Vokoun Steals Two Points for Panthers

One of the traits that separates elite goaltenders from the rest is their ability to steal a game for their respective team. On Thursday night, Tomas Vokoun and Tim Thomas took center stage at the TD Garden, doing everything they could to try to earn two points in the standings. The two netminders matched each other save-for-save during regulation, as neither was willing to allow a goal. After 65 minutes of hockey, the two had combined for 63 saves, while the red lights had stayed off. Finally, in the fourth round of the shootout, Cory Stillman ended the scoreless draw, giving the Florida Panthers a 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins.

As one would expect from a low scoring game, this tilt got off to a slow start, as the two sides needed some time to size up the competition. At the 4:38 mark of the opening stanza, Jordan Leopold received a minor for interference, giving the Bruins the first power play of the night. Boston had the puck in the offensive zone for the majority of the two minutes, but Florida’s penalty kill was successful.

Midway through the first period, the Panthers nearly took the lead. Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara picked up consecutive penalties, giving Florida 1:10 of 5-on-3 hockey. The Panthers quickly went to work, with Stephen Weiss sending a cross-crease pass to Nathan Horton. Horton appeared to have most of the net to shoot at, until Tim Thomas sprawled over with a remarkable save.

The second period was complete domination by the Boston Bruins. Some would even question if the Florida Panthers had anyone on the ice besides Tomas Vokoun. The control of the period began at around the eight-minute mark, when Brad Marchand fed a pass to Vladimir Sobotka for a one-timer from low in the zone. Vokoun slid over with a pad save, but the Bruins proceeded to keep the puck in the offensive zone for three straight minutes of action. That ultimately led to a power play, but the Florida goalie continued to play at the top of his game.

With 8:26 remaining in the middle frame, a pair of players got together, hoping to spark their respective clubs. Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves with Bryan Allen in the Boston offensive zone. The fight was short and even for the most part, although Thornton did finish with the takedown, taking home the slight victory.

When all was said and done in the second period, the Bruins outshot the Panthers 19-1, giving them an overall lead of 28-7. Somehow, the game remained scoreless.

Dodging the gigantic second period bullet must have given Florida some new life, as the visitors were a different team during the third period. Bryan McCabe led the way with a couple of chances from the point, as the Panthers put 14 shots on goal to Boston’s eight. Vokoun and Thomas continued to leave the shooters puzzled, as Vokoun’s 36 saves and Thomas’ 21 saves kept the scoreboard blank through three periods of play.

The five-minute overtime session resulted in much of the same, as the teams came up empty on a combined total of six shots on goal. With both teams guaranteed of at least one point, the game headed to a shootout.

Blake Wheeler led off for the Bruins, who elected to shoot first. After quite a few stickhandles, Wheeler thought he would be able to sneak a shot in on his forehand side, but Vokoun just managed to follow him, knocking the attempt away. The Panthers’ first shooter was Steven Reinprecht. Reinprecht also came close, as his backhander hit the post and Thomas’ back, before the Boston backstop kicked the puck out of mid air and shoved it away with his blocker. Patrice Bergeron, Rostislav Olesz, Zdeno Chara, and Stephen Weiss all exchanged misses in the next two rounds, sending the shootout into extra shots. Michael Ryder went fourth for Boston, but was stopped, as he tried lifting a backhander over Vokoun’s glove. Cory Stillman also went to the backhander in round four for Florida, but the end result was different, as his shot slid under Thomas for the deciding goal.

For the second consecutive season, Tomas Vokoun stole a game against the Bruins. Last season, the Florida netminder made 41 saves in a 2-0 shutout over Boston. On Thursday night, Vokoun made 40 saves for the shutout, before a perfect 4-for-4 effort in the shootout. Tim Thomas also gets credit for a shutout, as he stopped all 23 shots during the game. However, the Bruins’ goaltender suffers the overtime loss on his record, after going 3-for-4 in the shootout.

The Boston Bruins have Friday off, before traveling to Pittsburgh on Saturday for another game against the Penguins. The Providence Bruins return to the ice on Friday night, as they begin a three-game road weekend in Syracuse against the Crunch.

Scoring Summary:
None

Shootout:
FLA Steven Reinprecht- S
FLA Rostislav Olesz- S
FLA Stephen Weiss- S
FLA Cory Stillman- G

BOS Blake Wheeler- S
BOS Patrice Bergeron- S
BOS Zdeno Chara- S
BOS Michael Ryder- S

Penalty Summary:
1. FLA Leopold- Interference 4:38
1. BOS Marchand- Tripping 12:08
1. BOS Chara- Hooking 12:58
2. BOS Bench- Too Many Men on the Ice 0:58
2. FLA Allen- Fighting 11:34
2. BOS Thornton- Fighting 11:34
2. FLA Ballard- Tripping 16:08

Goalies:
FLA Tomas Vokoun (4-8-1): 40 shots, 40 saves
BOS Tim Thomas (5-6-2): 23 shots, 23 saves

Shots on Goal:
FLA 6-1-14-2-1=24
BOS 9-19-8-4-0=40

Power Plays:
FLA 0-for-3
BOS 0-for-3

Three Stars of the Game:
1- FLA Tomas Vokoun
2- BOS Tim Thomas
3- FLA Cory Stillman