Bruins cruise to fifth straight win

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 12/30/2001

AMPA - For five games, they have had the luck of the Irish. They have been magicians, pulling rabbits out of hats. They have had the wind at their backs, power in their skates, and goals from everybody and everywhere.

The Bruins have been riding high and last night, they won their fifth straight game, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime, 5-4.

The victory moved Boston past Toronto into first place in the Northeast Division and into a virtual tie with the Rangers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with three games in hand.

The defensemen are scoring, the forwards seem to do no wrong, and even the backup goaltender - John Grahame, making his seventh start - got an assist.

They may not be playing perfect hockey - the Lightning, for instance, carried the play for a good portion of last night's contest - but the Bruins' confidence is sky-high and that seems to have made up for any deficiencies.

Right wing Glen Murray, who potted the winner at 2:34 of the extra session, had three points after a five-point game Friday night against the Panthers.

''I actually mishandled the game-winner, but when you're hot, the puck has a way of finding the net,'' Murray said.

Right wing Bill Guerin had a goal, giving him eight points in his last six games, including five goals. Rob Zamuner, who had one goal in his first 18 games, scored a shorthander last night and now has six goals and eight points in his last six contests. And on and on and on it goes.

The five victories is the longest consecutive-victory streak since the Bruins won six from Oct. 23-Nov. 6, 1999.

The Bruins started off well, outshooting the Lightning, 12-3, in the opening period to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

With Murray fighting for the puck with Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina, who was trying to poke it out of the zone, the puck instead went to defenseman Nick Boynton at the right point. Boynton teed up a slapper, beating goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin at 1:42 on Boston's first shot of the game.

The Lightning rallied to tie on their first of three power-play goals scored against the NHL's best penalty killers.

Defenseman Brad Richards, who was at the right point, took a pass from center Vaclav Prospal, who was along the right-wing boards, and blasted a shot past Grahame at 13:21.

With 49.8 seconds remaining in the period, left wing P.J. Axelsson scored his third goal of the season to make it 2-1.

Center Jozef Stumpel tried to pass to Axelsson a couple of seconds earlier but his initial offering was blocked by Kubina. Stumpel got the puck right back and on his second try, he hit Axelsson in the slot for the one-timer.

The Lightning converted on their second power-play opportunity, pulling even at 11:26 of the second. With defenseman Hal Gill off for holding, former Bruin Dave Andreychuk had a bid on a backhander from the slot. Grahame made the stop but Prospal buried the rebound. Andreychuk picked up his second assist of the game, giving him 645 for his career to tie Bobby Orr for 46th place on the NHL's all-time list.

Guerin put Boston back in front at 17:15 with his 19th goal of the year. In what started as a three-on-two break, Guerin got the puck in the left circle and flung it at the net. Khabibulin couldn't handle it and it was 3-2.

The Lightning thought they tied it at 17:37 after Prospal's shot hit the left post and dropped into the crease. But although Ben Clymer was trying to jam it past Grahame and was jostling with Boynton in front, the puck never crossed the goal line.

Early in the final period, the Lightning cashed in their third straight man advantage of the game and fifth straight against Boston (dating back to their Nov. 27 meeting at the FleetCenter in which Tampa was 2 for 2).

Left wing Fredrik Modin's shot on Grahame bounced out to right wing Martin St. Louis and St. Louis's high shot from in front at 2:44 tied the game at 3-3.

The Lightning went ahead for the first time on an even-strength goal at 4:59. Richards, who had a terrific game, was positioned along the right-wing boards. He saw defenseman Jassen Cullimore heading down the slot and his pass was right on Cullimore's tape. Cullimore's shot sailed past the right arm of Grahame, putting Tampa in the driver's seat - temporarily.

The Bruins' penalty killers rebounded to tie the game at 14:59 when Zamuner tallied the club's ninth shorthanded goal of the season. Murray's shot from the left circle, the result of a three-on-one, was stopped by Khabibulin but Zamuner jumped on the rebound to make it 4-4. Grahame picked up the second assist.

With 2:26 left in overtime, Murray took a pass from Axelsson and snapped a shot from the right circle over the glove of Khabibulin and the Bruins' express rolled on.

This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 12/30/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.