Of his four shots that failed to go into the net Saturday, the one that had Glen Metropolit shaking his head after the 3-2 shootout victory over Atlanta involved a bang-bang front-of-the-net sequence in the second period.
"Happened right at the side of the net and went right across the goal line," Metropolit said. "[Chuck Kobasew] was going there and he missed it. I missed it. I feel that once one goes in, they'll keep going. It's not time to get frustrated. Just keep working and they're going to come."
Despite the shutout Atlanta goalie Johan Hedberg stuck on Boston's No. 2 line of Metropolit, Kobasew, and Marco Sturm, the threesome was the team's most effective attacking unit against the Thrashers. Kobasew, playing in his second game after missing two with an injured groin, showed no rust in his skates. Metropolit was a presence in the offensive zone and was also solid in the faceoff circle, winning 14 of 19 draws.
But coach Claude Julien believes the key has been Sturm, whose legs have been especially sprightly during Boston's six-game winning streak.
"I think a lot of that is that Marco Sturm has really been playing well as of late," said Julien. "I think that really gives that line a much bigger threat."
Sturm has at least one point in each of the last seven games (3-7 -10). In Boston's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh, when Sturm scored two goals on seven shots, the left wing used his wheels to open up space on the outside. Sturm now leads the Bruins with 22 goals, putting him on pace to score 28, matching the career high he set in 2002-03 with San Jose.
"If we can generate some stuff, that's great," Metropolit said. "When we're working hard down low, their D-men have to put sticks out there to contain us. We've gotten some calls our way too, so that's good. Sturmy's a great player. So is Chucky. We kind of know what to do out there."
The line has also earned Julien's trust defensively. Sturm (plus-10) trails only P.J. Axelsson (plus-14) among forwards in plus-minus, while Kobasew is No. 3 with a plus-9. Against the Thrashers, Metropolit played 3:10 on the penalty kill, second-most for forwards behind Axelsson (3:45). Julien mostly has used Axelsson, Marc Savard, and Glen Murray against opposing No. 1 lines, but Metropolit's unit also has seen time when top attackers have been on the ice.
"Not only are they playing well down low, but they are called upon to play against top lines at times," said Julien. "I trust them equally as far being able to do that job."
Thomas recovers
After a 40-minute performance against Florida Feb. 21 when he let in four goals on 12 shots, the Boston bosses were rightfully concerned about Tim Thomas.
The Bruins' No. 1 goalie, however, has looked nothing like he did against the Panthers in his last three starts. Thomas has gone 3-0-0 with a 1.03 goals-against average and a .962 save percentage.
"Comfortable," said Thomas, who most likely will start tonight against Washington at the
New faces
For the third straight game, the Bruins will face off against a club that underwent a significant makeover at last Tuesday's trade deadline. The Capitals will feature forwards Sergei Fedorov (one assist in two games with Washington) and Matt Cooke and goalie Cristobal Huet (18-save shutout in his Capitals debut last Friday). This season, Huet went 3-0-0 against the Bruins while with Montreal, posting a 1.67 GAA and a .943 save percentage . . . Considering the Bruins' winning streak, it's expected that Peter Schaefer, Petteri Nokelainen, and Bobby Allen will continue to serve as the healthy scratches tonight . . . Julien gave his players yesterday off.
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com.
