Dmitry Orlov showcases his value to Bruins in defensive baptism by fire against Oilers
Orlov spent most of his reps on Monday night matching up against Connor McDavid.
It’s a testament to the on-ice brilliance put forth by Connor McDavid that the Bruins’ film review on Tuesday morning likely won’t harp too much on the damage done by Edmonton’s franchise star.
Hockey is a game of mistakes, sure. But McDavid is the type of generational talent where his offensive-zone wizardry with the puck is accepted more as a force of nature than a fault on one’s own defensive structure.
The uber-skilled pivot scored two goals against the Bruins on Monday evening, giving him 50 tallies in just 61 games this year. But the Bruins skated off the ice at Rogers Place with another two points in the standings.
It’s a trade-off they’ll welcome in a head-to-head matchup with the best hockey player in the world.
And it was Dmitry Orlov — he of just 20:04 worth of reps with the Bruins — that was handed most of the unenviable task of shutting McDavid down on Monday.
And in just his second game with his new team, Orlov was up to the task.
Even though Orlov was on the ice for McDavid’s first goal just 2:17 after puck drop, there wasn’t much that the 31-year-old blueliner could have done. Not when Leon Draisaitl hit McDavid in stride and the star forward turned on the afterburners against Charlie McAvoy.
But for the rest of the evening, McDavid and Edmonton’s top line didn’t inflict much damage when Orlov hopped over the boards.
By the time the dust settled on Boston’s 3-2 win over the Oilers, Orlov logged the most head-to-head minutes against McDavid at 8:42 of 5v5 ice time.
And even with that goal against, the Bruins held an edge in shot attempts (5-4) and scoring chances (4-2) over that sizable chunk of game action when Orlov was accounting for McDavid.
Bumped up onto Boston’s top D pairing next to McAvoy, Orlov wasn’t exactly handed easy minutes, beyond his many shifts spent shadowing McDavid.
During Orlov’s 17:49 of 5v5 ice time, the Russian-born defenseman had just 25 percent of his faceoffs in the offensive zone. But even with few shifts starting in favorable ice, the Bruins still posted a 12-6 advantage in scoring chances whenever Orlov was out skating.
Boston’s trade for Orlov and Garnet Hathaway last week might be a luxury for an already stacked roster. But the former Washington stalwart’s game melds perfectly into what Jim Montgomery preaches for his D corps.
Orlov is never one to shirk away from delivering a bone-crunching check. He has the heft (214 pounds) and body position to keep talented forwards to the outside and away from Grade-A ice.
But much like fellow puck-movers in McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk, Orlov’s best defense is born out of his elite processing ability and transition talents.
Sometimes the best defense is a result of not spending time in the D-zone at all. And Orlov is one of the more underrated players in the league when it comes to pushing the puck through the neutral zone.
“I thought he was really good — first period, he was spectacular,” Montgomery said of Orlov’s play, per Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe. “He made a couple of plays it was like, ‘Wow” — in the D zone and the offensive zone.”
Orlov’s ability to corral McDavid and his cohorts for a majority of his head-to-head shifts will draw plenty of praise from his new teammates. But his talents were on full display down the other end of the ice.
After a rather tentative debut on Saturday night in Vancouver, Orlov was far more poised with the biscuit in Edmonton, finishing with two helpers in his 19:17 of ice time.
After setting up Tomas Nosek’s equalizer in the first period off a feed from the half wall, Orlov made McDavid pay later in the frame.
There are few things more terrifying than McDavid soaring through center ice with a head of steam. But strong stick work by Orlov denied McDavid at the offensive blue line on this entry, forcing a turnover.
Before McDavid could react, Orlov fed the puck up to Nick Foligno, who promptly found twine just seconds later on Boston’s counter-rush.
Montgomery already acknowledged that both McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm will be exempt from the ongoing carousel of D-corps reps as Boston tries to find the best six-man unit ahead of the playoffs.
It’s only been two games. But it’s easy to glean why the B’s valued what a mobile defenseman like Orlov could bring to an already-loaded team.
And whether it be logging reps next to McAvoy or driving his own D pairing further down the depth chart, Orlov shouldn’t see his minutes dip any time soon.
“It’s been the difference for most of the year,” Montgomery said of Boston’s depth. “We got six D-men, seven D-men that can really play hockey and then we got four lines that can play hockey. Really liked our five on five game tonight.”
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