The Bruins began a busier-than-usual slate of preseason games over the weekend, competing against each other in the Black & Gold intrasquad game in Providence on Saturday and then hosting the New York Rangers at TD Garden on Sunday (a game they lost, 3-2).
While acknowledging that it’s still early – the Bruins have two weeks and six preseason games to go before opening night on Oct. 8 – there was plenty we could take away from Sunday’s preseason opener, and the first four days of training camp in general.
1. Lysell, Merkulov need to pick it up
The Bruins did not dress many regulars Sunday, so all eyes were on top prospects Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov. Unfortunately, fans didn’t see much from those two.
Lysell and Merkulov finished as the only two Bruins without a shot on goal in the game. For two players whose advantage over other fringe players competing for roster spots should be their offensive skill, that’s not going to cut it.
Beyond the lack of shots, Lysell and Merkulov weren’t even around the puck offensively as much as many of their teammates. Lysell, in particular, also struggled when he did have the puck on his stick. He turned the puck over twice on a shift that eventually ended with the Rangers scoring their third goal. He had another rough turnover trying to enter the zone on the power play, nearly leading to a shorthanded chance against. On the plus side, he did have a nice backcheck late to prevent an empty-net goal.
Merkulov did pick up the secondary assist on the Bruins’ first goal of the game, scored by Cole Koepke, so he at least found the scoresheet. But there were too many quiet shifts after that, and his line was on the ice for three of the five high-danger chances Boston allowed in the game. Merkulov could have had a golden scoring chance from the slot, but he couldn't settle a pass. Merkulov went 3-for-8 on faceoffs and isn’t great at the dot in general, so he won’t have that skillset to buoy him the way Johnny Beecher did as a rookie last year.
Lysell and Merkulov weren’t exactly tearing up practices prior to Sunday, either. Both have flashed in moments, but not enough. If you were picking the opening night roster right now, it would be hard to put either of them on it. The good news is that they still have time to change that, but they’ll need to pick it up in a hurry.
2. Koepke, Kuntar, Tufte making bottom-six cases
While Lysell and Merkulov struggle to take advantage of the opportunity in front of them, some other players hoping to make a roster push are putting their best foot forward.
Cole Koepke scored Boston’s first goal, going to the front of the net and burying a rebound off Billy Sweezey’s point shot. He finished with a team-high four shots on goal and has really been all around the puck in the high-danger scoring area throughout the first four days of camp. The 26-year-old free-agent signing is also a good skater who has made some things happen in transition.
“Powerful skater. Knack for scoring. Seems to be tenacious on pucks,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of Koepke. “That’s what we’ve seen so far.”
Trevor Kuntar scored the Bruins’ other goal. Like Koepke, he drove to the net and deposited a rebound. He, too, was all around the net throughout the game, recording a team-high three scoring chances. He also landed three hits, including a beautiful open-ice hit on the forecheck that shut down a Rangers breakout. That’s Kuntar’s game: he hits, shoots and goes to the net. The rest of his game might still need some seasoning in Providence, but the Boston College product could be positioning himself to be one of the first call-up options.
“He’s a feisty, energetic winger,” Montgomery said of Kuntar. “He plays with a lot of edge. We like that. He seems to always be around the puck.”
Riley Tufte didn’t have quite as impactful a game as Koepke and Kuntar, but he did make some good plays and continued to build on what has been a strong start to camp. He scored in Saturday’s Black & Gold game with a nice finish from the right circle on the power play. His size (6-foot-6, 230 pounds), physicality and skating ability make him an intriguing option as a potential fourth-liner or 13th forward.
Other Bruins forwards who played well Sunday included Vinni Lettieri, Patrick Brown, Jaxon Nelson, John Farinacci, Riley Duran and Mark Kastelic (more on him in a minute).
3. Bussi, DiPietro struggle in net
If you’re wondering how the Bruins’ goaltending looks with Jeremy Swayman still not signed, the answer Sunday was: not great.
Brandon Bussi got the start and played the first half of the game, finishing with 10 saves on 12 shots. He was pretty heavily screened on the first goal, so you can probably excuse that one. The second one, however, was a Filip Chytil shot from the dot that he appeared to have a clean look at, but just got beat over the glove. It was a good shot, but also a stoppable one. Bussi gave up a few juicy rebounds, too.
