"He was dynamite": Mason Lohrei looked like he belonged in NHL debut for Bruins

BOSTON -- With injuries and Charlie McAvoy's suspension diminishing the Bruins' blue line, Boston needed top prospect Mason Lohrei to play like a top-four defenseman in his professional debut. The 22-year-old did not disappoint Thursday night in the team's 3-2 overtime win over Toronto.

There was no easing Lohrei into the NHL, as he was sent right out there against a talented Maple Leafs team at TD Garden. McAvoy's ban and injuries to Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort had the 2020 second-round pick skating on Boston's second defensive pairing next to Brandon Carlo, and Lohrei didn't shy away from anything. 

He wasn't afraid to handle the puck or park himself in front of the net. He also handled the pressure whenever the Leafs sought him out on the Bruins' end of the ice. 

Lohrei showed off his crisp speed and looked incredibly comfortable with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, and it didn't take him long to record the first point of his NHL career. He logged a secondary assist on Pavel Zacha's first-period goal that put Boston up 1-0.

There were mistakes here and there, but overall, Lohrei looked like he belonged in his 21:23 of ice time. That included 1:43 on the Bruins' penalty kill unit, which saw Lohrei break up a scoring chance by Leafs forward (and former Bruin) Tyler Bertuzzi in the second period. He later stole the puck from Bertuzzi and cleared the zone, helping Boston kill off the penalty. 

Rookies making their professional debuts don't usually log such meaningful minutes in such important moments. While the Bruins didn't have many options Thursday night, head coach Jim Montgomery saw early on that Lohrei could not only handle the pressure, but thrive in such situations.

"When he's playing as well as he did, you just put him on the ice," Montgomery said. "He was dynamite. He played really well. His poise with the puck in all three zones was very noticeable. Made a lot of intelligent hockey plays."

As for being thrown right into the flames (or the pile of Leafs, in this case), Lohrei didn't mind at all.

"It's just great," he said of the heavy workload in his debut. "You get pretty comfortable and it's just good for your confidence when they keep calling your number to go out there. It felt good.

"When you're hitting tape, playing quick, playing fast and getting up ice, it's just good for the confidence," Lohrei added. "I felt pretty comfortable early. Just tried to build off that."

Lohrei didn't collect the puck from his first NHL point to put on his mantle. He said he won't be needing any reminders from his special evening.

"I don't have anything, but I don't need to. I'll remember this for the rest of my life," he said with a massive smile.

McAvoy's suspension will end soon enough and the Bruins should get some healthy bodies back on the blue line. But if he continues to play like he did in his solid professional debut and make the necessary improvements over the next few games, the Bruins will have to find a way to keep Lohrei in the mix.