It’s been a rough year for Providence, as the Bruins top affiliate has had to deal with a string of injuries of its own as well as losing players to the big club as Boston has dealt with its own lengthy injured list. But with both Boston and Providence slowly but surely getting healthy again, the Baby B’s have started to show some signs of life.

After scoring just seven total goals in five games, Providence broke out with eight goals in Springfield on Saturday. This afternoon, the Bruins continued their domination of the Falcons, winning the back end of the home-and-home series 6-0. In eight games against their division rival, the Bruins are now 7-1-0-0, having outscored Springfield 35-12.

They’ve now won three of their last four games (all against Springfield) to pull to .500 at 23-23-3-0. Springfield is mired in last place in the Atlantic Division at 16-26-8-2.

Eight players picked up points today, with captain Trent Whitfield, who was sent back to Providence earlier this week after Marc Savard and Byron Bitz returned to the Bruins lineup, leading the way with two goals and two assists. Brad Marchand, who recent returned himself from a foot injury, added a goal and two assists, while Zach Hamill and Jamie Arniel each had a goal and an assist.

Providence was 2 of 6 on the power play, giving them seven power-play goals in the last two days, while Dany Sabourin made 28 saves for the shutout.

The Baby B’s had Adam McQuaid back on the blue line for this one, as the bruising stay-at-home defenseman was sent back by Boston in the morning. McQuaid, who was 0-0-0 with 14 penalty minutes and two fighting majors in eight games with the big club, had no points and one shot in today’s win.

Providence still has plenty of ground to make up. They’re seventh in the eight-team Atlantic, 16 points behind first-place Manchester. But they’re only six points behind fourth-place Portland and have time to make a run for a playoff spot. They can gain ground on Portland when they return to action on Friday, hosting the Pirates.

Final: Los Angeles 3, Boston 2 (Kings win shootout 3-2)

Another improved effort – after a sluggish first period anyway – and another disappointing final result for the Bruins. They did get a point for the first time in six games, and actually climbed from 12^th to ninth in East with the single point they got. They can thank Mark Stuart for that, as his crushing hit on Anze Kopitar in the second period woke up the Bruins, got the building rocking and helped the Bruins take a small, but important step in the right direction.

Records: Boston 23-21-9, 55 points; Los Angeles 32-19-3, 67 points

Revisiting the Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Unleash Lucic – It was Stuart, not Milan Lucic, that provided the emotional spark and set the physical tone in this one. Lucic wasn’t horrible, as he was credited with three hits in 14:47 and nearly had a goal in the first, clanging a shot off the post off a feed from Marc Savard. But it was hardly a vintage Lucic performance, as he had just one shot and took a bad cross-checking penalty that led to LA’s first goal. The Bruins need the vintage Lucic to reappear, and soon.

2. Keep Kopitar in check – Stuart did his best by blasting Kopitar once, but to his credit Kopitar shook that hit off. He set up the Kings first goal in the first and scored the game-tying goal in the third. It was the second straight game against the Bruins that he scored in the third to force overtime. And just like in LA, Kopitar scored in the shootout, this time with a filthy move as he cut to his left, then reached back to tuck the puck in around Tim Thomas.

3. Make the refs earn their paycheck – The Bruins accomplished this one, as they drew seven penalties on the day. That’s the most power-play chances they’ve had in a game since a Dec. 4 game against Montreal. They went 0 for 7 that day and appeared headed for a similar result in this one with no goals on their first five opportunities. But they scored on their final two power plays, giving them just enough offense to earn a point. They gave the refs a little too much to do though, committing five minors themselves. One of them negated half of a four-minute power play, while the Kings converted two of the four man-advantage chances.

Quote of the Night:

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, on the feeling after earning a point in a shootout loss:

“We’ve worked our way back to the level of frustration at least,” said Thomas. “I think we were beyond frustration before and we’ve had two games where we’ve played really hard and worked really hard. We got one point tonight. I sure wish we could have finished it off, but we’re heading in the right direction.”

Key Play of the Game:

It’s already been mentioned, but there’s no doubt that the turning point of this game came at 4:58 of the second when Stuart laid out Kopitar. The Bruins had been flat before that and the Garden was dead. Both the team and the building sprung to life after Stuart belted Kopitar, then duked it out with Wayne Simmonds. The Bruins couldn’t convert the ensuing four-minute power play, but they struck with the man-advantage a little later and battled LA even the rest of the way.

