Boston Bruins: Grading the Bruins through five games
By jc
Forwards: B+
When it comes to the forwards, it’s the same old story for the Bruins.
The top line continues to lead the way for Boston. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak picked up right where they left off last season.
Marchand already has four goals in his first five games. Other than the goalies, he’s probably been Boston’s MVP thus far.
Unfortunately, Boston’s other lines have yet to provide much offense.
The second line struggled out of the gate. Jake DeBrusk is goalless so far, and David Krejci still needs to find his game after he missed the opener. And the right wing spot remains a question mark. Karson Kuhlman is the choice right now, but it’s unclear if he’s the long-term answer.
Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen developed great chemistry on the third line. They’ve combined for only one goal, but they consistently maintain puck possession. Coyle and Heinen do suffer, however, when saddled with Brett Ritchie or David Backes.
The fourth line continues to do what the fourth line does: play with energy and chip in with some offense. Cassidy likes to roll with Sean Kuraly, Chris Wagner, and Joakim Nordstrom, but he has options after the addition of Par Lindholm.
The Bergeron line is good enough to win Boston games, but the Bruins need secondary scoring. Look for someone like Anders Bjork to get a look soon.