In the midst of all of the Tim Thomas/White House boycott controversy, the Bruins returned to the nation's capital once again to take on the Washington Capitals. This was the final Bruins game before the All-Star break.
I wonder if Thomas had played in this game, would he have been booed by the home crowd? Either way, everyone needs to let this situation go.
With that being said, Tuukka Rask did get the start in goal for the B's. Andrew Ference sat out game two of his three-game suspension and Nathan Horton was ruled out due to a mild concussion. He is listed as day-to-day.
Rich Peverley took Horton's spot on the line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic while Zach Hamill took Peverley's spot on the third line. Steven Kampfer replaced Ference in the lineup yet again.
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin did not play in this game as he began to serve a three-game suspension of his own. He will also not participate in this year's All-Star game. Perhaps Patrice Bergeron can take his place? I have only been saying he deserves an All-Star roster spot for the past season and a half now? No big deal.
Lets focus on Tuesday night's game for now. The first 20 minutes went by at a brisk pace. The puck was constantly moving up and down the ice. The Caps had two great chances but their shots went wide of the net. Peverley had the lone goal of the period when he bounced the puck off of Washington goaltender Tomas Vokoun and into the net.
Krejci blocked a shot off of his foot in the opening period, causing his minutes to be briefly limited.
The second period was all about the scoring. The Caps got three goals on Rask, two of which were scored by Mathieu Perreault. For the B's, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand scored beautiful goals that came as a result of great defensive work. Bergeron and Dennis Seidenberg each had two assists in the game. The game was tied at three after two.
The third period was much like the opening period as there was continuous play without many stoppages. When the puck was in play, it was Washington who controlled much of the possession. What really hurt the Bruins in this game was turning the puck over.
It was one of Washington's 15 takeaways that allowed Perreault to complete his first career hat-trick. Dennis Wideman added an empty net goal to seal a 5-3 victory over the Bruins
You have to give credit to the Capitals. They put significant pressure on the B's all game long. They got the lucky bounces and won key face-offs. Boston could just not dig deep enough to pull this one out.
Boston's next game will be next Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. In the meantime, enjoy the All-Star break.
Gold Star: Tyler Seguin (1 goal, plus-1 rating)...He had a great defensive game. His defensive work eventually resulted in a goal for himself.
Black Star: Adam McQuaid...Too many turnovers and too much sloppy play for anyone's liking.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Game Forty Six: Wait! There Was A B's Game On Sunday?
Did anyone know that there was a Bruins game on Sunday? With the other happenings existing in the world of sports, it was understandable if it slipped the minds of B's fans. Their opponent? The Philadelphia Flyers.
Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference was suspended three games for his hit on New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh Saturday afternoon. He was replaced by Steven Kampfer, who brings a much more fast-paced, puck-moving style to the lineup. It turns out he was nothing more than a target in this game.
The game was physical as physical can be. Even though the B's blanked Philadelphia 6-0 in their last meeting, this was a different team they were facing. The Philly roster was heavily different since they lost five players due to injury. They are dropping like Fly-er-s. Har Har Har.
Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly had fights in the opening period. Kelly responded to Brayden Schenn's beautiful hit on Kampfer in the defensive zone. Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov got involved in the action when he roughed up Brad Marchand, who got pushed into Bryzgalov by a Flyer.
Shawn Thornton beat up on Jody Shelly in the second period. Once again, Thornton provided a spark for the Bruins by dropping the gloves.
At the end of two periods, Philly had a 4-3 lead. Scott Hartnell recorded a natural hat-trick in the second period to put the Flyers on top for the first time in the game. Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin, and Lucic had the three goals for Boston.
Nathan Horton left the game at some point in the third period for unknown reasons.
Fatigue began to set in for both teams as the physical play slightly continued. At the same time, both teams had several chances to score. It was David Krejci that tied the game at four after tipping the puck in off of a shot by Rich Peverley. Gregory Campbell later poked a goal in to put the B's back on top.
The Flyers tied the game up once again with the help from the power play. The game ended up going into overtime. After a scoreless overtime, Tim Thomas came up huge in the shootout by stopping two shots. Krejci and Seguin had the shootout goals for the Bruins. Boston won this game by a score of 6-5
The Bruins have one last game before the All-Star break. It will be this Tuesday night on the road against the Washington Capitals.
