Heinen’s value more than goals
Critical piece of Bruins’ Cup run
If you judge solely by the scoresheet, you might think Danton Heinen is having a subpar postseason.
Heinen has two goals, one of which came at the end of the Bruins’ Game 2 blowout against the Carolina Hurricanes, and five assists in 17 playoff games this spring.
But while the production is lacking, Heinen is playing at a high level defensively and is contributing to the B’s quest for the Stanley Cup. He’s second on the team to Zdeno Chara in the muchmaligned plus/minus department (Heinen is plus10) and third on the team behind Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand in Corsi percentage at 54.79.
The only stat that really matters at this time of year is wins, and the B’s are sitting on seven straight as they await the winner of the Western Conference finals. Heinen might not be in Conn Smythe contention, but he’s averaging 13:33 of ice time in the postseason and has had a hand in getting the B’s to this point.
“We’re winning, and he’s playing his minutes, right?” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think a player just knows that he’s contributing in some way, shape or form, and that usually keeps your confidence. I think you’d look at the scoring more if it was in season because you get judged a little bit more by that then. But now it’s about winning at the end of the day, and he’s doing his part, so I don’t think it bothers him as much.”
Heinen came out of the University of Denver with a reputation as a scorer (93 points in 81 collegiate games), and as a rookie last season, he had 16 goals and 31 assists. At the outset of this season, he struggled mightily to put the puck in the net, and the hit to his confidence almost derailed his year. But he took advantage of getting bumped up to the first line with Bergeron and Marchand when David Pastrnak was injured in February and wound up with 11 goals and 23 assists.
Right now, scoring is not his primary focus.
“Obviously you want to be scoring and helping the team, but it doesn’t always happen that way,” Heinen said. “I’ve been through different ups and downs, and I just try to not get too frustrated and try to help the team in any other way.
“When you’re playing the way we are, and we’re winning, it’s tough to be frustrated. That helps a lot. If you’re not winning and you’re getting looks but not scoring, then it definitely wears on you more. But guys are stepping up, and it’s a different guy every night. I still tell myself that I could score a big goal or be a game-changer. There’s always next game, and that’s the mentality. You can’t get too down when you’re in the Stanley Cup finals, right?”
Heinen is not much for stats, but he does take solace is some of the possession numbers that are pointing in his favor.
“For me, a big thing has been developing my defensive game, and I think that shows that when you’re 5-on-5 and you’re a plus, you may not be scoring much, but you’re not getting scored on,” Heinen said. “That shows you that the details in your defensive work that you’ve put in is starting to pay off.”
Heinen currently is the right winger on an effective third line with Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson, but he has been called upon to move around the lineup. At times he’ll see spot duty with David Krejci late in games, and in the B’s firstround series against Toronto, he was bumped back up to the Bergeron-Marchand line when Pastrnak was struggling. That switch helped the B’s get over the hump in what has been their toughest series so far.
“It was just a switch that ended up working for a bit,” Heinen said. “I don’t know what it was, but I’m happy to do that any time, for sure, to play with those guys. But it’s nice to be a guy that they can put there if you need a change. But they’re buzzing right now, which is good, and I’m just trying to complement the third line. I’m doing anything I can to help them.”