Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Bruins opted to switch things up once again on Thursday night in an effort to get its second line rolling.
Even though Charlie Coyle has found plenty of success skating to David Krejci’s right this season (Bruins with a 6-0 edge in 5v5 goals scored during their 84:43 of ice time), the Weymouth native was back at his regular spot as third-line pivot for Thursday’s matchup against the Islanders.
With Coyle tasked to drive a bottom-six forward trio, Danton Heinen was tabbed as the latest entrant in Krejci’s seemingly endless carousel of right wingers.
The results following what was a 3-2 shootout victory for the Islanders were … underwhelming, to say the least.
In the 6:43 of 5v5 TOI in which a line of Krejci, Heinen and Jake DeBrusk were utilized on Thursday, Boston was out-attempted (6-0), out-shot (3-0) and relinquished a pair of scoring chances despite having zero of their faceoffs start within Boston’s own zone.
Once again, a line expected to cash in on the favorable looks handed to it in the O-zone was once again stuck in the mud in another Bruins' loss, their seventh in their last eight outings.
So, what now? Slotting up Coyle is the logical measure when all else fails, even if his promotion once again poses the risk of the bottom-six being left rudderless.
If not Coyle, then who else stands as a viable, in-house candidate to earn an extended look next to Krejci?
How about the guy that came about two inches away from two goals on the night?
Anders Bjork first-period goal — a bar-down snipe against Semyon Varlamov just 1:58 into regulation — might have snapped a 12-game stretch in which the 23-year-old winger failed to light the lamp, but the Notre Dame product has still been active just about every time he's hopped over the boards this month.
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Whereas previous NHL stints saw Bjork rely on more of his speed and craftiness to generate O-zone chances, a stronger and more refined Bjork has made his presence felt elsewhere out on the sheet — while a heavier shot has given him another tool in his offensive repatriate.
That shot still isn't an automatic, however. Stuck in a 1-1 deadlock in the second period, Bjork nearly gave Boston the lead again, firing the puck toward an open net following a wraparound feed from Charlie McAvoy. But before the biscuit could find twine, Varlamov robbed Bjork with a nifty flash of his glove.
"I mean, obviously upset there," Bjork said postgame of that second-period stop. "It was a great overall shift, Coyle had another good shift, and he’s playing great right now. And Charlie McAvoy too, had a lot of big-time shifts for us, and another there. (McAvoy) made a great play coming around the net and I definitely thought I had that one, but it was a great save. Probably learn from it, maybe keep it low when the goalie’s diving for it. So you know hopefully that’ll go in next time and I can learn from that.”
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He's now logged close to a season's worth of games up at the NHL level (78 games) through three separate campaigns, but the winger is still looking to soak up as much information as he can from his teammates, especially when it comes to rounding out his overall game.
"We have so much opportunity to learn from the guys on this team and I think it's on guys like me, guys that are younger and trying to prove themselves more, to elevate their game with these guys," Bjork said. "You see how they do it, especially when things aren't going well. They're putting in the extra work and really being hungry to improve so that we can get those wins.
"I think it's on me and guys in similar situations like me to follow their lead and go along with them. ... As much as I want to get my offensive game going, I know our details and everything are the first priority."
So far, the 2019-20 season has seen Bjork take the most encouraging steps forward when it comes to being a dependable option for Bruce Cassidy on the wing, potentially in a top-six role at some point this season.
With Boston willing to slot Bjork over to right wing if needed, one has to think that Bjork will get a shot next to Krejci sooner or later. Most of that is based on Bjork's offensive tools and the potential for him to elevate his game in that area if paired with a playmaking pivot like Krejci.
But Bjork has evolved into far more than just a burner and skill-centric winger. Even on days in which Bjork has to fight through playing with his "B" game, he's still able to regularly contribute (and avoid losing shifts) by being active on the forecheck, extending O-zone possessions with strong puck retrievals and not cheating down the other end of the ice.
Even though less than 50 percent of his faceoffs have come in the offensive zone, Bjork actually ranks second on the Bruins roster (min. 50 minutes played) in terms of the fewest high-danger scoring chances against per 60 minutes of 5v5 play — with opponents generating 6.29 chances.
Add in his increased responsibility on the penalty kill, where his speed and active stick can come in handy, and it should come as little surprise that Bjork was handed 1:10 of shorthanded TOI on Thursday — giving Cassidy the luxury to spell some of his star PKers like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand for a bit.
Whereas Bjork first burst onto the scene in 2017 as a rookie earning reps out of the gate on Boston's top line, the forward's path to a regular role in the NHL has been much more of an uphill climb, with injuries and ineffective stretches marring some of those early, positive stretches.
These days, Bjork is still far from a finished product, a sentiment he wholeheartedly agrees with. But, as much as Boston seems to backslide more and more during this recent slump, it looks as though Bjork's game continues to get better and better.
"It's something I've been working towards," Bjork said of rounding out his overall game. "I've been chipping away at it a little bit. It's good to see, good for my confidence and stuff. But I'm gonna want to keep building that. I think for sure after tonight, after the last couple games, I’m not satisfied with my game personally. I think there’s a lot more I can do and I think I can elevate my game more and be more hungry so I can help this team a little more maybe offensively, so I can help us get those wins, especially in these close games.
"We need guys not in our top six, not the guys scoring every night, to kind of step up. These guys can’t score two or three goals every night, just everyone’s aware of them and stuff. So it’s something I’m kind of taking personally, I want to definitely improve upon and you know find ways to help the team more.”
Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick.