Danton Heinen spoke 1-on-1 with The Hockey News on Monday to discuss his shift in approach when shuffling up and down the lineup as well as his focus for the final stretch of the regular season.

BRIGHTON, Mass. – With three points in his last four games, Danton Heinen is doing all he can to lock down a spot in the Boston Bruins’ top nine.

After playing on the third line with Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic in Boston’s 6-5 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Heinen returned to the second line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak during Monday's practice.

Last week, Heinen talked about playing a more defensively responsible role when playing alongside Zacha and Pastrnak, and while he continues to focus on defense on the Geekie/Frederic line, his approach changes slightly.

“I think maybe I put a little more pressure on myself to create,” Heinen told The Hockey News. “I think it’s something I want to do, is help create more on both lines. I think I can show a little more creativity and ability to create offense, so I try to do that, but ‘Geeks’ and ‘Freddy,’ they’re two great players.”

While Heinen has carved out a specific role for himself, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has stressed that every spot in the lineup will need to be earned down the stretch. One bad game could lead to a night off, or more.

“The message is: Play well, you keep playing,” Montgomery said. “And I think that’s the way it works best. Earn what you get in life, earn what you get in the NHL.”

As long as he’s playing, Heinen doesn’t care which line he’s on. Sometimes he’s shuffled around due to matchup-based decisions, other times it’s moving parts elsewhere such as injuries or scratches, but he told The Hockey News that the coaching staff is good at communicating the reasons behind the changes each time.

The biggest thing Heinen is focusing on to elevate his game at this point of the season is winning puck battles, which makes sense if he stays alongside Zacha and Pastrnak in a more defensive-oriented role.

It’s easier said than done, as succeeding in those battles requires balancing effort with technique. It takes more than simple will to come away with pucks, and Heinen recognizes that.

“Sometimes it doesn’t work, right?” Heinen told The Hockey News. “You try too hard and you’re not as smart in the battle, so I think sometimes I find I could use my body more. … You realize that to create offense and have the puck, you need to win those battles and that’s how you’re going to create.”

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