Bruins notebook: Fourth line making impact

Fourth lines may not be sexy, but ones that are effective are essential to any team that fancies itself a contender. Sometimes they can be like the Islanders’ Identity Line, which has had three consistent members in Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck.

But often the unit is made up of a handful of guys who become somewhat interchangeable while still bringing some unique skills to the table.

And right now, it seems that whoever the Bruins throw out on their fourth line, the group is having an impact in a number of positive ways. In five of the B’s six wins since the Christmas/COVID break going into Thursday’s game against the Flyers, at least one member of the fourth line has managed to get on the scoresheet.

In the B’s 5-1 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday, Curtis Lazar picked up a pair of quintessential fourth line goals, one of his skate and another off his pant leg, both while battling for position at the top of the crease.

But it’s more than showing up in the G and A columns. When Wednesday’s game began, the B’s were displaying the sluggishness typically associated with the first game back from a successful road trip. Then Anton Blidh hustled in on the forecheck, knocked Jeff Petry’s helmet with a solid check, plus a little extra helping of sandpaper from Blidh. Petry didn’t go to the bench when he lost the bucket and got flagged for the automatic two minutes. The B’s didn’t score on the power-play, but the tide had inexorably turned.

“It’s a little bit of playing to the identity of their strengths and how a fourth line typically will play,” said coach Bruce Cassidy about getting pucks behind the defense and chasing it down.

“There’s stretches when that happens when you don’t get a result…but if you continue to do that and that’s their mentality, then good things are going to happen. And I think they’ve been reading off each other better on their forechecks.”

The current grouping had Tomas Nosek centering Blidh and Lazar, but more have contributed. Trent Frederic (out with an upper body injury) has played both center and wing, Oskar Steen saw some time there before bumping up to the third line and the speedy Karson Kuhlman played in the blowout win in Washington. Being able to plug-and-play various skaters has been important as injury and COVID have taken its toll.

“The chemistry is not only the three guys, it’s stemming to four, five even six guys at a time. I think we’re just understanding the role of being strong on the forecheck,” said Lazar. “That’s where the majority of our chances and our offense is coming from. Even if we’re not putting the puck in the net, we’re turning pucks over and changing momentum of games. We’re kind of riding a hot streak right now and we’re hoping we can continue it.”

Lazar, in particular, is coming on. He’s starting to look like the player the B’s hoped they were obtaining when he came here with Taylor Hall at the deadline last season. He’s got 5-6-11 totals and is plus-7 in 26 games. His crash-and-bang style presents a challenge for him to stay in the lineup, but his game is rolling right now.

“Honestly I feel healthy and rested,” said Lazar. “I think that break did wonders for me just health-wise, getting my energy, getting my legs. I’m seeing the game differently out there, I’m seeing my plays, getting stronger on the puck and it’s nice to get rewarded for those chances. But I think you guys know me. I’m just that blue collar player who plays both ways and hopes for the best. I’m not going to re-invent the wheel out there, so to get rewarded by playing the right way feels really good.”

B’s D hit hard

Injuries and illness are starting to take their toll on the Bruins’ D corps. John Moore is the latest victim. He left Wednesday’s game with what was described as an upper body injury after taking what looked like a late hit from behind by Montreal’s Michael Pezzetta. Moore’s head went into the glass on the hit.

In his place went Tyler Lewington, signed as a free agent in the offseason and making his Bruin debut. Drafted 204th overall in 2013 by Washington, he had played 10 NHL games.

The B’s also brought up Jack Ahcan, just out of COVID protocol, as the seventh defenseman. It could be that they’re waiting on anotehr test.

Meanwhile, Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton remained in protocol. Forbort was still in Florida while Clifton had made is way back to Boston…

Montreal’s Chris Wideman was suspended one game by Department of Player Safety for head-butting Erik Haula on Wednesday, an act DoPS termed “unacceptable and intentional.”

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