Geekie could cause a logjam
The Bruins clicked for a season-high three power-play goals in Friday night’s shootout win on Long Island, including Morgan Geekie’s first for the Black and Gold at man-up strength.
Geekie, hired in July as a depth addition up front, be it at center or wing, was given a chance on the power play largely because No. 1 pivot Pavel Zacha remains sidelined with an upperbody injury. At even strength, the 25-year-old pivoted with Danton Heinen and David Pastrnak on his wings.
With that kind of high-profile assignment and payoff, the 6foot-3-inch, 202-pound Geekie could be hard to move out of the middle. He added an assist on Pastrnak’s PPG that briefly pulled the Bruins into a 2-2 tie.
Not a bad night for the newborn Geekie Squad.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, faced with a grinding Islander lineup, used Geekie in a beefed-up four-center order that included Charlie Coyle (6-3, 218 pounds), Trent Frederic (6-3, 220), and Johnny Beecher (6-3, 216). On a height/weight metric, it ranks among the biggest foursomes the Bruins ever have cobbled together down the middle. In the late-’90s, their headliners at center were Joe Thornton (6-4, 220) and Jason Allison (6-3, 205), but they did not have bigs like Frederic and Beecher filling the 3-4 holes.
Montgomery’s Friday night maneuverings meant another night in the press box for rookie center Matt Poitras, generously listed at 5-11, 180. It was the second time in four games that the coach elected to sit out his promising freshman, citing an ongoing desire not to wear down the 19-year-old, whose offensive craftiness won him a roster spot out of training camp.
Poitras was back in the lineup at center for the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Rangers Saturday night at TD Garden and Geekie was again at center, meaning Frederic was back at wing.
Upon Zacha’s return — perhaps Tuesday vs. the Wild — the Bruins will have six legit centers.
Prior to faceoff, Montgomery said he was hopeful Zacha and No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy would be in the lineup vs. the Wild. Both have been sidelined with upper-body injuries.
Meanwhile, Geekie’s straightline, aggressive nature could make him too much of an asset at center for Montgomery to kick him back to wall duty. He finished above water (12 for 23) on faceoffs Friday night, and drops have been a struggle for the downsized Poitras. In his first 26 games, he won only 43.8 percent of his faceoffs.
It remained a possibility as of Saturday afternoon that the Bruins would release Poitras to Team Canada for the World Junior Championship that begins Dec. 26 in Sweden. Team Canada will settle into its Gothenburg digs Sunday and play a couple of tuneups.
If the Canadians make a serious run for a third consecutive gold, they wouldn’t leave Sweden until the championship game Jan. 5. If Poitras were there, realistically he would be out of the varsity mix here until some point on a four-game road trip that kicks off Jan. 8 in Denver.
“I haven’t had those discussions, so I can’t tell you one way or the other,” Montgomery said about Poitras’s WJC option.
Another factor potentially influencing the decision has been the recent upswing in Georgii Merkulov’s game at AHL Providence. The second-year pro, who can play center and wing, entered the weekend as the Wanna-Bs’ top producer (10-13—23), his hottest run since signing as a free agent out of Ohio State in April 2022.
Merkulov’s development, and particularly his hot hand, could entice general manager Don Sweeney to give him a look with the varsity, send Poitras off to the WJC, and roll with a Geekie-Coyle-Frederic-Beecher alignment until Zacha is ready to reenter the mix.
Special puck drop
To help celebrate Lunch Pail A.C. Night, Normand Leveille dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff. Leveille, who turns 61 next month, had his career cut short by a cerebral hemorrhage in October 1982. Ex-Bruins captain Ray Bourque steered Leveille’s wheelchair to center ice and helped him stand for the puck-drop ceremony . . . John Wensink, who in his heyday once challenged the entire North Stars bench to a fight, kiddingly did the same to the Ranger bench when he was introduced in pregame ceremonies . . . Mike Milbury waved a shoe toward the crowd as he was introduced, a throwback gesture to the night he climbed into he stands at Madison Square Garden and tussled with the patrons.
Welcome day off
The Bruins will take Sunday as a rest/maintenance opportunity, a welcomed respite after 29 games with 53 to go in the regular season. They’ll return to work with Monday’s practice in Brighton, then host the Wild the next night . . . Wild rookie center Marco Rossi, 22, entered weekend play with 17 points and 10 goals, second in both categories to Blackhawks sensation Connor Bedard (24, 12). Rossi, born in Austria, came to North America at 17 and played two seasons for OHL Ottawa. He led the 67s with 120 points in 2019-20, leading Minnesota to select him No. 9 in that June’s draft . . . Leading up to Saturday night’s visit by the Rangers, the Bruins were outshot in their previous four games, a season high. A late flurry vs. the Islanders Friday closed the gap, but they still finished under water, 37-34 . . . It was a good night for backline offensive production, including a goal by Mason Lohrei and two helpers by Kevin Shattenkirk, the No. 1 point option on the power play with McAvoy on the sideline. Collectively, the six-pack entered the night with a 10-41—51 line through 28 games. Projected output: 149 points. The defensemen finished 39-166—205 last season.