsbury who went 3-4 and basically ate Philly catcher Erik Kratz's lunch when he wasn't stealing five bases. Boston splits the series with Philadelphia 2-2 (the series was two games at Fenway and two games in Philadelphia), Boston's first interleague action of the 2013 season.

Since the game took place in a National League park, there was no DH slot- meaning Big Papi started at first base on Thursday night and was lifted late for Jackie Bradley Jr who had a single in his only at-bat. Bradley was called up from Pawtucket on Wednesday and is expected to remain with the team through the series against the Yankees in the Bronx.

Clay Buccholz, who was a late scratch from Monday's opener at Fenway against the Phillies is expected to re-join the team and start against the Yankees on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Yankees were swept by the struggling Mets in the interleague 'Subway Series' which includes two games in the Bronx and two games at Citi Field.

Nam Y Huh

NHL- Unlike the Eastern conference, where the Bruins and Penguins were able to wrap up their respective series in no more than five games, both the defending Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks needed seven games to advance to the Western Conference finals.

It looked touch and go for the Blackhawks on Wednesday, but the United Center erupted with thunderous applause and cheers when the 1-1 deadlock appeared to be broken late after a Niklas Hjalmarsson slapshot found its way to the back of the Detroit net, but the apparent game winning goal was waved off after two offsetting penalties were called by officials.

Instead, the Chicago crowd would have to wait a few more minutes when Brent Seabrook got his first tally of the playoffs, beating Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard 3:35 into OT and ending Detroit's season. The victory gives Chicago a matchup against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, who bested San Jose by a 2-1 final on Tuesday night and won the series against the Sharks 4 games to 3.

Interestingly, the longest any of the four remaining teams has gone without winning a Stanley Cup? Try 2009....that was the year the Pittsburgh Penguins won it all. The Blackhawks won Lord Stanley's cup in 2010, the Boston Bruins won it in 7 games in 2011 and the Kings remain the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Home Cooked Sports Chowdah Update- O No You Didn't! Sox Win Home Opener Versus Baltimore; Category Zero Hurricanes Do Little Damage At The Garden; NCAA Title and Unforgettable Week in the Cards for Louisville and Pitino

Winslow Townson photo

RED SOX- After wrapping up a road trip to Toronto where John Lackey left Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury and Jays starter RA Dickey was rocked by the Red Sox bats, it was time for the home opener at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon. The 4-2 Red Sox opened up the 2013 season at Fenway with a daytime matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.

With pre-game ceremonies that included marking the 60th anniversary of the Red Sox affiliation with the Jimmy Fund, a massive flag draped across the Green Monster and a flyover from WWII-era P51 Mustangs, the Red Sox and Orioles got underway on a sunny April afternoon with Clay Buchholz on the mound looking for his second win and Boston looking to wipe the slate clean after their worst season in nearly 50 years. This was a very different Red Sox lineup from just a year ago with no Youkilis, Gonzalez or Beckett in the lineup while the Orioles were coming off of their first postseason appearence since 1997.

Buchholz allowed a leadoff single to start off the game but seemed to settle down from there. Meanwhile, the Red Sox batters seemed to be having a difficult time with Baltimore starter Wei Yin Chen- who allowed just two hits through the first six innings. However, in the bottom of the 7th, Chen allowed a leadoff single to Dustin pedroia followed by a double to Mike Napoli. Although Chen got Middlebrooks to strike out, Daniel Nava belted a 1-1 offering over the Monster seats to give Boston a 3-0 lead.

As it turned out, that would be all Boston needed. Although Joel Hanrahan gave up a leadoff solo homerun to O's outfielder Adam Jones and a 2-out double to JJ Hardy, Hanrahan managed to close out the game and preserve the Red Sox win by getting Ryan Flaherty to pop out in foul territory in front of the Baltimore dugout. Buchholz threw for 7 shutout innings while striking out eight and allowing four walks.

The win gives Boston a 5-2 record- all opponents being from the AL East so far this season- and the home crowd something to cheer about after watching them win 2 out of three in each of the road series in the Bronx and Canada. The win makes it nine straight home openers that the Red Sox have won. Tuesday is an off day, but on Wednesday, the series resumes with Ruan Dempster [0-1; 5.40 ERA] getting the start against Jake Arrieta [0-0; 9.00 ERA]. The game will be televised on NESN with a first pitch at 7:10 ET.

