B’s need scoring spark
Kase likely to miss tonight’s tilt against Islanders
As the Bruins search for answers to their 5-on-5 scoring drought, the circumstances they’re facing suggest that the task will only get more difficult.
Not only will they take a step up in competition when they face the New York Islanders this evening, but it appears that they will again be shorthanded up front.
While not getting into specifics of Ondrej Kase’s injury other than to say it’s an upper body malady, coach Bruce Cassidy termed Kase doubtful for tonight. Kase, who has a concussion history, took a hit from the Devils’ Miles Wood in the face/head area on Saturday, skated to the bench under his own power but appeared to become woozy on the bench and needed help to the room. He did not return.
Craig Smith, who missed Thursday’s season opener with a lower body injury, also did not take part in Sunday’s practice at the Prudential Center, but Cassidy was more hopeful that the newly acquired right wing would be available for tonight’s game.
With David Pastrnak (hip) out until at least early February, the B’s have played the bulk of the first two games without at least two of their top-nine right wings and that surely has had something to do their complete lack of 5-on-5 scoring through the first six periods of the season. But in this short 56-game schedule they cannot afford to let too many points slip away before they get healthy. They have to find a way to put more goals on the board.
“We’ve been through it over the years, maybe not quite to this extent. We’re talking about one, two and three lines. It’s usually finding fit for one of the lines,” said Cassidy. “So we have some options. It’s tough when you’re moving a guy around all the time, but that’s the hand we’re dealt. This is where you really miss exhibitions games, when you have new players and you can see how it goes.”
The Patrice Bergeron– Brad Marchand line will
see their third right wing in as many games (not counting multiple ingame substitutions on Saturday) with Jake DeBrusk bumping up to play his off wing on the top line. Jack Studnicka, who was a scratch Saturday after starting the season on the top line, will draw back in to play with David Krejci while Nick Ritchie will move up to take DeBrusk’s spot on Krejci’s left. Presuming Smith is available, he’ll again play with Charlie Coyle and Anders Bjork will move to Coyle’s left wing. The fourth line unit of Trent Frederic, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner will remain intact.
While both Bergeron and Marchand have figured in the scoring in the first two games and were reasons the B’s were able to escape Newark with three out of four points, they have not quite been clicking like they’re accustomed to. Being down the shooter in Pastrnak is one of the obvious reasons, said Cassidy. They’re also still seeing checking lines designed to stop them.
But part of it is par for the course, said Cassidy.
“I think last year was a slow start offensively for this team. We won same games 2-1 out west,” said Cassidy. “But those guys will get going. It’s inevitable. Pasta will help obviously when he gets back but they will get going. They’re too good. You’re seeing it. Marchie didn’t have too many attempts
(Saturday) but he’s turning shots looking to make plays. And that’s how Marchie tends to start the year. I don’t think he has a shot mentality early on. It comes to him, and that’s something we’re going to remind him of.”
Bjork, meanwhile, is still looking for his identity as an NHL player, and he has to find that, independent of where he’s playing in the lineup, said Cassidy. He began the season on the fourth line, started Game 2 on the top line, though was soon displaced. And he’ll start the third game on the third line.
“It is a tough ask, especially for a guy who hasn’t been in the league a long time. There are guys who are good at that. They establish themselves, they move around a lot. It’s just the way it is. They don’t change the way they play, they just adapt to their linemates,” said Cassidy. “I think that what Anders has to do, to get an identity where ‘I’m going to be hard on pucks, use my foot speed, chip in offensively, be a reliable defensive player and then the coach can use me anywhere.’ And that’s basically what we’re asking him. Somebody has to play. Pasta’s out, Kase’s out, Smith was out. Somebody has to go in there. (Karson) Kuhlman is not even with us and he’s a guy we would have looked at. If Anders is going to be in our lineup and an NHL player every night, he might have to be
that guy who has to move around a bit.”
Mixing up power play
Ritchie saw time on the first power-play unit on Saturday. Cassidy said they were looking for more options at the netfront position and it also allowed him to drop Coyle to the second PP so that unit has a centerman on it.
“You’re only building in one new player and there’s not a lot of responsibility for that net-front guy in terms of a lot movement. He’s usually the static guy and the other guys are moving around more,” said Cassidy. “We thought it would be the easiest one to experiment with and Ritch has played that in Anaheim. It could help his overall game to get some more touches.”
Frederic mucks it up
Frederic seems to be warming up to his role as a fourth line agitator. In Saturday’s game he had a running conversation with PK Subban and suckered the veteran defenseman into taking an overly aggressive penalty.
“It just happened to work out that me and Subban did some talking and maybe he found that he didn’t like me and he took that penalty,” said Frederic. “Hopefully I can keep doing things like that. It’s something that’s small. I feel like a I kind of won that battle between me and him in the sense that he took a stupid penalty”