Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm is seeking consistency from the team's young third line, featuring James Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov. Despite their playoff appearances, none have scored yet.
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The Boston Bruins head coach called it the “hardest part for those young kids.”
But he is looking for consistency out of the third line, which features James Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov.
None had played in a playoff game before this series, but all three have now appeared in three. They have not landed on the scoresheet yet.
“With young kids, it’s – I said a lot of times before, you probably get sick of me – it’s the consistency. It’s the hardest part for those young kids,” he said on Friday. “It is, and you need the experience, you need those games to go through it, and that’s where we’re at right now. Can they stay consistent?”
“And yeah, there was a little drop [Thursday]. It was some individual mistakes, yes, but yeah, they just have to try and stay consistent. It’s hard. It’s hard, especially in the playoffs.”
The line has not scored a goal, but it has not allowed one either. They have also generated only four shots on goal while allowing 10.
The Bruins are looking for more impact as they try to even the first-round series.
Hagens, who has played in just five NHL games, played only 9:53 in Game 3. That’s the least amount of ice time he has seen in any of his NHL games.
Viktor Arvidsson took a shift for Hagens early in the third period, then Casey Mittelstadt took his spot on the second power play unit. Hagens took four third-period shifts, while his linemates each skated in seven.
Marco Sturm is focused on achieving consistency from the young players on the Bruins' third line.
The third line consists of James Hagens, Fraser Minten, and Marat Khusnutdinov.
All three players on the Bruins' third line have appeared in three playoff games.
No, none of the Bruins' third line players have landed on the scoresheet in the playoffs yet.
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Sturm did not commit to whether or not Hagens will remain in the lineup for Game 4.
“We’ll see,” Sturm said. “We’re just in the process of going through the game again from last night. And we will see tomorrow where it goes. So far, he’s been really good. He gives us everything he has. He made more mistakes last game than he’s done in the past, so we’ll see. We’re going to analyze this and then go from there.”
The team had the day off on Friday, and they will return to Warrior Ice Arena for a Saturday practice. Sturm did not comment on whether the lines will change; Saturday will provide clarity.
“My job is to put the best guys on the ice, who I think gives us the best chance. And if somebody else will, I believe, can do that, I will do that,” Sturm said. “Today is just not the day yet. We will see how it goes tomorrow and go from there.”
If he makes a change, there are two options: hitting shuffle on the current lines, or plugging in any of the forwards who have been sitting in the press box (Lukas Reichel, Mikey Eyssimont, and Alex Steeves).
He added that “the groundwork is done” for all of the guys who have been scratched, but he offered a message.
“They just got to be ready,” he added. “They got to go out and do the hard work, the extra skate. But I think they also know already, okay, if my name gets called up, I got to be ready.”
The Bruins fell to the Sabres on Thursday night, 3-1, at the TD Garden. They will look to even up the series in Game 4 on Sunday at 2:00 PM.
The post Marco Sturm Looking for Consistency From Bruins Kids’ Line appeared first on Boston Hockey Now.