TAMPA — After struggling for much of his first three months in Boston, Tomas Kaberle isn't likely to ever live up to the lofty expectations that accompanied his arrival from Toronto.
The power play has regressed dramatically rather than improve during the veteran defenseman's tenure with the Bruins. He hasn't provided the offensive punch that was hoped for, and his defensive work has been suspect at best.
But the Bruins haven't lost faith in Kaberle, and he may just be starting to reward the club a bit for that patience and support as his play has picked up significantly in the last few games of Boston's postseason run.
"I think he's played really well in the last couple of games," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after of Kaberle. "And we had a conversation about maybe taking some pressure off his shoulders about everything that wasn't going right about the power play. Fingers kept pointing at him. He's more than just that. He's a good puck mover. He can play a pretty good game when he's on top of it. And we have confidence in him. And I told him that, that we know he can certainly help us."
That message of support has meant a lot to Kaberle, who appears to be responding to such positive reinforcement.
"It's nice to hear from him, they've been positive with me," Kaberle said. "It gives you confidence when coach talks to you like that."
Kaberle, like many of the Bruins, struggled mightily at the start of this series, with his giveaway beside the net leading to Tampa's third goal in an 85-second span in a 5-2 loss in Game 1. But he bounced back with a pair of assists, both coming on the power play, as that sputtering unit finally showed some signs of life in a 6-5 win in Game 2. And he was steady again in a solid defensive effort in Thursday's 2-0 win in Game 3 in Tampa, leading the team with three blocked shots while collecting a takeaway and having no giveaways.
"I've been moving my legs a little bit more," Kaberle said. "I'm not stationary in our zone and just advance the puck as fast as possible. Like I said, it's never going to be a lot of big plays or anything like that, especially in playoff hockey. But as long as you can make the first couple passes, you should be fine."
Julien is satisfied with Kaberle's simpler approach, which has cut down on the mistakes without taking away his ability to contribute to the transition game with his passing ability.
"I think he's relaxed a little bit, which has given him some confidence in his game," Julien said. "And I think the last two games he's been a better player. He's passing. He's more poised. He's a little bit more aggressive. And he's not sitting on his heels. And I think that's made a big difference in his game.
And we say it almost every day when we talk about players, it's about confidence. That word 'confidence' plays big. And whether he feels it from others or whether he plays with it, that makes a big difference in the players' reaction."
Kaberle agreed that regaining some of the confidence that got lost with his struggles since coming to Boston has been a key to his moderate resurgence.
"I try to play my best every game," Kaberle said. "Not every game you're going to feel the same and I feel way better the last couple games. It's important for me to get my confidence back."
Despite those well-chronicled struggles, Kaberle hasn't lost the confidence and trust of his new teammates.
"I felt he definitely had a great game [in Game 2]," said Adam McQuaid, who has been paired with Kaberle for most of the playoffs. "We know what he's capable of. We all have confidence in him. He showed he's able to control the speed of the game and make poised and crisp plays when he's out there. That's what he's done throughout his whole career."
