Apr 2, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin (35) makes a save during the first period against the Ottawa Senators at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins met the Ottawa Senators for the fourth time this season. In the previous three games, the Boston Bruins won by a single goal. This is one of those good times where it is good for history to repeat itself. Once again, the Bruins went with the system that works. Once more, they pulled out a one goal win against the Senators.

This game was the last game the Bruins played before NHL legend Jarmoir Jagr would join the team. A lot of players, especially the top six forward group, played like they wanted to keep their slot in the lines. The Bruins top two lines, the Krejci and Bergeron line led the charge once again, throwing in an impressive fifty shots on goal against the Senators Robin Lehner. The cost of such an explosive offense was a team that wasn’t looking that hard at playing two way hockey. The Senators got forty seven shots of their own on goal.

While this was a win for the Black and Gold, there was a cost to pay for it. Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron took an elbow to the head in the second period and had to leave the game. The reports coming in this afternoon say that Bergeron has sustained a ‘moderate concussion’ and there is no time table as of yet for his return. Patrice has had a history of concussions, and it looks like Jagr will be going to work right away, probably centering for Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin.

April 2, 2013

Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators (Bruins @ TD Garden)

Final Score: Boston Bruins 3 – Ottawa Senators 2

Three Stars of the Game:

Third: Anton Khudobin , Second: Milan Lucic ,  First: Tyler Seguin

Causeway Crowd’s Three Stars of the Game:

Third Star: Milan Lucic. Lucic  earned himself two more points tonight. His first on the opening Krejci score, and the last point on Horton’s go-ahead goal. Lucic has been the most visibly slumping of the top six forwards, but has been coming on strong as of late. We saw this problem with Tyler Seguin earlier in the season, and its nice to see #17 be his old self. If the fans are happy with the old Lucic, his teammates are ecstatic.  Shawn Thornton had this to say about Lucic’s performance.

“It was a great play by Looch being strong on it, obviously getting that puck through, and then Horty picking up the rebound. He’s been unbelievable for us. I think he takes a lot of heat sometimes, but everyone in this room loves him and when he’s on, he’s a pretty special player. He’s been really good for us of late, I think.”

Second Star: David Krejci.  Krejci also had a two point game last night. One goal and one assist. Krejci has been a powerful force for the Bruins this year, and continues to produce. He was the only first line to come out of the gate guns blazing. He put out 20:09 on the ice, and once again proved he’s one of our top overall players. He’s got five points in the last four games, and will likely be the team’s leading scorer with Patrice Bergeron temporarily out of action.

“Krech has been a great player, and I’ve been fortunate enough to play with him for six seasons now,” said  Milan Lucic. “I think he definitely gets us going because as a centerman he controls a lot of the play on any line.”

First Star: Anton Khudobin. I think we should have known that Dobby was going to be a rock star for us when he was in the crease for the Bruins-Bruins scrimmage. His goalkeeping led the P-Bruins to victory in that game. A lot of goaltenders have been victims in a shooting gallery, but few can handle it like Khudobin did last night. Forty-five saves on forty-seven shots. If Khudobin is trying to make a case of having more ice time, he’s exceeded those expectations.  In his second straight start, Khudobin is now rocking a 8-3 record. His .929 save percentage, and 2.07 goals against average is slightly better than Tuukka Rask.

#35 was genuinely pleased (and rightly so) of his effort last night. “They were shooting from everywhere, we were shooting from everywhere. They were skating well, we were skating well. We created chances, they created chances. When I look at the score and it was 3-2 with a couple of minutes left and I saw it like 45-50 or something like that, I was like, ‘oh, maybe they’ll shoot five more and it will be 50-50.”

Mar 31, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin (35) and Buffalo Sabres center Jochen Hecht (55) go after the loose puck during the second period at the First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins have been more or less disappointed by the work of the Bruins’ first line.  In the last few weeks, the Krejci line has stepped up and have been a force again in the NHL. The Bruins earned themselves two more points in a rare shutout win against the Buffalo Sabres. “When things haven’t really been going for us, we’ve kind of got frustrated and let it get the better of us,” B’s forward and resurging butt kicker and name taker Milan Lucic said. “But today, we just tried to stay positive and tried to stick with the game plan and stay patient, and it worked out for us.”