Fight Card:

There was just the one fight in this one, with Simmonds picking up the instigator (plus a second minor penalty for instigating while wearing a visor) as he immediately raced over to challenge Stuart after the hit on Kopitar. Stuart obliged, and while it was a short bout, it was a spirited one with both players throwing right hands with mean intentions before falling.

History Lesson:

The Bruins are 1-8-2 in their last 11 and 0-5-2 in the last seven – their longest losing streak since 1997, when they went 0-7-0 from March 17 to April 3 en route to the league’s worst record and the right to select Joe Thornton first overall. They’ve also lost six straight at home, the second-longest home losing streak in history, trailing only an 11-game home skid in 1924-25. The Kings, meanwhile, have won six straight on the road, their second longest such streak in franchise history, behind only an eight-game run in 1974-75.

Flynn’s Finest:

Marco Sturm made a triumphant return as he scored Boston’s first goal in his first game back after missing six games with a leg injury. Sturm showed no ill effects from the injury, as he was his usual speedy self flying down the wing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. It was Marc Savard, however, who set up Sturm’s power-play strike, as Drew Doughty’s clearing attempt hit a linesman and Savard pounced on the loose puck and fed it over to Sturm. Sturm held it for several long seconds, allowing Doughty to slide past before firing it home. It was Savard’s second straight game with an assist in his first two games back from a knee injury. He also added five shots and scored in the shootout (as did Michael Ryder), while Bergeron had a team-high seven shots and dominated the face-off circle, winning 15 of 22 draws (68 percent). Steve Begin also returned to the lineup with a solid effort, dishing out four hits and winning 3 of 4 draws in 9:37. Stuart also had three hits, including the game-changer on Kopitar, and three blocked shots.

Flynn’s Sin Bin:

The power play finally struck for two goals, but it was pretty ugly on the first five attempts. The Bruins didn’t even manage a shot on their first two chances, and finished with just six total shots on the seven power plays. It was their first game with two power-play goals since Jan. 5, but they had a chance to do a lot more damage and if they had, they wouldn’t have had to settle for just one point. Blake Wheeler was nearly invisible, failing to record a single shot, hit or any other stat despite playing 15:59, including 3:18 on the power play. He also failed on his shootout attempt. Zdeno Chara was given the opening shot of the shootout, but flubbed his attempt as he misfired on a slapper in close for a very ugly way to start the shootout. Wheeler’s linemates didn’t do much either, as Ryder and David Krejci each finished without a shot, though Krejci did set up Recchi’s power-play goal. Krejci was also just 2 of 12 (17 percent) on draws and took a bad hooking call in the third. The lack of discipline was widespread, with Thomas taking a bad high-sticking call, Lucic going off for cross-checking, Stuart for slashing and Savard for hooking. Savard was lucky he didn’t get called for diving for exaggerating a tripping call later. Dennis Wideman didn’t finish a minus (no one did, as there were no even-strength goals in the game, but still …), though he was on the ice for Kopitar’s power-play goal and did have three more giveaways in a game-high 28:24 (why again is he still playing this much?). Byron Bitz only played 5:45, but didn’t have a shot and just one hit. Yet he was the reason Shawn Thornton was a healthy scratch for the first time this year. That move was simply a horrible message for coach Claude Julien to send to his team. Thornton isn’t the most talented guy on the team, but in a season marked by questionable commitment and effort from many Bruins, Thornton is one of the few guys on the team to give an honest effort each and every night. He’s also one of the few vocal leaders left on the team, a role desperately needed as the Bruins try to claw out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves. But if he’s not going to be in the lineup, that veteran voice will be greatly muted.

Next: The Bruins continue their homestand when they take on Eastern Conference leader Washington on Tuesday.

