Bruins Shock Whalers in Six Games

After a disappointing regular season which saw the Boston Bruins flounder their way into a seventh place finish in the Wales Conference, nobody could have predicted the outcome of this first round series with Hartford. The Whalers have been a very good team for a long time so everyone, this scribe included, so nobody really gave the Bruins a chance. And after dropping the first two games in Hartford, it certainly looked like they were cooked. Well, after rattling off three straight wins, Boston looked to finish off Hartford at home tonight and they were able to take care of business in a close 2-1 win that all but erased the disappointment from last year's playoffs.

In the first period, Hartford came out swinging, quite literally, when Grant Marshall came at Owen Nolan and hit him with a couple of rights after a whistle. The two players got tangled up and were eventually separated, with both earning minor penalties. Dave Manson took a elbowing minor after that and Hartford took advantage. Randy Burridge scored his second of the period to give the Whalers the lead. Hartford carried the majority of the play for the remainder of the period and the score remained the same.

In the second, Boston came on, but as has been the story all series, Don Beaupre was outstanding. He kept Boston at bay and didn't allow them an inch, guiding Hartford into the second intermission with a 1-0 lead in tact.

In the third period, the Bruins finally broke through when Theo Fleury scored in the first minute to draw Boston even. Boston kept pushing and Theo scored his second of the game in what proved to be the winner, propelling Boston into the second round.

"Like I've been saying all playoffs long, we believe in this team," said Bruin captain Rob Blake. "You all out there may be shocked by the result here but we weren't."

One of the biggest shocks here is how Boston held the regular season's 8th leading scorer, Mario Lemieux, to a single assist in a 6 game series. "Super Mario" was all but neutralized in the series and Hartford will undoubtedly be wondering what went wrong in this series.

As of now, it would appear that round two will begin in Sunrise, Florida, against the third-seeded Panthers.

GAME STARS:

3. Mats Sundin

2. Dominik Hasek

1. Theo Fleury

GAME NOTES:

-The Bruin PP went 0 for 2 and the PK was 0 for 1

-Fleury has 5 goals in 6 games and is one of the playoff leaders