To say that Jonathan Aspirot has exceeded everyone\u2019s expectations would be an understatement.<\/p>\n
The Bruins\u2019 defenseman looked like a career AHL defenseman when they signed him last summer. The 26-year-old Aspirot had played six seasons in the American League with the Belleville Senators and Calgary Wranglers before signing with the B\u2019s. Then, after having a decent training camp, was sent to Providence at the start of the season.<\/p>\n
Fast forward seven months and Aspirot is now playing on the B\u2019s top defense pairing with Charlie McAvoy. And while he\u2019s been primarily a defensive defenseman, Aspirot has chipped in offensively at key points. In the B\u2019s Game 2 victory in Buffalo on Tuesday, his lob pass led to Viktor Arvidsson\u2019s first goal and his breakout pass up to Casey Mittelstadt led to Arvidsson\u2019s second goal in the 4-2 victory.<\/p>\n
Aspirot\u2019s first game this season was on October 28, which was not so coincidentally the game in which the B\u2019s snapped their season-threatening six-game losing streak. The bottom line with Aspirot has been winning. In the regular season, the B\u2019s went 38-13-10 with Aspirot in the lineup and 7-14 without him there in the regular season. He led the B\u2019s in plus-minus with plus-30 in 61 games.<\/p>\n
Not much about Aspirot\u2019s game surprises Marco Sturm anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing in here and being that productive and being that consistent, playing with Charlie, being in the first pair, that\u2019s a lot for a guy who never really played in the NHL, especially in the playoffs. So he surprised me on that, for sure,\u201d said\u00a0 Sturm after the B\u2019s morning skate. \u201cBut we noticed right away, as soon as he was up with us and played a few games, this guy\u2019s for real and he fits our system perfectly. So after that, it was not a surprise anymore. It was a nice free agent signing for us early on the season and I\u2019m glad he made that jump.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aspirot has been a perfect fit for Sturm\u2019s hybrid man\/zone defensive system with his ability to close fast and the urgency with which he plays. His reliability has also allowed McAvoy to have his best offensive season with 11-51-61 totals in 69 games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge. I do believe Charlie needs a guy like that,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cThroughout his career, he\u2019s had some different players, good or bad, and I think Aspy\u2019s one he doesn\u2019t have to worry about. He knows he has his back and he keeps it very simple. I think that\u2019s something that, for a guy like Charlie, helps tremendously. And you can see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sturm coached against Aspirot in the AHL and felt that he had fallen into the same trap that many AHL defensemen fall. They\u2019re afforded more time and space at the AHL level and, for some players, that extra time induces them to try to do too much and ultimately make mistakes.<\/p>\n
The speed of the NHL forces them to think and act more quickly and that\u2019s what\u2019s worked so well for Aspirot.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe league is faster than the AHL. Everything is quicker and you have to adapt. Everything has worked out and I\u2019m super happy to be here,\u201d said Aspirot, who was awarded for his play with a two-year contract extension worth $887,500 annually in January.<\/p>\n
McAvoy has enjoyed the Aspirot success story as much as anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I didn\u2019t know Aspy before this year and it\u2019s just been really fun to play with him and get friendly with him. Really, I think we\u2019ve played great hockey together all year long,\u201d said McAvoy. \u201cThere are just so many amazing things for him. I\u2019m just really happy for him. Now he\u2019s getting to experience NHL hockey and he\u2019s playing amazing. All year long, you\u2019ve seen him finally get a chance to play in the NHL and he does great. It\u2019s just a very feel-good story for a guy who continued to believe in himself and finally got an opportunity to prove everyone wrong.\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n
Despite Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff dancing around the subject, Alex Lyon was in the starter\u2019s net at the Sabres\u2019 morning skate and the 33-year-old Yale man was set to replace Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who had a disastrous Game 2.<\/p>\n
There were other changes for Buffalo. Ruff announced that Josh Norris was out for Game 3 with an undisclosed injury and termed him day-to-day and in his place went Noah Ostlund (11-16-27 in 60 regular season games) while Tyson Kozak went in for Josh Dunne at the fourth line center\u2026.<\/p>\n
One of the key battle points in this series is the Bruins\u2019 attempt to slow down Buffalo\u2019s talented defenseman. Sometimes they\u2019ve been able to do it, sometimes not. Mattias Samuelsson scored the Game 1 winner and Bowen Byam scored the first goal in Sabres\u2019 comeback attempt that fell short in Game 2. But Norris Trophy candidate Rasmus Dahlin (one assist) had been kept relatively in check through the first two games.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t allow them to have any time and, for us, that\u2019s the biggest challenge,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cAnd if they do that better than us, then they probably win the series because they rely on that. They\u2019ve got good forwards, don\u2019t get me wrong. But if you look at their back end, it\u2019s pretty damn good on skill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruff, meanwhile, believes the Sabres can get more out of the D-men.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t execute and been quite as mobile in the offensive zone where it opens up ice. I think we have to make some quicker plays to get them involved more. There\u2019s been a little hesitations, whether it\u2019s been nerves or they want to be safe. We\u2019ve talked about that,\u201d said Ruff after the morning skate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s going to be nothing easy about it. They\u2019re doing a good job at getting a lot of people back. But once we\u2019re inside the zone, I think we can do a better job with puck placement.\u201d\u2026.<\/p>\n
After all the shenanigans in Game 2 and across the league\u2019s playoffs series in general, NHL officials addressed the post-whistle battles with the players on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re taking (away) a lot of the extra-curricular stuff. They\u2019re not messing around. They\u2019ve already come down and told us that this morning that they\u2019re going to be taking guys,\u201d said McAvoy. \u201cSo obviously you have to walk that fine line. I don\u2019t think anyone wants to be stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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