Down on the Farm: The Providence Bruins enjoyed an offensive breakout as they rolled to an 8-2 win at Springfield. The eight goals were a season-high for the Baby B’s, who had scored seven goals total in their previous five games. Nine players picked up points, seven had multiple points and six different players scored goals as Providence improved to 22-23-3-0. Mikko Lehtonen and Jordan Knackstedt each had two goals, Brad Marchand tallied a goal and two assists, Jeff Penner and Andy Wozniewski added a goal and an assist each and Alain Goulet and Trent Whitfield each chipped in two assists. These Bruins had no trouble on the power play, converting 5 of 6 chances, while Jamie Arniel also scored on a penalty shot. Kevin Regan (South Boston, Mass.) made 22 saves for the win and tough guy Lane MacDermid was busy with bouts against Jake Taylor and Alex Plante. The Baby B’s return home tomorrow to face Springfield (16-25-8-2) in the back end of a home-and-home series.

BOSTON – It was a step in the right direction, but just a baby step.

The Bruins need to make some serious leaps forward in the near future, but they’ll have to settle for this small stride for now as they at least earned a point with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Kings.

“We’re really pushing to get some wins here,” said coach Claude Julien. “We competed better. We had better opportunities. … We’re better. We’re coming around. It’s just that right now the end result means so much to us. That’s the part that’s disappointing.”

The Bruins took their first lead of the game 1:20 into the third, cashing in on their second-straight power-play chance. David Krejci maneuvered around Michal Handzus down the right boards and fed it out from to Mark Recchi, who redirected it in for a 2-1 lead.

That lead didn’t last long, as LA answered with a power-play strike of its own after Krejci was whistled for hooking. With Handzus providing the screen in front, Anze Kopitar fired in a wrister from the right circle at 4:29 to make it 2-2.

It stayed that until the shootout, which lasted six rounds before Jarret Stoll scored the game-winner for the Kings. Michael Ryder and Marc Savard had the shootout goals for Boston, while Kopitar and Ryan Smyth also scored for LA.

BOSTON – The Bruins finally showed a pulse in the second period.

Mark Stuart gave the club a much-needed jump-start when he nailed Anze Kopitar with a beautiful hit at the LA blue line. Wayne Simmonds took exception and dropped the gloves with Stuart. It was a quick, even bout as both players threw a few hard rights before falling, but the Bruins came out winners when Simmonds was hit for instigating, plus another minor for instigating with a visor. That gave the Bruins a four-minute power play.

Boston didn’t accomplish much with that, as Tim Thomas took a bad high-sticking penalty after a whistle to negate half of the advantage. The Bruins still couldn’t convert when Rob Scuderi went off for cross-checking, giving them a 5-on-3 for 30 seconds.

But the sixth time was the charm for the Bruins. After going 0 fot 5 on the power play, they finally converted after Brandon Segal was called for delay of game for clearing the puck over the glass. Boston caught a break from the officials for a change, as Drew Doughty’s clear hit the linesman and stayed in. Marc Savard then feed it over to Marco Sturm all alone in front. Sturm held it seemingly forever, allowing Doughty to slide past before firing in a wrister to make it 1-1 at 15:16.

Both teams had other chances to score in the second. Simmonds had a goal called back after replay ruled his tip in was a high stick, while Zdeno Chara clanged a post with a point shot. Sturm nearly had a second goal on a short-handed bid after Savard went off for hooking.

Savard was lucky not to get a second penalty. He could have easily been called for diving when he greatly exaggerated a trip by Scott Parse with 20 seconds left in the period. Instead, only Parse was called and the Bruins will open the third with 1:40 left on their seventh power play.

The seven power plays are the most Boston has had since a Dec. 4 game against Montreal. They were 0 for 7 that night. Their season-high was eight power play against Carolina on Oct. 3. They also had a season-high four power-play goals in that 7-2 win.

BOSTON – Not much good to say about that first period.

The Bruins aren’t playing horribly, but they certainly aren’t playing with the kind of desperation and intensity they need to break out of their 10-game malaise. Boston had its chances early, as they had a pair of power plays in the first 8:06. It usually takes this team a week to draw two penalties. Not that it mattered much, as the Bruins didn’t manage to get a single shot on goal on either opportunity.

While the Bruins couldn’t get a shot in four minutes of power-play time, the Kings needed just a couple seconds to fire one in on Tim Thomas when they got their first power-play chance. Thomas made the save on Jarret Stoll’s slapper off the face-off win to start the power play, but he couldn’t do anything to stop Dustin Brown’s tip-in of an Anze Kopitar shot seconds later as LA took a 1-0 lead at 12:06.

Lucic’s penalty was a borderline call, but it was an unnecessary risk to take as he was whistled for cross-checking. Mark Stuart was also guilty of an undisciplined penalty later in the first when he was sent off for slashing, but the Kings couldn’t cash in on that chance.

Thomas kept Boston close with some key saves late, including back-to-back stops on Wayne Simmonds, who had a pair of in-close chances at the top of the crease with 1:28 left.

Lucic nearly tied it with 6:30 remaining off a feed from Marc Savard, but Lucic’s shot clanged off the near left post from the low slot.

Marco Sturm and Steve Begin have looked good in their returns to the lineup. Sturm is skating well and doesn’t appear to have lost any speed from his leg injury, while Begin already has a pair of hits.

BOSTON – The Bruins are slowly getting healthy.

After getting Marc Savard and Byron Bitz back last night, Boston welcomes back Marco Sturm and Steve Begin for tonight’s matchup with Los Angeles.

To make room for them, Vladimir Sobotka and Shawn Thornton are the healthy scratches, along with defenseman Adam McQuaid. It’s the first healthy scratch of the year for Thornton, and his deletion from the lineup is a curious move.

Thornton is one of the few Bruins who has given a honest effort every night. This is a team that needs to work harder and get more physical and more emotionally invested in games to snap out of its current 1-8-1 slump. Thornton is one of the guys who can provide a bit of that, especially against a physical Kings lineup that includes heavyweight Raitis Ivanans, as well as capable scrappers Sean O’Donnell, Matt Greene, Brandon Segal and Wayne Simmonds. Seeing the hard-working and popular Thornton be relegated to the press box isn’t sending the right message to the rest of the team. But it’s just the latest of many head-scratching moves by the Bruins this season.

Tim Thomas is back in goal tonight after Tuukka Rask got the start last night in Buffalo. Thomas will face his soon to be Olympic teammate, as Jonathan Quick (Hamden, Conn.) will be between the pipes for the Kings. Defenseman Jack Johnson and forward Teddy Purcell are out for the Kings, who are going for their first six-game road winning streak since 1974-75. The Bruins, meanwhile, are 0-5-0 on home ice since beating Philadelphia at Fenway Park in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1.

Matchup: Los Angeles Kings at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m. (NESN; 98.5 FM)

Records: Boston 23-21-8, 54 points; Los Angeles 31-19-3, 65 points

Past History: It was a bitter defeat for the Bruins in the first meeting of the season. The Kings rallied from 3-1 down after two periods to force overtime as Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown scored in the third, then those two scored the only goals in the shootout for a 4-3 Kings win. All-time, the Bruins are 78-33-13-2 against the Kings and 44-12-6-1 at home against the Kings.

Bruins Connections: Stay-at-home defenseman Sean O’Donnell went back home to wear his career started last year, returning to LA, where he made his NHL debut in 1995. O’Donnell played his first six seasons there, but also spent three years in Boston from 2001-04, putting up 5-47-52 totals with 275 penalty minutes in 232 games. Former Bruin netminder Bill Ranford now serves as the Kings goaltending coach, while Mike O’Connell, who played defense for the Bruins from 1980-86 and later served as assistant general manager, interim head coach and GM for the club, is now in the Kings front office in charge of pro development and special assignments.

New England Ties: Goalie Jonathan Quick hails from Hamden, Conn. and has been a workhorse for the Kings this season. He’s second only to Martin Brodeur with 48 games started in goal, with a 29-16-3 record, 2.56 GAA and .907 save percentage. Defenseman Peter Harrold is from Ohio, but did play his college hockey at Boston College. The Kings front office is led by general manager Dean Lombardi, who was born in Holyoke, Mass. and grew up in Ludlow, Mass., while O’Connell still resides in Cohasset, Mass.

Injury Update: The Kings are missing defenseman Davis Drewiske (shoulder), right wing Justin Williams (ankle) and center Andrei Loktionov (shoulder) on injured reserve, while defenseman Jack Johnson is questionable with an arm injury. The Bruins got Marc Savard (knee) and Byron Bitz (undisclosed) back last night against Buffalo, and could have Steve Begin (undisclosed) return today. Marco Sturm (leg) is close as well, but not expected to play in this one. Andrew Ference (groin) remains on injured reserve.

