Kobasew gets back in groove
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ATLANTA - Chuck Kobasew's style - boundless energy, willingness to crash and bang in the dirty areas - usually keeps the right wing's play at a consistently high level.
But before Saturday's 4-2 win over Carolina, even Kobasew's game had fallen victim to a trough he normally eludes.
"It felt good," Kobasew said of his 17-shift, 14:03 workload against the Hurricanes. "I haven't been pleased with the way I've played the last handful of games. To put together a good effort was a good step."
In the final minute of Saturday's game, Carolina coach Paul Maurice pulled goalie Cam Ward for an extra skater. Boston's Claude Julien responded by sending Kobasew onto the ice, thinking an empty-net goal could help his flagging confidence. Marc Savard gained control of the puck and dished it to Kobasew, who winged it in for his sixth goal, his first in nearly a month.
"I really felt his game was pretty good tonight," Julien said after the 4-2 win. "After two periods, I felt he was one of the guys who was pretty good with the way he was working and the way he was creating out there. With that empty-netter, Savvy made the right play to reward a guy who probably deserved a goal. Nice to see him score that."
Before Saturday's win, Kobasew had gone 10 straight games without a goal. In contrast, he had put together a six-game scoring streak (4-3 -7) to close out November.
"Just overthinking, I think," Kobasew said of his December struggles. "I'd played with a bunch of guys, so I've been trying to read and react off different guys."
Last night, for the fourth straight game, Kobasew skated with P.J. Axelsson and Stephane Yelle on the third line. Kobasew, who had been playing with Patrice Bergeron before the center's concussion Dec. 20, said he's feeling more comfortable playing with the veteran Yelle. Kobasew skated 15 shifts for 12:06 of ice time, putting two shots on goal and delivering two hits.
Against Carolina, Kobasew was back in the middle of the action as he usually is when he's on his game. Kobasew recorded two shots and landed two hits, attracting the attention of the Hurricanes when he buzzed by Ward once after the goalie covered the puck.
"I wouldn't have done it if Chuck hadn't had a good game and was really trying to find his game a little bit," Julien said of sending Kobasew out for the empty-net attempt.
"I thought he was having a decent game. You could see he was finding his stride again and his confidence. I thought it was a great way to reward him, get that goal, and maybe get that monkey off his back a little bit. It's rewarding a player who probably deserved to be there at that time and hoping that he does get that break."
Ward originally suffered the sprain Nov. 29 against Detroit. After sitting out four games, Ward dressed Dec. 12 against the Thrashers, but he made it through only two shifts before returning to the dressing room.
"I don't know why, but the first time I went in against Atlanta, I wasn't that nervous," Ward said. "Tonight I was extremely nervous. I think part of it is that when a team's on a roll, you don't want to upset the balance."
Ward was paired mostly with Mark Stuart last night. In the first period, Ward launched himself off his left leg and belted forward Eric Boulton.
"Couple hits thrown and I survived, so that's a good sign," said Ward.
A minute earlier, while racing after a puck to uphold an icing call, Wideman got tangled up with Matt Lashoff and Carolina forward Scott Walker. Wideman lost an edge and slammed feet-first into the end boards. Fortunately for the Bruins, Wideman only had an equipment problem - the rivets popped out of his skates - instead of an injury.
Wideman, however, isn't against a sprint for the puck in an icing situation.
"What's the difference between two guys racing for a puck when it's icing and two guys racing for a dump-in?" Wideman asked. "You always talk about it's dangerous. I don't know. I might be stepping on some toes, but I'm not quite sure why it's so different.
"I guess there's more potential of getting tripped. Or I guess it's because you're just going for the puck instead of taking the body. It's tough. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if guys aren't going to get the puck, they pull up. If they know they're not going to get it, they're going to pull up. Maybe when it's that close, bad things happen."
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. 
