Taylor Hall has understandably dominated the headlines since the Bruins acquired the former Hart Trophy winner late Sunday night, and most eyes were understandably on him Tuesday night.
The Bruins’ two other trade deadline acquisitions shouldn’t be overlooked, though, and they showed why in Boston’s 3-2 shootout win over the Sabres.
Mike Reilly jumped right in on the Bruins’ defense, tied for second on the team in ice time at 22:17, and tied for the team lead in shots on goal with five. He showed how he’ll be able to help generate offense from the back with his transition game and ability to get his shot through.
Curtis Lazar gave the fourth line a much-needed jolt of energy, helping them generate numerous strong shifts in the offensive zone. The Bruins wound up with an 8-4 advantage in scoring chances with Lazar, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner on the ice.
Reilly and Lazar were both on the ice for the Sabres’ second goal, but neither was at fault. The only reason there was a chance at all was because Kuraly couldn’t clear a puck that came up the left-wing boards. Lazar got in front of Rasmus Dahlin to block his shot, but it unfortunately deflected off him and then skipped off the ice and past Jeremy Swayman.
“Lazar, in the middle, I think does a good job presenting himself,” coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked about his first impressions of the Bruins’ new players. “Dishes the puck out of the middle. Did a nice job there. Unfortunate on the tying goal. Our fourth line gets victimized. That one I thought he did his job, got into the shooting lane. That was some poor wall work by his left winger, and then a breakdown that he tried to cover up for. So I thought he did a good job. Offensively, too, they were cycling pucks. A little more of an o-zone possession line than we’ve seen. That was good, encouraging.
“Reilly gets his shot through. Shoots for sticks. Breakout, I thought he had good composure. Makes good decisions.”
Both players did pretty much exactly what the Bruins were hoping for, and it’s worth noting that Lazar did it while playing his first game in two weeks, as he was just coming back from a lower-body injury.
Hall is obviously the biggest name the Bruins acquired, and they hope he will rediscover his offense and be the most impactful as well. But Reilly and Lazar were far from tack-on acquisitions; they were brought in to play key roles on this team as well.
After bouncing around a bit between Minnesota and Montreal his first few seasons, Reilly really found his game in Ottawa over the last year and a half, taking on more minutes and tougher assignments and consistently driving play with his skating and passing abilities.
He played in a clear top-four role next to Kevan Miller on Tuesday, and should stick in that kind of spot -- whether it’s alongside Miller or Brandon Carlo once Carlo returns from his upper-body injury. The Bruins needed another top-four defenseman and more puck-moving on the blue line, and Reilly is here to be the answer.
Lazar, meanwhile, was brought in to help stabilize a bottom six -- and specifically a fourth line -- that has been in near-constant flux this season. As he showed Tuesday, he’ll bring some tenacity that hasn’t been present nearly enough at the bottom of the Bruins’ lineup. With nine points in 34 games this season, he also brings a little more offensive pop than a lot of the guys Cassidy has had to rotate through the fourth line.
Hall is the exciting get. He’s the one whose every move we’ll all continue to watch closely. The Bruins need him to get at least close to his old self.
But don’t sleep on Reilly and Lazar. If the Bruins are going to make a deep playoff run, they’re going to need those two to perform in their new roles, too. Tuesday night was an encouraging start.