Boston Bruins: Fourth Line Shining During Slump
Boston Bruins: Fourth Line Shining During Slump
The Boston Bruins may have found their new “Merlot” line. Even if the sentimental connection between the fans and the line isn’t there, it’s hard to argue the success that the Bruins’ fourth line has found as of late in terms of hits, offensive-zone time, and energy generated with each of their shifts.
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Claude Julien told reporters that he sees shades of the Bruins “Merlot” line in his current fourth line. “To me, that fourth line reminded me a lot of our fourth line of the past there, when Piesy (Daniel Paille) and Soupy (Gregory Campbell) and Thorny (Shawn Thornton) were doing the same thing here,” he added to that by saying “They had a lot of scoring chances. They created things. When you have that – I say that all the time – you’re able to utilize your bench a little bit better.”
“There are some guys that have played some big minutes since the beginning of the year because we didn’t have that. Here’s an opportunity here to balance things out a little more with performances like they gave us (Monday).” Claude Julien wasn’t lying when he mentioned some players logging big minutes, as even Patrice Bergeron has been logging over 20 minutes-per-game with a career high 20:03 of ice time per game.
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What’s most notable about the Bruins’ fourth line is the fact that over the course of the Bruins last two games against both the New York Rangers as well as the Philadelphia Flyers, the best scoring chances arguably came by way of the Bruins’ fourth line. The line logged significant ice time against the Philadelphia Flyers, with Maxime Talbot assisting on the Bruins first goal that was scored by Kevan Miller. The line combined for 10 hits on the game and were able to generate a lot of offensive-zone time for a Bruins’ team that has been struggling in producing goals consistently in clutch situations with David Krejci lost to injury.
Zac Rinaldo
The Boston Bruins traded a future third round draft pick to acquire the often-criticized forward. The decision to trade such a high pick for a player with such a negative and questionable history was met with a slew of criticism. Zac Rinaldo has been far from a model citizen in his time in the NHL so far, often being the “target” of negative headlines surrounding his play on the ice. Zac Rinaldo has been suspended numerous times in his career, and his reputation very clearly precedes him every time he takes the ice.
With a trade to the Boston Bruins, Zac Rinaldo was given a second chance, not to change the opinion of those who have already made their own verdict on him, but a second chance to play. In his short time so far with the Bruins, Rinaldo has provided his new team with speed, energy, and strength that has blended very well for the Bruins on their fourth line.
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Puck Prose
The Boston Bruins picked up Landon Ferraro off of waivers from the Detroit Red Wings in one of the best moves of Don Sweeney‘s tenure as the team’s general manager. Landon Ferraro may have fallen off a little bit offensively, but his all-around play has been very effective for the Bruins in all situations. The Boston Bruins have utilized Ferraro alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand as well as on the third line and fourth line while giving him regular time on the penalty-kill. Whether he’s playing on the wing or at center, he’s shown a willingness to give it his all every single game, and the Bruins clearly struck gold by acquiring him for free.
Maxime Talbot
With injuries to Chris Kelly, David Krejci, Joonas Kemppainen, and David Pastrnak, as well as a suspension to Brad Marchand all overlapping at one point, the Bruins have been in need of some veteran forward depth. Luckily for the team, Maxime Talbot, a veteran of 13 NHL seasons, was sitting in the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence. The always-chipper Talbot has taken this season in stride; whether he be forced to play in the AHL, sit in the press box, or dress up for a game, he has been willing to contribute anything he can for the betterment of the team.
Maxime Talbot has been a fixture on the Bruins’ fourth line as of late, and the team has benefited greatly from his presence; not only with the offense he’s been generating, but also defensively, on the penalty-kill, and from his leadership and veteran presence.
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There will never be another “Merlot” line in Boston, sentimentally, but the Bruins’ current fourth line is playing so well right now that they deserve the comparison.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports