McInnis has trick up sleeve

[ Game summary ]

By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff, 3/7/2003

obody got fired, but there was some rare fire in the Bruins' bellies when they took the ice last night at the Vault.

Oh, what a morsel of grit and a little bit of a gut check can do.

Paced by a Marty McInnis hat trick - the equivalent of a pocketful of McIracles? - the embattled Bruins chugged along to a 4-1 win over the Islanders, stashing away a couple of points that pulled them into a seventh-place tie with the Islanders in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps it's not enough to guarantee them a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but it did give the Bruins a second straight win for the first time in more than a month, and for the first time in some five weeks it provided at least a hint of momentum.

''In our locker room before the game, we approached it as a playoff game,'' said Brian Rolston, who assisted on McInnis's first goal, providing a rare 2-0 lead less than seven minutes into the first period. ''They're fighting for their lives, and we're fighting for our lives.''

After ending a nine-game losing streak two nights before in Carolina, and enduring a perpetual assault of rumors about the potential firing of their coach, Robbie Ftorek, the Bruins went so far as to show a rare nasty edge in the first period. Their hits carried some sting. Even mild-mannered P.J. Axelsson dropped his stick in anticipation of a fight in the first period, but wasn't accommodated by would-be sparring partner Jason Blake.

''I just snapped, and I thought he came in a little late [with a hit],'' said a composed, laughing Axelsson. ''Hey, we wanted the 2 points. At the same time, we wanted to put together 60 good minutes, and we still haven't done that. We won, but we haven't put 60 together in a long time.''

Baby steps. If they're going to get back their game, show any kind of the consistency and puck-possession game they fashioned in the first seven weeks, they likely aren't going to get it all back at once. Another promising sign last night was the 21-save work of Steve Shields, getting his first start after sitting four straight as Jeff Hackett's understudy. The Islanders, thin on the back line because of injury, didn't pepper the net, but Shields made a few strong stops that might have been enough for him to get the start tomorrow afternoon when the Capitals come to town.

''It's good to win, and it's good to have the guys playing well,'' said Shields. ''All of a sudden, we're right there, tied for seventh.''

It took a mesmerizing fall from first in the conference to get there, of course. The win was only the 11th in the last 40 games for the Bruins. Only four times in those 40 games have the Bruins defeated a club that as of yesterday had a record of .500 or better. They're moving ahead, but slowly, with the likes of the Rangers looking to bump them out with a charge from underneath.

''I've never been concerned about the teams under us,'' said Shields, shrugging off the challenge from the also-ran division. ''No matter who we face in the playoffs, we'll do well with the team we've got.''

McInnis, who hadn't potted a goal since Dec. 14, had logged better than seven hours of ice time without a score, 35 straight games of no goals. To see a name other than Joe Thornton, Glen Murray, or Brian Rolston as a multiple scorer on the game summary has been a rare sighting this season. Not only did McInnis knock home three, he did it on a night when Jumbo Joe's line didn't pick up as much as an assist. Thornton, Murray, and Mike Knuble landed only seven shots.

''It's nice to score, obviously,'' said McInnis. ''And it's nice that someone else gets the goals, but we can't be leaving it to those guys every night.''

Rob Zamuner popped in the 1-0 lead early in the first, first on a power play and McInnis followed just over two minutes later with his first of the three. Dave Scatchard scored the Islanders' only goal, tipping in a Michael Peca shot in the second when the Bruins' game tailed off some. McInnis then knocked in the game-breaker with 2:57 to go in regulation and added an empty netter with 66 seconds left to top the sundae. Two points. Ice cream.

''The game plan was simple: Shoot a lot and crash the net,'' said Axelsson. ''I think every game down the stretch is going to be like a playoff game for us.''

He might not be able to pick a fight, but Axelsson can pick his words.

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 3/7/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.