In a 1-on-1 with The Hockey News, Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo discussed his thoughts on coach Jim Montgomery's ever-changing lineup heading towards the postseason.
In a 1-on-1 with The Hockey News, Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo discussed his thoughts on coach Jim Montgomery's ever-changing lineup heading towards the postseason.
ARLINGTON, Va – With the Stanley Cup playoffs fast approaching, Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery seems to be spending the rest of the season experimenting with as many line and pair combinations as possible to determine the best option for Game 1.
After last season’s shocking first-round exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers, Montgomery will leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding the right fit while learning from the mistakes of last season.
“[We’re learning] just how to handle adversity when it smacks you in the face,” Montgomery said on Friday. “The game against Florida– and we’ve had games against Toronto here recently where we know there’s a way we need to look on the ice, and what we should look like to ourselves most importantly, and when we look like that we think we can play with anyone in the league.”
After rolling out a different look in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win against the Washington Capitals, Montgomery switched up the lines again for practice on Monday back at Warrior Ice Arena:
Brad Marchand - Charlie Coyle - Jake DeBrusk
Pat Maroon - Pavel Zacha - Danton Heinen
Johnny Beecher - Morgan Geekie - Trent Frederic
Jakub Lauko - Jesper Boqvist - Justin Brazeau
James van Riemsdyk
Hampus Lindholm - Charlie McAvoy
Mason Lohrei - Brandon Carlo
Kevin Shattenkirk - Andrew Peeke
Matt Grzelcyk - Parker Wotherspoon
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
For Brandon Carlo, who has jumped from Andrew Peeke to Matt Grzelcyk and now Mason Lohrei across the past two games and Monday’s practice, the specific teammate he’s paired with doesn’t mean as much to him. Carlo told The Hockey News on Friday that he believes all eight defensemen on Boston’s roster can communicate well and read off each other to make plays.
Carlo’s focus, over the next seven games, is instead on his own game.
“Just remain a little bit more consistent. Pucks have been going in the back of the net while I’m on the ice at times right now,” Carlo told The Hockey News. “Some of it has to do with luck, some of it has to do with positioning. And just making sure that I [am] getting back to my identity of being a defensive guy, and making sure I’m shutting things down in that regard.”
Carlo has spent much of the season paired alongside Hampus Lindholm. At 648:29 minutes played at 5-on-5 in 61 games, it’s the most-utilized defensive pair on the team, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Montgomery knows what he has in the Lindholm-Carlo pair. Lindholm has since moved up to join Charlie McAvoy on a high-upside, if not top-heavy, pairing. Lindholm boasts offensive ability, but his production hasn’t matched his output from last season (53 points), with just two goals and 23 assists through 66 games. Perhaps in joining McAvoy, that potential can be unlocked.
As for Grzelcyk, who has just two goals and 10 points this season, Carlo believes he can “encourage him to get up in the play as much as possible.” In 12:35 of 5-on-5 play together across the past two games, the Carlo-Grzelcyk pairing was solid. The Bruins outshot opponents 7-6 in that span, and they didn’t allow a goal.
No matter who he ends up being paired with in the postseason, Carlo knows he’ll play an important role, and it’s one he doesn’t take lightly.
“It’s obviously an honor each night to play top guys,” Carlo told The Hockey News. “You take a lot of pride in that, and that’s something that, especially for myself, that’s something that I like to look towards as a challenge, a good challenge, especially going into playoffs. I’m hopefully going to be matched up against top lines in the playoffs, so same sort of thing here. Just take it as a good challenge to prepare even more for the next steps going forward.”
Other Links:
‘I Can’t Wait’: Pat Maroon Nearing Boston Bruins Debut
How Bruins Plan to Approach ‘Load Management’ Leading Up to Playoffs
Johnny Beecher, Bruins' Fourth Line Taking on New Challenge From Jim Montgomery