Bruce Cassidy’s gamble on Karson Kuhlman paid huge dividends up front in Game 6

ST. LOUIS — There was no guarantee that Karson Kuhlman was going to play in the Stanley Cup Final. But he prepared as such.

Since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Kuhlman was relegated to a reserve role on Boston’s roster, with the rookie slotting out in favor of David Backes on a top-six line centered by David Krejci.

For as much as the 23-year-old forward thrived during the regular season with Krejci and Jake DeBrusk, the lineup shuffle didn’t come as much of a surprise. A power forward like Backes would likely be able to find his game during the slugfest that is postseason action, while Kuhlman (albeit impressive his rookie debut) was still green — having logged just 11 games up in the NHL ranks during the regular season.

Still, as Boston carved its way through its playoff bracket, and the Krejci line subsequently started to derail, Kuhlman’s didn’t waver off course.

“Just taking it day by day,” Kuhlman said. “I think mentally staying engaged, waking up every morning, thinking I was going to be in, even if I knew I was going to be out. That kind of helped today with my routine.”

On Saturday, Kuhlman’s regular routine was put on his head. After conferring with Bruce Cassidy, he received word that he’d be in the lineup for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final — a rookie thrust into a top-six role with the season hanging in the balance.

For as much as the DeBrusk-Krejci-Backes line had labored through the first five bouts against the Blues, it was quite the gamble for Boston’s bench boss.

The advanced statistics swung in favor of Kuhlman’s addition to the lineup, given the fact that the Bruins held a 117-92 edge in 5v5 shot attempts (55.98 CF%) in the 124:36 of TOI in which Kuhlman was utilized during the regular season.

But still, there was no guarantee that Kuhlman was going to be missing cog at solving what has been a suffocating Blues forecheck, and a 39-day layoff between games had to raise some level of concern going into a do-or-die playoff matchup in enemy territory.

Cassidy didn’t seem to agree with such a sentiment — both before the game, and certainly after what was a 5-1 victory in St. Louis.



“I think it’s just his DNA,” Cassidy said of Kuhlman’s ability to slot in and contribute. “For a first-year player, he’s very mature, responsible, great work habits, good pro. Coming into this situation, I think you have to give him a lot of credit for how he’s prepared over the last month. And the coaches that have been working with him to keep him on top of it. It’s a grind for them, too.

“They may not get into a game this late in the year, but he has played with us, he knows our system, putting him with Krejci and DeBrusk, he played a lot of games with them, so there was that comfort level. He won last year in college, I think that helps. Any previous experience you can draw upon. You put those things together, I’m not surprised.”

Cassidy may not have been surprised, but few expected Kuhlman to leave as much of an impact as he did in his first taste of Cup Final play.

Let’s get the tangible contributions out of the way. Kuhlman put an emphatic stamp on 13:07 of ice time Sunday with his first playoff tally at 10:15 in the third period, rifling a shot past Jordan Binnington to give Boston a commanding 3-0 lead. But his impact goes far beyond the regular box score.



Through 15 games together this postseason, a DeBrusk-Krejci-Backes line that once showed promise as a potent mix of speed and snarl started to run on fumes. In 87:25 of 5v5 TOI together, the trio was out for just three 5v5 goals for Boston, while generating 13 high-danger scoring chances.

That same line + Kuhlman managed to generate two high-danger looks in the first period alone on Sunday, a span of just 3:31 of 5v5 TOI. In total, the Bruins held a 10-7 edge in shot attempts (58.82 CF%) when their new-look second line was rolled out in 10:36 of ice time.

Even outside of scoring chances, Kuhlman’s wheels allowed him to retrieve pucks and evade Blues skaters during situations where a slower skater like Backes, unfortunately, wouldn’t be able to keep up. It’s the little things, but having a forward that's able to extend O-zone time by winning battles along the boards and fishing the biscuit out of the corner can go a long way against a heavy team like St. Louis.

“He was good. He was fast, he’s practicing with us for a lot of time,” DeBrusk said. “Very eager to get back in there and for a young guy like that, especially I think it’s his first game of the Finals, to come in Game 6, it’s not easy to do. Just tried to talk to him. I thought we rubbed off each other well.”

Given the spark that Kuhlman provided, the rookie is pretty much a lock for a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday night. Once again, it will be a big ask from the rookie.

But so far, nothing has fazed him yet.

“Those are the type of people you want in the locker room, that we’ve had in the locker room for a long time,” Torey Krug said. “He’s another guy who’s stepped in, put the Bruins sweater on and showed up in a big moment. We needed a spark like that and obviously he brought it last night. We’re all comfortable with whoever steps in the lineup and he brought it.”