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BRUINS 6, LIGHTNING 3
Allison (5 points) a force in Tampa [ Game summary ]
Their objective down the stretch was to play well against everybody. They still have a ways to go, but if the last two games are any indication, they're at least moving in the right direction.
For the second straight game, the Bruins knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning. Last night's 6-3 victory at the Ice Palace was a showcase for captain Jason Allison, who had 5 points - two goals and three assists - for the third time in his career and first since March 14, 1998, against the Rangers.
Goaltender Peter Skudra (26 saves) also came up big, especially in the third period.
Allison has 8 points (four goals) in the last two contests.
With last Saturday's drubbing still fresh in its mind, Tampa put down the gauntlet before the game even started when Lightning enforcer Matthew Barnaby informed Bruins right wing Bill Guerin that the two were going to drop the gloves as the puck was dropped on the opening faceoff.
''To start the game as they did ... it was a little bit atypical for a tough guy to go after your star,'' said coach Mike Keenan. ''That'd be like us sending out [Andrei] Nazarov against Mario Lemieux or [Jaromir] Jagr.''
Guerin said he understood the situation and acted accordingly.
''Barny wasn't going to give me a choice,'' said Guerin. ''He said he was there for a reason. I know Matthew and he's a good guy and I respect what he does every night. He's probably the best at his job. He's an honest guy. He did his job.''
As the two sat in the penalty box, the Bruins grabbed a 2-0 lead on a pair of five-on-three goals. The first was by Joe Thornton at 1:25, the second by Allison at 2:07.
''The retribution we ended up having in that case was the quick goals and set them back pretty much on their heels,'' said Keenan. ''That's the best way you can punish that kind of play. Our best payback was to score goals, which we did.''
Boston scored the next goal during a four-on-four situation, again by Allison. P.J. Axelsson relayed a pass to Allison, who charged through the right circle and headed for the net. With defenseman Grant Ledyard trying to slow him down, Allison cut through the slot and lifted a backhander over goalie Dieter Kochan from the edge of the crease at 11:29 for the 3-0 lead.
Center Vincent Lecavalier, who was playing his second game after missing 14 with a broken foot, put Tampa on the board at the 14-minute mark on the power play.
Adrian Aucoin teed up a slapper from the right point that hit teammate Alexander Kharitonov in the right circle. The puck bounced off him and over to Lecavalier, who fired it past Skudra.
Sergei Samsonov scored his 22d of the season on a backhand shot down the slot to boost Boston's lead to 4-1 at 17:18. It was the Bruins' fourth goal on just seven shots.
Early in the second, Thornton picked up his 19th when Mikko Eloranta poked him the puck in front and Thornton backhanded a shot off the right post and past Kochan at 3:16.
Defenseman Peter Popovic, known for his stay-at-home skills, tallied his first goal in more than a year at 8:42 to make it a five-goal bulge.
With the clubs playing four a side, defenseman Jonathan Girard dished a pass through the slot for Popovic in the left circle. Popovic switched to his backhand and lifted a high shot over Kochan for his first score since Jan. 15, 2000, when he was playing for Pittsburgh.
Play stopped with 1:01 remaining in the period after Mike Johnson checked Bruin Don Sweeney into the glass behind the Boston net, shattering a pane onto the ice. The time was added to the start of the third.
Fredrik Modin moved the Lightning within 6-2 at 1:13 of the third.
The Lightning tried to make it interesting at 7:15 when left wing Nils Ekman scored to cut the lead to 3, but the Bruins prevented any further damage despite taking a couple of penalties.
''We were a little sloppy after we had the leads and probably didn't play with the same intensity we started with,'' said Keenan. ''We got the job done when we had to. Sometimes it's a normal letdown when you have a 6-1 lead. It's not an excuse but it happens.''
This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 2/16/2001.
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AMPA - For most of this season, the Bruins have scratched their heads trying to figure out why they struggle against the poorer teams and compete so impressively against the NHL's best.