Bruins-Lighting: Boston Heads Disappointed

The Boston Bruins have had just about enough of the Sunshine State. Tonight, they dropped their second straight game in Florida, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3.

Having played in their seventh road game this month, the Bruins have dropped six out of their last seven games—only posting 10 points in their nine games this month—and are watching their lead in the Eastern Conference start to slip.

Despite the loss tonight, the Bruins played a hard-fought, physical game. Shawn Thornton broke Boston's streak of eight-straight-games without a fighting major penalty, in the first period. Mark Stuart followed Thornton's lead seven minutes later by taking on Gary Roberts in a great toe-to-toe battle late in the first.

Phil Kessel broke out of his 15-game scoreless drought by lighting the lamp first, notching his 25th goal of the season, in the first two minutes of the first period.

Like Saturday's game against the Panthers—goaltender Thomas Vokoun shutout the B's with 41 saves—the offensive aggression was there, but the Bruins just didn't have an answer for Tampa Bay's goalie Karri Ramo tonight. Ramo stopped 40 of 43 shots he faced, en route to his second win of the season.

The power-play continues to be a major concern for the Bruins as well, only scoring one PPG tonight in five attempts. This would be only the seventh PPG in their last 55 attempts: anemic.

Net-minder Manny Fernandez was incredibly shaky tonight, stopping only 14 of 18 shots that came his way. The eight days off for Fernandez may have been the cause, nonetheless, he hasn't won a game in over six-weeks (Jan. 8).

The Bruins finally head back to Boston as they kickoff a six-game homestand—three in five days to end the month—on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers, again.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen a fight at the end of Saturday's game against the Panthers. Not by means of poor sportsmanship, but for a number of positive possibilities.

1. Florida is hot, really hot. They are 7-3-0 this month,  in a three-way-tie for the sixth playoff spot (68 points) and a definite first-round possibility for the Bruins.

2. Send a message. You may have beaten us, but have not beaten us up.

3. B's got shutout. Drop the gloves. The slight shift in momentum at the end of the game would definitely carry over back to Boston, on Tuesday.

4. No fighting majors in seven games. What a better time to break the streak?

On Thursday, the Bruins host the 2007 Stanley Cup winners, Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks are struggling this month as well, posting a losing record of 4-5. The Ducks are sure to bring it on Thursday, as they are tied for the final eighth spot in the Western Conference—63 points—with the Edmonton Oilers.

To end this underachieving month, the Bruins host the ever-so-dangerous Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on a Saturday afternoon matinee. The Caps are white-hot, posting a 7-2-1 record in the month of February, and are now just seven points being the Bruins in the East.

Washington has gotten the better of the B's this season, going 2-1 in the three meeting thus far. Good thing for the Bruins is the one win against Washington has been on home ice.