Offense from defense finds a bit more spark
The Bruins are still waiting for some offense from the blue line.
Even with Torey Krug out with his ankle injury, the team has an expectation for its defenders to be involved with the play up ice.
Charlie McAvoy got involved Saturday against the Red Wings and Matt Grzelcyk had assists on the power play, so progress is being made.
But the Bruins are still looking for more.
“I wasn’t happy with our (defense) in terms of their shot selection up high,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “I think they have to be more selfish, hammer pucks at net when it’s there. There’s time when you have to get it around behind the net in certain teams that front a lot or if there’s no shooting lane, but sometimes you just have to force them to block shots. You know what, if you want to stand in front of it then stand in front of it, but make sure you tee it up hard, and I thought they had a harder mentality.”
Brandon Carlo’s confidence is growing as he’s recovered from his ankle injury, and he’s become more active.
“I think there’s a lot of good options, I guess you can say, you know, when the puck went up to that winger to hit the net-front defenseman and from there just skating up the ice and joining the rush a little bit more,” said Carlo. “I think that created a lot more opportunity there for us.”
McAvoy’s goal against the Red Wings came on a wrister from a clean faceoff win, and it’s taking advantage of those opportunities that creates more offense.
The defense is starting to lay a foundation.
“Brando hammered a couple,” said Cassidy. “Charlie gets a goal, but he put it on net. It’s lucky, but we’ve been turning down too many of those shots up top, so we have to find a balance of being active on the blue line versus pounding pucks hard, and I’m glad they responded well. We have some offense in that group. It’s there. We just have to pull it out of them and on a regular basis.”
Upgrade for Donato
Ryan Donato didn’t get on the score sheet in his return, but the winger made strides toward getting involved in the offense.
“It felt good,” he said. “At the end of the day, I wasn’t happy that I was sitting out, but I think that motivated me and I tried my hardest and we had some success. Obviously the team had success, so I can’t complain.”
Linemate Anders Bjork got on the board as the third line found its groove. The next step is for Donato to get more scoring chances in even-strength time.
“Bjorky and (David) Backes, I think we talked a lot on the ice,” said Donato, “and I think we knew where each other were a lot during that game and we were very fortunate with a lot of our balances, but we created a lot of good chances and I’m happy with the way things went tonight.”
Acciari a big mover
Moving to the wing might be best for Noel Acciari. Since his switch from fourth-line center, he’s been more involved on the offense, while his physical edge hasn’t waned.
He’s made an impact in every scenario.
“I think that turned the game a little, early on, were those reverse hits on (Detroit’s Dylan) Larkin,” said Cassidy. “It kind of sent a message, ‘hey, against your skill we’re going to play hard.’ I think that helped us because we weren’t that sharp earlier and I think it gave our team a boost. I don’t know what it does for them, but for us it’s like, well they’re here to play.”
Cassidy thinks Acciari is one of the cleanest checkers in the league.
“You know, for all the hits he throws, (he) keeps his stick down,” said Cassidy. “I always look at him like a linebacker the way he hits, hits hard and center of gravity, so I would say, yeah, he is one of them.”