I'm not really sure why I want to revisit this game, but here we go . . .
pre-game:
Joe Thornton's name was said at least
35 times before the game started . . .
San Jose was 10-4-1 between
the Trade and this game;
Boston was 8-6-1.
Jonathan Cheechoo had 16 goals after and seven before JT's arrival out west. Thornton had six goals and 20 assists for 26 points, and
the New Crew had 12 goals and 14 assists, for the same total . . . Andrew Raycroft got the start; Sergei Samsonov was back; Tim Thomas cleared waivers and was the backup . . . Glen Murray was interviewed . . .
OLN unveiled its new ad . . .
NESN ran a brief video montage of Joe at the end of the show . . . I know it's been a while, but former Bruin
Kyle McLaren was completely forgotten before the start.
first period: San Jose dressed seven D and 11 forwards . . . Wayne Primeau, Pat Leahy, Brad Isbister, Brad Stuart, and Hal Gill started, although the forwards were out only a few seconds . . . Pat Leahy elbowed
Scott Hannan at 0.14 . . . Gill and Thornton battled for the puck behind the net . . . Raycroft made the initial save on a shot but
Josh Langfeld (how cosmic!) got the rebound and scored his first goal of the season
at 3.15. He had a fairly empty net to shoot into on the right side. 0-1 . . . The Bruins were no shots to the Sharks' five at that point . . . Joe hit Hal from behind into the boards and glass -- and got a five minute checking from behind call and a 10 minute game misconduct (invalidated post-game), at 5.13. That's right: Thornton lasted barely five minutes, with 2.31 on the ice, in his first and only game vs. his former team this year . . . Gill went to the locker room with what appeared to be a shoulder injury . . . JT's ejection left the Sharks with 10 forwards . . . Isbister was called for a high stick on
Patrick Marleau at 6.41 . . .
Scott Thornton got a break but was slowed up by Sergei Samsonov; he got a second shot, though . . . Isbister went off for hooking at 9.56 . . . David Tanable and P.J. Axelsson went down short-handed . . . Raycroft stopped Langfeld, and came out to stop Langfeld on another shot; the crowd cheered . . .
Milan Michalek sat for hooking at 12.51 -- but Langfeld scored short-handed at 13.12! His second of the season (and
only two goals entering tonight's game), ten minutes later. 0-2 . . . AR was heckled after that . . . Milan Jurcina scored from high above the slot, right side, like
his first two NHL goals, at 14.39. 1-2 . . .
Shots on net: Boston 5, San Jose
17.
second period: Maybe Joe thought Hal was going to skate right instead of turning left toward the net . . . Scott Thornton did an interview, as did Primeau; Axie was miked . . . Isbister got a San Jose turnover and came down the left side; Primeau got the rebound but was stopped by
Evgeni Nabokov, who temporarily lost his stick . . . Jurcina got a delay of game call at 1.49 as he tried to keep the puck out . . . Raycroft made a good save on the right side, but didn't get centered as Marleau passed left across to Hannan. Hannan, skating right past Bergeron, got the power play goal at 2.48 to make it 1-3 . . . Rob Simpson announced that Gill had an "upper body injury" . . . Patrice passed to Glen Murray in front, but GM couldn't get it . . . Patrice hit
Grant Stevenson . . . Andrew Alberts got a debatable boarding call at 9.35 . . . And the Sharks scored
like that -- 10 seconds into the power play. Marleau was alone in the slot and
Nils Ekman passed to him from behind the net. PPG at 9.46 and it was 1-4 . . . Jeers for Raycroft again. And it would only get worse . . . Primeau was called for hooking at 11.45, Jurcina the same at 16.12. Cheechoo scored a PPG seven seconds later, at 16.19. 1-5 and, yes, more jeering . . . Maybe once Tim cleared waivers, Mike Sullivan should've given Raycroft an extra day to rest his leg (proven true a few days later). Instead, Tim went in, wearing #30, after the fifth goal. Sully was rip sh*t . . . Dale Arnold after that goal: "They call him the
Cheechoo train in San Jose." Have to check with
Jocelynn on that . . . Shots: Bs 11, SJ 9.
My thoughts after two: "Give Langfeld a goal for the hat trick and end this game early so I can watch '
Scrubs!'" . . . It's so weird to have watched the
John Grahame and Steve Shields seasons, listened to the Raycroft talk, seen AR
win the Calder, and then hear fans boo and cat call him (repeatedly) this year.
third period: OH, FOR F*CK'S SAKE! That's what I said when Ekman
flew down the slot and deked Tim, his stick literally in the crease and past Tim Thomas to score 19 seconds in. ONE-SIX . . . Stuart got Bruins penalty #8 (two more to go), hooking none other than Langfeld as he turned toward the net at 2.22 . . . Leahy's high stick call came at 8.38, and Dan LaCouture capped things off with a roughing call at 14.39. Boston earned seven straight penalties . . . At least Jurcina scored again, this time from the slot: Second goal of the game and fourth goal in two games, at 18.04. And LaCouture got his first assist of the season, passing from the left side behind the net after fighting to keep the puck . . . 2-6, and
the Sharks earned their first-ever win in Boston . . . Shots: 7 all.
post-game: Hal Gill did an interview and thought he had a pinched nerve . . .
The three stars were Langfeld (3; two goals), Ekman (2; goal, two assists), and Marleau (1; PPG, two assists) . . . Sullivan was interviewed and was
so unhappy . . . Thornton did an interview . . . Axelsson was the post-game show guest . . . Three fans gave reactions on Joe: Two men thought the calls on him were okay. The young boy quoted said, "He left Boston on a negative note and he shouldn't come back like that." Poor, angry kid -- even I think that's too harsh on JT!
