There are clearly some soft spots on the Bruins roster that need augmentation at the NHL trade deadline while judging a team that’s treading water with a 4-3-4 record since the NHL All Star break and has allowed three or more goals in 10 straight games. There are some issues keeping the puck out of the net at crucial moments, even with an elite level of goaltending that’s saved them for most of the year.
But there are also things to be recognized and appreciated on this Bruins team as they continue grinding through a difficult portion of the season while holding onto first place in the Atlantic Division. One of those Bruins players to be recognized and appreciated is blue-collar forward Morgan Geekie coming off his first career NHL hat trick in a 5-4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night at TD Garden.
The 25-year-old Geekie showed off everything he can do in each of the three goals he scored vs. Vegas, as one was a breakaway after making a strong defensive play at the Bruins defensive blue line, the second was a finish with a strong shot on a 3-on-2 rush by the B’s and the third was paying the price for a net-front tip off a David Pastrnak curl-and-shoot at the faceoff circle.
“Even during the road trip, our third and fourth lines were scoring more 5-on-5 than our first and second line,” said Jim Montgomery with goals from Geekie, Jesper Boqvist and the PP score from rookie D-man Mason Lohrei. “It’s much needed as the first and second line need to pick it up with the 5-on-5 scoring.
“It was nice to see [Geekie] skating and holding onto pucks. He made a lot of clever possession plays prior to his second goal.”
It also was refreshing to witness somebody besides Pastrnak and Brad Marchand collect a hat trick for the Bruins, and for Geekie to get some bounces after he was robbed of a goal against his old Seattle team on a bogus goalie interference call.
Geekie collected a Bruins toque off the ice to hold onto as a keepsake for the three-goal performance, but Kevin Shattenkirk picked up a Black and Gold fedora tossed on the ice as a hat trick memento for his teammate.
Geekie didn’t call it karma but was certainly happy to see the puck go into the net repeatedly while adding up to a badly needed win for the Black and Gold.
“I would say it’s more karma for the puck to my face, but I guess so. You just try to do the right things at both ends of the rink and hopefully good things will happen. It’s something that you don’t ever really think about coming into a game, but it’s always fun,” Geekie said after his first career hat trick in his 235th NHL game. “Especially when you get two points, for sure. It was good to close that one out, especially the way we finished the last couple games.
“I think I had one in the AHL in Charlotte a few years ago. [Pastrnak] made a great shot and I was trying to get to the back post and just kind of got in the way. I knew I didn’t get right in front of the goalie, so I was just lucky enough to get a stick on it and see it go through [for the third goal]. I don’t know if I ever dreamed about getting in the NHL, but it’s something I’ll never forget…that’s for sure.”
Geekie finished up the month of February as his best scoring month with five goals (and seven points) in 12 games.
The three-goal outburst marked NHL career highs for Geekie for goals scored (13) and points (30), who has blossomed in a bottom-6 role for the Boston Bruins after signing a two-year, $4 million deal with the B’s in the offseason. It’s turned out to be a great move for Geekie in his best NHL season and another smaller move that has worked for a Bruins organization that consistently does a good job landing under-the-radar signings that have performed well for Boston.
“It’s been great. You know what you’re walking into with the people that have come before. The coaches have been great, the organization has been great, and my teammates have been awesome,” said Geekie, who is on pace for a solid 17 goals and 40 points this season. “I think I’ve grown a lot as a player. It’s a little bit more opportunity and being able to execute. I’ve always had the ability to make plays, so being given the opportunity to use those skills. I can’t thank the coaches enough for giving me that opportunity to just try and keep growing as a player.
“We have a tight-knit group, and we feel like we can play with anybody on this team, so we have great chemistry. It’s pretty easy to go back and forth with guys and play games with them.”
The question now is much the 6-foot-3, 202-pound Geekie will be able to help the Bruins in the Stanley Cup playoffs to come. Much of his game is based on size, strength, good hockey instincts and the willingness to make a second or third effort for pucks before being able to finish around the net with a quality NHL shot.
It would seem his size/strength/skill game is made for the postseason based on his best attributes as he continues to be in the middle of a career season at 25 years old. That also portends good things to come for Geekie next season and beyond after settling into a new home in Boston after stints in Carolina and Seattle. That’s great news for Geekie, of course, but also a great development for a Bruins team that will continue to control his rights as a restricted free agent after his contract expires at the end of next season.
At the very least the winning hat trick performance against Vegas is the capping performance for Geekie during the regular season with genuine hope that the B’s have third and fourth line combinations that can be a factor when it comes to postseason time.
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