If the depth of the Boston Bruins continues to play as the fourth line did in Thursday night’s 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden, it could be a successful season for the Causeway Street gang. Newcomers Mark Kastelic (two goals) and Cole Koepke (one goal and two assists) helped power the Bruins win over their long-time rivals by tallying five points combined.
Kastelic came to the Bruins via trade this off-season, along with goalie Joonas Korpisalo and a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (Dean Letourneau), in exchange for Linus Ullmark. The 6′-4″ center isn’t known for his goal-scoring prowess, only netting 14 goals in 144 games with Ottawa. Kastelic scored twice in the Bruins home opener, his second game in Black and Yellow.
“I was just trying to get it to the net,” Kastelic said of his first strike. “Z ( Nikita Zadorov) made a good play back to me; there was a lot of open space there, and I just took it, and luckily, it went through, and it went in. It was a great feeling.”
Koepke, a free agent signing, only had one career goal under his belt coming into the season. His first as a Bruin was the eventual game-winner against the Habs.
“My initial plan was, I thought Johnny (Beecher) was going to take it to the net,” said Koepke of his second-period goal. “My whole plan was to go there and try to do what I could to get it in. (Cayden) Primeau (Canadiens goalie) kicked it out a little bit, and I saw half of it, and I just went for it. Then I saw it come out the other side.”
Beecher, a former first-round pick (#30 in 2019), rounds out the fourth line. The 6′-3″ Beecher assisted on the Koepke goal in the second period, giving him two assists in two games.
Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery was impressed by what the line gave the team on opening night.
“It was huge,” said Montgomery of the fourth line’s lift. “It was nice to see how hard they went to the net. The (Cole) Koepke goal, with Johnny Beecher taking it hard to the net. (Mark) Kastelic’s first goal, Koepke originally took the puck hard to the net, creating that offensive zone time.”
“It’s something that we feel, with the speed and the size of our team, that we want to do more of,” Montgomery said. “It’s not easy to do, but that was a good sign of it.”
A promising sign as the shortest player on the Bruins roster is Captain Brad Marchand at 5’9″.
“It feels really good,” said Kastelic, getting rewarded for their style of play. “It feels good to contribute to the team’s success. Getting on the score sheet is always a good feeling.”
“It was fun playing with my linemates tonight,” added the 25-year-old from Phoenix, AZ. “We’re starting to build our games together and getting more comfortable with each other. So it’s starting to pay off.”
Kastelic knows the Bruins are looking for net-crashers to provide a more balanced offense.
“It’s a huge focus, I think we play with a lot of speed,” Kastelic said. “We all have pretty good size, so if we can get it to the net and cause some chaos, a lot of times, good things will happen.”
“They were unbelievable,” said fellow newcomer Elias Lindholm. “I thought they played really well the last game, too. They created a lot of energy. They’re all big bodies, skate well, and are tough to play against. They were rewarded and deserved to score a couple of goals. They were our best line tonight.”
“We think our line can utilize (our speed and size) well,” said Koepke. “Get it in deep, skate fast, and wear them down. Good things will happen when you play the game the right way. The puck was on our side tonight.”
“We try to emphasize that we’re pretty big guys, and we have that speed, and it can be hard for the defense,” added the 6′-1″ Minnesotan.
“It’s been awesome,” said Koepke on playing with Beecher and Kastelic. “Two great guys off the ice and two great players on. They both have more experience than me, and learning from them, growing as a line, and building chemistry has been awesome.”
