ESPN

(Editor's note: The sixth in our end-of-season report card series on the 2011-2012 Bruins.)

BOSTON -- After spending the previous six games sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch, Joe Corvo found himself back in the lineup Thursday because fellow Boston Bruins blue liner Dennis Seidenberg was held out with an infection from a laceration on his leg. While Corvo -- who has struggled with just 25 points in 71 games -- didn’t like the fact his team lost 3-2 in a shootout, he was happy to be helping his team on the ice again.

“It felt good,” said Corvo who played 25 shifts for 20:03 of ice time. “Nobody likes to not be able to contribute to the team and just practice every day and not get to play in games. So, it felt good to be part of the team again in a game situation.”

Corvo felt he benefitted from some time above and came back with more focus on tightening up his game.

“I think the game shrinks down for you,” Corvo said. “You focus a lot more on each shift and actually, I guess end up playing a little better and a little tighter. That’s what I felt – I felt like my head was in the game the whole time because you don’t want to give anybody a reason to take you out of the lineup when you get a chance.”

With Seidenberg and now another defenseman in Adam McQuaid who was injured Thursday possibly being out of the lineup again this Saturday when the Bruins play the Islanders, Corvo is prepared should he get the call again from head coach Claude Julien.

“I don’t know what will happen with Adam or Dennis but I just show up and do my job every day and prepare to be in the lineup every day,” Corvo said. “I don’t come to the rink and warm up and think that I’m not playing. You have to prepare yourself in case something happens last minute.”

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins will be without the services of defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (leg laceration) Thursday night when the team hosts the Washington Capitals at TD Garden.

According to Bruins coach Claude Julien, Seidenberg suffered the laceration when a skate blade cut him last Saturday in Los Angeles, and it has now become infected. He was able to play the last two games, but the team’s medical staff thought it best to keep him out.

“They stitched it up and everything was good, but a little infection has gotten into it now,” explained Julien. “He’s on antibiotics, and to play it safe, we’re going to keep him out [tonight]. He’s day to day and it’s not long term.”

With Seidenberg absent from the lineup, Joe Corvo will be back on the ice against the Capitals. He’s been a healthy scratch for the last six games.

“Joe was pulled out when our team wasn’t going well,” Julien said. “I’m not saying it was easy to pick on him. Joe does a lot of good things offensively, and he makes good plays, he skates well, and that’s something our team has always needed.

“He’s as mobile as any defenseman we have here, probably one of the best, and he skates the puck up the ice well, also. He’s got a lot of good assets to his game, and the fact that he was pulled out when we weren’t going well, I know a lot of people have kind of assumed he’s the one that was the weak link. He wasn’t, and hopefully he has an opportunity to show that tonight.”

Seidenberg could be back in the lineup on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

“Hopefully we’ll have him next game,” Julien said.

Seidenberg missed the final four games of the 2009-2010 regular season, and all of the playoffs, after he suffered a lacerated tendon in his forearm.

The Stanley Cup's journey through Ontario ended last week, making a stop in Ottawa for visits with Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien, both natives of the Ottawa area, as well as director of amateur scouting Wayne Smith and Ottawa-based scouts Mike Chiarelli and Jack Higgins. The Cup then was shipped to Quebec City for Patrice Bergeron’s day, and then south to Atlantic City for Dennis Seidenberg’s day.

Seidenberg, who resides in south Jersey during the summer, brought the Cup to a local arena and out in the harbor, then held a private party at Caesars Atlantic City, where he and friends were able to drink champagne from the oldest bottle of champagne (1729) in the world out of the oldest sports trophy, the Stanley Cup. As Seidenberg told ESPNBoston.com late Wednesday afternoon, all of the ancient bubbly didn't find its intended target.

“It was pretty funny because we’re drinking the oldest champagne in the world and my buddy spilled it all over himself when he was drinking out of the Stanley Cup,” Seidenberg said. “We had a great time though. It was a busy but fun time.”

This past weekend, Patrice Bergeron had two days with the Stanley Cup in historic Quebec City, where he grew up cheering for the Nordiques and hoping to one day to hoist the Cup. Bergeron brought the Cup to his alma mater, Seminaire Saint-Francois, where the players on the school's midget AAA team unexpectedly got to pose with him and the Stanley Cup.

