"We are getting better," said coach Claude Julien, whose club could clinch the Eastern Conference regular-season title tomorrow when the Senators are in town. "There's no doubt there."
No doubt that the power play, all but dormant in stretches of February and March, is a big part of this late-season renaissance. The Bruins were 2 for 6 on the advantage against the Bolts, and they are now 7 for 15 (46.7 percent) over the four-game winning streak that numbers New Jersey, Toronto, Philadelphia, and now Tampa as its victims.
Julien these days has two potent power-play units, one with Mark Recchi, Marc Savard, and Michael Ryder up front with Matt Hunwick and Dennis Wideman at the points, and the other with Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Kobasew up front with Andrew Ference and Big Z at the points.
If the Bruins keep up their rhythm, they could be too much for anyone in the East to handle right on into May, and could stack up well against the talented likes of, say, San Jose or Detroit in the West.
OK, that's getting ahead by a smidge, isn't it? Especially for a club that has made it beyond the first round only once in the last 15 years. But as the Garden crowd of 16,996 witnessed last night, it is a squad with growing confidence and pluck, even with its speediest, highest-scoring winger, Phil Kessel, out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury until at least next week.
If they have clinched the Eastern title by then, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Kessel (believed to have a bad shoulder) stay on the sideline until the start of the playoffs (most likely April 16).
An added plus last night was Manny Fernandez's second win in as many starts, something the Boston netminder had not experienced since Jan. 1 and Jan. 8. After winning a shaky outing in Toronto Saturday (7-5), Fernandez looked more composed and confident on home ice, snuffing out 23 shots until Steven Stamkos lifted a Ryan Malone rebound by him with 12:07 gone in the third period.
Having a competent Fernandez would allow workhorse Tim Thomas to get adequate rest prior to the postseason, and he could also provide assistance, if necessary, for the playoffs.
