Bruins Third Line Essential to Game 7, Playoff Success – The Hockey Writers –

Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs lived up to its billing, delivering the nail-biting intensity fans had anticipated. While the scoreboard reflected a low-scoring three-goal affair, boxscore numbers alone couldn’t quantify the match’s excitement. The standout of this crucial game, outside of the obvious in goaltender Jeremy Swayman and a stellar performance from defender Hampus Lindholm, was undeniably the Bruins’ third line, comprised of Trent Frederic, James van Riemsdyk, and Justin Brazeau.

The Bruins’ third line emerged as a beacon of consistency and skill in a contest where every move was pivotal, despite facing the pressure of a win-or-go-home scenario. Regardless of team, you’d be hard-pressed to find a line that played a better, more consistent game than Frederic, van Riemsdyk and Brazeau in this series-deciding tilt. The trio would combine for eight shots on net, and logged 15:29, 14:27 and 14:45 of all-purpose time-on-ice, respectively, with the vast majority of that time coming at even strength.

What wasn’t marked in the boxscore, however, was the way that this line created its opportunities. Beyond mere statistics, their ability to generate scoring opportunities stood out. While the Bruins struggled by getting too fancy and failing to drive pucks on the net, the team’s third line was consistently wheeling and dealing, driving the net and creating prime scoring chances.

Though the Bruins consistently shot themselves in the foot over the past few games Strong puck-possession play, zone entries, stick-handling, skating and more were on full display in Game 7 and resulted in two points for the third line with van Riemsdyk and Brazeau picking up assists on Hampus Lindholm’s goal that tied the game for the Bruins less than a minute and a half after William Nylander broke the seal for the Maple Leafs. In a close, low-scoring tilt, points were never going to be the be-all, end-all of importance when evaluating play in this contest. Still, this line was the team’s most consistent throughout the game and it just felt like they would be rewarded at some point.

Bruins’ Third Line Must Complement the Team’s Top Players

It’s unfair to say that the Bruins will need their third line to be their best…