If you’re a glass half-full type, you are saying to yourself today that the Bruins’ recent toe stubs didn’t cost them a thing because the Tampa Bay Lightning are suddenly slumping. If you’re a glass half-empty type — and Twitter tells me every day that this is the case for many of you — you are decrying the blown opportunity presented to the Bruins by the Bolts’ three-game losing streak.
Whatever the case, the B’s sit here with a nice — though not necessarily comfortable — five-point lead for the Atlantic Division over Tampa. Could be better, could be worse. As we said a while ago, the race could very well be decided next week when the B’s and Lightning play twice, a home-and-home with a game in Sunrise in between.
But Wednesday was a day of rest for the B’s, so here are a few leftover odds and ends as they figure out a way to get their mojo back after two of the most lethargic losses of the season to the Canucks and Flames.
• Coach Bruce Cassidy was not about to rip Nick Ritchie after a rough debut, which was completely fair and understandable. It was just one game. There were also a couple of promising sequences from Ritchie, including a nifty backhand pass from behind the Calgary net that just missed and coming out ahead in a thunderous collision with Milan Lucic.
But the biggest concern about adding a big body — something the B’s really could use — was whether or not that player could keep up with the team’s fast pace. There were some moments that indicated Ritchie will be greatly challenged to do so. One came in the second period when there was a potential two-on-one but Ritchie just couldn’t make it to the open space that was there to create.
Now Ritchie (taken 15 spots ahead of David Pastrnak in the 2014 draft) was playing without the benefit of a practice with his new team, and he was a day removed from dropping his life in Anaheim and hooking up with his team in Boston. Not quite as easy as it looks. But considering Ritchie’s size, his pace will be something to watch closely.
• On the flip side, the transcontinental trip seemed to energize Danton Heinen. The former Bruin snapped a four-game pointless streak by notching the primary assist on Adam Henrique‘s third-period go-ahead goal for the Ducks against Edmonton. The Oilers tied it up, but Heinen also contributed a strong defensive play in the slot to help the Ducks get to overtime, where they won it.
The B’s needed some brawn and Heinen clearly made himself expendable with a subpar season. But there will be moments when the B’s will miss Heinen’s heady play and versatility.
• Another reason that Cassidy didn’t bust on Ritchie was that there were so many more worthy candidates. Pastrnak made a soft play on the puck along the boards that led to a Flames goal shortly after Brad Marchand‘s shorty tied it up. And Jake DeBrusk is pointless in his last eight games. DeBrusk and David Krejci, his centerman since he was birthed into the NHL, have not had the same chemistry they’ve enjoyed in the past. It would not be a shock if Cassidy moved DeBrusk to the Charlie Coyle line, as he did midway through the game on Tuesday, on a more regular basis.
• The Maple Leafs can’t stand up for falling down. After a great win over the Penguins last Thursday, they followed it up with an embarrassing loss in the David Ayres Show on Saturday. And after another solid win in Tampa on Tuesday, they woke up to the news that defenseman Jake Muzzin, who was one of the guys who was both saying and doing the right things for the mercurial Leafs, is out for a month with a broken hand. They face a huge game on Thursday in Sunrise against the Panthers with third place in the Atlantic hanging in the balance.
• Whatever’s been ailing the B’s the past two games, they need to rid themselves of it quickly. The Dallas Stars, the hottest team in the NHL that few people are talking about, are in town Thursday night. Since starting the season 1-7-1, the Stars are 36-13-5. They are also one of the best road teams with a record of 18-10-4. Tyler Seguin is starting to wake up (goals in his past two games) and they’ve got some really intriguing young players in Roope Hintz (18-14-32), Denis Gurianov (18-9-27) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (7-25-32). A humbling 5-1 loss at home to the Blues last week when they had a chance to grab the Central Division lead makes you wonder if the Stars are ready to turn the corner into the neighborhood of Cup contenders, but Rick Bowness‘ boys are a tough out on most nights.
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February 27, 2020 at 03:22AM
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Some Bruins odds and ends - Boston Herald
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