Goalie Hannu Toivonen notches his first NHL shutout and some former Sharks make impressive debuts with Boston in a victory over Ottawa.

01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 2, 2005

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins goalie Hannu Toivonen stole a victory last night.

Less than 24 hours after the team traded captan Joe Thornton, it was in need of a pick-me-up, and Toivonen provided it. Behind his 26-save performance, the Northeast Division cellar-dwellers defeated the Ottawa Senators, 3-0, at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Toivonen was given the nod last night because of Andrew Raycroft's problems (an 0-3 record) against the Senators earlier this season, and the rookie performed admirably.

It was the first shutout of the season for the Bruins and the first of Toivonen's NHL career, and it was the first time this season that Ottawa had been held scoreless.

"I felt pretty good out there," said Toivonen. "I felt comfortable, and I got into the game right from the get-go. Most of the shots were from the slot, and I was able to make those saves. The guys really helped me out tonight."

Not only was it an important start for the 21-year-old goalie, but the team's newcomers, via Wednesday night's trade with the San Jose Sharks, made outstanding first impressions.

Marco Sturm scored a goal and added an assist and Brad Stuart contributed an assist. Patrice Bergeron netted a power-play goal and Dan LaCouture added an insurance tally for the Bruins.

But a lot of the praise went to Toivonen.

"He played a great game," said Senators goalie Dominik Hasek, who has 66 career shutouts. "He covers the lower part of the net fantastically. We had a few good chances, and a few breakaways; unfortunately, we couldn't score goals. And when you don't score goals, you don't win the game. We had a few good chances, but their goaltending was wonderful. And their defense was good, too. It was a good game both ways, but their goaltending was better today."

"That's the Hannu a lot of us know," said LaCouture, who played with Toivonen in Providence last season. "He played

great. He came focused and came up with the big saves when we needed them. That really lifts a team."

Despite the upheaval caused by the trade, Boston showed focus, vigor and confidence last night.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead at 1:17 of the first period. Brad Boyes collected the puck along the half-wall at the right faceoff circle and made a centering pass to Sturm, who beat Hasek for his first goal as a Bruin.

Bergeron made it 2-0 at 8:47 of the session when he one-timed the puck from the left faceoff dot past Hasek, capitalizing on the Bruins' first man-advantage of the game. Stuart and Sturm assisted on the play.

LaCouture netted his first goal as a Bruin at 6:32 of the third period, making it 3-0.

The fans also were impressed with the Bruins' performance. Many in the crowd of 15,639 gave Boston a standing ovation during the last minute of the game.

"Hannu played great and the entire team played great," said LaCouture. "Everybody did their job, and that is exactly what Sully (coach Mike Sullivan) wanted. To beat that team at home says a lot for our team. It's just one game, but we need to take it on the road and string some wins together."