First To Forty; Bruins vs. Panthers Preview

While the Hurricanes celebrated the career of defensemen Glen Wesley, the Bruins did a little celebration of their own. In front of the 18,000+ at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C the Bruins won their 40th game. In doing so, they became the first team in the 2008-09 NHL season to win 40. With last night's win the Bruins are just one more win away from matching last seasons total with 24 games left to play.

There's no question that last Tuesday was more than just another win. It ended the Bruins recent 4 game skid. The problem was their lack of scoring, and lack of production out of their special teams. Before Tuesdays game, the Bruins were a pitiful 2-39 on the powerplay. However, there's no question the streak was in their minds as they broke out for two powerplay goals and a shorthanded tally.

The 5-1 rout also gave way to Patrice Bergeron's first goal in nearly 3 months. Granted, it was an empty netter but there's no question the goal took a weight off the 23 year old's shoulders. Bergeron's recent play has been strong, playing particularly well on the penalty kill. He may not be the 70+ point guy Bruins fans remember from the 2006-07 season but with an offense as high powered as the current one, he doesn't have to be. He's found a new role on this team, and that suits him just fine.

This game also marked the official season sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes for the Boston Bruins. It's the first time in the entire history of the Bruins vs. Whalers/Hurricanes series that one team has swept. The Bruins finished the series outscoring the 'Canes 18-6. In a way, Bruins fans should be rooting for the Hurricanes to capture the 8th seed in the playoffs so the Bruins can dismantle Cam Ward for another 4 games.

Tonight, the Bruins are in Miami, Florida where they'll do battle with the streaking Florida Panthers. Florida comes into tonight's game looking to rebound after Thursdays 4-0 loss to the Blackhawks. For the Panthers, it was just their 3rd loss in February. If they expect to compete with the Bruins tonight they're going to have to play defensively and not allow Boston to get as many shots as goal as Chicago did on Thursday. The Florida defense let Chicago get 44 shots on Tomas Vokoun, ultimately leading to a 4-0 win.