all it the anti-All-Star game.
If the real one held over the weekend in Denver was an offensive showcase with no hitting, no checking, no fighting and no penalties, last night's 4-3 victory by the Bruins over the Philadelphia Flyers was the opposite.
There were 62 minutes in infractions (some of the cheap variety, some of the unexplained variety), there were a couple of fights, there was nastiness, intensity, and desperation.
In other words, the break is behind us. The real stretch drive has arrived.
The deciding goal came at 10:10 of the third period when Bruins left wing P.J. Axelsson took a pass from Mikko Eloranta and beat goalie Brian Boucher from deep in the left circle. It was Axelsson's sixth goal of the season and first game-winner.
''I almost fumbled the pass I got from Mikko but I got ahold of it and I just shot it,'' said Axelsson. ''I was just trying to shoot it quick.''
The Bruins played the third period at a fever pitch after surrendering a pair of two-goal leads.
The pace and tone of this one was set just seven seconds into the first when Bruins forward Andrei Nazarov and Flyers defenseman Chris McAllister fought.
Boston took a two-goal lead with tallies only 34 seconds apart.
Brian Rolston, who took suspended center Joe Thornton's place on the second line, put Boston on the board with an even-strength goal at 3:39. During a four-on-two break, Andrei Kovalenko dished a pass to Jonathan Girard, who relayed the puck to Rolston in front of Boucher. Rolston, who had a game-high seven shots on net, beat the netminder with a forehand shot but paid for his 10th goal of the season when he was cross-checked hard from behind by Philly center Daymond Langkow.
''It was a deliberate blindside from behind,'' said Boston coach Mike Keenan. ''The league should deal with it probably. There might be times when you know the guy is coming but when you're celebrating a goal, it's very unlikely you're anticipating getting hit from behind. Probably the league should review it.''
Rolston, surprisingly, didn't endorse a suspension.
''It was a cheap shot, there's no question,'' said Rolston, who was wearing an ice bag on his back. ''But it wasn't to the head. If he breaks ribs and I can't play the next 10 games, then maybe but that's not the case. I'm glad it went in the net. You have to pay the price sometimes. I was in a vulnerable position. It knocked the wind out of me for a long time. It's just a little sore back there. I'll be fine.''
After Langkow went to the box, the Bruins responded with their first power-play goal in nine games. Boston went into last night 0 for 31 in its last eight contests.
Breaking the drought was defenseman Kyle McLaren, whose one-time slapper glanced off the shaft of the stick of Flyers right wing Jody Hull and past Boucher at 4:13.
Meanwhile, Boston goalie Byron Dafoe was stopping everything that came his way (10 saves in the first, 24 overall). His best ones came at 6:58 when Ruslan Fedotenko fired a forehander that hit off Dafoe and bounced back out. Fedotenko picked up the rebound and flung a backhander at the net. It rattled off Dafoe's mask before the netminder could corral it with his glove.
Philadelphia closed to within 2-1 with 58.6 seconds remaining in the period when Michal Sykora potted one on a rebound only 1.4 seconds after a Flyers power play had expired.
The Bruins regained their two-goal advantage as a result of a terrific pass by Jason Allison (two assists) to All-Star MVP Bill Guerin on the power play. Sergei Samsonov, the third Boston representative in Denver over the weekend, dished a pass down to Allison behind the net. Allison threaded it through Flyers defenseman Eric Desjardins and onto the stick of Guerin, who rapped it past Boucher at 2:02 of the second for his 28th of the year.
Boston got into trouble later in the period, though, as the Flyers rallied for a pair of goals 1:19 apart to pull even.
At 11:32, the Flyers got a power play when McLaren, whose stick was being held by forward Simon Gagne, tried to get free of Gagne and wound up with a questionable interference penalty.
Keith Primeau scored on the ensuing man advantage at 11:45 on a rebound of a Gagne shot. At 13:04, center Peter White made it 3-3 with his seventh goal of the year.
''There was certainly a lot of intensity in the game,'' said Keenan. ''There were some lapses by both teams. I guess it was a byproduct of the break. You're really not mentally completely into it. I'm sure the play reflected a lack of concentration from time to time but both teams were certainly physically prepared to get in the game.''
