Bruins forward responds to criticism with his best game
On Tuesday, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said he didn’t think Charlie Coyle was up to speed yet, but predicted he’d find his game shortly.
In Wednesday’s 5-3 win over the Avalanche, the veteran center proved his coach right.
With 2:51 left in the second period and the score tied 1-1. Mason Lohrei threaded a pass through Sam Gerard’s legs to Coyle in front of the net. The veteran center tapped the puck in for a power play goal to end his season-long goal drought.
“Mason is a pretty skilled player,” Coyle said. “I didn’t have to do much. He put it on a platter.”
While Coyle was happy to score, especially a goal that put the Bruins ahead to stay, Coyle was happier with his overall game.
“It’s not about the goals. It’s about playing the right way. If my legs are moving, I feel strong out there, I win my battles and everything picks up after that,” he said. “That was the main thing to get moving. I think I had a little more jump tonight.”
Montgomery thought he had his No. 2 center back.
“His legs were great. He was winning battles,” he said. “He was doing an excellent job in all three zones for us. It was the Charlie Coyle we all know and love.”
Montgomery’s comments Tuesday may have helped spur him along.
“Charlie Coyle looks like he’s not up to speed right now, but he’ll get there,” Montgomery said. “He’s a veteran player that we’ve relied on in so many areas and I don’t have concerns about Charlie. He’ll get to where he needs to be.”
Coyle agreed with Montgomery’s assessment on Tuesday.
“I’ve got to be inside more, want the puck a little more, too,” he said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re chasing the game a little bit, and
if you do it for a certain amount of time, sometimes you kind of switch things up when you shouldn’t. And it’s not lack of effort, lack of this. It’s just, sometimes you got to simplify. I’ve got to simplify it right now. Just play with my body, using my body down low, winning puck battles and taking the puck to the net. I feel like I’ve been chasing a little bit in that regard. I think that’s something our whole team can do. But me, personally, that’s when I get going, and I need to initiate myself more to do that.”
