Chara Ties it Late, but Predators Win Shootout
After coming up empty in two straight games, the Boston Bruins will be glad to leave Nashville with one point in their pockets. However, they would have liked to grab two, as the Bruins have now lost four consecutive contests for the first time all season. Boston trailed 2-1 for most of the third period, until Zdeno Chara's tying goal sent the game into overtime with 1:16 remaining in regulation. Despite getting a goal from Blake Wheeler in the opening round of the shootout, the Bruins fell, as Martin Erat and David Legwand converted in the third and fourth rounds, giving the Nashville Predators a 3-2 win at the Sommet Center.
Seeing how the teams had not played each other since last January, the first period gave the two sides a chance to get a feel for how the game would be played. Both teams were able to create quality chances in the early going, which ultimately led to the first goal of the night at the 14:24 mark of the opening stanza. Jordin Tootoo came around the left side of the cage, before tossing a pass back to Ryan Suter at the left point. Suter hesitated with the puck, allowing Tootoo to get into position on the outside of the left circle. Tootoo received the pass from Suter with his back to the net, forcing him to spin while taking his shot. Tootoo kept the slap shot along the ice, giving David Legwand the chance to deflect it past Manny Fernandez. That would the lone goal of the first, as Nashville outshot the Bruins 11-6 in the first 20 minutes of play.
One of the major issues for the Bruins in recent games has been the performance of their power play. Entering Saturday night's contest, Boston had converted on two of its last 32 opportunities. Things would turn from bad to worse for the power play during the second period, as the Predators turned the tables with a shorthanded tally. Joel Ward made a terrific individual effort as he reached the Boston blueline. Ward was being pressured by the defense until he reached the slot, when he managed to get a pass off to David Legwand in the right circle. Legwand was in the perfect position for a one-timer, as he snuck a shot through the legs of Fernandez.
At that point, the Bruins knew they were going to have to fight back relatively quickly. Boston's answer to cut the deficit in half came just 61 seconds after Legwand's goal. Vladimir Sobotka put a hit on Jerred Smithson along the right wing boards, forcing the puck free. After gaining possession of the puck, Sobotka turned to find David Krejci in the slot. Krejci tried getting a one-timer off, but broke his stick in the process. Luckily, the puck dribbled over to Blake Wheeler. Wheeler put the puck on his backhand and lifted a shot over Pekka Rinne's blocker. The Bruins rebounded to outshoot Nashville 10-6 in the middle frame, but still trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard.
With time becoming a factor, Boston began throwing everything at the net. Unfortunately for them, nothing went through until the 18:44 mark of the period, when the captain picked up the equalizer. Zdeno Chara carried the puck in along the right wing boards, until leaving off for Patrice Bergeron behind the goal. Bergeron stickhandled with the puck as he searched for a teammate to pass to. He finally found that teammate in David Krejci, but the pass ended up deflecting to Chara on the doorstep. Chara's first shot got stopped by Rinne, but the defenseman was there to slam home his own rebound for a 2-2 tie. Neither team was able to score in the final 1:16 of regulation, meaning each squad would pick up at least one point.
Overtime was somewhat scary for the visitors, as Shane Hnidy was whistled for holding at the 1:23 mark of the extra session. Luckily, the Bruins were able to keep the Predators at bay, keeping the game knotted at two. Nashville outshot Boston 4-1 in overtime, but neither side could dent the twine for a third time. This meant that a shootout was in order.
Surprisingly, Nashville elected to shoot second, meaning Blake Wheeler had the chance to give the Bruins an early advantage. He did, as the Boston forward stickhandled in, before tapping a backhander through Rinne's legs. The Predators went with Vernon Fiddler for their first shot, but he came up empty, putting a shot off of the post. Patrice Bergeron and Steve Sullivan exchanged misses in the second round, putting the Bruins in the driver's seat. PJ Axelsson was Boston's third shooter, and unfortunately for him, the shootout kept going, as he missed the net. As Nashville's last hope, Martin Erat delivered the tying goal. Erat skated in down the middle, stickhandled briefly, then lifted a forehand shot over Fernandez. For the fourth round, the Bruins went with Phil Kessel. After getting stopped by Rinne on a breakaway in overtime, Kessel was also stopped in the shootout, as he tried to go glove side on both attempts. That meant David Legwand had a chance to be the hero. He came through, beating Fernandez with a backhander into the top part of the net.
Pekka Rinne earned the win for the Predators, as he made 23 saves on 25 shots during the game, before turning in a 3-for-4 effort in the shootout. Manny Fernandez suffered the shootout loss for the Bruins. Fernandez stopped 29 of 31 shots during the game, but allowed two goals to Nashville in the shootout.
