Lucic scores #30 & Chara notches 400th career point as Bruins skate past Devils 4-1

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Mar 22, 2011 9:53 PM EDT in Game Recaps

It was a night of milestones for the Bruins as Milan Lucic tallied his team-leading 30th goal of the season and Zdeno Chara reached the 400 point mark for his career during a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden.

The Devils opened the scoring with 8:55 left in the first period with a power play goal from Ilya Kovalchuk with Mark Recchi off for a hooking call. New Jersey did not waste much time on the power play, finding the back of the net just 11 seconds into the man advantage. The Devils overloaded the right side of the ice, leaving Kovalchuk wide open on the left wing side of the attacking zone. Mattias Tedenby set up behind the goal line and slid the puck to Kovalchuk, who hammered a one-timer past Tim Thomas from the left circle.

Shawn Thornton evened the score at 1-1 with 4:21 to play in the opening period. Tomas Kaberle had the puck at the left point along the blue line and sent a rink-wide pass that hugged the blue line and found Dennis Seidenberg at the right point. Seidenberg got a quick shot off that was deflected out of mid-air by Shawn Thornton for his 9th goal of the season.

Zdeno Chara scored the Bruins' first power play goal in what seemed like a decade to take a 2-1 lead at 8:17 of the second period. Milan Lucic had the puck on the right wing half wall and slid the puck across the ice through a seam in the Devils' penalty kill to Zdeno Chara, who was driving to the net on the back door. Chara fired a quick shot that got past Martin Brodeur for Chara's 400th NHL point and the Bruins first 5 on 4 goal since February 18th.

Milan Lucic's 30th goal of the season gave the Bruins an insurance goal and a 2-goal lead with 3:47 left in the third period. Patrice Bergeron carried the puck behind the goal line and fed a pass out front to Lucic at the left inside hashmarks where he snapped off a quick one-timer that beat Martin Brodeur up high on the nearside.

Mark Recchi added an empty net tally with 39.6 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Bruins.

Final - 3.22.2011	1	2	3	Total
New Jersey Devils	1	0	0	1
Boston Bruins	1	1	2	4

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Notes:

- Zdeno Chara had a 3-point game (1-2-3). Tomas Kaberle (2 assists), Milan Lucic (1-1-2), and Patrice Begeron (2 assists) all had 2-point nights.

- Tim Thomas stopped 30 pucks to help the B's get a win tonight.

- Daniel Paille and Steven Kampfer were the healthy scratches.

- Brad Marchand returned from his 2-game suspension. He finished the night +1 in 16:03 of ice time.

- Julien is starting to show some confidence in Tyler Seguin. The kid saw 3:05 of power play time tonight.

- The Bruins will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to TD Garden on Thursday night for a much-anticipated showdown with the hated Habs.

- For more on tonight's game from the Garden State, check out In Lou We Trust.

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Comments

from what i saw they played a solid 50 minutes of hockey. that kovalchuk goal really woke them up.

by inmyiroc on Mar 22, 2011 10:00 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah, it wasn’t a good start for them but they settled in well.

Thursday is the real test to see if they are ready for the playoffs.

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by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Mar 22, 2011 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Indeed

And don’t worry. I will have 911 on speed dial incase of any questionable hits by those dirty habs!

by Noir blanc et or on Mar 22, 2011 10:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Holy hell that was a snipe and a half.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 22, 2011 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Great shot, but they totally lost track of him in a dangerous area.

by Toe Nash on Mar 23, 2011 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions

They looked a hell of a lot better AFTER they let that PP goal in (which still has me shaking my head).

by phonymahoney on Mar 23, 2011 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Look at how happy Kaberle is in that picture!

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 22, 2011 11:03 PM EDT reply actions

lol

by I Love Ska on Mar 23, 2011 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions

he kind of reminds me of an overenthusiastic WWE manager after his wrestler won a match…

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 23, 2011 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions

please…..no more wrestling references.

