Third period, 18:19, Bruins 5-3: The B's look like the team playing desperate hockey down the stretch here, as they continue to control the tempo of the game. The Jets have rarely found their way into the Boston end in this third period.
Third period, 15:15, Bruins 5-3: The Jets were able to withstand some heavy pressure and kill off the Bruins' power play. Corvo let go a blast from the right dot, but Pavelec covered it up for a whistle.
Cue the Pitbull.
Third period, 13:05, Bruins 5-3: Randy Jones — yes, that Randy Jones — has been summoned to the box for two minutes for tripping.
Third period, 12:32, Bruins 5-3: The Bruins are really controlling play this period, applying constant pressure on Pavelec.
Quick side note: Entering tonight's game, the B's were 2-8-1 when trailing after two periods. The Jets, meanwhile, were 16-0-1 when leading after two periods. If the current pace keeps up, Winnipeg may soon add a blemish to that loss column.
The B's killed off McQuaid's penalty, by the way, making them 4-for-4 when it comes to killing off penalties tonight. Oh yeah, and some guy with Bruins and Red Sox tattoos just won Fan of the Game. Nice.
Third period, 10:31, Bruins 5-3: Jets will have an opportunity to chip away here. Adam McQuaid is sent to the box for two minutes for interference.
Third period, 6:41, Bruins 5-3: Pouliot had been quiet for the most part tonight. Until now.
Bergeron centered a pass out in front that ended up in the middle of traffic. Pouliot then cleaned up the garbage, burying the puck in the back of the net to give the B's a 5-3 edge with just over 13 minutes to play in regulation.
The goal is Pouliot's eighth of the season. The assist is Bergeron's second of the night, and 25th of the campaign.
Third period, 5:25, Bruins 4-3: Rask is trying to make sure the B's don't relinquish the first lead they've been able to obtain, making a couple of nice stops within the past couple of minutes.
The Bruins will now have an opportunity to build on their lead, as Jets captain Andrew Ladd heads to the box for the second time tonight. This time, he's guilty of interference.
The Black and Gold are 0-for-1 on the man advantage tonight.
Third period, 3:06, Bruins 4-3: The Bruins have their first lead of the night!
Tyler Seguin extended his point streak to five games with a backhanded, top-shelf tally. Patrice Bergeron receives an assist.
Third period, 0:08, 3-3: That didn't take long. The entertaining second period may have just been an appetizer to what's in store for period No. 3.
Krejci entered the zone and unleased a spinning, no-look pass from the wing, which Horton buried past Pavelec. It's Horton's second goal of the game and his 14th of the season. Krejci and Lucic also have two points this evening, with theirs coming in the form of assists.
Second Intermission Notes: Shawn Thornton had a period to remember in the second frame, but the rest of the Bruins had one they'd probably just as soon forget as Boston fell behind 3-2 heading into the third.
Thornton shook off a questionable minor penalty for an illegal hit to the head and broke in on a breakaway as he came out of the box. he couldn't bury that chance, but drew a call for a penalty shot, which he did convert with a filthy move. It was Thornton's first career penalty shot and the first time in Bruins history a game has featured penalty shots for both Boston and its opponent.
Thornton later went back to more familiar territory later in the frame as he pounded out a one-sided decision in a fight with former teammate and friend Mark Stuart.
Not everything went right for the Bruins though. Another ex-Bruin scored in the first minute as Blake Wheeler made up for losing his first-period assist to a scoring change by scoring a goal, and Eric Fehr added another with a shot that went in off Joe Corvo. Benoit Pouliot was quiet again in the second, with no shots and no hits in 9:58. Zach Hamill also has no shots in 6:12 and has been shuffled between the third and fourth lines.
The Bruins penalty kill has been strong. After giving up four power-play goals to Vancouver on Saturday, Boston is 3 for 3 on the PK in this one, including a brief two-man advantage in the second. They have to do a better job of staying out of the box though. The calls have been questionable, but by now the Bruins should know they won't get any benefits of the doubt and have to avoid putting themselves in situations where foes can draw calls.
Now back to Ricky Doyle for the third period.
End second period, Jets 3-2: A fantastic glove save by Rask kept the deficit at one goal. Tim Stapleton was all alone on the left wing and let go a drive that Rask emphatically nabbed out of midair.
The B's ended up killing off the penalty, which makes the Jets 0-for-3 on the man advantage tonight.
The Jets have now outshot Boston 24-20 this evening, and more importantly, they hold the one-goal edge as we head into the second intermission.
Second period, 16:30, Jets 3-2: Andrew Ference will head to the box for the second time tonight. This time it's for goaltender interference.
Rich Peverley tried to deliver a cross-ice pass to Ference, who was closing. Ference was unable to get a stick on it, though, and he went crashing into Pavelec. The result was a scrum and then the penalty call.
Second period, 13:41, Jets 3-2: Benoit Pouliot nearly tied it up on a tip off a Johnny rocket, but it went just wide of the net.
