BOSTON -- Bruins forward Matt Fraser continues to earn the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates during his second season in the organization.
With Brad Marchand sidelined with an undisclosed injury for Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues at TD Garden, it appears Fraser will have an opportunity to play on the Bruins’ second line, along with Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith.
Since the Bruins have dealt with numerous lineup changes this season, Fraser has experience on all four lines, including training camp. During the regular season, he has played 11 games -- mostly on the third line.
“Every guy in this room belongs here. Every guy in this room is a great hockey player. Wherever you are slotted in the lineup, you’ve got to take advantage of it and it doesn’t matter where it is,” Fraser said. “I’m here to make an impression and show that if someone isn’t able to go -- from the first line to the fourth line -- I can fit in wherever is needed.”
The 24-year-old forward has scored two goals this season. With his ability to shoot, he needs to find the open areas because Bergeron will feed him the puck.
“That kind of goes without saying," Fraser said. "He said that to me before and that’s the natural instinct I have to have when you’re playing with guys like that, is to get open and get to those open areas, because they are so good and that puck is going to come when you’re least expecting it, and when it does you’ve got to be ready for it.”
If Fraser can get in those areas and receive the puck on his stick, he needs to have the mindset of shooting first. The quicker he gets the shot off, the better the chance of scoring.
When New Jersey was in town on Nov. 10, Devils forward and former Bruin Michael Ryder talked about Fraser’s ability. The two played together with the Dallas Stars before Fraser was traded to Boston as part of the Tyler Seguin deal.
“He’s got a great shot and he’s a good hockey player,” Ryder said. “When you play more you get confidence and you get into a rhythm and you’ll see a lot more consistency. I played with him a little bit and he’s a good player. If you’re getting an opportunity to play, you need to be consistent every night, and if you’re not scoring, you’ve got to do other things on the ice to help the team.”
Besides his ability to shoot, Fraser needs to be accountable on both ends of the ice, and he understands that. He also believes he’s finding his groove the more he plays.
“Yeah, I think so,” Fraser said. “I would like to be contributing a little more offensively, but I feel like I’ve been getting my chances. I’ve been around the net, and the biggest thing for me, too, being a younger guy in this organization you’ve got to be good defensively, and you’ve got to be good in all three zones.”
The one thing Fraser probably won’t be doing much of is fighting.
During Boston’s 5-1 loss to Montreal last Thursday at Bell Centre, Fraser dropped the gloves with the Canadiens’ Nathan Beaulieu at 11:05 of the second period. Beaulieu landed a punch that left Fraser a bit woozy. He went to the locker room, passed all the concussion protocols and returned for the third period.
“Well, it didn’t feel very good,” Fraser said with a smile after the team’s morning skate Tuesday.
Fraser fought plenty during his junior career, but at this level players get paid to handle that role. At the time, he felt he needed to do something in order to spark the Bruins.
“If that’s the worse that ever happens to me in this game, then so be it,” Fraser said. “But at the same time, that’s part of hockey. You look at the toughest guys in this league, they’ve all been hurt in fights before and that’s part of it. That’s something about my game that I’m not very good at, but I’ll do anything to try to help myself and help the team.”
There are plenty of young players in the league that don’t engage in fighting, but veterans always say once the first one is out of the way it’s easier to handle if the need occurs again.
Last week, OHL sensation Connor McDavid, who is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, fractured a bone in his right hand during a fight, leaving many to wonder why he even dropped the gloves.
“I know everyone is making a big deal about the Connor McDavid thing, but he stuck up for himself and that’s part of hockey,” Fraser said. “I think that has a place in this game. Certain circumstances I don’t agree with, but hockey’s known to be a big, tough sport and if you don’t play that way then lots of times you don’t make it.”
