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BRUINS 3, CANADIENS 2 Rolston gets Bruins on board in overtime [ Game summary ]
In the case of the Bruins last night, earning only a point against the Montreal Canadiens would've been close to a kiss of playoff death.
But forward Brian Rolston rode to the rescue in overtime, scoring off his own rebound at 2:49 to give Boston the 3-2 victory at the FleetCenter.
The Bruins are now 2 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with just nine games left.
''It was obvious it was a must-win for us,'' said Rolston, who also had an assist. ''It's a big goal for us. It doesn't get much better. Every point is huge for us. It was like scoring a game-winning goal in the playoffs.''
The Bruins got strong performances from their top players. Jason Allison had a goal and two assists as did Bill Guerin, and Allison became the third 30-goal scorer on the club. Allison's 3 points lifted him to a career high in points (84) and assists (54).
''He's a big player for us in big games,'' said coach Mike Keenan. ''You can count on people like that. He's done it all year-round. If you look at the hockey club and look at the top players on our team, they've all had very solid years to this point. Jason is an example of that type of player that we have. They've logged an awful lot of ice time and played well for the most part.''
Allison and Guerin assisted on Rolston's winner, his 17th goal.
''Ally tried to make a pass in the middle and I just saw it,'' said Rolston. ''I got knocked down and then I took an initial shot that was blocked. Then the defenseman kind of turned around and I got the rebound off the guy's shin pad. The goalie [Jose Theodore] was looking around to look for the puck and he lifted his stick up and it just went five-hole.''
The Bruins could've had a boatload more goals early in the game. They outshot the hapless Canadiens, 13-5, in the first 20 minutes, which was as bad a performance by an opposing team as the Bruins have seen all year. They took the lead at 1:27 on Allison's power-play goal.
Allison fired a shot from in front of Theodore. The netminder made the initial stop, but Allison collected his own rebound, skated left to right, and banged in a forehander.
The Canadiens battled back and tied it, also on the power play. With Boston holding a 10-1 shot advantage, Mike Knuble was whistled off for slashing. At 13:30, Peter Popovic joined him for high-sticking, giving the Habs a five-on-three for 43 seconds. As Knuble's penalty expired, Patrice Brisebois beat goalie Byron Dafoe to make it 1-1.
Richard Zednik fired a shot from the right side that appeared to hit Dafoe in the shoulder, bouncing in the air. Kyle McLaren batted it with his glove trying to clear it, but it went to Brisebois, who rapped it past Dafoe.
The Bruins took the lead again in the second. This time it was Guerin, who potted his 37th goal. Allison, positioned at the top of the left circle, dished to Guerin in the right circle. The big right wing, who had seven shots in the first 40 minutes, fired it through Theodore's pads for the 2-1 advantage at 7:43.
The Canadiens pulled even again at 16:33, cashing in on the power play after a questionable call. Andrei Nazarov, who is offensively challenged but gives it his all, attempted a wraparound at the right post. But he lost the puck and slammed into the net, knocking it on top of Theodore. He was assessed a two-minute minor for what was essentially roughing the net.
''That was definitely not a penalty,'' said Keenan. ''There was no penalty whatsoever. It can't even be described as marginal.''
It was costly. Saku Koivu, deep in the right circle, took a centering pass from Brian Savage and beat Dafoe between the pads to make it 2-2.
After a scoreless third, Rolston delivered in overtime.
''We have to play every game like it's our last,'' said Rolston.
This story ran on page E01 of the Boston Globe on 3/23/2001.
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he old saying in hockey is that getting a tie is as exciting as kissing your sibling.