Need to shut down an offense? Bruins’ 4th-line relishes opportunity that comes with primetime matchups

They aren’t the second coming of Cashman-Esposito-Hodge by any means, but Bruce Cassidy isn’t looking for his fourth-line trio of Sean Kuraly, Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner to be offensive juggernauts when they get a tap on the shoulder from the bench.

Sure, Cassidy will take what those three provide on offense (13 goals, 29 points), but that line’s main goal is to throw their weight around, establish puck possession off the forecheck — and in general, make things a living hell for the opposing team’s top line.

“I know what I’m getting out of that group every night,” Cassidy said. “We’re getting physicality, I can trust them against good players. … We’re not banging our head against the wall for them to score every night. We do want the physicality, we do want the penalty kill, we want the challenge of them playing against top players when we go away from (Patrice Bergeron’s) line.”

Sunday’s matinee stood as perhaps the most daunting challenge of Kuraly-Acciari-Wagner’s tenure together — logging shifts against a Colorado top line with a combined 82 goals and 206 points on the season.

“They’re pretty dynamic,” Wagner said. “MacKinnon can make a play out of nothing with his speed and they have a lot of chemistry – they’ve been playing all year together. So, between their speed, their size, and their strength, they have a lot going for them.”

When it comes to negating an opponent’s top trio, Cassidy has had the luxury of rolling out a four-time Selke Trophy winner in Bergeron on his top line, along with another dynamic, two-way winger in Brad Marchand.

Bergeron and his line lived up to its billing as a shutdown unit in Saturday’s OT win over the Kings, holding L.A.’s group of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo to zero shots on goal during the 10-plus minutes of 5v5 play in which both lines were out together.

Sunday was a bit more arduous for Bergeron and his crew against the MacKinnon line. Fatigue certainly played a bit of a factor — with the matchup standing as Boston’s fifth game in the last week — but it became evident after the opening period that Cassidy’s top line just didn’t have it.

In about 4:30 of 5v5 TOI in which Bergeron was matched up against MacKinnon and Co., the Avalanche held a clear advantage in terms of puck possession and offensive chances generated, holding a 9-5 edge in attempts, 6-2 lead in shots on goal and a goal against.

Having your regular lockdown crew knocked on the ropes might have been the nail in the coffin for some clubs against a dynamic line such as Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen, but Cassidy had an ace up his sleeve.

They may not be the flashiest group on the B’s roster, but Cassidy was quick to note that his fourth line always seems to rise to the occasion — especially when called upon to knock around a couple of high-skill skaters.



“That’s their job description for us, and we’re getting closer to the end of the year, right? So, you want to define it a little more for them, and I think they relish it,” Cassidy said. “It’s what they’re good at, what they’ve done, and it keeps them in the league and makes our team better if they’re willing to buy in.”

MacKinnon’s tally in the closing minutes of the first period was ultimately the lone goal that his line would generate on Sunday, as Boston’s fourth line largely kept them in check en route to a 2-1 overtime win.

A line as dynamic as MacKinnon’s can only be held in check for so long (two high-danger chances generated against the Acciari line), but the Bruins traded chances whenever the fourth line was called upon — taking advantage of Kuraly’s speed to both stay on top of MacKinnon and push the puck down the other side of the sheet on counter rushes.

During the seven-plus minutes of 5v5 TOI in which Kuraly and his linemates were matched up against MacKinnon's group over the final two stanzas, Boston managed to hold a lead in overall attempts (10-9), shots on goal (6-4) and scoring chances generated (3-2). Most importantly, Colorado’s go-to options up front were held off the scoresheet for the rest of the night.

“That’s big for our line, knowing we are playing their top line,” Acciari said. “We don’t want to make mistakes. We just want to play hard. The fact that we can get a powerplay doing our thing is huge for our team. Knowing we won’t show up on the score sheet every night but we are trying to contribute.”

Along with suppressing scoring chances in the defensive zone, the Acciari line also put MacKinnon on his heels around Semyon Varlamov in net — with Boston’s fourth line closing out the game with a 56.00 Corsi For Percentage and a plus-4 shot differential.

As you can see, all three were awfully active throughout the night, especially during 5v5 play.

 



That trio’s assertiveness, when gifted with the puck, may not have led to a goal, but they often forced MacKinnon and his linemates to bleed time during shifts in pursuit of the biscuit, with Kuraly eventually drawing a hold against MacKinnon at 6:18 in the second period after cycling behind the Avs’ net.

“We literally asked them to scrum pucks in the o-zone if they got it without turning it over. Obviously, attack the net,” Cassidy said of his fourth line offensive approach. “I mean Kuraly drew a penalty doing that but not to get caught. So, that’s a big sacrifice for them. I thought if Bergy and Krech – our next two lines can hopefully outscore their next two lines. That was the decision behind it, and maybe our special teams would come through for us. That’s why we did it.”



This matchup isn’t new territory for the Acciari line, who have posted dominant outings against lines anchored by franchise pivots such as Evgeni Malkin earlier this season. Still, Cassidy was candid that when this team is firing on all cylinders, it will be Bergeron’s line that will likely get the first shot at shutting down a line.

“Yes, I do believe they’re capable,” he said of his fourth line. “I don’t know if it’s going to be an every night thing. You’ve got a Selke Qward winner – I mean, so it just depends on the matchup and the situation, how fresh we are.”

Still, having two separate lines that can be relied upon to account for a dynamic opponent gives Boston a major leg up — along with injecting plenty of confidence into the B’s fourth line for the stretch run.

“I think we are a (Stanley) Cup contender,” Acciari said postgame. “We are starting to find our stride. We have won games 4-0, 5-2. We are also winning games 1-0, 2-1. I think that shows just how our team is and what we can do when we are on.”

All stats via Natural Stat Trick.