Matt Grzelcyk gets the green light for Game 4
TORONTO — Their team defense in need of some tightening after a 4-2 loss Monday night, the Bruins gave rookie blue liner Matt Grzelcyk the green light to return to the lineup Thursday night in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series vs. the Maple Leafs.
Grzelcyk, a solid contributor over the second half of the regular season, played in Games 1-2, both of them convincing Boston victories, then moved to the sidelines with a minor injury for Game 3.
“He should be good to go,’’ said coach Bruce Cassidy, whose squad had an optional workout Thursday morning at Air Canada Centre. “I anticipate he’ll go in.’’
Grzelcyk figured to partner with Adam McQuaid in the No. 3 pairing, moving Nick Holden to the press box. Holden played Monday when the Leafs cut the Bruins lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven-game series.
“He’s got the ability to transition the puck very well by himself,’’ said Cassidy, who has paired Grzelcyk most of the time with either McQuaid or Kevan Miller, the latter of whom has moved higher in the lineup, as Torey Krug’s partner, with Brandon Carlo exiting because of a fractured ankle. “Get out of some piles in D-zone coverage and make a good first pass, track pucks down in the neutral zone before teams are set . . . good at identifying whose available [for a pass].’’
Most critical, added Cassidy, Grzelcyk “doesn’t seem to get exposed on the defensive side very often because of his size. He is able to defend well.’’
Game 5 of the series will be back at the Garden Saturday, with faceoff shorty after 8 p.m. If Game 5 is necessary, it will be in Toronto Monday night. A Game 7 would be played on Causeway Street next Wednesday.
Productive push
Patrice Bergeron learned Wednesday that he was a finalist for this year’s Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward. If he wins, it will give the 32-year-old Bergeron a record fifth Selke, one more than Hall of Famer Bob Gainey, the former stalwart winger for the Montreal Canadiens.
“It’s definitely a very nice recognition, I am very appreciative of that,’’ said Bergeron, who opted not to skate in the brief Thursday morning tuneup. “It’s always a reflection of what your teammates have done around you, making you look better and whatnot. So I am very thankful.’’
Bergeron broke in as a Bruins rookie in 2003-04 and won his first Selke in his eighth season, 2011-12, the season after he helped guide the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. He also won it in 2014, ’15, and ’17.
“I think that is the way I have been taught to play the game,’’ said Bergeron, pondering the day-to-day work it takes to keep up his defensive game. “That’s the only way I know how to play. So I think the approach is always to try to push your limits, be better, and work on the things it takes to get your game to another level.’’
Brad Marchand, Bergeron’s regular left winger the last few seasons, kidded that Bergeron “does everything that I can’t.’’
“The way that he pushes himself,’’ said Marchand, “his linemates have to push to be at that level as well. He holds us to a high standard. He expects us to be good.’’
Marchand, Bergeron, and right wing David Pastrnak were shut out in Game 3, but they amassed a bountiful line of 5-15—20 in Games 1-2.
Coaching influences
During his morning meeting with the media, Cassidy credited his junior coach, Ottawa’s Brian Kilrea, and his coach in the minors, Darryl Sutter, for having substantial impact on his coaching style.
“I think what I took from Killer was the offensive side of things,’’ said Cassidy, who was part of Kilrea’s 67s junior squad that won a Memorial Cup in 1984. “Let the players play, for the most part.
“One of the things Killer did, he never tried to put a square peg in a round hole. He didn’t try to change what you did well, but tried to fit it in how he wanted you to play and then work on stuff around that. He liked to keep the puck moving, transition and score.’’
Kilrea, recalled Cassidy, liked to say that everyone was happy with a 7-5 win, in part because it meant players up and down the roster added to their scoring totals.
“Even the backup goalie was happy,’’ said Cassidy, “because 7-5 meant he was probably playing the next game.’’
Sutter, said Cassidy, taught him “a lot about the other side of the puck.’’
Held in check
The Leafs were hoping that the goal by Auston Matthews in Game 3, his first strike of the series, would get their entire offense more engaged.
For his part, Cassidy has been satisfied with how the Bruins have contained the budding superstar, who entered Game 4 with a modest 1-0—1 line.
“He’s a pretty dangerous player who’s a threat to score every time he is on the ice,’’ noted Cassidy. “He’s gotten his shots [a team-high 14 through three games], but we’ve tried to take his open ice, time, and space.’’
His one goal, noted Cassidy, came when Matthews “found a soft pocket and ripped it,’’ connecting short side on a defenseless Tuukka Rask.
View from behind
The Bruins, who didn’t trail for a second in the first two games, saw the Leafs compile 33:44 in lead time in Game 3 . . . The Bruins outshot the Leafs, 34-18, over the final 40 minutes, but were outscored, 3-2, with two of those goals from ex-San Jose star Patrick Marleau, the 69th and 70th of his postseason career . . . The Providence Bruins open their first-round playoff series vs. Lehigh Valley Friday night.
