n paper, the Bruins' power play looks woeful. They have converted just once in their last 41 opportunities over a span of 12 games.
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Their last goal on the man-advantage came Nov. 10 during a 5-1 loss to Columbus, but general manager Mike O'Connell said this isn't troubling to him.
''These things go in cycles,'' said O'Connell, whose club will take on the Thrashers in Atlanta tonight. ''All of a sudden, you score two goals. They put in one and the other one is a bad clearing pass that someone knocks down. All of a sudden, you're two for three and it's, `Wow, the power play is going.' It's more about how it's playing.''
O'Connell likes the personnel he has and is satisfied that the team is getting chances. He would like to see more goals, but he said every club in the league feels that way.
''Any time anything is not going along at the right clip, it's a concern,'' he said. ''Of course you wish you'd score more on it. But I can't complain about the power play. We're getting good chances, we're getting good penetration. Could we have more? Of course we could. We have to establish that point shot a little bit more to open things up down low.
''The team has been working at it and we'll see how it goes. I think the last game [against Ottawa], we moved the puck around very well. Some of the best teams in the league, the power play doesn't work at all.
''It's hard to figure out sometimes. Teams that don't have the greatest personnel can have great power plays. I'm pleased with the way the puck was moved around during the last game.''
The Bruins had a 1-0 lead on the Senators with less than six minutes to play Saturday night and wound up losing in overtime. Much has been made about the lack of killer instinct but O'Connell said he believes it's coming.
''I think we're developing that,'' he said. ''I think we have a tendency to not give ourselves enough credit at times and give ourselves too much credit at times. We get a goal scored against us and we don't know if we're going to score again. If we start thinking we can score and believing that one or two goals isn't going to beat us, I think it's an attitude we have to develop. That takes time with some scoring. I think we can score more if we start thinking we can score more.''
The Bruins certainly do n't lack for shots. In all but two games this season, they've outshot the opposition, usually by a significant margin.
''We get a lot of shots,'' said O'Connell. ''I think we can take it to the net more, bring it there. I think the team has played very well for the most part over the last couple of weeks.
''The players are starting to identify where they are, how they fit. I think we have a ways to go to develop an attitude, a belief, that if we keep trying to score, we're going to continue to score, and the goaltenders are going to have to be very good to stop us.''
No call on Sweeney yet
The training staff was waiting to see how defenseman Don Sweeney was feeling yesterday morning. They got their answer when Sweeney, who pulled a rib cage muscle on his second shift against the Senators, went through the entire practice at Ristuccia Center before departing for Atlanta. A final decision about his availability for tonight will likely be rendered at the morning skate ... The club recalled defenseman Jonathan Girard and forward Ivan Huml from Providence. Coach Robbie Ftorek said he likes giving deserving prospects a look between Thanksgiving and Christmas. At practice, Huml was skating on a line with center Jozef Stumpel and right wing Bill Guerin. Ftorek dropped Rob Zamuner down to a line with Andrei Nazarov and Scott Pellerin. In 22 games, Girard and Huml have racked up 17 points apiece with the Baby B's. Huml is tops on the team in goals with 10. If Sweeney can go, Girard could take the place of another blue liner, perhaps Jamie Rivers, in an effort to put some more production into the power play. ''He has played very well down there, and if you play well down there, you should get a chance,'' said O'Connell. ''For Huml, this is only his second year as a pro. He is still very young. But he has an offensive flair.'' ... Forward P.J. Stock, who is recovering from a high ankle sprain, skated with his teammates for the first time since the injury, though he didn't go through all the drills. Neither forward Mike Knuble(fractured transverse process) nor defenseman Jarno Kultanen(sprained knee) participated in the workout, although Kultanen skated.
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