Can we get production from more than just Marchand and Pastrnak?
The final question is possibly the biggest one; can we find goal scoring and indeed, point scoring in general from players not named Brad Marchand or David Pastrnak?
The good news for Boston Bruins fans is that both players seem to enjoy match-ups with the Toronto Maple Leafs so secondary scoring could prove a moot point.
Pastrnak has 4 points across the 2 matches so far this season, to go with 6 points in the 7 play-off games last year while Marchand has 3 points in this year’s 2 games, along with 9 points from 7 in the play-offs. Both guys definitely enjoy matching up with the Maple Leafs’ defense.
However, you’d realistically be wanting to see the odd goal from David Krejci, Charlie Coyle or Anders Bjork on the second line. Bjork did net one against Florida, while Krejci had a couple of assists and Coyle grabbed a helper too, but it needs to be consistent production, not just the odd one here and there.
This may come as they gel more, given this line has only been utilised in earnest across one or two games now, but when Zdeno Chara is tallying points from the blue-line as a 43 year-old, you have to be a little concerned (as well as impressed).
If Cassidy can get his team out on the ice with the right match-ups, I have no doubt that the second, third and fourth lines have the ability to grab goals. It’s just going to come down to that battle of wits between him and Mike Babcock on the opposing bench.
Of course, if Marchand and Pastrnak take the game by the scruff of it’s neck and dominate, then it doesn’t matter if we have secondary scoring or not. It’s not a tactic I’d be 100% reliant on though; it only takes a bad penalty call to send one of them to the box and thus, there’s the advantage lost.
There’s certainly questions to answer tonight; whether we can get it going against the Maple Leafs or not being the biggest one of all. Here’s hoping we can.