Bruins 3 Devils 1
BOSTON – Flux is for soldering, not for welding a team together.
“It’s time to get down to the guys who are going to be here and be one big happy family,” Lyle Odelein said last night after the Devils fell 3-1 to the Bruins here.
Odelein’s call for stability comes after continual and significant change throughout the first month of this season, especially in the past week. The Devils looked like ateam that needs a minute or two of stability in losing for the fourth time in their last seven.
There have been injuries, unsigned free agents, a suspension and, last night, the addition of Claude Lemieux and subtraction of Brian Rolston.
They have been constantly changing, but more flux seems inevitable with Brendan Morrison asking out, and others unhappy with the organization.
Lemieux’s return to the Devils was not a success, either artistically or on the scoreboard. He replaced the suspended Randy McKay on right wing for Bobby Holik. Lemieux put four shots on Bruin goalie John Grahame, but was not a major force.
“I have to slowly work my way in, and try to feel better every game,” Lemieux said. “We have to work at it.
“That’s why I like coming to this club this early in the season, rather than late.”
There was no quick injection of offense last night, but the Devils were in command until a controversial 5-on-3 enlivened the Bruins in the second.
The other major addition to the Devils’ forward lineup this season opened the scoring. Scott Gomez moved into a tie for the point-scoring lead among rookies at 12, also tops on the team, when he notched his second NHL goal at 14:58 of the first. In the crease as Sergei Nemchinov’s slot shot arrived on Grahame, Gomez’s rapid hands slipped the short-lived rebound between Grahame’s legs, ending a Bruin shutout streak of 101:06.
Then came the turning point, when Odelein and Denis Pederson were penalized, Odelein erroneously when a Bruin stepped on Dave Andreychuk’s wrist. Darren Van Impe was credited with his third goal of the season for his right-point slap, which appeared to be tipped by Joe Thornton.
“Andy’s down and the ref thinks I slashed him, so I got two minutes. That’s awful,” Odelein said. “That cost us. Maybe we would have won the game 1-0.”
They lost the game at 3:18 of the third. Steve Heinze spun off the left boards with a quick burst to leave John Madden behind, then fired a surprise wrister over Martin Brodeur’s glove, long side. Mikko Eloranta added the empty-netter.
“I’m not disappointed,” Lemieux said. “I thought we played a solid game.”
Solid they’ve been without him. It’s a bit much to expect instant heroics after a very long day, but these are the sorts of games where a gamer like Lemieux shines. They’ll expect such payoffs, soon. *The Lemieux deal has jump-started the trade rumor market, since anything is now possible. One being reported in Edmonton would bring Doug Weight to New Jersey, but was floated hopefully without basis last month during the Brendan Morrison-Patrik Elias lockout, and would involve two among Morrison, Elias and Petr Sykora … Bruins won their fifth straight for the first time in two years. They are unbeaten in six … McKay served the second of his three game suspension … Devils play host to Leafs tomorrow.