Fight Card: There was a pair of fights in the first meeting in LA, as Adam McQuaid battled fellow rookie Brandon Segal and Shawn Thornton and Raitis Ivanans clashed in a heavyweight matchup. Ivanans also has a history with Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. They battled when Ivanans was first called up to the NHL by Montreal in 2005. After an even scrap, Chara, then still with Ottawa, delivered a brutal cheap shot, hitting Ivanans with a late punch when Ivanans was on the ground and the linesmen had already stepped in. That punch broke Ivanans’ orbital bone and nearly derailed his NHL career. They haven’t fought again since, but Ivanans would surely love a chance for a little payback. The Kings have just 24 fighting majors this year, led by Ivanans’ 10, while O’Donnell, Matt Greene and Wayne Simmonds each have four. The Bruins have 29 fighting majors this year, led by Thornton’s 13.

Matchup to Watch: Blake Wheeler vs. Drew Doughty. This is a clash of two of second-year players who have seen their career paths head in slightly different directions this season. Both were strong as rookies, but Wheeler had the bigger impact with 21-24-45 totals and a plus-36 rating, second-best in the NHL. This year, he’s at 12-17-29 through 52 games, but is a minus-8. He came alive early in January with four goals in three games, but has just one goal and two assists in nine games since. That goal and one of the assists came against the Kings though, and the Bruins need a similar effort in this one from Wheeler, who is back with his linemates from last year, David Krejci and Michael Ryder. Wheeler plays the left side on that line, which will put him in the crosshairs of the right-shooting Doughty. The second-year blueliner was solid as a rookie with 6-21-27 totals, but was also a minus-17. This year, he’s second on the Kings with 10-31-41 totals and is a robust plus-16 through 53 games. He’s also got a goal and an assist in two games against Boston.

Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Unleash Lucic – The Bruins need an emotional spark and someone to set a physical tone to help them get back on track. In the past, Milan Lucic has supplied that physical presence and intimidation. Injuries have limited Lucic’s play this year, but he’s been back for 10 games now and should be ready to start dishing out the punishment again. He does have 64 hits in 20 games and scored his first goal since his return last night. He’s also had some success against LA, with 1-2-3 totals in three games, including a Gordie Howe hat trick against the Kings as a rookie – his first career goal and assist. Another trifecta like that is just what the Bruins need.

2. Keep Kopitar in check – Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 22-31-53 totals in 53 games, and after slumping for a while (2-4-6 totals in 17 games) following a red-hot start (14-19-33 in first 24 games), Kopitar is again filling up the scoresheet (6-8-14 in his last 12 games). He also has three goals in three games against the Bruins, including the game-tying goal at 12:54 of the third in the first meeting this year. He also added a shootout goal that night.

3. Make the refs earn their paychecks – The Bruins have had their problems with officials of late, what with Dan O’Rourke knocking over Dennis Wideman to give Ottawa a breakaway goal and Dean Morton and Tom Kowal giving Lucic a high-sticking penalty against Columbus when a Blue Jacket was actually cut by his own teammate’s stick. Those miscues fall on the zebras, but Boston’s lack of power-play chances (168, 29^th in NHL) isn’t caused by a conspiracy by the officials; it shows a lack of willingness by the Bruins to pay the price in the dirty areas and get in aggressively on the forecheck to force opponents to commit penalties. With Marc Savard back, the power play (2 for 20 in the 10-game skid) should be more effective, but that won’t matter if they don’t start drawing more penalties. So hopefully the Bruins will make the refs raise their hands a few times in this one.

The Lowdown: The Bruins put together a much better effort against Buffalo, but still could come away with any points as they dropped to 1-8-1 in their last 10 games. They also dropped down to 12^th place in the East. Only four teams in the entire NHL have less points than the Bruins, though in a sign of just how crazy the point system is in the NHL with points handed out for overtime and shootout losses, the Bruins are also just two points out of sixth place. It won’t be easy to get those points against the Kings, who have won four straight and six of their last seven. LA has developed into an especially tough road team. The Kings are 17-10-1 away from the Staples Center this year, and come in riding a five-game road winning streak. They haven’t won six in a row on the road since 1974-75 when they set a franchise record with eight straight road wins. The Bruins need to end that streak while ending their own five-game losing streak to pull out of their downward spiral and try to start climbing back into the playoff race.

