Five Minute Major

A whole two games into the 2009-10 season, we have seen two vastly different Bruins teams. On opening night, the Bruins were a largely listless group, watching Alex Ovechkin and his band of merry men whirl around the ice, firing shots at will. On Saturday, with the Carolina Hurricanes in town, the Black and Gold showed some serious signs of life, scoring early and often with a few scraps thrown in for good measure.

After just two games, it is hard to emphatically say which Bruins team fans can expect to see more often this season. Are the Caps that good? Are the Canes that bad? Are the Bruins that much in the middle of those two teams? Who really knows. My guesses? The Caps are very much that good of a team. The Canes aren’t that bad and the Bruins are in line to have many more games like Saturday’s than Thursday’s clunker.

With that, it’s time to take a look at the five major news items of note from the first week of play for the Black and Gold. Let’s drop the puck on the first edition of “Five Minute Major”.

1.) Yes it is very early, but if I told you the Bruins would have scored eight goals over the first two games, how many players would you go through before you named Steve Begin as one of the two top scorers on the team? Probably 19 or 20, right? People may have even said Vladimir Sobotka could have scored more if he played than the feisty fourth-liner. However, Begin has three helpers in two games and is also tied for the team lead at +3. He needs work on faceoffs, only winning 7-of-22. But if he can keep killing penalties, pressuring on the forecheck and popping in the odd point or two, he will be a huge component of this team. I think he is a big upgrade at this position from Stephane Yelle last year.

(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

2.) Milan Lucic went a long way towards establishing a higher level of respect among NHL tough guys with his TKO of Jay Harrison in the second period Saturday. While the punch that opened Harrison up didn’t connect until late, it still accomplished the dual-task of leaving an impressive visual for the fans and a reminder for foes that he is someone to challenge at your own risk. Lucic has spent time training as a boxer and has more of a skill to his fighting than the run of the mill fist-tosser who is throwing without abandon. It is important that Looch realizes his role as the first-line right winger and picks and chooses his battles well throughout the year. If he is to blossom into the Cam Neely-type player B’s fans fantasize about, he needs to be on the ice. Let Shawn Thornton, Mark Stuart and Begin handle business most of the time. A few more crimson masks on his adversaries and his dance card won’t be punched as much anyways.

3.) The complete team effort on Saturday was very refreshing and extremely similar to the ones seen frequently in 2008-09. Seven different players scored and everyone was performing well in all three zones. After an opener when maybe three players would get C grades or better, it was nice to see that the troops responded. Claude Julien talked after the Caps game that he hoped he didn’t have to go into the locker room and tell players why that game was unacceptable. It looked as if the players remedied themselves and all 20 showed up on Saturday. You aren’t going to win every game, and losing to the capitals is nothing to sneeze at. It is how you respond in this game and the Bruins answered the bell for management, coaches, fans and themselves on Saturday.

4.) Last November, Marc Savard quickly jumped Dallas’ Sean Avery after he cheap-shot Lucic in the melee/hockey game at the Garden. On Saturday, Savvy again came to the defense of a teammate he saw in a precarious position. When former Bruins pylon/defenseman Andrew Alberts gave Sturm a cross-check to the head/neck, Boston’s leading point-getter over the last three years immediately attacked Alberts, setting off a nice little 5-on-5 scrum. While this wasn’t the all-out donnybrook the Stars game featured, it was the appropriate pushback needed after little energy on Thursday. The Bruins thrive on intimidation and cohesiveness – the very things moments like that create.

5.) Hockey teams ultimately go as far as the guy between the pipes will take them. Timmy Thomas has been fine over the two games. In the opener, the Bruins forgot to bring their defense and penalty kill. Ovechkin made them pay for that, and none of those goals were Thomas’ fault. On Saturday, he wasn’t called upon to make too many big saves, but he was ready and allowed the Bruins to open the floodgates early. He will benefit from a young, healthy backup in Tuukka Rask who will spell him more than Manny Fernandez could. At the same time, Tank is looking to nail down the starting spot on Team USA at the Olympics so he will be treating every game as the tryout he has been on all his life.

A few more days off before the Bruins play three games in five days to finish off the five-game homestand to open the season. The always-tough Anaheim Ducks come to town Thursday followed by the Islanders and Avalanche. The Bruins have a great chance to end this stretch at 4-1 and be in prime form heading out on the road for the first time this season.