Injuries might be the only thing that can slow down Bruins’ top-six unit against the Islanders

Based on the thrashing we saw on Saturday night at the Garden, Barry Trotz and the Islanders are going to have their hands full over the next week. 

Because simply put, New York didn’t have an answer for either Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci’s line in Game 1 of their second-round series — with Boston holding a 24-6 edge in scoring chances during the 22:31 of 5v5 ice time in which either the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak / Hall-Krejci-Smith unit was deployed. 

For the Islanders and Trotz, scheming up the proper gameplan in order to keep both of Boston’s top lines off the board is a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” predicament. 

While Trotz often tends to keep his top D pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock together as his primary shutdown duo, he regularly split them up on Saturday in order to put one of the gifted blueliners out against both the Bergeron and Krejci lines. 

It’s a move designed to avoid a situation in which New York’s pairing of Scott Mayfield and Nick Leddy are thrown to the wolves against Krejci and Co., but it did little to stop Boston’s big guns from eviscerating the Isles in their own zone. 

Not putting all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to slowing down one specific player or line might seem like a prudent move for New York given Boston’s scoring depth, but the Bergeron line promptly made the Islanders pay — with the B’s leading in shots on goal, 17-3, when that trio was out for 12:43 of 5v5 ice time. 

With Trotz still without the benefit of last change in Game 2, the only real adjustment that New York could roll out in an attempt to counter Boston might be a switch in net — with Semyon Varlamov tasked with stopping the bleeding despite plenty of question marks regarding his own health. Not exactly the most encouraging equalizer. 

No, at this point — if there’s one thing that might keep Boston’s lethal top-six unit from continuing to dissect the Islanders, it’s likely going to be the injury bug.

And Boston is set to face its first hurdle in that regard on Monday.

Despite such a dominant performance from Boston’s top forwards in Game 1 on Saturday, the victory did come at a cost in that Craig Smith — the key cog on that second-line unit — was lost after the second period due to a lower-body injury. 

On Monday morning, Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Smith would be ruled out for Game 2 — but left the door open for a potential return on Thursday night down at Nassau Coliseum. 

"He won't play tonight,” Cassidy said of Smith. “Obviously Game 3 is Thursday. Gives him an extra day in between what we'd normally have, so that's good. So we'll list him as day to day, see how he does. ... As we get closer to Game 3, I'll let you know — but won't play tonight."

Obviously, the loss isn’t as detrimental to Boston as it would be if, say, a Brad Marchand or Charlie McAvoy was lost for an extended stretch — but Smith’s value on that second line has been instrumental in transforming it into a scoring juggernaut. Krejci may be the primary playmaker and Hall can finish plays with his speed and skill, but Smith’s forechecking ability, quick shot and ability to win board battles often serves as the precursor to plenty of scoring chances and Grade-A looks.

While Boston generated a 16-4 edge in shot attempts when the Hall-Krejci-Smith line was out on the ice over two periods of play Saturday, that same second line was out-attempted, 3-1, during the final 20 minutes of regulation once Smith was knocked out due to injury. 

During that third-period stretch, it was Jake DeBrusk that took over Smith’s spot on the second line — and it will be where the winger will slot back in again on Monday night. 

"I talked to Krech a little bit as well,” Cassidy said of the new-look second line. “The easiest thing would have been to just drop Kuhlman in there, then all the other lines stay the same. You get some continuity. Krech has played with Kuhly before in the playoff run. But we also want to give Jake the opportunity to play with Krech again. He's done that before. 

“I know he looks up to Taylor Hall, so maybe that'll spur him on a little more. … Either way, we thought we'd be covered. Again, just got to go and play your own game no matter what line you're on. But that's the way we're going to start. See how it ends up. Like every game, we might have to make some moves in game if we don't like what we see but hopefully, it's a good fit for everybody.”

Of course, it’s not fair to expect a Hall-Krejci-DeBrusk line to continue to post the same lopsided shot-share totals that Krejci’s line generated for most of Game 1. 

Still, it’s paramount that Boston’s second line puts together a more impactful stretch of play than Saturday’s third period, forcing Trotz to continue to game plan for both lines and avoid a situation in which the Islanders have the luxury of throwing all of their defensive efforts into slowing down Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak rather than trying (in vain) to put out two fires at the same time. 

Based on the way they’ve played over the last week or so, the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line can push a very good team like the Islanders to the brink by themselves. 

But if this Krejci line can continue to land punches and put New York on its heels with Smith on the mend? An already bleak outlook for the Isles will only get more dour as their series progresses.