Bruins 5 Senators 3

Boston really needed a win and they got it for the 4th time this season against the Ottawa Senators. The game looked to be over before it even started as the Bruins were up 3-0 ten mins into the game. Yet, Ottawa refused to go down easy, and battled back. In the end the Bruins were able to stay on top. Still, I am not sure how I should take this game. Part of me says it might be the game that gets them back on track. The other part of me still thinks they are showing a lot of alarming holes in their game.

The Good:
A win is a win, and the Bruins are now up by 6 points over New Jersey for first place in the Eastern Conference with only 13 games left in the season. Kessel was amazing in this game. He was all over the ice, and just looked like a man on a mission. He scored two goals (1 was an open net), and looked like the guy who was on pace to score 50 goals earlier in the season. Savard also looked great adding two assists. Another guy I am gaining more and more respect for with each passing game is Chuck Kobasew. He crashes the net every time down the ice, and his style of play I think will be great for the Bruins as they enter the playoffs.

The Bad:
Boston is still trying to be too fancy. A lot of times they try to go around the defense instead of just playing dump and chase. Guys like Ryder, Recchi, ect, should be battling on the boards. Boston seems to have lost some of their toughness when it comes to powering into the offensive zone. The Bruins also need to learn how to finish a game. It seems like when they have a lead they sit back a little bit, and let a team back in. In short, if you do that during the playoffs you are not going to make it out of the first round. Also, Ference needs to step up his game. He was horrible last night, and it did not surprise me at all when I looked at the stat sheet after the game that he was out there for all 3 Ottawa goals.

In the end you have to take the good with the bad. Boston needs to build on this, and over the next 13 games get ready for the playoffs. Right now with the way they are playing they will not make it very far, but they do have the talent to do very well. Hopefully Julien and Co., can get them back to the way they were playing earlier in the season.