"We went to ... my old midget AAA team that I played for one year when I was 16 years old, and it's pretty much where it all started for me -- all the goals and big dreams of one day playing in the NHL -- so I wanted to give that opportunity to them,” Bergeron told the Bruins' website. "I called the organization and I told them I don’t want any kids to know about it, and that I wanted them to be surprised over it and it worked. Their reaction was fun."

He also visited a local children’s hospital and hoisted the silver chalice in front of an estimated 1,000 people at Espace 400e Bell in the Port du Quebec.

Chiarelli got to have his day with Lord Stanley on his 47th birthday (Aug. 5).

"At my uncle's place, there was a birthday party and they brought out a cake there at the end," Chiarelli told bostonbruins.com. "And then we went to the Marshes Golf and Country Club where my wife and I invited friends for a small gathering ... and there was another birthday cake there.”

Chiarelli also brought the Cup to his alma mater, the University of Ottawa Law School, the Nepean Corona School of Gymnastics where his wife and daughter both trained, and as any good Canadian would, to a local Tim Horton’s.

Coach Claude Julien also was able to spend some quality time with family, friends and the Cup, but he made sure to take the trophy to a spot it had visited before.

"We just started off the morning and took the Cup across the street to the Rideau Canal," Julien told Bostonbruins.com. "We wanted to get a little family picture with [daughter] Katryna and [wife] Karen and myself with us by the canal, and with the Parliament building in the background. It was pretty neat because the first time that Cup was won by the Ottawa Senators one of the players ended up throwing it into the canal. From what I hear the coach ended up having to fish it out. That’s probably something pretty unique, but that’s something that happened there, so I was right next to the canal where that happened."

The Stanley Cup is continuing its travels this week and still will have days with Tim Thomas (Flint, Mich.), Mark Recchi (Kamloops, British Columbia, Milan Lucic (Vancouver), Shane Hnidy (Neepawa, Manitoba) and Johnny Boychuk (Edmonton) before coming back east to be with Adam McQuaid (Prince Edward Island), Brad Marchand (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Michael Ryder (Newfoundland) and Andrew Ference (Boston).

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Boston Bruins held a spirited practice Friday afternoon at the University of British Columbia and afterward Patrice Bergeron and Dennis Seidenberg met with the media to discuss the team’s preparation for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday at Rogers Arena.

Also, during one of the TV timeouts in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, a native of Germany, had a message for fellow native son and Vancouver Canucks' Christian Ehrhoff. Seidenberg is also German and got a laugh from it:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks will take to the ice tonight for Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena. The wait is over. The Bruins are in the final for the first time in 21 years and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972.

The Black and Gold enter the series as heavy underdogs but if they want to prove the critics wrong they must start by following these three keys in Game 1:

Set the tone early: The Canucks have been off for a week after clinching the Western Conference with a 3-2 double overtime win over San Jose in the wee hours of May 25. Yes, they’re rested, but they could be rusty as well and the Bruins must find that out by setting the tempo early. Boston must dictate the game to the Canucks and try and take what will be a raucous crowd out of the equation as soon as possible. If they can head to the first intermission with a lead or even tied, they will be in good shape. Setting the tone early will drain the energy out of the Canucks and their fans.

Stay disciplined and control emotions: The emotions and excitement level will be high when Game 1 begins and the Bruins must do their best to stay in control. Of course, they can channel that emotion into motivation and energy. But the Bruins must be sure to keep their emotions in check and not be too aggressive and end up in the penalty box. They don’t want to give Vancouver any chances on the man-advantage where they are scoring at a 28.3 percent clip. The Bruins need to make sure they don’t get carried away in the excitement and spotlight of the game and just play hockey.

Don’t get too caught up with the Sedin twins: Henrik and Daniel Sedin are the most dynamic and talented tandem in the NHL. It would be very easy for the Bruins to just focus their whole game plan around the Sedins and forget about the rest of what is a very deep and skilled Canucks lineup. The Bruins must play their game and not let the Sedin twins determine how they play. There is also Ryan Kesler and plenty of other players in the Canucks’ lineup to worry about, so just revolving your plans around the Sedins won’t beat the Canucks.

