After dropping back-to-back games for the first time this year, the Bruins bounced back with an impressive performance in Pittsburgh. This one went just a little bit better than the Bruins' last trip to Pittsburgh.
It won't make up for what happened that night in March, but it is at least a little bit of payback.
Now the Bruins return home on Thursday to host the Habs in another bitter rivalry game at the Garden.
Third Period, 19:34, Bruins 7-4: The new top line puts the exclamation point in this one as Lucic scores the empty-netter from Bergeron and Horton.
That's five goals in the third period in this one for the Bruins.
Third Period, 16:13, Bruins 6-4: The Bruins continue to pour it on, with Blake Wheeler adding an insurance goal after Boston killed off the penalty.
Mark Recchi sets that one up with some great work behind the net, dishing it out front to Wheeler for the score.
Third Period, 13:51, Bruins 5-4: The Bruins face a big test here as campbell goes off for slashing and the Penguins go on the power play.
Third Period, 12:40, Bruins 5-4: The Bruins have the lead back as they convert on their 2-on-1 chance.
Shawn Thornton barrels down the right wing with Marchand with him and Ben Lovejoy back. Thornton takes the shot and beats Johnson inside the near post. McQuaid and campbell puick up the helpers.
Third Period, 11:04, 4-4: The Penguins with a bid for the go-ahead goal on a 2-on-1, but Seidenberg shuts down the pass and Thomas smothers Tyler Kennedy's shot from the right wing.
Third Period, 10:42, 4-4: The fourth line really putting on some pressure here for the Bruins.
Marchand looks like he's on a mission in this one, and Thornton also had a scoring chance in front. Excellent shift from both players, as well as Campbell.
Third Period, 6:47, 4-4: This is the third straight game the Bruins have rallied to tie in the third period after falling behind. They haven't comepleted the comeback for a win … yet.
Third Period, 5:18, 4-4: Evgeni Malkin is down again, as he is hurt in a collision with Shawn Thornton.
Third Period, 4:04, 4-4: And just 15 seconds later Chara pulls Boston even with a shot from the slot that may have deflected past Johnson.
Caron and Wheeler get the assists on that goal.
Third Period, 3:49, Penguins 4-3: The Bruins get the early goal they needed as Nathan Horton pulls them within a goal with a wrister from the left circle.
Dennis Seidenberg started the play by sending the puck down behind the net to Horton.
Third Period, 1:00, Penguins 4-2: The third period is under way, with the Bruins needing to get something going early here to start a comeback.
Second Intermission Notes: That was a rough second period for the Bruins, who now face a two-goal deficit with 20 minutes to play.
Pittsburgh is dominating the shot count, with a 34-20 edge. Tim Thomas has 30 saves already, and still has given up a season-high four goals.
The Penguins still have a huge 28-12 advantage in hits. Milan Lucic should be thriving in a physical affair like this, but he has yet to record a hit. He's also a minus-1 and was dumped into the bench on an Arron Asham hit.
Blake Wheeler showed some nice improvement on face-offs, winning four of six draws he took in the second.
Matt Cooke is credited with four hits so far, but has been largely invisible in this one. Perhaps knowing he has a target on his head is finally keeping the cheap-shot artist in line.
End Second Period, Penguins 4-2: The Bruins will face an uphill climb in the third as Pittsburgh's last-minute goal in the second gives the Pens a two-goal lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
Second Period, 19:37, Penguins 4-2: The Penguins extend the lead with a tough power-play goal in front.
Crosby drove down the left side and sent a pass across to Malkin at the right post. Mark Stuart blocked the puck at the top of the crease, but it deflected off his stick and into the net for teh 4-2 lead.
Second Period, 18:31, Penguins 3-2: The Bruins now have to kill off a hooking penalty to Jordan Caron as the Penguins have a chance to extend their lead in the closing minutes of teh second period.
Second Period, 15:44, Penguins 3-2: The Bruins will have to come back again, as Chris Kunitz puts Pittsburgh back ahead by a goal.
Kunitz banged in a rebound out of a crowd in front. Thomas never saw the shot. Letang and Crosby pick up the assists on the play.
Second Period, 14:51, 2-2: The Bruins can't convert on the power play, and Pittsburgh actually had the best scoring chance on a short-handed bid by Pascal Dupuis.
Second Period, 12:51, 2-2: The Bruins get another power play, as Orpik goes off for interference.
