Boston Bruins make big lineup changes ahead of key matchup vs Calgary Flames
Photo credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
At practice Thursday morning ahead of the Calgary Flames game, Boston rolled out a fresh mix-up that looks more strategic than punitive. The clearest change was Geekie skating lower in the lineup.
Based on the rushes shown, Geekie and Alex Steeves were together on a third line with Fraser Minten. That trio gives Boston a scoring threat against softer matchups, instead of stacking everything in the top six.
Up top, Marat Khusnutdinov was promoted to skate with Elias Lindholm and Pastrnak, with Pavel Zacha between Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson staying intact.
This also isn't brand new, Khusnutdinov, Lindholm, and Pastrnak have been used together earlier this season. When that line is on, it feels like a pressure valve, because Khusnutdinov can hunt pucks and keep plays alive.
Morgan Geekie bumped down during goal drought
As a Bruins fan, I actually like this, because it stops the lineup from feeling top-heavy when the game tightens.
The Minten line is where this gets interesting. Minten can play a straight, responsible middle, Steeves can skate and attack seams, and Geekie can finish plays without carrying the whole shift.
Geekie's «demotion» might also protect him. Third-line deployment can mean fewer top-pair matchups, more offensive-zone starts, and a better chance to reset confidence without the spotlight of the first unit.
For the first line, the idea is simple, let Khusnutdinov do the dirty retrieval work, let Lindholm manage the middle, and let Pastrnak be the dagger. If that trio can win a few early shifts, the whole bench loosens up.
Boston doesn't have time to treat this like an experiment, though. The Atlantic is tight, and the Bruins need scoring from more than one place if they want to climb back into a safer spot.
If the lines click, it's the kind of tweak that feels obvious in hindsight, and if they don't, at least Sturm is still pushing buttons instead of watching the same movie again.
Also read on Boston Hockey Insider :
Rumor: Boston Bruins trade Fraser Minten to the Vancouver Canucks for Kiefer Sherwood
Rumor: Boston Bruins trade Fraser Minten to the Vancouver Canucks for Kiefer Sherwood
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 8 | 46 ANSWERS Boston Bruins make big lineup changes ahead of key matchup vs Calgary Flames Do you think these are good line changes for the Boston Bruins ahead of a key matchup? | ||
| Yes | 26 | 56.5 % |
| No | 5 | 10.9 % |
| Not sure | 7 | 15.2 % |
| Time will tell | 8 | 17.4 % |
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