Kalman: Griffith Getting NHL Lessons, But Bruins Need Even More Goals
BOSTON (CBS) -- Throughout his career Seth Griffith has been a goal scorer.
That's why despite being in just his second season of pro hockey, Griffith has been expected to put the puck in the back of the net in the NHL this season. When he hasn't scored, coach Claude Julien has had to cut his minutes or scratch him.
After sitting out as a healthy scratch for three straight games, Griffith got back in the lineup on Monday and lived up to his reputation with a power-play goal in the offense-challenged Bruins' 5-2 win against Detroit. It was his first goal since Nov. 15, a stretch of 10 consecutive goalless games.
"Yeah, it was probably the longest stretch that I've had without a goal," Griffith said after practice Tuesday at TD Garden. "So it was definitely good to get one, especially in a game like that, where we definitely needed that one. It was nice to contribute."
The 21-year-old has been in an odd predicament all season. While higher-regarded prospects failed to impress during training camp, Griffith, a fifth-round pick in 2012, played well enough for the Bruins to move him to the top of their list of call-ups. He started the season on the top line with Providence of the American Hockey League – actually playing center for the first time in years – and forged decent chemistry with 2014 first-round pick David Pastrnak.
Although he might've needed a little more AHL seasoning, he made his NHL debut Oct. 13 and in his seventh game he gained league-wide attention for his highlight reel goal in a two-goal game against Minnesota. Playing with center David Krejci and left wing Milan Lucic seemed to agree with Griffith. But then the Bruins' rash of injuries began, coach Claude Julien had to start to shuffle his lineup and opposing teams got wise to some of the 5-foot-9, 192-pound Griffith's moves.
One weekend in late November, Griffith was sent back to Providence to play for one game. Then he was scratched for three games. A guy who once scored 45 goals in the Ontario Hockey League and made his rookie season in the AHL a successful one with 20 goals, Griffith wasn't used to being an odd man out of the lineup. The time off, though, may have been a blessing. Griffith might have been hitting the dreaded rookie wall, and he also needed time to watch NHL action up close.
"I never really went through that. A little bit in Providence last year at the beginning of the year," Griffith said. "But I think as a young guy you need to sit out. You need to watch the game from up top. That's how you learn. It's helped me a lot with some aspects of my game. Hopefully I can continue to improve them."
Although ultimately he should be a top-nine forward that challenges the 15- or 20-goal mark, Griffith doesn't want to be a one-dimensional player. Griffith said that most of his focus when watching the games has been on improving his board work and defensive-zone play. Simply put, he needs to make sure he always gets the puck out of the Boston end when he has a chance. Complicating matters, though, is the unprecedented speed of the game in the NHL and the other responsibilities a winger has in his own end.
"It's everything. You've got to be in the right position on the ice and you have to put yourself in a good body position. You've got to know where they are on the ice and you've got to know where your own teammates are. So you know there's tons of things you've got to think about, but that just comes down to focusing and making sure you're doing your job."
After sitting out three straight games, Griffith was inserted back in the lineup for six straight, but often he was cast on the fourth-line alongside Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille. He had to adjust to different matchups, less ice time and little margin for error when it came to clearing the puck. He wasn't really in the right spot to start scoring goals again. He played the role to mixed results and he was back on the sidelines for three games.
Injuries to Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic, and Matt Fraser's departure for Edmonton via waivers, forced Julien to put Griffith back in against Detroit. Griffith skated at 5-on-5 with former Providence teammates Matt Lindblad and Craig Cunningham. He got a little less than nine minutes of ice time, but made his return to the power play count, impressing Julien and rewarding the coach's faith because Boston could've easily called up someone else from Providence to replace Griffith by now.
"You know as a young player, I say that often, you stay patient with them and go through the ebbs and flows," said Julien, whose team is 15-9-2 when Griffith suits up. "You can pull them out at times, give them a little mental break. You put them back in, make them hungry again. And they come back and give you the kind of performance that he did [Monday]. He's a guy that's played a lot everywhere he's been. He's a guy that's had a fair amount of success. I think ever last year ... he started off on the fourth line in Providence and worked his way up. So he's not a player that's always had it easy, and right now he's plugging through the situations we're putting him in."
If the Bruins didn't like Griffith's game, he would've been shipped back down I-95 long ago. There are no guarantees he'll be in Boston for the long haul, a fact made clear by the Bruins placing him in a team apartment near the Garden rather than letting him get his own place. The apartment, though, beats the hotel where Griffith was for weeks until recently. At least now he can cook some meals.
If he wants to keep cooking in Boston, he has to find the hot hand and continue to score goals.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
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