They left in good spirits though, as they not only escaped the blizzard that buried the region in favor of sunny Florida, but they also departed having gotten back on track with an impressive 4-1 win over Atlanta last Thursday in their final home game of 2010.
So while the Bruins soak up the rays down in Florida, here are a half-dozen items about the club for you to ponder between shoveling the walk and clearing off the car in the latest installment of the Bruins Shootout.
1. Milan Lucic avoided a suspension for his late punch that decked Thrashers defenseman Freddy Meyer in a third-period melee last Thursday. While that action may have gone over the line a bit, it was nice to see some of that old emotion from Lucic again. His offensive production has been among the most pleasant surprises of the season, as he is already just one goal off his career high with a team-leading 16 goals and 27 points.
But Lucic can’t forget that it’s his physical play that helps create the space for many of those scoring chances. He doesn’t need to be spending too much time in box, but the occasional bout to remind opposing defenders of what he’s capable of will help maintain the physical — and psychological — edge he has on many opponents. Lucic had two fighting majors in his first six games this season but has none in his last 27. That may change Thursday in the rematch with Atlanta, and that’s probably not a bad thing for Lucic and the Bruins.
2. Shawn Thornton hasn’t had any shortage of physical play in his game of late, as he leads the team with eight fighting majors. But Thornton has also been an unexpected contributor offensively this year. He snapped a season-high eight-game goal drought with a pair of scores on Thursday, giving him a career-high seven on the season. It also rekindled one of the most unlikely scoring races in the NHL, as Thornton pulled back within one goal of New Jersey’s $100-million underachiever Ilya Kovalchuk, who has just eight goals in 34 games. When informed of where he stood in relation to Kovalchuk, Thornton smiled widely as he proclaimed, "It’s on."
Kovalchuk does have 10 assists to Thornton’s one, but he’s also a minus-26 to Thornton’s plus-3. With Thornton pushing him on the goal-scoring front, Kovalchuk may be trying to horn in on Thornton’s role, as Kovalchuk picked up his second fighting major of the season when he took on Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf on Sunday.
3. Daniel Paille still hasn't regained the form that made him an effective role player last season and earned him a new two-year, $2.15-million deal at the start of free agency, but he finally showed some signs of life on Thursday. Playing in place of the injured Brad Marchand, Paille collected a pair of assists and was a plus-2 to go with a takeaway and two blocked shots. One of those blocks led to the breakout that produced one of Thornton’s goals. Paille was also second among the forwards with 1:34 of shorthanded ice time as the Bruins killed off all three Atlanta power plays. Paille, who had just one assist and was a minus-3 in 12 games before Thursday, still struggles to finish his chances, but he’s at least starting to use his speed to positive effect at both ends of the ice again.
4. Adam McQuaid is also playing with more confidence and starting to contribute in new ways. His primary assets will always be his physical presence and solid defensive work, but as he’s gotten more comfortable in the lineup, McQuaid has also begun to show some other facets to his game. He has two assists in his last three games, including a nifty backhanded pass out of the corner to set up a Thornton one-timer against Atlanta. With Steven Kampfer also showing no signs of slowing down since his impressive debut earlier this month, the Bruins will have some tough choices to make when Mark Stuart is ready to return from his broken hand.
5. Speaking of Kampfer, Claude Julien obviously likes what he sees from the rookie blueliner and continues to reward him with increased ice time. Kampfer adds an element otherwise lacking in Boston’s defense corps with his speed and mobility, and Julien is making use of it. While Matt Hunwick played over 20 minutes just twice in 22 games before being traded to Colorado, Kampfer topped the 20-minute mark in three of his first six games with the big club. That included a high of 22:17 at Montreal and 21:37 against Anaheim, both of which were higher than Hunwick’s top night of 20:35.
6. At 5-foot-11, 189 pounds, Andrew Ference is the smallest defenseman on the Bruins’ roster. But that hasn’t prevented him from being the first man in to defend his teammates when necessary. He did that earlier this year when he fought 6-foot-3, 225-pound St. Louis forward David Backes after Backes had flattened Mark Recchi with a hit, and Ference was again the first to respond when he grabbed Meyer after the hit on Lucic on Thursday. That sparked a full line brawl, with Ference ultimately pairing off with 6-foot-3, 230-pound Anthony Stewart. Ference did end up with some rather nasty-looking Christmas photos, as he was left with a row of stitches above his now-blackened right eye from a Stewart punch, but he also gained the continued respect and appreciation of his teammates. "He’s a guy who will always stick up for anybody in this locker room," Bruins captain Zedno Chara said of Ference. "We always stick up for each other and it’s a great feeling when you know that your teammate has your back."
