Bruins Switch Up Lines in Hopes of Sparking Offense

BOSTON- The Bruins have been searching for answers to solve their lack of goal scoring in recent games. They may have found them on Sunday afternoon.
Claude Julien made a number of changes to his lines with the hope of finding a spark as the team prepares for a tilt with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night at Bell Centre.

Among the changes were David Backes and David Pastrnak switching places. Backes skated on the right wing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, while Pastrnak slotted in on the right side with David Krejci and Tim Schaller.
"I think sometimes the changes can create some excitement," Julien said following a near hour-long practice Sunday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena. "It's not the first time, probably won't be the last time, that we've changed.
"This is just more of a whole overhaul is what you'd call it, versus just changing one or two. Hopefully we'll get what we're looking for tomorrow."
Other alterations included Danton Heinen shifting to the left wing with Ryan Spooner in the middle and Austin Czarnik and Jimmy Hayes mixing in on the other wing. The fourth line was comprised of Dominic Moore on the left side, Riley Nash in the middle, and Noel Acciari on the right.
"It's not working the way it was, what do you have to lose?" said Backes. "Let's jostle a little bit, hope we find a little chemistry, get some different methods at work. We had a hard 50-minute practice today to instill those things into our game, a lot of net-front activity and pucks getting there. It's what we need to do.
"We'll see how it sorts out tomorrow. We can talk about it until we're blue in the face, it's about going on the ice and getting the job done, doing what we need to do to get to those hard areas and score goals."

Power Play Changes, Too

The Bruins also made some changes to the power play personnel on Sunday. The first unit had Pastrnak (bumped up from the second unit and Backes down low, Bergeron in the slot, and Krug and Krejci at the points. The second unit was comprised of Zdeno Chara and Spooner at the points Marchand on the right, Hayes in the slot, and Moore in front.
"There's more than the power play keeping me up at night," said Julien, whose man advantage is ranked 27th in the league at 13.9%.
"Just the fact that we're not finishing here. There are times where our power play has looked good and we've created chances but haven't finished. Other nights it just hasn't been clicking. Just trying different things."

Vatrano Getting Closer

Frank Vatrano (foot injury) shed the red non-contact jersey he was wearing earlier in the week and took some spins on the left side alongside Krejci and Pastrnak. Julien said the winger, who has not yet played this season, is "getting closer" to game action and would not make the trip to Montreal and Pittsburgh.
Julien did not have much of an update on defenseman John-Michael Liles, who is sidelined with a concussion.
"If I don't [have an update], that means he's not close yet," said Julien. "That's where we stand with him, because I haven't heard anything in the last couple of days of him getting any closer."

Gabrielle Signed to Entry-Level Deal

The Bruins signed forward prospect Jesse Gabrielle to a three-year entry-level contract on Sunday.
Gabrielle, 19, is in his second season with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League and has compiled 19 goals (leads the team) and 11 assists for 30 points (tied for first on the team) with 32 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating in 25 games.
"He's very energetic, he's got a good shot," said Julien. "Right now, he reminds me a little bit of Brad Marchand in his early years, a little bit reckless at times. Maybe not controlling his emotions. From last year or two years ago to this year, I thought he progressed there. So hopefully he's on that line of progression.
"But he's got a lot of upside. He's got some speed, he's got some skill, he's got a great shot. And he's not afraid to get involved. For him, it's more about cleaning up the little parts of his game that's going to help him become a good pro."
The Moosomin, Saskatchewan, native was selected by the Bruins in the fourth round (105th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.