Bruins’ Weekly Report: Games 14-17

Game 14 v. Edmonton Oilers (11/10/11):

The 6-7-0 B’s continued their five-game homestand with a Thursday night date with the surprisingly good Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers come in at 9-3-2-20 atop the Northwest Division and in second place overall in the Western Conference. The Oilers are led by a trio of highly-talented youngsters, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. There is also veteran leadership with Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff. In goal, they feature Nikolai Khabibulin.

Tuukka Rask started in goal against Devan Dubnyk. Rich Peverley was out of the lineup along with Daniel Paille and Zach Hamill was recalled from Providence. Ryan Smyth rung one off the post in the opening seconds. Benoit Pouliot nearly jammed the puck past Dubnyk a few minutes later. Horton then fired a wrist shot on Dubnyk from the high slot and Krejci followed up with a shot moments later. Hall then attempted a wraparound shot that Rask deflected away. Dubnyk then made another excellent save on McQuaid’s shot from in close. Boychuk then fired a rocket from the right point that made it past Dubnyk at 7:11 as the B’s moved around quite well before Krejci found Boychuk unchecked at the point. Hamill then made a beautiful cross pass to Jordan Caron breaking toward the net and Caron banged the puck home at 8:55 to make it 2-0. Horcoff then fired a wicked shot on a pass from Hall that Rask knocked away. Ryan Smyth made it 2-1 at 12:02 as he tipped in Peckham’s shot from the point. Smyth was standing out in front and was in the right place at the right time. Nugent-Hopkins then tied it 27 seconds later as he took a return pass from Hall and fired a wrist shot that beat Rask. Hamill then had a clean break and fired a shot from the right dot that Dubnyk snared.

Krejci’s shot in the opening minute of the second hit the post. Seguin was then hooked by Jeff Petry at 2:09 as he broke alone down left wing with the puck. Chara’s one-timer went wide on the stick side, Marchand then scored from the point at 3:50 as he tipped in Joe Corvo’s shot from the blue line to put the B’s back on top. Seguin made it 4-2 at 6:24 as he took a shot that bounced off Potter as there was a mass of confusion in front of Dubnyk. Thornton was then sent off for hooking at 9:29. The B’s did a good job killing off the penalty, allowing no shots on goal. Ales Hemsky broke through Chara and tried to stuff one past Rask but was denied. Horton had a partial break and fired a shot that Dubnyk kicked away. At 16:48, Eberle went off for interference. The power play generated nothing.

Bergeron broke through two defenders and had a great chance in the opening minute of the third that Dubnyk knocked away. Lucic followed up with a shot from in close that Dubnyk covered, Hamill then crashed the net and got tangled with Corey Potter and Dubnyk, with Potter going off for high sticking at 1:05. Seidenberg then went off for hooking at 2:08. The Oilers didn’t put any shots on goal with the abbreviated power play. Andrew Ference suffered an unknown injury and did not return. Gregory Campbell was sent off for hooking at 6:15. Campbell broke out of the box and took a pass from Marchand but his shot went wide of the net. Sam Gagner then had a wide open net but his shot hit the post and deflected away. Bergeron then went off for a high stick on Eberle at 13:25. It looked as if Bergeron lifted Eberle’s stick, which struck his visor. Rask then made a great stop of Hemsky’s shot as the Oilers had sustained pressure in the B’s end. Ryan Smyth then banged in Belanger’s centering pass at 15:18 as the B’s were exhausted trying to chase after the puck. Horton snapped a shot out in front over the top of the net. Seguin was tripped as he broke in front of the net and Barker went off at 16:56. Lucic then scored on the power play at 17:13 as he stood in front of the crease and tipped in a pinpoint pass from Corvo. Marchand made it 6-3 at 17:57 as he fired a shot from the left circle that whistled past Dubnyk, who was screened on the play by Hamill. Kelly was then sent off at 18:42 for holding. Hall fired a high shot that Rask knocked away, The B’s won their fourth straight but those kids from the Oilers are going to be something really special.


Game 15 v. Buffalo Sabres (11/12/11):

The homestand continued on Saturday night with a date with Buffalo, who comes into this game at 10-5-0 and in second place in the Northeast Division. Zach Hamill remained with the club as Daniel Paille was out of the lineup. Andrew Ference was also out of the lineup and Steven Kampfer was recalled from Providence. Tim Thomas started in goal against Ryan Miller.

Sabres went ahead at 5:38 as Vanek fired a shot from a bad angle and it deflected through Thomas’ pads and into the net. It was a very bad goal allowed by Thomas. Tyler Myers then went off for tripping at 6:56. Up to that point the pace of the game was slow as the B’s attack had no punch. Chara unloaded a bomb from the point that Miller covered. Lucic then went off for charging at 13:12 when he bowled over Miller after Miller came out of his crease to chase after a loose puck. Christian Ehrhoff put a shot on goal from the point that Thomas knocked away. Drew Stafford went off for tripping at 14:50. Seidenberg fired a shot from between the circles that Miller covered. There was some pushing and shoving behind the Sabres’ net. Corvo and Seguin followed up with shots that Miller turned aside. Ville Leino then went off for hooking at 19:08.

