I think this daylight savings thing has the Bruins all messed up, because they showed up an hour late tonight. After giving up 3 goals in the first period, Tim Thomas was pulled for Tuukka Rask who stopped all 16 shots he faced, but the damage was already done. Patrice Bergeron scored with just over a minute left in the third period, but the Bruins couldn't pull off the comeback and fell 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils.
Rob Niedermayer scored his 9th goal of the season to put the Devils up 1-0 9:58 into the game off an offensive zone face-off win.
New Jersey made it 2-0 with 2:37 left in the first when goalie Martin Brodeur sprung David Clarkson on a breakaway with a long tape-to-tape pass from the goal line to the other side of the red line. Clarkson's goal was his 8th of the season and first since November 16th for the injury-plagued winger.
The Devils extended their lead to 3-0 with 1:52 left in the opening period when Zach Parise found a loose puck in front from Mike Mottau's shot and put it away with a backhander.
The Bruins got on the board 43 seconds into the second period when Blake Wheeler deflected Mark Stuart's slapper past Martin Brodeur.
Patrice Bergeron made it a one-goal game with 1:03 left in the third with a deflection in front from Dennis Seidenberg's shot from the right point, but the early three goal deficit was too much to overcome.
Notes:
- Mark Stuart hit Jamie Langenbruner with a big open ice hit. The much smaller Rod Pelley challenged Stuart to drop the gloves following the hit on his captain. Stuart landed a few shot but Pelley scored the takedown.
- Shawn Thornton and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond squared off in lengthy bout early in the first period. Thornton landed some hard punches at the end of the bout but lost his footing.
- Tuukka Rask came out to start the second period after Tim Thomas (3 goals allowed on 12 shots) was lifted from the game by Claude Julien.
- The Devils put the puck past Tuukka Rask 8:53 into the second period, but the goal as quickly waved off after it was determined that Rob Niedermayer played the puck with a high-stick.
- Blake Wheeler has scored a goal in each of the last 3 games and 4 of his last 5.
- For the second straight game the Bruins have dug themselves a hole early in the first period.
- Versus had a nice montage of how bad Dennis Wideman was tonight.
- It think it is pretty clear that Tuukka's time is now. I still think that Thomas can be a valuable (yet over-priced) mentor to Rask and should get some starts, but I think Rask has won the #1 job.