Thomas was beat stick-side low by Toews and then couldn't squeeze the pads quick enough to hold onto the puck on Kane's shot, as it trickled through for the win. Patrice Bergeron and Blake Wheeler failed to score on their shootout attempts.
Overall a good effort by the Bruins, who deserve credit for not giving up. But there were just too many defensive and mental lapses, as the depleted blue line struggled to find consistency throughout the game. The Bruins clearly miss the steady presence Mark Stuart brings out there and will need the likes of Johnny Boychuk, Andy Wozniewski and Andrew Ference to step it up more.
A good line switch by Claude Julien, putting the suddenly hot David Krejci with Mark Recchi and Bergeron. Expect Julien to do a lot of line switching until his lines start clicking consistently.
The Bruins are right back at it Saturday night in Toronto, and chances are Tuukka Rask will get the start over the hard-luck Thomas. Thanks for joining us tonight here on our Live Bruins Blog and happy holidays!
End of overtime, 4-4: Tim Thomas has 40 saves and now he will need to make some one-on-one saves in a shootout. The Bruins have a chance now to steal one in Chicago.
Overtime, 1:10, 4-4: Andrew Ference almost scored his first goal of the season to win it for the Bruins, but Antti Niemi stuffed him.
Great end-to-end action in overtime and we may be headed to a shootout.
End of regulation, 4-4: The Bruins have earned a point they didn't look like they would get tonight and we're headed to overtime at the United Center.
David Krejci has two goals, and on both plays, he was in perfect position in front of the net for the shot. But the story has to be Tim Thomas who has made 37 saves tonight, keeping his team in the game.
Third period, 2:43, 4-4: David Krejci just completed a 3-on-2 break with a goal to tie the game for the Bruins here, and anyone expecting a low-scoring game coming in (myself included) has to be shocked.
Claude Julien switched the lines up and had Mark Recchi and Patrice Bergeron with Krejci, and it worked to perfection, as they got the helpers.
Third period, 6:15, Blackhawks 4-3: The Bruins killed off another Chicago power play and are still in this game.
Tim Thomas, though, will have another hard-luck loss if his team can't win. Thomas has played well in some of his recent losses but the guys in front of him haven't gotten the job done. This may be another case of that.
Third period, 8:31, Blackhawks 4-3: Steve Begin is in the sin-bin for interference and the Blackhawks are on their second power play. They're 0-for-1.
Third period, 10:20, Blackhawks 4-3: One thing that helped the Bruins go on a good run in November and gain points in the standings was the fact that they would keep pushing after scoring or get that extra goal to take a two-goal lead. They are not doing that as of late, and hence, they're not winning as much.
Third period, 12:19, Blackhawks 4-3: The Blackhawks have once again answered to a tying goal by the Bruins, as Andrew Ladd tipped in a Brian Campbell blast past Tim Thomas for a 4-3 Chicago lead.
The Bruins seem to be letting up a bit after each goal instead of pouring it on and keeping the momentum going. It's burning them here and they're trailing again.
Third period, 13:59, 3-3: Johnny Boychuk must be reading this in the intermissions. Did we say he was having a bad game? Well, he proved me wrong and has tied the game for the Bruins.
Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille had the helpers on a great shift for that line that also includes Mark Recchi. Paille now has a goal and assist.
Third period, 17:08, Blackhawks 3-2: That fourth line is generating chances again for the Bruins, but the problem is that the other lines don't seem to follow suit — and it's not exactly a great sign when your fourth line is your best line.
Third period, 18:35, Blackhawks 3-2: Underway in the third period at United Center and the Bruins will really need to pick it up here.
End of second period, Blackhawks 3-2: Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks' captain, just regained the lead for his team, beating Tim Thomas in front with 26 ticks left in the period. He and his teammates head to the dressing room up by 1.
