Just what the Bruins may count on from James van Riemsdyk was anybody’s guess.
The 34-year-old Van Riemsdyk, a seven-time 20-goal scorer, was coming off an injury-marred season in Philadelphia wherein he was held to 12-17-29 totals in 61 video games. That, mixed with a depressed NHL financial system final summer time, allowed the B’s to signal him to a low-risk one-year, $1 million contract.
So far, it’s trying like fairly a cut price. Van Riemsdyk is third on the B’s in scoring with 3-2-5 and is one third of the one line that has grow to be a relative fixed within the B’s ahead group.
Aided by the quick begin, the previous UNH standout is beginning to really feel at dwelling in Black and Gold.
“My experience so far has been great, the way I’ve been treated by the coaching staff, management and the guys in the room. It’s been a great group. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of it so far,” mentioned van Riemsdyk after Thursday’s morning skate. “I’m trying to find a way to fit in game by game and feel more comfortable. I think coming in to a new team, you’re always trying to do whatever you can to get off to a good start and put your best foot forward right off the hop and I think that makes the transition a little bit easier when you feel good about your game and it tends to make you feel more comfortable in general and then you can keep building off that.”
Van Riemsdyk has been a part of the 650-pound line with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic that’s beginning to forge a hard-to-play-against identification that could be a handful when the puck will get to the web.
“I think we’ve been able to read off each other well. We all play a pretty direct game,”
mentioned van Riemsdyk. “I think the strength of the three of us is when we get in the offensive zone and support each other well, filling in the right spots and just getting the puck to the net and ultimately making plays off of that. That’s when we’ve been at our best doing that. I think we’ve also been pretty solid defensively, going out there for those D-zone draws and making sure we advance the puck up the ice. It’s been fun playing with those guys and hopefully we continue to chip in offensively and continue to build our game.”….
So far, the facility play has been a drag the B’s offensive momentum. It was simply three for 22 going into Thursday recreation in opposition to the Ducks. The items maintained the identical personnel within the morning skate. Both Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, PP stalwarts for years, have had their points with their puck-handling and decision-making in some video games.
Where does coach Jim Montgomery see the malfunctioning?
“Puck movement and creating slot shots. We’re just not moving the puck quickly and efficiently enough to beat the sticks on the PK,” mentioned Montgomery.
Montgomery mentioned that the extra Marchand and Pastrnak play with heart Pavel Zacha at 5-on-5 that chemistry will construct and roll over into the PP – “theoretically at least,” he mentioned.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” mentioned Montgomery. “Our guys on the elbows (Marchand and Pastrnak) have had all kinds of success, I think it’s just a matter of time before the power play clicks …generating more momentum within the game for us.”
Marchand mentioned one of many issues is that off-the-mark passing will snowball on them.
“If you give a bad pass to one guy, it usually starts the (penalty kill’s) pressure and that’s when it’s tough to get control again. Then it’s one bad pass into another bad pass and you throw it around the wall. That puts the PK in a much better position,” mentioned Marchand. “I think at times, we’re forcing it a little bit. But the last time we played Anaheim, we had a really good game on the power play. We didn’t score but we had a lot of control, our breakouts were really good, a lot of things you can build off. But you look at the opportunities that we had and you get a little frustrating that you’re not capitalizing. I think we just need to continue to put pucks to the net and get there. Where we’ve always been good is on opportunities where you recover a puck and make a play. So a little bit more of that, where we get an initial shot and get them running around and you recover a puck. So maybe a little bit closer support on recoveries can help us out a little bit. But just simplifying. We don’t need to force things through the box at times, which I in particular do. So just getting away from that and being simple.”….
Montgomery, a former UMaine star, opened his morning presser by giving his sympathies to the individuals of Lewiston within the wake of the horrific mass shootings.
“I personally spent four wonderful years at the University of Maine and I know how great the culture is in that state and I know how great the people are. My heartfelt sympathies to everybody that’s affected,” mentioned Montgomery….
Montgomery mentioned that Milan Lucic, who took a shot off the foot in Los Angeles, will probably be out for a few weeks and that Jakub Lauko, who sustained a gash when he caught a skate blade in Chicago, additionally suffered a fracture and will probably be out at the least every week.
Meanwhile, defenseman Ian Mitchell cleared waivers, which might permit the B’s to ship him to Providence. The B’s have been additionally anticipated to formally name up Jesper Boqvist previous to Thursday’s recreation in opposition to the Ducks. Danton Heinen, in the meantime, stays with the crew on an prolonged tryout.
Source: www.bostonherald.com