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Bruins use five-goal third to down Pens

Nov 11, 2010 - 4:42 AM Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Shawn Thornton scored the tie-breaking goal during a furious five-goal third period rally that lifted Boston to a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over Pittsburgh at CONSOL Energy Center.

Mark Recchi posted a goal and two assists against his former team, while Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Blake Wheeler, Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand all lit the lamp for the Bruins, who halted a two-game slide.

Tim Thomas turned away 42 shots to extend his franchise-record win streak to start a season to eight consecutive games.

Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists, while Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang supplied a pair of helpers each for the Penguins, who fell to 2-5-0 at their new home.

"You have to expect when you're up two goals that they're going to push pretty hard in the third so, it's being ready for that and, at the same time, not letting them push back," said Crosby. "We didn't do that here tonight."

Brent Johnson took the loss after yielding six goals on 32 shots.

Boston tallied twice in 15 seconds to get the game even at four just over four minutes into the third period. Dennis Seidenberg wrapped the puck around the end boards where Horton picked it up and roofed a wrister from the left of the crease over Johnson on the glove side before Chara fluttered a shot from the slot past the Penguins netminder for the equalizer.

Thornton wedged the puck past a pinching Alex Goligoski at the point and carried down the right side before unleashing a wrister from the right circle that beat Johnson high to the glove side to put Boston in front, 5-4, with 7:20 to go.

Boston added an insurance goal when Recchi rammed into Zbynek Michalek behind the net and fed in front to Wheeler, who one-timed a backhander past Johnson to make it a two-goal cushion with 3:47 remaining. Lucic added an empty-net goal with 26 seconds to play for his 100th career point.

"We came out in the third with a lot more determination than we showed in the first two periods," said Boston head coach Claude Julien. "It's not too often you win a hockey game playing only one period but tonight was a night where we didn't feel we played very well for the first two."

The Penguins got on the board 65 seconds into the game when Arron Asham wristed home a rebound of a Paul Martin shot past a fallen Thomas for his first of the season.

Bruins tied it on the power play with 11:29 to go in the period when Tyler Seguin stripped Goligoski of the puck behind the net and fed cross ice to the right door step for Recchi, who had his first shot stopped but lifted the rebound over Johnson's glove for his first of the campaign.

Marchand intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, turned up ice and ripped a wrist shot from the left circle far side past Johnson to give the Bruins a 2-1 edge at 16:24 before the Pens tied the game just 34 ticks later.

Malkin weaved his way toward the net but his attempted shot actually wound up going back to the dot in the left faceoff circle from where Brooks Orpik wristed it by Thomas for his initial tally of the season.

The Penguins regained the lead with 4:16 to go in the middle session. Goligoski's shot from the point was stopped before it reached the net. Chris Kunitz intercepted an attempted clearing pass in the slot and beat a screened Thomas to the blocker side.

Pittsburgh added a power-play goal to push the lead to 4-2. Goligoski pinched at the left point to keep the puck in the attack zone and fed Crosby, who moved to the bottom of the circle and sent a pass intended for Malkin at the far post. The puck deflected off the stick of defenseman Mark Stuart in the crease and slid past Thomas with only 23 ticks remaining in the period.

Game Notes

The Bruins won in Pittsburgh for the first time since December 30,2008. Boston has killed off 26 of its last 28 short-handed situations...The Pens have won four of the last six matchups between the teams...Crosby has six goals and 28 points in 18 career meetings with the Bruins, while Malkin has 18 points in 15 games against them.