It’s early into the 2024-25 season, but it is never too early to take a look at the lineup. For the Boston Bruins, it has changed to some degree after the first two games of the season. There is always logic behind the moves, as you try to get the best matchup against your opponent and gain a competitive edge. The one line that has changed the most is the team’s third line.
Charlie Coyle is now the Bruins’ second-line center, which he fully deserves. However, there is now a gaping hole on the third line for the center position. That role belongs to second-year forward Matthew Poitras, who began the season on the injured list. He is absent and his offensive presence is certainly missing. The first game saw a third line that struggled, but a new look, one still needs to figure things out. Getting Poitras back will be enormous for the offensive depth, but for now, the third line will be fine.
Third Line Got Pummeled By the Panthers
Before we get into why the third line played so poorly, the entire Bruins team played poorly. They were slow and they played slow. There was no sense of urgency or even seeing them try and control the pace of the game. The Panthers pounced on the Bruins early and often, but especially the third line.
Head coach Jim Montgomery put together his lineup for the opener and the third line was newly-signed Max Jones, Trent Frederic, and Justin Brazeau. This line has a good bit of size and can cause chaos in the high-danger areas of the ice. Once the puck gets down low, these guys can pounce on those pucks and create chances. The goal by Frederic in the Panthers game is a perfect example of this.
This was a great play. They were hard on the forecheck and got to the puck and it ended up in the back of the net. While this was good work by the line, there was more harm than good. The trio did very little to create chances, especially when they got smothered by the Panthers’ relentless defense. As a line, they struggled and were the Bruins’ worst forward line. They finished with the worst Corsi for percentage (22.22) and got heavily outshot 10-1. While they did score a goal, they were on the ice for two against. The play was never in their favor and when it was, they did very little of it.
Despite the goal coming from the high-danger area of the ice, they generated zero shot attempts from the area. Also, the expected goals share was dominated by the Panthers (1.06-0.16).
It was a poor showing and just a line that got purely dominated by a strong Panthers team. Montgomery made a minor change to the lineup going into the second game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Minor Changes, Similar Results
The Canadiens are not as strong of a team defensively as the Panthers. Montgomery made a minor change, as he swapped out Jones for winger Riley Tufte.
The line still packs a big punch with size, as Tufte is a bigger body standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 230 pounds. Taking out Jones made sense, as he had a bad showing against the Panthers and also took a bad penalty by slashing the official in the arm. However, even with the minor change, the results were awfully similar.
This line played better than the one in the Panthers game. However, they still managed to get outplayed. The trio did finish with an even CF%, but the Canadiens took the attack to them, outshooting the Bruins 5-2 when they were on the ice. When it came to quality, the trio had the edge and found good ways to get to the front of the net and create havoc. These results are a mixed bag and leave you with an uncertain feeling. However, there is still time to figure things out and improve. Getting Poitras back will be a boost, as an influx of offense is needed in the middle six.
Poitras Will Be a Boost
Based on the constructed lines, the Bruins are built for size. One thing they need more of in their overall game is speed. Yes for the size of the players, they can skate extremely well and are mobile. However, the Bruins need speed.
Poitras brings that element of speed. Also, he brings an extra offensive punch and gives the Bruins much more balance down the middle of the ice. Behind the top two lines, the Bruins need an extra layer of depth scoring and Poitras anchoring that third line gives them better offensive depth.
It is not a knock on Frederic, who is a tremendous player for the Bruins. Also, he is better suited for playing on the wing position than down the middle. Is it time to panic about the third line? No. Having a third line of Poitras, Frederic, and Brazeau is desirable and could click more offensively. But it is certainly eye-opening given the two games that the Bruins have played so far.
Third Line Needs to Continue to Improve
The roster is the roster at this given rate and the injury to Poitras has them rolling out what they’ve been rolling out there. The results have not been the greatest and it is something that the coaching staff needs to figure out. Poitras is clearly missing and once he returns, his presence will be noticed. The top two lines will carry the workload, but the third line needs to be a factor going forward. It’s a long 82-game season, but the results so far are much to be desired.
