Letang's hit, however, didn't come until after Savard shoveled the puck up the wall to Shawn Thornton, who put it on net for P.J. Axelsson to whack past relief netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, recording the Bruins' fourth goal in a 5-1 victory over the Penguins before 17,565 at TD Banknorth Garden.
"That's part of the mantra of this team," said Aaron Ward of Stuart's block, Savard's play, and Axelsson's score. "It's selflessness, sacrifice - all the things that are required to win, you've got to do. It's a sign when you have a player of such good talent, maybe deemed a finesse player, going in and getting his nose dirty. That's a positive."
Marco Sturm scored two goals, Tim Thomas stopped 27 shots, and the sellout crowd was treated to an end-of-game delight when Milan Lucic threw down with Pittsburgh agitator Jarkko Ruutu.
The Bruins have won their last five games, and their last two home matches. They are only 4 points behind Northeast Division-leading Ottawa, which lost to Philadelphia last night, and 6 points behind Eastern Conference leader New Jersey. Four of the Bruins' next five games are at home.
"We're doing all the little things right now," said Savard, who had two assists. "We've got guys stepping up right now, and it's proving in our play. It's an amazing feeling. The ball gets rolling, guys are blocking shots, and it's a lot of fun."
The ready-for-battle Penguins, restocked Tuesday with the acquisitions of Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis, and Hal Gill, entered the game with a sense of anticipation, wondering if the deadline deals could turn the club into a Stanley Cup favorite.
Instead, the Penguins fell behind early, saw starting goalie Ty Conklin scuffle and get pulled in the second period, and watched Hossa bow out in the middle frame after a collision with Glen Murray. Hossa sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, didn't return, and is expected to be out 7-10 days.
While the Penguins showed off their new roster, the Bruins trotted out the same lineup they did before the deadline.
