Boston Bruins: Grading the offense against the Blues and Rangers
The Boston Bruins scored ten goals in two games over the weekend, largely because the top line continues to be unstoppable. Did any other lines step up their games?
The Boston Bruins finished off the weekend with an impressive 7-4 win over the New York Rangers. The victory comes off the second night of a back to back; Boston defeated St. Louis 3-0 on Saturday.
The big takeaway from the win in New York was the offense. The Bruins exploded for six goals before scoring number seven in the empty net.
The offense wasn’t half-bad against the Blues either. Boston scored three goals against a strong Blues defense.
The Bruins got contributions from secondary scorers, but once again the first line led the way offensively.
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak: A+
The trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak continues to be the best in hockey. All three players were on full display this weekend.
The top line had a strong game against the Blues, but it wasn’t too spectacular. Pastrnak scored the first goal against St. Louis, and this proved to be the game winner. Marchand picked up an assist.
In New York, however, the line was unstoppable, as Pastrnak and Marchand each had five point nights. Pastrnak had five assists, while Marchand had two goals and three assists.
Not to be undone, Bergeron had his first hat trick of the season against New York.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1188655531948425222
Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak are on track for some crazy seasons, but we’ll see if they can keep up the pace.
Right now, all three deserve nothing short of an A+ grade for their performances this weekend.
DeBrusk-Coyle-Ritchie: B-
The Bruins don’t really have a ton of consistency on the second line in David Krejci‘s absence, but Charlie Coyle stepped up to shoulder more responsibility.
Coyle had a solid game against the Blues, but he was better in New York. He picked up his first goal of the season on a sweet feed from Charlie McAvoy.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1188643043244683266
Coyle needs to build off this game so that the production continues. He’s an important piece for Boston even when Krejci is in the lineup.
Jake DeBrusk was Coyle’s usual left wing over the past few games. DeBrusk had a slow start to the season, but he did have two assists against the Rangers. He also skated well and used his speed to create some chances.
Both Coyle and DeBrusk have been disappointments this year in terms of production, so it was great to see them on the scoresheet in New York.
Brett Ritchie, the right wing on this line, didn’t really do anything noteworthy in the two weekend games. But, he continues to be serviceable in his role.
Anders Bjork-Par Lindholm-Danton Heinen: B
Boston’s de-facto third line of Anders Bjork, Par Lindholm, and Danton Heinen had a decent weekend.
Bjork was the big story, as he scored his first goal of the season against St. Louis. He took a great pass from Matt Grzeclyk and ripped a shot glove-side.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1188252468880330753
Bjork followed that up with a solid game against the Rangers. He didn’t have any points, but he created a number of opportunities with his speed. He doesn’t show any signs that warrant a demotion back to Providence.
Heinen, the right wing on this line, found himself on the scoresheet this weekend as well. He had an assist on Bjork’s goal against the Blues. Heinen continues to be a reliable player whose consistency is so important with injuries.
Speaking of injuries, Lindholm left the game early against New York with an upper-body injury. He had a couple strong games before that, so hopefully he doesn’t miss too much time.
Bjork and Heinen elevated their games this weekend, so this third line definitely earns more than a passing grade for their efforts.
Cehlarik-Kuraly-Backes (Nordstrom-Wagner): C+
The Bruins faced more injuries this weekend, so Cassidy had to make some changes to the fourth line.
Sean Kuraly was the only consistency on that line, as he played center in both games. Kuraly looked like his usual self, but he still waits to find the back of the net.
Joakim Nordstrom and Chris Wagner lined up with Kuraly against the Blues. They had a decent game, but the only thing that stood out was Wagner’s shot block that led to an injury.
Nordstrom picked up an infection, so he too missed the game against New York. Boston recalled Peter Cehlarik to take his place along with David Backes.
Kuraly, Cehlarik, and Backes were fine as a fourth line, but it’s obvious that Kuraly struggles with slower players like Backes.
Cehlarik looked capable in his first game in Boston, but for now Kuraly’s best linemates appear to be Nordstrom and Wagner.
Related Story. Top-line dominance an issue. light
All in all, the Bruins had a strong weekend offensively, largely because of the first line. The other lines, however, need to continue to step up their games.