Bruins are getting that sinking feeling

They're powerless falling to Rangers

[ Game summary ]

By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff, 2/28/2003

EW YORK -- They were bad with the puck. They were worse without it. Overall, they lacked the intensity and drive it takes to beat even the high-paid-but-humdrum likes of the Rangers. The Bruins booted away another 2 points last night and extended their winless streak to a season-worst seven games (0-4-3) as they were knocked around by the Blueshirts, 4-1.

What's left to say? Check the Goodwill boxes on your way to work this morning. If you see layer upon layer of used Black-'n-Gold sweaters heaped in front of the collection boxes, don't assume they're empty. It could be that Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs has seen enough of his discount wanderers and left them out there for charity pickup.

''Nineteen games left and we've got to keep playing hard,'' said captain Joe Thornton, held without a point and limited to only one shot on net before a sellout crowd of 18,200 at Madison Square Garden. ''That's how we'll work our way out of it.''

Such has been the refrain around the Bruins for the better part of three months. The loss left them stuck in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, the last playoff spot, and the $80 million-or-so Rangers inched to within 4 points of the once-mighty Bostonians. True, the Bruins have four games in hand, but even a 10-game cushion would seem perilous given their current state of disarray.

The loss will fuel the rumors that it's time for general manager Mike O'Connell to make a coaching change. One wildcat rumor making the rounds Wednesday night had former coach Gerry Cheevers, their Hall of Fame goalie, taking over for Robbie Ftorek. A more likely scenario perhaps would have O'Connell taking over, with Cheevers as an assistant and current assistant Wayne Cashman retained. Such a move would leave Ftorek and assistant Jim Hughes out of work.

Given their protracted malaise, anything is possible, save for the returns of Don Cherry, Fred Creighton, or Mike Keenan. The Bruins gave up two shorthanded goals to the Blueshirts. They gave up a power-play goal. It virtually goes without saying, but they were tagged with another penalty for too many men on the ice (perhaps Morgan Memorial could donate an abacus for benchside use?). To top it all off, they lost reliable blue liner Nick Boynton early in the first period when he was tossed for applying a knee-to-knee hit to winger Ronald Petrovicky.

It was, by no means, the AAA TripTik preferred route to the playoffs.

''You give 'em two shorthanded goals and a power-play goal . . . you can't play that way and be successful,'' said Ftorek, whose astute game-planning schemes are either (1) ignored by his charges or (2) over their heads. ''No one tries to do those things, but they happen. And you can't give up 47 shots [43 saved by Jeff Hackett], either, whether you're shorthanded all night, or not. The guys played with energy, that's not a question. But they didn't play with their heads. The too many men -- we talked about it -- you can't do those things.''

For a club with even the slightest hope of reaching the postseason, the bonehead plays and associated garden-variety boo-boos have gone on way too long. Bryan Berard had a pair of painful giveaways in his old town, the first to Mark Messier for a shorthander that made it 3-0, and another to Alexei Kovalev early in the third for the 4-1 dagger. Berard often is an exciting player, able to do great things with the puck, but he is prone to making some aggravating cough-ups.

Boston's only goal was fired in by P.J. Axelsson in the final moments of the second period, trimming back the 3-0 Blueshirt lead. Axelsson stepped into a 35-to-40-foot slapper after Marty McInnis provided some fullback-like blocking down the slot. Initially, McInnis looked offside, but there was no call. The officiating crew allowed it to stand as the only shot that would elude Mike Dunham all night.

''It wasn't a good effort, we've got to do better,'' said center Brian Rolston, who sparked the Bruins with a shorthanded strike Tuesday night that helped erase a 4-2 Dallas lead. ''We also can't be giving up 47 shots [18-13-16 by periods]. Frustrating? Absolutely, it is. But there is no time for frustration. You've got to play to win, and try to get a win. We can't be giving up two shorthanded goals, a power-play goal . . . spot the other team two goals every night and come back to win.''

The bad news continues. Management, maintaining its posture that led to the losses of Kyle McLaren, Byron Dafoe, and Bill Guerin, stands by and watches, watches, and watches some more. Nothing much changes. They had 19 wins on Dec. 8. They'll enter March with 28 wins.

''Maybe it's the way teams react to us -- they come out quick and strong,'' said Thornton. ''Robbie gives us a good game plan, but we have to come out and execute it. And it starts with our line [Thornton, Mike Knuble, and Glen Murray]. We've got to get the first hit, the first shot.''

Somebody has to do something, and soon, before another season is simply swept into the final Delaware North tabulations, along with the sales of corn chips, Cokes, and hot dogs.

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 2/28/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.