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HURRICANES 3, BRUINS 1 [ Game summary ]
Then there are games like yesterday's that, by any definition, are a complete and utter dud.
The Carolina Hurricanes outskated, outplayed, and outmuscled the Bruins on their way to a 3-1 victory at the FleetCenter. Were it not for the terrific play of Bruins goalie Peter Skudra, who was making his second straight start, it could've been a whole lot worse.
Blame it on all the changes, blame it on injuries, blame it on a lack of execution, but one thing that coach Mike Keenan said he's sure of is that this frustrating pattern is not over.
''You're going to see this pretty much on a consistent basis until this team finds a belief or develops a mind-set or changes the culture of the expectation of the hockey club,'' said Keenan. ''Right now, you have to look for a group of leaders in the locker room who are willing to take on the responsibility and the expectation of winning. If you're in the locker room prior to a game and you find the pressures of that are too demanding on you and you don't want that responsibility, it makes it difficult. So that roller coaster will continue until that culture has changed.''
The game didn't start that badly for the Bruins as they fed off Skudra (27 saves) in taking a 1-0 lead 6:30 into the first period. With the clubs skating four a side, center Shawn Bates backhanded a shot over goalie Arturs Irbe for his first goal of the season.
But Boston stopped playing after that and the Bruins' chances took a nosedive when they lost No. 2 center Joe Thornton to a charley horse at 11:48. Thornton was muscling his way to the net when he was cross-checked by former Bruin defenseman Glen Wesley. Thornton hit the right goal post full force with his right thigh and had to be helped to the bench. Trainers worked on him there and then he was taken to the dressing room, not to return. Thornton, who was on crutches after the contest, is expected to be sidelined for at least a couple of days.
In the second, Boston couldn't get anything going at all as the visitors scored three unanswered goals to clinch it. Left wing Bates Battaglia pulled the Hurricanes even, 1-1, at 4:53 with his fifth of the year. Center Jeff O'Neill set the score up nicely with his cross-crease dish from the left side that Battaglia tapped past Skudra, who was playing in place of Byron Dafoe (swollen right knee).
After Battaglia's goal, there were more dead spots in the game than the old Celtics' parquet. The teams combined for just three shots in 8:16 of action. Carolina tallied its second of the afternoon on the power play at 16:38. After left wing Andrei Nazarov was whistled off for elbowing defenseman David Tanabe, rookie right wing Shane Willis took a pass from Ron Francis and beat Skudra near the left post.
The Hurricanes' third goal came about as a result of an ill-advised penalty by Brian Rolston, who took Battaglia to the ice on a holding call at 2:47 of the third. Rolston argued the call because he felt Battaglia had grabbed his arm to enhance the call.
''He's going to call that every time,'' said Rolston. ''I was chasing him down and I pulled him down and it cost us a goal. I take full responsibility for that. I think we've been a little bit undisciplined lately and a lot of these teams are going to capitalize on it. They're killers. We have to be disciplined.''
The Bruins nearly survived being a man down, but with three seconds remaining, O'Neill sealed it at 4:44. Center Rod Brind'Amour relayed a pass up to Tanabe at the right point. Tanabe blasted a shot that Skudra stopped but O'Neill, positioned low in the left circle, cashed in the rebound.
''We didn't respond very well,'' said Keenan. ''They were a lot more physical than we were, very much more, and we never responded to the physical challenge they made to us. And, really, they continued to completely outplay us from that point on. They were a lot more determined.''
This story ran on page G1 of the Boston Globe on 11/25/2000.
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n some games, such as the one Wednesday in Detroit, the Bruins demonstrate confidence and show they can be an offensive juggernaut. In other games, such as the one against Ottawa Tuesday, the Bruins play well but show a lack of killer instinct.