Heinen Shows Off His Versatility in Detroit

DETROIT - Danton Heinen knows that when he takes the ice on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden it likely won't be beside Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. The top line left wing spot has been the rookie's home for the majority of the last five games, a run that is sure to come to an end when Brad Marchand returns from his suspension against the Rangers.
Marchand has teamed up with Bergeron and Pastrnak to form one of the NHL's best trios, but Heinen leaves the unit after showing Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy that he has a strong backup option should he need it.

The 22-year-old performed admirably in his short stint as Marchand's replacement, as evidenced by his two-point showing against the Red Wings. Heinen notched a goal and an assist to help pace the Bruins to a 3-2 victory over Detroit at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.
"Will be tough for Marchy to crack the lineup," Cassidy quipped following the win. "It's a good problem to have obviously. Guys can go up and fill in. I thought the first game against Anaheim we had a little bit of trouble - it's gonna happen. But since then he's done a real good job up there…he relishes the opportunity when it's there. He's done a good job."

Heinen, whose third-period snipe proved to be the difference against the Wings, was not quite convinced there would be any kind of Wally Pipp situation in the Bruins' future.
"No way, not a chance," Heinen said with a smile. "I'm excited to watch [Marchand] play again. Will be nice to have him back."
It has been a stellar rookie season for Heinen, who has proven to be adept at playing in different roles throughout the lineup. The British Columbia native ranks fourth on the Bruins in scoring this season with 37 points (12 goals, 25 points) in 47 games, behind only Pastrnak, Marchand, and Bergeron.
"He's a pretty smart guy, so he's generally in the right spot," said Cassidy. "For him, it's just his pace, make sure it's there every day, look after yourself, have your legs, and then be strong on pucks. You can see him shoot it, you can see him make plays.
"Smart player, so for him the physical part has stuck around most of the year. Clearly he's being a good pro and it shows. He's earned his minutes."

Heinen is likely to return to his familiar left wing spot alongside Riley Nash and David Backes on Wednesday night, reuniting a line that had blended seamlessly over the last two months.
"I had a lot of fun on that line [with Bergeron and Pastrnak]," said Heinen. "Going back to the other line, just try to do the same things. And wherever they put me, we're playing with great players up and down the lineup. It was definitely fun playing with those guys, excited to see Marchy back."
After picking up two assists in Boston's win over Toronto on Saturday night, Heinen was back at it against the Red Wings, as he grabbed two more points, including the winning the goal midway through the third period.
On the deciding tally, Heinen started Boston's breakout by flipping the puck to a streaking Austin Czarnik, who chased it down behind the net and pickpocketed Red Wings blue liner Nick Jensen. Czarnik nudged the poke to Sean Kuraly, who found Heinen posted up at the right circle. Heinen then ripped a shot blocker-side to beat Jimmy Howard for a 3-1 Boston lead with 11:39 to play.
"It was a good play by Czarny to chip it to Kurls and he found me in the slot. Lucky enough it went in. Not pretty, but we'll take it for sure," Heinen said of the goal, which included players from three different lines.

Heinen also made a terrific play on Boston's first goal, when he settled a bouncing puck and whacked a backhand feed to Pastrnak through the slot. Pastrnak then found Kuraly - who had been covering for Zdeno Chara at the left point - creeping in at the left circle. Kuraly finished it by snapping a shot by Howard for his first goal since Nov. 24 against Pittsburgh.
"Two really high-skilled plays that ended up on my stick at the end which is nice. Good to make sure that I could hit the back of the net," said Kuraly, who finshed the night with two points and a plus-2 rating in just under 10 minutes of ice time.
Cassidy praised the work of both Kuraly and Heinen to get open in the slot, saying both rookies were taking a page out of Bergeron's playbook.
"That's a Bergeron special and I think our guys are learning from it," said Cassidy. "It's a real good spot to be in to find the puck and it's a real good spot both offensively and defensively. Good for both of them to be able to learn from one of the best and get results from it."

With a front row seat for the last five games, Heinen has no doubt picked up a thing or two from Boston's No. 1 center. And while he may have to shift back a couple of rows on Wednesday night, he isn't planning on his mindset changing much.
"That's something I've tried to focus on this year is be consistent, try to not take nights off," said Heinen. "Obviously not going to have your best every night, but when you're not feeling great try to contribute in other areas and be strong defensively. That's been huge just trying to be consistent every day."
NOTES: With the win, Tuukka Rask (26 saves) extended his points streak to 21 games, becoming the 11th goaltender in NHL history to accomplish the feat (and the fourth Bruin.). Rask has won eight straight, the longest win streak by a Boston goalie since Tim Thomas' 10-game streak in 2011-12…With his helper on Heinen's goal, Czarnik now has an assist each in the two games since he was recalled from Providence…David Krejci potted his 10th goal of the season in the second period...After the end of their 18-game points streak last week, the Bruins have now won three straight. Boston is 26-4-4 over its last 34 games.