Bruins hope new line shift will bring a win over Carolina.
Mar 11 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) during warmup prior to game against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
I love being a member of the Nation, but there are times that the Black and Gold drive me up a wall. In some games, the Bruins are playing with the intensity and tenacity that won them the Stanley Cup back in 2011. In other games, it sort of looks like the Mighty Ducks went to the NHL. I don’t possess the amount of knowledge and experience a lot of the other members of the nation have, but it’s got to be wearing on a lot of you as well.
Well, there was an optional skate after practice. Several high profile members of the squad chose not to participate in it. (Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, David Krejci and Milan Lucic were the forwards who opted out, along with defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference. Tuukka Rask also sat the optional out.) I know the team’s record is good enough, but with another loss to Montreal on the books, one would figure that the B’s wanted to get the extra time on the ice.
The projected line up for tonight’s came against the Carolina Hurricanes:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Marchand-Campbell-Jagr
Paille-Kelly-Seguin
Caron-Peverley-Thornton
OK, the only line that didn’t get a face lift was the Krejci line. They have emerged from hibernation to be the dominant line we hoped they were going to be. Jagr and Marchand stay together. I thought they’ve worked out well so far. Gregory Campbell gets a double bump up. Campbell’s a good player, and his physicality should give this line a presence on the ice tonight. Daniel Paille is on the third again.
The noticeable demotion seems to be that of Tyler Seguin. Seguin’s now on the third line. Perhaps Coach Claude Julien is just trying to find the right combination to finally see increased production out of that line. (It could also account for Peverley getting bumped down to fourth as well.) It also appears that the Seguin center experiment is over as well. (Probably for the best.) Tyler Seguin commented on him being put back on the wing.
“Obviously I feel comfortable playing the wing. It was working out, I guess, in the first game [playing center] – a few mistakes there, and then obviously the first couple of shifts in Montreal, it just wasn’t working. It just wasn’t working in our own zone. Going through the neutral zone, just where to [the puck] up, and where to go. Obviously is has a lot more responsibility in your own end just battling and finding your man. I don’t think it matters what line you’re on,” he added. “You just want to go out there and play your game. Whoever you’re playing with, I think we all know each other well enough now that we can find chemistry right away.”
Chris Kelly is back in the line up after recovering from a broken leg. He’ll get the chance to center with Seguin, and it’s an opportunity that Kelly is looking forward to. “Obviously, if that’s the way lines are tonight, Tyler is a gifted offensive player; it’ll be nice to play with him. I’ve played with him before and we’ve got some chemistry and work well together.”
The game is tonight at the Garden, with a puck drop at 7:05 tonight.