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions

…and that’s the bottom line, because Delta said so!

by Arenacale on Mar 23, 2011 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions

thomas “paul bearer” kaberle

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 23, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe a little Alex Riley..He’s Big Z and he’s Awwwwwesommme!

by SkateHitShoot on Mar 23, 2011 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions

so does krejci play the part of michael cole above??? cause krejci doesnt deserve that, at all lol

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 24, 2011 8:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Tomas

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 23, 2011 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Congrats to Lucic and Chara.

by Mike-Dub on Mar 22, 2011 11:26 PM EDT reply actions

Good work boys. A little sluggish out of the gate, but you got it done. Let’s carry this over to the Montreal game on Thursday. Go B’s! Special thanks to Thomas, and Chara and Bergeron adding 4 assists to my hockey pool play-offs in the last few minutes.

by I Love Ska on Mar 23, 2011 12:45 AM EDT reply actions

wait, we won a game, so were locks to win the cup, right??

unless we lose the next game, at which point well probably miss the playoffs all together…

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 23, 2011 12:58 AM EDT reply actions

Yes.

And if Thursdays game is an overtime loss then they must fire Cluade!

by Noir blanc et or on Mar 23, 2011 7:40 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

WHEW

I guess I can step away from the ledge. Bs showed heart last night, been awhile since I’ve seen that out of them. Hope they can keep it going!

by gordiehowehattrick on Mar 23, 2011 8:22 AM EDT reply actions

puts on his best han solo voice

“well that’s the real trick, isn’t it?”

seriously though….the real test is gonna be if they can string a few of these efforts together

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Best game I’ve seen Seguin play this year…anyone agree?

by tkent on Mar 23, 2011 9:05 AM EDT reply actions

He’s getting better, for sure. I like it a lot. Now all he needs to do is take all summer doing the Gary Roberts workout plan.

Unfortunately the Lightning hired Gary Roberts as a strength coach.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 23, 2011 9:16 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree….he was all over the place in a good way. He even threw a couple good looking hits (for his size)…how many shots did he register? seemed like a bunch. like Brick said, it definitely helps that he’s on a line that play his style of hockey. Their line was great all night.

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t see the game live but watched the first period on Bruins in 2, I almost spit out my beer when he laid a big hit (for his size) behind the NJ net and again tried to line somebody up along the boards but missed. He did look great, and its good to see!

by SkateHitShoot on Mar 23, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed!

That Pevs-Kelly-Seguin line was real good last night. Yeah they are a bit small and not too tough but I like that line playing against any other teams 3rd line. With Pevs and Kelly they are responsible in their own zone and Seguin actually had glimpses of playing pro hockey last night. I felt he had looked for JR hockey esque all season. A lot of waving the stick at a player with the puck and last night he actually took the body a few times. Keep playing like that kid and the rest will come together because he has some serious hands and speed.

by beachguy113 on Mar 23, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

He looks a hell of a lot better, I’m sure putting him with guys who play the same kind of game, like Brick said, has helped. It’s nice to see him out there on the PP as well.

by phonymahoney on Mar 23, 2011 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions

he’s gonna put up much betters next year. consider these words marked.

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions

much better numbers*

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions

i have a feeling we can expect to see these same lines for the next few games.

by inmyiroc on Mar 23, 2011 10:37 AM EDT reply actions

What were the lines? i only caught the highlights and saw ryder in and seguin

by Butch9 on Mar 23, 2011 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions

lucic-krejci-horton
ryder-bergeron-recci
seguin-kelly-peverley
marchand-campbell-thornton

by inmyiroc on Mar 23, 2011 12:04 PM EDT reply actions

i like these line combos, the bowser line has been the best line all season, i like putting ryder with two guys who can compensate for how much he sucks in his own zone, lets ryder focus on offense, seguin kelly and pevs, like was said above, it isn’t the most physical line out there, but peverly has stepped up to get people away from segs a couple of times, and i like reuniting the merlot line for a couple of reasons, whenever marchand is on that 4th line, it seems like thorty finds his offense, and it sends a message to marchand that yeah, you made it to the second line, then you started playing like an idiot, so down you go. shows him and all the others that one guy isnt bigger than the team….. like that kabs had a multi point game and that they scored on the PP…. getting kabs and the PP going are going to be two very important parts of a playoff run