PHILDELPHIA -- On Friday, Germany pulled off a huge upset at the World Championships in Slovakia beating Russia 2-0. Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg was thrilled to learn of his countrymen’s big win, but didn’t seem to mind not being a part of it.

“Very surprising and I heard they played a really good game,” a smiling Seidenberg said after the Bruins 7-3 Game 1 win in which Seidenberg had two assists. “I heard that they weren’t really that lucky and that they played really solid and they played really hard. But I’m very happy to be here.”

Seidenberg, who now has a goal and three assists in the playoffs, is enjoying every moment of the postseason. Seidenberg had to watch the playoffs from the press box last spring as his team beat Buffalo in six games but blew a 3-0 series lead and lost in seven to the Flyers in the second round.

“It’s been fun and like I said before, I was sitting up there just being really uncomfortable just being able to watch,” Seidenberg said. “Being able to play now and help the team is just a lot of fun and a good experience. Playoffs is a fun time and everybody’s energized again so it’s fun playing.”

Head coach Claude Julien also sees Seidenberg’s game coming together at the right time.

“Well he was really again solid for us tonight,” Julien said. “I liked his game. He was solid, he was physical, he was strong, and give him credit. He set up some of the goals that we scored early in the game. He was pinching, and he did a great job of pinching, carrying the puck behind the net, and made a great play from there on in.

But he’s been a pretty good player for us all year, and there’s no doubt we missed him through the playoffs all last year. But he’s showing his worth right now, and we’re happy to have him.”

Seidenberg is also enjoying playing with Zdeno Chara, who he was originally paired with when he was traded to Boston from Florida at the 2009 NHL trade deadline. The two have been reunited again in the playoffs and Seidenberg likes the chemistry.

“It’s been seamless from last year when we played together and this year it’s been great again,” Seidenberg said of his blue line partner. “It’s been easy and a good transition and it’s been working out well.”

For the rest of the series to work out well, Seidenberg said the Bruins just have to do what they did Saturday and that’s play their game and not worry about what the Flyers do.

“We were focused on playing our game and not what they do,” Seidenberg said. “Sticking to our game plan and staying with it for the most part. That’s what we have to do and if we do it, we’ll be fine.”

BOSTON -- The Bruins were given Easter Sunday off after producing a solid effort in a 2-1 double-overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Saturday night at TD Garden.

Bruins coach Claude Julien said Sunday he has already turned the page on Game 5 and is focused on Game 6 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Boston leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2.

A few topics Julien spoke about were the improved play of forward Milan Lucic and the major contributions from defenseman Dennis Seidenberg:

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg is hoping this spring will be better than the last.

When the veteran blueliner was acquired from the Florida Panthers on March 3, 2010, he was looking forward to a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs with Boston. On April 3, however, he suffered a lacerated tendon during a game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto when an opponent’s skate sliced his left wrist.

He was rushed to the hospital and the cut was sutured. Fortunately, he was OK and even attempted to play the next game against the Capitals in Washington, D.C. He was having trouble gripping his stick and noticed a lump in his forearm. When the Bruins returned from the road trip, he had more tests, including an MRI that revealed the lacerated tendon.

With only four games remaining in the regular season, and the playoffs on the horizon, Seidenberg had season-ending surgery. He was a valuable member of the Bruins’ defensive unit and he had to watch from the press box while Boston defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup conference quarterfinals. If the Bruins had advanced to the conference finals, Seidenberg would have been able to play, but that never happened as Boston fell to the Flyers in Eastern Conference semifinals in devastating fashion, blowing a 3-0 series lead.

“I was a lost puppy up there,” Seidenberg said, referring to watching the games from press level. “I hated watching, so I would walk around as much as possible. It makes me nervous watching hockey games, especially from up top because you think you’re the best player ever because it looks so easy. I chose not to watch as much as I could. It wasn’t a good feeling because I wanted to go out there and play.

“I didn’t know what to feel. I played the whole season just to get into the playoffs and was looking forward to a deep playoff run, but it didn’t happen. This year hopefully everybody stays healthy. I think we have a great team with depth and we feel if we perform the right way, I think we can go far.”

