The Boston Bruins are putting the slow start to 2011-12 about as far away in their rear-view mirrors as possible. The B’s notched their eighth win in a row by pummeling the New York Islanders by a score of 6-0. They’ve now out-scored opponents 42-14 during that jaw-dropping stretch. Tim Thomas took the 22-save shutout while Chris Kelly got in the scoring mix with two goals.
Amazingly, the Bruins remain behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres for the Northeast Division lead. The Leafs and Sabres have 24 points while Boston has 22, although the B’s hold two games in hand.
In a way, it echoes the point I made about the New York Rangers’ seven-game winning being over; there’s so much parity in the league that there’s rarely a dull moment - even for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Six of their next nine games come away from Boston, so the Bruins can’t sit back on their latest accomplishments.