Rask Continues Oilers’ Misery in Boston

For the past decade or so, the Edmonton Oilers haven’t exactly enjoyed facing the Boston Bruins. Entering Saturday afternoon’s game, the Bruins had won seven straight games against the Oilers, including back-to-back victories via shutouts. Edmonton’s bad luck continued on Saturday, as Tuukka Rask stopped all 19 shots he faced, extending Boston’s shutout streak against the Oilers to 204:02. As far as scoring was concerned, that was taken care of by the line of Blake Wheeler, Vladimir Sobotka, and Daniel Paille. Wheeler and Sobotka each netted one goal, leading the Bruins to a 2-0 win at the TD Garden.

Saturday’s early start time came as a bit of a rude awakening for both sides, as the two teams looked rather sluggish during the opening twenty minutes of play. The Bruins outshot the Oilers 7-5 during the first period, but opportunities were few and far between. Tuukka Rask and Nikolai Khabibulin combined to stop all twelve shots, leading to a bit of comfort in the crease.

The beginning of the second period was much of the same, as offense continued to be a struggle. In the final five minutes of the middle frame, both goaltenders’ reflexes were put to the test. Zdeno Chara launched a slap shot for Boston, while Patrick O’Sullivan and Sam Gagner responded with blasts of their own. Rask and Khabibulin squared up to the shots, keeping the scoreboard blank.

As time ticked away in the second, the Bruins nearly broke the deadlock. The line of Blake Wheeler, Vladimir Sobotka, and Daniel Paille entered the offensive zone on an odd-man rush, and put immediate pressure on the Edmonton defense. The line combined to put a flurry of shots on Khabibulin, but the Oilers’ goaltender continued playing strong. Sobotka ultimately beat Khabibulin with a shot, but it was just late, as the buzzer had sounded one second earlier.

Just under three minutes into the third period, Boston finally got on the board. Vladimir Sobotka chased down the rebound of a shot in the right corner of the offensive zone, and was pressured from behind by Theo Peckham. Peckham lost his stick on the play, but was able to get help from a nearby teammate in Fernando Pisani. The brief exchanges in sticks and positioning allowed Sobotka the space he needed, as he slid a pass to Blake Wheeler at the top of the crease. Wheeler buried his shot before Khabibulin could react.

A little more than four minutes later, the Bruins’ best line from the afternoon found the back of the net once again. Vladimir Sobotka flipped the puck ahead in center ice, hoping to connect with Daniel Paille. The pass hopped over Paille’s stick, but Sobotka was quick to help his teammate out, speeding into the offensive zone with Blake Wheeler on a 2-on-1 break. Sobotka tapped a cross-ice pass to Wheeler, who returned the favor, setting up Sobotka for a tap-in from the left side of the crease.

Edmonton’s offense was quiet for the majority of the afternoon, but the visitors weren’t about to go away easily. The Oilers sent one final set of shots toward the Boston cage. Rask wasn’t about to let his shutout bid get spoiled, as he stopped each and every one of them.

Tuukka Rask earned his first shutout of the season, and the second of his career, stopping all 19 shots he faced for the Bruins. Nikolai Khabibulin suffered the loss for the Oilers, despite making 25 saves on 27 shots.

Edmonton hasn’t scored a goal against the Bruins since December 3, 2005, and the Oilers haven’t won a game in Boston since November 7, 1996.

The Boston Bruins won’t have much time to celebrate this win, as they are right back in action on Sunday, visiting the New York Rangers for a second consecutive 1:00 face-off. The Providence Bruins have had a tough start to their weekend, as they have dropped back-to-back road games against the Manchester Monarchs and Hartford Wolf Pack. The Baby B’s return to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Sunday to play host to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 4:00.

Scoring Summary:
3. BOS Wheeler (4) (Sobotka, Paille) 2:47
3. BOS Sobotka (1) (Wheeler, Paille) 7:02

Penalty Summary:
2. EDM Peckham- Tripping 2:40
3. BOS Thornton- Hooking 9:57
3. BOS Bergeron- Hooking 15:08
3. EDM Bench- Too Many Men on the Ice 16:17

Goalies:
EDM Nikolai Khabibulin (6-5-1): 27 shots, 25 saves
BOS Tuukka Rask (2-1-1): 19 shots, 19 saves

Shots on Goal:
EDM 5-7-7=19
BOS 7-9-11=27

Power Plays:
EDM 0-for-2
BOS 0-for-2

Three Stars of the Game:
1- BOS Zdeno Chara
2- BOS Vladimir Sobotka
3- BOS Tuukka Rask