Boston Bruins
“Don’t be afraid to try something out there, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
Thursday will be far from Lukas Reichel’s first rodeo in the NHL ranks.
The 2020 first-round pick already has 188 games of experience at hockey’s highest level, even if the German-born winger has yet to carve out a regular role in the pro ranks.
As such, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm isn’t looking for Reichel to augment his game at all as he draws into the lineup for his first game with Boston on Thursday.
“I just told him the importance of what I want to see out of him,” Sturm said of his message to Reichel ahead of Thursday’s game against Winnipeg. “And the second part is just kind of being himself, right? I don’t want him to be a hero tonight.
“I don’t want him to be any different. He’s here for a reason. Because he will give us, hopefully, a little bit of speed and skill. … Just looking forward to having him here and looking forward to seeing him tonight in the Bruins jersey.”
As tantalizing as Reichel’s skating ability and puck skills are, they haven’t led to consistent NHL reps at his two previous stops with the Blackhawks and Canucks. In 19 games between Chicago and Vancouver this season, he has two goals and five total points.
“Just use my speed,” Reichel said of his approach on Thursday. “Don’t be afraid to try something out there, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. And for me, it’s just all about being good mentally and just playing with energy.”
Acquired as a low-risk, high-reward asset just before the NHL trade deadline on March 6, Boston only needed to give up a 2026 sixth-round pick to pry Reichel from the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.
He made the most of his short stint in Providence, scoring five points (one goal, four assists) in just three games before getting the call-up to Boston.
He’ll have a sizable task in front of him on Thursday, given where he slots into Boston’s lineup.
Reichel will draw in on a slumping third line next to Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm — a duo who have yet to produce a single point at 5-on-5 play since the Bruins returned from the Olympic break (a whopping 11 games).
Boston’s top-six group has been able to land punches — be it David Pastrnak’s two-goal showing on Monday against the Devils or the continued production generated by a second line of Viktor Arvidsson, Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt.
But with both Lindholm and Geekie stuck in neutral, a significant segment of Boston’s forward corps has been firing blanks for over three weeks now.
Sturm is hoping that Reichel’s straight-line speed and playmaking capabilities will be the remedy needed to get that line rolling once again.
“I actually liked Lindy’s game [more] the last few games,” Sturm said. “I think he was good. I think Geeks needs to move his feet a little bit better and just focus a little bit on a grinding game, [rather] than just scoring goals.
“I think that’s something he has to learn, too. … So hopefully Lukas will give them a little bit of speed and protection and get pucks, so they don’t have to go back for pucks all the time.”
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