October 10th 2006
Raycroft Steals One
Tampa Bay, In a thrilling return that ultimately led to a tough loss for the Bruins Vincent Lecavalier made his return to Tampa Bay the team that he was trade from before the season began. Lecavalier was able to score two goals in the Bruins gutsy attempt at a comeback that early in the season has shown that the Bruins are one to never quit no matter what the deficit may be. The Bruins were down early in the first 4-1 and goaltender Curtis Joseph was pulled by coach Tom Fitzgerald after the first period and replaced by Felix Potvin. On the other side of the ice Andrew Raycroft looked stellar early on as well as the other piece of the Lecavalier trade Alexi Zhamnov who had a goal and an assist. Things settled down in the second for both teams netting a goal each, Brad Lukowhich for the Lighting and Lecavalier for the Bruins. I was outside of the Bruins locker room during the second intermission and overheard Coach Fitzgerald telling his players quite loudly that they better step things up and hit the ice with something to prove. It seems as though this got through to his players as Glenn Murray quickly netted two goals in the first 3 minutes of play in the third followed by Lecavalier’s second goal. While the Bruins looked as though they were going to head to overtime having tested and rattled Raycroft, Martin St.Louis dashed their hopes with 21 seconds left to play scoring his second goal of the game. As Raycroft made his way to the locker room he smugly said to me as he passed by “They never should have traded me or Zhams!”
You know those words will be up on Coach Fitzgerald’s blackboard until the Bruins meet up with the Lighting again on February 11th. Up next for the Bruins they head to Sunrise to take on the Flordia Panthers on Thursday.
