On one wing is a former league MVP and No. 1 overall pick. On the other is a player who had 30 goals and 60 points just last season. In the middle, a strong two-way center having one of the best seasons of his 11-year career.
That’s not the Bruins’ first line we’re describing, or even their second. That’s the third line the Bruins debuted at Wednesday’s practice, one that featured Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi flanking Charlie Coyle.
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Hall ditched his non-contact jersey and practiced in full for the first time Wednesday. The move from extra forward back to third-line left wing, where he had slotted in most of this season before suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 25, signals that a return is close.
It’s possible that return to game action could come as early as Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, although coach Jim Montgomery officially labeled Hall “doubtful” for that one.
“I don’t know about tomorrow, to be honest,” Montgomery said after practice. “I’m not gonna say for sure he’s not [playing], but it’s leaning that way. But he’s starting to check all the boxes. We’re starting to get him into game rhythm, get him through practice. We’re able to practice today and Friday. I think he’s doubtful for tomorrow, to be honest, but I’m not gonna completely rule him out. He’s getting closer.”
Whether it’s Thursday or some other point during the Bruins’ final five regular-season games, Hall said the plan is to play before the playoffs. Montgomery said “that’d be ideal.” Hall said he’s just excited to be back around the team on a daily basis.
“There’s still some more conversations I have to have, but it feels great to be out with the guys and to practice with them and to be in the meetings and everything,” Hall said. “When they’re on the road, it’s pretty lonely around here. It’s fun to be back around the atmosphere.”
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported last week that Hall felt ready to return, but that the Bruins couldn’t activate him from long-term injured reserve because they didn’t have enough cap space. The Bruins denied that Hall had been cleared to play. They can move either Nick Foligno or Derek Forbort to LTIR to free up the cap space needed to activate Hall.
As for the new-look third line that he could be joining, Hall said he’s excited about the potential.
“100 percent,” Hall said. “Tyler’s been a really good addition to our team. He sees the ice really well. I didn’t quite know what type of player he was before he got here, but he makes plays, he keeps plays alive all over the ice. If that’s who I’m playing with whenever I’m back, that’s a really good guy to inject on that line.”
The Bruins acquired Bertuzzi right before the trade deadline, and right after both Hall and Foligno got hurt. General manager Don Sweeney acknowledged that those injuries and the uncertainty -- at the time -- around when they might return prompted him to go out and make one last impact trade, giving up a first-round pick in the process.
Getting a couple regular-season games together before the playoffs begin would be ideal. Coyle has played plenty with Hall and Bertuzzi separately, but it's been Trent Frederic on his right wing in both cases. Hall and Bertuzzi have not had a chance to play together yet. Frederic, by the way, slid down to fourth-line left wing with Tomas Nosek and Garnet Hathaway on Wednesday. What that line looks like when Foligno is ready to return remains to be seen.
Montgomery said he anticipates good things whenever he is able to roll out Hall-Coyle-Bertuzzi for a game.
“We think it’s gonna be really good, because you have three players with really good hockey sense, with all different tool sets,” Montgomery said. “So, I imagine it’s gonna be good. Everyone has good hockey sense.”
Montgomery did acknowledge that all three players can be a little too unselfish at times, so making sure everyone thinks shot a little bit more will be key.
“I think everyone’s gonna have to be a little more shot-first,” he said. “There is no true shot-first player on the line. But if they can wear people down below the tops of the circles, and with Hall there being able to make plays off the rush because he can beat people, not only 1-on-1 but also blowing by them wide -- they just all have to be shot-ready. That’s the only thing that would prevent them from being a fairly dominant line.”
In other injury news from Wednesday’s practice, Foligno continued to skate in a non-contact jersey, while Forbort still isn’t on the ice. David Krejci, who missed Sunday’s game, left practice early. Montgomery said he “still had some discomfort” and is considered “questionable” for Thursday’s game.
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