So far this season, the Boston Bruins have struggled to get consistent offensive from the blue line. While Charlie McAvoy has been in vintage form, Matt Grzelcyk is the only other defenseman with more than five points.
Following a slow start, he has started to make an impact offensively and helped spark the Bruins secondary scoring.
Since the calendar flipped to December, the BU product has three points in six games and matched his total from the first two months of the season.
On the Bruins most recent road trip, Grzelcyk scored his first goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner against Edmonton. As Boston continued to find ways to win, the former third-round pick started to show up consistently on the score sheet.
This past road trip could be turning point of Grzelcyk’s offense this season
Through 24 games this season, Grzelcyk has one goal and five assists. Entering play on Tuesday, he will be looking to extend his point streak to three games which would be a season high.
While he is only shooting the puck 2.2 percent of the time this season, Grzelcyk produced at pivotal times during the Canadian road trip, and Bruins assistant head coach Joe Sacco took notice.
"“We had good net-front presence on the goal. Charlie Coyle did a great job in front of the goaltender. They had to take a defenseman to try to take him out and the goalie ended up losing sight of it. It was a good shot by (Grzelcyk). Lot of good things on that goal.”"
Grizzy said good night. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/nGvaM6raME
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 10, 2021
In his sixth NHL season, Grzelcyk has blocked 33 shots, including five in his last three games. He has also landed 10 hits while averaging the second-highest ice time of his career. His recent contributions have provided a boost and shown the impact he can make.
As the Bruins look to continue their recent play, balanced scoring will be critical. That will partly rely on the defense and the play of Grzelcyk. So far in his career, the 2012 draftee has 22 points on the power play but zero this season. That could change soon if he can build on his recent success.
While the 2021-2022 campaign is far from over, the Bruins need Grzelyck to be more aggressive in the offensive zone. So far this season, he has attempted 82 shots and landed 45 on net. However, he has shown that good things happen when he gets involved offensively over the last two weeks.