Big Bad Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
Bruins come back to beat Lightning 03.02.13 at 3:37 pm ET
By DJ Bean

The Bruins improved to 14-2-2 on the season. (AP)

Brad Marchand’s team-leading 11th goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie and completed a come-from-behind victory for the Bruins as they beat the Lightning, 3-2, Saturday at TD Garden.

The Bruins had trailed, 2-0, before coming back and taking the lead on Marchand’s goal, a wrist shot on a 2-on-1 with Patrice Bergeron. It was Boston’s second power goal of the day after the B’s had entered the game without a power play goal at home this season.

The Lightning jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period thanks to power play goals from Steven Stamkos and Alexander Killorn. Entering the second period facing their fifth multiple-goal deficit of the season, the Bruins pulled even thanks to a power-play goal from Tyler Seguin and an even-strength tally on a one-timer from Rich Peverley.

Shawn Thornton was made a healthy scratch for the first time this season, with Jay Pandolfo skating on the fourth line in his place.

Anton Khudobin picked up the win for the Bruins, stopping 20 of 22 shots faced. The Bruins improved to 14-2-2 on the season with the win and will face the Canadiens Sunday night at the Garden.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE BRUINS

- It’s pretty impressive to think that of the five games in which the Bruins have trailed by two or more goals, they’ve tied it up three times. Boston came back from two and three-goal deficits against the Rangers before losing in overtime and a shootout, respectively, and they were able to erase Tampa’s 2-0 lead in the second period Saturday.

- The second-period power play on which Seguin scored was one of the Bruins’ best of the season, with great puck movement by the top unit of Seguin, Hamilton, Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton. The goal was the Bruins’ first power play goal at home this season.

- He didn’t face many shots, but considering the he was going up against the top-scoring team in the NHL and the Lightning spent over a quarter of the game on the power play, the results were pretty good for Anton Khudobin. He was decked out of his pads on Killorn’s goal, and there was nothing anyone could have done on Stamkos’ score. Khudobin came up big in stopping Killorn on a shorthanded partial breakaway with less than five minutes left in the third.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE BRUINS

- After killing 27 straight penalties, the Bruins have now allowed power play goals to opponents in back-to-back games. The B’s had gone seven games without allowing a power play goal prior Jim O’Brien’s second-period goal for the Senators on Thursday.

In fact, the three power-play goals they allowed over a four-period span matches what they had allowed in their previous 11 games. Saturday was the first game of the season in which the B’s allowed multiple power-play goals.

- Though the fans weren’t thrilled with the referees, the Bruins took five minor penalties in the first period. The most contested by the B’s were a pair of boarding calls on Dennis Seidenberg and Milan Lucic. Seidenberg forced Benoit Pouliot out of the game on his hit, as Pouliot didn’t have much time to brace himself prior to it. Milan Lucic also went off for boarding in the final seconds of the period.

Those weren’t the only boarding calls in the game, as Pandolfo slammed Killorn into the boards midway through the second period. Vincent Lacavalier had gone off earlier in the second for boarding Johnny Boychuk. The refs became a bit of a punchline throughout the game for all the boarding calls, but they were largely justified.

- Brad Marchand nearly made it a one-goal game midway through the first period when he fired a shot off Mathieu Garon from behind the net. The puck trickled off Garon and back toward the net, but stopped just before the goal line. Eric Brewer cleared the puck away before Patrice Bergeron could push it in.

Print  |  Email   | Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Sicko

    Wow, the refs get paid by the penalties called today? Nice win and once again the Bruins win in a different way with the power play finally coming through. “Bruins 1972″ you got 8 chances on the pp and still lost. How are them apples?!?

  • ILoveHockey

    They won one they were not supposed too, you don’t give TB 8 power plays in a game and win. Granted 3 of them were crap, but even 5 is too many. I didn’t see Marchand playing this well before the season started- his goal scoring is great but even the amount of 50/50 battles he is winning and his puck handling has improved a ton

  • Fab4ever

    Like I said, the power play is awful…shows you how much I know. I watched the game in a sports bar off of 41 in Fort Myers…the place had college hoop on every TV…I asked the pretty barkeep if they had the NHL package and they have EVERY package…NBA, NFL, MLB….she tuned in the B’s…they were down 2 zip….next thing you know, there’s about 10 other guys watching the B’s….folks were drinking, eating…I told the young girl that there lot’s of Boston folks in town…tuning in the B’s is a good idea…

  • Sicko

     You get her number?!?

  • ILoveHockey

    We all saw the game, but lets hear more about the pretty barkeep!

  • Bruinman86

    So the Bruins scored 2 power play goal and gave up 2 power play goals???  Now that’s an odd game!

  • ILoveHockey

    Kind of weird that if not for losing to buffalo, a terrible team, the Bs would be undefeated like the Hawks

  • Sicko

    They lost to the Rangers twice(once in O.T. and once in the shootout) but you are correct Buffalo is the only team to beat them in regulation. Only two games out of 18 without at least one point. The power play was moving well today with Seguin manning one of the points.

  • Chris Nilan

    Brad Marchand is the freekin Man!

    I love that dude. That is how you play hockey.

  • Uncle Buck

    Right ?  I missed the game, but caught a little on the radio.  I think the PP will work itself out.  It gets to be as much of a mental obstacle as anything else.  Once they get over the hump here and stop over thinking it so much, it will show up.  This team is solid.

  • Uncle Buck

    Nice.Good for you. Whadaya down there for a month or what ?  Enjoy !  Inquiring with the  ”pretty barkeep” about available packages……I love it.  

  • Fab4ever

    Yeah….and then my wife found it….:)

  • Fab4ever

    Tall, redhead, athletic build…long legs…riveting…a native Floridian…Florida State graduate who can’t find a job as a teacher…huge Sox fan…she gave me a “Funky Buddha Imperial Stout” on the house to try…excellent with a plate of fresh shrimp and hot sauce…

  • Fab4ever

    He is indeed the MAN! He reminds me in some weird of John “Pie” McKenzie…forever moving, getting into everybodies business, creating havoc, getting knocked down but jumping back and doing something to make a play….

  • Fab4ever

    Just trying to take some of the edge off winter….I’m at a place in my life that I can pull it off every now and then…Fort Myers used to be a secret…now it’s as busy as the Florida east coast….tons of folks from New England…everywhere…they’re like ants…on the beaches, the restaurants…you name it….I remember a few years ago going to this Italian joint and in walks Troy O’Leary with 2 blondes…these women were incredible….

  • Bruinman86

    They are. Just wish they could finish scoring opportunities with a little more efficiency.

  • NYCBruinsFan

    I was worried at the end of the first peroid that the B’s would again have an awful Saturday  matinee home record.  They certainly proved this is a stronger and better team than last year. 

  • NYCBruinsFan

    Everyone keeps saying we need a “pure goal scorer”
    to round out the roster.  I think we have
    one already in Brad Marchand who is rocking it this year.  The guy has been playing incredible
    all-around heads up hockey.  I’m hoping
    Seguin’s PP goal helps start a scoring streak we know Tyler he is capable
    of.  On the to the Habs! 
    Go Black and Gold!!!!

Bruins Box Score
Bruins Schedule
Bruins Headlines
NHL Headlines