Boston battles Anaheim to draw

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 10/18/2001

NAHEIM, Calif. - There is still not enough finish, still too many shorthanded situations, too few faceoffs won. The Bruins continue to be a work in progress, but for the second time in as many games, they managed to carve out a point on the road. This time it came courtesy of a 2-2 overtime tie last night with the Mighty Ducks.

Goaltender John Grahame, making his first start of the season, turned back 29 shots, including a breakaway attempt by left wing Jeff Friesen with 13.5 seconds left in the overtime. Anaheim netminder Steve Shields had the busier workload, stopping 39 shots, but not many testers.

The Bruins are now 3-2-2 and 0-2-2 on this six-game road trip, which continues in Nashville Saturday.

There might be some trouble brewing in the next few days for the Bruins.

No. 1 center Joe Thornton was assessed a two-minute minor in the third period for a nasty cross-check to the head of Anaheim defenseman Ruslan Salei. Given Thornton's history of stick infractions, which led to a pair of two-game suspensions last season, it could mean another possible banishment. The league office is tough on repeat offenders.

With the club already missing a top center - unsigned free agent Jason Allison - the Bruins can ill-afford to lose Thornton.

There wasn't an awful lot of flow in the first 40 minutes, largely because of the number of whistles. The Ducks got the better of the calls in the early going with three power plays in the first period to none for the Bruins.

But Boston's penalty killers, who have gotten quite a workout on this road trip, managed to fend off all three.

The Ducks weren't without some quality chances. At the 3:07 mark, center Matt Cullen set up right wing Marty McInnis with a point-blank opportunity from the slot, but Grahame, who was making his season debut, stopped it.

At 8:03, after defenseman Niclas Havelid blocked a shot by Bruins blue liner Pavel Kolarik, Cullen had a great chance in the slot when he pounced on a loose puck but Grahame was there.

Boston had 12 shots on goal in the first period but few were dangerous, and the Bruins didn't put much pressure on Shields.

Arguably their best chance came with a minute and a half left in the period when Thornton, right out of the penalty box, dished a pass to Brian Rolston, who relayed it to Scott Pellerin. Pellerin blasted a shot from the right side that Shields stopped.

In the second, the Bruins got on the board during a power play at 11:38. Boston had 1:26 of a two-man advantage but in working the puck around the horn, they weren't able to dent Shields until four seconds after the first penalty expired. During the five on four, Thornton dished a pass to Sergei Samsonov in the left circle. Samsonov relayed the puck to Rolston in the high slot and Rolston ripped a slap shot past Shields for the 1-0 lead. It was Rolston's fifth goal of the season.

The Ducks rallied to tie it at 13:28, also on the power play.

With defenseman Jamie Rivers in the penalty box for his second elbowing infraction, center Steve Rucchin beat Grahame on a rebound to make it 1-1.

Anaheim took its first lead at 16:23. Salei teed up a slapper from the right point, and it was tipped in front by Friesen and got past Grahame.

The Bruins pulled even a little more than a minute later on a fluky goal. Rolston, who has been firing on all cylinders this season, won a faceoff from Rucchin in the right circle of the Anaheim zone.

Lapointe, who was in the slot, fired a shot on Shields. It was hardly a direct path to the net. The puck hit the skate of Ducks defenseman Keith Carney and then caromed off the skate of defenseman Jason York before finding its way slowly past the goaltender.

The Ducks put some sustained pressure on the Bruins late in the period and left wing Paul Kariya, who had some terrific chances, nearly had a goal with 48 seconds left, but Grahame turned it back.

This story ran on page E1 of the Boston Globe on 10/18/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.