Bruins 4, Blues 2: Boston Uses Third Period Magic For Much Needed Victory

This was a good win through and through for the Bruins--Shawn Thornton was sick, but managed to come out and play. Even without Nathan Horton, and after facing two losses in the games prior, they came out and beat the St. Louis Blues--a team that hadn't seen a regulation loss at home since the beginning of December.

After only putting up 10 shots on goal through the first two periods, the Bruins came back in the third and found nine more in that period alone, including a goal from Brad Marchand--his second of the game--to add assurance to the Bruins lead.

With 10:46 left to go, Marchand took a perfect feed from Tyler Seguin and skated on the breakaway and backhanded the shot past Brian Elliott to put the Bruins up 4-2. Seguin's pass was a head's up play after Patrice Bergeron tipped the puck back to him. Marchand broke on the left side and there was no one in front of him to stop him. He slid it through Elliott's five hole and immediately pointed to Seguin after he scored his 21st goal of the season, giving him all the credit.

Marchand also scored the first goal of the game, 2:29 into the first period. He stripped Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk of the puck and stole a quick snap shot right in front of Elliott. Between the two goals, Marchand now has 21 goals this season, tying Milan Lucic's total number.

Lucic picked up that 21st goal, just minutes after Marchand's, giving the Bruins an early 2-0 lead less than halfway through the period.

However, the B's were quick to give up that lead, as Blues forwards Chris Stewart and Ryan Reaves scored five minutes apart to tie the game in the first period.

But it was Chris Kelly's goal late in the first period, with just 40 seconds left on the clock that allowed the Bruins to enter the first intermission with some confidence.

The B's preached about playing consistent in the second period and playing their system better. While I'm sure Claude Julien was a little uninspired by the four shots on net in the middle frame, it looked like the team came out in the third and were able to take two points from a very well put together team.

Tim Thomas made 30 saves on 32 shots and picked up his third win in five games.

Boston still hasn't lost three games in a row since October, and they now own a 2-2-0 record en route of their six game road trip. They will play the Sabres on Friday before heading out to Ottawa to finish on the road.

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The score holds the same after two periods, the Bruins controlling a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Blues.

However, it seems impossible that that's the case. In the second frame, the Blues peppered Tim Thomas with 14 shots, bringing the entire game total to 24. But looking at the Bruins column, they only put up four shots on Brian Elliott, bringing their total shots to just 10.

But it doesn't matter in the end.

Their biggest scoring chance in the second period came off a Johnny Boychuk shot midway through. The shot was looked like it was deflected and tipped. The puck hit the crossbar and then the post, but stayed out of the net.

Zdeno Chara was the only player who made his way into the penalty box this period, picking up two minutes for hooking at the 14 minute mark. Fortunately for the Bruins, the Blues were unable to capitalize on it despite having a number of opportunities.

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The Boston Bruins jumped out to a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO, on Wednesday night. Two of the league’s top teams battled it out in a game with defense sorely lacking.

The Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead after little more than six minutes of play. The Blues turned the puck over in their own zone, and Brad Marchand walked in for an easy goal against Brian Elliot, who struggled in the net for the first 20 minutes.

Milan Lucic scored next on a long slap shot that deflected off Patrik Berglund’s stick.

Chris Stewart put the Blues on the board, picking up his own rebound in front of a crowed net.

With the score tied at 2-2, Chris Kelly scored with less than a minute to play, giving the Bruins the momentum as they skated off the ice.

Brian Elliot allowed three goals on six shots in the first period. Tim Thomas allowed two goals on nine shots.

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According to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe, Boston Bruins right winger Shawn Thornton is a game time decision for tonight's clash with the St. Louis Blues. The fourth line wing man is reportedly battling an illness and could miss tonight's game according to Claude Julien.

If Thornton is a no-go, then Josh Hennessy will likely step in his place with Daniel Pallie and Gregory Campbell on the fourth line.

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Event: Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 8 p.m. EDT.
Location: Scottrade Center (Capacity: 19,150), St. Louis, Missouri.
Broadcast Info: Wednesday’s game between the Bruins and the Blues will be broadcast live on NESN. The game can also be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.

Last Time Out: The Bruins once again face the facts as they head into tonight’s game with two losses in their recent history. The most recent came on Sunday where they took a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild. That was the fourth time in nine games this month that the Bruins have been shutout by a team, and it came right in the middle of their six-game roadtrip.

The Wild took a 2-0 lead in the second period, and the Bruins were unable to capitalize on any of their 48 shots on net--only one which was on the power play.

But Chad Rau and Matt Cullen were able to convert on two of the Wild’s 29 shots and came up with the two points.

The Blues had won six of their previous seven games before their last game against the Chicago Blackhawks, where they took a 3-1 loss in Chicago. St. Louis picked up an early 1-0 lead in the first period, but couldn’t hold onto the lead and gave up three unanswered goals in the third.

Andy McDonald had the goal for the Blues, his third of the season, and his third in three games.

Storyline: The last time these two teams met was back on November 6, 2010, where the Blues took a 2-1 shootout win over the Bruins. Tuukka Rask had the loss, though he only gave up one goal in 60 minutes of regulation.

It was a messy game, with two fights breaking out in the second period--one between Andrew Ference and David Backes and the other between Mark Stuart and B.J. Crombeen.

In that game, David Krejci also was involved in a tough collision with T.J. Oshie and had to be helped off the ice in a scary moment.

Former Bruin Vladimir Sobotka scored the only goal for the Blues after a Dennis Seidenberg defensive turnover gave him ample space for a goal.
The Blues have only lost six home games this season, so the Bruins have their work cut out for them. However, the Bruins have also only lost three games in a row once this season, and it was back in October, where they went 3-7-0.

Players To Watch: Though he’s only scored three goals this season, keep an eye on Andy McDonald who has scored in each of his last three games.

Jamie Langenbrunner will be out against the Bruins after suffering a broken foot on Sunday against the Blackhawks.

The Bruins haven’t shown much promise in the past couple of games, but Gregory Campbell was the most recent Bruins player to score against the Blues. Keep him in the scopes as well.

Prediction:The Bruins need to come out and find a way to win. They haven’t dominated a team in quite a while, though their shots on goal have been through the roof. But this Blues team is very good and they don’t allow for many mistakes. Final Score: Blues 4, Bruins 2.

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