After capping off an eight-game win streak and 13-game point streak last week, the Bruins have fallen into a bit of a rut as of late — dropping their last three games, including two regulation losses to the Avalanche and the Senators.
In wake of Boston’s 5-2 loss to the lowly Senators, and with a much more daunting matchup against the Capitals on the horizon, here’s a look at three potential lineup tweaks the Bruins could make to get back on track.
Give Anders Bjork a look in the top-six:
With Patrice Bergeron back in the lineup, Boston’s top forward line put together it’s best showing in quite some time. During the 10:37 of 5v5 TOI in which Bruce Cassidy rolled out the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line on Monday against Ottawa, Boston held a commanding 16-8 edge in shot attempts to go along with a tally from Bergeron and nine 5v5 scoring chances.
Now with No. 37 back in the fold, Cassidy shouldn’t have to spend too much time fretting about that top trio and the negative domino effect that takes place whenever Bergeron is removed from the B's lineup.
As for the rest of the top six? Well, that remains a work in progress. Even though Charlie Coyle has fared pretty well this season skating to David Krejci’s right, Coyle’s value is still at its highest when he’s driving Boston’s third line. Don't look now, but it would seem as though Boston is still struggling to find the proper solution at the 2RW, especially if Coyle is set to remain at the pivot — continuing a lineup dilemma that plagued the Bruins for most of the 2018-19 campaign.
Danton Heinen might have earned the nod next to Krejci and Jake DeBrusk on Monday, but not for long, as Anders Bjork was bumped up from the bottom six and given an extended look as the game went on.
Bjork, who has continued to round out his game while primarily earning reps on the third and fourth lines, fared pretty well in his latest role. In 4:37 of 5v5 ice time,
Boston held a 9-3 edge in shot attempts while generating three scoring chances during Bjork's 5v5 TOI. Bjork's speed complimented DeBrusk throughout their shifts together, with Bjork generating a quality look off of taking the puck to Anders Nilsson's doorstep in the closing minutes of the second period.
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Given the Bruins' willingness now to let Bjork loose at right wing, it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if the promising forward finds himself at that spot out of the gate in one of these upcoming games, especially if Boston continues to sleepwalk through the opening stretches of these contests.
"We're going through a tough stretch in terms of getting our energy level where it needs to be and having no passengers," Cassidy said postgame. "If you're not competing hard on the puck, around the puck, on the puck in this league — you're not going to beat anybody. And Ottawa was just better than us. They won more races, they were more competitive early on. We eventually got to our game, but again, it's too late. You knew this would catch up to us, so another learning experience for us in that regard."
Slot out Brett Ritchie on third line:
Boston's struggles on the forecheck have factored heavily in its two latest defeats, with the B's unable to generate much traction in the O-zone against some of the bigger bodies for both Colorado and Ottawa.
"We did a lot early on. I thought that was a good part of our game," Cassidy said of getting behind Ottawa's blue line. "We didn't turn pucks over. We just didn't get any forecheck going. I mean, we either put it in bad spots or we didn't have the energy to be there on time. I think it was a bit of both. So maybe we make the adjustment to swing back with speed to get a little more timing on the forecheck."
If Boston isn't capitalizing on the forecheck, then the contributions of a power forward like Brett Ritchie aren't yielding much in terms of a positive return, especially on the third line. While Ritchie has had a bit of bad luck when it comes to settling into a groove thanks to a nasty infection issue, the results haven't been particularly promising since the 26-year-old winger was given the green light to return.
On Monday night, despite having zero of his 10 faceoffs during 5v5 play start from within the Bruins' zone, Ritchie and his linemates still struggled when it came to generating quality scoring chances. Even with those excellent starting spots on the ice, the Bruins still surrendered two goals and generated zero high-danger chances during Ritchie's 7:27 of 5v5 ice time.
The absence of Karson Kuhlman and Zach Senyshyn does hurt Boston when it comes to finding a suitable replacement to slot in next to Coyle on that third line, but so far, it doesn't look like Ritchie is a proper fit, especially if his size isn't being utilized much during areas of the game where the forward is expected to thrive.
Time for Connor Clifton to get another look?
Cassidy noted on Monday that it's likely Connor Clifton will get a look at some point during this road trip, with the defenseman stuck on the bench over the last three games. During that stretch, Boston has given John Moore an extended look, now that the veteran has finally been cleared after offseason shoulder surgery. While Moore's skating hasn't lost a step since we saw him last season, it does seem as though slotting Clifton back in the lineup for at least a game or two could stabilize Boston's D corps a bit, as the results have been a bit mixed on Boston's third pairing of Moore and Matt Grzelcyk.
Perhaps it's just Moore shaking off some rust or Grzelcyk being forced to switch to the right side to accommodate another left-shot skater, but opponents have been able to generate some quality looks against that duo as of late — with Moore+Grzelcyk on the hook for three goals against and 14 scoring chances relinquished during three games and 33:02 of ice time together.
While Clifton has gone through his fair share of ups and downs so far this year, slotting the rookie back would shift Grzelcyk back to his natural spot on the left, while the Quinnipiac product's tendency to activate or join the rush could give Boston's 5v5 offense a bit of a jolt.
Stats via Natural Stat Trick.