Bruins lighting it up

They may be on roll after another victory

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 1/21/2000

AMPA - It's a juggernaut.

OK, maybe not a juggernaut or the beginning of a huge turnaround or anything else. Perhaps a modest winning streak is a more realistic way to describe what is happening to Boston. Call it what you want, but the Bruins have earned back-to-back victories the past two nights and are unbeaten in five games (2-0-3).

Last night's 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Ice Palace wasn't a work of art by any stretch of the imagination, but when you're 48 games into the season and fighting to make the postseason, aesthetics don't matter. It also doesn't matter that the combined records of Boston's last two opponents is 22-56-11.

After a monumental struggle for the past month and a half, the Bruins are just happy to be pointed in the right direction. Well, for the most part. Once again, with a comfortable lead at the end, mistakes made it a little too interesting.

Coach Pat Burns said his position is like the Navy - it's not just a job, it's an adventure.

''This is the most adventurous team I've ever had in my entire career,'' said Burns, shaking his head. ''We make every game an adventure. Be all you can be. But they worked hard, I've got to give them that. Everything just seems to be an adventure.''

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

At 10:11, Marty McSorley picked up his first goal as a Bruin. McSorley, positioned at the right point, fired the puck through traffic. It pinballed its way through and past goalie Kevin Hodson, who has been in Lightning coach Steve Ludzik's doghouse and who is in danger of losing his spot. Hodson faced 15 shots in the period.

At the other end, Hodson's teammates were doing their best to give the netminder some help. At 12:08, the Lightning came close to tying the game when center Robert Petrovicky, one of the club's most noticeable players, tried to beat Byron Dafoe (26 saves) near the left post but the puck skidded through the crease along the goal line and kept going out the other side.

The Lightning pulled even at 12:59 when left wing Jaroslav Svejkovsky potted his second goal of the year and first of two in the game. Svejkovsky got the rebound of a teammate's shot, skated it behind the net, and then skated it out in front. With Dafoe down on his knees, Svejkovsky fired a shot that beat Dafoe to the short side.

The Bruins went on top for good at 17:17 when Joe Thornton tallied his 12th of the year. Thornton, who played just over seven minutes in the first period (nine shifts), was one of the Bruins' best players and scored on a heads-up play.

He was positioned behind the Lightning net and was looking to center a pass to Steve Heinze. He sent the puck toward Heinze, but Lightning defenseman Chris McAlpine blocked it and Thornton got it back. He skated into the low edge of the right circle and wristed it past Hodson for the 2-1 lead.

The second period, which was scoreless, was one of the most forgettable in recent memory. Both clubs were sloppy, there were more icings than scoring chances, and neither team advanced its cause. One of the only legitimate scoring opportunities came midway through the period when Tampa Bay forward Darcy Tucker fired a shot from the right point. Dafoe made the stop, but center Chris Gratton got to the rebound. He tried to beat Dafoe at the left post, but couldn't make the play.

The Bruins' third goal came with a whole lot of help from the Lightning at 8:32 of the third. Andre Savage was in the right faceoff circle in the Tampa Bay zone, taking the draw against Gratton. Gratton pulled the puck back but won it with so much zeal that it went flying backward, caromed off the skate of defenseman Paul Mara and right past Hodson and into the net. Savage was credited with his second goal of the season. Ludzik, who watched in disbelief, was so frustrated that he took the gum out of his mouth and tossed it down the bench.

''It happened so quick,'' said Savage. ''But I'll take it.''

It turned out that goal provided some needed breathing room for Boston because Svejkovsky pulled Tampa to within 3-2 at 18:30, but right wing Rob DiMaio sealed it with an empty-netter at 18:54.

''I thought it was an evenly matched performance,'' said Burns. ''We got some timely goals, Byron made some timely saves. I thought both teams were evenly balanced.''

This story ran on page E01 of the Boston Globe on 1/21/2000.
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