Lauko netted a crowd-pleaser
First came the sigh of relief.
Then came the comic relief.
After 32 games, Bruins winger Jakub Lauko potted his first goal of the season in the 5-2 win over the Avalanche Thursday night.
After celebrating on the ice, Lauko headed back to the bench, where a miniroast broke out, with teammates and the coaching staff, including Jim Montgomery and Chris Kelly, throwing barbs his way.
“Yeah, I think Marchy had some,” Lauko said following Friday’s practice at Warrior Arena. “Obviously, I expect that from him. I started calling him ‘Bradley’ after that, so he kind of shut up after. Just kidding.
“Monty had a couple of good ones. I think Kells told me to get a puck and keep it, so that was a good one, too. But yeah, it was a long time, so I was ready for it.”
Montgomery said the goal, which gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead, provided a lift.
“I think everybody was really happy for him,” said the coach. “He’s a real likable teammate just because of the energy and the kind of goofy smile he carries around on himself. He brings positive energy to the group that way and I think everybody was really happy for him and I know he was extremely relieved.
“He even joked about it: ‘Couldn’t miss that backhander!’ ‘’
It’s been a grind of a season for Lauko, who missed a chunk of time after suffering a horrific cut above his left eye and a facial fracture when he was clipped by a skate blade in Chicago Oct. 24.
After returning, the affable Lauko struggled to find his game. Used mostly as a fourth liner, he uses his speed and physicality to have an impact on games. Points are always a bonus, but a protracted scoring slump will weigh on any player.
“Yeah, sometimes it wasn’t easy,” he said. “Obviously when you have a couple chances during the game, you miss an empty net or something, it’s really frustrating. So, it was hard.
“It was hard to get through it, and like I said yesterday, I really didn’t have much going on good this season, so it wasn’t easy sometimes. It was kind of hard and I was just trying to stay positive as much as I could. But yeah, it’s next game tomorrow, and I’ll try to build on it.”
Lauko, who was a healthy scratch twice on the recent Western Conference trip, said he took a hard look in the mirror and made it a point to get back to playing the brand of hockey that got him to the NHL. Since rejoining the lineup, the 23-year-old has done just that. He even earned a promotion to the third line against Colorado, playing nearly 9 minutes.
“I know my role, obviously, what I need to do: being physical. The only difference yesterday was that I was in the third line, but playing those minutes, obviously we’re not playing the minutes like [David Pastrnak] or Brad Marchand, so every single time I am on the ice, I’m trying to do my best just being physical, try to hit people, get some hits in,” he said.
“When I’m on a bench, I’m trying to get the guys going, keep a healthy atmosphere on the bench, trying to cheer for us, and that’s my job.
“Yesterday we were playing a good game. I think it was one of our best games this year and just the way we played, the way we played with the lead. So, it was good, really, like the whole atmosphere on the bench was a little different than the other games.”
Chain reaction
The laughs continued Friday when Montgomery took a few laps at practice wearing an oversized gold chain with Pastrnak’s mug shot and No. 88 on it. Turns out the coach was helping out the team’s social media content team. “They were carrying it around and I said, ‘I’ll wear that thing,’ " he said with a chuckle . . . Defensemen Brandon Carlo (upper-body injury) and Derek Forbort (lower-body) were full participants in practice. “They both feel a lot better,” Montgomery said. “We’ll see how they feel tomorrow, but it’s a lot more promising.” . . . Montgomery said forward Matt Poitras, who also practiced, still must “check a few more boxes” before he is cleared for game action. He is recovering from an upper-body injury . . . Marchand was given a maintenance day but will play Saturday night vs. the Canadiens . . . Saturday’s game is another of the “Centennial Season Era Nights,” with the franchise honoring players from its “New Blood,
New Beginnings” era (1986-2000).