Bruins 3, Penguins 0: Tuukka Rask recorded his first career postseason shutout by turning aside all 29 shots he faced and David Krejci scored twice as visiting Boston seized Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.
Nathan Horton collected a goal and two assists for his fourth multi-point game of the playoffs. Defenseman Andrew Ference also notched an assist in his return following a seven-game absence with a lower-body injury. The fourth-seeded Bruins, who will visit top-seeded Pittsburgh on Monday for Game 2, dropped a trio of one-goal decisions to the Penguins during the regular season.
Rask preserved the shutout by making a diving save on a rebound shot by captain Sidney Crosby in the third period. The two also had a brief meeting at the end of the second, causing tempers to flare between the teams and a fight to break out between Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Boston's Patrice Bergeron.
Krejci provided all the offense Rask would need at 8:23 of the first period. Ference skated into the offensive zone before dishing the puck to Horton, who quickly fed Krejci from the right faceoff circle. With plenty of time to size up his shot, Krejci's bid from the high slot caromed off sliding defenseman Paul Martin before trickling between the pads of Tomas Vokoun (27 saves).
The Bruins doubled the advantage at 4:04 of the third after a determined effort by Horton, who was able to free the puck from Pittsburgh blue-liner Mark Eaton along the boards. Krejci wristed a shot from the right circle which caromed off Vokoun and went skyward, allowing the former to knock home the rebound for his league-leading 19th point.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh LW Matt Cooke was whistled for a five-minute major and a game misconduct after he drilled Boston D Adam McQuaid from behind at 1:32 of the second period. ... Krejci's initial goal was his first since his hat trick in Game 4 of the first round versus Toronto. ... Malkin nearly forged a 1-1 tie in the waning moments of the first period, but his backhand shot banked off Rask and trickled along the goal line before being cleared away.
Boston | Pittsburgh | |
Nathan Horton 3 | Points | N/A |
David Krejci 2 | Goals | N/A |
Nathan Horton 2 | Assists | N/A |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Tuukka Rask 1.000 | Save Percentage | Tomas Vokoun .900 |
Tuukka Rask 29 | Saves | Tomas Vokoun 27 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Boston | 30 | 3 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 17 | 32 |
Pittsburgh | 29 | 0 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 28 | 16 |