David Krejci scored the decisive goal in the fourth round of the shootout to lift the Bruins to a 2-1 win over Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Despite being outshot 29-16 — and 18-7 through two periods — the Bruins somehow managed to hold a 1-0 advantage until midway through the second period. Byron Bitz struck first for the Bruins just over six minutes into the contest, but Minnesota’s Andrew Ebbett evened things up at the 10:23 mark in the second. It was Ebbett’s first game with the Wild after being claimed on waivers this week.
The Bruins got a scare with about five minutes remaining in the contest, when Milan Lucic — who has been back from a finger injury for less than a week — took a nasty hit and left the game with what appeared to be a left knee injury.
Bruins 2, Wild 1
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
Nov. 25, 2009
Headliner: Tuukka Rask‘s tasks haven’t been easy these days. While filling in for injured starter Tim Thomas, he has had to endure two shootouts and an overtime in the past four games — and he has proven brilliant in the process, going unbeaten during that stretch. On Wednesday, he kept pace with Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom (15 saves on 16 shots), making 28 saves on 29 shots and proving once again that there’s always a solid option behind last year’s Vezina Trophy winner.
Grinder: Right winger Byron Bitz set the tone for this one very early, when he scored on the Wild’s Niklas Backstrom six minutes in. He took a pass from Marc Savard and redirected it into the net for his first road goal of the season and his third overall. Derek Morris also assisted on the play.
A special shout-out to Mark Recchi, who played in his 1,514th career game and moved into a tie for 12th place on the all-time list.
Weak Link: The Bruins’ penalty kill has been heralded all season for its effectiveness — but the Bruins certainly aren’t making it easy for the PK unit. Sloppy play led to far too many power-play opportunities for the Wild, and a whole lot of work for Boston’s shorthanded squad. Fortunately, the PK managed to go 5-for-6 on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Wild scored the game-tying goal with five seconds remaining in one of their many power plays — which they earned because Blake Wheeler, making his homecoming to Minnesota, was tossed into the box for interference.
Key Moment: With 1:41 left in the contest and the score knotted, Steve Begin drew a cross-checking penalty on the Wild’s Kyle Brodziak. It was the perfect opportunity for the Bruins to finish the game off with a very good scoring opportunity on a night when opportunities were few and far between. But once again, Boston proved ineffective on the power play, which culminated in a perfect chance for Mark Recchi with less than five seconds remaining. But he squandered the shot, time expired and the Bruins fell to 0-for-4 on the man advantage.
What’s Next: After Thanksgiving, the Bruins return home to the TD Garden for a Friday afternoon date with the Devils. At this point, the assumption is that Tuukka Rask will be in net — at least until the Tim Thomas injury situation clears up a bit.
The Devils are in second place in the Atlantic division, just behind Pittsburgh. Left-winger Zach Parise carries much of the offensive load on the team, leading the squad in goals (13), assists (14) and plus-minus (plus-15).
The legendary Martin Brodeur currently boasts a 2.22 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Friday’s game could be yet another opportunity for the Bruins to prove their worth against one of the elite teams in the league, not to mention a rival with an illustrious goaltender. If they fare well, this could be a big statement for the Black and Gold.
