[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 3/5/2002

hey're not calling it a slump. They're trying to play down their recent slide as more bump in the road than freefall. But the Bruins' 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last night marks the first time this season they've lost three in a row.

This was the same team that went into the Olympic break on a 6-1-1-0 high. Now, they're winless in four (0-3-1-0).

As a result of last night, the Flyers have a 5-point lead over Boston in the Eastern Conference, and with Toronto beating Washington, the Maple Leafs are now tied with the Bruins in points (76) and have one more victory.

''Right now we're a frustrated hockey team,'' said goaltender Byron Dafoe, a hard-luck loser. ''It's not from lack of effort, this skid we're on. Guys have been working hard. We're getting some bad bounces, but that's not an excuse because when things are going well, the bounces go your way.

''We have to stay positive, keep doing what we're doing, and just work ourselves through it. We're fully capable of turning this thing around, and the sooner the better.''

Once again, the power play wasn't there, as it went 0 for 5, squandering a five-on-three advantage.

The Bruins actually had the lead in this one but couldn't hang onto it. Right wing Bill Guerin potted his 34th goal of the season, as a result of a fortuitous bounce. Guerin, deep in the left corner, skated up and flung the puck at the net. It hit the skate of defenseman Luke Richardson and caromed past goaltender Brian Boucher and into the net at 14:00 of the first.

The middle period belonged to the Flyers, who scored twice and outshot the Bruins, 15-7. Center Jiri Dopita tied it at 10:22 on his first of two goals. Less than two minutes later, the Flyers took the lead for good. Left wing Simon Gagne, who was such a key contributor to Team Canada in its march to the gold medal, teed up a slapper from atop the right circle. The shot ricocheted off the skate of defenseman Hal Gill and changed direction, giving Dafoe no chance to stop it.

Dopita potted his second goal of the game at 16:11 of the third, and Marty Murray added an empty-netter with 36.8 seconds remaining.

If there was any good news for Boston, it was the return of right wing Martin Lapointe, playing his first game since Feb. 4 after missing a month because of a hamstring injury. He played 17 shifts over 12:34 and kept them short.

Part of Lapointe's evening was spent bumping Flyers forward Mark Recchi, which Recchi didn't enjoy. It's one element of the Bruins game that has been missed. ''Some guys out there don't feel they can be hit,'' said Lapointe. ''I think he's one of them. I just tried to go out there and take the man and he didn't like that.''

Lapointe is hopeful he'll be able to play the rest of the year. ''As long as I don't have any setbacks,'' he said. ''It felt OK today. It's still not 100 percent. I have to keep working hard at it and hopefully it's going to get better.''

With Joe Thornton due to sit out the third and final game of his suspension tomorrow night in Montreal, the Bruins could use any lift they can get. Dafoe said they need to keep working and it will come.

''Tonight we hit two posts in the third,'' he said. ''Before the Olympic break, those were hitting the post and going in.

''It comes and goes, it's part of the game. The biggest thing is, we can't lose sight of the fact we are working hard. We're just not coming out on the right side of the score.

''It's not a panic mode but it's crunch time. We're under 20 games left in the year. We've said it all year: It's great to be playing for first place in the conference, but you're only a few losses out of sixth or seventh. We've got to find out why this is happening and turn it around.''

This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 3/5/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.