[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 1/5/2003

he Bruins' season officially hit a crisis point last night after a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at the FleetCenter.

The team has dropped three in a row and nine of the last 12 (2-9-1-0). General manager Mike O'Connell (still with the Kyle McLaren trade card to play) called on his troops to refocus. Coach Robbie Ftorek met with his squad after the defeat, which for the second night in a row was fraught with undisciplined penalties and startling mistakes not seen in the first two months of the season when Boston started off 16-3-3-1. Then the players met on their own to air out what has become a full-blown free fall.

''We're making mistakes that hurt us,'' said O'Connell. ''We're taking penalties we shouldn't be taking and not initiating enough like other teams initiate. We're not skating without the puck, we're not skating with the puck. We have to regain our focus and what's successful for us. We did that at the start of the year, all we did was focus on winning, and I think we've lost that.''

O'Connell said it wasn't a dramatic swing, it was something that happened gradually.

''It just creeps in,'' he said. ''Things creep into your own game, creep into the way you prepare. I think we have to redefine who we are and what kind of team we are. If we're not in the proper shape, get ourselves in the proper shape. We have to redefine our game and regain our focus and I believe we can do that. Every situation is critical and I don't think we're taking every situation critical right now. Every player has to look at themselves, the general manager has to look at himself, the coaches have to look at themselves and figure out what we need to do to get back the focus and the preparation and the dedication to winning. I think that has slipped. We have to regroup.''

They started out fine in the first period, scoring just 22 seconds in. Joe Thornton wristed a shot past goaltender Arturs Irbe and Boston was up, 1-0. It didn't last. Jeff O'Neill pulled the Hurricanes even on the club's first of three power-play goals at 5:45. Defenseman Aaron Ward threw the puck down from the blue line and it was deflected to the back boards. It caromed out in front of the net and veteran Ron Francis kicked it over to O'Neill, who was in the crease. O'Neill tapped it past goalie Steve Shields for his 14th of the year to make it 1-1.

The Bruins had a myriad of chances in the rest of the period. Martin Lapointe, who is looking for his second goal of the year, had a point-blank opportunity at 6:44 but Irbe made the stop.

Not long after that, Boston had a five-on-three advantage for 57 seconds but couldn't convert.

Around the 10-minute mark, with the Bruins on a five-on-four power play, Mike Knuble had a wide-open net to shoot at. Glen Murray dished a centering pass out of the right corner and with Irbe scrambling, Knuble took a shot that went off Irbe's stick and then clanged off the crossbar.

At 3:37 of the second period, the Hurricanes scored again, taking the lead for good. Craig Adams and former Bruin first-round pick Kevyn Adams worked a give-and-go, Craig Adams backhanding a pass from the slot for Kevyn Adams, who fired a shot that Shields stopped with his stick. The rebound went to Craig Adams and he tapped it in to make it 2-1.

The game got ugly at 17:52 when defenseman Sean Hill dropped low and hit Thornton's right knee just outside the Carolina blue line. Thornton, incensed at the dangerous play (which was not penalized), went after Hill, grabbing him around the neck with his right arm. All heck broke loose, with players from both sides jumping in and Shields and Irbe skating out of their nets into the fray.

Carolina wound up with a five-on-three advantage as Michal Grosek was already in the box for an earlier infraction and Thornton got an extra minor penalty for roughing, which accounted for the mismatch.

Boston killed off the first penalty but with three seconds left on Thornton's and 10.2 seconds remaining in the period, O'Neill took a pass from Sami Kapanen and one-timed the puck from atop the left circle to make it a 3-1 game.

The Bruins pulled to within a goal at 2:08 of the third on a strike that was nearly identical to one they scored against the Islanders Friday night. Thornton beat Rod Brind'Amour in the right faceoff circle, drawing the puck back to Murray. Murray's quick shot beat Irbe and it was 3-2.

A tough penalty resulted in another Carolina goal. Grosek was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for diving and Erik Cole made him pay, one-timing a shot past Shields at 12:55 and that was it.

The Hurricanes' power play was hot (3 for 7), the Bruins' was not (0 for 6). And that was the difference.

After the players-only meeting, Thornton predicted that their bad times will turn around as soon as the next game - in Toronto two days from now.

''We had a little talk and things will change on Tuesday,'' said the captain. ''Who knows what it is, but things will have to change.''

Defenseman Nick Boynton agreed.

''It's gone on too long,'' he said. ''We're playing stupid. The hard work is there, we're just being stupid.''

If the skid is wearing on the GM and players, it's also wearing on the coach.

''It's really frustrating just because we know how good a team we can put out on that ice and how well the guys can play when they all play together well, so that's kind of a sore point,'' said Ftorek. ''You know it's there, we've just got to get it going.''

This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 1/5/2003.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.