The new Boston coach’s home debut was a real winner.
BOSTON (AP) – The view from the bench was different for Mike O’Connell.
“You think you have an appreciation for what the players can do,” he said after Boston beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in his home debut as Bruins coach. “But when you get down there, you realize how difficult a job it is to coach.”
Mike Knuble scored the tiebreaking goal 15 seconds into the third period, and Steve Shields stopped 24 shots on Monday night, including a glove save on Alexander Mogilny’s wrist shot with 45.9 seconds left to help the Bruins clinch at least a .500 record.
Shields, Jeff Hackett’s backup, was making just his fourth start this month. He earned his first win since beating the New York Islanders 4-1 on March 6.
Rob Zamuner and Martin Lapointe each scored to tie the game for Boston before Knuble won it with his 27th goal of the season. That’s as many as he had in the previous three seasons combined.
Before the game, Knuble was given a car as the team’s Seventh Man for performing beyond expectations this season. He has six goals and three assists in his last six games.
“I couldn’t write a better story for the year, after sweating out the deadline on the waiver draft,” said Knuble, who was worried whether he would be left unprotected during the offseason.
Darcy Tucker and Tomas Kaberle scored for Toronto and Ed Belfour stopped 30 shots as the Maple Leafs lost in regulation for the first time in eight games.
O’Connell, the Bruins general manager, fired coach Robbie Ftorek last Wednesday with nine games left in the season and took the job himself, challenging his players to make a push for the playoffs. Boston lost its first game with O’Connell on the bench, but has now won two straight.
“Mike hasn’t coached in a while and he will be rusty,” said Pat Quinn, who is the Toronto coach and GM. “I thought they played hard for Robbie, but they seem to have responded to Mike. He’ll know better than anybody else what it will take to do well.”
Toronto twice took one-goal leads before the Bruins tied it.
The Maple Leafs led 2-1 when Lapointe took a pass from Jozef Stumpel in the slot and wristed it past Belfour with 6:01 left in the second. It was Lapointe’s fifth goal in six games.
Knuble gave Boston the lead for good when he fought for the puck behind the net, brought it out to the side and fired a shot from a tough angle past Belfour.
Notes: Joe Thornton doesn’t have a point against Toronto this season. … The Bruins were 0-for-19 against Toronto on the power play this season. … Stumpel has two goals and five assists against the Maple Leafs. … Toronto captain Mats Sundin played in his 1,000th game.
AP-ES-03-24-03 2226EST
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