Gritty trio steps 4th
Patchwork line solid in victory over Sens
The Bruins possess a tremendous first line. The trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, which produced five of the Bruins’ goals in yesterday’s 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators, is arguably the best line in hockey.
But this much we knew already.
What we don’t know
BRUINS BEAT Steve Conroy
about the Bruins is how many other lines they truly have. If yesterday’s game is any indication, they at least have one more.
The fourth line of center Sean Kuraly, left winger Noel Acciari and right winger Chris Wagner was really the only other unit that could say it had a good day. And if the three play like that consistently (Joakim Nordstrom will surely get his chance to play, too), they will nestle their way into the hearts of Bruins fans pretty quickly. They played in the offensive zone most of the day, provided some push-back whenever Ottawa tried to seize momentum and they produced a typical, greasy fourth-line goal from Walpole-native Wagner playing his first game in the Garden with the Bruins.
Oh, and they like to hit. Acciari and Wagner each had three and Kuraly added one.
Coach Bruce Cassidy has been experimenting with his bottom six forwards in the first three games. He tried Kuraly as his third-line center with Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork, a configuration that had Acciari as the fourth-line center and David Backes. Yesterday, Backes was used as the third-line center with Heinen and Bjork, which freed up both Kuraly and Acciari to slot in where they seem to belong.
“They were very good,” said Cassidy of the fourth line. “That’s the thing. When Noel goes to the wing, I find that he’s freed up to be more physical, be on top of pucks. When you’re a centerman, you’ve got to be a little more responsible. That’s the difference. I like him as a centerman. He knows what he’s doing in his own end he makes good reads, good stick, willing to block shots. But when he’s on the wing, he’s freed up a little bit more. Sean’s more comfortable with that line, obviously he played with them for a full year. We talked about moving him into a third-line role, more offensive, but right now, that’s his comfort level.”
The question about the line is whether it will be able to score enough to be a true difference-maker like last year’s line. Tim Schaller, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks, popped in a dozen goals while Acciari had 10 and Kuraly six last year. Is it too much to ask for that much production again from the fourth unit?
“We can always ask. It doesn’t mean we’ll get it,” said Cassidy. “But Noel had 10 last year. He doesn’t want to go backwards. Sean was (six) and some in the playoffs and Wags had seven (between Anaheim and the Islanders). They all probably believe they can be 10-goal scorers and if we can get that out of your fourth line, with he responsibility and the gritty part of the game, then we’ll be in good shape. Last year, (the fourth line) was a big reason this team had some success and got through some tough times, because our fourth line was very good for us.”
For Wagner, it was a perfect homecoming, especially after getting scratched the night after the 7-0 debacle in Washington in the season-opener. His goal was typical of the kind he and his linemates score, a tip of a Charlie McAvoy shot as he was being hammered to the ice by Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki.
“Surreal” was how the former Xaverian star described the feeling of scoring in his Garden debut as a Bruin. In his six-plus years kicking around the NHL, the 27-year-old Wagner has come to know the value of a good fourth line.
“Some guys aren’t going to be going on certain nights and you’re probably playing the least amount of time of the four lines,” Wagner said. “You’ve got to make the most of your minutes and you’ve got to get that energy for the other guys, drawing penalties and stuff like that. It goes unnoticed sometimes, but we take it very seriously.”
Now Cassidy has to figure out how to get his second and third lines going. The third line spent some shaky moments in its own end in the first period — a Backes kick save in the slot prevented a goal — but it was just good enough to get another look on Thursday. The second line of David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk and Ryan Donato did not play well at all, finishing a minus-2.
“A couple of lines I thought could have been better and they’re going to have to sort out their chemistry in their own end and how they’re going to attack,” said Cassidy.
If things don’t fix themselves, then Cassidy may have to go to the nuclear option, which for the Bruins means taking Pastrnak off the first line to create more scoring depth. And after seeing yet another example of what that top line can do, nobody really wants that.