Benoit Pouliot Video: Watch Bruins Forward's Incredibly Crafty Goal vs. Panthers

Benoit Pouliot's amazing goal in the Boston Bruins' 8-0 destruction of the Florida Panthers on Friday night displayed the kind of talent everyone knows the young forward has, and finally he's showing it on a consistent basis.

It was an insane goal and certainly one of the highlights of the season throughout the NHL. The quality of goal was as good as the Bruins' winning form right now.

Boston is now in first place in the Eastern Conference and have rarely lost since November 1.

The former fourth overall draft pick has had a disappointing career since being drafted in 2005, but he has found a home in Boston and is starting to settle in quite nicely with the team.

When you score eight goals on an opponent it's sometimes hard for a single score to stand out, but this magic from Pouliot will be a goal fans remember for the rest of the season.

Look at the skill on this goal, between the legs and then a sweet backhand to beat Panthers goalie Jose Theodore. It was simply stunning.

Pouliot has been one of the Bruins' most consistent offensive players in December, and he heads into the Christmas break with a three-game goal streak.

Bruins head coach Claude Julien has shown a lot of faith in Pouliot this season despite his struggles early in the year. That trust is paying off big-time for Julien.

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"I think we anticipated he could be a good player for us," Bruins coa ch Claude Julien said. "He's started to show that. My final assessment of him will come at the end of the year. He can go through spurts and stuff like that, but he's certainly improved the way we thought he would. He's really been a good player for us and now if he can keep that consistency going throughout the whole year he'll have been a great bargain for our hockey club."

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Many people did not feel too confident about the Bruins signing Pouliot to a one-year contract worth about $1 million the summer, including myself, but general manager Peter Chiarelli took a low-risk move and turned it into a positive one for the defending champs.

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins featured columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.