Boston Bruins: 5 Players to Watch Coming out of the All-Star Break

If one is so inclined to hurl October off the TD Garden roof, which one might as well do, then the new nadir of the Boston Bruins’ 2011-12 season has been their 5-4-1 stretch leading up to this weekend’s NHL All-Star break.

Since throttling the better part of the league amidst a 23-3-1 hot streak between Nov. 1 and Jan. 5, the Bruins have had only one truly assertive victory in the last three weeks: a 4-1 plastering of the New Jersey Devils Jan. 19.

After brooking a cumulative 10-9 deficit and escaping with two points on a brief two-game road trip, Boston welcomed a merciful week-long break from game action.

Tuesday night’s home date with the stealthy Ottawa Senators will be the time for everyone to remove their game from the cooler and commence a marathon of 35 games in 68 days to round out the regular season.

Whether they have personified the team’s mounting struggles or represented a nucleus of consistency waiting for others to latch on, the following five Bruins will warrant extra scrutiny in this week’s three-game home stand.

Patrice Bergeron

As much as Bruins buffs may have wished to see him partake in the All-Star festivities, Bergeron more than earned a protracted diversion from the NHL season.

Heading into the break, he probably needed more of a mental breather than a physical one.

At the same time, when the Bruins face off with the Senators on Tuesday, a full week will have passed since Bergeron had a solid individual night (two assists, 61.9 percent success at the dot) amidst a vinegary team result in a 5-3 loss to Washington.

That ought to be a favorable combination from a motivational standpoint. The alternate captain and longest-tenured forward should be itching to build upon his personal success while helping Boston correct its recent blunder-laden tendencies.

Joe Corvo

In the last two weeks and nine games leading up to the respite, Corvo has been held pointless on 18 shots, accrued a minus-four rating and averaged a giveaway per game. And while he is one of four Bruins with more than 100 shots on goal this season, his lone two goals remain those he inserted against Columbus Dec. 10.

Arguably no Boston skater was in more desperate need of a recharge. How much Corvo utilized his timely break will start to be seen as early as Tuesday.

Nathan Horton

It is unclear how long Horton could be out with the mild concussion sustained via Flyers forward Tom Sestito last Sunday, but even when he is pronounced 100 percent healthy, the primary question will be whether or not Horton has 100 percent of his game in handy.

Given his off-and-on struggles through most of the season already—in the defensive zone as much as the offensive zone—another cold spell could be on the horizon for Horton. Whether that begins this week or next, his own patience and that of the Bruins will likely be tested as the home stretch heats up.

Either that or the more intensive phases of the schedule will instill a spark en route to some overdue consistency. If he manages to defy any lingering effects of his injury, Horton could be leaned on to reprise his heroics from the first three rounds of the 2011 postseason.

Chris Kelly

In terms of floundering leading up to the All-Star break, Kelly is the offensive Corvo. Dating back to New Year’s Eve, he has sprinkled two goals and an assist over his last 13 games after charging up a 12-9-21 transcript in his first 34.

That has brought his 82-game pace down from 29-21-50 to 24-17-41 in a span of a month.

Being the third-line pivot, it is imperative that Kelly replenish at least some of his production potion from November. A sturdy, formidable third line is essential to the Bruins' depth and NHL-leading offense. A consistent center is essential to a reckonable line.

Will a week away from the usual rigors at Ristuccia Arena and TD Garden awaken the November Kelly? Please stand by.

Tim Thomas

With Thomas having played in the Ottawa exhibition and colleague Tuukka Rask looking at a full week with no game action, all signs point to the younger stopper scraping the Bruins’ blue paint on Tuesday.

Beginning no later than Thursday against Carolina or Saturday versus Pittsburgh, Thomas will vie to readopt the consistency he demonstrated for the better part of the first half.

Dating back to Christmas, Thomas has yet to compose a pair of consecutive efficient outings. In chronological order, his last eight regular-season starts have seen him authorize four, one, four, one, three, four, one and five goals.

And in those five multi-goal outings, his save percentage for the evening has been confined to the .800 range. That only happened twice in his first 22 starts.

In addition, Thomas has incurred two rare giveaways on his tab over his last three appearances.

Assuming he is withheld until Thursday, 11 days will have passed since his last meaningful game, a rough-and-tumble 6-5 shootout triumph in Philadelphia. That should be a long-enough wait for Thomas to foster a keen desire for improvement.