Mason Lohrei is learning on the fly.
The Bruins' young defenseman with the obvious offensive flair is continually refining his game to balance when to jump into the offensive flow and when to stay on the backline.
“Yeah, that’s a big part of my game and just being able to assess situations and make the right decisions in the right moments is huge,” Lohrei said following the team’s morning skate before Tuesday night’s 4-0 loss to the Oilers at TD Garden. “So, it’s something I’ve probably worked on, been told to work on, since I was in my first year of junior even maybe even before that. Mostly in juniors, that was a big, big time and yeah, it’s still something I am trying to get better at. I feel like I’ve done a good job of getting better at it a lot, but you’ve just got to be responsible.”
Balancing the responsibilities requires a combination of instincts and experience.
“I mean sometimes you just make a bad read. I mean that’s the game, right? Everything happens fast, so mistakes are going to happen, and you just try to limit that’s all you can do, right,” said Lohrei, who turns 24 Jan. 17.
Interim coach Joe Sacco said the Bruins want Lohrei “to defend first and foremost,” but won’t suppress his offensive instincts.
“Sometimes he gets over aggressive at the blue line and you sit there and ...” said Sacco, making a bit of a “yikes” face. “So, he’s got to understand when to make plays and when not to make plays. We want to make sure that he is generating, creating offense for us in certain situations, but not high risk either. There’s a balance there. He’s just got to trust his offensive instincts. Like I said before, when to join the play, when to support the attack in the offensive zone, when he can slide into a hole if he’s out there with players that can see him.”
Lohrei has a goal and 16 points, second best among a Boston blue line corps that has struggled to generate offense this season. The Bruins have gone 16 games without a goal from their defensemen.
While aware of the drought, Lohrei said he doesn’t feel extra pressure to make something happen.
“A big part of my game is I want to play offense, and I want to create. So, it is frustrating sometimes if we’re losing and maybe I feel like I’m not creating as much as I want to. You always want to do more,” he said. “So, when you’re losing, I think anybody who’s competitive wants to do more just to contribute and help the group win. So that’s where I want to do more. I’m sure everybody wants to do more, but you’ve got to stick to the systems first and stick to playing simple and being responsible and then more will come.”
Lindholm tests knee
A boost to the backline could be on the horizon as Hampus Lindholm went for a twirl on the Garden ice prior to the morning skate. Lindholm has been out since blocking a shot off the knee in St. Louis Nov. 12.
Lindholm had been the club’s best defenseman (3 goals, 7 points in 17 games) at the time of his injury.
Sacco said there’s still no timetable on a return. He’ll just wait for the medical staff to give him the all clear.
“You miss any player that you have in your lineup that has an impact on the game, night in and night out,” said Sacco. “Every team goes through those types of scenarios. We’re no different. We’ve been somewhat fortunate, knock on wood, not to have too many. But we miss Hampus. He plays in all situations for us. He plays against top lines, eats up a lot of minutes, a big guy that defends well. When the time comes, he’ll be a nice addition to our group.”
Milestone for referee Rooney
Chris Rooney was the referee Tuesday night — his 1,500th NHL game. He is the first American to hit that number. The Southie native got a nice smattering of applause ... The Bruins entered leading the all-time series with the Oilers, 51-23-6-6, including 27-11-3-2 at home ... The Bruins head South Wednesday for a Florida double dip at Tampa Thursday night and in Sunrise for a Saturday matinee.