Loui Eriksson elevating play of line as he improves his own

(Photo by Charles Krupa/AP)

by Dakota Antelman

Bruins left winger, Loui Eriksson has been streaky to say the least since he came to Boston in the Tyler Seguin trade of July 4^th, 2013.

Over the course 96 games with the Bruins, Eriksson has thrice put together point streaks of more than three games. Between those intermittent bursts of hope he has wallowed in goal-less droughts that have lasted for weeks.

As Eriksson celebrates his second Christmas since the trade to Boston though, his current hot streak seems to have the makings of a redefinition of him as a player rather than just a streak. In the eight games since the Bruins December 4th loss to the Sharks, Eriksson has scored six goals and assisted on two others. He is a +6 in these games. He has scored a power play goal. In the minds of many, Eriksson has found his grove.

He scored a pair of goals in a game last Tuesday; a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators.

"I’ve been feeling good," said Eriksson following the game. "We’ve been creating chances. When you get on a roll you usually get on a good scoring streak and it keeps coming. It’s what I’m feeling right now. I have my confidence up, making plays and scoring goals.”

With only three goals scored going into the month of December, Eriksson has tripled his scoring output for the year in these eight games. His points totals have soared to 21 total points making Eriksson now the fourth leading scorer on the team.

Needless to say, the vast improvements have not gone unnoticed.  

"Right now, a lot of it has to do with confidence," said Head Coach Claude Julien. "I think he’s skating better. When you’re confident, a lot of things come easy to you; when you’re not, you’re skating out there sometimes you feel like you’ve got a piano on your back and your sluggish and everything else."

Julian has rewarded Eriksson for his efforts with increased playing time. He has played at least 19 minutes of each of the last three Bruins games. That is only the second time that has happened all year.

"But right now I think he’s feeling it. Like all players in this league when they get on a roll, they feel good about themselves and I think, to me, he’s showing the kind of player we’ve always thought he was. He’s scoring some goals, he’s making some plays, he’s killing penalties. He’s a guy that you can use in all kinds of situations, so right now I think we’re seeing some of his best hockey."

Eriksson’s newfound consistency has also elevated the play of his linemates, Chris Kelly and Carl Soderberg. Kelly scored his first goal in 22 games in game seven of Eriksson’s hot streak. He has also assisted on a total of six goals since December 4^th. On the opposite wing of Eriksson, Soderberg has hopped back into the points column with a goal and four assists in the last eight games.

Finally, Eriksson has helped open space for the defenders behind him. In that 5-3 win over Nashville, Eriksson shot a stellar feed, back to defender Matt Bartowski who ultimately took a wide open goal scoring shot. The Predators, who had done their research, had allowed Eriksson to catch the defense leaning his way, leaving the rest of the Bruins unmarked.

Bartowski’s goal through an open lane was the direct byproduct of one of the first instances of Eriksson being treated like the 30 goal scorer he was in Dallas.

For the longest time, Bruins fans worried they would never get that. The common fear was that young forward Reily Smith would be the best thing that came out of the Tyler Seguin trade. Though that fear has not been put to rest yet, Eriksson is playing fundamentally good hockey this month.

He is getting power play time. He is getting into the corners in all facets of the game; and, as a result, he is getting on the scoreboard.

“I’m just trying to play my game and try to help the team as much as I can here,” Eriksson said. “These past couple games it’s been really good, so hopefully I’ll continue doing that.”