With no savior expected at the pivot, onus is on Marchand, Pastrnak to shoulder scoring load

Brad Marchand was frank when it came to discussing the vacancy left on Boston’s top line following Patrice Bergeron’s injury — and the team’s efforts to replace No. 37’s production at the pivot.

“When a guy like Bergy goes down, you can’t replace him, but collectively, you have to try to fill that void a little bit," Marchand said. "But it’s tough to do when we’re not at the top of our game.”

Sure enough, since Bergeron went down with a rib/clavicle injury back on Nov. 14 — a top line that at one point accounted for 33 of Boston’s 58 goals has largely gone quiet.

Prior to Monday’s loss to Toronto in which Pastrnak broke through with a pair of goals, Boston’s top wingers only managed to tally two points — both assists — in its next four matchups, with most of the scoring burden falling on Jake DeBrusk (seven goals, nine points in last 11 games) and David Krejci (10 assists in 11 games).

Of course, having two rookies in the middle of that line in Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Colby Cave is a step down from what Bergeron brings that line, but Marchand put most of the blame on himself and his fellow winger for the line’s lack of scoring punch as of late.

“I think we were a little bit better the second half of last game, but we have room to improve,” Marchand said. “It’s kind of on our shoulders where we need to be good and try to carry the load a little bit more than we have.”

In terms of finding a suitable stopgap for Bergeron up front, could Bruce Cassidy opt to bump up Krejci with Pastrnak and Marchand — giving that line three dynamic skaters with plenty of playmaking pedigree?

Such a move is not completely off the table, according to Cassidy. But given the way the Krejci line is rolling right now — along with the subsequent domino effect in the lineup that could starve the Black and Gold of any secondary scoring — it seems unlikely right now. 

“Marchy and Pasta, in my estimation, create offense, I don't want to say on their own, because that’s being disrespectful to whoever we put in there, but we’re asking them to do a little more with the different type of centermen,” Cassidy explained. “You put Krejci up there, now you’re really hurting from the bottom down. I don’t think it’s the same or similar argument to moving the balancing before.

“We’ve always had Krejci as the No. 2 centermen and Jake that we liked, and it's just finding that third winger to be a consistent threat. I think putting all your eggs in one basket is, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen, it could be tonight, but we’re trying to stay away from that and ask a little more of Marchy and Pasta. Get a centerman that we think is defensively accountable so that they can take of that.”

The next man up in that regard is Cave, with the 23-year-old center impressing on Monday after replacing Forsbacka Karlsson on the top line going into the second period.

Noted as a sound, two-way skater, Cave limited Toronto’s chances whenever he was out on the ice, with Boston holding a commanding 26-15 edge in attempts over Cave’s 14:58 of TOI during five-on-five play. Shots for during that same stretch also favored Boston at 12-8, with Cave ringing one shot off the post in pursuit of his first career NHL goal.

Cave isn’t expected to be an offensive dynamo, even with his breakout scoring stretch down in Providence (18 points in 15 games) but Cassidy — who helped coach him for a stretch down in Providence — believes Cave has the tools to keep that line rolling, especially if Marchand and Pastrnak up their respective games.

“He was one of the guys I really enjoyed working with,” Cassidy said of Cave. “He’s a great kid, came in a free agent, kind of a defensive-minded guy, was a good leader right away as a young guy. Practiced well, so some of the habits you have to teach young guys, he had them right away. It was a matter of whether he had the ability to play. I think the jury is still out on that.

"I think he did a good job the other night. Obviously, it’s a big ask where he is, he’s not going to turn it down, but when we signed him, we thought he’d be more of a third to fourth line type of guy. He gets an opportunity to move up a little bit and he’s earned it in his short time here. We’ll see how it works out. But yes, all those guys that come up and do well here, you’re always rooting for them.”

Amid all the frustration that comes with a scoring slump, Marchand is finding the silver linings in his offensive game. He has not lit the lamp since Nov. 11 against Vegas, but in the following seven games, Marchand has fired 23 shots on net — including a frustrating tilt against Toronto in which he rang two shots off the post and failed to pot a backhand wraparound past Frederik Andersen.

"That’s when it gets tough, but I’m trying to do the right things, getting the pucks to the net, trying to funnel it a little bit more and I think shot totals the last few games have been there," Marchand said. "It’s just a matter of time before it goes in."