Boston Bruins Close Out Road Trip on High Note

The Boston Bruins exploded halfway through the second period Saturday night to come back from behind and beat the Dallas Stars, 7-3, closing out the longest road trip of the season with a solid 4-2-0 record. Things looked pretty dire for a while in Dallas, as the Bruins showed up slow-footed and unable to maintain any offensive presence in the first and beginning of the second period.

Had the Bruins failed to come back, much like they did in their pathetic loss to Nashville on Thursday, a 3-3-0 road trip would’ve meant a much tougher time moving forward. The Bruins kept hold of their number-two spot in the Atlantic Division, and could be poised to compete for the top spot should the Florida Panthers falter down the stretch.

Beyond the offensive explosion that saw Brad Marchand continue his hot streak (two goals, one on the powerplay, and an assist), the Bruins showed they could compete with a playoff team. The Stars have been one of the most explosive teams this year, and it showed as they continually pushed the pace and had forwards stretching the zone all night long.

Thankfully, the Bruins were able to mitigate those rushes with responsible three-zone play, solid goaltending from Tuukka Rask and the long-awaited return of their powerplay scoring capabilities. They also got some much-needed secondary scoring from the likes of Matt Beleskey and Brett Connolly, who potted an empty netter on a Patrice Bergeron assist, giving the lifelong Bruins center his 600th career point. Even Kevan Miller showed up on the scoresheet, as his shot from the right point bounced through Dallas goalkeeper Kari Lehtonen.

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The Bruins return home Monday night to face Columbus, who they had to defeat in overtime earlier on the road trip. I’ve been saying things to this nature all year, but now is the time for the Bruins to start exerting their force against the bottom of the barrel teams, and start competing harder against playoff teams, which has been a struggle almost as noticeable as the Bruins’ uncharacteristic home game woes.

The trade deadline is right around the corner, so all eyes will be on Don Sweeney and Cam Neely, but Bruins fans should also be monitoring the prices for rentals, since that will most likely determine the fate of Loui Eriksson. If teams aren’t willing to include an NHL-ready defenseman or a first round pick, the Bruins would be better off working on an extension for the winger.