VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (AP) - Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi ended a couple of playoff droughts that were starting to get a bit old.
The oldest player in the NHL at 43, Recchi scored his first goal in 12 games on a power play after the Bruins had only scored five previous times with the man advantage in the entire playoffs.
The goal gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, but the Canucks rallied to win 3-2 in overtime Saturday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals. Only four of 46 teams have overcome a 2-0 deficit to win with hockey’s biggest prize on the line.
It’s a trophy Recchi has won twice, and the British Columbia native says he will retire if he adds a third title this year. He did everything he could Saturday night, going hard to the net to convert on the power play. The Bruins had one goal on 33 prior chances on the road.
Boston moved 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara away from the net and back to the point, and his long wrist shot was deflected by Recchi over Roberto Luongo as the Bruins backed up their pledge about getting more traffic in front after they were shut out in the opener. But it wasn’t enough for Boston, which needs to recover quickly before hosting Game 3 on Monday night and Game 4 on Wednesday night.
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