Gold Star: Milan Lucic (Gordie Howe hat-trick)...Solid game for the winger.
Black Star: Joe Corvo...When is enough enough already?
Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference was suspended three games for his hit on New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh Saturday afternoon. He was replaced by Steven Kampfer, who brings a much more fast-paced, puck-moving style to the lineup. It turns out he was nothing more than a target in this game.
The game was physical as physical can be. Even though the B's blanked Philadelphia 6-0 in their last meeting, this was a different team they were facing. The Philly roster was heavily different since they lost five players due to injury. They are dropping like Fly-er-s. Har Har Har.
Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly had fights in the opening period. Kelly responded to Brayden Schenn's beautiful hit on Kampfer in the defensive zone. Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov got involved in the action when he roughed up Brad Marchand, who got pushed into Bryzgalov by a Flyer.
Shawn Thornton beat up on Jody Shelly in the second period. Once again, Thornton provided a spark for the Bruins by dropping the gloves.
At the end of two periods, Philly had a 4-3 lead. Scott Hartnell recorded a natural hat-trick in the second period to put the Flyers on top for the first time in the game. Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin, and Lucic had the three goals for Boston.
Nathan Horton left the game at some point in the third period for unknown reasons.
Fatigue began to set in for both teams as the physical play slightly continued. At the same time, both teams had several chances to score. It was David Krejci that tied the game at four after tipping the puck in off of a shot by Rich Peverley. Gregory Campbell later poked a goal in to put the B's back on top.
The Flyers tied the game up once again with the help from the power play. The game ended up going into overtime. After a scoreless overtime, Tim Thomas came up huge in the shootout by stopping two shots. Krejci and Seguin had the shootout goals for the Bruins. Boston won this game by a score of 6-5
The Bruins have one last game before the All-Star break. It will be this Tuesday night on the road against the Washington Capitals.
Gold Star: Milan Lucic (Gordie Howe hat-trick)...Solid game for the winger.
Black Star: Joe Corvo...When is enough enough already?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Game Forty Five: B's Battle For Eastern Conference Supremacy
The TD Garden played host to matinee hockey on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins took on the New York Rangers in a battle for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers stole this victory with four seconds remaining in overtime to cap off a 3-2 win.
After a scoreless first period, both teams scored two goals each in the second period. Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik netted the goals for the Rangers and Andrew Ference and Adam McQuaid had the goals for the Bruins. It was not until Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves with Mike Rupp that Boston finally woke up.
Tuukka Rask and Henrik Lundqvist were brilliant in this contest. They set the tone for how the game was going to be played throughout. The game was fast-moving and physical, which was expected in a game that featured the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
In the overtime, Ference got called with a charging penalty and a game misconduct. There was no need for him to lay out Ryan McDonagh the way he did. We should expect a suspension coming from the NHL because he deserves one. Now we will finally get the chance to see Steven Kampfer play, under an unfortunate circumstance of course.
The B's will be right back in action Sunday afternoon when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers.
Gold Star: Tuukka Rask (30 saves on 33 shots, 3 goals allowed, .909 save percentage)...Yes he did give up the three goals, but the way he played in this game was superb. Do the Bruins fianlly have a goalie controversy?
Black Star: Dennis Seidenberg...He was on the ice for two of the three Rangers goals. He always falls out of site in big games and today was no different.
After a scoreless first period, both teams scored two goals each in the second period. Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik netted the goals for the Rangers and Andrew Ference and Adam McQuaid had the goals for the Bruins. It was not until Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves with Mike Rupp that Boston finally woke up.
Tuukka Rask and Henrik Lundqvist were brilliant in this contest. They set the tone for how the game was going to be played throughout. The game was fast-moving and physical, which was expected in a game that featured the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
In the overtime, Ference got called with a charging penalty and a game misconduct. There was no need for him to lay out Ryan McDonagh the way he did. We should expect a suspension coming from the NHL because he deserves one. Now we will finally get the chance to see Steven Kampfer play, under an unfortunate circumstance of course.
The B's will be right back in action Sunday afternoon when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers.
