WILMINGTON - As every athlete tries to do, Marc Savard is taking it one game at a time.
But Savard, his Bruins teammates, and coach Claude Julien acknowledge that these next nine games - all against Northeast opponents, the longest stretch of intradivision matchups for any of the five clubs this season - are as critical as they come, especially because Patrice Bergeron will most likely miss all of them after suffering a Grade 3 concussion last Saturday against the Flyers.
"There's no doubt there's a good chance we'll be looking back at this stretch at the end of the year, one way or another - whether it propelled us into the playoffs or whether it was a situation where it cost us," said Julien, whose team kicks off its extended test against Buffalo tonight at TD Banknorth Garden. "We really have to take it pretty seriously here and make sure we're ready for it."
Tonight will be Boston's first full game without Bergeron, an absence that has caused a significant ripple effect throughout the lineup. The Bruins will be missing a No. 2 center, big-time penalty killer, and power-play man, leaving players such as Savard to serve as go-to guys.
"He's a big part of our team," said Savard. "He kills a lot of penalties. Maybe I'll be put into some different roles and I can step up and do my best. There's a big gap and we're going to have to fill it by committee."
Savard (1-9 -10 in nine games) is averaging more than a point per game and is the club's leading scorer. But despite his scoring clip, Savard hasn't been the dominant playmaker he was for bursts last season.
Savard recorded half of his points in Boston's 8-6 win in Los Angeles Oct. 12. He's been held to 3 even-strength points. Like most of his teammates, Savard struggled in Boston's 6-1 loss to the Canadiens Oct. 22, losing two defensive-zone draws that led to Montreal goals.
"I think early on last year I got off to a slow start, too," said Savard. "I'd like to get going here a bit."
Perhaps the biggest point of concern has been Savard's inability to find consistency with his linemates. Last season, Savard recorded a career-high 74 assists, third in the NHL, as he served as Glen Murray's primary setup man. Two years ago, Savard also finished third in the league in assists (69) while dishing to Atlanta snipers Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa.
Savard, Murray, and Peter Schaefer projected to be on Boston's No. 1 scoring line this season. Savard and Schaefer clicked during the exhibition season, and the bosses figured the center would have no trouble finding Murray for scoring chances.