That was a tough way for the period to end, as the Bruins were somehow gaining momentum again after tying the game about three minutes earlier, but they failed to maintain the tie, failing to score on the power play right after Daniel Paille's strike.
The Bruins really have no business being down only one goal after such an atrocious period defensively, but they hung in there and once again got some big saves from Tim Thomas, who now has 21 saves on 24 shots.
The defense is definitely missing Mark Stuart out there, and as we said Derek Morris looks to be hampered by whatever his injury is. As a result, Zdeno Chara is forced to take on other people's roles and do more than he should have to. His game is subsequently suffering.
The Bruins will need to somehow tighten up but, at the same time, open up their offense. They do not want to get caught in a run-and-gun battle with this speedy Chicago team.
Second period, 3:28, 2-2: Cue Johnny Cash's "Walk The Line" because Mark Recchi just made a great play, winning a one-on-one battle in the corner, skating along the red line to the net and feeding Daniel Paille for the game-tying goal.
The Bruins are also on their first power play here against the NHL's second-best penalty kill.
Second period, 5:28, Blackhawks 2-1: Chicago has definitely taken the momentum back in this period and has taken advantage of an inexperienced Bruins blue line.
Andy Wozniewski looks tentative and slow out there right now, and Johnny Boychuk is having probably his worst game in the NHL so far.
The Bruins have looked better in the second half of the period but are still not as tight defensively as they were in the first.
Second period, 11:38, Blackhawks 2-1: Patrick Sharp just gave the Blackhawks their first lead of the game, scoring on a juicy rebound off a Brent Seabrook shot.
The Bruins' defense really got caught flat-footed there and allowed the Blackhawks to come at them with speed. A bad rebound by Tim Thomas, but Sharp and Seabrook walked in with ease.
Second period, 13:52, 1-1: The No. 1 penalty kill in the NHL killed off another power play, and the Blackhawks are 0-for-1.
Some solid saves by Tim Thomas on that kill and really good hustle and play by Blake Wheeler, who is having a great game thus far.
Hopefully the Bruins have weathered another early storm here in the second period.
Second period, 16:02, 1-1: Vladimir Sobotka is in the sin-bin and things could get really hairy in a hurry here for the Bruins, as the Blackhawks go on their first power play.
Second period, 18:05, 1-1: Kris Versteeg just tied the game with his 10th goal of the season.
Versteeg took advantage of a Andrew Ference misplay of a clear that came flying off the boards. Those boards are lively, and Ference shouldn't have tried to play such a lively bounce. Tough way to start the second period.
By the way, Versteeg is a former Bruin. In the words of Bob Lobel, "Why can't we get guys like that?"
Second period, 18:50, Bruins 1-0: Underway in the second period. The Bruins are 11-2-0 when leading after the first period.
End of first period, Bruins 1-0: The banged-up Bruins blue line held itself together there in the first period and withstood an onslaught in the beginning to help the Bruins set the tempo. That, combined with what was probably Tim Thomas' best period in his last three games, has the Bruins up 1-0 after one.
The Bruins' fourth line, as we said earlier, continues to impress and surprisingly create offensive chances. As my friend and colleague at the Team 990 in Montreal pointed out the other day, Shawn Thornton is more than just a fighter and can contribute. Thornton had a shot in that period and is a big presence both offensively and physically. Meanwhile, his linemate, Steve Begin, has four shots thus far and Vladimir Sobotka is having another solid game.
First period, 2:25, Bruins 1-0: Derek Morris is playing hurt and it's showing. Morris is hesitating a lot out there and making errant passes.
First period, 4:10, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins are playing a great road game right now, clogging the neutral zone and getting timely saves from their goalie.
First period, 6:08, Bruins 1-0: This game could easily be 3-1 Blackhawks if not for the play of Tim Thomas thus far. Thomas is well-positioned tonight and has come up with at least three huge saves. When he combines good positioning with his acrobatics, he is very hard to beat.