Gold Star: Tuukka Rask (30 saves on 33 shots, 3 goals allowed, .909 save percentage)...Yes he did give up the three goals, but the way he played in this game was superb. Do the Bruins fianlly have a goalie controversy?
Black Star: Dennis Seidenberg...He was on the ice for two of the three Rangers goals. He always falls out of site in big games and today was no different.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Game Forty Four: B's Contiune Dominance of Atlantic Division
The Bruins capped off their four-game road trip on Thursday night when they took on the New Jersey Devils. Boston had won their previous two meetings with the Devils coming into this game.
For the first time in almost a week, the Bruins lineup returned to full strength as both Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley skated in this game. Marchand was suspended five games for his hit on Canucks defenseman Sami Salo and Peverley missed the last two games for personal reasons.
The team sure has missed their speed. These two players usually provide that injection of energy all game long. They needed it for this contest against New Jersey who sits in third place in the Atlantic Division. Boston has had success against Atlantic Division teams this season, winning six straight. The last time they lost to an Atlantic Division team was opening night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
We saw a fast-paced opening period between the two teams. Nathan Horton almost beat Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur on three separate occasions. However, it was New Jersey who ended up scoring first when Petr Sykora wrapped the puck around the net and shot it past Tim Thomas.
After a scoreless second period that was dominated by the Devils, Boston looked to get off to a good start in the final 20 minutes. That certainly was the case since the B's scored three goals within the first eight minutes. Horton, Andrew Ference, and Gregory Campbell had the tallies. Campbell finished the game with the Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fighting major).
The Devils seemed to just give up on this game as it progressed. They kept turning the puck over to the Bruins allowing them to get more scoring chances. Chris Kelly added an empty-net goal to seal a 4-1 Bruins victory. Thomas made 30 saves on 31 shots.
Boston will return home for their next game on Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers.
Gold Star: Gregory Campbell...A breakout game for the fourth-line center recording the Gordie Howe hat trick.
Black Star: Brad Marchand...He was clearly a little rusty in this one but give him some time and we should see him back to form soon.
For the first time in almost a week, the Bruins lineup returned to full strength as both Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley skated in this game. Marchand was suspended five games for his hit on Canucks defenseman Sami Salo and Peverley missed the last two games for personal reasons.
The team sure has missed their speed. These two players usually provide that injection of energy all game long. They needed it for this contest against New Jersey who sits in third place in the Atlantic Division. Boston has had success against Atlantic Division teams this season, winning six straight. The last time they lost to an Atlantic Division team was opening night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
We saw a fast-paced opening period between the two teams. Nathan Horton almost beat Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur on three separate occasions. However, it was New Jersey who ended up scoring first when Petr Sykora wrapped the puck around the net and shot it past Tim Thomas.
After a scoreless second period that was dominated by the Devils, Boston looked to get off to a good start in the final 20 minutes. That certainly was the case since the B's scored three goals within the first eight minutes. Horton, Andrew Ference, and Gregory Campbell had the tallies. Campbell finished the game with the Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fighting major).
The Devils seemed to just give up on this game as it progressed. They kept turning the puck over to the Bruins allowing them to get more scoring chances. Chris Kelly added an empty-net goal to seal a 4-1 Bruins victory. Thomas made 30 saves on 31 shots.
Boston will return home for their next game on Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers.
Gold Star: Gregory Campbell...A breakout game for the fourth-line center recording the Gordie Howe hat trick.
Black Star: Brad Marchand...He was clearly a little rusty in this one but give him some time and we should see him back to form soon.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Game Forty Three: Bruins Drop Game In Tampa
After coming off a shootout victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday night, the Bruins traveled a little further upstate to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was the second meeting between the two teams this season.
What is going on with the Bolts? Prior to Tuesday's game with the B's, Tampa was in last place in the Eastern Conference. They do have Steven Stamkos who leads the league in goals. However, they have the worst goals against average in the league, allowing 3.5 goals a game.
Across the sheet, Boston has been struggling even though their record does not show it. They really have not been clicking for the past few games now. Specifically, Bruins head coach Claude Julien called out Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic for not picking up their games lately. Would this turn out to be motivation or demoralizing?
