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Bruins jump on Flyers early in convincing win

Nov 27, 2007 - 6:10 AM By Mike Luongo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) - Marc Savard and Glenn Murray got the Bruins offense going early in the first two periods to help Boston avenge an early-season loss to the Flyers with a 6-3 win on Monday.

Murray scored a pair of goals and Savard picked up a goal and three assist for the Bruins who snapped a three game losing steak to the Flyers. It was Philadelphia's third straight loss on home ice after winning the first six games played this season at the Wachovia Center.

"We weren't happy with out game in Long Island," Savard said. "We wanted to bounce back and we've been able to do that this year."

Philadelphia picked up a 2-1 win at the Fleet Center back on October 27 in a game that was marred by a hit by the Flyers Randy Jones on Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins center suffered a concussion and broken nose from the hit has not been in the line-up since.

Some of the bad blood spilled over in the first period as Boston's Jeremy Rich and Philadelphia's Ben Eager picked up fighting majors.

"The guys came in and wanted to play hard against these guys because of what happened the time," Savard said. "We went out and did that." "We talked about that," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "We probably ended up with bruises, but we have two points and that's the most important thing."

Savard helped the Bruins convert on a pair of Flyers turnovers in the first period for a 2-0 lead. Savard picked off a pass by Philadelphia's Mike Richards behind the Flyers net and centered a pass to Glenn Murray in the slot. Murray's wrist shot beat Martin Biron to the stick side for his fifth goal of the season.

"I just took the boards away." Savard said. "It came to my stick and Murray was right in the slot. I just threw it out and he was able to rip it home."

Savard would convert on another Flyers turnover for the second Boston goal. An errant pass by Jones went off Jeff Carter and was picked up by Chara who fed Savard in the Flyers zone. His right circle slap shot went off the stick of Jones and past the glove side of Biron for his fifth goal of the season.

"Zdeno did a good job of staying up at the red line," Savard said. "He poke it away and I picked it up and I just shot it. It hit Jones and it went in."

The two combined again early in the second period to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. Savard led the charge to the Flyers zone and fed a pass to Murray who blasted a slap shot past Biron for his second goal of the night and sixth of the year.

"He's pretty good," Murray said of Savard. "He's sees the ice real well. It's a natural thing. You can't teach that."

It was Murray's second multiple goal game of the season. "When you are on the road and you get the fist couple of goals, it's big," Murray said. "We played well. There were times that they came at us but we responded pretty well."

That would be all for Biron who surrendered three goals on 14 shots. He was pulled by Flyers coach John Stevens in favor Antero Niittymaki. It marked the third time this season that Biron did not finish a game in which he started.

"It's not fun when it happens a couple of times," Biron said. "You keep working at it. You keep working at and hope that the bounces and the pucks will find the way back to you."

Niittymaki surrendered Boston's fourth goal on the third shot that he faced when a shot by Glen Metropolit trickled though the pads to make it 4-0 midway through the second period.

After the Flyers scored a pair of power-play goals by Mike Knuble and Richards, the Bruins responded on a goal by Peter Schaefer to make it 5-2. Andrew Alberts took a shot that was stopped by Niittymaki the rebound came to Schaefer who banged in the rebound for his fourth goal of the season.

Later in the period, Andrews would be helped off the ice after a hit along the boards by the Flyers Scott Hartnell, who received a five minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct.

"It was not deliberate at all," Hartnell said. "There was no intent because I'm not that type of player. He was close to the boards, but he wasn't two or three feet away from the boards. I let up and it is unfortunate that he stayed down. Hopefully, he is alright."

"It's up to the league to address things like that," Chara said of the hit. "We can only play our game and play the way we do. Just keep playing hard and win the battles."

Scottie Upshall scored the Flyers third power play goal early in the third to cut the Bruins lead to 5-3.

Chuck Kobasew capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with six seconds to play for his 10th goal of the season.