Austin Czarnik and Frank Vatrano have a chemistry that’s been brewing for a long time — one in which the Boston Bruins have been desperate for ever since it became clear that Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand had the magic touch.
Czarnik and Vatrano began playing together in the AHL and were immediately thrown on a line together. Last year, Vatrano scored 36 goals in 36 games for the Providence Bruins. The guy dishing him those goals was none other than Czarnik himself.
“It started when we both signed that first year, we were put together right away,” Czarnik told the Boston Herald. “We had the chemistry. He knows how to find the areas where to shoot and I’m just able to feed him. It’s been our goal from Day 1 to get him goals and it’s been good so far.”
For the Bruins, that is about as refreshing to hear as it gets since so far, the Bruins rank 25th in scoring with 2.29 goals per game.
Last night, Vatrano made his return to the lineup after missing the first 34 games of the season due to surgery in his left foot to repair torn ligaments.
Coach Claude Julien intelligently paired him with Czarnik on the third line and of course it was Vatrano who opened the scoring.
Welcome back, @Frank_Vatrano. pic.twitter.com/O3NliaHA6i
— Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) December 23, 2016
What a shot; That is a textbook release and displays exactly why the Bruins brought Vatrano up. He knows how to put the puck in the net and that couldn’t have been more evident in that play.
Even though Czarnik didn’t directly factor in the goal, he still made some great plays with Vatrano and their chemistry was obvious. This third line could prove important for the Bruins going forward. With Riley Nash on the right side as the defensive aspect of the trio, it’s a very fast, well-rounded group that could have a big impact as they did last night.
Without Vatrano, the Bruins probably don’t beat the Florida Panthers in regulation since without the empty-net goal, the Bruins only scored one more goal than the Panthers.
With their impact being immediate, hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come for Czarnik and Vatrano because if anyone needs extra scoring, it’s the Bruins.