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Bruins' Stuart takes blame for two goals

Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart had something in common with Simon Gagne. Like the Friday night hero who scored the game-winning goal in overtime at the Wachovia Center and kept the Flyers breathing in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Stuart was coming off a long layoff.

Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart had something in common with Simon Gagne.

Like the Friday night hero who scored the game-winning goal in overtime at the Wachovia Center and kept the Flyers breathing in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Stuart was coming off a long layoff.

But their circumstances differed dramatically after the opening face-off of the Flyers' 5-4 win that prevented a Boston sweep.

As Boston's equipment men quickly stacked duffel bags on to a cart to prepare for the flight back to Boston, Stuart sat in a corner of the locker room taking blame for two of the Flyers goals.

He said he was responsible for the Chris Pronger shot from the point that gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead early in the second period and for the subsequent goal by Claude Giroux that made it 3-1.

"I was on the ice for two of them," said Stuart, who returned after fighting an infection caused by a cut finger. "The one [Pronger's goal], I actually tipped in our net. And on their third goal, I made a mental mistake and chased a guy behind the net and [the puck] popped out front, and they scored.

"I didn't play as well as I could have. I should have been a lot better. I don't think I really have any excuses. A couple mistakes I made were mental mistakes and you would think after the time off, it would be physical mistakes. I've got to be better and I will be better next game, that's for sure."

Stuart was cleared to play earlier Friday. He's been wearing an intravenous port that's been feeding antibiotics through his system to fight the infection. He's had the port removed before practices and again before the game, then it's reinserted.

While Stuart was beating himself up, Bruins rookie goalie Tuukka Rask handled himself in the same calm manner he's done after each win.

"It's tough, but we've got to recognize we got one win on the road, and that's good," said Rask, who was scored on by Ville Leino, a fellow Finn raised in the same town, Savonlinna. "Now we have to go home and take care of the job."

When word got back to Rask that Flyers goalie Brian Boucher said the pressure was now on the Bruins to win Game 5 at home and avoid returning to Philly for a Game 6, Rask raised his eyebrows.

"He said that? Maybe they want to take the pressure off themselves. I don't know," Rask said. "I mean, we like to play at home. It's not going to be easy, but we'll see what happens."

The game wended when Gagne, who played even though his broken toe is not fully healed, knocked the puck past Rask with 5:20 remaining in overtime. Rask thought he got his glove up in time to stop it from going in, but he said the puck sailed beneath his mitt.

Mark Recchi, a former Flyer and the oldest player in the NHL at 42, did his part to try to send the Flyers packing by scoring two goals, his ninth career multi-goal playoff game.

But Recchi was not around to offer his thoughts. Like his teammates, he was in a hurry to get back to Boston. No wonder. The Bruins are 5-0 during the postseason at TD Garden, including two one-goal wins over the Flyers.

"We'll just regroup, go back home," Stuart said. "I don't think we played a bad game. We got down, did a great job coming back. It's going to be more of the same in our building. It's going to be a tough game."