- Another goal for Horton As I said before, I'm still skeptical because of Horton's notorious inconsistency. However, he appears to be rounding into goal-scoring form at the right time. His goal last night came on a stumbling backhand, and gave the B's an early one-goal advantage. The B's need Horton (and the whole top line) to keep producing if they want to go anywhere in the spring.
- Finally! Last night's power play goal was the Bruins' first in what seemed like years (it was actually the first since Feb. 18). The goal came on a 5-on-3 in the second period. Zdeno Chara took a semi-back door feed from David Krejci and unleashed his trademark slapper, beating a helpless Al Montoya. Hopefully that goal infuses the PP with a little confidence; they need it.
- The young Isles I know this has been another lost season on Long Island, but the Isles do seem to have a good core of young players. They still have questions in goal and on defense, but having players like Michael Grabner, Matt Moulson, and John Tavares up front give the Isles something very solid to build on. Grabner's goal last night was his 28th of the season. Remember, this is a guy who was traded earlier this season to Florida by the Canucks. The Panthers then waived him, hoping to send him to the AHL, but he was claimed by the Islanders. Yes, THOSE Florida Panthers thought Grabner was a guy they didn't need on their NHL squad. Yikes.
- Bad luck The B's rang a couple of posts in this game, and Jack Hillen's eventual game-winner came when his slapper bounced off of Dennis Seidenberg and went in the net. Luck certainly wasn't on the B's side last night, but how does the old saying go? You get the bounces when you work hard? Something like that, and the B's certainly didn't deserve many bounces last night.
- Another blown lead The B's, usually defensively sound, have now blown a lead in three of the last four losses. They were blown out in Montreal, but scored the first goal (and sometimes first two goals) of the game against Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and last night against the Islanders. Not having Andrew Ference (or Steven Kampfer, for that matter) in the line-up hurts, but it's still no excuse. The B's need to get back to making smart plays and winning one-on-one battles, two things that were conspicuously absent for most of last night.
- Get Seguin back in there I've been patient with Claude Julien's approach with Tyler Seguin, but he needs to be back in there. Daniel Paille has done little with his playing time, and Seguin isn't going to learn much more by watching from the press box. His speed could have helped last night against that fast Islanders team. I don't expect Seguin to blossom into a game-breaker this year, but he needs to play if he's going to get better.
- I'm not ready to panic yet, mainly because the B's still don't have their full team. If, once Ference comes back, the struggles continue, then it might be time to be worried. All teams have rough patches, and luckily for the B's theirs came on the heels of a seven-game winning streak. Their still 7-2-2 in their last 11, which shouldn't be overlooked. Ference's steadying presence on the back end is missed, and I think the team will come around soon. Don't go leaping off the Tobin just yet.
- Interesting to hear Chara booed lustily on Long Island last night. And by "interesting" I mean "confusing and strange." Chara is usually booed in more familiar away arenas, like Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo, and Ottawa, mainly because they know he's good. And because he's big, and in Ottawa's case, because they chose Wade Redden over him. D'oh. Long Island is usually an "indifferent" Chara Zone, but last night he was booed soundly. Has the incident with Max Pacioretty turned Chara into a league-wide villain? It certainly seems so. Countless posts on HFBoards reveal similar sentiments, as the B's seem to be one of the more disliked teams in the league now. Interesting. Hopefully the B's give opposing fans something to boo when they life the Cup in June.
- Which Bruins team is the real thing? Is it this listless lot that's lost four in a row or that barnburning bunch that stormed through a perfect six-game road trip? I tend to think the actual Bruins team is more like their Western Canada version, but perhaps the truth is more in the middle. I don't think they're as bad as they've played recently, but they may not be as good as they looked two weeks ago either. Inconsistency has been the theme for the B's this year. Two weeks ago, it looked like that inconsistency was a thing of the past, and that this team finally "got it." Now, that inconsistency is back with a vengeance, and the B's need to banish it before it sinks their season.
Attaboy: Grabner. Looks like he's going to be a great player, and that spin-around goal last night was pretty sweet.
Providence Shuttle: Brad Marchand. I didn't talk about it here, but that stupid penalty he took turned the tide of the game.
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