Second Period, 12:08, 2-2: The Bruins dodge a bullet there, as the puck skips over Crosby's stick at the right post with an open net staring at him.
Second Period, 9:31, 2-2: Bergeron might want to take the magnets out of those pucks, as he beats Johnson again, only to clang it off the crossbar this time.
Second Period, 7:00, 2-2: Malkin is back on the ice for the Penguins.
Second Period, 6:21, 2-2: The gloves are off again, this time with Adam McQuaid taking on Arron Asham.
After a long square-off, they come together for a great bout. McQuaid used his reach advantage early, but Asham found the range late to land some beauties of his own as well.
Second Period, 5:35, 2-2: The Bruins put another one in the net, but this one won't count.
Campbell tipped in a loose puck in front, but it came after the play was blown dead for an offsides call.
Second Period, 4:10, 2-2: The Pens might have just gotten some bad news, as Malkin goes down in pain and hobbles to the bench.
He has stayed on the bench instead of going to the locker room, though he's in obvious discomfort.
Second Period, 3:31, 2-2: The Bruins are spending way too much time in their own zone, struggling mightily to clear the puck against the Penguins' forecheck.
Second Period, 0:41, 2-2: The second period is under way and the action hasn't slowed, as Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron each have quality bids from the slot, with Bergeron's clanging off the post.
First Intermission Notes: It was quite an opening 20 minutes in Pittsburgh, where the teams combined for four goals, two fights and 32 shots.
The Penguins have an 18-14 edge in shots and a somewhat hard to believe 20-4 advantage in hits. The Pens have had the edge in the physical play, but not to anywhere near that extent.
Evgeni Malkin came in having scored just two points with a minus-8 rating in his last six games, but he has four shots, two assists and is a plus-2 so far in this one. It was just a matter of time that he would break out, it's just bad timing for the B's that it looks like it's happening against them.
Blake Wheeler looked OK in his first game at center, but his concerns about taking draws have been well founded so far, as he ws 0-3 in the first period.
Mark Recchi got the Bruins on the board with his first goal of the year. Seems fitting that he scores on the same day that Claude Julien finally revealed that recchi underwent knee surgery this offseason.
End First Period, 2-2: And a wild and fast-paced first period ends with the game tied at 2-2.
Lots of action so far in this one with four goals and a pair of scraps. Brad Marchand had one of those goals, and he's also been at his pesky best, getting in Malkin's face early on and then shoving and yapping at Dupuis in the final minute. that brought a warning from the ref, but Marchand has to play on the edge to be at his most effective.
First Period, 16:58, 2-2: The Pens answer just 34 seconds later as Brooks Orpik ties the game again.
That's the Braintree, Mass. native's first goal of the season, but the helpers come from a pair of familiar scorers with Crosby and Malkin getting the assists.
First Period, 16:24, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins couldn't convert the power-play chance, but Brad Marchand gives them the lead seconds later at even strength.
Marchand broke down the left wing and picked the top far corner with a perfectly-placed shot.
First Period, 14:15, 1-1: The Bruins are going back on the power play as Asham goes off for tripping Nathan Horton.
First Period, 13:10, 1-1: The Pens have a bid to go back ahead as Pascal Dupuis breaks in alone down the right wing after the puck slipped through Chara's legs at the point.
Thomas comes up big with the save on Dupuis, then Andrew Ference goes down to block the rebound attempt.
First Period, 11:31, 1-1: The Bruins' play has really picked up since those two bouts. Excellent work by Thornton and Campbell to kick-start the club after the Pens were carrying play in the first few minutes.
Yet another example of the purpose fighting serves in this game.
First Period, 8:31, 1-1: The Bruins pull even on the power play as Mark Recchi scores against his old team.
Tyler Seguin set up the goal with a steal behind the net, then passed it over to Recchi on the right side. Recchi's first shot was stopped, but he followed up with his own rebound to tie it.
First Period, 7:25, Penguins 1-0: The Bruins get the first power-play chance of the game as Kris letang goes off for hooking.
Milan Lucic nearly tied it just before the whistle with a golden chance from the left circle.
First Period, 6:35, Penguins 1-0: And more fisticuffs off the ensuing face-off, this time featuring Greg Campbell and Max Talbot.
Talbot had the better of the early going, but Campbell mounted a strong comeback before slipping late. Definitely a good, emotional start to this one. Also interesting to see that Campbell steps up early, as he was not with the team when Cooke delivered his cheap shot on Savard last year to begin the bad blood between the clubs.
