Krejci's line was the story of the game. Julien shifted him back to center, and put Seguin on the wing. It worked well. In the first 10 minutes the line generated 3 scoring chances, scoring on 2 of them.
I like the idea of Seguin, Krejci, and Lucic together. All three can make plays in their own way and help their linemates out. It takes some pressure off Krejci to make all the clever plays, Seguin can benefit from Lucic's physical play, and Lucic has two skilled linemates to feed him the puck in the slot.
I also like Rolston on a line with Bergeron and Marchand. He's not electrifying, but he's solid.
Speaking of Marchand, I enjoyed seeing him once again get under an opponent's skin. He hasn't been very successful at that since the Vancouver game. I'm glad he finally drew more penalties than he committed.
The Bruins dominated the 1st period, then played messy in the 2nd, grinded out the 3rd, and ripped the game from the Devils in OT. In their last 4 periods of hockey, they've played 3 good ones. That's an improvement.
If Martin Brodeur weren't Martin Brodeur, the B's would have ended the 1st period up 5-0.
In the 2nd, they tried too hard to be fast in the neutral zone, and it bit them. I'm not a big fan of emphasizing speed through the middle of the ice. I'd rather see a smart play as opposed to a quick play.
With the acquisitions of Mottau and Zanon, Joe Corvo is literally playing for a job. His giveaway in the 2nd won't help him. He's not bad, and I wouldn't say he's struggling. He's on a team with 5 other very good defensemen, that all play well within Julien's system. He's just half a step behind all of them. And this is the time to see if maybe Zanon and/or Mottau can keep up better than Corvo can.
The Bruins will try to make it two straight Saturday afternoon when they host the Islanders, who have the 4th worst record in the NHL.
Photo Credit:
AP Photo
