Blue line pairs intriguing
Boughner tinkering with defensemen as he tries for balance
CORAL SPRINGS — Being the architect of the San Jose Sharks’ sterling defense the past couple of years had a lot to do with Bob Boughner getting his first job as head coach with the Florida Panthers.
A blue-line corps that had a knack for contributing at the offensive end but too often left the goaltender exposed last season was certainly in need of improvement.
Two games into the season the defense whisperer is still testing and tinkering while rolling out some intriguing pairings.
Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad, both offensive-minded D-men, comprise one of the top tandems. Mark Pysyk and Mike Matheson, solid defenders who excel at puck movement are matched on the other.
The third set has Alex Petrovic and rookie Ian McCochen, two hard-nosed, physical defenders.
“Right now, our top four guys are playing against the top two [oppos- ing] lines for the most part,” Boughner said. “That’s the Yandle pair and the Pysyk pair. They’re both strong defensively, so we don’t have to worry about getting special two
guys matched up every time. Those four guys can handle the top minutes.”
Defensive pairings offer different virtues, and it’s a delicate marriage to get the most out of what each can offer.
With the Sharks, Boughner had the advantage of working with Brent Burns, whose superlative offensive skills have been accentuated while paired with Paul Martin, who plays the stayat-home role that allows Burns to get creative on offense. Burns scored 151 points over the past two seasons and won the Norris Trophy.
Curiously, Burns had a minus-5 ice rating after two games this season and Martin was struggling with an ankle injury.
So far Pysyk has the only goal by a Panthers defenseman. Points will come from the blue line, but shoring up the defense is a priority, and was a focus in practice following the back-to-back games against Tampa Bay last weekend.
“We worked on tightening up in our D-zone, especially when the puck’s behind our net — a little more awareness, not so much puck watching,” Boughner said, adding that the pairings aren’t necessarily set long-term.
“We tried different combinations during training camp. I’m sure they’re going to change at some point during the season. Right now, I like how they’re all complementing each other.”
The trick is to find a workable fit for all of them.
“In a perfect world, I’d like to have a puck mover with a defensive guy. When I used to play, I’d like to have a puck mover with me,” said Boughner, who played defense for 10 seasons in the NHL. “But we’ve got seven guys, and at some point they’re all going to play.
“We might have two righties play with each other as well,” he continued, noting that four of the seven on the roster are right-handed shots. “But the combinations that we’ve come up with have played pretty well up to this point.”
McCoshen has helped restore some of the toughness that was lacking last year after Erik Gudbranson was traded. His emergence made Jason Demers expendable, and the veteran was traded during training camp to Arizona for forward Jamie McGinn.
So far, McCoshen has impressed while working with Petrovic. Fellow rookie MacKenzie Weegar has yet to get into a game. Weegar is also highly regarded and considered the more offensive-minded of the two rookies after producing 14 goals and 36 points last season in the AHL.
Meanwhile, McCoshen is thriving early in Boughner’s system.
“He expects us to skate well and to defend really quick, defend hard,” McCoshen said. “I see myself as more of a physical defenseman that needs to establish himself as a physical presence throughout the game to make it harder on the opposing forwards, to make sure they know they’re in for a long night and they’re not going to get anything easy.”
McCoshen said the transition to the NHL in his second pro season was aided by former Boston College teammate Matheson, who followed the same path to the Panthers a year ahead of him.
Luongo back
Roberto Luongo will get his first home start of the season tonight against St. Louis, Boughner said.
The veteran allowed four goals on 24 shots in the season-opening loss at Tampa Bay. It will be Luongo’s first game at the BB&T Center since a Feb. 28 win against Carolina. He didn’t play last season after March 2 due to recurring hip issues.
“He wants to get a home game in. He feels good, he’s had a great week of practice. I think it’s time to go back to him,” Boughner said.