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BRUINS 2, DEVILS 2 [ Game stats ]
Better effort against Devils earns a point
Jason Allison, who played with a torn tendon in his right wrist and is mulling whether to have surgery, scored two goals for the Bruins last night as they battled to a 2-2 tie with the New Jersey Devils at the FleetCenter. The Bruins are hoping this is the beginning of more than just a new year.
''We've got a terrible streak going right now but I have to admit, the last five or six games we've definitely played hard,'' said goalie Byron Dafoe, who made 31 saves and was instrumental in the team getting a point. ''As a result, we've gotten a point in four of the last five games. We're not getting the victories but we're at least turning the corner.''
The Bruins are now winless in their last seven games (0-5-2) and 2-9-5 in their last 16.
Bad breaks have been a recurring theme in the hometown team's problems. Boston got another one last night when the Devils scored a controversial goal just 22 seconds into the game.
New Jersey center Bobby Holik fired the puck to defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who was in front of the Bruins' net. Niedermayer hooked and upended Don Sweeney into Dafoe, knocking the goalie out of the play. With the puck lying in front and Sweeney and Dafoe out of commission, Niedermayer backhanded it into the cage for the 1-0 lead.
''I haven't seen the replay yet but I don't think I'm going to fall into the corner by myself,'' said Dafoe. ''The referee tried to explain to me that he thought Donny hit him into me but I've got a question about how Donny ends up on his butt as well. My concern is that they're taking out the crease rule and that's all fine, but I think the refs have to realize the goalie is still sacred territory. Whether you're in the crease or at the top of the crease, you can't be interfered with. That's taking away from my job. That's what bothered me about the non-call.''
Coach Pat Burns said he thought it was a clear case of goaltender interference.
''When you take a player right out like that and throw him on the goaltender ... it's just that with a team with a little bit of lack of confidence like ours right now, something like that happens and they get away with it, it's a battle to get back up there,'' said Burns.
But battle back the Bruins did.
Allison, who missed the last three games, got his first goal at 15:45 of the opening period. Kyle McLaren, a step inside the blue line, fired the puck toward the net and Allison tipped it past Martin Brodeur for his eighth goal of the season to pull the Bruins even.
As often has been the case, though, the Bruins squandered some terrific offensive chances in the second period and shortly thereafter, the Devils regained the lead.
The Bruins had a power play midway through the period and applied some serious pressure with Andre Savage and Joe Thornton both getting a couple of shots at Brodeur but failing to convert.
Not long after that man-advantage expired, left wing Patrik Elias put the Devils back in front. Elias gained the blue line and beat McLaren inside the left circle, slaloming through the slot, switching from backhand to forehand, and beating Dafoe at 10:03 for his 10th goal of the season.
Dafoe kept it close. About 11 minutes into the middle period, New Jersey rookie sensation Scott Gomez made a terrific feed to Holik, but Dafoe turned it aside. At 15:45, Dafoe snared a tricky shot by Gomez. And early in the third, center Denis Pederson made a nice bid but Dafoe blocked it with his body.
Allison came through again at 6:50 when he converted on a three-on-one break. Charging up ice with Allison and Sergei Samsonov, Anson Carter dished a pass from the right circle across the slot to Allison, who backhanded it home for the 2-2 tie. It was Allison's fifth goal in his last three games.
The club lost Thornton to the penalty box with 41.6 seconds left in regulation when he and veteran defenseman Ken Daneyko squared off. Though Thornton delivered the better of the blows, bloodying Daneyko's nose, Burns would have preferred to have Thornton, the club's only natural center in the lineup who could take faceoffs, available for the overtime. It caught the coach by surprise.
''It did because I only have one real centerman who can take draws and play that position,'' said Burns. ''It probably was a good tactic to go after him. But Joe didn't back up, you've got to give him credit for that.''
After the game, it was Allison who deserved a lot of the credit for bringing his A game despite playing in pain.
''There's no question, he's such a big part of this hockey club,'' said Dafoe. ''He just brings a lot to the board for us both offensively and defensively.''
But for how long remains to be seen.
This story ran on page D01 of the Boston Globe on 1/2/2000.
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t wasn't a victory, but it wasn't a loss. What it really turned into was a baby step forward in the Bruins' quest to climb out of their protracted slump.