Bruins Live Blog: Seguin, Bergeron Score In Shootout To Win For Bruins
Final score: Bruins 2, Jets 1 (shootout)
Here's how the shootout played out:
Tyler Seguin, BOS: Goal. Seguin put on about 10 dekes within 5 feet of the net and lofted the puck over Pavelec's left pad.
Blake Wheeler, WIN: Goal. Wheeler went to a backhand move and buried it past Rask.
Patrice Bergeron, BOS: Goal. Bergeron kept the puck on his forehand and fired it to Pavelec's blocker side.
Olli Jokinen, WIN: No goal. Rask denied the forehand attempt.
Chris Bourque, BOS: No goal. Bourque goes to the forehand but Pavelec has it covered.
Bryan Little, WIN: No goal. Rask gets a piece of the shot but it appears to -- fittingly in this game -- catch the post and bounce away.
End of OT, 1-1: Are you ready for the first shootout of the year?
The Bruins are, after doing a great job of preventing any solid scoring opportunities with Chara in the box. Finally, after two scoreless periods and an OT, we'll finally see one of these teams gain an edge. Whoever wins, it will be well-earned, and whoever loses will be feeling like they missed an opportunity.
Overtime, 1:28, 1-1: It took three and a half minutes for the first whistle of overtime, and it's Zdeno Chara getting called for holding Blake Wheeler. That was a bad call, but the B's will need to kill another penalty in order to force a shootout.
End of regulation, 1-1: We're heading to overtime. The Jets will have 49 seconds of 4-on-3 power play time to begin the period.
Third period, 1:11, 1-1: Not what the Bruins needed there, as Johnny Boychuk gets whistled for high-sticking. If the Bruins are to get a point out of this one, they'll have to kill a penalty for the final 1:11 of regulation.
Third period, 2:08, 1-1: The game's taken on a frantic bounce, with both teams trying to force the fortunate bounce that will decide a winner.
Claude Julien just took his team's timeout, with a defensive zone faceoff coming up.
Third period, 5:13, 1-1: The Bruins' power play units got their chances, including a slapper from the left point that once again hit the post, but the Jets are able to kill off the penalty.
Third period, 7:29, 1-1: This could be the Bruins' best chance to take the lead, as Evander Kane heads to the box for goaltender interference.
The Bruins' power play has yet to click, but now wouldn't be the worst time to make something happen.
Third period, 9:54, 1-1: Things are getting a bit chippy, with neither team able to bury any goals. Brad Marchand mixed it up a bit with Dustin Byfuglien, who might have six inches and 100 pounds on the B's agitator, and Adam McQuaid didn't like being tripped up by Alexander Burmistrov after the latest whistle and let him know by delivering a few shots to the head.
It feels like whichever team scores the next goal will be able to deflate the other team, with shots at 23-22 to Winnipeg, it's impossible to predict who will score that goal.
Third period, 13:58, 1-1: After the Bruins have hit the post so many times, the Jets feel the pain the iron can bring when Paul Postma fires a slapper through traffic but catches the right post square. Not a good time to be named Post-ma.
Third period, 16:11, 1-1: The B's are throwing their bodies all around the ice. That sequence was highlighted by a huge Zdeno Chara hit on Blake Wheeler right in front of the Bruins bench.
The Bruins are being more physical and they're getting the better scoring chances, but the only thing that really matters is the scoreboard, which is still showing 1's.
Third period, 20:00, 1-1: The B's top line is on the ice as the third period gets under way.
End of second period, 1-1: The Boston power play unit doesn't get much done, and the two teams head to the dressing rooms tied at 1-1.
As was mentioned in the previous post, the Bruins were really surging there, but Pavelec withstood the rush to keep this one tied.
Second period, 1:40, 1-1: The Bruins are doing just about everything they can without scoring. Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin just broke into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1. Bergeron's shot was saved but bounced toward the vacated side of the net, but Seguin's tip went just wide. Bergeron then tried to bank a shot from behind the net off a defenseman or Pavelec, but the ricochet stayed in the crease and Pavelec covered it up.
The Bruins have 17 shots, which isn't a notably high number, but many of them have been good chances.
Oh, also in that sequence was a huge hit from Milan Lucic, who lined up Andrew Ladd at the blue line.
Mark Stuart just went to the box for interference, and the B's power play gets its first chance of the night.
Second period, 4:12, 1-1: Brad Marchand nearly pulled off one of his patented Marchand goals, as he patiently waited for Pavelec to lie completely prone on the ice before lofting a backhand shot over the netminder. His shot, however, was tipped by a sprawling Pavelec and caught the post, and Pavelec pounced on the loose puck.
Less than a minute later, Aaron Johnson got all he had into a slap shot from the point, and that too caught iron. The posts are being friendly to Pavelec and the Jets.
Second period, 5:29, 1-1: Former Bruin Mark Stuart just stood in front of a Tyler Seguin slapper then delivered a high shove to the kid. It was probably as hard he's been hit in a while, as those Swiss highlight videos didn't really show a league too fond of contact.
