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BRUINS 2, LIGHTNING 2 Clinch knot: Bruins tie up playoff berth [ Game summary ] By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff, 4/1/2003
Yeah, sure, they had it all the way. You knew that. ''It's been a tough run,'' noted Bruins forward Brian Rolston, moments after a brief cheer broke out in the dressing room, where TVs flashed the pictures of Atlanta's winning goal. ''We've had to battle for everything we got. We know we're in now, and that's a good feeling.'' When they get back to work tonight in Ottawa, what the Bruins still won't know is their opponent for the best-of-seven first round that begins next week. It could be Ottawa. It could be New Jersey, Philadelphia, maybe Washington or even Tampa Bay. All they know for certain is that they will open on the road - not ideal, but far better than the dead end that was coming into view a few weeks ago when they were about the worst act going in the wild 'n' wonderful Original 30. ''You play for one reason, and it's not just to get in the playoffs, but to win the Stanley Cup,'' said Rolston. ''I believe we have the team in here to do it, and I hope everyone in here believes we do.''
More periods like Period No. 3 last night would give the embattled Bruins a fighting chance in a postseason round or two. After 40 minutes of spotty play against the vastly improved Bolts, they mounted a 16-2 shot barrage in the third period, a flurry that included Mike Knuble's 28th goal of the season that erased Tampa's 2-1 lead. Without a lead all night, and falling behind only 61 seconds into the game on a fluke goal by Ruslan Fedotenko, the Bruins finally managed to chisel out a point against their old teammate, John Grahame, who turned away 33 shots across 65 minutes. ''I thought the third period was a good period for us,'' said a fairly displeased Mike O'Connell, the GM/head coach addressing the media prior to the outcome in New York. ''That's what we should expect and you should expect from us. That has to be what the Bruins are about.'' Since turfing coach Robbie Ftorek, O'Connell has been concerned with his club's inconsistency and what he perceives to be a laissez-faire attitude toward winning and losing. Nightly, he would like to see 20 players playing cohesively, each programmed to feel great remorse if he ultimately is the one who lets the team down. Such was the esprit de corps when O'Connell dressed in Black and Gold. Now that he's coaching those same colors, he's finding out how hard that trait can be to find or develop. ''As a club, we have to recognize what our faults are,'' said O'Connell. ''It seems we aren't learning from our mistakes.'' Truth is, they are better. The greater truth is, they are far from perfect. Beginning to tighten up defensively while Ftorek was still their boss, the Bruins now have gone nine straight games without allowing more than three goals. Defensively, at least, that's the kind of work that made them the best team in the NHL for the first 6-7 weeks of the season. They are not the best team in hockey now, not a by a long shot, but they're doing a far more respectable job in the neutral zone and back end than they did for weeks leading up to Ftorek's dismissal. ''We were tired of beating our heads against the wall,'' said Knuble, explaining his squad's improved play over the final 25 minutes. ''Mike sees the way we play in that third period, and I'm sure he wants to pull his hair out.'' ''This is a good group of men, these players,'' said O'Connell. ''But we have to expect more from each other. It's available there, because we've shown what we can do when we want to.'' The time would seem to be now, with the second season about to begin. Thus far, they have proven only two things in 79 games: 1. They aren't the best team in hockey; 2. They aren't the worst team in hockey. Now we find out if they have anything left to prove.
This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 4/1/2003.
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sure thing at the start of the season, a nightly horror show for the better part of three months, their coach fired only two weeks ago, the 2002-03 Bruins last night entered yet another phase of their multiflex personality. Some 20 minutes after working to a 2-2 tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning at the FleetCenter in their 79th game of the season, they qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs when the Thrashers edged the Rangers, 4-3, in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
Bruins goalie Steve Shields is struck by Lightning forward Chris Dingman during a first-period collision.