Tim Thomas, Bruins Hold Off Islanders 3-2 to Open Seven-Game Road Trip
Slipping past the 12th-place Islanders isn’t usually something to brag about, but considering the clinic Tim Thomas put on and the aggressiveness the offense showed in Saturday’s 3-2 win in Long Island, the B’s have a lot to be happy about.
Thomas received help in the first when Milan Lucic roofed one on Dwayne Roloson to give the B’s a 1-0 lead
with under two minutes to go in the opening frame. It was the team’s 15th shot
on net of the aggressive first period with Shawn Thornton and Dennis Wideman assisting on the
goal, Lucic’s sixth of the year.
Bruins 3, Islanders 2
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
March 6, 2010
Headliner: Tim Thomas kicked aside 37-of-39 shots en route to his 15th win of the season and second win in a row. Thomas hasn’t won back-to-back starts since beating the Flyers at the Winter Classic on Jan. 1 and the Senators on Jan. 5. The B’s keeper kicked aside 21 shots in the second period alone.
Grinder: Miroslav Satan continues to impress as he picked up his fourth assist on the year when he fed David Krejci in front of the net to break a 1-1 tie just moments after the Islanders notched things up in the second. Satan now has two goals and two helpers in his last five games for the B’s.
Weak Link: Michael Ryder was booted from the game with about four minutes remaining in the second frame when he hit Blake Comeau from behind along the backboards. Comeau managed to skate off the ice on his own but went straight to the locker room after lying on the ice for a few minutes. Ryder received a five-minute penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for the ugly hit.
Key Moment: Marc Savard and the Bruins received a gift midway through the second when a Patrice Bergeron slapper from the point took a weird hop off the back glass and landed right in front of the net where the B’s center buried the open-net goal to put Boston ahead 3-1. It was Savard’s first goal in 19 games and ended up being the game-winner as the Isles made it a one-goal game in the final period.
What’s Next: The Bruins will stay on the road and head to Pittsburgh for a Sunday afternoon affair with the Penguins in Game 2 of their seven-game road trip.
In their last tilt, the Pens took down the B’s 5-4 in overtime thanks to a Pascal Dupuis game-winner. David Krejci, Blake Wheeler and Derek Morris each notched a goal and an assist in the defeat while Zdeno Chara and former Penguin Mark Recchi posted a pair of assists.
The Pens have won three straight since returning from the Olympic break including a 6-3 win over the Stars on Saturday afternoon.
