Patrice Bergeron broke a scoreless tie with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Bruins a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. Tuukka Rask pitched the shutout for the B’s.

Here’s your top 10 from this morning:

Bruins make like contenders in 1-0 win over Jersey - Joe Haggerty calls this one “a grimy, playoff-style 1-0 statement win on the road.”

Joe Colborne inks 3-year deal - Steve Conroy’s notebook has the Bruins’ 2008 first round pick coming to terms with the team yesterday. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound center is expected to report to Providence today.

DeFilippo seeks a different style in his next hire - Mark Blaudschun has Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo explaining what he’s going to be looking for in his next mens basketball coach.

A very successful tenure simply had run its course - Bob Ryan says the following of Al Skinner and why he and Boston College needed to part ways: “I had to smile when I saw that St. John’s was interviewing Al. Doesn’t St. John’s understand that Al is the least-hard-working guy in show business, that in the world of Division 1 college basketball, there is absolutely no one like him? In a world of 24/7/365 basketball zealots, Al is Mr. Casual.”

Translation = lazy. Ryan is kinder the rest of the way to Skinner, and appreciative for the 247 wins that the coach brought to the program in his 13 seasons.

Patriots brass dines with Tim Tebow - Karen Guregian looks at the “normally discreet and secretive Pats” openly dining with the Florida QB. Smokescreen? WEEI’s ItIsWhatItIs blog has the Patriots taking Tebow with their second pick in the second round in their latest mock draft.

In Foxboro, it’s running back by committee - Robert Lee has Sammy Morris talking about his fellow running backs, and how the Patriots handle them during the season.

Kelly aces his big-time test - Peter Abraham has 20-year-old phenom Casey Kelly looking right at home while facing the Tampa Rays yesterday.

The man in the middle - Joe McDonald says that David Ortiz needs to produce if the Red Sox offense is to thrive in 2010. McDonald looks at whether Ortiz is up to the challenge.

Tazawa has sprained ligament in elbow - Brian MacPherson’s Red Sox Journal updates the status of Junichi Tazawa, and has several other items of interest.

Marquis Daniels a downer - Mark Murphy has the Celtics swingman trying to figure out the cause of his recent poor play.

The Bruins fell to the Buffalo Sabres last night 3-2, but thanks to an Atlanta loss, still hold the final playoff spot by two points.

The big story this morning is Boston College’s decision to fire head basketball coach Al Skinner.

3-2 Bruins loss was Thomas’ last stand - Mick Colageo says that after last night, there is no goaltender controversy in Boston.

Trying times for Thomas - Joe McDonald has Tim Thomas furious after being pulled last night after giving up three goals on 14 shots.

Sturm has his shot, but comes up empty - Fluto Shinzawa’s notebook has Marco Sturm failing to convert a crucial penalty shot.

More opportunity lost for the Bruins - Joe Haggerty has the Bruins falling “flatter than Dennis Wideman during one of his trademark stumbles on the ice.”

Run saved a run earned for Red Sox - Jeremy Lundblad examines how placing value on defense projects to pay off in the win column for Boston in 2010.

Manny Delcarmen’s still not all set - Scott Lauber has the Red Sox reliever still trying to correct his mechanics.

Dice-K to make three more rehab starts  – An extensive notebook from Brian MacPherson fills us in on a number of topics.

Sox hope these key batters will be a solid triple - Nick Cafardo talks to hitting coach Dave Magadan about Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and David Ortiz, and what he thinks of their work at the plate this spring.

Rivers still sorting out playing rotations - Gary Washburn has Doc River still trying to figure out who to play with just nine games remaining in the regular season.

Patriots should make tight end top priority – Glen Farley asserts that the Patriots biggest need is a young tight end with talent.

Over on Patriots Daily, we’ve got Catching Up With The Offseason, March Edition - a look back at all that happened with the team in the last month.

Did the Patriots turn down a top-10 pick in this year’s draft?

That is the assertion of Albert Breer.

The discussion spawned on Twitter as a result of this post on the Extra Points blogwhere Breer is discussing whether the Patriots made the right move in getting the 2011 first round pick of the Raiders in the Richard Seymour trade. Breer is trying to make the point that the Patriots decision to go with the 2011 pick based on the presumption that there will be a rookie salary scale in place is something that we can’t judge as a good or bad move right now.

That’s fine. Valid point. Breer was challenged a bit on the post on Twitter:

From the PD Twitter account: (Not from me.)

More obvious s***stirring from you with Seymour. Was 2010 pick even on table? And you gloss over potential 2011 rookie cap.

Breer:

Clearly anything not overwhelmingly positive isn’t cool. Plenty of propaganda out there for you. Won’t come from here.

PD:

Ah, the “kool-aid drinker blogging from mother’s basement” take. Original. I don’t want propaganda. I want a straight take…2011 pick maybe worse, maybe better. Rookie cap important detail. No way to know now, but you stoked fire anyway.

