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| Gregory Campell beat Martin Brodeur for the game's opening goal. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) |
It was by no means easy on our hearts, but amidst a
tumultuous battle, the Boston Bruins prevailed Wednesday night. The B’s
defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-4 in a back and forth game. The Black-and-Gold
improved to 26-9-4, regained first place in the Northeast, and moved up to
second place in the Eastern Conference.
Right from the get go, Boston took it to New Jersey. Gregory
Campell played a vitally important role in this one, scoring the game’s opening
goal just 1:10 into the first period. Campell was able to follow up and stuff
home a Jaromir Jagr rebound. The Bruins added two more first period goals. Just
minutes after their initial marker, Danny Paille potted a shorthanded bid off a
nice Rich Peverley feed. Already up 2-0, Campell was at again. He added a
shorty of his own, helping his team take a 3-0 lead into the second period.
The B’s power play finally showed signs of life, as Zdeno
Chara was able to tip a lose puck in front of the New Jersey cage by Brodeur.
Up 4-0, it looked as if Boston would run away with it. Instead things got ugly.
The Devils ripped off three unanswered scores, bringing themselves within one
of the Bruins.
Tyler Seguin was the beneficiary of a gritty hustle play
turned in by Paille. Paille outskated the Devils d-men and flipped the puck
toward goal for Seguin who then deposited it for the score. New Jersey would
add one final goal with their net vacant before ultimately losing. The loss
makes it 8 straight defeats.
This was one of the more peculiar games to say at the least.
A win is a win but never the less; Boston has to be thankful they were able to
escape with two points. The Bruins were whistled for 8 penalties. The NHL’s top
ranked killing unit proved why they are considered the best and then some. A
group lead by Chris Kelly stood pat all evening, impressively erasing 4
penalties and two 5-on-3 Devil advantages in the opening frame. Adding two
short-handed tallies is just an added bonus and a nice reward for a unit that
has shined night in and night out.
Boston’s offense turned in its second consecutive noteworthy
game, combining for 11 goals in the last two contests. This productivity comes
just days after only mustering up 3 total goals in their prior two outings. Despite
such progress, nothing can overshadow the alarming loss of Brad Marchand.
Marchand was elbowed in the head after New Jersey defenseman Anton Volchenkov
appeared to take a deliberate run at the Bruins winger. Marchand took a bad
blow and was immediately taken down the tunnel. Volchenkov was ejected and
should and will most likely be suspended.
Anton Khudobin improved to 9-3 on the year, turning aside 24
New Jersey shots. Dobby looked shaky at times but the Bruins defense was caught
out of place on a few of the Devils scoring plays. The B’s blue liners and
checking forwards appeared to be worn down at times. Boston continues to make a
case for having the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, as they have single
handedly been the difference in several games over the past few weeks.
It was not as routine as the Bruins would have liked, but
with only two weeks left on the schedule, no one is grading the beauty in which
points are acquired. Claude Julien’s new look lines clicked almost seamlessly
yet again. Rich Peverley and Greg Campell seem to benefitting the most from the
change of line mates. With rugged defenseman Adam Mcquaid likely making his
return Thursday night, a slumping defensive corps will be infused with fresh
legs. Look for the Bruins to tighten things up along the back end, especially
after an unsettling end Wednesday night.
Quick Notes:
*Milan Lucic has been quite frankly, brutally
poor on the offensive end. His lack of scoring production is deserving of a
demotion. Swapping him with Tyler Seguin would be a wise move.
*Boston has now won 5 of 6 games
