After a hot start to the season, the Boston Bruins have just two goals over their past two games, which led Marco Sturm to switch up the lines during Wednesday afternoon's practice. While Elias Lindholm moving down to the third line was something fans celebrated, it also involved the reunion of a past trio in David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Morgan Geekie.
This was the group that played together when Geekie started to have his offensive breakout. They aren't a perfect line, and some fans still had issues with them being together on Wednesday, but it's hard to ignore the facts, and this trio has been together for 675+ minutes over the past three seasons with some great success mixed in, according to Tom Calautti.
One interesting note about these line combos is that Geekie-Zacha-Pastrnak is the one tried and true trio that the #NHLBruins should be able to rely on. They’ve played 675+ minutes together at 5v5 since the 2024-25 season and posted the following numbers:
— Tom Calautti (@TCalauttis) October 7, 2026
Corsi: 52.7%
Goals For:… https://t.co/ah1whjmxvd
It isn't just the advanced numbers that tell the story here. In theory, the best way to help the offense is to make Pastrnak more comfortable, and playing him alongside the fellow Czech in Zacha and someone who he has unlimited chemistry with in Geekie is the perfect combination. The new captain even spoke glowingly about the line in an uncovered post-game scrum from the 2024-25 season, via WEEI.
"“It’s clicking right now. We’ve been finding each other. You know, Pav does an amazing job. I think all three of us, you know, are connected, which is very important on the loose pucks. We are closer to each other…We are connected. We are close to each other, and we are clicking. We know what to expect from each other. It’s always fun when you have the chemistry with your linemates.”"David Pastrnak in January 2025
The Bruins' offense won't be immediately fixed just because this line finds its chemistry, but it does help for Sturm to have a first line he can set and forget. Uniting Pastrnak and JJ Peterka is something he can go back to if this doesn't work, but it seems like the head coach's thinking is that he might need Peterka to drive a line on his own to get some more scoring depth.
Through four games this season, Pastrnak has two assists, Geekie has one assist, and Zacha has no points at all. If this continues for much longer, the surprising playoff berth for Boston last season is going to be a one-hit wonder. It is much too early to panic, but Sturm knows he has to get the most out of his top offensive guys sooner rather than later.
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