Krug lighting it up big
Bruins defenseman on impressive run
Bruins defenseman Torey Krug has a potent shot from the left point, and he seldom hesitates to take it.
Krug is an offense-minded, puck-moving defenseman who has been on a scoring splurge since the All-Star break. He netted two goals and two assists for a career-high four points in the Bruins’ 6-5 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at the Garden.
Krug has 13 goals and 36 assists, both best among Bruins defensemen this season, and hopes to keep rolling in tonight’s engagement with the Philadelphia Flyers at the Garden. Krug has six goals and 12 assists in his past 15 games, and his surge is the result of sound decisions with the puck in the offensive zone.
“Torey is a good shooter, (and) the puck is finding the back of the net,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I just talked to him about his decision-making: when to shoot, what’s the appropriate pass versus shot, but those are his decisions on the ice. They happen in a split-second on the ice. Then, to be patient with it, not force goals, and I think he has done a good job with that.”
Krug’s significant contributions in the Red Wings game were overshadowed by All-Star forward Brad Marchand’s third career hat trick that included the game-winner 34 seconds into overtime. Krug had the primary assist on two of Marchand’s goals, including the clincher.
“I think we were moving more,” Krug said. “We weren’t as static as we have been in the last few games, and when we do that, Brad can start (creating) with the puck and (David Pastrnak).”
The B’s blueliners were cast into a state of flux when rookie Charlie McAvoy suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s 2-1 win against Montreal on Saturday. McAvoy is not expected to join the team until the start of the playoffs.
McAvoy was a reliable offensive presence on the first unit with team captain Zdeno Chara. He has seven goals and 25 assists with a plus-26 rating while routinely confronting the opponent’s top lines.
McAvoy also was a key figure on the power play, penalty kill and in 3-on3 overtime situations. He scored the OT goal in the B’s 4-3 victory against Carolina in the homestand opener on Feb. 27.
Krug understands more is expected from everyone on the back end and is up to the challenge.
“He’s a guy that plays in every situation, a lot of minutes against top quality opponents” Krug said of McAvoy. “You want to be the guy who they put more on your shoulders and more on your plate in front of you. Definitely the last time he went out of the lineup, I felt like I took another step in the right direction in my game, and obviously I want to continue that this time.”
Cassidy’s redeployment included pairing Krug with Nick Holden, who was acquired from the Rangers before the trade deadline. Holden assisted on Krug’s first goal against the Wings.
“The last time I was paired with a lefty D partner was with (Dennis) Seidenberg, and (Holden) did a good job,” Krug said. “We obviously have to find some chemistry around certain plays whether it’s around our net and breaking pucks in tight and breaking them out of our zone.
“We’ll get there. He is a great player, and it was fun playing with him.”