Fight night at the Garden just what Bruins need

My oh my, this turned out to be a doosie. Now when you show up at the Garden for a Bruins and Stars tilt you aren't exactly thinking it will turn into a battle royal but the signs were there. Entering last night's game the Bruins had only been in two fights in their first 11 games. Players like Milan Lucic and Shawn Thornton had been asked about it and said things would change given the opportunity and by golly was there an opportunity.

With resident mongrel Steve Avery in the house you could have expected Avery to tangle with someone, and he did. However, the real pessimist turned out to be Steve Ott. It was actually comical listening to Jack Edwards just bash the coward, Ott until the cow came home. Steve Ott gave cheap shot after cheap shot and would not settle it with anyone. When Andrew Ference laid Ott out in the neutral zone the building vibrated (sorry for a another Edwards reference).

The Bruins were flat after the first two periods and it was looking as though they weren't there after a tough road trip. Even though they headed into the locker room with a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes it still didn't look like a team destined for greatness, or heck even a win. Then it happened, the stars aligned figuratively and literally and the Bruins started acting like a team we saw last season. A team that was there for one another and would play gritty and tough and not let anyone push them around.

Now the storyline of the game was clearly the physicality of the Bruins and the melee that ensued but hey, let's not forget to mention that there were five goals scored. Granted, Marty Turco could have had a couple of them but regardless five goals is five goals. Phil Kessel for one had a great goal when he was able to come down the right wing and execute his patented toe drag through the defense man's legs and beat Turco.

Also not to be lost in the scrums was the fact that Marco Sturm scored two goals last night. Sturm had been struggling immensely and it was good to see him pop in a couple. As we all know Sturm is a streaky scorer so let's hope he can carry this hot trend on as the Bruins move forward.

One final note I would like to pass on to everyone is the fact that Tim Thomas is a beast. Thomas is first in the NHL in Save %, tied for first in the league in shutouts (2) and second in the league in GAA with a 1.83. You think this guy is a journeyman goalie anymore? I didn't think so.