A happy return for Bergeron

The Bruins put on an improved offensive show, leading from start to finish to win an important game, 4-2, over the Ottawa Senators at the FleetCenter last night. And, although his name did not appear on the scoresheet, the return of Patrice Bergeron, who had missed 11 games with a separated left shoulder, boosted the attack.

The 18-year-old forward, who was injured Feb. 24 against the New York Islanders, took 18 shifts, played 13 minutes 43 seconds, and showed plenty of zip, especially for the first time back in a month.

"He had to be in top physical shape right from the start to do that," said coach Mike Sullivan. "He looked great. He made things happen out there. We just kept using him. We wanted to ease him in, but he played a lot of minutes. He's just the kind of guy you want to throw over the boards. For an 18-year-old, he's mature beyond his years. He's just going to get better."

Bergeron, who had 16 goals and 20 assists in his first 64 games, first came onto the ice with veteran Ted Donato and tough guy Doug Doull. But it wasn't long before he saw some action with center Michael Nylander and winger Sergei Samsonov, the trio that soon could become the Bruins' second line. Bergeron, who played on the power play, too, was also out with other linemates as Sullivan shuffled him around all night.

"I expected to be ready for everything," said Bergeron, the pleasant surprise of the season as a second-round pick who made the team right out of training camp. "I thought I'd go out there and do well. I wanted to do more things, but I've got six [regular-season] games left to get my timing down. I'll be ready for the playoffs. I'll be OK. The six games will help.

"The game is always quicker than practice, but I didn't feel like I was out of the flow. I was really happy with the win. This is a huge week for us [Toronto comes to the Fleet tomorrow, followed by Montreal Saturday]. This is a different team with [recent additions] Sergei Gonchar and Michael Nylander. This is a pretty good hockey team, and it's awesome to be a part of it. Sergei is just an awesome player, and Nylander is great with the puck. They are big additions to the team."

Neither Gonchar, a defenseman, nor Nylander, a center, were with the Bruins when Bergeron went out, and he marveled at the depth of the club he returned to.

"As long as I get ice time, I don't care who I play with," he said. "We have so many good forwards, I'm happy to play with anybody here. This was my first injury, the first time I didn't play. I didn't really want to rest, but I took it as a rest."

Bergeron has a history with Ottawa. Both defenseman Anton Volchenkov (dislocated shoulder, suffered Dec. 8), and winger Vaclav Varada (left knee injury, Dec. 13) were knocked out for the season on clean checks by Bergeron. Senators defenseman Zdeno Chara was called for slashing Bergeron at 10:55 of the first period, but that was the only unpleasantness that came the Boston rookie's way. "With my shoulder, I didn't want to think about it," said Bergeron, who did not shy away from the physical stuff. "If there was a play to make, I made it."