Saturday night was game two of the Bruins' three-game West Coast road trip. They were in action against the Los Angeles Kings, another desperate squad who is scraping up every last point in the month of March.
This game was significant because it was Zdeno Chara's 1,000th career NHL game. The captain is considered one of the game's best defenders and it is no surprise that he has reached this mark. What makes this honor even more special is that he accomplished this feat by last wearing the Black and Gold.
There was not too many pregame stories coming into this one, so let's get right to the game. The first period was much more productive and physical than Thursday's game against the San Jose Sharks.
Chris Kelly (of all people) dropped the gloves with Trevor Lewis to get the team going. Even though the fight resulted from a scrum, it still sparked some energy. From a fan's perspective, it was an entertaining 20 minutes.
The fast-paced play carried over into the second period. Both teams got point-blank scoring chances during five-on-five play and on the power play. Tim Thomas and Jonathan Quick were outstanding in their respective goals throughout the game as the score could have been more inflated than what it was. Goaltenders take all the fun away.
In the second period, Patrice Bergeron recorded his 20th goal of the season while the Bruins were short handed. The B's dominated the middle period, going on a stretch where they recorded 10 consecutive shots on goal. The Kings managed to tie the game when Colin Fraser knotted his second of the season. Was there goaltender interference on the play? Debatable.
Boston grabbed two goals in the third, scored by Milan Lucic and Kelly. The Kings made it interesting when Slava Voynov cut the lead in half with about five minutes remaining. After the Bruins killed off a Kings' power play, Thomas robbed L.A. on four scoring chances. Brad Marchand added an empty-net goal to preserve the 4-2 victory.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Sunday night when they take on the Anaheim Ducks.
Gold Star: Tim Thomas (40 saves on 42 shots, 2 goals allowed, .953 save percentage)...It is safe to say that Timmy has found his confidence again.
Black Star: Shawn Thornton...These are not the type of games that will play in his favor.
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