Peverley and Seguin each had chances early in the period that were blocked. Over the next few minutes, the B’s continued to skate as if they had lead in their skates or chasing after loose pucks. Peverley tied the score at 7:40 on a magnificent move from the blue line as he skated around Myers and Miller attempted a poke check of the puck but Peverley pulled it back with the stick and snapped it home. McQuaid then shoved Kaleta behind the net after Kaleta tried to jam a puck after the whistle had blown. Midway through the period, Thomas then made a nice stop off of Myers’ tip-in attempt at the doorstep. Seguin put the B’s athead at 13:29 as he and Marchand broke in on a 2-on-1 after a turnover at the blue line and Marchand passed to a streaking Seguin, who snapped the puck into a wide open right corner of the net. Horton made it 3-1 sixteen seconds later on another 2-on-1 with Krejci. Horton drove to the net, faked the pass and buried a wrist shot. McQuaid and Kaleta then went off on matching minors at 14:05. After the penalties expired, Kaleta knocked Chara on his duff behind the B’s net. McQuaid went off at 18:01 for dumping Vanek at the blue line. Leino then had a chance off of a rebound but Thomas scrambled to cover the shot.

In a surprising move, Jhonas Enroth replaced Miller in goal to open the third period. Sabres buzzed around Thomas in the early moments of the period. Luke Adam then crashed the net but the puck went wide of the net. Lucic hit the post on a shot from Krejci’s pass. Chris Kelly then scored at 5:38 on a pass across the crease from Peverley after Ehrhoff turned over the puck in the offensive zone. Seguin scored again at 7:11 on a backhand feed from Bergeron; what a tremendous play by Bergeron as he broke in alone with three players covering and fed the puck back to Seguin. Marchand roofed one at 9:52 as he ripped in a tape-to-tape pass from Seguin. Hamill went off for high-sticking at 11:50 as Kaleta went headhunting after getting knocked down and Hamill stood him up. Thomas made a nice glove save of Ehrhoff’s blast from the point. Marc-Andre Gragnani then scored on a hard shot from the point that rang off the post and into the back of the net. Horton went off for slashing at 14:21. After the penalty ended, the B’s peppered Enroth with a series of shots. Kaleta then challenged Thornton and both were sent off for matching roughing calls. The sides played it out 4-on-4 and Sabres had a couple of chances from the perimeter. The B’s overcame a sluggish start to post the victory and finally made it over .500 for the first time this year.

Game 16 v. New Jersey (11/15/11):

The 8-6-1 Divils came to the Garden on Tuesday night as the B’s lengthy homestand continued. Milan Lucic was not fined or suspended for running over Ryan Miller like a freight train in the first period of Saturday night’s game. Miller suffered a concussion from the incident and is day-to-day. Tim Thomas started in goal against Johan Hedberg. Four minutes into the first, Seguin had a wraparound attempt. Chara then put a heavy check on Janssen. Midway through the period, Thomas had turned aside six shots, though none came from in close. Volchenkov went off for tripping at 11:20. The power play didn’t do much and then Marchand went off for goaltender interference at 12:27. While the Devils were on a brief power play, Mattias Tedenby fired a testing shot that Thomas snared. Danius Zubrus followed up with a wrist shot that hit the side of the net. Seidenberg then fired a wrist shot from the left point that Hedberg deflected over the glass. Elias then made a brilliant move across the blue line and made a great trailing pass to Andy Greene, who fired from between the circles. Krejci then had the B’s best chance so far has he took a pass from Lucic, made a nice spin move and fired a shot from the top of the slot. Both teams played well in that period but the Devils really had their skating legs on.

Early in the second, Marchand fed Seguin on a 2-on-1 but Hedberg saved Seguin’s shot. Clarkson then grabbed a loose puck on a turnover and fired a shot from in close that Thomas smothered. Clarkson followed that shot up with a wicked one-timer that was deflected away. Peverley then went off for hooking at 1:51. Tedenby then broke in on a 2-on-1 but Thomas covered his low shot. Thomas then made a nice stop of a bouncing puck as the Devils crashed the net. Petr Sykora then had a low wrist shot from the high slot that Thomas saved. Marchand then had a wide-open left corner on a pass from Seguin but his shot missed the net. After Tedenby made a smart move with the puck behind the net, he was buried with a check by Krejci. Marchand went off for roughing at 9:07 after tangling with Henrique. Boychuk then knocked the puck over the glass and went off for delay of game at 10:28. Thomas made a great save of a deflection of Sykora’s shot. Clarkson then scored at 10:46 on a shot from the left circle as the Devils worked the 5-on-3 triangle to a ‘T’. Pouliot then crashed the net but his shot went wide of the net. Chris Kelly then tied the score at 14:52 as Campbell created the turnover on the forecheck and fed a wide-open Kelly. Parise was then sent off for tripping at 17:45. The power play did not produce much pressure as Chara’s one-timer late followed by Peverley’s rebound were the only chances.

