BSJ Game Report: Bruins 6, Coyotes 3 - Secondary scoring lifts B’s past Arizona

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 6-3 win over the Coyotes, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES 

B’s supporting cast stars in home-opening win

Boston relied on its big guns up front to take down the Capitals on Wednesday night, but in their home opener — it was the team’s supporting cast that shouldered most of the scoring burden against the Coyotes.

After Pavel Zacha buried his first goal as a Bruin in the first period, Boston’s bottom-six grouping and its D corps led the charge the rest of the way, with Charlie Coyle, Nick Foligno, Derek Forbort and A.J. Greer all lighting the lamp en route to a 6-3 win over the Coyotes. 

Granted, the Coyotes are … not a very good club, so it’s important to not get swept up too much in a game where 10 different B’s players recorded at least a point. 

But after the Zacha-Krejci-Pastrnak trio flexed their muscles against the Capitals, it was encouraging to see a number of lineup regulars further down the lineup build some momentum by way of O-zone production.

Jake DeBrusk’s injury might have scrambled up Boston’s lineup, but a reshuffled third line of Frederic-Coyle-Greer imposed their will against the Coyotes, with Boston holding a 6-1 edge in shots on goal during that line’s 8:43 of 5v5 ice time.

Greer’s three-point night (two goals, one assist) stands as some tangible proof that his strong preseason showing against the Rangers was not just an aberration, while Foligno (one goal, one assist) turned in one of his better games as a Bruin. 

Arizona might be a tomato-can matchup, but good on the B’s for getting a lot more lineup regulars involved in this one. Through two games, the B’s have scored 11 goals — by way of 10 different players. 

"It tells us how deep we are,” Jim Montgomery said. “I said we have really good depth. And we're still missing three really good hockey players. So it's nice when that third and fourth line can really control the play like they did tonight. I thought every time they were out there, they tilted the ice, which was really good. And it's good for them, they're gonna get confidence from it. 

“And then we're gonna get more and more confidence offensively and how we want to play. I thought tonight was a really good puck-possession game. We've got to get better in our game management. We're a little sloppy in some of our tracking, but it's two games in. So we're doing a lot of really good things and there are small things I think that we got to clean up."

Brandon Carlo exits with upper-body injury

Another game, another B’s lineup regular exiting a contest with an upper-body injury.

After losing DeBrusk in Wednesday’s season-opening win down in Washington, the Bruins took a major hit on the blue line — as Brandon Carlo left in the first period of Saturday’s win and did not return. 

Postgame, Montgomery had no update on Carlo’s status. 

Given Carlo’s history, the main concern here has to be concussion-related, considering that Carlo has suffered four of them over a 50-month span, starting in 2017. 

With both Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy still on the shelf, the Bruins’ D corps will be even more tested if Carlo has to miss an extended stretch, adding more urgency for the B’s to get Anton Stralman’s visa issues sorted out. 

THREE UP 

A.J. Greer: Greer led the way on a strong night for Boston’s third line. Beyond his two tallies in the third period, Greer jumpstarted the sequence that led to Coyle’s first-period snipe — intercepting a pass in the neutral zone and setting his linemates up for a quick counter-rush. 

Nick Foligno: Good to see Foligno respond after getting placed on waivers earlier this week. The veteran is still going to face plenty of competition for those coveted fourth-line minutes, but stringing together games like Saturday’s stands as a sound way for him to stick in the lineup.

Derek Forbort: After a stout showing on the PK in Wednesday’s win, Forbort once again stepped up for the B’s in this one, especially after Carlo went down. Along with his third-period tally thay gave Boston the lead for good, Forbort logged 21:36 of ice time and blocked a shot.

TWO DOWN

This goalie interference call: A brutal break here for Jakub Lauko, who appeared to bury his first career NHL goal, only for it to immediately get waved off by the officials for goaltender interference. I have to say, I really don’t see how Foligno did much to really alter the play here. Alas. 

Pavel Zacha: Yes, Zacha might have buried his first goal as a Bruin in the first period, but the B’s winger also is going to get knocked for a brutal turnover in the third period — telegraphing a feed that Shayne Gostisbehere easily picked off en route to a game-tying, shorthanded goal in the third period. 

PLAY/CELLY OF THE GAME

You think A.J. Greer is enjoying his time in Boston? 

QUOTE OF NOTE

"I gotta tell you, when they played (the Dropkicks Murphys) ... that was awesome. I got a little bit goosebumps behind the bench." - Jim Montgomery on his first game on the Garden bench.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will see their schedule ramp up with three games in four days next week — starting with a home matchup against the Panthers on Monday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.