Bruins’ prolific top line isn’t going anywhere for a while

BOSTON – The Bruins offense has churned out 22 goals in their last four games, and the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have accounted for 13 of their 22 tallies thus far this season.

That’s in line with the yeoman’s work that the Perfection Line did last season while pacing the offense for the Black and Gold with all three forwards topping 30 goals on the season, and it looks like an ascending Pastrnak could make them even more prolific this season. Still, it makes the Bruins offense a little top heavy as it most definitely was once Boston got to the playoffs against better teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay, and that begs the question as to whether it might be better to spread the offense around a little bit.

The thought of dropping Pastrnak to the second line with David Krejci has been there since the start of training camp, but the preseason injury to Bergeron scrapped any plans of taking a look at alternatives to a loaded top line. Now after watching Pastrnak jump out to seven goals in the first five games and Bergeron averaging a couple of points per game, Cassidy said he’s probably a safe distance away from breaking the trio up anytime soon.

“Right now, like I said, we’re going to leave it alone, so I guess farther away [from a change]. We’re trying to – we know what we’ve got in our fourth line every night, our first line – we’re just trying to get that second line, who fits best with Krech [David Krejci] and maybe Jake [DeBrusk] on the right,” said Cassidy. “Maybe our answer is right there, just switching wingers and seeing who grows into the left-wing spot. I think I’ve said all along I always felt Ryan [Donato] and Danton [Heinen], their best position is left wing.

“Can they play the right? So, now let’s try Jake over there. [Joakim] Nordstrom is just another one, kind of evolved into where he’s done a good job there, so it’s probably a little bit farther away right now. I believe there will be a time where we look at it. I just don’t see it right now.”

Watching DeBrusk and Anders Bjork finally get on the board to get goals from all four lines in the win over Detroit certainly makes the argument that the Bruins are beginning to find their diversified scoring. Now the question will be whether the second and third lines, as currently constituted, can generate that offense against the stronger teams around the league, and not just whip up on weak sisters like Buffalo, Ottawa, Edmonton and Detroit.

The only way to find that out is to play the games and adjust accordingly, but for right now the Perfection Line isn’t going anywhere except upward and onward in the scoring column.