Quick note regarding this evening's penalty shots: It's the first time in Bruins history that they've had a penalty shot for and a penalty shot against in the same game.
It's also worth noting that an older couple wearing Jets jerseys were just booed on the Jumbotron. Something tells me the disdain wouldn't have been so strong a few minutes ago.
Second period, 11:11, Jets 3-2: The Bruins appeared to have all the momentum, but an ill-advised pass by Joe Corvo leads to Eric Fehr's first goal of the season. It's now 3-2 Jets.
Tim Stapleton receives the assist.
Second period, 10:17, 2-2: Well, this is an interesting game to say the least, especially for Mr. Thornton.
Just minutes after scoring on a penalty shot, Thornton drops the gloves with former teammate Mark Stuart. He quickly made Stuart pay, hammering the former Bruins defenseman. He went "under and over, under and over" as NESN's own Jack Edwards would say.
Second period, 9:50, 2-2: The B's kill off the remainder of the Jets' power play, and we're back to even strength. As you might expect, that penalty shot for Thornton was the first of his career.
Second period, 5:16, 2-2: Interesting turn of events here. Thornton grabbed a loose puck off a Winnipeg shot right out of the box and charged in on net. Tim Stapleton hooked the Bruins enforcer, setting up the game's second penalty shot.
Thornton didn't disappoint, going to the backhand for a goal reserved for only the most skilled forwards. All joking aside, though, it's a huge goal for the B's. The Jets are still on the man advantage, but this place just went bonkers.
Second period, 4:38, Jets 2-1: The B's have their work cut out for them here to ensure the deficit remains at just one goal. Andrew Ference's stick got caught up in a skate behind the net, and he'll go off for two minutes for hooking.
Timeout Winnipeg.
Second period, 3:05, Jets 2-1: A penalty against Shawn Thornton will give the Jets a power play and make those in attendance quite angry. Thornton goes off for two minutes due to an illegal check to the head. Pretty questionable call.
Second period, 0:31, Jets 2-1: Old pal Blake Wheeler puts the Jets on top early in the second period. He tipped a chest-level shot past Rask for the tally. The assists go to Bogosian and Enstrom — who each now have two on the night. It's Wheeler's 9th goal of the season.
Second period, 0:00, 1-1: And away we go for period No. 2. Quick note: there's been a scoring change to the Jets' goal. It's been credited to Andrew Ladd, not Bogosian, after further review.
First Intermission Notes: The Bruins salvaged a disappointing opening frame with Nathan Horton's last-minute goal to pull Boston even at 1-1 after one.
That goal was set up by a nice rush down the left wing by Milan Lucic, who definitely has some pend up energy after his early (and erroneous) exit from Saturday's game. Lucic has a pair of hits to go along with his assist so far in 6:55, more than triple the ice time he got before his ejection against the Canucks.
The Bruins created some good chances early, especially on their lone power play in the opening minutes, but they failed to convert that chance and didn't generate many more before Horton's goal. After going 0 for 7 on the power play against Vancouver (and giving up 4 power-play goals to the Canucks), the Bruins need to get more production from their special teams. They are a dominant team 5 on 5, but too much of the current game is played on special teams and Boston has to be effective when the manpower isn't even.
Benoit Pouliot had one of the chances on that power play, but otherwise had a quiet period (0 shots, 0 hits in 6:29) playing with Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin. Zach Hamill also didn't create a lot in that period in his return to the lineup, getting just four shifts lasting 2:51. He was at center, but lost his only draw, with Rich Peverley going 1-1 on the line's other faceoffs. Overall, the Bruins continue to dominate the draws, going 13-8 (62 percent). David Krejci (6-0) and Bergeron (6-2) are leading the way in this one.
Now back to Ricky Doyle for the second period.
End first period, 1-1: The Jets struck first in this one, but Horton's goal with just 40 seconds remaining in the opening period has tied the score at 1. The Jets have outshot the B's 14-13 through one period. We'll see if the B's can keep the momentum from that Horton goal going in period No. 2.
First period, 19:20, 1-1: Just like that, we're all tied up. Nathan Horton tallies his 13th goal of the season off a feed from Milan Lucic.
Lucic delivered an excellent pass right on Horton's stick on the play. In fact, it was a bit reminiscent of Krejci's feed to Horton in Game 7 of last year's Eastern Conference Final Game 7.
First period, 16:53, Jets 1-0: The Jets have struck first. They put together a 3-on-1 to enter the Boston zone, but their bid was initially denied. However, after the puck went back out to the point, Bogosian let go a blast. It may have been tipped in front of the net — perhaps by a Bruin — but it's Bogosian's goal for now.
Blake Wheeler and Tobias Enstrom received assists.
First period, 16:30, 0-0: Nearly a costly mistake by Joe Corvo in the Boston end. Corvo coughed the puck up to Jim Slater, whose blast went wide of the net. Corvo's stick caught Tanner Glass up in the face, though, and he was helped off by a trainer.
