National Post (National Edition)
Bruins need to get top line on track
Bin Toronto
ruce Cassidy started Boston’s practice on Tuesday by giving his forward lines half the rink for some 3-on-3 shinny, a chance for open ice and maybe some fun.
A good call, because little of this series with the Toronto Maple Leafs has been enjoyable to date, particularly the Perfection Line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. With the exception of first-period goals in Games 1 and 2, the trio that caused the Leafs so many fits last spring has been under wraps, mostly butting heads against John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman.
After contemplating breaking them up after Toronto took the series lead on Monday in a 3-2 win, Cassidy kept them together when the Bruins assembled Tuesday at Coca-cola Coliseum.
“We met with them today and went over a few things,” Cassidy revealed. “I think they recognize where they’ve left some offence on the table. It hasn’t been much of a line rush, offensive series since the first game.
“They’ve done a good job limiting Marner and Tavares. It’s been a bit of a battle that way, two good offensive lines playing good defensively, (but the three Bruins) can’t seem to get it going offensively.”
Cassidy thinks they need the positive reinforcement — “the juice” — that some power play goals can bring heading into Game 4 on Wednesday. The line did net one in Game 1, the team’s only goal, and another in Game 2 at the end when the dispirited Leafs were killing the major to Nazem Kadri. Their Game 3 goal came from Charlie Coyle and the second man advantage unit.
“They didn’t have it (Tuesday) night,” agreed Cassidy. “Their zone entries weren’t very good, they were out of sync, we lost patience. We have to get it back on track. We have a checklist of plays we run through.
“If we can stick to what we do and make minor adjustments ... you have to manage the puck no matter who you play. That was on us last night. Sometimes you have to give them credit and certainly their kill was good, but part of it was self-inflicted.”
Cassidy thought the Tavares line was “reloading well” in the Toronto zone to create opportunity off the rush.
“They’re not allowing us to hit late guys who turn up or get inside ice,” he said. “It’s a good matchup, I don’t mind it.”
Bergeron said his group will simply have to do better to pick their way through the coverage and Toronto’s defence to get a few more tries at beating Frederik Andersen.
“We’ve been in similar situations before and relied on experience,” said Bergeron. “We believe in ourselves, we know we’ve got a good team and a good line. We were expecting a matchup like that, we were expecting a tight game. We’ve found ways all year. That’s part of the job, that’s what hockey is about.”
Cassidy praised Bergeron for often recognizing when his linemates need a few bolts tightened and addressing it before the staff steps in. To use a Jon Cooper-ism from the distraught coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Cassidy said the off-ice huddle with the first line “isn’t some five-alarm fire. We just want to get them back on the same page. They like structure, they crave it and then they add that to their creativity. It’s a simple revisiting of basics — ‘ what can we do against Toronto?’”
Momentum has swung every game so far in the series and now Boston is expected to have more urgency Wednesday to avoid a 3-1 series deficit going home. That could be supplied by the return of third liner Marcus Johansson, who has been ill a few days with the flu. He was in David Backes’ spot on Tuesday.
“It looks like he has some colour again,” Cassidy said after Johansson made it through a 45-minute practice. “But until he shows up healthy tomorrow, it will be a game-time decision.”
In no way are the Leafs thinking they’ve solved the Bergeron line. Many recall too vividly how the stalwarts had three goals and four assists in Game 7 last spring and nine goals and 21 assists in that series.
In 2013, it was Bergeron scoring with 51 seconds remaining in regulation at TD Garden to complete a threegoal comeback in Game 7 and later win it in overtime.