This game set up perfectly as a trap game for the Bruins, but this team is too focused for that to happen (especially on old time hockey night as the Bruins honored the movie Slap Shot). Playing the two teams chasing them in the northeast division sandwiched by the Panthers is as big a trap game as you may see all season long. However, the Bruins came out ready to carry over the momentum they owned in the Buffalo game.
Just over two minutes into the game Phil Kessel was sent in on a partial break away from the right side boards but Thomas Vokoun was able to stop Kessel's wrister keeping the game scoreless, at least for a moment.
The key word there was, for the moment. Kessel went on on his second breakaway in under a minute and this time was able to beat Vokoun, sliding the puck underneath his pads and the Bruins were on the board.
The play started when Dennis Wideman found Marc Savard in the middle of the Bruins zone. Savard turned up ice and found a streaking Kessel in behind the Panthers defense with a beautiful feed, sending Kessel.
With just under 12 minutes to play in the first period the Panthers were able to even things up when David Booth beat Tim Thomas cleanly. The play actually continued for another 20 seconds until the next whistle as the referees couldn't see that the puck had actually bounced back out off the twine.
Two minutes later the Bruins regained the lead, this time to stay as Patrice Bergeron tipped in a shot from the blue line by Matt Hunwick. The Bruins controlled much of the period and after twenty minutes the Bruins lead by one.
Entering the second period the Panthers controlled much of the play with two power plays in the early going. However the Bruins were able to kill them off swing the momentum.
That momentum swing came in the form a slowly executed three on one. David Krejci moved down the right wing wall and found a streaking Chuck Kobasew on the left side. Kobasew's shot hit a Panther in front but Krejci was there to pick up the loose puck and put the biscuit in the basket.
Less than two minutes later the Bruins broke things open when Savard made a nice play to keep the puck in the zone. Savard fed Bergeron on the left side who then headed for the net, Bergeron's initial shot was stopped but the rebound was collected by Savard in the slot who put it home into the empty net.
With the game getting out of hand the Panthers tried getting physical late in the second to swing the momentum. Milan Lucic was called out by old Bruin Nick Boynton and he was clearly ready for the challenge. While Boynton landed some good shots, it was Lucic who got the decision as Boynton left the scrum with his face a little on the bloody side.
With under three minutes to go Keith Ballard went low on Savard and Aaron Ward came in to rough up Ballard for the questionable hit on Savy. Savard went back to the locker room but was out there in the third period so he appears to be OK.
With a little over three minutes to go, Ville Peltonen put in a garbage goal on a rebound in front. The Bruins didn't have a body on Peltonen and Thomas had to chance to make the stop.
The Panthers pulled the goaltender with two minutes to go but couldn't get anything going and the Bruins picked up the 4-2 victory. With the win the B's move to 11-1-1 in their last 13.
The Bruins will now head up to Montreal to play the Habs tomorrow night on Patrick Roy night. Man, do I hate Roy mainly because he was a Hab for the majority of his career but hey I'll even admit he is one of the best of all time and deserves this night.
The Bruins will start tomorrow night tied with the New York Rangers for first place in in the Eastern Conference (lead the tiebreak). Expect a doozy up there in Montreal tomorrow night, must see television.
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