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Murray's overtime goal lifts Bruins to fourth straight win

Nov 19, 2006 - 3:01 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- Glen Murray became the latest Boston Bruin to score a clutch goal.

Murray scored a power-play goal at 2:06 of overtime to lift the Bruins to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals for their fourth straight win.

The Bruins had not won four consecutive games since March 9-16, 2004.

Patrice Bergeron scored the shootout winner in a 3-2 triumph over the Capitals on Wednesday and tallied in overtime of a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

"We need wins right now," Murray said. "I mean, I know it is still early, but wins did not come very easily in the first part of the year. But now we have four in a row, and we want to feed off of that and keep things rolling."

Murray netted the decisive goal when he picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired a snap shot past Washington goaltender Brent Johnson.

"It was just kind of a broken play," Murray said. "I think Bergeron just kind of poke-checked it, and it came up in the air and I gloved it with my hand in the middle, and just got control and got it on net."

"It was a good goal," said Johnson, who made only his sixth start of the season. "(Murray) did all the work himself. It seemed like the whole third period and overtime, we were on special teams and that's too bad that we couldn't generate something more to keep us in there and get us another point in a shootout or later on in the overtime."

Earlier, Washington tied the game, 2-2, when Alex Ovechkin beat Boston goaltender Tim Thomas from the slot with one second left on a power play at 16:59 of the third period.

At the beginning of the power play, Boston successfully killed off a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:10.

"Ovechkin had been going back door all night," Thomas said. "So I did not have time to look and when the pass went, I did not even know that Ovechkin was over there. I was expecting the pass to go back door and I was caught off-guard."

Thomas finished with 27 saves for the Bruins, who got goals from P.J. Axelsson and defenseman Zdeno Chara in regulation. Thomas, who recorded 34 saves in Wednesday's victory over the Capitals, won his fourth straight start.

Jakub Klepis scored the other goal for Washington, which got 35 saves from Johnson.

"They had some chances and our goalie played terrific again," said Washington coach Glen Hanlon, whose club has lost three straight. " Overall, I thought it was a well played game. We had our scoring chances, so I thought it was a fairly even game."

Despite the victory, Thomas realizes the Bruins, who improved to 8-1-1-2 in their last 12 games against the Capitals, still have a long ways to go.

"Tonight we were trying to get over the hump, the coaches talked about it this morning, it is not being satisfied with getting to .500," Thomas said. "It (.500) is not enough, and .500 does not get you in the playoffs, so we have to keep the roll going."