NHL Recap (Tampa Bay-Boston)
Posted: Sat January 16, 1999 at 11:11 p.m. EST
TAMPA BAY 2, BOSTON 2 (OT)
BOSTON (Ticker) -- Chris
Gratton scored his first goal since returning to Tampa Bay with 5:40
remaining in the third period as the Lightning snapped a seven-game losing
streak with a 2-2 tie against the Boston Bruins.
After Rob DiMaio gave
the Bruins a 2-1 lead 9:42 into the third period, Gratton, who was
re-acquired from Philadelphia on December 12th, fired a waist-high wrist
shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that beat Rob Tallas to the
stick side.
The goal was Gratton's second of the season and first since November
29 against Vancouver. He spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay
before signing as a free agent with the Flyers on August 12, 1997.
Former Bruin Bill
Ranford stopped 27 shots, including four in overtime. His most
impressive stop came with 67 seconds left in the extra session when he dove
across the goalmouth to deny Sergei Samsonov of what
appeared to be his league-leading seventh game-winning goal.
"It wasn't spectacular, it was ugly," said Ranford. "But sometimes
you just react and I got lucky, real lucky. He came in, I guessed stick
side and I kinda threw myself at the puck."
"I just tried to shoot it up high and I just couldn't get it above
him," Samsonov added. "I hit his leg, and that's what happened."
The Bruins are winless in their last three (0-2-1) but unbeaten in
their last four at home (3-0-1). Boston has been outshot in each of its
last three contests, including a 39-29 deficit in this game.
"After the first two periods, it looked like we made every effort not
to win the game," Boston coach Pat Burns said. "We weren't into it and it
showed. Anytime we had any kind of momentum going tonight, it seemed like
we put ourselves in the penalty box. Sometimes games like tonight happen
when you go up against a team that's struggling. You don't put forth your
best game."
Jason Allison lifted
the Bruins into a 1-1 tie with a highlight reel shot with 19 seconds
remaining in the second period.
Allison, who snapped a 13-game scoring drought, attempted a wraparound
that was deflected by Ranford into the bottom of the right circle. But
Allison recovered the puck and flipped a desperation backhander over
Ranford's left shoulder.
Rookie defenseman Pavel
Kubina opened the scoring 62 seconds into the second period with his
third goal of the season. He has two goals in his last three games after
scoring just once in his first 28. The 21-year-old Czech also has two
goals and two assists during a four-game points streak.
Tallas made 37 saves for Boston, which is 8-0-1 in its last eight home
games against Tampa Bay, including a 3-2 victory on December 21.
"Give credit to them tonight," said Tallas, who is 5-0-1 lifetime
against Tampa Bay. "They certainly threw the puck at the net and were
crashing us from every angle. It was a tough night. We picked it up for
the third period. We should have won that game tonight, but Ranford saved
them."
Dmitri Khristich set up both goals for the Bruins, extending his
points streak to four games.
Khristich found DiMaio breaking up the seam with a perfect feed at the
blue line midway through the third period. DiMaio skated straight down the
slot before shifting to his left and lifting a backhander past a sprawled
Ranford with 10:18 left to play.
Ranford, who faced only 11 shots over the first 40 minutes, made
several big saves in the final moments of regulation, including a pad stop
on Samsonov's one-timer from the bottom of the left circle with 1:10 left.
"It was really great to see Billy save us a point tonight, because
that Samsonov is something else," Tampa Bay coach Jacques Demers said.
"He's real poison to us and Bill saved us there."
The Bruins benefited from a controversial hooking penalty on Petr Svoboda 97 seconds into
overtime but were unable to take advantage. Boston's best chance on the
ensuing power play came at 2:37, when Darren Van Impe took a slap
shot from the left circle that Ranford snared with his glove.
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