The Boston Bruins were entering their first extensive road trip of the year at a pretty auspicious time.
The entire city was calling for a premature overhaul this soon into the season. Three solid games on the road later, and we have our team back.
It's funny how things work out.
Anyway, with the changes made to the roster (Simon Gagne skating on the first line, Gregory Campbell back centering the fourth line, and offensive production from the defense), the Black and Gold were ready to finish the month of October strong.
The Bruins welcomed the San Jose Sharks into the TD Garden on Tuesday, a team that has been dealing with its own internal issues. The captain-less Sharks play well out West against conference opponents, but let's see how they did against Boston on this night.
Kevan Miller, who was injured on Saturday during a fight, was ruled out indefinitely. Matt Bartkowski took his place on the blue line. Also, Seth Griffith was recalled from Providence for this game.
In the first period, both teams played at a very timid pace. You can tell that both clubs had the respect for the offensive talent that they were opposing, so defensive hockey was the story during the first 20 minutes. The Bruins had the better of the scoring chances, but the Sharks were much more physical, outhitting the B's 10-5. The game was tied at one after the first period as each team netted a power play goal.
Boston came out on fire to start the second period. The Bruins were forcing the Sharks to break down in their own end and were continuing to rack up shots. They even took the lead on a power play goal by Torey Krug. However, they fell apart in the final five minutes. Logan Couture (2nd goal of game) and old friend Joe Thornton put the puck past Tuukka Rask to take the lead.
Before anyone knew it, the Bruins were playing from behind entering the third period. The final 20 minutes started out as a back-and-forth affair, but Boston quickly took the lead back on goals by Griffith (his first-career NHL goal) and Campbell. The Bruins had to kill a double minor to end the game, but they stood on their heads to protect Rask. The Bruins took this game by a score of 5-3 in what was a very entertaining hockey game.
The Bruins will play their next game on Thursday night against the New York Islanders.
Gold Star: Milan Lucic...This was his best offensive game this season. His three assists proved to be huge in this game. Let's see if he can keep this up.
Black Star: Patrice Bergeron...Not only did he not play his best, but his late penalty almost cost his team the game.
Game Eight Box Score
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