Returning Bruins beat Leafs in OT

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 10/26/2001

s hockey lore goes, the toughest game to win is the first one at home after a long road trip.

As we've seen with the Bruins since they left town on a six-game odyssey, all the contests have been difficult lately.

They have had no lack of shots, no lack of scoring chances, and the goaltending and work ethic have been excellent. But goals have been hard to come by.

Last night, that was still true, but they got just enough as Joe Thornton scored at the 12-second mark of overtime to lift the Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The win keeps their record at the FleetCenter unblemished at 4-0.

The game marked the debuts of acquisitions Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray, who came from Los Angeles in a trade for Jason Allison and Mikko Eloranta Wednesday. The new pair played on a line with Bill Guerin, who switched to left wing. Stumpel played 23 shifts over 19:25 and Murray played 23 shifts over 18:07. Each had one shot on goal and Guerin had a game-high six.

Both new players figured in the Bruins' best early opportunities. At 4:52 of the first period, the Bruins took advantage of a Maple Leafs turnover and turned it into a three-on-one break. However, Stumpel's shot from the left side went wide.

At 5:28, Guerin blasted a slapper from neutral ice that seemed to catch Toronto goalie Corey Schwab off guard. Murray raced after the rebound but Schwab recovered to stop his shot.

Early in the second, the Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 3:57 on a goal by feisty forward Tie Domi. Defenseman Bryan McCabe teed up a slapper from the left point that deflected off Travis Green and then off Domi's stick.

''It was going wide so I came out and took the angle away,'' said Dafoe, who had no chance of stopping it. ''I don't think Tie meant to put it in. It was one of those shots where it hit his skate right and redirected in. [Defenseman Hal Gill] had his stick tied up, and that's all you can ask of him. It's unfortunate but fortunately for us, we responded with a big goal to tie it up and we all know what happened in overtime.''

The Bruins put some pressure on the Maple Leafs in the second period and eventually tied it.

Schwab came up big for Toronto at 12:36 when Sean O'Donnell had a prime chance on a rebound off a shot by Sergei Samsonov. O'Donnell, positioned low in the left circle and all alone, put a quick shot on Schwab but the netminder stopped it.

It appeared Boston tied it at 15:55 when Jamie Rivers blasted a one-timer from the left point that clanged off the far post. But referee Kerry Fraser immediately waved it off.

At 17:21, the Bruins tied the game on a goal by Brian Rolston on the power play, which ended Boston's drought at 108 minutes 11 seconds.

''We've had a hard time scoring lately,'' said Rolston. ''I think we have plenty of goal scorers in here. Billy is kind of snakebit right now. Tonight was a close-checking game and when you can come out with a win against a team like that in a tight-checking game, it's always a positive.''

With Shayne Corson off for roughing, Samsonov, who was in the left circle, dished to Rolston at the middle of the point. His slapper beat Schwab high to the glove side. It was Rolston's sixth goal of the season and his fourth on special teams. It was also the first of two assists for Samsonov.

At 17:59 of the third, Guerin had a great bid on a rebound as he charged the net from the left circle but his forehander was stopped by Schwab.

Stumpel set up Murray with 8.4 seconds left in regulation, sending a backhand centering pass from the right corner to the slot, but Murray's shot sailed over the net.

In overtime, Thornton skated down the right-wing board and took advantage of Samsonov's helper.

''Sergei just made a good play to me,'' said Thornton, who drove to the net from the right side, ''and I threw it at the net and it hit [Schwab] and it dropped and I hit it through the five-hole. It's unbelievable how much we're outshooting other teams. To get that many chances and not to be able to bury more, it's a little frustrating for the guys. I think as long as we keep on winning and playing solid defense, there's going to be a lot more scoring chances to come.''

Amid the celebration of the victory came the reviews for the new duo's first performance, which were very positive across the board.

''They're going to be a great addition to this team,'' said Dafoe. ''You've got to give them a little time to adjust to their new linemates and new environment and new system with [coach Robbie Ftorek] but they've proven what they've done in this league before for many years. They're a welcome addition to this hockey club. Everyone is talking about the lack of offense right now but with those two guys, there's no way you can keep our two top lines down.''

This story ran on page E1 of the Boston Globe on 10/26/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.