All told, the trio racked up three goals and combined for 11 points and a plus-15 rating. Typically, that might be acceptable production for a week’s worth of games, but the linemates together elevated their play to help lead the Bruins to an 8-6 win, perhaps the most dramatic of the season.
The snakebitten Horton, of course, was a major driver in that, as his goal and four assists marked his first multipoint night since Jan. 3 and just his second since mid-November.
It was the type of game that showed what that line is capable of when all three forwards are skating hard and winning puck battles, something that’s at times been missing.
“Obviously,” Horton said after being named the game’s first star, “it helps me a little bit with my confidence. It’s nice to get the points, but it’s a big game for us.”
Horton was talking about the team, but he might as well have been talking about his line.
Horton had scored just two goals since Dec. 15 heading into Wednesday night, while Krejci had posted just seven multipoint games since the start of November.
Lucic, the team’s leading scorer all season, hadn’t slowed much, but with Horton and Krejci operating at full power, the line offers just a glimpse of the kind of scoring this team can be capable of.
“I have great linemates,” Horton said. “We talked before the game that we wanted to play well and help the team more than we have, and I think it was a [good] talk and well-needed.”
A few more of those talks, and the Bruins could be climbing higher in the standings over the next three months.
