This column originally ran in The Standard-Times on Jan. 27, 2006.

By Nick Tavares

Amazing what change can bring in just two weeks, isn't it?

In the face of a double dip of embarrassing losses (6-2 to the Sharks and 6-0 to the Kings), the Bruins have made quite an impressive turnaround. Where three weeks ago there seemed to be a "lose one more and everyone's fired" mentality surrounding a team sleepwalking through its schedule, the B's have taken on a new mentality, that of a scrappy, hard-working bunch that will sneak into the playoffs kicking and screaming.

The fact that "playoffs" and "Bruins" are even mentioned in the same sentence without a punch line is a feat in itself. But there's a real reason for this.

The responsibility decline of the Bruins from Cup contender to pretender lands squarely on the shoulders of management. A better summer and smarter signings -- another defenseman instead of Alex Zhamnov, for example -- would have made the Bruins a balanced team with a definite attack on its top two lines.

Instead, they went old and with offense. And as management scrambled to fix its mess, Mike O'Connell made one last-ditch attempt to save the season by trading the face of the team, Joe Thornton, for 75 cents on the dollar.

That trade was, is and forever will be an irresponsible mistake.

But it's also reality. And in recent weeks, the players have responded with a might that didn't seem possible just a few games ago.

With injuries to goalies Hannu Toivonen and Andrew Raycroft, Tim Thomas has stood on his head in net, a most unlikely Patrick Roy impersonator if there ever was one.

P.J. Axelsson, long ignored on the Bruins' third line as a defensive specialist, is playing the best hockey of his NHL career. One of the smartest players in the league, Axelsson has emerged as a leader on the ice for Boston and is starting to score and set up timely goals in the process.

Really, the entire team is playing above its earlier self. Nick Boynton has regained All-Star form, Wayne Primeau is doing an Alexander Ovechkin impression on the ice, Brad Stuart and Milan Jurcina have helped solidify the defense — the list goes on and on.

But the most important player of the past month is Patrice Bergeron.

With 39 points entering last night's game against Washington, the 20-year-old has emerged as the team's top-line center and points leader. That's even more impressive coming from a player who came out of nowhere to make the team as an 18-year-old out of juniors two years ago.

Instead of a fresh-faced prospect, Bergeron is a pure center whose creativity and instinct has jump-started a stagnant team. His chemistry with newly acquired winger Marco Sturm has been undeniable, and the feel and flow he brings to the game is immeasurable.

He's become the face of the franchise a lot sooner than anyone expected. He even donned the alternate captain's "A" on his sweater in a Jan. 14 game against Dallas. He's helped bring order and focus to the most disorderly of squads.

Just two weeks ago, the Bruins were a lost, confused team getting embarrassed night after night. Sometimes, it looked as though they just didn't care. They were written off by many (myself included) as a bunch who were just waiting for 2005-06 to end.

Well, that's changed. I was wrong about this team. They care, and now they want to make some noise.

Nick Tavares is a columnist for The Standard-Times. E-mail him at ntavares@s-t.com

This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on January 27, 2006.