He’s been a major contributor to this season’s team, too, and he’s knocking on wood (literally) that he remains healthy for the final six games of the regular season, because he realizes the potential of this team.

“We still have three games to go until I get to where I was last year [at the time of the injury],” he said. “Everybody feels the energy, including myself and everybody’s getting excited to get started. Hopefully everyone remains healthy and that’s the main thing.”

Another reason Seidenberg was disappointed with his season coming to an abrupt end last spring was due to the fact he was about to become an unrestricted free agent and was looking for a long-term deal. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli knew it would be a smart move to lock up Seidenberg with a four-year deal worth $13 million.

From a security standpoint, Seidenberg got what he wanted. Now, he wants an opportunity to hoist the Stanley Cup over his head.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “Look at the team, we have great young guys coming up, a lot of draft picks coming up and I think the next few years Peter put together a team that’s built for the future, not just now, but for the next few years.”

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- The Bruins clinched a playoff spot for the fourth straight season with their 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Sunday night, but their job is far from done. While they're not going to sweat any losses in their last seven games -- a stretch that starts Tuesday night against Chicago -- they are still playing to win while also polishing their game so they are ready for the playoffs.

"It's always nice to make it in and it's been a process from day one, from Vermont to Prague, and here we are with seven games left and we're still trying to do some things to make sure that we're on top of things before the playoffs," said Mark Recchi, who moved into 12th all time in regular-season points Sunday with an assist on Brad Marchand's winning goal. "The guys are doing a good job and we've got another big test [Tuesday]. We want to be good and we want to play some great hockey and build some momentum.

"We've got to keep this thing going. We played three good games out of our last four and we want to keep the momentum going. We want to make sure come playoff time, we're not trying to find our game, we're actually there and we'll be ready for it."

Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg agreed with Recchi and said the Bruins' goal is to win, but also to make sure any weaknesses in the team's game are addressed.

"Our goal is still to win every game and every time we hit the ice we want to win, but the main focus is to keep being consistent with our play and keep getting better at being consistent," Seidenberg said. "We need to prepare ourselves well for the playoffs. [Sunday] was a tight, playoff-like game. We were down first and then we pulled it out and won late, so that's a test passed. Then we got the power play going too and that's huge. Now we just need to keep cleaning up other areas that need work and keep playing like it's the playoffs at the same time."

There are still numerous possibilities as to whom the Bruins may face in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The players definitely pay attention to the standings and examine different scenarios, but as Seidenberg pointed out, they can really only control their own performance and make sure they're ready to play anyone.

"We definitely look at the standings and there's like three or four possibilities right now, but really it doesn't matter who we play at the end because if you want to win the Stanley Cup, you have to beat anyone," Seidenberg said. "We have to be prepared for anything, and really it's about us and how we play in the last seven games."

While the Bruins will continue to play to win, coach Claude Julien also will use the last seven games to get players such as defensemen Steven Kampfer, a frequent healthy scratch recently, and Shane Hnidy, who is recovering from a rotator cuff injury, into the lineup so that they're ready for the playoffs if called upon.

"It's nice to clinch with more than just a game or two left in the season," Julien said. "Right now, the challenge is going to be to keep our game going in the right direction, and not get complacent and comfortable, and hopefully get into the playoffs with confidence and the team firing on all cylinders.

"I think down the road, you're going to see us moving some of those guys in there and we're going to try to make sure we keep everybody more or less in the loop. But at the same time, you want to make sure that you have a roster that you feel comfortable with. We're going to try to balance that out, whether it's goaltenders, whether it's Ds or even forwards for that matter."

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins almost did it again against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Bruins erased a two-goal deficit by scoring a pair of goals 13 seconds apart in the second period Saturday afternoon, but the Penguins netted the eventual game-winning goal early in the third and held on for a 3-2 victory at TD Garden.

The teams played Monday in Pittsburgh and the Bruins erased a two-goal deficit in the third period and then embarrassed the Penguins en route to a 4-2 victory. The Penguins did not allow that to happen again Saturday.

After the Penguins took a 2-0 lead on goals by Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, the Bruins’ Dennis Seidenberg and Michael Ryder tied the game with goals at 11:28 and 11:41 of the second period. Pittsburgh’s Jordan Stall netted a goal at 3:25 of the third that proved to be the game-winner to snap Boston’s three-game winning streak.

