Coach: Rested Hall ready to roll again
The nine-day break for hockeystarved Bruins fans is finally over on Saturday, and the B’s re-entry into action should be just as challenging as the segment just before their vacation.
They start with an ABC-televised marquee matchup at the Garden against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (3:30), who are in a five-team scrum for the two Eastern Conference wild cards. The Caps went into Friday’s games in the first WC spot but they were bunched up with the Penguins, Islanders, Panthers and Sabres, with a mere three points separating Washington from Buffalo.
After that, the B’s travel to Dallas to play the Western Conference-leading Stars on Tuesday and then on Nashville to play a Predators team that is trying to reel in the sinking Minnesota Wild.
The B’s, clearly, will not be afforded the opportunity to ease back into things.
And though the B’s sit atop the NHL at 39-7-5, they can be better than they were in the last couple of weeks. At the top of the fix-it list is the power play, which went 0-for-13 in the last four games before the break and was one of the biggest culprits in the team’s three-game losing streak. In practice on Friday, they went with a top unit of Charlie McAvoy, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Brad Marchand working the net front.
The B’s could also use some more production from Taylor Hall. With Jake DeBrusk out, he’s bounced around the lineup, including getting a look on his off wing with Bergeron and Marchand. He also saw some time with Krejci and Pavel Zacha and, on Saturday, expect to see him on left wing with Charlie Coyle and Nick Foligno.
Since picking up two helpers in a Dec. 19 home win over Florida, Hall has just two goals and three assists in the last 20 games. Coach Jim Montgomery feels like the break should help him, from a mental standpoint as much as a physical one. The internal numbers also tell Montgomery that Hall has not been as bad as those numbers might suggest.
“I think with Taylor, the production hasn’t been there. But oddly enough, our scoring chances, he’s third most 5-on-5 in the last 10-game segment,” said Montgomery on Friday. “He’s getting looks and I think it’s normal when an offensive player who’s relied on for production like he is with us, they know that they’re here to produce. So it can become too much and they start thinking about results too much. Taylor and I have had some healthy conversations. We actually just had one. He’s in a real good place. Everybody kind of needed the break. Everyone’s re-energized and I think everyone’s excited to play again. When you know an eight-day break is coming, it seems like mentally you get more tired before the break. And we’re in a much better place as a team. Everybody, staff included.”
His pairing with Coyle down in the lineup should help not just Hall but the overall product.
“I just really like the chemistry there. The last game in Toronto we switched to that … and they just seemed to give us an edge,” said Montgomery. “On the third line, when you have Coyle and Hall on your third line, that’s a huge advantage. And that’s the depth. When you look at when Taylor Hall was producing, our team was really dominant and it was 5-on-5 play. He was scoring power-play goals and all that, but that ability to have those two players on your third line really makes you dangerous.”
DeBrusk getting closer
DeBrusk, who had a flight canceled that prevented him from making it back in time for Thursday’s practice, was in attendance on Friday, skating in a red noncontact jersey. He will not be available for Saturday’s against the Caps.
“We haven’t seen the imaging yet that will say we’re comfortable with putting him back in,” said Montgomery. “We’re hoping for Tuesday (in Dallas) but we’re not going to take any chances. And if he’s not ready for Nashville, we won’t go then, either. But we do think it should be by Nashville because I think that gets us to six weeks. That’s the thought.”
Montgomery again marveled at the toughness DeBrusk showed in the Winter Classic to play through a a thumb injury and broken fibula to score both goals in the 2-1 win over the Penguins.
“Substantial amount of pain, both injuries, the thumb and the leg,” said Montgomery. “It’s pretty remarkable the toughness that he showed to come through in a big moment like that. I watched ‘Behind the B’ the other day and he couldn’t walk up the stairs. He’s using his stick like a cane. And that’s four minutes after he scored the winning goal. And great coaching by me. I had him out there in the last minute. So I was not aware he was hurting.”
Montgomery also said Tomas Nosek, who suffered a broken foot on a blocked shot on Jan. 19, tried skating recently but it did not go well, so they’re pulling back on his return a bit.
Early Ovechkin look
Ovechkin comes into the game 82 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894. Montgomery got an early scouting report during his one year playing in Russia when his club, Ufa Salavat Yulayev, played against Ovechkin’s Moscow Dynamo team in 2003-04. At the time, Ovechkin was being billed as the next Pavel Bure.
“I couldn’t believe how big he was,” said Montgomery. “He was 17 turning 18. It was his draft year and I couldn’t get over how big he was. He was a man-child out there, in a real good league.”
Montgomery said after his team picked up the win, he saw a flash of Ovechkin’s fire.
“He got into an argument with our fans,” said Montgomery. “I remember him slashing the glass. The fans were reaching out because it was short glass and they were pulling on his jersey or something and he turned around and I thought, ‘Whoa, he’s got a temper.’ I’ve never really seen that since.”