Final: Buffalo 2, Boston 1

The effort was much improved, but the results remained the same as Boston dropped another tough one. Some early lapses in discipline hurt as Buffalo converted one of three first-period power plays and never relinquished its 2-0 lead after one. The Bruins pulled within one in the second and outshot the Sabres 12-5 in the third, but couldn’t net the equalizer. Boston is now 1-8-1 in its last 10 games with just 16 goals scored. The loss, coupled with Tampa Bay taking Anaheim to a shootout before losing, drops Boston to 12^th in the East. The Lightning actually vaulted from 12^th to eighth despite losing, an indication of just how tightly packed the conference is, as well as how ridiculous the current point system rewarding teams for losing in overtime and shootouts is. Of course, the Bruins would kill for a few shootouts losses these days, but they’re not scoring enough to even get out of regulation, let alone rack up any wins.

Records: Boston 23-21-8, 54 points; Buffalo 32-14-7, 71 points

Revisiting the Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Many healthy returns – Marc Savard’s return helped settle down the offense as the Bruins created more chances than they have in recent games, though they’re still struggling to convert them. Savard did set up the Bruins’ only goal with a crossing pass to Milan Lucic. Byron Bitz also returned, but was far less noticeable. He played a team-low 4:56 with no shots, just one hit and a giveaway. When Steve Begin and Marco Sturm return, Bitz could be one of the players heading to the press box as he’s had just one point in his last 16 games.

2. Searching for something special – The Bruins didn’t get much of a chance to see what Savard’s return could do for their slumping power play, as they didn’t draw a penalty until midway through the third. They managed three shots on their lone opportunity, but all three were long-range point shots by Zdeno Chara. Buffalo, meanwhile, had four cracks with the man-advantage and scored the eventual game-winner on the power play. The Sabres managed just three shots total while the Bruins had three shots short-handed, but Buffalo got the only shot that mattered past Tuukka Rask.

3. End of Miller time – The Bruins didn’t have much luck against arguably the NHL’s top netminder this year. Ryan Miller turned aside 30 of the 31 shots he faced, including all 12 shots Boston fired on him in the third. There was no matchup of Team USA teammates as Tim Thomas watched from the bench while Rask got the nod for the third time against Buffalo this year. Thomas will likely have the same view in Vancouver, as Miller is clearly going to be the No. 1 goalie for the U.S. with the way he’s playing this season.

Key Play of the Game:

The Bruins survived the first two penalties they took in the first period, but their undisciplined play finally cost them when Savard was sent off for high-sticking Jason Pominville just three seconds after Boston had killed Vladimir Sobotka’s interference penalty. The tired penalty killers couldn’t survive this one, as Chris Butler knocked down David Krejci’s attempted clear at the blue line, took a return pass from Tim Connolly and fired in a point shot. Rask made the initial stop, but Thomas Vanek got behind Chara and popped in the rebound from the top of the crease for a 2-0 lead at 17:32 of the first.

Fight Card:

There were no fights in this one, as Buffalo continues to turn the other cheek with just three fights in its last 28 games. The Bruins did try to stir things up early, most notably when Shawn Thornton pulled Steve Montador out of a scrum and dropped his gloves, but the ex-Bruin had no interest in going and Thornton received the only penalty with a roughing minor.

Flynn’s Finest:

Savard showed some signs of rust in his return (the ill-advised high-sticking penalty, 7-12, 37 percent on face-offs and no shots), but he showed his playmaking skills when he set up Lucic’s goal Savard played 18:26 and was a plus-1 and should help Boston’s struggling offense even more as he gets his timing and stamina back to 100 percent. Lucic also turned in a much-improved effort, and not just because he scored. He was also more physical (5 hits) and aggressive. That’s the kind of edge the Bruins need from everyone, but especially from Lucic, who sets the tone for the whole team with his physical play when he’s at his best. Chara also showed some of the fire that’s been lacking for much of this season, nailing Buffalo agitator Patrick Kaleta and chipping in with five shots and an assist. Mark Stuart (6 hits, 4 blocked shots) and Thornton (3 hits in just 6:29) also showed the kind of emotional investment and effort the Bruins will need to battle their way out of this slump.

