Injuries have forced several young players to play important roles for the Boston Bruins this season, and a few of them led the charge in Friday night’s 3-2 overtime win against the New Jersey Devils.
Ryan Spooner played in his third game since being recalled on Saturday and scored the game-winner nearly three minutes into the overtime period. It was his first career NHL goal in 35 games for the Bruins over the past three seasons. The 23-year-old forward now has two points and nine shots in his last three games.
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Spooner has played the majority of his even-strength shifts alongside veteran winger Milan Lucic and rookie forward David Pastrnak since being recalled.
Spooner and Pastrnak bring many of the same skills to the ice — excellent speed, high hockey IQ in the attacking zone, good shot, etc. — which is among the reasons why they’ve displayed good chemistry as linemates.
On the winning goal Friday, Pastrnak patiently waited for Lucic to drive to the net, pull Devils defenseman Adam Larsson with him and open space for Spooner. Spooner received the perfect pass and sniped a wrist shot past Devils goalie Cory Schneider.
Pastrnak was among Boston’s best players on the ice against New Jersey. He led the team with nine shot attempts, five shots on goal and two points. In addition to his assist on Spooner’s tally, Pastrnak scored his seventh goal of the season in the third period.
As the graphic below indicates, the NHL’s youngest player has provided much-needed scoring production over the last nine games.
Torey Krug picked up a secondary assist on Spooner’s overtime goal for his 32nd point of the season.
In fact, the 23-year-old defenseman leads the Bruins with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in the team’s 23 games since Jan. 1. He’s also played at the point on the team’s new-look No. 1 power-play unit, which has tallied a few goals and created many scoring chances over the last week and a half.
The Bruins will be without veteran center David Krejci for the next four to five weeks, and a few top-nine forwards such as Carl Soderberg (15-game goalless drought), Reilly Smith (three goals in the last 24 games) and Chris Kelly (one goal in the last 11 games) have struggled to consistently score goals over the past two months.
Young players such as Pastrnak, Spooner, Krug and others will need to provide scoring, speed, depth and play important minutes for the Bruins as the team aims to increase its lead for the final wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, which currently stands at four points.
These young players represent a bright future for the Bruins, but they also will make a real impact on the final result of the 2014-15 campaign.
Thumbnail photo via Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports Images
