Beleskey battles back
Hopes to stick in lineup after post-injury scratches
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Bruins interim coach Bruce Cassidy noted the other day that when a change occurs behind the bench, there’s a good chance some players will see their roles on the team improve. And others won’t.
The B’s played just their fifth game under Cassidy last night against the Anaheim Ducks, and it seems clear Ryan Spooner and Jimmy Hayes are two players who have benefitted, and Matt Beleskey is one who has not.
Beleskey was back in the B’s lineup last night after being a healthy scratch in two of Cassidy’s first games.
“I think all you really can do when you don’t play is just work hard and try and get better,” Beleskey said. “I’ve been working with the coaches, trying to work on the foot speed, get back from missing a lot of games (with a knee injury). It’s taken me a bit to get going, but hopefully I can make some strides and stay in the lineup.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Beleskey, who spent parts of seven seasons with the Ducks before signing a five-year, $19 million free agent deal with the B’s.
“It’s always fun to come back here, see some familiar faces,” Beleskey said. “We had a lot of fun here, but I’m looking forward to getting two points, coming back in the lineup and being able to contribute and play my game.”
Spooner wants to stay
The NHL trade deadline is just a week away, and there has been scant activity thus far. No doubt the wheeling and dealing will pick up during these final days.
Spooner, the subject of frequent trade rumors, hopes the recent upswing in his play will make him too valuable for the B’s to trade. He said he’ll be relieved if March 1 passes without him getting that phone call.
“Yeah, I want to stay here,” Spooner said. “I mean, I think I can help out. With the team we have here, I think we can make some noise. I’m really excited about these last couple of months.” . . .
Rookie forward Austin Czarnik (leg) nearly is ready to return, perhaps Sunday in Dallas.
Cehlarik adjusts well
Lanky rookie Peter Cehlarik has made a good impression with the Bruins. In his first three NHL games, he has two assists and a plus-2 rating, and he has shown the ability to see the ice well and move the puck with creativity.
What some B’s fans don’t know is that although the 6-foot-2 Swede is only 21, he played 143 games in three seasons in Sweden’s top pro league, considered by many to be the third-best league in the world.
So how do the Swedish Hockey League and the NHL compare?
“It’s a different style of hockey,” Cehlarik said. “The rinks here are smaller, so things happen faster. You don’t have much time to think. It’s hard to create scoring chances there in Sweden because the structure is so good, and it’s more like a defensive league. Here it’s a lot about turnovers that lead to a scoring chance.
“Before I got here, I would have said I preferred the European hockey. But once I got here, I like it way more here. Here you can get inside the defensemen, take a few steps from the corner and you’re at the net with a scoring chance. Over there, even if you beat someone 1-on-1 in the corner, you’re still like five steps from the net.
“I’ve felt pretty good,” he addid. “I like to slow things down and make a play. I was more of a passer than a shooter, but I like to score some goals around the net.”
Kesler, Bergeron collide
Anaheim’s Ryan Kessler on matching up against Patrice Bergeron: “He’s a good player. He plays similar to my style. It’s going to be a good battle. Against him, the faceoffs are always a good battle, a game within the game.”
Bergeron entered the game third in the NHL with a 58.8 percent win rate on 1,281 draws. Kesler was fourth at 58.1. . . .
Former Northeastern defenseman Josh Manson, drafted by the Ducks in the sixth round in 2011, is getting close to 19 minutes per game. He scored the lone goal in Anaheim’s 1-0 victory against rival Los Angeles on Sunday.