First period, 10:38, Bruins 1-0: David Krejci just gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead but Blake Wheeler deserves a lot of credit on the goal.
Wheeler rushed the net after Krejci threw it in on Antti Niemi. Niemi couldn't hold onto the puck and Wheeler grabbed it and dished it out to a streaking Krejci in front for the goal.
Derek Morris had the other assist.
That is the first goal that the Blackhawks have allowed in over 150 minutes of play.
First period, 14:14: Andy Wozniewski was born in Chicago and is playing in front of plenty of family and friends in his first game as a Bruin.
First period, 17:17: The Bruins' fourth line of Steve Begin-Vladimir Sobotka-Shawn Thornton just had another great shift, creating numerous scoring chances and, of course, playing physical. That has been the Bruins' best line of late.
First period, 18:52: Underway in the first period, and Tim Thomas was tested early there, making a great stick save to prevent the Hawks from taking a early 1-0 lead 19 ticks in.
8:25 p.m.: Tim Thomas will start a third straight game on Friday and is still looking to find his groove.
Thomas is 7-8-4 with a 2.48 GAA and a .914 save percentage. He has three shutouts. As I wrote earlier this week, though, he isn't hiding from his struggles or the media and deserves lots of credit for facing the music. Hopefully, one of the game's better guys can turn it around soon.
We will know Thomas isn't doing well if we hear the Fratellis' Chelsea Dagger blaring a lot tonight. That is the Hawks' goal song at the United Center.
In net for Chicago will be Antti Niemi, who is 6-1-1 with a 1.50 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Niemi has three shutouts, as well, and is part of a dynamic duo with Cristobal Huet (15-7-2 with 2.09 GAA and .913 save percentage and two shutouts) between the pipes in Chicago. Huet, of course, is a former Hab, and after a brief stop in Washington, he signed a four-year, $22.5 million deal. Lately, though, he is earning his pay.
Congratulations to Zdeno Chara on playing his 800th game on Friday!
Here's what the Bruins lineup looks like:
Forwards
Marco Sturm–Marc Savard–Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Byron Bitz
Steve Begin–Vladimir Sobotka–Shawn Thornton
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Derek Morris
Andrew Ference–Johnny Boychuk
Andy Wozniewski–Matt Hunwick
Goaltenders
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
4 p.m.: The Bruins (16-10-6, 38 points) and Blackhawks (21-8-3, 45 points) square off in Chicago Friday night in an Original Six matchup that could be lucky if it sees six goals.
The Bruins and Blackhawks are two of the stingiest squads in the NHL and rank first and second on the penalty kill, respectively. The Bruins, who have struggled to score and create offense, will most definitely be challenged to do so against the surging Hawks, who have shut out their last two opponents.
Head coach Claude Julien is hoping his new top line of Marco Sturm, Marc Savard and Michael Ryder can find some chemistry and produce, but he expects other lines to pick it up as well.
“It doesn’t mean that the other lines can’t [produce],’’ said Julien. “We should be able to rely on [David] Krejci and [Blake] Wheeler and those kinds of guys. [Patrice] Bergeron and [Mark] Recchi. Those guys can still produce. I like the way our fourth line played the last game. If they can give us that again, that will certainly help our team to hopefully score some more goals. Having said that, we’re playing a team that’s the stingiest in the league. Certainly the challenge is there."
Someone needs to get hot for the Bruins, and now that they're playing against one of the elite teams in the NHL, this would be a good time for that to happen. Tim Thomas is expected to start in net and Andy Wozniewski will join Andrew Ference on the blue line in his first NHL game with the Bruins. According to Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe, here's what the lineup should look like for the Bruins:
Forwards
Marco Sturm–Marc Savard–Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Byron Bitz
Steve Begin–Vladimir Sobotka–Shawn Thornton
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Derek Morris
Andy Wozniewski–Andrew Ference
Matt Hunwick–Johnny Boychuk
Goaltenders
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
