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Depression, Depth & Machine Guns

October 21, 2013, 3:33 PM ET [31 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
I hated watching this past Thursday night’s game in Florida. It just felt uncomfortable.

Entertaining as it was, and was it ever (as far as Bruins-Panthers tilts have gone, historically anyways), it was damn near impossible for me to watch it without feeling guilty.

The Boston Bruins, losers of two of their last three entering play, needed to get themselves back on the right track, but it coming at the expense of Bruins legend Tim Thomas felt awkward.

There’s no way you can undersell the contributions of the 39-year-old Thomas during his tenure in Boston, and there’s no denying his status as one of the all-time great Bruins. And in case you doubt that for a second, just stop and realize that only three goaltenders in the club’s history have more wins than Thomas while donning the Spoked-B. But watching him come back with the Florida Panthers has been like seeing your favorite 80s hairband reunite 30 years later.

It’s not the same, and it’s really not the memory you’d want to hang onto.

The sad reality of Thomas’ situation is that he’s no longer playing behind a defense led by Zdeno Chara and aided by complementary pieces such as Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference. Thomas, for the first time since 2005, is a man on an island. Florida, as shown in their loss to Boston on Thursday, are not a team that’s sharp in their own zone. At all. Thomas, who finished the night with 37 saves on 40 shots thrown his way throughout the night, had to stand on his head all game long and after a shaky opening frame that saw the Michigan-born netminder surrender two goals on 15 shots, there’s no way around saying that he did just that despite the loss.

Flashes of Thomas’ old self were there -- especially when he robbed Jarome Iginla with a typical, beautiful diving save late in the contest -- but every time you saw the rust/age/whatever of Thomas show throughout the night (which it did), you couldn’t help but wince at what was.

Like I said, the entire thing felt awkward, really. It’s probably akin to what Ottawa fans will feel when Daniel Alfredsson returns to town in a Detroit sweater. You can take issue with certain things -- or perhaps the way it all ended -- but you can’t forget about the contributions.

It was actually kinda depressing the more I replay it all in my head.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: There’s nothing more I’d like than to see Thomas, 18 months removed from professional hockey, light the NHL on fire and bring the Panthers back to the postseason. I think that it’d be incredibly fitting given the goaltender’s wild career track, and it’d be an absolutely enthralling storyline from this fan’s point of view.

He’s fun to watch, and the league is a better league when Tim Thomas an active goaltender playing a game he’s so damn good at. But Thomas alone can’t save the Panthers from what’s going to surely be a terrible year in Sunrise, and that became apparent to everybody watching last week’s Bruins-Panthers tilt. Or any Florida game this year for that matter.

And naturally, this saddens me, as both a Bruins and Thomas fan.

For Boston, stealing two points from the division ‘rival’ Panthers came with a few solid contributions from the club’s young guns, as Dougie Hamilton (a scratch in the two prior contests) and Reilly Smith both got on the board with their first goals of the season.

Hamilton’s goal, which came on the man advantage, was an obvious plus given his ‘struggles’ to find the back of the net despite a strong offensive start to the campaign, and it’s exactly what the coaching staff wants to see out of No. 27 as he enters a pivotal sophomore season that’s undoubtedly going to come with a larger role as the 82-game grind of 2013-14 kicks in (you’re already seeing him log some shorthanded time at points). And for Smith, the forgotten piece of the Seguin to Dallas trade, the hard-working style that’s going to make him a fan favorite among B’s fans continues to shine, and for the 22-year-old, cracking the zero off the board can really only do wonders for his confidence, just in case recording five points in the first seven games of the year didn’t help him out in that department.

In a division as tough as Boston’s, and in a season where the Bruins have invested serious trust in their younger skaters, the importance of a strong start for the Black-and-Gold’s youngsters cannot be stated enough. Undersized puck-mover Torey Krug has proved to be anything but an issue for the Bruins’ point, and while Hamilton will continue to battle with Matt Bartkowski for ice time, a strong and steady opening impression for all three has erased just about all the worries people had heading into the year, especially after the summertime loss of veterans Andrew Ference and Wade Redden. Meanwhile, Smith’s ability to mesh with the club’s second line featuring Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson has been a blessing for a B’s club that’s heavily relied on their offensive depth throughout general manager Peter Chiarelli’s tenure in the Hub. With Smith on the second line, the line not only features a heavenly blend of talents, but allows the first line to do its job and gives the club’s third line a potent threesome of Brad Marchand, Carl Soderberg, and Chris Kelly.

If you’re going against the Bruins, it’s impossible to prepare for just one line.

Just ask Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a Saturday night showdown in St. Pete, it took the Bruins all of 36 minutes and 17 shots to chase one of the game’s hottest goaltenders, beating Bishop four times, with goals from three different lines and four different skaters.

Oh, but they weren’t done there, with Shawn Thornton striking with his first of the year just 34 seconds into the third period. Make that goals from all four lines, and goals from five different skaters. The freakish depth? It just might be back.

When all four lines are clicking, the B’s are downright terrifying. Buzzsaw-esque, even. And in a night that saw Carl Soderberg return from an ankle injury that kept him in suit for the first six games of the season, the 27-year-old Swede struck with his first assist of the season, giving him three assists in just seven NHL games now dating back to last season. Top six centers Bergeron and David Krejci struck with goals, and Adam McQuaid and Thornton found themselves on the board for the first time this season. Every Boston skater was on the ice for a goal for. Everything was perfect.

Or as close to perfect as you’ll see seven games into the year.

That includes goaltender Tuukka Rask, who stoned the Lightning on all 23 shots thrown his way throughout the night, giving him five wins in seven games this year and a downright disgusting .954 save percentage and 1.29 goals against average on the year.

But what’s been the most welcomed contribution from the Black-and-Gold this year?

It simply has to be the return of Machine Gun Kelly, a third line center that’s appeared to rediscover his offensive game with the proverbial fresh slate of a new season.

Earning a four-year, $12 million extension following his career-best 20-goal, 39-point 2011-12 season, the 32-year-old pivot struggled to the tune of three goals and nine points in 34 contests in last year’s turbulent lockout-delayed campaign. Kelly’s struggles, or his plummet back down to Earth in the attacking zone depending on your point of view, was an undeniable thorn in the Bruins’ side, as the third line remained a jumbled mess from start to finish. From Chris Bourque, to Jordan Caron, to Jaromir Jagr, to Tyler Seguin, an inability to develop any sort of cohesive chemistry with a linemate was downright nightmarish for Claude Julien’s beloved third line, and killed the Bruins’ ability to roll four lines in all three zones.

This year? Totally different. At least through seven games, anyways. With Soderberg ready to go (and then some), and Smith outperforming Marchand for a spot on the Bruins’ second line, Kelly will continue to develop a bond with Soderberg and Marchand.

Something that’ll only continue to benefit a Bruins club that can’t help but be surprised by Kelly’s team-leading three goals.
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