The Boston Bruins are off to a 5-5-0 start to their 2014 campaign. It is the definition of inconsistency through the first 10 games.

One player, however, that has been consistent coming off a significant injury is third line winger Chris Kelly.

Kelly has appeared in all 10 games for the Black and Gold this season and is tied for second on the team in points with seven (two goals, five assists) and a plus-4 rating. It started on Opening night for Kelly, who scored the game-winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Coming back from a back injury is never easy, but Kelly being the professional and veteran that he is, took his time and it is paying dividends. Most Bruins fans have their fight to pick with Kelly, who makes over $3 million per season as a third liner, but in 2014 he is earning his pay check playing at a more consistent level than most of the “core” pieces.

Although Kelly is having great success to start the season, his line mates Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg are also apart of one of the more consistent lines that Head coach Claude Julien throws out there on a nightly basis. Soderberg is tied with Kelly for second on the team in scoring, while Eriksson trails by two points.

The third line generates multiple chances per game and it is largely in part to the chemistry that has built between all three players.

“I think we try to read off one another and support each other in all three zones which is key,” Kelly said after his game-winning goal in the Bruins’ opener. “The days of a guy trying to beat two guys and then you just try to get open are no longer there. We want to defend. I think it’s important to support one another and have communication.”

It is possible that this fast start to Kelly’s season is a blessing in disguise for Julien’s bunch. Showing that he is fully healed from his injury from last season, Kelly could be an expensive trading chip to give the B’s that right-wing scorer they need or that extra veteran defenseman in the wake of the Chara injury.

Kelly is what he is. He is a great penalty killer, he gets his stick in the right position and battles for a full 60 minutes. The points come in as a result of his hard work and this season, they seem to be coming in bunches for the 33 year-old winger.

Julien loves having Kelly back on the ice for his team because he brings that veteran leadership and consistent two-way play.

“It made a difference as far as having some experienced guys out there,” Julien said earlier on in the season. “I think it was more than that, but that was a good start for us to see two guys (McQuaid and Kelly) contribute the way they did.”

There is no question that Kelly may be the B’s best forward to this point this season, but he has to sustain his level of play especially without Chara in the mix and he knows it will take his entire team to fill that void.

“It’s a big loss,” Kelly said. “He’s an important part of this team and there’s no secret about that. But it’s nice that it’s only 4-6 weeks as opposed to 6-8 months or something. If we’re expecting one guy to fill Zee’s (Chara) shoes, then I hope I’m not that guy because it’s impossible. We need to do it as a group.”

Kelly will also slide into a bigger “leader” role over the next two months for the Black and Gold. If Kelly can sustain his point production and Bergeron’s line comes together as they should, the B’s should have no problem keeping their head above water until their captain comes back.