First period, 16:02, 0-0: Action has begun to open up a bid, with both teams drawing some "ooohs" from the crowd. A Seguin shot was steered aside, and the Jets' Zach Bogosian quickly led the charge back down the other end. He and Antti Miettinen's bid was denied by Rask, though, and the scoreboard remains goose eggs.
First period, 13:00, 0-0: Claude Julien mentioned earlier today that he may shift around the third line, with Hamill, Peverley and Kelly all capable of playing center. Thus far, it's been Peverley on the draws, however. An ill-advised Joe Corvo pass gets an icing call, and we'll have a faceoff in the Boston end.
First period, 12:08, 0-0: Much of the last few minutes has been played in Boston's defensive zone, with the Jets bringing a solid forecheck. Many of those chances failed to reach the net, however, and the shots remain tied at eight apiece.
First period, 9:27, 0-0: Zach Hamill had a nice chance while skating up the left wing, but his shot sailed just over the shoulder of Pavelec. Seguin generated some speed upon entering the zone about a minute later, but he slid to the ice without getting off a good shot, drawing some boo's from the Bruins faithful hoping for a call.
Back down the other end, Rask continues to deny Winnipeg's early chances.
First period, 5:57, 0-0: The Tuuk's quickly turned to boo's before eventually turning back to Tuuk's.
After a few solid bids by the B's, the Jets' Chris Thorburn's penalty-shot opportunity was denied by Rask. Thorburn blocked a shot by Shawn Thornton and took it in all alone before being hooked. Rask stood tall on the free chance, however, stopping Thorburn as he went to the backhand.
First period, 4:13, 0-0: Some solid chances for the Bruins on their first power play of the evening, as goaltender Ondrej Pavelec gave the B's plenty to work with in the way of rebounds following shots from the point.
The best chance for the B's came on a blast from the point by Dennis Seidenberg, but Pavelec was able to cover it up for a whistle.
First period, 1:42, 0-0: Strong first shift for the second line. As mentioned earlier, Benoit Pouliot has moved up to take Brad Marchand's spot alongside Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin.
The B's will have an early man advantage, as Jets captain Andrew Ladd goes off for holding.
7:07 p.m.: Another marvelous rendition by Mr. Rancourt, and we're ready for hockey. It'll be Lucic, Krejci, Horton, Chara and Boychuk first out for the B's, with Rask in net.
7 p.m.: The Bruins will open this one with David Krejci between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, with Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk on defense and Tuukka Rask in goal.
The Jets counter with Evander Kane, Bryan Little and old friend Blake Wheeler up front, Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom on the blue line and Ondrej Pavelec in net.
I'll be turning the play-by-play over to the more than capable Ricky Doyle, and will be back with some analysis between periods.
6:55 p.m.: The Bruins have scratched Steven kampfer again on defense. He's the lone scratch with Brad Marchand out serving the first game of his five-game suspension.
The Jets have scratched Alexander Burmistrov (lower body), Mark Flood and Patrice Cormier.
6:45 p.m.: The full line combinations for the Marchand-less Bruins in warm-ups:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Pouliot-Bergeron-Seguin
Kelly-Hamill-Peverley
Paille-Campbell-Thornton
Defense pairs:
Chara-Boychuk
Seidenberg-Corvo
Ference-McQuaid
6:40 p.m.: As expected, Benoit Pouliot skated in Brad Marchand's spot on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin in the line rushes in warm-ups.
Zach Hamill is back at center between Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley on the third line.
6:30 p.m.: Tuukka Rask led the Bruins out on to the ice for warm-ups. He will get the start in net for this one.
Ondrej Pavelec gets the call for Winnipeg.
6 p.m.: The Bruins will continue their all-Canadian homestand in about an hour when they take on Winnipeg.
Boston will play the first of five games without suspended forward Brad Marchand. Benoit Pouliot will take his place alongside Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin, while Zach Hamill returns to the lineup on the third line with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley.
Tuukka Rask was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate and is expected to get the start in net for the Bruins.
10 a.m.: The Bruins will look to bounce back from Saturday's emotional loss to Vancouver when they continue their homestand Tuesday night against Winnipeg.
They'll have to do it without Brad Marchand, however. The scrappy forward has 16-16-32 totals this season, but will serve the first game of a five-game suspension for a low hit on Canucks defenseman Sami Salo on Saturday.
The Jets will also be without a key player, with defenseman Dustin Byfuglien sidelined with a knee injury. Byfuglien is third on the Jets with 6-18-24 totals and has been a Bruins killer of late with 4-5-9 totals in six games against Boston in the last two seasons.
Winnipeg (20-6-5, 45 points) is one point out of the final playoff spot in the East and snapped Boston's 15-game point streak with a 2-1 win in Winnipeg on Dec, 6. But the Jets are just 6-10-4 on the road, including a 4-2 loss in Boston on Nov. 26.
The Bruins, despite Saturday's 4-3 setback, remain second in the East at 26-11-1 (53 points) and are 14-7-1 at home entering the third game of a four-game homestand.
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here for updates on all the action from the Garden.