Breer:

Wasn’t that exctly what I said? Decision-making based on rookie salary scale sound, final result still unknown. Read it back.

PD:

Tone was trade not worth the risk. “Can still poke holes in decision”, “trade quite a gamble, even moreso”. Was it really? … so many holes: Was 2010 1st on table, or 2nd; No assurance of Raiders’ 2009 record; Seymour likely to bolt from Pats as UFA. And finally, your acknowledgment of rookie cap was glancing, at best. Tried to mitigate by saying 9th pick salary not so bad.

Breer:

Isn’t it, though? They paid for the 10th pick just two years ago, and I’d say that worked out OK. …Curious 2 cite depth of this draft, in explng dec-making, but have turned dwn Top 10 pick in it in uncapped environ.

PD:

Specious argument. Paying 10th pick in ’08 a deterrent to pay less in ’11? And any confirmation yet ’10 first was on the table? Lombardi: http://bit.ly/zjTeB “At first, this deal was being framed around a two in 2010 …but it moved to a one because the Raiders wanted to keep their draft alive next year”"

And that’s where the discussion ends. Breer has ignored repeated requests from several users on Twitter to clarify his claim that the Patriots turned down the Raiders 2010 pick in favor of the 2011 one, just so they could be under the rookie salary scale and save money.

If that is true, then the Patriots should be open to criticism, as this 2010 draft is being lauded as the deepest in years, and the team could certainly fill a big hole with the number eight overall pick owned by the Raiders.

But where is the proof? When the deal went down, there were no reports of the Patriots having their choice of picks. In fact, Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post reported at the time (in the link provided in the above Tweet):

At first, this deal was being framed around a two in 2010, but it moved to a one because the Raiders wanted to keep their draft alive next year.

So which is it? Who is worthy of the criticism? The Patriots for turning down a top-10 pick this year, or Breer for throwing something out there to try and quiet a Twitter challenger? If the Patriots actually turned down a top-10 pick in this draft, isn’t that a huge story? One that should be reported further on?

One way or the other, this needs to be sorted out.

Just when we thought that the Celtics home woes might be behind them, Boston gets spanked by the veteran San Antonio Spurs at the Garden last night, 94-73.

Celtics alternate between tantalizing and terrible - Steve Bulpett notes that the Celtics looked great in the first quarter, but then were awful the rest of the way.

Schedule, Spurs worked against C’s - Peter May says that this one game doesn’t undo the positives that the Celtics had going for them in recent games.

Spurs’ second effort sinks C’s - Jessica Camerato looks at a few other items of note from last night.

To the end, a man felled by hatred rose above it - Dan Shaughnessy remembers Darryl Williams, the former  Jamaica Plain football player who was shot on the field and paralyzed in 1979. Williams died yesterday at the age of 46. A very nice piece from Shaughnessy.

A real wingding -  Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has the Boston College Eagles outscoring Yale 9-7 to earn themselves a trip to the Frozen Four.

Red Sox won’t rule out 6-man rotation - Gordon Edes has the Red Sox considering all options when it comes to their starting pitching.

Patience not lost by Red Sox - Scott Lauber has the Red Sox still maintaining their philosophy of patience at the plate.

Hulett, Frandsen battle for roster spot - Brian MacPherson has infielders Tug Hulett and Kevin Frandsen battling for a roster spot that may not even be available.

Buchholz finds a positive solution - Sean McAdam’s notebook ties up a lot of loose items from yesterday.

Looking like the Lucic of old - Danny Picard has Milan Lucic coming into form as of late as he recovers from the high ankle sprain suffered earlier in the season. His resurgence has especially been felt on the power play.

Going outside the region, there has been a lot of buzz locally about a Denver Post articleyesterday on the first year of Bronco’s head coach Josh McDaniels. There is a lot of Patriots-related material in there, including the tidbit that in McDaniel’s first year as offensive coordinator, he and Tom Brady once went three weeks without speaking to each other.

Ten Bonus Saturday Links:

Celtics — yawn — win division - Bill Doyle is excited at the Celtics third straight Atlantic division title.

Rondo’s gambles pay off - Chris Forsberg has Rajon Rondo breaking the Celtics single-season record for steals.

Young star is now leading by example - Gary Washburn says that more and more, this is becoming Rondo’s team, something even Kevin Garnett readily admits.

‘Boxing out’ gets new meaning - Julian Benbow’s notebook has the team finding a new way to settle disputes.

Red Sox find a spot for all their starters - Sean McAdam has Terry Francona setting his starting rotation to begin the season.

Decisions left to make - Scott Lauber looks at where every reliever left in camp stands with the Red Sox.

Is David Ortiz still Big Papi? - Mike Fine looks at whether the great clutch hitter in Red Sox history can still be a middle-of-the-order threat.

Scratch Olsen and Reed off the list - Tom E Curran checks in with a few Patriots-related nuggets of information.

Krejci pulling his weight - Brendan Hall has the Bruins center picking up the slack as of late.

