Let’s run through a Bruins offense roll call.
First line? David Pastrnak has snapped out of his mini-slump over the last week. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron’s stellar seasons have continued. The three of them together have started to look more and more like their usual dominant selves, outscoring opponents 5-1 at five-on-five during the Bruins’ current five-game win streak. Present.
Second line? Taylor Hall has played very well since being acquired at the trade deadline. Craig Smith has been on fire for the last month. David Krejci looks rejuvenated now that he actually has two legitimate top-six wings flanking him. They’ve outscored opponents 4-1 over these last five games. Present.
Fourth line? Deadline acquisition Curtis Lazar has brought some needed energy and jam, and Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner look reinvigorated next to him. Despite starting most of their shifts in the defensive zone, they’ve been able to flip the ice and pin opponents in their own zone with their forechecking and cycling, even when matched up against first or second lines. Present.
Third line? Well… it’s a work in progress. Nick Ritchie, Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk have not shared in the immediate post-trade deadline success of the Bruins’ other three lines.
It looked like the trio had turned a corner in last Thursday’s win over the Islanders, a game in which the Bruins held a 14-5 advantage in shot attempts and 10-3 edge in scoring chances in the 8:31 that the Coyle line was on the ice at five-on-five.
But they’ve taken a step back in the three games since then, getting out-attempted 24-12 and out-chanced 13-5 in that span. They have yet to score a goal in their five games together, and none of the three have registered so much as a single point.
Some growing pains were to be expected. While the line doesn’t feature any new acquisitions, it is a trio that had barely played together prior to the deadline. Coyle hasn’t had a ton of chemistry or time with either Ritchie or DeBrusk individually in the past. DeBrusk has also been flipped over to his off wing on this line.
If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that they’ve only given up one goal against in these five games, so at least they’re not getting lit up. But come playoffs, championship hopefuls generally need a third line that is capable of at least some offense, not one that just aims to break even in low-event minutes. Think Coyle's line with Marcus Johansson and Danton Heinen during the Bruins' 2019 run to the Stanley Cup Final, or Michael Ryder-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley back in 2011.
On one hand, there are still 12 regular-season games left for them to work on their chemistry and start to generate more offense. On the other, that’s not a ton of time, and it’s possible Bruce Cassidy may have to at least consider trying something else while there’s still time to do so.
Cassidy would understandably be hesitant to break up any of his other lines with the way they’re playing right now. There are other players the Bruins could try on the third line, but they’re all the same players who already haven’t been able to stick there this season -- Trent Frederic, Karson Kuhlman, Jack Studnicka, Zach Senyshyn. Ondrej Kase still looms as a wild card, but you can’t expect anything there until he at least starts practicing in full, which hasn’t happened yet.
For now, Cassidy is still preaching patience.
“The five-on-five, their line has had pockets of good offense. Other times, they’re still getting to know one another,” Cassidy said Tuesday. “That’s one line that was kind of thrown together. I’m not sure there’s been a real pair on that line together for a while. … So there’s going to be a little getting to know one another. I think all three of them have had some tough luck around the net, so hopefully it breaks for them. But they just have to keep finding their game.”
Last week, Coyle outlined a vision of what his new line could and should be, and it certainly sounds appealing.
“We all know what each other bring,” Coyle said then. “Jake’s speed, likes to shoot the puck, get in there, and he makes things happen, backs the D off with his speed and gets in there. Ritch, big guy, front of the net, can handle pucks down low, is also skilled, has great hands for a bigger guy, can make plays around the net.
“We should be able to hang onto pucks down low, make them work and take the puck off us, or try at least. I think we’re gonna wear teams down that way. That’s gonna be huge, especially for our line, to bring that. That’s huge for a team to have coming from the third line, so I think we can be a big help that way.”
He’s right. They can be a big help… if they actually play that way consistently. Pucks will start to go in if DeBrusk is using his speed like that, if they’re pinning teams in like that, and if Ritchie and Coyle are using their bodies to make plays down low like that.
They’re not doing that enough right now, though. Patience is fine for the moment, especially if the Bruins keep winning. But at some point -- and some point soon -- the Bruins’ third line has to start producing better offensive results.