The Bruins finally returned to game action Saturday afternoon, hosting the Buffalo Sabres and eventfully winning in overtime, 4-3.
Here are some thought on the Bruins return to play
New lines provide positive results
With a full deck of cards to work with, head coach Bruce Cassidy tinkered with his lines, a move that immediately paid off as the Bruins returned with a 4-3 overtime victory.
Craig Smith moved up to the first line to the right of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Erik Haula centered Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak. Charlie Coyle centered Jake DeBrusk and Nick Foligno on the third line with Trent Frederic, Tomas Nosek and Curtis Lazar rounding out the fourth line.
In regulation the Bruins got goals from Smith, Foligno and Hall, the top three lines accounting for a goal each.
Then in overtime, it was Charlie Coyle securing the extra point.
“When you get results, obviously you feel you’ve made the right decision,… said Cassidy. “And when you don’t then you’re always gonna sort of look back at it, that’s usually the short term, and then you typically — we’ll get on a plane now head to Detroit, I’ll watch the game again and see who was generating, how the communication was, the support.
Foligno finally
Nick Foligno has come close to notching his first as a Bruin many times this season, finally he’s on the board. It was a direct result of Foligno doing what he does best: driving to the net.
“I liked the second goal because Jake DeBrusk skated and attacked the D, something we had addressed a couple of times tonight about attacking Buffalo’s D and Nick stops in front,… Cassidy said. “That’s where he’s going to score goals.…
As Cassidy alluded to, the goal was a play that all-around you want to see. It was a great effort by DeBrusk to enter the puck with the zone, get himself to the net and put the puck in the right spot for Foligno to bang home the rebound.
With how well both DeBrusk and Foligno can get to the net, and Coyle’s puck possession skills, if this line can get going and start to collect more dirty goals, good things could be ahead.
Hall and Pastrnak will be fun
Swapping Smith and Pastrnak was more of an attempt to get the second line going than anything else. In moving Pastrnak to the second line, the Bruins coaching staff was looking to spark Hall in an attempt to build more secondary scoring.
The second line was excellent on Saturday, with Hall’s goal being more of what you want to see from him. Way too often in those situations, you’d see Hall try and force a pass, or try make that extra move. But this time, he took the ice given to him and showcased his great shot.
Having Pastrnak on his wing should create more space and more opportunities to showcase his shot.