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Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien has exercised extreme caution when it comes to the assignments the club’s makeshift top offensive line of Milan Lucic and youngsters David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner take on for the sometimes offensively inept B’s.
But in a third period that required goals with the B’s trailing by a single strike and in search of a grave-shoveling win against a club that entered the night just four points behind in the race for the East’s final playoff spot, Julien gave the keys to offensive minutes for the trio. And was rewarded by way of two third-period tallies, including the game-winner from Lucic with just 1:06 left in the third, as the Black and Gold put the Florida Panthers to bed by a 3-2 final at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
“Tonight I would probably tell you that the only line I wanted to keep them away from was [Jaromir] Jagr’s line with [Jonathan] Huberdeau and [Aleksander] Barkov,… Julien said of the line. “That’s the only thing, and again it’s not because you don’t trust them, it’s just the lack of experience.
“Then the rest, they played against their second, they played against their third line and that didn’t matter to me because I felt in my mind that they could hold their own. They’re getting better all the time too, let’s not kid ourselves,… continued Julien. “From the first time that they were together, which was always a real tough matchup for me to make sure it was really the right situation. Now I’m a little bit more flexible because they are getting better and they are getting more experience and you can utilize them that way. Obviously when you have the last change at home it makes it even easier.…
However, this was far from a masterpiece by the Bruins, who have now won three in a row, through 40.
Through two periods of the play, the Panthers held a one-goal edge behind goals from Brandon Pirri and Brad Boyes, and while Boston was on board behind Loui Eriksson’s 20th goal of the season (his first 20-goal season since 2011-12), the B’s were simply disorganized.
“I think the reason that we had that situation because of our second period, we really got away from our game,… Julien said of his team’s response. “Forwards and defense were really far apart and weren’t moving the puck as well as we did in the first. We kind of regrouped there after the second and decided that we were going to come back and break out of our own end with a five man unit, that way we could have support on the attack and probably move the puck a lot better than we did in the second period.…
Before Lucic’s game-winner, the Bruins tied things up when David Pastrnak tipped a Spooner shot through Roberto Luongo will just over 10 minutes to play. The goal was Pastrnak’s 11th of the year, and came on a night that saw the 18-year-old named the recipient of the NESN 7th Player Award for his largely unexpected contributions to the Black and Gold this season.
“He’s still going to be adjusting. It’s a process. It takes time, but he’s young. He will learn that,… B’s captain Zdeno Chara said of Pastrnak’s contributions. “You can’t throw too much on him right away, first year, and obviously first few games, but for whatever he’s been in here he found a way to show his skills, to show that he’s got a lot of potential to be a great player in this league and I think there’s no doubt that he’s got a bright future if he continues to learn and continues to get better.…
Boston’s win gives them a six-point cushion over the ‘Cats, and with just five games to go for both the B’s and Panthers, was by all means the deathblow for Luongo and the rest of the upstart Panthers.
“I disappointed myself. I feel like I let my teammates down tonight,… Luongo said. “I made a couple big saves in the start of the third, but no excuses for those last two goals there. That’s my job, to make saves. When I don’t make them I feel responsible, those are goals that shouldn’t go in.…
Although the Bruins increased their lead over the 10th-place Panthers to six points with the win, the ninth-place Ottawa Senators picked up another two points with a shootout win in Detroit, keeping their distance behind the Bruins at just three points as the teams enter the month of April.
Random thoughts and notes
- You know, it’s not always a bad thing when you’re not talking about the play of the defense. Sometimes flying under the radar isn’t a bad thing. Especially for a defense. And that’s where the Bruins, who have surrendered just eight goals in their last four games, are at right now. Yes, the Bruins were a bit careless with the puck in their own end at times, but it rarely felt as if the Panthers had scoring chances from prime real estate, and that’s been a noticeable difference for the club of late.
“It’s been great for the past four or five games or so. Obviously you’re going to give up shots but what kind of shots you give up is the question,… Tuukka Rask said. “Cut down those quality chances and second chances. That’s what’s been helping us get the goal chances down. Honestly it’s a team sport and we’ve come to realize that we have to play as a five men out there in order to be successful.…
It’s been the Bruins’ big guns -- Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, and Adam McQuaid -- that have answered the bell with their most physical impact as a three-headed monster of a unit during this run, too.
“It’s that time of the year that you really have to step up in every aspect of your game, and there was a lot of physicality out there,… said Chara. “There was a lot of battles, and you know, that’s the way that we need to play to win those battles and races for pucks and those are very important especially in our zone, and it’s that time of the year that everything counts.…
- There were times in this one where I thought you’d see Julien switch up the lines to find a spark of some sort. The biggest difference, I think, would come with moving David Krejci, a winger on the Bergeron line since returning from a knee injury just four games ago, back to center.
That’s obviously where Krejci, a center throughout his entire professional career with the exception of a few games in Mar. 2012, is most comfortable and without question at his best.
The biggest problem with that idea, however, is how every other center on the roster is playing right now. Julien has already noted that he can’t take Spooner out of the lineup given the way that he’s playing, and Bergeron and Carl Soderberg are both too important to shift out of their roles on the second and third lines respectively. And this goes without saying, but Krejci is not a fourth-line center, either.
They’re low on options right now when it comes to moving No. 46 back to his preferred position, but it’s a mere inevitable for somebody before the playoffs come around, no?
- Something that’ll complicate that idea further? The impending return of one Brett Connolly. The 22-year-old was officially removed from the injured reserve before tonight’s game, and even took part in the pregame skate, indicating that his return from a broken finger seems around the corner.
Connolly, a right-winger with a wicked release on his shot, was traded to Boston from Tampa Bay at the deadline for two second-round draft picks, and has 12 goals and 15 points in 50 games this year.
- Tuesday was Florida’s 77th game of the season. It was also their 47th one-goal decision. That’s nuts.
“We’ve played really well. Our team’s growing, and we’re getting better,… Florida coach Gerard Gallant said after the loss. “A swing here or there, and we could be a lot better, and a swing here or there, and we could be a lot worse. I like what we’re bringing. Every night we’re coming to play and we have a chance to win, and that’s what it’s all about for us.…
Up next
The Bruins will make their way towards Detroit for a Thursday night tilt with the Red Wings. It will be the regular-season series finale between these two division rivals, with Boston taking three of four, outscoring the Wings by a 14-to-9 figure. This one will also come with a bit of extra sizzle, as a win over Detroit would put the Bruins and Red Wings at a tie for third-place in the Atlantic Division with 93 points each. Of course, even in that case, Detroit would still hold on to third place for the time being by virtue of their one game in hand over the Bruins. (Yeah, this finish to the season makes literally no sense.)
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