Fabian Lysell’s strong start to preseason is keeping him in Bruins’ lineup

Fabian Lysell didn’t end up registering much of consequence on the score sheet during Boston’s preseason win over the Capitals on Sunday, but the basic eye test sure painted the picture of an 18-year-old not shirking from the tougher competition present up in the pro ranks.

Even with Lysell’s dynamic skillset, expectations should be measured in terms of how much of an impact he’s able to generate against NHL/AHL competition at this stage of his career — but Bruce Cassidy sure seemed impressed with how Boston’s arguably most promising prospect held his own in his first pro contest. 

Even with his lack of experience and heft (170 pounds as currently constituted), Lysell played to his strengths against the Capitals in order to string together impactful shifts — using his speed to sail through the neutral zone and his hands to shield the puck while cutting inside to Grade-A ice. 

“It's that description, right — a hockey player,” Cassidy said postgame on Sunday. “He was around the puck, pulling it to space when he needed to. Attacked the front of the net — pushed back when he had to. Made a heck of a play on the wall late to get it into the middle for a scoring chance, so he did a lot of things well.

“Attacked, didn't look flustered, strong on his skates. A lot of good things for his first hockey game. It's not an easy team to play against. I know they didn't have a lot of their lineup, similar to us, but still it's his first professional hockey game in North America and with Boston so I thought he did a real nice job and just his whole overall feel for and composure and compete.”

Of course, one solid preseason game isn’t going to make the B’s reverse course from its stated plan of sending Lysell to the WHL for a full year of junior hockey — with a healthy amount of top-six reps (and a steady line of production) the proper prescription for a guy that will certainly have growing pains coming over from Sweden.

But that doesn’t mean that Bruins fans shouldn’t be encouraged by Lysell’s play so far over the last few weeks — especially against tougher competition down in D.C. It’s clear he still needs to bulk up quite a bit if he wants to consistently win puck battles at the next level, but the rookie’s knack for driving down low in search of Grade-A looks is an encouraging sign for a skater that still has a ways to go in his development. 

In particular, Lysell’s willingness to get involved in a scrum down low during Sunday’s win — even at his current weight class — stood out to the B’s, and perhaps played a part in why the rookie will once again draw into the lineup in Tuesday’s preseason game against a Rangers team that added some muscle this summer after getting punked by Tom Wilson just a few months ago. 

“He'll most likely play tomorrow, I thought he did certainly enough to merit that,” Cassidy said of Lysell. “Get another look at him early. Like I said, he seemed to be not at all affected by playing in that environment. Another tough one tomorrow in New York. Looks like they want to try to change the way they play a little bit. So to be a young guy and go in and play your game is probably a testament to a bit of his character and willingness to compete.”

Even the most uber-skilled players hit roadblocks on their way up to the pros, and it’s to be expected for Lysell to take his lumps as the competition continues to get stronger and stronger as the days drag on during the preseason. 

But with plenty of NHL clubs across the league already starting to trim down their camp roster, the sight of a teen like Lysell remaining in the lineup and earning high marks from his bench boss offers more validation that the B’s might have found something special with the No. 21 overall pick back in July.

Cassidy reveals plan to split reps between Ullmark/Swayman

While the Bruins benefited over the last few years with the tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, it was always a given going into each new NHL campaign that Rask was going to have the edge in reps by year’s end. 

Even though conventional thinking would have us believe that Linus Ullmark is a similar “1A” spot in Boston’s goalie corps given his age and experience, Cassidy believes the allocation of starts between both Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman could vary throughout the season — especially if a rookie like Swayman can continue to build off of a promising first stint up in the NHL. 

"I think it'll be more month to month, performance driven,” Cassidy said of evaluating both goalies. “Ullmark's been in the league. We have to make sure we're true to giving him time to get his game where it needs to be. And (goalie coach) Bob (Essensa) will deal with that on a regular basis.

“Swayman — we know what he can do in a small sample size and certainly he'll get the net and continue to get it if he earns it, that type of thing. So it's not determined where one will definitely the number one or not. So I think there's more competition than there ever has been. But like I said, Ullmark is a veteran of this league and we have to be mindful of that and make sure he gets the necessary reps too."

Cassidy added that Ullmark is expected to start later tonight in his preseason debut with the Bruins down at Madison Square Garden, with Kyle Keyser serving as the backup. With four preseason games left on the docket after tonight, Boston is hoping to get both Ullmark and Swayman to start full games before the regular season commences next month. 

McIlrath suspended 4 total games for hit on Fogarty

The NHL Department of Player Safety issued its ruling on Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath’s dangerous hit on B’s forward Steven Fogarty — with the league suspending McIlrath for two preseason games and two regular-season games for the illegal check to the head he delivered on Sunday.

The hit took place early in the third period of Boston’s preseason opener down in Washington, with Fogarty eventually needing help getting off the ice. The 29-year-old Bruins pivot is currently out with an upper-body injury, with no timeline currently set on his return.