ST. LOUIS, MOThe early poll returns are in and David Krejci's move to right wing is a temporary hit.
The Bruins had to take desperate measures with two of their top three rights wings (Nathan Horton, Rich Peverley) down with long-term injuries, and the team in dire need of offense.
So Claude Julien moved Krejci to right wing alongside Milan Lucic and Chris Kelly in the final period of last weekends loss to the Minnesota Wild. He liked what he saw. The Bs coach kept the trio together Wednesday night in a measuring stick-type game against the St. Louis Blues, and the newly-formed line produced a pair of goals in Bostons 4-2 win at the Scottrade Center.
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SIGN UP HERE Krejci didnt register an assist in either of the goals, but his presence was undeniable in one of his best games since Horton went down with injury. The lithe Czech forward actually set up Lucics first period score when he thoroughly buried St. Louis defenseman Kris Russell behind the Blues net with a punishing body check.
The hit caused Russell to give up the puck too early and allowed Joe Corvo plenty of time for a point shot that Lucic tipped past St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott.
I told Krejci thats how it feels when me and Horton get in on the fore-check. The whole first period we did a good job on the fore-check to get the puck back and keep it in the offensive zone, said Lucic. We talked about sticking with it and bearing down when we get those chances. That worked for us today for sure.
I felt like we were rolling and the chemistry was definitely there. There is definitely something to build on and feel good about going forward."
The Bruins only totaled 19 shots on the night, but the KrejciKellyLucic line produced seven of the attempts and created six legitimately golden scoring chances for their line. Kelly had two great chances to score in each of their first two shifts of the game in a harbinger of things to come, and then finally broke through while burying the game-winner with 40 seconds remaining before the first intermission.
On a night when Bostons bottom two lines appeared overmatched against the Blues, the reconfigured Kelly line and the old standby of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin won the game for the hard-charging Bruins. It was a sound strategy to get Bostons best offensive players together in a time of need, andmuch like Hannibal Smith -- the Bs coach loves it when a plan comes together.
Both of those top lines were really good for us tonight, said Julien. Its what we needed from our best players and the guys that score. David Krejci played the right side out of his comfort zone, and I thought he played really well. He competed hard.
While its difficult to see Krejci suddenly undergoing a career transformation as a permanent right wing, its a creative solution fostered by the Bs coaching staff at a time when their team was searching for answers.