Tough cuts await, starting spots still up for grabs & more takeaways from Bruins’ preseason loss to Devils

The Bruins continued their preseason slate with a 1-0 loss against the Devils at Prudential Center on Monday. Here are some takeaways from Boston’s fourth preseason matchup. 

Box Score

Not a lot of starting spots clinched tonight

Jim Montgomery stated the obvious on Monday morning at Warrior Ice Arena.

With regular-season hockey just nine days away for the Bruins — and sizable cuts to the training-camp roster on the horizon — time is running out for the boatload of journeyman vets and prospects to stake their claim for a starting role on this hockey club.

“I don't know exactly when, but we're gonna get down to our numbers here shortly,” Montgomery said. “So the time to impress is right now in these next two games, especially.” 

Monday’s preseason contest against the Devils might have been light in terms of established NHL stars on Boston’s roster, but those various vacancies across the depth chart offered Montgomery and his staff another chance to look at a number of candidates for those coveted fourth-line roles — be it the youngsters who have elevated their stock like Jack Studnicka and Marc McLaughlin, or the elder statesmen fighting for minutes like a Tomas Nosek.

And by the time the dust settled on a snoozer of a 1-0 loss down in Newark, not a whole lot was answered in terms of players who have definitely clinched a spot in Montgomery’s starting lineup.

All things considered, the Bruins will likely take a 1-0 loss in which Boston’s B squad went up against a Devils roster operating at close to full strength. But that score could have been far more lopsided without the play of Keith Kinkaid (and some posts), as Boston routinely found itself hemmed in down at Prudential Center.

Greer, who declared his game as “flat” during his postgame interview on NESN, didn’t exactly build off of his strong, two-goal showing against the Rangers last week — with that potential fourth-line grouping of Greer, Jack Studnicka and McLaughlin showing some flashes, but not putting themselves over the top when it came to their on-ice pitch to Montgomery.

"When things don't go your way with the puck, I feel like I just tried to be physical and give some energy but I don't know — could have been better,” Greer said. “It's pretty much it.”

There were some positives for that trio, be it Greer’s aggressiveness (although that might need to be reeled in a bit after a bit of goaltender interference on his end negated a Nosek goal), McLaughlin’s details and Studnicka’s strong night at the faceoff dot (11 of 14). 

But overall, it was a decidedly meh showcase from a number of players who seemed to be on the brink of locking down regular playing time come Oct. 12. 

“I think that we just missed a little spark,” Greer said. “And we weren't capitalizing on the opportunities and we were getting kind of caught up in little mental decisions that were kind of hindering our game. So, whether that's breakouts or just clean, crisp passes. But personally, I think that I can definitely be sharper on my plays and bring a little bit more offensively.”

Some tough decisions might await for Nosek, Steen 

It was far from a highlight-reel night for the Greer-Studnicka-McLaughlin trio, but those aforementioned silver linings at least put them in the holding steady category if we were to put together an updated version of our roster stock watch.

Some of that might be a byproduct of the fact that a number of other bottom-six candidates really did not help their case at all by continuing to underwhelm in on-ice situations. 

At this point, Nosek has to be breathing a sigh of relief that Studnicka didn’t post another multi-point night, because the veteran pivot has continued to not flash all that much this preseason — despite the unsteady ground he finds himself on when it comes to that 4C spot.

Nosek might have been robbed of a goal because of Greer driving to the net, but that stood as Nosek’s first shot attempt at 5v5 play this entire preseason (over 30 minutes worth of action). Yes, Nosek isn’t exactly a guy known for his offensive talents — and he still offers value as a solid PKer — but he sure seems like a guy who could be on the outside looking in if Montgomery opts for a forward with a bit of a higher ceiling in Stundicka for the 4C role. 

As for Oskar Steen, conventional thinking would paint a scenario in which Boston keeps the young forward (who is now no longer exempt from waivers) up in the NHL ranks, sees what it has in the Swede during reps at 4RW, and then reassesses the position after a few weeks.

But Steen might not even get such a chance, not when he continues to put together pretty uninspiring outings during preseason action. Aside from that shorthanded tally last week against the Rangers, Steen has often been absent from the stat sheet, attempting zero shots on goal in 13:40 of 5v5 ice time Monday. 

Given that lack of production, Boston might just opt to send Steen to Providence (and risk waivers) to open the season, because McLaughlin (and even Chris Wagner) have made much more compelling arguments for playing time at right wing. 

Kinkaid exits with injury

An unfortunate result for Keith Kinkaid in this one, as the veteran had to exit the game in the third period due to injury after making an awkward save. Through the first two-plus periods of action, Kinkaid was strong in net, keeping the contest from getting out of control due to Boston’s sloppy execution.

Kinkaid, who stopped 16 of 17 shots in his appearances, was replaced by Kyle Keyser, who finished with five saves on five shots. 

Make no mistake, Kinkaid was going to be on the outside looking in at regular minutes up with the big club with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in place, but the 33-year-old goalie can and should be a dependable option between the pipes for Providence this season. Hopefully Kinkaid will not need to miss any extended time, with the goalie spotted on the B’s bench later in the third. 

Odds and ends

• A trademark Connor Clifton game — with the 27-year-old defenseman landing four shots on goal, logging 19:16 of ice time and landing four hits. In one sequence, Clifton nearly crashed into his own net, doled out a heavy check to John Marino and then nearly scored off the rush — all in the span of a single shift. 

• He likely isn’t starting the season in Boston’s starting lineup, but I’m usually very impressed whenever I see Jack Ahcan out there operating with the puck in the offensive zone. Yes, the size narrative is there, but he sure doesn’t play like a guy whose stature impacts his playing style. Ahcan had a sweet feed to spring Craig Smith for a breakaway bid, and has a knack for launching some tippable shots from the point. "I've always liked Jack Ahcan from his college days. And he's someone that competes hard,” Montgomery said. “He has a really good hockey sense. So when you have those two elements to your game, and those are your biggest strengths, you can do a lot of good things on the ice despite his stature as a defenseman.