The Boston Bruins have been hampered by secondary-scoring woes all season long — a roster flaw magnified by a major drop-off in offensive production by second-year winger Danton Heinen.
Like many promising B’s rookies that helped Boston nearly clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season, Heinen entered 2018-19 with high expectations — with the reliable, two-way forward looking to build off a 47-point campaign that primarily saw him entrenched on a third line with David Backes and Riley Nash.
Heinen’s play away from the puck and defensive responsibilities have been as advertised this year, there’s no question about that. But his play in the offensive zone has been alarming, to say the least.
Ranked ninth among all NHL rookies in scoring in 2017-18, Heinen is only on pace for 10 goals and 21 points this year – a decline in 26 points despite earning a few stints up in a top-six role during the early months of the season.
Hr projected to be an offensive dynamo by any means, but Heinen’s expected production has certainly suffered — with his 5v5 goals per 60 minutes dropping from 2.56 to 1.67, even though his individual 5v5 shot attempts per 60 minutes have actually increased from 11.9 to 12.71 this season.
It’s also not as though luck hasn’t been on Heinen’s side when he has possessed in the puck in the offensive zone — with his individual expected goals for during 5v5 play (5.88) right in line with his actual scoring output (five goals).
So, what is it then? Righting the ship when it comes to Heinen’s confidence in the O-zone has to be a priority for the B’s, who desperately need a dependable scorer injected into their bottom-six corps.
It’s a situation that has Bruce Cassidy stuck between a rock and a hard place. In a perfect world, Heinen would be logging heavy minutes on a Bruins club that has piled on points thanks to a stingy defense that ranks fourth in the league in goals allowed per game (2.55).
In fact, the case could be made that Heinen has been even better in his defensive duties this year, with his 5v5 goals allowed per game dropping from 1.66 in his rookie year to 1.15 in 2018-19.
"I think I've been better along the walls, that was a big thing for me," Heinen said. "The puck battles and the getting pucks out on the walls and being reliable in my own end. I think I definitely keep on working on it and trying to improve there. From when I (first) came (up to the NHL), I've definitely gotten better in that aspect. You just try to work on everything, improve on everything. I think those things I have improved on."
But with Heinen failing to string together consistent performances down the other end of the ice, it’s forced Cassidy’s hand — with Heinen spending the last two games up at press level as a healthy scratch.
Still, given Heinen’s ability to be a steadying defensive presence, it was only going to be a matter of time until Cassidy opted to slot the 23-year-old winger back into the lineup.
Wednesday will serve as a prime opportunity for Heinen, who will return to the ice for Boston’s matchup against the Rangers — the second leg of a back-to-back slate.
Boston seems to have found a groove over the past week, with the club posting regulation wins over a pair of playoff-positioned teams in the Capitals and Islanders.
Still, even with the B’s rolling right now, Cassidy doesn’t believe that a club should keep its lineup intact based solely on success — especially if a motivated Heinen can get it into gear.
“We had a good game the other night and decided to leave (the lineup) alone,” Cassidy said on Tuesday. “I’ve never been a true believer in if you win, you never change the lineup. Sometimes I think it’s good for a player to come back into the lineup when the team is doing well. It helps them. And sometimes I’ve left the lineup alone after a loss, because you want those guys — ‘Ok, here’s your chance for redemption.’ I always thought it was situational.”
For Cassidy, the biggest key in getting Heinen back on track in the offensive zone lies in shot selection and keeping things simple.
Looking at his shot chart, Heinen ranks just a bit below the league average in shot distance at 30.19 feet away from the net, with all six of his goals coming (surprise, surprise) from the low slot or in the crease.
Putting himself in those Grade-A areas and setting himself up for a rebound or a tip in front will go a long way to remedying his subpar shot totals — with just 67.59 percent of his shot attempts eventually reaching its target in the offensive zone.
“I like his play away from the puck. He does have a lot of chances for us, he just hasn’t finished as many,” Cassidy said of Heinen. “I guess, I’m not going to just say, ‘Well, I’d like to see him score,' because that’s stating the obvious. So I’d like to see him hang on the pucks a little longer, get to the dirty area. Shot selection, I think he’s been off net with some of his chances, maybe simplify and make sure you hit the net first before you zero in on picking an exact target.”
"Get to the top of the crease. Sometimes you need an ugly one to get you going. The last goal he scored was (Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson's pass) against the Rangers, just got to the top of the crease and the puck found him. So eventually they will if you get there.”
JFK with the dish and @DHeinz43 makes no mistake. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/JfAO3JxHxU
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 20, 2019
