Bruins salvage win in shootout
BOSTON -- Successful teams find ways to win on nights they don't play all that well.
That's just what the Boston Bruins did on Thursday night.
The Bruins, playing half the game as if they'd been partying late with the World Series-winning Red Sox the previous night, managed to pull out a 3-2 shootout victory over the Anaheim Ducks, ending Boston's two-game losing streak and Anaheim's three-game winning streak.
"Good teams find a way to get wins and it's important for us," defenseman Torey Krug said after the Bruins improved to 8-4-0. "We didn't have the greatest game, but at the end of the day we have two points and we get to move on from here."
Bruins right winger Jarome Iginla, whose five-game point streak was halted, scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller as the middle of three shooters. Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, trying to force a fourth round, hit the post behind Tuukka Rask, ending the Halloween game.
It was Iginla's 10th successful shootout attempt in 37 career tries.
The Bruins, held to eight shots through two periods (one in the first), tied the score with 2:50 left when David Krejci set up Zdeno Chara alone in front for a power-play goal -- Chara's second goal of the season and Krejci's 11th assist.
The Ducks (10-3-1) lost the first two games of their season-long eight-game trip but rebounded with three straight wins and now have points in four in a row.
"At the end, it's the sign of a good team ... being unhappy if you lost. So, yeah, I don't think too many guys were happy," Hiller said. "I thought we started really good in the game and then I guess in the third we were, in my opinion, standing back too much."
Coach Bruce Boudreau said, "You look around the room and nobody feels good about it. But I think they did some good things out there. ... When we didn't put them away in the first period, I thought we were going to be in for a tough game."
Davante Smith-Pelly and Mathieu Perreault scored the Anaheim goals. Perreault broke a 1-1 tie with 20.9 seconds left in the second period with his fifth goal of the season.
Twenty-eight-year-old rookie winger Carl Soderberg, whose giveaway to Dustin Penner led to the first goal of the night, scored his first NHL goal for the Bruins.
"It means a lot to me," Soderberg said. "I've been playing in Europe for 10 years at the highest level there, but it's still not the NHL. I came here at 28 years old so I wanted to see if I could play in the NHL. I'm pretty glad I scored."
Center Ryan Spooner, recalled from AHL Providence earlier in the day, skated a regular third-line shift and assisted on Soderberg's goal for his first NHL point.
Both Spooner and Soderberg failed to score in the shootout.
Hiller and Rask both made 21 saves for their respective teams in the 65-minute game.
Soderberg's errant pass turned into the first goal and, after his breakaway shot trickled through Hiller, the Ducks again grabbed the lead, on the Perreault goal.
"We can't really afford too many mistakes because we're not scoring that many goals, but today it didn't end up costing us. It was good," Rask said.
NOTES: Bruins D Johnny Boychuk missed the third period with an undisclosed injury suffered when he fell awkwardly into the boards in the second period. ... The Bruins took warm-ups wearing Red Sox World Series champion baseball caps. Video highlights were shown in the second period when the championship trophy was brought onto to the ice by Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino. Bruins coach Claude Julien on Red Sox manager John Farrell: "I've reached out to him several times during the playoffs so hopefully I'll talk to him either tonight or tomorrow." ... The Ducks were missing several players, including 43-year-old Teemu Selanne, who lost several teeth and received 40 stitches after a Luke Schenn stick to the face Tuesday night in Philadelphia. ... Penner (upper body) returned after missing five games. ... Spooner, who played four games with Boston last season, had seven points in eight games at Providence. Asked before the game if Spooner was recalled to dress, Julien said, "No, I just wanted him to have popcorn and hot dogs up in the stands. That's why we brought him up." ... The Bruins visit the New York Islanders on Saturday night and the Ducks continue their road trip in Buffalo. ... Buffalo's John Scott received a seven-game suspension for his hit that concussed Boston LW Loui Erikkson on Oct. 23. Scott has already served three games. "That's the decision that was made and we'll live with it," Julien said. ... The Ducks sent D Luca Sbisa, out all season with an ankle injury, to the minors for conditioning.
