What Will Bruins Power Play Look Like After Overhauled Lineup?

Coinciding with the Boston Bruins’ centennial season is the uncertainty of not only line combinations but the power play as well.

Gone are power play quarterbacks Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement and the net-front presence of Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency, but even without that trio, the Bruins still have plenty of offensive weapons that could make opposing penalty killers scramble.

The Bruins have definitely had their ups and downs on the man advantage. Does anyone remember the debacle in the 2011 playoffs when Boston mustered an abysmal 11.4 percent completion rate?

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If the preseason games have taught us anything, head coach Jim Montgomery is playing to roll out four forwards and a defenseman for the top unit while going with a traditional three forwards and two defensemen in the second.

Forwards Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha along with defenseman Charlie McAvoy have been together in games and in practice with the only difference being the fourth forward. James van Riemsdyk, Jake DeBrusk and Alex Chiasson before he was released all made appearances with the quad.

With McAvoy taking point on the blue line, it allows the Bruins to have not only the chance for a one-timer but the ability to chase down pucks of the opponent clears the zone. Marchand continues to work the half-boards just like he has done over the years with Pastrnak at the left face-off dot. Zacha takes over in the bumper that was previously occupied by Bergeron and the other forward being net front. DeBrusk and van Riemsdyk have both had success scoring from down low.

Marchand talked about the new look power play before the Bruins’ preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers this past Friday.

“Definitely a different threat. I actually think it opens Pasta up a little bit more,” Marchand said. “If a (defenseman) wants to go and block his shot, he can easily fake it and go into (Zacha) for the one-timer. So, I think it will help him get his shot off a little bit more or be a little bit more dangerous on that side.

“For me, obviously, I don’t have the same threat with (Zacha) there as I did with Bergy, so maybe we’ll look for shot tips a little bit more often. We’ll have to go through that a little bit,” he continued. “We can roll him and I and try and create a little space that way but it will definitely be a work in progress to figure out where our new plays are and the different threats we have with new sticks.”

The Bruins have one final dress rehearsal when they travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

Montgomery told reporters on Sunday the players skating in the final preseason game will most likely be the ones donning the Spoked-B come opening night.