Dustin Byfuglien also sent Lucic to the ice. Byfuglien and his weight were mocked on the internet during the lockout, but he's looked fine today and just knocked the Bruins' toughest player to the ice, so I think he'll be OK.
Second period, 10:48, 1-1: The B's kill off another penalty, highlighted by Patrice Bergeron pushing a 2-on-1 and then playing keepaway in the offensive zone for a few seconds before passing the puck all the way back to the defensive blue line.
Olli Jokinen did have a golden opportunity on the man advantage, but he was unable to settle the puck before finally firing a shot off the side of the net. Had he been able to handle the puck quicker, he would have had an empty net to shoot into.
Rask also got a little lucky when a long shot from Evander Kane trickled through his arm and body and ever-so-slowly rolled across the goal mouth. It stayed out of the net though, and we're still tied at 1-1.
Second period, 14:16, 1-1: Ondrej Pavelec just denied Nathan Horton on the doorstep for his 13th save of the afternoon. This game could be 3-1 Bruins right now if not for a great effort out of Pavelec.
The B's, by the way, did a great job killing off that Krejci penalty, and they'll have to do it again now, as Andrew Ference skates to the box for tripping.
Second period, 18:33, 1-1: We have our first penalty of the day, as David Krejci goes to the box for high-sticking. He let his stick get up a little high when trying to bother Evander Kane in the neutral zone, so he'll head to the box for two minutes.
Second period, 20:00: 1-1: We're under way in the second.
End of first period, 1-1: After Tuukka Rask was getting peppered for a long stretch in the middle of the period, the Bruins clamp down and allow just one shot in the final six or seven minutes of the period.
The B's are now outshooting the Jets 12-11, and this one heads to the first intermission tied at 1-1.
First period, 5:45, 1-1: Tyler Seguin just flashed the type of skills that make him a very special young player, bursting into a passing line at the offensive blue line and intercepting a pass before firing a puck toward the net. The puck squirted right out to Brad Marchand, who extended his stick and tapped it home.
It was the first goal of the year for Marchand and the first assist of the year for Seguin.
First period, 9:46, 1-0 Jets: Tuukka Rusk just came up with a huge save on a Kyle Wellwood breakaway. The netminder stayed deep in his crease and waited for Wellwood, who fired a wrister high to the glove side. Rask wasn't able to squeeze it, but he got enough of his glove on the puck to make the stop, and he covered up the rebound between his leg.
That breakaway came just moments after David Krejci nearly connected with Nathan Horton for a beautiful one-time goal, but Horton appeared to have whiffed a bit on the shot.
First period, 12:38, 1-0 Jets: The Jets had a couple of chances to double their lead, but Alex Ponikarovsky was unable to tap home a potential open netter, and Evander Kane missed high on a 2-on-1 rush.
It's been a spirited opening seven minutes, for sure, with both teams coming ready to play.
First period, 14:36, 1-0 Jets: Some good back and forth action early on, but Ondrej Pavelec proved he's awake for this early game by stopping a point-blank slap shot from Tyler Seguin.
First period, 18:02, 1-0 Jets: The Jets strike first, with a Tuukka Rask save on a Paul Postma shot from the point squirting about 15 feet out to the goaltender's left. Chris Thorburn hopped on the loose puck and fired a quick wrister past Rask, and Winnipeg takes the early 1-0 lead.
First period, 20:00: The crowd very slowly filled up, and while the atmosphere might not be quite as rowdy as it was for the opener on Saturday night, this building is ready for hockey.
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman dropped the ceremonial first puck before this one officially began, with the third line of Chris Bourque, Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley up front starting things off. Ference and McQuaid get the start on D.
12:39 p.m.: A late roster move here, as Dennis Seidenberg will not be playing due to a lower-body injury. That comes as a surprise, as we hadn't heard about that injury prior to just now. It looks like Aaron Johnson will skate in his place, but it would be highly doubtful to see him skate alongside Dougie Hamilton. Expect captain Zdeno Chara to hold the blue line next to the rookie.
12:15 p.m.: Ron Poster is rocking right now with some Bruno Mars on the organ. If there were ever an MVP award handed out to in-arena entertainment, that guy deserves it.
12 p.m.: Last night, the Patriots' season ended abruptly in the AFC Championship Game, leaving sports fans in the region a bit sad on this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Fortunately for you all, the Bruins are here to help with the healing process, and they're wasting no time in getting back on the ice, with today's game set to begin at 1 p.m.
The Jets, who lost to Ottawa 4-1 in their season debut over the weekend, are in for their only visit of the year.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are feeling pretty good about their 3-1 victory over the Rangers here at the Garden on Saturday night, but in this shortened season's wild and crazy schedule, the teams that can leave the past in the past are the ones that will succeed most.
Playing these matinee games is normally difficult enough for hockey players, who thrive on the routine of morning skate, nap, evening game. Add in the difficulty of playing so many games in so few days, and even the mental fatigue could be a factor.
That, though, will be more of an issue as the season goes on. With each team having just one game under its belt, the Bruins and Jets should have fresh legs for this one.
Check right here in the live blog throughout the game for updates from pregame warmups all the way through the final horn.