Flynn’s Sin Bin:

Even with Savard back, the Bruins’ offense still has a long way to go. They were held to one goal for the third straight game and for the fifth time in their current 10-game skid. They couldn’t even take advantage of Buffalo’s many miscues, as the Sabres were charged with 27 giveaways to the Bruins’ 10. And Boston didn’t help itself with its lack of discipline early, with four minor penalties in the first half of the game. Dennis Wideman continues to pile up ice-time (23:21) with no results to show for it, as he was minus-1 with just one shot while missing the net with three others. The Bruins continued their struggles in the face-off circle, winning just 22 of 53 draws (42 percent). Savard (7 of 19, 37 percent) and Bergeron (6 of 16, 38 percent) were the biggest culprits, though both deserve some slack as they’re coming off injuries. It was the first game Bergeron took draws regularly since returning from a broken right thumb, and the injury is clearly affecting the usually excellent face-off man. Given that, it was a questionable decision to have Bergeron take a key draw in Buffalo’s end after Boston’s timeout with 1:02 left. Bergeron lost that one to Paul Gaustad, though Gaustad also beat Savard on the game’s final key face-off with 10.3 seconds left.

Next: The Bruins get right back at it as they return home to face the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow.

Down on the Farm: The offensive struggles in the organization aren’t confined to the big club. Providence continued its own scoring woes in a 2-0 loss to visiting Manchester, as Boston and Los Angeles’ affiliates got a head start on tomorrow’s showdown by meeting up in the AHL tonight. Geoff Walker scored on a power play and Jon Rheault added an empty-netter for Manchester (28-14-2-5). Dany Sabourin made 23 saves for Providence (21-23-3-0).

While the Bruins continue under the ownership of the Buffalo-based Jeremy Jacobs, another NHL franchise may soon be owned by someone based in Boston.

The St. Petersburg Times has reported that the NHL is seeking to bring Boston-based hedge fund manager Jeff Vinik into the fold as either a majority partner or outright owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning. That story can be read in full here.

The Lightning are mired in some messy financial problems, with current owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules at odds and neither able to muster enough resources to buy the other out to this point. Sports Business Daily recently reported that the Lightning received a $2 million advance from their TV rights holder Sun Sports to make their final payroll last year and another advance from the league revenue sharing to meet January’s payroll.

Vinik, 50, is a New Jersey native, but got his MBA from Harvard and is a limited partner with the Red Sox.

The Hockey News also reported on Vinik’s interest in the Lightning, and speculated that he would look to cut payroll if he took over, which could put star center Vincent Lecavalier on the market. Lecavalier is owed $10 million a year for the next six seasons, with a cap hit of $7.7 million. That could make things a little more interesting in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, as the presence of another impact offensive player on the block could alter the asking price for Atlanta’s talented sniper.

Matchup: Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. (NESN; 98.5 FM)

Records: Boston 23-20-8, 54 points; Buffalo 31-14-7, 69 points

Past History: The Bruins trail Northeast Division-leading Buffalo by 15 points, but they’ve held the edge in the head-to-head matchups so far this year. The Bruins won 4-2 at the Garden on Nov. 7 and 2-1 in overtime in Buffalo on Nov. 20 on the strength of Patrice Bergeron’s OT winner. Overall, Boston is 112-101-29-5 against the Sabres, but just 44-61-15-4 in Buffalo.

Bruins Connections: Steve Montador was a trade deadline pickup last March from Anaheim, but signed with the Sabres in the offseason. In 51 games so far in Buffalo, he has 3-11-14 totals with 54 penalty minutes.

New England Ties: Former Boston University star Mike Grier (Holliston, Mass.) also signed with Buffalo over the summer. It’s Grier’s second stint with the Sabres, and he’s 9-7-16 through 43 games this year. That puts him on pace for his best goal-scoring season since scoring a career-high 20 for Edmonton in 2000-01.

Injury Update: The Sabres are completely healthy, though they did make Montador, defenseman Toni Lydman and forward Clarke MacArthur healthy scratches on Wednesday in an effort to snap out of a recent slump. The Bruins are finally getting some bodies back, with Marc Savard (knee) and Byron Bitz (undisclosed) expected to return after missing the last eight and four games, respectively. Steve Begin (undisclosed) could also return. He’ll be a game-time decision after missing the last four games. Marco Sturm (leg), out the last five games, made the trip but isn’t expected back quite yet, while Andrew Ference (groin) remains on injured reserve.

