[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 11/14/2001

heir big guns are back on track, their defense is more focused in their own zone as well as chipping in offensively, the game plan was followed, and the physical game has returned. As a result, so has the winning.

Forwards Bill Guerin, Glen Murray, Sergei Samsonov, Brian Rolston, and Joe Thornton potted goals and defenseman Don Sweeney chipped in two assists as the Bruins knocked off the Montreal Canadiens at the FleetCenter last night, 5-3.

The victory ended the Bruins' losing streak at two games.

Credit a strong start, a back-to-basics approach, and a reshuffling of the lines for the victory.

''I really think the guys talked it over amongst themselves and said they had to get back to playing a sound game,'' said coach Robbie Ftorek, whose club was coming off disappointing losses to Minnesota and Columbus. ''Their success has been coming through the discipline and the positioning and the patience we've been playing with in the defensive zone when we don't have the puck.

''We didn't do a 100 percent on that but we did way better than we have been doing on it. Their commitment to it was critical in the success of the game tonight.''

The Bruins outshot the Canadiens, 13-3, in the opening 20 minutes and came away with a 2-1 lead. Thornton, parked behind the net, set up the first goal when he centered a backhanded pass near the right post. The puck came out to right wing Martin Lapointe in front but squirted under his stick and out to left wing Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov fired a high backhander into the net for his seventh goal of the season and the Bruins were up, 1-0, at 6:16.

That lead lasted less than a minute and a half.

Left wing Martin Rucinsky, at the right point, dished a pass to defenseman Andrei Markov in the high slot. Markov ripped a slapper that trickled through goaltender Byron Dafoe at 7:44 and it was all tied up. That was just the second shot of the game for Montreal.

Murray, who was moved off a line with Jozef Stumpel and Guerin and put with third-liners P.J. Axelsson and Rolston, put the Bruins back ahead with his ninth goal of the year at 15:34.

Sweeney got the puck in the defensive zone and sprung Murray and Rolston for a two-on-one. Murray, charging up the left wing, snapped a shot from the circle that beat Montreal's Jose Theodore. It was Murray's third goal as a Bruin and first in five games.

''I saw Rollie coming up late and the puck was bouncing a little bit,'' said Murray. ''I tried to get it settled down. Someone told me to shoot five-hole all the time. So I shot five-hole and thank God he had his stick up.''

The Canadiens rallied to tie the game with 45.8 seconds remaining in the second period. McLaren tried to chip the puck up the boards and out of the defensive zone but it was picked off by right wing Andreas Dackell. Dackell relayed it to Markov and Markov dished it to Jan Bulis, who swept in a shot from the slot past Dafoe.

The Bruins regained the lead early in the third period on Rolston's eighth of the season.

Sweeney took a shot from the point that bounced off Theodore and then Markov in front. Markov spun around, looking for the puck, but it dropped down for Rolston, who rapped it past the goalie at 4:21 for the 3-2 lead.

Guerin, who has been laboring to score despite hitting posts and crossbars, scored Boston's fifth goal - his first in five games - at 11:14 of the third. With Knuble creating havoc in front, Guerin skated from the left to the right point before letting go a hard shot. When it went in, Guerin held his arms up and looked skyward in relief. When asked if he was thanking the hockey gods for the goal, Guerin laughed.

''Well, I had to thank somebody,'' he said.

Petrov brought the Habs within 4-3 with 53.2 seconds left and Theodore pulled for an extra attacker. But Thornton sealed it with an empty-netter.

''Our defense was back on track,'' said Dafoe, who had 32 saves. ''And it was great to see the offense explode the way it did, especially in the third period.

''We did what we had to do to win and I think it's a good effort responding from two subpar efforts at home the last two games. It was a game we needed. We kind of got away from things the last two games. Tonight, we definitely got back on track.''

This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 11/14/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.