Veteran trio gets rest day
RALEIGH, N.C. — While not explicitly placed under the banner of “load management,” the Bruins rested three key players during Sunday’s 4-3 win in a shootout at Carolina, their second game of a back-to-back.
Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Hampus Lindholm were out of Jim Montgomery’s lineup, all three dealing with what the coach termed nagging injuries.
Additionally, he reported before puck drop, Bergeron was under the weather, and was feeling “progressively worse” during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Tampa Bay. The captain, who scored the opening goal, logged 18:25 minutes and won 19 of 26 faceoffs (73.1 percent).
Marchand, who was sidelined for five months after double hip surgery in May, had an assist on the 1-0 goal — giving him 0-7–7 in his last five games — and skated 20:03. Lindholm, known to be dealing with a sore foot, played his usual team-high workload (24:11) and put up the other assist on Bergeron’s goal.
“We don’t want to get to the point where they couldn’t play, and it’s getting close to that point,” Montgomery said of the three who were standing down. “They’re playing through some pain right now. We don’t want them to progressively get worse.”
Sunday was the first “DNP” this season for Bergeron, who turns 38 in July. He is on track for the sixth 30-goal, 60point season (currently: 27-30—57). Marchand, who missed eight of the first nine games coming off the surgery, had played in every game since. Lindholm sat for the second game this season.
The Bruins recalled Oskar Steen, who played his first NHL game since skating in the regular-season finale last April 29. He saw 20 games last season (2-4—6). In a team-high 62 games with Providence this year, the 5-foot-9-inch forward put up a 14-17—31 line. Steen logged a quiet 8:56 (two shots).
“He’s gotten his swagger back in his game,” Montgomery said, relaying what he was told by his staff. “He’s a real confident player, making a lot of plays along walls, attacking inside the dots, going to hard areas. That’s why he’s earned this opportunity to get called up and see what he can show us as a potential depth guy for us in what is hopefully a long run.”
Steen debuted on a second line centered by Pavel Zacha, with left wing Jake DeBrusk. The top line was Tyler Bertuzzi-David Krejci-David Pastrnak.
McAvoy comes to defense
The Bruins killed their first penalty after Charlie McAvoy got his money’s worth against Jordan Martinook. The defenseman tackled the Carolina forward after the latter bumped Jeremy Swayman in a net-front battle. “My blue paint, baby,” Swayman said. McAvoy apologized to Bertuzzi for what happened at the other end. Bertuzzi, who has had several would-be goals waved off in his short time as a Bruin, tipped home Krejci’s pass, but it did not count amid the McAvoy-Martinook scrap . . . With the altered lineup and McAvoy’s two penalties, Dmitry Orlov played 26:03 (four shots, two hits). Seven Bruins, including Krejci (21:11), logged more than 20 minutes, and Bertuzzi was three seconds from that mark.
Greer expected to rally
Montgomery wasn’t worried about Greer’s mental state coming off a onegame suspension. He certainly didn’t think the penalty could cause the winger, who was playing in his 100th NHL game, to go into a shell. “I think he’s fine,” Montgomery said. “I told him, ‘Listen, this is going to give you an extra 2 feet of ice off every draw.’ It just does.” Making a point about the intimidation factor, Montgomery recalled playing with the late Bryan Marchment in San Jose. Someone razzed the enforcer by asking how much money he had lost in fines and suspensions. Montgomery recalled Marchment retorting, “How much have those suspensions made me money?” . . . Defenseman Mike Reilly, playing for AHL Providence, was reportedly OK after being stretchered off the ice in Charlotte Sunday. Reilly, stashed in the minors for salary cap reasons, tangled with a Charlotte player on a puck retrieval in the P-Bruins’ end and went back-first into the boards, then laid motionless on the ice. The Bruins later updated his status: “He is alert and in stable condition. He is currently feeling good and walking around.”