The Boston Bruins' top line since the Olympic break ended doesn't include David Pastrnak or Morgan Geekie, which most wouldn't have predicted when this season began. The trio that is leading the way is Viktor Arvidsson, Casey Mittelstadt, and Pavel Zacha, which ironically is a line of all players who were in trade rumors for the Bruins this season. If those trades had gone through, the team wouldn't be anywhere near a playoff spot as we enter the stretch run.
Nevertheless, Don Sweeney held on to his guys, and now Boston is in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. With all the teams around them having stellar runs, the Bruins need to win nearly every game to keep pace. Over the last 10 games, the Bruins have just two regulation losses, and they still lost ground.
When the playoff race is that intense, it's hard to get by when your best players aren't playing up to their standard. Two notable Olympians, Charlie McAvoy and Pastrnak, haven't had their best games since the break, and it's the forward in the group that is giving fans the most cause for concern. Is Pastrnak playing with an injury, or does Marco Sturm need to switch up some line combinations?
James Hagens could alter Bruins lineup
If Hagens does indeed sign after Boston College's season ends, it likely ends Michael Eyssimont's time in the lineup. He has been getting plenty of playing time over Alex Steeves, which is a bit surprising, but it feels like he is just keeping the seat warm for Hagens. A line of Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Geekie is possible, but Sturm could get creative once he has all the pieces at his disposal.
The Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, and Marat Khusnutdinov line isn't working out since the break. Pastrnak isn't playing his best hockey, but his linemates haven't exactly been giving him much to work off of, either. Assuming that Sturm keeps the streaking second line and the fourth line together, the lines could look something like this:
James Hagens | Elias Lindholm | David Pastrnak |
|---|---|---|
Casey Mittelstadt | Pavel Zacha | Viktor Arvidsson |
Marat Khusnutdinov | Fraser Minten | Morgan Geekie |
Tanner Jeannot | Sean Kuraly | Mark Kastelic |
However, it could be beneficial for Sturm to try and get some offense and reliability from two of his lines, and hope that Pastrnak can carry the third. It might not seem like the greatest plan, but this new-look Pastrnak line has done well together already this season, and it could elevate Minten's game.
Marat Khusnutdinov | Fraser Minten | David Pastrnak |
|---|---|---|
James Hagens | Elias Lindholm | Morgan Geekie |
Casey Mittelstadt | Pavel Zacha | Viktor Arvidsson |
Tanner Jeannot | Sean Kuraly | Mark Kastelic |
Pastrnak is still going to draw the other team's best defenders, and if he doesn't, good luck to the bottom two pairs. The Lindholm/Geekie connection should draw the next best pair, which then leaves the third line to feast on the bottom pair. Given how they have been playing in getting the other team's second-best pair, they should have a field day with the bottom parts of the opponent's lineup.
Two goals for Sturm over the next 15 games, if Hagens does sign, are to get his superstar, Pastrnak, rolling before the playoffs, if they make it, and shelter his top prospect. It feels like Pastrnak might have to do his part himself, but putting Hagens with two veterans in Lindholm and Geekie might be the second-best way to shelter him.
The best way would be to put Hagens on the wing next to Zacha. However, with the way that line is rolling, Sturm should be wary of splitting them up until they prove otherwise. It isn't a bad thing for the head coach to have this many combinations to think about, but it adds extra pressure to get the decision right.