John Moore’s contributions on the stat sheet following the Bruins’ 4-1 victory over the Sabres on Friday may not stand out — especially given some of the other performances that paved the way for Boston’s bounce-back showing up in Western New York.
Linus Ullmark will deservedly draw most of the headlines. After finding himself in the crosshairs of many B’s fans following a lackluster showing during preseason action, Ullmark made good on the faith that Boston placed in him by way of a $20 million contract— stopping 35 of the 36 shots that came his way in the win.
Boston’s top weapons up front in Brad Marchand (two assists), Taylor Hall (one goal, one assist) and David Pastrnak (one goal) were all as advertised. For the first time since Nov. 26, 2019 — Charlie Coyle accrued three points (one goal, two helpers) in a single contest.
And UFA pickup Tomas Nosek potted his first goal in a B’s sweater while winning 10 of his 13 battles at the faceoff dot.
In comparison, Moore’s performance was a bit more muted. 18:47 of ice time. Two shots on goal. A blocked shot. A plus-1 rating.
Of course, some defensemen should be graded through the same lens as offensive linemen. As Bruce Cassidy noted last week when it came to assessing the talents of a stay-at-home regular like Derek Forbort — sometimes the less you notice a player on the ice, the better he’s playing.
But whether Moore registered zeroes across the board or recorded four apples meant little to the 30-year-old veteran.
Since inking a five-year, $13.75-million contract with Boston back in 2018, not a whole lot has gone well for Moore — and he’d be the first to acknowledge it. But considering where he was earlier this year, just to get back on the ice with Boston seemed like a victory in itself.
"It's been a journey for sure. I had surgery on March 22 in New York .... Got out of there in a wheelchair and here I am — playing in an NHL game,” Moore said ahead of Friday’s game. “So I'm just celebrating that small victory. I'm up off the mat and I'm ready to go.”
A crowded B’s D corps — especially on the left side — saw what seemed like a set starting role in Boston’s lineup evaporate shortly after Moore inked his new deal, with the rise of Matt Grzelcyk putting Moore in an unenviable no-man’s land as far as minutes were concerned.
But a log-jammed depth chart was a slight inconvenience when compared to the hurdles that later hindered Moore over the past couple of years.
No stranger to going under the knife after missing six months in 2019 due to major shoulder surgery, Moore was forced to play catch-up for most of that 2019-20 campaign. The following season, he only played in five total games before his year was cut short once again — with that March 2021 procedure to deal with a labral tear in his hip putting him on the shelf for another five months.
Even after getting a clean bill of health, Moore sure seemed like a man without a role on this B’s roster in 2021-22 despite a solid training camp — with the Bruins ultimately placing him on waivers back on Oct. 10. When none of the other 31 NHL clubs scooped him off the waiver wire, the B’s kept Moore up with the big club, ready to serve in a depth role if need be.
"Full range of emotions,” Moore said of being waived. “I think that is what it is. I really had no control over that decision. It's a business decision. I think a step beyond that, I was proud of the way I showed up to camp, proud of the way I competed and I felt that I controlled what I could control. ... It's definitely a chip on your shoulder for sure. And I'll use it as motivation."
It didn’t take long for Moore to get the chance to prove his club wrong. Replacing Connor Clifton in Boston’s lineup on Friday, Moore was solid on the B’s third D pairing, even with the left-shot skater logging reps on his right side next to Forbort.
Despite a few errant feeds, Moore was steady on his shifts — helping shore up what was a leaky performance from Boston’s blue line just a few days prior.
"I thought he was solid,” Cassidy said of Moore’s performance. “He's the type of guy, we talked this morning about stick position and details, you'll have to look at the video. But I don't remember a lot of (mistakes). Forced a pass there late in the neutral zone that hit a skate, that's probably not the time.
“But at the end of the day, those things are gonna happen. He got his pucks to the net, he was competing hard, battling. Our penalty kill killed four penalties and he's a part of that. We'll look at it, but when you come out of a game and you don't notice any gaffes on those types of players, it probably means he was rock solid.”
It remains to be seen just how many reps Moore will earn this season in Boston. He certainly didn’t do anything to take himself out of the lineup with Friday’s showing — but with Clifton still on the roster and youngsters like Brady Lyle in line to make a push this season, Moore will be looking over his shoulder, no doubt.
Given the unsteady terrain he finds himself on, was there ever a hope — during those anxious hours when he was on the waiver wire — that Moore would land with another club, where more minutes would be on the horizon?
"No, I didn't (want to leave),” Moore said. “I remember it happened and obviously you tell your family, your wife and then Patrice (Bergeron), within five minutes he called me and let me know how much I mean to this group and for someone like that — he's never gonna have to go through something like that.
“But for him to make you feel like you're wanted and you're valued here — this group has unfinished business and we believe in each other and I want to be a part of that.”