s the Bruins have learned, painfully most times, you have to take advantage of any break you can find.
Last night, Boston took it to a weary Carolina club, which defeated the visiting Buffalo Sabres Friday, 5-3, and then traveled to Boston. The Bruins made good use of the opportunity, earning a convincing 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes.
The positive points included two-goal efforts by both center Joe Thornton and left wing Sergei Samsonov, the return of goalie Byron Dafoe, who had a light night in terms of shots faced (18), and defenseman Peter Popovic's first game back since breaking his left foot.
Their joy will most likely be short-lived, however. Depending on how NHL dean of discipline Colin Campbell views the videotape, it's practically guaranteed Thornton will be hit with a suspension, likely three games if you go by the current standards, for a cross-check he delivered to the head of helmetless Carolina defenseman David Karpa at 2:49 of the third.
Thornton was assessed a five-minute match penalty (intent to injure), which carries an automatic ejection.
Considering how valuable Thornton is in the lineup, his loss would be a significant blow to the Bruins considering their next three opponents this week: Philadelphia, Toronto, and Detroit. If Thornton were given three games, he wouldn't be eligible to return until Dec. 27 when the Bruins go on the road to play the Islanders.
A few days ago, Thornton said he didn't think he's being targeted, even though he's had several scrapes since coming back from his injury. Now, he said he's evaluating that. ''Maybe the refs don't like me,'' said Thornton. ''There have been no calls lately. It's kind of odd that every game now I get high-stuck or something happens. Who knows?''
General manager Mike O'Connell said he doesn't know when the verdict might come down, but it would definitely be before Tuesday.
''He's going to be getting attention,'' said O'Connell. ''You see the second goal he scored, it was a brilliant goal. He's going to be getting a lot of attention in that area ... He's got to learn how to handle it.''
Coach Mike Keenan acknowledged that the team can't afford to have him out of the lineup, but it appears they won't have any choice.
The game was pretty well dominated by Boston. Samsonov started the scoring at 15:06 of the first period when he tallied on the power play. Center Shawn Bates set up behind the Carolina net to the right of goalie Arturs Irbe. Bates saw Samsonov chugging through the left circle and hit him with a perfect centering pass.
Less than three minutes later, the Hurricanes pulled even. It started with Carolina center Jeff O'Neill beating center Jason Allison on a faceoff in the right circle. Center Ron Francis bumped the puck back to Hatcher at the right point and the big defenseman teed up a slapper. The shot deflected off O'Neill's foot in front and beat Dafoe at 17:41.
In the second, Boston ran away with it, scoring three goals to seal it.
Thornton, who had been struggling offensively since coming back from a severe charley horse, gave the Bruins the lead with his first at 4:47. Right wing Andrei Kovalenko let the puck go off the right wing boards. Thornton collected the puck and fired a shot from the circle that beat Irbe to the far side to make it 2-1.
Thornton delivered again less than four minutes later. Van Impe sent a lead pass up to Rolston and he dished it to Thornton, who cut right and then pulled up, beating the netminder into the top right corner from the slot for the 3-1 lead. It was the 100th career NHL point for Van Impe. Remarkably, both of Thornton's goals were at even strength. Prior to this game, eight of his nine goals were scored on the power play.
Samsonov made it a three-goal cushion at 17:39 with his 12th of the year and second of the night. Forward P.J. Axelsson, who also had been struggling to put points on the board, tried to beat Irbe with a wraparound at the left post but Irbe stopped it. However, the goalie had no chance on the rebound, which Samsonov potted from just outside the left post.
The Hurricanes, who looked drained, managed just four shots on net in the period and couldn't get anything going.
''It was a solid win,'' said Keenan, who got contributions from everyone although it was a rarity that Allison and right wing Bill Guerin were both held off the board. ''It was great to see Joe have that confidence around the net. If you rely on the one line exclusively, then it's a tougher assignment because the other team can do a pretty good job of shutting them down. When you've got something else to come back with, it takes the pressure off [the No. 1 line] and there should be more development and more options.''
