“It’s behind closed doors, so that’s between us and him,’’ said right winger Blake Wheeler. “What I can say is that everyone was inspired. He touched on the things that everybody has to take care of. Hearing it from him, it definitely lights a fire.’’
Based on last night’s results at the Wachovia Center, the players got the message.
In a 5-1 win before 19,673 fans, the league’s worst offense saw five of its top six forwards hit the back of the net. The Bruins busted a 1-1 tie by exploding for three second-period goals, chasing starting Flyers goalie Michael Leighton from the crease.
Brad Marchand, replacing Miroslav Satan (groin), threw the hit of the night when he dumped James van Riemsdyk into the Flyers’ bench.
In the Boston net, Tuukka Rask made timely saves, none better than a right-to-left glove stab to foil Arron Asham in the first period after a slick dish by Claude Giroux.
“It happened pretty fast,’’ said Rask (31 saves), whose stop on Asham kept the game scoreless. “I saw it was Giroux, and he always likes to pass the puck.’’
But at the core of the win was the emergence of Mark Stuart, who fought Dan Carcillo in the first period, accepted Ian Laperriere’s challenge in the second, and dumped Jeff Carter in the third. By playing his ornery brand of black-and-blue hockey, Stuart made it known that the reeling Bruins wouldn’t be pushed around.
Asked if Stuart energized his teammates, Wheeler said, “No doubt. That’s huge for us. That’s our identity. That’s how it was last year.
“One of our biggest challenges is that we’ve been a team that sleeps until another team wakes us up. This year, teams have let us sleep. Stuey took the bull by the horns and revved the team up.’’
Against the Maple Leafs Tuesday, when Zdeno Chara was unavailable because of a lower-body injury, Stuart served as the third alternate captain. It was the first time he had worn an “A’’ in the regular season.
“It’s a huge honor to be able to do that,’’ said Stuart. “Obviously, it’s due to some injuries, but any way I can chip in as far as leadership goes, it’s a good thing.’’
