The winger scored his first goal of the season in the Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
Danton Heinen has stuck to the process.
The 28-year-old forward was finally rewarded on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres, knocking home a second-effort goal that put the Boston Bruins up 1-0 at 3:01 of the first period in the eventual 5-2 victory.
“It definitely felt good. Been a while since I scored a goal, so nice to get that feeling back and chip in and help the team,” Heinen said following Wednesday’s practice.
Tuesday’s tally marked Heinen’s first goal since April 11 in a 2022-23 campaign in which he posted 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).
Heinen grinded his way through Bruins training camp and the beginning of the regular season while on a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO), and signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the club on Oct. 30.
The delayed sense of stability on the roster didn’t change Heinen’s work ethic and now, through seven games played, he’s proven to be a reliable and gritty veteran presence in the B’s bottom six.
Heinen has most recently been skating on the third line with Matt Poitras and Jake Debrusk in the absence of Morgan Geekie (upper-body). Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Wednesday that Geekie is going to be “at best another week,” and Matt Grzelcyk is expected to be an option on Nov. 25 against the Rangers. As for Milan Lucic, Montgomery said the team didn’t have a definitive timeline.
Since starting on the fourth line with Johnny Beecher and Oskar Steen, Heinen has handled the extra responsibility of playing with Poitras and DeBrusk well – creating space for them to do their thing, while also finding his own slots down low.
“Those are two high-skilled guys. They’ve been creating, just trying to complement them anyway I can,” Heinen said. “Try to get open and go to the net. It’s been fun and hopefully we can keep building.”
Heinen’s first of the season wasn’t for the highlight reels, but it’s what the Bruins want – and need – on a nightly basis. Strong net-front positioning, and a tenacity to keep the play going after the initial shot leads to goals, and it's been a big part of Heinen’s game since returning to Boston.
“That’s where you’re going to score goals. It’s shown around the league, that’s where a lot of them go in,” Heinen said. “So you’ve got to go there and get some bounces sometimes. Gotta go there first, and you’re going to get rewarded.”
In his second stint sporting the spoked-B, Heinen has a greater appreciation for the smaller details of the game. The Bruins’ fourth rounder in the 2014 NHL Draft spent close to four seasons with the organization before getting dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in February 2020 and landing with the Pittsburgh Penguins the last two years.
“You get older and you grow and you try to be more consistent. Focus on the little things — trying to be good with that kind of stuff and kind of build my game from there,” Heinen said.
“That’s kind of something I’ve realized over the years, you’ve got to really hone in and try to keep getting better at those [little things]. That’s what I’m trying to do.”