|
 "We talked about it. We've been talking about it for about a month
now," Boston center Ryan Spooner said after his team recorded its
first regulation home win since Jan. 16 with a 5-1 victory over the
Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
"We seem to have some problems here, and I think it's a mental
problem for us," said Spooner, who had an assist. "People have been
asking why we're better on the road than we are here, and it was
kind of hard to exactly pinpoint what it was. I think it was just
the focus. We've had some games at home that we haven't won, but I
think as a whole we played the entire 60 (minutes) tonight, and that
was important for us."
Right winger David Pastrnak scored two goals, including one on a
penalty shot, and goalie Tuukka Rask stopped a season-high 41 shots
as the Bruins raised their home record to just 13-15-3. They are
20-7-3 on the road.
Boston surrendered a combined 15 goals in the previous two home
games, and it was 2-4-1 in its previous seven home games.
Getting a home win was important for the Bruins' confidence with the
team set for a four-game homestand after Friday night's game at
Carolina. The victory came with players' fathers on hand prior to
joining the team for Friday's game against the Hurricanes.
The Bruins swept the three-game season series from the Penguins with
a 14-3 goals advantage. The two teams are battling for Eastern
Conference playoff position -- the Bruins moving into a second-place
tie in the Atlantic Division with the win and the Penguins remaining
as the second wild-card team with the loss.
Asked about getting the home win, defenseman Adam McQuaid, who had a
strong game, said, "We still had our moments, and Tuukka was big for
us at times, but overall I think it was a better effort."
Pastrnak, 19, became the young Bruins player to score on a penalty
shot when he beat Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the first
period. He scored again in the second period and finished with seven
shots on goal.
Right wingers Jimmy Hayes and Landon Ferraro and left winger Brad
Marchand scored in a span of 4:53 in the third period for Boston,
breaking open a close game. Marchand's goal was his 31st of the
season, his 16th in the past 18 games.
Rookie right winger Tom Kuhnhackl scored for Pittsburgh in the
second period, cutting a two-goal deficit in half. This time, the
Bruins responded.
Rask raised his record for the season to 23-17-5. He is 6-2-0 in his
past eight decisions.
[to top of second column] |
"I thought we had some good chances," said Pittsburgh captain Sidney
Crosby, the star center held off the score sheet despite playing
well. "They're definitely good defensively, but we had 40 shots. We
had some really good scoring chances, so I think the fact that you
get those, you're happy to get them. You've got to find a way to put
them in. It was probably more Rask on a bunch of them."
Ferraro scored on a breakaway for his first goal in 30 games since
Dec. 9, and Marchand capped the closing rally.
Fleury, falling to 24-14-6, wasn't helped much by his teammates.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said, "I don't think we made them
work as hard as we needed to make them work for their goals."
The penalty shot, the first of Pastrnak's young career, was the
third converted by the Bruins in as many tries this season. Marchand
had the others. The rest of the NHL, not counting other games
Wednesday night, was just 13-for-47.
The Pittsburgh goal held up under league review after the puck went
in off the stopping Kuhnhackl's skates. Kuhnhackl wound up with the
second goal of his 19-game NHL career. With his assist on the play,
center Oskar Sundqvist picked up his first point in 10 NHL games.
NOTES: Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin (lower body) missed his 10th
consecutive game, and C Nick Bonino (hand) missed his 17th straight,
but coach Mike Sullivan hopes to have both back in the lineup
Saturday for a home game against the Winnipeg Jets. Without Malkin,
the Penguins are 1-for-24 on the power play, failing on their only
chance Wednesday, their 16th straight without a goal. ... LW Loui
Eriksson, who has been on a tear but may also be on the trade block
with his contract ending after the season, is the only Bruin to play
in all 61 games this season. Boston is the only team in the league
with only one player missing just one game. ... The Penguins fell to
15-11-5 under Sullivan.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
