- Puck movement=goals I've already said that I think the B's scoring problems this year are coming from the back end, not the front, and last night only furthered that point. Of the five Bruin goals, three weren't "special" goals (i.e. a power play goal and a breakaway). Of those three, two were the direct results of clean, crisp breakouts from the defensive zone. On Patrice Bergeron's goal, Brad Marchand won a puck battle in support of his d-men along the wall, and made a pass to Tyler Seguin. Seguin lugged the puck into space, hit Bergeron with a pass, and the puck was in the net. Boom: won battle, one pass, two passes, goal. The Kelly goal was similar, with Chara making a good outlet pass to Rich Peverley. True, finishing has been a problem, but it's hard to finish when rushes don't ever start. Last night was a marked improvement in that area.
- Pretty Filipin' good Get it? Because his name is Filip? Never mind. Filip Kuba played a hell of a game for the Sens last night, and if it wasn't for him, this one could've been pretty lopsided. The 34-year-old was a +1 and led all skaters with 26:52 TOI. He also blocked 4 shots, including a couple of point-blank defensive plays that prevented goals.
- Fourth line shows up Their struggles have gone unnoticed, either because they're usually so dependable or because everyone else has been bad as well. Prior to last night, the trio had just one point between them: a Daniel Paille goal in the second game of the year. They were also a combined minus-7, and had really not done much at all. That all changed last night, as the fourth line combined for three points, a plus-3 rating, two fights, and four shots on goal. The B's fourth line has, in recent years, been one of the best in the NHL. They'll need their grinders to play better if they want to keep winning, and last night was a step in the right direction.
- Krejci and Horton are still missing I might just rename this section the "David Krejci and Nathan Horton Memorial Bad." They've been terrible. Horton wasn't as bad last night, coming a lucky bounce or two away from one or two goals. But Krejci has been downright terrible. He's got one point and is a minus-6 in eight games this year, and has really contributed nothing positive at all. One can't help but wonder if his core/abdomen injury from a couple of weeks back is still bothering him, because he's been awful. Milan Lucic has shown signs of waking up from his early-season slumber, but his two linemates are still snoozing the season away. ZZzzzzzz......
- Everything is easier when the puck is moved out of the defensive zone smoothly. When breakout passes connect, rushes develop. Rushes turn into scoring chances, scoring chances turn into goals. It might be a bit of an overstatement to say that everything on offense depends on the breakout, but it's also true. If the B's can combine breakouts like they had last night with the solid defensive effort they put forth, they'll be fine going forward.
Attaboy: The fourth line. The grinders finally put one in, and it's not a coincidence that the B's won the game.
Providence Shuttle: Horton and Krejci. Obviously a demotion would be absurd, but each of these two could benefit from a healthy scratch right now. Sleepwalking through the season.
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