Need to Know: Poitras 'Very Close' to Return to Lineup

Fourth Line Shines

Speaking of big boys, the Bruins’ new-look fourth line of Johnny Beecher (6-3, 216 pounds), Mark Kastelic (6-4, 226), and Cole Koepke (6-1, 203) combined for six points in a stellar home-opener showing on Thursday night at TD Garden.

“I think we’ve just built a lot of chemistry over practice, and we all have the same idea of how we wanna play. We want to play fast and we want to play hard and try to wear the other team down. I think just as a whole we did that really well together and it’s been going well for us,” said Koepke, who notched a career-high three points (goal, two assists), which matched his career total (in 26 games with Tampa) heading into the game.

Kastelic, meanwhile, tallied two goals in his TD Garden debut. The 25-year-old, acquired in the trade that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa over the summer, tied the game at 2 with a snipe from the top of the slot at 13:24 of the first, before adding an important insurance tally that banked in off Montreal goalie Cayden Primeau with four minutes left to put Boston up, 6-4.

“It feels really good,” said Kastelic. “I mean, it just feels good to contribute to the team's success and getting on the score sheet is always a good feeling. And it was really fun playing with my line tonight, and I think we're starting to build our games together and get more comfortable with each other, so it’s starting to pay off.”

The Arizona native said that the trio’s goal has been to create as much havoc as possible.

“I think it's a huge focus,” said Kastelic, whose grandfather Pat Stapleton played for the Bruins from 1961-63. “I think we play with a lot of speed, and we all [have] pretty good size. So, if we can get it to the net, cause some chaos, a lot of times, good things will happen.”

Montgomery also complimented the offseason work of Beecher, who has shown marked improvement in his second year with the big club.

“I think Johnny Beecher’s a great example of how important it is to have a really good summer and then follow it with a really good camp, because his camp, we thought, as a group, management…he’s really been on top of his game,” said Montgomery. “He’s added layers to his game. He’s more explosive, he’s stronger, his stamina is better, he’s hanging onto pucks is vastly improved, and you see his confidence now has taken off.

“What he adds to that group and line as a whole is their ability to get to the net and beat people 1-on-1, taking pucks to hard offensive areas. Not only does it create excitement in the building, but it’s rebounds, goals, power plays are gonna come from it.”