(Photo: Bridget Samuels/Ikeastan Hockey) Nathan Horton was taken off the ice on a stretcher after bring KO'd by Canucks D Aarom Rome

BOSTON — After a scary incident in the opening five minutes of tonight’s contest, the Bruins and Canucks are scoreless through 20.

• Meet Aaron Rome — the Canucks version of Matt Cooke. At 5:09 of the first period, the ‘Nucks defenseman came up high and late on Bruins leading scorer Nathan Horton, as the Bruin forward made a pass in the neutral zone to his left — Milan Lucic. The chippy incident resulted in another scary head-shot (akin to Marc Savard) with Horton lying stiff, motionless, and unconscious for several minutes right in the middle of the TD Garden ice. A stretcher came out and carted No. 18 off the ice. He is at Mass General Hospital and is moving all of his extremities.
• The Bruins went on a five-minute power play (0-for-3 on the night) with an array of Black and Gold units, mixed-and-matched. they had some decent scoring chances, but the PP issues continue:

Lucic–Krejci–Ryder
Kaberle–Seidenberg

Marchand–Peverley–Recchi
Chara–Bergeron

• As for the game, No. 22 Shawn Thornton made his way into the lineup (three shifts, 2:26 TOI) with his presence known. The fourth-line enforcer made a bee-line towards every white jersey on the ice (logging one hit? shows the indifferences of real-time stats) and barked at the Canucks bench at the first stoppage of play on his first shift.
• Tim Thomas continues to be the best player donning the Spoked-B. He stopped all 12 shots he faced through the first 20, including a barrage of shots in the closing minutes — a highlight-reel glove save with just over a minute left.
• Patrice Bergeron is a perfect 5-for-5 on the face-off dot tonight, David Krejci is 4-for-5 (80%)…Bergeron also leads the team with two blocked shots…Dennis Seidenberg leads the B’s with 8:43 TOI…

Shots:
Boston: 7
Vacnouver: 12

Hits:
Boston: 15
Vancouver: 14

Blocked shots:
Boston: 7
Vancouver: 6

Face-offs:
Boston: 69% (9-of-13)
Vancouver: 31%

PIM:
Boston: 2 (McQuaid, Delay of Game)
Vancouver: 15 (Rome, 5 for interference, 10 game-misc.)