Fight Card: There were three fights in the first meeting in Boston, with Shawn Thornton taking on both Montador and Paul Gaustad and Mark Stuart finding an unlikely opponent in Jochen Hecht. There were no fights in the second meeting in Buffalo, which is more par for the course for the Sabres. Buffalo is 27th in the league with just 16 fighting majors this year. They’ve been especially well behaved of late, with just three fights in the last 27 games. Montador and Craig Rivet lead the way with four fighting majors, Gaustad has three and Adam Mair and Patrick Kaleta each have two. The Bruins have had 29 fights, 13 by Thornton.

Matchup to Watch: Patrice Bergeron vs. Tim Connolly. Bergeron’s revival this year has been well chronicled, as he’s returned to form from the devastating concussion that nearly ended his career just over two years ago. Connolly has endured a string of injuries himself, which put the fifth overall pick of the 1999 draft’s future in doubt as well. Since the lockout, Connolly had played just 63, 2, 48 and 48 games a year prior to this season as concussions, as well as knee, oblique, groin, hip, back and rib injuries have sidelined him. But he’s healthy now, having played 94 straight games, including all 52 this year. In that span, he has 29-59-88 totals with 10 power-play goals and nine game-winners. He leads the Sabres with 13-35-48 totals this season and has burned the Bruins in the past with 6-16-22 totals in 28 games against Boston.

Three Keys for the B’s:

1. Many healthy returns – The slumping Bruins are hoping that the return of Savard, Bitz and possibly Begin will give the club a spark it desperately needs. If his knee holds up, Savard should give the Bruins a huge boost, especially on the power play. His return, along with Begin and Bergeron being able to take more draws as his broken thumb heals, will also help shore up a weakness in the face-off circle exposed by the injuries. Most of all, the Bruins need Savard and Co. to jump-start the offense, which has managed just 15 goals in the last nine games.

2. Searching for something special – Savard’s return could be the key to the club’s struggling power play as well. Boston is 20^th in the league at 17.4 percent, but just 2 for 19 during their 1-7-1 skid. They’re 29^th in power-play goals (23) and 29^th in power-play opportunities (167), showing they’ve failed to both draw penalties and take advantage of the few chances they do get. The good news is that Savard is back, as the Bruins are just 6 for 60 (10.0 percent) without him in the lineup and 23 for 107 (21.5 percent) with him. The bad news is that Buffalo is third in the league on the PK (23-178, 87.1 percent), and the Sabres have killed 55 of the last 58 chances against them over the past 16 games. Boston’s PK is even better (second, 23-183, 87.4 percent), but they’ll be tested by a solid Buffalo power play that gets plenty of chances (38-208, 18.3 percent).

3. End of Miller time – The Bruins face a daunting task in getting their offense going against Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, who leads the NHL with a 2.06 GAA and a .934 save percentage, while posting a 28-11-5 record with five shutouts. He’s had plenty of success against Boston too, going 14-5-5 with a 2.65 GAA and .908 save percentage in 24 games. The Bruins did beat him on Nov. 20. It could be an Olympic preview if Tim Thomas is in goal for Boston, as Miller and Thomas will handle the netminding duties for Team USA next month. Tuukka Rask did get the start in both games against Buffalo so far this year and won both, so he could spoil the Olympic reunion and get the nod in this one.

The Lowdown: The Bruins have had four days to lick their wounds from Sunday’s embarrassing 5-1 shellacking at the hands of Carolina, the team with the worst record in the NHL at the time. That loss capped a disastrous 1-7-1 stretch that saw the Bruins fall all the way down to 11^th in the East. The time off to work on their game, rebuild some confidence and get healthier will have to pay off quickly as the Bruins now face a Buffalo team that’s almost unbeatable at home. Buffalo is 8-0-3 in its last 11 home games and 17-5-5 overall on home ice this year. They did stumble through a 2-3-2 stretch on a seven-game road trip, but settled right back when they returned home, beating New Jersey 2-1 on Wednesday. Boston hopes it hit rock bottom with Sunday’s loss and tonight’s game will be the first step toward climbing back into contention, but the Sabres are more than capable of extending Boston’s struggles for another night.