Bruins' top line delivers another win

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 1/9/2002

ITTSBURGH - A couple of hours before the Bruins faced off against the Penguins last night, there was a dirty white van with Pennsylvania plates parked inside the Igloo, and it had a message on it.

Written into the dust on the back window was: ''Bruins 4, Penguins 0, Thornton MVP.''

The author was wrong about the score but correct about the outcome, as the Bruins edged the Penguins, 3-2.

Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist, but it was Sergei Samsonov who was the MVP of this one, with the winning goal and two assists. Glen Murray, the third member of the line, also contributed a goal and an assist as the Bruins won their second straight.

Goaltender John Grahame made 28 saves to remain unbeaten in his career against the Penguins (now 4-0-1).

The Bruins kept pace in the Eastern Conference standings, staying 1 point behind the first-place Maple Leafs, who beat Nashville.

The teams went back and forth in this one, with Boston taking the lead, the Penguins tying it and then going ahead before the Bruins pulled even. And all that was in the first period.

The Bruins started the flurry at 4:41 with Murray scoring his 19th goal of the season. The play started with some terrific forechecking by Samsonov. He got the puck to Thornton, and Thornton, going down the right boards, fired a backhand pass to Murray in the slot. Murray's forehand shot beat goaltender Johan Hedberg to make it 1-0.

But that advantage lasted only 39 seconds, as Penguins center Kris Beech tied it up at 5:10 with his fifth of the season. Forward Jan Hrdina potted his 11th goal of the year to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 7:43. But with 1:59 remaining in the period, Thornton converted his 18th goal - his 48th point - to tie the game.

Samsonov and Thornton took off on a two-on-one with Samsonov carrying the puck up the right side. Samsonov held it as he drew closer, cutting down the right circle, and Thornton went to the net. With little room remaining, Samsonov threaded a pass to Thornton, who directed it over the goaltender at 18:01.

An interesting subplot developed in the middle period between Darius Kasparaitis and Thornton, with the Pittsburgh defenseman trying to take the Bruins center off his game. At 15:30, Kasparaitis delivered a crushing hit on Thornton. Thornton got a measure of revenge when he gave Kasparaitis a serious face wash behind the Penguins net, except he got caught and was sent to the box for roughing.

''He plays quite a few minutes, so you run into him once in a while,'' said Thornton with a chuckle. ''I was just saying hello to him out there. It was a little stinky glove.''

The third period brought the winning goal and some late high drama. At 8:14, Samsonov scored his 11th of the year off another two-on-one with Thornton. When there was no daylight to pass, Samsonov took the shot himself and produced the winner.

''He ran out of real estate,'' said coach Robbie Ftorek.

''The defenseman pretty much took everything away from me,'' said Samsonov. ''I just tried to put the puck on the net.''

Things got hairy in the late going as Bill Guerin took a double minor for high sticking at 14:27 to just two minutes for Penguins defenseman Andrew Ference, giving Pittsburgh a power play. After killing that off, the Bruins' best penalty killer, Brian Rolston, was whistled off for high sticking at 18:31, giving the Penguins another man advantage that became two when Hedberg was pulled for the extra attacker for the final 39 seconds.

The Bruins employed an unusual weapon on the penalty kill: Thornton.

''I was seriously offended by that,'' joked Guerin.

As for the late infractions, Thornton said the Bruins weren't too concerned, given how rare they have been this season.

''One game, we're not so worried about it,'' he said. ''It ended up with the right result.''

This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 1/9/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.