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BRUINS 2, CAPITALS 2 [ Game stats ]
It's a point taken - with 51 shots
The Bruins had the Washington Capitals right where they wanted them last night - with only four minutes of regulation between Boston and victory. But a funny thing happened on the way to the celebration.
The red-hot Capitals, who were 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games, tied it up with 3:54 left in the third period, and that's the way it ended - 2-2 at the FleetCenter.
It was Boston's league-high 15th tie of the year.
The Bruins peppered Capitals goalie Craig Billington with 51 shots, the most they have generated this year. Washington had only 15 - a season-low. Unfortunately for Boston, those 51 shots didn't add up to enough offense to get the job done.
''It's almost like if we have a one-goal lead going into the third, we don't get that extra goal to break it open or take the pressure off,'' said goalie Byron Dafoe. ''This is a disappointing tie but we still played a pretty good game and we deserved a better fate.''
The one that sunk them started on a play that really should have been a penalty. Speedy forward Richard Zednik, driving down the right boards, tripped up Bruins defenseman Hal Gill, spilling the big blue liner into the corner. Zednik skated the puck behind the net and then pulled up. His centering pass jumped over one teammate's stick, hit the shaft of Ray Bourque's stick, and bounced right to Washington defenseman Ken Klee, who rapped the equalizer by Dafoe.
''That was a tough one,'' said Gill. ''I asked them what happened and they said I fell down. That's the way it goes. I can't do much about it now.''
Dafoe said hard-luck goals have been a hallmark of the season.
''The goals are funny,'' said Dafoe. ''Ottawa hits a stick and a skate and goes in. Tonight, Hal gets tripped on a play and then the puck goes off of Ray's shaft and in the net. You almost just shake your head. You can't get too frustrated with yourself.
''I hate giving up a win. When we have a lead going into the last 10 minutes, I usually think it's a slam dunk. That's my job to hold them off. When goals like that go in, I can't blame myself, I just say it wasn't meant to be and hope we can score in overtime.''
They couldn't, though, despite having a power play.
Boston got off to a terrific start. The shot clock showed a 20-2 differential in the first 20 minutes, but it seemed closer.
''I was going to question the shot-clock guy, what he was doing,'' said Dafoe, who thought he had more work than two shots. ''But whether it's 15 or 19, it's not a big deal.''
With four minutes remaining in the period, the Capitals had a great opportunity to get on the board when Zednik took off on a breakaway. But defenseman Mattias Timander did an excellent job of backchecking to nullify the threat. Timander chased down Zednik, wrapped his stick around Zednik's middle, and kicked the puck into the corner.
Boston took a 1-0 lead on the power play early in the second period, with center Andre Savage scoring his third goal of the season. During the All-Star break, Savage played in two games for the Providence Bruins and tallied 4 points. He picked up right where he left off, converting a rebound at 2:58.
The Capitals geared up their game and rallied to tie it at 10:13. With the club cycling well down low, Joe Sacco dished the puck to Sergei Gonchar in the right circle for a one-timer that Dafoe didn't have a prayer on. It was Gonchar's 13th goal of the year.
A goal late in the period put Boston back on top, 2-1. Anson Carter, working his way down the right boards, relayed a pass to Dave Andreychuk chugging down the slot. Andreychuk stuck out his stick and guided the puck under Billington for his 19th goal of the season.
Dafoe came up big in the third when he made a save on sniper Peter Bondra around the four-minute mark. He was tested again a minute later when Sacco tried a wraparound. Dafoe made the initial stop but the puck caromed into the crease and Gill cleared it away.
However, Dafoe couldn't do anything about Klee's score, and the Bruins had to settle for a point.
''We just didn't finish,'' said coach Pat Burns. ''Fifty-one shots, but you've got to finish sometimes on the chances we did get, that's what makes the difference.''
This story ran on page F01 of the Boston Globe on 2/9/2000.
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o killer instinct, not enough finish, not much luck.