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A struggling Bruins’ forward corps has officially been put in a blender
"It just hasn't materialized. So we're changing it up."
Fresh off the Bruins’ laboring offense souring again on Tuesday night against the Flyers, Jim Montgomery put his forward corps into a blender during Wednesday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena.
As part of sweeping changes across all four forward lines, Montgomery splintered the pairing of Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, placing them on separate groupings within the top-six unit.
A checking line of Mark Kastelic, Johnny Beecher, and Cole Koepke — a trio that has surprisingly generated most of Boston’s scoring output this year at 5-on-5 play — was also fractured.
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Beecher skated on a reworked top line with Pavel Zacha and Pastrnak, while Kastelic flanked Lindholm on a grouping with Brad Marchand.
Further down the depth chart, Matt Poitras centered a line with Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau, while Charlie Coyle skated with Koepke and Max Jones.
“Our fourth line has been our best line, if you want to call it a fourth line,” Montgomery said of dispersing Kastelic, Beecher, and Koepke across his reworked lineup. “And the message to those three, and that was the most important message, was, ‘You guys are being split up to help the other guys be better, not for you to become quote, unquote, skill players.’
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“I don’t want their games to change. I want them to play north. I want their work habits to rub off on other people, so we create more turnovers, create more opportunities.”
The Beecher-Kastelic-Koepke line has been one of the few bright spots on a Bruins team laboring to generate any semblance of a consistent attack, be it at 5-on-5 play or on the man advantage.
Each member of that “fourth” line has already recorded at least five points at 5-on-5 action this season, headlined by Koepke at seven points (three goals, four assists).
No other Bruins forward has even recorded three 5-on-5 points through the first 10 games of the 2024-25 campaign, with Elias Lindholm, Brazeau, and Frederic all sitting at two points apiece.
The Bruins have been hampered by several key cogs not pulling their weight in the offensive zone, with Marchand, Coyle, Zacha, and Morgan Geekie combining for a whopping two points at 5-on-5 play out of the gate this season.
But the dearth of chemistry between Pastrnak and Boston’s top offseason pickup in Lindholm has arguably been even more surprising.
“I don’t know. It should work,” Montgomery said when asked why Lindholm and Pastrnak have yet to gel on the frozen sheet. “Two smart hockey players, two players that see the ice really well, two players that can shoot and pass. Two players that can skate. It just hasn’t materialized. So we’re changing it up.”
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Pastrnak’s offensive creativity and blistering one-timer have allowed the Czech winger to elevate several skaters around him over the years, be it his longtime linemate in Zacha or other middle-six skaters like Erik Haula.
Lindholm’s two-way acumen, sharp hockey IQ, and heads-up positioning in Grade-A ice would seemingly make him a strong complement to Pastrnak’s uber-skilled approach.
But so far, the results have left plenty to be desired.
Through 10 games, Lindholm and Pastrnak have skated together for 95:52 of 5-on-5 ice time, per NaturalStatTrick.
Over that stretch, the Bruins have only generated two 5-on-5 goals, while also relinquishing a pair of 5-on-5 goals.
Beyond failing to hold a positive goal differential, the Bruins have been outshot, 49-46, over those 95 minutes, while also coughing up 24 high-danger scoring chances to opponents. The Bruins have only generated 12 high-danger looks of their own over that same stretch.
“I think we’re just a little out of sync,” Lindholm, who has been held scoreless in seven straight games, said of his chemistry with Pastrnak. “I think obviously, for myself, I haven’t been playing the way I want to. And I think that affects both of us, and I think he obviously wants to, probably, play a little bit better as well.”
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Wednesday’s practice stood as the most drastic reshuffle to date for Boston’s underwhelming forward corps.
But sooner or later, it’s going to fall on the players themselves to drag the Bruins out of this scoring rut.
“Had some pucks going in the net at the beginning [of the year]. Last night, I had some chances,” Lindholm noted. “I think if the chances are coming like last night, I’ll be fine. But it’s not good enough.”
Charlie Coyle looking to simplify
Tabbed as a top-six fixture entering the year after posting a career-best 25 goals and 60 points last season, Coyle will skate on what could be interpreted as the fourth line for Thursday’s road matchup against Carolina.
It’s a stark demotion for a player who has struggled to gain any semblance of traction this season.
“No surprise. We’re trying to get things going and trying to get each line to produce, play well, play consistent,” Coyle said of skating with Jones and Koepke on Wednesday. “So sometimes you come in and that’s the way it is, and you get to figure it out in practice, get some good reps in and know your linemates.”
Through 10 games, Coyle has recorded just one point — a power-play tally against Colorado on Oct. 16 — while posting a team-worst minus-8 rating.
“I have to get my feet moving more,” Coyle acknowledged. “I think having speed through the middle, that’s one big component. And just got to get to those areas. I think my game is hanging on to the puck down low in the corners, behind the net, making plays taking it to the net, and haven’t done nearly enough of that.”
A practice kerfuffle
Trent Frederic and Parker Wotherspoon were involved in a brief shoving match after battling down low at the tail end of Wednesday’s practice. Nothing came of the skirmish, with Frederic later leading the final stretch with the full squad.
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It was a vocal practice for Montgomery, with Boston’s bench boss barking commands that felt akin to a script from a Scorsese flick as he preached urgency with the puck.
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Morgan Geekie occasionally jumped in on rushes, but could be looking at another scratch on Thursday after another listless showing against the Flyers (9:33 TOI, one shot on goal).
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