It's probably not a coincidence the Boston Bruins had one of their best defensive performances on the young season Tuesday night with Brandon Carlo back in the lineup.
Carlo had missed the previous four games after sustaining his fifth concussion since 2017 in Boston's home opener on Oct. 15.
Carlo was a steadying force on the blue line in his return to action, helping protect Boston's advantage against the Dallas Stars, who can crank up their offense when needed, to secure a 3-1 win on home ice. Carlo spent 18:29 on ice and blocked two shots as he reasserted his presence in a strong defensive effort for the Bruins.
Carlo's performance surely didn't go unnoticed as first-year Boston coach Jim Montgomery dished out high praise to the veteran defenseman.
"I thought he was a beast tonight. It is great to have him back," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, as seen in team-provided video. "We've been able to have some success without Carlo, and (Matt) Grzelcyk and (Charlie) McAvoy still is going to be out for awhile. But it's nice that we have players coming back because it just makes us better."
The Bruins had gotten in the bad habit of surrendering leads early in this season, but Carlo and the rest of Boston's defenseman never allowed the Stars to pick up steam once Taylor Hall put the team ahead in the second period.
Carlo also aided the Bruins when they were shorthanded, getting nearly three minutes of playing time on the penalty kill -- second most among defensemen only behind Derek Forbort -- and forcing the Stars to go 0-for-3 on their man-advantage opportunities.
Having Carlo back in front of him was a good sign for Linus Ullmark as well as the netminder starred by recording 30 saves.
"It's nice that he's back," Ullmark told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. "You never want to see your guy go down and then leave with whatever it was. You want your guys to be healthy and safe."
