Marc Savard received a standing ovation upon his return to the Boston Bruins. Perhaps his teammates deserved one, too, after they absolutely dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight.
Another Bruins center who dealt with his own concussion problems ended up being one of the stars of the show, as David Krejci scored two goals and one assist while earning a +4 rating to help Boston dominate this game. Big Milan Lucic provided a nice night, too, as he scored one goal and added a helper.
Tim Thomas couldn’t earn a second shutout in a row, but I think he’ll settle for stopping 37 out of 38 shots for yet another win. It was a tough night for both of the Lightning goalies, though, as Mike Smith was pulled after allowing five goals and then Dan Ellis allowed three in a little less than a period of work.
Savard didn’t have much to do with the lopsided win as he (somehow?) wasn’t able to register a point despite the fact that the Bruins scored eight goals. Still, it was a moral victory in itself just to see the talented pivot back on the ice. He went 5-5 in the faceoff circle and took part in 21 shifts for a total of 15:45 minutes on ice. Don’t be surprised if it takes him a little while to get himself back up to game speed.
The Bruins won but so did the Montreal Canadiens, so Boston remains four points behind the Habs for the Northeast Division lead (they do hold two games in hand, though). Meanwhile, the Lightning are still in second in the Southeast as the Thrashers lost as well tonight.