Rolston checks in with a theory

Bruins center Brian Rolston has always been self-deprecating about his scoring as he produces points in wild streaks. Sometimes the speedy forward has it going and sometimes he doesn't.

When he scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday, it marked his first goal in 13 games. His linemates were also struggling to find the back of the net. After last night's 4-2 win over Ottawa, left wing P.J. Axelsson has gone 17 games without a tally and right wing Marty Lapointe has one goal in nine games. Rolston said some of it is due to coach Mike Sullivan using them in more of a checking role.

"I think for the most part Sully has been doing that," said Rolston. "There have been games where Joe [Thornton's] line has played against the other team's top line but for the most part, we've played against the top lines. Your role does kind of change. You can't sniff for opportunities as much. You've got to play more on the conservative side, but you'll get your chances. We're still getting scoring chances but it's a different role."

That is not a foreign concept to Rolston, who frequently has been tapped to use his speed in a role more designed to prevent goals than score them.

"That's how I started my career," said Rolston, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. "For the majority of my career, even though I was starting to put up more points, I was still used in that defensive role a lot of times. With the more scoring that we've added, it's fine. We're winning, that's the most important. It doesn't bother me in the least."

Sullivan said he's not worried about Axelsson's drought, given the winger's other contributions.

"I just talked to him on the ice," said Sullivan, after the morning skate yesterday. "I thought the last game he played was the best game he's played in three months. When he's skating and pursuing the puck, when he's active on the penalty kill, he's an invaluable part of our team. Obviously when he scores, it's a bonus for us. It's nice to get that balanced attack."

Sullivan said he understands that a different role can account for their lack of output, and that may change depending on the opponent.

"They have [played a lot of defensive hockey] over the last three or four weeks," said the coach. "They've played against a lot of the other team's top lines. Some people don't take notice of that. They certainly play a little bit of a safer game. I think they've done a great job when they have played against other team's top lines. They have the ability to do that because of the speed they bring and the experience they have and their ability to play at both ends of the rink. They also have the ability to score so they do pose a threat offensively, but when you play against other teams' top lines, there are other objectives in mind."

Last night, Rolston's line went up against the formidable combination of Daniel Alfredsson, Bryan Smolinski, and Peter Bondra and kept them off the scoreboard at even strength.

Up-and-down action

Speaking of streaks, right wing Glen Murray has had a roller-coaster season. Consider this: He had one goal in his first 12 games, six in his next seven, five in his next 17, zero in the next 10, 16 in the next 19, and with a tally last night in the third period, has two goals in his last 10 outings . . . Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, who missed three games because of a charley horse, returned to the lineup . . . According to the Ottawa Sun, Senators center Jason Spezza, at age 20, reached a financial milestone when he scored goal No. 20 Saturday against Carolina. Spezza had a clause in his contract that triggered a $3.85 million bonus . . . Lapointe twisted his ankle slightly while he and Axelsson were combining to check Bondra. After the game he said it was sore, but he expected it to be fine . . . Thornton, who was unavailable for comment after the game, had a strong night in the faceoff circle, winning 14 and losing only four . . . The Mass. Alliance for the Promotion of Sportsmanship announced its student-athlete awards between periods. The winners: Chris Woods, Dan McGinley, Derek Darcy, Scott Fitzemeyer, Stephen Rappa, Matt Annese, Christopher Garofalo, Joel Orlando, Eugene Lawrence, Steve Kilcoyne, Jacob Sebastiao, Shawn Keefe, Tim McPherson, Sean Meany, Michael Coskren, Chris Carpenter, Kenneth Hanchett, John Cadigan, David Chase, Steven Hart, Nick Zukowski, Sean McFee, Trevor Fronius, Christina Sweeney, Lee-Jay Mirasolo, and Katianne Martell . . . Individual game tickets for home games one and two of the Bruins' Eastern Conference playoff quarterfinal series will go on sale this morning at 11 at the FleetCenter box office, on the team's website at www.bostonbruins.com, by phone at 617-624-BEAR, and at all TicketMaster outlets.