First Period, 6:33, Penguins 1-0: It didn't happen off the opening face-off, but Thornton and Godard do get together early in this one.
Good, long scrap between the clubs' respective heavyweights, with Thornton doing a good job against the bigger Godard. Both men landed shots, but Thornton was more active and appeared to land more on first viewing.
First Period, 4:45, Penguins 1-0: The Bruins have definitely been back on their heels at the start of this one, with Pittsburgh carrying the play in the early going.
First Period, 1:05, Penguins 1-0: Well, that didn't take long, as Arron Asham puts Pittsburgh on the board just over a minute into play.
Asham flipped in a rebound in front with Thomas down after Paul Martin sent the initial shot in from the point. Good work by Evgeni Malkin to keep the play alive in the Bruins zone before the goal.
First Period, 0:00, 0-0: No fireworks at the start despite the heavyweights on the ice, as this one gets under way in Pittsburgh.
7 p.m.: Some interesting choices in the starting lineups for this one.
The Bruins are going with their fourth line of Greg Campbell between Brad Marchand and Shawn Thornton, with Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg on defense and Tim Thomas in goal.
The Penguins have countered with Sidney Crosby, but he'll have fourth-liners alongside him for the first shift with Max Talbot and enforcer Eric Godard in the starting lineup, along with defensemen Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang and Brent Johnson in goal.
Just a little extra protection for Crosby with Godard riding shotgun to start? Or can we expect some early fireworks in this one with Godard and Thornton out to set a tone right off the bat?
6:55 p.m.: the lineups are in, and there are no surprises.
Michael Ryder will play, so Jamie Arniel will have to wait for another opportunity to make his NHL debut. Arniel is the lone healthy scratch for the B's, with David Krejci and Johnny Boychuk out injured.
The Pens have scratched Mike Comrie, Chris Conner and Deryk engelland as expected, along with injured center Jordan Staal.
6 p.m.: The Bruins and Penguins are about an hour away from their first clash of the season, with the Bruins making their first visit to Pittsburgh's new arena, the consol Energy Center.
Tim Thomas will be back in goal for the Bruins, while brent Johnson will get the nod for the Penguins.
The Bruins will be without David Krejci, who is out with a concussion suffered on saturday, while Michael Ryder will be a game-time decision. Ryder left practice early on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, but participated in the morning skate and is expected to play. If he can't, Jamie Arniel will make his NHL debut.
The Bruins have already made plenty of changes, with Patrice Bergeron moving into Krejci's spot on the top line, Blake Wheeler sliding over to center and Daniel Paille returning to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the last 10 games.
The rest of the projected lineups for both clubs can be found here, while you can check out a full breakdown of the matchup in our Facing Off feature.
8 a.m.: The Bruins begin another busy stretch with three games in four nights for the second week in a row. They shouldn't have any trouble getting up for these games though, as they open with a grudge match in Pittsburgh on Wednesday before facing division rivals Montreal and Ottawa at home.
A date with the Habs usually draws plenty of advance hype, but no one is looking past this Pittsburgh matchup.
It will be the Bruins' first return to Pittsburgh since Matt Cooke laid out Marc Savard with a blind-side cheap shot back on March 7. The Penguins have since moved into a new arena, while Savard still waits to play his first game anywhere this season as he continues to suffer from post-concussion syndrome symptoms.
The Bruins would love to exact a measure of revenge on Cooke, but they're also trying to maintain their focus on winning the game. Both clubs come into the game with 15 points, but Boston has played four less games.
The Penguins are just .500 on the year at 7-7-1, and haven't enjoyed their new digs very much with a 2-4-0 record at the Consol Energy Center. The Bruins come in with a 5-1-0 mark on the road and hope to hand the Pens another home loss while remaining keenly aware of what transpired in their last trip to Pittsburgh.
"Obviously it's in the back of your mind, but I think most importantly we're two teams that are tied at 15 points," said Bruins forward Milan Lucic after Tuesday's practice. "They're .500 and I know they're not happy about that. We expect a good, hard-fought game and we're going to be prepared for whatever happens.
"It creates a bit of a rivalry between the two [teams]," added Lucic. "We definitely want to win that one for Savvy. I know he's going to be watching that one closely."
The puck drops at 7 p.m., so check back here throughout the day for updates on all the action.
