Carlo returns as defensive shifts continue

The Bruins have continued to take hits to their blueline all season, leaving different pairings to figure each other out almost every contest. On Saturday night, it was Brandon Carlo back in the fold a few nights after Kevan Miller’s departure from the lineup for the second time this year. While those struggles have been well-documented, the other side of it is not only getting competent -and at times, just experienced -- pairings into the lineup, but making sure they stay balanced in-game. “That is an area of concern, and we’ll talk about that again,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “You would like one bigger body if it’s a bigger line.” Of the current six healthy Bruins defenders -- for now -- three of them are under six feet. Torey Krug and Matt Grzelcyk are both 5-foot-9, and Connor Clifton stands at 5-foot-11. Krug and Clifton have been a pair the last few games before Saturday, but at times when Grzelcyk and Krug are on the ice together, it leaves a size disadvantage. With Carlo returning, it gives the Bruins two righties in the lineup. He slides in for Steven Kampfer, who was playing the right side, along with Clifton. John Moore has played on both the left and right side, but he’s still a lefthanded shot. It can make line changes in the game more complicated, and leaves the Bruins at higher risk of being exposed. “We do like our D to change on its own side, but when it’s lefty-lefty it doesn’t matter as much,” said Cassidy. “I get frustrated when we have two righties in the lineup, with Miller and Carlo out, and two righties on the ice together. It probably shouldn’t happen.” At 6-foot-5, Carlo is the B’s tallest blueliner other than Zdeno Chara. He was paired with Krug on Saturday, a pairing that worked well last season but had yet to debut in 2018-19 due to all the injuries. “It might take a couple shifts, but we’ll start finding our chemistry we had last year,” said Carlo. “After that I feel like I know him pretty well on the ice, I know his voice and what not.” As the Bruins still try to get healthy, there’s layers of complications. While they have allowed the fewest goals against in the league, the defense has been able to hang tough. “We’re getting closer to having four regulars in our top (pairings),” said Cassidy. “Obviously Miller started but that went out the window too, so let’s enjoy it for tonight and see where it goes.” Short trip Anders Bjork was sent to Providence on Thursday ahead of the Bruins win over the Islanders, but like Ryan Donato, he won’t be there for terribly long if things go right. “Find a little more of his offensive game,” said Cassidy. “We felt he wasn’t getting inside enough. He wasn’t driving deep enough. What we found when he first got here, he’d get over the blueline and slow down a bit and try to cut inside every time and the D weren’t respecting his outside speed.” Bjork had just three points in his 20 games and was struggling offensively, though Cassidy said he was doing the little things the coaching staff asked for and his details were fine. “Now it’s finding a happy medium,” said Cassidy. “Hit the net with his shots, you don’t get that many. Not every shot has to be a post and in type of effort. When it’s there, pick your corner, otherwise let’s find some two-for-ones we call them, when you hit the net and get a second chance.” ... The William Nylander saga came to an end late last night, with the Maple Leafs signing the 22-year-old to a six-year deal with an annual average salary of $6.9 million. After scoring 61 points in each of the past two seasons, he had held out for the entirety of the start of the season. Saturday was the deadline to get a deal done, or sit out the remainder of the season.