Second coming for No. 2 line?

ATLANTA - Of the 17 five-on-five goals the Bruins have scored in their last six games, only one has come from their second line.

On Nov. 29 at TD Banknorth Garden against the Red Wings, Patrice Bergeron dug the puck out of the corner, spotted Chuck Kobasew in the high slot, and passed to his right wing. Kobasew unloaded a shot that beat goalie Ty Conklin. That's been it.

"I think we're not creating as many chances offensively as we would like to, obviously," said Bergeron after yesterday's practice at Philips Arena. "We all want to contribute. I think the past two games have been better. We're staying in their zone more."

It was on Nov. 28 that coach Claude Julien switched Kobasew and Michael Ryder. While Ryder has found some chemistry with linemates Blake Wheeler and David Krejci, Bergeron, Kobasew, and P.J. Axelsson haven't generated the offense the Bruins expect from their second line.

Julien, however, has seen recent improvement, with a bang-bang rush against Washington Wednesday - goalie Brent Johnson kicked out consecutive shots by Bergeron and Kobasew in the first period.

"It's getting a little bit better," Julien said. "It's going to take a little bit of time. We've got one guy who was out for a whole year. You've got the other guy who missed the latter part of last year and the start of this year after one game. Guys have to find their groove again. It's like a player coming in halfway through the year. It's hard for him to catch up to the guys who have been going at it for two, three, four months. We've got to give them time, be patient, help them out, and let them work their way through. They've created a little more scoring chances, where before there were hardly any."

Bergeron, nearly a point-per-game player before suffering a season-ending concussion last year, has four goals and 12 assists through 28 games, tying defenseman Dennis Wideman for sixth on the team in scoring. Seven of Bergeron's 16 points have come on the power play, where he usually mans the left point.

While Bergeron has put last month's muscle pull behind him (it prevented him from taking faceoffs), the center's offensive struggles indicate he's still missing the timing that any player who's suffered a career-threatening injury might find elusive.

"I think what it is is that he's missed a year," Julien said. "It's going to take time. It's no different than an injured player that had his game at the level he wants. He's feeling fine. But I don't think his game is at the level where he wants it to be. He's going to need some time to do that. A couple games in, you get a few goals and you get your confidence back.

"We're being patient with him as far as that's concerned. We'll keep using him. He's still our No. 1 faceoff guy. He's still a good player for us. Is he at the peak of his game? I think he's not quite there yet. It's got nothing to do with him personally. It's the situation he's been put in."

Heart-warming

After practice, Marco Sturm peeled off his heart monitor and had gotten his heart rate up to 150 beats per minute, lower than the 190 b.p.m. he hit last week during practice, but that's a good thing.

By jacking up his heart rate so high last week (Sturm credited a bag skate under the watch of assistant coach Doug Houda), the left wing might have triggered a relapse of the whiplash-like symptoms that have curtailed his comeback.

So this time, Sturm is taking it easier, especially because he still feels pressure in his neck. Sturm said his return is based solely on how he feels.

Aaron Ward (ankle) also practiced and reported improvement. Sturm and Ward are considered day to day.

Checkmate

Zdeno Chara, usually a left defenseman, manned the right side Wednesday to shut down the trigger-happy Alex Ovechkin.

While Ovechkin scored an empty-net goal and assisted on linemate Nicklas Backstrom's power-play goal in the Capitals' 3-1 victory, he couldn't find much space against Chara, despite powering the defenseman to the ice during one confrontation.

The best indication of Chara's efficiency came in the third period when Ovechkin switched with Alexander Semin from left to right wing, hoping to shed his 6-foot-9-inch shadow.

"He wanted to get away from Z," Julien said. "I think Z did a great job. He got an assist on the power play off a shot from the point, and the other one's an empty-netter when Z isn't even on the ice. I think Z did a great job against him. I'm not sure he enjoyed having Z in his face all night."

Chara credited Ovechkin for being a hard competitor. Chara also said that defending Washington's top line is challenging because the Capitals like to stretch out opposing teams, sometimes putting all three forwards on the blue line.

"It's tough when you've got Ovechkin, Semin, and [Viktor ] Kozlov - all Russians and they post up on the blue line," Chara said. "You have to stand there with them."