BOSTON — Craig Cunningham exhibits many of the qualities fans have come to expect from the Boston Bruins’ traditional style of hockey.
He plays a tough, physical game, while also being fundamentally sound enough defensively to be trusted with tough zone starts and some penalty-killing duty. Cunningham goes to the dirty areas to win possession, finishes his checks and goes hard to the net, whether to score or set a screen in front of the opposing goalie.
The Providence Bruins captain’s willingness to aggressively forecheck and put pressure on opposing defensemen in their own zone helps create turnovers that the B’s can capitalize on, which is valuable for a team desperate for more scoring.
Cunningham’s ability to play center or on the wing also gives head coach Claude Julien important versatility, which is one reason he’s been able to fit on the fourth line, as well as on a new-look line with veterans Chris Kelly and Milan Lucic over the last two games.
“I enjoy playing with him because he keeps things simple, plays a north-south game, keeping things going straight,” Lucic said. “He’s not afraid to get in on the forecheck, be physical and create turnovers. He does have a good shot. He’s worked a lot on his shot to get it where it is today. … Just playing with that energy is definitely the reason why I enjoy playing with him.”
Cunningham played his best game with the Bruins on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. He was given 33 seconds of penalty kill ice time and made the most of it with a shorthanded goal, which also was the first of his NHL career. He also tallied three shots and won 50 percent of his faceoffs in a career-high 15:36 of ice time.
The 24-year-old forward has been on the ice for 24 Bruins shot attempts for, 24 against at even strength for a Corsi-for percentage of 50 since his last recall. That’s pretty good for a bottom-six player who spent the majority of his even-strength shifts against quality forwards such as Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg and Kyle Turris. He’s also started just 43.64 percent of his even-strength shifts in the attacking zone in the last two games.
Julien was succinct in his praise of Cunningham on Saturday, saying his performance against Ottawa was “very good” and that he “skated well, you know, he competes hard. All things that we know about him.”
Cunningham skated again with Lucic and Kelly during Monday’s practice, and it’s quite possible that Julien begins Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators with this trio intact if David Krejci is unable to play. It was one of Boston’s best lines against the Senators.
Although the sample size is small (five games in 2014-15), Cunningham has shown enough to deserve additional ice time in Boston. He won’t be more than a bottom-six player this season — possibly for his entire NHL career — but his energy, physical play and improving offensive game should earn him a regular role on the third or fourth lines because depth is a key ingredient to playoff success.
“Not every guy can just step in and start scoring goals right away,” Cunningham said. “For me, I got to earn my stripes in the bottom six playing with energy, getting in on the forecheck and being hard. Hopefully I’ll get comfortable enough where the offensive side of the game will come.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
