Bruins 4, Oilers 0

It took the Boston Bruins 22 minutes to get a puck past Ben Scrivens. David Krejci’s slapshot on a second period power play was the first goal Scrivens allowed in more than six periods of ice time, and would prove to be all Boston needed to defeat the Edmonton Oilers.

The floodgates opened in the third period, as the Bruins added three goals to win 4-0 against the Oilers this afternoon at TD Garden.

Oilers captain Andrew Ference played his first game in Boston since signing with Edmonton in the offseason. Ference played for the Bruins for six seasons from 2007 to 2013. The Bruins played a tribute video on the jumbotron during the first commercial break, and Ference was given a standing ovation by the crowd at TD Garden.

The Bruins controlled the first period, but couldn’t find the back of the net. They had nine shots on goal to Edmonton’s two, and another seven were blocked. Boston also sent eight first period shots wide of the net, as they were unable to capitalize on their scoring chances.

The opening goal came after Scrivens was penalized for tripping in the first minute of the second period. Taylor Hall spent the time in the box for Edmonton. Jarome Iginla found Krejci at the top of the zone and the Czech’s one-timer deflected off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ stick on its way into the net.

Prior to Krejci’s goal, the Scrivens  had made 102 consecutive saves going back to the first period of the Oilers’ game Sunday against Nashville. The Edmonton goaltender made 59 saves in a shutout win against San Jose on Thursday night, an NHL record. The Bruins’ third-period offensive outburst will overshadow his impressive performance through the first two periods.

Dougie Hamilton doubled the Bruins lead with a wrap-around goal in the third period. The defenseman fired a low shot to the near post which was saved by Scrivens’ left leg, but Hamilton gathered the rebound, skated behind the net, and bounced the puck off of Scrivens’ right pad for a goal. Hamilton’s sixth goal of the season marked a new career high for the twenty-year-old.

Carl Soderberg and Torey Krug each scored later in the third to make the scoreline reflect the lopsided nature of the game. Loui Eriksson had a second period goal taken away after replay showed that he kicked the puck into the net. Iginla and Zdeno Chara each had two assists in the game, and Soderberg had one to go along with his goal.

Chad Johnson , who came in for Tukka Rask during Thursday night’s loss to the Montreal Canadiens, made the start today between the pipes for Boston. He faced just 21 shots, 10 of which came in the final period, in his first shutout of the season. His record is now 10-3-0.

For the Bruins, it was a bounce-back performance after a listless 4-1 loss against Montreal on Thursday night. The victory keeps Boston’s lead on the Atlantic division at four points over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won in overtime today in Montreal. Edmonton is in last place in the Pacific division and today’s loss snapped a season-long three-game winning streak.

The Bruins’ next game is Tuesday night at home against the fourth-place Vancouver Canucks. Chara will not be with the team, as his Olympics break starts early to carry the flag for his native Slovakia.

 

 

 

Expect the unexpected, indeed. Habs 4, Bruins 1.

18 goals in their previous three games, just one tonight. Peter Budaj started over Carey Price in goal for Montreal and made 35 saves on 36 shots. Instead, it was Tukka Rask who got the hook after Brian Gionta gave the Canadiens a 3-1 lead in the 2nd period. Less than two minutes later, Chad Johnson gave up a goal to Daniel Briere, and the scoring stopped there. Not pretty. 

The Buins next game is Saturday afternoon at home against the hapless Edmonton Oilers. 

Bruins 6, Flyers 1

The opening 10 minutes of the game belonged to the Bruins, and they rarely looked threatened during the remaining 50.

The Flyers commit more penalties than any other team in the NHL, and the Bruins had two power plays early. On the second, Zdeno Chara was the benefactor of a lucky bounce off a Flyer’s skate, and was credited for a goal when the puck ended up in Steve Mason’s net. During an even strength stretch of the first period, the Bruins held the puck in Philadelphia’s zone for a minute and 11 seconds. But the dominance did not produce a second goal, and the Flyers found their skates as the first period went on.

During the second half of the first period, the Flyers produced more chances and shots, but Tukka Rask stopped them all. Jarome Iginla scored with less than 20 seconds remaining to double the Bruins’ lead.

“It wouldn’t be a Bruins-Flyers game without fisticuffs.” – Dale Arnold, during the first intermission.

After Reilly Smith’s backhand made the game 3-0, Arnold’s prediction came true. Johnny Boychuk exchanged blows with Scott Hartnell, and Gregory Campbell, for reasons only he knows, picked a fight with the larger and more experienced Brayden Schenn.

Ray Emery relieved Mason in the Flyers’ net after Patrice Bergeron gave the Bruins a fourth goal on a tight-angle rebound.

The third period was academic, but did feature three more goals.

Assorted notes:

20 year-old Dougie Hamilton returned to the ice after missing four games with a concussion. Hamilton believes that he suffered the concussion during the 4-2 loss to the Kings on the ninth. The fact that he then played in San Jose on the 11th is concerning. Today, Hamilton committed a tripping penalty in the second period and had a breakaway immediately after his time in the box. Ray Emery stopped his attempt to make the game 5-0.

The Bruins shaky penalty kill reared its ugly head again in the third period, ad Claude Giroux broke the shutout.

Iginla’s first period goal was his first in nine games. He added a second on a power play in the third. He also had two assists to Zdeno Chara.