Cehlarik Fitting Right In

BOSTON - Neither play is likely to make the day's highlight reels. They were far from flashy, but rather subtle contributions that go a long way in helping a team to victory - and don't go unnoticed by the coaching staff.
They were plays that left Bruce Cassidy with plenty of adjectives to describe the performance of Peter Cehlarik on Thursday night.

"Those 'e' words: elated, enthusiastic…he's done what we've asked and more," Cassidy said following the Bruins' 5-2 win over St. Louis, during which Cehlarik chipped in an assist and helped contribute to another goal, just 24 hours after notching two goals of his own in his season debut against Philadelphia.
"It's two games, so you try to temper it - my biggest concern with Peter was, did he learn what was required to stay in the NHL level when he's not playing to his strengths: managing pucks, winning pucks, defensively?
"He's done [those things]. He's hit all those checklists, and he's rewarding us offensively. So, real nice to see."

Cehlarik, recalled from Providence on Tuesday, helped jumpstart the Bruins with a delicate touch pass that sprung David Krejci through the neutral zone and allowed the veteran pivot to kick into high gear. Krejci worked his magic, weaving through traffic in the St. Louis end before finding Torey Krug in the slot, where the blue liner unleashed a top-shelf wrister to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 3:31 of the second
"He's playing well. He's trying a lot. He's making lots of good play out there," said Krejci, who collected three assists against the Blues. "Not only that, it helps me as well. He's strong on the puck. He's good on breakouts in the neutral zone, a lot of give and go. It's been good, but hopefully we can keep it going."
The 23-year-old Slovakia native kept it going later in the middle frame, outmuscling Blues defenseman 6-foot-4, 215-pound Joel Edmundson for a loose puck in the corner with the Bruins on the power play. Cehlarik knocked the puck loose, tapped it to Krejci along the wall, and immediately broke to the front of the net.
Krejci, meanwhile, found Zdeno Chara, who launched a slapper from the point that cruised in between Cehlarik and David Backes, both of whom were planted in the slot. Backes managed to get a piece of the shot and deflected it by St. Louis goalie Jake Allen to tie the game, 2-2, with four minutes remaining in the second.
"It's a 50/50 puck against a big body. He gets there first, ties up, Krech follows, so now you're winning puck battles. It's a big part of hockey, to me," said Cassidy. "You can go through all of the X's and O's of every team in the system, but when you win puck battles, assuming you have good players, which we do, you're going to make plays when you have it more. I give him a lot of credit for that.
"He's at the top of the crease when that shot comes from Zee. We've been trying to instill some of those habits into some of our younger guys for a long time, to get there and stay there. He's a bigger body and little more mature, so he can hold his ground."

In a case of what's old is new again, Cehlarik has clearly found instant chemistry alongside Krejci and Jake DeBrusk, a position he found himself in for the majority of his six-game stint (goal, assist) with Boston last season. Cehlarik also played frequently with Krejci during an 11-game stretch (two assists) with the Bruins in 2016-17.
"He's been good on forechecking. He's been good, he's been winning 50/50 battles, so that's been huge," said Krejci. "He obviously had some skills, but he matured down in Providence. He is strong on the puck, making great plays, so good for him."
Perhaps Cehlarik is the answer to Boston's perpetual search for the right piece to play with DeBrusk and Krejci on the Bruins' second line. In the early going, it appears to be a natural fit, with Cehlarik - at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds - a similar mold to some of the previous wingers (i.e. Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, and Jarome Iginla) that have found success on Krejci's flanks.
"I've been feeling good," said Cehlarik, who has played the left wing with DeBrusk sliding over to the right side. "It's a lot of fun to play with such great players, fun to play on the puck, and make good plays, and take care of our end as well. I think we did that for the most part and buried the chances.
"I'm having fun out there. Keep working out, so I can stick around and be an NHL player."
So far, so good.