Recap: Boston vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | March 18, 2010
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Marc-Andre Fleury needed to make just 17 saves to post his first shutout of the season as Pittsburgh blanked Boston, 3-0, at TD Garden.
Tyler Kennedy, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Michael Rupp each scored once for the Penguins, who had lost three of four coming in.
"My teammates did great," Fleury said of the defensive effort in front of him. "They kept everybody on the outside and didn't give them much. If there was a rebound, they were there to take it away."
Pittsburgh moved one point of New Jersey for first place in the Atlantic Division, after the Devils lost in a shootout in Toronto.
Tuukka Rask allowed three goals on 31 shots for the Bruins, who have dropped three of four.
"We certainly defended our teammate well," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said, "But the other part of the game wasn't there."
It was the first meeting between the clubs since a March 7 contest which saw Pittsburgh forward Matt Cooke elbow Bruins forward Marc Savard in the head, causing Savard to suffer a concussion and to presumably miss the remainder of the regular season.
Less than two minutes into the contest, Cooke had to answer for his actions as B's forward Shawn Thornton engaged him in a fight. Thornton emerged a clear winner, but it failed to stoke the home team's fires.
"It's my job. I know my job," Thornton said. "So it was addressed immediately and then it was out of the way."
Kennedy's wrister from the right wing at 8:34 of the first period put the Penguins on the board.
Ponikarovksy doubled the advantage with 15 seconds to play in the second period after his deft tip of a Kris Letang shot got past Rask.
Rupp gave Pittsburgh a 3-0 advantage at 5:14 of the third on an unassisted tally and Fleury was equal to all seven shots he faced in the third period.
Pittsburgh took three of four games from Boston in the season series...Fleury's last shutout came on March 25, 2009 against Calgary. He has 16 total whitewashes in his career...Pens forward Evgeni Malkin did not play for the second consecutive game after a foot injury suffered over the weekend. He continues to be day-to-day...Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was held scoreless for the second straight contest after a nine-game scoring streak.
