Fourth line producing
Lazar has provided the B’s an immediate spark
In the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, Bruins fans seemed to be of two competing minds concerning what should be at the top of the grocery list. A top-six wing or a puck-moving, leftshot defenseman?
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
Well, GM Don Sweeney appears to have done a good job in acquiring those two commodities in Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly.
But one of the missing elements of underrated importance to this 2021 edition of the Bruins was ineffectiveness of the fourth line. In the B’s three runs to the Stanley Cup Finals in the last decade, both Claude Julien and Bruce Cassidy could sic a so-called fourth line on the opposition’s top lines at spells, forcing the top-end talent to play in their own end.
Cassidy hadn’t had that much this year. Both Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner were having inconsistent seasons, finding themselves as healthy scratches at points. Trent Frederic and the now departed Anders Bjork had been tried at the left wing, with varying degrees of success.
But through two games at least, it appears as though Sweeney has gone three-forthree. With the insertion of newly acquired Curtis Lazar as the center of the fourth unit, both Kuraly, now at left wing, and Wagner appear to have had their game’s revitalized. They had a promising start in the win against Buffalo, though they were victimized for the tying goal.
Against the Islanders, the trio started the game and set the tone with a tenacious below-the-goal line shift. When the night was over, both Kuraly and Lazar had played over 16 minutes each and Wagner had played nearly 14.
“Very encouraged,” said Cassidy. “It’s been a staple of this team since I’ve been here and before that. At the start of the game (Thursday) night, it’s a great example of how the game can get tilted in your favor early on. Just a real strong shift, managing the puck, physical against (Adam) Pelech and their D, recovering pucks, getting to the net, just building some momentum early. I know we don’t have the same crowd numbers, but get them into the game, get our bench into the game. Let the other team know we’re here to play. And then again after the second goal, they did the dame thing. It’s 2-0, late in the first period and they go out and put it behind them again. Lazar gets a great chance, but the puck rolls on him a little bit. So that was nice to see them do their job and get rewarded with some O-zone time. And as a result, their minutes reflected it. They got matched a little more against (Mat) Barzal and played the right way all night. And good for them.”
Raving about Reilly
As for Reilly, he looks like a terrific pick-up. He moves the puck out of danger areas quickly and he’s found a way to get his shots past the first layer of defense, something the B’s defensemen have struggled with all year.
He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, but if he continue to play like this he’ll make a strong case for Sweeney re-signing him. However that works out, Reilly has quickly found a way into Cassidy’s heart.
“The (puck) retrieval part is that he’s a good skater and he’s got a good hockey IQ ,” said Cassidy. “Going back on the puck he’s pretty good on what’s available, what isn’t available. Where’s my nearest point of support and where’s the nearest point of danger?
“He’s good at making the reads quickly. He doesn’t over-handle pucks … pretty much when it’s on his tape he’s pass-ready in a hurry, or shot-ready. He’s not overhandling pucks. He’s not one of those guys who has to stickhandle three times before he makes a play. That’s some of the drawback of some the skill work these kids do. They handle the puck so much, sometimes I think they over-handle it when they don’t need to it in open ice or situations when you’re under duress. At the end of the day, he does that well. He has composure under the goal line. You have to know when you’re going to get hit in a hurry. Other times, you know ‘this guys doesn’t have a great angle.’ … Some of that is natural instinct. And he’s got it. At the O-zone blue line, I think he makes his decisions in a hurry. Anything that goes low to high, you tend not to get your shot blocked if it’s on and off your stick before that forward sets himself and gets 100 percent in the shooting lane At the odd time, he’ll throw an extra move in to keep people periodically honest…I just like his processing. To me, that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. It happens quick. He makes his decision and lives with it.”
Between the pipes
Dan Vladar was backing up Jeremy Swayman on Friday.
“Tuukka (Rask) is fine. Feels fine after (Thursday’s) game, but that’s the way we’re going to go so that he’s not pressed into any emergency service,” said Cassidy, who expects Rask to play on Sunday against Washington.
Odds and ends
Kevan Miller was out of the lineup again for Friday’s game. Cassidy ruled him as day-to-day, but didn’t specify exactly what the issue was.
“It’s not related to his previous (knee) injury, it’s not COVID, it’s just something that came up that unfortunately kept him out of the lineup so we’ll see where he’s at (Saturday),” said Cassidy. …
Cassidy said Matt Grzelcyk, out since taking an elbow to the head last Saturday in Philadelphia, has been on the ice since then but won’t be able to play until he practices with the team. … Brandon Carlo (upper body) remains week-to-week.