At just the right time, the Bruins were able to cross some important items off their holiday “to do” list while skating to a 2-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday. (Recap.)
 
Boston needed offensive production from its top-line forwards. Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm delivered just such spark with third-period goals.

With the team searching for solid goaltending, Tim Thomas responded with a perfect 29-save performance for his fourth shutout of the season and 10th consecutive victory against the Senators.

Most importantly, burdened by a winless streak that had reached four games, the Bruins put together some previously disjointed pieces to take an important division win.

After stumbling in road losses in Chicago and Toronto, the Bruins patiently waited for their chances on Monday. Their offense was far from overwhelming, they needed some breaks on defense and the power play (0-3) continues to show a whole lot more fizzle than sizzle, but the B’s nonetheless headed home having earned a respectable three of six possible points on the road.

With Thomas looking to end a road winless stretch that dated back to October 24, Bruins coach Claude Julien reminded his star goalie Monday morning that a winning streak begins with a single win. That also holds true for the Bruins, who now have the chance to bolster some shaken confidence,  to get some key players back into the lineup and to build upon a night in which top players played like top players.

Here are three things that allowed the Bruins to right their course on Monday.
 
THOMAS STILL OWNS THE SENATORS

It would be tough to measure which, ultimately, was more important to the Bruins on Monday: having their top offensive players get in gear, or having Thomas get back in the win column.

Let’s first go with getting the goaltender right.

Thomas has not played poorly, but he also has not stepped up to win games singlehandedly for the Bruins this year that they otherwise should have lost. Having moved between the pipes Monday and helped to secure a big win with a strong performance, Thomas could be ready to resume the role of a difference maker.

“He’s struggled in the win column lately and it’s been hard on his morale,” Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters after the game. “Somehow we felt this was a great opportunity for him to continue to play well against Ottawa. He was outstanding tonight; he played the kind of game we know he can play. Hopefully he can build on that.”

For his part, Thomas was at a loss to explain his 10-game winning streak against the Senators.

"That's 10 in a row? I had no idea,” Thomas told reporters. “I don't know. I like the nice crisp air when we come visit here. When you step out of the hotel I think it has the cleanest smelling air around, but it doesn’t explain (continuing the streak) in Boston.”

What Thomas does know is that he is ready to keep moving in the right direction.

“I just want to get to the point where I'm playing like I know can play,” he said. “I've been working at it and building to get there and I'm not that far off from the difference between good and great. Hopefully this is a step and I can build off of it."

Thomas also had a strong defensive effort in front of him, which included a goal-saving clear by Johnny Boychuk when Thomas was out of position in the second period.

NEW LINES HELPED TO END A DROUGHT

After a 2-0 shutout loss in Toronto Saturday, Julien continued to look for line combinations to jumpstart the Bruins offense on Monday.

First, Steve Begin moved onto Marc Savard’s line, along with Sturm. Then, Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler went back to skating with David Krejci while Bergeron continued to skate with Mark Recchi on the right wing with Daniel Paille on the left. Finally, Byron Bitz skated with Vladimir Sobotka and Shawn Thornton.

The new combinations provided some early pressure as the Bruins gained a 4-1 shot advantage in the opening minutes and ultimately outshot Ottawa 12-11 in the first period, though they couldn’t beat Ottawa goalie Brian Elliott through much of the game.

But Thomas bought the offense time by making 23 saves to keep the game scoreless through two periods. That left the Bruins in position to claim two points when they ended a five-period scoring drought early in the third period.

Things began with Bitz finishing a check behind the Ottawa net, forcing the Senators to turn the puck over to Thornton in the high slot. He quickly whisked a shot that Elliott steered aside, but the rebound went to Bergeron in the low slot and he fired it into the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead 3:19 into the period.

Just under 10 minutes later, Savard made a tremendous cross-ice breakout pass from deep in the Bruins zone to Sturm at center. Sturm fended off a check before beating Elliott for an insurance goal that provided the final margin of victory.

It wasn’t instant offense, but it was offense nonetheless. Savard notched his first point in six games, while Sturm delivered a goal for the first time in six contests.

“We were patient, we knew we weren’t there yet,” said Julien. “There were some things that we were doing that were probably from fear, when you don’t score much or have not won in a while, there’s a little bit of fear that sets in. Once we got that first goal we got a little more comfortable, things started to go a little better.”

DIVISION DOMINANCE IS CRITICAL FOR THE BRUINS

The first two games between the teams the B’s and Senators were decided in the shootout, and Monday’s contest was also a tossup for most of the night.

The easy wins, fun nights and near certainty of making the playoffs that was the usual course for the Bruins last season are not likely to be the norm for the balance of this season. The Bruins have not been nearly as good, and the rest of the teams in the Northeast Division are all shaping up to remain in the battle for playoff spots.

The Sabres have been solid for most of the year. Meanwhile, the Senators, Canadiens and even the Maple Leafs are becoming increasingly competitive.

Monday’s win gives the Bruins a 7-2-1 record against Northeast Division opponents, including three wins against the Senators and two wins against the Sabres.
While they have meandered at times this season, the Bruins seem to get things in order when facing division opponents.