Bruins Notebook: Jack Studnicka puts summer hype into fall action

Author Ty Anderson

September 29th, 2021 4:28 PM

Bruins center Jack Studnicka turned offseason hype surrounding his improved physique into tangible results Tuesday night, as he found the back of the net to put the Bruins on the board and then won the faceoff to pick up the lone assist on the team’s second and final goal of the evening in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

It was exactly what the Bruins needed to see in a night of relatively tough sledding throughout the roster.

“He managed the puck well,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I don’t think anybody early on was hard enough on it.”

That luck changed for the Bruins when they found some transition opportunities, however, and that’s where Studnicka shined.

“Good spot for Jack; finishes, had a couple of other chances around the net,” Cassidy noted. “I think there was a wraparound he got from Reilly; again, similar situation getting through the neutral zone. Good for Jack in that regard. I think their line has the ability to create offense and eventually they did and did a good job.”

Barring a relentless stream of these performances between now and Oct. 16, it seems unlikely that Studnicka, who still has minor-league options, will make the Bruins. But this growth is something the 22-year-old needed to show beyond the weight room and practice rink if he’s going to make life tricky for the Bruins, and he could feel the difference in his 2021 debut.

“I think I was able to throw my body around more when I was going through guys’ hands on the backcheck and stuff,” Studnicka, listed at 171 pounds last year, admitted. “Felt I was getting [into] position good, but it’s going to be a work in progress. It’s a little different game that I’m able to play now. So [I’m] just trying to bring more of an edge.”

• Fabian Lysell enjoying eye-opening NHL experience

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  The jump from the Swedish junior and pro ranks to the most competitive league in the world (preseason or not) has been an eye-opening one for 2021 Bruins first-round pick Fabian Lysell.
  
  “As comfortable as I was expected to be, I think," Lysell said when asked how he's felt during his first NHL camp. "Just try to compete at all times and keep up with the pace."
  
  You can see glimpses of promise here, too. Lysell has been able to find some sweet spots of the rink, and though he's been able to make some magical passes, you've seen other instances where the pass could use just a bit more behind it.
  
  "I think in both games I’ve played, I’ve been more comfortable as the game has gone on, each period, in each game," Lysell, who will depart for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants when the B's have seen enough this camp, admitted. "It’s smaller ice, so you gotta take that [into consideration].
  
  "Everybody’s stronger and faster and they read the game a little bit quicker, too. You have to be more prepared. You just gotta keep competing and make every decision a bit quicker. I think I’m handling it pretty good.”

• Cassidy wants more from his fourth-line wings

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  Tuesday night came with our first look at the Bruins' projected fourth line for 2021-22, which features Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar on the wings for free agent addition Tomas Nosek. Really from the moment that Nosek signed with Boston, and from the moment that the Bruins confirmed that they envisioned him playing center, it's been worth wondering just how this line was going to be utilized, as Nosek is hardly what you'd consider a Sean Kuraly-esque replacement in terms of his deployment.
  
  And based on what Cassidy said following the loss, and what he wants from this trio, it's going to be a different kind of role.
  
  “They can be better, that’s for sure. Those guys have been in the league," Cassidy said after the loss. “For a line that’s going to be an O-zone, puck-possession line, there’s some work to be done for them."
  
  Cassidy's issues seemed to be on the wings more than in the middle — that adds up when you consider Nosek's team-leading seven shots on goal compared to Frederic's team-worst minus-3 rating — and it was Frederic who felt the preseason 'wrath'.
  
  "I thought Freddy didn’t move his feet nearly well enough to be effective," Cassidy said. "Couple of chances off the rush got blocked because he didn’t separate a little more to create a little time for himself.
  
  “They had their moments where they did attack, but other times they’re going to have to work off each other better. Room to grow for that line to learn each other’s tendencies so they can control pucks better."

• ‘Uncomfortable’ Chris Wagner ready to compete for his spot

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  Hey, speaking of the fourth line...
  
  If we go by the lines we've seen so far, Bruins forward Chris Wagner has been on the outside looking in from the jump this training camp. About a week into the on-ice work at Warrior Ice Arena and through two preseason games, it's been Frederic and Lazar on a line with new fourth-line center Nosek without any sort of deviation.
  
  That's left the 30-year-old Wagner to work with depth forwards Anton Blidh and Steven Fogarty through almost all of training camp.
  
  It's not the most favorable spot for the Walpole, Mass. native.
  
  But it's also nothing new to him.
  
  “I’m never comfortable," Wagner admitted. "I haven’t been comfortable in 10 years. So, just try to do the best I can, work as hard as anybody on the ice, be physical, forecheck, penalty kill, all that, and just try to be an asset to help the team win."

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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.

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Author Ty Anderson

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