The Boston Bruins secured an emphatic 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators, with Matt Grzelcyk tallying two points, despite being mainly utilised as a third pairing defenseman.
Paired most routinely with John Moore, Matt Grzelcyk performed well above the spot in the Boston Bruins line-up he was being utilised in. It’s becoming a bit of a trend for the defenseman this season.
While he is blocked from moving much higher up the line-up as a result of Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug‘s hold on the top four, he’s definitely is making himself noticeable.
While plus/minus scores are no longer a statistic that is in vogue, it still speaks volumes that during the win over the Nashville Predators, Matt Grzelcyk was on the ice for 3 of the Boston Bruins’ 6 goals.
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Not only that, he was clearly trusted by Boston Bruins head coach, Bruce Cassidy; as a third-pairing defenseman, he saw ice-time of 16:55 per Natural Stat Trick.
You might argue that as a third pairing defenseman, you’ll likely face lesser competition and there’s certainly something to be said for an opposition team that literally had a brand new coach in charge, but Matt Grzelcyk still had to get the job done.
The partnership he has formed with John Moore not only gives a third pairing option that can absorb some decent minutes, but it gives an option that might well be a second pairing on some teams around the league.
Matt Grzelyck, against the Preadtors only allowed 2 scoring chances against and along with Torey Krug, was the only defenseman with expected goals against (xGA) of below 1, with his 0.67.
He had the fourth most ice-time at even-strength and was all-round looked strong in his play, not quite enough to be rewarded with more than a minute on either special team grouping, but certainly enough to suggest the Boston Bruins know what they have and fully trust him.
Whether or not such high minutes become a regular thing for the third pairing is obviously to be seen, but it’s a fair bet that Connor Clifton may struggle to get back into the Boston Bruins line-up eventually.
Likewise, it’s a reasonable bet that should any of the top-four go down injured, Matt Grzelyck is likely the first-choice to be moved up the line-up in their stead.
A two-point night was just rewards for the defenseman, that has known his path to a higher spot is blocked for quite some point, yet he still brings it almost every night for the Bruins. Statistically, he doesn’t stand-out as the team’s best defenseman, neither offensively nor defensively, but a +3 and 2 assists on the night certainly offers insight into his offense.
He is effective in his role and that is all the Boston Bruins should ask for. Here’s hoping there’s more nights like this in store for us.