Hanging in the balance - Steve Conroy has the Bruins looking to play a more complete game.

Remember, you can also always check out the link sites for the latest and complete listing of sports stories:

CelticsLinks.com

Red Sox Links

BruinsLinks.com

PatriotsLinks.com

The Bruins looked to be coming together in their prior two games, but last night they reverted to old habits and fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 at the Garden.

A control issue with Woods - Chad Finn examines Tiger Woods’ recent interviews, and says that the disgraced golf star still isn’t being totally candid.

Bruins take another step back against Lightning - Joe Haggerty has the wrap from the Garden.

Bruins ripe for pickings - Stephen Harris says that the Bruins really need to get the #2 pick in the draft (via Toronto’s pick) and get themselves a pure goalscorer – and several will be available.

Opposite night in B’s loss to Lightning - Dan Rowinski says that everything was backward for the Bruins last night.

Bruins’ special teams anything but - Joe McDonald looks at another lifeless series of power plays for the Bruins.

Shawn Crable may be Patriots’ missing piece - Ian Rapoport talks to the former Michigan star, who has yet to play a regular season snap for the Patriots after being drafted two years ago.

Rocket scientist finds his space - In a piece that must’ve been in the works for awhile, Adam Kilgore (who has been on the Nationals beat for the Washington Post for a few weeks now) has a feature on Patriots linebacker coach Matt Patricia.

Patriots’ offensive line hopes to build upon last season’s success - Robert Lee  talks to center Dan Koppen about how his unit can get better than they were last season.

Matsuzaka starts his comeback - Sean McAdam has Daisuke Matsuzaka making his Grapefruit League debut yesterday.

For new Red Sox third-base coach Tim Bogar, success will mean no one notices him - Brian MacPherson looks at how the new coach is preparing for his first season at the hot corner.

Padres slugger could still find his way to Boston - Mike Fine thinks Adrian Gonzalez is still a good possibility for the Red Sox, though the end of the Globe notebook seems to indicate otherwise.

Journey to the D-League, Part 4: The game - Paul Flannery wraps up his four part series on the NBA Development League.

Rough Celtics begin to smooth out - Steve Bulpett has the Celtics making some progress.

Celtics small lineup comes up big - A. Sherrod Blakely looks at the small lineup employed by Doc Rivers against the Nuggets on Wednesday night, and why he might need to use it more over the coming weeks.

Differences between grid & diamond - In a blog entry, Mike Reiss cites access as the main difference between covering football and baseball.

And sort of media-related (For WEEI, anyway):

Congressman Fred Smerlas? It just may happen this fall - The Sun (Hamburg, NY) says that Fred Smerlas is thinking about moving his family to Western NY and making a run at Congress.

WEEI appears to be holding off WBZ-FM in the latest ratings. 98.5′s ratings have gone downhill since the start of the year (though ‘EEI’s have as well). Maybe the WEEI-lite strategy isn’t working.

The Celtics did something rather unusual last night. Most of the season they have struggled at home, especially against quality teams. Last night however, they took care of business, wiping out the Denver Nuggets 113-99 for their fourth straight home victory – astonishingly, their first such streak of the season.

Celtics take care of Nuggets, 113-99 - Bill Doyle says that there is no doubt that this was the most impressive home victory of the season for the Celtics.

Tony Allen provides winning spark - Steve Bulpett has Tony Allen providing an unlikely spark off the bench for the Celtics, putting in 13 points and tough defense in 20 minutes of play.

Dantley gets more knocks than opportunity - Gary Washburn checks in with Adrian Dantley, who has been coaching the Nuggets in George Karl’s absence. Dantley in his playing days was one of the more unique players in NBA history, a 6-5 230-pound low-post machine.

Celts improving their board scores - A. Sherrod Blakely feeds us an assortment of notes from the game last night.

Paul Flannery is in the midst of a four-part series on the NBA D-League, which is definitely worth a read. Here are the first three parts:

Journey to the D-League, Part 1: The ‘D’

Journey to the D-League, Part 2: The Red Claws

Journey to the D-League, Part 3: The players

Lowell’s mobility limited . . . in more ways than one - Sean McAdam has Mike Lowell finding his options limited, both with the Red Sox and with other teams as well.

With Red Sox thin at shortstop, Bill Hall could be a key player - Brian MacPherson looks at a backup who could end up playing a big role for the Sox this season.

Relief for an anxious pitcher - The Globe notebook has Alan Embree looking sharp in a minor league game yesterday.

Carroll admits mistakes with Pats - Mike Reiss has the former Patriots coach talking about his time in New England. Was there any tension in talking to Ron Borges?

Re-signing Ference is a defensible move - Fluto Shinzawa tries to explain why in the world the Bruins gave Andrew Ference a three-year extension.

In the Metro, I’ve got What I’m looking forward to this Red Sox season.

Check Patriots Daily this afternoon for another draft prospect interview.

The bad? Two words. Buddy Thomas.