5 thoughts from Bruins’ 1st homestand, strong start

The Boston Bruins’ season-opening beatdown at the hands of the Capitals feels like ages ago, as the Black and Gold rebounded from that 7-0 trouncing to reel off four straight wins — including a 3-0 mark on their opening homestand of the 2018-19 season.

With the Black and Gold set to begin a four-game trek to Canada, here are five thoughts from the B’s first stretch of games on home ice.

Don’t expect this top line to change, given this production

In a perfect scenario, it would seem like the B’s would have the luxury of breaking up its dominant top line to balance out the offensive potential of its top six, with perhaps a player like Anders Bjork making a return to the top forward trio in order to pair up a two-headed Czech clinic in David Krejci and David Pastrnak.

But given the level of production that the B’s have received from their top line of Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, it’s not like Bruce Cassidy has much of a choice when it comes to keeping that crew intact.



After being held off the scoresheet in Boston’s season opener, the Bergeron line has carved up opposing defenses, tallying a remarkable 30 points through four games — bookended by a pair of hat tricks from Bergeron and Pastrnak over three games on home ice.

Along with their offensive firepower, the trio’s 200-foot game has been stout, with Pastrnak and Bergeron posting strong possession numbers with 57.25 and 56.92 Corsi For Percentages, respectively.

There’s no doubting that these three will remain together during stints on the power play this season, but during regular 5-on-5 play? For Cassidy, every game with another four, five or six-point showing from his top line continues to reinforce the fact that this group is simply too effective to break up at this time.

“Right now, like I said, we’re going to leave it alone, so I guess farther away,” Cassidy said of tinkering with the line on Saturday. “We’re trying to – we know what we’ve got in our fourth line every night, our first line – we’re just trying to get that second line, who fits best with Krech and maybe Jake on the right. Maybe our answer is right there, just switching wingers and seeing who grows into the left-wing spot.

“I think I’ve said all along I always felt Ryan (Donato) and Danton (Heinen), their best position is left wing. Can they play the right? So, now let’s try Jake over there. (Joakim) Nordstrom is just another one, kind of evolved into where he’s done a good job there, so it’s probably a little bit farther away right now. Again, I believe there will be a time where we look at it. I just don’t see it right now.”

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Free-agent pickups giving Boston a big boost

No, it wasn’t John Tavares, but the Bruins still reeled in plenty of names during free agency this summer, adding a top backup goalie in Jaroslav Halak, a left-shot D in John Moore and a pair of bottom-six regulars in Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom.

So far, Don Sweeney and Co. have to pretty pleased with their offseason moves, with all four making their mark right out of the gate with the Black and Gold.

While Cassidy was quick to note that Halak’s play in net (2-0-0, 1.18 GAA, .961 save percentage) has exceeded expectations, few could predict that Nordstrom would earn minutes on the second line — and actually look pretty comfortable in his limited time there.

Now, if the Bruins run through the whole season with Nordstrom in the top-six, there might be a problem with this roster — as the team would like for a player like Anders Bjork or Danton Heinen to fit into that group with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk.

But Nordstrom has performed admirably so far, scoring a goal and being out on the ice for just one high-danger scoring chance against in 52:55 of even-strength play this season.

“I like that he’s good on pucks,” Cassidy said of Nordstrom on Monday. “Now, when our young guys are going, they have that as well. He’s had some good looks around the net. He’s found open space in the offensive zone, He’s buried one, he’s been robbed two or three times. He’s not just a one-way kind of defensive insurance for that line. He can contribute at the offensive end. Right now, he’s playing like a complete player, so we’ll keep him there.”

Moore has also fared well on the B’s blue line with Brandon Carlo, ranking second among Boston defenseman with a 54.96 Corsi For Percentage on the year, while Wagner’s physical play has translated well to a fourth line that has doled out 30 hits over five games.

“I like Noel on the wing, frees him up a little more. We were thinking, Nordstrom and Wagner,  how would it work out? They both worked out well, so it’s a win-win,” Cassidy said. “I think Wagner is a bit different in that he’s more physical than Timmy (Schaller). Timmy had better offensive numbers. We’re hoping Chris will grow his numbers and still add that physical element. But as far as away from the puck responsibility, I think we’re equally, as a staff, happy with all of the new players, as we were with the guys that left.”

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Bruins need to get Danton Heinen going

Based on the lines from Wednesday’s morning skate, it’s looking like Danton Heinen is in line to be scratched for the second straight game. The 23-year-old forward has been largely invisible on the ice this season, firing just two shots on goal through four games, but the Black and Gold need to find a way to get him back in the lineup and producing.

His style may not be flashy, but Heinen was a productive contributor on the Bruins last season, ranking ninth among all NHL rookies in 2017-18 with 47 points while showcasing a refined, 200-foot game.

A slow start, scoring wise, could have been predicted for Heinen while skating on a third line that was shuffled around for most of the first week of the season. But his struggles with staying out of the sin bin (six PIM) has been a concern for Cassidy, considering Heinen only logged 16 penalty minutes all of last year in 77 games played.

“He’s fighting it. And another penalty last night,” Cassidy said last week. “That’s something with Danton in general —  when he’s had tough stretches last year, he’s very reliable and you can count on him to bring his B game and be a good defensive player. Right now, he’s taking a lot of stick fouls, in the preseason and now.

“So that’s the first thing we have to correct, is him starting to get in, getting under people instead of always over the top with one hand on the stick. … He’s a good player, we’ve got to get him back to playing well.”

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Bruins have a chance to pile on points early

The Bruins are rolling going into another week of action, but the Black and Gold have also benefited from a favorable schedule since getting knocked around by Washington on Oct. 3.

During their four-game win streak, the Black and Gold have bested opponents that had an average winning percentage of .427 last year — including matchups with three of the six worst teams last season, record-wise, in the Sabres, Senators and Red Wings.

It might be tough to gauge the ceiling of this Bruins club for the first month given their schedule — with only three of their first 11 games against clubs with a winning percentage of .500 or higher last season (Washington, Calgary, Philadelphia).

However, it does allow for the B’s to build themselves a bit of a cushion to open the new season, especially with Torey Krug sidelined for the first month of the season. Given the competition within the Atlantic Division, Boston is going to need all the points it can get out of the gate.

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Making space for Krug on the blue line is going to be a chore

After a defensive debacle against the Capitals, the Bruins' blue line has continued to grow stronger and stronger as the weeks roll along, with the Black and Gold relinquishing just six goals over their past four games.

As expected, Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy have anchored the top pair, Kevan Miller leads all blue liners in Corsi For Percentage (55.0), Matt Grzelcyk has asserted himself on the power play, and the D pairing of Brandon Carlo and John Moore is continuing to gel.

“Opening night, trust me, you’re on the bus ride from the rink to Dulles and you’re thinking of mixing everything up after that,” Cassidy said. “But we went back to square one the next day and it’s kind of worked out well. We’re progressively better. Right now, Gryz and Miller were a good pair last year, we like them and Z and Charlie, so we talked about — should Carlo go with Z or maybe Charlie? Those are all things that we can do later, but that was the easiest move to make and so far I think it’s worked out.”

But now the Bruins have a tough lineup decision to make in a couple weeks, with Torey Krug likely back sooner rather than later from his ankle injury. While he may not be the most sound player in his own end at times, there are few blue liners that can run a power play from the point like him — and his return will give the Bruins a considerable boost.

Still, it’s going to be a tough call for Cassidy to sit a defenseman that has so far performed admirably through the first couple of weeks of the season.