ASHVILLE - Zero for seven.
You need look no further than that statistic to sum up why the Bruins let one get away last night. The power play came up completely dry, most notably a 4-minute man advantage that started with 3:14 left in regulation of a scoreless game against Nashville and extended into overtime.
Nothing came out of it, and that's exactly what the Bruins left here with as Cale Hulse scored with 2:36 left in the extra period to give the Predators a 1-0 victory.
It was the sixth time Boston has been shut out this season, and they limp home with a 1-1-0-1 record on the three-game road trip.
In coach Mike Keenan's opinion, he didn't get enough from his top players such as Jason Allison, Bill Guerin, Sergei Samsonov, and Joe Thornton.
''We need them to score on the power play,'' said Keenan. ''We were 0 for 7 and they were given most of the ice time. They have to score a goal.''
The Bruins' power play has been anemic of late. In the past two games, it has gone 0 for 11. In the past 17 games, it has converted only 7 of 78 opportunities. Keenan said the problem is that his players wheel around the attacking zone but simply won't shoot.
''We've asked them, pleaded with them to shoot the puck,'' said Keenan. ''So far, that appeal hasn't been well received. They spent all their time battling down low. Nashville played pretty well. When that happens, if they know you're never going to shoot the puck or feed the point and shoot the puck, they don't have to worry about it. It's pretty predictable, and it's non-productive.''
Keenan was especially peeved about the lack of production with the game on the line. At the 16:46 mark of the third, Nashville forward David Legwand high-sticked defenseman Hal Gill in the face, earning Legwand a 4-minute trip to the penalty box.
The Bruins couldn't get anything past goalie Mike Dunham, setting up the negative outcome.
''It was an opportunity that we wasted,'' said the coach.
The only goal of the game came at the 2:24 mark of overtime.
Center Cliff Ronning, behind the net, threw the puck out to defenseman Hulse in the right circle. Hulse skated through the slot, switched from his forehand to his backhand, and lifted a shot between the pads of goalie Byron Dafoe. It was Nashville's first home win since Dec. 26, and only its sixth victory on home ice. Dafoe was so upset, he slammed his stick on the ice.
It wasn't as if the Bruins didn't have their chances. They had 35 shots on Dunham, 27 of which came in the second and third periods, but he saw nearly all of them. They also hit the post a couple of times, one of which was by Guerin at 16:06 of the second.
In the third, Allison had a chance at 10:10 when he blazed around the net for a backhanded wraparound, but couldn't find daylight. Andrei Kovalenko also had a scoring opportunity 30 seconds later, but the netminder was there.
During the 4-minute power play, the best bid came when Samsonov made a nice feed to Kovalenko in the left circle with 36 seconds left. Kovalenko ripped a shot toward the top right corner, but Dunham snared it.
''We battled a little harder but it was missed opportunities,'' said Kyle McLaren. ''We had chances, especially during the 4-minute power play. We should've won it there. For some reason, they won the battles in those key situations. Those are the wins we should have.
''Nashville played hard. I thought we played hard. But the 4-minute power play, you should have a goal. When the power play is clicking, you're getting shots on net, and I don't think we generated enough point shots. You can't always go for the pretty plays. The chances were there. I think this is one we should've won.''
