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Life without David Krejci, statistically speaking, has not been kind to the Boston Bruins.
Even with yesterday’s sans Krejci blowout win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins are just 9-9-3 with Krejci out of the lineup this year, scoring 46 goals over that stretch (2.19 goals per game). The Bruins’ six-goal effort, their first six-goal game of the season, was the fifth time that the club has scored four goals or more with their top-line centerman on the shelf (Krejci missed 20 games earlier this year with a suspected hip ailment, and missed Sunday’s game with an apparent knee injury). Compare this to a 20-12-6 mark and 2.92 goals per game with Krejci in the lineup this year, and it’s clear that Krejci, a two-time playoff points leader (2011 and 2013), is a simple must-have for the Black and Gold.
But according to one report, they could be without No. 46 for the ever important stretch run.
Hearing #Bruins Krejci knee injury is feared long term and possibly cost him good portion of regular season. He'll be re-evaluate this week
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) February 23, 2015Such a scenario would be an obvious cause for concern for a Boston squad that leads the Florida Panthers by just three points, and with the Philadelphia Flyers now just four points away, for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. It would also put the focus on center Ryan Spooner, fresh off his first NHL contest since Oct. 15, to prove his worth as a capable NHLer.
The 23-year-old Spooner has been here before, too.
While Spooner was unable to nail down an NHL spot in 2013-14 in spite of an 11-point in 23 game stretch, the talented playmaker seemingly made the B’s opening night roster by default given Krejci’s season-starting injury. But after five listless -- and more importantly pointless -- games with the big club, three of which on Boston’s top six, Spooner was banished back down Providence. With his future in Boston undeniably in doubt, the 5-foot-10 center worked his way back to Boston through a red-hot month of February, and has earned yet another chance to earn his keep with the Big B’s.
The biggest difference between the majority of Spooner’s previous stints with the Bruins and this one, especially if Krejci’s out long-term, however, is the Bruins’ need for Spooner to grow on the fly. It’s a tall task for a player that’s rarely been asked to be more than a third-line winger or fill-in option for a game or three, but one that Spooner seems game for after a strong showing against Chicago on Sunday.
Centering the B’s first line with Milan Lucic and first-year pro David Pastrnak on the right side, Spooner record an assist, put four shots on net, and was on ice for three of Boston’s six goals in 15:53 of time on ice. Much of Spooner’s contributions came on a loaded power play unit with Patrice Bergeron, Loui Eriksson, and defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug, but still, Spooner’s 24 shifts were third among Bruin forwards on the day. Only Bergeron (31) and Eriksson (27) had more.
Spooner rebounded from two early turnovers and finished the night with the determination and confident, fearless decision-making that Claude Julien and the organization has longed for. And though one game is great, the obvious question is whether or not the 45th overall pick from the 2010 NHL Draft can play at that level and with that poise for the next five, 10, or even 20 contests if need be?
With time, perhaps, but Spooner and the Bruins, seven days away from the NHL Trade Deadline, don’t have that on their side. If Krejci’s out, Spooner will get three more pre-deadline games to continue this play -- the Bruins play Vancouver, New Jersey, and Arizona this week -- and will need to catch a spark similar to the one that Krejci caught when he stepped in for an injured Marc Savard in 2008.
In what feels like ancient history at this point, a then-21-year-old Krejci stepped into Savard’s role on Boston’s top line when Savard injured his back in a late-season contest against Montreal. In seven regular-season games with Savard on the shelf, Krejci recorded three goals and six points, solidifying his future as a viable piece of the Black and Gold. The minutes worked to Krejci’s advantage in the postseason, too, with Krejci recording a goal and five points in Boston’s seven-game first-round defeat.
There’s a slight difference in the numbers, though. Krejci’s opportunity to seize the chance came 56 games into his NHL career, whereas Spooner’s comes just 33 games into his career. Krejci also worked with a smaller size (the final seven games of the regular season), while Spooner could be relied upon as a 23-game solution if No. 46’s injury is as serious as the aforementioned report indicates.
The numbers have to be irrelevant for the Kanata, Ont. native, though, as this is thee chance he’s waited for, as it's always been said by Spooner's biggest advocates that his needs to top six minutes to be a legitimate producer for the club, and what he has worked for through 173 games in the AHL.
Ready or not.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com