|
 |
| |||
 | |||
|
| | |
BRUINS 4 MAPLE LEAFS 3 [ Game stats ]
Axelsson connects for overtime win
When the Bruins picked up free agent wing Dave Andreychuk, there was an equal amount of hand-wringing about whether the big forward could have a comeback year after two subpar campaigns in New Jersey.
So, it was appropriate that the FleetCenter be the theater for last night's high drama between Boston and the Toronto Maple Leafs (a.k.a. Khristich's new team).
In the end, with goalie Byron Dafoe seeing his first overtime (and four-on-four format) since rejoining the club, the Bruins rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Leafs in the extra period, 4-3.
Andreychuk sparked the comeback with two third-period goals 6:33 apart, and P.J. Axelsson won it with a little help from ex-teammate Khristich at 3:58 of overtime.
Khristich committed a turnover in the offensive zone, putting the puck right on the stick of Bruins defenseman Darren Van Impe. Van Impe fired a long lead pass to Axelsson, who scooted up the right side. He closed in on Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph, went to his backhand, and his shot hit Joseph in the right shoulder and bounced into the net for the victory. It was Axelsson's second goal of the year.
Andreychuk, who has been a force in the slot because of his second effort and determination, was a key factor with his 12th and 13th goals.
''He's been such a great addition to this hockey club,'' said Dafoe, who had 16 saves. ''We all knew what he brought to the table because of his history but there was a question of what level he could bring it to. He's playing like a 25-year-old out there right now. Not only does he do it on the ice but in the dressing room, he's a big leader. He's done it all before so he has a lot of experience to bring to the table.''
The Bruins got off to a terrible start as they fell behind, 2-0, after 20 minutes.
''It was almost as if we picked up where we left off [in Buffalo] and we didn't want to do that,'' said Dafoe. ''Between the first and second, we talked about it. We said, `Let's chip away and see what happens.' We had a solid second but the third period was huge. We dominated those last two periods.''
Khristich scored first for the Maple Leafs at 14:37, potting his fourth goal.
A little more than three minutes later, the Leafs made it a two-goal advantage when they cashed in on the power play. With Joe Hulbig, just up from Providence, in the box for roughing, Jonas Hogland chipped in his ninth goal. Steve Thomas, at the far right side of the blue line, relayed the puck to Yanic Perreault. Perreault put it right on the stick of Hoglund, who was all alone in front of Dafoe, and he one-timed it for the 2-0 lead at 17:48.
After regrouping during the intermission, the Bruins cut the lead in half at 4:24 of the second when Anson Carter scored his third goal. Ray Bourque fired a shot on Joseph and the rebound caromed out to the slot. Mikko Eloranta teed up a shot that trickled through Joseph in the crease and Carter pounced on it to pull Boston within 2-1.
Sergei Berezin tallied a power-play goal, his eighth, to make it 3-1 at 11:53 when a pass hit the broken stick of Axelsson and bounced to Berezin. The shot went off Bourque and changed direction, fooling Dafoe. But that was the last thing to go Toronto's way.
Andreychuk made it 3-2 on a power-play goal at 9:58 of the third, and he tied the game, 3-3, with 3:29 left. Bourque dished a backhand pass from the right corner to Jason Allison behind the net. Allison found Andreychuk to the right of Joseph and his quick shot beat the netminder. The Bruins outshot the Leafs in the third, 13-3.
That led to Axelsson's heroics in overtime.
''This was a huge, huge win for us,'' said Dafoe. ''Obviously we were terrible [Wednesday in Buffalo]. You definitely don't want anything to carry over. The way we came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period says a lot.''
This story ran on page E01 of the Boston Globe on 11/12/99.
|
hen the Bruins walked away from Dmitri Khristich's arbitration award back in August, there was plenty of hand-wringing with regard to who would pick up the scoring slack.