What did I say about the Bruins yesterday? They always defy expectations.
It's not often that I'm a profit like that but I'll take full credit as the B's (35-29-12) won 1-0 in overtime last night against the New Jersey Devils (44-26-6) at the Prudential Center in beautiful Newark, NJ.
With just 19 seconds left in overtime before it would have gone to a shootout, which the Bruins are horrible at, Patrice Bergeron swooped in on a rebound and stuffed it home before Devils all-world goalie Martin Brodeur (33 saves) could react. Mark Recchi and Mark Stuart assisted on Bergeron's 18th goal of the season.
Tuukka Rask was rightfully back in goal for the Bruins and he made 21 saves for his fifth shutout of the season. The young star improved to 19-11-4 with a 2.02 goals against average and .929 save percentage.
Needless to say it was a meaningful win for many reasons. These teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs so it was good to see the Bruins prove they can beat New Jersey at their own low-scoring game. Also, the two points kept Boston two points ahead of Atlanta and four points ahead of the Rangers for the last spot in the Eastern Conference. And finally, it tied the Bruins with Philadelphia and Montreal, the two teams they're trying to jump over to avoid the buzzsaw that is the Capitals.
Boston is back home tomorrow night, hosting the playing-for-pride Florida Panthers.
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