Bruins 5, Stamkos 2

In this recent stretch of quality play, this was the first come-from-behind victory for the Bruins. Part of me needed to see that even when down a goal, this team would stick to the plan, be resilient, be tough to beat, and wind up prevailing.

What a night for Zdeno Chara. Honored for his 1,000th NHL game he factored in three of the Bruins goals. These weren't token assists either. Shawn Thornton technically scored the Bruins' first goal, but it was Chara's drive toward the net that caused the goal. Then having Chara and Seidenberg as the D-tandem when 4-on-4 is something every team in the NHL should be jealous of.

If not for Stamkos and a very good effort from Roloson, the Bruins would have won this game with ease. Stamkos is a goal scoring machine.

The Energy Line provided more than a little energy. Thornton scored and had 5 shots on goal. Campbell had 2, Caron had 1. 8 shots for the 4th line. Not bad.

The Power Play looks better. Peverley's return may be responsible for that. It's cleaner. There are less silly struggles with entry, less static formation passing around the outside. I can feel a big night coming for the PP unit.

Brian Rolston extended his point streak to 7 games with an assist on Pouliot's goal.

The Bruins are now 5 points ahead of Ottawa, who are idle until Saturday. The B's host the Capitals on Thursday. With a win, the Bruins will clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Good California Weekend for Bruins

The Bruins hadn't won 4 of 5 since January 12th. That was the tail end of the Bruins' 24-4-1 run.

The last four Bruins' wins have been similar to the wins they recorded in that streak. Some were blowouts against clearly inferior teams (the 8-0 win against Toronto). Some were energy driven physical battles (the win over Philadelphia). Some were a little ugly (Anaheim). All featured outstanding goaltending.

It's nice to see that Turco can play. Last night he was sharp, decisive, and confident. Even after allowing a deflected goal, he never lost that confidence. And Tim Thomas was brilliant in LA. Maybe being around all those southern Cal liberals motivated him.

Brian Rolston hasn't just settled in as a Bruin, he's become a leader. He's riding a 6 game point streak, with 11 points in those games (3 goals, 8 assists). His goal last night was his biggest since he returned to Boston.

It was good to see Peverley back on the ice. He was clearly rusty, but that will fade. He is a key player that does so many different things for the team. His return should inject some fresh life to the lineup, and allow players to return to the roles they're more comfortable with.

I love how Jordan Caron plays the game. Paille was scratched last night which gave him an opportunity to dress. I like Caron better than Pouliot. Pouliot makes the occasional big play, like last night when had a goal and an assist, but Caron inflicts a physical game every shift. I'd rather see Caron on the 4th line, Paille on the 3rd line, and Pouliot scratched.

Speaking of scratches, the Bruins are 4-1 when Corvo doesn't dress.

Bruins host the Lightning Tuesday night. The Bruins now hold a 5 point lead over Ottawa with a game in hand. The Bruins also have 44 wins, which is the most Ottawa can finish the season with.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Hats How You Do It

David Krejci scored just over a minute into the game. And he scored to end it. And he scored to tie it in the 3rd. That's a nice hat-trick right there. The second of his career.

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

Bruins Make Multiple Modest Moves

You might not recognize the names, except for one, maybe two. The Bruins acquired left wing Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau from the Islanders. They sent AHL Marc Cantin and forward Yannick Riendeau.

They also sent Steve Kampfer to Minnesota for defenseman Greg Zanon.

Rolston played with the Bruins back in the early 2000s. He scored a career high 31 in 2001-02. He's got 4 goals and 5 assists in 49 games with the Islanders this year, so I don't know how much he has left in the tank. He adds depth to the bottom end of the depth chart.

Mottau won the Hobey Baker Award (college hockey's Heisman) his senior year at Boston College in 2000. Greg Zanon is similar to Mottau. Neither of these guys will contribute much on offense. Which I'm happy about. The Bruins need solid defensemen that don't make mistakes. These guys are the anti-Tomas Kaberles.

And with Boychuk down, the Bruins needed depth at the blue-line.

These aren't exciting moves. These moves don't make the Bruins much stronger. They address potential weaknesses. I'll take Rolston over Josh Hennessy. I'll take Zanon or Mottau over Kampfer. And maybe even over Corvo.