PRESSURE COOKER: The Penguins’ Matt Cooke will forever be a wanted man in Boston. Everyone in New England hockey country knows he’s the one who landed a blindsided hit on Bruins forward Marc Savard that resulted in a Grade 2 concussion on March 7, 2010 in Pittsburgh. Every time he touches the puck during a game at the Garden, Cooke gets booed. Even on the ice, Bruins players take liberties any chance they get. In fact, twice during Saturday’s game Cooke was asked to drop the gloves, by the Bruins’ Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk, and both times Cooke skated away.

SCARY MOMENT: With 12:50 remaining in the third period, Savard controlled the puck in the offensive zone when he took a hit from the Penguins’ Deryk Engelland and went head-first into the boards. Savard remained on the ice, holding his head and needed to be attended to. The fans in the building were quiet and, fortunately, he made it to the bench on his own and continued to play.

A BLOODY SATURDAY: Bruins defenseman Steven Kampfer was hit in the face by a high stick early in the second period and needed to be attended to by team trainer Don DelNegro. There was a lot of blood on the ice and the rookie did not return. The Bruins earned a four-minute power play on the infraction but did not capitalize and registered only three shots.

CREAMY SOUP: Bruins forward Gregory Campbell isn’t afraid to drop the gloves and he proved that again Saturday afternoon when he went toe-to-toe with the Penguins’ Craig Adams in the first period. Campbell connected on a few rapid-fire punches, and when it ended, Adams went to the box and Campbell went the Bruins’ locker room.

M*A*S*H UNIT: The Bruins were without forward Milan Lucic and defenseman Andrew Ference on Saturday afternoon against the Penguins. Both recently suffered upper-body injuries. It was the third game Lucic has missed and it was Ference’s first with their respective injuries. Bruins coach Claude Julien said both are progressing.

“Good,” Julien said before the game. “Progressing as we had hoped and they’re day-to-day.”

Lucic and rehabbing defenseman Mark Stuart (broken finger) skated at the Garden on Saturday morning.

UP NEXT: The Bruins will host the Carolina Hurricanes in a matinee game at 1 p.m. ET on Monday at the Garden.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- With the Bruins mired in a slump, losing four of their last five games and playing without the energy, passion and intensity needed to win in the NHL, the vultures have been circling above head coach Claude Julien with plenty of media and fan speculation that the 2009 Jack Adams Award winner may be on his way out. But on Wednesday morning, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told 98.5 The Sports Hub that, as far as he was concerned, Julien's job was safe. And in the afternoon, Bruins players scoffed at the talk that their bench boss should be canned.

"It's BS! That's what I think," veteran defenseman Andrew Ference said. "That's why I don't read that [expletive]. We're not talking about it. The only opinion I care about is in this room, whether it's about my game, a coach or a teammate. I don't give [expletive] what anybody else says. It's about what people in our locker room say, because that's all that matters.

"I could care less what anyone else thinks because they're not in this locker room and they don't know what's going on. They really don't know anything. It's not a shot. Its just reality. There is stuff that goes on that people love to guess at and speculate at, but they don't know."

Veteran forward Shawn Thornton said he understands the "blame the coach" mentality but that he doesn't agree with it.

"When things go a little downhill in any big market, I think people look for an excuse and will jump on any little thing and snowball it," Thornton said. "I don't think it's warranted and ultimately it comes down to individuals and us as players to show up every night and play. It has nothing to do with the other stuff. There's going to be nights in an 82-game season where you don't have it and hopefully the other 19 guys have it and pull it up for you. That's human nature. Sometimes your legs just aren't there but your effort and your intensity and passion can be there every night, and I think it's upon us to bring that, not the coach. That's just a stupid excuse as far as I'm concerned."

Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg said he doesn't enjoy hearing his coach's name tossed around as a scapegoat either, and blames himself and his teammates, not Julien.

"I think we're responsible for the way we play, and if he puts out a game plan and we don't follow it, it should be our fault. It's annoying to hear all this," he said.

