(Photo: Bridget Samuels/Ikeastan Hockey) Tim Thomas is the main reason for the B's post season success this season

At this point in time last season, the Boston Bruins were in a much different situation.

Times were tough as a Bruins fan back then. But after a sweep-emotional-victory last night, the Black-and-Gold made us all forget about last year, as we now watch the B’s march on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

It took the B’s 11 playoff games this year to put eight hard-fought notches in the “W” column. Let’s take a look at their stats this year (2010-11) through 11 post season games in comparison to 11 games played last year (2009-10).

POINTS:
Last year, three players had 10-or-more points (Patrice Bergeron, Miroslav Satan, Dennis Wideman)
This year there are four (Bergeron, Nathan Horton, Brad Marchand, Mark Recchi)

Five players in 2009-10 were held off the scoresheet: Adam McQuaid, Mark Stuart, Marco Sturm, Trent Whitfield, and Thornton.
Only one players is point-less  this time around (Shane Hnidy)

PLUS/MINUS:
Satan had a team-high plus-5 rating.
Defenseman Zdeno Chara tops the list with a plus-11 — 12 other players currently have a plus/minus rating of five-or-more.

Nine players last season were in the red…a minus-1 rating or worse (Daniel paille had a team-low of minus-10)
This year there are just three — all with a minus-1 — Paille, Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton

SPECIAL TEAMS:
The B’s went 9-for-36 on the power play last season (25%)
And an abysmal 2-for-37 this post season (5.4%)

Boston’s stonewall penalty-kill allowed just two goals on 43 times shorthanded (94.1%)
Comparison to an 8-for-41 (80.5%) this year

Man Games lost due to injury:
30 last year to 25 this year

Goals-for:
32 (2.91 goals per game) last year — 37 (3.36) this year

Goals against:
Tuukka Rask allowed 31 through 11 playoff games in ’10 — Tim Thomas allowing just 24

Shots on goal:
356 (32.4 per game) — 378 (34.4) this year

Shots against:
Last year the B’s allowed 358 (32.5 per game) last season — 372 (33.8) this year

Penalty Minutes:
161 PIM in 2009-10 — 134 PIM in 2010-11

The Cage:
Rask last year: .915 save-percentage, 2.52 goals-against average
Thomas this year: .937 save-percentage, 2.03 goals-against