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 23, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Pevs has the moves...

and is my favorite trading deadline addition.

by phonymahoney on Mar 23, 2011 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions

agreed, i recognized the name when he came over, but didnt really know much about his game, i have been completely unimpressed with kelly, and i refuse to call kabs a disappointment this soon, however, i have LOVED what i have seen out of peverley

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 24, 2011 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm Liking...

lucic-krejci-horton
ryder-bergeron-recci
seguin-kelly-peverley
marchand-campbell-thornton

I’m really liking this lineup. It gives Seguin the ability to use his wheels and fly around the ice both offensively and defensively – while Marchand’s numbers won’t quite be what they were on the fourth line, I believe his offensive prowess will certainly help out soupy with the scoring. And putting Ryder with the best defensive forward in Bergy is a great idea. I just hope they learn to gel well

"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time" - Vince Lombardi

by ilovethegbpackers on Mar 23, 2011 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

I think Ryder-Bergie-Rex looked pretty good last night (although I will agree with Recchi looking tired as of late). I’m hoping CJ keeps this line together long enough to see them gel, because I think they could work well together.

by phonymahoney on Mar 23, 2011 12:21 PM EDT reply actions

yea, recchi has been bad lately, IMO

by Mikol on Mar 23, 2011 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions

He’s slow but I wouldn’t really say “bad”

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 23, 2011 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah, i dont know what you’re seeing. yes he’s slow, but he’s been slow since he stopped playing for the Flyers in the late 90s….i mean really….how many goals against/turnovers is he personally responsible for?

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

He’s 5th on the team in giveaways but that can be misleading – players with the puck more tend to turn it over more.

He’s thrown more hits than Nathan Horton and blocked more shots than Milan Lucic. More takeaways than Greg Campbell.

More fun real-time Bruins stats here.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 23, 2011 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Also wins a higher percent of his faceoffs than Krejci, Seguin, Campbell, Savard, and just barely Chris Kelly.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 23, 2011 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions

hahahahahaha When did Mark Stuart take a faceoff? Either way, he won it. 100% FO.

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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Mar 23, 2011 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Good job, stat-man. You should hang out at In Lou We Trust……you’d fit right in!

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I was just going to comment on that one…that’s why we should’ve kept him around. Face-off specialist!

"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time" - Vince Lombardi

by ilovethegbpackers on Mar 23, 2011 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Solid 50 minutes.

I’m curious about the goalie situation tomorrow night.

by 13_Legion on Mar 23, 2011 2:50 PM EDT reply actions

Pretty sure Timmy will be between the pipes but I would pay great sums of money to see Tuukka bounce milk crates off Price’s big stupid head.

by MattS on Mar 23, 2011 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Thomas

is the only answer. I don’t even know why you’d even think about starting Tuukka in a game like this.

by delta on Mar 23, 2011 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions

i think timmy gets the nod for sure, but look for tuukka to start 5-6 of the last 10

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 24, 2011 8:31 AM EDT up reply actions

So an incredibly interesting soundbite on puck daddy, where recchi accuses the habs of embellishing paccys injury in order to get chara suspended. Habs are saying that paccy will start back on the ice soon, and will probably be back for the playoffs, and recchi is saying that it shows that he wasnt that hurt, and that the habs were trying to get discipline leveld on chara….. i dont know how to feel about this, if a guy like marchand says something like this, you think it is him trying to get under peoples skin, but a vet of 137 years making a claim likethis…. kinda makes you think

by BlueNGoldBomber on Mar 24, 2011 8:37 AM EDT reply actions