There was no question over who stole the show when Tuukka Rask led the Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the Maple Leafs Monday night in Toronto (recap). Rask made 36 saves and shut the Leafs down in a hectic third period in a performance the B's needed just as badly as he did. 

Claude Julien made the diciest of moves when he pulled Rask from his first start in over two weeks after just one period Saturday, and the B's coach spoke after the game of how confidence was an issue with the youngster. The reaction to that was obvious, with all of New England noting that displaying a lack of trust isn't a good way to mend a young player's psyche. 

On Monday, the B's displayed the faith in Rask that they didn't in Buffalo. They gave him a reminder of how important he is to the team, and he went out and reminded the league that he still has the tools to be one of the league's most feared netminders to play against. 

Rask prevented the Leafs from tying it up on multiple occasions in a third period that saw Toronto outshoot Boston, 18-9. When he stopped a pair of shots from Phil Kessel and a follow-up from Tyler Bozak early on in the third, it was clear Rask was in the midst of the type of performance the 2010-11 Bruins generally get from one Timothy Thomas Jr.

The Bruins may not be desperate for such performances now, but they will be at some point this year. They've gotten dominance from Thomas all season, and though they haven't gotten Rask to provide the same, if and when his number is increasingly called as the season progresses, they are going to need him to be more than a backup. As long as his starts in the meantime come a bit more often than every 17 days, they could be in position to get it. 

Here's the Hat Trick:  

A LOOK AT WHAT THE BRUINS DO FOR TUUKKA

Earlier in the season, there was something to be said for the Bruins not showing up consistently in front of Rask. Given that they scored just two goals for him Monday, the progress the team has made on that front is worth a closer look. While they haven't been as quiet offensively in front of Rask as they were in the first month of the season, they have still scored less goals per night in front of Rask than they have in front of Thomas. 

Offensive showings of four or more goals vs. the Panthers and Islanders (as well as the first period of Satuday's game vs. the Sabres) have worked to somewhat counter the six goals they gave him over his first four starts. While they're averaging just 2.53 goals per game in front of Rask (including the scoring they've done in Rask's fractions of games -- their four in the first period vs. Buffalo and their three in the third period vs. the Capitals on Nov. 5), the number is trending in the right direction.  

Moreover, the Bruins' goal-scorers haven't hit the snooze button with Rask in net, and in the case of Nathan Horton, they've produced more while playing in front of the 23-year-old. Thanks to the good people in the WEEI.com stat truck, here is how the responsibility falls regarding the goals scored in front of Rask this season. Notice that despite the fact that Rask has played in less than a third of the Bruins' games this season, Horton has scored nearly half of his 12 goals in front of the Finnish netminder. 

Horton: 5

Lucic: 5

Ryder: 4

Chara: 3

Marchand: 2

Thornton: 2

Campbell, Wheeler, Bergeron, Krejci, Seidenberg, Ference, Savard: 1

For the season, the Bruins are averaging 2.87 goals per game, good for 14th in the league. Despite a few games' worth of fiery offensive showings (which have come against some of the league's worst teams in the Islanders, Panthers and Sabres) the 2.53 goals of support per game would rank 28th in the NHL if that were the team's nightly output. 

TOP LINE FINALLY GETS RESULTS 

Nathan Horton's drought is over, Marc Savard's drought is over and to the dry-erase board the hockey warehouse workers go to reset the "Milan Lucic Has Gone ___ Days Without a Point" count.

The top line of Lucic-Savard-Horton had shown plenty of signs of breaking out of their existence-long slump since last Thursday's shootout loss to the Thrashers, which was the team's first game since Julien benched Horton and Savard down the stretch vs. Tampa Bay. Despite their improved play over the two games entering Monday, they still remained without a goal since Julien formed the line in practice on Dec. 21. 

The most encouraging sign of the night was that all three members of the line showed up on the scoring sheet after really struggling to do so, but if there's one player the team really needed production from, it was Horton. If there's anybody who predicted over the summer that anyone other than Horton would lead the team in goals, they did it very quietly, because the expectation that he'd produce upwards of 30-something goals was ubiquitous. 

The sign from Horton that he is playing better, and didn't just get a lucky bounce or two to finally pick up some offensive stats, is the way he achieved them. He moved the puck well, positioned himself in the high slot to score the type of goal Bruins fans saw earlier in the season from him, and his motor was running as well as that of anybody on the ice.  

Now, to say Horton wasn't struggling over a good chunk of his statistical disappearance is an exercise in ignorance. While Horton's play has been improved dramatically over the last three games (he flashed a performance Monday night that was reminiscent of his three-goal showing over two games in Prague), his low points this season have been apparent to the point where even he admitted his struggles. 

Just as his roadbumps have been obvious when they've come, it usually doesn't take long to notice when Horton's at the top of his game. That's been clearer through the last few games, and sustained success from No. 18 generally means more victories for the Bruins (eight of his 12 goals have come in games in which the B's came away with at least a point). 

ROAD, SWEET ROAD

The Bruins capped their five-game road trip with another two points, and finished with points in each game they played en route to grabbing eight of a possible 10 points. In their shootout loss to the Thrashers, they played well enough to get both points, and in their shootout loss to the Sabres, Buffalo played poorly enough to give them both points, but the Bruins have plenty of reason to be pleased with their overall results. 

With their win over the Leafs, the Bruins are now tied with the Rangers, Flyers, and Penguins for 27 road points, which is tops in the league. The Bruins have done it in 20 road games, while the Rangers have played 21 and both the Penguins and Flyers have played 19. 

While the B's road record is reason enough to consider them one of the league's better teams, it is also a major factor in why they lead their division. The Bruins have the only road record in the Northeast division above .500. The B's 12-5-3 mark in road games trumps the Canadiens' 9-11-0 record outside of Montreal, as well as the losing road records of the Senators, Sabres and Leafs.