BOSTON — Charlie Coyle appeared to make a name for himself on the Bruins’ third line, but he’s been bumped around recently from his normal center position to a wing.
Coyle had a strong game in Boston’s eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angles Kings on Tuesday night at TD Garden. He had one shift in particular in the third period when he was a force with the puck, now allowing any of the Kings defenders near it.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy isn’t afraid to mix up his lines in order to generate some offense, and he did so again Tuesday. After the game, Cassidy was asked whether he’d move the 27-year-old back to center or if this will be an ongoing process.
“Yeah, probably. I didn’t love their game in the first two periods, and we wanted to balance it out a little better,” the head coach said. “Some of it was to help Charlie a little bit offensively to play with some players, maybe he handles the puck a little more and that will translate as he goes back to his normal spot, and I thought it did. I thought he did a good job in the third period. I don’t have beef with any line in the third period. We just didn’t keep the puck out of our net in the last two minutes, and we had done a pretty good job up till then doing that, and still keeping attacks up where we have a chance to extend the lead. That’s what we want to do. We don’t want to just sit back but couldn’t bury it”
Coyle has been a great third-line center. But given injuries to forwards and a continuing revolving door on David Krejci’s wing, Coyle has been making the most of any given opportunities to play wherever his coach may need him.
We’ll have to wait and see where Coyle begins (and ends) during Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders.
