Peverley's Improvement Vital To Bruins Busting Out Of Slump
BOSTON (CBS) -- While some of his teammates might want to hide from their public political declarations, and others might shy away from broaching the subject of their recent on-ice struggles, Rich Peverley is 100 percent honest about his run of subpar play for the Bruins.
"I think so," said Peverley when asked if his current stretch that's featured just two non-empty-net goals in his last 18 games has been one of his toughest in memory. "Usually if you're creating chances, you can at least say you're doing something if you're not scoring. But if you're not creating chances, you have to look at yourself in the mirror."
That reflection is a bit ugly these days. In two of Peverley's last three games, he hasn't even registered a shot on goal. Including his empty-netter against Washington last Sunday, Peverley has scored just nine goals in 46 games on the season. Matching the 18 he scored combined with Atlanta and Boston last season might be a long shot.
While he fit seamlessly with Milan Lucic and David Krejci on Boston's first line last June when Nathan Horton went out with a concussion in the Stanley Cup Final, during Horton's most recent injury situation things didn't go as well for Peverley. Last Saturday against Pittsburgh, he was even benched for the final six minutes of the 2-1 loss.
Peverley says he understood head coach Claude Julien's decision.
"If I'm not playing, he's obviously showing that I'm not playing well. And I realize that, and I can take it. I've got to be better and I've got to continue to get better," said Peverley.
Julien's solution to the problem was putting Chris Kelly between Peverley and Lucic for what turned out to be a victory over the Capitals. Three nights later, that line was still together but was among the biggest culprits – based on expected production – in the Bruins' embarrassing 6-0 loss in Buffalo.
Two days of practice have given Peverley, Lucic and Kelly (Peverley's center for most of the forward's time with Boston since both were acquired in separate trades last February) to get on the same page. Getting Boston out of its current funk will require a team effort, but there will have to be individual improvement from key players like Peverley, especially while Horton remains sidelined.
The Bruins brought Peverley to Boston last season because he could provide secondary scoring and step up into the forefront when needed. This is one of the times the Bruins need Peverley to play like a prime-time player. He knows exactly what he needs to do.
"I think it's using my speed and shooting the puck more, creating opportunities," he said. "Shooting the puck and maybe creating some opportunities for somebody else. It's a bunch of things."
