Bruins can't do it themselves with their 2-2 tie
BOSTON (AP) -- The Boston Bruins played aggressively in the third
period, hoping to get into the playoffs with a victory. Turns out they
didn't need it.
A few minutes after they tied the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-2 Monday night, they clinched a postseason berth when the New York
Rangers lost to Atlanta in overtime.
''It's all good to make the playoffs,'' Boston's Brian Rolston
said, ''but you are here for one reason, to win the Stanley Cup.''
The Bruins are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with
84 points, while the Rangers have 76. Each team has three games
left.
The Rangers still have a chance to catch the New York Islanders,
with 80 points and four games left, for the eighth and final
playoff spot in the East. The Rangers visit the Islanders, who hold
a three-point lead, Tuesday night.
Former Boston goalie John Grahame kept the Bruins from clinching
on their own as he was outstanding in the third period and overtime
when Boston outshot Tampa Bay 19-4.
''It was weird coming in here. I've never been in the visiting
locker room before,'' said Grahame, who was traded Jan. 13. ''Once
you get out there, everything goes back to normal.''
With all those shots, the Bruins managed only to tie the game
2-2 on Mike Knuble's 28th goal at 4:28 of the third. Joe Thornton
made a backhand pass from the right point into the slot. Knuble,
standing 15 feet in front of Grahame, scored with a hard forehand
shot.
''The trick will be to carry the pace of play we had (in the
third period) into'' the game Tuesday at Ottawa, Knuble said.
Tampa Bay extended its franchise record unbeaten streak to
12 games with its third consecutive tie and fourth in six games.
They clinched at least the sixth seed in the East.
''You'd like to get the two points as often as possible, but we
are finding a way to stay in it until the end,'' Tampa Bay's Dan
Boyle said. ''This wasn't one of our best games.''
It could have been better if not for Bruins' goalie Steve
Shields, who stopped the most dangerous scoring chance of overtime.
Boyle skated into the Bruins zone and went between defensemen
Dan McGillis and Bryan Berard. He took a shot from point-blank
range with 25 seconds left, but Shields stopped it with his pads.
''We've come a long way,'' Boyle said. ''Earlier this season we
would panic in games like this, but now we stay calm.''
Tampa Bay extended its unbeaten streak to 6-0-6 and is 13-2-8 in
its past 23 games. But its long winless string in Boston continued.
Tampa Bay is 0-14-4 there since its last victory Dec. 17,
1997. Overall, they're 1-15-5 in Boston.
The Bruins' play picked up after coach Mike O'Connell told them
during the second-period intermission ''that we weren't skating,''
Boston's P.J. Axelsson said.
Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead just 1:01 in on Ruslan Fedotenko's
18th goal. He had the puck behind the net and jammed it by Shields.
Nick Boynton tied it for Boston with his seventh goal at 13:49
of the first. Jozef Stumpel shot the puck toward the goal, and
Boynton, standing five feet in front of Grahame, poked it in.
The Lightning made it 2-1 at 12:32 of the second period on
Fredrik Modin's 17th goal as he deflected Brad Richards' shot past
Shields.
Game notes
The Bruins recalled right wing Lee Goren from Providence of the AHL
where he had 32 goals, 37 assists and 106 penalty minutes in 65
games. ... Last season, the Bruins clinched a playoff berth with a
victory over Tampa Bay on March 24, finished first in the East but lost
in the first round to Montreal. ... Shields started his fourth
consecutive game in place of first-string goalie Jeff Hackett, who has
a finger injury. ... Tampa Bay hasn't allowed more than three goals
in a game since Feb. 23. ... Boston is 2-2-2 since O'Connell
succeeded the fired Robbie Ftorek as coach.