A first-period binge works to advantage

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 11/24/2002

efore the puck was dropped at the start of the season, there were many doubts about the Bruins outside the organization. Many believed the Bruins were going to be only average or maybe less than average. One major publication picked Boston to finish 21st of 30 teams and miss the playoffs.

Bruins Nation was saturated by a Chicken Little mentality, believing the sky was falling.

Now, after nearly a quarter of the season, the Bruins are the best team in the Eastern Conference and challenging for the most points in the NHL. Through 21 games, including last night's 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the FleetCenter, they are 13-3-3-1.

They win on the road (6-2-2-1), they win at home (7-1-1-0), they win with a multitude of lineups, and they're using two goalies, Steve Shields and John Grahame, regularly.

They've been hit by injuries to key personnel and yet, like the watches in those now ancient Timex commercials, they take a licking and keep on ticking.

Last night's rough-and-tumble affair was reminiscent of the old Adams Division rivalry between the clubs. However, the power play decided the contest. Boston tallied three goals on the man advantage in the first period on four chances and the Sabres could never recover. Despite a strong second period by the visitors, Shields held the fort, allowing one goal to Curtis Brown at even strength.

Mike Knuble, Glen Murray, and Lee Goren gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission, with two goals coming in the final 32 seconds. The Sabres, a team in shocking decline, tried to introduce some intimidation tactics, but the Bruins answered in all regards. This club has chameleon-like qualities. Ask them to play wide open and they do. Ask them to bang and they do. Ask them to forecheck and play ferocious defense and they do.

Assistant coach Jim Hughes, who conducted the postgame press conference at coach Robbie Ftorek's urging, said the team's success was not the result of just one thing.

''They show up and they work hard every single day in practice,'' said Hughes. ''They've developed great work habits. There is a system in place and they compete and they work for one another. There's a sense of selflessness throughout the entire group. They continue to develop as a team and we'll see where it goes.''

Last night marked the 1,500th home win and 2,500th overall in the franchise's 79-year history. It started with that first-period flurry.

Knuble scored at 5:21 from the right circle on the power play to get Boston on the board. Then, after the Bruins killed off a Sabres' five-on-three advantage, they cashed in on their own when Murray potted his 10th goal of the season with 31.3 seconds left in the period.

They didn't stop there. With the club still operating on the power play, Ivan Huml dished a pass to Goren in the right circle. Goren snapped a blistering shot into the top right corner of the net with 11.3 seconds remaining in the period. The Bruins had three goals on 10 shots and took a commanding lead into the second.

Brown scored the Sabres' only goal, at 1:35 of the middle period.

The Bruins got contributions from everyone. Their power play was clicking (finishing the night 3 for 8), their penalty killing was sharp (denying the Sabres on six power-play chances), Shields was on his game (22 saves), and the youngsters as well as the veterans chipped in with rookie Huml adding one goal and an assist along with Providence recalls Goren (one goal) and Andy Hilbert (one assist).

''We just showed that no matter who was in the lineup or who was out, we were going to win games,'' said Knuble. ''Maybe we were a little nervous about it in the beginning when guys started dropping a little bit, but we've obviously shown that it doesn't matter who's in. We're getting it from everybody, all over the ice.''

When the Sabres tried to intimidate Boston, the Bruins answered in the form of P.J. Stock (giving away 2 inches and 36 pounds in his battle with Eric Boulton) as well as Sean Brown and Michal Grosek.

Nick Boynton made perhaps the most spectacular defensive play of the night. In the second period, at the 14-minute mark, Sabres left wing Miroslav Satan was charging down the slot alone with only Shields to beat. However, Boynton chased him down and as Satan went to fire a forehand shot, Boynton lifted his stick from behind and nullified the threat.

The Bruins closed it out when Huml scored at 5:26 of the third, beating Martin Biron from the blue line with a slapper. Huml has maintained all year that he doesn't have much of a slap shot.

''I've got two goals this year [using it],'' he said. ''I can't believe it.''

That's not the only unbelievable thing around here.

This story ran on page C1 of the Boston Globe on 11/24/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.