The two points were big – they always are in the shortened season – but what stood out on the ice Monday night in Ottawa (aside from Kaspars Daugavins attempting his fantastically unorthodox shootout move against Tuukka Rask) was the knee-on-knee collision between Chris Neil and Chris Kelly that knocked Kelly out of the game in the opening minute of the second period.  

It's no secret that this season hasn't been pretty for Kelly, who has followed a career-best 39 points and plus-33 rating with six points and a minus-6 through 23 games. While the extent of the injury is unknown, the image of Kelly being helped off the ice as he put no pressure on his left leg still had to serve as a reminder of how important he is to the Bruins and how big his loss would be.

Claude Julien offered no update on Kelly after the game, saying only that he would be staying with the Bruins as they traveled to Pittsburgh for Tuesday night’s game. Bob McKenzie of TSN, had a little more, tweeting the following: 

Accurate prognosis on Kelly knee injury not possible til swelling is down but initial reports lean towards no significant structural damage.

That’s good news for the B’s, and they’ll hope his time out of the lineup doesn’t last long. If he does miss time, they’d be without their third-line center, a guy who scored 20 goals a season ago, one of their penalty killers and an assistant captain. With the postseason a month and a half away, a longer loss would alter Peter Chiarelli’s trade deadline plans. The Bruins’ general manager would go from needing to add one forward to needing to add two, which might mean the resources might be stretched thin. And no, it wouldn’t be safe to assume that Carl Soderberg would be answer. His NHL experience (none) doesn’t exactly scream “guy who’s ready to step in and play a big role.”

If Kelly is unable to play Tuesday, the B’s will be able to get by with what they’ve got, potentially by sliding Rich Peverley to center and bringing Jay Pandolfo into the lineup. They could also bring up a guy from Providence (perhaps Ryan Spooner or Chris Bourque) as an option on the wing if Peverley moves to center. 

That all remains to be seen as the Bruins await word on just how troublesome Neil’s hit on Kelly’s knee was. Considering the season-long shakiness of the third line to begin with, being without Kelly would make what’s already been a generally weak link  -- though one that was starting to turn it around offensively with the addition of Jordan Caron Saturday -- even weaker. Despite the fact that he’s scored just twice this season, the B’s are far better with him than without him.   

SHOOTOUT POINTS BIG FOR B’S

The Bruins have been point-hoarders this season. Monday’s game, one in which they came back from a 2-0 lead, marked their latest come-from behind victory, and the B’s have gotten points in four of the five games in which they’ve trailed after the first period (2-1-2).

The shootout has also been big for the B’s in their quest to match pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference’s top teams despite having played two or three less games than them.

With David Krejci’s game-winner in the fourth round Monday night, the B’s improved to 3-1 in shootouts this season. That follows their 9-3 record in shootouts a season ago, proving their upward trend in an area in which they used to struggle mightily.

Prior to last year’s largely successful run in shootouts, the B’s were 16-21 in the previous three seasons. Claude Julien even admitted during the 2010-11 season after a shootout loss that the B’s simply weren’t sculpted to win games that way.

They have been the last two seasons, and it’s been helped the emergence of guys like Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand, the latter of whom had never been used in a shootout prior to this season but is a team-best 2-for-3 on shootout attempts this season. Krejci was the hero on Monday. 

You can argue whether or not you like shootouts (after watching Daugavins’ attempt, how could you not love them? Shootouts are hilarious!), but they carry with them an important point. In a season in which the Bruins have scrapped to get as many points they can despite maybe not having it that night (their start Monday would be a good example there), the three extra points they’ve gotten via the shootout is what separates them from being on pace to finish seven points ahead of the Canadiens and being on pace to finish one point ahead of them.