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...

Game 60: Bruins 3, Flames 1

The Good

• Tim Thomas was sharp Jack Edwards made sure we understood that Tim Thomas was well-rested last night, but it did show. Thomas appeared sharper than he's been in a while, and one can't help but wonder if two straight starts by Tuukka Rask had anything to do with it (the answer is probably "yes"). If nothing else, a start like this shows that Rask is still as important as ever to the B's. They'll need him to step up and spell Thomas to give him a few breaks down the stretch.
• Milan Lucic was a beast A huge game last night for Lucic; maybe it's something about being back in Western Canada that brings out the monster in him. Lucic was a force on the first goal, driving to the net with complete disregard for the Calgary defender trying to stop him. He also created a number of other scoring chances last night and was the most effective Bruin on the ice.
• Kaberle was selfless A big but overlooked play by Tomas Kaberle at the end of this one. With the goalie pulled, the Flames dumped the puck in. Kaberle went back to retrieve it and took a big hit to move the puck along the wall where Mark Recchi sent it out and Lucic eventually slid it into the empty net. If Kaberle doesn't take the hit to make the play there, that entire possession changes. A great play from Kaberle.
• Breakouts were smooth The B's had a ton of very crisp, tape-to-tape breakouts last night, something fans surely aren't accustomed to seeing this year. Maybe it all stems from the influence of Kaberle, but last night's breakouts were often perfect.
• Faceoffs were won I remember hearing a stat on NESN late in the third period that the B's had won 11-of-12 faceoffs in that period; that's precisely why Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley were brought here: they can win faceoffs and they play responsibly.

The Bad

• Calgary fans or Habs fans? The Flames fans in attendance sounded like Habs fans last night, booing every time a Flame was hit or fell to the ice. What's up with that?
• More PK issues I don't really have much to complain about after this game, but the PK remains an issue. The B's had a huge penalty kill leading 2-0 in the third period, and allowed a goal that let the Flames back into the game. I'm not sure what it is, but something's wrong with this PK unit, a group that was among the NHL's best for most of the season.

The Rest

• All in all, a good debut for Peverley. He didn't do much (all three shots he attempted were blocked), but he played sound hockey and made a couple of good plays. He also showed off his speed a couple of times last night, an asset that the B's don't possess much of. He and Kelly showed signs of "gelling" with Michael Ryder last night, so let's hope that continues.
• Tyler Seguin played his best all-around game in a while last night. He was backchecking hard, winning 1-on-1 battles and making smart, responsible plays with the puck. Seguin looks like he'll be "relegated" to fourth-line minutes for the rest of the season (barring an injury) and Daniel Paille will be the odd-man out. With his performance as of late, Seguin deserves to play, and if he keeps performing like he did last night he should see his minutes increase as well.

Attaboy: Lucic. He was the engine behind the B's last night, and seemed to have an extra jump in his step from the opening faceoff.

Providence Shuttle: The booing. STOP BOOING, FLAMES FANS. YOU ARE NOT HABS FANS.

Game 58: Bruins 6, Islanders 3

The Good

• Team-wide effort Claude Julien is a coach who loves to roll four lines, and when the B's can get each line going they're tough to beat. Last night was one of those occasions, as each line scored at least one goal and everyone seemed to be producing. If the B's can perform like that more consistently, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.
• Seguin keeps responding For those keeping score, Tyler Seguin now has three points in three games since his healthy scratches last week. For those who say Claude Julien is killing the kid's confidence, it looks like it may have had the opposite effect: Seguin looks more motivated and has an extra jump in his step. Maybe Claude made the right choice? Just sayin'...
• Solid start for Tuukka Aside from the Islanders' third goal, Tuukka Rask had a solid game and even made a couple of sterling stops. John Tavares' first goal was a thing of beauty and Josh Bailey's goal was an absolute rocket that Rask never saw. The Isles' third goal was a bad rebound given up by Rask, but it was really his only mistake of the night. Games like this should go a long way towards rebuilding the youngster's confidence.
• A power play goal and a point from Nathan Horton in the same game! "Somebody call the devil and see if Hell is still frozen."

The Bad

• Mike Milbury rips the Isles After the first period last night, Mike Milbury went off on the Islanders for dressing goons, playing like thugs, etc. And while I agree that the team's display against the Penguins last Friday was an embarrassment, this is a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. Milbury ripping people for playing like goons? He went into the stands and beat up a fan. WITH A SHOE. Milbury ripping the Isles for playing scrubs? It could be argued that he's a major reason why the team is in its current state of disarray personnel-wise (though some argue it was ownership that pushed for some of his worst trades). It just seemed a little unnecessary and misplaced for a guy like Milbury to be ripping the Isles for issues of that nature.
• Weird second period After the B's played an excellent first period in which they dominated the Islanders up and down the ice, things got a bit wild in the second. Call it a push-back from the Islanders if you want to, but allowing 22 shots on goal in a period to a struggling team like the Islanders is borderline inexcusable. Luckily for the B's, the Isles didn't exactly climb back into the game, but the B's will need to tighten things up against better teams (which is something I feel like I've been repeating all season long, but whatever).

The Rest

• Trade speculation continues to swirl, as Mark Stuart was a healthy scratch last night and multiple parties are reporting a Tomas Kaberle trade is nearly complete this morning. Stay tuned, this could be a busy Friday for the B's.

Attaboy: Seguin. He had a great game tonight and has looked good since being a healthy scratch.

Providence Shuttle: Milbury. Stop criticizing something that's partly your fault, Mike.