Kalman: Short On Camp Time, Bruins Smith Still In Top Shape
BOSTON (CBS) - Right winger Reilly Smith had a shortened training camp because of his contract dispute with the Bruins.
After two preseason games and one regular season game, you'd be hard pressed to notice any effects one week less of camp has had on Smith or on the magical connection he has with center Carl Soderberg on the power play.
Smith scored the Bruins' first goal during their 2-1 opening-night win against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
Smith, who scored a goal in his first preseason game last Friday, cashed in on a backdoor feed from Soderberg. That play worked better than the Harlem Globetrotter's "pull the pants down and steal the ball" play in the 2013-14 season. Penalty killers still haven't made the necessary adjustment to keep the puck out of their own net.
"But I guess it's the start of the season so everyone's still feeling out and not in midseason form," Smith said. "So I try to get as many and try to work that play as much as you can as long as you're there."
Nine days ago Smith and fellow entry-level restricted free agent Torey Krug ended their personal workouts and agreed to one-year, $1.4 million contracts that made them part of the Bruins again. Smith said that he was in pretty good shape when he got back to Boston and that he's been progressing well. So far there hasn't been that letdown that can come after the adrenaline gets going.
Although he was on the ice for the goal against, Smith had a strong defensive game along with linemates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Matched up against center Claude Giroux and wingers Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek, Smith and his mates kept the Flyers best threats to just three shots on net (including Voracek's goal that came during a Flyers' line change).
As always, Smith deflected credit for any of his line's defensive accomplishments.
"Bergy," Smith said about how the Bruins shut down the Giroux line. "Bergy was doing a good job. He was winning tons of faceoffs, which gave us the puck pretty much every time we got out there. So he did a good job. And March was kind of just being March winning every puck in the corners and making good plays. So you know those two guys did a good job."
Smith wouldn't even take credit for the goal he scored.
"I don't know how he sees it," Smith said about Soderberg. "So I'm just happy that he does because I don't really see too many lanes. But for some reason he always gets the puck through. So I'm pretty fortunate about that."
Nonetheless, Smith gets credit for the job he's done as a first-time point man on the power play since he was moved their during last season. Smith said he hadn't played there since juniors. Somehow he's managed to turn playing the point into a job that allows him to be a threat around the net but doesn't cost the Bruins too much in terms of shorthanded chances against.
It's a balance he's been able to strike while learning on the job.
"Yeah, it took me a little bit definitely last year just getting used to chances where you can't take an extra step to go in front of the net and take that little bit of a risk," Smith said. "But you know, Bergy and Loui and Carl do a great job holding the puck down low and winning battles. So that gives me a little bit more leniency to make that play and creep in a little bit."
Until penalty killers finally adjust, Smith will keep taking those in-tight scoring chances. And until the conditioning work he missed during the first week of camp catches up to him, if it does, he'll keep piling up goals and playing solid defense and making it difficult for the Bruins to justify keeping him on just a one-year deal.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
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