In two games last weekend, the Bruins were just about as Jekyll and Hyde as it gets. With Saturday's game with the Devils the team's only match of the weekend, there was only room for the good Bruins to emerge in New Jersey.

The Bruins were able to put up four unanswered goals in the second period, with each of the Bruins' four lines contributing a tally off of Martin Brodeur. Despite the positives that came from each one -- Jordan Caron had his first goal, the Seguin-Ryder connection continued to impress, Milan Lucic seemed well on his way to his desired 20 goals and Shawn Thornton scored for the first time in almost a calendar year -- goaltending was once again the story thanks to Tim Thomas' 31-save performance in the 4-1 victory. (Recap.)

The power play once again left plenty to be desired, going 0-for-3 on the night, but the penalty kill pulled the special teams' weight by looking strong on a 5-on-3 late in the first period. All in all, though, Saturday night was a case of an upward-trending team taking advantage of a struggling and tired Devils team that has played three games in four nights. 

It was a very positive night for the Bruins. Here are the three biggest story lines that emerged from it.    

THOMAS WON THE BATTLE OF VEZINAS, BUT WHAT OF THE BATTLE OF BOSTON NETMINDERS?

If the Bruins plan on honestly rewarding each goalie for impressive performances throughout the season, Tim Thomas had better be ready to start on Tuesday night in DC. For the second straight game, the 36-year-old looked more like a Vezina winner than a salary cap burden, as he limited the Ilya Kovalchuk-led Devils offense to one goal the entire game, a Dainius Zubrus tally in the second period. 

For Thomas, the meaning of this victory and performance goes well beyond the 31 saves he made on the night. A goaltending controversy, friendly competition or whatever one would like to call it was expected when the team didn't move Thomas in the offseason, but the common line of thinking was that Tuukka Rask would be the man for the B's for the majority of the season. That obviously could very well be the case, but Rask caught a bad break when the majority of the roster took the night off in front of him in the season-opener. Thomas got the start the next day, the Bruins woke up and the veteran goaltender seems ready to run with it.

Even with the season young, Thomas has good reason to play with a chip on his shoulder. Fans have rooted for him to impress for the reason of him boosting his trade value so the team can shed his $5 million cap hit. While it's only responsible for fans to monitor their team's payroll in the salary cap era, it should once again be noted that the Bruins are paying $6.25 million for arguably the best goaltending tandem in the league. 

Naturally, the pay may be a little lopsided in the case of Thomas and Rask ($1.25 million), but Bruins fans shouldn't have their hearts set on Thomas' departure until the team can be sure that Rask can handle an entire season's worth of hockey. For now, the team can only do what it says it intends to do, which is stick with the hot hand. Though he's just two games into the season, it doesn't get much hotter than one goal allowed on your first 60 shots. 

THE ROOKIES CAN PLAY … NOW

Jordan Caron grew up in Quebec watching another Quebec native in Martin Brodeur win Stanley Cups. On Saturday, the 19-year-old Caron scored his first career goal against Brodeur, but that's not the big story with the rookie winger. 

While everyone remembers his first NHL goal, particularly when it comes off a legend (Michael Ryder reminisced last week about scoring his first goal against Ed Belfour), Caron and the Bruins should be glad the youngster got it out of the way early. Mark Recchi could see Caron's nerves on the ice as the regular season inched closer, and Patrice Bergeron sat down with his fellow Quebec native to remind him of how much he could do at the NHL level. 

What is particularly encouraging about Caron's goal -- a rebound off a Johnny Boychuk shot from the point that Caron got to after crashing the net -- is that it came as a result of doing the things that got him to this point. Caron is sharp when there are other bodies around, and one of the main things that Bergeron discussed with the rookie is that he would be fine if he just kept playing his game. Caron has clearly listened, and it showed on Saturday night. 

Then there's Seguin. You just can't play the "look at how long it took Joe Thornton to make a difference" card with him. He's too talented, and quite frankly, he understands that his skills do translate to the NHL even at age 18. Michael Ryder was the beneficiary of those skills on Saturday when the rookie fired a pass from the boards to set up Ryder's first goal of the season, and it seems apparent at this point that the unlikely Recchi - Seguin - Ryder line is one that could be quite productive for the B's. 

Seguin and Caron are young and have a long way to go before they reach their ceilings, but the young scorers have proven that they have a lot to give this season. 

BRUINS ARE GETTING HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME

As is the case with viewing the goaltending, one shouldn't get carried away with the success of the Bruins in the last two games. Even so, with the next two games representing significant challenges against the Capitals, the Bruins should try to squeeze every drop of momentum from Saturday and last Sunday that they can. 

It isn't just about the team getting the maximum four points over the last two games -- it's about how they've done it: with impressive goaltending from Thomas and a formidable offense, as was on displayed on Saturday (to think, the Bruins could put four past Martin Brodeur and Nathan Horton wouldn't have any of of them). Now, with the Capitals on the horizon, the Bruins needs to push through and match the high-power Washington offense blow for blow.

Facing the Caps will be no easy task, as the Bruins will have their work cut out for them. The Alexander Ovechkin-led Washington squad is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over the Predators and is 4-1 on the season with eight points. 

The Bruins have their chance to show one of the Eastern Conference's elite teams that they're in the same realm. They've got plenty to build off of thanks to Saturday night.