Axelsson is closer to a return

WILMINGTON -- The playoffs all but a lost cause, the Bruins looked OK, even impressive at times, in their 5-4 win Saturday night over the vaunted Sabres.

Now, even better news: talented winger P.J. Axelsson, nursing a knee injury since the first game back after the Olympics, could be ready to play by the end of this week.

''It's getting better," said Axelsson, referring to his wrenched left knee, ''that's for sure."

Axelsson, a member of Sweden's gold medal squad in Torino, skated on his own here for nearly a half hour yesterday morning, and then joined his teammates for about 10 minutes of drills during the full-squad workout.

''It has taken longer than I'd hoped," said Axelsson, who initially figured he would be sidelined up to a couple of weeks. ''But I don't think I'm done for the year. I'm not going to be in there [tonight at the Garden vs. Florida], but I think by the end of the week it should be OK."

A day earlier, Axelsson was somewhat discouraged after participating in some one-on-one drills that included some light hitting and contact. But he reported no pain after yesterday's trial run.

''I got caught in a rut, and then I got hit," said Axelsson, describing how he injured the knee, and dismissing any thought that it might have been a result of Olympic fatigue. ''Just some bad luck . . . one of those things."

In the news conference Saturday night announcing the dismissal of Mike O'Connell as GM, team president Harry Sinden acknowledged the club was essentially out of playoff contention.

If that was a white flag, then coach Mike Sullivan refused to acknowledge it.

''From my standpoint," said Sullivan, ''it's not over until we are mathematically eliminated, and anything can happen. We'll play hard and try to win, and see where that takes us. Our focus isn't going to change."

Rookie defenseman Andrew Alberts, sidelined Saturday night by the flu, didn't suit up for practice and is highly unlikely to dress for tonight's match . . . Tonight is the final home game this month for the Bruins. The Leafs, Rangers, Capitals, and Canadiens visit next month, before the Causeway sheet is melted . . . Based on the buzz around town, there is no shortage of ex-Bruins, along with a healthy number of agents, ready to submit resumes in hopes of being O'Connell's successor. If the final decision is to keep Jeff Gorton on the job, with Charlie Jacobs assuming some of the more mundane GM responsibilities, ownership could opt to drop a fan favorite (think, for example: Ray Bourque or Cam Neely) into a visible management position as part of the fix. Their profiles, and voices, could be an asset in enticing some free agents to sign here -- a tricky proposition right now, given the failure of this season, as well as the stigma management has for beating up players in salary negotiations.