DENVER — Craig Smith entered Wednesday’s tilt against the Avalanche averaging 9:59 of ice time per game. The right wing has never played less. Smith’s previous low was 13:25 in 2019-20, his final season in Nashville.
Other numbers are just as unkind.
He has one five-on-five goal, down from 16 last year. He entered Wednesday averaging 0:26 of power-play ice time per game, well off his previous career low of 1:06 (2016-17). Smith is averaging a career-low 7.54 shots per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, according to Natural Stat Trick, which is a poor rate for a right wing previously known for being a high-volume rubber releaser.
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“He’s played well when he’s played,” said coach Jim Montgomery prior to Wednesday’s game. “Unfortunately he got hurt. Now he’s back. I just expect him to add to the depth that we have. We’re able to roll four lines because we have four good lines.”
Smith was back in the lineup for the Bruins’ 4-0 win over the Avalanche for the first time since Nov. 25. That day, he left after 5:12 of ice time because of an undisclosed injury. He did not play the next three games.
It is the second time the 33-year-old has gotten hurt this year. Smith was unavailable for three games in early November because of an undisclosed injury.
But the right wing has also been a healthy scratch six times. Smith had been a healthy scratch just once in his two previous seasons as a Bruin.
Whether Smith has been feeling the effects of his injuries is unknown. The 33-year-old declined an interview request through a team spokesman on Wednesday.
But even before his first injury, Smith’s performance was in question. He had one shot in each of the Bruins’ first two games. He played only 7:03 in Game 3 against the Panthers. He was a healthy scratch for the following two.
For whatever reason, Smith has not found traction in Montgomery’s offensive system. Montgomery wants his players to be patient offensively, hang on to the puck and generate high-quality chances. So far, Smith’s quick-strike shoot-first game has not aligned with how Montgomery wants to play.
As such, Trent Frederic, Pavel Zacha and A.J. Greer have been among the forwards who have occupied Smith’s former spot at No. 3 right wing. Smith played on the fourth line on Wednesday next to Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek. He had one shot in 12:03 of ice time.
The fourth line, however, is not necessarily suited to Smith’s game either. He does not kill penalties. Smith is not as physical as Greer. None of his coaches have deployed Smith as a defence-first wing.
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“I expect him to drive-skate a lot,” Montgomery said. “Take pucks wide. Take pucks to the net. Hold on to pucks offensively. Defensively, I expect everybody to look the same. Everybody’s reloading. Everybody’s pressuring. That’s our game.”
Smith is in the last season of a three-year, $9.3 million deal. His $3.1 million AAV is a hefty sum to carry on the fourth line or in the press box. Right wing may be the position where the Bruins could be most in need of an upgrade.
Smith, meanwhile, is not just competing for ice time. He is playing for his next contract.
At this point, it does not look like it will be with the Bruins.
Coyle dominates with two assists
In Wednesday’s second period, with one well-placed strike of his stick, Charlie Coyle separated Ben Meyers from the puck just inside the offensive blue line. In an instant, a Colorado exit had turned into a two-on-one rush for Coyle and Taylor Hall.
Samuel Girard hit the deck to take away Coyle’s far-post pass. It didn’t matter. Coyle curled around Girard, stretched himself past the defenseman’s stick and hit Hall in front. The left wing buried the shot to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
“He’s using his body to make plays and create space out there,” Hall said. “He’s a really good hockey player. He does so many things well. He scores goals well. He can make plays. Defensively, he’s a guy that allows me to know I have the freedom to know he’s going to be back there in good spots. It was an amazing play on that second goal. I stayed back door knowing he was going to look for me. He made a great play there.”
Coyle and Hall have a history. Last season, with David Krejci in Czechia, Coyle got his first crack at being No. 2 center. Hall was on his left side. For whatever reason, it didn’t work.
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It’s a different story now. As third-liners, Hall and Coyle, with Frederic riding shotgun, are chewing up the opposition. A team as banged up as the Avalanche simply does not have the depth to match up well against a third line so robust.
Consider Frederic’s goal. Coyle tracked down the rebound of a Derek Forbort shot in the left corner. Meyers was in chase mode. He had no chance of slowing Coyle down. As Coyle skated up the wall, he brushed off Meyers with his left hand. Then he slammed on the brakes, held Meyers off and handed the puck to Hall. The left wing found Frederic open in the slot.
“For a line to do well, the center has to be playing well,” Hall said. “There’s just no way in this league you can have success as a line without the center being a catalyst and being someone you can really rely on. He’s that guy right now.”
Patrice Bergeron played a season-low 14:44. That was partly because of Coyle’s all-around sharpness. Coyle logged a team-high 3:35 on the penalty kill, which allowed Montgomery to limit Bergeron to 1:35 of man-down work.
“He’s a beast out there,” Montgomery said. “He puts people on his back and makes plays. He kills penalties for us. He does a lot of great things that help us win hockey games.”
(Photo of Craig Smith and Samuel Girard: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)
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