Identity crisis finally solved

"I said, like you guys, that it's looking more and more like Pittsburgh," acknowledged the Bruins coach. "But the one thing in the back of my mind the whole time was that Carolina's always been good at those last-minute rallies. To a certain extent, it didn't really surprise me, because they've been doing that quite a bit. Not just this year, but other years. The fact that they tied it up, you think it's going into overtime. But it wasn't meant to be."

So yesterday, after watching Jussi Jokinen tie the game at 18:40 and Eric Staal put the Hurricanes over the top with the winning strike with 31.7 seconds remaining, the Bruins got back to work with tomorrow's second-round opponent in mind.

It made a big difference.

"We were OK. I would leave it at that. Just OK," Julien said of Tuesday's practice and scrimmage. "Which, in my mind, was kind of normal. You're sitting here and you don't even know who you're playing. You saw that once the guys came in the dressing room this morning, they were excited. They even said they were excited, because they at least knew who their opponents were. In practice, there was a lot more jump and a lot more life."

The Bruins will use today's final practice to prepare for an uptempo Carolina club. The Hurricanes transition the puck quickly, activate their defensemen, and use their size up front to pressure opposing defensemen.

The Bruins went 4-0-0 against the Hurricanes during the regular season, outscoring Carolina, 18-6. However, Carolina has been far more dangerous during the stretch run.

"They crash the net hard," said Tim Thomas. "They're fast. They would like to get in the run-and-gun game, if at all possible. They came off a series where New Jersey was trying not to let them do that. That's been the way they've been the last couple years."

Ward, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP in 2005-06, went 4-3 with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage against the Devils. During the regular season, Ward won a franchise-record 39 games.

"He's a very, very intelligent young player," said ex-Hurricane Mark Recchi, a ring winner in 2006. "For a young goalie, he knows how to play the game properly. He's always square to the puck. He says, 'If I make a big save, I put myself out of position.' He's a great kid. He's got a great work ethic. He's still a young kid. He won the Cup when he was 22 years old."

"We won't be bragging about that game," the Carolina coach said.

However, Byron Bitz isn't likely to forget the game. The day before, Bitz was informed that he was headed to Boston from Providence. In the win, Bitz logged his first big league point by assisting on a Mark Stuart goal. He also had one shot and four hits. He hasn't been back to the minors since.

"Just remember being really excited," Bitz said. "I remember not sleeping much that night. I remember really enjoying it. It was a good game. We played well. I'll always remember that game."

Bitz, who appeared in Game 3 against Montreal when Milan Lucic served a one-match suspension, projects to be the healthy scratch up front when the second round opens.

"It's just a matter of keeping ready and doing all the things you have to do," Bitz said. "It could be unexpected. Someone can't go. Whatever it is, you've got to be ready. Even taking warm-ups, I still want to prepare for the games the same way and just be ready to go."