Cassidy continues to change up lines
DeBrusk to be reunited with Coyle
The Bruins may be coming off their first win in six tries against the Carolina Hurricanes, but the reconstruction of the team’s forward lines will continue going into Sunday afternoon’s pivotal Game 4 at the Garden.
For Game 3, which the B’s won 4-2 on Friday to make the series 2-1 in Carolina’s favor, coach Bruce Cassidy reunited David Pastrnak with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and that worked as well as could be hoped. For Sunday, he’ll take a look at Jake DeBrusk skating on his natural left wing with Charlie Coyle and Tomas Nosek while the struggling Craig Smith practiced on Saturday at the Garden with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula.
DeBrusk and Coyle, of course, combined on what was the game-changing — and possibly series-changing — play with the shorthanded goal late in the first period that tied the game up at 1-1.
The pair hadn’t played together on a line since before DeBrusk was bumped up to play with Bergeron and Marchand back in late February, but they’ve managed to create some chemistry on special teams and in regular season overtimes.
Much like the reunion of the top line — and partly because of it — pairing DeBrusk
and Coyle seems like an idea whose time was bound to come sooner or later.
“Charlie and Smitty haven’t generated a lot lately so it’s just moving a few guys around, maybe some new linemates, you know, we’ve done that in the past. We try to get back to what we think will work best in the long-term but it’s the playoffs, right? So you stay in the moment,” said Cassidy on Saturday. “And they have been good on the PK together. They’ve been good 3-on-3 in overtime together, so they do have a little chemistry. It’s something we always knew we could go to and hopefully they would continue on 5-on-5. Whether Jake goes to the left or the right, it would be his call. He’s been on the right most of the year. When you go back and forth, most guys can handle it if they’ve done both. He has, but that would be up to him because (Nosek), quite honestly, he’s been center all season so right/left won’t matter.”
In DeBrusk’s first three seasons, he was pretty much glued to David Krejci’s side on the second line. But after his lost year during the COVID season of 2020-21, and then his mercurial season in 2021-22 that featured his much-dissected trade request, DeBrusk has suddenly become Mr. Versatility. He has seen time on all four lines — don’t forget, he did a pretty good job of mucking it up on the fourth line for a couple of games before getting bumped to the top line — and he’s now played on his off wing on both the first and second lines.
He’s gotten to the point where getting the opportunity to play on his strong side doesn’t immediately light up his eyes, though he does know that it’s a little easier, especially in the defensive zone. On the Hurricanes’ first goal on Friday, he was challenged to bang Brandon Carlo’s chip along the boards and it wound up in the back of the B’s net.
But at this point, DeBrusk sounds ready for anything.
“I think I got a little bit used to the right side there. It’s been almost two months,” said DeBrusk. “But I think being versatile is a big part of playing in this league, especially for a long time. If that’s where I can help the team the most, that’s where I’ll play. It’s doesn’t matter. If anything, it gives me confidence if I have to go back to the right side. Obviously (the Hurricanes are) a very aggressive team on the walls, especially with their D pinching. It’s a little bit different in the sense of chipping pucks. But I think it will be good for zone entries, too.”…
When Marchand scored on Friday, it was the first time he had shot a puck past goalie since April 2, a stretch of over a month and 15 games (he had an empty netter on April 26 against Florida). But he broke through on Friday for a goal and two assists.
After the game he said he felt more engaged than he had in a while. Some of that may have had to do with being reunited with Pastrnak, but Cassidy feels the Garden’s vibe had a lot to d with it.
“It’s playoff hockey in the Boston Garden, or TD Garden. And I think that gets you going, too. It’s that time of year. It probably helps him,” said Cassidy.
“Scoring a goal is the icing on the cake for him to say sort of ‘OK, I’m back.’ Brad is confident guy. Some would even call him beyond confident. So it’s nice to see that back. I don’t know if it ever completely left, but it appeared that way for a little while. Only he can answer that. But whatever the case may be, we need him to be that confident guy.”
Forbort in limelight
Players of Derek Forbort’s ilk do not get to take a lot of bows, but everything in the playoffs is magnified. When a player blocks nine
shots in a game, as Forbort did on Friday, it’s going to get talked about. In speaking with reporters, Forbort said it’s a skill that goes way back for him.
“Growing up in Duluth, we had a bantam coach who was kind of a nut-job. He’d shoot real pucks at us in practice,” said Forbort. “From there, it kind of became second nature.”
Lindholm out Game 4
Cassidy said that Hampus Lindholm, who suffered a possible head injury in Game 2 in Carolina, was “feeling better” but it out for Game 4…
After suffering a lower body injury on Friday, Carolina’s Jordan Martinook is questionable for Game. Veteran Derek Stepan could draw in, as could Steve Lorentz if coach Rod Brind’Amour wanted to make another change…
According to the NHL, off-ice official Joe Foley, who was conked on the head by a pane of Plexiglass that popped loose from fans banging on it after Pastrnak’s second period goal on Friday, was released from Mass. General shortly after being examined. It’s hoped he’ll be back in his post later in the series.