Cassidy calls on Bruins’ young players to step up the energy and physicality

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy liked to see Brad Marchand spark the team during Tuesday's comeback win over the Devils. But as he explained after the game, it shouldn't be the job of the team's leading scorer to amp up the physicality.

Boston came back from down two goals in the third period en route to a 5-4 shootout win on Tuesday against New Jersey. Marchand gave the team a temporary boost after hitting Devils forward Jesper Bratt with the ol' Ricky Steamboat arm drag, then scored his 13th goal of the season just 49 seconds after leaving the penalty box.

It was the highlight of the night, prior to the comeback, anyway. But why does Marchand have to do this when the Bruins have gritty young players like Trent Frederic, Connor Clifton, and Anton Blidh in the lineup? That's why Cassidy decided to call on them to deliver the spark, among others.

“When you’re a young player in the National Hockey League, you’re given an opportunity to play here, when things go a little bit awry, we cannot rely on Brad Marchand to bring us energy in terms of physicality - or we should not have to, I guess," Cassidy said. "Brad’s a leader and good for him, he tried to get a spark. But that's where the Lauzons can make up for - a [Connor] Clifton, a [Jakub] Zboril, a [Karson] Kuhlman, a [Zach] Senyshyn, a [Trent] Frederic, a [Anton] Blidh. We need those guys to sort of turn the tide of the game with some physicality, some energy, something to get the bench excited, the crowd excited, and I’ll put that with the D, as well.

"And so that was a bit of the lesson and the messaging tonight in the second-period intermission, kind of spelling out a role for certain players. And you hope the rest of their game grows in terms of their execution, just with time and a little bit of confidence knowing they’re staying in the lineup. We got through it, but I'm not sure it's going to work against Pittsburgh so hopefully it's a one-and-done.”

Frederic is the logical choice to bring that physical edge. Even if it's just delivering the occasional loud body-check or getting more physical in the corners. Since scrapping with the Rangers' Brendan Lemieux and earning a misconduct for his troubles on March 13, Frederic has averaged 1.3 hits per game in his last seven. He averaged 1.5 hits per game prior to that.

The slight downturn in Frederic's feisty play hasn't translated to more offensive production, either. He has just one goal in his last 11 games. So the hope for him, in particular, is that the message from Cassidy has been received. Leave the scoring to Marchand. You should be the one practicing your jujitsu moves on the opposition.

Frederic doesn't deserve to be singled out, though. Clifton is more than capable of bringing the energy and physicality, as is Lauzon, and Blidh when he's in the lineup. That doesn't seem to be in Zboril's nature, but we'll see if Cassidy's prodding unlocks something in the young defenseman.

The Bruins take the ice next on Thursday for the start of a two-game series against the Penguins at TD Garden. That will be the first sign of whether the young players are heeding Cassidy's call.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.