Bedard's Daily Briefing 04.22.19: Boston basks in the glow as we await Game 7

Good morning!

A few random thoughts while I wonder if this weekend was just hint of things to come for Boston sports fans...

• Quite a weekend for Boston sports, obviously, as the Bruins forced Game 7 at home, the Celtics swept the Pacers and the Red Sox showed a pulse with a road sweep of the first-place Rays.


• Family dinners must have gone down very well on Sunday night.


• How do you know this was a good weekend for Boston sports? Even the Revs — yes, the Revs — won a game.


• As for the Bruins, they finally played their most complete game of the series (thanks for showing up, fellas!) in taking Game 6 in Toronto. Boston fell behind early but then scored the next three before adding an empty net.


• I don't care what the stats say: pulling the goalie with two minutes left in a one-goal game when you're getting consistent pressure like Toronto was, is dumb to me. You're one bad deflection from being out of the game. It's the same as chasing points with two-point conversions before you need those points late in an NFL game.


• Good to see Torey Krug start to redeem himself.


• And I was especially glad to see Brad Marchand bring his A-Game. I don't know what the deal is, but he doesn't play his normal game in the postseason — almost too passive. If the Bruins are to advance, Marchand needs to take the ice like the badass he is.


• I feel a little bad for Maple Leafs fans, especially the hordes in the plaza during the game. They're so cute. Almost like Cubs fans before their titles. They know how bad their history is, that it's highly likely their team is going to let them down in excruciatingly painful fashion, yet they still show up and get all excited for early goals. The definition of insanity...


• Not to be The Wet Blanket of Reason but ... I'm still a little spooked at the Bruins' lack of success 5v5. Special teams were the difference on Sunday as Boston notched was 2 for 2 on the power play, and the Leafs were 0 for 3. If Toronto stops stupidly landing in the box, can the Bruins win a largely 5v5 game?


• If the Celtics sweep a series against a not-worthy opponent, does anyone notice? Let's get on with the Bucks series already. Zzzzzzzzz. That won't start until Saturday — at the earliest.


• Gordon Hayward ... impressive.


• Pssst, don't tell anyone, but the Boston sports slam is now back on the table.


• The Red Sox ... not dead yet!


• Have a weekend, Christian Vazquez.


• With some travel mixed in with the holiday weekend, I did not have the time needed to get my Q&A in. But either I'll do one on Thursday, and/or if something big comes up before the draft (cough, Josh Rosen), I'll break the glass and do an emergency session as well.

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