Third Line Continues to Thrive, Lifts B's to Win over Arizona

BOSTON - Charlie Coyle, admittedly, doesn't always think shot-first when the puck is on his stick. The 6-foot-3, 214-pounder is a possession monster often hounding the rubber as he looks to dish to his linemates any chance he gets.
That was the case yet again on Saturday night as he delivered a beautiful dish to Craig Smith for the winger's second goal of the first period. It marked Coyle's fourth helper in the last five games.
But with time winding down in the third period, Coyle altered his thinking.

As he scooped up a loose puck high in the Bruins' defensive zone, the Weymouth native burst through neutral ice and into the Arizona end. As he arrived at the faceoff circle to the right of Coyotes goalie Karel Vejmelka, he decided - even though he was on his backhand - to let one rip. It turned out to be a wise decision.
Coyle's backhander zipped by the glove of the left-handed Vejmelka to put Boston ahead by a goal with just 3:21 remaining, sealing a 3-2 victory for the Black & Gold at TD Garden in the finale of a three-game homestand.
"No," Coyle said when asked if he was thinking shot the entire time up the ice. "There's not a lot of times that I think shot, but I should. It's a tie game, right, so you want to make the appropriate play. On the other hand, Smitty's got two goals, but you gotta play hockey.
"There was no passing lane, it was a bobbled puck. So, I just want to take it to the net, create a rebound, if anything, maybe Smitty puts it home. Got a little lucky with the placement."

With former Bruins center Riley Nash bearing down on the backcheck, Coyle did not have much time left to make a play and instead decided to stick with a backhander, a shot that he noted is not the best weapon in his arsenal.
"That particular situation, I knew there was a guy kind of on me," said Coyle. "If I go to my forehand, he probably swipes that puck away and I don't get anything. I was kind of in protect mode. I don't know if that D-man comes at me first, maybe I slide on my backhand, that's why I have it ready there.
"But he didn't. And then he goes down so there's no passing lane, so I just tried to put it in a spot. It happens so fast, you just try and put it there, and sometimes you miss the net, sometimes it's a rebound, sometimes it goes. Luckily it went in."
The tally sealed Coyle's second multi-point game in his last three, while extending his point streak (two goals, three assists) to three games, as well. In his last 14 games, Coyle has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) as Boston's third line - which also features Smith and Trent Frederic - continues to impress.
"I think just consistently playing together, that always helps," said Coyle. "And you get to know your teammates' and your linemates' tendencies. You learn more about them and their roots and how they play and where they like to go. So that helps, kind of on that first goal, I guess the second goal that Smitty had, when I turned up and he likes to find that soft spot and be in there.
"We get comfortable with each other, then you talk more. And then you can read off each other a little more. And then you get rewarded a little bit and you start to gain confidence and make plays. We're always positive with each other, we don't hop on each other. We're always there to support each other.
"Whether it's on the ice, off the ice talking, we're always looking to improve and that's what you need. Everyone's doing their job and you do that consistently, do it the right way, then good things are gonna happen for you. And they're starting to fall for us."

They're certainly falling for Smith, who potted two more goals against the Coyotes, giving him seven goals over his last five games. The winger's first tally of the night came just 2:33 into the contest - with the Bruins in the middle of a line change - following some strong work from Tomas Nosek and Nick Foligno in the slot that led to a rebound that Smith whacked home from the doorstep to give Boston a 1-0 lead.
Smith notched his second some eight minutes later when he took a feed from Coyle, danced through the slot, and ripped a shot that bounced off an Arizona defender and right back onto his stick. The 32-year-old quickly fired the second effort on goal and beat Vejmelka to double the B's advantage with 9:11 to go in the first.
"It's still a hard game. Teams play well, they block well, and you gotta be opportunistic and get pucks on the net," said Smith. "I mean, sometimes you're gonna have a great look, and it's not going to go in. Sometimes it's going to go off somebody and go in and get a bounce, and it's just the way it goes. Sometimes when you're not scoring, you feel like maybe you're 200 feet from the net no matter where you are on the ice.
"So, it feels good right now, but I think we're staying close. We're creating turnovers. We created some good energy for the bench especially, and I think that carries on from line to line."
Prior to this recent five-game stretch, Smith was well off his perennial 20-goal pace, having notched just six goals through 47 games. But after breaking through with a hat trick in Las Vegas on March 3, Smith followed up with goals in Columbus two days later and against Los Angeles in Boston's return to TD Garden on Monday night, before picking up two more on Saturday night.
"I think you focus on the little things," said Smith, who now has 13 goals and 27 points in 52 games this season. "Our leadership group does a good job at not letting things going unnoticed, especially with everybody on our roster, and especially in the game. I think little small details can build the guy up, and I think that's what this team, before I got here, prided themselves on, and it's carried over.
"So, it's definitely on the leadership, and it's a great culture here. I think that it kind of helps everybody feel accountable and feel good about their game no matter where they are on the ice or what happens. But you've got to get yourself in good areas on the ice and make sure you're shooting the puck. And as long as you're doing that…it's a funny game sometimes, and they'll go in."

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy believes the trio of Smith, Coyle, and Frederic - which initially struggled to find the scoresheet despite developing some quick chemistry after they were put together - have found a formula that has led to a bevy of opportunities in the offensive zone, and in turn made them a trio that can be relied upon in every situation.
"I think they're playing to the identity of how they would need to play to score on a regular basis, which is typically they're playing behind the D, they're winning pucks, getting pucks back, good forechecks, in sync together in the O-zone with their spacing," Cassidy explained. "So, they're scoring a lot of goals like that. Then they've capitalized on the rush by not overthinking it. The goal Charlie scored, they gave him a path to the net. They took away the pass on the 2-on-1, so he took the shot. Smitty's second goal was again a good forecheck, good second effort but gets into the middle of the ice and has good spacing.
"I think they're doing a good job with all of that stuff. And away from the puck right now, I think they've been very reliable with their board work. Like the last goal, Freddy does a good job on the boards. Even the last couple of minutes, he's out there. He stays on to make sure they have to regroup so he can get fresh legs.
"He doesn't just throw a puck away when he has it in the O-zone, he puts it in a purpose so the next guy - so they're doing a lot of smart things, too. So, as a coach, you're going to play them against anyone so they get an opportunity."
Despite their recent run of success, Smith said he still sees some room for improvement.
"I think we're still a work in progress," said Smith. "I think we're all three working hard trying to get in the right areas and trying to shoot the puck more. That's been an emphasis when we get in the zone, and I think Charlie and Trent are so good at protecting the puck, and we can create stuff off of that and have them moving their feet. I think if we can find lanes and get into spots where we can get the puck to the net."