Back from the Brink…Bruins show signs of life!

At the end of a long week filled with speculation, frustration and practice the B’s took the ice for back to back games against two teams fairing much better than the black and gold in the areas of performance, results, health, and of course the standings. The B’s saw the return of Marc Savard to the line-up for the visit to Buffalo, where Ryan Miller put on a goalkeeping display that gives life to the USA’s hope of bringing home a medal from Vancouver in a few weeks. The Bruins’ attempt to elevate their physicality, sorely missing since the season began, resulted in undisciplined penalties, leading to playing almost half the first period short handed. Despite quality scoring opportunites shorthanded, and out shooting the Sabres 13-10 in the first period, the B’s fell behind two goals on 10 shots. Not all was lost however, the Bruins seemed to rediscover their team speed and used it to exploit the Buffalo in the neutral zone for odd man breaks; Miller was equal to the test, sans the Milan Lucic snipe shot, coming on a set-up from Savard. The Bruins did not take any points away from Buffalo, but there was a spark…a glimpse of a team effort that has been absent since their game with San Jose.

On Saturday night the B’s came home to the hub, where they have struggled in front of the Garden crowd. Sadly, the Bruins are not even a # 2 priority in their own building, which has had less than spectacular ice conditions this season. The scheduling braintrust somehow decided it would be just fine to host an indoor lacrosse game on the afternoon of a Bruins game. The ice was noticeably worse, with both teams having pucks hop, skip, and roll at inopportune moments; not exactly what you are looking for when the home team is in desperate need of a home ice advantage against a Kings squad who has simply been dominant on the road. Regardless of ice conditions there is one thing within a player’s control, and that is how they skate. The Bruins had jump, and with Steve Begin and Marco Sturm back in the line-up there was also a different vibe present as well. For the second consecutive night Bruins viewers were treated to Olympic net minding, as Jon Quick and Tim Thomas dueled through the shootout. It is safe to say that Team USA does have a solid threesome to backstop their medal chances, and Quick made a few dandy stops, including robbing Savard on the doorstep in OT. The Bruins heavy hitting returned when Kings stud Enze Kopitar fielded a “hospital pass” (the type of pass than lands you in the infirmary) and Mark Stuart leveled him with a clean hit, elbows down, feet on the ice; only to be jumped by Kopitar’s linemate Wayne Simmonds (observation: there is no reason to jump a guy for a clean open ice hit, it is part of the game. Want to protect your stud, then beat the crap out of your teammate who set him up with the suicide pass). The Bruins were unable to capitalize on the four minute power play, mainly because Tim Thomas could not keep his cool. Much like the ill advised decision by Simmonds to instigate an altercation with Stuart (which would have been much worse for his health if Stu hadn’t been up along the boards) Thomas decided to employ some frontier justice, erasing the B’s extended power play. However, the Stuart hit seemed to wake the troops and remind them that there is indeed a benefit for initiating physicality. There was a different swagger to the B’s play, bordering on (whispers) confident.

When former Bruins tough guy Derek Sanderson went to the booth to call games alongside legend Fred Cusick, Sanderson was fond of saying what the Bruins needed to win(in no particular order) was “a fluke, a pretty goal, and a power play goal”. Well it seemed like the Bruins were on their way as their power play goal to tie the game came off a fluke, as the Kings managed to drill a linesman square in the back on a clear out attempt. The puck caromed off the felled linesman to Savard, who fed Sturm, and then with a move reminiscent of a certain game 6 tally where he seemed to stop time, Sturm beat Quick to tie the game. In the last couple of weeks the Bruins would have been (and were) on the wrong end of that entire sequence.

Savard back two games, with two helpers (nah we didn’t miss him), and Sturm with a goal in his first game back after missing 6 games with an “undisclosed lower body injury” (swollen knee) are just what the doctor ordered. So Savard and Sturm return, as did a flicker of life for the power play, despite it not being exactly as Claude drew it up on the whiteboard. The Bruins continued to show signs of life when the energizer bunny Mark Recchi led the breakout, dished to David Krejci, continued HARD to the net and potted the Krejci return pass to take the lead for the first time in what seemed like months (reality 200+ minutes). Most B’s fans probably knew that it was too good to last, and the Kings (again on the power play) saw a wicked shot from Kopitar (Stuart did not hit him hard enough) beat Thomas top shelf to knot the game at two.

What followed was the most entertaining overtime period the Bruins have played all season, with jump, and quality scoring chances. Unfortunately they were unable to pick up the extra point, but remain within reach of the teams log jammed in 6th to 11th place.

There was promise, a glimmer on the back end of back to back games. The back to back situation is one of many where the Bruins have not fared well this season, but they broke the trend and played better than the previous night. The B’s physicality, skating, and breakouts were done with a purpose, not as an fleetingly cautious afterthought. They drew penalties, a reflection of their hard skating and purposeful puck movement, and while not OVERLY powerful, they did convert on two power play chances, which of late is a somewhat remarkable feat. They consciously looked to activate their defensemen, with Stuart, Chara, Boychuk, Morris, Wideman, and Hunwick all pinching at various times to create quality scoring chances.

There are signs of life, where a week ago there was nary a pulse. None can argue that taking a point from the Kings is a far better result than being beaten with their own sticks at the hands of the Hurricanes.

View from the Balcony:
David Krejci has struggled, but would like to see him get some time with Recchi and Bergeron (although Paille, Recchi and Bergeron has been the Bruins best line this season). Despite the fact Wheeler has skated harder of late, Ryder and Wheeler being snake bitten has not helped Krejci the playmaker breakout of his own slump. Krejci’s pass to Recchi was perfectly placed and timed and buried by Recchi. Dino-Rex would be great for the youngster’s confidence.