Tim Thomas was back in net for Boston. Rich Peverley missed his second consecutive game due to a personal matter. He will likely miss the next two games as well. Zach Hamill and Jordan Caron skated with Chris Kelly once again.
Boston had a terrible opening period. The offense only got most of their shots when they had two power plays and the defense was straight up awful. The poor play was evident in the way that they allowed Tampa Bay to score the only goal of the period. Vincent Lecavalier tapped in the puck past Thomas after three Bruins players failed to clear it out of the crease.
The Lightning continued their momentum into the second period as they started off with a power play. Once the Bruins killed it off, the momentum started to shift. Horton scored two goals in the period. Looks like the words of Julien motivated him after all. The B's, however, had a mental lapse that turned into a Tampa Bay goal. Tom Pyatt put the puck past Thomas after a turnover by Boston.
The Lightning proved to be too much for the Bruins as they went on to score three goals in the final 20 minutes. Ryan Malone, Dominic Moore, and Stamkos (empty net) recorded the tallies for the Bolts. Daniel Paille had a short-handed goal for Boston but it was not enough. The Bruins dropped this game by a score of 5-3.
Tampa Bay snapped their seven-game losing streak at the expense of the Bruins. Also, the B's suffered their first loss of the season when Andrew Ference records a point as he had an assist on Horton's second goal.
The Bruins will be back in action Thursday night when they take on the New Jersey Devils.
Gold Star: Nathan Horton...All he really needs is a boost of confidence for him to get his game going again.
Black Star: Joe Corvo...He was trying to do too much by chasing the puck around and causing turnovers. Can we please see Steven Kampfer play?
What is going on with the Bolts? Prior to Tuesday's game with the B's, Tampa was in last place in the Eastern Conference. They do have Steven Stamkos who leads the league in goals. However, they have the worst goals against average in the league, allowing 3.5 goals a game.
Across the sheet, Boston has been struggling even though their record does not show it. They really have not been clicking for the past few games now. Specifically, Bruins head coach Claude Julien called out Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic for not picking up their games lately. Would this turn out to be motivation or demoralizing?
Tim Thomas was back in net for Boston. Rich Peverley missed his second consecutive game due to a personal matter. He will likely miss the next two games as well. Zach Hamill and Jordan Caron skated with Chris Kelly once again.
Boston had a terrible opening period. The offense only got most of their shots when they had two power plays and the defense was straight up awful. The poor play was evident in the way that they allowed Tampa Bay to score the only goal of the period. Vincent Lecavalier tapped in the puck past Thomas after three Bruins players failed to clear it out of the crease.
The Lightning continued their momentum into the second period as they started off with a power play. Once the Bruins killed it off, the momentum started to shift. Horton scored two goals in the period. Looks like the words of Julien motivated him after all. The B's, however, had a mental lapse that turned into a Tampa Bay goal. Tom Pyatt put the puck past Thomas after a turnover by Boston.
The Lightning proved to be too much for the Bruins as they went on to score three goals in the final 20 minutes. Ryan Malone, Dominic Moore, and Stamkos (empty net) recorded the tallies for the Bolts. Daniel Paille had a short-handed goal for Boston but it was not enough. The Bruins dropped this game by a score of 5-3.
Tampa Bay snapped their seven-game losing streak at the expense of the Bruins. Also, the B's suffered their first loss of the season when Andrew Ference records a point as he had an assist on Horton's second goal.
The Bruins will be back in action Thursday night when they take on the New Jersey Devils.
Gold Star: Nathan Horton...All he really needs is a boost of confidence for him to get his game going again.
Black Star: Joe Corvo...He was trying to do too much by chasing the puck around and causing turnovers. Can we please see Steven Kampfer play?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Game Forty Two: B's Avoid Losing Two In A Row
The Bruins took on the Florida Panthers on Monday night for their second game of a four-game road trip. This was also the first of six games that the B's will play in a nine night span.
The Panthers have been struggling recently, surrendering their once commanding lead over the Southeast Division. They now only own a one point lead over the surging Washington Capitals.
As for Boston, they skated without Rich Peverley in this game due to a personal issue. As a result, Chris Kelly was paired up with Jordan Caron and Zach Hamill. It was good to see young players like Caron and Hamill get an opportunity to skate with a veteran like Kelly even though B's head coach Claude Julien mixed up the lines a little bit as the game went on.
