FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.–In six quick games, the conversation surrounding Mason Lohrei has shifted dramatically.
When he was inserted into the lineup after Andrew Peeke was injured in Game 2 of the Toronto series, the question many people had was ‘Can the Bruins survive with this rookie in the lineup?’
Now it’s ‘how much of a boost can this confident kid give the B’s and extend their playoff run?’
While he showed hints of his offensive gifts in the final five games of the Leafs’ series, they came out in full bloom in the B’s 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the second round series. He had an absolute snipe for his first career playoff goal in the second period that held up as the game-winner. And then in a possibly even more promising development, considering where his biggest challenges have been, it was his puck retrieval behind the goal line and backhand pass up the wall to James van Riemsdyk that led Justin Brazeau’s third period nail-in-the-coffin goal.
“It looks like he’s sort of finding his stride as we go,” said Charlie McAvoy at the team’s hotel on Tuesday. “I know that he’s a confident kid. He’s shown a lot of maturity playing in the playoffs and with some of the situations that he’s been in. He’s really thrived. He’s flourished. And now I think you’re seeing that he’s feeling a little more comfortable and he can make special plays like he did a couple of times (Monday) night. I just want to keep encouraging him and supporting him in whatever way we can and I look forward to seeing him growing.”
As talented as McAvoy is as a player and as much of veteran ear that he provides for Lohrei, in no way does the alternate captain take any credit for the special things the Ohio State product can do.
“That’s all him,” said McAoy with a wide smile. “The sky’’s the limit for him. He’s got an extremely high ceiling. His potential is off the charts. I try to help him whenever I can, like I do for every guy and they do in turn for me. But that’s all him. He’s worked real hard and he deserves to be here….The plays that he’s making are great and we want to continue to encourage him to make those plays.”
In the moments after the Game 1 win, Lohrei talked about the importance of that feeling of belonging here.
“As we go here, I feel like I’m getting more confident, more comfortable,” said Lohrei. “(Brad Marchand’s been great with me just letting me know my value and keeping me in the right frame of mind. It’s been fun and I just want to keep it going.”
Lohrei had shuttled between Providence and Boston all season and, as a first-year pro, his performances were understandably a little uneven. But in the playoffs he’s had more or less straight-line improvement. He was excellent in the taught Game 7 win over Toronto and made a huge impact on Monday.
“I just think the way he’s handled the Stanley Cup playoffs – the emotion of it, the intensity of it – I think it does propel him,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “He’s an extremely competitive player. It may not show in the physicality of how he plays, but it shows in his poise with the puck. There are different ways to be intense. He wants the puck, and…you have to have players that want the puck in big moments. And you’ve got to have players that want to check in big moments.”
The challenge will get greater as we go. You can bet the Panthers have put a circle around No. 6 on the Bruins to turn up the heat under. But more and more, you get the sense that Lohrei will welcome it…
If the post-season ended today, Jeremy Swayman would be the runaway favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. But he’s also played six straight games, the most since he’s been an NHL goaltender. Meanwhile, Linus Ullmark has not played since April 22. It has seemed that Montgomery is willing ride the hot hand, but he also doesn’t want to let another asset deteriorate on the sideline.
“We have the sports science department that gives us feedback on where people are at,” said Montgomery. “Keeping Linus sharp with the amount of practices and shooting that he’s getting, specifically on days like today when the whole team isn’t practicing, keeps him sharp. I think the emotion of the Stanley Cup playoffs keeps him sharp. And then we’re weighing where Sway is. Sway’s a tremendous athlete. He’s a little bit of a freak of an athlete. We don’t worry too much about him breaking. But it is the emotion of the playoffs that we weigh as well.”…
The Panthers could be getting a rather important piece back at some point in this series, possibly as soon as Game 2. Forward Sam Bennett, who brings a skilled nastiness to the proceedings, has been out with an apparent hand injury but he skated with the team on Tuesday and coach Paul Maurice said he should be back at some point within the next three games….
The B’s penalty kill has been up and down this season but right now it is humming. The B’s have killed 23 of 24 man advantages in the playoffs, including 3-for-3 on Monday.
“I think we’ve always had a good penalty kill here in Boston,” said McAvoy. “(Assistant coach Joe Sacco) does an outstanding job with it. We take a lot of pride in it. I think there were times this year when it wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be. But we didn’t really change much. We believed in our structure, our principles and we’ve seen it come back and give us success now. Obviously, that’s something we need to continue to do. Play disciplined first, but when we get to the kill, make sure we’re working in unison.”