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Break up the Bergeron line; B's & Leafs in Toronto

March 23, 2013, 12:06 PM ET [32 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
In their last 180 minutes of hockey, the Boston Bruins have scored four goals.

There’s been one from Tyler Seguin, one from Brad Marchand, one from Danny Paille, and the fourth and final from Dennis Seidenberg. You can read that as undervalued scoring from a depth forward and defense-first blue-liner, or you could read that like I do -- Barely surviving thanks to nothin’ from the club’s first line, and even less from the club’s third line.

Don’t cry hubris, ‘cause it’s honestly been that bad.

First line wingers Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton have combined for one goal in 12 games this month, and the Bruins’ fourth line is not the line you want to rely on for scoring. And when it comes to the other half of the Bruins’ bottom-six, I’m honestly not sure if the Jay Pandolfo and Jordan Caron infused third line has actually played hockey since Chris Kelly went down with a fractured tibia. It’s been something like a dry heave set to music, sure, but I wouldn’t call it capable big league hockey.

Again, outside of the Patrice Bergeron line, it’s been that bad. But it’s the trio of Bergeron, Seguin, and Marchand that may in fact hold the keys to ending the B’s woes on a road swing that’s (barely) produced just one victory in three games.

While undoubtedly the Bruins’ best line, and emerging as one of the league’s best three-man punches since being put together back at the start of the 2011-12 season, is it time to break the trio up in an attempt to better distribute the scoring-wealth among the forward core?

It was amid an awful slump last year that B’s coach Claude Julien made the decision to move David Krejci out of the top-line center spot, shifting him over to right wing, and ultimately leading to a slump-busting effort that got No. 46 back on track in a 2011-12 campaign that (somehow) saw him match his 62-point output from the year before.

Just think of that, just, I don’t know, more spread out.

Now, while Krejci hasn’t been the problem on the Bruins’ first line most nights this year, it’s clear that the once-imposing line could use a shake-up to wake the sleeping giants (Horton and Lucic) up, something that could be sparked with the insertion of the 21-year-old Seguin into their grouping as the center.

Of course, this would be a radical change from what’s considered the norm in Boston in 2013. Or 2012 for that matter. Or even 2011 if you wanna go back far enough.

Despite his pivot-prowess with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League as the game’s highest ranked prospect, Seguin has been seldom used as a center in his three-year NHL career, skating on the wing of the Bergeron line throughout much of his tenure in the Hub, mainly taking faceoffs with the B’s on the man-advantage, if that. But given his previous success when put with Lucic, and success with a microscopic sample size at the dot this year, winning 13 of 21 faceoffs in 2013, adding Seguin’s skill-set to the top-line if even just for a game could provide the spark No. 17 and 18 without question need.

But what to do with Krejci? Glad you asked.

Watching the Czech-born forward skate on Thursday made it clear that he’s still not at 100% following his knee injury suffered this past Sunday in Pittsburgh. His stride’s not perfected just yet given the swelling around the knee, and he appeared to have some success (see: chances) when it came to joining the play late in hopes of a net-crashing rebound goal, so why not put him with the craftiest one-two punch the club has in the speedy Brad Marchand and hockey-IQ czar Patrice Bergeron?

It almost makes too much sense!

Below the club’s top six, making any adjustment to the Bruins’ bash-and-mash fourth line seems like a mistake, so I’d honestly leave that as it is, and while it’d be nice to see Ryan Spooner dress in place of the 38-year-old Pandolfo, it’s simply unlikely as the switch would leave the Bruins down a penalty-killer in their forward core (unless you wanna see somebody like Lucic, Horton, or Thornton out there on the shorthanded unit).

However, there’s no doubting the idea that breaking up the club’s most productive line wouldn’t come without some grief from a restless Boston fanbase, and could come off as a desperate move by the B’s coaching staff, but is it worse than benching Rich Peverley for the sake of sending a message? I don’t think so, and I (honestly) don’t think that you have much to lose when it comes to giving a go against tonight’s opponent, the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team you’ve beaten in eight straight games now.

Ultimately though, as we’ve learned by watching the Claude Julien era of B’s hockey for over half a decade now, it’s more likely that we’ll see an in-game minor shake-up to the lineup than a major switch before the game, even with the Bruins’ recent struggles.

