Grzelcyk Returns to Practice, Could Play vs. Coyotes

BOSTON - Matt Grzelcyk was back on the ice for practice on Friday morning and could return to the lineup on Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. The blue liner has missed the last two games, the first due to an upper-body injury and the second due to an undisclosed illness.
"Skated today, obviously feeling better, so I assume - I said this the other day, I assume he'll be ready to go," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "Not related [to the injury], so looks like he's feeling better."
Jeremy Swayman will make the start between the pipes vs. Arizona, while Linus Ullmark is expected to get the call on Tuesday in Chicago.

Flipping the Script

After allowing a goal in the final minute of three of their previous four games, the Bruins flipped the script on Thursday night when David Pastrnak notched his second goal of the game with just 17.2 seconds remaining to lift the Black & Gold to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Cassidy credited what he viewed as "an attack mentality" for the Bruins coming through late in the third period this time around.
"I thought Taylor Hall's line really picked it up in the third," said Cassidy. "He got skating more, attack through the middle of the ice. We were playing to win the hockey game, which I like. As I said, one of the rushes by [Connor Clifton], he made a poor decision to try to challenge people when we didn't have numbers. Other than that, I thought we did a good job with that, and trying to go on the attack and get the next goal. So, that's what I liked about it, and we didn't sell the farm to do it. It wasn't trading chances every time and poor decisions."
Hall impressed Cassidy on the winning play as he charged into the corner to pick up a loose puck while getting tripped up and tumbling into the boards. As the winger got back to his feet, he simultaneously floated a feed through traffic to Pastrnak, who was waiting in the slot to whack home the winner. Hall now has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his last 11 games.
"His willingness to play a 200-foot game is something he has really bought into here," said Cassidy. "There's a reason he is out in the last minute. We're not thinking it's going to be score or bust. He wants to check well, he wants to check to get pucks back, he wants to defend. So, that's the part of the game I guess that - I don't know if we would call that intangibles - that he's built into his game here.
"I can't say if he had it in Arizona or whatnot before - Buffalo - but I know here, he is buying into that. He has become a better, more trustworthy part of a line in all circumstances, so good for him. If he wants to play in those situations, you're going to need to be, and I think he has."

Finding Their Way

With their win against the Blackhawks on Thursday, the Bruins have now won eight of their last 10 games (8-1-1). And since Jan. 1, Boston is 21-8-3, ranking second in the NHL with 45 points, behind Colorado's 51.
"I think we're starting to find chemistry with the group," said Brad Marchand. "It was hard to do that early on because we weren't playing a lot of games, guys in and out of the lineup...there's always growing pains that you have to go through...but I think that we're understanding we're a good team and understanding the way we need to play to win. And we're kind of growing every game.
"We had a couple games where we let it go in the last minute, which we've got to get back to holding the fort down there in the last minute. But I think there's been a lot of games where we've been in tight situations where early in the year we were folding. We're not doing that as much anymore. We're going well."
Cassidy also sees a team that is getting contributions from every part of the lineup.
"Now you see [Erik] Haula's line and you see Taylor every night making plays and you see [Charlie] Coyle's line contributing, the D helping out. [Connor Clifton's] made some plays recently that led to goals, power plays are coming around a little bit better now," said Cassidy.
"That's what makes good teams…we can play through and get points when maybe guys you expect to score aren't. So, I think that's a real positive for the group."

Friday's Practice Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar
Anton Blidh

DEFENSEMEN
Mike Reilly - Charlie McAvoy
Jack Ahcan - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
Matt Grzelcyk - Urho Vaakanainen

GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark