Road Trip Might Turn Around Homecoming Season For Bruins' Hayes
WILMINGTON (CBS) -- Bruins forward Jimmy Hayes' dream come true hasn't reversed into nightmare status just yet.
But in the Dorchester native's first three games with his hometown team, there were definitely problems worth losing sleep over. First of all, the Bruins lost all three and Hayes has yet to contribute a point. He has landed just one shot on goal.
In a small sample size, the 6-foot-6 would-be power forward hasn't lived up to the expectations Boston set for him when they acquired him in a trade with Florida for Reilly Smith over the summer.
Hayes, who scored 19 goals last season for the Panthers, is handling the frustration well.
"I've just got to keep it simple and do what got me here and try to find a way to contribute even more offensively," he said after practice Tuesday at Ristuccia Arena. "And keep pucks out of our own end as well. Just overall try to get more accomplished."
The Bruins practiced in the Bay State before departing on a two-game road trip to Colorado and Arizona. Hayes again was on a line centered by Ryan Spooner and completed by Chris Kelly. Hayes and Spooner played with Brett Connolly the first two games of the season before Brad Marchand's injury caused a ripple effect that bumped up Connolly and Kelly on the depth chart.
On paper, that line should excel against favorable matchups because other teams should use their best defense pairs against the lines centered by Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Spooner and Hayes spent most of training camp together, so there should be some chemistry. And Kelly typically fits in anywhere and serves as the defensive conscience of his lines.
Hayes has had his moments creating a few chances, but he and his linemates have spent too much time in the defensive zone. If that continues during the road trip, coach Claude Julien will have to consider a major lineup shuffle. Hayes is minus-5 on the season and Spooner minus-4.
Should Hayes and his linemates finally cash in (Spooner has no goals on two shots), that would make some of the defensive deficiencies less offensive to Julien. That means Hayes is going to have to do more to keep the puck on his stick and use his body to barrel toward the slot.
"I've had some chances and I'm missing the net. I've just got to put myself in better spots," Hayes said. "I've got to continue to be around that net, be more involved in that area and get some pucks and start trying to figure out ways to get them in."
Julien, who's trying to look on the sunny side of everything during Boston's disappointing start, expressed confidence Hayes would come around soon.
"Today I saw certain things in him," Julien said. "We talked about him shooting more and not being afraid to take that shot. Once he gets his confidence and maybe gets a goal under his belt, it's going to help him. That happens. There are some guys that take a little bit more time to adjust or don't get off to the greatest of starts and you've got to hope that this road trip helps him find that confidence that he's looking for."
Ironically, the season that Hayes was supposed to celebrate for bringing him home seemingly needs a road trip to get him going. If the road proves to be an elixir, Hayes might score a couple of goals and the Bruins might earn their first couple points of the season. If that's the case, he'll return home a hero.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