But a blogger can dream, right?

The Masked Men: Tuukka Rask vs. James Reimer


Expect to see the 26-year-old Tuukka Raskin the crease for the B’s tonight. The former highly touted Toronto prospect, traded to Boston back in 2006 for Andrew Raycroft, there’s no doubting the idea that Rask has relished the opportunity to show the Maple Leafs exactly what they gave away. In eight career starts against Toronto, the Finnish netminder has won seven times, with a 1.46 goals against average and .951 save-percentage, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for No. 40, as he enters play with two straight losses to his name, allowing four goals on the last 42 shots thrown his way.

Struggling to earn the two as of late, with just one victory in his last four starts, James Reimer’s bid to get back on the winning track, his last victory coming in a 26-save effort on Mar. 20 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, comes with a tough matchup against Boston. Winning three of seven starts against Boston in his career, allowing 19 goals and boasting a .912 save-percentage against the Black-and-Gold over that stretch, the humble 25-year-old comes into play with five wins in eight starts at the Air Canada Centre this season.

X-Factors (Gon’ Give It to ‘Ya)


I’ll say it again ‘cause maybe he’ll eventually read this and react: The Bruins absolutely need an awakening from Milan Lucic. Mired in a month of March slump that’s resulted in no goals and just six assists, the 6-foot-4 winger has been completely missing in action most nights, and it’s downright alarming for a Black-and-Gold in dire need of the energy that the 24-year-old can bring to the game with his imposing physical style of play.

But despite his struggles, a game against Toronto may be just the thing to wake No. 17 up, as his resume as a Leaf killer has been well documented, with five goals and 23 points in just 30 career games against the Blue-and-White to his name.

How happy do you think fans in Toronto are that they didn’t trade Nazem Kadri for Roberto Luongo this past fall? On top of a breakout campaign headlined by Kadri’s 13 goals and 33 points in 31 games, the London, Ont. native has been riding a ridiculous hot streak as of late, with 10 goals and 16 helpers in 24 games since the start of February.

Entering action with two goals and six assists in his last three games, Kadri’s bid to extend the point-streak to four games comes with great odds, as his Boston splits include three goals and five points in just six career games against the B’s.

Stats to impress your friends


- Patrice Bergeron has four goals and 12 points in 12 games this month.

- Milan Lucic does not have a goal in 14 straight contests.

- The Bruins are 6-0-0 in 2013 when Danny Paille scores a goal.

- Mikhail Grabovski has four goals and five points in his last eight games against the Bruins.

- 10 of Cody Franson’s 18 points in 2013 have come at home.

- Toronto’s Tyler Bozak has just one goal in 17 career games against Boston.

Everything else...


Already without the services of Adam McQuaid, an injury to Johnny Boychuk during Friday’s practice has forced the Boston Bruins to recall defensemen Matt Bartkowski from Providence on an emergency basis.

Registering a career-high 24 points through 56 games this year, Bartkowski will suit up for the 10th game of his NHL career if Boychuk’s unable to go. The 24-year-old hasn’t played in the NHL since Oct. 18, 2011 against the Carolina Hurricanes, and has zero points and a minus-3 rating during his big league cameos.

It’s time like this where I wish that HockeyBuzz would splurge for me to sign Channel 4’s Brian Fantana to short-term contract, ‘cause Koko-Watch is officially upon us!

Following a season that included donning a jersey with Moscow Spartak (KHL), Team Russia (WJC) and then back to Windsor for a 28-game stint with the Spitfires (OHL), the 19-year-old Alex Khokhlachev finally put the Black-and-Gold on last night for the first time in his North American pro debut with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League.

Skating in his first game with the B’s organization, the 40th overall pick from 2011 saw time on the P-Bruins’ top-line, but finished with zero points, one shot, and a penalty to his name.

From ESPN Boston:

"I thought he was OK," said P-Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy after Providence's 3-1 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. "He never got into the game, didn't get a feel for it."

Khokhlachev was thrown right into the mix and even worked on the power play.

"I was a little nervous before the game, but it was a good feeling to win in my first game," Khokhlachev said. "It's a big step for me and I'm really glad to be here now."


Khokhlachev signed an entry-level deal earlier this month, and comes to Providence following an Ontario Hockey League career that included 81 goals and 193 points in just 152 games.

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