Bruins
“The great thing about the Bruins is that the leadership will do whatever is best for the Bruins.”
Kevin Shattenkirk will earn reps on Boston’s top power play unit Saturday night. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
It wasn’t long ago that Kevin Shattenkirk was seemingly on the outside looking in, chasing a starting spot on Boston’s playoff roster.
While Jim Montgomery opted for a little more defensive grit further down the depth chart with a pair of Parker Wotherspoon and Andrew Peeke, Shattenkirk was listed as a scratch for three straight games in April.
What a difference a week can make.
The 35-year-old defenseman isn’t just expected to be in the lineup for Game 1 against Toronto on Saturday night. He will also be tasked with helping revive Boston’s stagnant top power play unit.
“I prepared, I worked hard and I stayed ready,” Shattenkirk said Friday of his spot in the lineup. “I thought I would have at least a few of those matches down the stretch, but I didn’t really know where I would stand until the first match.
“I just tried to stay ready and be ready for the power play, whatever it was. And I’m just happy with how things turned out. Obviously, I’m excited to play in the first game tomorrow.
Boston’s power play struggled down the stretch of the regular season, conceding just 9.4% of their bets (3-for-32) over its last 12 games.
Getting that man advantage humming again is a top priority for Boston in its first-round fight — especially against a Leafs penalty kill that ranked 23rd in the league this season with just a 76 success rate .9%.
Montgomery has overhauled Boston’s top power play group over the past week, placing Shattenkirk in Charlie McAvoy’s usual spot at the blue line and replacing Brad Marchand in favor of Danton Heinen as the anchor skater near halfback. wall.
This is a significant change for Boston, even with a few familiar faces still anchoring this top unit in David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha.
“I always think you leave your top unit together,” Montgomery noted. “But it was too prolonged a period where I think they were stale… It didn’t matter who had the puck. There was no movement, what we were doing had no purpose.
“We were moving away from the net instead of going and converging towards the net. And the two units converged on the net today. So I’m just happy with the pace of the power play.
Shattenkirk has built a lengthy resume as a proven QB on the power play – with the former BU Terrier recording 210 points on the power play during his 14-year NHL career.
While McAvoy has the lateral skating ability to gather pucks high, Shattenkirk operates at a faster pace – while also showing a tendency to pepper the net whenever a convergence of skaters forms near high ice. A level.
This reworked power play personnel impressed in Boston’s regular season finale against Ottawa on Tuesday. Boston went 1-for-2 on the power play in that 3-1 loss, with a Shattenkirk shot leading to a second chance and a Zacha goal.
While the optics of two star talents, McAvoy and Marchand, relegated to the second power play unit (alongside Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk and Morgan Geekie) may not be flattering, Montgomery believes his leaders do not have no qualms about accepting their new designation. .
“The great thing about the Bruins is that the leadership will do whatever is best for the Bruins,” Montgomery said. “If they think that having two units of one minute each is what is going to give us the pace and the purpose to be successful? They’re all in it.
Frédéric looks to break through in the playoffs
Trent Frederic’s coveted blend of punch and grunt is seemingly built for playoff hockey.
But the 26-year-old forward hasn’t done much in his first two trips to the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. In nine career playoff games against the Hurricanes and Panthers, Frédéric has recorded no points – with an average of only 9:35 of ice time per contest.
This stands in stark contrast to the growth Frédéric has shown over the past two regular seasons, with the St. Louis native setting new career highs in 2023-24 in goals (18), points (40) and average ice time (13). :45).
For Don Sweeney, Frederic’s goal in the playoffs is to keep things simple, especially in the offensive zone.
“Most of (what) we talk about with Trent is playing with pace and emotion, and the rest of the game seems to follow suit,” Sweeney said. “The playoffs should be a good fit if he can channel those energies and get onto the inside ice.” I think this is an area where he himself can do a better job now that he has more experience in this area.
“We are excited about the progression Trent has shown over the past two seasons, and I hope that translates from Saturday onwards.”
The last time the Bruins orchestrated a deep playoff run in 2019, a third line of Charlie Coyle, Danton Heinen and Marcus Johansson caught fire and generated plenty of secondary scoring. Boston needs a similar result this spring from Frederic and teammate Morgan Geekie, who has two goals in 24 playoff games.
“I kind of take that approach throughout the season,” Frederic said of staying in the moment. “It’s a bit like my career has gone: you never know if you’ll get a spot in the lineup every day. …It’s kind of a league where it’s like, what have you done for me now? You kind of have to prove it every night.
No word on the net
Montgomery didn’t show his hand as to whether Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman would get the start in net on Saturday. “We decided, but I’m not sharing it with you guys.”
Leafs star forward William Nylander did not practice Friday. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe declined to provide a major update on Nylander other than to say he and Bobby McCann are “possibilities” for Game 1.
The Bruins recalled rookies Johnny Beecher and Mason Lohrei from Providence on Friday morning. Beecher skated on a fourth line with Jesper Boqvist and Pat Maroon during practice.
Matt Grzelcyk was in pain after being shot in the shin, but remained on the ice throughout Friday’s practice session. “If he was a black bear, he would have gotten up right away, but he’s a terrier so he sat on the ice for a little while,” said Montgomery, a former student from Maine.
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