The Bruins technically never led in Monday's 3-2 shootout victory over the Panthers (recap), but they got what they needed from the contest: two points and sudden bragging rights around the Northeast division. 

The B's came back in the third period once again -- the second time they've done so against the Panthers at BankAtlantic Center in as many chances this season --  and after David Krejci tied the game at two with his second of the contest, Blake Wheeler made the first leg of the Florida trip a success when he scored the shootout's lone goal.

With the Lightning and Thrashers up next, it will be interesting to see if Tuukka Rask really goes seven games without seeing the ice. Tim Thomas was masterful against the Panthers, but in giving him the start, the B's sat Rask for a fifth consecutive game, his longest stretch without a start this season. 

Here's the Hat Trick:

BRUINS MOVE INTO FIRST IN DIVISION

After last Monday's game, the sky was falling. Exactly one week later, the Bruins are in first place in the Northeast division. 

With the victory, the Bruins, who entered Monday eighth in the Eastern conference, now have 42 points this season. That ties them with the Canadiens, who were idle Monday. The fact that the B's have played 34 games to the Habs' 36 means they have a superior points percentage and thus win out in the tiebreaker. They are now the No. 3 team in the conference. 

Of course, the Bruins' lead in the division is far from cause for a city-wide celebration. Given that they were able to retain their key free agents while adding the likes of Nathan Horton and Tyler Seguin, it was hard to not see them as the Northeast favorites entering the season. Even so, with the Habs having lost six of their last eight, it will be interesting if the Bruins can add a bit of separation in the points department. Both teams will play on Tuesday and Thursday.

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES

While the other reshuffled lines continue to try to search for a groove, the Wheeler - Krejci - Ryder line has found it, or found it again.  

It wasn't immediate, as they spent the early-going failing to click on opportunities, but once they hit their stride, the line that impressed two seasons ago -- who, by the way, wear the grey jerseys in practice to signify the third line -- looked more like a first line. 

Krejci had both of the Bruins' goals, while Wheeler's individual effort made the difference in the shootout. As a unit, they were the best line on the ice Monday. Ryder, who has been under-appreciated throughout the town and the league all season, grabbed assists on each of Krejci's goals. His five shots on goal were second only to Krejci's six for most on the Bruins.

"I think as they game when on, they got better and better," Claude Julien told NESN after the game, noting that he observed some "over-passing" in the first few shifts. "They created some things tonight and they got better. They were big for us."

Krejci nearly had the hat trick late in overtime when he was stopped twice by Scott Clemmensen. Instead, he settled for his fourth career two-goal game and second of the season (Dec. 2 vs. Lightning). 

The Bruins continue to await the jelling of their other offensive units. Milan Lucic had nine hits but zero shots, while Nathan Horton and Marc Savard were the only Bruins players with a minus-2 rating. On the second line, Mark Recchi failed to get a shot on goal for the fourth time in the last eight games. 

The Bruins are still figuring things out offensively, but while they do, it's encouraging to see that one of their lines might already be there. 

BRUINS WISE TO COMPARE EACH GAME TO ATLANTA

Don't say the Bruins aren't using last week's Atlanta game as a barometer for future contests, but then again, why wouldn't they aim to play every game as well as they did last Thursday? The Bruins showed all of Boston, as well as any out-of-town doubters watching, that they can be, in Mark Recchi's words, a "miserable" opponent. Now it's about living up that standard. 

"Did we play as good as we did against Atlanta? No," Tim Thomas said in his post-game NESN interview. "Our goal is to play as good as we did against Atlanta every game, so we've still got a little bit of work to do."

That's the attitude the B's will need if they truly want to ride last week to future success. Monday's contest wasn't a 60-minute display of dominance like the 4-1 win over the Thrashers on Dec. 23, but it was a game in which the Bruins were able to get two points despite having to play from behind. Given that the game had its bright spots and its ugly spots (Steven Kampfer's turnover that led to a David Booth goal, for example), the Bruins can hold this win up to their last and know that they are capable of far better. Chances are, they'll be able to do that with most of their wins moving forward, because unless Thursday is a shot-for-shot replica of last Thursday, you aren't going to find many games as momentum-shifting and statement-making as last week's win. 

The Bruins have proof that they can be a miserable opponent, and if they can take that approach with them into each game, they'll be in good shape to improve regardless of how pretty the wins are.