Those looking for a bright spot on Valentine's Day should look no further than the American Hockey League, where the Providence Bruins got a 6-5 shootout win in Portland. The Pirates opened the scoring with a Mark Mancari goal just 2:39 in, only to have it get answered by Brad Marchand and Matt Lashoff. Marc-Andre Gragnani evened the score for Portland at the 29 second mark of the second, before Mikko Lehtonen netted a pair of goals to five the P-Bruins a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes. Lehtonen's second tally came just prior to the buzzer. Lehtonen completed his hat trick in the third period, but the Pirates forced overtime with a pair of late goals. After a scoreless overtime, the two teams headed to a shootout. Lehtonen continued to have a tremendous night for the Baby B's, as he scored the first goal of the shootout in the second round. Unfortunately, Mark Mancari had a response, as he tied it in the third round. Wacey Rabbit put the Peebs ahead in the fourth round, before Tuukka Rask shut the door on Aaron Slattengren in round five. Rask's night was a short one, as Kevin Nastiuk was the starting netminder for Providence. Nastiuk made 34 saves on 39 shots, before giving way to Rask, who went 4-for-5 in the shootout. Jhonas Enroth took the loss for the Pirates, making 29 saves on 34 shots, before going 2-for-4 in the shootout.
The Boston Bruins are off until Tuesday, when they travel to Carolina for their fourth and final meeting with the Hurricanes. The Providence Bruins complete their three-game weekend with a home tilt against the Manitoba Moose on Sunday. Face-off is at 4:00 from the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
Scoring Summary:
1. NAS Legwand (13) (Tootoo, Suter) 14:24
2. NAS Legwand (14) (Ward) (SH) 12:24
2. BOS Wheeler (16) (Krejci, Sobotka) 13:25
3. BOS Chara (13) (Bergeron, Wideman) 18:44
Shootout:
BOS Blake Wheeler- G
BOS Patrice Bergeron- S
BOS PJ Axelsson- S
BOS Phil Kessel- S
NAS Vernon Fiddler- S
NAS Steve Sullivan- S
NAS Martin Erat- G
NAS David Legwand- G
Penalty Summary:
1. BOS Wheeler- Interference 18:02
2. NAS Hamhuis- High Sticking 1:38
2. NAS Suter- Delay of Game 7:17
2. NAS Sullivan- Hooking 9:24
2. BOS Yelle- Interference 9:51
2. NAS Erat- Holding 10:25
2. BOS Ference- Slashing 18:37
3. BOS Stuart- Slashing 4:31
3. BOS Ward- Holding 6:45
4. BOS Hnidy- Holding 1:23
Goalies:
BOS Manny Fernandez (14-3-3): 31 shots, 29 saves
NAS Pekka Rinne (16-9-0): 25 shots, 23 saves
Shots on Goal:
BOS 6-10-8-1-0=25
NAS 11-6-10-4-1=32
Power Plays:
BOS 0-for-4
NAS 0-for-5
Three Stars of the Game:
1- NAS David Legwand
2- NAS Martin Erat
3- NAS Pekka Rinne
Seeing how the teams had not played each other since last January, the first period gave the two sides a chance to get a feel for how the game would be played. Both teams were able to create quality chances in the early going, which ultimately led to the first goal of the night at the 14:24 mark of the opening stanza. Jordin Tootoo came around the left side of the cage, before tossing a pass back to Ryan Suter at the left point. Suter hesitated with the puck, allowing Tootoo to get into position on the outside of the left circle. Tootoo received the pass from Suter with his back to the net, forcing him to spin while taking his shot. Tootoo kept the slap shot along the ice, giving David Legwand the chance to deflect it past Manny Fernandez. That would the lone goal of the first, as Nashville outshot the Bruins 11-6 in the first 20 minutes of play.
One of the major issues for the Bruins in recent games has been the performance of their power play. Entering Saturday night's contest, Boston had converted on two of its last 32 opportunities. Things would turn from bad to worse for the power play during the second period, as the Predators turned the tables with a shorthanded tally. Joel Ward made a terrific individual effort as he reached the Boston blueline. Ward was being pressured by the defense until he reached the slot, when he managed to get a pass off to David Legwand in the right circle. Legwand was in the perfect position for a one-timer, as he snuck a shot through the legs of Fernandez.
At that point, the Bruins knew they were going to have to fight back relatively quickly. Boston's answer to cut the deficit in half came just 61 seconds after Legwand's goal. Vladimir Sobotka put a hit on Jerred Smithson along the right wing boards, forcing the puck free. After gaining possession of the puck, Sobotka turned to find David Krejci in the slot. Krejci tried getting a one-timer off, but broke his stick in the process. Luckily, the puck dribbled over to Blake Wheeler. Wheeler put the puck on his backhand and lifted a shot over Pekka Rinne's blocker. The Bruins rebounded to outshoot Nashville 10-6 in the middle frame, but still trailed 2-1 on the scoreboard.
With time becoming a factor, Boston began throwing everything at the net. Unfortunately for them, nothing went through until the 18:44 mark of the period, when the captain picked up the equalizer. Zdeno Chara carried the puck in along the right wing boards, until leaving off for Patrice Bergeron behind the goal. Bergeron stickhandled with the puck as he searched for a teammate to pass to. He finally found that teammate in David Krejci, but the pass ended up deflecting to Chara on the doorstep. Chara's first shot got stopped by Rinne, but the defenseman was there to slam home his own rebound for a 2-2 tie. Neither team was able to score in the final 1:16 of regulation, meaning each squad would pick up at least one point.
