Bruins Lose and Celtics Win

The Bruins lost an afternoon battle today at Madison Square Garden to the New York Rangers. Both teams fought hard for the whole game which was decided by a single goal. The Bruins were hard pressed to find any success against the Rangers and went down 1-0. Coach Claude Julien made it sound simple after the game. "You can't win hockey games when you don't score," and he's absolutely right; the Bruins failed on the power play multiple times again this afternoon resulting in too many missed opportunities. Rangers superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 29 shots he faced, as the Bruins continued to flash inconsistency between contests. The game's final minute saw an intense effort from the Bruins as they pulled G Tim Thomas in a desperate attempt to score with time winding down but again came away empty handed. The Bruins now fall to an inconsistent 6-6-1 on the season.

NOTES:

• The Bruins continue to display their inefficiency on the power play (0-5 today).
• On the flip-side, they have killed 14 straight penalties.
• The Bruins head to Detroit to take on the Red Wings Tuesday night.

The Celtics did their part on this bye-week Sunday to give Boston sports fans something to cheer about. The C's downed Chris Paul and the Hornets 97-87 on the heals of an 11-3 run to finish the game. Despite Peja Stojakavic hitting a crazy number of threes (6 in all), the Celtics were able to step up defensively in the fourth quarter and take the game.

• Paul Pierce was on fire tonight to the tune of 27 points (20 in the first half). He was a very efficient 10-14 from the floor and he nailed 3 threes.
• Ray Allen logged a team high in minutes again tonight (41) and had 17 points (8-15 FGs, 1-3 3PTs).
• KG had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block. He continues to see his minutes monitored as he played 33 tonight. Smart move for the long haul by Doc to keep Garnett around that number.
• Big Perk had a nice 12 point and 7 rebound line. He has become very consistent.
  
• Rondo had 10 assists tonight (his fourth straight double digit assist game). He added 6 points, 3 boards, and 3 steals. He did come down awkwardly on Emeka Okafor's shoe in the first quarter and hobbled for a bit, but the injury did not linger and he appears to be OK.
• Sheed led the bench tonight with 12 points (2 threes), 5 boards, and 3 assists in 18 minutes.
  
• House, Daniels, and Williams each added a basket a piece.
• An amazing 56 points were scored in the paint tonight for the Celtics.
  
• The C's continue to use a 9-man rotation (when it isn't a blowout) and are always leaving either Pierce or Allen on the court.
• Rondo and Chris Paul were jawing all game and and were each assessed technical fouls in the second quarter when they got tangled under the basket.
  

The Celtics have tomorrow off before on a quick two game trip to New Jersey and Minnesota on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, tomorrow is still a big day for the organization as it marks the deadline Rondo to sign a contract extension. The C's have until 6:30 PM, so check back tomorrow as we will bring you any news if it breaks.