Seidenberg has been part of a team that saw the coach get fired before. He was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes when Peter Laviolette -- who two seasons earlier had won a Stanley Cup with Carolina -- was fired. The German rear guard recalled a very "empty" and culpable feeling.

"I remember Laviolette coming to the rink and telling us he was released from his job and it was hard because we knew as a team we didn't do our job and you're partly responsible for him getting fired. It's a weird, bad feeling."

For his part, Julien said he was happy to hear about the support from Chiarelli and his players, but that he also understands times like these are part of being a head coach in the NHL and professional sports.

"You always appreciate support. That's important," Julien said. "But right now my job is coaching this hockey club. Whatever is being said out there and however it goes is out of my control. I come in here every day with the same intentions and that's to coach this hockey club -- and make them as successful as I can.

"That's the way it goes. It's the nature of the beast and we all know that as coaches. That comes around every once in a while. I don't let that get to me. I come in and coach the same way. I'm going to do what I do the best I can.

"I hear what's going on out there," he added. "But I'm certainly not listening or reading because that's not a helpful thing for me. The only thing you can do is keep going forward."

The Bruins suffered their second straight loss after another rough start, allowing three first-period goals in a 4-1 loss to the Thrashers. Boston seems to be lacking emotion at the beginning of games and it won’t get any easier as the Bruins face the Flyers on Wednesday and Tampa Bay on Thursday. Here are five thoughts from afar on what went wrong in Atlanta:

Bad start -- again: Once again, the Bruins came out flat and this time they found themselves down 3-0 after one period. The B's appeared to be skating in quicksand as they couldn’t carry the puck out of their zone with any success and committed numerous turnovers, two of which led to first-period Atlanta goals.

The Bruins have now allowed the first goal in five straight games and in 10 of their last 11 contests. They were outshot 12-10 in the first period, and while they came alive halfway through the second, scoring a goal and outshooting the Thrashers 17-8 in the middle period, they allowed a goal with 12 seconds left and trailed 4-1 headed to the third.

Boston outshot Atlanta 41-26 overall but this pattern of slow starts needs to stop. With goals hard to come by, the Bruins can’t afford to constantly play from behind.

Stuart-Seidenberg pairing struggles: Defensemen Mark Stuart and Dennis Seidenberg had particularly tough starts as they were on the ice for the first three Atlanta goals. Stuart finished the game at minus-2 and Seidenberg was minus-3. Both are going to need to be better in their own zone, especially Seidenberg, who is being counted on as a No. 2-caliber defenseman after reupping with the Bruins for four seasons and $3.2 million per. Coach Claude Julien mixed up the defensive pairings for the remainder of the game, but both Stuart and Seidenberg need to be better.

Lack of chemistry hurts: By no means is this an excuse for the Bruins' poor performance, but there was a clear lack of chemistry on the forward lines. With Jordan Caron and David Krejci out with the flu, Claude Julien was forced to shuffle his lines, inserting rookie Jamie Arniel into the lineup for his first NHL game. Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder showed some of the chemistry they shared during the 2008-09 season but they clearly missed Krejci in the middle. Arniel finished a minus-1 in 12:26 with three shots on goal.

Also lacking was chemistry on the power play as the Bruins went 0-for-4. The power play has been anemic all season and won’t be corrected until the Bruins start shooting more on the man-advantage. They really need to find a quarterback on the power play. When Marc Savard gets back, he may fill that role, but the team really needs a solid, puck-moving defenseman.

Paille on the outs? Daniel Paille proved to be a great pickup by general manager Peter Chiarelli early last season as he was a versatile, strong defensive forward who thrived on the Bruins' successful penalty kill. But this season, rookies Brad Marchand and Caron bounced Paille up to the press box as a frequent healthy scratch. When he has played, Paille hasn’t delivered the strong defensive presence he did last season.

On Sunday he also lacked discipline when he hit rookie forward Alexander Burmistrov from behind, leading to a Thrashers power-play goal that put Atlanta back up by three headed to the final period. With Chiarelli having to clear $1.1 million in cap space for Savard’s pending return, it may be time to either trade or waive Paille and his $1 million hit.

