‘D’ pairing first in line
Krug, McQuaid move forward
Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid are opposites who attract as the Bruins’ second defense pairing.
Krug is a 5-foot-9, 186-pound puck-moving defenseman with an offensive bent, while the 6-4, 212-pound McQuaid takes care of business on the back end.
Interim coach Bruce Cassidy discussed how the forward/defense combinations work in relation to Krug and McQuaid following yesterday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena. Cassidy attempts to manage shifts so that Krug and McQuaid are on the ice with the first line of center Patrice Bergeron and wingers Brad Marchand and David Backes.
“That’s by design because the success they are having offensively (on) Bergy’s line and Torey being able to add to that in the way we are trying to coach offense where (Krug) is getting involved,” Cassidy said. “You counter that usually with Z ( Zdeno Chara) and ( Brandon) Carlo that are a defensive matchup out there with ( David) Krejci. You’ve got a line that can score and a pair of defensemen that really know how to defend and get up as well and support the rush.”
Krug has modified his shoot-first approach since Cassidy replaced Claude Julien on Feb. 7. In Thursday’s 2-0 victory against the Dallas Stars at the Garden, Krug scored the second goal, his eighth of the season. He is seventh in the NHL in scoring for a defenseman with 42 assists and 50 points.
“If we are going back to the start of the year and the offensive part I thought he was looking for his shot a lot more than looking to make plays for his teammates,” Cassidy said. “He’s found that balance and his assist totals are up and a career year in points.”
Rask good to go
Cassidy confirmed that Tuukka Rask will start this afternoon against the Florida Panthers at the Garden but would not speculate on the No. 1 goalie’s availability for tomorrow’s matinee in Chicago against the Blackhawks. Cassidy preferred to split the duties between Rask and backup Anton Khudobin on backto-back games early in his tenure, but that approach has been amended during the push for the playoffs. . . .
Wingers Frank Vatrano (upper body) and Tim Schaller (lower body) are out for the weekend backto-backs. . . .
Chara and Krejci were excused from practice for maintenance.
Pats’ Chung on ice
The B’s added a big hitter along the blue line at practice. Patriots strong safety Patrick Chung was an active participant. Naturally, Chung gravitated toward the guys on defense.
“He looked pretty good and he knew what he was doing,” Cassidy said. “I’m not sure if we are going to inject him into the lineup just yet. . . . He wanted to come out and skate and meet some of the fellows. I did not get to speak to him afterward, but hopefully he had a good time and I hope we can tap into a few of those Patriots secrets.”