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Bruins aim to avoid third straight loss in clash with Pens

Nov 10, 2010 - 4:09 PM (Sports Network) - The Boston Bruins will try to avoid losing three straight games for the first time this season when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins for tonight's battle at CONSOL Energy Center.

Boston had a three-game winning streak halted with a 5-3 setback in Washington on Friday and then lost consecutive tests for the first time this year by dropping a shootout decision the following night against visiting St. Louis.

The Bruins were dealt a 2-1 loss by the Blues on Saturday. Brad Boyes supplied the decisive goal in the shootout, lifting red-hot St. Louis to its sixth straight win.

Patrice Bergeron couldn't beat St. Louis goaltender Jaroslav Halak to begin the extra segment, then T.J. Oshie slipped a backhander under the pad of Boston's Tuukka Rask. Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin and Boyes both scored in the second round before Halak denied Michael Ryder to preserve the win.

Gregory Campbell tied the game with seven minutes left in the third period for Boston.

Rask stopped 34 shots, but was still handed a loss in his first start since October 23. Tim Thomas, who is 7-0-0 on the year, was pulled from Friday's game after giving up three goals, but Rask still wound up taking the loss against the Capitals. It's unclear if Thomas or Rask will get the start tonight.

The Bruins also lost center David Krejci to a concussion suffered against the Blues. Krejci, who is second on the team with 10 points, is expected to miss at least a week of action as he joins fellow injured Bruins centermen Marc Savard and Marco Sturm on the shelf.

Savard, of course, is out due to post-concussion symptoms originating from a blind-side hit to the head by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke in a meeting between these clubs on March 7. Savard briefly returned to action during the playoffs in May, but hasn't suited up for a game this season.

Cooke was not suspended for hit, but did fight the Bruins' Shawn Thornton five seconds into his first shift in a game in Boston 11 days later.

Pittsburgh is coming off just its second win in seven games (2-4-1) its last time out, posting a shootout victory Saturday in Phoenix. Mark Letestu scored the only goal of the shootout on the last attempt to lift the Penguins to the 4-3 win.

Letestu beat Ilya Bryzgalov with a wrist shot through the five-hole in his first career shootout try. Brent Johnson took over early in the first period for an ineffective Marc-Andre Fleury and turned away 22 of the 23 shots he faced in relief to grab the win.

"In this situation we needed Johnny to come in and get us some saves," said Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma. "He gave us a chance to get our feet underneath us and he did and we were able to pull it out."

Johnson is 6-1-1 on the year and is expected to get the start over Fleury tonight. Fleury, who is in the third year of a seven-year, $35 million contract, is just 1-6-0 on the year and for the time being seems to have lost his handle on the No. 1 job.

Pens centerman Evgeni Malkin is questionable for tonight after leaving Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury. The Russian star has four goals and six assists this year for Pittsburgh.

The Pens are just 2-4-0 as the host this year and are kicking off a brief two- game homestand tonight. Pittsburgh will host Tampa Bay when the Pens next play on Friday.

Pittsburgh won three out of four against the Bruins last year and the Pens have won four of five and nine out of 14 overall in the series. Boston has also dropped three straight and five out of seven in the Steel City, although this is the Bruins' first game in Pittsburgh's new arena.