When Brandon Carlo is playing well, it can be easy not to notice. He's not an offensive dynamo, so you don't see the point totals a Charlie McAvoy or Hampus Lindholm might put up from the blue line. He's not throwing huge hits or dropping the gloves on a regular basis, either.
What he is doing is playing stellar defense, keeping the puck out of danger areas, and making simple plays to help the Bruins get their transition game going -- and doing it all without making mistakes that could end up in the back of the Bruins' net.
Last season, Carlo made a few too many of those mistakes at times. Every player makes mistakes, but those who have the offense or physicality to counterbalance them often get a longer leash from fans, media and coaches. Carlo, on the other hand, became an easy target for criticism.
It took a toll. Carlo acknowledges he needed to mentally reset after last season. He needed to find joy on the ice again. So far, Carlo believes he has done that this year.
"I would say the biggest thing for me is just enjoying the game as much as I possibly can," he said Monday night. "I've kind of come into this year just with a gratitude-type mindset of just enjoying this experience and being very happy. It's an honor to wear this crest on my chest, so I'm just enjoying it. I think that's kind of where it's going."
It shows in his play. Carlo has been the Bruins' best defensive defenseman by nearly every statistical measure. At 5-on-5 play, he leads Boston's blue-liners in shot attempts against per 60 minutes (48.8), shots on goal against (24.2), scoring chances against (23.5) and expected goals against (2.00, which is third among all defensemen in the NHL), all while starting more shifts in the defensive zone than anyone else. He has been on the ice for just eight 5-on-5 goals against in 27 games, the second-best rate among Boston's D behind only Matt Grzelcyk and the fifth-best rate among all NHL defensemen.
The kind of mistakes that plagued him at times last year have been few and far between. Carlo can draw a straight line between that and his mental reset.
"Definitely. Absolutely. I feel like there's been a big mental reset for me in that regard," he said. "With the joy comes confidence and a calm as well that I've definitely felt throughout my game."
The biggest negative for Carlo so far this season was a concussion suffered in the second game back in October. It was the fifth documented concussion of Carlo's career, but fortunately this one was not as severe as a couple others he's had. He returned after missing four games.
Coach Jim Montgomery, whose positivity has certainly helped with Carlo's reset, has seen the 26-year-old defenseman get better and better since returning.
"I think he's been awesome," Montgomery said. "I think in the last 10-to-15 games, I think Brandon Carlo's playing great hockey. Unfortunately he got hurt there earlier in the year and it took a couple games to get back in the rhythm, but man, he's been really, really good for us."
On Monday, Carlo's quietly strong season got a little louder with his first multi-point game of the year. He scored the Bruins' second goal of the game when he jumped into the rush, took a pass from Brad Marchand, and snapped a shot past Panthers goalie Spencer Knight. He set up the third when he picked off a pass in the neutral zone and made a nice cross-ice pass to Trent Frederic, who then fed goal-scorer Charlie Coyle.
It was just the first goal and fifth and sixth point of the season for Carlo, which is certainly not any sort of noticeable improvement over his past offensive production. Montgomery, however, isn't too concerned with the point totals. He sees Carlo making good decisions in transition and in the offensive zone, and that's more important.
"I think he's been jumping into the right holes offensively -- coming out of d-zone, in the neutral zone, and in the offensive zone especially," Montgomery said. "He's had a lot of opportunities. It was great to see him get rewarded."
Whether Carlo is personally responsible for the goals or not, he's contributing to winning hockey. The Bruins are outscoring opponents 18-8 during his 5-on-5 minutes. The only Bruins with a better 5-on-5 goal share are Grzelcyk, Frederic and Patrice Bergeron. Carlo also leads the team in blocks, is third in hits, and is first in shorthanded ice time for the league's top-ranked penalty kill. On Monday, he stayed on for all 1:52 of a crucial 4-on-3 kill in the third period.
Carlo and everyone else on the Bruins will ultimately be judged by what they do in the playoffs. But so far, Carlo's reset is setting him up to be in a much better place this spring than he was last spring.
All stats via Natural Stat Trick