Marchand scored on a breakaway off the faceoff at six seconds of the third. Boom, just like that on a tape-to-tape pass from Bergeron. Nick Palmieri then tied the score at 2:08 as he tipped in a pass from Greene as he sneaked from behind the net and tipped in the puck. Shawn Thornton then banged in a short pass from Caron as he was waiting directly out in front of the net at 3:40. The play was set up by a great centering pass by Campbell as the B’s were buzzing around in front of Hedberg. Palmieri then tied the score at 6:56 as Henrique beat Kampfer after Boychuk turned over the puck and Palmieri grabbed the loose puck in front of Thomas and banged it home through a crowd of players. Lucic and Horton then broke in on a 2-on-1 but Hedberg covered up a weak shot by Lucic. Heberg then made a ten-bell save off of Horon’s point blank blast. Horton then hit the crossbar as he was (again) directly out in front with a glorious chance. The Devils then crashed the B’s net and there was a wild scramble for the puck in front of Thomas. The B’s came down and they crashed the net with Peverley arguing that the loose puck went across the goal line before the net was dislodged. Pouliot then put the B’s ahead at 16:59 as he banged in a rebound of Peverley’s shot directly out in front of the net. Hedberg was pulled with less than a minute to go as the Devils had three great chances by Thomas stood tall, making a couple of acrobatic stops and the B’s came away with their sixth straight win, going to 9-7-0.

Game 17 v. Columbus Blue Jackets (11/17/11):

The five-game homestand closed with a Thursday night date with the last-place Blue Jackets, who come into this game with a dreadful record of 3-13-1. Andrew Ference and Daniel Paille returned to the lineup. Tuukka Rask started in goal against Curtis Sanford. After a quiet start to the game, Lucic had a point blank chance about six minutes in that Sanford stopped. Vaclav Prospal broke in alone with the puck but there was a late off-sides whistle and Prospal screamed at the linesman. Midway through the period, Peverley fed Pouliot with a pass and Pouliot attempted to stuff the puck into the near post that caused some pushing and shoving behind the net. Lucic then leveled Erik Johnson with a heavy check into the boards. The Jax were called for too many men at 14:15. The Jax were aggressive on the penalty kill and shut down the B’s completely. Pouliot then had a great chance but his shot hit the crossbar. It’s hard to see how the Jackets have such a poor record as they played an outstanding period of hockey in the first.

Campbell was sent off for a high stick on Umberger at 50 seconds of the second. Derek MacKenzie scored at the end of the power play (2:49) on a quick little wrist shot that went through a crowd and into the back of the net. McQuaid then tied it at 4:24 as he fired a wrist shot from the right point that deflected off of Sanford and into the net. Seidenberg then made a nice dive to clear away a loose pucjk in the B’s end. Lucic then fired a shot on goal on a pass from Seguin that Sanford smothered. Shawn Thornton and Jared Boll had a big-time go that featured several punches thrown back and forth with no clear winner at 8:35. Late in the period, there were a couple of breakdowns in the B’s zone and Rask was fortunate that the defense scrambled to clear the puck away.

Rick Nash rang a wrist shot off the post in the opening minute of the third. Pouliot was then sent off for roughing at 2:57 as he punched Johnson in the face fighting for a loose puck in the corner. Rask made a nice stop of Carter’s backhanded chance. Seguin had two rushes toward the goal but his wrist shot on the second try went just wide. Midway through the period, MacKenzie fired a low bullet on goal that Rask kicked out. Krejci’s slap pass from the left circle was knocked away by Sanford. Antoine Vermette’s shot from the blue line was covered by Rask. Seguin had another try on a pass from Bergeron that went just wide. With less than a minute to go, Horton fired a shot that boinced high and popped out of Sanford’s glove. The loose puck fell into the crease area but wass cleared away. The B’s played a sluggish 60 minutes as the game went to overtime.

In the extra session, Vermette fired a blast from the point that Rask covered. Rask then came up with another nice save of Carter’s shot from in close. Kelly then nearly tipped in Kampfer’s shot from the point. Marchand then had a backhanded attempt and was slashed by Vermette at 1:05, giving the B’s a power play. Chara’s bomb from the point hit the post. Seguin’s one-timer then went wide. Ference was then called for boarding at 4:52 as he crunched Wisniewski from behind into the boards. Carter had two chances before time expired and it was on to the shootout. Sanford blocked Seguin’s try and then Rask blocked Nash’s attempt on the forehand. Peverley then went five-hole and scored. Letestu then roofed one to tie. Krejci then scored on a shot from between the circles. Rask then stoned Vermette on a backhanded try and the B’s won ugly...but a win’s a win.