Michael DiPietro played the second half of the game and gave up one goal on 10 shots. That one goal was an ugly one, though, as he got beat five-hole on a long, low-angle shot from Alex Belzile. That’s a goal you just can’t give up if you’re hoping to push Bussi and Joonas Korpisalo for a roster spot.
Speaking of Korpisalo, he didn’t play Sunday, but he did play in Saturday’s Black & Gold game. He was mostly solid, but did give up a couple leaky rebounds. All three goalies should see plenty of action over these next six preseason games. If there really is a chance the Bruins start the regular season without Swayman, they’re going to need this group to be better than they were this weekend.
4. Kastelic brings physicality… and penalties
Mark Kastelic showed Sunday why he could quickly become a fan favorite in Boston, as he landed one big hit after another on the forecheck and was constantly mixing it up after the whistle.
Unfortunately, he also took two offensive-zone tripping penalties in the first period as he got a little too eager. You love the physicality, but those are the kinds of penalties coaches lose sleep over.
“Last year, I thought we took too many offensive-zone penalties, and we took three tonight,” Montgomery lamented after the game.
Kastelic acknowledged after the game that he probably started the night with just a little too much energy.
“I was pretty amped up and just trying to be as physical as I could early, and unfortunately I ended up with the penalties,” Kastelic said. “Only thing I can do is kind of learn from it and do a better job just managing the emotions going forward.”
We can probably take Kastelic at his word here. He does not have a history of taking a lot of minor penalties, getting called for 25 in 128 games over the last two seasons in Ottawa. He was middle of the pack on his own team, which is perfectly acceptable for someone who plays as physical of a game as he does.
Kastelic also deserves some props for his penalty-killing efforts Sunday, especially the minute-plus of work he put in to help kill an extended 5-on-3. Kastelic remains a safe bet to make the opening night roster.
5. Wotherspoon avenges cheap shot
The Bruins suffered an injury scare in the first period when Parker Wotherspoon got lit up on a late cheap shot from Brennan Othmann and briefly left the game. Wotherspoon said afterwards that he just got the wind knocked out of him.
Othmann then laid out Wotherspoon with another hard, cleaner hit in the second period. By that time, Wotherspoon had had enough. As a scrum broke out at the end of the period, Wotherspoon sought out Othmann and the two dropped the gloves.
Wotherspoon landed a couple good punches and eventually got the takedown at the end of a prolonged wrestling match, much to the delight of the TD Garden crowd. Wotherspoon then tossed Othmann’s helmet aside, an act that earned him an extra two minutes and was deemed regrettable by both Montgomery and Wotherspoon after the game.
Nonetheless, it was good to see Wotherspoon stand up for himself and come out of the game healthy. Wotherspoon is penciled in as the Bruins’ seventh defenseman to start the season, and he has certainly looked the part so far. Jordan Oesterle, Ian Mitchell and Billy Sweezey are other D with NHL experience who could challenge him, but Wotherspoon should have the edge over all of them.
BONUS: Poitras still looks like he belongs
This isn’t a takeaway from Sunday’s game because Matt Poitras didn’t play Sunday. But in the three days prior, Poitras was consistently one of the best players on the ice.
There’s been talk about the fact that Poitras is eligible to be sent to AHL Providence this season – a possibility that general manager Don Sweeney mentioned on Wednesday – but I just don’t see that happening.
Poitras said on Wednesday that his goal is to show that he belongs and that the Bruins have to keep him in Boston. So far, he is doing that. He looks confident and poised with the puck on his stick. He’s making plays. He had a nice finish on a 2-on-1 for a goal in Saturday’s Black & Gold game. He’s winning battles and looks stronger.
Simply put, Poitras is one of the Bruins’ 12 best forwards right now. The only real question should be whether he starts the season at center (likely on the third line) or right wing (on either the second or third line). He started camp playing wing, but filled in at center on the top line between David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha on Saturday with Elias Lindholm missing the game due to a minor injury. Lindholm is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday after an off day Monday.