Goal Drought Ends, but Winless Streak Continues

It took a little more than 59 minutes of play, but on Thursday night, the Boston Bruins finally put an end to their scoring drought, as Patrice Bergeron lit the lamp for the home team. Bergeron’s goal tied the game against the Montreal Canadiens, sending it to overtime, and eventually to a shootout. Unfortunately for the home fans, the Bruins came up just short, as Michael Cammalleri scored the lone shootout goal, giving the Canadiens a 2-1 win at the TD Garden.

Less than two minutes into the contest, the Canadiens nearly took the lead. Glen Metropolit gathered in a loose puck behind the Boston cage. The former Bruin wrapped the puck around the back of the net, before banking it off of Tim Thomas and in. Thomas had a hard time reaching the post on his glove side, as Travis Moen had parked himself inside of the crease. Due to Moen’s interference on Thomas, the officials decided to wave off the goal, setting up a neutral zone face-off.

Later in the period, Glen Metropolit made up for the earlier play, scoring a goal that counted. Boston’s fourth line turned the puck over in the offensive zone, allowing Ryan White to outlet a pass to Andrei Kostitsyn. The play looked routine at first, until Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick collided in center ice. That freed up space for Kostitsyn, who sped up the ice while being pressured by Shawn Thornton. Because of the pressure, Kostitsyn elected to go wide, curling around the back of the net. When he reached the other side, the Canadiens’ forward spotted Metropolit at the top of the crease. Metropolit didn’t have much of an issue tapping in the game’s opening goal, giving Montreal a 1-0 lead after one period of play.

Early in the second period, the Bruins were given a couple of opportunities, as Travis Moen and Mathieu Carle were whistled for back-to-back penalties. Unfortunately, Boston’s power play continues to struggle, as it failed on both attempts, en route to an 0-for-3 effort on the night.

Moments later, Montreal received a similar opportunity, as Marco Sturm and Zdeno Chara each got sent off. While playing 5-on-3, the Canadiens had a phenomenal chance to add to their lead. Brian Gionta received a cross-ice pass from Scott Gomez with an empty side of the net in front of him. Gionta took a couple of whacks at the puck, but a last ditch effort by Thomas swept the puck off of the goal line.

In the latter stages of the middle frame, the Bruins thought they had tied the game. Marco Sturm picked up the puck in center ice, and proceeded to skate down the right side of the offensive zone. Sturm slid a shot on goal that Carey Price stopped, but the rebound stayed loose. Patrice Bergeron skated in to find the puck, ultimately sending it into the net. However, after review, the goal was called off, as Bergeron’s shot went in under the post. Sturm and Roman Hamrlik were battling at the side of the crease, forcing the net up, and allowing the puck to go in. Instead of a tie game, Boston still trailed by one, despite leading 26-18 in shots on goal.

The score remained the same for the majority of the third period. Time was starting to become a factor for the Bruins, who were hoping to avoid being shutout for the third consecutive game. Finally, with 52 seconds left, they broke through. Patrice Bergeron won an offensive zone face-off, with Mark Recchi and Marco Sturm each helping to tap the puck back to Derek Morris at the left point. Morris immediately threw a shot in toward the net, but was blocked by an array of bodies in front. Bergeron pounced on the rebound, digging it free from Jaroslav Spacek, before finishing the play with the tying goal.

Boston and Montreal played a scoreless overtime, meaning that a shootout would be necessary to decide a winner.

As the home team, the Bruins elected to go first, selecting Blake Wheeler as their first shooter. Rather than deking, Wheeler went with the shot, but Carey Price made a glove save. The Canadiens turned to Michael Cammalleri for their first shot, and he answered the bell by beating Tim Thomas with a difficult wrist shot. Patrice Bergeron and Scott Gomez each came up empty during the second round, keeping Montreal ahead by one. In hopes of keeping the game alive, Boston turned to Mark Recchi. Recchi faked a wrist shot, before attempting a backhander, but Price read it all the way, sliding out to make the save.

After dropping six straight decisions, Carey Price had a remarkable game for the Canadiens, as he made 42 saves on 43 shots during the game, before going 3-for-3 during the shootout. Once again, Tim Thomas played well for the Bruins, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced during the game. However, Thomas was saddled with the shootout loss, after allowing one goal on two attempts.

The Boston Bruins will utilize Friday to put this loss behind them, before hosting another divisional opponent on Saturday. That opponent is the Buffalo Sabres, who will make their first visit of the season to Causeway Street. The Providence Bruins are back in action on Friday, as they begin a three-game weekend by hosting the Hartford Wolf Pack. Face-off is scheduled for 7:00 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Providence’s weekend also features a trip to Lowell, as well as a home game against Hershey.

Scoring Summary:
1. MON Metropolit (3) (Kostitsyn, White) 17:32
3. BOS Bergeron (5) (Chara, Morris) 19:08

Shootout:
MON Michael Cammalleri- G
MON Scott Gomez- S

BOS Blake Wheeler- S
BOS Patrice Bergeron- S
BOS Mark Recchi- S

Penalty Summary:
2. MON Moen- Interference 2:02
2. MON Carle- Hooking 4:16
2. BOS Sturm- Holding the Stick 6:13
2. BOS Chara- Cross Checking 7:24
2. MON Lapierre- Roughing 17:21
2. BOS Stuart- Roughing 17:21
3. MON Latendresse- High Sticking 13:11

Goalies:
MON Carey Price (3-6-0): 43 shots, 42 saves
BOS Tim Thomas (4-6-1): 26 shots, 25 saves

Shots on Goal:
MON 6-12-6-2-1=27
BOS 9-17-13-4-0=43

Power Plays:
MON 0-for-2
BOS 0-for-3

Three Stars of the Game:
1- MON Michael Cammalleri
2- MON Carey Price
3- BOS Tim Thomas