Will it be Jordan Caron or Benoit Pouliot in the lineup Saturday against the Maple Leafs? The latter is healthy and ready to return from his illness, but the former may have nabbed the job for himself for the time being. 

Unlike the other Bruins' first-round pick on the team (Tyler Seguin), Caron, chosen 25th overall in 2009, can't rely on elite speed to take him through the neutral zone or split the D with ease. If Caron isn't doing the little things, he isn't doing his job. Now, he's coming off a game in which he did the little things very well. 

"I really liked the way he played last game," coach Claude Julien said of Caron on Thursday. "I thought that the little things he did, he did well. He's a power forward that is strong on the puck and is also pretty good around the net area. I thinking tipping and finding loose pucks has been his strength. I like his game." 

Caron was on the ice for the Senators' first two goals Tuesday, starting off with a minus-2 rating despite having less than two minutes of ice time. As the game went on, he helped erase that ugly number, and ended up playing a pretty big role in the Bruins' victory.

With Rich Peverley circling around the net with the puck and setting Chris Kelly up for a one-timer from the high slot in the second period, Caron got in front of the net to battle with a pair of Ottawa players and screen Craig Anderson as the puck sailed past a group of bodies on its way into the net, giving the Bruins a 3-2 lead. Getting in front and creating issues for the opponent isn't the type of thing that shows up on the score sheet, but it's the type of thing that could keep Caron in the lineup. Caron was later in on the play that saw Peverley dish the puck to Caron, who gave it to Johnny Boychuk to set up yet another tie-breaking goal.

In a season that hasn't' seen anything overwhelmingly good or bad for the second-year player, Tuesday's was the type of performance that both gives him confidence in his game and earns him some more playing time. 

"I think it's always good to contribute," Caron said. "Even though I didn't score or anything, I think it felt pretty good to be on the ice for a [couple of] goals for. A few games before that, we had chances, but it wasn't going in, but last game it didn't, so it was fun."  

Tuesday was Caron's second consecutive game in the lineup. He played on the third line in the season-opener, but didn't get back into the lineup until David Krejci's core injury got him three games in a row. Pouliot's illness got him in the lineup Saturday and Tuesday, and Caron said Thursday he can definitely feel a difference when he gets the opportunity to string multiple games together rather than being in one game and out the next. 

"I think it was hard to be in and out of the lineup at the start for confidence and stuff, but now that I've gotten a few games in a row, I think I've felt pretty good," Caron said. "I just want to keep going the same way. Of course, there's going to be ups and downs in the season, but I think everybody goes through that. I've just got to work through it and don't get too many of those." 

Caron and Pouliot obviously offer two different skill sets. Pouliot is an inch taller but about 10 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Caron, with Caron bringing more responsibility in his own end and Pouliot still having yet to see his pure offensive skill translate into big numbers for a full season.

“It's good. It's good competition,” Caron said. “We just need to play our game. They're the ones who are going to make the decisions in the end, so we just need to go out there and play. 

“I think we have different games and styles,” Caron said of himself and Pouliot. “For my part, I just want to play my game and do what I can. The coaching staff and those guys are going to be the ones that are going to make the decision in the end, so I just need to play.” 

After initially being credited with a secondary assist on Boychuk's goal, Caron had the point taken away. That means through six games, he joins Pouliot as the only skaters on the roster to have not registered a point this season. It remains to be seen whether Caron or Pouliot will be given the chance to get their first point Saturday.