Have a day, Mason Lohrei. The Bruins defenseman turned 25 on Saturday, and celebrated with his first career multi-goal game to help lead Boston to its sixth straight win, a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Oh, and as Friday night turned to early Saturday morning, his name was getting thrown into trade rumors revolving around Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson.
The Bruins’ interest in Andersson is very real. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday night that they appear to be in the driver’s seat, that they may be the only suitor that has been allowed to discuss an extension with Andersson, and that those extension talks have already been “pretty significant.”
Whether the trade ultimately gets finalized, and whether Lohrei is definitely a part of it, remains to be seen. But he was still a Bruin Saturday night, and a pretty important one in this win.
Lohrei’s first goal tied the game at 2-2 late in the second period, as he took a pass from Hampus Lindholm (back for his first game since Jan. 3) and sniped a shot over Arvid Soderblom’s glove.
His second came on the power play midway through the third and extended Boston’s lead to 4-2. After Casey Mittelstadt and Fraser Minten each won board battles, Lohrei walked in from the point and beat Soderblom through a Mittelstadt screen. (This is the Bruins’ “siblings trip,” by the way, which is why you’re seeing them in these highlights.)
Here are two more takeaways from the Bruins’ eighth win in their last nine games:
Second line shining
What if I told you that the Bruins’ second line of Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson has been playing like one of the best lines in the NHL?
That would have been a crazy statement at the start of the season, when the consensus was that the Bruins didn’t even have a second line and were basically just rolling out a ragtag trio of misfits.
Well, those misfits have bonded together nicely and have developed into the trio that have played the most minutes together of any Bruins line this season. In fact, Mittelstadt, Zacha and Arvidsson have played the sixth-most minutes together of any line in the league.
After being on the ice for two goals Saturday (they helped set up Lohrei’s first goal, and then combined for Arvidsson’s go-ahead goal), the Bruins have now outscored opponents 21-8 during that line’s 300 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season. That plus-13 goal differential is fourth-best of any line in the NHL.
They have been especially great over the last two weeks, as they’ve now scored in seven straight games, and outscored opponents 9-2 during that time. Zacha has nine points in those seven games (4g, 5a), Arvidsson eight (4g, 4a) and Mittelstadt seven (1g, 6a).
“Now they’re clicking. It’s been clicking for a while,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm said on NESN of that line. “Arvi’s found his game back, and I think he just pushed the other two guys. Casey and Pav, I think they’re playing their best hockey right now.”
McAvoy dominating
Speaking of “playing their best hockey right now,” that’s what Charlie McAvoy has been doing for the last few weeks as well. He scored the Bruins’ first goal Saturday, starting the breakout at one end before finishing off the rush at the other.
McAvoy was also up in the rush on Arvidsson’s go-ahead goal, and made a subtle little play to tie up a Chicago stick and open a passing lane. He was a plus-3 for the night, his third plus-3 game in a week. During this eight-wins-in-nine-games stretch, McAvoy has 10 points (2g, 8a) and is plus-11.
Sturm has had high praise for both McAvoy’s play and his leadership recently.
“He’s playing outstanding,” Sturm said of McAvoy Thursday night. “Off the ice, I feel like he’s growing as a leader, too. Does a lot of the right things. Takes care of himself, too. I think he’s in a good spot right now. … He’s definitely playing the best hockey that I’ve seen from him.”