I’ll take the Philadelphia Flyers with a side of home-ice advantage please

We here at Ramble On are big fans of Alexander Ovechkin. The guy loves to hit, skates hard on every shift and has a scoring touch that few players possess – all qualities that make him one of the most exciting talents in the NHL. Having said all that, I couldn’t have been happier watching Ovechkin and the top-seeded Washington Capitals get bounced from the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens tonight in their win-or-go-home Game 7.

Not only is it fun to watch the underdog prevail – even though I despise the Canadiens like every other self-respecting Boston Bruins fan should – but the B’s now get to take on seventh-seeded Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Are you kidding me? If ever there was a dream matchup for the Bruins, this is it. And did I mention the B’s have home-ice advantage throughout this series? The Canadiens, meanwhile, square off with defending champion Pittsburgh, and you can be sure the Penguins have taken notice of the Habs’ play in the last three games.

Boston has a great chance to knock off the Flyers and advance to the conference finals. Can you imagine that? Everyone wrote them off midway through the regular season, and now we’re talking about them possibly being one of the final four teams playing. What’s even better is that Tuukka Rask is arguably the hottest goalie left in the playoffs, and whenever your netminder catches fire, good things happen. I’m picking the Bruins to win this series in six games just like I did for the last one. Let’s hope I’m right again so we can continue this awesome ride.

And on top of all the great hockey news, the Red sox got another gem of a pitching performance tonight – this time from Jon Lester – to sweep the lowly Toronto Blue Jays. Boy do the Jays suck. I think more people read this blog everyday than go to their home games, and that’s really saying something. Either way, the Sox are back to .500 and hopefully it’ll only get better from here.

It’s a good time to be a Boston sports fan, my friends.

Five thoughts from Game 6 of Bruins/Sabres

I’d like to thank the Bruins for making me look smart with my prediction for this series. I’d also like to thank them for giving me the worst heartburn and highest stress level of my life. A 4-3 victory over the Sabres in Game 6 has pushed Boston into the Eastern Conference semifinals, but it was anything but easy. I give Buffalo all the credit in the world for the fight they showed tonight, especially when it looked like it was going to slip away. All that is behind us now, though, so as Bruins fans, let’s just be thankful there’s more playoff hockey on the horizon. And now, onto my five thoughts from Game 6.

*  I’m fairly certain there were a handful of Bruins that wanted to lose the game tonight. Dennis Wideman was up to his old tricks – turning the puck over in his own end to spark Buffalo’s first goal – and Michael Ryder didn’t do his team any favors when he threw the puck to Nathan Gerbe for the Sabres’ second tally. I’m going to give Ryder a pass since he’s played out of his mind for most of this series, but Wideman is downright brutal. Whenever the announcers talk about him, they almost always use the word “can’t” immediately after his name. You know, things like, “Wideman can’t clear the puck from Boston’s zone.” “Wideman can’t stay on his feet as he gets burned for another goal.” And my personal favorite – “Wideman can’t believe Claude Julien is actually letting him dress for tonight’s game.”

*  And with everything Boston did wrong tonight, it still managed to pot four goals against All-World goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller’s dream season might be over, but I won’t soon forget what he did this year. His play in the Olympics showed non-hockey fans just how exciting the game can be, and I was scared to death all through the first round that he was going to shut the B’s out in every game. It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Miller.

*  Keeping Marc Savard sidelined tonight was a smart move. The Bruins managed to walk away with the series win without their top offensive playmaker, giving him even more time to get into game shape and bounce back from that disgusting concussion from earlier this year. Forcing him into action tonight was unnecessary and I’m glad the B’s recognized that too. On a personal note, I wanted to see him out there. But that’s just because he’s my Bruins man-crush.

*  I can’t take much more of Jack Edwards in the NESN broadcast booth. When the B’s finally won tonight, he dropped the following gem: “Snowball 1, Hell 0.” Jacko was trying to say that the Bruins didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting past the third-seeded Sabres, but he really just sounded like a hyperbolic asshole. Less is more, Jack. Less is more.

*  With Montreal’s win over Washington tonight, the B’s still don’t know who they’re playing in Round 2, as that series is now tied 3-3. But if the Habs find a way to beat the Caps in Game 7, the Bruins will face Philadelphia in the second round. Roll that around in your head for a while. Boston has a chance to take on the No. 7 seed – WITH HOME ICE ADVANTAGE – for the right to play in the Eastern Conference finals. I’m as shocked as you are.

I’m going to go try to calm down a little bit. Taking a few days off from the Bruins’ high-wire act should do me some good. And as always, go B’s!