Overtime was somewhat scary for the visitors, as Shane Hnidy was whistled for holding at the 1:23 mark of the extra session. Luckily, the Bruins were able to keep the Predators at bay, keeping the game knotted at two. Nashville outshot Boston 4-1 in overtime, but neither side could dent the twine for a third time. This meant that a shootout was in order.
Surprisingly, Nashville elected to shoot second, meaning Blake Wheeler had the chance to give the Bruins an early advantage. He did, as the Boston forward stickhandled in, before tapping a backhander through Rinne's legs. The Predators went with Vernon Fiddler for their first shot, but he came up empty, putting a shot off of the post. Patrice Bergeron and Steve Sullivan exchanged misses in the second round, putting the Bruins in the driver's seat. PJ Axelsson was Boston's third shooter, and unfortunately for him, the shootout kept going, as he missed the net. As Nashville's last hope, Martin Erat delivered the tying goal. Erat skated in down the middle, stickhandled briefly, then lifted a forehand shot over Fernandez. For the fourth round, the Bruins went with Phil Kessel. After getting stopped by Rinne on a breakaway in overtime, Kessel was also stopped in the shootout, as he tried to go glove side on both attempts. That meant David Legwand had a chance to be the hero. He came through, beating Fernandez with a backhander into the top part of the net.
Pekka Rinne earned the win for the Predators, as he made 23 saves on 25 shots during the game, before turning in a 3-for-4 effort in the shootout. Manny Fernandez suffered the shootout loss for the Bruins. Fernandez stopped 29 of 31 shots during the game, but allowed two goals to Nashville in the shootout.
Those looking for a bright spot on Valentine's Day should look no further than the American Hockey League, where the Providence Bruins got a 6-5 shootout win in Portland. The Pirates opened the scoring with a Mark Mancari goal just 2:39 in, only to have it get answered by Brad Marchand and Matt Lashoff. Marc-Andre Gragnani evened the score for Portland at the 29 second mark of the second, before Mikko Lehtonen netted a pair of goals to five the P-Bruins a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes. Lehtonen's second tally came just prior to the buzzer. Lehtonen completed his hat trick in the third period, but the Pirates forced overtime with a pair of late goals. After a scoreless overtime, the two teams headed to a shootout. Lehtonen continued to have a tremendous night for the Baby B's, as he scored the first goal of the shootout in the second round. Unfortunately, Mark Mancari had a response, as he tied it in the third round. Wacey Rabbit put the Peebs ahead in the fourth round, before Tuukka Rask shut the door on Aaron Slattengren in round five. Rask's night was a short one, as Kevin Nastiuk was the starting netminder for Providence. Nastiuk made 34 saves on 39 shots, before giving way to Rask, who went 4-for-5 in the shootout. Jhonas Enroth took the loss for the Pirates, making 29 saves on 34 shots, before going 2-for-4 in the shootout.
The Boston Bruins are off until Tuesday, when they travel to Carolina for their fourth and final meeting with the Hurricanes. The Providence Bruins complete their three-game weekend with a home tilt against the Manitoba Moose on Sunday. Face-off is at 4:00 from the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
Scoring Summary:
1. NAS Legwand (13) (Tootoo, Suter) 14:24
2. NAS Legwand (14) (Ward) (SH) 12:24
2. BOS Wheeler (16) (Krejci, Sobotka) 13:25
3. BOS Chara (13) (Bergeron, Wideman) 18:44
Shootout:
BOS Blake Wheeler- G
BOS Patrice Bergeron- S
BOS PJ Axelsson- S
BOS Phil Kessel- S
NAS Vernon Fiddler- S
NAS Steve Sullivan- S
NAS Martin Erat- G
NAS David Legwand- G
Penalty Summary:
1. BOS Wheeler- Interference 18:02
2. NAS Hamhuis- High Sticking 1:38
2. NAS Suter- Delay of Game 7:17
2. NAS Sullivan- Hooking 9:24
2. BOS Yelle- Interference 9:51
2. NAS Erat- Holding 10:25
2. BOS Ference- Slashing 18:37
3. BOS Stuart- Slashing 4:31
3. BOS Ward- Holding 6:45
4. BOS Hnidy- Holding 1:23
Goalies:
BOS Manny Fernandez (14-3-3): 31 shots, 29 saves
NAS Pekka Rinne (16-9-0): 25 shots, 23 saves
Shots on Goal:
BOS 6-10-8-1-0=25
NAS 11-6-10-4-1=32
Power Plays:
BOS 0-for-4
NAS 0-for-5
Three Stars of the Game:
1- NAS David Legwand
2- NAS Martin Erat
3- NAS Pekka Rinne
