TAMPA, Fla. – It was only a matter of time until somebody from the totally unproductive Bruins third line became a healthy scratch and that fate has befallen struggling Matt Beleskey for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Claude Julien confirmed that Beleskey will sit for the big divisional game against the Bolts at Amalie Arena after Beleskey posted zero points along with a minus-7 rating in the first nine games of the season. The B’s bench boss said it’s as simple as trying to get his veteran winger’s game going.
“We need better from him,” said Julien. “We’ve done everything we can to help him out. I feel it’s not a bad thing to take a step back and watch a game, hopefully regroup in his mind and come back with the intentions of being in there every night.
“He’s a good player, and right now I think we’re getting a little bit more out of our role players than we’re getting out of him. So this is a decision based on performance, and this is what I’m going with.”
Beleskey has just 12 shots on net in the nine games and hasn’t been involved much offensively while still providing some level of the physical presence that he brought from the left wing in his first season with the Bruins.
Some might wonder why it was Beleskey rather than Jimmy Hayes, who has similarly underwhelmed on the third line this season, who gets the healthy scratch treatment, but perhaps the decision was made easier after Beleskey crashed shoulder-first into the goal post in the victory over Florida on Tuesday night.
Images of his “upper body” were taken and Beleskey certainly felt well enough to practice with the B’s the past two days, but maybe Julien surmised that a 100 percent Hayes would be more effective than an 80-90 percent Beleskey.
Boston Bruins
Does Julien consider Hayes to be in the same scratch-worthy status as Beleskey?
“I’m not going into that this morning, guys,” said a clearly irritated Julien. “I’m not going to dissect my team here. Anything about the game tonight?”
Whatever the case, Beleskey clearly knows that he can be better, and perhaps sitting up in the press box for a game will help get him going individually.
“Anytime you don’t play it’s disappointing. It’s obviously not the start I’m looking for, and a message, or a reset, or whatever you want to call it is something you have to take in stride,” said Beleskey. “I think we’re getting a little frustrated [as a line]. I know I am personally.
“But you never want to sit out. You want to be out there playing. But maybe getting a chance to step back and re-evaluate is what’s needed.”
Rookie Sean Kuraly will make his NHL debut in the place of Beleskey on the third line. The rest of the lineup will look similar with David Pastrnak also returning from his two-game suspension. Here are the projected Bruins line combos and D-pairings vs. Tampa Bay based on morning skate:
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
Spooner-Krejci-Czarnik
Kuraly-Nash-Hayes
Schaller-Moore-Acciari
Chara-Carlo
Krug-McQuaid
Liles-C. Miller
Rask