Everything is going pretty much near perfect for the Boston Bruins recently to the point where there’s not really much to change in terms of the team’s lines and defensive pairings.
But first-year coach Jim Montgomery obviously thinks otherwise.
Montgomery still wants to experiment with the lineup even as the Bruins take their six-game winning streak into Tampa Bay on Thursday night to battle the Lightning at Amalie Arena.
Montgomery is moving Taylor Hall, who has seen time on the third line this season, up to Boston’s top line to play on the right wing next to Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
“Just want to see it. It’s something we haven’t tried,” Montgomery told reporters after morning skate Thursday, per team-provided video. “We’re always looking at different ways to see if we can use people in different ways to just better ourselves. That’s what we’re going to do there, give him the opportunity. I’ve never seen him on his right wing.”
After a strong start to the season, Hall’s production has cooled off. He went 16 straight games without scoring a goal before he found the back of the net in Tuesday’s win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Heading up to the first line and playing with two playmakers in Bergeron and Marchand might just be the right recipe to reignite the 2010 No. 1 overall pick. After all, every button Montgomery has pushed this season has been the correct one.