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BRUINS 4, KINGS 3 Bruins get a grip in OT [ Game summary ] By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell, Globe Staff, 3/23/2003
Last night against the Kings, it was a nasty case of deja vu. The Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead, only to watch it evaporate in the third period. But Glen Murray rode to the rescue, scoring his second goal of the game at 2:05 of overtime, giving the Bruins a 4-3 victory at Staples Center. General manager Mike O'Connell, who took over the coaching duties Wednesday after dismissing Robbie Ftorek, earned his first NHL win as the Bruins moved into sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The No. 1 line accounted for all of Boston's offense: Mike Knuble also scored twice, and Joe Thornton assisted on all four goals, tying a career high for assists. The line combined for 11 points and top gun Thornton took over the scoring lead in the NHL. He has 95 points, one point ahead of Vancouver's Markus Naslund. Blowing large leads is a concern, but O'Connell said one of the problems is his team's fragile psyche. ''I tried to address the team about that issue,'' he said. ''We've got to play the same way whether we're up or down. We've got to eliminate the scoreboard anxiety. Somehow, we've got to try to get it out of our game.'' When things weren't going well for the Bruins under Ftorek, he would take Knuble off the top line to change the chemistry. Knuble always found his way back, in no small part because he produces. In O'Connell's first game, he put P.J. Axelsson with Thornton and Murray, hoping Axelsson's energy could ignite something. But Knuble's size and ability to attack the net was a missing element. O'Connell went back to Knuble and it paid dividends as the No. 1 line generated all three second-period goals. There wasn't much offense in the opening 20 minutes as the Bruins outshot the Kings, 8-7. The Kings tried to get something going early in the second period when a blocked Boston shot resulted in a breakaway for Ziggy Palffy. The LA sniper took off up ice and tried to beat goalie Andrew Raycroft but was denied. Then came the Bruins' flurry. They tallied three goals in less than seven minutes. Murray started it by potting his 40th goal of the season at 11:42. It marked the second straight time he has reached the 40-goal plateau. Boston took advantage of an odd-man rush to increase the lead to a pair of goals. Operating on a three-on-one, Murray dished a pass from the slot to Thornton in the left circle. He relayed it to Knuble, who was charging the net, and he guided it past Storr at 15:34. It was Knuble's 25th goal. At 18:40, Knuble scored on a similar feed from Thornton. Thornton, deep in the left circle, saw Knuble heading for the front of the net and put the feed right on his teammate's stick to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. It was Knuble's ninth goal in the last 10 contests. The Kings climbed back into it in the third period, pulling even with 1:24 left in regulation. Don Sweeney was called for a retaliatory high-stick on pesky center Sean Avery at 5:13. It became a two-man edge 1:27 later when defenseman Dan McGillis was whistled for hooking Avery. The Kings had a five-on-three for 33 seconds. They cashed in at 6:58 on a goal by Jaroslav Modry. Raycroft had little chance because Alexander Frolov was parked in the crease, blocking his view. At 9:39, the Kings made it 3-2 just a few seconds after forward Brad Chartrand leveled Bryan Berard. For the second straight night, the Bruins lost a faceoff in their zone that led to an opposing goal. Friday in San Jose, Thornton lost a key draw. Last night, Jozef Stumpel was beaten by Derek Armstrong. The puck went to defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, whose shot from the point deflected off the stick of Bruin Marty Lapointe. The comeback was complete with 1:24 left in regulation when Palffy scored his 33d of the season during a power play. Michal Grosek was off for high-sticking with 2:21 remaining. Avery started the chaos when he tried a backhand on Raycroft. Nick Boynton drilled Avery from behind into the net - and on top of the netminder. But the loose puck went to Palffy, and Raycroft, smothered by his teammate, had no chance.
This story ran on page E1 of the Boston Globe on 3/23/2003.
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OS ANGELES - On Friday night, the Bruins had a 2-0 lead on the San Jose Sharks and allowed three straight goals on the way to a loss.