Peebs win Game 4 at Portland, one win away from AD semi closeout

By DAN HICKLING

PORTLAND, Maine -- On the verge. And on the prowl.
The Providence Bruins are now one win away from advancing to the Atlantic Division final playoff series, after squeezing past the Portland Pirates, 2-1, before a disappointed Cumberland County Civic Center crowd of 3,559.
Kirk MacDonald’s goal at 19:43 of the second period held up as the game winner, and was buttressed by the 31 save yeoman’s performance by goalie Tuukka Rask.
Providence can now close out the Buccos in Game 5, tonight (7 p.m.) at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
It will be a stiff test of the club’s killer instinct.
“We know what’s at stake, (Friday),” said MacDonald, the former RPI Engineer who has bounced around aplenty during his three year pro career. “We don’t want to give them any life. If we don’t win, we have to come back here for Sunday. And nobody wants to do that.”
Providence trailed 1-0 after the first period, and would have trailed by two if Pirates’ right wing Colin Murphy been able to convert his late penalty shot opportunity.
As it was, Mark Mancari put Portland in front at 11:55, when he polished off a nifty three way passing play.
Tim Kennedy, newly installed at left wing passed ahead into the left circle to new linemate Marek Zagrapan. Zagrapan, in turn dished across the crease to Mancari, who rapped the puck into the open right side.
Six minutes later, Murphy barreled in alone on Peebs goalie Tuukka Rask, but was tripped up by defenseman Adam McQuaid before he could get off a shot.
Referee Chris Brown signaled a penalty shot, but on the ensuing attempt, Murphy was thwarted by Rask, who cut down the angle and made a pad save.
“I was just trying to go to my back hand,” said Murphy, “and put it through his ‘five hole’.”
Said Rask, “Coming back from 2-0 would have been tough. I just wanted to let him make the first move, and go from there.”
The Pirates nursed the lead deep into the second period, as the contest settled into a goalie’s duel between Rask (31 stops) and Portland’s Jhonas Enroth (35 saves).
Then Providence struck for both its goals in the space of 2:30 and spun the game on its axis.
Brad Marchand was credited with the first of those, when a Johnny Boychuk’s left point shot snuck through a tangle and rattled Enroth.
Then, with :17 left in the stanza, Kirk MacDonald took Wacey Rabbit’s dish into the right circle, then zipped a wrister over Enroth’s shoulder, making it 2-1.
That one held up as the game-winner despite a strong show of third period urgency by the Pirates.
“I’m probably in a lot better mood than Kevin (Dineen, Pirates’ coach) is. That could have (gone) either way. That’s a good, hard fought playoff hockey game. Fortunately, we came out with the win.”

EMPTY NETTERS: Should Portland win tonight, Game 6 would be played Sunday afternoon (4 p.m.) at the Civic Center…Portland failed to convert either of its power play chances, while the Peebs PK unit is now a perfect 15-for-15 for the series, to date. Rabbit chalks its effectiveness to consistency. “We’re trying to keep them off the score sheet. They have some really good players. But when called upon, we’ve got to do a job.”

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