In the recent past, hockey Boston was accused in some places of being a team of one formation, the so-called “Perfection Line” composed of Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrňák. At the beginning of the current NHL season, the Bruins are once again on the same line. But different than everyone expected.
Pastrňák was supposed to dominate together with Pavel Zacha and new center Elias Lindholm.
However, the elite trio is still playing. Although Pastrňák scored a solid five points (4+1) in three wins and two losses, Lindholm also (2+3) and Zacha added two (1+1), but in their roughly 44 minutes of combined ice time in five-on-five play Boston scored only twice, according to statistics website Natural Stat Trick.
Not that they failed, after all, they never cashed in for the mentioned constellations, but someone else was pulling the team.
And no, it wasn’t the second formation with Captain Marchand. Against all odds, the fourth attack of John Beecher – Mark Kastelic – Cole Koepke jumped to the fore.
The shapely American trio did not concede a single goal in 40 minutes of five-on-five play and scored eight (!) themselves. Even considering the defensive duties, the fact that, compared to Lindholm’s line, he goes to the bullpen much less in the offensive zone, this is a shocking ratio.
For comparison: Boston’s once vaunted fourth formation of Sean Kuraly – Noel Acciari – Chris Wagner also scored eight goals in the 2018/19 season. But in more than 400 minutes of five-on-five games together. And she cashed in 14 times.
“I think we’ve got to stop calling them the fourth line,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said of Kastelic’s offense. “By that I mean their hockey is seriously impressive.
Together, they have already accumulated 15 points, each of them has a record of 2+3. Together with Pastrňák and Lindholm, they lead the team’s productivity.
However, they usually don’t spend much time on the ice. With Koepke, it’s about ten minutes on average, with Kastelic and especially Beecher, a little more thanks to the time to weaken.
None of them have dazzled in recent years, and two weren’t even owned by the Bruins. Twenty-six-year-old Koepke was not very successful in making his way into Tampa’s main team, while Kastelic, a year younger, accumulated a maximum of 11 points in Ottawa. Twenty-three-year-old Beecher scored ten times in his rookie season for Boston.
But together they defeat the opponents. Not only are they exceeding expectations, according to journalist Conor Ryan, they are currently the “best hockey line” ever.
“I think the chemistry between us grows with every game. At the same time, we benefit a lot from the fact that we play simply and at a high speed. It’s a pleasure to play with these guys, they are great hockey players,” recounted Kastelic recently.
In addition to scoring goals, they understandably also do the work that Montgomery expects from them in the first place. They score points, block shots, hang on opponents, win faceoffs.
“They’re incredible, we’re standing on them right now,” Marchand gushed in front of the trio. “It’s great to see how competitive they are in every game. The rest of us have to learn from them and be a lot better.”
This is especially true for Marchand, who has collected only three assists so far and whose formation is clearly struggling.
However, Lindholm also has to work with Pastrňák and Zacha on the wings. Also because Kastelic’s hard-working line shines thanks to a shooting success rate of around 33 percent, which is difficult to maintain in the long term.
All goals by Beecher, Kastelic and Koepke in the first five games of the season:
Goals from the Bruins’ fourth attack at the start of the 2024/25 season | Video: NHL.com
