The good news for the Bruins on the defensive front?
The reshuffled third pair of Mike Reilly and Jakub Zboril has been a success in their small sample size together.
In their three games together (31:46 5v5 ice time), the Bruins hold a 1-0 edge in goals scored and a 23-12 edge in shots on goal — with both blueliners fulfilling the job requirements of aiding the B’s transition game with some crisp first passes and responsible play in their own zone.
They may not be flashy, but considering where Reilly was just a few weeks ago (watching games from the ninth floor as a healthy scratch) — coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Zboril as an everyday contributor — Bruce Cassidy has had no qualms with the revamped tandem.
"I've liked the Zboril-Reilly pair," Cassidy. "They've added some good transitions, puck movement, defended hard. Everything we've asked Mike to do he's done. Zboril has gone in and been consistent. We don't want to mess with that one if we don't have to so that's it, you flip two guys. They've kept it clean. They are playing to their strengths, not spending a long-time in their own end. … It's going to happen sometimes you get stuck there, but it hasn't been because they aren't moving the puck."
That’s well and good — and a pleasant departure from the early weeks of the season in which just about every combination on that third pair failed to generate the necessary results.
But a glance further up on the depth chart has done little to alleviate Cassidy’s concerns about the current constitution of his blue line.
Even though Charlie McAvoy has operated at an elite level once again, his partnership with Derek Forbort has been a mixed bag at times. Granted, they’ve regularly been handed daunting assignments (45.45 offensive zone faceoff percentage), but it’s not often a good sign when your top pair is getting outscored by a 6-2 margin in 132:01 of 5v5 ice time.
The results have been even more discouraging on a second D pairing that has struggled to find traction all season long.
In previous years, pairing a stay-at-home presence like Brandon Carlo with a puck-moving playmaker like Matt Grzelcyk has led to plenty of success, but that production has bottomed out so far in 2021-22. In the Grzelcyk-Carlo pairing's 123:09 of 5v5 ice time this year, opponents have outscored Boston, 9-2.
Fair to say, you’re not going to pile on points at a steady pace when your top-two pairs are getting outscored by a 15-4 clip at 5v5 play.
Once again, the Bruins needed to make a switch.
One solution is rather simple. To the surprise of just about no one, Cassidy bumped Grzelcyk back up to Boston’s top pair on Tuesday — reuniting him with his old partner in McAvoy.
It’s a pretty tried-and-tested maneuver at this point when it comes to jump-starting Boston’s blue line, and especially a player in Grzelcyk who has yet to see his transition talents lead to tangible offensive production (just two assists in 15 games).
The numbers support Grzelcyk-McAvoy’s reputation as a 5v5 buzzsaw — with Boston outscoring opponents, 20-7, when the former BU Terrier teammates were out on the ice together for 339:43 of 5v5 ice time last season.
Those impressive numbers have carried over to this season, with Boston outscoring opponents by a 6-2 margin and outshooting them, 67-36, during Grzelcyk+McAvoy’s 99:46 of 5v5 ice time.
If it ain’t broke …
"Grizz and Charlie have played well together. We know that. ... Grizz, I think, right now is off a little bit,” Cassidy said. “I think having him play with Charlie will get him a little back on track. They tend to play well together. I think the Grizz-Carlo (pairing) has been just average.”
Reuniting McAvoy and Grzelcyk sure seems like a no-brainer at this point, but that pairing will only remain intact and earn steady reps if a reworked second pairing of Forbort-Carlo can hold their own.
Given Carlo’s history of usually playing off of a faster D partner, sticking a player with a similar stay-at-home profile in Forbort offers a different look - one that Cassidy usually hasn’t deployed.
And yet, while a heavier pairing like that could run into some issues against fleet-footed opponents, the early returns have been positive for Forbort-Carlo — with Boston outscoring teams, 4-0, during their 33:06 of 5v5 play.
“I think Brandon played some of his best hockey with (Zdeno Chara) in a shutdown role, so just focus on that," Cassidy said. "I know it’s been a few years. So, he can do that well and hopefully it gets him back to where he needs to be. I just think that pair hasn’t been as strong as it could be. So we move a couple pieces around.”
Of course, even with a bounce-back performance on Wednesday against the Sabres, plenty of questions will remain with this D corps.
Can a Grzelcyk-McAvoy pairing, as good as it is, handle the physicality come the postseason? Does Forbort-Carlo have the capabilities to break the puck out against a heavy forecheck?
All valid questions — and all that can be answered another time.
Right now, the Bruins need to recoup points in a hurry — and this latest shuffle, especially reuniting Grzelcyk and McAvoy, should pay immediate dividends for a club that has to get on a roll.