Game 63: Bruins 1, Senators 0

The Good

• Rask looks sharp The big story from this road trip is that the B's won all six games, but arguably as important is the fact that Tuukka Rask won four of them. Rask has been struggling all year, but due to the stellar play of Tim Thomas, the B's haven't really suffered. However, Thomas' fatigue was beginning to show recently, so Rask's play became even more important. He's responded by playing his best goal of the season, a good sign for the Bruins.
• Horton's heating up Nathan Horton's goal last night was his 18th of the season, and he may be quietly heating up at the right time for the B's. Let's not get carried away, as we've seen Horton look like he was going to go on a tear then just disappear more than once this season. But Horton's been physically involved in every game, and with Milan Lucic playing some of the best hockey of his career, Horton's points have been piling up. Horton has goals in three straight games and seven points in his last six games.
• Power play is coming around While no power play goals were scored last night, the Bruins power play continued to threaten, something B's fans haven't seen in years. Last night, Zdeno Chara took so many shots on the B's first power play that I was afraid his arm was going to come off. Tomas Kaberle just kept feeding Chara the puck, and he kept ripping it on goal. If the power play stays as crisp as it has been, the goals will come.

The Bad

• Rebuilding in Ottawa Not necessarily "bad," as the rebuild is definitely warranted; but the number of youngsters and unknowns on this Ottawa roster is stunning. The only names most people would recognize are Spezza, Alfredsson and Gonchar, maybe Chris Neil and Chris Phillips as well. The Sens certainly are a long way away from their Stanley Cup Finals appearance back in '07.

The Rest

• While the Bruins faced some tough teams on this trip, the road isn't going to get any easier back in the friendly confines of the TD Garden: the B's next three games are against teams currently in the Eastern Conference playoff pictures, two of which (Tampa and Pittsburgh) have better records than the Bruins. Next Tuesday's clash with the Canadiens looms large as well, as it will have huge implications within the Northeast Division. While the good feelings of this road trip are well-deserved, the B's can't spend too much time patting themselves on the back.

Attaboy: Rask. Has fought back from his early season struggles, and should get some more starts going forward. Thomas remains the number-one goalie, but Rask has vastly improved.

Providence Shuttle: The excitement factor of this game. ZzzzzzZzZzZZZzZ...