Kings, Bruins draw

Chance at victory lost late in third period

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 10/21/99

LOS ANGELES -- So close, but so far away. The Bruins' first nine games have been a series of close calls, bad luck, spotty execution, and acute disappointment.

As coach Pat Burns put it, the Bruins have been mighty close. But as he said, "We have to get away from close. Close only counts in horseshoes, dancing, and hand grenades.''

It is now nine games without a win (0-5-4), tying their mark of futility from 1964-65. After last night's 2-2 tie with the Los Angeles Kings, the club is asking itself what in the world it has to do to get a win.

It looked like it was over with 2:23 left in regulation. Bruins left wing Sergei Samsonov, who had his best game of the season, picked an opportune time to score his first goal.

Samsonov skated the puck through the right circle and backhanded a shot on Kings goalie Stephane Fiset, who made the initial save. But Samsonov picked up his own rebound, skated across the slot, and backhanded another shot high over Fiset that the goalie couldn't get to.

But the Kings weren't done. With 1:08 left, former Bruins center Jozef Stumpel came back to haunt them as he scored with a shot from the left circle to pull Los Angeles even at 2.

The Bruins came out of the blocks much better than they had Saturday against the Phoenix Coyotes. Steve Heinze, who played with Jason Allison and Anson Carter, tried to redirect an Allison pass in the game's early moments but it went just wide.

Boston took the lead on a Carter goal at 4:12, his first of the season. Heinze fired a shot on Fiset that the netminder kicked out. Allison backhanded the rebound on net, but Fiset stopped that, too. The Kings tried to clear it, but it ended up right on the stick of defenseman Jonathan Girard at the left point. Girard took the shot and Carter tipped it in for the 1-0 lead.

The Bruins had a chance for more during a two-man advantage that lasted 32 seconds, but they couldn't break through.

At the end of the power play, when it was 5 on 4, Samsonov set up defenseman Kyle McLaren in the left circle after skating right to left around the net, but it went for naught as Fiset was there.

Boston nearly went up, 2-0, during a shorthanded 2 on 1. Allison, rushing up the left side, fed a pass across the slot to Dave Andreychuk, who stuck his stick out and one-handed a shot on net. But Fiset stopped it with his left pad as Andreychuk barreled into him in the crease, his stick hitting the goalie in the head. Fiset was shaken up briefly.

Meanwhile, Tallas (38 saves) was doing a tremendous job of holding the fort despite taking a shot off the right ankle from Ken Belanger during warmups. Tallas could barely walk after the game.

One of his better saves in the first was on defenseman Mattias Norstrom, whose low shot from the left point just 1:24 into the game was snared by Tallas.

The second period, especially the last half of it, was entirely too much of an adventure for Boston, which found itself scrambling as the Kings' offense began to get fired up.

Los Angeles tied the game at 1 at 10:32 on a power-play goal by defensemen Rob Blake.

Blake, who had several good opportunities prior to the score, took a pass at the left point from forward Ziggy Palffy, who chipped the puck over from the right point. Blake teed it up and Luc Robitaille set the screen on Tallas.

Tallas robbed forward Donald Audette of a goal at 11:59. Glen Murray, one of several ex-Bruins on the Kings' roster, skated behind the net and centered a pass to Audette. Audette, off to the goalie's left, tried to put the puck over Tallas, who was sprawled on his belly. But somehow, Tallas got his glove up high enough to snag it.

He had another big test at 13:12 when he faced Palffy on a shorthanded breakaway, but Palffy made his move first and Tallas was ready. The save kept the Bruins from getting in a hole as the Kings outshot them, 6-1, in the last 7:15 of the period.

In the third, both teams had chances, with the Kings having more but Tallas was immense. The Bruins had an opportunity at 5:55 when Andreychuk backhanded an attempt through the legs of defenseman Garry Galley, but Fiset made the stop.

Blake hit the post during the power play at 9:19 and Bryan Smolinski had a point-blank shot at 10:10 that Tallas saved.

The Bruins had a golden opportunity to go ahead at 10:30 when Samsonov had an open top of the net to shoot at on a rebound and it went off the right post.

Right wing Landon Wilson got to the carom and his shot went off the crossbar.