Jim Montgomery’s ahead strains this season have been an terrible lot just like the outdated adage about New England climate. If you don’t like them, simply wait a minute, they’ll change.
So simply how lengthy he sticks with the brand new union of Brad Marchand and heart Charlie Coyle with Jake DeBrusk on the suitable wing stays to be been. It will most probably rely upon how the opposite strains – particularly the brand new prime of line of Morgan Geekie between Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak – carry out.
But the Bruins’ coach sounded upbeat and intrigued about what the road can do for the staff after the B’s 4-1 win in Buffalo. He felt the Coyle unit was the staff’s finest line within the recreation,
“It really gives me a shutdown line,” mentioned Montgomery earlier within the week.
If the brand new line can get Marchand’s recreation to the place it’s been prior to now, it will be an enormous increase to the B’s. He’s nonetheless been producing. He’s second on the staff in scoring with 13-17-30 in 33 video games, however at occasions it’s felt like he’s gotten most of these factors on sheer will. The match on a line with Zacha, as a left-shot centerman, and Pastrnak was a decidedly combined bag. Going into Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Devils, he was a minus-2. OK, plus-minus is flawed stat. Fine. But once you’re speaking a few participant who’s plus-288 in his profession, and the one time he completed a season within the purple was in his temporary 20-game call-up in 2009-10, it’s notable.
Not solely does Montgomery see the brand new line as a shutdown unit, he thinks there’s a glimmer of extra offense there.
“I think they’re getting more odd-man rushes, they’re getting more accustomed to the spots they find each other on the ice and who likes to hold on to pucks where,” mentioned Montgomery. “I think Charlie’s done a really good job of becoming a shooter first and getting inside the dots. Both his goals (in Buffalo), look where he is. How often was he there last year….He’s getting into scoring areas and that’s why he’s scoring more this year.”
It stood to cause that Marchand would have some rising pains within the post-Patrice Bergeron period. The right-shot Bergeron was his centerman from the half-way level of the 2010-11 season till the previous captain retired final summer time. Playing with a right-shot in Coyle ought to current a consolation degree.
“It’s what he knows, right? I think it’s a huge comfort level,” mentioned Montgomery. “And right centers tend to pass it to the left wing more and left centers tend to pass it to the right wing more.”
Marchand, who has performed on and off with Coyle earlier within the season, feels issues are clicking higher now.
“I think it’s much better now than where it was at the beginning of the year. I think we have a better understanding of how to play with each other more, which we knew would be the case,” mentioned Marchand. “Any time you switch lines up, there’s always…a feel-out period. I think we’ve found chemistry with guys in the past and we were used to that. But I think we’re feeling much more confident with one another and it’s showing.”
Coyle feels their ceiling collectively is larger than what it’s now.
“I think there’s definitely some more getting used to in working together,” mentioned Coyle. “But it’s a good thing to have, a good sign that we can keep improving and get to know each other on the ice better and playing together. His tendencies, what he does, what I usually do. And just talking more has helped us, too. But it’s something we continue to work at and get better and be whatever the game calls for, whatever Monty wants us to be that night, we can play that as best we can.”….
Georgii Merkulov was set to make his NHL debut on Saturday centering Trent Frederic and Danton Heinen, however Montgomery didn’t rule out taking part in on the wing sooner or later.
“He’s doing well down in Providence as a center, he’s doing well at both ends of the ice. We’re going to put him in position to have success, as a center first. And then if we need to adjust, then we’ll adjust, but it’s not going to adjust in the first couple of games,” mentioned Montgomery.
If Merkulov can stick, it is going to create a call when Matt Poitras returns from the World Junior Championships. Perhaps Merkulov may transfer to the wing, or possibly it’s Poitras who strikes, mentioned Montgomery.
“For offensive players, it’s a lot easier to play wing and have more energy to go offensively (on wing) than it is to play center,” mentioned Montgomery….
As we close to the half-way level of the season, Marchand was requested about what it’s been like in his first season as captain.
“At times, you overthink it a little bit. I definitely felt a lot of pressure early on,” mentioned Marchand. “There were a lot of changes happening. At the start of the year, just the amount of guys that were coming in, the turnover, the guys that left and the importance they played within our group, I definitely felt a lot of pressure from the start. But I feel a lot more comfortable now. Not just me but I think the whole group does. We’re settling in. We talk a lot and I think we’re all getting more comfortable in our roles and understanding what that is.”
Marchand mentioned that he and Montgomery had a dialog about stepping into it with the refs.
“It kind of hit me,” mentioned Marchand. “One, there’s a different level that you need to be in control and there’s more details that you need to have a much higher accountability level within your own game, just the details and the perception of your play, instead maybe cheating for offense, it’s the overall details. You look at Bergy and (Zdeno Chara), they were so good at their details, every single day, on the ice, off the ice, in gym. You have to be aware of that every single day because guys are watching you and what you do. I definitely have to pay much more attention to that than I’ve had to in the past because I’ve had Bergy and Z to rely on.”