APBOSTON - When Glen Murray scores, the Boston Bruins have a good chance of winning.
Murray scored three goals in a game for the fifth time in his NHL career, and the Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 Sunday. He has scored nine goals in his last eight games, and Boston is 18-6-6-3 when Murray records a point.
“You just have to be lucky sometimes,” Murray said. “It was just one of those days when everything was going in.”
In the last four games, Murray has three game-winning goals and a tying goal. Before that, he had gone 15 games with only three goals.
“You ask anyone, when you get a couple of goals in a row it seems like you find the right spot,” Murray said. “It wasn’t going in for about a month even though I was getting chances. It goes in cycles I guess.”
Murray has scored six of the last seven goals for the Bruins.
“I knew it was only a matter of time for him,” Bruins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s one of the best goal scorers in the league.”
The Bruins have won three straight games and are unbeaten in their last four.
Murray’s 19th goal of the season came on a power play, when he wristed the puck into the net from the left side. It tied the game at 1-1.
He broke the tie when he powered the puck into the net from just in front of Penguins goalie Sebastien Caron.
“On his first goal I went down too early on the play and he had an open net,” Penguins goalie Sebastien Caron said. “On the second I didn’t move quick enough. I made mistakes and they ended up in the back of the net.”
Murray’s third goal, an empty netter, came with one minute left in the game. Brian Rolston scored his 15th goal of the season, also an empty netter, with 23 seconds remaining.
Aleksey Morozov gave the Penguins the lead on a power play in the first period. His sixth goal of the season came on a rebound of his own shot. It was his first goal in his last 34 games.
Andrew Raycroft (18-12-6), who recorded his third shutout of the season Saturday against Montreal, turned back 38 of the Penguins’ 39 shots.
“Guys are going to make mistakes and they’ll get chances to score. But tonight they weren’t able to put any in,” Raycroft said. “All in all we had a good weekend, a good two wins.”
It was Pittsburgh’s fifth straight road loss. The Penguins have two victories in their last 18 games.
Notes: Mike Knuble is one assist shy of his 100th in the NHL. ... The Bruins are one of only three teams without a short-handed goal on home ice. ... Milan Kraft leads the Penguins in goals scored on the road with seven. ... Pittsburgh is 3-10-1 in second games when playing on consecutive nights.
New York and Boston traded goals early in Game 2, but the Bruins pulled away to take a 2-0 series lead.
PHT: Henrik Lundqvist had to stand on his head in Game 1 just to keep the Rangers in the game vs. the Bruins, which they eventually lost in OT. Will Game 2 be any different?
ProHockeyTalk headlines |
Video: NHL from NBC Sports |
Lucic helps the Bruins pile it on in Game 2 Bruins winger Milan Lucic puts Game 2 out of reach for the Rangers as he scores Boston’s fifth goal of the game. |
Slideshow |
NBCSports.com |
Slideshow |
NBCSports.com |
Slideshow |
Stanley Cup winners A look at the teams that have earned the right to hoist Lord Stanley's prize since 1965. NBCSports.com |
Slideshow |
Slideshow |
more photos |