B's Win Wacky Game

The ridiculous color of Sanford's pads were
par for the course in a crazy game. (Getty)

It was a full moon tonight and the wackiness associated with it was in full force in Columbus.

Boston's Joe Corvo, who hadn't scored in 27 games this season, put the puck in the net twice (including the game-winner).  Milan Lucic served four minor penalties and registered three assists.  David Krejci and the Blue Jackets' Samuel Pahlsson took penalties before the puck dropped (following a goal).  And, Columbus' Derek Dorsett hurt his leg, while getting called for a horrible penalty.

The Blue Jackets entered the evening as the worst team in hockey, and, while the Bruins said they knew they couldn't take them lightly, they didn't walk that walk early on.  Rick Nash got behind the defense and surprised Boston's Tim Thomas with a wrister to open the scoring at 5:46.

After Milan Lucic took his first of two (ill-advised) cross-checking penalties, Columbus' other big name forward, Jeff Carter, made it hurt by lifting one over an awkwardly sprawled Thomas at 11:09.  However, Thomas redeemed himself at 17:10, while the Bruins killed off a Lucic (again) double-minor.  His glove came out of nowhere to shut down Vaclav Prospal and turn the tide of the game.

A minute later, Corvo got off the schneid in his season long goal-scoring slump with a blast from the point at 18:26.  Then, Lucic found Horton in the high slot, and his snipe tied it up just 45 seconds later.  With the momentum headed into the intermission, Boston emerged to pop in a powerplay goal with a Zdeno Chara drive just 0:58 into the second.

The game then went back and forth with the two teams trading penalty after penalty for a total of four minors a piece in the second.  The refs made a mind-boggling decision to whistle Dorsett for goaltender interference at 13:03.  He drove at the net (with the puck) and tripped over Thomas' outstretched stick trying to score.  He fell awkwardly and appeared to suffer a severe leg or ankle injury.  Somehow, he was whistled for the penalty as he lay injured on the ice.

After a half-hearted power play for Boston (not even the B's seemed to think there was a reason for being on the power play), the Jackets' R.J. Umberger came down in a one-on-one.  Dennis Seidenberg took a decent angle to wear him off the angle, but Umberger's shot found its way past Thomas to tie the game at three.  B's Head Coach Claude Julien made a rare move after the second to pull a struggling Thomas and replace him with Tuukka Rask.

"It was just a decision I made," Julien said of the move.  "Timmy's as consistent a goalie as we've ever had, but he just didn't look comfortable in net tonight.  Tuukka was ready to go and that was great."

The move seemed to refocus Boston, who finally stayed out of the penalty box in the third and took advantage of both of the Blue Jackets' trips to the sin bin.  Corvo stepped into the high circle and ripped the eventual game winner past goalie Curtis Sanford at 6:44.

"It was definitely a huge load lifted off my shoulders," Corvo said of his successful night.  "It's nice to get a couple goals, especially when they mean something."

With time running down, Columbus' Fedor Tyutin took a hook at 18:26, which killed a comeback chance and led to Chris Kelly capping the scoring for the 5-3 win.  The victory snaps a two-game losing streak and the five goals on 29 shots was far better than the one they'd managed on 80 in those two losses.

"It was super important," said Corvo of the win.  "You don't want to lose three games in a row.  We were set on coming in here and ending that streak.  We just battled the whole time and came through."

For Columbus, it was a tenacious effort and they found a way to keep Boston on their toes, as it definitely wasn't a smooth 60-minute win for the Bruins.  They took several unnecessary penalties and didn't get the best goaltending, but they found a way to pick up two points.  The ability to win a game like this is what has made Boston successful over the past few seasons.

"It wasn't necessarily a pretty win, but we got it done," said Julien after the game.  "It was our fifth game in eight days and we looked tired mentally out there, but we found a way to win and that was important."

Boston heads back home to host Los Angeles on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. (ET).  Its biggest question surrounds captain Zdeno Chara, who left with an apparent knee injury in the second period and didn't return.  Coach Julien didn't know after the game how serious the injury was.  Chara has missed just 12 games in a six-year stint with Boston.

For a disappointed Blue Jackets team, they'll have to try to regroup as they host the other 2011 Stanley Cup finalist on Tuesday, when Vancouver comes in for a 7:00 p.m. (ET) faceoff.