“It was about staying positive and sticking with the game plan and doing the right things, but every period we talked about getting a little better in certain areas, and guys answered well,” Coach Claude Julien said. “After the second period, we needed a better net-front presence and better net drive, and I think when you look at the goals, that’s what happened.” Was it the cleanest game they’ve ever played? No, but we got to see more of the defensive minded two way hockey we know the Bruins can play. We also got to see that kind of play on the road, something the Bruins have been weak on. Coach Julien felt the same way.  ”Whether it’s been at home or on the road, we haven’t been playing that well (lately), so it’s important just to play our game again,”

The lines played well, and the Krejci line did its work tonight.  David Krejci himself broke the stalemate halfway through the third period.  Nathan Horton skated got aggressive towards the net. and While his incoming backhand was stopped by the Sabres’ Ryan Miller,  Krejci  got the rebound and the loose puck past Miller to get the Bruins on the board, notching up his eighth goal of the season. Krejci helped set up the primary assist on Horton’s goal three minutes later.  #46 used his speed to race up the left side of the ice where he found Horton ready in front of the net. Horton’s tap in got him his eleventh goal of the season.

The real star of the show tonight was Bruins’ back up goaltender Anton Khudobin. Khudobin stopped all twenty six shots that came at him in the game.  The Kazakhstani goalie got his first got his first NHL shutout since playing for the Wild in the ’2010-’11 season.  He was especially impressive in the first period. The Bruins were having trouble getting themselves up to pace, and it was Dobby’s hard work in that first period that kept the Bruins alive, and Buffalo scoreless.  Matt Bartkowski was thrilled with Khudobin’s performance (Bartkowski also scored his first career NHL point with an assist on the Krejci goal.) “The first 10 minutes, we wouldn’t have won the game if he didn’t play that well. They should have had three or four goals, definitely. … That first 10 minutes was huge.”

Khudobin now has a 7-3 record, with a .925 save percentage, and a 2.07 goals against average. Khudobin’s numbers are in the top ten now for goalies in save percentage and goals against (placing him in the same field as Tuukka Rask.)

Mar 31, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin (35) and Buffalo Sabres center Jochen Hecht (55) go after the loose puck during the second period at the First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

It was certainly Bruins hockey tonight as the Bruins played their best game of the season with a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins returned to their physical style we all know and love and battled against  Ryan Miller for nearly 60 minutes before puck cycling from the Krejci line but the Bruins on the board. Nathan Horton would add a second goal and you have to wonder how Jarome Iginla feels right now.

Backed by the phenomenal goal tending of Anton Khudobin, who arguably played the best game of his career, as he stopped 26 shots and did it with some spectacular leg saves. The Bruins penalty kill was just as hot as ever, and it needed to be. The officiating was certainly questionable, and more so than other games this season; even so, the B’s fought through 5 power play chances from Buffalo and had several short handed scoring chances all were stopped by Ryan Miller. Miller stood on his head for as long as he could and kept Buffalo alive in this game, their offence was sloppy and their struggling defence got them above their neck in the hot water and it was up to Miller to keep them a float as long as he could.

Claude Julien stressed the Bruins not being as physical as they could and that all the lines weren’t clicking. Well tonight they were physical and were clicking, the Bergeron line and even the Campbell line all had tremendous scoring chances but were all shut out by Ryan Miller, but things were certainly working well for the Bruins. They didn’t go crazy with the hits this game but there was enough physical play to force Buffalo turn overs and that’s what the Boston Bruins need to continue to do for the rest of the season.

With this win and the Bruins returning to Boston on April 2, the momentum can only carry from here and hopefully will be more attractive for possible trade bait in the NHL before the deadline and the Bruins can bolster their depth and make a story book run for the cup and lay the slumps to rest.