Blue liners aren’t all defense
DALLAS — Good things almost always happen for the Bruins when one of their defensemen scores a goal.
Including Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime win over the Stars, the start of an eight-game stretch in which the Bruins will play six times on the road, the Black and Gold are a nearly perfect 18-1-0 in games in which at least one of their backliners put a puck in the net.
“It’s [in line] with the way we want to play,” said coach Jim Montgomery before the game. “We’re playing to our identity when our D-men are getting really good scoring chances.
“I didn’t know that stat. It’s good to know.”
Montgomery some 5-6 weeks ago prioritized the need for the defensemen to pick up the scoring pace, reiterating his desire for them to be prepared to enter the action when the puck was in the offensive end of the ice. He wanted his weak-side D-men to pinch down more frequently, be it to keep plays alive with checks along the wall or dart closer to the net to present forwards with scoring options.
Through 41 games as of Jan. 12, Bruins defensemen had scored in only 15 games. They then responded to Montgomery’s urgings with a flurry of nine strikes over the next 10 games, by far their hottest pace in his time as bench boss.
“Really?” said franchise defenseman Charlie McAvoy, when apprised of the 18-1-0 record. “I’m a little surprised, but I guess when you put it in the grand scheme, we haven’t lost too many games, so I guess it makes sense.”
The Bruins hold the top spot in league standings, losing only 13 times (40-8-5), including Saturday’s 2-1 regulation loss to the Capitals.
McAvoy, tied for second among Bruins defensemen with four goals, behind Hampus Lindholm (6), noted the backend boost “definitely helps, alleviates some of that pressure up front.”
“We obviously want to be a part of it,” added McAvoy. “We want to be involved, contribute when we can. That’s a good stat for us. Shows, if we can do it, we’ll have success.”
In those 19 games, the blue liners scored 24 goals and the Bruins outscored the opposition, 87-38 (plus-49). In the 34 games in which the defensemen did not put one in the net, the Bruins own a plus-32 differential.
Power shortage
The Bruins are still sputtering on the power play, blanked (0 for 20) over the last six games, the club’s longest drought of the season. They had not produced a goal on the advantage since Taylor Hall’s strike at Montreal on Jan. 24.
“Last game [vs. Washington], the one power play we had, we had the two great looks,” noted Montgomery. “We hada[ Patrice] Bergeron one-timer and a good look at the back door, too, by[ Brad Marchand]. When we get those kind of Grade A opportunities, we’re happy.”
Montgomery, however, said he wanted to see everyone — forwards and defensemen — in more of an “attack mode.”
“Everyone’s kind of like wanting to set it up and have the perfect shot or play,” he said. “And it’s a slow power play. We want to increase the attack mentality, which should increase the [pace of ] puck movement and putting the penalty killers on their heels.”
The Bruins entered Tuesday with a power play that clicked 24.6 percent of the time this season, seventh in the league. The Oilers (31.1 percent) were parked in first.
Bruins fans who remember the days when Ray Bourque fired bombs off the point as their No. 1 power-play threat might be surprised that McAvoy owned the club’s lone power-play goal by a defenseman as of Tuesday morning.
But that’s the trend in today’s game, especially with most teams mixing only one defenseman into their power-play units. Four other clubs (Calgary, Chicago, Minnesota, and Toronto) also could claim only one PPG from their backliners as of Tuesday. The Kraken had zero.
Leading the league for goals by defensemen on the power play: Florida, Nashville, and New Jersey with eight each.
Leading the way on an individual basis: ex-Bruin Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey) and Nashville’s Roman Josi (seven each).
Dividing their time
Through the first 52 games, Linus Ullmark (33 appearances) and Jeremy Swayman (22) divvied up net duties in a 3-2 ratio. Montgomery said Tuesday morning that he expects to use them at the same pace these final two months, but could fine-tune it over the final 1014 days leading up to the playoffs. “That’s where we think we can be flexible,” he said. “It’ll just depend where we are, standings-wise and health-wise.” . . . Russian prospect Georgii Merkulov, signed as a free agent out of Ohio State last spring, was named last week’s AHL Player of the Week after collecting a 3-2—5 line across a pair of weekend wins by the WannaBs. Montgomery accompanied general manager Don Sweeney to Providence Friday night and was impressed by what he saw from Merkulov, a 22–year-old who plays center and wing. “I thought he was the best player on the ice,” said Montgomery. “He’s developing. He’s trending the right way as a guy who can help us one day.”