Atlanta is for real: Although hardly anyone is noticing them, even in their own city, the Atlanta Thrashers are for real. They made that painfully clear to the Bruins and are making it known around the league, winning five straight and leap-frogging the Bruins into the seventh slot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Former Bruins assistant coach Craig Ramsay is an early candidate for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year, and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien (four points Sunday) is an early Norris Trophy candidate for best defenseman, despite being used as a forward in Chicago.

Five thoughts and observations after watching the Bruins shut out the Ottawa Senators, 4-0, on Saturday night in Ottawa.

1. "Tank" Thomas in the zone and into the record books with "Tiny": Is Tim Thomas going to give up another goal? Probably. But it will be a well-earned goal, and when it happens is anyone's guess. Thomas made 29 saves for his second straight shutout and third this season. Thomas also entered the team record books by becoming the first goalie since Tiny Thompson 73 years ago to start the season 6-0-0. After the game, he announced that his new nickname is "Tank" Thomas.

"Tank" entered the league record books as well. Thomas has the lowest goals-against average of any goalie in the first six games of a season in the expansion era. Thomas is only the second goalie in the expansion era (since 1967-68) with at least three shutouts in his first six games of a season. He hasn't allowed a goal since Jason Chimera scooped up his errant pass with 9:27 left in a 3-2 win over Washington on Oct. 21 and has a shutout streak of 130:33 going. His .50 GAA is the lowest for a goalie who won his first six games of a season in the expansion era.

If Thomas isn't named NHL player of the month, the league needs to figure out what the qualifications are for that award. Thomas is seeing the puck so well right now and his positioning is superb. He is by far the Bruins' MVP thus far.

2. Transition game and speed creating offense: One of the biggest differences with the Bruins this season has been their improved transition game and speed, specifically that of rookie Tyler Seguin, who scored his third goal of the season and second in the last two games with a power-play tally 13:55 into the second period. Dennis Seidenberg threaded the neutral zone with a pass up ice to Mark Recchi, and as Recchi gained control of the puck, Seguin went into another gear, blazing toward the net and taking the pass from Recchi to beat Ottawa goalie Brian Elliot. But that goal wasn't the one generated by speed and an improved transition game. Both Milan Lucic and Jordan Caron scored on breakaways and the Bruins created turnover after turnover with a brilliant forecheck.

The Bruins have opponents on their heels and thinking twice right now. That wasn't the case for most of last season.

3. Point Distribution shows offensive depth: Eight different Bruins had points Saturday night, and the point distribution in the 4-0 win was another reason this team is off to a 6-2-0 start. David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin and Jordan Caron lit the lamp for the Bruins. Meanwhile, Krejci, Mark Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg had helpers for the Black and Gold. This is another example of how deep this Bruins squad is. Even the fourth line of Brad Marchand-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton has been effective, as evidenced on Saturday with 49:11 of ice time and four shots total. Julien can roll four lines each game and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal.

4. Penalty kill: While Ottawa didn't exactly bring a lethal power play into Saturday night's game, the Bruins' penalty kill once again did the job, killing all three of the Senators' power plays and making sure Ottawa didn't gain momentum through the man-advantage.

The Bruins have the best penalty kill in the NHL right now with a 93.1 percent success rate and have allowed only two power play goals on 29 attempts. Also of note with the penalty kill is that rookie Jordan Caron continues to impress with his puck sense and instinct, and has been one of the team's best penalty killers. With the Bruins in need of clearing cap space, Caron's play on the penalty kill may make forward Daniel Paille expendable.

5. Seidenberg finding his stride: After missing the final four games of last season and then 13 playoff games with a wrist injury, Dennis Seidenberg is making up for lost time. Seidenberg assisted on Tyler Seguin's goal Saturday night and now has four helpers this season. But maybe his biggest effect has been his willingness to sacrifice for the team as he had six blocked shots in the win over Ottawa. He seems to be fully recovered from the wrist injury and ready to be an important part of the Bruins' blue line.

WILMINGTON, Mass. -- After a devastating 4-0 loss to the Flyers in Game 5 Monday night at the Garden, the Bruins are practicing at Ristuccia Arena this morning before traveling to Philadelphia this afternoon.

The line combinations remain the same. Injured defensemen Adam McQuaid (lower body) and Dennis Seidenberg (forearm) skated with the team's strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides prior to practice.