Lack of scoring strikes recently has been striking

November 06, 2009|Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist

Patrice Bergeron has the quick hands. He swiped at a loose puck, sending it past Montreal netminder Carey Price. I believe they call that a goal. Been a long time, you know.

It was, in fact, 192 minutes and 6 seconds since the previous Boston Bruins goal. It was kind of cutting it close, too, because it came during a six-on-five situation, 51.7 seconds before the end of regulation. That’s how close the Bruins came to being shut out three games in succession for the first time in 80 years, and that’s not hyperbole. That’s the gospel truth.

They lost the ensuing shootout, 1-0, but at least the capacity crowd of 17,565 went home from the 700th meeting of the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens with a little something positive to talk about.

Now, it’s not as if they’re cured. They have scored four goals in the last five games. This is a goal-scoring drought of the highest degree, and it must end soon if the Bruins are to get in playoff contention.

“Once again, it’s like a broken record,’’ said Blake Wheeler, one of Boston’s three unsuccessful shootout participants. “We say the same thing over and over again, night in, night out. You’ve got to be tired of it.

“You look around; we’ve got a lot of guys who can score goals and all of a sudden we are going on nine periods of no goals. We’ve got to take that to heart; we’ve got to take it personally.

“Look in the mirror, because there’s only so many times you can get stopped by a goalie before, you know, you’ve got to just put the puck in the net; there’s no two ways about it.’’

As far as the coach is concerned, the postgame inquisitions are getting to be a bit repetitive.

“For the last however many games,’’ said Claude Julien, “I’ve been answering the same questions. Defensively, you can’t complain. Forty-six [sic] shots on net. It boils down to an inability to finish around the net.

“The bottom line is that we’re trying. Whether people believe it or not, these guys care. They’re trying. Right now, we’re just not scoring.

“It’s about trying to get their confidence up. Right now, there are doubts. Obviously, our confidence level is not where it should be, and that is what happens.’’

Things are so bad that the Bruins actually drew some positives out of almost scoring a goal.

Early in the second period, it appeared the Bruins had broken through. Marco Sturm put one on Price. There was a skirmish and the net was lifted just a wee bit, and the next thing anyone knew, the puck had somehow gotten through down to Price’s left. The red light went on, the music started, the fans began to cheer, and the play was reviewed. And, of course, the goal was disallowed.