Fourth line showed improvement in debut
Cassidy: ‘They got better as the game went along’
The minutes for the Bruins’ fourth line were not abundant, but in the B’s season-opening 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday, coach Bruce Cassidy saw some incremental improvement throughout the game.
After a preseason that left more questions than answers about the line of Trent Frederic–Tomas Nosek–Karson Kuhlman, that was the hope. And no goals-against was a victory.
Thanks to a lot of special teams work for which they’re not utilized abundantly, Frederic’s (7:23) and Kuhlman’s (6:34) of icetime was kept well under 10 minutes, but the inactivity did not adversely affect their readiness later in the game.
“They got better as the game went along. Defensively, I thought they put out some fires in their own end with wingers dropping down, both (Kuhlman and Frederic). Nosek’s starting to make reads off the D,” said Cassidy. “I don’t think they managed the puck early on when they did get it back, so they were back in their own end. As the game went on, they did a better job with that, started recognizing where the open ice was. Nosie had a nice little stuff play. Even though there was nothing much going on, he was still protecting the puck and almost slid one in. Then Freddy had a chance to attack later and they did. They had turned down an opportunity to go to the net and then the next time they made the right play to Kuhlie in the bumper. So they did a good job as that went along. That’s as expected, because they haven’t played a lot together. They certainly didn’t hurt us. We didn’t get Freddy and Kuhlie into the game as much as we’d like. Some of that was penalty driven. But they’ve got to play through those lapses when they don’t get out there. That’s what we’ve always liked about Kuhlie. He keeps his motor up when he sits for stretches.”
Cassidy feels confident enough in the veteran presence on this top three lines that he doesn’t have to protect any any of those units.
The same cannot be said of the fourth line, at least not yet. But the hope and expectation is that the group can at some point be trusted to take some heavy lifting shifts against top lines, especially when Curtis Lazar (upper body, week-to-week) can return.
“That’s what we want,” said Cassidy. “At the end of the day, it will save us some tough minutes for our other lines as we go along. We’ll see. We feel Kuhlie has always been a good checker since he’s been here. We’re comfortable with his game that way. Nosek is a smart guy. Freddy is getting to understand the wing position from center, where he played a lot in Providence, so that will have to get up to speed. It was better the other night. That’s our hope, that they can wear some teams down as well on the other end. And when Lazar comes back — he was bringing some good energy as well —
that would be over time what we’d like.”
Foligno a good influence on DeBrusk
If Jake DeBrusk needs a big brother-type of presence in the B’s locker room, he could do a lot worse than Nick Foligno. Both are sons of former NHL players, and like DeBrusk, Foligno battled consistency issues early in his career.
Sure enough, throughout preseason and Game 1, it appears that along with center Erik Haula, it’s a very promising union. The line produced the gamewinner on Saturday, with DeBrusk chasing down a Foligno dump-in to get it back to Haula along the boards. Haula fed Foligno and DeBrusk finished off the goal.
Foligno is willing and eager to help DeBrusk any way he can.
“We’re all pulling on the same rope here,” said Foligno. “And I’ve been that guy. I’ve been that guy who has a good year and then has a disappointing year. … I think that’s why you admire the (Patrice) Bergerons and the (Brad) Marchands and the (David Pastrnaks). They always have great years, and there’s a reason why. The focus and commitment is the same. I think he’s learning that, Jake is. Understanding what it is every year you have to do. It’s monotonous at times, but that’s what great players do. I think he’s still figuring out that part of of it in his game, so I’m encouraging him. So am I (figuring things out). And I think if you asked Bergeron and Marchand, they’d say they’re still figuring it out, too. They just have that ability to zone in and figure out what makes them great. And I think Jake’s figuring that out now, what makes him a great player. He’s a straight-ahead, gifted guy. He can skate, he can make plays. And he can also play the power style, too. If I can encourage him in any way, that’s part of pulling on the same rope. First of all, he’s a great kid. He’s really a lot of fun to be around. I love being around guys like that. I think we’ve got an instant connection as well and I’m having a lot of fun with him.”
Zboril maturing in the wings
Jakub Zboril is charged with staying sharp in practice while he waits his turn for playing time. That’s not an easy thing for a player who, though he’s in his fifth pro season, is only in his second NHL campaign. But Cassidy has seen some growth in the 2015 first round pick, especially when competing against the veterans.
“They compete hard, so that’s where it helps him,” said Cassidy. “Marchie goes hard against anybody. And he’s gone hard against Jakub — and Jakub’s pushed back this year a little more. I think that started last year, the comfort level for him in practice. It’s tough on those young guys. These guys are elite, they’re superstars and they want to battle them hard in practice but want to be careful not to injure them. So we tell them ‘ they’ll respect you more if you battle. Just do it the right way. Don’t be a afraid to win a puck against them.’ And I think Jakub’s done a good job.”