[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 1/24/2002

EW YORK - The Rangers' offense wasn't the only thing boiling over last night.

After the Bruins gave up a whopping eight goals - their most of the season - in an 8-4 loss at Madison Square Garden, many of the players said they would attempt to shake it off in a hurry because of their important game against the Senators tonight in Ottawa.

But it doesn't look as if it will be that easy for Byron Dafoe. Dafoe was left in by coach Robbie Ftorek for all eight goals - scored on 26 shots - and he wasn't happy about it.

''I don't know what [Ftorek] said, but in my 10 years of [pro] hockey, I've never been humiliated like that before,'' said Dafoe, his frustration overflowing. ''I don't know what his game plan behind that was.''

The Bruins - who have now won only once in their last six games (1-2-0-3) - didn't look as if they had any game plan at all. They didn't play well from start to finish, despite scoring three goals in the opening 20 minutes to rally to tie the game, 3-3, late in the first period.

Their defensive coverage was out of synch, the forwards turned the puck over countless times, and the Bruins made more mistakes in this game than they had in any contest this season. After working on their power play (1 for 30 heading into the game), they did score on the man-advantage but gave up a three power-play goals for the third time season.

''It's embarrassing and tough to swallow, but hopefully we can use it as a good thing and learn from it,'' said Hal Gill. ''It was one of those nights, it seemed like. We didn't have a good start and we couldn't right the ship.''

The Rangers scored 37 seconds into the game on the first of three goals (and 5 points) by Jeff Toms, who picked up his first career hat trick.

Martin Lapointe brought the Bruins right back at 3:14 but right wing Radek Dvovak put New York back on top, 2-1, at 7:54. Pesky forward Theo Fleury, who was playing in his 1,000th NHL game, ripped a shot on Dafoe from the right circle. The netminder made the stop but Fleury gathered his own rebound, skated right to left around the net, and centered a pass to Dvorak for the goal.

Despite the efforts of the Bruins' resident pugilist, P.J. Stock, who tried to ignite his club by taking on Matthew Barnaby, the Rangers kept coming. At 9:28, Fleury tallied his 19th of the year. Defenseman Dave Karpa dished a pass up to Dvorak, who relayed it to Petr Nedved. Nedved charged down the right circle and drew both Bruins defensemen - Gill and Sean O'Donnell - to him. That opened up room for Fleury in front, and Nedved threaded a backhand pass right on Fleury's stick and it was 3-1.

The Bruins rallied to tie it with a pair of goals 21 seconds apart late in the period. Brian Rolston pulled them to within 3-2 on a power-play goal at 18:30. Glen Murray then wristed a shot from the right circle under the crossbar at 18:51 and it was a new game, but only briefly as the Rangers scored three more goals in the second.

Mike York scored his first of two 31 seconds in on a power play and then tallied another at 6:05 at even strength. York's second goal was set up by an amazing play by Eric Lindros (four assists). Defenseman Brian Leetch dished a pass up for Lindros, who skated through the right circle with Don Sweeney right on his tail. Lindros, who still had the puck, got Sweeney in a head lock but kept on going and one-handed a pass to York, who rapped it past Dafoe to make it 5-3.

Toms then potted his second of the night at 12:28 on a New York power play.

Sergei Samsonov pulled the Bruins to within 6-4 at 1:20 of the third, but Barnaby answered at 4:21 when he scored off his own rebound for New York's seventh goal. Toms, who had suffered a broken nose earlier in the game when he was struck by a puck while sitting on the bench, completed his hat trick at 18:54.

''We didn't play well,'' said Bill Guerin. ''We weren't sharp. We were really sloppy in our own end, but we can fix those things. We're always going to get effort from our team. We don't have a problem there. So if it's just technical, we can fix it.''

Maybe so, but they're going to need to fix their goalie's psyche if they're going to go anywhere.

This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 1/24/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.