Under duress, Boston Bruins Coach Jim Montgomery gave an encouraging glimpse into what even a small amount of old-school physicality can do for the Bruins’ attack when he promoted Morgan Geekie from fourth-line right wing to top-six center after they lost Pavel Zacha to an upper-body injury early in Saturday’s 5-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.
Initially mapped out with 11-minute men John Beecher and Oskar Steen, Geekie ended up skating 17:31 (15:42 even strength and 1:35 powerplay) while he was the focal point of Boston’s reimagined forward lines with David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk.
Geekie got the puck to the Arizona net eleven minutes after big winger Lawson Crouse rattled the natives by cutting Boston’s lead to 4-3 just 3:20 into the third period. With 5:31 left in regulation, Pastrnak’s aggressive play created space for him to follow and skillfully shift to his forehand for the most recent in his long line of incredible finishes. It was his second goal of the game and 16th of the season, making the score 5-3.
From then on, the Boston Bruins managed to hang on—something that hasn’t happened often.
With three hits in total, Geekie tied Charlie Coyle for third place, one hit behind Beecher and Trent Frederic (four each). In addition to winning eight out of twelve faceoffs, Geekie introduced a new component to the attack—more precisely, that Terry O’Reilly thing.
Even though it looks like he might lose the puck when it gets stuck in his skates, he manages to hold onto it while he crashes and bangs his way forward. There’s a traditional skill involved. Wayne Cashman, the legend, had it. The puck trailed after them, seemingly aware that Cashman or O’Reilly would not have been happy if it hadn’t.
Growing up, my family participated in a wide range of sports. Geekie said, “I think it all translates a little bit.” “When the puck gets in my feet, I’m just trying to corral it and do stuff like that, not really thinking about making a hockey play.”
Given his propensity for performing well in confined spaces, Geekie would likely make a respectable Boston driver. It helps him succeed in the hockey rink’s high-traffic areas.
The best way to describe it, according to Geekie, who was born in Strathclair, Manitoba, about 150 miles west of Winnipeg, is just being an athlete. Growing up, baseball was my absolute favorite sport. This isn’t a bad second job, hockey.
Geekie was selected by Seattle in the 2021 expansion draft after being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round in 2017. However, General Manager Ron Francis failed to qualify Geekie last summer, which allowed the Bruins to investigate whether they could be the team that fulfills the 25-year-old’s potential.
After some time, the Bruins recognized that 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward Sweeney was a versatile, sturdy presence who could play up in the lineup, and on Saturday we saw why he invested twice his average 2023 free-agent offer and term (two years, $2 million).
“My only goal is to blend in wherever I go. “We’re a great team, obviously, we just need to work out a few kinks,” Geekie said following the victory over Arizona. “I’m glad to be here and willing to help out wherever I can.”
In July 2025, Geekie will become a restricted free agent.
The Boston Bruins have worked hard to play more defensively responsible hockey since their three-game meltdown, especially when leading. However, keep in mind that Boston defensemen are still active and eager to join the attack when given the chance.
This front-footed strategy was used on Saturday against Arizona, with Mason Lohrei (15:05 total, 12:18 even strength) and Kevin Shattenkirk (14:36 total, 11:30 even strength) in their third pairing.
When Boston Hockey Now asked Shattenkirk about their persistent aggression, he used the opportunity to point the finger at himself for Michael Carcone’s unassisted goal that reduced Boston’s lead to 3-2 early in the second period.
“I was a little too aggressive there with the second goal, kind of waiting for a play to happen and it didn’t,” Shattenkirk admitted. “I believe that adopting an aggressive posture causes us to appear more in-your-face to guys when the puck does turn over and we are thinking aggressively offensively.” It positions them for failure because they won’t have enough time or room to capitalize on the rush.
Shattenkirk, who turns 35 on January 29, is a smart stick player with general rinkmanship skills that he uses into his athletic back nine. His cunning and intelligence make him a valuable asset.
