Bruins Get Breaks, Bounces in Overtime and Win, 3-2

In time, the NHL might wise up and adjust its zero-tolerance policy for slashing, giving players at least a smidgen of freedom to use their sticks to slow opponents. But that time certainly was not Wednesday in overtime at the Arrowhead Pond.

With the Ducks and Boston Bruins skating four-on-four during the five-minute extra period, referee Dan O’Halloran treated defenseman Ruslan Salei’s minor hack to the stick of Boston’s Sergei Samsonov as if it were a two-hander across his face.

Salei went to the penalty box for two minutes and the Ducks soon went down to defeat, 3-2, before an announced crowd of 11,167 that appeared to closer to 7,500.

Joe Thornton’s second power-play goal of the game kept the Bruins unbeaten at 3-0-1. Jason Allison’s slap shot struck Thornton in the rear end as he was cruising in front of Duck goaltender Guy Hebert and the puck wound up in the back of the net 2:03 into overtime.

The Bruins picked up two points for the victory and the Ducks one for forcing overtime thanks to Jim Cummins’ tying goal at 2:57 of the third period.

“It’s still hockey,” Salei said. “We’re not playing a chess game. I think it’s ridiculous the penalties they called on me tonight, especially in overtime. The guy had the puck. I slashed, but it was below the knees. I have to protect my goalie. I don’t know why they were singling me out tonight.”

Coach Craig Hartsburg was a bit more diplomatic than Salei, who also picked up minors for slashing in the first period, tripping and interference in the second and holding in the third.

“That’s what they’re calling,” Hartsburg said when asked about the call against Salei 1:40 into overtime. “It’s not going to do any good to debate it. It doesn’t matter if the guy has the puck in a spot where you have to check him, that’s the thing the league is mandating. What can you do?”

At first glance, Salei’s whack at Samsonov looked more like a textbook tie-up. Considering it was overtime and Samsonov was zipping down the slot toward Hebert’s net, it was about all Salei could do to slow the speedy winger.

Certainly, in past seasons, the play would have passed without a second glance. Or a whistle. But O’Halloran never hesitated in sending Salei to the penalty box. Thornton then sent the Ducks home losers for the second time on their season-opening home stand.

“It’s a strange feeling because for us it’s a 2-2 game,” Hartsburg said. “We took a step forward. We played hard. When you lose, you can have a bad taste in your mouth. But that’s not what we want. We played a great game.”

The end overshadowed all sorts of positive developments for the Ducks, starting with Cummins’ tying goal. Dan Bylsma freed Cummins for a breakaway and the 6-foot-2, 212-pound tough guy whistled a quick shot over the left shoulder of rookie goalie Andrew Raycroft.

However, the Ducks couldn’t stay out of the penalty box and the Bruins made them pay twice in the second period, getting power-play goals from Thornton at the 4:17 mark and Andrei Kovalenko at 19:15.

Teemu Selanne had given the Ducks a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 13:59 of the first period, his first point of the season. Mike Leclerc and Paul Kariya assisted on the goal, Selanne’s 200th as a Duck.

The Ducks kept up the pressure on the Bruins, but failed to pad their lead. Their intensity remained high early in the second period, but Boston took advantage on a power play.

Duck winger Andrei Nazarov took interference and roughing penalties while sticking up for teammate German Titov, who had been caught with his head down and was belted against the boards by Boston’s Ken Belanger.

All things considered, coming to Titov’s defense was the textbook thing for Nazarov to do in that situation. But Belanger picked up only a roughing penalty and the Bruins went on the power play, eventually clicking when Allison fed a cross-ice pass from near the right goal post to Thornton.