Vokoun Leads Panthers Over B's

Green seats were rare tonight in the BankAtlantic Center but that didn't distract Tomas Vokoun and the Florida Panthers from stopping the Bruins. For the Bruins, it was just their 2nd game in 6 days and 1st since Tuesday. One could make the case for rust, but it doesn't stick. They got outplayed and most notably by Czech goalie Tomas Vokoun.

Vokoun, a 2007 All-Star goalie struggled greatly as the season began, at one point even losing his starting job to Craig Anderson. However, there's no question that the 32 year old is returning to All-Star form. In the month of February, Vokoun is 7-2-0 with a 1.66 GAA including 3 shut-outs. With 2 of those shut-out's coming against Eastern Conference powerhouses in both Boston and New Jersey the play of Vokoun will undoubtedly be the deciding factor in whether the Panthers make the playoffs or not.

It's official. We've found the Bruins biggest flaw. When you shut down the powerplay, the Boston Bruins are going to struggle to score goals. Twice tonight the Bruins were gifted with a double minor powerplay and failed to score on both chances. As the Bruins finished the night an awful 0-6 on the powerplay, they also let up an untimely shorthanded goal that put the Panthers up 1-0.

There was no doubt that following Radek Dvorak's 1st goal scored in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd period the momentum was shifted into the Panthers hands, where it stayed for the rest of the night. From there on out, the Panthers defense stymied the Bruins on every attempt in their zone, causing frustrating play after play for the Black and Gold. Once again, the Bruins found themselves unable to stay on-sides, a new found problem for the Bruins.

Is the loss of Michael Ryder affecting the Bruins more than they'd like to admit? How much longer can GM Peter Chiarelli watch the Bruins offense struggle before he feels heat to make a move for a Nik Antropov or Erik Cole? Tomorrow, the Bruins travel to Tampa Bay where they'll play the cellar-dwelling Tampa Bay Lightning in a rare Sunday 5 o'clock game.

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.