Corvo, who entered the game against the Oilers with four assists in 13 games this season, notched three assists using one of Boychuk's sticks in the Bruins' 6-3 win over Edmonton.
"I give all the credit to Johnny," Corvo said. "He let me use one of his sticks. It's a lot stiffer and I feel a lot better with it, so I get my head up more and I see the holes."
A player's stick is something many fans might take for granted, but the different feel of Boychuk's stick had a noticeable effect on Corvo's play. He confidently registered assists from all angles, including a high shot that Brad Marchand redirected for a power-play goal early in the second period.
That helped Marchand extend his point streak to four games, matching his career high.
"I saw that [Marchand] was mid-to-high slot, and a lot of times when you feather one in there and you keep it high, it either goes over the goalie's shoulders or it gets a tip on it," Corvo said. "It just turned out that he has good hands and he tipped it in."
It may have taken time for Corvo, who came to Boston from Carolina in the offseason, to acclimate himself to the offense, but Bruins coach Claude Julien said he was never that concerned about the offensive-minded defenseman contributing at that end of the ice.
"Players have slow starts," Julien said. "Players don't have the starts they'd like. I'm sure he's one of those guys who felt he could've been a better player earlier on. You've got to give him an opportunity to work his way out of it and that's just the way we deal with things around here.
"I think we're starting to see the Joe Corvo we thought we were getting when we got him in the summer," Julien added.
Gaining comfort with the offense had allowed Corvo to become more aggressive, the defenseman said. He is more willing to move himself into the attack, where he can be a pass target for his teammates or help clean up the mess after missed chances.
"That's what I've been trying to do a lot more, just jump right up in the play and get right behind the forwards for anything that might turn over or rebounds or passes or anything," Corvo said. "I think it gets me more into the game and more thinking offensively."
A few more games like this, and Boychuk's sticks might become the most popular piece of equipment in the Bruins' locker room.
