The Bruins just got their first win of the playoffs against Montreal, cutting their deficit in the series to 2-1. A gutsy performance by the Bruins, who are playing with confidence, but with the lion’s share of scoring chances the rival Canadiens still look to be the superior team. I think the Bruins need to take the two remaining home games to have any chance to advance, as I don’t see them winning both remaining games in Canada.

I was lucky enough to attend the first game of the Sox-Yankees series on Friday. The series, which is wrapping up tonight, has been a good indication of why Boston is a superior team. In particular, New York’s weak rotation has been showcased, starting believe it or not with Wang’s two hitter on Friday night. While he got the job done, Wang’s stellar box score does not represent his actual performance. There were numerous line drives hit throughout the night which happened to travel straight into the gloves of the Yankee outfielders. The Sox could easily have touched Wang up for three or four runs, but ended up with one. Wang may be an ace, but he is neither a dominating nor intimidating presence which will cost the Yankees in the playoffs.

Mike Mussina gave a performance which I would expect to be about average from him this year, surrendering four runs in five-plus innings. He too got hit hard and has shown no signs of stopping his downward trend of the past few years. On the other end of the age spectrum, Phil Hughes got lit up today and will likely continue to have an up and down season as he adjusts to the major leagues. With a mediocre ace and an aging Pettitte and Mussina, the Yankees will need consistent quality starts our of Hughes and Ian Kennedy, and I don’t think they will get them over the course of the season.

The Red Sox are not without their own concerns, with Big Papi heading up the list. Much talk has been surrounding his off-season knee surgery and, although Ortiz said his knee felt fine during spring training, it is important to note that his struggles date back to the month of March. Had Ortiz shown any power during the spring (0 home runs in 26 at-bats) I would be more willing to brush off his early season struggles as an aberration. Once J.D. Drew cools off the Sox will have some difficulty scoring runs, especially with Lowell still out of the lineup. Nonetheless, Boston’s pitching is strong enough that I am confident that they will finish ahead of the Yankees in the standings.

You better watch out…I’ll try not to cry…I’ll probably pout…

Screw it, I’m in no mood to write another song just yet. Johan Santana, according to media reports, is bound for the New York Mets, pending a contract extension. And, barring failure of said contract extension, I’m pretty disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that the Sox did not offer Ellsbury and Lester for Santana, but I am sad that the Twins decided the Mets’ package was better than one or the other, along with Coco Crisp.

As has been well established throughout recent baseball history: a great pitching staff is far more formidable than a great offense. While Ellsbury, assuming everything works out as projected, will be a solid addition to the Boston lineup, Santana would have been more valuable in the starting rotation. Am I the only one who has some concerns about the rotation as presently constituted? Beckett is great, and we can figure on him to have another strong year, but beyond that there are question marks. Matsusaka will do better; after all, it’s his second year; he’s had time to adjust…we think. In reality Daisuke could struggle with his control just as much as he did this year, and remain a middle-of-the-road, number two starter. Beyond that things are very uncertain, what with the age of Schilling and Wakefield, and the uncertainty of Clay Buchholz and John Lester. I would’ve felt much better with two dominating aces in the rotation, even at the cost of a potential lead-off hitting all star. A guaranteed half-decade of AL East superiority is now in question. One day we may look back on this non-trade and smile, but for now I wish the Twins would’ve seen things differently and taken the Sox’ package over the Mets’.

On a happier note, I now pledge to watch at least one Bruins game per week. It’s easy to forget about the one team in Boston that is not in the process of making history, but the Bruins are a fun team to watch. In a year where we root for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics, expecting them to excel, it is refreshing to have a team to root for which is just trying to hang on to make the playoffs. It took sitting rinkside at the game today to remind me, but hockey can be damn entertaining. Honestly, check out this view, how could you not get excited: