Bruins blank Blackhawks
Team effort sinks Blackhawks in Game 3
Rask puts Boston up 2-1 in Stanley Cup Final,
BOSTON The Boston Bruins threw their version of a perfect game to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.
Goalie Tuukka Rask made 28 saves. Patrice Bergeron was 24for-28 in the faceoff circle. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg blocked six shots. Third liner Daniel Paille scored the game-winner and created another goal with a strong drive to the net. When the Bruins are at their best, it’s always a performance starring an ensemble cast.
“You see our guys — they’re backchecking, having layers, so when somebody makes a mistake, you have somebody covering up,” Boston coach Claude Julien said. “We’re blocking a lot of shots. The commit- ment is totally there.”
This was the seventh consecutive home win for the Bruins, who have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series that resumes Wednesday in Boston.
“I think we try to stay compact in our zone,” Seidenberg said. “Once the puck is bobbled, if you see a chance to pressure them, we do that. For the most part we’ve been doing a good job keeping them to the outside. Then there’s Tuukka. He always seems to make that save.”
Rask posted his third shutout in the last seven games, and he has given up one goal or no goals in seven of the last eight games. When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup championship in 2011, goalie Tim Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy. If the Bruins win this season, Rask is the favorite.
“He’s been focused since the first game of the playoffs,” Julien said.
Boston players viewed Seidenberg as their player of the game. “He plays a physical game,” captain Zdeno Chara said. “He’s willing to play whatever role we ask him to do, and he’s a warrior.”
Boston’s third line of Tyler Seguin, Chris Kelly and Paille has suddenly become the team’s most effective line.
Paille scored the game-winning overtime goal in Game 2 and then scored a second-period goal in Game 3, set up by Kelly and Seguin. He also made a strong drive to the net that set up a power-play goal.
Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was forced to pull him down, creating a five-on-three power-play situation. Bergeron buried a shot past goalie Corey Crawford.
Bergeron won 86% of his draws, while Kelly won 73% and Rich Peverley 67%. The Bruins were 40-for-56 overall on faceoffs.
Chara had to play the game with stitches in his head after suffering a nasty cut during a collision with Milan Lucic during the pregame skate. Chara’s said he lost an edge on his skate and tumbled into Lucic.