By no means are the Boston Bruins in a desperation situation.
However, they are in a spot now where they could test a few things out and see where it takes them.
After walloping the lowly Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, their first game in five days, the B’s delivered an uninspired performance Saturday in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s tough to tell which flaws are aberrations created by the start-and-stop nature of the Bruins’ early-season schedules, and which are problems that could linger long-term if not addressed now.
They next play Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, a young team that struggles to bank wins but is hard to play against and loaded with young talent. By no means are they a cakewalk, but it might represent an opportunity to tinker with some things.
One thing the Bruins could try is putting Jack Studnicka into the lineup and moving Erik Haula to a wing. It has been tough sledding for Haula early this season after a really nice preseason, so the move might be to put him on the wing and give him a little less responsibility.
If Nick Foligno is back, the Bruins could do something along the lines of:
DeBrusk-Studnicka-Foligno
Haula-Nosek-Lazar
That would involve healthy scratching Trent Frederic and Karson Kuhlman. If Foligno isn’t ready for Tuesday, then one of the two goes on the third line right wing.
DeBrusk has looked mostly good, and Haula just needs to get going. Put him on a lower line and wing to give him some more favorable opportunities.
Another idea is giving Jakub Zboril another shot. He’s been the spare defenseman all season, minus the one game he played earlier this season against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Derek Forbort had a tough showing against the Leafs on Saturday, so the Bruins could give him a night off to regroup, then put Zboril with Connor Clifton. That’s not the most stout defensive pairing in its own zone, but it would allow for Mike Reilly and Brandon Carlo to play together, with Matt Grzelcyk skating alongside Charlie McAvoy. Further, you can see if Zboril can build off some of the good from last season.
It’s not panic time for the Bruins yet — far from it. So they don’t necessarily need to do anything right now, and certainly not anything drastic. But if Cassidy wants to shake a few trees, he has options.
