Bruins beaten by Pittsburgh again, 2-1

Penguins center Joe Vitale beats Tuukka Rask on a first period goal
that proved to be the game winner. Photo courtesy of Gene J. Puskar (AP).

The Boston Bruins fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again, 2-1. The shortcoming drops the B’s to 19-5-3 on the season and extends the Penguins lead to three points in the standings. In a game that featured two of the NHL’s most dynamic offensive clubs, it was defensive play that dictated this afternoon’s contest. Pittsburgh took a page from Boston’s playbook, limiting Boston in their attacking zone, extending its win streak to nine games. The Bruins, who played exceptionally tight defense, unfortunately found themselves on the wrong end of a couple of bad bounces.

 With the coveted top spot in the East up for grabs, this tilt lived up to its expectations. Each side stymied one another, limiting the scoring chances. The Bruins kept the NHL’s top offense in check, only allowing a pair of first period goals. But it was Pittsburgh who rose to the occasion, blocking several Boston shots, while preventing any second chance opportunities from coming to fruition.

Sidney Crosby netted his thirteenth goal of the season that came on a clutch cross crease feed from Chris Kunitz. Boston quickly answered adding a goal of its own, courtesy of a Tyler Seguin one-timer. Then, minutes before the first period came to an end, Pittsburgh’s Joe Vitale was the beneficiary of a puck that slipped free from Tuukka Rask. He seemingly deposited it top shelf, giving the Pens a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

No more goals would be scored in this one. Boston struggled to generate any offense in the second and third periods. The Penguins made it a point to keep the Bruins away from their goal. Because the Pens were able to force the Bruins attack to the outside, traffic in front of Tomas Vokoun was lacking, allowing him to see the puck clearly. Vokoun faced thirty-two shots from mainly all low percentage angles and turned away thirty-one of them.

Boston did control the puck for much of this game. Though they struggled to make anything happen with it, fumbling it away time after time.

The Penguins clearly succeeded in moving the Bruins off their game plan. They matched Boston’s intensity and physicality shift for shift. A Bruins team that had been rolling along in recent games, failed to take control of the Conference for the second time this week. In beating the Bruins, the Penguins hold a distinct advantage. Now they have the upper hand moving forward.

The Bruins will return to action on Tuesday when Winnipeg will play host to them. The Southeast Division leading Jets will provide a formidable challenge.

Quick Notes:

David Krejci left Sunday’s games with an apparent knee injury. Boston’s top line center collapsed to the ice when a Johnny Boychuk rocket nailed him square in the right knee.