3:25 into overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs
2-1 on Saturday night to maintain their small cushion in the tight
Eastern Conference playoff race.
Boston is seventh in the East, two
points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and the hard-charging New York
Rangers. The Leafs, meanwhile, missed an opportunity to get within one
point of Tampa Bay and Florida for 14th in the conference — a position
that remains important because Boston owns Toronto's first-round pick in
this year's draft.
Satan had both goals for Boston
(36-30-12), which has scored just five times in four games.
Colton Orr had the lone goal for the
Maple Leafs (29-36-14).
On the winning goal, Satan fooled
goalie Jonas Gustavsson by tipping defenseman Zdeno Chara's point shot
with the shaft of his stick.
It was another frustrating game for
Toronto's Phil Kessel, who failed to score against his former team for
the sixth time this season. The winger finished with one assist and a
minus-4 rating while facing the Bruins.
The Maple Leafs came out with plenty
of jump in their second-to-last home game. They directed a couple
quality chances at former Toronto draft pick Tuukka Rask and got the
opening goal from an unlikely source.
Orr scored from the high slot at 5:10
of the first, roofing the puck after it had been blocked in front by a
Bruins defenseman. It was a career-high fourth goal of the season for
the Leafs' enforcer.
Boston tied it at 7:01 of the second
period when Satan was left alone at the side of the net and batted a
rebound behind Gustavsson for his seventh of the season.
The Leafs goalie was busy in the
middle period and made a nice save on David Krejci's rush to keep it 1-1
heading into the third.
Rask stood tall during a third-period
Toronto power play and did well to stop Dion Phaneuf's point shot.
Gustavsson denied Blake Wheeler on a rush up the wing.
Satan managed to get the puck behind
Gustavsson, but it was swept to safety by Phaneuf.
Notes
D Andrew Bodnarchuk made his
NHL debut for the Bruins. … Jamie Lundmark, Wayne Primeau and Jeff
Finger were healthy scratches for Toronto. … Andrew Ference, Shawn
Thornton, Trent Whitfield and Mark Stuart sat out for the Bruins. …
Boston D Dennis Seidenberg left the game in the first period with a cut
on his left wrist and didn't return. … Leafs rookie forward Tyler
Bozak has 13 points in 13 games.