Before arriving in Boston, Morgan Geekie was relegated mostly to a bottom six role in Carolina and then in Seattle.
But given the opportunity to play not just up in the lineup but with one of the league’s superstars, David Pastrnak, Geekie is grabbing that chance with both hands lately.
The 26-year-old Geekie endured a slow start that saw him scratched several times early in the season but has noow become a legitimate scoring threat on the top line that with Pavel Zacha is at times carrying the Bruins right now. Nine of Geekie’s 13 goals this year have come since December 21 and, in the last two games, both his goals were the result of tremendous Pastrnak feeds that gave Geekie a one-timer goal and a tap-in, leaving the flummoxed opposition looking the wrong way.
After the B’s 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, Geekie joked that sometimes Pastrnak fakes him out sometimes, too. But on the flip side, Geekie, who saw time with Pastrnak late last season, had to learn not to defer too much to one of the best goalscorers in the league who has been known primarily as a shoot-first player, and for good reason. Pastrnak is leading the league on shots on net with 208.
“Obviously, you want to give him the puck all the time. You want him to have it on his stick,” said Geekie on Friday. “But you know teams know that he’s one of the best players on the ice all the time and they’re going to try their best to take it away. It’s something you have to learn, especially having played with him for a little longer. You start to take shots on your own or try to make plays without him because I think when you start to do that, it opens him up even more. When you pick your spots like that it makes it easier to give him the puck in that case, for sure.”
Pastrnak has felt some natural chemistry with Geekie.
“With Geeks, I played a lot of games with him last year,” said Pastrnak after Thursday’s game. “He’s an unbelievable shooter and he’s doing a heck of job right now on our line. Righty-to-righty is a much easier pass for a one-timer, so it’s really good for us to have him on our line because his shot is great and he’s a shooting threat. When I have it on my forehand, I always try to look for his one-timer.
The offense for Pastrnak is coming a little differently this year. He’s not been able just sit on the left elbow on the power play and whistle one-timers past the goalie. But he is heating up right now. Heading into Saturday’s matinee against the potent Colorado Avalanche, Pastrnak is riding a six-game points streak (6-8-14).
“Pasta’s Pasta,” said Geekie. “I see what he does every day and everyone sees what he does with the puck and I think he’s just getting back to playing without thinking too much and making the easy play. When you do that, things start to open up and you see his skill set start to shine. He’s a special player and I think we’re – me especially – are lucky to share the ice with him and I just try to get open for him in the right spots.”…
In his second NHL game, defenseman Mike Callahan acquitted himself quite well. He played 16:27, including 3:01 of penalty kill time. With less than five minutes in a 1-0 game, coach Joe Sacco did not hesitate to throw him over the boards.
What did Sacco like?
“Predictability,” said Sacco. “I think that he played a very reliable, responsible game for us, which is what we were looking for. Good reads, smart plays, good decisions with the puck, just a really good, basic stay-at-home kind of game, protect the net-front. Things that he was doing well in Providence, he was able to bring that up here. I thought he had a good game for us.”
His game may not have a lot wow factor. But it hasn’t mattered where the Franklin native has played – Roxbury Latin, Providence College or now the NHL – he’’s been the same player.
“It’s just kind of the identity I’ve built for myself in my game from all the way back in those high school days,” said Callahan. “Playing at PC, all the minutes I got to play down there really helped me develop my game and the coaching down there, too, really got me ready to take the next step into pro and now taking the next step up here. Yeah, I guess I have been always the same way, maybe not super flashy but I feel that’s how I can help the team win, so that’s how I’m going to do it.”…
Jeremy Swayman, who missed Thursday’s game with an upper body injury, made it through Friday’s practice.
“It looks like he should be an option for (Saturday),” said Sacco.
Cole Koepke (head injury) was a full participant in practice and also could be an option for the Avs game.
Hampus Lindhholm (knee), out since Novemer 12, went through the brief practice in the non-contact jersey.
Sacco said that Charlie McAvoy, out since January 11 with a suspected wrist injury, had a scheduled day off the ice on Friday but that he’s getting “closer.”
“We’ll re-evaluate after (Saturday’s) game and see where everyone’s at,” said Sacco.