Brandon Carlo has been trudging forward against an uphill climb all season long— both figuratively and physically.
In some respects, the strengths of Carlo’s game can sometimes serve as a double-edged sword, at least when it comes to putting his play under a microscope.
When more offensively-gifted blueliners like Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk are operating at a high level, it’s easy to take note in their elevated play — be it crisp transition sequences, walking the offensive blue line and, of course, tangible points on the stat sheet.
Even players further down the defensive depth chart like Connor Clifton often bring fans out of their seats with assertive, bombastic shifts that draw praise from Jim Montgomery and many others.
Carlo, unfortunately, operates a bit more like an offensive lineman in terms of his body of work.
Oftentimes, Carlo’s shifts are marked with a hefty portion of D-zone starts and plenty of unglamorous duties when it comes to negating an opposing team’s top players.
And with those D-zone starts often comes plenty of sequences where an exhausted Carlo is on the ice, exasperated after a puck sailed into Boston’s net.
It’s a tough gig in which every miscue is often magnified given Carlo’s expected role as a shutdown, stay-at-home defender — with his limited offensive ceiling limiting the ways in which Carlo can absolve a defensive fault with a highlight-reel play down the other end of the sheet.
Add in Carlo’s extensive concussion woes (including his fifth concussion earlier this season), and his plateaued play over the last few seasons — and Carlo has often been a conduit for criticism when it comes to his shortcomings on a stout Bruins defensive structure.
But after shaking off the rust in early November following his latest concussion, Carlo has been far from just a plug-and-play, second-pair blueliner. Even overlooking the 26-year-old defenseman’s first tally of the season on Monday night against Florida — Montgomery feels as though Carlo has fully found his game at this stage of the season.
“I think he’s been awesome,” Montgomery said on Monday. “I think in the last 10-to-15 games, I think Brandon Carlo’s playing great hockey. Unfortunately he got hurt there earlier in the year and it took a couple games to get back in the rhythm, but man, he’s been really, really good for us.”
Of course, Carlo isn’t exactly a guy who is going to be sniping pucks from the slot and piling on the points, night in and night out. But Thursday’s comeback win over the Jets might have been the clearest example yet of Carlo’s impact out on the ice — with Winnipeg generating next to nothing offensively whenever No. 25 hopped over the boards.
As expected, Carlo spent most of the night in the D-zone, with just 30 percent of his starts coming in the offensive zone during his 15:04 of 5v5 ice time. And yet, despite those unfavorable reps, the Bruins still managed to hold decisive leads over the Jets in …
Shot attempts: 23-4
Shots on goal: 17-1
High-danger scoring chances: 5-0
Goals scored: 1-0
… during that 15:04 of action.
And while Thursday might have been an extreme case of Carlo’s impact tilting the fortune of his team, his underlying numbers have been strong all season long – especially when it comes to his primary mission of snuffing out scoring chances.
“I would say the biggest thing for me is just enjoying the game as much as I possibly can,” Carlo said of his approach. “I’ve kind of come into this year just with a gratitude-type mindset of just enjoying this experience and being very happy. It’s an honor to wear this crest on my chest, so I’m just enjoying it. I think that’s kind of where it’s going.”
Of the 526 NHLers who have logged at least 250 minutes of 5v5 ice time this season, Carlo ranks 450th overall in O-zone start percentage at 39.18. But the Bruins have still managed to outscore opponents, 19-8, during Carlo’s shifts — with opposing scoring chances often drying up whenever he’s anchoring his usual spot in Grade-A ice.
Among that same pool of 526 NHLers, Carlo also ranks:
- 33rd in 5v5 shot attempts against per 60 minutes (3rd on Boston and highest among B’s D-men)
- 14th in 5v5 shots on goal against per 60 minutes (1st on Boston)
- 11th in 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes (4th on Boston)
- 11th in 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (4th on Boston and highest among B’s D-men)
Dominant stuff all around.
Ultimately, Carlo will never compile a highlight reel as extensive as McAvoy or Lindholm. He won’t get a catchy nickname like “Cliffy Hockey”.
But make no mistake — beyond those blips early on this season, Carlo has been far from a liability on this Bruins roster.
Rather, he’s been part of the bedrock of the league’s top defense — just as he expected.
“I feel like there’s been a big mental reset for me in that regard,” Carlo said Monday of his bounce-back campaign. “With the joy comes confidence and a calm as well that I’ve definitely felt throughout my game.”
