Close, but no cigar. While that statement has relevance to the comeback Boston almost mounted in the third period, it can aptly describe the problems Boston faced all afternoon when moving out of their own zone. In a theme carried throughout Boston’s 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Bruins inability to capably breakout of their third of the ice cleanly was a deciding factor in today’s outcome. When Boston was successfully able to move the puck out of their zone, many of the clears were poor passes or simply chips with no real intended target.

Pittsburgh’s game winning goal, scored by Matt Cooke, came as a direct result of a bad clear - Dennis Seidenberg, feeling pressure below the goal line, fired a hybrid saucer pass/clearing attempt about waist-high toward Zach Hamill, who was unable to control the puck. Immediately corralled by the Pens and moved back into the B’s zone in what amounted to a 3-5 by the Pens. In a scene that could well be a microcosm of Boston’s recent defensive struggles, Cooke was able to take two chips at a rebound from a foot outside the crease, while all five Boston players were below the faceoff dots and three – Corvo, Hamill and Kelly – formed a triangle around Cooke to watched him put away the game winner without so much as putting a body on Cooke.

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For the fourth and last time of this season, the Bruins and Hurricanes met. And for the fourth time the Canes, last place in the Eastern Conference with a goal differential 107 goals less than the Bruins', defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champs, this time by a 3-0 score at the Garden. It was the first time in franchise history, which includes the Whale years, that the Canes/Whalers swept the season series from the Bruins.

The Bruins outshot Carolina 22-8 in the first period, but as was the case in the previous three games Canes goalie Cam Ward stood on his head and withstood the Bruins attack. Carolina opportunistically took the lead 11:51 into the game on a pretty cross-crease feed from Jiri Tlusty to Eric Staal, who fired a one-timer past Tuukka Rask.

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Team Alfredsson battled Team Chara for the second time in three days Tuesday night at TD Garden, and while the supporting casts were different than in Sunday's All-Star Game, the end result was the same, as Chara's Boston Bruins held off Alfredsson and the Ottawa Senators by a 4-3 mark.

The win was the Bruins' eleventh consecutive win against a Northeast opponent, but they almost didn't get it, giving Ottawa a 3-1 leg up early before mounting another third period comeback.

Colin Greening, Kyle Turris and Erik Karlsson scored consecutive goals for Ottawa in a span of 14:48 between the first and second frames as Boston tried to turn stellar individual efforts by the likes of Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin into goals.

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It looked as if the Bruins were already on their way out for the All-Star Break. Sloppy defensive play was the theme of the night for the Bruins as they let a short-handed Washington Capitals team get the best of them in a 5-3 loss Tuesday night at the Verizon Center.

Despite a two point performance from Patrice Bergeron it was a Mathieu Perreault hat trick that powered the Caps past Tuukka Rask and the Bruins.

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The commercials on Boston TV touted the New England Patriots, recently crowned AFC Champions for the first time in four years.

But the more hard-earned victory came about 350 miles to the south.

In front of a sellout crowd of 19,537 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the Boston Bruins gave up a two-goal lead to a depleted Flyers lineup and came from behind to win an epic battle when Tim Thomas stopped Wayne Simmonds' bid to extend the shootout.

Scott Hartnell had a natural hat trick in the second period, but it wasn't enough to get the Flyers - playing without forwards James Van Reimsdyk (concussion), Danny Briere (concussion) and Jaromir Jagr (lower-body injury) - the win.

But that's not to say that the win didn't toll Boston, either.

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Andrew Ference giveth, and Andrew Ference taketh away.

The Bruins' defenseman gave the Bruins life, scoring a beauty of a goal just 3:28 into the second period, but his five-minute major in overtime cost the Bruins a point as the New York Rangers won a hard-fought battle at TD Garden, 3-2.

Marian Gaborik netted the game-winner for the Blueshirts with just 3.6 seconds remaining in the extra frame, after Boston nearly killed the final 3:10 of the period after Ference's charging major put Boston on the 4-on-3 penalty kill.

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Some habits die hard. Luckily for the Bruins it was a good habit, namely their ability to put together a good third period, that powered a come -from-behind win against the New Jersey Devils Thursday night at the Prudential center.

The fourth line was the catalyst tonight with Gregory Campbell scoring the game-winning goal and Shawn Thornton picking up two assists. It was also a rebound game for goaltender Tim Thomas who held the Devils to one goal, making 30 saves in the win.

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The Bruins lost to the struggling lightning 5-3 tonight. It was the first win for Tampa Bay in eight games. The team didn't play their best and Tim Thomas played one of his poorest games of the season. Nathan Horton may have been the only bright star for the night with his two goal effort. Daniel Paille had a nifty shorthanded-goal, but for his efforts it didn't prove to be enough.

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