The Bruins got a point against the Utah Hockey Club Saturday night because of Jeremy Swayman and the fourth line. Swayman stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced in regulation, including several of the high-danger variety, before Boston ultimately fell 2-1 in overtime. Cole Koepke scored the Bruins’ lone goal, adding to his and his line’s red-hot start to the season.
The Bruins did not get a second point because they got virtually nothing from their top three lines. Just as Koepke’s goal continued the most encouraging early-season trend for these Bruins, the lack of production from other forwards continued the most concerning.
The Bruins’ top nine forwards – at least the ones listed as the top nine on the depth chart – combined for just five shots on goal at 5-on-5 Saturday. David Pastrnak had one shot on goal and just one shot attempt in 13:30 of 5-on-5 ice time. Brad Marchand had one attempt, none on goal in 12:18. Charlie Coyle had zero attempts in 10:33. Elias Lindholm, zero shots on goal in 10:46.
Pastrnak committed an offensive-zone penalty leading up to Utah’s winning goal, carelessly dragging his stick behind him and tripping Clayton Keller. Marchand committed a bad turnover just inside the offensive blue line in the third period of a one-goal game that led to what would have been a tying goal for Utah, except that it was called back for offsides. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery laid into his captain on the bench after that play. Morgan Geekie was charged with a game-high four giveaways, Matt Poitras three.
It’s just not good enough, and it hasn’t been good enough for six games now. The Bruins have scored 13 5-on-5 goals. On the surface, that looks solid – good for eighth in the NHL. But eight of those have come with the fourth line of Koepke, Johnny Beecher and Mark Kastelic on the ice, and two more have come with at least one of those three on the ice.
Only three of those goals have come with any other combination of forwards on the ice – two from the top line of Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha, and one from a third line of Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau and Max Jones. The second line, featuring Marchand, Coyle and a rotating cast of right wings, has not scored a 5-on-5 goal yet.
The Bruins can’t keep relying on their fourth line to carry the team offensively. It’s just not a sustainable formula. They have to figure out a way to get other lines going, whether that’s through personnel changes, stylistic changes, or players just simply turning in a better effort than they have been.
Montgomery has tried several different combinations on the second and third lines. None have clicked. There are still a couple more he could try, including moving Poitras to second-line right wing next to Marchand and Coyle. It’s also fair to wonder when or if general manager Don Sweeney plans to sign Tyler Johnson to a contract. The veteran continues to skate with the team, and could inject more skill into this middle-six group that desperately needs it. Fabian Lysell could be a call-up option, although he has gotten off to a slow start in Providence. Normally, bumping up a fourth-liner who’s playing well would be another option, but Montgomery understandably does not want to touch his fourth line right now.
Everything should be on the table when it comes to lineup and roster decisions, but the Bruins also just need their top forwards to play better. Pastrnak, Marchand, Coyle, Zacha, Lindholm, Frederic… those guys aren’t coming out of the lineup, and they can and should be better regardless of who else is around them.
Simply put, Montgomery wants to see his top three lines play more like his fourth line.
“They are keeping it simple,” Montgomery said of his fourth line during his postgame interview with NESN. “They’re winning battles. They’re connected. Their triangles in the D-zone and especially in the offensive zone have been really good. And the other lines gotta try and emulate that if they want to have that kind of success.”
The Bruins knew their forward group, and especially their second line, would be a work-in-progress to begin the season. Sweeney himself said on “Behind the B,” during an episode filmed at the start of free agency, that the Bruins would not be a finished product in October and may need to make a trade deadline deal to complete their forward group.
This was always going to require patience. The Bruins are still 3-2-1, so panic is not necessary yet. But that patience is being put to the test right now.