Bruins get up-close look at Derek Forbort’s value

Author Ty Anderson

October 25th, 2021 6:49 PM

Sunday came with defenseman Derek Forbort’s first goal as a Bruin, and his first multi-point effort since December 2018, but that was hardly the 29-year-old blue liner’s favorite part of Boston’s 4-3 win over the Sharks.

With the Bruins suddenly in a one-goal game after back-to-back unstoppable deflection goals from the Sharks, Forbort was deployed for nearly half of the final three minutes of the victory with one goal in mind: shut ’em down.

“I love it,” Forbort said after the win. “I think being out there with a one-goal lead, goalie pulled, that’s kind of my favorite time to play hockey.”

It showed.

When the Sharks’ Kevin Labanc carried the puck into the attacking zone with just over two minutes left in the third period, the 6-foot-4, 219-pound Forbort gave him absolutely no room to maneuver and forced him into a turnover. Forbort then on two separate occasions sent the puck out of danger and into a less populated area of the ice, and on three separate occasions made the strong first pass to support along the walls to help the Bruins get out of the defensive zone.

“He’s gonna have to play in those situations,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s a good guy to clear the front of the net. I thought he managed the puck well. He had a good game. That’s where he needs to be good for us.”

Forbort also finished the night as Boston’s fourth-most utilized defenseman at five-on-five behind the Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy pairing and Brandon Carlo, and this is exactly where the B’s slotted Forbort when they inked him to a three-year, $9 million contract as their move in a busy Day 1 of free agency last summer.

And it’s come with Forbort, now on his fourth different organization, finding his footing.

“As you get going and you get more familiar with your D partner and everyone on the ice, everything gets easier,” Forbort admitted. “You’re thinking less and you can just make the plays and roll with it. It just takes time.”

Here’s some other leftover thoughts and notes from a 4-3 win over the Sharks…

• Connor Clifton receives message from coaching staff

  Share

  The Bruins tried to make it clear that scratching Connor Clifton in Friday's meeting with the Sabres was more of a message to the entire Boston defense than to Clifton alone. But it's one that Clifton certainly seemed to receive all the same, as the 5-foot-11 defender played with much more of an antagonistic edge Sunday.
  
  Back on Boston's third pairing, Clifton stuffed the final sheet with one assist, two shots, three hits, and a block in 13:47 of action. But Cassidy still wants to see more out of the 26-year-old when it comes to playing a complete game.
  
  "They got beat on a two-on-two again tonight. Now, that goal, I don’t think it was a great goal on the goaltender, but Cliffy needs to be rock solid defensively. It’s been addressed," Cassidy said. "You know, like you’re not on the power play, we’re not expecting you to be out there when we’re down a goal, but up a goal you gotta be able to play and help us win and keep pucks out of our net however you do that. Whether that’s blocking shots, good positioning, good stick, all of the above."

• Steen, Studnicka do their jobs in fill-in roles for Big B’s

  Share

  Ravaged by injuries up front, the Bruins made the call to Providence for extra help with the recalls of forwards Oskar Steen and Jack Studnicka.
  
  Steen's 2021-22 debut came with Jake DeBrusk and Erik Haula on Boston's third line, while Studnicka's first crack of the season came between Trent Frederic and Karson Kuhlman's on Boston's fourth line. And the early reports on both were encouraging.
  
  "We’ll look at it, but I think they came up and did their job," said Cassidy.

  Steen finished the night with an assist (his first NHL point), one shot, and one takeaway in 10:40 of time on action, with Cassidy circling one area of growth for the Swedish wing.
  
  “The puck was following him [so] he’s got to learn to shoot the puck," Cassidy offered. "Coming off the wing, he did once late in the period, but other times he had opportunities and was deferring. We talked about that. Young guys, at some point, gotta attack the net and be selfish when the puck is on their stick in terms of getting to the net. He’ll have to go through that. But he worked hard, he was in good spots."
  
  Studnicka, meanwhile, finished with one sh0t in 11:10.
  
  “I didn’t notice [Studnicka] as much, so probably was good defensively if that’s the case," Cassidy said.

• Bruins get first look at potential 2022 trade deadline target

  Share

  It's probably too early to truly worry about this on either side, but the expectation is that the Shark's Tomas Hertl will be the top prize of the 2022 trade deadline should the sides fail to come to terms on an extension.
  
  And if first impressions mean anything, there's no doubt that the Bruins, who could definitely be in the market for a high-end center both now and in the future, would be one of the teams mentioned in those talks should he hit the trade market. 
  
  On the ice for 18:14 on Sunday, Hertl finished the losing effort with one goal and two shots. But the 27-year-old was downright dominant at the dot, with wins in 11 of his 15 faceoffs (73 percent). A lefty center, Hertl was especially impressive in his head-to-head with Patrice Bergeron, with wins in four of his battles at the dot, including three of four in the O-zone. 

Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Bruins.

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.

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.

Author Ty Anderson

Category:

• Bruins
• News
• Ty Anderson

Tags:

boston bruins,Connor Clifton,Derek Forbort,Jack Studnicka,Oskar Steen,san jose sharks,Tomas Hertl