Team ends trip by icing Leafs

[ Game summary ]

By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 10/22/2002

ORONTO - Their first game was a disaster - an ugly beating at the hands of the Minnesota Wild that started the longest season-opening road stretch in franchise history. There seemed to be more questions than answers surrounding the goaltending, the scoring, and practically every other aspect of the Bruins' game.

The only people who didn't seem to be concerned were the Bruins themselves. They said they'd be just fine.

They obviously knew something, because they headed home last night sporting a 4-1-1-0 record after beating the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1, at Air Canada Centre.

With a lineup that was missing key forwards Sergei Samsonov and Martin Lapointe and netminder John Grahame because of injuries, coach Robbie Ftorek earned his 200th career victory.

Goaltender Steve Shields, who has had to fight for playing time, was making his second start for Boston - this one in the city in which he was born - and improved to 2-0-1, making 33 stops.

''It feels nice that we can finish the road trip off the way we did,'' said Ftorek. ''We started off a little shaky and then the guys really put it together and played well throughout the rest of the road trip.''

Last night, the Bruins got off to a fast start, taking a lead just over a minute into the action. Center Jozef Stumpel picked up his first of three points when he potted his second goal of the season, on Boston's first shot. He took a pass from right wing Glen Murray and wristed a forehand shot from the slot past the glove of netminder Ed Belfour at 1:06.

''It's huge in any game, especially on the road, to take the fans out of it early,'' said defenseman Nick Boynton. ''It's a big part of the game, getting that goal.''

In the middle of the period, the Bruins got bogged down by penalty trouble, and it came back to haunt them. With defenseman Don Sweeney in the box for high sticking, Toronto captain Mats Sundin took a shot that Darcy Tucker tried to tip in front. Shields made the stop, and defenseman Hal Gill knocked down Tucker, which resulted in a cross-checking penalty at 7:30. That gave the Maple Leafs a five-on-three advantage for 50 seconds, and they cashed in.

Robert Svehla dished the puck from the point down to forward Alexander Mogilny, who was positioned to Shields's left. Mogilny relayed the puck across the crease to Sundin, on the left side of the goal line. Sundin roofed it, tying the game at 7:45.

That goal brought Sweeney out of the box, but the Bruins' penalty trouble didn't end there. Boynton was called for hooking at 8:06, joining Gill and giving Toronto another two-man advantage. This time it lasted for 1:24, but the Bruins snuffed this one out.

Boston blew open the contest in the second half of the middle period, scoring a pair of goals 17 seconds apart.

Marty McInnis, filling in for Samsonov, teed up a slapper from the top of the right circle, and Murray put in the rebound at 13:36 to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. At 13:53, Gill potted his first of the season as the Bruins took advantage of a deflected puck off the stick of Mogilny in the neutral zone. Gill wristed a shot from the blue line that sailed past the glove of Belfour, and the Bruins were very much in the driver's seat.

The final nail in the coffin came with just 13 seconds remaining in the period. The Bruins have too often allowed goals in the final minute of a period, but this time they scored one. Stumpel won the faceoff in the right circle and Ivan Huml completed the play, scoring his second NHL goal (and second in two games) to make it 4-1.

The Maple Leafs had an apparent goal disallowed at 14:32 of the third. Boynton gave Tucker a shove as Sundin was firing the puck from the right circle. The puck went in the net, but officials ruled that Tucker hadn't made an attempt to get out of Shields's way, and therefore the goal didn't count.

With the win in the bank, the Bruins packed up their road show.

''Our defense played really well,'' said Shields. ''We're starting to learn each other. It's really coming along.''

And now they're coming home.

This story ran on page E1 of the Boston Globe on 10/22/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.