With Bergeron on cusp of return, Bruins set to break up top line and spread the wealth

There’s still at least a week or so before Bruce Cassidy can enjoy the luxury that hasn’t been afforded to the Bruins all season long — a completely healthy roster to work with.

But for now, Boston’s bench boss will be more than happy with the one skater that the B’s are set to recoup this weekend, as Patrice Bergeron will be listed as a game-time decision for Saturday’s matinee matchup against the Nashville Predators.

With Bergeron expected to return after missing the past month due to a rib/sternoclavicular injury, the time has come for Cassidy to sort out his top-six corps.

The easy option would be to slot Bergeron back in between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, reuniting a trio that has continued to live up to its billing as one of the top lines in all of hockey over the last few seasons (56.46 Corsi-For Percentage, plus-3 goal differential, 3.88 goals per 60 minutes this season)

But where does that leave David Krejci, who’s been just as effective filling in for Bergeron on that top line as of late? (56.72 Corsi-For Percentage, plus-6 goal differential and 4.48 goals for over 60 minutes)

For now, it seems as though Cassidy is fine with spreading the wealth on the top six, with Marchand and Pastrnak set to split up and be paired with different pivots. During Friday’s afternoon skate at Warrior Ice Arena, Bergeron centered Marchand and Danton Heinen, while Pastrnak skated to Krejci’s right alongside Joakim Nordstrom.

If Bergeron is cleared, that seems to be Cassidy’s go-to move for Saturday afternoon.

“I think we’ll start that way,” Cassidy said. "We looked at it today. Bergy will be a game-time decision. Wake up in the morning, if he feels good from today’s practice, then he’s in. If he’s in, then that's the direction we're gonna go because (Jake) DeBrusk will not be in. So (Bergeron’s) the only new body in the lineup, assuming he feels 100 percent.”

As Cassidy noted on Friday, Heinen does have some experience playing with Bergeron — taking Marchand’s spot in the lineup after getting suspended five games for elbowing Devils forward Marcus Johansson last season.

With Heinen on his line, Bergeron and Pastrnak held a plus-3 goal differential in 116 minutes of 5v5 ice time last year, while posting a 54.59 Corsi-For Percentage.

Along with keeping a dynamic winger on the top line in Marchand, Heinen’s addition will further solidify a stout defensive trio up front for the Bruins. And for Heinen, getting a chance to log some reps with Marchand and Bergeron might be just what he needs to get going on offense. After a 47-point campaign in 2017-18, Heinen is currently on pace to tally just 19 this season.

“With Heinen, it's more about it's an opportunity for someone to get going offensively, whoever we put up there if it's not David Pastrnak,” Cassidy said. “I think that line is defensive - just putting Bergy on any line makes it a very good defensive line. Heinen played up with Marchy last year at times, played in Marchy's spot with Bergy when Marchy was suspended. He did OK there. Hopefully, it translates for him. I think they make everybody better, so that's the hope."

Keeping Pastrnak with Krejci should also keep Boston’s second-line pivot going after finding his second wind as of late (five goals, nine assists in last 14 games). However, it feels as though the B’s are still waiting for another big shoe to drop in DeBrusk — who has built solid chemistry with Krejci over the past year-plus but is still on the mend after suffering a concussion at the end of November.

“Jake always factors into that, and without getting ahead of myself, yes. We could go in pairs: Bergy/Marchy, Pasta/David,” Cassidy said Thursday night. “Where Jake goes from there, if he’s in fact playing, that’s where the problems come in. … We want Bergy in the lineup. We want Krech in the lineup. That’s our 1A and 1B up the middle, so we’ll sort it out from there, which kind of we’ve done all year.

“See what fits best, and we’re getting to the point where I think we have to look at it. We’ve talked about it as we get healthier and our lineups complete. I think it’s going to be after Christmas until we get everyone back – but it’s coming.”

While the B’s are “still mulling over” who will be the odd man out up front once Bergeron is cleared, Heinen’s promotion and Krejci’s return to the second line did juggle up Boston’s bottom six as well.

A revamped third line featured Colby Cave centering Sean Kuraly and David Backes, while Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson settled in on the fourth line with Ryan Donato and Chris Wagner.

A bit of a tough hit to break up a Kuraly-Noel Acciari-Wagner line that has been on a roll for the past two weeks, but it did allow Cassidy to see how Kuraly has responded to playing on the wing. 

“He played left wing through college,” Cassidy said of Kuraly. “Played center. At Providence, played both. He started the year, I think, as a left winger. Moving him in the middle, I liked his ability to close and the people we had around him allowed him to forecheck.

"It kind of worked out that way with how it’s evolved. With Colby coming in here, he’s a pretty accountable player and he frees Sean up a little bit. Noel being an accountable center, so we put him in there, but JFK is going to stay in the middle. It might be just because if we want to play all those guys, he’s the one that’s played. I’ve never seen Colby Cave play the wing, or JFK for that matter."

It still isn't the complete picture, but look for Boston's lineup to be completely turned on its head for a tough matchup against Nashville.