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Claude Julien Calls Out Dan Girardi For Embellishing Hit To Draw Penalty On Adam McQuaid

BOSTON (CBS) -- Early in the third period Wednesday night, with the Bruins already having one player in the penalty box, Adam McQuaid was penalized two minutes for boarding Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi.

The Bruins, trailing 3-2 at the time, did kill off the penalties, preventing the Rangers from even getting one shot on net. The Bruins later tied the game in the third to force the game to overtime and allow Boston to leave Madison Square Garden with a point in the standings.

That doesn't mean Bruins coach Claude Julien was entirely happy after the game.

Julien took issue with the penalty called on McQuaid because the coach said he felt the hit was embellished by Girardi in order to draw a penalty.

"Unfortunately in the third [McQuaid] got himself a penalty that was I guess typical of what we're trying to get out of the league -- the embellishment," Julien told reporters. "When you see the guy jump into the glass and embellish, that's what we gotta take out of the game. It's unfortunate and put us down 5-on-3."

The hit came along the half boards in the Bruins end. While McQuaid unquestionably hit Girardi near the boards, Girardi did appear to launch himself upward as he headed toward the glass.

Julien's frustration may be carried over from Monday afternoon, when captain Zdeno Chara was sent to the box in overtime for holding Blake Wheeler, even though it appeared as though Wheeler simply lost control himself and went crashing into the Bruins' net. Julien only said that penalty was "a tough call," but two days later he was notably more outspoken.

McQuaid finished the game with nine penalty minutes. He took issue with a Brian Boyle slap shot which came after a whistle for offsides and dropped the gloves with Boyle in the Bruins' zone. In addition to the five-minute major penalty for fighting, McQuaid was assessed an extra two-minute minor for roughing.

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