The journeyman defender, who was undoubtedly unfamiliar with Montgomery’s tightly wound, puck-support breakout, noted during a preseason conversation that the Boston Bruins face difficulties in “getting to our system” when opponents play keep-away by forcefully rimming the puck around the boards in Boston’s end of the rink. The NHL players who have faced the Boston Bruins in 2023–24 have attempted to emulate the exceptional playoff performance of the Florida Panthers, who were formidable in the spring.
When asked about the Boston Bruins and what motivates them just past the halfway point of the schedule, Shattenkirk says that their strongest defense has been a potent offense.
As cliche as it is, I believe we’re demonstrating our strength as a forechecking team by simply putting pucks in and going after goals. Our forwards put a lot of pressure on defensemen and seem to have excellent instincts there; I believe that builds the rest of our game,” Shattenkirk said. Even in situations where teams do have a chance to step outside of their comfort zone, our structure is better at that point.
Our gaps, or the area between Boston’s forwards and defensemen, are better because we’re effectively breaking pucks out and forcing dumps. We seem to get stretched out and drift a little bit from our game when we’re a little too loose, trying to make too many plays, and turning pucks over.
During this period of revival, the Boston Bruins are also getting better at simplifying towards the end of shifts when players are worn out and turnovers are more likely.
“Starting with the veterans setting the example, those plays can be made.” and the young guys simply realizing that in the final five to ten seconds of a shift, when you’re worn out and have the puck on your stick, you have to make sure you bear down, make a tough play, and properly set up your teammates for the following shift,” Shattenkirk said.
Adorable infants are always a big hit on the videoboard, but if I owned an NHL team, I wouldn’t let little kids sit in the danger zone—that is, the seats directly above the side glass, which is close enough to the rink to catch pucks traveling at high speeds on low trajectories.
The risk reminds me of a hazardous intersection in the absence of traffic signals. Nothing occurs until a catastrophe occurs.
A defenseman’s shot that was tipped over the end glass of the goal in Columbus in the fall of 2002 struck a young girl in the head. Before hitting the girl, the puck struck a man, bounced off the nearby seat, and then struck her. A few days later, the girl’s health appeared to be improving. It was discovered too late that she had untreated internal bleeding and an undetected whiplash-related injury.
Ever since, netting has been installed above the tall glass in every professional hockey rink in North America to safeguard spectators. In addition, a lot of community and college rinks encircle the rink’s perimeter with netting.
Five to ten rows up on the side is actually far more dangerous than on the end, given the trajectory of pucks that are purposefully banked off the glass by opposing teams. The most expensive seats tend to be occupied with conversation when a puck sails over the side glass, missing five people but still hitting someone else. At most, one or two persons could be struck by a puck that goes over the end of the glass.
It took more than 50 years of slapshots for the tragedy that occurred in Columbus 21 years ago to transpire, and the appropriate dramatic reaction followed. Before the same thing occurs on the rink’s edge, it is only a matter of time. A small child, much less a baby with their soft, developing skulls, should not be in there.
The official capacity for hockey at TD Garden has been increased from 17,565 to 17,850. This is mostly because of the extensive renovation of the ninth floor, where the bird’s eye view was initially planned uniformly with a shelf and loose chairs. It is also partially because of the surreptitious addition of a seat to some rows in loge sections.
Even though the “legendary transformation” of TD Garden has received positive reviews for the most part, there are still augmentations, rows hanging down, rows up top, and no more than three rows in any one area. Views of the city to the east and south replaced the destroyed walls.
The core architecture of the now 28-year-old Boston arena has not changed, in contrast to Madison Square Garden’s renovation a decade ago. However, the renovation, which started during the Bruins’ run to the 2019 Stanley Cup final, has completely altered the atmosphere of the building and the game experience.
I will always cherish the hockey cathedrals of the past, especially the old Boston Garden with its overhanging balconies and distinct character, but even a geezer like me enjoys living in the present. TD Garden has evolved from what Mike Milbury (coaching the Islanders on opening day of the Fleet Center) called “another building” to one of the NHL’s premier attractions.
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