'It's almost like he's reborn' - Taylor Hall sure seems right at home in Boston

The question lobbed to Curtis Lazar during his latest pregame Zoom conference was only searching for a few choice words — tasking the former Buffalo forward with presenting a succinct summary on just how much his teammate Taylor Hall had changed in the last few weeks after getting extricated from the sordid hell-scape that is life within the Sabres' organization.

Certainly seems like an easy task. I mean,  take your pick from the thesaurus.

Relieved? Energized? Thrilled? Maybe a bit more panache? Exuberant? 

But for a player who had seen his teammate whittled down in Buffalo under the crushing pressure placed upon him — much of which has been anchored to Hall long before his few months with the Sabres — Lazar wasn't going to just settle for a couple of words when it came to chronicling Hall's salvation with his fourth team in 16 months.

"I mean, you just look at him," Lazar said of Hall's tenure so far in Boston. "It's almost like he's reborn. He's always such a passionate guy. He wants to win, wherever it may be."

And, at long last, the wins seem to finally be piling up for Hall — the star winger who, after years mired on rebuilding teams or saddled with the expectations as a francise savior, seems to have finally found a home in Boston.

Given how much a candid and humbled Hall stressed during his first Zoom call as a Bruin that months spent in Buffalo had decimated his confidence, the optics of Monday's overtime victory over the Islanders stood as just the latest example of how far the 29-year-old winger has come in the span of just a month.

Hall certainly wasn't lacking in confidence during the extra period of play, activating the afterburners to blow past Casey Cizikas during the 3v3 segment. With just Nick Leddy and netminder Ilya Sorokin left to beat, Hall etched Leddy's visage into many end-of-season highlight reels — tucking the biscuit through his legs via a forehand-backhand deke before depositing the puck into twine off of a sharp backhand shot.

The game-winning tally served as Hall's second goal of the evening — and marked the eighth goal and 14th total point that Hall has notched with the B's in 16 games. For those keeping track, Hall logged 19 points (including just two goals) over 37 games with the Sabres.

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"Obviously, since he's been here, I think he's opened up a little more with the players and just personality-wise," Bruce Cassidy said. "So that tells me right away he's more comfortable in the room. And it shows on the ice obviously. But I thought he's been good since he got here — from day one. And really showed tonight. He finished some nice plays and we need it. That's the Taylor Hall we were hoping to get and so far, so good."

While you weren't going to need Carnac The Magnificent to predict that Hall's woeful shooting percentages in Buffalo were due for a spike back up to the mean in Boston — his evident skills, mixed with the instant chemistry sparked alongside David Krejci and Craig Smith, have led to absolutely devastating results.

Boston's offense might still be anchored by its top trio of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand — but at this point, we've seen enough of Hall and that second line to know that this isn't just a statistical anomaly.

It's more like a cheat code at this point.

Because in the 200 minutes of 5v5 ice time in which Hall has been out on the ice with the Bruins, Boston is outscoring opponents ... 15-1.

15-1. That is bananas.

Add in that Boston is also holding commanding edges in both shots on goal (131-73), and the B's have gone from a one-line team into perhaps the most imposing top-six unit in the entire NHL.

"It's obviously been a good transition for me," Hall said postgame on Monday. "And I spoke about this before —  there's really good leadership in our dressing room. There's a way that the Bruins play and I always felt like, even when I wasn't on this team, I felt like that was a style of play that I could come in, play well in and perform well. And I feel like I've had a positive impact and it's important for me, just personally on an individual level, to try and maintain that impact in the playoffs because ultimately that's our goal here."

For now, the focus for both Hall and the Bruins remains on seeing this season through and hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup come July. Decisions will have to be made later this summer, with a pending UFA in Hall raising his stock significantly for what could be the final major contract of his noteworthy career.

And while numerous bidders seem destined to be in the mix for Hall's services, it certainly seems easy to read between the lines when it comes to Hall's comments with Boston.

"I know the Bruins' history and just the aura around the team, it's been a lot of fun to play for," Hall said. "I love my time here. The city is amazing. Just walking around and the energy in this area for the team, in general, has been really fun to be a part of."

On the same day in which Sabres star Jack Eichel bemoaned his situation as a franchise star locked in purgatory up in Buffalo, Hall's Zoom call stood in stark contrast. Flooded with relief and hope for the first time in a long time, Hall looked more akin to Andy Dufresne sanding down his boat in Zihuatanejo — liberated and ready to chart a course through new waters, with a promising future on the horizon.

Hall has already achieved plenty in his career, be it the distinction of being a No. 1 overall pick, a Hart Trophy and close to 600 points to his name.

But what has largely eluded to this point has been a sustained campaign deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs (just two postseason appearances and 14 total games in his career) — and, perhaps most importantly, a team that can help get him there.

Well, until now.

"It's been 16 games it's probably been some of the most enjoyable hockey I've ever played in my career," Hall said. "I really hope that there's there's more to come."