Confident Caron showing Bruins what he can do

TORONTO -- While Tyler Seguin's two-goal performance drew most of the headlines in the Boston Bruins' 5-4 win Tuesday night, the breakout performance of young power forward Jordan Caron should not be overlooked. Caron scored twice and added an assist, giving the 21-year-old five points in two games.

Playing on a line with Benoit Pouliot and Chris Kelly, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound winger has started to produce at time of great need for the Bruins, who are without forwards Nathan Horton, Rich Peverley and Daniel Paille due to injury.

After the Leafs opened the scoring, Caron got the Bruins on the board by going to the net and converting after Joe Corvo's point shot was directed into the slot by Pouliot. Caron created Boston's third goal by beating Luke Schenn wide and driving hard to the net, leading to an easy tap-in for Kelly. Caron then scored the go-ahead goal off a great feed by Zdeno Chara late in the second period. 

Coach Claude Julien likes what he has seen recently from Caron, who has split the last two seasons between the Bruins and their AHL affiliate in Providence.

"It goes to show you really do need patience with young players. Once he gets going you give him more ice and you encourage him to keep playing that way, you've got to give him that opportunity," Julien said.

Caron, drafted in the first round (No. 25) by the Bruins in 2009,  has six goals and four assists in 32 games with the big club this season, and is carving himself a more permanent spot on the roster.

"He's starting to get his confidence and we're starting to see the things that we saw in him when he played junior -- a power forward that can take pucks to the net and really finds those loose pucks around the net area," Julien said. "He's finishing his checks; he's a big strong kid, so that's what we expected of him we're starting to see from him now."

For Caron, whose last two games have been the first multi-point outings of his young career, confidence is the key.

"When you've got that confidence you see the play a little bit better and you get more time with the puck and you see everything a little bit slower," Caron said. "(Going to the net hard) has always been a part of my game. I think I've been doing it for a while but now it's going in, it's always fun to get the result."

Seguin, who happens to be Caron's roommate, has seen the Sayabec, Que., native go through many of the same growing pains this season that Seguin endured in his rookie year.

"Jor-dan Ca-ron Ladies and Gentlemen. It's amazing to watch," Seguin said. "Really I'm just really happy for him. I know how hard he works on and off the ice, how determined he is and how focused he is. He definitely is a power forward. You can really see it the last few games. With his confidence rising he's making plays that he didn't make before, he's holding the puck an extra second, he's learning new tricks, he's really using his body, he's only just touching the surface on knowing how strong he is."

In a town that knows a thing or two about power forwards, Bruins fans are seeing signs that they have another good one on the rise.