Bruins Notebook: Jeremy Lauzon draws back in

The good news for the Bruins is that Jeremy Lauzon was cleared to play for Game 1 against the Islanders on Saturday night. His grit and competitiveness should be an asset at this time of the season.

But the re-insertion of Lauzon into the lineup raised a question. Will his game be up to speed enough to jump onto this moving playoff train?

While his layoff from a hand injury suffered in Game 1 against the Capitals has not been all that long — just two weeks — Lauzon has shown that it sometimes takes him a while to get his game going when he returns after absences. He was a difference-maker for the B’s when he went into the lineup midway through the 2019-20 regular season, but never regained his mojo in the bubble playoffs after the months-long layoff. He eventually lost his spot in the lineup. It also took him a handful of games to get going after missing five weeks with a broken hand earlier this season.

Coach Bruce Cassidy hopes his growing experience with these situations will help him.

“He’s been through it a few time now,” said Cassidy after the team’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena. “The message is always ‘stay within yourself’ when he’s healthy. That’s when he plays his best, when he’s just hard to play against, physical and getting in people’s faces, just playing hard hockey, getting the kill with his shot-blocking and clears, executing a good first pass and making the right decision. That’s always a challenge for young defensemen, reading the forecheck well, moving the puck from tape to tape. That’s always a challenge for him when he’s been out, just getting up to speed with his puck play. At the offensive blue line you want it on and off your stick when you haven’t played as much, probably be more conservative than aggressive. But at the end of the day, once he’s out there, he’s got to play his game and hopefully he recognizes when to do a little bit more when it’s there versus just moving it and defending well.”

Lauzon was slated to start on a pair with Connor Clifton.

So far so good with B’s third line

With the depth of the Islanders, the third and fourth lines should face some challenges. The third line, on the surface, looks like a mismatch of leftover bodies with Jake DeBrusk playing his off wing on the right side next to center Charlie Coyle and left wing Nick Ritchie. But Cassidy was reasonably pleased with the line’s performance in the Washington series. DeBrusk had a two goals and an assist, Ritchie had 1-2—3 totals and Coyle had a goal and an assist.

“I think (DeBrusk) was more effective early than late, but he scored a couple of big goals for us, so that matters. His board work on that side is still a work in progress. Against a heavy team like Washington that was pinching their D down, there was some issues. Not only him but our whole team, especially Game 5. We weren’t good enough there,” said Cassidy. “I would expect some of the same out of the Islanders. But yeah, I think the line has been good. They’ve pitched in offensively. They’ve matched up well. Ritchie was matched up a lot against (Tom) Wilson and I think that tempered some of what could have taken place, just having him on the ice there. They’ll have their matchup again against some bigger, stronger guys in this series. Other times, they may have to play against (Mat) Barzal, which is a speed line. So it is what it is for them. They’ve got a little bit of everything on that line and I thought they’ve done their job well. They’ve accepted where they are in the lineup. They’re all guys who have played up in the lineup at different times, but they’ve settled in and given us some good hockey. They’re the line that has been together the least, so there’s still some chemistry issues for them. But the more they’re together, I think the more they’ll be a threat.”

Cassidy will take the time off

The Bruins had six days off since knocking the Capitals out of the playoffs while the Islanders got two days off since eliminating the Penguins. In the B’s three runs to the Cup finals, they’ve all started with an intense seven-game series win — the first over the Canadiens and the next two over the Maple Leafs — that catapulted them into the second round and beyond.

But on the age-old rest-versus-rust question, Cassidy will take the hard-earned time off.

“I imagine there will be a little bit (of rust). They’ve played more recently in a high-intensity game so there may be a bit of an advantage. I just think the rest for any team is good in the long run if you have aspirations of making a long run,” said Cassidy. “These extra days will come in handy, whether it’s this series or the next series. It’s always good to get out of those intense games as quickly as possible and move on. I think every team has that in mind. It doesn’t always work out that way. But for us, I don’t expect a lot (of rust.). We played last Sunday and played five games in nine days so it hasn’t been that long. We did take a couple of days in between to heal up. I thought we had good practices, but you can’t replicate that game situation. So for us, I think finding our game in the first period (will be key), the physical part of it, the one-on-one battles, defensemen going back on pucks and getting hit. We’ve got to make sure we’re in the right mindset at the opening whistle. That’s where you may see a little bit of rust. We’ll try to address it. One way you do that is controlling the face-off circle and playing in their end early on.”

Wahlstrom remains out

Oliver Wahlstrom, the Islanders’ 20-year-old sharpshooter and former BC Eagle, remained out of the lineup after getting knocked woozy in Game 5 against the Penguins. Wahlstrom had 12 goals in the regular season, including three against the Bruins. He also had a goal and two assists in five games against the Pens.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3vtQM2B