Kalman: Loss To Canucks Proves Healthy Bruins Have Hard Choices Ahead About Line Combos
BOSTON (CBS) - Center David Krejci's return to the Bruins' lineup set off a chain reaction Thursday that landed wing Frank Vatrano with Providence of the AHL and shuffled all but one of the forward lines that extended Boston's winning streak to three games with a win against Montreal on Tuesday.
The new-look Bruins forward corps struggled to solve Vancouver goaltender Jacob Markstrom and lost 4-2 despite a 58-46 advantage in shots attempted.
Over the course of the game coach Claude Julien had to alter the already changed line combinations in an effort to jump-start the Bruins. And after the game it sounded like other changes may be in the offing for one Bruins player in particular if things don't get better soon.
Second-year forward David Pastrnak had a rocky night. Although he probably didn't deserve to be credited with the seven giveaways the official stats keeper charged him with, Pastrnak coughed up the puck several times, including once on Alex Burrows' goal in the third period. Pastrnak also had an assist.
Julien was asked if the Bruins can live with the gaffes from a player who also provides a level of speed and offensive instincts few Bruins possess.
"Well I think that's a decision as an organization you make along the way here," Julien said. "Can he play here? Can he play on top lines? Where do we put him so that he succeeds? We need to do the best thing for the player and that's what we're trying to do here, putting him with some good players and other times putting him on some lines where he's got less pressure and probably can I guess use his skill level a little bit better. We're doing our best to try and give him an opportunity. He's still 19 years old."
Despite the Bruins' recent success, Julien opted to keep the line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Brett Connolly together at the outset and shake up the rest of the lineup because of Krejci's return from a 10-game injury absence. This was a bit surprising because Julien usually tries to avoid change as much as possible.
Center Ryan Spooner and wing Matt Beleskey stayed together but were joined by Jimmy Hayes. Loui Eriksson moved from Spooner's line to a trio with Krejci and Pastrnak. Landon Ferraro returned from one game out of the lineup and rejoined Max Talbot and Zac Rinaldo on a fourth line that had been faring well before Ferraro's injury.
Despite outshooting Vancouver 11-4 and out attempting the Canucks 27-8 in the first period, the Bruins were down 1-0 and looked out of sync. They let Vancouver off the hook.
"Yeah, we had a lot of chances, couldn't get the puck up, you know," Spooner said. "We were shooting I guess along the ice a lot and definitely doesn't help so it was just one of those games. We had some chances to score we just didn't bear down on them."
In the second period one of Julien's patented "switcheroos" paid off after he flipped Beleskey and Pastrnak. On their first shift together Pastrnak and Spooner set up Hayes' goal that tied the score 1-1. Unfortunately, those three were on for Burrows' goal. Hayes and Spooner had already been on the ice for Sven Baertschi's goal in the first period. Julien's balanced lines weren't working and he only got a minor boost from his stacked lines.
Playing Spooner and Pastrnak together requires a two-way veteran as the third man to give the line a chance to survive. The Bruins lack a Chris Kelly, or even a Milan Lucic (who worked well with those two last season), to be a conscience on that line. Maybe Joonas Kemppainen could play that role, but he was a healthy scratch against the Canucks.
After their screw-ups in the second period, Julien switched Pastrnak and Ferraro in the third period. Ferraro's a fine player for energy and grit but isn't enough of a finisher to play in the top nine and Pastrnak's skills will go to waste over the long run if he's on the fourth line.
When you mix in a rusty Krejci and a constantly snake-bit Connolly, Julien had some work to do and he has a lot to iron out in the upcoming days. The lineup will benefit from a practice day on Friday because most of the lines that started the Canucks game had not played or practiced together for a while. If things get dire, Pastrnak might benefit from some more AHL seasoning. Of course, Julien and the Bruins shouldn't get too married to their fourth-liners. No matter how well Rinaldo, Talbot and Ferraro play, it might not be worth playing those guys at the expense of experience for Pastrnak and even Vatrano. Such is the dilemma the Bruins are in as they try to compete and also build toward the future.
Whatever they decide about personnel and development, the Bruins have to settle on a regular lineup. They can't afford to be out of sync, especially against a mediocre opponent like the Canucks. The parity in the Eastern Conference is such that experimentation that leads to regulation losses could also lead to another mid-April demise.
Julien, like most coaches, always talks about relishing the difficult decisions that come with lineup depth. Time for him to show he knows how to mesh this group in a hurry.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
