BOSTON -- The Bruins bounced back from their emotional 4-3 loss to Vancouver on Saturday with a 5-3 win over Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
With a key player in Brad Marchand out of the lineup, the Bruins showed their depth, as eight players registered a point. Nathan Horton (two goals), David Krejci (two assists), Milan Lucic (two assists) and Patrice Bergeron (two assists) led the way and Tuukka Rask made 29 saves for his sixth straight win.
Lucic-Krejci-Horton line steps up again: Over the last three games, the line of Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton has been starting to regain its form from the 2010-11 season and 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, and on Tuesday kept it rolling as it combined for six points. Krejci and Lucic had two helpers each and Horton lit the lamp twice. Krejci now has a nine-game point streak going, with 14 points over that stretch; Lucic has seven points in his last five games; and Horton has five goals and six points in his last four games.
No offense Brad, 'we don’t miss you': Following the Bruins’ 9-0 win over Calgary last Thursday -- a game that Brad Marchand missed with the flu -- Tyler Seguin texted Marchand “we don’t miss you” after he and Bergeron combined for
six points. Marchand may get the same joking text again as Bergeron and Seguin stayed hot, with Bergeron getting two assists and Seguin scoring the game-winning goal. Seguin now has a five-game point streak going, with seven points over that stretch, and Bergeron has a four-game point streak with eight points during that span.
Thornton redeems himself and fights an old friend: Shawn Thornton had quite the night Tuesday as he went from almost-goat to hero and also mixed in another fight. At 5:57 into the game, he coughed up the puck to Jets forward Chris Thorburn, who broke in alone on Tuukka Rask but was tripped up by Dennis Seidenberg and was awarded a penalty shot as a result. Luckily for Thornton, Rask stopped Thorburn. At 5:16 into the second period, Thornton got a chance to make up for his miscue as he broke in on a shorthanded bid but was hooked by Jets forward Tim Stapleton and awarded a penalty shot. Thornton converted the penalty shot, roofing a backhander past Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec. Then just over five minutes later, Thornton ended up in a fight with former Bruins defenseman Mark Stuart. No word on whether Stuart stiffed Thornton on a tab when he was a Bruin.
Rask rolls on: Plenty of teams would love to have the luxury the Bruins are enjoying this season with two No. 1 goalies. Tuukka Rask continues to show that not only do the Bruins have the defending Vezina Trophy winner and 2012 Vezina candidate in Tim Thomas but they also have a goalie that could easily be the top gun on most NHL teams in Rask. Rask made 29 saves and won his sixth straight game Tuesday, and is now 10-1-1 in his last 12 games.
With Marchand out, Pouliot back with Bergeron and Seguin: With Brad Marchand serving the first game of his five-game suspension, Benoit Pouliot was once again filling in for Marchand on the line with Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin. Pouliot had three assists filling in for Marchand last Thursday, and on Tuesday he looked comfortable again. He didn’t register a point even strength but did score a power-play goal in the third period. Marchand’s absence also meant that Zach Hamill was back in the lineup skating on a line with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley.
Here’s what the lineup looked like Tuesday:
Benoit Pouliot-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton

Zach Hamill-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley

Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo

Tuukka Rask

Tim Thomas