Boston 4, Phoenix 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 22, 2014
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Gord Dwyer, Mike Leggo
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Jonny Murray
Attendance:
17468
By SportsDirect Inc.
Bruins 4, Coyotes 2: Jarome Iginla scored twice in the third period and Shawn Thornton snapped a tie with 3:18 remaining as visiting Boston extended its winning streak to 12 games.
Patrice Bergeron also tallied for the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins, who moved two points ahead of St. Louis in the race for the Presidents' Trophy. Tuukka Rask turned aside 31 shots as Boston moved within two victories of matching the longest winning streak in franchise history set in 1929-30.
Captain Shane Doan and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for the Coyotes, whose lead over Dallas for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference shrunk to two points. Mike Smith finished with 24 saves as Phoenix's home winning streak was snapped at four games.
Boston got on the board 3:25 into the contest after a miscue by Smith, whose clearing attempt was knocked out of the air by Andrej Meszaros. The defenseman's shot from the high slot was blocked, but Bergeron banged in the loose puck at the left post to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Doan lifted a rebound past Rask with 8:15 left in the first to forge a tie and Ekman-Larsson scored a highlight-reel goal 39 seconds into the middle session to put Phoenix ahead, undressing Loui Eriksson at the blue line and knocking in his own rebound during a power play. The Bruins forged a tie when captain Zdeno Chara's blast from the right point went in off Iginla 3:48 into the third, and Thornton deflected Daniel Paille's shot from the outer edge of the left faceoff circle past Smith for the game-winner.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Iginla sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute of the third period. The tally completed his sixth two-goal performance of the season and third in five games. ... Boston, which also extended its road point streak to 14 contests (11-0-3), has outscored its opponents 46-17 during is 12-game overall run. ... The Bruins' winning streak is their longest since they reeled off 13 straight victories from Feb. 23-March 20, 1971.
Top Game Performances
Boston |
|
Phoenix |
Jarome Iginla 2 |
Points |
Shane Doan 1 |
Jarome Iginla 2 |
Goals |
Shane Doan 1 |
Gregory Campbell 1 |
Assists |
Mikkel Boedker 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Tuukka Rask .939 |
Save Percentage |
Mike Smith .889 |
Tuukka Rask 31 |
Saves |
Mike Smith 24 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Boston
|
28 |
4 |
0-3 |
2-3 |
10 |
35 |
Phoenix
|
33 |
2 |
1-3 |
3-3 |
10 |
28 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against NY Rangers. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .528 after a loss.
-
Boston will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Bruins have a W/L % of .653 after a win and .773 after a loss.