OTHER RED SOX NEWS- Red Sox fans got quite a scare on Saturday afternoon when starter John Lackey left the fifth inning of the game against Toronto [JA Happ and the Toronto bullpen would throw a shutout against Boston in their 5-0 win- NANESB!]. The start was Lackey's first in nearly 18 months and immediately led to a flurry speculation from sportswriters that Lackey was already out for the season with an undisclosed injury. Lackey had Tommy John surgery in the 2011 offseason and spent most of 2012 rehabbing.

Upon returning to Boston, Lackey underwent an MRI at Massachusetts General Hospital. The MRI reportedly showed inflammation around the right biceps. Although Lackey is expected to miss his next start, the injury is not considered season-ending. If Lackey is unable to start by Sunday, the Red Sox will reportedly slot Alfredo Aceves [0-0; 10.38 ERA] in Lackey's place in the rotation.

MEANWHILE, DOWN ON THE FARM- Shortstop Stephen Drew went 1 for 3 in what was slated to be his final game with the AA Portland Sea Dogs before returning to Boston on Wednesday. Drew went on the DL in Spring Training with a concussion and was assigned to AA Portland for rehabilitation. Overall, Drew went 2-13 with a double, a homer, two walks and 3 RBI.

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

BOSTON BRUINS- After a disappointing Saturday night in Montreal where the Bruins missed an opportunity to vault past the Canadiens in the Eastern conference standings, Boston had the opportunity to vent their frustration on the slumping Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

Rich Peverly opened up the scoring early for the Bruins about 4 minutes into the first period followed by two Brad Marchand tallies before intermission. Building on their 3-0 lead, the Bruins added to their lead in the second with goals from Andrew Ference and Jordan Caron to make it a 5-0 Boston lead. Midway through the 3rd period, the Hurricanes would get on the board thanks to a Patrick Dwyer goal followed by a Drayson Bowman goal 45 seonds later to make it a 5-2 game. However, with less than four minutes to go in regulation, the Bruins managed to pad their lead after Nathan Horton tapped home a pass from Dougie Hamilton behing netminder Dan Ellis to make it 6-2, what would turn out being the final score.

Carolina's Justin Peters was pulled early after allowing two goals on four shots faced while Ellis turned aside 28 of the 32 shots he faced on Tuesday night. For Boston, Tukka Rask carried a shutout into the 3rd period and ended up turning aside 40 of 42 shots faced. Brad Marchand had two goals in the first period while new acquisition Jaromir Jagr had two assists on the night. The win put the Bruins within a game of idle Montreal on Monday night.

On Wednesday night, the Bruins will travel down to the Prudential Center to take on the slumping Devils for the second time in less than a week. The Devils are riding a 7 game slump heading into the contest. The game will be televised on the NBC Sports Network and gets underway at 7:30 ET.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NHL- With a few weeks still remaining in the NHL season, there are already two teams that have clinched a playoff berth. The Chicago Blackhawks- who did not lose a regulation game until March 8th beat Nashville by a 5-3 final on Sunday to clinch the first playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, the Penguins also managed to clinch a postseason berth on Sunday night- however indirectly. Although the Pens won their Friday night contest against the NY Rangers by a 2-1 final, it wasn't until the Sabres beat the New Jersey Devils in OT on Sunday night that their entry into the playoffs were made official.

NCAA HOOPS- In a March Madnes that was eerily devoid of UConn's presence, the Men's title remained in the Bluegrass state after a final between Louisville and the Michigan Wolverines at Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

Although Michigan jumped out to the early lead, the Cardinals would close the gap late in the 1st thanks to a dramatic dunk by freshman Montrezl Harrell that looked kind of like this:

Prior to that play, Louisville was trailing Michigan by as much as 12 points in the first. The Cardinals would go on to outscore the Wolverines in the second half by a 45-38 margin to win their first NCAA Men's Basketball title since 1986, winning by a final of 82-76.

This is the second year in a row that a Kentucky school has won the NCAA Men's Basketball title. Cards Junior Luke Hancock was 5 for 5 from 3 point range and made 7 out of 10 free throws, totalling 22 points on the night and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

The week is alread off to a good start for Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. His son was hired by the Minnesota Golden Gophers to replace Tubby Smith, a horse he co-owns won the Santa Anita Derby and now qualifies for the Kentucky Derby and now the former Celtics and Boston University coach will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA- all of this news coming before Monday night's Championship game in the Georgia Dome.