Black and Gold Finding Their Stride

One week ago today, I was writing an article about the struggles of the Boston Bruins and their need for a spark of life in the locker room. Today, we observe how quickly things can change. On the heels of two straight victories to leapfrog over Montreal and into first place in the Northeast Division, the Bruins aren't struggling so much anymore -- rather, they are looking to turn the corner and start a streak.

On Thursday night against the Atlanta Thrashers, we saw some life out of the black and gold. When Milan Lucic took a hit up high to the head area, Andrew Ference and the rest of the Bruins on the ice took exception. They came to the defense of their teammate. They showed some heart and soul for the first time in a while. That energy translated into an eventual 4-1 win and the end of a little skid for the B's. In their follow-up effort last night, they were slated against a hot Florida Panthers team that had won three of its last four games. It was a tough, mostly sloppy game, but Tim Thomas stood tall and David Krejci notched a pair of timely goals -- each tying the game at the time -- in what amounted to a 3-2 shootout win for Boston. Can the B's carry it over and continue on the winning track?

They will face a much-improved Tampa Bay Lightning squad tonight to finish their trip to the Sunshine State. The Lightning (21-10-5) have taken points in 9 of their last 10 games and hold an impressive 10-2-2 record on home ice. In their last meeting with Boston, however -- just outside of that recent 10 game streak -- the Bruins handily defeated the Bolts by an 8-1 tally. You can be sure that the reinvigorated Lightning, who lead the Capitals for first place in the Southeast Division, will be looking for revenge tonight against Boston.

Tim Thomas has been spectacular, as everybody is aware. Holding an astonishing 17-4-3 record to go with a .949 saves percentage and a 1.68 goals against average, he is one of the clear front runners for his second Vezina Trophy. But aside from Thomas, the Bruins will need continued production out of their top guys if they want to sustain a streak. I'm looking for Nathan Horton to get back on track tonight. Horton is Boston's third leading scorer (11 goals, 12 assists, 23 points) behind Milan Lucic (27 points) and David Krejci (24 points), but he has been held without a point in his last 6 games. The Bruins top line of Lucic-Savard-Horton has generated some quality chances of late, but they are still building their chemistry together as a line. I'm looking for that line to step up tonight and deliver on the scoresheet.

I mentioned in that post one week ago that the Bruins needed to mix things up. I said they should go with the line combinations they used in the third period against Anaheim. Coincidentally, they did just that -- and it seems to be working. Tyler Seguin continues to progress every game, but I think fans would like to see some more offensive punch in his game. Many people are skeptical about Claude Julien's ability to bring out the best in Seguin with such a defensive-minded system in Boston. Regardless, the current combinations are working pretty well. Julien's Bruins will look to keep that trend moving in the right direction tonight in Tampa.