The Bruins really came out strong in the opening period as they established their presence in all three zones of the ice. Even though Boston only got six shots on Panthers goaltender Scott Clemmensen, they still controlled much of the possession. The switching of the defensive pairs contributed to it as well.
Patrice Bergeron scored his 13th goal of the season at 1:20 of the period on a great shot from the top of the zone. Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Seguin had the assists. Daniel Paille got into his second career fight with Ed Jovanovski after he hit Paille with an incidental elbow. Tuukka Rask was great in the first period, stopping all 12 shots he faced.
Florida picked up the pace and scored two goals in the second period. The first goal was scored by Jason Garrison, who shot the puck and it deflected in off of Dennis Seidenberg. Shawn Matthias scored the second goal when he skated out of the penalty box and beat Rask on the breakaway. Bergeron netted his second goal of the game (a five-on-three power play goal) in between the two Florida goals.
It seemed as if the B's defense broke down as the game went on. On the other hand, the forwards put heavy pressure on the Panthers defense, Seguin in particular. His speed was a problem for the Panthers all night.
In the third period, all four lines were clicking for Boston. They all played very physical and they had several chances to put the game away. Rask made some good saves down the stretch as he finished the game with 38 of them. The score was tied at two at the end of sixty minutes.
Both teams headed to a shootout after no winner was decided in the five minute overtime. Even though his 11 game point streak came to an end in this game, David Krejci had the game-winning shootout goal in the fourth round. Boston sealed the victory with a 3-2 shootout victory. They are now 5-0-1 in games that go beyond regulation this season.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Tuesday night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Gold Star: Patrice Bergeron (2 goals, plus-1 rating, 6 shots on goal)...Do you think he was a little upset about not being named to the All-Star game?
Black Star: Andrew Ference...He committed too much in the offensive zone, which turned into fast breakaways by the Panthers.
The Panthers have been struggling recently, surrendering their once commanding lead over the Southeast Division. They now only own a one point lead over the surging Washington Capitals.
As for Boston, they skated without Rich Peverley in this game due to a personal issue. As a result, Chris Kelly was paired up with Jordan Caron and Zach Hamill. It was good to see young players like Caron and Hamill get an opportunity to skate with a veteran like Kelly even though B's head coach Claude Julien mixed up the lines a little bit as the game went on.
The Bruins really came out strong in the opening period as they established their presence in all three zones of the ice. Even though Boston only got six shots on Panthers goaltender Scott Clemmensen, they still controlled much of the possession. The switching of the defensive pairs contributed to it as well.
Patrice Bergeron scored his 13th goal of the season at 1:20 of the period on a great shot from the top of the zone. Benoit Pouliot and Tyler Seguin had the assists. Daniel Paille got into his second career fight with Ed Jovanovski after he hit Paille with an incidental elbow. Tuukka Rask was great in the first period, stopping all 12 shots he faced.
Florida picked up the pace and scored two goals in the second period. The first goal was scored by Jason Garrison, who shot the puck and it deflected in off of Dennis Seidenberg. Shawn Matthias scored the second goal when he skated out of the penalty box and beat Rask on the breakaway. Bergeron netted his second goal of the game (a five-on-three power play goal) in between the two Florida goals.
It seemed as if the B's defense broke down as the game went on. On the other hand, the forwards put heavy pressure on the Panthers defense, Seguin in particular. His speed was a problem for the Panthers all night.
In the third period, all four lines were clicking for Boston. They all played very physical and they had several chances to put the game away. Rask made some good saves down the stretch as he finished the game with 38 of them. The score was tied at two at the end of sixty minutes.
Both teams headed to a shootout after no winner was decided in the five minute overtime. Even though his 11 game point streak came to an end in this game, David Krejci had the game-winning shootout goal in the fourth round. Boston sealed the victory with a 3-2 shootout victory. They are now 5-0-1 in games that go beyond regulation this season.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Tuesday night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Gold Star: Patrice Bergeron (2 goals, plus-1 rating, 6 shots on goal)...Do you think he was a little upset about not being named to the All-Star game?
