Bruins takeaways: What we’ve learned from first five preseason games originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Less than a week remains before the Boston Bruins begin their 2024-25 NHL regular season in Florida against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers on Oct. 8.
Much of the talk surrounding the Bruins right now involves the contract talks between the team and restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman, but there are plenty of other storylines surrounding this group.
The lineup isn’t totally set, and there are still plenty of players competing for a roster spot or a specific role.
The Bruins wrapped up their fifth preseason game Tuesday night with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. It was Boston’s most impressive preseason performance so far, and it came with a lineup that featured a lot of players expected to be on the Opening Night roster. The Bruins still have two more preseason matchups to evaluate players and line combinations ahead of the season opener.
What have we learned from the first five Bruins preseason games? Here are three takeaways:
Morgan Geekie is a good fit at second-line right wing
The Bruins started Tuesday’s game with a second line of Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie. The competition for second-line right wing has been a good one throughout camp and the preseason. Geekie got plenty of reps in that spot against the Flyers, and both the production and chemistry he had with Marchand and Coyle was strong.
Marchand left in the second period due to illness, but in the 9:49 of 5-on-5 ice time Geekie and Coyle played together, the Bruins had a 15-7 edge in shot attempts, a 9-4 advantage in scoring chances and a 4-2 lead in shots on net, per Natural Stat Trick.
Geekie’s tough, two-way style of hockey makes him a good fit with Coyle and Marchand. The 26-year-old forward is responsible defensively and can handle tough matchups against the opponent’s top forwards. Geekie also has upside offensively. If he plays a full season on this line, he should be able to surpass his career high of 17 goals set last year.
The Bruins have several options when it comes to second-line right wing, but right now, Geekie is probably the best fit for this role on Opening Night next week.
Tyler Johnson has played well enough to earn a contract
The longtime Tampa Bay Lightning forward came to camp on a professional tryout agreement (PTO) and he’s played well enough, both in practice and preseason games, to earn a contract for the regular season.
Johnson tallied 31 points (17 goals, 14 assists) in 67 games for the Chicago Blackhawks last season. His 5-on-5 scoring was underwhelming, but he was a factor on Chicago’s power play, where he scored eight goals with eight assists. The only B’s player who had eight or more power-play goals last season was David Pastrnak (12).
Johnson scored a power-play goal in Tuesday’s game against the Flyers, finishing off a nice passing sequence featuring Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. The 34-year-old center has been on the ice for five of Boston’s 12 goals scored during the preseason.
“It was good movement. Good support all the way around. Pasta made a good play to Zacha, and he just found me for a pretty easy goal. I think anyone could have scored that,” Johnson told reporters in the locker room postgame.
Johnson has two Stanley Cup rings from his time with Tampa Bay. He can play at center and he can play at right wing. He could play on the second line or in a bottom-six role. This kind of versatility would be valuable for the Bruins during the regular season.
Johnson isn’t going to light up the stat sheet, but his ability to score between 15 and 20 goals would be helpful for a Bruins team trying to replace the 47 goals lost as a result of Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk and Danton Heinen leaving in free agency over the summer.
Unless another one of the Bruins’ young players makes a late charge for a roster spot, giving a real contract to Johnson would be a wise move.
Bruins haven’t given Fabian Lysell enough of a chance to make roster
Fabian Lysell is arguably the Bruins’ top prospect. His dynamic offensive skill set and the speed he plays with make him an exciting player to watch and someone who could help give the Bruins the scoring depth they lacked at times toward the end of last season.
After a rough preseason opener against the New York Rangers, Lysell played much better in his second appearance versus the Capitals with a power-play goal and two penalties drawn. He also played well in last week’s game against the Flyers.
Despite the positive momentum he was building, Lysell was among the large group of cuts the Bruins made last Sunday. It was a bit of a surprise considering Lysell’s performance was trending in the right direction, and the fact that the preseason was barely half over.
However, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney noted Monday that a few players sent to Providence, including Lysell, could potentially be back in Boston for the final couple preseason games.
“I referenced the camp is not over with. In all likelihood we’re going to evaluate after (Tuesday’s) game, what the lineup looks like for Thursday and there will be several players that will come back and play whether that’s Thursday or Saturday. So camp is not over,” Sweeney told reporters. “The evaluation process really never ends.
“We had Fabian in situations in camp where he got reps with different players. Obviously, the game lineups, some nights early in camp look a little differently, but that’s what going to Madison Square Garden against 13 or 14 NHL guys, what those guys look like when they’re playing against NHL players. And there’s the evaluation side of it.
“The consistency piece, everybody sees the skill set that Fabian has, and we’re excited about it. Now we continue to allow him to fill in the gaps in terms of building a team game that Monty feels is a big part of what the Bruins to have success is, and all young players go through that process. But he’ll get another opportunity and hopefully he takes advantage of it.”
The Bruins invested a 2021 first-round pick in Lysell. He has been a very good offensive player in the AHL over the last two seasons. The best way for Lysell to prove he belongs in the NHL is to get an extended look at this level. He has not gotten that yet.