Sports Redux: Another Day, Another Shootout

Maybe the Bruins could save everyone a lot of time, skip the inconclusive first 60 minutes, and go straight to overtime and a shootout. Sure, then you'd miss the Bruins climbing back from a two-goal first-period deficit like last night, but on the plus side, you wouldn't have to watch them fall into that hole in the first place. It's really worth considering.

Of course, then you wouldn't get to see how Tim Thomas did in his first game back after missing six with his mystery injury. He did give up two quick goals to Senators Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek, but his teammates bailed him out in the second with scores by David Krejci and Michael Ryder. The B's took a lead in the third on a Dennis Wideman score, but Michalek tied it with 20 seconds to go. In other words, once again, 60 minutes of hockey led to an unsatisfying tie.

Fortunately, Ryder wasn't finished, and beat Brian Elliott in the shootout with a wrist shot that was really what he was planning all along, wasn't it, Michael? "I feel like I think too much, maybe that was the difference...I just went on instinct. I really didn't know what I was going to do going in on him." OK, then. Keep doing that. The B's get a couple days of rest and relaxation before Tampa Bay comes to visit on Wednesday.

The Celtics are hoping that some time on the road might help them come together and shake off their early funk like last week's trip did for the B's. Their four-game road swing (and seven of the next eight) starts tonight in Miami, and features four tough opponents (have you seen what the Bobcats are up to lately?).

The college football regular season came to an end yesterday. BC beat Maryland to essentially clinch their spot in the Emerald Bowl. Holy Cross lost to Villanova, but they're saddest about losing QB Dominic Randolph, who rewrote the Crusaders' record book in his four years in Worcester. Nationally, Tim Tebow and Florida dispatched FSU to finish his career in Gainesville and go steaming into the SEC Championship with Alabama, and Charlie Weis' career at Notre Dame came to an almost certain thud with the Irish's loss to Stanford.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Technology and everything permitting, Bostonist plans to live-blog tomorrow night's Pats/Saints game. Get your commenting fingers ready.