Eye test doesn't tell full story of Bruins' new look second line

The Boston Bruins had finally found something with their top six when they combined the trio of Pavel Zacha, Casey Mittelstadt, and Viktor Arvidsson. There were plenty of questions about the line, but Mittelstadt was looking comfortable, and Arvidsson was playing some of his best hockey of the past few years. However, both players suffered some unfortunate injuries that have put the team in flux at the worst time.

Bruins fans are now getting a lesson on whether their outcries for Matej Blumel and/or Alex Steeves to make the team out of training camp were correct. Steeves has been in Boston longer than Blumel and looked good in his limited action, but Blumel's recall puts both on the same line, flanking Pavel Zacha. It's a decision that Sturm likely didn't put much thought into, considering how well the first and bottom six lines are playing.

My initial thought when I saw the line was that there wasn't a true playmaker who could take charge of the play. Zacha is at his best when he is the complementary piece offensively, playing with either David Pastrnak or Mittelstadt. Blumel and Steeves are more shoot-first players, as seen by them torching the AHL's goals race last season.

The eye test on Monday night showed that those fears were correct. It was a bit messy at times in the offensive zone when the trio was on the ice, and some plays lacked cohesion because of a lack of someone being ready to take charge with the puck. Blumel should settle in as he gets more comfortable, but it seemed like Sturm might've wanted to switch something up after the first couple of periods.

Eye test doesn't tell full story of Bruins' new look second line

Imagine my surprise when Blumel was one of the better players on the team Monday night, according to the advanced analytics from HockeyStatCards. Mind you, it wasn't a high bar to reach given how the team played on Monday night, but all three players were in the top half of the team's game score. The analytics say that the first line was actually the problem, which isn't wrong either.

It felt like Sturm might've wanted to mix up the lines when the Bruins went on their West Coast road trip if this was the lineup they were rolling with. Maybe they could've given Riley Tufte a shot higher in the lineup since he made a bit of an impact against the Carolina Hurricanes. However, after reviewing these analytics, it might be fine to chalk it up to a scheduled loss following a massive rivalry win on Saturday night, while looking ahead to the upcoming big road trip.