[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 1/15/2002

ASHINGTON - When the Bruins last met the Washington Capitals, Jan. 5 at the FleetCenter, the scoring came easy and often as they romped to an easy victory with a seven-goal barrage.

Last night, they faced a different Capitals team, one depleted by injuries, and necessity became the mother of invention for coach Ron Wilson. He dressed eight defensemen, sending them out three at a time. They clogged the neutral zone, and though the Bruins generated 30 shots, most weren't very dangerous.

That different approach netted a different result as Boston fell, 1-0, in overtime at the MCI Center.

The winner came just 13 seconds into the extra session, with right wing Dainius Zubrus driving between Bruins defensemen Hal Gill and Jonathan Girard and guiding a shot underneath goaltender Byron Dafoe.

''I think we were both trying to make the play without sacrificing our position,'' said Gill, who along with Girard was trying to thwart the head of steam Zubrus came with, starting at the defensive blue line. ''We knew there were two other guys behind him so we didn't want to totally go at him. He made a nice play, he stayed strong on his stick, and he got it off somehow.''

Despite the loss, the Bruins picked up a point and are now tied with Toronto atop the Eastern Conference standings with 58 points.

The Bruins played the final period without Glen Murray, who was struck in the lower left leg by a slap shot off the stick of teammate Sean O'Donnell late in the second. Murray said the X-rays were negative and he's hoping a couple of days of icing the injury will allow him to return for the next game, Thursday against Ottawa.

''It hit me where there was no padding,'' said Murray. ''It's not broken or anything. It just really went kind of tingly. It's really sore and I couldn't push off. I tried skating but I couldn't cross over.

''I shouldn't even have been there, it was my own fault. He got me pretty good. He's got a harder shot than I thought.''

Offensive chances didn't come easily for either team, especially the Capitals, who had just 17 shots without star Jaromir Jagr in the lineup. The Bruins have been struggling mightily on the power play of late. They generated very few chances on the man advantage, finishing 0 for 4 in the game. They are now 0 for their last 15 and 2 for their last 29.

''Our power play wasn't really clicking tonight, but you can't expect it to go every night,'' said Dafoe.

It was slow going all night for the Bruins forwards. They were hindered not only by the tight checking but by the play of goaltender Olaf Kolzig, who earned his second consecutive shutout.

''They're definitely playing defensive-minded,'' said Dafoe. ''They were playing with three defensemen on the ice and three, sometimes four guys back. We couldn't generate any odd-man rushes or sustained pressure off the attack, and that's what their game plan is when they have the kind of injuries they have right now.

''In Boston, they had all their big guns in the lineup and they were trying to match us offense for offense and we pretty much exploded in that game. But with the injuries, you can see why they have to change their style and it's working for them right now.''

Center Adam Oates assisted on the only goal, his 1,000th career assist.

''The highlight of the night is the fact that Adam Oates gets his 1,000th assist in overtime against the Boston Bruins,'' said Wilson. ''I think that's a night he'll remember for a long time.''

This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 1/15/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.