Black Star: Andrew Ference...He committed too much in the offensive zone, which turned into fast breakaways by the Panthers.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Game Forty One: Marchand's Absence Shows In B's Loss
The Bruins kicked off a four-game road trip on Saturday when they traveled to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. This was game three of Brad Marchand's five game suspension. Coming into the game, Carolina was one point ahead of the last place New York Islanders whereas Boston was one point back of the first place New York Rangers. You can say that is an Eastern Conference mismatch.
When these two teams get together, it is anything but a mismatch. The last time the Bruins faced the Canes was during that stretch when they went 3-7-0 in the first month of the season. Boston lost their cool and took some ridiculous penalties that pretty much forfeited their shot to win the game. What have they done since then? They have gone 25-4-1. Not too bad right?
Two veteran goaltenders shined in this game as Tim Thomas opposed Cam Ward. Zach Hamill and Steven Kampfer were the scratches for Boston.
Even though the opening period was scoreless, the Bruins seemed to control the puck slightly more than the Hurricanes. Ever since the game against the Canucks, the Bruins seemed to have lost their edge. They shook that off a bit in the opening period, yet they did not really have a great scoring chance against Ward.
The B's finally broke through in the second period on a goal by Patrice Bergeron. Johnny Boychuk blasted a shot on goal that was saved by Ward but it produced a rebound for Bergeron to tap in. Carolina tied the game at the midway point of the period when Patrick Dwyer deflected a shot by Brandon Sutter past Thomas.
The Hurricanes put heavy pressure on Boston and there were times when they could not even leave their own defensive zone without turning the puck over. If it was not for Thomas coming up with some huge stops, the score would not have been tied.
Milan Lucic put the Bruins back on top less than two minutes into the third period. David Krejci had an assist on the goal, extending his point streak to 11 games. The rest of the game belonged to the Canes. They scored three unanswered goals (one of them being an empty net goal) and Ward made some great stops to shut down the Bruins. Carolina gets the victory in this game with a score of 4-2.
The B's will continue their East Coast road trip on Monday night when they skate against the Florida Panthers.
Gold Star: Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 4 shots on goal, 61.1% face-offs won)...He was snubbed from the NHL All-Star Game for the second straight year. Look for him to have a big week to get some retribution.
Black Star: Rich Peverley...His speed was a non-factor in this game, which was surprising to see.
When these two teams get together, it is anything but a mismatch. The last time the Bruins faced the Canes was during that stretch when they went 3-7-0 in the first month of the season. Boston lost their cool and took some ridiculous penalties that pretty much forfeited their shot to win the game. What have they done since then? They have gone 25-4-1. Not too bad right?
Two veteran goaltenders shined in this game as Tim Thomas opposed Cam Ward. Zach Hamill and Steven Kampfer were the scratches for Boston.
Even though the opening period was scoreless, the Bruins seemed to control the puck slightly more than the Hurricanes. Ever since the game against the Canucks, the Bruins seemed to have lost their edge. They shook that off a bit in the opening period, yet they did not really have a great scoring chance against Ward.
The B's finally broke through in the second period on a goal by Patrice Bergeron. Johnny Boychuk blasted a shot on goal that was saved by Ward but it produced a rebound for Bergeron to tap in. Carolina tied the game at the midway point of the period when Patrick Dwyer deflected a shot by Brandon Sutter past Thomas.
The Hurricanes put heavy pressure on Boston and there were times when they could not even leave their own defensive zone without turning the puck over. If it was not for Thomas coming up with some huge stops, the score would not have been tied.
Milan Lucic put the Bruins back on top less than two minutes into the third period. David Krejci had an assist on the goal, extending his point streak to 11 games. The rest of the game belonged to the Canes. They scored three unanswered goals (one of them being an empty net goal) and Ward made some great stops to shut down the Bruins. Carolina gets the victory in this game with a score of 4-2.
The B's will continue their East Coast road trip on Monday night when they skate against the Florida Panthers.
Gold Star: Patrice Bergeron (1 goal, 4 shots on goal, 61.1% face-offs won)...He was snubbed from the NHL All-Star Game for the second straight year. Look for him to have a big week to get some retribution.
Black Star: Rich Peverley...His speed was a non-factor in this game, which was surprising to see.
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